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Fifty Ways To Strain Your Muscles


Date:  December 4, 2004
Place:  South Boll's Lava Lounge
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:  It would seem that Kassima and Yselle have both taken
up new hobbies these days, as they discover when they meet up in the 
Lava Lounge; it would also seem that both of them are leading 
interesting lives, but that, at least, is par for the course. ;)

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The Log:

Yselle climbs up from the caves below.

Kassima is not seated at the bar. She's not seated at a table. She's not
seated at all. She's standing on one of the tables, perched on one foot,
with the other foot brought up so that it rests behind her head--which is
tilted back, the better to allow her to balance a half-full shotglass on
her forehead. One hand holds the foot in place; the other is extended for
balance. And she's singing: "What d'you do with a drunken rider, ear-ly in
the morning? Ask him where the shells his clothes are, ask him where the
shells his clothes are, ask him where the shells his clothes are, ear-ly in
the morning!" A couple of the rumpled, tipsy, and burly sailor-types seated
at her table of choice snigger. Can anyone say 'bar bet'?

Yselle limps in. She looks like someone's beaten her up. Her shirt's
missing a button or two and there's a darkening bruise on her cheek. "Hey
Kassima," she says, as though that were nothing out of the ordinary. She
looks around, "Seen Tel?"

Kassima doesn't move from place at that familiar voice, but the extended
hand does lift a finger in a just-a-moment gesture, which one of the
sailors is kind enough to explain: "She doesn't get our money unless she
finishes the whole song, see." Fortunately, the greenrider was near the
end, and it only takes her five more somewhat raunchy verses before she
sings out the last note in triumph, removes the shot glass from her head,
downs the contents, and leaps down from the table. "Pay up, miladdos!"
There's a chorus of good-natured groaning, but mark pieces are nevertheless
shoved across the table, and Kassi rakes them in with shameless cheer.
"Hey, Ys," she belatedly greets as she fills her belt pouch. "T'van? Nay
for some sevendays. We don't run into each other that often unless he's
with you. What's he done now, streaked through the Living Cavern wearing
naught but a grin and the words 'Pierron's Sweet Love-Tuber' painted on his
bottom?"

"You knew he's had a daughter, didn't you?" Yselle says, heading to the
bar, and ordering something in a low voice. "Nice singing by the way," she
nods to the sailor who spoke, asking, "Is it a competition to see if she
knows all the verses?" Clearly she's not quite sure what's going on here,
but she does glance at Kassima in amusement, limping over with what appears
to be a fruit juice cocktail. "There's a good reason you haven't seen him,
I'm thinking."

The stakes on Kassi's performance must've been fairly high, since it takes
her some time to scoop up all the mark pieces, count them, and make sure
they're securely tucked away. "Been a pleasure doing business with you,"
she brightly informs the sailors, one of whom snorts with amusement, before
departing to amble in the same direction Yselle took. "*Did* he. Who with?
Tell me 'tisn't Sav's sister." The addressed sailor, meanwhile, clarifies,
"More to see if she could sing all forty-whatever of 'em without losing her
balance, posed like that," which gets him an amused look from Kassima as
well. Marcus serves the winning rider a Thread, half of which she downs in
one gulp. "*Ach*. What reason?" For the first time she gets a good look at
the other rider, and blinks once in surprise. "Have you been sparring with
him? Did you kick his arse? I could see him nay wanting t'show his face
t'admit *that*. L'cher claims that getting beaten up by a woman never earns
a man sympathy-sex."

"You know, he refuses to tell me who the mother is," Yselle says amusedly.
"Which means, of course, that there's a story behind it. She's gorgeous of
course. Apparently her grandfather dumped her on Tel - and he of course ran
straight to me, so... she's kind of like another of mine now. Sort of. It'd
be nice if he remembered he had her occasionally though." Still, Yselle
doesn't look /too/ distressed by the outcome, sitting opposite the
greenrider. "You seem to have done well out of that transaction. Maybe one
day I'll see if they'll pay me to /stop/ singing. - Oh no, I haven't been
hitting Tel, I can't even /find/ him half the time."

"I'm guessing you mean the daughter rather than the mother, with the 'she's
gorgeous' bit. If'n the mother's grandfather dumped her on T'van, and he
knocked her up, that'd be a story all right, but a pretty disturbing one."
Kassima takes a seat as well, throwing herself into the chair with a giddy
lack of concern for grace. "You took in the kidlet? That's beyond the pale
of generous. I'm nay sure whether congratulations or condolences seem more
in order. Oh, well, they'd never met me before." She casts a grin towards
the sailors, some of whom make faces back at her. "And they're fun guys.
Tipsiness does that t'some people, a'course. I doubt I could get 'em
t'underestimate m'flexibility again, though. Deal was that I had t'stay in
that pose all through the song, without spilling a drop of the liquor...
m'leg's *killing* me. Who, then? Is it a good sparring partner?" She takes
a more leisurely sip of her lethal drink.

