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Girl Talk


Date:  September 6, 2003
Place:  Telgar Weyr Workroom
Game:  PernMUSH
Copyright Info:  The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey 
l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

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Kassi's Note:  Just what the title says!  Admittedly, this particular
instance of girl talk occurs over strap repairs rather than over 
manicures and chocolate, but it still seemed to fit the 
description. ;)  Continuing a recent theme of discussion, Kassi asks 
Yselle about her recent first flight experience.  Javi's arrival not
long after sparks off talk about her weyr decoration plans, and the
recent travels of both younger riders also get a mention.

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The Log:

Yselle comes into the workroom from the bowl.

Seated at that favorite hearth-side table she seems always somehow to
claim, Kassi's currently tucking carved wooden pieces away into a
box--chess pieces, by the look of it, and the box must double as the board
with that checkered pattern. She whistles to herself as she does so.
Evidently, someone's in good spirits.

Yselle heads in, clutching a set of straps, which she's examining as she
walks, her fingers tracing over the hide thoughtfully. "Hm," she mutters
thoughtfully, heading over to the strap-making gear. On her way back, she
examines the room, apparently in quest of somewhere to sit, and her eyes
light on Kassima. She heads over there, and asks "Can I sit here?"

Kassima brings the lid of the box down with a quiet *click*, and looks up;
a smile of welcome crosses her features. "A'course, Ys, if'n you want to.
Kisai's chair's free now that she's decided t'seek easier prey at chess." A
nod towards the chair across from her indicates which one. "Got another set
of straps in need of medical attention?"

Yselle looks around the room asking thoughtfully "She lost?" she shrugs and
says "Congratulations, wingleader," with a grin. "Yeah, well, they're
starting to wear through a little -- here --" she demonstrates a slight
defect in the leather. "It's not too bad yet, but I don't want it to get
that way." She slides into the indicated seat and asks "How have you been?
How's Kaswyn?"

The question turns Kassi's smile into a full-out grin. "As she almost
always does--but she's getting closer t'beating me; methinks Kris is
teaching her tricks, the traitor." Affection is audible in her voice.
"Bright lass, she is. Mmm--aye, I see what you mean. Better t'catch it
a'fore the cold of *between* can get into it and stiffen the flaw. That's
just asking for trouble. I've been fairly well... and Kazy's even better.
He managed t'pick up a bug somewhere and pass it on t'me without getting
sick himself, which I find just *terribly* unfair. But he's learned a new
word--'spoon'--and 'Maeva gave him a wooden spoon t'play with, and he's
been carrying it around everywhere like 'tis his best friend. Talking to
it, too. How about you? Heard through the grapevine that you weathered your
first flight well."

Lysseth> Javinia walks here from the north.

Yselle puts a foot up on a seat opposite as she arranges herself and the
straps in a comfortable position for working. "Yes, that's what I was
thinking," she says, using an awl to work at the leather. "Better to work
on it /now/ than have worse problems later. And if I didn't do it, Dianneth
would nag me until I did anyway, so..." she grins ruefully, but her
expression sobers as she asks "Are you okay now? I hope you weren't too
sick. I'm glad /he's/ not, kids are always so... sick when they're sick,
but, I hope you're okay too." She grins and asks "Does the spoon have a
name? Levarn's got a blanket he calls Faenth. His father is corrupting him,
of course," her expression is fond though, so there's little censure in her
words. "Ah hm, the flight, yeah, well, in the end it wasn't as bad as I
thought. The flight, anyway."

Lysseth> Face tipped to watch the sky, the crisp winter night making the
stars glimmer as the clouds part, Javinia blows out a white breath of
appreciation. The sight slows her steps, but then the cold hastens her on.
"Heyla, Lysseth!" she calls out in greeting as she arrows for the work
room, and warmth.

Javinia comes into the workroom from the bowl.

Javinia stops just within the entrance, letting the curtain rustle closed
behind her, cutting off the draft of winter wind. Pressing a mittened hand
against the stone wall, she knocks her boots against it, clearing them of
snow and slush. Her cheeks are well-rosed above her buttery scarf.

Kassima nudges the chess set to the side and settles back in her chair,
stretching her legs out beneath the table. "Faranth forfend she should fly
with straps that aren't flawless," she supposes, grinning, "since 'twould
be a danger *and* a poor fashion decision. Oh--" One hand's waved in a
quick dismissal of worry. "'Tis kind of you to ask, but 'twill be fine,
certes. I'm mostly just tired... and that's a problem I could *wish* Kazy
had, sometimes. The spoon is as-yet nameless." Pause. Kassi's expression
turns thoughtful. "Methinks. He *might* have named it; his talk's still
more babble than words, y'know, so 'tis hard t'be saying. Is Levarn's
blanket blue? And I'm glad of that. With the flight, I mean. 'Twas hoping
'twould go well for you, and for Dianneth. Is T'van letting you live
everything down?" At the curtain-rustle, she looks over and calls out,
"Heyla, Javi! Come sit back here with us? The hearthfire's a savior."

