You amble westwards to the Weyrling barracks.
C'daer stands at one end of the barracks - which are empty, the weyrlings having been chased off for the day. There's a slate board propped up on an easel, with chalks, and a table full of snack food and alcoholic beverages.
K'rain steps into the barracks and looks around for a place to sit, smiling slightly when he sees the refreshments there for him.
Ilesyn wears an expression of layered glee upon her face, as she strides into the barracks. There's goop upon her shoulder, and down her shirt, as if to suggest that she's been in the nurseries - and the fact that she is now not there evidently adds to that near-bounce in her step. She moves to sit, nodding a short, almost sharp, greeting once she's done so, her hands pressed into her lap.
Miake steps into the barracks, a bit of a skip in her step as she is unemcumbered by the young Maeri. Bobbing her head at the others in greeting, her gaze going first to the refreshments, and then to the easel. A bit of a face is made as she settles down in a seat.
"Hello," Daer says, perkily cheerful as most seminar leaders seem to be. "I hope you're all ready for a long day? Good. There's food and drinks, only please don't get too drunk. Save that for the party I'm planning." He grins, and leans on an edge of the table.
K'rain nods, and selects a chair, settling himself into it and folding his arms across his chest. He'll wait on the food and drinks, for now.
"Hardly fair," drawls Ilesyn, "that anyone should be able to get drunk, when I can't." She stretches out, toes pointed, stiffling a yawn as she rolls her shoulders backwards. Beneath her breath, she begins to mutter, as if taking mental notes: "Perky. Hm. Over-excited."
Miake eyes Daer cautiously for a moment, shaking her head with a roll of her eyes. "Parties are always good things." And with a nod of her head, she shakes her head at Ilesyn. "Your loss, although it will change soon enough, I'm sure." Slouching, she rests her elbows back, crossing one leg over the other lazily.
C'daer winces. "Uh, I forgot about you beng a Candidate, Ilesyn. Um, sorry. I hope you like pastries? There are plenty of those. Anyway, we're ready? We'll start at the very beginning. Hatching day." He stands and moves towards the easel, picking out a piece of chalk. "Generally we start preparing as soon as it becomes apparent that the eggs will go any time. Miake, you'll be in charge of organizing filling all the oil barrels, and getting three extra ones. K'rain and Avila, you're in charge of butchering and cutting up enough herdbeasts for the hatchlings. There are thirty-four eggs, and each hatchling consumes about two buckets full of meat directly afterwards. You may of course draft our older weyrlings to help."
K'rain lifts one eyebrow, and glances over toward Miake with an almost-smirk on his face. He turns back to C'daer and nods. He and Avila will butcher herdbeasts. The Weyrlingmaster's weyrmate will fill oil barrels. "Got it," he says, his eyes scanning the rows of empty couches. He's probably already drafting weyrlings in his head.
Avila was here all along. Really she was. "So. You want to put me in charge of killing and cutting up the bodies. Hmmm. I think I can do that," Avila muses. "Although I think I'll draft some help. All those entrails can get a little smelly after a while." She smiles at C'daer sweetly, folding her hands demurely in her lap. "I suppose it's good you trust me with sharp knives. Make a note of that, Ilesyn."
Ilesyn agrees to Miake's statement, with a toothy smile. "This is true. It's about time, too. Thank you, C'daer, but I'm not much--" She shakes her head, going quiet so that she doesn't speak over C'daer. With her head tilted to the side, she listens calmly, lips moving slightly - as if she's once again composing mental notes. Breaking into that, she turns her head so that she can see Avila, "Should he not trust you? Do you believe yourself to not be trustworthy with sharp objects? Do you believe /his/ reasoning, or sanity, to be flawed, then?"
Miake eyes both K'rain and Avila cautiously, scooting slightly away from them with all the talk of sharp objects, giggling softly as she nods her head to C'daer. "Sure thing... Oil barrels. Definately better then carcusses." Atleast in Mia's book.
"Ilesyn, you'll be standing, so you've no duties beforehand of course." Daer attempts to get the subject away from mindhealing. "All right. G'thon will be in the barracks on Hatching Day, and so will one of you. The rest of us will escort the new weyrlings off of the sands. You need to be very cautious of the unhatched dragonets so that you don't get in their way. Any questions?"