"It was /very/ impressive," Yselle says. "Although yeah, you might want to
stretch out a bit after, especially for fourty something verses. - Well,"
she smiles, "You know me and kids. It took me so long to have Roselle, I'm
not going to pass up the chance to look after another baby, and it's nice
for Levarn to have two siblings. It'd be nicer if her father remembered he
/was/ a father occasionally, but..." she grins helplessly. "Or maybe I'm
just a sucker. It's really only when I have time you know. It's a bit of a
juggle with Roselle still so young but... well," she laughs a bit
self-consciously. "No, Tel knocked up some girl and her father foisted the
kid on him, that's all he'll tell me. I'm wondering if she's blooded or
something, the way he's being so tight-lipped about it. He usually tells me
everything." She pauses on the last question, and then laughs. "Oh that?
It's a rider at Igen."

Kassima does push her chair out enough to allow her to stretch out each
leg, one at a time. "You're nuts," she says, but cheerfully. "Kazy and
Kaisan at the same time, so close in age, nearly drove me straight out of
m'head and off a cliff at times. Still, if'n you've got a fosterer or are
turning to the nurseries for help, mayhaps it can be done." The leg she was
standing on gets another stretch. "Mayhaps she's *handfasted*. Couldn't you
just see that? Or engaged t'be. Bet 'twouldn't matter t'T'van. Last I
heard, nigh every Blooded daughter in the range is still hanging around
Bitra." One last rub for the thigh muscle of the abused leg, and Kassi
slides her chair back into place. "Whatever works. Wouldn't have foreseen
you as one t'take up the hobby, truth be told; expecting t'be in a brawl
any time soon?"

"It's a challenge," Yselle's smiling, and that's an improvement, really,
since she and R'sel broke up. "But well... it's worth it. I really do love
Tel - you know, not /love/ love, but he's the best friend I ever had. He's
a lousy father in some ways, but he really does mean well, so..." she
laughs and shrugs. "You know, you could be right. Handfasted. That'd fit."
And for the last question, she grins. "No, I just enjoy it. It's exciting."

"So long as it pleases you and the children are well done-by, 'tis well
done, then." Kassima lounges back in her chair and offers a wry grin. "But
just remember the challenge part when the lass has colic while Roselle's
yelling 'nay, nay, nay!' at you at the top of her lungs. Although you might
be luckier than I there. And if'n you can just get T'van t'get off his rear
and pitch in already, a bonus 'twould be." She swirls the Thread about a
bit in her glass before taking another gulp. "Won't hear me arguing! I've
practiced hand-t'hand more m'self since the Interval started. 'Tis a rush,
a physical rush, t'replace the one that's missing now."

Yselle nods, grinning. "I just..." she laughs. "You know, it's funny, if
anyone else hit me, Dianneth would be furious, but it's - well, it's
exciting. Worth it, you know. I think I'm getting better too. Mind you, my
wingmates sure give me funny looks. I keep forgetting, you know, although,
ow..." she touches her cheek gingerly. "It hurts at times. Anyway, worth
it. - Well, it's me and the nursery, and /sometimes/ Tel. I can't really
devote as much time to the children as I'd like, and he's /great/ with
Levarn."

Kassima suggests, "If'n you can get the cooks t'give one up, a cold slab of
beef on a fresh bruise works wonders. I'm guessing that Dianneth either
approves of the Igenite or has been made t'see reason regarding sparring?"
Her drink glass is empty. She gives it a mournful look, then stands to
fetch a second from the bar. "Just tell 'em what you're up to if'n you want
the looks t'stop. Naught wrong with practicing your fighting. Aye, I
thought you used the nursery--plenty of riders do, Faranth knows. He's nay
looking t'be one of those fathers who adores his sons and ignores his
daughters, is he? Doesn't sound like him, but...."

Yselle shakes her head. "No, no, not at all," she says, smiling warmly.
"No, I think he just finds babies difficult. He didn't even /know/ Levarn
until he had two turns, and he's been pretty weird about Roselle too,
although to his credit, he /did/ offer to be her father if I wanted," she
smiles for that. - "He loves the adventuring and the hero-worship, I think
that burping and nappies are a bit much for him though. Did you find that
with your children's fathers? - Really, I couldn't do it full-time, not
with my duties, but I steal as much time as I can with them. - Dianneth
knows I'm doing it because I want to, so she's reasonably content to let it
go."

