Logs:Rat in the Records
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| RL Date: 11 July, 2013 |
| Who: K'zin, Rasavyth, Evelie, Ander, Quinlys |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Weyrling K'zin pokes his nose where it doesn't belong and someone notices. |
| Where: Harper Hall Archives |
| When: Day 19, Month 3, Turn 32 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Aishani/Mentions, Azaylia/Mentions, C'wlin/Mentions, K'del/Mentions, N'hax/Mentions, Sisha/Mentions |
| OOC Notes: Tremendously backdated. Many thanks to K'del for NPCing! |
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| They met at turnover. Ras had said they needed to develop a Harper contact. He suggested an apprentice. Someone there long enough to know a lot, but young enough to not know better. A party, the dragon had pointed out, was a perfect opportunity to make a new acquaintance that could be cultivated. So at turnover, the bronze pair decided to visit the celebrations in this part of the world. Since, K'zin made fairly regular trips back to nurture the connection with Senior Apprentice Evelie. She wasn't the first one he approached at turnover, but the only one that met with Rasavyth's requirements. She was smart, but not too smart. She had more book smarts than social smarts. She was flattered, but not totally swept away when K'zin started paying her his attention. It was a romance. At least on Evelie's end, and she made him work for encouraging its growth. But work he did, and over time, he'd been able to ask her about the Harper Hall records, among other Harperly things, on the pretense of being interested in her Life as a Harper. Today was one he'd waited for, been working toward for weeks. Today, he'd finally convinced her to take him on a tour of the records, and inwardly, K'zin was elated. "So this is what the archives looks like." The bronzerider's baritone was complimentary and smooth, and a low whistle showed his admiration for his first look at the seemingly endless expanse of shelves. Evelie may be full of romantic notions (as many girls her age are), but she's been a little wary of letting K'zin too far into her world-- it's not that she's afraid of getting into trouble, not as such, but rather than it isn't right, and right and wrong are heavy burdens in a Harper's world. "It's pretty impressive, isn't it?" she agrees, a smile blossoming across her face for K'zin's reaction. "Over here we have the histories, and there are the novels... did you know we have an impressive collection of them?" Brown eyes slide over everything. It's the first once-over to take it all in, following her indications, before returning to the sweep. His eyes are a little big with how genuinely impressed he is. Impressed and overwhelmed. He wants the needle in a pin pile. "I'd be surprised if you didn't have an impressive collection of everything. Wow. Do journeymen who are posted elsewhere send their novels back to join the archive? Or are all these just from those posted to the Hall?" K'zin asks, his eyes going to where she indicated those sorts of books are located. "Has anyone ever read them all?" He wants to know, too. Maybe it distracts from his first question a little, but if a curious guy wants to know, a curious guy is going to ask. "I think they all get sent back here," says Evelie, running her fingers over the spines of some of the sewn together books, her expression abruptly showing a hint of longing, and an unquestionable delight in their physical presence. "So that we can keep a complete collection. Of course, there are probably some non-Harpers who write them, and we won't have those, generally, but... I've no idea. I know a lot of people read a lot of them." "A complete collection," K'zin echoes thoughtfully. "Is that the case with other kinds of records? I mean, like the ones the Weyr keeps. So many of them are so dull to begin with. I can't imagine anyone copying them to send them down to the Hall, but I guess if a Harper were trying to be complete about things?" His eyes wander toward the other books, the other shelves. "What's over there?" He nods toward a section she's not yet pointed out. Evelie gives K'zin a considering glance. "Well, not everything, I think. I mean - some things really aren't relevant to our specific records. But a lot of things do end up here. It makes it much easier to do long-range research projects, if you don't have to go haring off around the globe to find things." Her gaze follows K'zin's towards the next section, though she makes no move to head towards it. "Indexes to the restricted sections," she answers. "A catalogue, so that Harpers with reason can find things." K'zin's getting good at not reacting. Evelie might not even notice the slight widening of his eyes, the very subtle change in the quirk of his brow when she says 'restricted section', but an older Harper? One more experienced at reading tells, His interest would be plain. What interests him and what he asks about are two different things. "Long-range research? What kinds of things get researched?" She doesn't... but that's probably at least partially because she's making cow eyes at him again. "Oh, all kinds of things," she says, pleased, in a way, to be the superior in this. He will be a bronzerider soon, and she only an Apprentice (and one breaking the rules in order to be with him at that), but she knows more about this. "Not like the kinds of things the Healers study, but... trends. Political leanings. Population growth. Things like that." Ugh. The cow eyes. That's part of how K'zin got good at not reacting. In the face of them