The World of Pern(tm) is copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) l967. The Dragonriders of Pern is a registered copyright.

This is a log of an online roleplay on PernMUSH. This is not fanfiction, and the characters are copyright their respective players.

SeaCraft Hall - The Rusted Hulk
Tilted to one side, this large and comfortable room has been 'evened out' by the addition of a warm wooden floor. Various tall tables with mismatched tall stools are scattered around the room. Glowbaskets line the walls, their subtle lighting casts comfortable shadows throughout the interior of this old vessel. Along the back wall is a small bar with three stools sitting in front of it. Bottles of wine have been placed in deep, dusty cubbieholes behind it.
+view is available.
Contents:
Sinea
Ship Catalog
Obvious exits:
Storage Closet CourtYard

"Make way yer lot!" The rumbled roar bursts into the hulk like dull thunder, and every sailor in the joint parts to allow a huge fellow through. A wiggling, sheet wrapped /somebody/ is tossed over one shoulder and faint cries can be heard above the laughter that suddenly breaks out about the bar. "You let me go this instant! Let me.. OH! Stop that! Don't touch me!" Dess' voice is barely audible, and her bare feet kick wildly as she's hauled along.

SeaCraft Hall - Jacob's Office(#15077RJLM)
Given the somewhat shabby exterior of the Hulk, you might be caught off guard by the simple elegance of the craftmaster's office. Fine dark panelling covers the walls and the original wood floor has been polished to a gleam and somehow, tilted to rights. In the west wall a wide multi-paned window sparkles within a frame of burgandy-and-green-striped draperies that hang from ceiling to floor. A large desk, the length of it's corners carved with the same anchor motif that surrounds the doorways, sits in front of the window. From the heavy hide-covered chair behind it, the craftmaster has a good view of the room or the courtyard of his Hall. An elderly iron stove of potbelly proportions, occupies the southeast corner of the room and, arranged around it, are two large chairs and a small but well-padded couch, all covered in the same fabric as the draperies. To the west of the stove, shelves filled with hide-bound logs and the odds and ends collected by a seacrafter, rise to the roofline. One shelf protrudes slightly, providing a place for several decanters of finely cut crystal and glasses.
A wide double doorway in the north wall leads out to the hall.
Contents:
Rhi(#18625PJce)
Taro(#14149PJce$)
Jacob
Obvious exits:
Hallway

A burley fellow bursts in, carrying a wiggling, sheet wrapped and very indignant Dess over his shoulder. "'Er she be, Sar.. had ter drag'er outter that cabin." Thunking the woman down, he turns to leave, closing the door behind him.

"Ahh, yes, I was wondering when you was going to show up." says Jacob as he watches Dess arrive, his eyes unreadable. "Ahh, and Rhi too, perfect timing I do believe."

Taro sits quietly in a chair out of the way. He watches, quiet.

Dess throws off the sheet that was used to snare her in and glowers about the room, turning in a small circle. She's in her nighty and quite obviously above and beyond put-out over the whole thing. As her gaze catches on Jacob, she can only huff in reply, her words caught furiously in her throat.

Dess(#13727PJVce)

At 5'8", Dess is neither skinney nor plump, but rather, sleekly built - muscles defined but elongated gracefully beneith her smooth skin. She's obvious well aquainted with the sun, for she has a healthy glow about her, and her long hair, although a natural mahogany, is shot through with streaks of dusky blond. Her face seems made up of angles, her cheekbones sloaping down from her pixies jawline, her glittering, green eyes slanted slightly, and her mouth a swollen V above a pointed chin. Even her nose is set at a gentle incline. She carries herself gracefully, and with a self assurity that's born of wealthy blood. She's presantly 35 Turns, 9 months, and 24 days old.
A simple white nighty billows about Dess's form, hanging to her knees where it fans out with only the slightest ruffle of lace about the edges. The shoulder straps are thin, made of the same, feather soft cloth as the rest of the garment, and although the bodice is cut somewhat lower than a little girls would be, a delicate, pink rose blooms prettily at the shadowy curve of her bosom, none the less. White socks cover her feet, a little pink rose embroidered along the outter edge of their cuffs. Umbered lengths of shiny hair have been brushed out carefully and are let loose down her back, falling to well below her bottom, giving her face a softer, youthful look that seems to revert her back into her twenties.

