Logs:Tell Me Everything
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| RL Date: 28 February, 2014 |
| Who: Ali, Lilah |
| Involves: Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Lilah hands in her candidate tasklist, but Ali has other questions for her. |
| Where: Galleries, Fort Weyr |
| When: Day 15, Month 2, Turn 34 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Faye/Mentions, Elise/Mentions |
| The cool wintry weather outside doesn't penetrate the galleries, and plenty of people are here seeking a warm place to hang out this afternoon. Granted, most of them are doing it quietly out of respect of Elaruth's wishes. Ali's settled in the lowest row of the galleries, nearest the sands (and nearer Isyath's clutch, not coincidentally), working on what looks to be mending of some sort. Lilah has been here once today, but where she returns, it doesn't seem as if her intent is to watch the eggs on the Sands harden as the hour marks whittle away into nothing. Instead, she returns with purpose, scanning the Sands first and returning only to the rows after not finding whatever she is looking for there. And what she is looking for seems to be Ali, since as dark eyes land on her, that silent figure clad in Dice's grey starts making her way towards the other woman. "Weyrwoman," she greets, respectfully. "Candidate," Ali responds in turn after glancing up to recognize the greeter. Her gaze quickly drops again, taking account of her needle, while she continues to work. A beat of silence, before, "Take a seat. Join me," she invites, then with a nod towards Elaruth's clutch of eggs, "Are you nervous? It won't be long, I think. Three, four days at most, I imagine." At the invitation, Lilah does slide into the stoned seat, though first she opens the bag at her side, drawing from it a pile of hides that ends up in her lap as she settles next to Ali. The top sheet is not her writing, but rather is the sheet that they've been given to mark their progress on the candidate tasks, hers complete except for missing the signature of a weyrwoman. "I am, ma'am," the younger woman confirms smoothly. "Whether I am Impress or not--. I wish I could see the future, so I could know and not have to worry. Once it's over, it will be what it will be." There's a flicker of a glance towards that pile of hides- and the faintest of grimaces that isn't really well-covered by Ali as she carefully threads the needle and sets her work aside. "Well, there'll be Issy's clutch too, if it doesn't work out." That's meant to be comforting, perhaps, but it's a distracted comment as she turns the top-most hide towards her to scan and see how far Lilah's progressed. "Tell me what you learnt." "About the duties of a queenrider?" Lilah questions, clarifying. "Or about everything we've done, so far? All of the tasks?" She offers up the rest of the hides to Ali as well to take, if she wishes to. "Thirteen more eggs. Thirty eggs all told, and a rash of new weyrlings for the Weyr. And if none of them choose me--. I think that ought to be a clear enough sign, wouldn't it." It isn't a question, that quiet musing, but she ends with a tipped chin, accepting of the idea. Ali doesn't take the rest of the hides, not immediately, anyway, waving them down. "Everything," she clarifies, after a moment, like her answer might've been different if she hadn't paused to consider. And while there's a flicker of confusion at the idea of a 'sign', she doesn't ask for further information. Not yet, anyway- looking expectantly at the candidate for an answer to her earlier question. Lilah's dark gaze weighs against Ali, a thoughtful thing even before she begins a slow, steady answer of: "I've learned that sweeps are long, cold, and often boring. That dragons are large and time-consuming to bathe, even when they stay still, which they do not always. That a dragon being always inside your head isn't necessarily a bad thing, that the moment of Impression can be terrifying all the same. I learned that butchering an animal can be hardwork, and that it is messy and bloody besides. And that queenriders manage relations with Holds and Halls, they manage the running of the Weyr and the keeping of records, and deal with the dragonriders in their Weyr with either advice or punishment." She pauses, looking to the weyrwoman as if for some indication of whether she should continue or not. There's reactions here and there from the junior, little ones- a slight furrow at 'not a bad thing', a slight press of lips at the mention of punishment. But Ali doesn't offer her own opinion on such things, simply gestures for Lilah to continue. "That a queenrider has to be able to control her dragon, to control a mating flight. And then of course, the clutch sitting," Lilah says, but she does not even