All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are copyright © Anne McCaffrey 1967,2000, all rights reserved, and used by permission of the author. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, by Anne McCaffrey, used here with permission. Use or reproduction without a license is strictly prohibited. For more information, visit the Worlds of Anne McCaffrey.

30-12-00: Clothes
You make your way into the noisy kitchen. Siri shakes her head, "No, it can be any color you want,...

You make your way into the noisy kitchen.

Siri shakes her head, "No, it can be any color you want, just long as it fits and is suitable." She starts pulling things out in the box in front of her, those that she thinks might fit the probationary apprentice and is appropriate for the upcoming weather.

Hanneke pokes her head into the kitchen, then comes the full way in. She tiptoes towards the storage caverns, one foot making a squeak upon the floor, to her dismay. She stops, short. One or two of the cooks give her an odd look. Then, it's into the storage caverns. She trips over a box, falling flat on her face. "Oops."

Julen starts at the sound of Hanneke meeting the floor, mostly because it was so quiet in here and a little scary to boot. "Are you okay?" is his immediate inquiry, scooting to her side and offering his free hand. The other's holding a pile of shirts.

Siri looks up at the sound and grins. Another apprentice. "You have to be careful down here, especially where you put your feet." She goes back to her box then asks Julen, "Find anything that might fit you yet?"

Hanneke blushes, picking herself up with the help of Julen's hand. "I didn't mean to! The steps were too steep, and I tripped, and--oh, bother." Her lips pull into a pout for a moment, as she brushes her clothes off. "I'm okay, I guess."

"Are you here for clothes too?" Julen asks his fellow apprentice, before pulling two gray shirts from the pile. "I think these'll do, ma'am." Most likely they're too big for him, but he's not too good at figuring out such things yet.

Siri nods, "And what are you after apprentice?" It's the only title she can use, since she doesn't know either's name. She looks at the two shirts and nods. "Okay then. Just put the others back into the box and put that onto the shelf over there," and she nods to where she wants it.

Hanneke sends a sullen look towards a box off in the corner--and indicates it with one hand. "I was--just going to pick some things up." Things that she was made to put away.

Julen follows the headwoman's instructions promptly, neatly settling the rest of the shirts on their shelf. "I guess I need pants too," he observes to no one in particular. He should probably ask for underwear too, but he doesn't know how to, precisely -- especially now that Hanneke's here.

Siri nods to Hanneke, "Then take it, or you can help us find..." She was about to say Julen's name, but then she realized that she doesn't know it. She grins and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, what is your name?" She asks, looking over at Julen.

"Oh! Julen, ma'am," the boy offers readily. So much for those manners his mother drilled into him.

Hanneke's face pulls into a brilliant smile, and she near hops over to her box in the corner, drawing out full outfits from it's depths. Someone's parents didn't stint on pretty things for their daughter. With a perriwinkle blue coat over one arm, she turns her head, "I bet you need knickers, too, Julen, if you're getting a new outfit!"

Julen glances nervously from Hanneke to Siri and down to his two gray shirts. "I-I guess. The journeymen were more worried about how I look -- on the outside -- that is -- " Behold the faint crimson hue his cheeks have suddenly acquired -- or maybe it's the flicker of glowlight down here.

Siri nods to Julen, "Then, pants for you apprentice Julen it is." She looks over to Hanneke then shakes her head, "And some underwear if that's what you need. Are you going to help or picking those up?" That question directed towards Hanneke.

Julen moves to Siri's other side, the better to shield himself from Hanneke and any other pointed suggestions he might have. "Pants, uh huh. And maybe the other thing too." Will the headwoman press him for details about how many hole-free items he has at present?

Hanneke doesn't blush at -all-. It's clothes, and if there's one thing in life she likes, and is good with, it's clothes. "I'm Hanneke! I don't know who you are, but I do know Julen. He's a pro--prob--apprentice, with me. We're friends, aren't we?" Beam, smile, bounce. She blinks at the Headwoman once, then shoves the clothing she's leaving behind back in it's box. "I'll help pick things for Julen!"

No, the headwoman won't, but Siri nods to Hanneke's assistance as well as name. "I didn't think I needed an introduction. I'm Siri, the Headwoman here at the Harper Hall. I'm the one that makes sure that we all eat well, also the one that hands out kitchen and laundry chores."

Julen looks through some of the clothes that the headwoman's brought out for him, trying to be as quiet and efficient as possible -- before Hanneke gets a hand in it.

Hanneke, brightly, announces, "Hihi, Siri!" With her own clothes over one arm, she attempts to get closer to Julen, almost tripping over another box. "You should take -those-," says she, pointing to a pair of purple pants. "They'd look great on you."

Julen flinches. "Purple? It's so bright." He has no sense of color coordination, but he's mostly a shadow-hued dresser. He glances at the headwoman -- for help?

Siri shakes her heat at Hanneke's close accident and lets the two apprentices deal with Julen's clothing issue, just bringing down the boxes full of clothes. "It's your clothing, and your decision. I'm just the access to the clothes."

"Oh, purple is a -lovely- colour. I think it suits me really well. I'm sure it'd look -great- on you, Julen." She shifts her foot, bringing it down towards an empty box, and hastily retreats it.

Julen ignores the sound of the crushed box, too stricken at the notion of purple. "But it draws so much attention," he mentions, setting the pair of pants aside. "I don't really want to. I'm still not spelling so good yet." He reaches for a pair of workable black pants instead.

Siri shakes her head. "Take whatever you want to. Just make sure you help clean up afterwards."

