Logs:Obligations
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| RL Date: 15 May, 2011 |
| Who: Emmeline, Seani |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Emmeline and Seani come to an accord. |
| Where: Settlement, Western Island |
| When: Day 4, Month 10, Turn 25 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Tomaeran/Mentions |
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| It's been actually relatively dry, today, though clouds hover ominously overhead: it probably won't stay that way for long. The children have just recently been dismissed for the afternoon, abandoning their open-air classroom for pursuits unknown. Now, Seani moves around the benches, gathering bits and pieces into a basket as she does so: a crude doll, a scrap of blanket, a very fine stick. The children may not own much, but they're still children: prone to forgetting things. As she does her circuit, the blonde rubs at her temple; her brow is wrinkled, and she looks... tired. Once every last one of the children has been seen off to their own interests, and Emmeline has had a brief word with a parent or two, she makes her way back to the benches and Seani. "Do you think you'll enjoy working with them?" she wonders, skirting between the seating spaces to help pick up. "I thought you might enjoy this, but I'll talk to Cason again if there's something else you'd rather do." the younger woman promises, her hands twisting together a bit nervously, her eyes drawn to the wrinkled brow and tired expression. "You should sit. I can take care of all this." "No, no, I'm fine," insists Ani, though she hardly looks at it. Her cheeks blush pink as soon as Emmeline talks to her, something that happens a lot these days, though not so much, at least, during actual classtime. Keeping her gaze lowered, as though she needs every scrap of attention to actually complete her task, she adds, "I like them. I hadn't realised how-- hard it would be. Hard work, I mean. In a different way to-- just. They need so much." Her gaze lifts, aiming to meet Emmeline's, however briefly. "It's fine." "Ani, /sit/." This time it sounds more like one of the many commands she barks out to the children when they get rowdy. Only, it's laced with concern. She'll sit down too, crossing over to a nearby bench and lowering herself on to it with a sigh of relief. "We're going to be working closely together. Before class. During class. After class. I'll be sharng information with you that nobody else has. So we have to trust each other. We can start by having you look me in the eye, for one. And I think we should clear the air over what's recently happened." she decides, though there's a bit of a smile on her face. "They do need a lot. And believe me, I'm grateful for the help." It's not really surprising that on being commanded to sit, Ani does so: immediately, and with obvious surprise in her expression, matched still by those flushed pink cheeks. "I--" she begins, sounding half-panicked, her basket held with a death-grip in her lap. "I'm sorry, Emmeline. You didn't ask for me as your apprentice, and it isn't fair that you were-- you should have been able to choose. I'm supposed to be being punished, and this... it isn't. It's not." She's still having trouble meeting the younger girl's gaze for more than a handful of seconds at a time. If Emmeline is frustrated by Seani's complete lack of spine, she's keeping it well hidden behind a calm expression. "I'm not going to pretend to understand why you admitted to doing something we both know you had no part in, Ani. If it was to grab at the opportunity to ditch that worthless asshole of a husband you had, then I certainly wouldn't hold it against you. But /I/ am the one that approached Raum to get him to teach Tom a lesson." she admits, again keeping Riorde's part in this a secret. And while she doesn't try to loosen the white-knuckled grip the other woman has on that basket, she does rest her own hand on top of the other's arm. "When I heard you were being punished, I went to Cason. I told him what I did, and asked him to vacate your punishment and let you watch over the children while I took on the hard labour. This was his compromise. So, I did choose. But for the sea's sake, please don't breathe a word of this to anyone. I mean. /nobody/. It will only cause more trouble." Surprisingly, Ani's expression turns to something closer to anger than anything else, in the wake of that admission. "You shouldn't have done that," she whispers, though it's hard to tell which bit she is referring to. "Emme, you really shouldn't have." She doesn't, however, flinch away from the other woman's hand on her arm. Moreover: she meets her gaze squarely. "I got what I wanted. What do I care about hard labour? I'm /free/. You shouldn't be punishing yourself over it. No." "No, I shouldn't have." Emmeline agrees, though it's probable that the two women aren't referring to even remotely the same thing. There's some nebulous regret in her voice that's hard to pin down. But then she kind of gapes a little, confusion warring with surprise there. "I... shouldn't be? No wait, I don't consider taking you on as an apprentice a punishment." she protests. "My guilt is for more then just what I asked of Raum." Ani shakes her head: again and again and again. As she does so; "I don't know. I just-- /I/ should be thanking you. And instead, I'm getting--" All this. She waves her hand around, vaguely, finally letting go of the basket to do so. "You shouldn't be guilty. Please, Emme. Don't be. And don't feel like you need to keep me on. You don't have an obligation to me. /I/ have one to /you/." "I've every intention of keeping you on as an apprentice. Fact is, Ani, I need the help. And it has to be the right kind of person." Emmeline explains, a bit of relief threading through an otherwise slightly confused tone. "And I'm hoping that by having some help, I can spend time reading more of the notes my mother and grandmother left me." She waves away the idea that idea that she's owed anything. "No, no. How about we approach this as being even. Though I sure wouldn't mind having someone I could come to for advice when I need it." Something in Emmeline's answer goes a long way to reassuring Seani; after a long moment, she nods, the corners of her mouth curving into a rare smile. However: "Advice? I'm sure there's someone you could go to." Her brows have furrowed, slightly, as though she's not quite sure of what the other girl is implying with that particular statement. "Just advice. There's nothing sinister about it." Emme promises, shoulders lifting in a bit of a shrug. "Now, since you're tired - go relax for awhile or something. We'll meet in the morning before the kids show up, and start going over some more lesson plans." The bane of her existence, if the tone is any indication. "I've a few things I need to take care of." Still faintly confused, if her expression is anything to go by, Ani nods again. "Thank you, Emmeline," she murmurs, with a smile, as she rises to her feet, hoisting the basket up under one arm. "Have a good night. I'll see you in the morning." Relaxation does not, however, seem to be on the cards: an hour from now, the young woman will be obvious amidst the bustle of meal preparation. Some things... never change. |
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