Troublesome

Writers: AmajoS, Jane
Date Posted: 25th February 2007

Characters: Narrala, Ylisahn
Description: Narrala gets a hand with her chores, and some support, from Ylisahn.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 24 of Turn 4

Narrala carried three sacks of dirty clothes toward the laundry rooms.
She had laundry duty along with three other apprentices from the Harper Hall this night. The other three had already gone down with their loads, but Narrala had gotten a late start after stopping to discuss some of her notes with a journeyman. Now she had to catch up and she'd gotten the worst of the sacks, the heaviest and the messiest. There was nothing for it now though.

At a turn in the passageway, one of the three sacks slipped out of her arms and dumped on the floor. Swearing sharply, the girl began gathering up the dirty clothes and stuffing them back into the sack.

"Oh dear." Ylisahn approaching the corner from the other direction had seen the sack drop. She hurried up and helped the young woman repack the laundry bag. "It's Narrala, isn't it? Our harper apprentice?
You're very late with this."

"I know, I'm sorry," she continued stuffing clothing into the sack and accepted the Weyr's Headwoman's help with a small smile. "I only meant to ask one simple question about my notes and it turned into another, and that one led to a discussion... I'm going to be up all night finishing all this now."

"I think that's why it's good idea to do chores _first._ Would the person you asked the question of not be available to you later in the evening?" She pushed the last of the soiled clothing back into the bag and held out her hands to take it from the younger woman. "I'll help you get these to the laundry, at least."

"Yes ma'am, thank you." Narrala felt a spurt of irritation battle with the gratitude as she handed the bag over, though. It wasn't like she'd
-planned- for her quick question to take nearly an hour. "It's just sometimes hard to get the journeymen to even listen to a question, so when I find one that'll answer it, I try to take advantage."

"I've never had any craft training," Ylisahn offered as they walked toward the large laundry caverns, "But I always thought journeymen and women would love apprentices to take an interest and ask questions."

"Maybe if they weren't hide-bound, superior, wherry-brained...," the apprentice broke off abruptly and blushed, already regretting venting her frustration. Not sure what to say to make what she'd already said sound better, she opted for silence, biting her lip nervously.

Ylisahn chuckled. "Are they really as bad as all that? They seem quite pleasant around the Weyr."

"Oh, well, no. The Weyr's journeymen are fine. It's the ones from the Hall that have issues." Narrala sighed. Now that the conversation had turned this way, there didn't seem to be any way out of it.

"Well, they've been raised to very different beliefs. Just like when holdbred or crafter-bred people are Searched for the Weyr." Ylisahn eased her backside onto the large door into the laundry cavern, holding the door open for the apprentice harper to join her in the cavern.
"Sometimes they don't adjust very quickly to our ways."

"I know. I didn't mean to complain really, it isn't -that- bad." It could be sometimes, but she could put up with it. The only reason she'd ever mentioned it now was the frustration of the situation made her say things she never really meant to.

"When the Harpers leave - if they ever leave," Ylisahn said, her smile widening at the thought of those who predicted the Harper Hall was with them forever, "Will you be going with them?"

Narrala was quiet for a moment as she set the two sacks she'd carried down. It was a difficult question, and one she'd thought long and hard about. She'd never been away from the Weyr in her life for more than a few days. The idea of being somewhere there wasn't dragons was a very strange one. "Yes, I'd go with them if they left," she answered quietly, knowing it to be true.

"All right. Do you know if they would have you? Have you talked to anybody - our harpers? - about that?"

The apprentice girl froze, she'd never thought of that. Forcing herself to move, she began pulling clothes out of her sack to sort them. "Why wouldn't they? I transferred to the Hall, officially transferred. That's where I'm training now."

Ylisahn remembered why the Hall was sharing accommodation with the Weyr in the first place and wondered if the harpers might not just perform another 'official transfer' to keep themselves from going through it all again. "Well, if you're properly part of their Hall, then you have to learn to work with their journeymen. As unhelpful as some of them may seem."

"Oh, I know. I didn't mean to sound like I wasn't trying, or willing to try." Narrala sighed, "Sometimes it just gets frustrating, especially when it gets in the way of things." She waved the dirty tunic she'd just pulled from the sack as an example. "You happened to be here to hear about it is all, I'm sorry for that."

"Don't be sorry, Narrala. I'm always happy to hear how the Weyr's apprentices are getting on, even if they aren't 'ours' any more."

Narrala smiled shyly, grateful for the Headwoman's supportive words, even if the ideas she'd brought up earlier were troublesome. The Hall not take her along if they left? That wouldn't happen, she was part of it now. Maybe some of the people didn't enjoy that fact as much as others but it didn't change it. That conviction firmly in her mind, the girl began reached for the soap.

Last updated on the February 27th 2007

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Troublesome