Everyday Heroes

Writers: Leigh M-F., Miriah
Date Posted: 27th March 2014

Characters: Ninaine, A'kua
Description: There are worse reasons to look up to someone, I guess.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 25 of Turn 7

Ninaine

While the storerooms were generally kept in good condition out of necessity, cleaning them was still a long process. Objects had to be taken from their place, put somewhere else, the shelf and the objects cleaned, then everything put back before moving on to the next section.

Candidates made the time pass faster with gossip and other conversation, which Aluka had gotten tired of two hours into the chore, so he had gone to another section that hadn't been started on yet. That had given him some blessed quiet and a chance to mull over a new song that had been giving him trouble. It had turned into something children might like, and that wasn't the direction he wanted to go in. Focused as he was on chore and mental meanderings, he didn't initially notice when company arrived.

There was a soft voice behind him, hovering near the entrance of the storeroom. "Aluka?" Ninaine didn't enter the storeroom with him. The area was too closeted, too close and there was no escort to assure any gossipers that she hadn't done anything improper. "May I talk to you?"

Jarred from his thoughts, it took Aluka a moment to process who was calling. Wondering why the other holder wanted to speak to him, but glad for the break, he walked over to the door, trying to wipe dust off his scarred cheek with his forearm and just smearing more on. "Somethin' the matter?" he asked once he was close enough.

She chewed on her lower lip, trying to figure out how to broach the subject before she decided to just take a deep breath and speak. "I heard about you and that other boy. Are you okay?"

Aluka's eyebrows lifted. Huh. He hadn't thought she cared. He surreptitiously bit the inside of his cheek to keep that unspoken. "I'm fine," he said in the offhand tone of one who had said that too many times before. "He barely bruised me. Didn't even last a proper round, that guy." He leaned against the doorjamb. "Ya doin' all right? Had a chance to talk to that Yanley lady?"

"I'm alright." She shifted on her feet. "He hit you? He really hit you?" Her lips pressed together in distress. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that happened to you because of me." Ninaine looked at him with eyes a little more wide as she nodded to his last question. "Yes. I've talked to Lady Yanley. She's been very helpful, especially with my personal matters."

"It didn' happen 'cause of ya. It happened 'cause no one likes lookin' like a fool." He shrugged. "S'all right. I'm used to it. Didn' even hurt much, really. 'S good Yanley's lookin' out for ya. D'ya feel safer now?" Why the fardles did he even care? Was he that mad at Renolt still?

"You shouldn't be used to that sort of thing." Ninaine clasped her hands in her skirts and flicked a gaze up at him through her lashes. To her, he was a bit of a hero. He had defended her and her virtue, and then continued to do so when she wasn't there. "Yes, but...not because of Lady Yanley. She couldn't have done…um…what you did."

Aluka felt flustered. Okay, the question of why Ninaine cared was still out there, but her body language indicated she did, indeed, care. He wasn't used to that kind of consideration coming his way. "It was honestly nothin'," he demurred, and brushed some dust off the cleaning rag he was still holding. "Ya gonna join us in here, or do the Weyrlin'masters have ya workin' somewhere else?" It was all he could think to say.

"It was something to me." She insisted softly, then let the subject go, picking up on his embarrassment. She glanced around at the storage room and hesitated. "I can join you…if…um…there's other people around." She looked up quickly. "Not that I don't trust you, of course. I just have to keep my reputation unsullied."

The redhead's heart softened some on hearing the sentiment and the mention of trust, but he didn't say anything about it. He just nodded. "There's a whole buncha us in here." If she requested his presence, he'd rejoin the other Candidates, though the thought made him inwardly groan. But it wouldn't kill him to do something nice that didn't involve knocking someone to the floor.

"Okay." Ninaine stepped in, carefully taking the dusty rag from Aluka. "I can do that." She looked at him with a little bit of uncertainty, but managed to smile with a little more ease.

She had a nice smile. She needed to do it more often. "Right then. Let's get to it. The sooner started, the sooner over with." Aluka pushed off the doorjamb and went back to his cleaning supplies, carrying them to where the other Candidates had moved on. He stayed apart from them slightly, but not far enough to cause Ninaine worry.

She knew how to clean and had been taught from a young age, so she dusted with prim efficiency. She flicked a gaze over at him and then at the other Candidates. Noting how he stood apart, she felt an odd sort of kinship with the young man. She didn't make friends easily either, nor did she relate well to the other Candidates. "You're very quiet."

"I just haven' started singin' under my breath yet," the redhead said, shrugging as he placed objects back where they belonged. Since he hadn't expected to share supplies, he used his sleeve to do some more dusting of his own.

"Oh, don't do that; you'll ruin your clothes." She looked at her cleaning cloth and promptly tore it in half. "I don't know why they have you cleaning. Usually we women do that sort of thing at home." She handed him a half and smiled. "Now your clothes are safe."

Aluka accepted the rag with a nod of thanks, and decided not to mention clothes could be washed. It wasn't like most people wore nice clothes to do chores anyway. "Men and women usually do all kinds of chores 'round here. Men can cook and sew if they wanna, for instance."

"Oh, I know they do here." She sighed. "Crafting and all. Sometimes I think they're lucky."

"They are," Aluka said. "I'd kick the Weyrlin'master's arse to be able to get real harperin' lessons again." He finished a shelf and crouched to get to the next one. "But tha's just me."

She blushed as his language and was about to scold him, but then remembered that it likely wouldn't do any good. "So why don't you ask?"

"I can't. I'm a Candidate," Aluka said simply, and gave his neck a brief roll to work out a kink, joints popping softly. Only one more hour, and then the Candidates would be given a chance to clean up before they went on to the next activity. "Doesn' matter. I can have more lessons if'n I don' Impress. I can be patient with the right motivation."

She frowned a little, confused. "But, I thought you could take crafting lessons." She winced a little at the popping sound. "Why don't you sit down? I can finish this."

"Thanks, but I'm fine. Can't slack off now when we're so close to finishin'. Let's just make the most of it. And far's I know, bein' a Candidate takes priority, so no, no lessons. If I'm wrong, I'll be pleasantly surprised."

"I really don't mind." But Ninaine didn't press the issue and simply worked beside him. "Maybe you should say something."

"Temptin', but it wouldn' be a good idea with the hatchin' so close." The male Candidate was inwardly pleased Ninaine was giving her opinions so freely. So often hold women were told to keep quiet. "Ya ready for that?"

She paused in her cleaning and frowned, staring at the spot she had just dusted. "I think so. I'll either stay here or go home afterwards. I really don't fit in here, so perhaps it's for the best."

**Please stay. Don' go back to where your own thoughts're perverted by stupid men into somethin' that hurts ya,** Aluka thought. "Whatever happens, g'luck," he said aloud, and left it at that, rising to clean another shelf. It really was faster with help.

"Thank you, Aluka." She smiled towards him, her expression warmer than most received from the distant young woman. "And to you as well."

Last updated on the April 13th 2014

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Everyday Heroes