A hostile and lonely path
Who: Essdara, Kenathan and Laelle
Where: Lakeshore
What: A spot of fair weather draws two very different girls to the lake. Essdara pushes all the wrong buttons and gets a fair bit of reaction. Not the good sort.
As evening falls on the Weyr, there is a rare break to the incessant drizzle that has been plauging the region. Taking the oppertunity for some rare dry air, Essdara can be seen moving across the rocky beach of the lake, gingerly picking her fotting on the slick rocks. She is smiling, though, and seems to be content with the day. Pausing in her walking, she reaches down to pick up a small, smooth stone from the ground, shaking it in her hand a moment and turning towards the water.
A bit of fresh air without rain has drawn Laelle out to the lake as well. She has her bag with her, work that is very rarely, if ever, left behind. She makes her way down to the edge of the water and just stands there, looking out over the lake. If she sees Essdara also milling around the lakeshore, she doesn't let on, at least not for the moment.
A swing of the cook's arm sees the stone skittering off across the surface of the lake. Quietly, she counts, "One, two, three, four... Psh. Only four." Still, she's sharp hearing and someone else moving across the rocky shore. Seeing Laelle, her smile widens. "Hey there, Laelle! Not seen you in a while!" She moves over towards the other girl, so as to make talking easier. "Nice day, finally. Or at least, dry! Sort of."
The Caucus girl's head turns, enough lack of surprise on her features that she must have noted Essdara's presence. Her eyes follow the cook's approach, unmoved. "Hello." Reference to the day, the weather, draws Laelle's gaze upward to watch the sky for a moment. "Yes, it's nice. I'm relieved that the snow is behind us."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Dara says, rolling her eyes a bit. "Though it was fairly mild, all things considered, and at least the cold weather keeps Thread injuries to a minimum." She turns towards the water, standing next to Laelle. "You've been well, I assume? How are you settling in to classes, keeping up with everything ok? I know it's hard to settle in. But I know you're doing well, you're the coping type."
Laelle's skyward gaze falls back down to Essdara, a flat expression considering her idly. As the cook talks, the Holder girl's lashes start to narrow. "If you know, then why are you asking me?" she wonders, a brow arching slightly and the edge of her voice edged and skeptical.
"Well, I don't /know/, I'm just... Certain. If I don't ask you and I am wrong, then I will feel stupid. 'Course, if I'm right, I probably will anyway. Hmm. Need to work on picking my conversations better, clearly!" She shrugs, letting the irritation of the other pass over her with no effect. "Sorry I haven't sought you out more, it's been a busy couple of weeks. I've been taking extra shifts because we lost two cooks to babies. Until the kids are a few months old, we'll be short staffed." Her tone talking about them almost has a wistful edge to it, and she kicks a stone out towards the water. "Not even had time to visit my parents, or R'vain beyond bringing klah in the morning."
Laelle waits, the lift of her brow perhaps curiously amused by Essdara's reaction, her explanation. That amusement lasts for a moment or two, then fades away to leave her expression mild again. "Perhaps you'd like to start over? Ask a question you don't know the answer to?" As for meeting up and who has or hasn't been seeking the other out, she lifts a hand, a soft, vague dismissal. "Please don't feel that you have to trouble yourself. It sounds like you are quite busy. I'm sorry that your kitchen is understaffed."
"Ahh, if I don't trouble myself with my friends, Laelle, then there will be precious little point to my life. And it's a common enough problem, girls getting knocked up. You learn to ignore it and just pick up the slack, and really, I'm happy for them." She looks over at Laelle and grins. "OK, so, a new question then. Let's start with something simple - what's in the bag?"
Laelle's jaw moves and she swallows, but this is the only change in her still, quiet demeanor until the specific question brings her attention to her bag. She rests her hand on it, lightly, "Work. History, ethics, accounts to doublecheck for Roa. Nothing of any particular interest." And then she adds, late, "I would not think that it would be a surprise to anyone that girls 'get knocked up'. It happens everywhere."
Essdara's eyes widen a little, and she lifts her hand to her forehead, giving it a light smack. "Oh, shards. I /knew/ there was a reason I wanted to keep an eye out for you! I wanted to congratulate you! You'll do well for her, and she's gonna need the help." She grins over at Laelle, "I admit, I'm a bit jealous. It's one of the few jobs I think I would leave the kitchens for. Perhaps I should have chased it, instead of waiting to see how this hatching goes. I guess, then, you won't be out there at all. A pity, I'm going to be terribly lonely."
"Thank you," Laelle says, wary of Essdara's exhuberance. "I... perhaps you should have spoken to her about the position. You did say that the two of you were close." She brushes an invisible strand of hair from her eyes, slipping her finger behind her ear. "And no, I'm not standing. I'm here for Caucus." Assissting jobs aside.
"I still say they should let students Stand." Dara replies promptly, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Especially if they actually live here. And we chatted a little, Roa and I. We decided to wait until after the hatching for any mucking around in my life. She and R'vain seem to have plans once it's passed." Kick, splash. "Roa works you hard, I imagine. She's not known for slacking off."
