The following is a log of roleplay from PernMUSH . The World of Pern(tm)' and 'The Dragonriders of Pern(r)' are copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) l967. This is a recorded online session, by permission of the author but generated on pernMUSH for the benefit of people unable to attend.

10/8/02

Candidate Barracks

This cavern has a rather low ceiling, with many openings for air, since this becomes an abode for a large number of people before every hatching. Every inch of the floor is kept clean, although little of it can be seen due to the many rows of cots that fill most of the space. The central part of the cavern is rather dim, as most of the glows are on the walls. Little decoration is evidenced except for a few personal effects. You wouldn't call it uncomfortable unless the unusually low ceiling for a weyr makes you claustrophobic. On the wall, scrupulously maintained, is a list of Candidates and their assigned chores for the day. Tampering with it is rumored to be an offense punishable by death or latrine duty for the rest of one's life.

The normal ruckus of the barracks is almost constant.

Contents:

PLAYERS: Ryklin Shawnah Marten Cheni

Ryklin strides on in looking freshly cleaned as he hops onto his cot easily and settles down. "Evening all."

Cheni sits on the edge of her cot, oiling her firelizard's wings and looking towards the entrance with a nervous expression. "Anyone seen Maylia around?"

Shawnah is lying on her cot on her back, idly starring at the ceiling. The duck is nearby.. and if ducks' feelings could be read, she'd look bored and forlorn as she stares at the 'wall' set up to keep her from escaping into places unknown. When Cheni speak, though, Shawnah glances to the side. "Maylia?" she asks, curious.

Cheni smirks. "Maylia, greenrider, ex WLM, the one with eyes at the back of her head? That Maylia."

Ursa emerges from behind the curtain across the entrance.

L'han emerges from behind the curtain across the entrance.

Kassima emerges from behind the curtain across the entrance.

Ursa strides in with an impatient switch of her riding jacket. Though she's certainly not been flying thread today, she's dressed like a full rider. "Right, right," she says without pause. "Look lively, we're already later than scheduled."

Shawnah grins a bit, turning over and pushing herself up a bit. "Yeah, I know Maylia." she says, "What, you manage to get on her 'special' side without her being the Weyrlingmaster /or/ you being a Weyrling?" and then there's a mass entrance. Shawnah is immediately sitting up, and she eyes her messy miniature beasthold before coughing. "Uh.. evenin ma-si.. um, everyone." she says with a polite nod.

Yashira stalks in on Ursa's heels, arms crossed.

Summoned by some unheard calling--or, more likely, Lysseth's reminder to her that the meeting is due to begin--Kassi slips past the entrance curtain as silently as her boots and the floor will allow. She immediately looks for an unobtrusive place to sit; finding a cot that's devoid of occupant--at least for the moment--she shamelessly claims it as her very own, and only then does she lift one hand in an amiable wave to the Teeming Candidate Masses. "G'deve, Candidates," she greets. "G'deve, Coordinators, Weyrlingmaster."

Ryklin draws up a leg and looks around casually. His expression reads along the lines of 'this ought to be good'

Cheni gives Shawnah a /look/ to say she'll talk later then sits on the edge of her impeccably kept cot, with her ankles crossed demurely. Her smile so sweet, it makes some teeth ache, she murmurs a polite. "Good evening."

"Evening," Yashira grunts, gaze swinging toward Cheni's cot.

Ursa claims a spot standing before the candidates, and with her arms crossed, she surveys the barracks, taking her time looking over the specimens arrayed there. "As I expect you have noticed, this meeting is not starting at the appointed candlemark. While I have a fine team of assistants, there are some things that need the attention of the Weyrlingmaster, herself, and a growing dragon who," and here she pauses, "Got Hit," another pause, "By a heavy bag of firestone," one more pause, "By a careless clutchmate, this requires my attention." Her eyes sweep the cavern, as if looking for any who might possibly be so careless.

Marten comes into the cavern, wiping his hands with a rag and muttering to himself. He pauses, falling quiet as he looks around at the gathering before moving to his cot as unobtrusively as possible.

Shawnah just quirks a brow at Cheni, looks around to a few other Candidates, and then the quirked brow is given to Ursa. After a moment of apparent consideration, she nods sagely.

Cheni looks around the cavern as if looking for the usual suspects; she scans everywhere, that is, everywhere but in the direction of Yashira's face. She gives her fellow candidates a shocked look as if anyone from this group would think of doing such a thing, then shaking her head slightly, she turns her attention back to the Weyrlingmaster.

Ryklin ends up resting his arm on his upraised knee, and ends up nodding at the various influx as a greeting. At Ursa's comments though his expression is unreadable.

"Let me know later which Weyrling did *that* trick, Ursa?" Kassima asks, though the murmur her voice is pitched in makes it unlikely that she expects or requires an answer; it might even be more for the benefit of those Candidates near her. "I may want t'remember that name when Winging time comes, if'n they make a habit of such things."

Ursa watches the candidates for a minute. "You seem," she says, "Quite concerned with exchanging meaningful glances," she observes. "Save those for later. I'm here to talk to you about life as a weyrling. And one of the most important things you will learning is how closely your lives are intertwined with your wingmates. One careless toss, and some one close to you has a bruised wing and is out of duty for two sevendays. But briefly, I thought I'd start at the beginning."

K'ran arrives behind a couple of straggling candidates, both of whom become that much more dignified and chastened when they realize it's the Weyrsecond who's following them -- much to *his* chagrin, of course. So he positions himself in the darker areas by the entryway, the better to watch, and listen.