Yselle, sitting next to Kassima and working on some straps, slowly,
laboriously working on a slight imperfection in the leather. "That's it
exactly. She wants me to be safe /and/ to look good herself," she grins, a
fair amount of amusement in her expression. "Maybe though, you ought to
take a rest if you're not well? You don't want to get any worse." Leaning
closer to inspect her work she says "Yes, well it /was/ blue, but since he
drags it around a lot, the colour's mostly gone out of it. I haven't the
heart to try and take it, Tel won't hear of it, and Vannia thinks it's
cute. That's my sister, she's fostering him." After a pause she says "The
flight was... wow. I never really /understood/ you know, and it was good,
that it was Indrath, but... hey, Javi!" she looks up too, and grins. "Come
over," she echoes Kassima.

At the sound of her name, Javinia glances up, dimples coming quickly as she
spots Kassima and Yselle. "Thanks," she calls, knocking slush from her
boots one last time, before slipping past others sheltering in the cavern
for warmth. The hazel-eyed girl doesn't even begin to unbundle until she's
nearer the promised hearthfire. "No surprise then I saw Dianneth and
Lysseth in the bowl. Straps, is it?" she asks of Yselle as she draws near.
To Kassima, "How're you and Lysseth?"

"I'm surprised she hasn't tried t'talk you into making or commissioning
dressier straps for her--or has she? Might be interesting," Kassi reflects,
glancing Bowl-wards with sparkling eyes, "t'see what she'd consider
fashionable, at that. Pshhhh, Ys. 'Tis appreciating the concern I am, but
I'm scarcely near collapse. 'Tis just one of those things." She reaches her
right hand into her jacket as she speaks, fishing a silver case from an
interior pocket and flipping it open. It contains a row of pale green mint
sticks; she selects one of these and tucks it into her cheek, then proffers
the case to the other two women. "Either of you want one? Nay real harm in
hauling a blanket about, I imagine. 'Tisn't so different from the children
who carry stuffed dragons everywhere." Quietly chuckling, she tilts her
head to one side. "'Tis an experience, nay? But well that you have nay
regrets--I'm well, Javi, thankee," she turns to tell the brownrider with a
grin. "And Lysseth's well, though grumbling about the cold. It doesn't even
really *bother* her, so methinks she grumbles just for the sake of
grumbling. And you and Naelanth?"

Yselle grins. "Maybe she hasn't thought of it yet," she says. "Straps
really aren't my thing. I mean, I can /do/ them, but I doubt I could make
them too fancy, and she talked me into spending all my marks on clothes."
She smiles, and takes one of the mint sticks. "Thanks," she says, eyeing it
thoughtfully and sniffing gently. "Well, Tel gave him the blanket. It was
one of the first presents he ever got him, so I've always thought it was
nice that he likes it so much." As for the flight, she blushes, and shrugs.
"Well I'm just dying of embarrassment over what happened /before/. The
flight, it was good." She actually smiles in an embarrassed fashion and
adds "It's just kind of hard talking to all those maleriders now." Javinia,
apparently isn't included in that because she grins at the brownrider and
waggles the straps at her in demonstration. "You look cold, Javi. Warm up
by the fire. Have you had your weyr painted yet?"

"Oh, what's that?" Javinia asks, lifting her chin to look at the mint
sticks. Her nose tells her soon enough. "Mint!" Here, she glances quickly
up at her wingleader, coloring ever-so-slightly, but she pulls off a
mitten, reaching for one anyway. "Thank you." Before she puts the mint in
her mouth, she manages, "We're good, thanks. I'm not sure I'm getting
acclimated as well as last Turn. Now that we're free to wing away anytime
we please, Naelanth always has us someplace warmer." Shooting Yselle a
grin, she sticks the end of the stick in her mouth, stepping over toward
the hearth more, unbundling in truth now. She has a bit of a time getting
her scarf's length around that mint stick in her mouth without tangling the
two. While trying to manage this and talk around the mint, she says to
Yselle, "Kassi's gotta talk to her daughter."

Kassima grins at 'all my marks on clothes,' but has the grace not to
comment--yet--on the expense of a certain red dress. "Far be it from me
t'give her notions, then. I can't handle fancy straps either. The set I
have, T'lar gave me for graduation, if'n you can credit it--we use 'em so
seldom, they still function." She manages to talk around the mint stick in
her mouth without much mumbling. Talented woman. She slides the case back
away with another grin at Javi's enthusiasm. "Welcome, welcome. Does he
drag you off t'Boll? That's Lysseth's preferred trick. Any time she thinks
there's the least chance of me taking her there, I swear... you weren't
*that* bad a'forehand, Ys!" Her protestation even seems sincere--but
amusement lightens her eyes regardless. "Nay worse than quite a few of us
get. The maleriders who chased, d'you mean? Oh, that's right! I did talk to
Khari, Javi--" she starts, focusing back on the brownrider. "She said she'd
be interested in talking t'you about what sort of mural you'd want, when
you get the chance."

