A Place for You

Writers: Jane
Date Posted: 8th August 2007

Characters: Ylisahn, Greah
Description: Ylisahn asks Greah about what work she wants to do.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 6 of Turn 4

"Greah?" the Dolphin Cove Weyr Headwoman called. "Are you finished for the day?"

"Y-yes." Greah got to her feet with her mug of klah in her hand and took a few steps toward the older woman. "Unless there's something you'd like me to do?"

"Just wanted a chat about a few things. Bring your klah into my office." As the young woman kept pace with her Ylisahn thought to ask:
"I'm not keeping you from anything am I? You didn't have arrangements?"

Greah shook her head. "No, nothing like that. A bit of tidying up after my niece, but she won't notice if that didn't get done for a Turn, let alone a day or two."

"You niece is the – er – bouncy apprentice healer? Grehga?"

"Oh dear. Has somebody been complaining about her again? She can be a bit of a handful."

"No, no complaints that I know of," Ylisahn assured her, once they were in her office waving Greah toward a seat on one side of the desk. "I just called in to ask the healers something and she was ..." Ylisahn settled herself into her own chair and shrugged. "Very interested."

"That's her. She's twelve Turns old and thinks she could be a master healer. Any day now."

"Is that a little difficult to live with?"

Greah's grin widened. "It would be if I listened to a word she said.
Did you want to see me about Grehga? Are you sure she's not in trouble?
I _am_ supposed to be responsible for her, though her father is just down at the Dolphin Hall."

"No, it's nothing about Grehga. I wanted to talk to you about your work here – and before you start to worry about what I'm going to say, nobody's complaining."

"That's good to hear," the younger woman said with relief in her tone.

"And I must say that I've heard from the dragonriders involved about the part you played in the rescue off the Bowl wall during the hurricane.
It sounds like you were a real asset to the situation."

"I was?" Greah choked, having been reassured enough to take a sip of her klah and then swallowing it the wrong way at the Headwoman 's praise.
"Well, you told me to go and help ... I tried to. I suppose I did."

"You did," Ylisahn said firmly, grinning at the younger woman's embarrassment. "And apparently you've worked well in every area you've been assigned to over the last – three months is it? Nearly four?"

"About that. I worked at lots of different jobs at the Hall – up North, not this Dolphin Hall – so nothing was very new to me other than the _scale_ of things at the Weyr."

"I've never lived anywhere else," the older woman admitted. "So I don't notice that. But right now I want to know if there's any particular are you would like to work in. Not necessarily as a commitment forever, but on a more or less permanent basis."

"Not looking after children," Greah said firmly, willing to seem uncooperative rather than get landed with something she really didn't care for. "I get enough of that with Grehga," she added lightly.

Ylisahn's own original work was with the very young children who needed minding during the day so their mothers could do other work. She had enjoyed it for many Turns but understood perfectly that some young women wouldn't. "That's what you don't want to do. Has anything seemed more interesting?"

"I rather liked laundry work, but I know lots of people like it." It was the sort of work that had was regular and predictable so women who worked just a few candlemarks during the day while their children were doing lessons were often employed in the laundry. "Making up rooms."
Another sought after position. "Actually, cleaning the bathing rooms and necessaries isn't bad. Some of the bathing rooms here are lovely.
Were. I'm sure they'll be repaired."

"Nothing in the kitchens or dining cavern?"

Greah shook her head. "I like making things clean, I suppose. Perhaps that's the real reason my brother asked me to come with Grehga – just to prevent her losing her apprenticeship over the state of her room."

"She'll be old enough to share with another apprentice soon," Ylisahn suggested with a smile. Grehga was the sort of character that made each day more interesting – and could unintentionally overshadow those around her. "There's certainly a place for you in the laundry, if you want it.
There needs to be a core of workers there throughout each day."

Greah nodded, pleased to have been given such a choice. "I'd like that.
When would I move?"

"The first day of next sevenday. You know who to report to." It wasn't long since Greah had worked there. Before the storm.

"Thank you." The younger woman got to her feet. "I really appreciate this."

"You're welcome, Greah. Enjoy your work and come and see me any time you feel the need to change." Some people would take advantage of such an offer, but Ylisahn thought she was well able to judge who would and who wouldn't.

Greah wouldn't – but she would settle well in the laundry.

Last updated on the August 11th 2007

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A Place for You