'The World of Pern(tm)' and 'The Dragonriders of Pern(r)' are copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) l967, 2000. This is a recorded online session, by permission of the author but generated on SouCon MUSH for the benefit of people unable to attend.

Auralia

Before you stands a woman who would almost tempt you to believe that she was young; perhaps seventeen or so, except for the fact that she's dressed as an old woman. Standing about five eleven, the girl-woman seems too tall to be old, and to firm and muscled all over, although that is fairly well hidden under her choice of clothing. Soft, smooth skin is tanned a nice, rich brown - not too dark - and looks anything but old in any way, which goes right along with her bright perriwinkle eyes - which *do* look slightly worn, but there are always other reasons for that - making her look perfectly young. Or not. Because for some reason her shortly chopped lemon buttery blond hair has been kept a little longer than usual, and has been pulled back in a crude knot behind her head, at least, as far as one can see what with her strange choice of head gear.

This woman's supposedly creaking bones are dressed in a dowdy yellow-and-orange striped cardigan that reaches just between her hips and her knees - a perfectly odd length - combined with a long skirt in dark blue wool - far too hot for this climate - that doesn't quite reach her ankles. Protruding down the bottom are two woolen stockings, tucked into sturdy, ankle-supporting black shoes. Over her head has been knotted a browny-orange headscarf, almost completely covering her hair, completing this somewhat...last-pass choice of clothing, while in her hand can be found cane, which she uses to hobble along with, although it seems quite possible that her stooped back and shoulders aren't quite natural.

At a guess, Auralia would be about 17 turns, 5 months and 15 days

__

You walk over to the bustling Weyrhall.

C'ley is at a table eatting away, well kinda for his feet up on a table and he has the look of a man relaxing more then anything else "Oh hello Auralia, how are things with you today, I hope things are good, do you know what the weather is going to be like tommorrow, I mean I hope it rains 'cause well I just do 'cause of some reason."

C'ley is looking at you.

Auralia hobbles into the room. Wait a minute...she's hobbling? On a stick? This really is weird...And look at how she's dressed...But nevertheless, she hobbles towards a chair, and sits, muttering something to herself as she hunches over the table. C'ley gets an odd look, "When I was your age...we didn't babble." Strangely enough, her voice is all croaky. And strange.

"When you was my age, but arn't you my age? Are you trying to be a harper, I mean I remember a harper who pretended to be somebody else and well they dressed differently and everything like that which was weird 'cause they wasn't anyone else they was themselves and so I couldn't understand why the harper did it ;cause it was just the harper doing it." C'ley says before offering "Would you like abubbly, freshly baked."

Auralia sets her polished stick of wood down next to her, peering towards C'ley as if she can't see him properly. "Why would I be a harper? I'm me. When I was your age we didn't talk back, thank you very much." Creak, creak, creak. Something is certainly playing with her mind. "Bubblies are bad for you. Young people these days just don't know what to eat, do they?"

Kayjay strides over from the Western Courtyard.

Kayjay saunters across the weyrhall with a silly little grin on her face.

Kayjay pours herself a glass of juice and grabs a roll.

Auralia's proddy. Be feared. But for some reason, she's dressed like an old lady. And she's acting like one, too. And is currently staring at C'ley, waiting for an answer to her put down of his impertinant comments. But anyway.

Kayjay finds a corner table, after eyeing Auralia.

Dragon> Sahath bespoke Iesath with << <<Is your rider okay? My lifemate wonders if she is playing a joke>> >>

Iesath> Sahath senses that Iesath's reply is almost as strange as Auralia's clothing. And manner. Well, not really, if you consider the way she usually talks. << My rider is perfectly fine. When you are as old, and wise as I am, Sahath, you, too, will understand. She does not joke. Joking is for young people. >>

Kayjay ruffles her hair with one hand and looks thoughtful.

Auralia's eyes tilt round, and she glances at Kayjay, "What are you looking at,youngling? Honestly, I think you young people have no respect these days." A nasty, grating sound it is too.

Kayjay eyes widen slightly. "Nothing Ma'am, nothing at all."

"Good. Keep it that way," announces Auralia, scowling, and folding her arms in her lap. This really -is- weird.

Dragon> Sahath bespoke Iesath with << Old as you are? We are clutch siblings Iesath. >>

Iesath> I bespoke Sahath with << You are just a child. I am old, I Know.>> So there << You don't know anything. >>

Kayjay looks over at C'ley and just about anywhere else -but- Auralia.

C'ley looks over to Kayjay and then says "I think she is proddy, I mean Auralia, well actually Iesath who is her lifemate and everything 'cause I mean she is acting weird, Iesath is and well Auralia is acting the same way and well proddy riders act weird, I mean Kinoa counts grass, I mean she goes out in a meadow and starts counting grass blades so I think that is why Auralia is doing what she is doing."

