Logs:A Difficult Ambition
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| RL Date: 5 January, 2010 |
| Who: Madilla, Veana |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Madilla meets Veana, whose background is not entirely dissimilar from Madilla's own, though her outlook is entirely the opposite. |
| Where: Living Cavern, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 6, Month 9, Turn 21 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Delifa/Mentions, E'dre/Mentions, W'chek/Mentions |
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| Living Cavern, High Reaches Weyr Stalactites hang high above this enormous cavern like a jagged chandelier or an inversion of the Spires themselves, but shadows cling to them instead of light. Below lie great tables arranged in rows, each large enough to serve a fighting wing, while in the nooks and alcoves around the cavern's edge sit more sensibly-sized tables, from six- and eight-seaters down to intimate spots for just a couple of diners. The only really open space is around the kitchen entrance, smelling of food and rarely quiet, and by the nearby serving tables with their long buffet of the day's offerings. Tapestries on the smooth walls -- some faded and others newly woven -- only slightly mute the sea of sound when a meal is in full swing, but they add cheerfulness augmented by the glowlight from wall sconces and the centerpieces of each table. Still, shadows always creep along the ceiling and into the mouths of the exits -- the myriad small hallways at one end of the cavern and, at the other, the twisting tunnel to the bowl near an array of coathooks and and hatracks -- and late at night, when the glows are allowed to dim, the chamber can seem very dark indeed. Morning breakfast is in full swing, leaving the Living Caverns bustling with activity. Riders and residents alike are strewn about the numerous tables, their conversations adding a gentle hum to the background noise of the place. Workers are moving back and forth between the kitchens, adding more food to the serving tables. One such worker is an assistant cook, who from her scowl, is not pleased to be awake this morning. Veana drops a plate into the mix and stands there for a moment. Her hand sneaks a roll and she nibbles as she sulks and stares out at the crowd. The queue at the serving tables progresses a step or two, as another two people peel off to try and find a seat, and this puts Madilla a step forward, too, the young Apprentice reaching for a roll only a few seconds after Veana herself does. "They look awfully good," she remarks, gaze lifting from the tables of food towards the assistant cook, her expression far from disapproving. "Are they?" Someone ahead of her seems to have paused to pick bits of ham out of the scrambled eggs, holding up everyone else; Madilla glances ahead, then shrugs, turning her attention back towards Veana herself. Veana comes out of her staring-daze and blinks her attention at Madilla. There's a slight brightening to her gaze at the mention of the rolls and she offers the briefest hint of a smile before it disappears into a blander expression. "Yes, they should be good. I've been up all morning making dozens and dozens and /dozens/ of them. People here sure can eat." Her attention flicks towards the man holding up the line and shakes her head. "And people can upset others," she adds drily. A woman a few paces behind Madilla glares towards the girls, assuming the hold up is their doing. A twist of Madilla's lips, not to mention a spark of amusemeent in her gaze, marks Madilla's reaction to those dozens and dozens and dozens. "I know what you mean," is her low, but merry, rejoiner. "When I first arrived it felt like I'd /never/ manage to have enough of anything for so many people... you get used to it a bit, though. You must be new, anyway." She doesn't seem to notice the woman behind her, as such, though she steps idly around toward the side of the table, clearing a space, as she adjusts her plate and extends her hand to the other girl. "Madilla. Senior Apprentice Healer. I'm sorry to say there are thoughtless people /everywhere/... but breakfast is often a culprit for the worst of it. Pre-morning klah and all." Veana nods her head at the other girl's brief explanation. "I'm from a cot-hold," she states and leaves that as the only explanation for her reasoning behind the numerous amount of people she must settle to feeding. Once the other girl steps around and offers her hand, Veana is stretching her free one out to offer a firm grasp and gentle shake. "Well met, Madilla. I'm Veana, though most -," she cuts herself off at that with a tiny smirk. "Well, I like to go by Vee. Easier on the tongue." She shrugs, retrieving her hand to draw her braid around her shoulder to play with the tail idly as they talk. "If you're hungry, you should eat." A