There are, however, a few slight additions to her features which offset somewhat Dess' normally prim look. Pouty lips have swollen further thanks to a split on her bottom lip, just at the right corner, and a bandage has been neatly wrapped at the point of her chin, hiding some injury or another beneith it. Several bruises spread out from various points along her jawline and cheekbones, sweeping her face so that not even her best attempts at hiding them with pigment have been a success. One mottled patch of darkness spreads out at the exposed line of her collar bone, it's purplish tones dipping down beneith the edge of her nightgown. Other than that, she's dotted here and there with scrapes, but that seems to be the last of it, at least, the last visible without taking a peek up her nighty. She looks, frankly, miserable.

With a face well weathered from the storms he has riden through, both the real and the emotional, Jacob no longer looks younger than the years he has lived. Jacob's tall frame (he stands over 6'11") has been filled out, his shoulders broad from the many hours pulling out nets from the cold seas surronding Tillek. Jacob's red hair, while no longer covering his sea-green eyes, is still as unruly as ever.
Jacob's cream-colored tunic is a marked contrast to the dark royal blue vest he wears over it. Intricately-detailed gold buttons trap the ends of his billowy sleeves into neat cuffs at his wrists. The fabric of his vest is a finely-woven wool that is soft to the touch, the front of it held closed by buttons matching those on his cuffs. The hem of the vest is softly rounded, dipping slightly over the front pleats of his trousers. The finely-woven dark charcoal gray wool of his pants is pressed into neat pleats and creases to where it drapes over his black boots.
Jacob notices your glance and bows his head in responce.

Taro
His light, white linen shirt is large and loose fitting, hanging on his muscled limbs lightly. The laces at the neck are undone and the collar lay spread open and it is tucked in to his tight-fitting wherhide pants. High wherhide boots, that fold over at the top, adorn his feet, and his long dusky blond hair is pulled back in a runnertail. A golden loop hangs from one ear and a chain of gold hangs around his neck. A small ring with the insignia of the SeaCraft is on his left hand. He is a dashing 27 Turns, 2 months, and 11 days old. His sparkling azure eyes are often compared to the South sea, and they glitter with amusement as you look at him. His knot is that of a Senior Journeyman Seacrafter.
Carrying:
Denaro
Model Boat(#16355V)

Rhi is a slim young woman. The golden hue of her skin and the streaks of blond throughout her brown hair are the result of spending large amounts of time in the water and sun of her home. The green of her eyes are rimmed by a circle of dark grey. She is 18 Turns, 7 months, and 27 days old.

Deep purple spreads up from Rhi's chin, following the line of her jaw to the left side and mingling with another bruise that spreads down from her cheekbone. On the right side, three scratches bear bright red welts from her temple down to the corner of her mouth, as if someones raked their nails along her face. Her clothing must hide more damage, for another scratch, partially hidden by the black shadows of yet another bruise, curls down along her neck to dissapear into her collar.

Long skirts fall in gentle folds from Rhi's hips, hugging her thighs slightly they swirl down about her feet, violet tones deepen into shadowy purple here and there, creating a rippling effect across the materials surface. A light creme shirt tucks into the wherhide belt which wraps around her small waist, a silver buckle clasping it firmly at the front. Long sleeves pillow softly about her arms, drawn tight at the wrists with small ties. The tips of shiny black boots peek from beneath the edge of her skirts, looking well-kept from what little shows. A knot of the blue and white of the seacraft is proudly worn on her shoulder, signifying her position as Headwoman. She wears a fine necklace around her neck. (+detail Rhi's necklace).

Her waist length hair is partially held back by an oval shaped hair clasp made of polished white bone. It is about the size of a young child's hand and has a brown leather thong threaded through evenly spaced holes around the edge. In the center there is a delicate carving of a firelizard in flight over a small ship on the ocean.
Carrying:
Dimity
Rhi's notebook

Rhi looks around the room and stands in the doorway, obviously not particularly wanting to be anywhere near the sheet-weilding Dess. Turning towards the Craftmaster she almost rolls her eyes. "If this is anything that can wait until there aren't quite so many people around, I've things that I can certainly be doing."

