Logs:Writing Home
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| RL Date: 18 May, 2008 |
| Who: Madilla |
| Involves: Healer Hall |
| Type: Vignette |
| What: Madilla studies for her exams, and, five months after arriving at the hall, pens her first letter home. |
| Where: Healer Hall |
| When: Day 1, Month 6, Turn 16 (Interval 10) |
| Summer had arrived, the warm days of spring becoming warmer still - and longer, clear sunny days that seemed to stretch on forever. Another month, and it would be time for exams; it seemed like that was all the Masters talked about, now. Exams. Passing exams. Knowing things. Madilla, having come to the Hall in the second semester, had no expectations of moving up classes as a result of the exams, but they still mattered: given her still-poor reading and writing, she needed more than anyone to prove that she was keeping up. Given the weather, most apprentices had taken to spending their free hours outside in the sun. For Madilla, it was a relief: used to a life spent largely out of doors and in the fresh air, Hall life in the winter proved depressingly indoor-focused. She didn't much like the cold: home was warmer, windier - but lovely. She wasn't much for tree climbing, like some of the apprentices, but she'd found a spot she particularly liked in the shade of one of the tall trees in the meadow, and it was here she spent as much time as she could, practicing her letters and reciting her lessons. Most of the time, she recited her lessons. It was easier, and maybe it didn't practice her writing, too, but she found she remembered things much better verbally - and she'd always had a good memory. "Five herbs good for digestion." Pause. "Ginger. Peppermint. Garlic. Rosehips." Another, longer pause. "Rhubarb juice." Well. They weren't all herbs - but, she was pretty sure, they were all correct. Hopefully they wouldn't be too fussy, come exams. Today, she also had a small piece of hide with her, and a stylus. She was - she was pretty sure - going to write a letter, today. A letter home, not just to Daegan, or anyone else she knew here. Home. She'd been away for five months, now, and it seemed... it seemed like that was long enough to warrant some kind of communication, to reassure them that she was safe, and happy, and doing well. Some of the apprentices were going home for the summer break, but Madilla suspected she wouldn't be one of them even if she didn't have so much work to catch up on. No, the break would be a good time to get some more things done, spend some more time on the lessons she was having trouble with. In some ways, she was kind of looking forward to the quiet: half her dorm were going to be gone. The piece of hide sat untouched in her lap. She halfway suspected that she was avoiding it altogether - but no, of course not. It was just... hard. "Five remedies for headache. Um. Basil. Thyme. Pyrole. Sage. And... Feverfew." She took up the hide. No avoiding it. She picked up her stylus. She took a deep breath. My dear family, she began, forming each letter with deliberate, oversized strokes. Writing still felt strange, utterly foreign. Letters still looked mostly just like squiggles - but she'd memorised what each was, so could use them. It just... She couldn't get her head around it. And forget about spelling: she could memorise the rules, but then there were exceptions, and none if it made sense, either. It is summer now, and I have some free time to write. The Harpers have been helping me with my learning, and I have learned a lot. She was sure most of the words were wrong. But, she reminded herself, she'd had more learning now than most of them had ever had: probably, they wouldn't notice, or care. I have been to Igen and Telgar Weyr, and the Weaver Hall, on study visits. It is very interesting, to see how other people live, and what kind of healing they need. I have made some friends, and they are very nice. That was a lie, she reflected, staring blankly down at the page. Daegan wasn't what you'd call nice, really - and probably he'd say they weren't even friends, though she was pretty sure they were. But it was better not to get into these things. I hope to go back to Telgar and watch their hatching, as two of my friends are now Candidates there. My studies, of course, come first, however, so it may not happen. My exams are soon, and I am working very hard to pass them. I expect to. It was, she reflected, a very boring letter. But what did you tell people? That friend of mine I mentioned, who is a Candidate at Telgar, has kissed me twice? And now runs away all the time, and I think he likes me? Her Uncle would not approve of that. And... they just wouldn't understand a lot of the things she was learning. Like Mindhealing, which she thought a waste of time, too, but if they thought she was learning silly things like that, they might not want her to stay. She hated the idea that she was seeing things different from her family. That maybe what they thought was right wasn't necessarily so. It made her feel weird inside. Journeyman Delifa is very impressed with my herblore knowledge. If I do very well in my exam, I may move up a class. Some of the hold kids were swimming in the pond - she watched them, leaning her head back against the tree behind her. She was pretty sure there were some apprentices in there, too. So much for spending the afternoon studying! Still, it was a nice afternoon, maybe even too nice to spend buried in notes. "Hangover cures. Asparagus. Scullcap. Thyme. Valerian. High blood pressure. Aconite. Betony. Chervil. Rosemary. Serpentwood. Bleeding gums. Um. Agrimony. Lemon. Lavender." She took a deep breath. Actually, all that repetition was kind of calming. I hope you are all well. I have been very healthy. There is plenty of food, and I am gaining some weight. Her stylus paused above the page, as she reread what she had written. She couldn't think of anything else to say. How strange, that five months could be summed up so easily. Frowning, she tacked on a final line. My love to everyone. Your daughter/sister/niece: Madilla. Sighing, she rolled up the piece of hide, and tied a band around it, dropping it down into her lap. Done. Not very good, not very informative, but... She felt better, for having done it. "Inflamation reduction. Aconite. Chamomile. Yarrow. Witch hazel. Hops. Insect sting. Basil. Mint. Plantain. Witch hazel. Insomnia..." |
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