Logs:'Friends'
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| RL Date: 27 October, 2010 |
| Who: Adiel, G'brion, Madilla |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: While at the Hall, Madilla and G'brion catch up. There's teasing. And then Madilla meets Adiel. |
| Where: Healer Hall |
| When: Day 0, Month 13, Turn 23 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Varens/Mentions |
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| On the morning of the third day of exams, most of the first and second-year apprentices are in a massive Basic Anatomy exam, which required so many journeyman proctors to run it that almost nothing else is scheduled, leaving the older apprentices free for the morning, with two choices before them: study, or goof off. Gabe seems to have chosen the former: he's carrying a sheaf of notes tucked under his arm as he makes his way up the stairs that lead to the library. Further down the stairs is Madilla, apparently not involved in this particular exam despite the sheer number of Journeymen who /are/. She glances up, and apparently notices G'brion, because her footsteps increase in rapidity; within a few steps, she's falling alongside with him. "How have your exams been, G'brion?" she wants to know, cautious in her tone, but still friendly. G'brion blinks as he's drawn out of his thoughts and into the real world. "Oh! Hi, Madilla. Uh, so far so good, I think. I just had one, yesterday. I've got another one this afternoon, I think I've got it down but I thought it couldn't hurt to go over my notes again and..." Realizing that he's babbling, he breaks off with a sheepish grin. "Anyway. How, uh, how are things going with you?" "I'm sure you'll be fine," says Madilla, confidently, aiming an encouraging smile at the apprentice. "Would you like me to test you? I'm--" She breaks off, looking faintly awkward. "It's very strange being here, and not having to madly study for an exam. I'll have marking to do, later, but for now--" And Journeyman Varens, in whose company she has been seen a fair amount, /is/ involved in this morning's exams. "Yeah," Gabe says with a grin. "I know what you mean about it being strange. I mean, for me it's weird because - I don't have to /stay/ here, you know? And people are so funny about Pterath. The kids, the first years I mean, they keep coming up to me and going 'Are you The Rider?'" He mimics their awed, round-eyed expression, and then grins again. "I wouldn't mind being quizzed. But it's Advanced Reproductive and Sexual Health, and I don't want to make you turn permanently red or something. ...how's Journeyman Varens?" he asks casually. Madilla's light chuckle and nod of understanding draw to a rather impressive and tortured halt. Sexual health? Varens? Whichever was the culprit, it draws a strangely strangled little sound, not to mention a brilliantly crimson flush. "While," she says, finally, composing herself, "that's a subject I /did/ pass, perhaps you're right. It might be awkward." And Varens? "He's well. Or was, the last time we spoke." "I bet he still is, then," says G'brion, who's not above teasing a little. "He's a nice guy. He sure does seem to like you," he observes. Then, taking pity on Madilla, he changes the subject. "I really like - this subject. It's fun. Almost everyone sitting this exam is a senior apprentice and some of 'em are almost ready to be promoted. So if I do really well, they'll have to promote me to senior, don't you think?" Still pink, Madilla is quick to insist, "We're friends, G'brion. He and I met when I was part of the senior training programme, two turns ago." /Just/ friends. Really! The other topic of conversation? Easier. Simpler. "It seems like it would make sense. It's silly to hold people back, if they're ready. I'm glad you enjoy it; I admit, it wasn't... one of my favourites." Which makes her smile: it's a pretty obvious admission. G'brion's response is a knowing smirk. "Friends are good to have," is all he says, though. "But yeah. I mean, I /am/ The Rider. So I guess we'll see. I don't know if they'll let me specialize in First Aid, either. I mean, that was the whole point, you know? But - well, whatever." He shrugs his shoulders. "So um, they making you do anything besides proctor exams?" Madilla's renewed blush, in the wake of that smirk, is fairly telling. She bypasses that subject in order to say, "Rider or not, if you pass your exams... /I/ would have thought they'd be impressed with your diligence. Apprentices only need to concentrate on their studies: you have to balance so much more." If she's beginning to sound like she'd