She's Just My Mum

Writers: Kaysea, Rochelle
Date Posted: 2nd August 2007

Characters: Tatitem, Susha, Turoar
Description: Turoar flirts with a pretty candidate, and discovers the identity of her fostermother...
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 1 of Turn 4

He tried hard to concentrate on what they were being told by the Headwoman, but his mind and eyes weren't cooperating, as his gaze kept shifting across to the girl sitting opposite him. He could only see her profile at the moment, but she had turned around earlier and he had felt smitten.

Susha listened absently as her foster mother finished detailing what she wanted them to do in the storerooms. She already knew how to sort the paper and hides and where everything went. But she also knew that Tatitem knew she did, and if the other candidate screwed up it would be partially her fault. She hoped this boy wouldn't need her help much. She had some hides to study for her baking apprenticeship. She was almost ready to walk the tables, and didn't want to mess up.

"...Turoar, if you ask any questions, ask Susha. She's done this before."
Tatitem said. "Appare will be by in a candlemark to see how you're doing."
She hustled off.

He eased himself off the bench he had been sitting on, and looked at the girl again, this time he had an excuse, he didn't have to concentrate on the Headwoman's instructions. "I...'m" his voice cracked, and he felt the colour rush to his face. He coughed and cleared his throat, and started again, "I'm.. Turoar. I don't know if ... you've heard of me?"

Some of the other Candidates had had a fine time laughing at him lately, the punishment involving dragon dung had highlighted both himself and Badaral to most of the other Candidates in the barracks.

"I'm Susha." She smiled at him. He was blushing... with that blond hair he was actually kind of cute. Turoar... sounded like one of the names Tatitem got irritated about sometimes, but then, that was half the candidate barracks. She shrugged. "Ready to sort some stores?" She made a face.

"Ye..yes." he nodded, happy that she seemed not to know him by reputation.

"The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can do something really interesting."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Well.." he gave her a little grin, "No, actually. Do you?" He flicked his hair back and began to sort through the stores, "I just think _anything_ would've been better than, this." he nodded to the shelves.

"Not _anything_." Susha temporized, keeping half an eye on what he was doing as she started on a shelf. "It could be something like cleaning the bedpans in the infirmary or something. I'd far rather do this. The company's better." She added daringly.

Turoar stopped what he was doing for a moment, and absorbed her words, he gave a shrug of his shoulders, and flicked his head to one side, "It is?"
he asked, his eyes finally settling on the girl at his side. "You'd prefer me, to - bedpans?" He gave a lopsided grin.

"Of course." She said with a shy smile. "I don't think even mum can argue with that, and she has a lot to do."

"Mum?" his eyebrows creased into a slightly perplexed frown, and he turned and looked at her again, for a moment not interested in the stores.

Susha frowned. Did he really not know? She'd thought everyone knew who her fostermother was. But Turoar looked confused, and she knew he'd find out eventually. Sometimes it really stank having Tatitem as a fostermother, even if she was a baker apprentice now. "Mum's the Headwoman, Tatitem.
She'd my fostermom."

He jumped back, a little too late, as one of the bundles of hides slid from his grasp at her words. "Tatitem is your _fostermother_?" the words blurted from his mouth, followed swiftly by a cry of pain as the bundle landed on his foot.

Susha made an exasperated noise, and scooped the bundle off the floor, placing it on the shelf in the appropriate place. At least it wasn't breakable stuff she noted abstractedly. If he'd dropped glassware, Tatitem would have had their hides. "Yes, she is." She told the boy with long suffering patience. "And no, she is not a tyrant or a nightmare or anything else. She's just my mum."

"Okay, okay!" he held up his hands in defense, "I believe you." he gave her a lopsided grin, "You read minds as well as being cute?"

Susha could feel her cheeks warming at the compliment. "No." She retorted.
"But I do get that question an awful lot. And nobody likes to be punished, which the Headwoman has to do a lot of. So..." She shrugged.

"Yeah, I know." the grin slid off his face, "And I've been punished a little more than most.." he held up his hand in silent protest, "I'm not complaining, I know it was my own fault. I'm learning, slowly - but I _am_ learning."

"Well that's good." Susha said without enthusiasm, then cocked her head to the side. "What did she have you do when you were punished? Last time I goofed I had to wash firestone sacks for two restdays."

