You amble northwestwards to the bright and cheerful living cavern.
Ilesyn's ambling footsteps carry her from Lower Caverns onwards; she moves across to the serving table, at which point she serves herself a small plate of greens and tubers, completing the meal with a mug of cider poured from one of the great urns. Carrying her plate and mug carefully in front of her, skirting a spillage upon the floor, she ends up at one of the more empty tables, setting both ceramic objects down with a firm *clunk*.
Musa's first action? To head for a table stocked with glasses and pitchers- a tall glass of orange-colored liquid is immediately poured, and the first taste is not so much a sip as a gulp. "Mmm. Freshly made- good stuff." Perfect after exercise, too. "Don't you think?" Is queried of the first person her eyes fall upon; just happens to be Ilesyn. "Ooh, those tubers look good, too. Might try some of those myself."
Veritas wrinkles her nose. "That kind is rarer by far. Haven't met a person like that, yet. Of course, a bad first impression usually causes me to stay away so they don't have a chance to reinforce it--or change it. That could be the reason." she speculates idly as she settles for a plain and simple glass of water, directing a brief wave Ilesyn-wards. "Good for waking up in the morning. Though I prefer just water." Her gaze turns towards the tubers. "Is that what they're serving today?"
Ilesyn, dryly, responds, "I'm sure it is freshly made, and no doubt good, as well." Her head tilts towards the other girl, her hands folding in front of her as her dinner is reviewed in thoughtful pause. "They should be; as long as the candidates haven't been at them, they'll be as good as ever they are." Veritas' wave results in a pause from the Mindhealer, who, at length, manages to tip her head after the girl.
Musa secures a plate and scoops a fair amount of the indicated food to one side, fishing up a few rolls of an unidentifiable meat type and dropping them on the other. "Mmmf. It'll all go good together, fresh or not." Musa's not picky. "Could be the reason- but sometimes first impressions aren't in anybody's control. Circumstances, and all. 'course, since it doesn't happen often, it's not something to worry 'bout much." Munch. Bite into the side of a roll as she secures a chair; blissfully at the same table as Ilesyn. "But yes. How's everyone doing today?" All two of them.
"Oy. They aren't letting the Candidates into the kitchens, are they?" Veritas furrows her brows. "Oh dear. I think I'm going to be raiding directly from the kitchens for the next few months. Safer that way." She waves a hand airily. "Let the others suffer the indignities of possibly bad food." After a moment's pondering, she selects a few items from the dishes available. Better eat now. Or she's liable to forget later. "Tolerable. The Searchriders going out is causing great amounts of new work for a poor records keeper. Everyone wants me to keep track of everything, so that they can figure out which hold has been yielding up the most Search Candidates, and so on."
Ilesyn slides her mug closer to her plate, as if to make more room for her newfound companions, her fingernail scraping quite accidentally across the ceramic surface. Using her fork, the Mindhealer scrambles her greens and tubers into a greeny mush, scooping a generous amount onto the utensil at the completion of the activity. Waving it about, she asks, "Why do you think first impressions are so important? Is it easy to move on from them?" Chewing, then swallowing, she adds, "I'm fine, thank you." Her grin is wry, upon Veritas' comment; "Kitchen duty is supposed to be good for them, apparently."
"Peeling tubers is good for them. Make them find one that looks like.. C'daer, or something. Keep 'em busy." Musa smirks, spearing a roll will relish. "Just got a first impression of one of the new candidates- Andariel. Seems like a nice girl, but.. time will tell? Can't tell for sure just yet." Chew. "Real quiet, though." Nod to Veritas with a grin. "Better you keep track of it than them, is the main thought. /They/ have to bring in the kids, after all." Snerk.
Veritas shrugs. "It helps when one view someone pleasantly from the start. Fosters...a better working environment. A better casual relationship. Could be the start of a wonderful relationship. If it's a guy, of course." She pokes idly at her food, mind wandering far away from such sundry matters as food. "Ah, I've heard that." she says dismissively. "Builds character and all that. Personally, I think it's just something the people who don't have to do the work say. By their reasoning, the drudges should be the most conscientous and upstanding members of the community. It doesn't even build that much muscle tone, either. And they waste as much tuber as they peel." She rolls her eyes. "Yes, but I hardly /know/ any of them. A barrage of names quickly rattled off and off they go, trusting in me to take care of it all. Which I do." A warm little glow of accomplishment there. "But it's still stressful, nonetheless."
Ilesyn fills her mouth with another forkful of her meal, head tilted to the side as she listens to the commentary of her two companions. "Peeling tubers is an awful job," she decides, finally, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "It takes forever, and the cooks always complain about it - or so I'm told. I've never actually peeled tubers." Putting her fork down to lift up her mug, the Journeywoman adds, "So you don't believe that first impressions are the most important--er, I've forgotten your name?" Directed towards Musa. "But you think it's important," she adds, towards Veritas.
