The Dragonriders of PernŽ is a trademark, Registered U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, of Anne McCaffrey. This is a recorded session, generated by Harper's Tale MOO in May, 1999, for the benefit of members unable to attend. Logged by Pyrene.
Talking Before the Hatching
Adora arrives from deeper in the Weyr.
Adora meanders in, nearly dragging a little boy who is clinging tightly to her leg. "See, there's Pyrene," she tells the child, trying once again - unsuccessfuly - to dislodge his grip on her leg. waving frantically to draw the nannies attentions, she calls out, "I think you lost someone.."
Pyrene peers from her comfortable position in a chair across at Adora. And her eyes shoot daggers at the candidate once she notices the child. "Err... I don't think so?" she hazards, nervously. Off-duty or not, she's technically available at all times for the kids. With a reluctant sigh she addresses the child, "Wint? Who's supposed to be looking after you?" The boy, seeing that Pyrene isn't in the best of moods, merely clings harder to Adora's leg.
Wint just shrugs, and clings more tightly, pulling the fabric of Adora's dress so taught it is near ripping. Said candidate just looks down at the child, taking another slow step away from the inner caverns, trying not to drag the child at her feet. "Wint? Is that your name?" she asks the boy softly, once again trying to dislodge him. Bluegreen eyes shoot a helpless look toward Pyrene. Former trader likes children, but this is going to an extreme. "Would you like a cookie?" she asks him. When all else fails - try bribery.
The child raises a pudgy and suddenly hopeful face to Adora's--only a little hindered by the fact that he's currently trying to sidle behind her. Pyrene, co-operative for once, stands and quietly holds out the cookie plate in their direction. "C'mon, Wint. It's not your fault." She has the grace not to say the 'maybe' that she's thinking.
Grubby hands belonging to a formerly clinging child reach swiftly for the plate of cookies, grabbing one in each hand. Adora, just as swiftly, races to a chair with a swirl of skirts and seats herself before the boy can reclaim her leg. "Here, Wint, come sit on my lap," she offers when she sees his look - rather like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
Worse--an oncoming nanny. Wint eagerly escapes such a fate, all but diving into Adora's lap and burrowing into a couple position. Pyrene regains her own chair in high relief at not having to be the person who gets crumbs and sticky hands all over them. "So, are your chores not enough that you're now taking on the brats too?" she wonders, looking at Adora with the wary regard reserved for such insanity.
Adora laughs softly, watching in resignation as her dress adds another stain to its collection - this time: mushed cookie crumbs. "Chores are all emcompassing, as usual. It just seems like word travels fast among the weyr brood that one candidate doesn't mind playing with the children when time permits." Which reminds her, "Pyrene, do you know sign language? There's a little girl - Tiberia - who tends to shadow me, but I can't tell what she is saying to me. I'm fairly sure she's deaf."
Pyrene chuckles softly, "I think you'll find that the weyrbrat grapevine is /very/ good... thought not always trustworthy. Tiberia, yes she's deaf... there's a couple of deaf children around actually. But I don't know sign language." She blushes slightly, aware that she really /should/ have learned this. "I know, I know... but I've never found the time to learn," she says lamely, "And a lot of the riders know signs and we can usually work around it." Like a guilty child, she studies the table.
Busily disengaging sticky hands from around her neck, Adora doesn't notice Pyrene's guilty studing of the table. "Well, time gets away from us all," she comments softly, tucking the child more firmly into her lap as his eyes begin to droop. That's how the young ones are : eat, sleep, run around. Rather like mischievious puppies. "I think I'd like to learn, though," she murmurs, her expression thoughtful. "Tiberia makes herself understood, but, I would like to know truly what she's saying."
Pyrene raises her face again, good intentions shining out. "If you do, can you tell me when you've got lessons, I'll come with you." She's made such promises before, and meant them as fervently each time, but you never know....
