Object of Distraction - Sho

[stolenhart]

Sure enough the object of Pelo, Arbela and Lynn's distraction was down by the lake, stretched out on top of a particularly flat rock and relaxing. A large lump lay beside him, head resting on the rock, two sets of eyelids closed as the bronze listened to his rider's voice. "I haven't been properly warm in the last few days. I would never think this was summer unless someone told me. It feels like fall here", he complained, swatting a fly away from stomach. Today there was another lump laying beside T'ran, not one seen attached to him in the Weyr. The flitt watched the fly avidly, large eyes whirling as he readied himself to pounce, wings half furled for balance. "Can't even work up a good sweat laying still, no wonder the Northern riders are weak", he added. Knymawth gave a humph of agreement, the bronze preferred his harsher Southern warmth.

Just then the little flitt hurled himself at T'ran, intent on the fly bothering the man. "Bother!", T'ran caught the flitt before the claws could touch his skin. He was nearly nude, except for a loincloth, his skin a deep rich bronze color except where it was marred by bright white scars of arrows, knives and sword wounds. "Go over there", T'ran sat up and threw the little flitt towards the lake. A complaining chirp as the flitt did an aerial acrobatic trick worthy of a green and returned to his pet. "I know he's a good flyer but he can go chase bugs somewhere else", T'ran replied to an unspoken Knyamwth comment.

[shouriko]

Her hair was still wet, but her boots were on and there was business to see to. The one that had suddenly jumped to first place was to see to T'ran. On the ridge of the Weyrbowl in the warm and bright summer sun she stood, hands on small hips. "A-ha, that must be him."

Kyrieth chortled from her ledge, already being the typically loud thing that she was. Kaelu-mine comes to greet you, be nice to her. She told the Southern bronze, unafraid of him and certainly not taken in by him either.

Just as the gold as said, Kaelu was jogging amiably down to shore and when she was but a dragonlength away waved a hand and called out, "Weyrleader T'ran!" She got closer and found him quite near naked. She stood there considering him a moment and then continued on. "I hear that my riders have been welcoming you with open furs... er... arms I mean. Though on that topic, I hear you like that we have a varied population. I do hope they do not bother you much, but on that note, I intend to bother you today."

She held her hands behind her back and looked out at the lake. Kaelu did a little spin and her wet hair spun around her head. She looked back at him and smiled, green eyes glistening with the sunlight.

"I don't see why you try to tan here, you've tan enough, no?" Kaelu laughed. "So, how about you get dressed and be my shadow today. I did say I would not let you out of my sight. There are people to visit and the like. I'm certain there is one you would like to see. No?"

She was hardly phased by his show of skin, but the girls were right. He was a specimen and there were a great variety of scars all over him. It was rather impressive, but she was beginning to doubt that they came from aerial battles alone. There was something else about him. Maybe it had ties to Hallek yet and stemmed from his childhood.

[stolenhart]

As you wish, though he didn't follow Kyrieth's orders, Knymawth was a bit mroe tactful that his rider and knew to behave himself. He practiced the policy of not having any gold dragon mad at him, they were vicious with their claws and words, and very dangerous to his mental happiness.

He turned as he heard his name called from behind him and smiled warmly. His skin was barely touched by the weak Northern sun, though he'd heard some riders complaining about sunburn the other day. He chuckled when he mentioned the welcoming furs, those two greenriders had certainly been very welcoming. With their dragons to keep Knymawth happy, T'ran had found a certain enjoyment in a woman he had not experienced before, the Weyrleader flight notwithstanding. "It will be no bother", he replied, stretching back out on the rock.

"It's not the tanning I want", he answered her, "It's the warmth of the rock among other things", he added, putting his hands behind his back. "How about you sit on this rock and relax for a moment Weyrwoman. I'm sure the people you want me to visit will still be there in twenty minutes or so", rush rush rush, that is all these Northerners did. Didn't they take the time to just be? "You can tell me about growing up as a Harper, since it must have been very different from my own childhood", he prompted her, patting the rock beside him.

