Firelizards, Canines and Hallmasters,Oh My!

Writers: Clancey, Joy
Date Posted: 12th October 2005

Characters: Ulte, Daynar, Otrina
Description: A run-in with the Hallmaster's daughter lands Ulte in hot water.
Location: Smith Hall (NPC)
Date: month 8, day 12 of Turn 3

Ulte wasn't paying attention to where he was going, his eyes were focused completely on the diagrams and notes he was studying for a machinery exam scheduled the next day. It was both a written and a practical exam and was to be graded on a pass/fail basis. It was an important exam that Ulte didn't want to fail.

Shene was sitting on his shoulder with her tail wrapped around his neck. She'd been chittering non stop in the way she'd done since the moment she hatched almost and that Ulte had long learned to ignore.
Which was why even the little green's screech of warning went unnoticed and he walked smack into the Hallmaster's daughter, knocking both of them to the floor.

Otrina, due to her father's nature, was a shy, quiet little thing, and she was also very sensitive. When they both fell to the floor, she hurriedly apologized, blushing bright red in her pale cheeks. "I'm so sorry!" She couldn't seem to get quite back to her feet, at least not without flashing him far too much skin, though, and looked a little sheepishly at him. "Would you mind helping me?"

"Of course!" Ulte clamored to his feet and then reached down to help the girl up. He was blushing as red as she was, completely aghast at the idea that he'd knocked the Hallmaster's daughter off her feet.
"And it's my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going." That reminded him of why and he immediately crouched down to pick up the scattered notes he'd been looking at.

Shene, for her part, had flown to a nearby shelf and was chastising Ulte vehemently aloud while sending him emotions that were both concerned and irritated and images that featured the run-in repeated over and over.

Daynar came walking down the hall just then, catching site of one of his apprentices touching his daughter. The apprentice was by now picking up his papers, but Daynar thundered at him anyway. "What are you doing, Apprentice? " His gaze slid to his daughter. "Right in the very Hall, Otrina! Get back to your rooms! You shouldn't be in this part of the Hall where you can be eyed by all these young, growing boys. NOW!" He finished, pointing back the way he'd come.

Otrina looked shyly at Ulte as she hesitated. She didn't want to leave him to her father's wrath alone, no matter that it was for no reason.
She never stood up to him, but she did say quietly, "Father, he was just helping me up. I tripped and fell."

Daynar's eyes started to bulge at little at his little girl as she actually talked back to him! He glared at the flit nearby who seemed to be talking back to him too. Noisy thing! "Be quiet, you!" He pointed at Shene, expecting, like everything else in his domain, that she would immediately listen.

The little green let loose a terrific shriek as she believed both her boy and herself were under attack. She reared up and spread her wings wide, her little eyes glowing bright red. The anxious images of before were replaced by ones of herself diving at the giant man who dared threaten her boy and clawing his eyes out.
"Shene NO!" Ulte cried out, horrified by the entire situation, but especially at the idea of his firelizard attacking the Hallmaster.

He quickly turned his attention to the irate Hallmaster, rushing an explanation to placate him as well. "Sir, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. I ran into her and knocked her over. Shene STOP it! I didn't mean anything, I was just helping her up. Shene I mean it!"

Ulte was breathless by the time he'd delivered the whole explanation, complete with the reprimands toward his firelizard who was still screeching and still sending images to him showing the Hallmaster in an increasingly bad light. The lastest one involved a version of the man standing at least two dragonlengths high stomping on Ulte with an evil smile on his face. It was accompanied by the feeling from Shene that it could be prevented if Ulte would let her drive the evil man away.

Scrap, who was never far from his Master's side, came barreling around the corner barking and jumping up at the green fire lizard when she dived at the Hallmaster. The sight of it all had to have been immensely comical; from the earnest apprentice to the cowering Otrina, who was, beyond all belief, standing her ground beside her father.

The Hallmaster's eyes went an ugly purple color and he glared in all his fury at the apprentice, Ulte. "YOU GET THAT FLIT OUT OF HERE NOW! And if I see it or YOU again in the next few days near me OR my daughter, you will be leaving Smithhall for good!"

He turned his focus to Otrina, who while she was not looking at her father, was nonetheless showing more spine than she ever had by still being there.

Afraid, she dared look up at him, and her father turned on her in a heartbeat.

"And if you don't get to your room this _instant_ I'll send you to Emerald Falls to be a druge for Lord Enrizial, who knows how to run a Hold!"

"Shene GO!" Ulte accomanied the command with a mental command to go to his bed and stay there. Shene schreeched one last time and disappeared between. Once his firelizard was out of the way, Ulte quickly snatched up the last of his notes from the floor.

"I'm _really_ sorry sir," he said as he hurried away. Just before he turned the corner, he glanced over his shoulder at Otrina and mouthed the word 'Sorry' to her as well. He felt wretched, having gotten the poor girl into so much trouble. He made a promise to himself to try to make it up to her somehow.

Otrina met the apprentice's eyes and smiled brightly at him, even as she fled to her rooms. She was as lovely as her mother had been, and it was one of the reasons her father kept her hidden away from all the pride of Pern apprentices and Journeymen smiths running about the Hall. She decided she liked him for standing up to her father, and made a note to try to talk to him more.

Daynar stood staring after all of them with something like apoplexy on his face. What was happening in his Hall when his daughter disobeyed him and mere apprentices let their fire lizards attack him? Maybe he needed to do something about that...

Last updated on the October 13th 2005

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Firelizards, Canines and Hallmasters,Oh My!