Musa nods to Veritas over the rim of her glass. "I don't doubt that it is. All that to keep track of- I wouldn't be able to do it, anyway." Shrug. "Well, they need /something/ to keep the candidates busy- /and/ prepare them for how much of their time will be demanded, should they impress. Won't be the same work, but it'll be just as much or more of it. And /somebody/ needs to peel the tubers.. might as well take advantage of such energetic workers. Musa," Is directed at Ilesyn with another nod, "First impressions give you something to go from, though. If you have a bad one, chances are you won't be around them much to change that opinion. As Veritas said earlier." Really, she's just restating.
"It is. They made me do it for a sevenay when I was learning how to cook." Veritas wrinkles her nose. "Horrible experience. Nearly swore off cooking. But I persisted. And things didn't turn out too badly." She pauses, pondering. "Ah. Well. Of course it is." A little lacking on the enthusiasm there. "I just wish that they'd do it in a more orderly fashion. Leave notes or something. Form a line outside the Records Room and file in one by one." A pleasant little dream. "Energetic? I doubt it. Peeling tubers gets boring fast. And then one starts taking shortcuts. Waste as much tuber as one peels. One casual flick of the wrist and you lose half the tuber."
"Besides." Veritas adds. "The candidates could always..." she pauses, groping for an idea. "...paint the Weyr, instead. Use whatever specialty they had before, perhaps. Wash all the floors of the weyr with a tiny brush, maybe."
Ilesyn admits, as she sets down her cider once more to pick up her fork, swirling it through the mess on her place, "I've never really learnt how to cook, either. And I'm glad for it. It frustrates you, then, a lack of order?" Her eyebrows raise towards Veritas, her interest caught. "You like things to be precise, without--unexpected messes or developments?" Musa's introduction is met with a warm, partially tooth-less smile: "Ah. Musa. Thank you."
"Well, if you want to get /cruel/ to the poor dears." Musa laughs with a shake of her head. "Never cooked, and never peeled tubers- I must be missing something in life." Beam to Ilesyn, and she tacks on a question. "Your name, then? Didn't catch it. That, and I'm horrible at remembering that kind of thing." Who she's met, who she hasn't, and exactly what name goes with which face- it's a real chore. "Candidates always make unexpected messes. Whether it's painting the weyr or the weyr's firelizards."
"It's rather fun. Watching raw ingredients becoming dinner." Veritas shrugs, finally taking a bite of her food. "Well. Yes. Things should just..." her hands wave about in the air for a moment before interlacing. "...come together. Be simple. Mesh nicely. Without too much of a fuss." In her dreams, at least, they turn out that way. "Well, they aren't here to be coddled. We're giving them room and board. They should do something to pay the weyr back. Keep busy. Idle hands are the bane of efficiency, after all."
Ilesyn's expression turns rueful, her self-introduction somewhat wry: "Ilesyn." Pause. "Journeywoman Mindhealer." Another pause. "I'm no better; it's one of my character faults, something I have to work on." She takes another mouthful of her meal, which slides down without need for chewing, leaving her quickly free to tack on another comment: "I find no joy in raw ingredients becoming medicines, so perhaps I'm just not made for such interests." She's far more interested in the response her earlier statement brings, her head nodding, "That's something that makes you you, then." Even off-duty, the Mindhealer remains active.
Musa twirls a roll on a fork idly, biting off the end and chewing with a nod. "I'm more interested in the products of those raw ingredients, and exactly how they taste. If any of those cooks need someone to test something new.. I'll gladly be a guinea pig." Eyes laugh even if lips don't at the comment on candidates, and she grins. "Not to mention a chance to get near those eggs without Leyrith burying them deep in the sand- work for their safety, and all. Make 'em weed the bowl once it gets warmer.. muck the stables. Always a favorite."
Veritas looks intrigued. "Mindhealer?" Ooh. A field she hasn't looked into yet. A new interest! "What does that involve, mostly?" Beware. She'll drain you dry of all you have to give. "Well, food tastes much better than medicine. Smells better, too. Always more fun when you get to eat the fruits of your labor." She raises a brow at Ilesyn. "Er. Makes me me? I thought I was already me?" Her attention turns towards Musa. "The weyr could loan them out. A sort of roving band of laborers. For whatever craft needed them." she suggests brightly. "If the holders need help clearing a patch of land, send in the Candidates! Need herbs gathered? The Candidates can be flown in to help!"