Bother, who had returned to his pet, chirped at the Weyrwoman in curiosity. He hadn't been allowed to see any of the humans in Northern, T'ran had felt having the flitt stay hidden was an asset he would need. But she'd already seen him toss the bronze towards the lake so the secret was pretty much out. "He's Bother by the way", T'ran introduced the flitt who waved a tiny foot at the Weyrwoman.

[shouriko]

Kaelu just laughed and slapped her thigh. "No bother says you, but bother says I!" She leaned on one leg and pushed the rocks around in the sand with the other. Her gaze on the ground was half-hearted, there was a part of her still keeping an eye on him.

She gazed up at him again and shook her head at him. "I'll only tell you about that if you start getting dressed. No one else might be in a rush, but no one else has a Weyr to run." Kaelu kept one finger up and shook it. Of course there were many candlemarks in a day, but with the way she spent her time conversing with others, she needed as many as she could get. She was an awfully busy woman, though how the Southern Weyrwoman managed, she was certain must be differently. Though that could be due to the presence of an OverHolder.

The firelizard was what she had seen after all. If there were any in the North, they were rare and extremely hard to come by. She bent over and beckoned to the creature. She hadn't seen many, but they were not exactly like dragons as she had heard. There were different amount of toes, less in fact. And it seemed liked they were thinner, less muscular.

"Hello there, Bother, we have something in common then, don't we?" Kaelu giggled a bit and then looked back at T'ran. "I'm from way up North where it's a bit cooler than it is here. How is that for a start?"

[stolenhart]

He sighed. "Must I?" was his reply but he scooted down the rock slowly and reached for the shirt he'd left there. He gave it a brisk pop, sending sand in every direction before pulling it on. "And I'm from Lidal where it is a bit warmer. Wow what a difference", he retorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes while he adjusted his shirt. "No I meant your childhood. For instance I was three when Lord Lidal came for me, eight when Hallek was born and leading soldiers by the time I was twelve", he told her as he reached for his pants.

"Surely you didn't have whips and swords, bows and arrows in your childhood? I did", he pointed to a thin line on the back of his leg. "My father whipped me for smarting off to the weaponsmaster at Lidal Hold, in front of all the soldiers when I was ten", he glanced over at her while he belted his pants up. "Of course he had a very good reason to do so but it was still painful".

Meanwhile Bother had lazily flown loop-de-loops over to Kaelu, landing on her shoulder with an air of propriety. "Bother you stupid creature", T'ran half-hopped with a boot almost pulled on over to Kaelu. "She is not yours'. Shards why did you even bite me", he cursed the creature, reaching for him. Bother chirped and leapt away, zooming in a circle around his human as T'ran finished struggling into his boot. "I hate the pesky creatures, more trouble than they are worth", he added, glancing down at Kaelu. "Sorry about him, told you he was a bother", he apologized and turned back for his second boot. The little bronze flitt was sitting on it rather proudly as if he had just found it.

"That is mine", T'ran shook his finger at the flitt who began to pout as he crawled off the boot. The pouting roused Knymawth who turned to watch his rider and flitt, there was a tilt of disapproval in Knymawth's gaze as he fixed an eye on T'ran. "I know, I know, I know but really? His boot? He can't even fit in the damn thing", T'ran answered his dragon. "Well?", he asked Kaelu in reference to her childhood.

[shouriko]

Kaelu nodded in full agreement, it was indeed a great difference between the two of them. "It was a start, I didn't say it was a story on its own." She just smiled and stood up with the bronze on her shoulder. There was some weight to the little critter, though not nearly as much as her responsibilities.

Kaelu listened with careful consideration. It seemed that the explanation for so many scars was indeed from his youth. What a youth it was. She thought hers had been hard enough being the oldest daughter and the like. At least her parents didn't force her into anything. Then they might have actually been involved in her life in the least. She nodded every now and again and kept her smile in place. Even though the idea of being so young a dangerous force and then leading before he was hardly grown. Her brothers played such games, but T'ran lived it.

"You should sit down when you put boots on, you could fall over you know." Kaelu suggested.