defend G'brion to the death? Well. "The supervising, the marking of papers, setting up practical things-- none of it is terribly interesting, to be honest. I'd rather be at home, with my patients. Teaching is-- not for me." "Really?" That seems to genuinely surprise G'brion. "I would've figured you'd be good at it, you're so..." motherly? He winds up not supplying an adjective out loud, though, only shrugs again. "Well, anyway, I guess with a weyr posting you don't /have/ to do it so much, so that's good." "That's what Varens says," admits Madilla, hesitantly. "That teaching ought to be my thing, that is. But-- I'd rather /do/ things. Anyway, it's not the teaching I mind so much, just all the things that go with it. But you're right: a weyr posting makes it all simpler. I can certainly manage to do all of this," she waves her hand, idly, evidently indicating the 'Hall stuff', "for a few sevens every turn, if I need to." "Yeah, I bet marking papers sucks about as bad as writing them does," Gabe says with a laugh. "At least I get that impression, hearing the journeymen talk about it. You'd think since everyone hates it so much, they would just forgo the whole thing, you know? Hey, maybe you should suggest that to the masters, you're in pretty good with them," he teases. "Oh no," teases Madilla in return, laughing despite still-pink cheeks. "/We/ all had to write papers, and take exams; now it's /our/ turn to make /you/ suffer." She pauses, then adds, grinning, "Or so I think the whole thing goes. Anyway, I have no influence over anyone of importance whatsoever, I can promise you that." G'brion snorts. "That figures. Actually," he says, smirking, "that would explain a /lot/ about Master Kinston." He rolls his eyes rudely. "He was probably, like, way more traumatized than everyone else by /his/ apprenticeship." Madilla clicks her tongue as though she disapproves of anyone speaking about a /Master/ in such a way, but her nose wrinkles sympathetically all the same. "It's hard to imagine him as an Apprentice, at all, isn't it?" she remarks, instead. "Being told what to do, rather than /telling/ people." "Yeah, seriously," Gabe said. "You think he ever got thrashed for breaking the rules?" He looks as though he'd take great pleasure out of it if Kinston /had/ been. Madilla laughs, giving her shoulders a shrug. "I've no idea. It seems somewhat unlikely, though, doesn't it? Like he would have been the perfect Apprentice. But perhaps he only came to that /later/, and in the meantime... He might have been a terrible Apprentice, for all we know." She's keeping her voice down, careful not to be overheard, though there isn't really anyone /to/ overhear. "Maybe." A prolonged conversation making fun of a master is really tempting fate, though, and Gabe looks around to make sure nobody is coming who might tell on them. "I guess I should probably go study," he says, "unless...?" Unless Madilla has a better suggestion. Madilla seems a little reluctant to let G'brion go, despite the way she nods at him. "I'd suggest we go for a walk - it's stopped snowing outside, and it's pretty - but... I really shouldn't keep you from your studies, should I?" "Oooh, it stopped snowing?" Gabe brightens up at that news. "Nice. No, you probably shouldn't, but... on the other hand, if a /journeyman/ told me I should go for a walk instead of studying..." He grins. Madilla laughs, apparently considering for a moment. "As a healer, I think it's important young people get plenty of fresh air and exercise. And I imagine, by the time your exam is done..." She trails off, her expression somewhere between hopeful and wary. "I just don't want to be responsible for you missing valuable study time. Summer exams are easier: studying outdoors." "I know, seriously," Gabe says fervently. "I kind of hate studying indoors. It's so much harder to concentrate, you know?" Madilla's nose wrinkles in sympathy, and she nods. "I don't like feeling trapped inside," she admits. "And it's usually-- it's just-- well." After another brief pause, she tips her head towards G'brion. "A quick walk, all right? To clear your head." G'brion grins. "Sounds good," he says. "It's kind of cold out there for a /long/ walk, anyway." He turns to head back down the stairs again. As he goes, he asks, "How long are you staying, again? You said not the whole time, right?" Between the walk and the stairs-- excellent exercise! Madilla admits, cheerfully, "You're quite right. But sometimes, it's just a little bit of air you need." She answers his question with a quick bob of the head, confirming, "Not the whole time. I'll probably be heading