Logs:Muckraking
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| RL Date: 5 August, 2011 |
| Who: Lujayn, Nathalia, Rhaelyn, Sibella |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Lujayn meets Sibella, watches a spat resolve itself, and is generally successful at keeping her nose out of the crap (literally and figuratively). |
| Where: Stables, High Reaches |
| When: Day 1, Month 6, Turn 26 (Interval 10) |
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| It's early afternoon and it seems summer has finally started settling in judging from the warmth of the air. Hard at work, Nat seems to be struggling a little with getting a rather stubborn runner out of the stall she is 'trying' to muck. "Oh come on!" she pleads tugging on the lead with very little success. "You really are just going to stand there you stubborn. . ." the words are lost as she looses the grip on the lead and lands squarely on her rump. Having been mucking a few aisles down, Sibella comes speedily to the rescue upon hearing Nat's exclaimation and fall. Not exactly adept with the animals either, Sibella does have plenty of experience with fractious adolescents and has decided to see the runners as such. Her hand shoots out to grab the runner's lead, and she similiarly reaches out a hand to help Nathalia to her feet. "It's odd that no one has come to supervise us today, isn't it? I've spent a total of a few candlemarks in here... ever." She offers a smile and a rag for Nathalia to clean her rump up with, clucking at the runner and similiarly failing to make it move. Lujayn enters the stables slowly, looking around with a soft smile on her face. She might have wandered here idly were it not for the sure steps leading her to the stall of a familiar runner. The rider digs something from her pocket and murmurs quietly to the beast as she strokes its soft nose, turning her attentions only at the brief noise of Nathalia's fall. "All right over there?" Lu calls, not so loudly as to startle any skittish animals, approaching the two candidates curiously. "Careful they don't step on you." There is a grateful smile from the Smith Candidate as she accepts the hand pulling herself up, dusting off her rump in the process. "Where's a dratted beast crafter when you need one." She laughs in reply to Sibella. Before anything else is said she offers a smile for the gold rider. "Yes Ma'am, they kick worse though, I am just glad it's mucking and not Shoeing." She offers a cheery enough smile for someone whose spent the day cleaning animal poop. "What brings you this way today, other than the fine turn of weather?" Sibella can only offer a shrug to Nathalia, knowing nothing about what shoes have to do with horses. She turns her head toward Lujayn, ceasing her pulling on the poor animal's lead, and says cheerily, "Well, I have yet to be stepped on but I've been whipped plenty of times with their tails. I had no idea hair could sting so!" Sibella laughs at her own joke, then turns to look back toward her own aisle of stalls. "Well, I'm almost done. I suppose a break would be in order," she says, lowering herself onto a tied mass of bedding, still holding onto the runner - a rather dumpy little mare. "Just to relax," Lujayn admits after a pause, glancing between the girls and the stubborn runner in question. It doesn't take her long to see they're no experts at stablework - or at least handling the animals therein. She holds out a hand with a patient look, watching as Sibella sits. "Don't imagine you'd put her away before resting yourself?" Don't want those hoovse traipsing all around, after all. "Unless this needs cleaning." Hm? There's a laugh. "Luckier than I am with the monsters. I swear they can smell a smith coming a mile away. I've still got two left." As for Lujayn there is a grateful smile. "Needs tidied yes, sorry." She offers a sheepish frown, "I am used to having someone else to get them to do what they are supposed to, Runners that is." Yes what a lovely thing to admit, you can't handle a runner but you want to impress a dragon? She shakes her head. "You seem to have a way with them though." "Oh!" Sibella says, and turns the pony over to Lujayn. "She doesn't seem to want to move, so I didn't even think about it. As the lead slips from Sibella's hand to the Goldrider's, Sibella says, "I've seen you about, Junior Weyrwoman Lujayn, -" giving the honorific, since, afterall, what Weyr resident doesn't know every Gold and Bronze rider by name? " -but haven't had the chance to introduce myself heretofore. I'm Sibella," she adds with a grin, "And don't know a runner from a herdbeast." Although, of course, there isn't much difference in the droppings, it would seem. Rhaelyn has arrived. Lujayn steps aside, nodding to the candidate at her feet first. "Well met, Sibella," As the girl sitting in haystacks, perhaps, but an introduction nonetheless. To Nat: "It takes bribing some of the time," Lu brings out another lump for the dumpy mare, getting the animal along bit by bit as it follows the treat. "Not much different from some