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.

07-05-01: Chatter
Hanneke's step is bounced, as she makes great strides from the Kitchen, a scowl-faced drudge watching her go with a...

Hanneke's step is bounced, as she makes great strides from the Kitchen, a scowl-faced drudge watching her go with a wooden spoon waving in one hand. "Bye, now!" she trills towards the drudge, serving herself a glass of juice with only the slightest bit of spillage--that's only normal, after all. With beaming smile, she greets Eirene and Karei: "Hihi!"

Karei peers at Hanneke, blinking once. "Someday, I'm going to find out how you stay so cheerful." This should be followed by a more ominous comment, but threatening fellow Candidates and friends isn't a pasttime of Kares'. "Hello, though, anyway." And then she's off to the creampuffs, peering about for Chandelle.

Eirene is washing things. Tables, specifically. Rag in one hand, bucket of soapy water in the other, she bounces from table to table. Looking up at Hanneke's greeting, she beams. "Hullo!" Karei gets a bright grin as well, along with a rag-wave, sending little drops of water spraying about her.

Karei's comment is rewarded with Hanneke's usual blank smile, vacuous expression hardly wavering as she greets the comment with a nod. No answer is made, instead, the candidate turns her attention towards Eirene, "Is this your chore? They told me to work in the kitchens again, but," a glance is given back to the kitchen, where the drudge has disappeared from view, "I dropped a plate."

"I have kitchen duty," Karei pipes up, appearing about as nosy as a short little Candidate can. "Why does /everyone/ have kitchen duty? Are we all going to start off with kitchen duty, and then work our way... up?" It's the Candidate rank system. Riight. A blink is directed towards Hanneke, after a moment, a distracted wave and creampuff-waggle shot to Eirene. "You dropped a plate?" Blink.

Eirene bobbing her head at Hanneke, she waves the rag a bit more to demonstrate. "Yeah. Cleaning tables." She wrinkles her nose up a bit. "I was supposed to do mending, but I'm not so good at that, so I traded." Not so good is the polite way of putting it.

Having finished changeing the glowbaskets and rotating the herbs in the infirmary, Dalas comes into the cavern for a little break."I don't have kitchen duty but having to do almost everything in the infirmary is getting to be a bit tiresome." Dalas says pouring himself some juice,"Has anyone seen Saldia around, I think she is /suppose/ to be helping out."

Hanneke dropped three or four, but that's not crucial information. "Yup!" declares Hanneke brightly, although not, it might be noted, with pride. She had dignity to uphold. "Mending, oh, I'd love to do mending. Haven't had that yet," adds the young woman, smoothing her clothes. "I did all the embroidery on my clothes, see?" She sinks into a seat, sipping her juice with enthusiasm.

Karei peers at her own clothes; hand-me-downs that actually fit her and won't let her melt. "I.. uh, got my new clothes from the storage caverns." Hack, hack. And then she chews on her 'puff, pondering. "I want outdoors-duty. I don't like the kitchens."

Eirene gives Hanneke a sideways, 'you must be crazy' look, but continues her scrubbing. "Oh. Well, I'll trade my mending with you, when I get it next." She looks up to beam at Karei. "You too? I like outside chores best!" And there the ones no one wants, so they're easy to trade for. "Inside's boring."

Dalas smiles and looks over at Karei,"Hey I heard they need someone to clean out the ash-pits for a few days and then to keep it tidy after drill practices."Looking over the sideboard to see what might be edible, what with candidates in the kitchens,"Latrine duty is still up for grabs too, though they may be saving that for punishment for minor infractions."

Hanneke's nose wrinkles firmly, head shaking. "Ew! Outside chores are icky. My hair's bad enough." One hand moves smoothly to touch up said hair, which does look slightly dry, her attention falling towards Dalas. "No, haven't." Seen Saldia, that is.

Karei disappears beneath the arched entrance to the Living Quarters.

Karei ews at Dalas. "Ew. Ashpits -- I was thinking more along the lines of picking greens, or something." Eew. "..hum. Well. Maybe we'll get greens-picking together, or something."

Looks Hanneke over and asks,"Is that a pimple on your face or just something from the kitchen splattered there?" Wondering how she will react to such a discovery,"I mean I have some medicine that might help that." Then looking back to the sideboard he decides on a couple of lukewarm bubblies left over. So Dalas grabs them and his juice and walks over to a table to sit down,"I don't think you will be getting any of the easier out door duties, I mean the drudges are getting them as quick as they can and they are already use to being up early, the early wherry gets the vtol as it were."

