Unhappy chores

[.K.aci]

Silence, as he slipped through the halls of the Weyr. Silence as he stepped through the various doorways, cradling a small Brown flit that quietly curled itself in his arms. Silence, even when he stepped into the empty healing cavern, finding only a Journeyman Healer that gestured at the equipment he would need when he introduced himself as the Candidate that was here for making numbweed. The male was tall, rangy and thin, slightly scary looking with blond hair and a myriad of dark tattoo's that gracefully swirled down the corner of his face, down his back, and around his left arm. Only the scarlet-red/black tattoo that tendriled down his arm, and the one that swirled around his face and neck were visible, of course, his form-fitting tunic hiding the extensive pattern that danced down his back thickly and thinned as it traced his hipbone.

He realized he was a scary person, and Hauze, as he was called by the masses, didn't mind. He had done this too himself, to ruin himself. Of course, depending on whom you talk to, it did or didn't work. He was already not a bad looking male, tall, thin, corded muscle that was unable to be hidden despite his tries. His nose was a blade running down his face, soft white-blonde hair falling into blue eyes that ran along the scale from midnight to practically white. His face was all sharp angles, high cheekbones, but he had a softness about him that canceled it out. Despite the tattoo's that scarred his body, and fierce look about him, he wasn't bad looking.

Large hands set the young Brown down, and a large feline sauntered in, complaining loudly that he had left her. Large, yellow, she came up almost to his hip, and the boy was quite tall. She was spotted heavily, hair short and thick, and she looked feral, as scarred as her owner. But a rumbling rusty purr emitted from her throat, and she ran into his knee, asking to be scratched. Sitting down on the chair, he turned his attentions to his feline, laughing almost silently.

"Amora, it isn't my fault that you were napping."

The feline collapsed at his feet after she had received enough attention, and Renegade, the small Brown, rose to drop down in Hauze's lap, leaving his hands free. He had been expecting to see someone else in here, but the girl on the list next to her name, Brinne? She wasn't here. Shrugging, Hauze turned to the ingredient's in front of him, and easing himself back, he lounged gracefully, concentrating carefully on the job infront of him.

[Kitari]

Briskly, Brinne strode down the winding corridors of the inner Weyr, making her way gradually to the Healing Caverns. If she took her time, well, it was no matter to the young candidate. She could typically flirt her way out of any upset, unless the overseer was woman, of course, (and sometimes even then!). She knew that the Weyrhealer was male, and there would be few others with any authority in that area to scold her for a late arrival. Thus, when she paused in the Candidates' Barracks to run a brush through her hair for the third time that day since awakening, Brinne had the luxury of petting her dear Sphinx for a few moments before moving on down the halls.

Duke was perched on her shoulder, where she loved him to be, for his brilliant turquoise hide complemented her flaming red hair quite marvelously. She couldn't have asked for a more handsomely coloured flit! Brinne doubted that he would much enjoy joining her for this chore (he squawked enough when she was moving too much in sweeping or other tasks), but she loved showing off her fire lizard. He would probably find a comfortable spot on a shelf to wait and watch while she completed the duty.

That duty was bound to be a highly unpleasant one, which was another reason why Brinne was taking her time in starting it. The Candidatemaster had somehow gotten the idea into his head that the candidates ought to spend time together, even more than they already did, over some of the most menial and demeaning tasks the Weyr had to offer. She had been paired with a fellow named 'Hauze', which had piqued her interest slightly. Any male candidate had the potential to Impress bronze, and that was worth Brinne's time any day. But the fact that they were instructed to make numbweed, a process that was supposed to be both sticky and smell horribly, had dimmed her interest quite rapidly.

There was no avoiding it forever, though. Brinne had resolved herself to enduring the unpleasantness in the hopes of winning herself another follower (she had few enough of those so far...). As she neared the Healing Caverns, the girl took a moment to gather herself, arranging her lovely hair just so, then arranged herself into a swaying, confident stride. With that, and her head held high, Brinne slipped into the chamber, her green eyes immediately latching upon the lad waiting there. She had seen him before, though rarely spoken, and she hadn't put his name to a face until now.

So this was Hauze. His features were strong, which was always attractive, and his eyes were dark and bold. His muscle tone was not bad either... As she glanced him over, Brinne's gaze fixated upon the black marks tracing his face and arms. Her eyes widened slightly, for tattoos were not the most common sight in the Hold she had been raised in . The girl suddenly wondered what life had led him to procure such markings. It was a daring statement, and few would bear such obvious differences for all to see. She didn't even notice the large feline who was also in the room, her hungry eyes fixed upon the young man.

