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Moving On Up


Date:  November 26, 2007
Place:  Benden Weyr's Southern Bowl
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:  Lhiannonth having recently risen and confirmed Josilina,
against her expectations, as Igen's Weyrwoman in full, the goldrider
has a move ahead of her.  It's a problem with which Kassi can 
sympathize.  They talk about the past and family, too, but as many 
who've transferred can probably attest, those aren't unrelated topics.

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The Log:

Josilina ambles over from the center of the bowl.

Josilina's looking somewhat bedraggled and a tad aimless as she wanders
from the bowl, one hand tangled in her own hair as she scrapes her curls
back into a tail.

Kassima and Lysseth are sporting that article of high dragon-and-rider
fashion: firestone ash, a timeless classic in grey and char. Why they'd
want to scrub off such an accoutrement the stars alone know. They may lack
sense of style. Lysseth wriggles in the shallow edge of the water,
splashing madly and using the sand deposits to get the dirt off, off, off,
while Kassi--still in her clothes, and those clothes soaked through--does
what she can with sweetsoap. "Look like a deranged beast some more, Lyss.
That's the picture of dignity right there." Especially when the Weyrwoman
is walking by! The greenrider squints through soapy hair and lifts a hand
to wave, but doesn't otherwise call attention to herself. In her position,
who would?

For all that the wave isn't particularly eye-catching, the deranged
splashing dragon is, and it's easy to pick out the rider counterpart from
there. "Morning -er, afternoon," Josilina calls, smile turning to slight
grimace at her mistake. "Did Sirocco just have drills?"

"T'say just might be stretching it. I lingered after a bit t'be talking
t'someone," Kassi admits, accepting being caught in her indignity with good
humor. "Which is why Lyss punishes me now: fortune forfend she come and
rinse off alone rather than martyring herself." An emphatic dragon snort
sends water spraying. "Are things well with you?"

"At least she looks like she's having fun," Josilina observes. She finishes
tying back her hair, and her hands drop to her sides, searching for pockets
in her skirt that aren't there. "Oh, well enough," one hand waves vaguely,
still hanging by her side. "Just started moving today. You wouldn't think
it'd take me so long to really get going, but.." she finishes the thought
with a shrug. "How'd drills go?"

Lysseth at last lets her thrashing taper off, having made her point. One
slow roll later she's relaxing in the shallows with all natural grace and
elegance... except for the splotches of sand dribbling down her neck and
back. She ignores those. "'Tis nay so surprising," Kassi offers. "A big
change. Acting on it makes it feel awfully final. I still have a piece or
two left at Benden that I'm being slow t'collect." She stretches her back;
bone pops, she makes a face. But not for drills: "They weren't bad. Nay as
exciting in a way as they were early, y'know, but a good drill should be
boring."

Josilina shoots Kassima a thoughtful, sideways look. "Oh," she says, as if
realizing something, "you would know, wouldn't you? I mean - you've moved
around a bit, right? Telgar, and Benden, then here." She bobs a little nod,
"Should be, yes. Or, at least, not exciting, since exciting means, you
know. Something went different, and different's usually wrong with this
sort of thing."

Kassima scrapes her wet hair back from her face. "And Benden a'fore Telgar,
aye. Mayhaps different in two of the cases. I knew 'twas going t'Telgar in
advance, I chose t'be coming t'Igen." She tilts her head, curious. "It must
be odd? I'd gotten the impression you expected t'go home. That's exactly
what I meant, right. Nay so dull you get complacent, but knowing what t'do,
doing it, and everything going well doesn't jump your nerves that way."

Josilina wears a brief, remembering frown, "Right - there was a big move to
Telgar. What was it, the water?" She nods, scuffing the bottom of one
sandal against the sand, "I did. I was," she wrinkles her nose, and shifts
her posture, standing a bit straighter. "I was just a loan. But the Weyr
Council's decree - so now I'm not. Which isn't /bad/, you know, it's nice
here. I think I'm just still getting used to the idea." She nods, "Exactly.
It's good drills are going well, anyway. We've been getting hit by Thread
more often than we were earlier in the - well, not the Pass, but you know."

