Say What's on Your Mind

Writers: Vix, Jane
Date Posted: 2nd September 2008

Characters: Mahantan, Leisenn
Description: Hallmaster Leisenn meets with the Master of Apprentices, Mahantan, to discuss his charges.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 12, day 1 of Turn 4

Leisenn looked up when somebody appeared in the open doorway of her office. "Master Mahantan. Come in." She got to her feet and went over to close the door after him. "Please, take a seat."

"Yes, Master." The Master of Apprentices lowered himself onto the chair opposite the Hallmaster's desk, eyeing the woman warily.

"Call me Leisenn. I think we should set a time aside on a regular basis to discuss the apprentices, as well as meeting any time there is something either of us want to, or ought to, raise with the other. Does that suit you?"

Mahantan regarded the question with surprise. He had arrived at the Dolphin Hall a few months past, shortly after the hurricane, called back from attempts to salvage bits of the old Dolphin Hall and to keep some semblance of the craft active at that place. Upon his arrival he had been busy learning his new duties while the Hallmaster had been caught up in other concerns. For those months he had functioned independently.
Still ... "I suppose that makes sense."

Leisenn put aside the comment she had intended to make and instead asked: "Is there a problem with that? Say what's on your mind, Mahantan, at any time. Goodness knows I will be."

The Master of Apprentices shook his head. "No problem at all. It's just that I've been pretty much expected to do my job without asking for or giving input. This is a complete turn-around and it took me by surprise."

"I hope it's a pleasant surprise," Leisenn murmured. "I'm prepared to limit my input to the working dolphineers to policy direction, but the teaching and learning part of the Hall is very much my concern. And you, as Master of Apprentices, are the man I'm going to have to deal with most closely." She paused, and then added, eyeing the other master dolphineer with a thoughtful expression: "Until I can find myself a Hallsecond."

He nodded to that. "Of course." He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Is there anything I should know about the direction you want for that teaching?"

"I don't know enough about the differences to comment, as yet, but I will comment if I see the need. The only thing that I've discovered that I'm not happy about is the late curfew on the younger apprentices. While only the very youngest need to be actually sent off to bed, I do feel that getting up to the 10th candlemark at night is too late for them to be wandering around, indoors and out."

When Mahantan's children had been growing, he had been far too absorbed in his craft to pay attention to such things as bed times, so this caught him by surprise. "What time do you think they should be in their rooms?"

Leisenn had no problems voicing her opinion. "I think that all the apprentices should be confined to common rooms - though only the youngest need to be sent off to bed - by the ninth candlemark. If the older ones want to wander around outside, then it's up to them to work hard enough to get promoted journeyman."

"Confined to the common rooms." The man thought it over. "I suppose that's reasonable. But what time should we have lights-out for these apprentices?"

"The seniors are fine as they are, but the juniors a candlemark earlier. Perhaps the twelve Turn olds a candlemark before that. After all, their parents are trusting them to us on the understanding that we'll take care of them until they reach adulthood, not just start treating them as adults the moment they arrive."

"I suppose we have been a bit lax in this," Mahantan admitted. "I kept the times as they were when I arrived, though if I remember correctly, when I was an apprentice, bedtimes were much stricter." He nodded. "Consider it done."

Leisenn beamed. "Thank you. Apart from that issue I don't have anything I want to discuss about the apprentices this time, but I'm sure by our next monthly meeting I will have." Her expression was amused. "I'm sure there are differences in the way I'm used to and the way this Hall has been running. Only natural. I don't intend to change things heedlessly or quickly, but if I think things do need changing I'll be discussing them with you."

"Yes, Master." He paused and managed a smile. "Yes, Leisenn."

"And if there are things you've wanted to change since you got here," she shrugged, "then I'm open to hearing about those, too."

"At the moment, there's nothing," he told her, "but I'll think on it."

The old woman nodded. "Now, here are the class lists." She placed the papers on the top of the clutter spread across the desk. "How do they induct new apprentices here? All in a group twice a Turn? Once a Turn? In bits and pieces throughout the Turn ..."

There were quirks in every Hall, and this man had been around this one long enough to know how his special area of concern worked. That being so, he could explain it to her.

Last updated on the September 3rd 2008

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Say What's on Your Mind