"I'm Brinne," she spoke suddenly, hoping to catch him off guard. Men were always more vulnerable when thrown off balance in the first few moments of interaction. Brinne smiled sweetly before stepping daintily forward, eyeing the ingredients arranged on the table and the large, ominous cauldron for them to be mixed in. "I do hope this won't be too difficult a chore; I've never been much of a cook, and I'm afraid I might not be able to follow complicated instructions." Let him think she was weak and unintelligent; he would not be expecting her crafty maneuvers then. She risked a glance at him, wondering what his reaction would be to her seeming helplessness. A true gentleman would offer to take over most of the undesirable aspects of a chore, after all.

[C'lyn]

C'lyn looked up as the two candidates that had been assigned to help him with this task arrived. He smiled and nodded to both of them. He set down the piece of hide he had been working on and stepped over to them "Well, good to see the two of you right on time," he said cheerfully. He looked at them for a moment, nodding. He had seen both of them around before and wondered what they had done to get assigned to this task. He looked down and hid a smile, clearing his throat to cover a cough. "I am C'lyn, rider of Green Greylith and Weyr Healer."

"The two of you have been assigned to help me make numb weed and I will go ahead and tell you that it is a rather smelly task," he said, he wasn't going to lie to them. He glanced at the feline and arched an eyebrow, but shrugged. "I have some smocks that you can put over your clothes and you might want to put your hair up," he said, nodding to Brinne.

"The actually cooking of the numb weed is done outside, the smell in these small confines would not be a good idea," he said, gesturing toward the bubbling pot outside the entry way. He nodded to them and looked up as one of his assistance called to him. He walked away from the candidates, feeling they were capable of handling the task.

[.K.aci]

Had Hauze heard what she was thinking about her firelizard, perhaps he wouldn't be as admirable to the young girl as she thought. Not the best of lives, Hauze was slightly insane, balanced on the verge of a deep precipice in his mind that threatened to swallow it. He stood on that chasm constantly, a moment from stepping into the darkness and being swept away. He fought off the niggling urges to kill, to be ruthless, to again feel blood against his skin and the life of others draining away as he mercilessly halted the lifeforce that sustained them. But Hauze had no intention of ever falling down that path again. He had made two promises in his life, one, to Impress a dragon if they ever returned to the land, and two, to retrieve his siblings from the hold they had been placed in when he had ordered them removed. Claudia, Kanamar, and Deverel were all, at least he hoped, still at one of the holds.

His thoughts dwelling on his siblings, it was the Brown in his lap that drew his attention. The small creature had shrunk into his lap more, wary of the firelizard that was approaching. Hauze let the small Brown send him a picture of the girl, and for a moment Hauze was startled by a quick jump in his heart. She was a very pretty girl.

'I'm Brinne.'

Thusly, he knew that she was coming, and so instead he rose slowly, and letting Renegade scramble up his arm to curl around his neck, towering over her and casting a soft smile that could be taken as shy, although it wasn't. He was at least three years older than her, four at the most, and at 6' 3", despite the fact that she was a good height, was much taller. A tiny bow to her, and his soft lips parted to murmur,

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Brinne. I'm Hauze."

His voice was quiet, but carrying, and he watched her for just a few moments. She was extremely pretty for... 16? 17? Most girls looked a little coltish at this point, as they turned from girl to woman, but she had managed to grace that wall and with a startling appearance, defiantly caught his eye. However, Hauze had never really dealt with females before, so while admiring her, he would not flirt nor attempt to bed her as most males his age did.

'I do hope this won't be too difficult a chore; I've never been much of a cook, and I'm afraid I might not be able to follow complicated instructions.'

Raising his slim eyebrow, he looked at her again, more closely. She looked smart, her beautiful green eyes sparkling with intelligence and confidence. Despite his confusion, he allowed another small smile at her, catching those green eyes with his own deep blue ones.

"Well, as I understand, it's a simple process."

At this point the Weyrhealer crossed over, and Hauze turned his attentions from her to him.

'Well, good to see the two of you right on time. I am C'lyn, rider of Green Greylith and Weyr Healer. The two of you have been assigned to help me make numbweed and I will go ahead and tell you that it is a rather smelly task. I have some smocks that you can put over your clothes and you might want to put your hair up.'

Hauze ran a hand through his own not-short hair, brushing it again out his eyes self-consciously. He needed to remember to cut it... Imagine that, he was worried about his hair and not what he had done to scar his body. My poor boy, I pity you.