people." She demonstrates by leading the runner away down the aisle, off to an empty stall for the time being. It's a fine summer day and Sibella and Nat have been mucking the stables for much of the early afternoon. Lujayn has come to their rescue helping with a particularly stubborn mare. There's a warm smile for Sibella, and a laugh. As for Lujayn she watches with amusement as the mare is coaxed along. "Never thought of it that way." She comments as she hurries into the stall and starts about the mucking. "I suppose it works better for some than others, People that is." Not wanting to seem lazy in the face of Nathalia's industry, Sibella turns to the one remaining stall. "Here, Nat, let me give you a hand." She walks away toward her aisle and returns with a cross between a rake and a shovel which she doesn't know the name of and a wheelbarrow. The runner in the remaining stall is a stately, diginified, rather intimidating black mount, and even as Sibella goes to open the partitioned door, she backs up a step. "Er... I don't think I've seen dragons that haughty." Is it a dare or idle curiosity that draws Rhaelyn out to the stables on such a sunny days? Difficult to tell by first blush because she certainly pokes her head through the doorway as though expecting to walk into a trick. As her eyes adjust to the darkness within, she can see people and yes, hear the voices. "Hello." A slow look drifts around the place, searching for something after her quiet greeting. There is an appreciative smile, "Really I got it 'Bella. . ." But the girl has already started in and the smith just offers a shrug. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I think. . . I will be very glad when this hatching business is finally over with," she laughs. The hello draws the crafter candidate's attention with a small lift of her brow. "Hello Rhaelyn, didn't expect to see you down this way today?" She continues shoveling dirty straw into the wheelbarrow nearby. Eyes adjusted very well to the darkness, Sibella can see Rhaelyn as she enters the gloom, and physically recoils, if only slightly. She look back at the runner, then at Nathalia, not sure whether to aknowledge Rhaelyn's entrance. In the end, she offers, "Yeah, hey Rhaelyn," and a nod. Back to the runner, she grabs the lead hanging in front of its stall and attempts to muster the will to handle the beast. If Rhae notices the recoil, it does unremarked upon. Except? She slides a cold look over at Sibella and casts slow down one side of her and then back up to meet her gaze with a emotionless chin-bob. "Sibella." If there's going to be recoiling, it should be good right? She comes in close but not too close--work going on and all that. "I'm looking for Marilan. The little fat-faced herder boy." Re-emerging from some shadowy place, now runnerless, Lujayn replies to the chatter: "What will you do when it's over, then?" She greets Rhaelyn with a nod. Something smells like trouble - or at least tension, but the rider can't pinpoint it. Instead she sketches a welcome, "Haven't seen him, no. Anything I can help with?" If you want to lead others, you should do it by example right? Well it seems like a sound theory anyhow as Nat attempts to put it in practice. "I have not seen him today, did you need him for something in particular?" There's a warm smile, see? Everyone can get along, honest. "Well the Hall informed me I am to remain stationed at Reaches until I can take the Journeyman's exams. They denied my petition to test early." She admits a little ruefully. A crease appears between Sibella's brows at Rhaelyn's last words as she ignores the cold look-over. "Looking for him so you can poison him with your blood?" she mutters under her breath. Whew, I'm not sure if Sibella's in a charitable, to-each-their-own sort of mood today. However, Sibella catches Nathalia's clear lead on the matter and tries to stifle the hairs standing on the back of her neck while responding to Nat with, "Aw, well, at least you could consider it a sort of break. More time to study up, hm? While you muck stalls," she says with a chuckle. A bit of parchment is drawn from her pocket and Rhaelyn's long fingers flick it like waving a banner. "That little twerp thinks he's awfully smart, but that boy he left this note for can't even read. So you know what happened? Marilan's buddy had to read it 'for' him. And when I got to him, he was all too happy to spill it." The girl doesn't offer it out to anyone right away but there's kiss-marks all over the outside in vivid pink lipstick. As for Sibella The insult was /just/ loud enough to catch her attention and draw heat from the cold-eyed girl, "Excuse me? What did you say to me?" "What to do with you if you Impress after all that work? That's their conundrum," Lujayn reasons, while sympathizing with Nat's woes. "Crafter-riders almost have a tougher time, with a dragon and being expected to continue their vocation. You might come out being thankful they didn't let you test now." Leaning over the stall while the girl works, she has one ear perked for