Is That Me?

Writers: Paula, Len
Date Posted: 18th March 2011

Characters: Jaylene, Uetia
Description: Uetia needs help looking pretty for turn's end and asks Jaylene for help
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 13, day 28 of Turn 5
Notes: Mentioned: P'veas, Sarbonus

This story takes place on d13 and d28

Jaylene

Uetia knocked Jaylene's weyr's door. According to Sirjath, the older greenrider was home and not with company. Of course, if you asked the dragons, you could never be sure how accurate the answers were. Uetia certainly hoped she was in, for she needed her help.

"Hello! Come on in!" Jaylene grabbed a robe and put it on. Being rest day, she was taking the name of the day at its word. Reanth had briefly woken earlier in the morn but had quickly seen the err of her ways and joined her lifemate back to sleep.

"Hi, Jaylene. I need help!" Uetia bursted in, her voice near panic.

"Me too! Pour me some klah!" the older woman said good naturedly, as she walked over to her couch and flopped back down. "Ugh..I shouldn't have had that extra pint last night."

"All right," Uetia went for the klah. "You can only blame yourself for that," she added bit smugly. "What are you going to do at the Turn's over?"

"Oh, compound that hangover, most likely," she grinned her thanks for the cup of klah. "You have anything planned?"

"I'm going to Far Island with Sabonus. We are going to go to my birth hold for the feast," Uetia said. "And I need to look good there and I need help with that. I mean, what are accessories and why I need them?"

Jaylene laughed. "Who said you did? I don't use any."

"The weaver. I was for fitting in for my new gatherdress. He gave me a sample of the cloth he's making the dress off and said I need it to match my accessories with the dress," Uetia said.

She plodded down. "I want to look pretty, or as pretty as I can, and I don't know how!"

"Ah, now I get it." Jaylene reached out to give her friend a hug. "Firstly, ignore anything that comes out of that man's mouth. What that man desperately needs is a nice big bluerider up his arse, if you get my meaning. Don't listen to a word he says, bitter old git. And second, you are pretty!" True, Uetia wasn't a conventional beauty, but she had something going on. "And third, if you really want to look your best, of course I can try and help you. Barring me, maybe P'veas can help too."

"Thank's," Uetia said. At least Jaylene was able to cheer her up, if nothing else. "P'veas? I never thought of him."

"Well, before you go running off to him, let me see that sample and we'll see what we can do to make to look your best." She reached out to see the dress sample.

Uetia dug a square piece of cloth from her pocket and handed it to her friend. Jaylene peered down at the cloth in her hand.

"Oh yes, that will look good on you. So...let's see, what we need is silver jewelry, maybe something with a dark blue stone in it to off-set the pale blue of the cloth. I can do your hair for you on the day. What style is the dress?"

"Sleeveless. Tight up here," she gestured her torso, "And long, bell-shaped hem that reaches to the ground."

"Hmm..." Jaylene looked at the girl's broad shoulders and shoulder length hair that further emphasized that part of her body. "Maybe we should hide those bare arms a bit." She stood up and went to her wardrobe for a forage about. "Here, try this one." She threw Uetia a delicate white shawl. "Let's see how that looks on you."

"Shawl? And what's wrong with my arms? They are strong and make tossing firestone sack an easy piece," Uetia asked and tried the shawl on.

"We're trying to impress the Holders, not scare them." Jaylene shifting the shawl so that it draped off of Uetia's shoulders. Yes, that made her look considerably more feminine. Pushing her wild hair out of her eyes, she shuffled over to where she kept her few pieces of jewelry. "Here, put this on." She handed the girl a strong silver choker that some admiring bronze boy had given her a while back.

"You don't know the folk I grew with," Uetia remarked. "They are hardy, sea-toughened lot. They take more that lill' me to scare," she continued with amused tone. She studied the choker. "This is lovely, I wouldn't dare."

"Yes you would," Jaylene said, standing behind her to fasten it on. She directed the girl to her full length mirror and pulled her hair back like it would look if it was either in a bun or braided back. "There, what do you think?"

