There are 2 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Fostering a problem
From: "Mel Mason" <goldfired@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
2. [DL-J] Lack of Concentration
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 23:20:04 -0000
From: "Mel Mason" <goldfired@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: Fostering a problem
Day ? (2+something)
Afternoon
G'ret... Move aside," Tera's made her voice heard. "You wouldn't want
me
> telling Jerram or Tara you were bring rude to our new Healer and her
> fosterling, now would you."
>
> "She's no more the healer's fosterling then you are," he looked from the
> rider to the new healer.
>
> "Oh and how do you know that?" Tera asked.
>
> "Well... the drudge was here before the healer got here," he said as if
> that should have been obvious for anyone to see.
>
> "Oh and how do you know my fosterling didn't go missing... kidnapped or
> some such that I didn't come here *after* hearing that my fosterling had
> been found?" Abby countered, wondering if he was really as dumb as he
> looked, or if it was just an act.
>
> Abby pushed by him then as her words seem to stump him.
>
> "Come on sweetie. Let's get you us something to eat shall we?"
The drudge hesitated, then gave a quick nod. She made a gesture to
indicate
the direction they needed to go.
So ... not deaf. And she seemed to have all her wits about her. Abby
was
intrigued - who was this girl? She looked at Tera, who shrugged.
"I don't know. Drudges come and go, you know. They have dreams of
finding
a dragonrider to mate with, or even of riding a dragon themselves.
Most
vanish as soon as they realize what hard work it is in a warren. And
not a
few run away when they see how large a dragon actually is."
But this drudge hadn't, Abby thought. She had been quite unafraid of
the
proximity of the sea-dragon, so comfortable around dragons that she had
been
able to focus on the tasks Abby had set her - and even do more, calmly
packing Abby's kit. They had reached the canteen now and the drudge
hesitated - then stepped back to let them precede her. She followed
them
in, and indicated a slightly secluded area where they could sit,
without
sitting herself.
"Why, there you are!" A cheerful voice, and for one moment Abby thought
she
was being addressed. But a plump, cheerful woman - clearly a kitchen
drudge
from the looks of her, was addressing Abby's supposed fosterling. "We
don't
generally see you so early, do we? Have you come to work the earlier
shift?"
"Do you know this girl, Marilla?" asked Tera, who had slipped into a
seat
next to Abby, and was showing some interest in the mystery of the
drudge.
"Oh yes!" said Marilla cheerfully. "She works the evening shift next
to me,
and we have a good laugh sometimes, don't we?"
The drudge was smiling too, and nodded at this last remark. Abby felt
relieved; clearly the girl was properly established within the warren
after
all - and just needed to be defended from that bully whose hands she
had
fallen into. But now she could be safely left.
"What's her name?" she asked. She felt a little awkward talking across
the
young woman, but there was clearly no way the drudge could answer for
herself.
"Why she's ... " Marilla began confidently - but then her voice died
away,
and she looked at the drudge in bewilderment. "I don't rightly recall
ever
hearing her name. What is it, dear?"
The drudge's face fell, and she shook her head. Tera gave a little
laugh.
"How long has she been working with you? Didn't you realize she was
mute?"
Marilla stared at her in consternation. "Mute? Why ... she ... " She
looked back at the drudge in dismay. "Well, I've never heard her talk,
and
that's a fact. But it's busy and noisy in the kitchen - you can hardly
hear
yourself think in the scullery too, with all the clashing of pans and
plates
.... and she works hard and joins in when we have a laugh ... "
Abby felt a sinking feeling. Far from resolving the problem, this
seemed
only to add another layer.
"Where does she live? Does she sleep in your dormitory?"
But Marilla was shaking her head. "I don't know where she sleeps. I
don't
.... " She shrugged. "She just comes in and does the evening shift,
and
then goes off."
The drudge stood still, conscious of a choking fear. Why did things
have to
go so wrong, just when she thought they were going well? She had food
to
eat in return for her work, she had the wide beach to sleep on. So
there
was the Bully - but he was no worse than other men - and however much
he
took delight in twisting her arms and even cuffing her if she was slow
to
respond to his commands, at least he was better than Pigman.
Pigman! If these women found out the truth, would they give her over
to the
Grouty and the older dragonrider? She could still be taken back ...
The healer was turning to her now, and there was no hostility on her
face,
only concern. "So - where do you sleep?"
The drudge hesitated, and then lifted her hand to point.
"But there's nothing there but the beach!" said Marilla.