Eirene can pick greens. Or even clean the ashpits. Anything but mending. Tables offically clean, Eirene throws the rag back into the bucket with a little splash. Blinking at first Dalas, and then Hanneke's face with narrowed eyes, Eirene wrinkles her nose. "Oh. Well, I'm done. I should go see if I have anything else on the chore board to do." Maybe she'll get greens-picking.

Hanneke's face absolutely splits in half, as she dramatically moves her hands about her face, attempting to find this so called pimple. Dalas is cruel. "Where, where? I don't *feel* it." Voice is, as per usual, vacant in it's tone, and even her panic drains to nothing. "Still don't see it." Again, her nose wrinkles at the idea of green picking, "Nasty. You'd get your hands and knees and clothes all dirty!"

"I always thought wherries ate each other?" Karei, however, has never watched a wherry eat, so she wouldn't know. Hanneke, however, gets a smirk. "My clothes're hand-me-downs, so there isn't a problem." Sagenod.

Dalas laughs a bit as he looks over at Hanneke,"Oh I'm sorry must have been the lighting or something,"He tells her with another guffaw. Dalas thought she seemed a little vane but just wanted to make sure, testing out the other candidates to see where their strengths and weakness' lie,"I think a wherry will eat about anything it can catch and its definately possible they would eat a weak or injured of their own kind. But they do eat bugs, which is good else we would be over run with trundles and vtols."

There is no doubt, of course, that Hanneke is vain, rubbing at her nose with one soft, white hand, her attention turned upon herself in a drastic inverse of all that is good. "That's nasty," she notes, of the wherry conversation, her voice resonating the ever present giggle, even through her distaste.

Karei humphs quietly, looking rather perturbed. "I like trundlebugs. They're very nice to watch, sometimes -- my blue's easily amused by the way they meander about in a little straight line." Karei's amused, too, but that doesn't need to be said.

Dalas looks back over to Karie and Hanneke, he is going to like this candidacy he believes, there are a few quirks he can play out against his fellow candidates, and now with Dominic being one of them as well he knows the big man is a fairly easy target...Wait a minute, why is he reverting back to this train of thought, surely he has out grown such thoughts of pranks and practical jokes. Could be the memories of past candidacies comming back to him."Its not hard to amuse the simple minded blue firelizards, though some of them can have a bit of intelligence given some age behind them."Remembering his Nightshade, that blue was so smart it was almost eerie, hmm is Karei just a little more than an air-head? He didn't think so but you never know till you live with someone.

"My blues don't watch things like that," announces Hanneke with some pride, crossing her arms in front of her. "Nor my brown, or my bronze. They watch me, and other people, instead. I think that's more intelligent." Dubiously.

Karei waggles a finger at Dalas. "Tienlei is quite smart, thank you very much. He just enjoys watching the trundlebugs move -- he thinks it's fun to change their course when he doesn't have anything to do." And Karei isn't an airhead, thank you very much. "I can see why; simple-minded little buggers'll go in the same direction until they smack into something." It's interesting to view their simplemindedness.

Oooh, definately not an air-head at all this one. She seems to have one of those hidden intelligence that can sneak up on you and snip you in the rear if your not careful."Still you have to admit when it comes to brains the blue firelizards seem to have missed out on their fair share, although they do seem to make up for it in entheusiasm."This one Dalas is definately going to have to watch."So do we have any other new candidates besides Dominic?" He asks glad to have a fellow male candidate, one thats close to his age anyway.

Hanneke's conversant abilities, in a conversation in which she really doesn't have much grasp, are poor. "I think they're sweet, blue firelizards. All cute, and fun." Simplemindedless is amusing, yes.

"I really don't think color matters," Karei says, shrugging. "I've seen some fairly stupid greens; even a few rather ditzy golds." Simplemindedness is an equal-opportunity plague, you see. "All the colors are nice, though, no matter how smart they are; same with dragons. Color shouldn't matter." Unless you're a guy who wants to Impress gold, or something. That'd be a problem.

Dalas smiles at Karei, she may not be an air-head but she does have a kind of simple mindedness to her, not so much as lacking intelligence as being naive,"Dragons differ greatly from firelizards, and well I don't think the color matters all that much, but I think it does play some roles in things, I mean a guy can't ride a gold and a girl can't ride a bronze, so girls can't really be weyrleader in a weyr, unless of course one of the browns is strong enough to catch the queen then there is that chance, but the queen would have to pretty old or the brown something very special to catch her." He goes off on this analytical tirade, very easy to get him going on things that require thought.

Karei huffs. "Dragons and firelizards look the same; I don't see why they couldn't act the same, sometimes, too." And then she stiffens as her name's called from the kitchens. "And I wouldn't think it'd matter who caught the gold, so long as their rider'd make a good leader. But I have to go; we'll have to discuss it later." And thus, she's off, waving in farewell.