Avila glances over to Ilesyn, amused. "No, in fact, I'm glad to see that he has a reasonable assessment of my trustworthiness. There were times when I believe he doubted /my/ reasoning, but apparently, he's convinced that I'm completely stable. Either that, or Miake would be really upset with him if /she/ had to cut up herdbeast, and he sleeps with her." A pause, and muttered under her breath, probably unheard by all, she adds the words, "Well, mostly, anyway."
Miake eyes the candidate for a moment, before glancing at Daer, waggling her fingers. "I'll stay here in the barracks." Anything to avoid the Sands again. Grinning at Avila, she nods her head. "Herdbeasts, knives and myself don't quite mix." Especially not if C'daer wants to be on her good side. The added comment is either missed or ignored. Luckily.
K'rain listens impassively to C'daer's recitation of duty assignments, then lets out a sharp bark of laughter, and grins at Avila. He doesn't offer any direct comment to either of them, though; and he seems to be avoiding looking at Ilesyn at all.
"Good." Ilesyn stretches out her legs in front of her, remarking, "It'd interrupt my observations, if I had to be concerned with duties." Avila's assessment results in a short, musing nod of her head. "I suppose so. A vote of confidence. Good on you, Avila, you're obviously doing something right." A twitch of her lips follows, and then, somewhat obviously, she attempts to gaze at C'daer soulfully, as if she's just now remembered to.
C'daer clears his throat. "Miake hasn't done this before," he says pointedly. "So, Miake, imagine Ilesyn has just impressed Gold Mindhealereth. How do you go about getting her off the sands?" He beams over at Ilesyn.
Miake is sitting, half listening to Ilesyn and the others, grinning, before her face wrinkles up at the question. A glance at the others and she takes a breath, fumbling for words before spitting out her answer. "I... I would wait for a moment, and then I'd... Go over to her and slowly lead them to the barracks and the food? Not to fast, though." A pause. "Or is that wrong?"
Avila is catching all that beaming and soulful longing stuff. She glances sidelong to Miake to see if she's catching it, too, and then flickers her eyes pointedly to Ileysn and then to C'daer, and then back to Miake again. Did you catch that, Miake? "They're kind of in a daze. Both of them. It's a delicate situation. You need to do what's best for them, but it's kind of nice to let them enjoy the moment, too. Reality hits soon enough." She's talking about dragons, right?
K'rain nods agreement with Avila. "Don't want to drag them along too fast. But the sooner they're out of the way of other hatchlings, the better. They're distracted. You want to watch out and warn them if they need to duck."
Ilesyn's gaze remains level, though her eyebrows raise just slightly: "My goodness me, Mindhealereth, I love you." There's a note of dry sarcasm to her tone. "I must have very high ambitions. Gold. How very unlike me." If she's heard Avila, she makes no response to it - save a long, deep sigh, and a shifting of her head to the other side, as if this makes her view of C'daer all the more palatable. Oh, raptures, oh cruel, ironic spite.
Avila continues, sagely. "It's a very dangerous situation they're in. There's many others out there that could trample them. They're in the throes of love, but it can't last like that forever. You've got to snap them out of that dreamland and get them back to reality. Show 'em meat or something. As soon as the hunger is sated, chances are, the dragon will drift off to sleep and it'll hit the poor weyrling as to just what's happened."
"That's just about right, Miake." Daer says with approval. "You want to let them have a few moment to themselves, and so that the crowd can see who Impressed. You can watch the rest of us do it a few times before you do. That'll be fine." He moves to the table, pouring himself a glass of wine. "After they impress, they'll be hungry, and sometimes itchy. Whoever's in the barracks needs to make sure that the dragonets chew the food and don't choke. As soon as they start itching, get them to the oil or the oil to them. K'rain, Avila, do either of you have anything to add?"
"Watch they don't overeat," K'rain says with a shrug, "or eat so fast they choke."
Ilesyn, having gone silent since she doesn't really have much to add to the conversation, resumes the soulful-eyes treatment, long sighs escaping every so often. "You make it seem so romantic, Avila," she murmurs.
Miake glances at Avila for a moment, wrinkling her forehead up with a face. Still staying slouched in her seat, she glances at the others, taking in the tips, bobbing her head carefully. "I think I'll do that." If she has to be on the Sands, that is. "Rather like what we did for ourselves?" Even if that was during the adjustment time. K'rain's bit is nodded to.