glance to Isyath's clutch, not intending to bring the elephant in the room up. Instead, she presses on to summarize, "That a dragonrider, whether they be gold or green or any color, has to put the Weyr and their dragon first. And that it is hard-work, not the thing of legends." Ali's never been that good at concealing her expression; the comment of 'control a mating flight' earns a quiet laugh, that she attempts to dampen down so as not to interrupt. Eventually, with an exhale, "You sound as if you've been exceptionally diligent in your work." Her finger taps the hide. "Do you have something to write with?" Lilah reaches into her bag at the question, as if she may have it at the weyrwoman's question. But after a few seconds of digging into the confines of the fabric, it is obvious she doesn't. "I'm sorry--Wait!" There is relief that flashes briefly, subtly in her gaze as her fingers close around the ink, pulling it from the bag before searching for the pen and finding it after a moment to turn over to Ali. "Last time, I did not have enough time. I thought this time, I may as well win if I had to try. Though, you said--." Her gaze slides, briefly, to Elaruth's clutch. Accepting the pen and ink both, Ali sets the latter down and twists off the lid, dipping the pen in with expertise, letting the excess ink fall free. "I said..?" she prompts, tipping her head, pausing. "It may be too late," Lilah answers, a small, little smile appearing briefly before it fades again. "Three or four days may mean that it's too late to take any time away from the Weyr to enjoy it." Ali glances at Elaruth, too, frowning. "We'll see. Where do you want to go?" the junior asks, as she touches pen to hide, carefully inking her signature in the indicated space. "A day away would be okay, especially if a rider was with you." Lilah's had enough time to think on the subject that she does not hesitate before answering: "Ista Weyr. If they would have me." "Ista?" Ali echoes, in both surprise and alarm, frowning visibly. "I don't think that's- no. The last thing we need is to create another political incident with them. Best pick somewhere else. Southern's warm this time of Turn, or Ierne?" "You think it would be? For a single Candidate to visit?" Lilah questions, surprised herself but quick interest showing in the way she studies the weyrwoman. "Southern would be fine, or Igen Weyr. I suppose it would depend also on who takes me." "All it took /last/ time was a couple of our people visiting to cause an issue," Ali says, adroitly; and she doesn't explain, although: "And both of those are candidates, so it seems safer to err on the side of caution, particularly given how close our clutches are to hatching. As for who's to escort you, that'll depend on who draws the short straw." She might be joking, but then again she might not: her expression isn't telling since she's concentrating on recapping the ink bottle. Lilah's brow curves upwards, but she only answers in a simple reassurance of, "I wouldn't wish to cause an incident. Another warm beach will work just as well." "Very well. One day. I'll find someone to escort you; just have your things packed and ready after breakfast tomorrow and they'll come find you." Ali hands pen, ink, and signed piece of hide back to the candidate in turn. "Thank you, weyrwoman," Lilah replies politely, accepting the hide and only waving it in the air in slow, purposeful sweeps to make sure that ink is dry. As she does, her gaze finally slides to Isyath's clutch, wondering aloud, "Will we be assigned to do this again, for hers? I imagine you'll look for more Candidates, once Elaruth's Impresses." "No, I think not," Ali answers, slowly. "And we've candidates enough for both clutches. If dragons bring in more- they will. But the search wings went out all ready, and Issy's clutch is smaller than Elaruth's, anyway." If there's any jealousy on that score, it's certainly not obvious. "But it has a queen too, perhaps," is stated more as a question than anything else, Lilah's gaze sliding to Ali to catch the other woman's reaction. A long hesitation on Ali's, then, "She's never clutched a queen before. It could be a bronze. It's never a sure thing." The topic is clearly making the junior uncomfortable, however, given she deliberately reaches for her needlework. "If that's all, I need to finish this before the hatching-" Lilah seems to consider that, glancing back towards that disputed egg though it doesn't linger long. Instead, she answers, "Of course. Thank you, ma'am." And the Candidate draws to her feet, sliding the hide back into her bag carefully. It is after that she offers a soft, whisper of fingers lifted in salute, before she turns to retreat while she's still ahead. |
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