Hanneke simply watches Dalas, his words flying entirely over her head--"Yes," she agrees, just for the sake of agreeing. "All colors are pretty!" she adds, to Karei, nodding and smiling with brilliant charm. "Bye!"

Dalas waves as Karie heads out, then turns towards Hanneke. One thing about her she had a right to be vain."You are looking nice tonight Hanneke, sorry I got you worked up earlier about the pimple comment,"He tells her taking a bite of his pie and washing it down with some citronade."How have you liked being in the weyr so far, any questions or such?"

Hanneke takes a dainty, overly delicate sip of her juice, swallowing it carefully before she responds to Dalas. "Thank you," she beams, bubbling with delight at the comment; easily pleased, always pleased. "Oh, it's okay," she adds, nodding her head rapidly. "I don't mind!" Another sip is taken, and swallowed, before she continues, "Oh, it's a lot of fun! Of course, the sun is just horrible for my hair, but I don't think it will make a huge amount of difference. And it's more fun, than sleeping with all the apprentices, I find. Don't you think?"

Julietta comes in from the bowl yawning and heads straight for the klah.

Dalas smiles at Hanneke,"I haven't had to sleep with apprentices for a little while now but yes I can see what you mean,"Looking her over and listening to her voice,"So you were a harper apprentice before you were searched?" He asks her, thinking it a shame that the hall will be missing such a lovely voice but a good thing for the weyr he guesses."Do you have any songs you would like to sing, or anything special you have written before you got searched?"

Dalas evidently hasn't heard Hanneke sing, not that that's obvious from her speaking voice. She nods enthusiastically, smile bubbling over with delight, a hand waving towards the newer entrants into the cavern. "Harper Apprentice, yes!" she agrees, "Oh, I suppose so. Do you really want to hear me sing? Rei--er, Zureile, keeps telling me not to!"

Julietta makes way over toward Dalas and Hanneke with a smile and a full mug of klah.

Looking around the room and not seeing Zureile around. Dalas nods over at the girl,"Sure I wouldn't mind hearing you sing, besides Zureile isn't here at the moment, and what would a girl who pretends to be a boy for no good reason know of singing anyway."Dalas tells her looking over at the new person who came in,"Hey Julietta come on over Hanneke is about to sing us a little song."Beckoning with his arm to the other girl.

Hanneke's expression indicates positive delight at this turn of events, as she moves herself to her feet, brushing her clothes off with a careful hand. Dramatically, she rests one hand upon the edge of her chair, raising the other as if for emphasis, as she opens her mouth and begins to sing. The words are nice enough, but it's the voice that outplays them; she sounds, to be brutally honest, worse than a dying feline. What is sweet in a speaking voice is drastically different in a singing voice. At least she has enthusiasm, which shows through her dramatic gestures, and facial expressions.

Chandelle walks into the room tears streaking down her face. It looks like she has been crying for a while. A sob excapes her lips every now and then as she makes her way over to the drinks and pours herself a tall glass of the most potant acholic bevrage there is and hopeing no one else sees her tears. The only thing is she has a squaking green flying around her head makeing a lot of noise at her and drawing attention to her and the drink she is pouring.

Cringing just a little as the concert begins. Amazing how much a voice can change from speaking to singing. He looks around and then realizes that perhaps Zureile was only being honest in a blunt way to the girl than actually being hateful. Still Dalas asked for this song and he will listen till its over. He nods at Chandelle as she comes into the cavern a bit curious but being in the middle of the concert he just can't get up and walk over. Another drink of citronade will mask the grimace of the offkeyed notes that follow.

Julietta looks over at Hanneke and just blinks. She drops into a seat and sees Chandelle. She looks over at the lady worriedly using it to take her mind off the horrible singing.

Hanneke's song, thankfully, is not so very long, and she ends with a flourish--and a horribly high note, beaming brilliantly towards her audience. "I just love singing, don't you? Music is just wonderful." Chandelle's crying remains unoticed in her jubilation, as she takes up her glass again to sip.

Chandelle finishes pouring the glass of whatever and through tears and the occousanel sob she takes a long sip of the drink. The green not giveing up her task dives at the glass and then screatchs somemore at the girl as if to say you don't need that.

Applaud, applaud. Thankfully it was a short song,and the jubilant applauds are more for the end of the song than the song itself and no one is crying encore."You did....good...Hanneke."Don't quit your day job is what he wants to tell her but..."I mean I have heard worse,"Yeah a watchwher with a thorn in its paw."And I have heard better, could be that you were meant to be searched to give that special ability over to a single audience of your lifemate, who would only better deserve it."Dalas tells her then turns towards the cacaphony of noise that plays in another part of the cavern. Dalas wonders if he should go over but this seems to be something another woman would be better at.

