Competence and Confidence

Writers: Kaysea, Vix
Date Posted: 25th July 2007

Characters: Kateena, Hantala
Description: Kateena meets with Hantala for a one-on-one seabed mapping session.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 5, day 3 of Turn 4

The apprentice dolphineer pulled at the strap of her mask, testing it carefully. "It all seems alright."

"So - you're good to go?" Kateena asked. She preferred these one on one tutorials with the apprentices, more so than the whole class, but she was finally getting used to five or six pairs of eyes watching her, and was aware that of those, maybe two or three brains were actually absorbing all of what she was saying.

Tala nodded, though she pulled at the strap yet again. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Okay, here's the slate, and a stone quill, follow me down and we'll start in the small area of the cove. I want to get a feel for your depth of field." Passing the slate plate to the young woman, Kateena flipped backwards over the side of the small skiff they were in, and plopped into the water. Civi was two dolphin lengths away doing cartwheels underwater, waiting for them both.

The apprentice watched the journeywoman's method of entering the water and copied it, reminding herself to tuck her legs as she cleared the edge of the boat. **Someday maybe I'll do this more gracefully.**

"Now remember," Kateena warned, "if I signal you to come back up, I want to see you rise immediately. Okay? When we get back onboard, we'll go over your work." She pulled down her mask, and fitted the mouth piece, before giving the signal to descend.

With her own equipment in place, Tala let go of the side of the boat and let the weights on her belt and the direction of her kicks take her downward. She was glad that the water was clear this day - unlike how it had been after the recent storms. She followed after the journeywoman, trying not to be distracted by the world that was presented to her through the glass of her mask, something that always seemed to fascinate her.

Kateena kept an eye out for Hantala as they descended, but was also aware that Civi and some of the local pod dolphins were nearby - Civi tailed the apprentice at a decent interval.

Nearing the sandy bottom, Kateena slowed almost to a stop, and waited for Hantala to join her. It didn't take long, but while she waited she took in the area surrounding them, and committed it to memory for later when Hantala had taken her impression down on the slate.

Once in position, Hantala looked around to orient herself, choosing a focal point to use for her time at the bottom. She made a few marks on the slate, then compared them to what she saw around her. Puzzled at first, she realized that both the glass and the water caused some distortion of vision and that she would have to reconcile the two - particularly the further distance through water when looking at the bottom as compared to the slate - in order to be accurate. With a reminder to breathe evenly, she continued, correcting the marks she had made previously.

Kateena glanced from the slate to the view Hantala had in front of her, pleased with the way the girl worked, she would be an asset if she chose this branch of the Craft. Her strokes were sure and appeared accurate, and when correcting herself she did it with certainty.

The apprentices she had brought down here over the last sevenday had proved diverse in their talent to map the seabed, some better than others, but so far she hadn't had any trouble with any of them. She was aware of how hard they were all trying to behave and apply themselves, after the equipment debacle Mahantan has unearthed the previous sevenday they were all on their best behaviour.

The girl worked on, only marginally aware of the journeywoman's presence. When she had finished, she glanced around once more, comparing what she saw to the rendition on the slate before looking toward Kateena and signaling that she was done.

With a thumbs up, Kateena watched as the girl began to rise to the surface again. Civi swam around the pair as if guarding them. She could see shadows further a field in the water and realised some of the pod were still close at hand. Swimming closer Civi's body brushed against her hand, as he offered her assistance to the surface, but she shook her hand and patted him, indicating she wanted to rise under her own speed.

She broke the surface a few moments behind Hantala and held out her hand to take the slate whilst the girl hauled herself into the boat. Once she was settled Kateena passed her the slate and followed, pulling herself up in one swift motion she waited for the skiff to right itself before she flipped over the edge and onto the floor. Releasing her tanks, she pulled herself up onto one of the seats and removed her headgear and breathing tube.

"Well, that was done well." she commented, as she waited for Hantala to finish divesting herself of her equipment. "How do you think you went?" she asked, finally, her fingers combing through her hair.

Tala nodded as she spoke. "I think that I did well. I had not really noticed before how much perspective is changed by the water. Yes, I knew it - but I wasn't really aware of it. Trying to map the sea floor made me take that into account. I imagine that under different water conditions, I'd have to adjust even more."

"It's not always as clear as it was today either." Kateena nodded in agreement, "Further along the coast, the seabed is still recovering from the floods, the storm wrecked as much havoc below the water line as above, but we're the only ones to notice, so far." She reached out and took the slate, "Let me see how you did." she smiled encouragingly.