Avila muses for a moment. "They'll likely be a bit giddy. Pretty self-absorbed. They might not think of how their friends or loved ones are being affected at the moment, but that'll wear off. Just make sure that they're comfortable and happy." She turns to Ilesyn with a sweet smile. "It is, actually. It can be quite romantic. Especially if you impress holding hands with the one you love. Like in 'Flames of Passion.' Quite a sweet scroll, that one."
C'daer eyes Ilesyn, as if nervous, and turns to the chalkboard, clearing his throat. "All right. As soon as they've eaten and have oiled, direct the pair to a couch or let them choose one. The dragonets will go to sleep. Then you need to get the new weyrlings out of their candidate robes and hustle them all along to the feast. We need to make sure they eat something, because they won't be able to tell the difference between their lifemate being full and themselves. Ilesyn, I'd like you to be in charge of that." He mumbles, scornfully, "-Romantic-."
The mention of romance scrolls has Miake shaking her head, rolling her eyes in the other greenrider's direction. "Are those all you compare things to?" No need to point out that Daer and Mia Impressed holding hands. Nodding to the bronzer, she glances at the chalkboard. "Understood. Usher them to couches and to the feast." Easy enough.
Ilesyn, her mouth open, her gaze directed towards Avila, is interrupted in whatever she's about to say, turning to face C'daer - a glint of amusement in her eyes - to pause. "Me? In charge of food? Oh." She pauses, and then, after a deep breath, nods mutely. "If that's what you want me to do." Anything, for you. Another soulful gaze results - this time, aimed at C'daer's right hand.
Avila's seeing this. Right here in front of her. Ilesyn is quite obviously smitten. She'd suspected. She'd wondered. But Ilesyn is not talking snidely of romance, and she's soulfully gazing! Yeah. Another victim to the quite elusive charm that is C'daer. Avila turns to study Ileysn quite closely. All the symptoms are there... although the right hand isnt usually the focal point of affection. Strange. But then again, Ilesyn's a strange girl.
"If they insist on staying with their lifemates, pop a meatroll into them and let them stay," Daer adds, and writes 'FOOD' on the chalkboard in big letters. "That's it for Hatching night. I have this handout on ways to help them adjust to the bonding. I'm sure you'll be interested, Ilesyn." He passes her the hide. "Lots of reassuring."
Ilesyn seems to have felt Avila's gaze, and thus, her love-sick act is intensified - a very audible sigh is emitted, and as C'daer passes her the hide, she lets her fingers linger as long as they can upon his. "Thank you. I'm very interested."
Miake eyes the word on the board for a moment, gaze following C'daer's movement, narrowing her gaze for a moment at the lingering contact. A roll of her eyes and she doesn't even say anything, its not worth the bother. A quick glance at Avila and then she blinks for a moment. "That's rather simpler then I remember it." But then, what isn't?
Snatching his hand back from Ilesyn's, C'daer clears his throat and says weakly to Miake, "It's a lot simpler from this side of things, thank goodness. Now - that's that. Here's the list of exercises that the dragons do in the first six months. Water wing exercises, land wing exercises, shoulder and hindquarter exercises. Ilesyn, one of your primary jobs will be to supervise the weyrlings and ensure that they're doing these correctly." He passes this hide to Avila.
Avila takes the hide, eyeing Ilesyn over the top of it. "Shoulder and hindquarter exercises. Very important. The weyrlings tend to forget those and just practice with the wings." She glances over to Miake again, just to make sure she caught that contact thing. And then to C'daer. Just so he knows she knows.
Ilesyn drops her hand, listlessly, promptly stretching it out over the hide she's taken from C'daer-- /he/ touched it, after all. "Oh. All right. You'll have to make sure and instruct me," she flutters her eyelashes, somewhat uncomfortably, "of the way to do these things. I wouldn't want to do something wrong."
Miake suppresses a chuckle, turning it into a soft cough as she shakes her head, peering at the list of exercises for a moment, nodding her head. Make sure to exercise all the muscle groups. Right. Rolling her eyes at Ilesyn, she shakes her head. "As if there is any way you could. You're just watching."
C'daer turns to write on the board, 'BONDAGE'. "Our first real class will be exercises to strengthen the bond between weyrling and dragon. Now, how we're going to do the formal classes is to divide the weyrlings into groups of five to ten, according to ability, and spread the classes out between ourselves."