Chandelle turns around and trying to shoe off the green takes anouther long sip of the drink and findign a seat sits down. THe green contenues untill she gets some attetion form the others in the room.

Hanneke smiles prettily, smoothing her hair once more with one slender hand. "Thank you, Dalas," she beams, voice filled with a giggle. "Maybe!" she agrees, "I'm sure a lifemate would love to listen to me! Oh, such fun." She peers at Chandelle, having noticed her, and asks, "Are you okay? Hi, I'm Hanneke!"

Chandelle looks up as the green setals down a bit "I'm ok I just got some realy bad news and it is to late for me to do anything about it" she says takeing another sip of the drink.

Dalas is very glad that Hanneke opens the doors of discussion with Chandelle,and whispers to her,"Thats the assistant Headwoman, one of the ones that will be assigning your chores to you." Giving Hanneke a bit of warning and maybe advice, could be you get in good with Chandelle you get choice of chores.Dalas walks over after having told her this,"Yes are you doing ok?" He asks her sitting down across from her and speaking in a more natural tone."I mean you seem to have be crying about something."

Hanneke nods vacantly in Dalas' direction; she's not really very good with subtlties. "Oh, okay," is her response to Chandelle, compounded with a brilliant smile. "That's no good!"

B'roughs enters from the Weyr's bowl, outside.

The green still tries to get the glass knocked over or something as Dell starts to talk about the letter she got "A friend of mine who lived at Xanadue was realy bad sick and died just a few seven days ago. She was kind of like a sister to me seeing as how I meet her on my wondering across pern befor I came here." she says trying to take a sip of the drink but getting a green in her face.

Dalas looks up at B'roughs comes into the cavern and is a bit worried,"Everything ok with the twins?" He asks hoping that they are still doing good, twins do tend to have more problems than single births. Hearing what Chandelle has to say he turns back to her concern on his face,"I am sorry to hear that Chandelle, is there going to be a wake for her or something, I mean you may not make it to the funeral but you could always go and spend time with the family, unless you were only close to the girl." Dalas looks back at B'roughs still a bit worried.

"I'm sorry!" trills Hanneke, who, notably, doesn't seem to sound so very sorry--although vocal expression tends not to be accurate, ranging from happy to extatic. "That's horrible!" Dalas' words to B'roughs has her head turned, and a bright smile placed upon him--"Evening!"

Chandelle shacks her head "I can't make it and I was only close to the girl her name was Chianna and she was a lovely girl." she says

B'roughs grins broadly. "They're doing fine... and should be till the girl gets old enough to get an opinion of her name." Not that dad's going to argue with mom over the naming of the kids. "Adria's alseep and so are they at the moment... though if my siblings are any indication, I doubt they'll remain that way very often."

Dalas smiles and says,"Well I don't think they will take turns, they will probably both want to be fed at the same time which isn't going to give Adria much of a break."Looking at B'roughs,"There is a powdered formula of different minerals and herbs that can be helpful in supplemental feedings if you and Adria want to give it a try,I mean it looks and tastes just like herdbeast milk when its mixed with cool water." He then watches as Chandelle gets up and heads off,"I hope things go ok for her." He says watching the distraught girl leave.

Hanneke watches after Chandelle, although her face shows no concern; only vacuousness. "You have twins?" she asks of B'roughs, eyes lighting up--"How awfully cute!"

B'roughs watches dell go then nods to Dalas. "We may. Inigoth's sleeping in the bowl and I'm parking myself in her quarters for a while so she won't have to cope with both of them alone." the information about the supliment is filed away. It could be very usefull in the long nights ahead then to Hanneke. "Born this afternoon, ma'am!" And his grin could rival hers today.

Dalas nods towards B'roughs,"I mean Adria isn't going to be able to feed both of them at once and well they do need the colostrium from the mothers milk and it would probably work out better for her. I also have some herbal tea that Adria should get to help with the post partum part of her pregnancy, could keep the depression at least at bay." Looking over at B'roughs,"I was glad to see that there was another male candidate chosen, did Inigoth pick Dominic as well?" Then he remembers something,"I don't suppose you were able to find out anything from Fort Weyr were you."

Impressive. "Oooh!" Hanneke trills, although she adds, "Babies are no fun. But they're awful cute! What're they're names?" Dalas' train of thought over feeding is ignored entirely, no doubt due to her own inability to understand it.

