Why on the First Day?

Writers: AmajoS, Miriah
Date Posted: 17th April 2019

Characters: Tisafelle, Dorana
Description: Dorana gets tested on her first day.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 15 of Turn 9

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Dorana checked the roster pinned to the board. On it were the chore
assignments for this sevenday for the candidates which had been posted
this morning. The Headwoman had set the chore assignments, but it was,
as of today, officially her job to make sure they got done.

Most of the candidates had already been shown at one point or another
where are the supplies for their assigned tasks would be, but there
was a new girl who had just arrived just a few days ago and she might
still need to be shown where the supplies for the barracks were. She
could leave it to the other two candidates who had been assigned the
same duty, but she didn't want to shirk the responsibility so soon
after having been promoted.

Looking around, she spotted the girl sitting on the bunk she had been
assigned. Dorana headed toward her.

"Hello," she said with a pleasant smile when she arrived. "You are
Tisafelle, right?"

Tisafelle had curled up with a book, one of her few true delights;
other girls at the hold had scoffed at her penchant for reading, but
_she_ knew that there was a great deal to learn of in certain books,
especially this one. True, her aunt and uncle would have been
horrified at the contents if they had ever really tried to delve into
her book collection, but she no longer had to worry about that. She'd
brought the best ones with her. The covers revealed little, nor did
her expression as she read, but her interest was keen on the subject
within.

The approaching footsteps were almost ignored, but as a voice
interrupted her thoughts, Tisafelle looked up and snapped the book
closed. Her eyes flicked over Dorana. "Yes."

"You're Tisafelle, right? I'm Dorana, it's nice to meet you." She held
out her hand to shake and offered the candidate a polite smile of
greeting.

"I am. " Her eyes went to the knots on the woman's shoulder.
**Headwoman's Assistant. Glorified drudge** She put the book aside,
rose and took the hand, but touched it just long enough to be civil.
"Pleasure."

"You've been assigned to the barracks this sevenday, I thought I
might show you where the supplies are stored." Dorana kept her smile
pleasant, but inwardly sighed. She recognized this type from her youth
at the Hold.

"I read the assignments." Tisafelle arched a brow. "I didn't come here
to be a drudge. I'm here to train to be a rider. Most likely a
goldrider when a gold egg is laid." She waved a hand and sat back on
her cot, reaching for the book. "Cleaning is what you're for, isn't it?"

Dorana held onto her smile with the greatest of efforts. One of these,
on her first day. Of course. "All candidates are assigned chores, the
only exceptions to this are Crafters. Are you a Crafter?" Her own eyes
flicked to the girl's shoulder and her eyebrows raised as if inviting
a lie.

"No. Though I suppose I could choose one if I wanted." Picking up her
book, she opened it. She waited, then looked up. "You're still here?
Don't you have other things to do? Floors to scrub? Knobs to polish?"

Ignoring that, Dorana said calmly - though in her mind she was
counting slowly to ten over and over to maintain this facade of
calmness, "If you are not a Crafter then you have chores every
sevenday. Wasn't this explain to you and you arrived?"

Knowing that it most certainly had been and probably by the Headwoman
herself, she forged ahead without waiting for a response. "This
sevenday you will be helping clean the barracks. If you have a problem
with this assignment, there are others you could be given. I will be
happy to take your complaint to the Headwoman and suggest an
alternative. I think there is still room on the crew assigned to clean
the privies."

She really didn't want to have to go to the Headwoman with this. Not
on her first day. She hoped this spoiled, unpleasant child would give
in without her needing to. She also hoped to be around when the girl
realized that she was not going to be able to get her way all the time
in the Weyr.

Annoyed now at the continued insistence, Tisafelle put the book down
and rose. "I suppose I'll go choose a craft then, since it _is_ an
option that you so kindly gave me. After all, I wouldn't have a chance
to do it at home, so I might as well take the opportunity." The
mockingly sweet stretch of lips was more of a smirk than a true smile.
"Thank you for pointing that out. I'll do that right now." With a
waggle of her fingers, she turned on her heel and began walking out of
the barracks.

"Good luck," Dorana muttered. She meant, of course, which ever
Crafter that girl approached to try to apprentice with. With a sigh,
she realized she was going to have to take this to the Headwoman after
all, if for no other reason than to get a third person assigned to the
barracks. Great start to her first day as a Headwoman Assistant.

Last updated on the May 3rd 2019

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Why on the First Day?