the brewing storm that's blown in with Rhaelyn but doesn't intervene. Nat offers a visible wince at the barb coming from Sibella and there is a face for her candidate friend. Shells the day had been going so well too, ah well she was going to do her best. "He faked a note from a girl?" the tone is mild but there's a hint of anger edging the words, but it certainly isn't directed at Rhaelyn. The safer topic of Impression gets a sigh from the Crafter. "I suppose, It isn't like I could completely give up the craft if I were to impress though. I mean at the very least I could make my own buckles. . ." there's a small pout. "I guess that is true though, if I don't impress though it's going to be another two to four years before I can petition again though." Infinitely honest, Sibella clarifies her voice and articulates each of her words individually just for Rhaelyn; since the insult has been made and called upon, there are no take-backs. "I asked if you were looking to poison the poor boy with what you think is blood running through your veins." In a more conversational tone, she adds, "Of course, he couldn't be expected to understand your higher standards in pranking." Too difficult now to return to the safer topics, Sibella quite pointedly - if inwardly abashedly - ignores Nathalia's physical reprimands via looks and body language. Rhaelyn gives another flap of the hide but as it seems that the boy is in hiding, even another look around the stables reveal the object of her displeasure. There's no answer for Nathalia's question about the note and it's tucked back into a pocket. Besides, there's Sibella and her insult to address. "I -see-. Why is it that you think my blood in poison? Why, I would have poisoned you weeks ago if that were the case. So, we both know that you're just being petty and mean spirited. What, exactly, is up your backdoor and what does it have to do with me?" Her tone is tired, boarding on bored in the cold, low tone. Girls will be girls, especially candidates; Lujayn understands the need to blow off steam all too well. So it's carefully that she joins Nat in the stall, one eye on the bristling duo outside to make sure it goes no farther than words. "Of course you could continue the craft. It's admirable, really. Especially in the Interval, could you imagine a more prominent crafter figure on a dragon? That could mean something entirely different. Something new." Who knows what, but /new/ is exciting. "Anyhow - the more diversity among riders, the better." Pointedly, it might seem, to comments concerning poisoned blood. There is a very loud smack as Nathalia's palm meets her forehead, as Sibella repeats the insult. Eyes scrunched shut. Shards and shells, though it's the bit about 'higher standards in pranking' gets a very dirty look. "Prank or not, Sibella it is a very /unkind/ thing to do to anyone." Speaking from personal experience maybe? Whatever the case she's not happy about it one bit. Though as the gold rider joins her in the stall, she relaxes just a little, and there's a grin at the suggestion. "Well it would make things just a bit easier on the weyr too, If you think about it, a lot of the repair work and orders could be handled within the weyr if the Craft Hall gets greedy on terms of price. Who knows I don't think anyone has ever tried forging with dragon flame either. . ." She seems thoughtful about the term diversity. "You think so?" There's a sigh as the tension outside the stall seems to get heavier. "Shells and Shards you two, would you just stop." She pleads looking from one to the other. "Your both better people than this." She asserts firmly, before turning her attention back to Lujayn with an apologetic frown. Sibella opens her mouth to say something about Rhaelyn knowing all about unkind things, then stops as Nathalia pleads with Rhaelyn and her to do so. She looks ashamedly apologetic as she casts her gaze toward Lujayn and Nathalia, then backs up a few steps from Rhaelyn, turning her chin back toward the ground. "I..." She sighs, "It was not cruelly intended, the note, I'm sure." However, her tone in the weak argument is apologetic, though that is all she can offer in the way of apology under the circumstances. Even though Rhae isn't a candidate of course, she's still stuck in those quarters sleeping among them. Maybe they are rubbing off on her! The goldrider doesn't go unnoticed, she was the one, after all, who got Rhae free from that Gather-Situation. When Sibella backs down, her eyebrows arch slowly upward, "Right." Sibella might as well try to convince her that fish fly Between. Still, between the backing down and Nathalia's extra pleas to stop, she draws away. "So..." Walking over to peer over the stall door, "Goldrider. Hello." It's not surprising that she's particularly guarded. Lujayn listens, letting minute reactions flicker across her face as each girl speaks in turn: surprise, approval, cautionary; her thoughts on the matter are her own for the moment. She busies herself with moving the wheelbarrow closer to the part of the stall Nat