B'roughs shakes his head. "No, Dominic wouldn't go near Inigoth... Inigoth wanted to see what blond hair tasted like." Some days... somepeople's dragons. hanneke's not the only one lost in the medical babble. "I'll get a translation of that later." then to Hanneke. "Yes, they're cute... the boy is Adroughs, the girl is Burdria..." Back to Dalas. "the last was /not/ my idea."

Dalas nods at B'roughs,"I will explain it to you later, but don't forget your the one who suggested I go to the Healercrafthall to become a healer, or do you remember that?" He asks him, giving him a speculative eye,"You do remember when you, me, Adria, Audria and Mesopha were on the beach playing those water games and stuff don't you?"

"Adroughs and Burdria," repeats Hanneke, her nose wrinkling slightly at the sound of each name. "They're pretty enough!" she assures B'roughs, although perhaps with less enthusiasm.

In the distance, the drums announce the departure of Istan Greenrider L'zan.

B'roughs chuckles and nods. "I do indeed. I also remember you didn't take me overly seriously at first. I almost went healer hall, but I got bored staying in one place. So came here and ended up with that blue lump ofmine."

Dalas looks a bit suprised as he does remember,"Well you would have made a good healer, maybe even in the emergency first aid. Now however you have a bit too much on your plate to continue in the study of anything besides father hood."He tells him with a smile,"Are you going to assist C'shar as weyrlingmaster this go round."Just curious and a change of subject really.

Hanneke, for a wonder, goes silent; sipping at her juice appears to take most of her attention for a long while.

Julietta disappears beneath the arched entrance to the Living Quarters.

B'roughs shakes his head. "No, I've got my hands full with Griffon and you candidates. With Adria and the twins. I think WEyrling master is out. Besides, I'd have to leave griffon to do that. I'll help out when I can, but..." He shrugs. "Rumor has it D'rill and Serganth might be leaning that way." He glances at Hanneke. "And you, hanneke how are you liking the wyer?"

Dalas gives a slight groan at the names mentioned,"Shards not those two."He says with a little too much sourness,"You know I had to give him a physical and he wanted to wind up telling me what to do and when to do it, I finally just had to slip him a little something to put him to sleep so I could finish the physical."Looking at B'roughs,"I hated to do it but the man just wouldn't sit still long enough for it."

Hanneke gives a polite moue of interest as B'roughs and Dalas talk, her attention seemingly placed upon them, although she gives no indication of such. Blinking, her lips pull into a smile wider than ever, and she opines, "Oh, it's just wonderful! Lots of new people, who like to hear me sing, and new friends to make, and everyone's just so *nice*, even if my hair isn't doing so well." Her limp hairdo is given a smoothing, then her hands return to the table in front of her. "Oh, it's just *wonderful*."

"I think there is something that can give your hair a bit of lift in this humidity if you want to give it a shot, I mean I know that one of the healers were employed by the Lady Holder of Ista to find something that would help her hair and its here on the island from what the records show."Dalas tells the girl not sure if she would be interested in trying something new."I mean I'm sure if I can find the beach plant they use along with the water plant it would help your hair pretty good."Giving the advice to his fellow candidate, course if they mixed the wrong plants together who knows what could happen.

B'roughs chuckles. "Sounds like D'rill. You run into Rac and Rap? they look to be a handful." 3plates 4 bowls and a chair is the current dammage... "Good to hear you're having fun..." He says to Hanneke. "Sorry aobut your hair.

Hanneke gives Dalas an almost hesitant glance, before her face truly does break into a smile even bigger than ever, no matter how difficult that appears. "Oh, that'd be wonderful! You're so sweet, Dalas, and thoughtful, and--" she breaks off, still beaming. "Oh, it'll be fine, I'm sure," she adds to B'roughs. "Especially with Dalas'...stuff."

Dalas says,"Yes I have met them, had em in the infirmary about two or three months ago."Looking at B'roughs,"One broke his arm and the other broke his leg, I can't remember exactly what it was they were doing but it was something about playing dragon and rider fighting thread."Shaking his head as he remembers the two childrens injuries,"They weren't severe fractures but gaging from the bruises and the scrapes I saw on them I don't think it was the last time I will be seeing them."

A hushed silence fills the room as everyone seems to be engrossed in their own thoughts, who will speak next? What subject will come up from their revelries? Who knows what shadows lurk in the hearts of men?

Hanneke sits still a moment longer, and then, as if she can hold it no longer, she jumps up. Without dignity, nor elegance and grace, she tears off, leaving behind her juice without hesitation--ducking towards the lower caverns. When you've gotta go, you've gotta go?

You head into the Living Quarters.