"Ahh yes, I do believe we havn't met yet." says Jacob to the barely clad lass "My name is Jacob, and I would think that it would be in your best intrest to sit down." Jacob turns his attention back to Rhi "Why Rhi? From what I heard, you wasn't to shy in doing something in public, and just how is your eye healing?"

Taro watches Dess, taking time to look over her form in the nighty. His mouth twitches with a concealed smile as he averts his gaze to look back at the Craftmaster, keepin' quiet.

Rhi resists the temptation to feel at her face, and shrugs. "It's alright I suppose, thank you for your concern." She takes a step in and leans against the wall. "And what exactly have you heard, anyway?"

"A....pleasure.. to meet you, Craftmaster Jacob. Although the circumstances and your particular method of calling for a guest are, I would say, a bit uncouth." Still scowling, Dess looks about for a seat, then drapes the sheet she holds across it before sitting primly on the edge, hands clasped in her lap. A flash of those green eyes are sent scathingly towards Taro and she hitches her nighty down just a bit farther over her knees.

"I suggest that you sit down too Rhi." says Jacob in a tone that just shows that there is not going to be any argument about this. While he waits for the headwoman to sit down he goes back to his hydework, seemingly ignoring the other people in the room.

Taro scratches his chin a little, stroking Zenyaba's head with one hand while he listens.

Rhi looks far from impressed at being ordered about like some apprentice, but takes a seat as far from Dess as she can.

Dess pointedly ignores the other woman in the room, although she does touch lightly at the corner of her mouth, still swollen from the knee she took there. With her free hand, she wraps the sheet about her hips more firmly, tucking it over her lap. "May I inquire as to what this concerns, sir? I'm quite sure I've other things to be doing.. Master Benrak shall be no doubt returning to our cabin soon and I'd planned to rearrange a few things before that."

"Benrak? We will talk about your fiance at another time." says Jacob without looking up from his hydes "But we are talking about another public event right now, a feline fight I do believe."

Taro leans over to the craftmaster for a second, muttering quietly to him. He mutters to Jacob, "... I believe I... to... -loved- to see... if... were..." He leans back and goes back to being his well behaved, quiet little self.

Dess blinks.. blinks again.. then leans forward in her chair with a quizzical expression. "I'm afraid you're -quite- mistaken, Craftmaster.. He is most certainly -not- my fiancee." She smiles gently at the older fellow, as one might at a somewhat slow child. "Quite alright though.. I'm certain it's an easy mistake to make when one doesn't know my background. I mean really - Me.. with a..a ..er.. ahem." She quells the rest of that sentance, realizing in time who she's speaking to, and sits back primly.

Rhi hmms softly as she thinks, then gives a half smile "I'd hardly call it a feline fight. Maybe a little disagreement, nothing more than that." Looking over at Dess's words she can't help but chuckle. "Benrak instead of a stable owner. I wouldn't keep it a secret too long though."

Jacob looks over at Taro after that mutter and lets a little smile escape before it is chased away into that emotionless void. "Yes, your fiance, I do hope that you have something planned for it 'cause it is going to happen but that is besides the point and stop distracting me, no, what I have to worry about is if I should force the pair of you to bilge cleaning for the next seven day or not."

Taro grimaces slightly at the sound of Bilge cleaning. Lucky him it's not him.

Dess stares at Jacob as if he's gone /quite/ looney.. Then, she gives a sudden, twittering little laugh, one hand caught up against her chest. "Oh but arn't you funny... " she begins, just to be cut off by the threat of bilge cleaning. Whatever that is. Another glance at the man, then towards Rhi, as if perhaps the other woman put the Craftmaster up to all this. Suddenly, she's out of the chair and making a mad dash towards the door. "I'll just go home! Go home and apologize to daddy! He'll forgive me.. I know he will!" she murmers franticly to herself, reaching out for the doorknob.

"Bilge cleaning?" Rhi shakes her head "Simply not possible. I'm afraid that there's too much for me to do at the moment, we're still organising the stores after the big clean, and there's the tapestries to be fixed yet. Howerever, getting Dess away from the laundries might be a good idea." she watches as she tries to make her escape "If she's planning on staying that is. Anyway... she started it."

Taro stands and slowly steps infront of the door, blocking Dess from having real access to the doorknob. "The Craftmaster hasn't excused you," he rumbles to her, folding his muscular arms across his broad chest.

