Oh, no, it's...a hopping Jessa!
Main Hall
Running through the cavernous Main Hall of Ista Sea Hold, a ten meter ledge of sea-worn stone comprises the main working area along with a lane of seawater the flows parallel to the shelf. Upon the ledge are six tables used mostly for classes or cleaning dive gear. To the west a large archway leads to the entrance foyer and the dormitories, as well as the Crafthead's office. Along the other walls are smaller archways, leading to the other areas of the Hall. Opposite this area runs a wide bridge that crosses the sea-lane towards the other side, to the other archways that lead deep inside. On non-Thread days, heavy metal shutters are opened from large windows, letting fresh sea air and sun... [look closer]
You see Cindy the Drudge here.
Obvious exits:
Records Room Office Corridor Bridge Docking Cavern Kitchens Courtyard
Shimmer bounces in with a light step, sapphire eyes sparkling... in from the Arched Bridge.
Jessa is hopping around, on one foot too. Her pale furred ferret has given up even trying to stay on her shoulder, and is on the ground watching the girl and running in circles around her.
Shimmer wanders in idly, a mug of klah in her hand, slightly forced smile upon her face. Apparently, Shim has decided to act like her cheerful, normal self...though clouded eyes, slightly gaunter face, and heavy tread belie that sentiment. "Heyla, Jessa!" she chirps as she meanders towards the girl, blinking slightly at the hopping. "Cute ferret?" is offered tentatively...
Jessa is hopping, not hopping mad, just hopping. She continues to hop as she beams brightly at Shimmer. "Yup, isn't Nebbie just so cute?" Nebbie being the ferret of course. The fact that Jess is cute needs not be mentioned, as everyone knows that.
Shimmer walks closer towards the duo, blinking at the ferret. "Well, yes. Don't your flits want to eat him?" she questions curiously. Curiosity in the girl who just yesterday was a brick wall. Well, at least forced cheer in a sad face is better than no cheer at all...right? Mebbe.
Jessa continues to hop in place, switching from right foot to left foot and hopping on that foot. "Nah, they're all used to ferrets. They kind of ignore her. Except for Navi, who just loves her." Hop. Hop. Hop.
Shimmer eyes the hopping Jessa curiously. "Hot feet?" she questions slowly. Well, that's the excuse all those Candidates use...or so she's heard. "Really? Ignore her? That's interesting..." she blinks, and grins lopsidedly, "I doubt Sapphire and Lapiz'd leave that cuddly little creature alone if they ever caught sight of it. Rascals."
Hop. Hop. Hop. Jess keeps hopping and shakes her head, "Nope, just hopping." Does she really need to explain herself for hopping? Jess sees no reason to. "Yup, ignore her. They think she's annoying, she tries to talk to them." Hop. Hop. Hop. Nebbie keeps running in circles around Jess. Aren't ferrets just plain hyper?
Shimmer outright stares this time. "Your ferret tries to /talk/ to your flizzen?" Gape. Shim abruptly closes her mouth with an audible snap. "That must be quite the sight." she notes, taking another swallow of her lukewarm klah. S'better that way, you know...
Jessa hops away. "Well, she chitters at them," there's a half shrug that is kind of visible despite the hopping, "And they chirp back," another half shrug, if you could tell that that was a half shrug and not part of the hop, or just some wierd spasm. "So I guess she tries to talk to them?" Ah yes, Jess can be quite imaginative when it comes to her animals.
Shimmer nods slowly. "I guess that counts as talking." Shim grins slightly, a poor rendition of what once would have constituted a beam. Of course, Shim's eternally stubborn...and she won't admit anything's wrong. Nope. She's perfectly fine. "Wherever did you get her?"
Jessa continues to hop. There nothing is abnormal about a hopping apprentice. Really. Happens all the time. "I dunno if they really /do/ talk, but it seems like she tries." Really, Jess isn't sure about this either. "I got her ... back in Keroon. Yup, that's where I'm from."
Right. Hopping apprentices. Of course. Must be an epidemic going around. "Cute." Shim comments again, ducking instinctively as a brown flit dives towards her head and chitters angrily at her for ruining his landing pad. Apparently, it was destined to be her head. The hovering flit eventually stops his litany and settles for curling around her neck comfortably...
"She is cute." And Jess switches feet again and hops again. But now she decides to not hop in one place, but rather to go in a circle. Hop. Hop. Hop. In a circle. Nebbie freaks out on the ground and chitters madly at her.
Shimmer eyes the ferret and backs slowly away, keeping her gaze upon the chittering item. "Excitable, hmm?" is questioned dryly ad Shim scritches the petit brown, sipping yet again from the klah mug as Jessa is eyed...along with her ferret. Hopping appies, angry ferrets...what /will/ the hall come up with next?