'The actually cooking of the numb weed is done outside, the smell in these small confines would not be a good idea.'

Again he turned to her, gracing her with the soft smile and meeting those startling green eyes with his own, which had shifted to a light spring blue as he relaxed in her company.

"Well then, there you have it."

A click of his tongue and the feline rose, `Gade squeaking and burying himself deeper into his hair as the movements around him threatened danger. Biting his tongue against a sigh, Hauze offered his arm to the girl, ridiculously gentlemanly.

"I believe that one of us grinds the leaves up, and the other adds it to the pot while stirring. Whichever you'd rather do, I'll take the other."

Of course, the gentleman he was, he had no regrets doing that. Ah, my poor boy, when will you learn that being polite just won't cut it in this ruthless world?

[Kitari]

The young man didn't even flinch when Brinne spoke abruptly, rising gracefully to greet her in turn and causing the girl's eyes to spark with interest. He was obviously extremely confident and sure of himself, which was a very appealing feature in a man, for it placed him as more of an equal to her, rather than a plaything. There were few men that managed to reach that higher category in her eyes, and the candidate was immediately interested in finding out if Hauze was one of the few. The fact that he had strong features and a lithe form only added to the appeal.

The Weyrhealer spoke suddenly, causing Brinne an uncharacteristic start of surprise, for she had been so fixated on the other candidate that she had failed to note the presence of others in the room. She composed herself admirably, however, flashing a dazzling smile at the man while nodding meekly in response to his explanation. When he gestured towards the smocks and suggested she tie up her hair, however, Brinne's nose wrinkled delicately. She eyed the hideous cloth behemoths, then turned sweetly back to the Weyrhealer, barely bothering to hide the fact that she was obviously not going to don one.

Although she preferred to leave her luxurious locks hanging down for all to admire, a memory came to mind of that Dragonhealer Apprentice she had met in her first sevenday at the Weyr, and his warning that Thread might get caught in her hair... Brinne shuddered at the very recollection and gathered her hair neatly into a loose bun, typing it off with a strip of fabric.

Much to her relief, the Weyrhealer immediately moved off after delivering the brief instructions, leaving her alone with Hauze once more. Brinne turned to him just as he turned to her, and she graced him with an immediate, playful smile in response to his soft one. His eyes had a sharp colour that immediately drew her, for they were nearly as bright as Duke's hide. They were much more appealing than the dull, grey and brown ones most folk had.

At his proffered harm, the girl's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. A gentleman! Where had he been hiding in this insufferable Weyr? Brinne had been searching for far too long for a man worth her time. Could this finally be him? Her smile widened, and she neatly tucked her arm into his, tilting her head to gaze upward at him in a manner that best displayed her arching neck. She cared little for the fire lizard or giant feline at this point, and with felines being her favourite pet, she wasn't frightened by this obviously tame one's size.

"Oh, I think," she began thoughtfully, her tone light and airy, "I might be able to handle the stirring, if you would be so kind as to do the grinding. I'm afraid Weaving does not provide much opportunity to develop arm strength, merely dexterity." Brinne's fingers brushed across his arm lightly, as if demonstrating. "And what vocation was it that graced you with such a physique?" she inquired, sounding purely innocent yet obviously flattering, if one was paying attention.

[.K.aci]

When she started at the Weyrhealer, he hid a smile. It seemed that the girl, despite wanting to scare him, had just been fooled at her own game. However, she easily recovered, and that rose her in his eyes as well. It was much the same of her thoughts that ran through his as he appraised her again, raising one slim eyebrow to watch her more carefully.

She took his arm, showing that she had manners at least, and he looked down at her, mild curiosity in his gaze. She was a pretty girl...

'Oh, I think I might be able to handle the stirring, if you would be so kind as to do the grinding. I'm afraid Weaving does not provide much opportunity to develop arm strength, merely dexterity.'

He rose an eyebrow at that. It seemed that mashing the leaves uo would require the dexterity, for it was not strength that brought it into the fine pulp they seeked. The stirring she would get tired of, soon enough. He would wager money on it. No twitch, no glimmer of appreciation at all as her soft fingertips brushed against his arm, but he did send another glance down at her.

'And what vocation was it that graced you with such a physique?'

He wasn't really good with the underlayings of flattery, and so to him she just sounded inquisitive. Poor boy.

"I was a Trader. I hunted, mainly, but I helped make some of the finer details on the wood carvings."

It was a good way to make money, as they were very pricey, wood being in such high demand for things that weren't necessarily practical. But now he was curious as they stopped outside, turning to her.

"Why are you here, if you were a Weaver?"