Never Ending Monotony

Writers: Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 18th January 2006

Characters: Y'sani, Karaleigh
Description: Y'sani asks Karaleigh to help him find the Harper Hallmaster's office, and they discuss the burdens of being a teacher along the way.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 15 of Turn 3

"Harper!" Y'sani winced as the woman who had just passed him turned
around, but he smiled at her in spite of his awkward start. "Excuse me,
that was rude, but I saw your knots and thought you might be the
solution to a problem I'm having."

"Oh?" Karaleigh could just _guess_ what kind of 'problem' the
bronzerider would be thinking of.

"The Harper Hall..." Y'sani held out his hands and shook his head. "I've
been told it's somewhere in this Weyr, but I can't actually get there."

"You can't _get_ there?" She fixed him with a suspicious gaze.

This certainly wasn't going the way Y'sani had expected. "I can't find
it," he clarified.

"You can't _find_ it? It's in the Weyr..." Her eyes glanced at his
shoulder knots again. Those weren't just bronzerider knots. "Oh, I
see. Forgive me, Weyrlingmaster. I forgot that you are new here."

Y'sani couldn't help but laugh. "Well, if I already knew the way, I
wouldn't be wasting your time or mine by asking you. And call me
Y'sani."

"I'm Karaleigh. This way." She began leading back down the hall from
which he had come. "I'm sorry if I seemed suspicious back there. Let's
just say, I've heard worse lines from dragonriders."

Y'sani snorted as he fell into step next to her. "I would be offended
that you imagine I would be so clumsy about it, but I've seen enough
horny young fools to know why you made the assumption."

"Well, show me to the Harper Hall would be one of the more intelligent
lines I've heard." She gave him a small smile to let him know that it
was a good natured jab... this time at least.

"That doesn't say much for the men of this Weyr," Y'sani replied dryly.
"All things considered, I think I'll forgive your defensiveness."

Her smiled turned into a grin. "That's very kind of you. I am glad to
see that the Weyrlings are at least being taught by someone with some
manners."

Pleased that she was finally warming up to him, Y'sani returned the
smile. "I like to think I turn out dragonriders who know how to be
respectful. Though I need to have the _time_ to teach them manners,
which is why I'm looking for your Harper Hallmaster in the first place.
Hopefully he'll be willing to lend me an archivist for long enough to
turn my office into some sort of sense."

"I'm sure there will be. But surely you have plenty of candidates at
your disposal. Are you referring to organizational skills in general?"

Y'sani shook his head. "Organizational skills is part of it... but so is
discretion. I keep files on candidates as well as weyrlings, and I can't
have anyone who isn't a professional dealing with them. I used to have a
wingthird who dealt with my particular system, but until I find someone
to replace him, I'm at a loss."

"It sounds like you need a new system," she commented as they turned the
corner.

"But it's a _good_ system," Y'sani replied defensively. "It wouldn't be
so bad if there'd been a steady Weyrlingmaster here at all in the past
turns... the entire place is a mess, and I can't sort it out _and_ get
the Weyrlings ready for graduation."

"Ah, I see. So it is not the system you need help in organizing but
feeding the past information _into_ the system. Is that it?"

Y'sani smiled in relief that she understood. "Yes. And maybe you should
explain it to the Hallmaster, since I didn't do so well."

She surprised herself when she actually giggled. "Oh, I've found not
many men are articulate under pressure."

"Pressure is not a problem," he replied, winking at her. "It's the
hidework that terrifies me. I'd rather be doing something active...
something a little less..." He was going to say boring, but she _was_ a
harper, and he didn't want to offend her now that she was laughing with
him. "A little less meticulous."

"Oh, please, don't walk to me of hidework. I'm a teacher. When the
children all go home for the day, that's all I have to think about!"
That and her feline of course.

Y'sani laughed. "What do you think I am? I teach young men and women
every day... but I find things run better if I can concentrate on
turning them into fighters and leave the record keeping to someone with
a better temperment for it."

"Oh, I wish I could designate responsibility so easily," she said with a
wistful shake of her head. "I spend all day _stopping_ them from
fighting and spend the rest of the day preparing lessons and correcting
homework. Could I borrow a wingsecond? I'd settle even for a
wingthird."

"If I ever get an extra, I'd be happy to lend them out," he replied
graciously. "Don't worry, Karaleigh... if there's anyone in this place
that appreciates what you do every day, it's me. It's not as easy as
people like to think, is it?"

Karaleigh sighed. "No it sure isn't. Some people seem to think that
when the kids go home my job is over. But then the meetings with
teachers and parents start, and correcting the hidework, and making the
tests and the lessons, and searching the Record Room for new material...
I'm lucky if I have time to eat before I crash onto my bed."

"Sounds familiar..." In the past he'd taken no small amount of teasing
from friends about his relativly celibate lifestyle, but his job always
came first. Children died when he slipped up, and no one night stand had
ever been worth that kind of price.

"Still, it would be nice to break the monotony every once in a while,"
she said with a sideways glance. Karaleigh had never been one for one
night stands either. But company, _real_ company, every now and again
was a welcome treat. If it lead to more... so be it...

Y'sani quirked an eyebrow at her. "I suppose it would be. But until I
find myself I 'second, I think I'm doomed to never ending monotony."

**Figures...** "Well, that certainly is a shame, Weyrlingmaster. But
at least you can now find yourself an archivist." She pointed to the
door with the sign that read 'Harper Hallmaster, Almonteo' in new paint.

"Thank you for the escort, Karaleigh." Y'sani reached for the door and
then paused, glancing back over his shoulder with a cheerful smile.
"Once I find myself a Wingsecond, I'll track you down and show you how a
real man asks a lady to dinner."

"Well, if its not up to par, I'll let you down easy," she said with a
grin and wink. Karaleigh then turned and walked back down the hall they
came from, with only one glance over her shoulder.

Last updated on the January 18th 2006

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Never Ending Monotony