Oh the ferret isn't really angry, but rather irritated. "Yup, ferrets are excitable, and they are hyper too." Jess nods while hopping, not that a nod would be distinguishable from a normal head movement as a cause of hopping. The hall is insane really, anything is possible.
Sounds like a certain apprentice Shim knows. However, no comment is given other then a grin as Shim plops herself into a chair and folds one leg over the other, sipping the mug of klah regally. Queen Shimmer, viewing her kingdom...ahem...
And that apprentice just couldn't be Jessa, she's too calm and sweet to be hyper and excitable. Jess beams at Shimmer, and then starts to hop in larger circles around the Main Hall. The pale furred ferret scampers around behind her.
Shimmer stares at Jessa, and rolls her eyes. Hopping...in circles...around the Main Hall. Well, that's a new one on her, at least. Shim gazes mournfully at now-empty mug of klah before stirring her 'royal' behind out of her seat and wandering over towards a pitcher of klah...
Shim had better not offer Jessa any klah, for the hopping apprentice most likely does not need any. Anyone with enough energy to hop around like Jess, just should never have klah. Ever. Hop. Hop. Hop. Jess continues to hop in circles around the main hall. What fun.
Shimmer stares around after the hopping Jessa as she meanders her way back to her seat, almost tripping on another chair in the process. A little absent-minded...Shim seems to be becoming, herself. Klah is sipped delicately as Shim settles herself back into the chair, becoming lost in her own daydream, apparently.
And the apprentice keeps hopping around, and around, and then ... whoops! Jess slips and falls, landing nicely on her rear. Ooops. Pale furred ferret takes the opportunity to spring onto the girl's shoulder and begin chittering.
Shimmer stands up quickly from her seat and trots over towards Jess, blinking at the fallen girl. "That's gonna hurt to-morrow." she remarks blandly, offering a hand tentatively.
Jessa blinks up at Shim and just grins. "Nah, I'll be fine." Really she'll be fine, Jess is always falling over anyway, and is always fine. Maybe Shim heard from Chanta about the time Jess fell off the sea wall into the sea lane. Jess really needs to coordinate hersef better. Really. The apprentice stands up, no help needed at all.
Shimmer grins at Jessa. "'kay." she agrees, plopping herself into a nearby seat. "Dangerous thing, hopping." she remarks with a nod. Yep. Never know when you may fall. Terrible. Should be outlawed.
Jessa grins. Hopping is wonderful really. The apprentice doesn't even bother to brush herself off, but then the floor really isn't -that- dirty to warrant a brushing-off of any sort. And then ... she resumes hopping, of course. Her poor ferret, it climbs down her back, clinging to her tunic, and then springs off and runs over to Shimmer.
Shimmer stares at the again-hopping Jessa. Appies never learn. The ferret is gazed at curiously, and with a stiff admonishment to the brown around her neck not to eat it, Shim hunches down towards the floor and peers at the little fuzzball. "Hi." is offered to the ferret as Shim twists slightly to drag a meatroll out of her pouch, wiggling it at the ferret curiously...
Jessa does too learn. She learns the important things though, like how to swim and not drown. Whereas small things, like not hopping and thusly not fall, are rather ignored. Hopping is just too much fun to not do. Appie hops in more circles around. She won't slip this time, she hopes. The cute little ferret sits up and tilts her head, then jumps up onto the arm of the chair next to Shimmer and chirps at the senior appie.
Shimmer blinks over at Jessa. "She doesn't bite, does she?" she questions, though the question seems somewhat rhetoric as Shim straightens and wiggles the meatroll at the little fuzzy again, moving a finger, apparently to tickle under its chin delicately...
Jessa hops around and casts a glance at Shimmer, hopping in place while she does, "Nebbie? Nah, not her." As for other ferrets, Jess has had some vicious ones. Nebbie leans back a bit, and sniffs at Shim's finger, and then rubs her cute little face against it. Oooh, food.
Shimmer blinks, and nods slowly. "That's good." Shim grins brightly all of a sudden at the cuddly little ferret, and grins at it. "She is an endearing little creature..." Shim notes slowly, wrinkling her nose at the cute little critter as she offers it the meatroll. Hehe.
The endearing and adorable little critter eats some of the meatroll. Jess begins hopping elsewhere, heading somewhere else, towards ... the courtyard. Oh no, is the apprentice going to share her hopping madness with the rest of Ista? It looks that way as she hops off and out. The ferret notices her mistress is gone and races off to find her.
All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are © Anne McCaffrey 1967, 2000, all rights
reserved, and used by permission of the author.
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