Sighing - is that relief etched on her face? - as Wint dozes off, his thumb stuck in his mouth, Adora nods. "Sure. Although, if Impression happens, Faranth knows when I'd find the time for signing lessons too." Her tone of voice indicates how sure she is she will impress: nill.
"Well, if you don't impress, we could still go together." Pyrene asks hopefully, with marked lack of tact.
Adora chuckles and nods. "Aye, although I'll probably end up back at Tillek," she says, tugging at a lock of her poker-straight hair. "Well, perhaps we can find a 'rider to bringyou down for a visit and learn signing then, hmmm?"
Pyrene considers this, frowning. "Tillek's on the coast..." Well duh, "Why'd you want to go back there? You could stay here?" Pyrene never was any good at considering other people's opinions.
Adora tilts her head, "I hadn't thought about staying," she admits, "Although I could try to find my place here just as easily as there," she muses aloud. SHaking herself out of her thoughts, she grins, "Well, we'll just wait and see what the dragons have in store, shall we, before making any of those decisions." Cross bridges when you get to them and not before. Yupyup.
Pyrene nods, laughing slightly, "There's always a few surprises come hatching day. I wonder if both clutches will hatch at the same time... I've never seen a double one before."
Adora shakes her head, "I dont know...I keep hearing the 'riders say it could be any sevenday now," candie answers oh-so-helpfully. "It would be quite an amazing sight, to see both clutchs hatch at once." And lots of wailing, goo-dripping dragonets to sidestep, as well.
Pyrene nods, "I'm so looking forward to it... I adore hatchings. Always lots of marks to be made too with betting." She stretches slightly, smiling to herself in satisfaction. "Lots of dragonets means higher odds..."
Adora lifts an eyebrow speculativly. "Betting?" she inquires. Seems she's a little innocent of the normal goings on at a hatching. Comes from having never attended one, before. "What do you bet on?"
Pyrene shrugs, grinning, "Anything and everything... First person to impress, number of bronzes, who'll impress what, who'll faint. And there's more than one betting ring too. Play your cards right, and you're almost bound to win something." She resettles herself in her seat, eyes alight with anticipation.
Reyenna arrives from deeper in the Weyr.
Tiberia arrives from deeper in the Weyr.
Reyenna smiles at the girls. "Good afternoon. Snagged by the chore-master yet?" she teases.
Adora's mouth makes a little 'o' of surprise. "I imagine if there will be a gold will be something to place bets on this time, since no one seems quite sure." Odd, that, as most queen eggs are easily identified. She eyes the nanny curiously. "Who's going to take care of the kidlets while you are there?" In other words, who's the unlucky nanny? Shifting the boy in her lap, Adora smiles Reyenna, and smiles brightly at Tiberia.
Tiberia looks back and forth, then makes a giggly-happy-littlekid sound, and runs to Adora.
Pyrene grins, "Oh yes, gold is featuring very high... along with /which/ egg." She waves to both Reyenna and Tiberia as they enter and laughs at Adora, "The kids will be at the hatching too... we're not so cruel as to make them miss it. Everybody turns out when the dragons start hummng."
Reyenna smiles. "I shall have to watch. The last one at Ista was simply wonderful. I saw Sarali's brother there too."
A bunch of weyrbrats running loose at the hatching -- no wonder the nannies are so frazzled. "Is it true the dragons' humming makes the very walls of the weyr vibrate?" See, she was paying attention to Thesy and L'shil yesterday during the orientation. Honest.
Adora's name is pinned to that pose by some swooping firelizards.
Pyrene grins at Reyenna and nods, "You saw the one where Jesha Impressed?" she asks, noting smugly to Adora, "Jesha was a brat here... now she rides brown at Ista." Pyrene had /everything/ to do with that, you see. "Yep can't miss the humming, not even Tiberia there..." she smiles gently at little girl safely in other person's lap.
Reyenna nods, smiling. "Yes, I saw Jesha, protesting the whole way about her name." She grins. "The Weaver boy, too...I was sitting near them, they practically jumped down onto the sands."
