Life Lessons

Writers: Chelle, Paula
Date Posted: 4th April 2017

Characters: Veerona, Milga
Description: Veerona comes upon Milga in the hallway.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 11, day 6 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Naton, Jylanya

Lessons were over. It was almost time to head back to her new quarters
for snack time but Veerona found herself lingering in the main
corridor, watching the people as they passed by. Some she knew and
some she didn't since there were always crafters going back and forth
between this Hall and the north, especially since there was so much
work going on after the fire.

Milga was hauling some gear back to the storage rooms when she spotted
the familiar figure. She felt a stab of guilt, busy with her studies
and promotion, she had been neglecting her little friend. Well, it was
never too late to remedy that. "Hey, Vee!," she called. She would have
waved but her hands were full.

Turning around, Veerona's face lit up at the sound of that voice. She
really had missed Milga alot. The apprentice was the closest thing to
a big sister that she had. And there was so much to tell her! And she
wanted to know what it felt like to be promoted! And what she was
studying! Hurrying up to her with her hands carrying a few books and
hides, she fell into step beside her. "Hi! What have you been doing
today?" The unmistakable scent of seawater mixed with dolphin lingered
causing Vee to step a bit to the right.

"Diving practices mostly and then we had lessons in dolphin healing,"
Milga replied. "It's all very interesting stuff. How about you, what
did the harpers teach you today?"

"Well I'm a pretty good reader now but I still have to learn new words
all the time and how to spell them. And we're learning about the Dawn
Sisters too." Veerona didn't understand the significance of the stars
just yet, but it was something she hadn't heard of very often so she
was looking forward to the rest of the lesson on the next day.

"I'm learning new words all the time too. Like vascular system. Dawn
Sisters, that's pretty interesting stuff. Although I learned about
stars from my dad, not from harpers. Seacrafters and fishcrafters use
stars to navigate all the time," Milga chatted.

Vee didn't have a dad to learn things like that from. She wasn't sure
yet really if Naton really wanted to be that or if he was interested
only in his own child. She wasn't even sure if she really wanted it
for herself since she had been used to not having one for so long.
"That sounds like a strange word: vas-cue-ler......" She rolled it
around on her tongue, ultimately rejecting it. "Are you ever going to
leave then? Like out on the boats with the ones who go with them?" Her
voice went just a note lower as she considered this possibility for
the first time.

"Well, I can't promise I never leave, since we don't always have a say
where the Hall sends us. But I'm not going anywhere until I walk the
tables to journeyman and that's many Turns from now," Milga replied,
taking Vee's question seriously. "There might be temporary assignments
out of the Hall for senior apprentices too, but most of those come up
when you're nearing the end of your apprenticeship," she continued.
"And they're usually short, like search and rescue field trips."

Search and field rescue trips were normal, something she was used to.
Part of her had forgotten that was how her mother had died. Part of
her had started to forget her mother somewhat-replacing those memories
with Lany's face and voice. "Why did you want to be a crafter, Milga,
instead of something else?"

"I just wanted to. I've always loved dolphins and wanted to work with
them. Besides, the other option would have been staying on Caldera
Island Hold, marry some fishcrafter who's probably my cousin or a
second cousin and birth him children," Milga replied. There really
weren't that many options in a life for someone with her background.
She had been fortunate-her father had allowed her to craft and
arranged it for her. Not every father was like that.

The younger girl didn't really understand the significance or the
undertones in Milga's voice when she spoke about birthing. "Is it a
bad thing to get married and have children?" That was what Lany had
done. Vee still wasn't sure about that but in the end it hadn't been
her choice. Of course Lany was the one that had to be married-not her!

"No, if you love him," Milga said, trying to avoid the shoals she was
heading at. "But sometimes girls can't get to choose who they marry.
I know Jylanya and Naton are very happy being married and having
children. It's because they choose each other." She was a bit
puzzled. How in Faranth's name had _she_ ended up giving lessons in
life to her young friend?

"Hm." The dismissive grunt said that she was too immature to be
thinking about loving any sort of boy just yet. "Who doesn't let them
choose?" Now that was a question she couldn't quite puzzle out in her
mind. In her world, she had so far enjoyed normal freedoms. Within the
Hall's walls, she hadn't seen the repression against females that
happened in most of the south.

"Some people," Milga replied curtly. "I heard there are bubblies as
dessert, so as soon as I get these stored away, race you to the
dining hall?" she suggested. Sometimes you just had to rely on
distraction.

Never one to turn down a good bubbly, Veerona allowed herself to be
distracted for the moment, grateful for the time spent with Milga
since it had become more scarce lately. "Oh fine, but hurry. They're
better fresh," she remarked, following along with a little more of a
quicker pace.

"Aye, Aye, C'tain," Milga grinned.

Last updated on the April 25th 2017

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