You're-- You!

Writers: AL, Yvonne
Date Posted: 3rd August 2014

Characters: Meledei, Alina
Description: Alina and Meledei run into each other in the Weyr's hallways
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 3 of Turn 7

Alina

Alina backed out of Kapera's weyr with her hands full of laundry, dirtied cups, and an empty water jug. She used her elbow to make sure the door was secure, then juggled her load a little before heading down the hall. To the kitchens first, or the nearest dumb waiter. Then to the laundry-- mentally making lists, she rounded the corner and nearly bumped into a girl around her own age. "Oh!" The cups teetered, the jug tottered, and the laundry bag hit the ground with a thump nearly as loud as her heart. "My apologies!"

"You are carrying way too much stuff." Meledei admonished, though the light tone and the hand that flicked dismissively indicated no anger on her part. Rather than leave the girl, Meledei crouched down and heaved the bag onto her shoulder. "You need extra arms."

Alina laughed. "Although that would indeed be 'handy', I'm fine. I carry this much all the time. You startled me, is all." She held out her free arm for the laundry bag. "I can manage from here."

"You sure you don't need some help?" Meledei inclined her head toward the back that she'd leaved over her shoulder. "I don't mind. I'm actually headed to the lower caverns so it's not that much of a detour for me."

"Well..." Alina shrugged. "If you're heading that way anyway, I won't say no. But I do intend to leave these in a dumbwaiter before I get to the kitchens." she said, waggling the jug and glasses. "Which, by the way, are an amazing invention."

"I can imagine so. It makes things way easier when you need something delivered on a different floor." Meledei didn't have to use them often, but she figured cavern workers did on a regular basis. "So you're working with Kapera?"

"Mmm hmm." Alina started toward the stairs, her steps a lot lighter without the load. "That's her laundry you're carrying. She was good enough to take me on, and I'm hoping that I can make myself permanent. Assistant to the Weyrwoman's Second isn't a bad position to have."

Meledei wondered if she'd ever get an assistant. Or maybe it was just the Weyrwoman and her Second. Oh well, she supposed she didn't really_need_ one. "So where are you from then?"

"Nadol Cothold. It's farming." Alina wrinkled her nose at the other girl. "I'd be surprised if you'd ever heard of it, although before I left I was_sure_ that everyone knew everything about it. Where are you from?"

"Nope, I'm afraid I haven't. I'm actually from here. Well, Thayan Peak but then here. We pretty much took over this place after it was destroyed." Meledei executed a little hop to settle the bag in a better position on her back as they continued down the corridor. "When did you come to Dolphin Cove? Were you Searched?"

"For the last Hatching."

"Ah, okay." And she'd been left standing, but there would be more hatchings and the girl didn't look that old. "So how do you like things here? How do they compare with a cothold?" Was it different coming from a smaller place?

At that, Alina laughed-- a little bitterly. "Like apples and redfruit in some ways, and not so different in others. Like chores!" She held up the jug and glasses, grinning. "Ah-- there's a dumbwaiter. Let me drop these off and I can take that laundry off you."

"Well, I hope you have an easy time settling in. It can be a bit overwhelming, but most of us don't bite." Meledei flashed a toothy grin and paused just before the dumbwaiter so Alina could rid herself of the dishes. "Hard."

"That's what I hear." Experience had taught her differently, though. She put the jug and glasses in the dumbwaiter, closed the doors, then pulled the bellpull next to it to alert the kitchens that there was something worth retrieving. "There. Thanks for the help," she said, turning to the other girl. "I can take the bag now. What's your name, by the way?"

"No problem." Meledei swung the bag off of her shoulder to pass it along. "Oh yeah, sorry. I'm Meledei. And you're...?"

_Meledei_. The colour drained from Alina's face as she took a good look at the other girl. The long brown hair, the well-tailored clothes, the black eye-- how could she have missed it!? She'd made a_goldrider_ carry dirty laundry like some sort of drudge. Oh shells! "I am so, so sorry, m'lady!" Alina didn't know whether to curtsy or snatch the bag from Meledei's hands, so did an awkward combination of both. "If I'd known it was you-- I should recognized-- I wouldn't have-- I'm so sorry!"

Ooo boy. Meledei stared at the girl for a moment, her mouth twisting from one side to the other in barely suppressed amusement. "No, not m'lady. Close, but not quite. Meledei. Meh-leh-deh-ee." Then her grin really did pop out over her face, unable to contain it any longer. "And why in Pern are you sorry?"

"You shouldn't be carrying Kapera's dirty laundry!" Alina said, aghast. "You're-- you!"

"Yeeeeeeah. Okay. I hope I'm me." Meledei spread her arms a little and gazed down at herself. "I really hope so. I'd hate to be somebody else. They might not forgive me for trying to be them."

Alina paused. "It's just... not done," she said finally, although it was clear that Meledei didn't particularly care. The benefits of rank: a goldrider could do whatever she wished, and apparently today that was carrying laundry. It struck her as unfair. She sighed. "I thought you were also from the Lower Caverns."

"Well, to be fair, I never claimed to be." Meledei pointed out. "I was headed in that direction, though. I thought maybe I'd see if I could convince someone to let me have a bubbly." Mischievousness crept over her face and her eyes darted from side to side as she leaned in closer. "Maybe we could get you one too."

"I--" Had chores to finish. Still felt hugely embarrassed that she hadn't recognized a goldrider. Didn't want to get in trouble. Alina squared her shoulders. After the week she'd had, she could use a bubbly and damn the consequences. "Well, I feel like I ought to be getting_you_ a bubbly, but all right. I really am sorry."

"Why do you keep apologizing for something you haven't done?" Meledei giggled a little and motioned for Alina to join her. "Seriously, for what reason do you have to be sorry?"

"Because you outrank me." Meledei's rank meant that she could make Alina's life miserable, or banish her from the Weyr entirely. The more status the shoulder knots held, the more the person wearing them ought to be approached with caution. But when you were on top, the risk of offending someone and suffering the consequences for it just weren't there anymore. Alina didn't say that, though. "I wasn't very respectful."

"You weren't _dis_respectful at all." Meledei pointed out as she picked up the pace. She didn't want to get the candidate into trouble and she really wanted a bubbly, so she might as well not linger. "So stop apologizing for something you didn't do. Ooo...smell that. I smell bubblies. They smell fresh, too, so we'd better get one while they're still hot!"

Alina inhaled appreciatively. They'd traveled down several sets of stairs as they'd talked-- or rather, as Meledei had talked and she'd stammered-- and it_did_ smell good. Alina decided to let the matter drop. If Meledei wasn't going to make a big deal out of it, then she wouldn't either. Hopefully the entire embarassing incident would be forgotten within a sevenday. "You'll have to do the talking," she told the other girl.

Meledei started to respond, then paused and peered over at the other girl. "You know, I told you my name but you haven't told me yours yet."

"Alina." Normally she would have curtsied, but there were bubblies bubbling somewhere nearby and Meledei would probably just get weird about it. Her knees itched to bend anyway.

"Alina. Pretty. All right Alina, don't worry. I'll do all the talking." Meledei grinned then led the way into the kitchens.

Last updated on the September 7th 2014

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You're-- You!