Difference between revisions of "Logs:Right Place, Right Thing"

Inner Caverns, High Reaches Weyr

Within the labyrinth of interconnected chambers that make up the inner caverns, this large, long cavern serves both as a crossroads and a comfortable place for weyrfolk to sit, talk, and keep a nosy eye out for who's going where. Colorful, seasonal tapestries add warmth to the smooth walls and reduce echoes, while large niches house clusters of chairs, and a waist-high stone shelf along one wall provides a perch for drinks or work for residents on the go. Worn brass hooks often hold jackets or other outerwear with workboots stationed beneath, the transitory nature of the cavern lending itself to being treated as a sort of communal foyer where snowy or muddy gear can be kept outside of living quarters. Smaller, higher niches at regular intervals hold glowbaskets kept fresh during the daytime and allowed to dim somewhat at night.

The largest tunnels lead to the main living cavern, to the bowl and to the Weyr entrance, but it's still easy for the uninitiated to get lost within this maze.

Chilly - not to mention windy - for spring, it's probably no wonder that the caverns are crowded today, particularly after the last few days of nice weather. Madilla has escaped the infirmary, at least, settling herself in a quieter corner of the caverns with a stack of what are probably patient reports. Her work is diligent, except for the fact that she can't seem to stop watching a group of small children playing at dragon hatching, her lips twitching into an outright smile as one after another 'hatches' with loud cries of, "I'm a /brown/!" or "I'm /blue/, but with hints of purple!"

Shad was heading for the kitchen and a quick snack when the kids caught his attention. He slowed to a stop near Madilla, grinning at the kids' antics. "Now there's a game you don't see in Holds. At least, not that I've ever seen." He commented.

Madilla seems surprised by Shad's comment, though, by her expression, less by the contents of it than that there's someone in her vicinity to make said comment. Her expression relaxes after a moment, and she nods; "I suppose it would be. It's a little less of a... fantasy, for the weyr children. Far from a /definite/, but still: closer to their experience." She sets her pen down as she speaks, gaze sliding back towards the children as if by instinct.

Shad nods. "Yeah. And too, here, it's more of a possibility. Oh, Hold kids still dream of becoming a dragonrider, but the odds are pretty long on a rider showing up and going 'hey, kid. You'd make a heck of a rider. C'mon over to the Weyr.'. Here, there're riders everywhere."

Madilla's gaze sweeps over a small girl who has marched up to a larger boy and announced, and a squeaky-high voice, that her name is Jelendath, and she's hungry! She can't keep the mirth from her expression, but she does add, briefly turning her attention back to Shad, "Right. Especially now that it's Interval. Less chances for everyone, I suppose, but that won't stop the little ones from dreaming." Her expression is fond. "You're from a hold, then."

Shad nods. "Yeah, that doesn't help any, either." He agrees, then nods again. "Yeah. Hold born and bred. Smithcraft trained. Got transfered here less than a month ago."

Madilla gives Shad an appraising glance, and then blinks: "We've even met before, and I'd forgotten, I think. The Smith Apprentice. The one B'tal knew at the Hall, I think?" The faint flush to her cheeks is one of apology. She adds, after a moment more, "I'm holdbred, too, though I've been here a few turns now. It's still... different. You're happy here, though, I hope?"

Shad grins, because he'd half forgotten he'd met Madilla, given everything that's happened. "No problem ... I hadn't remembered that we'd met, either. Been a heck of a month. And yeah, I'm a /lot/ happier here than I was before."

"It was your first day, I think; you've every excuse not to have remembered," says Madilla, smiling warmly. "It's Shad, isn't it? And I'm Madilla." Beat, as she draws her hands together atop of her page. "I'm glad. I think it'd be awful, being unhappy at one's posting."

Shad nods. "Yeah, Shad." He says. "Nice to get a chance to talk to you again, Madilla." He says with a grin, then snorts. "Trust me, it'd be pretty damn hard to beat Crom for sheer misery."

With a smile, Madilla says, "And you, too, Shad." A shadow crosses her face at what he says about Crom, though she can't seem to hold it there for long - by the time she speaks, her tone is much more even. "I've never been to Crom; I've no idea what it's like, really."

Shad waves a hand. "It's not a fun place to live. Enough said right there. I'm just glad to be here, away from that."