home at the end of the seven - I didn't want to be away from Lily for too long." "Oh, right," G'brion says. "Yeah, I guess that would be... awkward." Kind of like Gabe when this topic is introduced! He pauses, trying to think of something else to say. Finally, he asks, "You gonna need a ride back? I mean - of course you are. But I mean, I can - if you want." Madilla obviously regrets raising the subject, even in passing, and sends an apologetic glance towards G'brion. Instead of tackling it, she responds, mildly, "I'd appreciate that, if you can spare the time, of course. I hadn't thought too much about it, but-- time seems to be flying by. Only a few days to go." "Yeah, as long as you don't /have/ to get back right when I'm in the middle of an exam or something. Should be able to work it out, no problem," Gabe agrees. "And maybe I can get dinner with Gev and them, or something. That'd be nice. It's weird to be away from everyone for so long." "I can be flexible," Madilla promises. "I'm looking forward to being home, but..." But there's reluctance there, too, and a glance that's directed in the opposite direction. "I'm sure your brother would like to see you. It /is/ strange, though, I agree. I always found it so. I missed a hatching, being here, the first time I came back for exams. Everything continued on around me, you know? Without me." G'brion grins, taking note of that glance. "Well, you know, I can always carry you /back/ here if you have... business at the hall," he says slyly. "It's not like you have to go overland and take sevens about it, you know? So there's that. That must have been so weird, missing a hatching. When I was apprenticed here, I missed one, and - it just felt /wrong/ not to be there." "You're teasing me," complains Madilla, though without conviction, pink cheeked all over again. "He's just a friend, G'brion. I just-- enjoy his company. Perhaps we'll write, and regardless, I'm sure I'll be back, one way or another." She adds, more conversationally, "It was. I knew some of the candidates, and to go from-- it's just strange. At least Iskiveth's eggs shouldn't hatch for a little while yet." She doesn't add 'if they do'. "I am! Because you totally blush that way about /all/ your friends," Gabe teases even more shamelessly. Mention of the eggs sobers him, and he nods. "Yeah, we'll both be back for that. I wonder if Gev'll decide to stand after all. I think he's not gonna, though." "I--" begins Madilla, but she breaks off: she doesn't seem to have much defense against that accusation. "But we really /are/ just friends." Which she genuinely seems to believe, for better or for worse. "For this clutch, or in general?" she asks, of Gevran, continuing as if the other subject simply didn't exist. "There /do/ seem to be a few who won't, this time." "Well, he didn't wind up doing it last time, either," Gabe says, sounding a bit puzzled about that. "Which is - weird, considering everything. I mean, he was always the one with the guts and I was always the wuss, you know? And he was always the one who wasn't scared to piss off Mom. But anyway, it's not just this about the eggs, I don't think. That might be part of it, but." He shrugs his shoulders. "Anyway, we're seventeen, so -- he might get another chance. Maybe." Madilla gives G'brion a thoughtful glance, nodding slowly. "Perhaps he just wants something else?" she suggests, unsure. "But he /should/ get another chance. Iovniath will rise again, surely, within a handful of turns." She doesn't sound sure about that, either, a half questioning note lingering in her tone. "I'm sure he'll figure out what makes him happy, either way." "I think... maybe," Gabe says slowly, thoughtfully. "I just think, he doesn't know what it is yet? So, you know. I hope he figures it out before he gets too old for whatever it is." He pauses. "Were you - I mean, when did you decide you wanted to be a healer, and all?" Madilla is silent, watching G'brion's expression as he speaks. A few seconds after he finishes, she admits, "I don't know if I ever /decided/, as such. It was decided for me, and it shocked and terrified me, but perhaps I already knew that I would like it, even if it had never occurred to me it was possible. Some people know what they want earlier than others, G'brion. Some-- it can take a while." She tips her head forward, adding, finally, "It's probably better to /not/ Stand, if you're not sure. You can't exactly take it back." She and G'brion are wandering down the stairs towards the entrance hall. "True," Gabe says, though he doesn't sound sure. "Still - I mean, if you're meant to Impress, you