"The jewelry is lovely, my hair is a mess." Sun, wind, sea water and being crammed under the flight helmet did not do it good. She pulled a strand and examined it critically. "I some times wish I had curls."

"No you don't." Jaylene looked at her own with disgust. "But y'know there's ways of making your hair curly on the day. Just come to my weyr the night before after washing it really good. We'll put your hair into cloth curlers and the next morning you're hair'll be all nice and out of control, like mine!"

"All right," Uetia agreed. "What else?" she looked her hands and winced. Her callouses had callouses. "Manicure?"

"Oh dear..." The woman looked agast at her hands. "Um...let me get J'zen to deal with that one." she gave Uetia a critical eye. "Let's see, what have we missed? Hair, dress, necklace, covered arms....hmm...shoes? You have proper shoes?"

Uetia's mind went blank for a second. "Arh, no. I have boots, and I have slippers and the swimming flippers."

Jaylene groaned. "Uetia! You_can't_go to this in your riding boots! Come on, let's march your arse off to the shoemaker."

"Sounds like this is going to get expensive," Uetia sighed and followed the older rider.

*****

"Here you go, girl, just like the day you were born," J'zen said to Uetia, as he finished filling her nails and making them look as lady-like as possible. "What do you think?"

Over his shoulder Jaylene leaned down to take a close look. On the edge of the couch, Jayonne stopped playing around with his wooden fife long enough to wolf whistle at the blond girl.

"I can't remember when last my nails looked this fine," Uetia said, turning them around. She had to admit it felt kind of nice.

"Okay, now your hair," Jaylene said, standing over the girl. She began unwrapping the cloth rags from the girl's hair, dealing with the top whilst J'zen undid the bottom ones. Jayonne hummed a particularly dirty sea song under his breath.

Uetia glance at him. "Is he begging for a bloody nose?" she asked under her breath. The song was very familiar with her and not the kind she wanted to hear now.

"Think lady-like, Uetia!" J'zen exclaimed. "Punching a boy in the nose is not lady-like. And besides you'll undo all my hard work."

Jayonne just grinned and played an even more 'colourful' jig on his fife.

Jaylene punched him hard on the arm. "Stop that, you! Don't make me get Reanth to sit on you. And you!" She glared at Uetia. "Stop wiggling about or we'll never get your hair done!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Uetia saluted and grinned.

"Which ma'am you talking about?" Jayonne asked, pointing to both his siblings, and pretending innocence.

"Funny boy," Uetia scowled at him, although her smile did somewhat ruin the effect.

"Okay now, what do you think?" Jaylene had been brushing the mass of now curly/wavy blond hair off the girl's forehead and up into a lose bun with curls hanging loose about her face, framing it and setting off her eyes. She gave a mirror to Uetia to see what she thought.

"Wow! Is that me?" she breathed and touched the curls cautiously. "I hope the ride to Far Island isn't going to harm them."

"Of course that's you!" J'zen said and hugged Uetia affectionately. "We'll give you a separate scarf to place over your hair so it won't get mussed."

"Okay, girl, hop in," Jaylene said, holding out the new dress of pale blue gossimer cloth.

Uetia actually had a nervous flutter in her belly when she pulled the dress on. "I hope Sabonus likes this," she said.

"He'd be a right fool if he didn't," Jaylene muttered as she fastened the clasp of the silver choker on the girl's neck and gave her the white shawl. "You're going to be the envy of the Hold. Take a look." She turned Uetia to the full length mirror.

She did. "I don't think you can make me any prettier that this. Thanks friends," she said.

"Group hug!" Jayonne exclaimed, jumping up from the couch.

After, Jaylene led her by the elbow to the weyr ledge whilst J'zen tied a scarf around her hair so it wouldn't get ruined by the flight to the Hold. "Now, go get 'em, girl," he said to her, giving her a peck on the cheek and another hug. "You're beautiful!"

"Thanks again," Uetia hugged him back.

"Off you go. If Sabonus isn't dutifully impressed, then come back and get us and we'll beat him up for you," Jayonne teased as he stepped up to give Uetia a kiss on the cheek. "Happy turn's end!"

"Happy Turn's End!"

Last updated on the March 4th 2013

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Is That Me?