Logs:Herbs, Hatchings and New Clothes
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| RL Date: 21 May, 2008 |
| Who: Delifa, Madilla |
| Involves: Healer Hall |
| Type: Vignette |
| What: Journeywoman Delifa gives Madilla some good news, some advice, and paves the way for the Apprentice to attend Telgar's hatching, including clothes to wear to it. |
| Where: Healer Hall |
| When: Day 25, Month 6, Turn 16 (Interval 10) |
| "Madilla!" Madilla turned, narrowly avoiding being knocked down by a much larger Senior Apprentice who'd been traversing the corridor far too close behind her. Journeywoman Delifa, who'd been in charge of the "Introduction to Healing Herbs" class Madilla had been in, was waving her over from a doorway a few paces back down the corridor. "Yes, Journeywoman?" Madilla navigated her way back with some trepidation, though she'd always had a good teacher-student relationship with the Journeywoman - herbalism was easily her best class. Delifa grinned at her, ushering her through into the office-cum-bedroom, clearly her own. "I just wanted to let you know... you did very well on your exam." Madilla heaved a sigh of relief - Delifa frowned. "You were worried about it? Don't be silly: I told you you were doing fine, that you might even get moved up ahead of the class." "I didn't want to disappoint you. Or anyone. I've never had to do exams before." "Well, now you know that they're nothing to worry about, mmm?" Delifa looked pleased, and added, "I do think you're ready to move up. But to be sure, since you're staying back over the summer, we'll do some one-on-one study, and you'll do another test at the end of it, just to prove it to Master Ayanne." Madilla beamed, shoulders straightening, chin lifted in pride. "Yes, Journeywoman. Oh - I'd like that very much." "You're considering Pharmacy and Herbalism for your subcraft, I hope? I think you have the makings of a fine Pharmacist." Hesitating, Madilla considered her response to this question. It was, of course, something she had considered before, but... "Maybe," she reported, finally, lowering her gaze towards the floor. "I was hoping to work with children, actually. Real patients, not just... behind the Pharmacy door. But everyone keeps telling me I need to be more decisive with patients. Trust my own instincts." Delifa gave her a long, probing look, then indicated a chair, which Madilla sat down in. She, too, sat, shuffling her chair forward so that she was almost knee-to-knee with the Apprentice. "If that's what you want to do, Madilla, then we'll work on that, too. They're right, of course: you hesitate before responding to things that aren't a simple... regurgitation of information, shall we say? You don't seem to trust your own instincts." "I don't want to get things wrong." "Confidence, then. You need to learn confidence. Trust yourself, Madilla. You aren't going to have someone telling you what to do for the rest of your life. One day, you're going to walk the tables, and become a Journeywoman - and then you'll probably get posted somewhere, and quite possibly, you'll be on your own, and there simply won't be someone else to rely on. You understand?" Madilla nodded, her exultation evaporating into sullen frustration. "I am trying, Journeywoman Delifa. I am! But it's such a lot of responsibility. If I make the wrong decision, someone might die." "And that is why you won't be dealing with anything serious - excepting emergencies - until you're a Journeywoman, Madilla, same as everyone else. You'll learn. We all do. You've only been here six months - you've got turns before you're going to be forced to take charge of anything. But you need to start learning how now. Or people will start pushing you towards less patient-orientated work." "I want to work with patients." "So we'll work on it. Promise me you'll try." Madilla nodded again, taking a deep breath. "I will. I'll try harder than ever." "Good. I should note, of course, that being a Pharmacist won't just tie you to the Pharmacy - we still deal with patients, sometimes. It's not a bad career path, should it be the one you end up on." "I know," Madilla told her, though without conviction. Herbs were... important, of course. But just not... not what she wanted. Not what she became a healer for. "Anyway - how's everything else going? You were at Telgar Weyr a few sevendays back, weren't you? How did that go?" Madilla hesitated before responding; her Telgar trip still weighed sort of heavily on her. "It was busy," she reported, finally, after taking and releasing a deep breath. "The infirmary, I mean. I mostly ended up doing much the same as I do here - refilling supplies, watching, sometimes, but mostly just running lots of things around. They have candidates, of course, so they did some of the more physical jobs, but I worked pretty hard, too. I don't think I'd want to work at a Weyr." "They're certainly different, I'll give you that," Delifa agreed. "Master Sila's grandson is one of the Candidates up there this time, isn't he? One of your classmates, I believe. Did you see him while you were up there?" "Daegan," Madilla agreed, a little too quickly. "Er-- only briefly. We ran into each other in the infirmary." She turned her gaze away. Delifa gave her a probing look, but asked only, "He's doing well, I assume? Perhaps better than he did here, I should imagine. Those eggs must be due to hatch soon." "Yes," she reported, though to which question it was hard to know. "Within a few weeks, I think." "Have you something to wear to the hatching?" Madilla blinked, gaze focusing sharply, suddenly, upon her teacher. "You'll want to go, I assume. So you'll need something better than your work clothes to wear." "He's... We're only friends. He just... I think maybe he likes me, but he keeps saying he doesn't. I don't know if he'd want me to go, though I did say I would try." Delifa's expression turned amused, and she leaned over to touch Madilla's knee. "He's a boy. He's probably confused about everything. Have you ever been to a hatching?" Madilla shook her head: "Never. I'd never been to a Weyr until I came here." "Then you should definitely go, Daegan or not. The Weyrs always provide rides for those who need them - we'll get you on one of them. We'll just go down and see if the Headwoman has anything suitable in stores for you to wear." Later, alone in the dormitories, Madilla ran her hands over the clothes she had been given, exulting in the feel of the fabric beneath her fingertips. They were not new, but they'd clearly not been much worn, and they'd fit forever - good, solid stuff, and designed for growing bodies. She'd never had - never needed - anything so fine (though she registered at the back of her mind that Berit would probably consider them very plain indeed). So. She was going to the hatching. A hatching. Wow. |
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