Adora nods, although she can't quite imagine the force of that humming. "Well, everyone should have a chance, weyrbrats and holders alike," she says, smiling at Tiberia as she holds out the plateof cookies toward the little girl.
Pyrene shrugs at Reyenna, "I wasn't there myself. Only heard about Jesha." She glances at Adora, "Everyone should have a chance perhaps... but not everyone does."
Tiberia beams. Now this is what she likes about this 'dult. She gives cookies! Little hands come out, snatching one...or two...or three. Those not immediately eaten are stuffed into bottomless pokets.
Little children sleep through everything - just not other children taking coveted cookies. Wint awakens, pulling his thumb from his mouth, and sliding off of Adora's lap. Sleepy eyes regard Tiberia curiously, before he is snuck upon from behind. "Gottcha!" says the boy's nanny, dragging him back to the cavern where his fellows are napping. Adora wavies a little to Wint, winking at Pyrene and Reyenna. "I'm Adora," she introduces herself to Reyenna, "I dont think we've met before."
Reyenna closes her eyes, dozing off.
Reyenna has disconnected.
Tiberia thinks it was someone elses nap time too. She peers at Reyenna.
Pyrene chuckles softly as her colleague removes the random child. "Well, that solves that problem," she declares, and gives Tiberia a conspiratorial wink. She can stay, Tib's quiet and Pyrene likes quiet children. Most of the time.
Adora shakes the crumbs from her skirt. "Remind me to stay away from children who tend to cling to my legs," she requests of Tiberia and Pyrene, chucking. Cookie plate is placed back on the table, but not before candie grabs one for herself, nibbling on it quietly.
Tiberia plops down onto the floor, munching her cookie, careful not to crush the others in her pockets. Nope gotta save those. They're great for those cookie-hungry draggies out there.
Pyrene laughs, "wear pins in your skirt?" she suggests casually, she's never do such a thing of course. She snags a cookie herself, enjoying the moments of relaxation while she gets them.
Polishing off her cookie, Adora sighs, peering about. "It's about time for me to clean the tables before the next wave of 'riders comes in hungry for lunch." Her nose is wrinkled in slight distaste, and she makes no move to get up..yet.
Tiberia stuffs the rest of the cookie into her mouth and munches with bulging cheeks. Yumyumyumyum...
Pyrene isn't about to get up either but she reaches a foot out to prod Adora's chair. "Shouldn't slack, you know..." she teases, "Wouldn't like the people in power to hear of it." Which people in power she doesn't say, but she did mention that there's a very good grapevine system in the nurseries right?
Adora rolls her eyes. The people in power already know how hard she works, or didn't anyone hear about her spending the entire night scrubbing out the weyrleader's weyr? But she stands and grabs at a rag, dumping into into fresh water, and striding a few feet away, great drops of water dribbling onto the floor behind her as she starts to scrub at a klah ring on a table.
Pyrene watches Adora stride, biting down on a smile, and in her niceness not pointing out that drops of water should be mopped up. "Very impressive... I have to say, that this lot of candidates have been so good at working..." she murmurs softly.
Tiberia climbs up into the chair Adora vacated, and sits, watching the two older girls with curiousity. Why anyone would just work is beyond her, so she's interested.
Adora works because its expected of her as a candidate. Preparation for caring for a dragonet, or somesuch, although how scrubbing a table and scrubbing a dragonet are similar, she never figured out. "ADOOOOOOORA!" Candie stands bolt upright at hearing her name bellowed from the inncer caverns. "Excuse me, it seems Gladys needs something else done," she says to Pyrene and Tiberia, throwing down her rag in disgust and tramping back toward the caverns.
Adora steps into the shadows that lead back into the Weyr.
Pyrene laughs at Adora's sudden departure and cocks her head at Tib. "Want some lunch?" she stands, motioning to various plates of food being brought in by drudges. "May as well beat the rush after all.." she murmurs to herself.
