Differing Lives

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 31st October 2008

Characters: Marida, Kimbel, Tahvee
Description: Marida runs into (literally) Kimbel and Tahvee.
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 12, day 16 of Turn 4

Kimbel strolled along the stalls at the small market that serviced the
daily needs of the hold population. Food, for the most part,
Vegetables, fruits, meats. He missed the fish.

"I can bring some if you had somebody lined up to cook it," the
dragonrider at his side said, making him belatedly aware that he had
spoken aloud. "But it would just get lost in the main kitchens there
and you'd be lucky if you got a small taste in a big stew."

Marida had come to procure some food for her and her husband. She
perused the market, moving from stall to stall, stopping at one that
had a nice crop of citrus fruits. She picked one up and sniffed it,
her eyes lifting to catch site of the couple walking. She was about
to look away when she saw the knots of the woman and registered
surprise - a dragonrider. Well, so? Dragonriders weren't constrained
to stay in the Weyr _all_ the time, now were they? Surely they
visited the holds from time to time.

The girl let her gaze wander away, realising she shouldn't have been
staring. She looked down at the fruit, gave it a small squeeze, then
gathered it with a few more to hold in her arms until she could pay the
vendor.

"Honestly, I don't need fish deliv - Omph!"

Kimbel put out a hand to steady whomever he had just walked into but
Tahvee was already holding the girl. That alertness and quick
reactions developed over recent Turns of catching firestone sacks gave
his dragonrider weyrmate the advantage and probably saved the girl
from a fall.

It didn't save the citrons which bounced onto the stones and rolled in
all directions.

"I'm sorry! Are you all right?" Kimbel asked even as he bent to
retrieve the fruit that had rolled in his direction.

"Oh, yes. Yes, I'm fine." Marida bent down as well, hands snatching up
the rolling fruit. She was doing it so quickly that she bumped right
back into Kimbel, their heads banging together.

"Stop." Tahvee grabbed an arm of each person and attempted to pull them
upright and apart. "You two are a danger to each other," she scolded.
Just let the fruit roll, for Faranth's sake.

Marida blushed brightly and winced at the hold though it wasn't
painful. She watched with a baleful eye as one piece of fruit rolled underneath one of the stalls.

Tavhee released Kimbel's arm. "You get the lady's fruit, Kim." When
her weyrmate disappeared about his task Tahvee released her grip on
the holder woman. "I'm sorry about that." She couldn't help but
smile. "Though it had its funny side."

"Yes, I guess it does." Marida concurred though her own smile was quite
a bit more hesitant. "I'm sorry for getting in your way."

"He wasn't looking where he was going," Tahvee said bluntly even as she
smiled at her approaching weyrmate and his collection of fruit. "I was
just telling the young lady that it was entirely your fault Kimbel."

"Oh, entirely," he agreed without hesitation.

"Well, it's all right." Marida gathered the fruit and put it in the
bag. "No harm done." She offered the two a tentative smile, her eyes
darting back to the woman's knots that marked her as a dragonrider.

"We haven't introduced ourselves," Kimbel said, seeing the young
woman's interest look in Tahvee's direction. "I'm Kimbel, a
journeyman at the Smith Hall, and this is my weyrmate Tahvee from
River Bluff Weyr, and the rider of green Kizth."

"Oh...well met." The woman stated, nodding politely. She was silent
for a minute when she realised she hadn't given them any information
about herself. "I...I'm Marida, just a Weaver's Wife."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Tahvee said, and her tone and expression
made truth out of the standard words. "Do you shop here every day?"
For the greenrider the whole of Holder life was a mystery. Her family
was weyrbred for generations.

"Not every day." That would take up way too much time and she certainly
planned better than that. "Every few days. No need for every day."

"It looks interesting," the greenrider said, eyeing the fruit the
younger woman still clutched. "What are you going to do with those?"

"Oh..." Marida looked down at the bag of fruit. "Well...some of it
will be used in a fowl recipe." Her fingers played at the handle in an
almost nervous gesture. "Some will be put in my husband's lunches for
the next few days."

"Do you make his lunch every day?" Tahvee asked, amused and slightly
appalled. Isn't this what they said about Hold-folk? That they
treated their women like drudges?

"Yes, I do." Marida tried to read the expression on the woman's face,
but she wasn't quite sure what was behind it, what thoughts were going
through her head. "Every day."

"Incredible."

"At the Weyr they live communally," Kimbel explained, sending a warning
glance in Tahvee's direction. "They all eat their meals in the huge
dining cavern, all cooked by the lower caverns staff."

"I see." What a strange way to live. Well, she supposed it wasn't
strange to them, but it was certainly to her. "No, we make our own
meals here."

"And where do you live?" Tahvee asked, looking back at the impressive
main Hold buildings.

"In a small cot with my husband." It was just big enough for the two of
them. Once they had children...well, she wasn't sure how things would
work then.

"Oh. How many rooms does it have?"

"You'll have to excuse my weyrmate," Kimbel said, laughing and putting
a hand across the greenrider's mouth. "Her curiosity and lack of
manners know no bounds!"

"I don't mind. It's...got one bedroom and a common room." Well, there
was a kitchen area, though it was more a part of the larger room than
anything. "It's enough for us...for now."

Kimbel was going to seriously gag Tahvee if she started asking about
the young couple's family plans. Let alone if she discovered that
most hold-folk had no 'plans' at all. "We shouldn't keep you from
your work, Marida," he said before his weyrmate could speak. "We
wouldn't want to make you late."

"Ah yes." Marida nodded slowly. "I have to finish shopping...then make
dinner." She certainly didn't want to have dinner late for Tanas. That
wasn't what a proper woman did. Of course, lately, she _wanted_ to be
sure she had dinner waiting for him. After all, he had allowed her to
continue her drawing.

"It's been interesting talking to you," the greenrider said, her eyes
alight with amusement at her weyrmate's antics. "How would we find you
if we wanted to come and say hello next time I'm at the Hold?"

"Er..." Say hello? To her? Why on Pern would they want to do that?
"I'm Marida, wife of weaver Tanas. I suppose someone would know where
to guide you."

"Thank you. It's been a pleasure talking to you," Kimbel said, taking
his weyrmate's arm and starting to guide her away. "And I'm sorry
again about walking into you."

"It's nothing." Marida trid to assure him and she bowed her head
politely before turning to hurry off. She had a bit more shopping to
do and then she needed to head home and make dinner.

Last updated on the November 1st 2008

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Differing Lives