Kayjay nods but keeps silent, remembering what happened the last time she asked -anything- about greens and proddiness. She ruffles her hand through her hair again, absentmindedly. <hint hint>

Auralia makes faces at a group of young people who walk in, making them walk right out again. She tilts her head towards C'ley and Kayjay, hissing, "Of course I'm not sharding proddy. Only young riders get proddy. But Iesath -will- rise in four days or so, certainly." Her nose goes in the air, and the young wingsecond, closes her mouth again. "I'm not being weird. You're all just nosy."

Kayjay keeps a poker face. "No ma'am, wasn't infering a thing, Ma'am."

Is there an echo in the room? "Keep it that way, weyrling," replies Auralia again, crossing her legs sedatly. "Aye, but my head aches when you go on and on like that."

"Well, see she said it, that Iesath is going to rise soon and well that means she is proddy, I mean even old riders get proddy too but you are not old, I mean you arn't even 18 turns, then again when I was eight I thought eighten was a really old and everything but I don't think that anymore." says C'ley.

Kayjay eyes widen as C'ley <innocently?> digs his grave.

Dig at that grave, C'ley, go on and dig, "I most certainly am not proddy. And even if I was, it wouldn't mean that I am acting oddly. This is the way I always act. I honestly cannot believe the complete and utter rudeness of you young people these days. I really can't." Auralia looks indignant.

There is the sound of laughter in the hall as C'ley just sits there for a moment "Hrm, maybe this isn't that bad, I mean, proddy greenriders, I mean this is kinda fun to watch at, I mean at least you are not running around with knives, I mean that is scarey, greenriders with knives wanting to start fights and everything 'cause well that just isn't right but well if you want to act like you are seventy one turns instead of the seventeen then that is cool, I mean I hope you have fun with it and everything.

Kayjay nibbles on her bun and timidly asks C'ley. "Really, she actually counted grass?"

Auralia would look murderous, only she's an old lady and old ladies don't seem to do that kind of thing for some strange reason. So she just sits there, looking ever so slightly peeved. "I wish," she starts, trying to sound superior, and somewhat elegant, which isn't working all that well, "Proddy greenriders are horrible things, most of them. All short skirts and horrible flirtyness. I was never one of them. And I am not proddy." She doesn't mention the age bit, probably because she can't deny that. And so she doesn't hear it. One of those proddy things, no doubt.

C'ley says to Kayjay "Oh yes, I mean when I was a canidate I walked right out of the barracks and there she was in the grass counting away, I mean and when i asked what she was doing she got mad at me 'cause I made her lost count which really threw me for a loop, like I do know some weird people like my Uncle teme who was never the same after getting hit in the head but I didn't expect that from a rider, but I guess I shouldn't be 'cause riders can get hit in the head too."

Kayjay risks a quick glance in Auralia's direction and then quickly focus's on C'ley again. "I ..I see."

C'ley attention is next on Auralia "So uhm, what do you want to be called, I mean I could call you old Auntie but I think that is a tad early I mean for somebody who has a yet a score of turns or anything like that, I mean so well, I guess I could beat you in the race and everything 'cause since you are so old and creptited and everything, then again i could do that anyways so it doesn't really matter, hrm."

Kayjay bites her lip.

Auralia's lips purse, and she says, with slow deliberance, "My name, youngling, is Auralia. My title is Wingsecond, and you may use that. Give respect where it is deserved. Old Aunties do not have lifemates." She pauses, frowning, "You could not beat me. I may be old, young man, but I am certainly not decrepid."

"Well you are acting like one, a old auntie that is, well liket he one that was at my hold, I mean she would just sit there and grumble about everything even though nothing was wrong, I mean I think she was just a meanie and everything but maybe it was she didn't have a lifemate to make her not a meanie, so uhm." C'ley says with a big innocent smile on his face.

Kayjay holds her finger to her upper lip and sneezes. She looks wide-eyed innocently at C'ley. "Sounds like Aunt Naggen."

"I am -not- an old auntie, thank you very much. I am a Wingsecond. There is a difference. And you, young man, are being insufforable. Very much so." Auralia glares from AWLM to Weyrling, and looks disaproving in the least, "I wish you would not be so silly, like children. When I was your age we were respectful of our elders."

C'ley laughs louder "Oh, I mean I guess I will not tell Kayjay about the prank you wanted to pull, I mean I guess if you want to say stuff like that you will not me talking about that so I wonder if I should or shouldn't then again you are only two years older then me and well why so worried about age, I mean you are still a baby, I mean my ma would call you a little finger fish and everything."

"My dear young man, I would never pull a prank. Why would I do something as silly as that? I've never been so insulted in my life!" Poor, poor Auralia. Imagine how she'll feel when she finds out what she's doing to herself.