will, and if not, you won't. Right? And he's kind of too old to apprentice, so..." He holds the door open for Madilla; they're going outside for a walk, taking advantage of the fact that the snow has stopped, for now. Gabe is carrying a stack of what's probably study notes. Adiel is coming the opposite direction, in that door. He has a notebook in his hands as he walks, flipping over to look at the next page with one gloved hand. Studying while walking can equal bumping into things, but thankfully Adiel looks up. G'brion is apparently recognized as he gets a smile as Adiel nears the door. "Good day!" Madilla might not even be noticed yet. "I suppose?" is Madilla's answer, made with a wrinkled nose; thoughtful. "And I guess I can't really say I believe that if you don't want to, you won't--" But she doesn't actually mention W'chek directly, though it's hard to know if she was going to, since that's the point at which Adiel calls out his greeting. Her gaze slides from one apprentice to the other, and then back: she smiles. "Good morning, Apprentice." "Hey, Adiel," Gabe says with a smile for the younger - yet taller - boy. "Have you met Madilla before? ...this is Adiel," he says to Madilla. "He's new. Well, kind of." New-er, anyway. Adiel offers a gloved hand out to Madilla with an easy smile on his face. "Nice to meet you, ma'am." He states politely before G'brion gets a laugh. "New? After almost two turns? G'brion seems to be under the impression that all of us who weren't here when was are new." Madilla accepts the hand, shaking it with an easy grip. "You, too, Adiel. I'm afraid I probably tend to think of everyone who wasn't here when /I/ was as new-- but it's wrong, I know. By /that/ logic, though, G'brion is also quite, quite new." The glance she aims at G'brion is, if nothing else, affectionate, in a friendly kind of way. "Well, you /are/ new, to me," G'brion defends himself, but he grins at Madilla's contribution. "That's me, all shiny and new. Your exams going alright?" he asks Adiel. If nothing else, small talk is pretty easy at Healer Hall during these particular two sevendays. Adiel glances down at his notebook for a second at that question. "My exams are going pretty well so far. Just one more left. I suppose I won't end up getting disowned for poor scores. Not yet, at least." He jokes with a friendly tone. Madilla gets a grin. "I'll refrain from using any words that might be the opposite of 'new.' Where are you posted?" He asks with open curiousity. "In my good books forever, then," laughs Madilla; even the vaguest implication of 'old' over new seems only to amuse her. "I'm at High Reaches, same as G'brion. I've been there since I was an Apprentice." "Madilla's, like, the best journeyman we've got at the weyr," Gabe tells Adiel, heedless of how much he might embarrass her. "She was in that future craftmasters course a while back." Adiel smiles over to Madilla at Gabe's words. "Well, then, it's extra nice to meet you. I'm sure High Reaches is lucky to have you posted there." Gabe gets a quick smile as well, before Adiel glances down to his notebook. Madilla blushes scarlet under the weight of G'brion's praise, hurriedly assuring Adiel that, "G'brion exaggerates, of course." If, once she's said that, she raises her eyebrows at G'brion, and even /rolls/ her eyes at him? Well. Perhaps it's to be expected. "Best of luck with your last exam, Adiel. It was lovely to meet you." "Yeah, good luck," Gabe says, reaching out to smack Adiel on the shoulder with the hand that's not carrying all those notes. "You'll do great, I bet." He looks at Madilla and says under his breath, "What! Quit rolling your eyes at me." Playfully, though. Adiel makes a show of shrugging off that smack with a grin to Gabe. "I'm sure I will. If I've studied this much and I don't? It will be a sad, sad day." Adiel jokes before he smiles back. "Have a very nice walk. It was nice to meet you as well, Madilla." And with that, he'll seek the warmth of the inside. "Pterath will lay eggs before the day comes when I'm Craftmaster," prophesises Madilla, but the grin she aims at G'brion is cheerful enough, all the same. Her gaze follows Adiel, and she says, cheerfully, "You, too, Adiel." Once he's gone, she glances back at G'brion, shakes her head, and then indicates the door. "Come on. Before it gets too late." G'brion sticks his tongue out at Madilla. "Bossy, bossy," he says to her, but he goes readily enough to tromp through the snow, and maybe even throw a snowball or two before it's time to get down to the business of studying. |
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