Kassima nods. "Our sources dried up to a danger point," she says. Reminded
by the mention, she bends forward to dunk her hair again and speaks
upside-down while shaking it out. "And Telgar's Weyrleaders were doing such
an awful job that the Weyr Council demanded their retirement. Being
favoritist, devaluing female riders and chromatics, ignoring burrows,
getting people killed. I've wondered why Jehrina didn't send Merla or
another junior t'be senior at Telgar, but she volunteered t'go herself, and
there we were." She straightens again and squeezes water from the black
rope. "I understand what you mean. You're taking it better than I did--the
move t'Telgar. 'Tis hard, if'n you didn't leave entirely of your will--and
you've got family; it complicates matters?" It's a hestitant question. "I
recall nay much fell in that first stretch. Igen's land and Holdings
haven't suffered too badly, have they?"

Josilina shakes her head, a slight movement, "A junior - that'd be pretty
tough. I don't know. I think I'd do the same, if it were me. Hard enough to
step up to Senior in any case, but somewhere where the Weyr's been badly
managed and is getting new riders in?" Jos toes her sandals off and
approaches the water, stopping where it just covers the tops of her feet,
"I remember studying a bit about that move, right after I graduated. Didn't
really get it then, but now, it makes sense." The mention of 'family'
brings another grimace, "Yeah." She pauses, just long enough that maybe
that's all she's going to offer, and then: "It's tough. I think it helps
that I was here for a while already. But. Now we have to figure out if
R'sel and Jorel will move here, too. And Sria - well, she wouldn't, but
it's still tough." She shakes her head for the last, "The Holdings? Not too
bad. Benden set up a solid system with firelizards pretty early on, I
think, and overall the damage hasn't been too awful."

"Merla was senior a'fore Jehrina," Kassima explains. "Kimbrith still
fertile too. I don't remember offhand why she retired, come t'think of it.
Some sort of family crisis? 'Tis why I thought, why nay send her, but
things worked out all right and I can't exactly criticize." She walks
backward to her small pile of things, from which she fishes out a silver
comb. "An interesting thing 'twas t'get through. It took a long time a'fore
the differences between the Benden rescue crew, as 'twere, and the
born-or-Impressed Telgarians were settled." The comb's tines flash as she
works it through her hair, not pressing, but waiting to see if there's more
answer--as there proves to be. "Aye. 'Tis mayhaps a lot to ask. Or mayhaps
they wouldn't mind? Or, well, if'n 'twould, mayhaps they'd rather be with
you. There's *between* and visiting but 'tis all different," said ruefully,
and as much to herself. "Kris told me about that. He never had complaints
about Igen even a'fore I became an interested party, so t'speak."

"Oh!" Josilina's eyes hold closed, then open, "Right - I'd forgot. You lose
track - right. I don't know, then." She nods, "I bet it'd take a while. A
whole group coming over - it was good of you all to, though. I mean, Telgar
certainly did better for it, if I remember right." For the other, she
shrugs, "I imagine R'sel will agree to coming here. I just hate uprooting
him, and Jor. But I can only visit so much, especially if I'm -really-
here, you know? Doesn't look good, having your Senior always running off
somewhere else." Her head tilts with some curiosity, "Kris?"

Kassima grins wryly. "'Twas long ago, anyway--a'fore my Impression by some
time. Most of the fighting Wings came in at about the same time. The
furniture-moving and stuff took awhile, but we set up the bare necessities,
and just the Weyrlings came in significantly later. They couldn't *between*
yet. I remember...." Her eyes become vague, inward-turned. "I haven't
thought of it in Turns. We had t'fight a Fall over their camp, once. The
dragons were old enough t'want t'fight, and one young blue flew up t'try
and join in. And Thread hit him." She shakes off the memory. "--Oh, certes,
being senior must eat your time. I don't have good advice. Two of
m'children particularly hated the move from Telgar and, well, they threw
fits, and I couldn't do much about it." Nodding, "Kris, Keveris, m'eldest
son. He's Steward these days," she adds with pride.

