This, That, And The Other Thing

Writers: Avery, Sunrose
Date Posted: 23rd January 2006

Characters: Riveenata, Illiana
Description: Riveenata & Illiana meet, and get to know one another
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 9, day 11 of Turn 3

Illiana dashed into the candidate barracks, she was absolutely soaked, it looked as if she had just pulled herself out of the weyr lake. But the reality of it all was that it was storming out, pouring down buckets of water.

Riveenata was sitting on her bunk, reviewing her Healing notes. She had just gotten in when the storm started, and counted herself lucky to be dry. She'd settled down to work, occasionally looking up when she heard a few odd noises, but thinking nothing of them. When the door opened, she looked up again. Seeing the soaked fellow candidate, she spoke. "Are you all right?"

"Wet, but all right." Illiana said as she walked over to her bunk and tossed her jacket down on the floor and began to strip off her boots. "You haven't seen my canine have you?" The red head asked as she looked under her own bed but didn't spot the red and white canine there.

"Hmm, a canine? No, I haven't." Riveenata admitted. "Although I've heard some scratching noises." She got off the bed in preperation to look. "What does your canine look like? she asked.

Illiana whistled, the normal 'come here' command but the canine didn't' show up, but she did hear a little whimper. "Did you hear that?" She looked around. "Well she is red and white, normally comes to my whistle."

"I heard that indeed." Riven replied, bending down. "I think I see something under my bed." she remarked, studying a shadowy shape. "Take a look and tell me if that's her? It could be a feline, too, I know one of the other girls has one..."

The soaked red head ran over to the other girls bed and looked under the bed and spotted the familiar face of her canine. "Yes that is Dasha." She knelt down. "Come here pup." She pet her leg and the canine crawled out from under the bed. "Poor girl is scared of the storm."

"Awww." Riven commented. "She's beautiful. How'd you get a canine?" she asked curiously. "As a pet or in a practical capacity? And I can understand being scared of the storm, it's loud out there, and they have more sensitive hearing. No wonder she's scared."

"As a pet, and companion, my brother bred her parents and raised her and trained her, he like myself and the rest of my family are Beastcrafters." She explained. "Do you mind sitting with her while I got find some dry clothes?"

"Oh, a Beastcrafter? I'm a Healer." She extended her hand. "Senior Apprentice Healer Riveenata, goes by Riven, actually." she remarked proudly. "And what's your name?" she asked, before catching the other girl's last comment. "An no, I wouldn't mind staying with her."

"Illiana, Journaywoman BeastCrafter, and this is Dasha." She took the offered hand and shook it. "I'll be right back."

"I'll wait here." Riven said. She sat back on her bed, carefully keeping an eye on the canine. She wasn't exactly sure what she would or could do if the canine started to misbehave- she didn't know too much about them, even though she liked them- so she sat and just watched, allowing her hand to hang down in a silent invite to scratch canine ears.

She quickly changed her clothes and came back over and sat on the empty cot beside Riven's. She thumped the side of the bed and Dasha jumped right up beside her master and buried her head into Illiana's lap. "Do you have any pets?"

Riven shook her head. "I wish I did, but I don't. I've always thought I'd never have time for one- between Healer training and the possibility of Impressing and caring for a dragon... no, I worry about time for one. I've always wanted one, though. Does Dasha take a lot of time to care for?

"Not overly, I try to brush her every few days, as she does have an undercoat." She explained. "And I take her for walks whenever I can, she is pretty self sufficient."

"Ahh." Riven said. "That must make things easier. How about when you're Impressed? Aren't you a bit worried about how she and a dragonet will get along?"

Illiana nodded. "Yes I have thought about it a few times, I just have to hope they get along. If not I have a brother at Garnet Valley Hold who should be able to look after her for awhile. But it would be hard to be without her." She scratched the frightened canine behind the ears as the rain continued to beat down on the Weyr.

"I think you should be able to teach your dragon to get along with. It's good that you have a backup plan, though." Riven sighed. "I really do want a pet, one day."

"Well I can ask my brother when he expects his next litter of canines, I'm sure I could get him to cut you a good deal." She tucked a strand of her wet hair behind her ear as she looked down at the furry form of Dasha, who whimpered and climbed in closer when a clap of thunder was hear over head.

"That would be nice, though I don't know the first thing about them. You'd have to explain everything to me beforehand, I think!" Riven admitted laughing. "She looks cute cuddled up to you like that."

Illiana smiled. "Really a canine is simple compared to what we will have to deal with if we Impress at the Hatching." She chuckled and tried to get comfortable on the bed with the lump known as Dasha trying to climb onto her lap, which was an impossible feat, seeing as Dasha wasn't a small puppy anymore.

"You're right, that's going to be interesting. So you think you're going to Impress this time around?" Riven asked. "And how have you adapted to the Weyr? I mean...have you lived at one before? Is it surprising?"

