Meeting the Hallmaster

Writers: Avery, Jane
Date Posted: 24th February 2009

Characters: Leisenn, Kalesia
Description: Kalesia has her interview with the Hallmaster.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 1, day 12 of Turn 5

Kalesia knocked on the Hallmaster's door, a trifle nervous. She knew from other apprentices that this was normal and she wasn't being singled out, but she was still apprehensive anyway. Just because this was happening to everyone didn't mean she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Come in, come in." Leisenn set aside the paper she was writing on and waited for the apprentice to appear.

Kalesia entered and stopped in front of the desk. "You wanted to see me, Hallmaster?"

"I wanted to see all of the apprentices," Leisenn assured the young woman, "And now it's your turn. Have a seat."

"Yes ma'am." Kalesia said, taking a seat and waiting for the Hallmaster to speak.

"How long have you been at the Hall, Kalesia?" Leisenn asked - something she had asked of nearly all the apprentices. Some thought they'd been there a long time, some thought it was only a little while ago they had arrived and that seemed not to relate much to actual time pent in the Hall. "And where were you before that?"

"I arrived at this Hall slightly after the hurricane, so under a Turn but more than half." she began. "Before that I was at the Northern Hall for 3 Turns. Before _that_ I was an apprentice at the Seacraft Hall in the North."

"So you've been a dolphineer apprentice for something over three Turns," Leisenn suggested, trying to sort through the figures.

"About three and a half, yes ma'am."

The Hallmaster nodded. "Why did you move south?" It wasn't common for apprentices to move around for each Hall taught things in their own ways and were sometimes reluctant to accept the half-trained from other Halls.

"I felt very awkward there." Kale admitted honestly. "It was hard to be so much older than everyone else, and there was a lot of teasing, and I got defensive and..." She looked down. "I never _tried_ to pick fights or be unreasonable, ma'am. It's just that sometimes there's a rivalry between the Seacrafters and the Dolphineers, and as a switcher I got a lot of mocking."

"And has moving to a new Hall resolved that? You're still very much older than most apprentices of your seniority, after all."

"It mostly has, ma'am. While I'm one of the oldest, there's a wider range of ages in female apprentices here than in the North." It was true to a small extent of males too. But for females it was probably because some ran away later than others. "And I haven't experienced any real hostility here."

"That's good to hear. And if you did, what would you do about it?" Leisenn asked, thinking of Alydelle and the girl's inability to seek help when things weren't going well in her relationships with her peers.

"I would go to Master Mahantan about it first." Kale replied immediately. "If they have that much of an issue, I can't change their minds whatever I do."

"Good. That's the main thing - that you'll talk to somebody about it. Now, how are your studies going? Has being a seacrafter helped?"

"In many areas, yes. Cartography and meteorology certainly, human first aid as well. I've been developing swimming endurance, and I'm learning so much about dolphin anatomy."

"And why did you make the change from seacrafter to dolphineer?"

"My ship wrecked, I nearly drowned, and the dolphins saved my life. While I was recovering, I spent time with them and they just...they completely captivated me, ma'am."

"I'm sure they would under those circumstances," Leisenn agreed. Her husband had had a similar experience and he had talked endlessly about his rescuers. "And has being a dolphineer - apart from the trouble with your peers - has it been as good as you expected when you changed craft?"

"It has been. For all the enjoyment of Seacrafting, the ship isn't alive, it can't communicate- the dolphins can, and that's wonderful."

"I agree - as I would. Well, your apprenticeship seems to progressing well enough. There's a possibility with your age and previous knowledge of allied subjects that you might progress faster if you could do extra study on the things unique this _this_ craft. Would you be interested in discussing that possibility with Master Mahantan?"

Kale didn't need to think twice. She loved learning, and the chance to do more, even if it was on her own time, was alluring. "Yes I would ma'am!"

"I'll have a word with him and I'm sure he'll get in touch with you." Leisenn smiled at the apprentice. "And I think that's all for now."

"Thank you, ma'am." Well, that wasn't so bad, Kalesia thought with relief.

Last updated on the February 24th 2009

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Meeting the Hallmaster