With the firelizard off her shoulder and now on the other boot, she rocked on her heels a bit. It was a nice day and she didn't mind talking about her childhood. Not that it was exciting and she didn't see what it mattered. So she just got into it.

"Both my parents are harpers, they only got married because they were the only two harpers there. Just for convenience really. I have two older brothers and two younger sisters." Kaelu held up her hand and then wiggled her thumb, therefore she was from a family of five children. "I learned how to talk and walk and do a lot of things from my brothers, I guess that's why I'm such a tough, sinewy woman. Though I guess it doesn't work out for men, they like their women soft and I'm not exactly like that."

She kicked a rock and shrugged it off, "I nearly raised my sisters once Ma decided I was able to. I figured if Ma and Pa wouldn't I had better anyway, and then my brothers always fought with me and complained about my cooking, so I just had to beat them into submission and get them to behave around the girls. I might've turned into a rough houser, but they weren't going to. Not that it mattered to Ma or Pa, they did their job and had children and that was enough for them." That was why she was so loud too, wasn't it. All that yelling and shouting. Ah well, too late to change her too much eh.

"Needless to say I can fight pretty well, you already know I am loud, I am all about getting the job done, and I don't believe in love." Kaelu nodded and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ready yet?" She asked.

[stolenhart]

"Trust me it has nothing to do with how you look", T'ran answered non-committedly as he sat down to pull on his second boot. "Do you know", he paused for a moment, "you need to learn to relax. Gimna has more problems than you and yet she finds time to just sit still and be for a few moments", he told her, standing up to tuck his shirt into his pants. "You need to learn to delegate your responsibilities Kaelu otherwise you'll work yourself to death and when you are dead who is gonna take care of the Weyr, hmmm? It will be the same people who could have helped you from the beginning", shirt tucked in and properly pulled back out so he was neat albeit a little sandy he turned to her. "Yeah yeah".

Bother flew to his shoulder and landed, wrapping his tail around T'ran's upper arm in a very possesive manner, eyes curious about this 'new adventure'. "Knymawth are you alright?", the dragon humphed as he spread his wings and stretched out from the ball he was in. "I suppose so", T'ran said, realizing the dragon was completely out of it and asleep. "I'll be back in a few then", he glanced at his dragon quickly before stepping to Kaelu's side. "Alright, let's go".

[shouriko]

"Huh?" Kaelu looked at T'ran quizzically. What on Pern did he mean by that? She just shrugged again and rocked on her heels again.

At his next words about relaxing she gave him a wink and a sly smile. "Oh I relax all right, I just do it in a place where no one can find me. That way I get all the quiet I'll ever need for the day. Besides, what I'm doing today is half business and half fun."

Kaelu never did things in a day that were purely business, she'd never be able to pull herself through an entire day then. As for delegation, she worked very well with the Headwoman and that was a huge help alone for the pair of them. Between them they always found someone to run quick errands and the like. It was like a well oiled flamethrower that was always able to burn hot.

She still pouted over that, "I know, J'kul and Delia taught me that, but I think I've done pretty well so far. It isn't like I have any doubts, I mean, I doubt myself all the time, but once I make a decision I have to stick with it and see it through. Right? You look like you never have any doubts, so maybe you don't know what I'm saying, but everyone thinks they or someone else can do better. They just don't know what it's like doing the job though, but still, I hear them and what they say. I'll never question Kyrieth's decisions, but I always seem to question my own. Ah well, here I go rattling on again. Sorry about that, if I do it, just let me know and I'll be sure to apologize." Kaelu was smiling when she said it, but the way she talked about doubt did bring her down.

With him ready she started back across the Weyrbowl, her stride was long and her pace rather quick, but she was in a good mood. Kaelu's emotions were always so easy to read if one just looked at her. No matter the mood, though, she continued to stand tall and when one of the riders sent her greetings she paused a moment to stop , wave, and ask after him and his dragon and then continued on.

"I hear Southern Weyr is not exactly built like most Weyrs, at least not Northern ones. Dragons sleep outside and the like. Is that true?" Kaelu asked, deciding to keep things light after talking about doubt and leadership.

