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.

21-04-01: Rump
Allowy enters from the courtyard. Allowy waves politely, poking her head inside the Hall though she knows not where. Hanneke...

Allowy enters from the courtyard.

Allowy waves politely, poking her head inside the Hall though she knows not where.

Hanneke trips merrily down the stairs; feet tangling up with themselves as, movement rapid, she makes for the bottom--eyes catching upon Allowy and her wave. "G'day, and welcome to the Harper Hall! I don't know you, should I know you?"

Leo sits up and chirps inquisitively at the newcomer. Wings spread out, stretching, as he eyes the young woman with whirling eyes.

Allowy quirks the corners of her mouth into a wry smile as she considers Hanneke's words. What a strange girl! "Well, some call me Allowy, but others use Owl, which I hate, so please don't! Or I'll have to paste you!" She waves a balled fist lightly, all gruff and no backing

Allowy rubbs the side of her cheek while she ponder's Hanneke's other question, not ignoring it but unsure how to answer.

Hanneke, to be very much like herself, looks entirely blank. "Paste me?" she repeats, taking a step back into the next stair on the flight leading up into the Hall. "Oh." her attention turns, and she adds, bouncing, "I'm Hanneke! I think Allowy is a pretty name, but Owl isn't."

Allowy brightens noticeablly at the appraisal of her name, which should please anyone, but the acknowledgement that the nickname is unsuitable seems to win her over completely. She sits down on the stairs, and raises her somewhat dirty hand to Hanneke. "You know, I like you...what is your name?"

G'briel enters from the courtyard.

"Hanneke," repeats the apprentice, seemingly delighted at her being the not so stupid one for once; this is rare. Noticibly, her expression changes scarcely at all: she's still as beamingly happy as ever. "I like you, too, of course. It's very good to like people, Mother says." She grins winningly, head raising to notice G'briel, who is given a nod of greeting.

Allowy changes her glance, almost nervously, to the rider who has just entered. She scrambles off the stairs, and looks to his direction with a kind of blustery bravado that fails to impress. She trips, you see, oh yes, just a tumble of arms, and mostly legs, this girl.

G'briel saunters in in his usual lazy way, his gaze skimming over the hall and coming to rest on the pair of young girls - he had originally come to visit Allegria, but with such lovely...distractions - well, you can't blame him for pausing. "Evening..." is murmured in his smooth, lazy voice by way of greeting.

Allowy glances sidelong to Hanneke in a feeble attempt at some sort of validation, but instead switches back to peer curiously at G'briel with an obvious respect and admiration bordering on fear. She lowers her head a bit in defference to him, and adds, "Evening, Sir."

Hanneke is certainly distracting, although it might be a negative--er, anyway. She returns Allowy's glance with a brilliant smile of her own, expression undaunted by anything in it's guileless charm. She turns back to G'briel, noting, "Same to you, of course! Lovely evening--sir." It's an after thought, made with a blush as she tacks it on.

Allowy spends an inordinate amount of time staring at G'briels black and orange-twined with green knot, which utterly fascinates her. Or is it those stark...depthful pools that pass as his eyes?

G'briel smirks at Allowy's admiring gaze, but wave a lazy hand at both girls. "No Sirs, please. Just G'briel or Gabe will do fine." He notes. "What has two pretty ladies such as yourselves hanging about a drafty hall of an evening?" he wonders. "And might I get your names?"

Hanneke's gaze, thankfully, isn't admiring--yet. "G'briel, then, certainly," she notes with a winning smile and lilt to her voice, propping herself up against the banister of the staircase, which she still hasn't left entirely. Her free hand smoothes out her hairstyle with careful meticulousness, as she adds, "I'm Hanneke, and this is Allowy, but you can't call her owl because she doesn't like it. Don't call me Hanky, either."

Allowy blurts out, "Allowy" but that's about all. Then she remember the other part of the question. Maybe there is some credence to Hanneke's appraisal of her wits. "Ahm, I'm here with Enazaile and the other farmers, we were delivering goods for the Hall. It's Holder Business, Si-ahm....G'briel."

Allowy stumbles over the G'briel, as if she isn't used to the pronouciation, which is partly true, but if she was more in control of all faculties at this moment, then it would have sounded better. She changes looks to give Hanneke a baleful grimace. She hates 'owl', why keep mentioning that? Oh, maybe that was her fault after all

G'briel flicks an admiring glance over Hanneke's tawny curls as she smoothes them, eyes half-lidding to hide a flare of some as yet indecipherable emotion. "Mmm....Hanneke...very lovely. As is Allowy. So you are a farmer?" he murmurs to the latter, before smiling at the harper apprentice again. "I wouldn't dream of using such dreadful nicknames for two such pretty girls."