"Wash firestone sacks? She loves you!" he laughed out aloud. "She had me and Badaral cleaning out the dragon dung from the dragon infirmary. In all honesty, I'm not sure I want to Impress now, not after seeing that for two sevendays."

Susha grinned. "I had to do the dragon infirmary once, under the old Headwoman. The girl I was with liked it so much they had to move her to scrubbing weyrs to make it an actual punishment." She paused a moment.
"Badaral? A friend of yours?"

"No, not really, more of a... drinking pal." Turoar shook his head. "You know him, too?"

She shook her head. "No. The name just sounded familiar -I think mum might have mentioned it once. Wait. Is he the skinny guy with the dark hair who normally looks hungover?"

Turoar shook with laughter, "Yes, that's him. Though to be fair, he looked like that even before he started drinking with me. I think he just has that 'look', you know?"

"Maybe." She agreed with a smile. "Some people do look like they were born drunk, or hungover." She placed another bundle on the shelf, and paused thoughtfully. "You said the infirmary almost made you reconsider. Do you want to Impress?"

"I'm not so sure now. Not if cleaning up dragon dung is part of my future." he chuckled. "Actually, it wasn't so bad, we got an insight into dragon healing, and I know Bads' has decided that that's what he'd like to follow up with later, once he's through weyrling training - providing _he_
Impresses."

He considered for a moment, and placed another bundle of hides up on the high shelf. "I would like to Impress, but only a brown - I've no chance of a bronze, I'm just not responsible enough..." he gave a small grin -
"I'm being honest!"

Susha grinned at him. "I don't know about that. Not all bronzeriders are responsible, and as long as you take care of your dragon and follow orders you'd always be welcome in a wing. I'm sure you've got just as much chance as anyone else." She paused for a moment, and her face grew slightly troubled. "I don't know if I want to Impress. I mean, I want a dragon, I think it would be wonderful. But during a Pass..." She shook her head. "My fosterbrother was 'scored really badly at the beginning of the Pass. He hasn't been the same since." She said quietly.

"I don't think I know who you're talking about, but, it doesn't happen to everyone." Turoar moved closer, "As long as you pay attention to classes and follow orders.. that's not to say your fosterbrother didn't, but - it lessens the chances of being scored. Or so they keep telling us."

"But it doesn't stop it completely." She pointed out. "Anything can happen. I mean, J'ritem wasn't a goof like M'nex is. I know it was the first Fall and no one knew what they were doing, but..." She shook her head, and smiled lopsidedly at him. "I'm sorry. Mum's been worrying over him again, and I can't help it."

"Oh...J'ritem? I _do_ know him, by sight, but I didn't realise he had been Scored in the first Fall." Turoar dropped his gaze. "I can't imagine him goofing off, at any time. I hurt every time I see him. I can understand your mum worrying about him."

"Yeah," She said quietly, and hastily picked up another bundle. J'ritem had spent the night on their sofa again, and had watched her move around that morning with a dead expression in his eyes that made her wish he'd get drunk, just so that he could have that little spark of life back in his face. She shoved the bundle at Turoar. "But if we don't get this done soon, we're not going to be worrying about anything other than what mum will do to us when she finds us talking."

"I've said something wrong, haven't I?" he asked, taking the bundle and placing it back tidily on the shelf. "Look, we'll get this finished, and then maybe, if you like, we can go have something to eat together -
after?" He wasn't quite sure what he'd done wrong, and wanted to make up for it, and hopefully stay in her good books. She was someone he would like to get to know better, if she'd let him.

"No! It isn't that!" Susha protested, her cheeks coloring with embarrassment -and guilt. "It's just... It isn't easy to deal with him sometimes. And I feel guilty for feeling like that." She shook her head again, and gave a shy smile. "But I'd like that, I think. After we're done, I mean." The blush intensified. **Shards.**

Turoar felt the colour creeping into his own face, but was pleased he had taken the initiative to ask her to eat with him. The worry of offending her had wiped out his nervousness and emboldened him, he was pleased with the results, and from the corner of his eye watched the pretty way she flushed. "Good!" he answered, and began to work a little more quickly.

Susha turned back to the shelves, the blush still burning on her cheeks, her heart singing. She worked quickly, wanting to get things done before Appare came to check on them. Studying could wait. It had been a long time since someone was willing to risk Tatitem's attention, and she didn't want to miss a moment of it!

Last updated on the August 2nd 2007

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She's Just My Mum