"Ah, and I was going to the infirmary first, but since you'll want to check in on your rider, I thought we'd leave that for last so you'll have more time. So we're going to the creche first. I always make it a point to visit the children every other sevenday to play and see how their lessons are coming. That and I have to talk with the woman in charge." Kaelu told him quickly.

[stolenhart]

“Nothing should ever be half and half”, he muttered. “If it isn’t fun in any aspect of the job, then you don’t want it”, he added looking away so she wouldn’t think the comment was directed towards her. He listened to her express her doubts and questioning her decisions and rolled his eyes.

“I’ve got doubts but like you said, once you’ve made a decision, and you’ve stuck to it, then why doubt yourself? The doubts aren’t going to change or make the outcome worse or better. Doubts about a decision is just stress leaders need but yes I doubt my actions sometimes. How can I not when one word from me will send a rider to his death? But I’ve been leading men to their deaths for turns, I still grieve for them when they die but I make sure the one that dies next dies for a specific purpose”, he explained, “I have too many people second guessing me, I don’t need my own thoughts”.

“It is true”, he replied, “There is a cave system but it is very small. Large enough for a Lower Caverns set up, storage and craft rooms and half a Weyr’s worth of weyrs. A lot of our dragons sleep outside and they don’t seem to mind. Some of our riders build cabins and such on the beach when there aren’t enough weyrs to go around”, he explained, imagining his home. “If it weren’t for the storms everything would be outside. Our Sands are outside as well. There is no shade that falls over them unless it rains, then we pull this tarp of hides across, but it stays open all turn long. And it always smells like saltwater, even by the lake. I miss that smell”, he added wistfully.

“I already checked on I’en today. He is doing much better. We might be out of your hair by the time Kyrieth’s due to clutch. I know Na’z is ready for his weyrmate to return home and I’m ready to go home and see what damage I will have to fix. A few of my Wingleaders are in league with my brother Hallek and they’ll no doubt move to have me replaced until the next flight. Unfortunately the oaths they swore to Hallek make that a possibility”, his voice got rougher when he spoke of the inevitable betrayal in Southern. One day he would find a way around his slippery little oath and be free of his brother.

“Children? I like children, especially with a bit of fried tuber and salt”.

[shouriko]

"Good, I'm glad we have an understanding!" Kaelu said excitedly, she spun around and was walking backwards now. She smiled and laughed at him, or about him, it was hard to tell. It was only for a few strides, but she was able to look directly at T'ran as she said, "You keep giving me advice. Do you like me?"

Her pause was long enough for her to spin around again, "That'd be nice, means I'm making my mark then, huh?"

Southern was very different indeed. With so much of it outside and by the sea, it was buffeted by seasonal storms. It was hot, but being so open meant that it was airy. They needed the sea to keep cool likely. The hatching sands being outside, even if covered, seemed a bit precarious. Kaelu did have to admit that the idea of the warmth and sun was rather nice. It was nothing like anything she had experienced before.

"Sounds nice and you sound homesick." Kaelu said, perhaps that was why he was laying on the rock in the sun. "But I'en is doing well, right? That's very good to hear, but I still need to check on the healers. Good thing I usually don't have to check on the kitchens and the other crafts. The Headwoman and I have divvied it up that way."

Hallek again. Clearly T'ran didn't like the man or the situation Southern was in. It made Northern seemed sheltered from his danger, even if they were in his line of sight. Kaelu was quiet for a while and her smile was gone as she thought about it. Having your own Wingleaders aligned with such a dangerous man who wanted to lord over all Pern was not something to be happy about. And indeed, it was true that T'ran might not be Weyrleader for each flight of Weyrwoman Gimna's.

"So what do you want to do about him, OverHolder Hallek, that is?" Kaelu asked.

"Ooooh, you're funny." She giggled. "I'd prefer you didn't eat them, though, they're mostly good kids. A lot of them are the children of greenriders like the ones who have entertained you."