Avila leans back in the chair. "If you're going to become involved, Ilesyn, there's plenty of things that could go wrong. In fact, sometimes getting involved is the first mistake." She glances up and then blinks at what C'daer writes on the board. "But... see? C'daer is instructing us in everything. He's very thorough."
"Supervising," Ilesyn corrects Miake. "How will I be able to supervise them, if I don't have details, and experience to make sure they're doing it right?" Fluidly, she lifts her head, regarding the word C'daer has written up somewhat warily. "Too late, Avila. C'daer invited it. Indeed, thorough is the word I would use. Very efficient."
Miake sighs softly at the correction, waving a hand about with a shake of her head. Its not worth it. "Instructing us is what Daer does. I don't think you have to worry about being incompetant." The talk going back and forth between the other two is half followed as she peers at the word on the board. Classes... Fun.
"Avila? You were in charge of this class last time, as I recall. Why don't you give us a little run-down of what goes on? Ilesyn, this is one class that you'll be able to teach on your own once you know about it." Daer moves back to his wine glass and sips it as he waits. "And if at any time you are unsure of anything, ask one of the others. We're a team, remember."
Avila glances over to Ilesyn before starting. "Well, you have to make sure that the weyrlings have been doing the exercises on their own. They'll probably find it boring, but it's something that's really necessary. Maybe doing it to music? That helps at times. I had a long stick that I tapped out the time for their wing snaps. It's really important that the hindquarter squats are done, or else they won't be able to jump high enough for a good takeoff. Have them hop around the field, wings in. And then, they should try it with a running start. Only when they get that, do you bring them to the rise at the edge of the field and get them to try takeoff." She glances over to C'daer. "That's right, right? When something is new and unfamiliar, you need to be very sure of what you're getting into."
"A team," agrees Ilesyn, quietly. "Right." She almost smiles at Miake, nodding her head. "Good. I'll take what instruction I can get from C'daer, so that I'm not incompetant. It's all a bit of a learning experience, of course." Avila's spiel is listened to with her head tilted to the side, several short half-nods made in understanding.
Miake listens attentively to Avila's talk about exercises. As attentively as Miake can manage in any case. Bits and pieces are murmured near silently under her breath, nodding her head in recognition of Ilesyn. "Of course."
C'daer pauses to listen, glances at the others, and says wearily, "That's good advice, Avila. The only problem is that I was asking about the bondage exercises. Blindfolding the rider and asking them to walk, then vice versa? Separating them and asking the to describe the room the other's in?" A bit sarcastically, "Does -that- sound familar?"
Avila nods sagely. "From what I understand, C'daer is anything but incompetent. Apparently, he's the best instructor in the weyr at that type of thing. You'll be learning from a pro, Ilesyn." Avila smiles sweetly. "There's a learning curve, like anything else, though. It even took me a while to get proficient and confident. I was always afraid I was going to kill someone." There's a pause, and then she blinks. "Oh! Bondage!" A little blush. "Yeah, I guess I know about that, now that you mention it. That's when the weyrling is blindfolded, and the dragon guides them by their own site, and then visa versa. This will help a lot when it comes time for visualization for betweening. The biggest thing is that the dragons will want to look at different things than the weyrlings. Eating especially seemed to be a challenge for the last clutch. We might alert the headwoman that she'll want more on the dining area cleanup during that time."
Ilesyn sighs - dreamily? No, perhaps that's going a little far - and nods, rather shortly. "I guess being blind makes us appreciate being to see, even more, though I suppose the weyrlings have another set of eyes-- far less chance of missing things. Visualization is important." She gives something of a half smile, about the group, nodding again.
"The class between bondage and first flight - both of which Avila has aptly explained to us," Daer says, rolling his eyes and taking another sip of wine, "is a new class for this group. It's to be about Etiquette, Diplomacy, and Tact." His voice is almost dreamy. "So here's the hide for it," given to Miake, "it'll be basic ranks, how to address those of different ranks, and then we'll act out situations that utilize Etiquette, Tact, and Diplomacy." He beams, very proudly.
Miake takes the hide on the new class, making a face as she peers at it, running her finger down the outline. "Was this all your idea, Daer?" And Miake avoids looking at Avila, for fear she'll giggle at the mistake that was made. The hide is offered to the others after she got a nice look at it.