"Oh yes, Cloviant Vinyards, I think I got a letter from them here somewhere, to the regards that your father is quite happy that you are here and he has made it quite clear that you are to stay here." says Jacob absentmindly before he looks at Rhi. "Well, see, I have to think of something for you to do as punishment, what with doing a feline fight with somebody in public an all. Shards, you are suppose to do those in private, you know."

Dess stumbles to a halt as Taro blocks her path, she stares at him, first with a pleading expression then with a look of utter horror. This only compounds as Jacob fills her in on the newest news from daddy dearest, and her face drains of all color. "W-what?" she manages weakly, taking a few, unsteady steps backwards. "Oh..oh dear..oh dear me.. can't..b-breath...s-sit d-d-down.." She somehow finds her way back to her chair and thumps heavily into it, her head ducking down between her knees as she sucks in great, rasping breaths. "I t-think I'm g-gonna be s-s-ick.." she moans miserably.

Taro continues to stand infront of the door, nodding once to Jacob as though to say 'Fixed it, boss.'

Rhi shakes her head "Since when have fights around here been in private??" She looks between Taro and Jacob "I seem to recount any number of brawls in the Hulk. And they have certainly been in plain view of a -lot- more people than were around in the courtyard." She glances at Dess with a look that seems to say "If you make a mess I ain't cleaning it."

Taro grunts to himself, "But when it's riders, they deserve to be beaten down in public..." Oh. Did he say that out loud?

"I never beat up the people under me is what is what." says Jacob as he turns his attention fully on Rhi "I never beat up on defenseless pieces of fluff 'cause they are a pain in the ass to be around, if that was the case then this hall would be littered with the bodies of apprentices." Jacob settles down slightly and turns his attention to the 'sick' resident and frowns slightly.

Dess doesn't even glance upwards, her hair falling into her face and obscuring it from view, although the occasional whimper sounds out, usually followed by a lurching of her body. Dry heaves, anyone? Her arms are both wrapped about her middle, and she continues to rock silently there, about as quiet as perhaps anyone's ever seen the woman.

Rhi shakes her head vigorously and looks rather indignant at the mere idea! "That isn't how it was at -all- She.." she points over to Dess , "was making a visitor to the hall pick up her laundry that -she-" another point "had thrown all over the courtyard after a rider supposedly came to visit her. I was defending Sinea when Dess just started yelling at me and the launched herself at me. I assume that I wasn't to just let her attack me and not defend myself." That said, she looks over to see if Dess is really sick or whether she's faking.

Taro frowns at the resident. He looks at Jacob, "Should I get some water, sir?"

Jacob nods in agreement.

Dess shivers and manages to pull her head up enough to give the SeaCraft Master a miserable look, "Not..how it happened.. Was yelling at rider.. Don't like big beasties. Rhi.. threw laundry.. was mean.. oh jays." And down she goes, huddled back between her knees.

Taro returns with a pitcher of water and a few glasses. He sets them down on a folding tray table and pours a glass for Dess. He hands it to her, "Ma'am." he says stoically.

Jacob nods in agreement with Taro before he says to Rhi in a calm voice "No, you got mad at her 'cause she got mad at a rider for scaring her. So, we need to teach the pair of you a lesson. Dess, for the next sevenday you are to wear plain clothes, apprentice clothes to be exact. I am sure there is some in the store that fit you and Rhi, you can sit with the apprentices, if you are going to act like a child you can sit with them."

Taro sits down in a chair.

Rhi taps her foot on the ground as she thinks of a way to express what she's thinking in a way that isn't going to get her in more trouble. "Sir." she starts, taking a deep breath. "It is of no concern to me whether she is scared by the rider in question of swoons over him "All I was concerned about was her making other people pick up after her, which is something that she keeps doing. I'll arrange some appropriate clothes for her though."

Dess stiffens as Rhi continues to try and put her in a bad light, and finally, she sucks in a deep breath and manages to stand on wobbly feet. Her green eyes sear into the Craftmaster, for she refuses to look at /that/ woman lest she loose control of her ire. "Sinea is a student of mine.." she states in a clear, if somewhat shakey voice, "She offered to help when my things were spilled. Instead of asking what the situation was.. your headwoman threw a pile of my things at me and ruined them thoroughly. Very /expensive/ things. My sisal underthings fell into a blotch of grease. I had every right to be angry." And then, she turns just enough to accept the glass of water from Taro, somehow managing a halfhearted, if greatful little smile to the man.