has reached, grinning at the novel idea. Dragon forging? "Dream big, I guess." Now she greets Rhaelyn properly, pleased to witness self-control in the young women, among other things. "Hello, Rhaelyn. Sounds like a tangle-" Settling the wheelbarrow and straightening, she brushes stray pieces of straw from her breeches. "If he's not found, I'll put in a word with the herder overseers. What's your pleasure today, raking or hauling?" If there's another pair of hands to be found in the girl, might as well use them to good distraction. "Whatever the intentions, it hurts to be played with like that. I hated it when it happened to me at the hall, and I am sure the poor Islander boy feels the same. What exactly were you intending to do about the situation Rhaelyn." Her tone is soft, for her Candidate friend, and equally so for Rhaelyn, It was a start at least. She offers both girls a thankful smile. And at the grin from Lujayn she nods. "You could spot weld in places that previously might have been unreachable." Oh yes she was dreaming very big now. "Yes you should Join in the fun," The smith grins. Sibella looks from Nat to Rhaelyn, and her inner reprimand frenzies as she realizes, in her hasty hate, she had failed to understand that the note had been left, not for Rhaelyn, but for a younger boy. Oh, that is cruel indeed. Further abashed, she retreats to the stall of the large black runner she'd meant to begin on, almost expecting an arrogantly accusatory look from him. Instead, she finds an outstretched muzzle and an inquisitive look, and Sibella finds herself completely melted. Gently, she sighs to him, "Hey there now, big boy. And I thought you would be on Rhaelyn's side," She chuckles, remembering the stallion's original arrogance. "Marilan needs to know that people are on to him. He can spare any additional victims." Meaning those poor souls who get the letters. "And spend more time shoveling his shit. Or whatever it is beast boys do." A hand waves just under her nose. In answer to Nathalia's question, she explains a bit more of the situation, "I would at least have him spell my name right if he's going to get his jollies off pretending to be me. And all to see some poor boy squirm when he thinks /I/ have an eye on him." Continuing to lean against the stall, she puzzles over the question, "What do you mean? Raking....hauling?" Her upper lip curls a bit, not really a smile though. "I work in the laundry." "Doesn't seem like it just now," Lujayn shrugs at Rhaelyn's distaste, leaning back against the stall door. "Thought you'd lend a hand if you wanted to hang around and chat." The offer is light, turning over matters in her mind. "So what is it to the laundress if other boys get the wrong idea? Surely not their well-being." She catches Sibella's retreat into the stall, an amused smile growing at the escape attempt. "That's a keen idea, Nat. Welding." Nat finishes up spreading the straw, and peers over at Sibella, a small laugh emerging. "I see how it is, you just charm the boys into doing whatever you wish." She teases her friend, as though to show that there's no hard feelings or anger at all. Her attention snaps back to Rhaelyn though and there is a burst of giggles as she finds out the 'real' reason for the Island female's involvement, though a mischievous smile quirks over the girl's lips. "You know what would do him a turn better? Tell the Islander boy, and help him get his revenge by pretending to go on a date with him and letting him break up with you. It will give the younger boy something to boost his confidence, and make that herder eat his hat." There's a smile for Lujayn. "Well I have to impress first. But it is an interesting thought." Rhaelyn follows the amused smile to trail after were Sibella escaped with a puzzlement. She even leans over to see just what's in that stall before her attention returns to Lujayn, "Have you ever had some stranger come up to you all fish-eyed and lower-lip quivering to say that they 'like you too'? All because of some counterfeit affections!" The little sniff indicates that it's not as entertaining as one might assume. "Did you see the lipstick he used? Like I would wear that color. Please." Nathalia proves that she is more evil than she appears. Her suggestions makes Rhae's mouth fall open, "That doesn't sound nearly as entertaining as my idea." She doesn't really remark on helping with the mucking, but she offers a flake of fresh straw for Nathalia. Helpful. See. Lujayn can't help but carry the grin all through the romantic plotting, eyes sparkling at the shift from animosity to encouragement (by some). "Whatever you come up with, I can see the boys crying already." Heartbreakers, the lot. "Did you mention your idea?" Looking back over the fresh stall, Lu nods her approval and steps out into the stone-laid aisle. "I'll fetch the mare. Don't get into too much trouble. Or don't get caught." She advises, meandering down the long rows of stalls to find just where on Pern she left that poor runner. |
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