Spry, For An Old Lady

Writers: Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 30th November 2005

Characters: Kenza, U'kaiah, Abrei
Description: When an old friend arrives at the Dragonsfall, Kenza remembers a time long gone when her Wingleader was just a young harper apprentice... and a certain Weyrhealer was just an annoying journeywoman.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 8, day 27 of Turn 3

Abrei

Kenza heard the raised voices before she got to the archive doors, but she hadn't quite been prepared for what she found.

"Are you going to just stand there gawking at me?" the young woman asked shrilly. Kenza didn't recognize the voice or the back of the head of the woman it belonged to, but she recognized the young harper apprentice who was on the receiving end of the barage. "I'm not gawking at you," the lanky youth retorted. "I'm watching you put those records back in the _wrong section_! How many times do I have to tell you that infectious diseases don't go on the same shelf as anatomy!"

"What are you, twelve? I'm a journeywoman healer, and I _think_ I know better than a weyrbrat where to put the sharding records!"

"Yeah, I bet it makes you feel real dumb to know that a fourteen-turn-old knows more than you, _journeygirl_," he said with a satisfied sneer.

"Really dumb, not _real_ dumb," came the snapped reply. "Now move out of my way. I have more important things to do than teach you how to speak."

"'I have more important things to do...'" he mimiced her, and not very nicely. "Yeah? Well at least _I_ know how to read! That hide is about diseases. It doesn't go on the same shelf as the ones about anatomy! It goes on the one below it!"

Kenza caught the back of the healer's tunic when it looked like the girl was about to jump on the younger boy, hauling her back firmly in spite of the fact that the girl was a good handspan taller than her. "All right, children. Playtime is over." "What's going on here?" the journeyman archivist demanded as he stepped up behind the youth, still a good inch taller and much more physically impossing. He fixed his gaze on his apprentice who's jaw was set in his indignation.

"I just told Abrei that a hide on infectious diseases didn't belong on the same shelf as hides on anatomy," the young harper said defensively.

Abrei opened her mouth to protest, but snapped it shut again at a look from Kenza. The greenrider rolled her eyes and held out a hand. "Give me the hide, Abrei."

Looking sullen, the young woman handed the hide over. "I was just--"

Kenza cut her off. "I'm sure you have a wonderful reason for throwing a tantrum like a weyrbrat, journeywoman. And you're going to be telling the Weyrhealer all about it." "And _you_, Uzra, will learn to speak to those who outrank you with respect," the journeyman said to the boy, his voice cold and resolute.

The apprentice bristled at the use of his childhood nickname. "My name's Uzra_kaiah_... sir." He mumbled under his breath, but his lowered eyes were contrite and appologetic.

"Forgive my apprentice for his rude behavior, Journeywoman Abrei, but I am afraid he's right. That hide should be on the lower shelf. Uzra_kaiah_" he said with only a hint of sarcasm, "will reshelve it in it's proper place for you."

Abrei gave Uzrakaiah a look that promised a more thorough revenge at a later date before muttering a surly, "Thank you." It was all Kenza could do to hold back laughter as the girl spun and stormed from the room bristling with injured pride.

"Reshelve the hide, Uzrakaiah, and get along to your candidate classes," the journeyman said calmly, though when his eyes met the greenrider's they had a shared understanding of the situation.

The young man took the hide from Kenza with a muttered thanks, quickly shelved it in its proper place and walked out the door with a triumphant smirk. He would never let Abrei forget that _he_ had been right, she had been wrong, and he had a rider and a journeyman to varify it!

As soon as the door closed behind him, Kenza made a choking sound as she reached out for the wall. She couldn't help it... laughter bubbled over and before she knew it, she was doubled over. "Oh, _shards_ that girl is a pain in the arse!" "Well," the journeman said between mirthful convulsions, "I can't say...
Uzra... oh, wait... excuse me, Uzra_kaiah_... doesn't like pushing her as far as he can witout her punching him in the nose. I swear, one of these days she's going to break it!"

"She'd better hurry," Kenza replied, trying to catch her breath. "Uzra's shooting up like a weed. He's going to be taller than her before long." He nodded as he slipped his arm around the greenrider. "Oh, shards Kenza, tell me about it. Why, when Uzra was first apprenticed to me, I swear he came no higher than my chin. Now I have to tip my head to look at him!"

Kenza gave him a cheerful nudge. "Don't complain. I _still_ don't come any higher than your chin! You could be as short as me." "I don't know. I kind of like you this height," he grinned as his fingers played along her sides.

She slapped at his hands as she grinned up at him. "Really, is the archive the right place for this? Just because the children were playing rough in here..."

~*~

A loud knock on her door jerked Kenza's head off her desk, and she blinked in confusion as she rubbed at the side of her face, realizing she must have dozed off. Not surprising, since a certain harper had come for a visit last night and kept her up until far past her usual bedtime... and had apparently dug up all sorts of memories from turns past, though she could have done with less of the fighting and more of what had come after...

"Come in!" She grinned as the door opened and U'kaiah stuck his head in...
the grown up version of U'kaiah, and not the scrawny young boy from her memory. "Kenza, did you know that Journeyman Sawlon is visiting the Weyr?" the Wingleader asked with a grin. "You remember him, don't you? I was his apprentice?"

Caught off guard, Kenza actually blushed, though she found her voice quickly enough in an attempt to cover it. "Yes, I remember him well enough. He didn't do a very good job of keeping you under control, from what I remember." "Well, I probably wasn't the easiest apprentice," U'kaiah smiled. "Besides, I doubt you would have even noticed, but he spent most of the time you were around oggling you. I used to think he had a kind of crush on you."

Kenza couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing. "You really were clueless, weren't you, boy? Sawlon and I were spending four evenings out of five together for about two turns there." Blushing. At _her_ age. The only way to recover her pride was to see if she could get U'kaiah to blush too.
"You don't want to know how many times you almost walked in on us... but what can I say. He couldn't keep his hands off me, and who could blame him?"

"You... Wait when I was walking into the Record Room you guys were...
_Kenza_," he moaned, as terrible, revolting mental images of his teacher and his wingthird ran though his head. "Kenza, that's disgusting! He was so _old_!"

"Watch your tongue, boy," Kenza replied tartly. "He wasn't that much older than I was, and if you don't apologize to me at once, I'll show you just how spry I am for an old lady." U'kaiah grinned, mischief in his eyes. "Maybe you should prove to Journeyman Sawlon how spry you are, old lady."

Last updated on the December 1st 2005

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Spry, For An Old Lady