Hanneke's vanity is so easily fed: she preens for a moment or more under G'briel's glance, although her hands are relinquished as if in some attempt to appear natural--fickle woman. "Oh, then you're much nicer than most of the boys here." Her blush returns, as she admits, "I mean, not that I'd equate you on such a level, or anything. But--" Allowy's glance is returned with blank regard; intellect is not high, here.

Allowy gathers herself on her feet again, dusting off her less than shapely frame, and hands as well, a sidelong look between G'briel and Hanneke gives her something akin to jealous as she makes up for her own inadequacies by placing fault in others! A very bad habit to get into. She waits for Hanneke to finish.

G'briel chuckles, quite amused by Hanneke's vacuous babblings. "That's because I'm not a boy, little one, but a man full-grown. And with a man's appetites." He'd be licking his lips if he were the wolf in that fairy tale about a girl with a red cape. He flicks his gaze to Allowy, still awaiting her response. "Yes...definitely an appetite."

Hanneke shuts her mouth as if she was never intending to add to her statement, glazed glance returning to rest upon G'briel after a momentary lapse towards her feet. "Oh. Yes." Her incomprehension of this particular statement is made clear, although she struggles to place a knowing expression upon her face. Striving for appearances is a normal occupation.

Allowy changes glances to G'briel, although not totally removing all traces of natural feminine interest on her features, she does a good job of seeming to be less conscious of G'briels charms than perhaps Hanneke, replying finally with a renewed measure of confidence, the shock of having come face to face with a Dragonrider passing, "I do not farm, though that is not a profession to be so ashamed of--I raise Runners, and ride them as fast as they'll bear me. It's a pleasure to meet you, G'briel"

Allowy adds, smoothing her own impossibly tangled fire-cracker orange hair down, trying to pretty it up some, but failing to mirror Hanneke's natural grace and charm, "I brought some stock as well, in part to change out my father's for the return journey"

Violetta ventures down the grand main staircase.

G'briel laughs softly at Hanneke's incomprehension, leaving her to regain her composure as he smile at Allowy. "I never said it was a shameful occupation - I happen to enjoy the fruits of a farmer's labors quite happily, and often." He notes. "Although raising runners isn't a shameful occupation either." He murmurs. "Do you handle the...breeding of such..as well?" he asks with polite interest, though his eyes gleam suggestively, laughter in their depths.

Hanneke blushes profusely at the mention of 'breeding'; at least she understands what that means, biting upon her lip as she struggles harder still to regain that oft-needed composure. Grace and charm are nothing if there's nothing between the ears to back them up.

Allowy finds her fingers tangled in her locks as she tries to be as casual as G'briel with such matters, "I thank you for such an honest appraisal of what I do, and yes, I definitely am around when the fillies are in season, and the stallions eager to discover the same. It's what I do." She grins, her finely delineated brows arching in some degree of amusement.

Allowy ohs, that sounded terrible. "I mean, I make sure that the right runner is paired with a suitable...oh, well I suppose you know more than I can explain at the moment without gibbering on..."

G'briel watches with fascination as Hanneke blushes yet again - she does that an awful lot, it seems, then chuckles at Allowy's attempt at complacency. "Ahhh......I'm sure that you are quite good at what you do, Allowy - tell me, do you enjoy watching them? Or do you just get them together and let them do their own thing?" His eyes gleam with that continued amusement - he's enjoying himself immensely. "Hanneke? Have you ever watched runners mate?"

Allowy finds her eyes returning to Hanneke, remembering her original reason for stomping into the quiet sanctitude of harper hall. Well, at least is isn't the women's domitory, "Hanneke...I am so dreadfully thristy. Would I be able to find any water hereabouts?"

[Monitor] Disconnected: Klari (#18157) at Sat Apr 21 07:28:06 2001 - 15 on.

Allowy preffers to let Hanneke answer G'briels second question, while she wets her lips...oh, that won't do...they are so dry and chapped! Perfect...

Hanneke? "Er, no," she gets out, eventually, although her expression has been schooled out of it's distaste. "Mother says that such things aren't for young eyes." She turns her head, pointing towards the dining hall--"In there! Lots of stuff in there!" Oh, good! A comfortable subject.

G'briel just grins, and shrugs. "Your mother obviously doesn't know how educational it can be." He murmurs, eyes flicking to the dining hall. "If you like, we could all go find something to drink." He suggests. "And sit down. And....talk."