"Aye, you mentioned... that isn't such a strange thing, preferring children
a bit older. They can *tell* you what you want. And generally make messes
of a less... organic sort." Another wry grin crosses Kassima's face. "Or
organic in a different way. Oh, depended on which man--T'lar and I'sai win
the best tolerance awards, but O'wyn was fairly good about it too, and
Jh'rin probably would've thought aught Khari did was precious. A'course you
can't do it full-time. What rider can? Nay guilt there. I've never used the
nurseries, but I sure as shards don't do all the raising m'self; wish I
could, sometimes, but 'twill have t'wait until I'm retired on m'island. So
it goes."

Yselle nods, smiling a little sadly, "Well I'll never regret the time I had
with Levarn, when he was first born. Still - there's just something about
it, looking after kids, that feels /right/. It always amazes me when riders
get so upset about kids. You're so lucky to have them all, Kassi. I don't
know T'lar or O'wyn, but I think all of I'sai's kids are lucky to have him."

Kassima's grin shades more rueful now. "There is something about the first
one. When you don't have any other children t'worry over--in a way, I wish
all m'children could each have been m'firstborn, as ridiculous a wish as
'tis. You probably know what I mean. Looking after other people's children
doesn't feel as right t'me; nay that I mind holding 'em or playing with
'em, but there's a large difference between that and really *tending*.
M'own, though? Aye. Some say 'tis easier for women t'feel that way." She
slouches in the chair now, comfortably. "I do count m'self wealthy.
Wouldn't mind another, should fortune favor, but I can't complain if'n it
doesn't. You wouldn't know T'lar, a'course. He died in Fall when Kaylira
was twelve or so."

Yselle smiles warmly, "I do know what you mean. It was hardest with
Roselle. I'm glad I'sai asked me to assist him - really glad. It was really
good for me, but it was hard so soon after she was born. Still..." she
grins, and now sips her juice. "Getting a bit dry there, Kassi? - Vanysa's
starting to feel like mine, really." She pauses, and then adds awkwardly,
"I'm sorry to hear that, Kassi. That must've been awfully hard - if you
were together."

"Timing doesn't always care what would suit us best. I could wish I'd had
more time with Kazy as a wee one a'fore 'twas pregnant again; doesn't mean
I'd give up Kai for the world. Dry?" Kassima peeks quizzically into her
glass. "Don't think so. If'n I am, one more of these should take care of
it... oh, shells." Surprise crosses her face. It's swiftly followed by a
sort of rueful amusement, with just a touch of sadness to it. "'Twasn't
aught like that. I've nay been together with the fathers of any of mine,
discounting E'vrin, and that mostly a'fore Keveris was born, the first
time. Nay, T'lar was Meli's weyrmate. They're both m'clutchmates. His
Nicoth caught Lysseth the fourth time she rose."

Yselle nods sympathetically. "Sounds like you could've been close though,"
she says, it's almost a question. "Sometimes I think it'd be nice to bring
up a child with a weyrmate, but..." she shrugs, "With two - sort of three
now, who haven't been, I'm kind of unsure how it'd work." She sips her juice.

Kassima bobbles her head. "Oh, aye; we were friends. Meli had a baby boy
the same night I had Kaylira, in fact. They invited me t'come stay in a
little cave-let off their weyr while she was very small. It made it
easier... I hadn't really particularly wanted children, y'see. Or thought
much of it." Her shrug echoes Yselle's. "I've thought the same, but I don't
worry so much about it now. 'Twould be something t'have one with a lover,
mayhaps even born out of love. Doubtless 'twould be something. But a
child's certes nay less worth having because 'tis an unplanned surprise."

Yselle shrugs, and says awkwardly, "It's nice whilst it lasts." Quickly,
changing the subject, she asks, "Did you ever sort things out with V'lano?"

"And a bloody bugger when it ends." Kassi's smile flicks towards grim for
just a moment before she lets the emotion go. "Depends on what you mean.
We're neither one of us moving into the other's weyr, but--he's interested
in me, he says, as well as Breena, and we're going t'let it play out and
see what comes of it." As a sunny almost-afterthought, "He's very good at
knife-sharpening."

"Well," Yselle mutters, "As long as..." she sighs, and shrugs, "It might
work out better for you after all. I hope it does. I like V'lano, he's a
good man." She sips her drink, moodiness even making her bruise seem darker
for a while. "Knife-sharpening hm?"