he adopts a charismatic, political smile. "That sounds fascinating," The soon-to-be-bronzerider answers, giving her his eye contact. "So what about matters of law? Harpers mediate things like that, right? My brother always used to claim we needed a Harper to come and mediate some of our more colorful disputes. At least that brother didn't solve things with his fists." The anecdote helps make the more pointed inquiry seem less so, but it only helps. Helps, but not enough that Evelie doesn't pause, something in her expression tightening, just faintly. "Well, of course. Most of the specific cases go into the restricted section, but there are broader overviews open to anyone - you know, the summaries that make it easier to determine what the laws actually say, if you know what I mean. You have too many brothers, Waki, I can't keep up. Why are you so interested in our records, anyway?" "Yeah, that makes sense." K'zin agrees about the summaries. He knows he's put a toe in the wrong place. "I just think they're interesting. All this history in one place. Besides," The bronzerider shrugs his shoulders, tilting his face down a little, letting some of his brown locks fall across his eyes, so he can look at her through them. "You know I like it when you talk so smart." He might be smoldering, just a little. "Have you thought about if you'll vanish with me for an afternoon?" He'd offered it on his last visit and given her time to think about it. "I can take you anywhere you want to go," He wheedles, "And we'll get to spend uninterrupted time together. You can tell me all about your family and your lessons and-- anything else you want." Evelie, it is safe to say, is easily distracted by such smoldering, her mouth opening just a little, her eyes widening. "You know I'd like to," she says, with a sigh that is just short of dreamy. "It's ju--" She doesn't get to finish. Coming around the corner is a tall man with dark blonde hair, a man in his mid-thirties with a Master's knot on his shoulder. A man who looks... a little familiar, in a K'del kind of way. "Evelie," he says, without any trace of the Tillekian drawl that K'del bears. "Don't you have homework to be doing?" Smolder, smolder, fizzle. K'zin's eyes draw to the Master and his expression wipes to something more neutral, then tinged with apology as he glances toward Evelie. Then back to the Master, "High Reaches duties, Master." Seriously, then, "You know, Evey, I'd probably best be getting back anyway." He offers, too quickly. "I can walk you back to--" Well, wherever. "On my way out." Emphasis on the 'out.' "Sorry, Master Ander, I'll just take--" But the Master shakes his head, and gestures for Evelie to go, even as he's fastening a look on K'zin that says, rather definitely, 'stay'. "I'll see you later, Waki," says the chastened apprentice, before she turns and hurries away. To K'zin, the Master gives an appraising glance. "You have some interesting questions," he remarks. "Weyrling. Mind if I ask you some of them? Such as... what you're doing amidst our records? Or why you're consorting with our apprentice?" « You need to work on your wooing skills, my K'zin. » Rasavyth observes, the humor dry, but the attention to the situation now at hand absolute, and serious. « In the books, wooed maidens would do anything for their beloved. » (Rasavyth to K'zin) K'zin watches her go. His expression briefly touches with annoyance, but it's soon back to a schooled neutrality. "Well, sir, if there's one thing weyrlinghood teaches, it's to ask a lot of questions. Believe it or not, I don't ask the most out of my class, but I do hold my own when it comes to numbers." His hands slip into his pockets, shoulders pushing up in a shrug, before he looks around, "Curiosity. I've never seen so many records together in one place. It's pretty amazing." There's truth in that comment, but it's not a complete truth. "She's just a friend. For now. I was an apprentice once myself. I know the rules. But someday she'll be a journeywoman..." "Bullshit," says Ander, rolling his eyes. "You're as bad as--" Pause. He stops, shakes his head, and then says, "Frankly, I don't trust you. I don't trust your intentions, and I don't trust what you're doing in here." His blue-eyed gaze lingers on K'zin, studying him. "I know what kind of questions people from your weyrling group ask." Ah. Harpers, not so pleased with High Reaches weyrlings right now. "Come with me." K'zin swears under his breath. It might sound like 'boneheaded bronzeriders' because it is. Evidently, this weyrling sees no point in arguing with the Master, so he simply follows. K'zin has some luck, at least: Ander leads him to a small study room, ushers him in... and then closes the door behind him, leaving him alone. What happens next he won't be aware of, at least initially, but it involves a note sent to High Reaches that ends up directed towards the Weyrlingmasters (and not, perhaps for the best, with Sisha, K'del, or either of the goldriders). And K'zin? He can wait. Until Quinlys arrives, stormy faced, to collect another weyrling out of trouble. K'zin's explanation of what happened is kept simple. He admits to nothing untoward, and makes sure to point out that he was respecting the apprenticeship rules, and was just curious. Sure, it smells a little funny, but there's no crime that can be proven. In the end, though, the Weyrlingmaster's not got much to say; she swallows K'zin's story with only a brief side-eye, makes the suggestion that he stay away from Harper Hall for a while, and then it's straight on home. Phew. |
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