"Honestly I'd never been to a Weyr, let a lone seen a dragon up close before I was Searched," she said this almost a bit shyly, "I must admit that it is very different to what I had expected, and where their rules are pretty similar, other things are very different, and . . . open." Her pale skin turned a pale shade of pink as she thought about her first not so private bathing room experience.

"Are you uncomfortable?" Riven asked. "A lot of people are, you know, so there's nothing wrong if you aren't. Having grown up here, I'm used to it, and I like to try to help others adapt to it if they need to." She paused as a thought struck her. "And no one's made any...unwanted advances, have they, after you've turned them down?"

Illiana felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden. "No, no one has really tried anything." She said truthfully. "I'm just not used to everyone being so open, being raised in a Beast Craft hall, certain things were just more private."

"Ah, I see. And it's the attitude that bothers you." Riven smiled sadly.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to get used it. I wish there was an easier adaptation for those Hall and Holdbred, but there's not. See the Headwoman or someone else you trust if you're having any difficulties." she suggested. "They may have better advice than I do."

"Well like you said it will just have to be something I get used to, especially if I Impress, if that happens I'll be here for life." She sighed. "I'm just not . . . comfortable with my body, and honestly I've never really seen anyone else . . . naked before." She said the last part in a whisper.

"Oh, you haven't?" Riven asked, surprised. She then realized how that might sound. "Sorry, I guess I'm just used to it, being a Healer, you know, we see it all the time, so it's natural to me. But things are different in the Holds and Halls, aren't they? Especially since they usually look down on women, especially as crafters."

"Well I'm originally from the North, and they don't have the same feelings there about what a woman's role or duty should be. Female Crafters are very common back home."

"The North? I've never been there and don't know much about it." Riven admitted. "Well, down here it's different. Almost all the Searched candidates here freak out when they find I'm a female crafter. It's sort of amusing, actually. But would you believe you're better prepared for here then most?"

"Really? I honestly though it was the other way around, I feel like such an outcast." She decided she had to get in a more comfortable position so she lifted Dasha's head up off her lap and quickly crawled up so that her back was up again the pillow she quickly propped up. No sooner had she rested her back against the pillow was Dasha back trying to get on her lap.

"No, you're fine." Riven smiled at her. "So how long have you been here? I'm afraid I haven't seen you around before, and I usually have a decent memory for faces."

"Not long at all, its been what," she paused and looked up at the ceiling trying to remember. "Well just under a sevenday I suppose. I arrived here the first restday of the month. And you said you were raised here?"

"Indeed. I'd never lived anywhere else, and I don't know if I _want_ to. The Weyr life suits me. I don't think I could adapt to anywhere but another Weyr, especially if I have to give up my craft to move." She frowned.

Illiana nodded in understanding of a sort, she wouldn't want to leave the Weyr's walls now if she didn't Impress for the fear she would have to give up her craft. "Have you ever stood before, or will this be your first Hatching?"

"Oh, I've stood for Turns. Been passed over every time." She shrugged. "It doesn't bother me because I love my craft so much. Sometimes I wonder if the lack of disappointment explains why I'm not Impress."

"Oh, please tell me what it is like, Standing for a Hatching!" Illiana said as she almost jumped up off the bed, and this of course disturbed Dasha who whimpered again.

"It's..." Riven paused. "The Sands are hot, hotter then everything you've ever felt, and it feels like the sun's at your feet, radiating heat up at you. The robes are thing and don't protect much. There're crowds in the stands, yelling, shouting, screaming encouragement. The dragons are humming incredibly loud. The great queen is on the Sands, gleaming in the light, and her bronze is nearby. The eggs are slowly twitching. Soon the humming gets louder, after such a long wait. And then the eggs crack! Sometimes one by one, sometimes quickly. Glistening wet dragonets hatch and head to their lifemates." She paused then.

"Oh I can hardly wait; it is like they say in the Harper songs." She closed her eyes for a moment to try to envision all that Riven had just told her. "Oh that does sound quite wonderful, and I am sure that your lifemate is still out there, perhaps even in this clutch." Illiana said encouragingly.

"Sometimes they, like the eggs, take forever to choose. Sometimes they immediately know who they want. You see the faces of the others change as they Impress in delight. Sometimes you feel a dragon tickle your mind as they consider you. But then it ends. The Stands empty, as do the Sands. It's quiet then- quiet and alone. And we come back here to wait again."

Then she smiled. "Maybe this time. And maybe yours will be too. We can hope."

The two young women talked for sometime, Illiana really liked Riven, she was so different from herself, and it was interesting to meet someone like that. Finally they decided to make the mad dash to the dinning cavern to get dinner, taking the poor frightened canine with them (they had offered to leave her in the barracks but she didn't want to be left alone, so with them she went). They continued to talk in the dinning cavern and soon it was time for them to go to bed as the storm raged on high above their heads.

Last updated on the January 23rd 2006

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This, That, And The Other Thing