glance towards the kitchens, "I just put some things in the oven.. could catch my own meal now with you." Her look is a little hopeful as she gazes back at the apprentice. "If you'd like my company?" Madilla's expression is flooded with understanding at mention of 'cot-hold', though she's silent until the other girl finishes - her smile turning brilliantly warm - at which point, encouragingly, she says, "I'd like that. Please: join me. Vee." The use of the nickname is accompanied by a quick bob of the head, as the older girl adds, her hand drawn back towards her plate, "I'm from a tiny little hold, myself. I still find it a little overwhelming, sometimes, but... it /does/ get easier." Beat. "Shall I go find us someplace to sit, while you grab some food? I think I have all I need." "Great!" Veana's voice shows enthusiasm for the first time since their discussion. She doesn't hesitate in the least - and doesn't bother getting in line - instead on her side of the table she gathers a plate and begins to add rolls, eggs, and a few pieces of ham onto her plate. From the glares she gets her tongue goes right out and she scowls at them. "I cook, I eat when I want," she adds to a man that looks like he's about to protest aloud. As Madilla goes to find a seat, she finishes off pouring herself a mug of klah and then she steps around to locate the apprentice. Once she's found her, she bustles over and seats herself with a little sigh. Her hand curls around the mug of klah and she jumps right back into their prior conversation. "So you're a healer? That must be hard, here. Do you have to deal with a lot of injuries?" Sip of klah, then, "Oh! I'm glad I'm not the only small holder here..." With a still-warm smile, Madilla bobs her head once more towards Veana, then heads off to find that seat. By the time the other girl joins her, she's comfortably set up, spreading butter on her roll. "A healer, yes. It's..." She hesitates, considering as she eyes the butter on her roll, then continues once her knife is back on her plate. "I suppose it's what I'm used to, now. I've been here four turns. Mostly, it's small things: minor illnesses, cuts, bruises, and so on. But... bigger things, too, sometimes. There's certainly variety." She breaks off a piece of her roll, bringing it towards her mouth as she continues, "Far from it, I promise. There's a few of us around. What brought you here?" The bread disappears into her mouth; as she chews, she considers the other girl thoughtfully. Veana settles down to sipping her klah as she listens, nodding now and then to show she's paying attention. When it's her turn to answer the question, she initially sidesteps it as she lifts a roll and begins to break it into pieces on her plate. "So you wanted more variety, that's why you chose to come here? Will you stay on once you're done with your apprenticeship?" She pops a bit of roll in her mouth, chews, then washes it down with another sip from her mug. "Mm. I came here seeking freedom," she admits with a little smile. "My uncle's a rider here. Thought he'd let me stay with him 'til I could Impress one of my own." Her nose wrinkles and she actually allows a fuller smile to take place. "He, obviously, had no intention of helping me. Do you know him? E'dre?" For the question of wanting more variety, Madilla shakes her head, her fork pausing halfway to her mouth as she does so. Her answer comes later, though, the food chewed and swallowed while Veana speaks. Then, "I know I've heard your uncle's name... but I don't think we're especially acquainted, no." There's a faint flsuh to her cheeks as she adds, "Did you really come here intending to Impress? It seems like... a difficult ambition?" Her voice wavers slightly at the end, though she doesn't pause to give time to a response, adding, then, "I came here because I was posted here. Or, rather, my Journeyman was, and she asked me to come with her. I go where the Hall sends me, though I /hope/ I can stay, after I walk the tables." Veana settles an elbow on the table, her fingers and palm moving towards her chin to rest on as she listens. "You wouldn't want to know him, he's an ass," she states in that matter-of-fact way without even a blink or a smile. Must be serious on that note, then. "And sure it's a difficult ambition, but if it worked for him, it ought to work for me. I heard that it can, run in the family." Ambitious /and/ full of dreams it seems! She drops her hand and returns to eating her plate, adding, "I just couldn't apprentice. The idea of not having a choice, like with you - liking it here perhaps and still having to go...," she shakes her head, "I left home to avoid that sort of treatment." There's no smile from Madilla, either, as Veana calls her uncle an ass, but her expression isn't precisely reproachful, either. She gets a few more forkfuls of her breakfast into her mouth