The drudge lowered her arm. How could she begin to explain how it felt
to
make her bed in the sand in the sweet smelling open air, with the sound
of
the waves to lull her to sleep? After sleeping among the rags in the
tavern? Helplessly she shook her head.
"Come and sit with us," the healer said. "We'll have something to eat
- and
discuss your becoming my fosterling." She frowned slightly. "That is
-
unless anyone else has a claim on you?"
Briefly the drudge wondered whether the claims of the court that would
try
her for murder should be considered here. But she was not able to
mention
it - and if the healer hadn't mentioned it either ... well.
Resolutely, she
shook her head.
Marilla bustled away to bring them food.
"Abby, are you sure you know what you're doing?" said Tera doubtfully.
"I
mean ... she may be mute, but she's hardly a child."
"Well, no-one here seems to be concerning themselves with her
well-being,"
said the healer. "Perhaps it's time someone did."
Tera smiled, nodding her head as if she already knew what her friend's
answer would be. "Then it's a good thing the apartment I found for you
to
stay in has an extra room. Looking after your friend here will give you
something to do when I'm on patrol."
"That it would," Abby agreed then looked at the drudge. "Maybe I
should ask
you if you would like to live with me."
The drudge looked up, startled, her dark eyes widening. Live with the
healer, who had done such wonderful things to help the injured dragon?
Who
had shown her how to help the injured dragonrider? She nodded
tentatively,
even as Marilla returned, with plates of fish and fresh salad, the fish
cooked in a delicate sauce that made the drudge's stomach rumble just
to
scent it. To eat twice in one day ... and to eat when she was not
tired at
all - it was turning into a day of miracles, it seemed.
Covertly, she watched the other two as they began to eat. It was a
kind of
food that could be eaten with your hands easily enough (and the fingers
licked off afterwards), but they used utensils - a blade for cutting,
and
the devices she had washed so many times - little tridents for spearing
food. She had seen people handling them before - in the inn, as well
as
here at the warren. Cautiously she stabbed some fish with the trident
(it
had a name of its own, she knew ... but what was it? Somewhere she had
known, back in the dead time, before the warren, before the tavern,
when
there had been hills and heather under her feet ... ). Then she sawed
at
the fish with her knife while listening to the conversation of the
other
two.
"I know you didn't plan on picking up a stray while you were here for
vacation," Tera said, then flashed the girl a kind smile so she
wouldn't
think she was being mean about how things were turning out. "But I
think
looking after your new friend here is exactly what you might need. I
know
from your mother's letter how lonely it's been for you since Marcus
died..
If I didn't have my boys.. they saved my life as well as my sanity
after
Ga'brin died.
"I do envy you sister-in-law," Abby said softly. "Marcus and I always
wanted
to have a child. But things just didn't work out. But what are we to do
with
you, my dear?"
Abby turned back to the drudge... she had to do something about finding
out
the girl's name. Calling her the drudge just wouldn't do. She could see
her
question caused the girl to tense a bit, so she reached out and laid a
kind
hand on her arm, hoping to calm her like she did with injured dragons.
The girl relaxed.
"Do you like working here in the kitchens," Abby asked her. "Or would
you
like to work with me and learn more things like we did today. You have
a
very gentle touch.
"You're serious about doing this. Taking care of her aren't you?" Tera
asked, knowing the answer before Abby nodded her head.
"I am," the healer turned to the girl. "Do you have any family
somewhere
that we should talk to. Or anyone you might want to know where you
are?"
She wasn't quite sure it was fear or sadness she saw flash across the
girls
face before she lowered her eyes and shook her head. She stole a look
at
Tera to see if her friend had noticed it too, and heard a dragon's
voice in
her mind telling her that Tera would talk to her about it later.
>>Thank you Sundy.. Tell your rider I agree.<<
"Well," said Abby, turning to the drudge with a smile, "are you ready
to see
your new home?"
The drudge rose to her feet and nodded eagerly.
"Where are your things?" asked Tera.
The drudge shook her head. Things? There was her dress - rather faded
now
from the days scrubbing as sea dragon and the nights sleeping on the
beach.
There were the undergarments - also faded from being washed daily in
the
sea. And there were the fur lined slippers she had been given. Almost
shyly she drew them out of her pocket and displayed them, still
virtually
unworn.
Tera swallowed. "Well," she said to Abby, "at least she won't crowd
your
apartment out with fripperies. But I wouldn't have believed someone
here at
the Warren could have been treated like this!"