Josilina's mouth thins at the story, corners pulling down in sympathy.
"Shells. That's - shells. That must've been something. I mean, for
everyone, but the weyrlings especially. They made the flight straight,
then, with stops? Or just waited at Benden until they could between?" Her
smile tilts a bit wry, "I can't see Jorel throwing fits about it. But he'd
miss the family out there, and Amilin's family, and all. Oh!" her eyes
round in recognition, "Keveris, of course. I've met him - not extensively,
but on Weyr business a time or two. He does a good job with Benden, from
all I've seen and heard."

"Straight with stops," Kassi confirms, nodding again. "It made
Sionelle--the Weyrlingmaster--furious. The Wings got a choice in whether
t'go, mostly, but the Weyrlings weren't given one. A'lex was in that group.
And Maylia, who was Weyrlingmaster many Turns. Just as well for Telgar they
couldn't stay. Are you and Amilin kin?" she wonders. "Thankee for that. I'm
all over pride in him, but I'm nay exactly objective. It suits him better
than Weyrlife ever did."

Josilina nods along to all that, but the question brings a shake of her
head - and a smile that holds some unexplained amusement. "No, we're not,
just good friends. But Jorel's pretty close with Alinn." Her smile
broadens, "Well, you should be proud. Steward's no easy job, whether
they're getting a lot of Thread or not. I think their Headwoman was at
'Reaches for a while, too, so really, good staff in all."

Kassima's eyebrows go up in inquisitive fashion, although she doesn't ask
aloud. "How old are they now? Jorel and Alinn? Any chance Amilin would let
her stay at Igen for a sevenday or two sometime, t'help the separation a
little?" And then she beams; she can't seem to help it. "Thankee again. I
don't know if'n I should pass that on t'him. He'd be honored by the praise
but embarrassed that I talked about him, I expect, as if'n he should expect
aught else. The Headwoman's Eleria? I've seen her name in passing in
letters but haven't met her yet."

"Jorel's nearly twelve," Josilina answers, complete with a dramatic upward
roll of her eyes of the 'unbelievable!' variety. "Ali's a bit older. She
might. I don't know if Ali's planning on heading off somewhere, anyway -
she's in that age." She grins, "And here I was hoping the embarrassment was
something they'd grow out of. And yes, Eleria. She Stood at High Reaches, a
while back, and was assistant to the Headwoman for a while, before going to
Benden. Family thing, I think, and she ended up staying."

"That long," Kassi mutters, shaking her head in wonder and, perhaps,
something like horror. "The wanderlust age. One of her sibs is in a Craft,
isn't she? I'm nay sure. Amilin's someone else I haven't seen in a good
long while." Regret there, a sigh. "Kris will never grow out of
embarrassment. Poor man. Shy as he is, I wish he'd been better suited
t'something that doesn't involve dealing with people. That's where she got
her training? Interesting. The only thing I've heard of her is that she has
matchmaking tendencies."

Josilina nods, "Ann's a Journeyman, Beastcraft. And a /mother/," another
eyeroll, of the same variety, "which I still can't believe. I should have
Lhia let Lysseth know next time Ami comes by to visit. Well, if you like.
She comes now and again - Sria drags her along, sometimes." Her 'brows
arch, "Matchmaking? I'd never heard that. Never knew her well, myself, just
this and that."

"With her Aunt Cailin? Mayhaps Cai mentioned it at some point. Amilin as a
grandmother," and there's another of those disbelieving headshakes from
Kassi. "The world's gone mad. Sure, I'd love t'chat with her again if'n
she's inclined. We can bemoan our children being too bloody old together."
Wry amusement. "Apparently. According t'Kris, at least. He's having
difficulty--this would embarrass him, knowing I mentioned it, so kindly
never tell him--convincing her he has nay interest in romancing one of the
lasses who assists her."

"With Cailin, yes." Josilina grins, "I'll have Lhia give you guys a yell,
then - well, as it were - when she's next by. Maybe I'll coax her into
helping me move," she says the last musingly. As she speaks, she's
retreating back up to dry sand and her shoes, which she gingerly puts her
feet into. "Lhia's complaining of sand on the ledge - she gets so picky,
sometimes. But I should go help her out, and get some other work done. Good
running into you, though. And good luck to your boy, with that matchmaking!"