as she listens, thoughtfully; her fork gets put down and her mouth wiped with her napkin in time for her to note, quietly, but with a smile, "Then I wish you the very best of luck with that ambition." Beat. "The last clutch here hatched a little less than two turns ago, so perhaps there will be another one before too much longer... I don't really know how it works." She gives her plate a considering glance, and then adds, "Apprenticeing is not for everyone, I suppose. And riders get sent around without choosing, too, sometimes. But." She smiles. "I suppose it's not quite the same. The Hall will send me where they need me - it's my job. I don't mind. I'm sure I'd be quite happy wherever I ended up." "Yours is a happier nature than mine," Veana adds with a lift to the corner of her mouth in a half-smile. "And perhaps I won't Impress, if that's the case, I'll take my time to learn the skills I need here before moving on. Who knows, maybe I'll suddenly become such a striking beauty I can move to cook at a Hold and the Holder's son will fall madly in love with me..," she trails off and smothers a giggle into her palm. She sobers, eyes still dancing merrily at her joke as she explains her laughter, "That's what my friend and I would always daydream about." Suddenly sober, she takes a bite of eggs and stares off into space for a moment before she looks back to Madilla. "At least when you're in the Hall, you don't have to worry about marriage, right?" "I'd rather be happy," admits Madilla, with a shy smile. Of the rest, she smiles indulgently at Veana's 'alternative' dream, though her expression falters at mention of marriage. After a pause, she admits, "Well. Actually, I'd rather /like/ to be married." She's not precisely embarrassed about this admission, but her expression is rueful. "Or rather, I suppose, I want to be a mother. Next turn, after I turn twenty... that's what I hope for. I suppose we'll see." She scrapes at her plate as she adds, adding merriment to her tone, "Anyway, I think your plan sounds lovely, however impractical. No doubt /something/ will come along, right? Even if it doesn't end up being what you expected." Veana seems surprised at this admission and she gives Madilla a more thorough look as if an answer lies somewhere in the assessment of the other girl's appearance. She shakes her head, polishing off her food before she continues, "That's the main reason I don't want to get married. Kids are... well, not my favorite thing. Happens when your father dies early on and you're stuck helping your mom raise your brothers and sisters." She shares this in a monotonous voice, obviously this bit of her history is well rehearsed. "Haven't you gotten a rider yet?" she queries, purely innocent in the conversation, "You're very beautiful and I always heard their quick to fall in love." A little grimace as she adds, "My uncle seems to be, anyway." Again with the nose-wrinkle then she smoothes that away with a bland smile. "Certainly a bronzerider has tried to chase you." Madilla looks genuinely sympathetic at mention of Veana's father, and increasingly awkward after that, a faint blush growing steadily upon her cheeks as the younger girl continues. "I'm sorry about your father," she murmurs. "That must have been difficult." Of the rest, she takes a few moments before responding, taking another bite of bread and swallowing it before, finally, awkwardly, "I was... engaged, I suppose? To a bronzerider. Only..." She hesitates, and then, with a rueful expression, "He lives with another man, now. And as an apprentice... I'm told it's not difficult to get riders, anyway, quite true. Though more... casually than perhaps you and I are used to." Veana's brows go straight downwards at the girl's admission and she looks steely-gazed as her mouth opens to offer what is likely a tart reply, and not likely in the favor of the bronzerider. However, she's interrupted as another girl their age vacates the kitchens and comes over to rest a hand on her shoulder. The whispered conversation is heard in snippets, "She's looking for you - best come - I know you need to.." And then the other girl is off. With a sigh, Veana looks towards Madilla. "Apprentice or no, I have chores to do. It's been real nice talking to you. Hopefully I'll catch you for another meal and we can plan revenge only a Holder knows how to give." She smiles fully at this, winks, and rises with her plates to return to the kitchens. Madilla is distinctly awkward in the wake of her admissions, and perhaps there's even a note of relief in her expression as the other girl gets called away, though her words are warmer than that: "It's been a pleasure. Have a good day, Vee." That doesn't stop her from glancing after the other girl with flushed cheeks, before, finally, she turns her gaze away. Awkward. |
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