Stop.
Who: Miniyal and Roa
Where: Storeroom
When: 13:22 on day 6, month 9, turn 3 of the 7th Pass.
What: A couple of days after Navan talks to Roa the weyrwoman comes seeking the head of records' daughter. They discuss Miniyal's project. There is no stomping or yelling or anything. Just quiet conversation.
4/28/2007
At High Reaches Weyr, it is 13:22 on day 6, month 9, turn 3 of the 7th Pass.
Any excuse to get away from people is fairly leapt upon by most of the weyrlings. Some, in particular, will do whatever is necessary to get a few precious minutes away from the noise and bustle and lessons that make up the routine that continues to govern their lives. So, after lunch when lessons are going on and everyone should be at them Miniyal is here in the store room. Near one wall are stacks of old blankets and it is these she goes through, sorting them out and appearing to be collecting a small pile of them next to a large basket.
Privacy is a rare thing for dragonriders, rarer yet now that new weyrlings have a giant winged tattletale attached to them. Tialith requested. Peloth provided. Now the small and rounding weyrwoman slips into the stores and makes an easy path towards where Miniyal is sorting blankets. "Hullo," says Roa. "I need to talk with you for a minute."
Damn the tattletale. All Miniyal was looking for was for a few minutes. And, so much for it. Ah, well. She straightens up and turns around, blinking. "Umm. Alright." She doesn't bother trying to hide the puzzlement. As far as she's aware she's done nothing to be needed to be talked about recently.
As far as she's aware may be the operative words. The weyrwoman sucks in a small breath. "What you're doing in records. I need you to stop. Navan found them."
More blinking. "I'm not sure what you mean." Miniyal nudges the basket with a few blankets already in it aside. "What did Navan find? We're not really speaking so I don't know what he is up to these days."
"Min. Please don't," is Roa small sigh as a hand lifts to tuck nothing at all behind her ear, because there are no wayward wisps to tuck. "He found the pages you've been sneaking into the records set to leave here and go off with Caucus students returning home. He found twelve tampered files. I'd like to know how many left that he didn't fine, and I need you to stop."
"Oh, those. Well, if he's found them I clearly have to stop until he stops looking." Miniyal says this with a shrug of her shoulders. See, no big deal. "I give him a month or two. Then things will settle down. I'll have Bothal let me know. I was just thinking of getting to the good stuff too. Damn his timing."
"No. Miniyal. -I- need you to stop. For longer than a couple months. Until...I don't know until. For a long while." Roa crosses her arms over her chest, brows drawing down a little. "How many went out that he didn't find?"
"Do you mind if I work while we talk?" Miniyal gestures to the blankets. "Fall is here and winter is coming and I guess people need blankets and so on." Another kick of her foot to the basket. "That doesn't make sense. Now is the perfect time to continue doing it. I mean, I could have planned it better if I'd even known they were thinking of coming back. I mean, not that there's any reason I would, but still. It was the perfect opportunity lost."
"I don't mind," Roa murmurs distractedly, the words pushed out quickly so her mouth has room for the important ones. "They're in our territory and we have to deal with it. If we want the other weyrs and the holds to listen to what we have to say with any sort of trust, we can't be leaking information out in the meantime. It makes us conspirators and it makes any sort of mercy we suggest suspect."
Crouching down she goes back to sorting blankets. Only some of them pass whatever visual test Miniyal puts them through. For every one put into the basket two or three more are left behind. "Do you know how long I've been working on this?" The records, not the blankets, of course. It goes without saying. "And now I'm supposed to just stop?"
"Yes," Roa agrees quietly. "Now, you're supposed to just stop. Things have changed and you risk more damage than aid if you continue."
"You know, that's the only thing I had left to do." Miniyal frowns at a blanket and then sets it aside after a moment's silent consideration. It is an observation only, of course. It shouldn't sound like a threat. "I'm not exactly sure what you expect me to do if I'm not allowed to /do/ anything."
"That's all you were doing? D'ven would be heartbroken." But Miniyal's seeming acquiescence has Roa puffing out a deep and relieved sigh. "No other ideas brewing in your head that you've yet to implement?"
Shaking her head, Miniyal folds a blanket up and adds it to the basket. "Peloth and I are doing fine. It's not like this stuff is hard to learn, you know. And D'ven has no complaints about my work he has bothered to voice." There is a thoughtful pause and then she smiles. "And if I can't stay busy we both get bored. And he can continue to give us the tightest schedule he can think of, but we still get bored."
"Then think up something else to do. Something unrelated to the unexpected guests at Five Mines, please," Roa says with a little shake of her head.
"That's like saying 'Don't breathe right now' you know." Miniyal's head shakes again and she adds a couple of blankets to the rest and then straightens up again, done for the moment. "But, fine. I won't do a single thing that might cause trouble. And after I've graduated when my brain has atrophied and I'm of no use to anyone so be it."
"I didn't say...couldn't you just poke at a problem unrelated to instigators for a while?" Roa asks, holding her hands out at her sides. "I know you've found plenty to dislike. Can't you set your sights on something else?"
"But that is the problem and it demonstrates exactly the problems that I am trying to fix. All of them." Miniyal lets out a sigh, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Look, it's fine. I understand. I won't do anything. I'm done. There's nothing else that needs to be said."
The weyrwoman sighs softly. "All right. I'm sorry. It was bloody brilliant." Then Roa clears her throat, uncrosses her arms, and turns to head for the door.
"Nothing to be sorry about. My fault. I'm sorry." Shoulders shrugging, Miniyal gets back to work. She seems to be out of words to say. Well, that's not so surprising. Not really. Apologies, however ineloquent, are not so easily said.
Roa slows to peer over her shoulder. She offers a wan smile and a little nod before making her way through the stores room and slipping out into the hall.