"Just because a person attends Caucus, does not mean that they have any wish to become part of the Weyr or give up their lives to be dragonriders," Laelle points out, calm and even where Essdara was frustrated. "Plans? For?" But she doesn't reply to the nature of her work for Roa.
"Joining Caucus does not imply that. Taking a position within the Weyr, however, does seem to indicate a certain dedication to your new home. Or is this just a temporary fling with her, until you go home?" Dara asks, with real curiosity more than animosity. "That would make me sad, though it could easily be much too early to know."
"Frankly, I don't see how it's any of your business," Laelle says, her expression unchanged but a clear, precise edge finding its way into her voice. "But, since we've established that you know me so very well, who am I to refute any assumptions you've made." Her attention drifts from the cook, heading out over the lake.
Kenathan arrives from the northern bowl.
Kenathan has arrived.
"Well, I'm not trying to pry or anything, of course,just talking. If you'd rather speak about something else, then do feel free to speak up." Dara rolls her eyes just a little. "And if I said you don't make talking to you easy, would you then counter that I needn't trouble myself? Seems a hostile and lonely path."
"I fail to see how I have been hostile," Laelle replies, her words unhurried and her tone calm as a patient tutor's. She stands with Essdara on the edge of the lake. "I have thanked you for your congratulations, offered my sympathy for the state of your kitchen and answered what questions you yourself have not beaten me to with answer of your own. I've found your assumptions insulting and I have tried to refrain from comment. I suppose I did point out that not everyone is eager to be a dragonrider. I am sorry if you find that sentiment hostile. I did not mean it to be. Perhaps it is your own uncertainty that has led you to that reaction."
The bowl might be damp, but Ken, at this point, is becoming used to that. He makes his way towards the lake, regarding it warily, his head tilted to one side, "Looks safe," the boy murmurs to himself, continuing his route towards the shore, a little bit away from the two women.
"I didn't mean..." Dara says quickly, then closes her mouth. "I wasn't trying to be insulting, simply trying to talk. I apologise, if I did. It is, perhaps, wrong of me to assume that someone will be doing well." A small sigh and she shakes her head. "And no, I don't find it hostile. Faranth knows I don't want to be one, so I can hardly expect others to. Regardless, I'll leave you in peace." She turns a bit, and offers Kenathan a polite nod, pausing in her apparent leavetaken to look the boy over.
Laelle shakes her head, holding up a hand to pause the cook, though it seems Kenathan's presence is more effective to that end. "No, please. You enjoy the fair weather. I apologize for my lack of patience and I wish you luck on the hatching sands," she says. When she turns to take her leave, she does not pause. Her eyes follow the boy for a few steps and then she is off toward the Caucus area.
Where: Lakeshore
What: A spot of fair weather draws two very different girls to the lake. Essdara pushes all the wrong buttons and gets a fair bit of reaction. Not the good sort.
As evening falls on the Weyr, there is a rare break to the incessant drizzle that has been plauging the region. Taking the oppertunity for some rare dry air, Essdara can be seen moving across the rocky beach of the lake, gingerly picking her fotting on the slick rocks. She is smiling, though, and seems to be content with the day. Pausing in her walking, she reaches down to pick up a small, smooth stone from the ground, shaking it in her hand a moment and turning towards the water.
A bit of fresh air without rain has drawn Laelle out to the lake as well. She has her bag with her, work that is very rarely, if ever, left behind. She makes her way down to the edge of the water and just stands there, looking out over the lake. If she sees Essdara also milling around the lakeshore, she doesn't let on, at least not for the moment.
A swing of the cook's arm sees the stone skittering off across the surface of the lake. Quietly, she counts, "One, two, three, four... Psh. Only four." Still, she's sharp hearing and someone else moving across the rocky shore. Seeing Laelle, her smile widens. "Hey there, Laelle! Not seen you in a while!" She moves over towards the other girl, so as to make talking easier. "Nice day, finally. Or at least, dry! Sort of."
The Caucus girl's head turns, enough lack of surprise on her features that she must have noted Essdara's presence. Her eyes follow the cook's approach, unmoved. "Hello." Reference to the day, the weather, draws Laelle's gaze upward to watch the sky for a moment. "Yes, it's nice. I'm relieved that the snow is behind us."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Dara says, rolling her eyes a bit. "Though it was fairly mild, all things considered, and at least the cold weather keeps Thread injuries to a minimum." She turns towards the water, standing next to Laelle. "You've been well, I assume? How are you settling in to classes, keeping up with everything ok? I know it's hard to settle in. But I know you're doing well, you're the coping type."
Laelle's skyward gaze falls back down to Essdara, a flat expression considering her idly. As the cook talks, the Holder girl's lashes start to narrow. "If you know, then why are you asking me?" she wonders, a brow arching slightly and the edge of her voice edged and skeptical.
"Well, I don't /know/, I'm just... Certain. If I don't ask you and I am wrong, then I will feel stupid. 'Course, if I'm right, I probably will anyway. Hmm. Need to work on picking my conversations better, clearly!" She shrugs, letting the irritation of the other pass over her with no effect. "Sorry I haven't sought you out more, it's been a busy couple of weeks. I've been taking extra shifts because we lost two cooks to babies. Until the kids are a few months old, we'll be short staffed." Her tone talking about them almost has a wistful edge to it, and she kicks a stone out towards the water. "Not even had time to visit my parents, or R'vain beyond bringing klah in the morning."