Kassima arcs a brow at her drinking companion. "As long as...?" she
prompts. "I hope so too. One way or another. I'm pleased and flattered by
his interest; I return it--but I don't want t'lose the friendship later,
should it come t'that. I'm hoping 'twill nay." She seems relatively
philosophical about it, although for at least one moment her expression
does turn pensive. Until the last. It brightens then. "Oh, aye."

"As long as she doesn't ask him to choose between you," Yselle says. "I'm
sorry, as I said, it might not happen to you. - Yeah, I suppose it's nice
to keep the friendship," she sighs, and sips her juice. After a while, "I'm
sure knife-sharpening comes in very handy, Kassi."

"'Tis possible he'd choose me," Kassi points out with a dry sort of humor.
She must be in a very good mood these days. "I'd even optimistically hazard
'tis equally likely. If'n nay... well, depending on how he goes about it,
we still might be friends just the same. He's always been straight with me
about her." Another measure of her Thread is drained. Guilelessly then,
"Doesn't it just? And a'course, I have so many knives; 'tis a service that
I have much use for."

Yselle grins. "Sounds good, Kassima. I'm glad it's working out." She
stretches out, wincing at the movement of her leg. "So, how do you talk
those guys into giving you money to sing, Kassi? You sing all the time for
free at home."

Kassima grins, relishing that recent triumph. "'Tis as I told you, it had
more t'do with the balancing--'twas drinking a bit with 'em, although
they'd already had a few by the time I got here, and eventually we got
around t'making bar bets. I told 'em I thought I could stand on one foot,
bend the other 'til 'twas behind m'head, and sing all that song with a
glass balanced on m'forehead. And for some reason, they didn't believe me,
and bet me various sums that I could nay do any such thing."

Yselle laughs. "Well, you certainly have many unsuspected talents, Kassi. I
don't think it would have occurred to me to even try such a thing." She
smiles into her drink. "I suppose it's a way to pass the time in between
drills."

Kassima's grin broadens at that. "Actually, part of it--everything but the
singing and the shot glass--came about because of drills. Sort of. Our
calisthenics emphasize flexibility as well as strength, aye? So we can be
agile, quick, limber; I asked m'Healer cousin for help and she devised some
exercises t'help out with that. I thought 'twas fascinating, so I got her
t'teach me a few more difficult stretches and poses for m'own use, and
that's where the foot behind m'head comes in."

Yselle nods. "I never thought of doing something like that," she says
again. "I wonder if I /could/..." she frowns, thinking about it. "Would you
show me sometime, Kassi?"

Kassima gives an agreeable nod. "Certes. You probably can with enough time.
You have t'work up to it a bit; can't just bend every which-a-way straight
out, but it got easier for me the more I practiced. One relatively easy
thing t'be doing--" She pushes her chair back and abandons it to sit on the
floor, where she tucks her legs easily into lotus position. "You can sit
like this, and it stretches the legs some."

Yselle eyes Kassima carefully and then pushes herself off the chair and
scrambles onto the ground. Before she manages the lotus position, however,
she winces and mutters, "Ow, maybe not with my aching leg though. I've
/got/ to get better at this fighting. Can't have him beating me all the time."

"Good point," Kassima admits. "Probably want t'stretch it out as much as
you can bear, but this might be extreme. Mayhaps a good soak in the Springs
if'n 'tis troubling you? That might quiet the ache down enough t'let you
sleep." Trust her to know.

Yselle grins. "You're probably right," she hobbles to her feet again. "Hey,
listen, sometime when I'm /not/ limping, would you like to do some of this
together? I'll um... teach you to pick locks or something, in return? Or
maybe just keep Tel off your back or something. Does that sound like a good
trade?"

Kassima only then thinks to add, "Or numbweed, a'course, if'n 'tis very
bad. Blessed stuff." She rises to her feet easily enough, though the
earlier-abused leg gets another quick stretch. "T'pick locks? Now *that*
could be useful. Very useful." The idea seems to leave her both entertained
and enthused, in fact. "I don't think there's any real hope of bottling
Tel, so 'twill take that in exchange if'n you like. Just say when."

"Deal," Yselle grins, and mutters, "Right, well, Tel's in your debt anyway,
since you managed to distract me long enough to stop me chasing him down
and using some of my new techniques on him. I adore him, really I do, but
he's going to change a nappy one of these days. It's /his/ daughter after
all. He can't just do all the fun stuff," she pauses and says, "I wouldn't
change him for anything though - well, not much anyway. I think I /will/ go
soak this leg. See you at Telgar, Kassi," and she limps out of the bar,
muttering "Ow. Ow. Ow," with each step.

Yselle climbs down the crude ladder.