[stolenhart]

"Yes", he admitted without shame, "Just because I don't agree with you doesn't mean I don't like you", he added, giving her a bright cheerful smile that was a brigth cheerful grimace with his scar and all. He caught up to walk beside her, preferring a side by side discussion instead of her walking backwards and talking to him that way. "I am a bit homesick I admit. Everything is different here, backwards and forwards. Even the smells are different though it should be the same. I doubt our oil is any different from yours' or our firestone but it all smells different", he sighed.

"I am not sure. Part of me wants to do away with him of course", he admitted, "but another part, this may surprise you, wants him to stay. Not out of loyalty mind you but more out of working relationships. All our holds work together to support the Weyr and each other. Garon has the mines and the Smithcrafthalls, Taskin has the herds and Crafthalls, and Lidal makes ships and wagons to get the goods from one place to another and the Weyr", his look was rueful this time, "I don't mind being used as a sort of courier or even carrier mount. It gives me something to do, and a reason to be alive", he just didn't like his dragons carrying men hither and yon for a war that was none of theirs to begin with. "You know Hallek is quite popular among the holderfolk, because each hold needs the next one and is needed by the next, no one has an advantage over each other. Without an Overholder, I think the South would fall apart".

"But if you ask me if Hallek is the right man for the job? Knowing him as I do? No he's not. He poisoned Gimna, murdered several cousins, probably murdered father, is about as trustworthy as a tunnelsnake, but", he shrugged as if to say what can I do, my hands are tied.

"Found out about that did you? It was a new thing that I found rather enjoyable, the fact that not only my dragon can be happy but me as well? Gimna and I are friends, so the morning after was a bit awkward, at least until she threw and ink pot at me and told me to grow up", he chuckled. "I didn't want to send Mirrium away but Southern isn't ready for that kind of change yet".

[shouriko]

"If the boot was on the other foot, I'd be feeling the same." Kaelu nodded. That meant she would have to try and find ways to keep him happy, or in the least content in his having to stay. He didn't seem to be too unhappy about his predicament. That was indeed a major plus.

"Sounds like a really tough situation." Kaelu said, walking into the Weyr entrance, looking at the ground as she continued, "Too bad it couldn't be like Weyrleader, huh? Majority vote every three turns with checks through the other Holders and such. That kind of thing. Might not work out, someone always wants more than the rest."

As for poisoning her Southern counterpart, that made him especially dangerous. What would become of her if he could get a foothold in the North? What of Kyrieth? What of her Weyr? It was a very troubling thought and it was one that she wanted to tackle. In this way, though, it made dealing with the enemy Weyr more precarious than ever.

"I feel that I should make an effort to visit the Southern Weyrwoman." Kaelu remarked, though how much time she had and how to do it safely was another matter entirely. One she should wait for another turn to tackle.

"Ah yes, we were all bathing at about the same time so I heard all about your exploits. You are a naughty man Weyrleader T'ran." Kaelu giggled a bit and started down the stairwell. Her voice carried very well in the corridors. As if a loud voice was not enough for her to be well heard by others. She had gotten ahead somehow and stopped to wait for him. "Though I will warn you, if you value sleep at all, you might want to tell the three of them to wait for another night."

[stolenhart]

"I would advise against it", T'ran replied to her comment to visit the Southern Weyrwoman. "Northerners are not very popular folk in Southern Weyr, even Northern Harpers are discouraged from coming to the Weyr, "And I will not let Gimna come here. I don't think her health would stand the flight, either between or overland", he added softly. When he had left Gimna had just been given permission to get out of bed, but only so far as a single chair. She could be carried around the Weyr of course, but she could not walk any distance. T'ran wondered who she had gotten to see to that duty.

He shrugged, he had no defense for himself, "Those women are a naughty bunch themselves, still", the smile on his face was all feline that ate the canary. He was not upset at all. "I got plenty of sleep, if you haven't noticed I sleep during the day", he pointed out. Which was true, he was rarely at lunch and never at supper, though the kitchen drudges could say he was in the kitchen at midnight. "It's a habit from Southern, in the summer it gets so hot it's best to sleep during the day if you can and work at night when it's cooler".

[shouriko]

"Yes, you and everyone else say the same thing. It makes any matter of inter-Weyr relations extremely difficult. If the Weyrs ever meet, it always seems to be in skies to fight. Words are just as good and they can hurt as well." Kaelu sort of rolled her eyes at that.