Abby was watching the drudge closely. "I think she's quite
deliberately
slipped between the cracks. She wanted to be hidden, to be unobtrusive
-
and she's managed it. Hidden in plain sight, wasn't that it?"
The drudge flushed as she gave a little nod in response. There was
something too perceptive about the healer. Now, as long as the healer
didn't take too much of an interest in what she was hiding =from= ...
After all, she had killed the last person who had housed her. Even the
healer might be disconcerted by that.
But for the moment, she simply went with the other two as they walked
towards Abby's new apartment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unseen by any of them, G'ret watched as they left.
He'd had an unpleasant morning, to say the least of it. First the
stupid
drudge had gone off and he had been put to all the trouble of looking
for
her - just when he fancied a nice snooze in the quiet coolness of the
cave
while she worked. Then, when he'd found her, instead of coming with
him all
obedient, she'd hidden behind the skirts of that new snooty healer
who'd
made the ridiculous claim that the drudge had been her fosterling all
along.
That had given G'ret a few moments of uneasiness, until he'd realized
that
there was no way that the stupid mute could tell the healer about his
pinches and arm twists and kicks when she wouldn't work as fast as he
wanted.
But then the healer had taken G'ret's drudge away with him, as cool as
you
please, and that meant that G'ret - =G'ret!= - was left to deal with
that
bitch of a sea dragon. And the bitch of a sea dragon was, if anything,
even
less pleased with this new arrangement than G'ret was, and made the job
a
hundred times worse than it should have been.
And then, when he had just about finished that, the wingsecond had
appeared
and bawled G'ret out for the condition Seroth was in. Well, yes, so
perhaps
he had been neglecting Seroth a bit. But that was because he had to
look
after the stupid bitch sea dragon too, wasn't it? Seroth understood
that,
of course. Seroth =always= understood.
And if that drudge hadn't gone swanning off with the stuck-up new
healer,
she could have given Seroth a polishing too. So it was her fault -
hers and
the healer's.
But as he watched them go away together, a plan started to form in
G'ret's
mind. There was no way that the drudge was the healer's fosterling -
no,
not for one second. The healer had just said that to make G'ret look
bad
(and she should be made to pay for that - oh yes!).
So where had the drudge come from?
She didn't seem to belong to anyone or anyplace in the Warren - G'ret
knew
about her sleeping on the beach. But she had come from somewhere ...
somewhere ... after the fight. But where? Someone must know.
And ever since, she had been careful to avoid attracting attention.
There
must be a reason for that and G'ret was going to find it out. And then
....
let's see what trouble he could make for the snooty healer and her
'fosterling'!
But first, G'ret had =another= dragon to clean.
Summary
Abby decides to adopt the drudge as her fosterling - and the drudge
agrees.
Unseen by them - or by Tera - G'ret watches and resolves to find out
who the
drudge really is and where she came from.
Respectfully submitted by
Barbara
Aka:
Visiting Dragonhealer
Abbien from Telnor
Tera & Sundellath
and
Mel
Player of
The Future Charis and Myriad
and NPCing G'ret, rider of Seroth
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 21:25:08 -0500
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-J] Lack of Concentration
Day 2
Late Morning
[SNIP]
"Yes, cooked fish are wonderful!," Sari inadvertently yelped. She
fought the flush she felt rising to her cheeks, and smiled, covering
nicely.
"I was thinking out loud, one of my favorite recipes. I was going to
invite
you to dinner, since it is getting a bit late. Exchanging cultural
knowledge
does not always stop at treaties and negotiations. Food often beings
people
closer, and to be honest, I would love to try some of your favorites."
[END SNIP]
Corwin blinked... he really needed to concentrate on the negotiations!
What was Sarilyn talking about? Cooking fish? Dinner?
Obviously, he wasn't the only one confused as he saw the exchange of
looks circle the table. Those between the Kataani were not pleased.
[SNIP]
Baron Kiriisha stood up with an angry glower on his face as he regarded
Sarilyn. "Did you come here to mock the Empire, young dragonrider? If
so, we do not see the humor in it. Perhaps we can continue these
negotiations at another time, when you are prepared to discuss these
matters in a more mature and dignified manner." He raised his arm, and
the other Kataani delegates stood up - all except the Emperor, who sat
perfectly still, as though watching the performance of a play. Which
was, perhaps, exactly his intent.
Sarilyn stood, and still with that totally charming smile on her face,
replied softly, "We return in kind what is presented to us, Baron.
Reasonable offers will be met with reasonable replies. You spoke of the
Empire's neighbors - do any of these neighbors still exist as
independent nations? It was our understanding here that the Empire
ruled the entire known undersea realm."
