DCW: No Shortage of Sand

Writers: Jane, Rochelle
Date Posted: 25th May 2007

Characters: Ylisahn, D'rue
Description: Ylisahn checks up on the sandbagging and stops to talk to D'rue.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 19 of Turn 4
Notes: Ylisahn's Storm 02 - Sandbagging begins

Lisahn had her oiled cape with her in case she had to step out into the weather to check on something, but mostly she was keeping to the corridors. The corridor she walked along led to doorway that was particularly prone to flooding and it was one of the spots where sandbagging was going on. She could hear the voices of the team before she could see them since there was very little to see of the day with the low cloud and heavy rain.

And sandbags. Woven as apprentice work in cheap yarns. Sometimes they turned up in fascinating colours. "How are things going?" she asked the first person she came to.

D'rue looked up, startled to see the Headwoman beside him. "I've never seen so much sand in a hallway before." He admitted. He wiped his arm across his forehead, trying to get some of the sweat and rainwater out of his eyes, and grimaced when he felt sand grains sticking to his forehead.

"Well, sometimes it does drift in these sorts of areas, and we curse the flightiness of it when it's all dry and invasive." She looked at the sandbags that had been filled and were being placed by experienced hands. "But I think we like to complain about it in any state." She eyed the young man. In wet weather gear he wasn't identifiable by knots or colours but she thought he was a weyrling. "You've not been here very long, have you?"

He shook his head. "No, Ma'am. I was only here a sevenday before I Impressed Wisarth, at the last hatching." He said politely. He knew she was new at the job, but then he hadn't seen much of the old headwoman either.

"Then this will be an experience for you. Do you get hurricanes where you're from?"

"No. We get the rain sometimes though. And when I was at the Weaver Hall, sometimes it would flood." D'rue paused. "Is it really likely that all this will be necessary?" He asked, gesturing to the rapidly accumulating sandbags.

"I've seen water in the Bowl before. Storms with high tides. And nearly all these lower caverns are ... low. Not much above the high tide level." Ylisahn shrugged. "I hope it's _not_ necessary."

"I hope so too." He said, imagining the weyr underwater and shuddering. "Trying to get that much water out..." He trailed off, grimacing. "This rain is bad enough. It's like it's trying to drown us on its own."

"As long as it doesn't succeed," Ylisahn said with a smile for the young man. "I won't hold you up. No doubt we'll all be grateful for your sandbags as the day goes on - but not if I don't let you get them filled."

"True, but I think some of the bags are just as much to blame." D'rue said, eyeing one in particular. "Some of them aren't meant to hold sand. The weave isn't tight enough and it keeps leaking out." He gestured at the trail of wet sand accumulating along the hallway to the outside.

"Put it inside another?" the Headwoman suggested.

"Do we have enough bags?" He asked in surprise, moving out of the way of another sandbagger.

Ylisahn chuckled. "How will we know? We will fill as many as we have and then hope for the best, I suppose."

D'rue sighed. "Then I suppose I should get back to work. At least we won't run out of sand. Even if most of it is wet already."

The Headwoman smiled. "There's certainly no shortage of sand around here."

Last updated on the May 25th 2007

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DCW: No Shortage of Sand