Ilesyn's nose wrinkles rather soundly. "Tact and diplomacy? Huh. I always thought that /that/ sounded far more like avoiding the whole truth." She pulls her hands away, to make sure that she doesn't have to touch the hide in question.
C'daer nods, grinning widely. "Think how much help it would have been if Avila had had such classes during her weyrlinghood." He winks, then turns back to the board. "At nine months of age, we start the riders flying. Ilesyn, you won't have much to do with this part, so from that point on your duties will stay the same. Assisting with baths, oiling, feeding, and so on."
Miake blinks at Ilesyn before shrugging and setting the hide down next to her, going back to her slouching position. "The whole Weyr would be a better place, I'm sure." And with a giggle she glances at Ilesyn. Lucky her, perhaps. But then she nods her head to Daer to continue.
"You have a point." Ilesyn turns her consideration into a nod, crossing her ankles over each other in an effort to get more comfortable - or is that an attempt to look better? Difficult to say. "Right. I'll keep up with the basics. That's about what I would assume. You wouldn't be able to let me go any further - I'm just not equipped for it."
"In addition, Ilesyn, you'll be staying in the Weyrlingmaster's Weyr off the office," Daer points towards the door, "and will be available at nights. She's also responsible for the psy-co-log-i-cal," he sounds it out proudly, "health of our weyrlings. Any questions on anything? If not, we'll break for lunch."
Miake eyes Ilesyn for a moment before shaking her head hurriedly at Daer. Lunch, yay! "No Weyrlingmaster, sir, no questions." And she grins with another, more sure, shake of her head.
Ilesyn glances towards the door to the Weyrlingmaster's weyr, smiling somewhat more widely, and tilts her head into a nod. "An integral part of the program, of course. Psychological health, during such a transition." Shaking her head, she adds, "None from me, either."
C'daer gestures towards the stack of hides on the nearby table, "I have, of course, our thorough course outline for the first nine months, and hides on teaching each class available for your perusal. Available meaning, of course, that you need to read them." He adds towards Miake with a grin, "'C'daer' is fine. After today, you'll start working with the other AWLMs and myself to co-teach the classes until you're ready to do it on your own. Now.." He turns to survey the food. "Ilesyn, I think we could allow you one drink."
Ilesyn positively shoots up in her seat, posture going straight. He likes her, he really, really, likes her! "No risk of the hatching occuring early, and my standing - even if only for the sake of research - even slightly tipsy? Such consideration." She rises from her seat, stepping towards the food table to indulge herself, contentedly.
Taking a plate, Daer picks through the food on the table, getting a little of almost everything. He balances a meatroll atop it, then frowns as his hands are too full to pour wine. "Ilesyn? Would you pour me a glass too? And the hatching will be a while yet." He sinks into a seat, contentedly sighing.
"If you want me to," agrees the Mindhealer, pouring two glasses. "If the hatching is still so far off, why the rule about no alcohol? I thought that was the reason - so that there weren't intoxicated people on the sands." She fills her plate randomly, without much concern for what she's picking up, balancing the plate, and both glasses, to give one to C'daer, and then resume her seat.
C'daer puts the plate over his knees and reaches for the wine. "No, it's mostly so that they get used to it, because you can't have weyrlings drinking. It's not good for their dragons." He takes a long drink and sighs happily. "I think we don't have to worry about it for you. But the idea is to weed out anyone who absolutely -can't- go without it for that period of time, because weyrlinghood would be worse."
Ilesyn is not a particularly sophisticated wine drinker - and takes rather more a gulp than a sip, swallowing lazily. "Oh, I see," she agrees. "A bit like sex, then, although there's the practical thing of pregnancy there, I suppose. Weyrlinghood /would/ be pretty awful - more than normal - for someone who couldn't do without either of those things." She picks up random pieces of food from her plate, munching on them between sips - and gulps - of her wine.
Daer forks into his food, made voracious by the morning's lecturing. "You can duck out after lunch if you need to," he adds, "since we'll be going over weyrlinghood through betweening, and none of that has much practical use for you. If you want to stay anyway, that's fine." He glances around to check where Avila is, and lowers his voice. "Did you -see- the way she stared when you were looking all romantic?"