It was why they always told her not to try to change everything or change too much too quickly. Half the Weyr could be ready, but the other half wouldn't. Or people couldn't see all the options as clearly as others. No one was alike and everyone thought differently. Compromise was therefor a necessity to the politics of a Weyr.

"Call it wishful thinking then." Kaelu smiled and sighed a little. "Ah, nearly there!"

As she walked, she thought back to those greenriders. They did need their sleep, they had work to do. So long as they did it just as well as any other time before, then she wouldn't mind, but if this affected their work... Let's just say she would have to have a little talk with them. On the other hand, she was rather surprised that T'ran took it so well.

"I must be very cruel then to keep you from your sleep. I suppose you'll just have to endure it. I did tell you prior about what I planned to do with you. You were properly warned." Kaelu said, no apologies about it.

She stopped at the entrance to one hallway and looked at him seriously for a moment, her smile small and the green glow in her eyes dark. "You will be nice to the children. You don't have say anything or do anything, but you will be nice."

[stolenhart]

He waved off her statement about cruel to keep him from his sleep. "I will catch up on it tomorrow. I learned how to function on very little little turns ago and you are not keeping me from anything I really need. And yes I was properly warned about it so I will not hold you to blame", he replied, holding his hand to his chest as he gave her a mocking little half bow.

"Be nice? The fearsome Weyrleader from the South does not know how to be nice", he scoffed but gently pushed her aside and entered the creche. Immediatly he started roaring and making dreadful noises but the children were shrieking in laughter and fun, a few even yelling his name.

The Head worker came out of the creche and spotted Kaelu. "Weyrwoman what brings you down here? Come to see if the rumors were true?"

[shouriko]

He was making fun of her. Kaelu ignored it, she had gotten quite good at ignoring people poking fun at her. This was mostly thanks to her brothers, but every now and again she rose to the occasion. Today she just continued on. His last remark was the one she was going to say something to as she stopped just outside the door. Kaelu opened her mouth and instantly it stayed just liked that as she followed after him and just stood there.

He stole my thunder! Kaelu's mouth hung open as she watched him, green eyes wide in mild shock and surprise. The woman who came over was just whom she had to speak to, but still she watched T'ran go off. Granted she didn't exactly snarl or anything like that. She bugled and swooped around, spinning random children when she first arrived for 'dragon rides'.

"More rumors?" Kaelu asked, turning at long-last with a more reserved face for once. "I don't go chasing rumors, I was going to try to implement my grand scheme and get some work done at the same time. Our seasonal meeting on supplies and creche workers and children." She sighed, already she knew what this so called rumor was. "Let me guess, Southern Weyrleader is the newest rave of the children? I'm passed-down."

In a way she couldn't help but chuckle a little and smile. Really, the man was taking to the place like a fish out of water. Whatever did she have to do but keep an eye on him from time to time?

I like the children too, this makes me unhappy. Shall I say something about it? I would not mind at all. The children like you too. Kyrieth offered.

No, that's fine, but if I change my mind, you'll know. Kaelu shook her head as she thought it. "How many times has he been here and how long?" She asked. She may as well find out the truth, though if he was an ace dragon-chess player she'd want to ring his wide muscled neck.

[stolenhart]

"Awww", the creche worker smiled, keeping the thought to herself that Kaelu wasn't often upstaged by someone, the Weyrwoman was far to intelligent for that. "We can step into the supply room for a bit of quiet if you would like", she offered, the noise level steadily growing higher as T'ran went to his hands and knees and began to crawl around, children clambering over and around his back.

"Weyrwoman he comes nearly day for at least an hour, usually right before nap time. He plays with them and then once they start to tire he tells them stories, like the Cindergirl", aka Cinderella, "the Lady and the Pea and others. He's marvelous with them", though she didn't say it, the creche worker was wondering where the new Weyrleader was. She had not met the man. While the creche was not part of his domain it certainly didn't hurt for the Weyrleader to be there.