"Mindhealer," agrees Ilesyn, bobbing her head slowly in response to Veritas' comment. "It involves...looking at people's minds, and how they work, and attempting to figure out how to work with them, or fix them if there is a problem. That's just a general idea, of course." Her head shakes, as she adds, "It's part of a great many things that make up who you are. My new project." No - it isn't exactly how it sounds. "I mean, that's my new project: looking out how people are or become what and who they are." Musa earns a smile, as she admits, "I'm not a huge fan of the ingredients, nor the finished product: it's just food."
"Need someone to repaint every square inch of the outside of your hold? Oh, the candidates would be /glad/ to be of service." Musa adds gleefully, pushing back the emptied plate. "Just food?" This statement makes no sense to the epicure that is this messenger- nothing is 'just' in food. Glance is given to Shoshana and the girl behind her, and she chuckles. "Another candidates, most likely. Third one I've seen in the past hour.. gather 'em quick, don't they?"
Veritas blinks. "As in opening up their heads?" Her face wrinkles up. "Ew." Nevermind, then. She's not going and looking at /anyone's/ brains. "Nothing wrong with mine." she declares. Just in case Ilesyn was thinking of having a look. "Err. They...talk with people? Get a job? Have interests? Doesn't seem like all that much there to look at." She replies dubiously. "Lots of new faces. Though it should turn out well. Maybe I should suggest this loaning out of candidates thing to the weyrleader or something. Might turn out well."
Ilesyn's eyes roll, her lips pursing into a semi-disgusted expression. "Of course not," she explains, scornfully, "That'd kill them, and that's hardly useful." More amusement she finds within the discussion of candidates, deciding, "They could boil numbweed for us healers. I'm *sure* I wouldn't mind it." She sneezes, as if emphasising this, rubbing at her nose with an annoyed expression set upon her face. "Many new faces. Far too many, I'm sure."
Musa shakes her head almost pointedly as the rest of the juice is drained. "Yup.. weyr's gonna get awful busy, isn't it? With all the candidates, the fuss over the eggs, and all that. I'll probably end up taking more jobs just to spend more time /out/ of the fray- with all the activity as a bystander, I can't imagine actually /being/ one of them. Especially with the possibility of being loaned out." Snerk. "They can do all the messy, dirty work.. I doubt anyone would mind."
Veritas blinks. "Then...how do you look at their minds?" She scratches her head in confusion. "Oh, shells, yes. Let /them/ boil numbweed. While I take a hiatus off in Boll or somewhere. Somewhere nice and warm. And sunny." She says cheerfully. "I think I'm just going to vanish into my hides for a few months. Wait until the ruckus dies down. I'm sure I can find some interesting reading to tide me over in the meantime."
"We *watch* them," explains Ilesyn, an expression of glee comfortably situating itself upon her face. "Their every move, their every comment. It's really quite fascinating." Her grin is cheerful: "I think I'll come. And I think it's a good idea - they should value the stuff, like the rest of us." Quite brightly, as she finishes the last forkfull of food from her plate, "I'm sure I've some interesting Mindhealing ones, if you're interested." Musa earns a smile, as she shifts in her chair to gather up her mug and sip at it; "I'm sure no one would mind, except for them. It's not fun, being a candidate."
Musa pushes back her chair, setting the glass down. "Makes you wonder why anyone would want to be, to tell the truth. But anyway- was nice talking to you both, but I think I'm going to head down for a nap. Save up some energy, and all." Standing, she beams and waves as careful steps take her for the inner caverns. "See you two later."
Musa walks off southeastwards to the darker inner cavern.
Veritas eyes Ilesyn. "That's bound to make a few people rather paranoid. Watching them all the time." She scoots over a little from Ilesyn. Someone help! The woman is scaring her! "Er.. That would be nice. If you could supply a few." Hey, maybe Veritas can learn a little more about how guys think. "Ah. See you around, Musa." she waves cheerily.
Ilesyn raises her mug-filled hand after Musa, her head tilted in a similar note of farewell, although her attention returns quite firmly to Veritas, the other woman's movement noted quite obviously. "That's just another aspect of their personality, in my opinion. What kind of people become easily paranoid, what kind of people don't?" Setting her mostly empty mug back down upon the table, her fingers almost tangled as they pull out of the loop provided, she adds, "I'll see what I can find for you, then."
"I think almost everyone would get paranoid if someone else was watching them and observing their every movement." Veritas notes idly. "Though they may not show it." Kinda creeps this girl out. "Ah, excuse me, I think a rider is actually being Responsible and finding me. Duty calls." She apologizes as she rises to hurry over towards the gesturing rider.
Veritas walks off southeastwards to the darker inner cavern.
Ilesyn's lips twitch, but she says nothing after the other woman; instead, she sits back in her seat, smile amused.
Posted by Louise at January 29, 2003 01:54 AM