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Writers: Len, Paula
Date Posted: 15th December 2017

Characters: Sh'del, Dessa, Catrice
Description: Sh'del tests Dessa a bit
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 16 of Turn 9

Sh'del eased himself away from L'pin and the others, just to keep an
eye on the candidates who had finished their egg touching. Most of the
girls looked slightly dazed. One girl was tearful but Dessa looked
confidant. Since the boys all looked okay, he went over to the tearful
girl.

"You okay Catrice?" He pitched his voice so that Dessa would also be
clued in to her fellow candidate's distress, curious to see what her
reaction would be.

Dessa's head was filled with music, inspired by The eggs and The Gold.
She was itching for some hide so she could write it down before it was
forgotten.

She did hear his words and turned to look. "Anything I can do to
help?" she asked and stepped closer.

"It's the egg! I don't have a chance and I know it!" Catrice blurted
out in great heaving sobs.

Sh'del gave Dessa a thoughtful glance before turning his attention to
Catrice. "You have as much a chance as any girl out there."

"He's right, you know. You can't say you don't have a change until the
Hatching is over. And then there will be next Hatching," Dessa said
with reasonable tone. She was raised not to show her emotion and
couldn't really understand such an emotional, teary display. The girl
looked younger than Dessa, so she had more opportunities Impressing
than Dessa did.

Dessa was using just the right tone with Catrice, Sh'del noted to
himself. The girl's tears were still flowing but she was looking to
Dessa. "I-I could stay until the next Hatching?" She glanced from
Dessa to her teacher.

"You're at the Weyr now, you can Stand for as many Hatchings as you'd
like until you're 21 and you can Craft if you'd like to, and stay as
long as you'd like." Catrice looked still so tearful that Sh'del gave
her shoulders a squeeze. Of all the girls, she was struggling the most
but by no means was she the only one. There was a younger girl at the
edge of the group that had all but collapsed into a near-by chair. A
quick glance told Sh'del that the other Weyrlingmasters and Weyrwoman
were busy. "I need to go make sure Janall's okay, you got this?" He
nodded to Dessa and left her with Catrice.

"Yes, sir," Dessa replied with inward sigh. But she was harper and it
meant dealing with people.

"Catrice, now that you're in Weyr, no one can force you to leave, not
even your parents. And if you don't Impress, well, the weyr does need
non-riders too," she said with comforting tone.

"Yes but you don't understand." The girl's voice caught in her throat.
"My da said if I don't impress that new queen then he'll punish me and
make me marry this old man back at the Cothold and I want...I want--"
She clamped her mouth shut and shook her head.

"You don't have to go back to him. Just stay here. I'm not going back
either. My father wants me to marry mother's cousin. I mean," she made
a face, "He's old enough to be my father. And cousin. If your father
wants to take you back by force, just run to nearest dragonrider and
ask for help. Choose a big sized bronzerider if you can. They just
love being heroes and rescue young girls from abusive fathers."

"What about our Weyrlingmasters? They're all quite tall."

Sh'del half listened in as the girls talked. Janell had recovered and
was even giggling with a few other girls, so he came back to Dessa and
Catrice. Dessa was doing fine, he noted, she was striking just the
right note with Catrice. "So what do you two need a tall bronzerider
for?" He kept his tone light.

"Works out too," Dessa replied to Catrice before replying to Sh'del.
"To protect us from fathers who want to marry us to old men."

"Ah, you don't need them," Sh'del laughed. "You've got yourselves.
Most important rule at the Weyr, no man is in any way allowed to tell
you what you can and can't do. And that includes your fathers."

"Unless he's your wingleader and it's about your duties," Dessa added,
just to make sure the other girl didn't get wrong impression. She was
stickler to the details.

"Duties to your dragon and Weyr are one thing, subjugating yourself to
a man is another," Sh'del said. Ah yes, Dessa would make a fine weyrwoman one day.
"Whilst you're here you are free, Catrice."

"Free..." Catrice formed that single word like she had never spoken it
before. "I've always wanted to Smith," she said with a giggle, like
she expected them to laugh at her dream.

Instead Sh'del smiled. "That's my Craft and a fine one it is. Once
you're settled into your weyrling or candidate studies there's no
reason why you can't apprentice yourself to our Smith Master."

"Really?" Catrice's smile could have lit up the entire Weyr.

"Really," Dessa nodded. She discovered she could easily relate with Catrice.

"I think I'm going to like it here," Catrice mused.

Last updated on the December 23rd 2017

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