Wearing Knots (2)

Writers: Jane, Vix
Date Posted: 6th April 2007

Characters: Arateyka, R'harne
Description: Arateyka and her family visit the Tavern and meet local smithcrafters.
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 3, day 17 of Turn 4

Durak continued to watch the female smith while his companions watched him.

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Belen addressed his fellow smith.
"So she's a crafter. Would that really be so bad? As long as she pulled her own share of work, that is?"

His friend snorted in response.

"What about you, Verpel?" Though his eyes shifted to Durak, Belen questioned the other friend. "Would you react that way to a female healer?"

Though he had earlier defended women's strength, the healer looked at the smith as if he had gone mad. "Females can help with birthing and women's troubles, but can you imagine going to one for an examination?
That's wrong - just wrong. It's not comfortable for the man, and it lets the woman see things not proper for her to view."

"Is that any different from a male healer examining a female patient?"
insisted Belen. "That happens all the time."

"Of course it's different," replied Verpel. "We're trained healers. It's not as if we're looking at the women for our own entertainment."

Before the smith could argue his point, Durak crossed his arms across his chest and fixed his face into an even more obstinate look. "She's coming this way."

~ ~ ~

Arateyka made her way between the tables, glancing at the three men at the table, nodding an acknowledgement. "Good evening, journeymen." She kept walking, making for the bar as if it was a refuge.

"See, that wasn't hard."

"I said I didn't need an escort," Arateyka grumbled though it was nice to have R'harne's company.

"We only came for the ale," Lhara said as she joined them.

"You don't even _like_ ale," the journeywoman smith reminded her sister.

Lhara shrugged and smiled, seemingly unconcerned by that inconvenient fact.

~ ~ ~

"Greeting us as if she were an _equal_," muttered Durak. "That one has too much nerve to her."

"She does have knots," conceded Belen. "Some Master must have felt her worth them."

"What? Another _female_ smith? A _female_ Master?" The other smith shook his head. "It just doesn't sit right with me."

Verpel shrugged. "Maybe not, but what are you going to do about it? I'm not sure how I feel about having women in the crafts, but what is, is.
If the Weyrs want to authorize females, what can we do about it?"

"I don't know," admitted Durak. His expression remained defiant. "I'll need to think on it, but there's got to be some way to keep them from coming about and flaunting their ill-earned knots in front of us."

~ ~ ~

"Ready to go back?" Lhara asked, making yet another unappreciative face as she sipped the ale.

R'harne tipped his mug and finished up the ale. "I am." He looked at Arateyka who hadn't been enjoying the ale much more than her sister. "You?"

"Yes. I suppose so."

"You earned your knots. No need to be ashamed of that."

"I'm not!" She smiled as she caught sight of the amusement in the brownrider's expression. "All right, let's do this." She turned on her heel and headed back across the room to the rest of her family, taking the same path through the tables.

~ ~ ~

Durak watched his companions' eyes, gauging the progress of female crafter across the room. He stood suddenly, swinging his arms wide as if stretching - and knocking the female mason's drink from her hand. He turned to look at her with an expression of mock surprise, "I'm sorry -
I didn't know that you were there. . . " He glanced at her knots and back to her face. "Lady."

"Journeywoman," Arateyka corrected, looking down at the spilled drink which had formed a puddle between her and the man, then back up.

"Perhaps you'd like to call somebody over to clean up your mess?" Lhara suggested, bouncing up to her sister's side and making a show of studying the puddle. "It looks like you didn't make it to the necessary."

Durak drew himself up as if to respond to that last comment, but stopped, eying the group slyly. "One of you will have to deal with your mess - I was on my way out." He took two steps away from them before throwing back over his shoulder, "I don't care for the types this place is serving tonight."

His companions rose uncomfortably. "We should go," mumbled Belen, starting after his fellow smith.

"Have a good evening," Arateyka said mildly, commanding her sister's silence with a look.

Lhara left the smiths alone but glanced over at the healer. "What about you? Are you running away with them?"

Verpel froze in his tracks, wishing that he had hurried after Belen. "I.
. . uh. . . not running. I just need to look after them. He gets a little. . ." the healer shrugged and pointed to his head, "when he's had too much to drink."

"Clumsy?" Lhara suggested, nodding at the puddle in front of them.

"That's _enough,_" Arateyka growled. "My little sister," the journeywoman smith explained to the healer journeyman. "Sorry your evening got ruined."

"I. . . it's. . ." Verpel was uncertain what to say. He couldn't tell her it was alright, not when his friend had actually been at fault. Of course, if the woman had not been so blatant with those knots. He chose to say as little as possible, nodding acknowledgement of her words instead. "I'd better go." With that he hurried off after the other Hold journeymen.

Last updated on the April 8th 2007

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Wearing Knots (2)