Yselle blushes at Kassima's grin, but lets that pass, seeming relieved
about it. "They seem to be either really blase about it or kind of grumpy.
I never really thought much about it before, you know? Tel was always
complaining about lost flights, and I always thought he was just after a
bit of sympathy.... oh, where did you go, Javi?" she's happy enough to
allow the conversation to turn to destinations. "Did you find a nice beach
to sit on? We found the /loveliest/ meadow with a stream and wildflowers. I
keep meaning to go on a picnic there. But it's /so/ cold coming back, isn't
it?" She pops the mint into her mouth now.

It's off with scarf, mittens, and, finally, flight jacket. Javinia sighs a
slight relief at her renewed freedom of movement, hanging them all on a peg
to warm near the hearth. She's been too well-trained at politeness to talk
around her mint stick for long. Unencumbered, she slips it from her mouth
to say, "In truth, I shouldn't say anywhere warm. Anywhere at all. We've
been out to Ista, back to Fort, Boll again, Shipfish, Woodcraft,
Starsmiths, Nabol." No Keroon, though. "There's still so much we haven't
seen yet." Without hesitation, she's agreeing with Kassima. "You weren't
that bad, Ys. Not that I saw. I mean, you flirted an awful lot, but ... "
Her cheeks don't color as much as they might. Enthusiasm returning, she
asks her wingleader, "Truly? Oh, excellent. Tell her anytime. I'm truly
eager about the idea now that you have me thinking on it." Then she's
nodding to Yselle, pulling a roll of wherhide from where she has it tucked
into the belt of her trousers, to keep it dry. "So cold. Where's this meadow?"

After a moment of savoring her mint in companionable silence, Kassima
offers, "'Tis hard on 'em, methinks, the losing. Enough losses and I'd
probably be grumpy too--but that's something I don't have t'worry about,
thankfully. Lyss would be such a *harridan* if'n she could lose. Where's
this meadow, Ys?" There's definite interest there; then, Kassi asks, "Did
you see aught at any of the Crafthalls for your weyr, Javi? I'll pass that
along t'Khari. If'n you find yourself with time, you might just drop by her
room in the Caverns--she's said she never minds if'n 'tis a matter of
business." Back to the flight subject: "And T'van seemed bent on keeping
you from *doing* aught with the maleriders that you might regret. I have
t'admit, I rather underestimated him."

Yselle sucks on that mint-stick as she listens. "I could always have Levarn
put handprints on your wall," she reminds Javinia, grinning, sticking the
stick to one side to talk. "Dianneth would /hate/ it too. Losing. Could you
imagine? /Her/ /Losing/? I don't think she's improving the situation much.
She's telling them all they should have flown harder and it's really their
own fault," poor Ys looks a little embarrassed. "The meadow it's... a bit
north of Ista, actually. We go there to think or just to relax sometime.
I'll take you if you like. Both of you." At the mention of T'van, Yselle
colours and murmurs "Yes, he was wonderful. I don't know what I'd do
without Tel."

Listening with a quiet expression as talk turns again to flights -- winners
and losers -- Javinia wrinkles her nose, sucking harder at her mint stick.
She busies herself by taking a seat at the table, spreading out her
wherhide, fumbling in her pocket for a stick of charcoal, the black of it
already smudging her fingers. "Oh, right. Sure, Kassi," she says, glancing
up. "Maybe I'll do that then -- easier on her. I'll stop by soon." A nod
for Ista. "That'd be nice. Truly." Here, she smiles over at Yselle, more so
at the mention of Tel.

Kassima drawls, "I don't think I *want* t'be imagining her losing." She
winks at Yselle, and grins. "--Mmm, but I've a *hunch* the males might nay
like that, nay. The reactions must be amusing, though... I'd love t'go
sometime, Ys, when I've shaken the bug and Lyss will let me. She's such an
overprotective wherry." Despite the smile that flickers across her face
after the last statement of Yselle's, she doesn't tease her fellow
greenrider any further. Instead, she straightens and rises from her chair,
gathering the boxed chess set under her arm. "But if'n 'twill both excuse
me? The warmth of m'weyr is calling out to me... 'twill look forward
t'hearing how it turns out, Javi. G'luck with it! G'deve t'you both!"
That's her cue to exit, tugging her jacket collar up higher along the way.

You leave the workroom and head out into the bowl.