Hanneke's nose wrinkles, and she blinks vacantly at Julen, smile unabating in her confusion. Tossing curls about her shoulders with a movement of her head, she queries, "What has spelling got to do with anything? 'sides, I don't think people -really- look at your pants!"

Julen shakes his head, searching under the pile for other dull-colored clothes. "Yeah, but I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing them. Is it okay if I take two pairs?" he asks the headwoman, just to be sure.

Siri nods, "Go ahead." She starts putting the closed boxes back to where they belong, waiting for Julen to clean up from his box. "Remember, you can contact the weavers if you want anything nice, or even for just regular clothes. Or you can ask me to contact them for you, just let me know."

Hanneke wrinkles her nose, but shrugs, "No taste. I could make you look -beautiful-. But no." She steps backwards, this time not tripping on anyway, and transfers her clothing from one arm to the other. "We're allowed to buy clothes from the weavers?" Face lights up.

While Hanneke's distracted, Julen puts together a few more things, including clean, plain, hole-free underwear. But that's stuff between the shirts and pants, so that nothing unmentionable can actually be seen.

Siri nods, "Yep, either contact them on your own or tell me, but you have to have the money in order to buy it yourself, or to pay me back for ordering it for you. If you don't then I won't order it for you." She catches Julen's movement about the unmentionables but doesn't mention it. "Is that all?"

Hanneke's head bobs brightly, her smile widening. "I -knew- there was a good reason for Mother giving me marks!" Delighted, she bounces about, tripping over again, her clothes flying. Straightening, and retrieving the items, she glances towards Julen, "You still need undies, Julen!"

"I have them," Julen whispers to Hanneke before nodding at the headwoman. "I don't get too dirty, ma'am. This'll be all right." He's also not used to having many outfits to choose from and wouldn't know what to do with them.

Siri nods then puts the last of the boxes away. "Okay then. You know the way back up to the kitchens then? Go get ready for the evening meal, it should be ready soon."

Hanneke ohs! "That's all right, then. Cool beans! I just love getting new clothes, don't you? These ones," she indicates the ones that she has hastily gathered up, "Are pretty old. Mother bought them for me just before I came here. Months, and months! But I think they're lovely, all the same." She nods after Siri, "Thank you!"

Leaving the hapless Julen with the energetic Hanneke. "I think I ought to go put these away before dinner," he notes, clutching his pile of newly acquired garments tightly.

Hanneke wrinkles her nose, but nods, "I s'pose to. I think you have no taste, though. You do know that, don't you? It's -horrible-. All that black." She grumbles, although her smile doesn't fade, stepping towards the stairs one step.

Julen follows, although he was planning to whiz ahead of her -- but that would be rude, neh? "Mother says black's easier to keep clean, and other dark colors too." Mother never had the chance to teach him about fashion, though.

"Well," begins Hanneke, as she climbs upon the first tread of the stairway, "Mother always says that we should always look our best, even if it meant a little more work, because it made people appreciate us more." The second tread is climbed upon. At least Hanneke has better fashion sense than her mother, who prefers shades like bottle green and pink, together.

Julen takes the stairs more slowly, mostly because he's afraid a misstep will result in a spill that will reveal the hidden contents of his clothing pile to the world. "I know 'bout looking our best," he agrees, "'cause that's about the journeymen said about my clothes too. They said I looked scrappy." Never mind that this is his favorite sweater.

Hanneke insists, as she gallops up the stairway, "You don't look your best, though. That sweater is -ugly-. It's -tatty-." And that is a bad word, thank you very much. "You won't look your best in -those- new clothes, either."

"Why not?" Julen casts upwards, his voice chasing Hanneke better than his pace can. "They're ordinary." They're not purple, more importantly.

"They're not purple." That's exactly the point. Hanneke reaches the top of the stairs, turning about, "Oh, hurry up. You're awful slow."

Julen picks up the pace, then, folding the pile in half and tucking it under his arm instead. "Okay, okay -- my legs are shorter than yours," he observes. And she has all this energy, even before dinner.

Hanneke always has all this energy. It's her one and only real talent--beyond making trouble, and making suggestions about clothes. "Not by -that- much. You're just a slow poke."

You haven't seen him in his element -- mostly because his element involves children's games best played outdoors, in the dirt. "I'm coming, I'm coming." And Julen's accelerated steps bring him right up to the step just below Hanneke.

Hanneke steps forward, warily. She is -not- going to fall into the kitchens, thank you very much. "It's about time!" so says she, skipping forward into the kitchens, and dodging a platter of dinner.

Julen takes the more furtive, rodent-like approach: size up the area and move quickly when the opportunity presents itself. That brings him across the bustling cavern quicker than Hanneke, though he has to flatten himself against the doorway before he collides with incoming drudges and their empty serving trays.

Hanneke blinks after Julen, as if totally surprised at his quick passage--while she is still attempting to duck her way through. "Hey! Wait up!" She rushes forward, almost toppling over an urn of klah, darting towards the dining hall.

Julen leaves for the dining hall.

You turn to go to the dining hall.

And they're out safely. "And you thought I couldn't move fast enough," Julen tosses back at Hanneke with a grin. "Hey, you think I have time to bring this upstairs 'fore dinner?" Harpers are gathering for the evening meal, though a good half of the hall is still empty.

Hanneke tilts her head about, deciding abruptly, "If we race." She's got her arms full, as well, outfits of all colours abounding.

Julen's grin broadens -- this is more his style, not spelling and instruments. "Last one back has to eat all the tubers at our table." And he's off, without so much as a 1-2-3-go!

"Not fair!" chimes Hanneke after Julen, as she rushes to catch up, and fails.

So Julen wins this one and got away without purple pants too. Perhaps life in the harper hall ain't so bad after all.