Friends

Writers: Devin, Eimi
Date Posted: 29th July 2007

Characters: Chali, Bryn
Description: Chali meets a new fosterling at Emerald Falls
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 5, day 10 of Turn 4

If her father saw her walking down the river all alone, Chali knew he'd have something to say about that. Then again, he seemed to have something to say about _everything_ she did. She kicked at a stone. Rather unlady-like, she knew. But what did it matter. She could tiptoe daintily and he'd find fault in the angle of her foot or the length of her stride. **Sharding bastard** she thought, rather unkindly. Sighing she sat down on a large rock and rested her freckled cheek her in hand, blowing errant strands of brown hair out of her eyes. "Hello," a voice said to her right.

Startled, Chali jumped to her feet. "Yes! Hello?" Shards, she thought she had been alone down there! **Don't say 'shards', its unladylike**, her mother's voice murmured in her head. "I didn't mean to startle you," the other girl said. "My name is Bryn.
I'm here as a fosterling."

"Oh?" Chali didn't remember seeing or hearing of her before. "You are just arrived?"

"Yes," she replied pleasantly. "Today, actually."

"Oh,"that explained that. "Well, welcome to Emerald Falls, Bryn. I'm Chali. I'm... from here."

"Very nice to meet you, Chali," Bryn said, offering her hand. "I'm from Crystal Cave Hold, downriver."

"I see. Well, welcome. So your a fosterling? How exciting! My parents decided not to foster me out. They want to marry me off a little closer to home apparently." That way her father would always have someone to pick on nearby when he got the urge. She swallowed that uncharitable thought and mustered a smile. "But it must be very exciting for you."

"Oh, yes! There must be so many things to do in a Hold this large!" Bryn smiled. She thought it a little ironic that her parents would send her here. She got the impression that they wanted her to settle down a little, so why would they foster her to a place that seemed as exciting as Emerald Falls?

"Really? Like what?" Chali knew she sounded ignorant, but she really didn't know what could be so great about Emerald Falls. All she knew to do was sit in the Ladies Solar a sew, learn to cook, learn to clean and keep house, maybe occasionally escape for a short walk by the lake... What more was there to do than that, really?

"Well, like watching the ships come in, and seeing all the interesting people, and I hear _dragonriders_ come to visit!" Her gaze grew a little distant at the thought. "And you must have _wonderful_ Gathers!"

"We do have Gathers," Chali agreed. But she wasn't allowed to be down by the docks, she knew everyone worth knowing already, and she was always conveniently sewing or cleaning or talking with the old aunties in the solar when the dragonriders came.

"What are they like? There must be so many people, and wonderful crafts, and oh! Dancing!" Her blue eyes lit up with the thought.

"You didn't have dancing at your hold's Gathers?" Chali would have thought even the smallest of Gathers would have had at least _dancing_!

"Oh, we did. But it must be much grander here, and with much better music," Bryn said. "We only had one Harper, and a few men who could play instruments."

"Oh, well, yes, I suppose we do have a bit more going on than just that.
We used to have the Harper Hall here. Those were grand Gathers! But they left Emerald Falls." Though Chali could understand they had been out of line to start accepting women apprentices, she still didn't think they deserved to be chased away. And she certainly didn't think their Gathers would be nearly as much fun now!

Bryn nodded. "Yes, I heard that. It's very unfortunate."

Chali shrugged. "Maybe they'll come back some day. I know everyone liked having the Hall so close. I know they'd be welcomed back with open arms if they'd just stop accepting women apprentices. That was how the trouble all began in the first place."

Bryn looked shyly at the ground. "Is it ... is that really so bad?"

"What, women crafting?" Chali was rather surprised a the question. She hardly knew the girl! "Well... No... Not really... I mean..." She instinctively looked around to see if there were any other pairs of ears who might over-hear them. After all, her father would not approve of her talking about such things with a perfect stranger. Chali was satisfied no one would be eavesdropping, but she still lowered her voice a little. "I know there are women who _do_ craft. In the North, at Topaz Sea Hold, Weyrs, some Halls... I know they used to craft like the men. And they were just as good. I know why the Harper Hall accepted women. But they should have known that we just don't _do_ that here. We have a duty and an obligation to our society, and women here take that seriously, that's all."

"Families are important," Bryn agreed. "I just think ... maybe women could craft, when they're younger. Until they get married. And if their husband agreed, they could continue. Certainly some things could be beneficial to their family; Weaving, Baking, Harpering, too."

"But then when will a girl learn how to take care of her home? She can't be an apprentice and learn how to run a household at the same time." Chali shook her head in amusement. "You must come from a pretty strange hold, Bryn."

"It's not the Hold. It's me that's strange." Bryn smiled, but there was something sad to it. "Running a household isn't hard. How long does it take to learn about cooking and cleaning, anyway?"

Chali was silent a moment as she figured it was a rhetorical question. She certainly didn't want to offend the girl, but she also thought it best to explain herself. "I know what people like you think. You think that its about what we think women can and can't do. But that's not the point, really. Women could craft. Women could lead. We could do anything a man can do except father children and," and just saying made her smile shyly at her brazenness, "pee standing up. It's not about what we can't do, its what _men_ can't do. They can't have children. They can't work a whole day in the household and have stamina left in the evening. Have you ever seen a man try to cook and clean? Could you imagine a man trying to learn to _sew_? It takes them _turns_! Would you really want to trust the raising of children to the men? Give men control of the home and society would completely fall apart! We might not get fancy knots on our shoulders, or ranking titles in front of our names, but what occupation on Pern could be more important, especially after the Plague, than raising a family?"

Bryn looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "My, you should make speeches at Gathers! Although I would leave out the part about peeing. It's a little distasteful."

Chali winced and frowned apologetically. "Of course. You're right, I'm sorry, it was rude of me to say."

Bryn laughed. "Oh, don't worry about it! I was only teasing."

"Oh." Now she felt even more foolish for not picking up on that fact. "Yes, well, sometimes I talk without thinking."

"I have that problem myself," Bryn said, smiling.

"Yes, well, at least you don't have your parents listening to every word you say anymore. That must be nice." What Chali wouldn't give to be a fosterling!

Bryn's expression turned nervous. "I'm afraid people here might not understand me. That they might take things the wrong way."

"You might want to be careful who you talk about women crafters with,"
Chali agreed. "But you can talk to me. I don't mind so much."

"Oh, thank you." Bryn's smile returned. "It's so lucky for me to find a friend so early!"

Chali had to admit, the fact that this girl would call her 'friend' even though she barely knew her, it was rather touching. She had never been one to make friends easily. At least not good friends. Shards, she hoped she and Bryn were friends. She hoped they could be _good_
friends...

Last updated on the July 29th 2007

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