Kayjay says "Prank?"

"Yes prank, as in joke, I mean when you try to do something to a person so you can laugh at them, Now, which prank was it that Auralia did, I mean I know of several that time, then again hrm, you wasn't involved in the one with the string where you?"

...says C'ley.

Kayjay leans back against the wall and smiles. "How could a string be involved with a prank?"

Auralia purses her lips again, "I most certainly was not. I do not prank. Pranking is for silly little children. I would never, ever do something so childish."

"Oh yeah, well I was thinking of that other one, the one that happened to Nareisa and me, see we had cots next to each other and well, somebody tied us together with string so when we woke up we was tied up to each other and everything so we was stuck and well I was thinking about the underwear one, the one when somebody put all the undergarments hanging up in the room and well there was some really nice ones if I remember but no you did another one, hrm, which one, imean I think it is the one you did on the steward."

...says C'ley. :)

Kayjay giggles. "Our weryling class is rather.. staid compared to yours it sounds like, C'ley."

Auralia looks put out, completely. She just sits there, hands clasped at her waist, "I think not. I would never do anything to the Steward. Why should I?"

Kayjay can't help but grin. "Because its... fun?"

"Well how can I know, I remember he was purple for a week, well really purple, I mean i never did find out how you got that dye, I mean even his skin was purple, did you do it when he was sleeping? I mean I found out when I was out weeding the bowl, which was fun 'cause I liked it better then mucking or peeling tubers but still." says C'ley as he looks curiously at the proddy one.

"Wasn't me," announces Auralia, although there is a flicker of something..."Can't have been me. I would never have done that. Not ever."

"That must have been a sight, C'ley!" Kayjay studiously keeps her eyes off of Auralia, but she can imagine the stunt. "Which steward was this?"

"Oh that was you, I remember you giggling about it and everything, I mean you said it was you when we was in the barracks, I mean they thought it was the beastcrafter apprentice from Cove Southern Hold 'cause he just had that look in his face when they asked if it was him but well he always had that look on his face 'cause he never remembered what he did and didn't do 'cause he was always trying to do everything at onec and he had trouble in remembering if he got around to do it or not." C'ley says to Auralia before turning to Kayjay "Oh, which one? Well it was the purple one, I mean hrm ... "

Auralia looks confused. Completely confused. Her voice turns steely, "How dare you insult me like that! I certainly was not in charge of that. You must be thinking of someone else. And anyway, why would I have been in the barracks? I certainly was not in the barracks."

"You wasn't in the barracks? What are you talking about, of course you was in the barracks 'cause you was a candidate, I mean are you saying that you was never a candidate?" C'ley says looking at Auralia while trying not to laugh again.

Auralia looks hopelessly lost, and even more indignant than before, "I should think not. Of course I was a candidate, why wouldn't I have been one?" Strangely enough, the subject gets ignored.

Kayjay stupidly sticks her neck out. "But..you said you hd never been in the barracks?"

Auralia's glare fastens onto Kayjay, "Not with him, certainly! I do believe honest intellect has been bred out of the young people of the day, you just don't seem to know anything, do you? Can't comprehend the littlest things."

Kayjay shakes her head. "No ma'am this is totally beyond my comprehension."

Auralia would raise her arms up in contempt, but she's elderly, and that would be beyond her muscle ability at this stage. Instead she just clucks, "Well I never. When I was your age I was quite above you in all areas, I do believe. Quite above you."

"What do you mean not with me? Are you saying you don't remember mucking the stables with me, I mean Auralia this is going a touch far and everything, I mean remember when you feel down and I had to pick you up and everything, I mean you was covered and well, this is just weird, I mean Kayjay is right and everything, are you sure you are okay?" C'ley says, not laughing as much anymore.

Kayjay blinks. "I am sure you were..." Kayjay gets her "Toto I don't think we are on the cothold" look in her eye again.

If Auralia was upset before, she most certainly is now. But she's not answering any questions. Poor thing doesn't know what to say. She's sure she's old, of course. She has to be. Why else would her muscles ache, and her back feel stiff? But..."I'm not going to answer silly questions like that," says the young-looking wingsecond, "I most certainly will not."

Kayjay quietly puts her mug away. She nods to Auralia, making sure not to make eye contact. "Ma'am" and winks at C'ley.

Kayjay backs out the door and once through, makes a quick getaway.

Auralia adds, "In my day, we looked at people when we were respectful." But she shuts up shortly after that. But Kayjay is gone.

Temari strides over from the Western Courtyard.

Temari has arrived.

Temari wanders in, looking blinkingly around her.

Warning, Temari, proddy and someone deranged Greenrider on the loose. She's scowling. And dressed awfully weird.

Temari stops as she catches sight of Auralia and stares for a moment, before breaking off her look and over to get some klah.

