Sharing Chores

Writers: Heather, Miriah
Date Posted: 27th March 2019

Characters: Aviday, Ranni
Description: Aviday and Ranni share Candidate chores.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 1 of Turn 9

Aviday

Ranni

******

"What are you assigned?" Aviday peered up at Ranni as she checked the
chore sheet. "Can you see if I've got laundry again? I _hate_
laundry."

Ranni squinted a little, she shared Aviday's feelings about laundry
duty, especially after her last encounter with R'nar and laundry duty.
"It says you're on kitchen duty with... me." Her voice dropped a
little, not because she minded working with Aviday, rather she hated
scrubbing pots and pans and cleaning the Dining Cavern floor.

She groaned in response to Ranni's answer. "Oh no...we're gonna have
to work with my mama." She leaned her head against the wall. "I wonder
if we can trade with anyone. I think I'd rather do laundry."

"Your mom?" Ranni inquired.

Aviday thunked her head against the wall. "Yeah. She works in the
kitchens. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to." She paused."Has a
green rose today? Maybe she'll be busy."

Ranni tilted her head, brows furrowed. "Your mom is a greenrider,
too?" she asked, confused. She still wasn't sure how things worked
completely at the Weyr, but she didn't think it was common for a
dragonrider to also wash dishes.

"Huh?" She stared at Ranni for a moment. "No, she's a drudge, but if a
green's risen, she might be mothing and won't be there. I can hope!"
Another pause. "We can both hope!"

**Mothing?** What was that? Ranni wondered. She didn't want to seem
like even more of a fool in front of the other girl, though, so she
tucked it away as something she would figure out later. "That bad, is
she?"

"She's not bad..." Aviday hedged. "She's just...really focused on
other things. Like Flights and mothing and which rider is gonna be
there and.." She sighed, then shrugged. "No help for it. Just try to
ignore most of what she says about it, okay? Maybe we'll get lucky."
She straightened and brushed off her top. "We might as well get it
over with. It's only a candlemark, right?"

"Yeah, and hey, if we scrub the floors, maybe you won't have to see
her." Ranni pointed out. She could understand what it was like not
wanting to be around your mother. Ranni hadn't even said goodbye to
her mother before she'd left Sunstone.

"That's a good point." She made a show of crossing her fingers and
grinned, "Alright then, let's brave the beast and hope for the best!
" She began walking towards the kitchens with Ranni.

"What's your mother look like, by the way? In case I spot her and need
to shove you under a table for hiding, or something?" Ranni asked,
glancing sideways at the younger girl with the hint of a grin. She was
relieved to have been assigned chores with a girl, that was much
easier than when she was assigned to work with one of the male
candidates. Ranni never knew what to say to them.

"She's a little taller than I am and she's blonde with blue eyes. She
talks alot and she's...curvy." Aviday considered the possibility of
hiding under a table. "You know, hiding might work! But... then
you'll be forced to listen to her. You haven't worked in the kitchens
yet?"

"I have, it was one of my first chores." Ranni said, and then added,
"But I grew up a drudge so I'm fairly used to just tuning out the
other workers."

"I used to work in the creche before I asked to be a Candidate. I
liked it, especially the b as babies. " She looked over at Ranni.
"What's it like in a Hold, anyway?

Ranni considered how to answer the question. She didn't like talking
about what it had been like at Sunstone, she didn't want people to
think she was bidding for their pity. "It was.... Stifling. Everyone
in the Hold is playing a part, especially the women, and if they step
out of line there's consequences, whether they're emotional, phsyical,
or political." She chewed on her lip a bit and shook her head. "It's
complicated. Let's just say, Dolphin Cove is a much better place."

"Do you really have to get married if your parents want you to? You
don't have a choice or anything?" Aviday couldn't quite grasp that
concept. Why would anyone want to do that, anyways? She didn't think
her mother would ever be content with just one man; the thought was
almost laughable. "It sounds like it's not a great place to be at
all."

"It really only applies to people who are born to parents that have
money, or want money," Ranni said. "As a drudge, no one would have
cared who I married, but it's not the same for the higher up women."
She had watched Lady Xeladrie, the way she had resented being Bryvin's
wife, the way she had been forced to bare him children even though she
hadn't wanted to be a mother. Ranni pushed the thoughts away. Thoughts
of Lady Xeladrie always made her feel sad. "Anyway, you're right, it's
not a great place to be."

"You make it sound like the drudges are much better off." Aviday's
nose wrinkled. "I don't think I'd ever want to go to a Hold, then."
She tilted her head. "Bet you're kind of relieved then, even being a
drudge. At least you can do other things here if you want."

That was putting it mildly, Ranni thought as they walked into the
Dining Cavern. "Let's see what they want us to do, then." She hoped it
was scrubbing floors rather than scrubbing pots. Scrubbing floors at
least allowed for people watching.

A drudge met them and thankfully, it wasn't her mother. Aviday sighed
with relief, unwilling to ask where her mother was, but having a good
idea anyway. The drudge immediately directed them to a corner, where
mops and scrub brushes lay waiting them. "You'll be doing the Dining
Hall. Scrub every stone, girls."

Ranni felt relieved, mostly because she knew she would be left alone
while she was scrubbing the floors. She wouldn't have to talk to other
workers or make polite conversation. "Well, at least this means we
have less chance of running into your mom, right?" she said to Aviday.

"Nope. She's likely mothing. She'll be busy all day most likely, if
whoever snatches her up is willing. They usually are. " Aviday grabbed
a scrub brush, then paused. "Do you want to mop or scrub? I can do
either."

"I'll mop," Ranni said, although she didn't mind doing either. To be a
few Turns younger than her, Ranni was impressed with the way Aviday
didn't complain about the work load, or try to shirk it all off on
her.

"Okay." Shrugging, she grabbed the buckets and moved to the corner of
the wall to begin. She didn't mind scrubbing; it kept her busy and
active. "So are you hoping that there's a gold egg when Panitath
clutches?"
"I suppose the answer to that should be yes, but honestly, I'd be
satisfied to have any dragon. The blues are the prettiest, I think,"
Ranni said, mopping the spaces once Aviday had scrubbed them.

"They are pretty, but they only Impress to boys. " She sighed
wistfully at the thought. " I want a fighting dragon. A dark green
that chews firestone and fights Thread. Wings always want as many of
them as they can get. "

"Yeah," Ranni said, equally wistful. She remembered the disappointment
of finding out that her only options were green, or the rare gold, and
of that she knew she'd never have. Why would a _gold dragon_ ever want
someone like her? Why would a green for that matter? But at the end of
the day, Ranni didn't really care what the dragon looked like, as long
as one wanted her.

Last updated on the April 4th 2019

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Sharing Chores