Taro ooos, sisal underthings... He looks at Jacob, He mutters to Jacob, "Sir,... feel... can make a fair judgement,... inspect... underthings.... then.... say..."

"I see, she wanted help to pick up things when that included underthings?" says Jacob and shakes his head "Rhi, I know you don't like her, shards knows she is going to marry Benrak so that explains alot of it but you don't have to reduce yourself so much. If she does something wrong then punish her, but that doesn't include cat fights despite the fact that half the seacraft is following you two around hoping for another one. Now, you can either do this or I will call Carlin back and have her deal with you while she takes her job back."
Jacob turns his attention to Taro and then laughs for a second "Shussh you, if you wanted to see them that just ask that apprentice, what is his name, hrm, Cort I think, anyways he grabbed several of them while those two was too busy screeching at each other."
Taro grins wickedly at Jacob and leans back, innocently, smiling at Dess.

"I.. I.. " Dess flusters, looking somewhat paniced again, glass forgotten in her hand. "I can't be punished by /her/! I work for Captain Audrin!" Okay.. she can't deal with the whole marriage thing right now, it just refuses to sink in, so she deals with her second most concern. Rhi.As the last is added on about the whereabouts of her underthings, she turns bright pink, then pale, then pink again, and promptly finds herself back in her seat - looking utterly lost. Tears well in her eyes but don't fall, her chin set stubbornly against it.

Rhi nods solemnly to Jacob "Yes, Sir." she says somewhat resentfully. Her brow creases as Dess mentions the Audrin thing. 'There is that. That was mentioned the other day too, when she yelled that -I- couldn't tell her what to do."

Rhi hmms 'Can I at least have an apology for her calling me a wench?"

"Works for Audrin?" says Jacob confusedly "No, she is a seacraft resident and you are in charge of the seacraft residents ... you are the headwoman are you not?" Jacob sighs and looks over to Taro "Do you know what is going on there?"

Taro shakes his head slowly, "No sir. I'm as confused as you."

"I work for Captain Audrin! I did my fifty laps and she said I worked for her! She said I only answered to her!" Dess cries, her voice strained as she fights to withhold more tears. Suddenly, there's a *crick CRACK!* and the glass the woman holds shatters, spilling water and shards everywhere. A daub of blood wells from the center of her palm, but she doesn't notice, only stares at the mess as though confuzed by it.

"Fifty laps? What Fifty laps is this?" says the Craftmaster in a confused expression.

Taro frowns and looks at Jacob, "Sounds like an abuse of power sir..." He walks over and pulls out his handkerchief, kneeling before Dess. He holds out his hand to take hers, "May I?"

"The fifty laps.. she required fifty laps for the test.. to get on her ship. I did it. Dead fish in the harbor but I did it.. I..I'm /trying/." A little whimper and the first tear falls, trickling down her cheek lazily as she blinks rapidly to try and clear her eyes. As Taro kneels down before her, she can only not mutely, mumbling a thank you, and holds her hand out towards him - shaking rather badly.

Jacob makes a motion with his hand and sighs "I guess I will have to have a talk with Audrin as well, shards, why can't I just have riders come and visit, that is simple, at least we know what to do with them."

Rhi gives a little sigh as she stands and moves to start cleaning up the splintered glass. "Careful of those pieces" she says to Taro and she moves some larger pieces away from where he's kneeling, he's obviously got her looked after there.. Nothing for her to do except clean. "Have you got anything that we can put this is?" she asks, peeking overthe edge of Jacob's table. "Unless you'd rather that I left these here.?' She chuckles at the thought of Jac actually -wanting- to have riders visit.

Taro cleans away the blood and wraps his kerchief around her hand. He looks back at Jacob, "sir, perhaps Miss Dess should go lay down for a while and you can continue this meeting later?"

Dess tries to flex her hand as Taro cleans it, only to find another bit of glass still lodges in the cut. As a spurt of red flows free, her green eyes widen hugely, and she simply stares at Taro. "Um.. I..uh.." Her words peter off abruptly as the woman slumps forward, her eyes fluttering shut on a little moan. Yep..she's fainted folks.