Madilla seems relieved that more is not going to be said on that subject, and certainly, she moves on from it rapidly. "Good. I'm glad, then. And there's plenty for a Smith to do around here? I admit," she lowers her voice a little, as though this is a little embarrassing, "I don't know all that much about what you do."

Shad chuckles. "Basically, if it's metal? We make it. And repair it." He says. It's a vast oversimplification, but it will at least give her an idea of what a Smith does. "Well, mostly, the Journeymen and Masters make and repair. Apprentices spend most of their time practicing on scrap metal, and building up the muscle needed to wrestle with the bigger stuff."

"A bit like Healer Apprentices spend a lot of their time watching, or doing things under supervision," Madilla suggests, with a firm nod. "That makes sense. So I suppose there would still be plenty of things that need doing in a weyr... less big equipment, but more small things, I suppose?"

Shad nods. "Yeah, a lot like that ... and yeah, a lot of smaller things. Which is why I got sent, or, well, part of the reason. I like working with the smaller stuff."

Madilla leans back in her chair, giving Shad a long, thoughtul glance - for the moment, the children are forgotten. Smiling, she says, "Because it's more delicate? Or takes less strength? Or--?"

Shad grins. "Because you can do so much more on a smaller scale. Like make jewelry. Etching, shaping. Mounting gems, that sort of thing. Or heck, even making blades for knives and daggers. So much of the 'big' end of Smithing really is just pure muscle, and knowing how to make a specific shape a hundred times. I like the creativity the small stuff allows for."

Sensibly dressed though Madilla is, with no more decoration than a simple ring on one finger, her eyes do light at mention of jewelry and decoration. Her comment is a quieter one, though; "I can see the appeal of that," she agrees. "There's not much creativity in my work - it's all logic and knowledge, I suppose. But I make quilts in my spare time, and I /do/ enjoy that."

Shad grins. "Mmmm, may not be much in the way of creativity, but you do get to make people feel better, and sometimes save their lives. So I guess that's at least partial compensation." He leans against the wall a bit, still watching the kids. "Quilts, huh? Seen my mom and sisters making those. Looks time consuming. And tricky."

"Absolutely." Madilla's conviction in the worthiness of her occupation makes her eyes shine: she looks very pleased with it. "I wouldn't trade it for any other occupation... which is a good thing, I think. To know that you're in the right place, doing the right thing." Of quilts, she adds, as she twists her fingers atop each other, "They can be, yes. But I think it's a nice blend of practical and creative. It keeps me busy, anyway."

"Definitely practical." Shad agrees with a laugh. "Especially this far north and this high up. And some of the ones I've seen are really intricate, too. Almost tapestries in their own right." Then he shrugs. "I didn't know for sure I was in the right Craft at first, but once I started getting into the small-scale stuff, it just 'felt' right, and I knew it was the right Craft at that point."

"I made one as a turnday present for a friend, last turn," says Madilla, her expression fond as she thinks back to it. "A quilted representation of her dragon, and High Reaches' spires. It took /forever/, but I think it looked pretty good." Her gaze slides briefly back towards the children - they've changed sieds, now, letting the Impressees become the hatchlings - and then returns to Shad as she nods. "I think we all get that moment. I wasn't sure, either, at first. I /liked/ it, but it was... difficult. The Hall was much, much larger than my home Hold."

Shad's eyebrows go up. "Wow. I just bet it took forever." He says. "A lot of my problem was my family's expectations of me. After a while, though, I stopped caring what they thought and just ... did what /I/ wanted, what I liked. Things got a bit better after that."

"Yes," agrees Madilla. "Just about forever. But it was worth it." Her expression falters slightly at mention of Shad's family expectations, and her nod, in the end, is sharply determined: "I understand. That would make a huge difference. Families... it can be difficult, particularly when you're no longer with them all the time. You end up changing, even when you don't intend to."

"Yeah, that ... wasn't fun. But I made it through, and, Faranth willing, won't have to go back to a Hold for a long, long, long time, if ever."

The vehemence of that seems to surprise Madilla, because she recoils slightly, blinking rapidly. Ultimately; "Well. Good... luck with that?" Beat. "I should get back to the infirmary; I have some patients in a bit. It was... nice to meet you again, Shad." She rises, gathering together her papers.

Shad chuckles. "See you around, Madilla." He says.