"Can I go, and just say that I'm still off chores thanks to your requirement of me, so that I don't have to go back to the nurseries?" queries Ilesyn, ceasing upon the thought with some interest. The goop on her shirt has long since dried, and she doesn't seem fussed with it, but her expression is hopeful nonetheless. A wider, vastly amused, smile spreads across her lips as she nods, lowering her voice to match C'daer's. "I /did/. She's accepted it completely."
"No," Daer says, but cheerfully. "It's one way or the other. You'll just have to decide which is worse, me blabbering or babies crying. Plus there's food here." He wiggles the bit of herdbeast on the end of his fork to demonstrate. "But Maeri and Cedri are there."
Ilesyn, calmly, points out, "I don't think Maeri and Cedri are really ample reason for me to be desperate to go back to the nurseries. I think I'll stay, then. The nannies expect me to /play/ with the brats." She picks up a piece of tuber with her fingers pushing it into her mouth cheerfully.
C'daer shrugs and says the obvious, "They'd be reason enough for me, but then, I like playing with children. You know," he glances over, trying to deadpan, "weyrlings like to play, too."
"Especially them being your own. One would hope that you'd want to see them, as a mature, responsible parent." Ilesyn's philosophical, though distracted by picking up random pieces of food from her plate, chewing between comments. "Weyrling dragons, or weyrling riders?"
Daer's grin widens his mouth. "Both, but -especially- the dragons. And just think, you'll be staying right next to them all." He stuffs a large piece of fried tuber into his mouth, and chews away at it stoically.
Ilesyn takes another mouthful of wine from her glass, remarking, once she's swallowed, "They'll be busy - and they'll know better than to play with me. I won't play back. It's not like having to play dolls with toddlers, anyway."
"So, when a little dragon toddles up to you and wants to chew on your shoes, you'll just say, 'No, little dragon' and send it on its way?" C'daer seems skeptical, swirling his wine in his glass before he drinks again. "That might very well harm the weyrlings psychologically." He's teasing, but it might be hard to tell.
"Dragons chew on shoes? I would've though they'd swallow the shoes before they'd be able to chew on them. They're big." The dragons, evidently, not the shoes. Ilesyn shrugs her shoulders again, explaining, "I'll do what I have to. At least baby dragons are - apparently - mentally far more mature than baby humans."
C'daer, looking amused, shares, "Kourieth was fascinated by socks for a period of time. Young dragons tend to have - whims. That's a good word for it. And yes, they are very much more mature, in that they - well - they can communicate.. Actually that's mostly it. They grow up a lot faster, though, and I guess they're probably more like a five-turn-old human, when they hatch."
Ilesyn tilts her head to the side, nodding slowly. "I'll just have to watch out for them," she decides, calmly. "I can handle that. How quickly do they mature? I mean - I know they're fully mature by about eighteen months, but do they age fluidly? At three months, they're eight, at six months they're twelve, or something like that?"
C'daer stabs another bite of meat and bites his lip thoughtfully. "Well, you have to keep in mind that they aren't human, they don't work exactly like that. I guess it's more that they gradually are able to concentrate more on lessons and such, rather than being distracted at every little thing. And they learn how to keep things separate and private in relation to their rider."
"Ah," says Ilesyn, nodding her head. "So it's really impossible to try and compare the development of the two." She finishes the food on her plate, draining the last dregs of her wine. "A whole different scale. Fascinating, I think."
"Not that I know all that much about the human side of development," Daer says apologetically. "But I think I ran across a hide on dragon development, the mental side, in the records room a week or two ago. You might look it up." Finishing his own food and glancing at Ilesyn's plate, he adds, "Guess it's about time to get started again."
Ilesyn stands, to put her plate back upon the table, along with her glass, and nods, falling back into position for the afternoon's discussion. "I will. I'd like to know as much as I can about the subject, so that I can help wherever I can. I think it's important. Thank you."
C'daer rises, putting his plate in the stack and holding his wine, calling the other assistants to attention. "I think it's important too - I just haven't any extra time to attend to it. Which is one reason I approve of your working on it." He puts down his glass and picks up his chalk. "All right, back to work."
Ilesyn's smile widens, slightly, as she goes silent - content to sit and listen, at least for the moment.
Posted by Louise at January 29, 2003 04:51 PM