Allowy smirks at G'briel, her pale blue eyes filled with mirth at his tone and male bravaddo, "I need a drink. The Stallions often can't find the *mark* without assistance, and they last a mere two to three minutes at most. Hardly the most exciting of scenes. Ah, my throat is dry. That sounds wonderful"

Hanneke notes with a rueful expression of distaste, "I shall have to go to bed eventually, else the masters will catch me and there'll be *awful* trouble." That doesn't stop her from jumping from her step onto the ground floor, towards the Dining Hall. "But sure! That would be fun." Yes indeed. Innocence is--innocent.

Pushing the door aside, you pass into redolent chaos.

Allowy emerges from the main hall.

Violetta emerges from the main hall.

G'briel emerges from the main hall.

Allowy has no clue where the water is, so she waits for Hanneke's able assistance. Meanwhile she cleans sod and road burrs from her high, very dirty boots.

Hanneke flings out one arm with her usual exuberance towards the serving table--"There'll be stuff to drink there," she notes, vaguely, while selecting a seat for herself with able ease. "It's fairly quiet in here, for once." That doesn't mean it's empty, and she gets a few odd looks for her noise--her voice doesn't go anywhere but 'loud' and 'earsplitting'.

G'briel chuckles, following the two girls into the dining area, his eyes on Hannek's backside but his words for Allowy. "You know, that is the nice thing about men as opposed to runners. Take me for instance." He murmurs smoothly. "I have the stamina to last all night, if I've a mind." And he's shown it enough times to make it a fact, not fiction. "What will you ladies have?" he asks with a charming smile? "Perhaps something soothing so as to not keep Hanneke from her beauty rest? And out danger of inciting the wrath of her masters?"

Lucky for Hanneke that her eyes don't rest upon her backside; she'd be scandalised, really she would. The conversation rests delightfuly over her head, so she sits, listening, her eyes wide. "Juice, please," she elects, winning smile used upon G'briel. "Mother says that we shouldn't drink klah at night, because it keeps us awake." Royal plural, or awkward phrasing?

Allowy pours herself a tall mug of ...water, while giving G'briel a charming smile full of white, her hair partially obscuring the puck-like grin featured there, "G'brile, pardon my saying so, but if I had a broom or a pitchfork about, I'd put you to the test right enough..."

G'briel smiles at Hanneke, finding her a glass of juice and getting a mug of klah for himself, returning with a wink "I drink klah at any time of day or night, and it doesn't seem to keep me up if I've a mind to sleep" He notes. "Your mother might be wrong, there." He chuckles at Allowy's comment, shaking his head "My stamina for actual work is less than a stallions, I'm afraid. No...my stamina is very....specialized." He takes a sip of klah, his lazy grin showing once he's lowered the mug.

Hanneke's mother, wrong? The apprentice digests this, but with a shake of her head; she's not into believing that, although she smiles as much as ever. She accepts her juice, wrapping fingers about the glass cooly; "Stamina is--good," she murmurs. It's better to at least attempt to know something, after all.

Allowy regards G'briel over the wide rim of her tasty mug of h2o, "It's a good thing that doesn't apply to the thread, as I know you are no doubt able in that regard, and I admire your courage all the more for it. " She smiles at Hanneke, and idlly sits on a stool, crossing her legs in particulary ungirlish fashion, arms back behind her head as she partakes of a bit of well earned rest.

Allowy stifles a yawn, opening one eye to see how the conversation is going. Hmm, awfully quiet

Hanneke gazes into her juice with an almost contemplative gaze--silence is never a very good thing. "So!"

G'briel chuckles, a brow raising. "Thread? Never seen the stuff myself, so I wouldn't know. I hear, as has everyone else, that's it's wicked stuff. But I won't face it in my lifetime." He shrugs. "It suits me. It saves my stamina for more worthy causes."

Hanneke just giggles; when in doubt, go for the stupid look? Footsteps sound on the stairs outside; she pauses, freezes, then jumps. "I better go!" Just in case, and all. "Good night, and nice to meet you all and I hope I'll see you all again sometime because that'd be good!" Run on sentances are her specialty. And--she's gone.

Allowy stretches, and almost spills her water, or what's left of it. She nods to G'briel. "So fine to meet a man dedicated to worthy causes," she pauses for a moment before asking, "Where is the better half of your team? The one with great big wings?" She tries to keep the extreme awe out of the last.

Drawing open the door, you pass into the yet more chaotic outer hall.