Auralia's eyes shoot up, "Don't stare at a lady, young woman. It isn't polite." Ouch.

Temari looks cautiously back. "Um, sorry" she says, her tone slightly wary.

Auralia's reply is short, and hard, "You should be. I really don't know what the Weyr is coming to, honestly I don't."

Temari looks over at C'ley in a silent appeal for help, and backs off slowly towards the side of the room. She glances at the table - no wine cup there?

Auralia's hands are in her lap, and there is nothing in front of her. She is glaring around the room. Now would perhaps be a good time to fear. But then, maybe not.

Temari collects her klah, but stays near the serving table as she starts to drink it, looking deliberately /not/ at Auralia.

"Don't worry, she is just proddy and thinks she is an Auntie now." C'ley says to the gardener before heading out of the hall 'cause of a summons from Sahath.

C'ley walks toward the Courtyard.

Auralia is being ignored. What a novel idea. Lucky, lucky girl. Er, old lady. Or whatever. "You there!" she calls out, towards Temari, "What do you think you are doing? Don't you know that drinking while standing is not only rude, but also had for your health?" Old wives tales. What next?

Temari smiles and moves closer, sitting down at a bench. She's managed to miss seeing a proddy rider before, at least one that looked like this. She smiles again at Auralia.

Auralia, however, does not smile back. At all. "Well? What is it? You're smiling at me. Unnverving me, you are. I don't like it."

Temari's smile fades, then comes back, this time hidden except in her eyes, which sparkle. "Um, would you like me to get you some tea? Or a blanket for your knees? It /is/ a little cold in here." She waits - does the rider /really/ believe she's an aunty?

Auralia's eyes tilt up towards Temari, looking her up and down for a moment, "You sound like a nicely mannered child. Much better than those horrible weyrlings and riders that were in here. You're the kind of person we need as a rider, you know." She pauses, adding, almost nicely, "A blanket would be nice. A footrub would be better." Oh dear, the poor old dear.

Temari says, slightly choked "Of course aunty", and stumbles up, turning away to hide her laughter. She runs across the room and collects a blanket from a pile of folded laundry, then turns and walks back, laughter at least visibly under control now. Instead she plasters a bright smile on her face as she faces the rider again. "Would you like me to tuck it in for you?" she asks innocently.

Auralia pauses, shaking her finger madly at Temari, "I'm no Auntie, thank you very much. My title is Wingsecond. You should know better than that. But, I suppose you all have faults. Nevermind that." With a short lived smile, she says, "Be a good girl and do that, yes. Tuck me in." This is no laughing matter.

Temari blinks. "Yes Wingsecond". Not /completely/ aunty then. She tucks the rug carefully around the rider, thinking as she does so. As an idea comes to her, her eyes brighten again. "Um.. Wingsecond, would you tell me a story, something about your life?" she asks, as she settles herself on the bench nearby, retrieving her klah. That usually works when she's supposed to mind real aunties.

Auralia clucks, softly, shaking her head, "You think I'm that kind of old woman then, do you? Well, I suppose I have a story or two...what do you want to hear about?" The old woman, formerly known as Auralia, and perhaps still known as that, leans back in her chair, eyes scanning the room.

Temari leans forward. "Oh, something about when you were young..younger. Please." she says encouragingly.

Auralia's face softens, and she says, "Well...Shall I tell you about the time a group of candidates dyed the Steward purple? I wasn't involved, but I saw it all. He was purple for days!" She leans back, curling up a little, and begins, "I was young, then. A pretty girl of no more than fourteen turns. The boys loved me back then. I was carefree and happy. Danced everywhere, I did. Well, those naughty candidates found this purple dye somewhere, and they dyed the steward purple! Just like that. I thought it was silly, I did. Childish things, but nevermind that. They talked about it in the barracks for months! Until the hatching, indeed. He was still purple then. Of course, this was a long time ago, and it was a different steward. The old one is long since dead, I'm sure." Don't ask the significance of this story. Really.

Temari smiles. "That was a great story". She thinks for a moment "What was the steward's name?"

Auralia's voice is getting annoyed again, "How should I remember? It was a long time ago. Long before anyone here was born, indeed it was."

Temari nods. "Of course" she says soothingly, then glances around. Noone else to help her tease the rider. She stands up. "Well, I'd better be going, I've a lot of work to do" she says, her voice clear and slightly raised. "Um, I'll probably see you later". And maybe bring a few more friends along to play 'tend to the aunty'.

Auralia looks up, giving a weary smile, "You are a dear child. Of course, go on. I'm just going to have a bit of a nap." Smile, smile. Snore, snore? No doubt she will be in a minute.

Temari places her empty klah mug on the side and leaves the hall with a backward glance and a wave.

[And Auralia falls asleep. Or so she says.]