[shouriko]

"Right." Kaelu agreed. They needed some semblance of quiet, a rather rare commodity in the creche except late at night, while they talked. As they walked, she heard of the new exploits of the Southern Weyrleader and almost against how she wanted to feel, began to admire him. A part of her admired him just for being a leader and she had decided to draw the line there. Now, though, she was finding him as simply a man, someone who had some very good qualities. Some of which she had within herself.

In the quiet of the store room Kaelu asked with some seriousness, "More so than I, even?"

If ever she really wanted attention, the kind that made you feel truly important, she always came to the creche. Children liked her because she was a 'fun' authority. If they knew their letters and numbers, she let the girls play with her hair and play robbers and traders with the boys. Or what they seemed to like best, see Kyrieth and take turns washing her on fair-weather days.

"It seems I am truly underestimating him, I shall have to rise to the occasion." Kaelu did like competition and if a man was involved, all the more fun. Not because she liked to beat them down, only that she had competed and played with her brothers so much it was almost easier for her to relate to them. In the least, she knew how to handle them in that manner. In matters of the heart... well, to her they didn't exist anyway.

"The children are all looking well. No one has come down with anything? And the older ones? They are helping along, finding crafts they may have an interest in should the dragons not choose from them? With Kyrieth's clutching coming soon, there are those who will want to be candidates and will move from here." Kaelu could not say all their names, but she could have a rough head count. There were about seven she knew had a large interest in dragons who were of age. "And the workers? There have been no troubles between them? The stores look well-stocked, seems like there isn't much that needs replacing."

That was all business now, she had best get it out of the way. Kaelu wanted to truly watch T'ran and see how he acted. He hadn't made any sign that he had been to the creche and that had been a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, it was still a surprise.

[stolenhart]

"Nope. The older ones are doing fine, we have several Journeymen and Masters coming by every sevenday to see if interest in various crafts gets sparked. Everything is fine Weyrwoman, the creche is running very smoothly", the older woman tried to reassure Kaelu. Sometimes the Weyrwoman could get on a person's nerves always checking and rechecking but the creche woman understood a changing of the guard. She only hoped that Kaelu would relax in the near future.

"I am taking them out to the lake sometime tomorrow and the kids wanted to ask if Kyrieth was going to be there? T'ran had already volunteered Knymawth but you know how the little girls are, they'd rather touch the gold than some scarred murky bronze. The boys like him though, especially when he pretends to eat them".

[shouriko]

"Good, I'm happy to hear that." Kaelu smiled widely as she looked at the woman. Maybe her affinity towards children came from having to look after her younger sisters, or maybe it was because they were smaller and younger and she felt the need to protect them. In any case, the creche was as much a symbol of the future as she and Kyrieth were. "Though you know that if anything comes up or you need anything, don't hesitate to come to either me or the Headwoman. We will be happy to help."

Not like she didn't help even when she wasn't asked to. In a way she was a bit nosy about some things. Not intentionally, she always did it meaning well, but that didn't necessarily mean that it came off that way. Kaelu was still finding her Weyrwoman legs in a way of speaking and for now that meant going a little overboard. V'las had always warned her to be careful of such things, but really, sometimes too much didn't hurt and could actually do some good.

"Ah! I'm sure Kyrieth would like to, she isn't too broody." Kaelu thought more of how the gold had been feeling lately. She seemed to be close to clutching, but not yet. Though Kyrieth had been getting occasionally irritable, she had always become more motherly. If she wasn't one, she was the other, and she always seemed to know when it was all right to act as either of them. "She does loves the attention."

"Well, then, seeing as everything is going well, perhaps some of the children will want to play with me, even if I am not so new anymore." Kaelu said and she left the storeroom with a smile and she half-skipped to the group. "Hello little ones! Can't I play too?"

Though her voice was loud, it was not so easy to rise above the squeals of a dozen or more children. Yet she did not go unheard, one of the girls came running over and ran right to her open arms. "Ah! Dragon ride!" Kaelu spun her 'round and lifted her up and down, before stopping and spinning the other way. "Going down!" And down she went, softly putting her down. "Dizzy?"