Tala shifted nervously in her seat as the journeywoman looked at her work. This was new to her, her only other experiences with mapping involving copying existing charts or drawing simple diagrams to show on-land locations. As she waited she trailed a hand over the side of the boat, idly stroking the head of one of the dolphins that seemed to be escorting them.

"Okay," Kateena looked up from the slate, "you've done well, and I am particularly pleased with the way you have the depth of field correct to look at straight on, but -" she paused, her finger hovering over an area to the side, "Maybe it was the glass showing a distortion in this area, I'm not quite sure, but you seem to have made this area here," her finger descended to the slate and marked the area she spoke of, "as descending deeper, when in fact it remains an even depth. Can you remember the area I'm talking about?" she asked.

The apprentice first studied the slate, then looked away, her eyes aimed toward the side of the boat, though in her mind she saw the underwater area instead. With a nod, she glanced back to the slate. "Yes, that portion is wrong. I should have. . ." She reached for the stone stylus and changed the lines in that part of the drawing.

"Not bad." Kateena smiled, pleased that Hantala was able to commit the scene she had been copying, to memory. "Have you decided what area of the craft you want to specialize in, yet?" she asked, while still 'reading' the slate.

Tala shook her head. "I don't think I know enough about the craft to decide that yet."

"That's a fair statement, but please, consider this branch. You have some capabilities in this area."

The girl looked at the journeywoman in surprise, but nodded as she realized that the older woman was serious. "I'll certainly keep it in mind."

"Good." Kateena smiled, "Okay, let's get back to shore, I'd like to see how you do in the distance and height measurements from land." She stowed away the slate, and pulled up the sail again on the skiff, "You can take us back in."

Though definitely not as comfortable with sailing as with swimming, Tala took the tiller, her eyes on the shore. "Did specialization in this area require very much extra study?"

"Another turn on top of your normal senior apprenticeship studies, and you reach mid-qualification." Kateena nodded, "Then once you've been working in the field for another turn, you achieve full qualifications." Kateena tacked starboard, as the wind picked up the sail. "It's been interesting work the past couple or turns - for me, anyway."

"I know that there have been changes in the seafloor and shoreline here in the South," noted Tala, "but you've just transferred. Has the North undergone as much?"

"Not as much, but there have been shifts and changes all across Pern this last turn. For shipping and the like, we've needed to constantly inform the seacrafters of the changes."

"I hadn't thought of the use of the maps, but I suppose that it's important for them to be accurate, not just 'close enough.' I was seeing them as just a way to get from one place to another."

"You didn't think that the shifting sands beneath the waters could have an impact of the seacrafters?" Kateena asked, it still amazed her how much the apprentices learned through the course of their training. "Though I suppose unless you are in one of the two crafts, the grounding of boats and shifting rock formations wouldn't concern you, over-much." a small smile took the sting out of her words, "You still have much to learn, Hantala."

Tala nodded thoughtfully. "I know I do. It's a fun craft but there's a serious side to it and with each lesson I learn just how much more studying is ahead of me."

"We all realise that at some stage. That there's more to this craft than just swimming with dolphins."

"At what point did you start to feel that you were actually . . . competent in the craft?"

"I'm still waiting..." Kateena said with a small chuckle, "No, seriously? When I was told that my new mapping of one coastline in the north saved a ship from mishap. I didn't think, up until then, that I was really contributing, that much."

"That's . . . impressive. Of course, I doubt that I'll ever make that much impact."

"Well that's what I thought as well. But it wasn't just my mapping, I'd not have done that specific area unless told to." she smiled in remembrance. "The dolphins help too, as you'll find out when you finally are matched with a partner." Her eyes followed Civi as he appeared now and then above the waterline. "Everyone contributes. There were five of us working on that particular part of the coastline. And others had done so turns before us."

The apprentice nodded. "I suppose that makes more sense. And as far as the dolphins - I've been around my father's partner long enough to know how protective they are. In fact, I think she was watching as we dove earlier."

"Possibly," Kateena nodded, "there were a few pod dolphins down there with us, but they keep there distance, observing, unless they can see Civi's 'playing' too."

"My Da might tell her to watch out for me, but I think she also does it on her own if he's not around." Tala shook her head with a laugh. "I suppose in a lot of ways she's a family member."

"She would consider herself part of your father's pod, for sure." Kateena nodded.

"Will you introduce your children to Civi?" As soon as the question was out of her mouth, Tala realized how personal it was - and how presumptuous. "I mean. . . if you have children."

"Maybe one day." Kateena smiled, "I don't have any yet, but that's not to say it won't happen - one day."

"Some day," Tala agreed. "And one day, I _will_ have my own partner."

Last updated on the July 29th 2007

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Competence and Confidence