Yashira clasps her hands behind her back, expression neutral - for her, anyway. Yashira's 'neutral' tends to look like a 'stern'."

Cheni keeps her meaningful glances to herself for the moment but can't help but flicker her eyes over Ranly's unkempt cot as she listens to Ursa's comments. An edge of concern clouds her expression and she nods again, waiting for the Weyrlingmaster to continue.

"I trust," And Ursa slants a nod towards Yashira and L'han, "Your coordinators have been keeping you busy. Some people guess that one reason candidates are kept so busy is that they are preparing for life as a weyrling. But let me tell you now, there's not a shred of truth in that. For nothing can prepare you for what it will be like in the first sevendays of your lifemate's life." She pauses a moment. "Perhaps having a baby might be mild preparation," she admits, "But sharing your brain with an infantile partner who is totally sentient and verbal, but totally new to life and incapable of feeding himself or even of shitting in a predictable spot completely surpasses the trials of life with a newborn baby.

Shawnah coughs again and /doesn't/ exchange meaningful glances anyone's way at the comment. Not much, anyway. She again nods sagely, though a peculiar look is on her face now. An expression that might read 'been here, heard this', though she does appear to be listening.

Kassima adds helpfully from her chosen place, "And is just about the only thing that does. But even bairns can't match dragonets for sheer volume--neither in voice nor mess."

L'han looks over to the surprised young lad he shared a seat on a cot with. "Those'd be some -big- nappies."

Ursa continues, with a grin of acknowledgement to Thunderbolt's Wingleader. "However, most mothers will tell you that despite the difficulties of life with a newborn baby, it's completely worth it. There are rewards to having a baby, and similarly, as I'm sure you've heard, there are rewards to sharing your brain and your life with a young dragonet. Your first several sevendays will be sleepless and frantic, and at times you will believe you will never wash the stench of raw meat and dragonshit out of your nostrils, but you will be amply rewarded."

Elauren's eyes wander in Yashira's direction at the mention of dragon excrement. Her lips twitch in what could possibly be a grin. Or something.

Ursa stands amazingly motionless as she speaks, with the exception of her eyes, which continue to look from candidate to candidate, giving each one a penetrating look. "Don't worry, there will come a time when your new lifemate will actually be able to pass his or her waste in a predetermined spot, and feeding will become less frequent and hands on. Then you might be able to enjoy more of a full night's sleep, but your waking hours will be no less busy. You have two short turns to train with your lifemate for the life-or-death situation of fighting Thread."

From behind Ursa, by the entryway, K'ran puts in, quietly, "Two Turns sounds like a long time. It goes awfully fast."

L'han's lips twitch in a grimace and he murmurs from the corner of his mouth, "You think you want to learn to between for the thrill of it. Really you find it's just the relief of not having to muck up after them any more."

From the corner of the barracks a droll voice pipes up with "So we get to sit up with them all night nursing 'em when they're sick too I suppose?" Is it any wonder the voice comes from Ryklin.

Shawnah squirms a bit, that peculiar look still on her face which turns into a grin at K'ran's comment. "Even for friends just watching them growing up." she chimes in just as quietly.

"And even then you're guaranteed nay t'be perfectly ready," Kassi throws in. "Riders who've trained, practiced, and drilled for Turns aren't always perfectly ready. And that's nay for lack of effort or skill on anyone's part."

Cheni can't help by mutter. "Then there is thread and worrying you are going to kill your lifemate or worse yet, your lifemate and others by an idiot mistake." She slouches on her cot, idling playing with a shell from back home, rubbing it as if it was a worry stone.

Elauren just remains silent, her jaw set sternly as she listens to Ursa. Now and again her glance follows another speaker, be it rider or a fellow candidate.

L'han unconsciously rubs at his knee with the varied observations, the squirls of threadscar peeking out from under the hem of his kilt.

Ursa inclines her head to acknowledge the input of the other experienced riders. She fixes her gaze on Ryklin, "Certainly," she agrees. "/If/ you're so careless as to allow your lifemate to become sick, you will unquestionably be up all night with them. As will one of the Weyrlingmasters. And you can imagine how thrilled we will be about that." She then continues, "Both Thunderbolt's Wingleader and the young candidate," and her nod indicates Cheni, "Have a point. Two turns of training is barely enough to prepare you for fighting Thread. Erase all the images you have of dragonriders being glamourous, pampered humans. You will be working hard, harder than you thought possible, and you will always be in danger fighting Thread, your lifemate will always be in danger, and there's always the danger of some idiot causing harm to you, or just as bad, you being the idiot who causes harm to another. Life as a Rider is not easy," she sums up, "And it is the incredible bond you will share with your lifemate that will make it tolerable. That will get you through the difficult times."

Shawnah squirms a little bit more, folding her legs under herself as she listens, at last sending a glance around to the other candidates, thoughtful.

Yashira stands quietly, watching the Candidates as Ursa speaks.

Ryklin gazes back, with the faintest hint of a smirk twisting up the corner of his mouth wryly. "Of course" is the creepily, followed by a nod of assent at the Weyrlingmaster's words.

A silent head bob here and there is Elauren's acknowledgement and acceptance of the Weyrlingmaster's words. She subtly shifts her listening pose from dangling arms to arms crossed over her chest.







*** Disconnected from PernMUSH ***

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