Where: Storeroom
When: 13:22 on day 6, month 9, turn 3 of the 7th Pass.
What: A couple of days after Navan talks to Roa the weyrwoman comes seeking the head of records' daughter. They discuss Miniyal's project. There is no stomping or yelling or anything. Just quiet conversation.
4/28/2007
At High Reaches Weyr, it is 13:22 on day 6, month 9, turn 3 of the 7th Pass.
Any excuse to get away from people is fairly leapt upon by most of the weyrlings. Some, in particular, will do whatever is necessary to get a few precious minutes away from the noise and bustle and lessons that make up the routine that continues to govern their lives. So, after lunch when lessons are going on and everyone should be at them Miniyal is here in the store room. Near one wall are stacks of old blankets and it is these she goes through, sorting them out and appearing to be collecting a small pile of them next to a large basket.
Privacy is a rare thing for dragonriders, rarer yet now that new weyrlings have a giant winged tattletale attached to them. Tialith requested. Peloth provided. Now the small and rounding weyrwoman slips into the stores and makes an easy path towards where Miniyal is sorting blankets. "Hullo," says Roa. "I need to talk with you for a minute."
Damn the tattletale. All Miniyal was looking for was for a few minutes. And, so much for it. Ah, well. She straightens up and turns around, blinking. "Umm. Alright." She doesn't bother trying to hide the puzzlement. As far as she's aware she's done nothing to be needed to be talked about recently.
As far as she's aware may be the operative words. The weyrwoman sucks in a small breath. "What you're doing in records. I need you to stop. Navan found them."
More blinking. "I'm not sure what you mean." Miniyal nudges the basket with a few blankets already in it aside. "What did Navan find? We're not really speaking so I don't know what he is up to these days."
"Min. Please don't," is Roa small sigh as a hand lifts to tuck nothing at all behind her ear, because there are no wayward wisps to tuck. "He found the pages you've been sneaking into the records set to leave here and go off with Caucus students returning home. He found twelve tampered files. I'd like to know how many left that he didn't fine, and I need you to stop."
"Oh, those. Well, if he's found them I clearly have to stop until he stops looking." Miniyal says this with a shrug of her shoulders. See, no big deal. "I give him a month or two. Then things will settle down. I'll have Bothal let me know. I was just thinking of getting to the good stuff too. Damn his timing."
"No. Miniyal. -I- need you to stop. For longer than a couple months. Until...I don't know until. For a long while." Roa crosses her arms over her chest, brows drawing down a little. "How many went out that he didn't find?"
"Do you mind if I work while we talk?" Miniyal gestures to the blankets. "Fall is here and winter is coming and I guess people need blankets and so on." Another kick of her foot to the basket. "That doesn't make sense. Now is the perfect time to continue doing it. I mean, I could have planned it better if I'd even known they were thinking of coming back. I mean, not that there's any reason I would, but still. It was the perfect opportunity lost."
"I don't mind," Roa murmurs distractedly, the words pushed out quickly so her mouth has room for the important ones. "They're in our territory and we have to deal with it. If we want the other weyrs and the holds to listen to what we have to say with any sort of trust, we can't be leaking information out in the meantime. It makes us conspirators and it makes any sort of mercy we suggest suspect."
Crouching down she goes back to sorting blankets. Only some of them pass whatever visual test Miniyal puts them through. For every one put into the basket two or three more are left behind. "Do you know how long I've been working on this?" The records, not the blankets, of course. It goes without saying. "And now I'm supposed to just stop?"
"Yes," Roa agrees quietly. "Now, you're supposed to just stop. Things have changed and you risk more damage than aid if you continue."
"You know, that's the only thing I had left to do." Miniyal frowns at a blanket and then sets it aside after a moment's silent consideration. It is an observation only, of course. It shouldn't sound like a threat. "I'm not exactly sure what you expect me to do if I'm not allowed to /do/ anything."
"That's all you were doing? D'ven would be heartbroken." But Miniyal's seeming acquiescence has Roa puffing out a deep and relieved sigh. "No other ideas brewing in your head that you've yet to implement?"
Shaking her head, Miniyal folds a blanket up and adds it to the basket. "Peloth and I are doing fine. It's not like this stuff is hard to learn, you know. And D'ven has no complaints about my work he has bothered to voice." There is a thoughtful pause and then she smiles. "And if I can't stay busy we both get bored. And he can continue to give us the tightest schedule he can think of, but we still get bored."
"Then think up something else to do. Something unrelated to the unexpected guests at Five Mines, please," Roa says with a little shake of her head.
"That's like saying 'Don't breathe right now' you know." Miniyal's head shakes again and she adds a couple of blankets to the rest and then straightens up again, done for the moment. "But, fine. I won't do a single thing that might cause trouble. And after I've graduated when my brain has atrophied and I'm of no use to anyone so be it."
"I didn't say...couldn't you just poke at a problem unrelated to instigators for a while?" Roa asks, holding her hands out at her sides. "I know you've found plenty to dislike. Can't you set your sights on something else?"
"But that is the problem and it demonstrates exactly the problems that I am trying to fix. All of them." Miniyal lets out a sigh, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Look, it's fine. I understand. I won't do anything. I'm done. There's nothing else that needs to be said."
The weyrwoman sighs softly. "All right. I'm sorry. It was bloody brilliant." Then Roa clears her throat, uncrosses her arms, and turns to head for the door.
"Nothing to be sorry about. My fault. I'm sorry." Shoulders shrugging, Miniyal gets back to work. She seems to be out of words to say. Well, that's not so surprising. Not really. Apologies, however ineloquent, are not so easily said.
Roa slows to peer over her shoulder. She offers a wan smile and a little nod before making her way through the stores room and slipping out into the hall.