[END SNIP]
Corwin stood beside Sarilyn, towering down over all of those present.
His deep scowl outdoing the glower on Kiriisha's face. His
intimidating
stance made several in the room cower back.
But as Kiriisha went on, he seemed to overwhelm the young Dragonrider
as
Sarilyn abruptly sank to her seat, as if defeated. Corwin stared
around
at those at the table and was thankful when Rellik nodded to him, and
his eyes took on that faraway look of one talking with their dragon.
Whatever he communicated to Sarilyn seemed to do the trick for she
suddenly appeared to gain confidence.
[SNIP]
Sari sat down abruptly, concentrating intently on her lap for a few
moments, and biting her tongue to keep from laughing out loud.
'Herding
cats?!'
Honestly!
....
Sarilyn managed to get her mind, and face, under control, and asked as
if she knew the answers already, "Baron, if you please, a question.
Would
you pass along the statistics on how many divisions you have in reserve
at
any one time, those not deployed to defend your Empire's borders and
trade
routes, of course. We would like to know exactly what we are dealing
with if we should ever need to assist you. It simply must be similar
to
herding cats." What??? Where had *that* come from?!
....
Rellik blinked at the comment about herding cats, and even Corwin
looked
a bit nonplussed. The Baron shook his head after a moment, deciding
that it was some inside *lander* joke that no self-respecting Kataani
would even care to know about.
[END SNIP]
What game was Sarilyn playing at? Corwin slowly sank back to his seat,
as the negotiations appeared to be progressing again. He tried to
follow the discussion of army size and the rest, but he was never good
at subtle, and obviously Sarilyn was subtly telling Kiriisha that she
knew more than he was admitting.
It seemed to be working, too. Corwin gave Sarilyn an encouraging nod.
[SNIP]
Baron Kiriisha looked affronted. "Young lady...I mean, 'noble
delegate'...I
will have you know that I have overseen the resolution of numerous
disputes
and brokered hundreds of political settlements, and in all this time
have
never been spoken to in such a way! The fate of nations is tied to
these
discussions, and will not be settled if handled by delegates who are
unable
to negotiate without taking personal offense whenever a dissenting
position
is presented!"
Sarilyn wriggled slightly, glancing around quickly to see who or what
was tickling her. Then it hit her, {{ LUNATH! That tickles! }} She
stood, relieved, in fact, to have been so distracted.
"Emperor, Baron, noble delegates, please forgive me but I must have a
short recess. I shall return in exactly half an hour." She offered
her
respectful gesture, then touched Rellik on the shoulder, unseen, as she
moved outside.
[END SNIP]
As the delegates began to murmur amongst themselves, Corwin caught
sight
of the commotion by the door. He felt his blood run cold as he saw who
it was that was standing there, her blood pooling in a dark puddle
below
her. His jaw clenched as he tried to focus on the conversations going
on around him, but his attention kept being drawn to the woman whose
word he had trusted and who had now betrayed him.
Corwin found himself staring as he saw Sarilyn and another young woman
whom he didn't know fussing over Hsina, who obviously would have
preferred to be left alone, though she did accept a drink from the tiny
woman who was dwarfed by Hsina's bulk.
Sarilyn slipped out, followed by Rellik and Tanami.
Corwin slowly extricated himself from the ongoing conversations and
made
his way over to where the queenrider still stood.
He nodded at the young girl who was quickly rolling up some red towels,
that were obviously wet. If he hadn't seen the blood on the floor, he
could see how that would have helped to hide the evidence. "Thank you
for your assistance," he told Darlea before turning to face Hsina.
"What are you doing here?" He growled low, anger and betrayal flashing
in his eyes. "You gave me your word."
[TAG: Andrew and Jeanette]
---
Summary:
Day 2
Late Morning
Corwin notices that the negotiations are not going smoothly, and that
Sarilyn seems to be distracted. Thankfully she seems to get herself
together enough to put Kiriisha on the defensive. As the meeting takes
a recess, Corwin notices Hsina in the doorway, dripping blood onto the
floor. Sarilyn gets to her first and calls upon her friend Darlea,
before Corwin can extract himself from the conversations around the
negotiation table. When Sarilyn leaves, Corwin makes his way over to
Hsina, and after thanking Darlea, turns his anger on Hsina.
(Apologies for using so many "snips" but I wasn't sure how to get the
flavor without this.)
---
Respectfully Submitted by:
Arlene Jacobs
AKA
Corwin & Syngnath
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