Laelle waits, the lift of her brow perhaps curiously amused by Essdara's reaction, her explanation. That amusement lasts for a moment or two, then fades away to leave her expression mild again. "Perhaps you'd like to start over? Ask a question you don't know the answer to?" As for meeting up and who has or hasn't been seeking the other out, she lifts a hand, a soft, vague dismissal. "Please don't feel that you have to trouble yourself. It sounds like you are quite busy. I'm sorry that your kitchen is understaffed."
"Ahh, if I don't trouble myself with my friends, Laelle, then there will be precious little point to my life. And it's a common enough problem, girls getting knocked up. You learn to ignore it and just pick up the slack, and really, I'm happy for them." She looks over at Laelle and grins. "OK, so, a new question then. Let's start with something simple - what's in the bag?"
Laelle's jaw moves and she swallows, but this is the only change in her still, quiet demeanor until the specific question brings her attention to her bag. She rests her hand on it, lightly, "Work. History, ethics, accounts to doublecheck for Roa. Nothing of any particular interest." And then she adds, late, "I would not think that it would be a surprise to anyone that girls 'get knocked up'. It happens everywhere."
Essdara's eyes widen a little, and she lifts her hand to her forehead, giving it a light smack. "Oh, shards. I /knew/ there was a reason I wanted to keep an eye out for you! I wanted to congratulate you! You'll do well for her, and she's gonna need the help." She grins over at Laelle, "I admit, I'm a bit jealous. It's one of the few jobs I think I would leave the kitchens for. Perhaps I should have chased it, instead of waiting to see how this hatching goes. I guess, then, you won't be out there at all. A pity, I'm going to be terribly lonely."
"Thank you," Laelle says, wary of Essdara's exhuberance. "I... perhaps you should have spoken to her about the position. You did say that the two of you were close." She brushes an invisible strand of hair from her eyes, slipping her finger behind her ear. "And no, I'm not standing. I'm here for Caucus." Assissting jobs aside.
"I still say they should let students Stand." Dara replies promptly, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Especially if they actually live here. And we chatted a little, Roa and I. We decided to wait until after the hatching for any mucking around in my life. She and R'vain seem to have plans once it's passed." Kick, splash. "Roa works you hard, I imagine. She's not known for slacking off."
"Just because a person attends Caucus, does not mean that they have any wish to become part of the Weyr or give up their lives to be dragonriders," Laelle points out, calm and even where Essdara was frustrated. "Plans? For?" But she doesn't reply to the nature of her work for Roa.
"Joining Caucus does not imply that. Taking a position within the Weyr, however, does seem to indicate a certain dedication to your new home. Or is this just a temporary fling with her, until you go home?" Dara asks, with real curiosity more than animosity. "That would make me sad, though it could easily be much too early to know."
"Frankly, I don't see how it's any of your business," Laelle says, her expression unchanged but a clear, precise edge finding its way into her voice. "But, since we've established that you know me so very well, who am I to refute any assumptions you've made." Her attention drifts from the cook, heading out over the lake.
Kenathan arrives from the northern bowl.
Kenathan has arrived.
"Well, I'm not trying to pry or anything, of course,just talking. If you'd rather speak about something else, then do feel free to speak up." Dara rolls her eyes just a little. "And if I said you don't make talking to you easy, would you then counter that I needn't trouble myself? Seems a hostile and lonely path."
"I fail to see how I have been hostile," Laelle replies, her words unhurried and her tone calm as a patient tutor's. She stands with Essdara on the edge of the lake. "I have thanked you for your congratulations, offered my sympathy for the state of your kitchen and answered what questions you yourself have not beaten me to with answer of your own. I've found your assumptions insulting and I have tried to refrain from comment. I suppose I did point out that not everyone is eager to be a dragonrider. I am sorry if you find that sentiment hostile. I did not mean it to be. Perhaps it is your own uncertainty that has led you to that reaction."
The bowl might be damp, but Ken, at this point, is becoming used to that. He makes his way towards the lake, regarding it warily, his head tilted to one side, "Looks safe," the boy murmurs to himself, continuing his route towards the shore, a little bit away from the two women.
"I didn't mean..." Dara says quickly, then closes her mouth. "I wasn't trying to be insulting, simply trying to talk. I apologise, if I did. It is, perhaps, wrong of me to assume that someone will be doing well." A small sigh and she shakes her head. "And no, I don't find it hostile. Faranth knows I don't want to be one, so I can hardly expect others to. Regardless, I'll leave you in peace." She turns a bit, and offers Kenathan a polite nod, pausing in her apparent leavetaken to look the boy over.
Laelle shakes her head, holding up a hand to pause the cook, though it seems Kenathan's presence is more effective to that end. "No, please. You enjoy the fair weather. I apologize for my lack of patience and I wish you luck on the hatching sands," she says. When she turns to take her leave, she does not pause. Her eyes follow the boy for a few steps and then she is off toward the Caucus area.