"I knew it!" Elaia sniffles. "You hate me!" That's to Banain, who, it seems, can't win no matter what he does. "I am not a kid!" THAT is to Rosi. "I'm thirteen... I mean," glancing at Banain "Eighteen." She has something concealed inside her shirt.
Banain eyes whatever is stuck underneathe that shirt. "Oh! I knew it!" He points at her. "You're thirteen!"
Wilanth lands not too far away. Her rider swings a leg over her neckridges, having already unbuckled herself from the seat somewhere in the air. Joshi slides off even before Wilanth lowers her head, hitting the ground some ten feet below with a grin.
Rosmyn rolls her eyes and lounges against the bowl wall, crossing her long legs at the ankle. "There are a few degrees between hate and love. THere is utterly disinterested, vaguely annoyed, patently put off and mild liking, just a few of them." She nods to Banain, confirming the news of the lasses true age. As soon as she notices Joshi's landing, she stands straight and snaps a correct salute. "Ma'am."
Joshi reaches up and unties a sack from Wilanth's neckridges. "Weyrling," She gives a nod to the weyrling. Carrying the sack in one hand, she approaches the residents and the soon-to-be rider casually asking, "Ya'll like sweet rolls don't ya?"
"Stop staring at my shirt," Elaia says. "My father would be very cross with you if he knew what you were looking at," her glance at Banain is accusing. She pouts to Joshi, and even though she doesn't know her says "I do! I like sweet rolls!" Rosmyn is told haughtily "Everyone loves me," except of course, for everyone who doesn't.
Banain rolls his eyes and gives Rosmyn and amused little laugh. He doesn't comment anymore to Elaia. "I like sweet rolls, of course." He says with a grin to Joshi. "How goes?"
Rosmyn shakes her head at the brat and eyes Joshi with a little suspicion, although the offer is terribly tempting. Reluctantly, she admits. "I love them but we don't have any sweetener here for them."
"Here," Joshi thrusts the sack she was holding at Elaia first. "Have some." The sack when opened would reveal a stash of sweet rolls inside. "Got them while I was down at Southern Weyr today..." her voice trails off and she says musingly, "Yeah I kind of miss them.. don't ya'll?"
Elaia dances over to Joshi. "Thank you!" she says, positively beaming. She takes a whole handful, which only leaves her one hand to keep her shirt-stash intact, and none to eat them. "You're so nice," she says. "Unlike some people I could name."
"Well don't hog it all," Joshi says, "Share some of that." She points to Banain and Rosmyn.
Elaia pouts. Share? Sulkily she saunters over to the other two and mutters "Have one."
Rosmyn shakes her head, although it's costing her dearly and she bites her lower lip, looking over Elaia's head at Joshi. "No thank you ma'am."
Banain shrugs and takes one from the sulky little grump. "Thank you." He says with a polite nod. "And I'm not mean."
"Rosmyn it's okay, you can have one," Joshi says, "They would have gone to waste if I hadn't brought them back. I grabbed so many of them...." her voice trails off and she says with a laugh, "Guess my sweet tooth took over for me."
"Yes you are," Elaia tells Banain. "You never said how sorry you were for upsetting me. You made me cry, and you don't care." She grins at Joshi and asks "Can I come with you next time? I could help you carry and everything!"
Rosmyn is still reluctant. "She did say sweetener and not sweets.." And she reaches for a sweetroll, after a moment to think it through. Elaia's poor manners are ignored by Rosmyn but Deegee is disgusted and tells the girl so in another angry chitter.
"I don't know about that," Joshi says to Elaia. She's quiet a few moments and then muses, "Although I suppose its not really fair for ya is it? Us riders can go out of this weyr anytime but I suppose you can't really leave to go anywhere to get sweets eh? That's gotta be tough..." her voice trails off sympathetically.
Banain rolls his eyes and whispers over to Joshi. "Don't listen to her...don't believe what she says." He straightens up and looks at Deegee. "Ah, tough fellow you got there."
Elaia pouts at Joshi "But..." then her expression softens. "Well no, I can't. It's been hooooooooorrible," she sniffles, playing to this new source of sympathy now. "You're the only person who understands me," she says, indicating the other two. "They're always saying horrible things to me." Deegee's scolding produces a quiver of her lips. "Take them all," she says suddenly to Rosmyn. "I won't keep them if you want them." It's passionate, she thrusts them towards Rosmyn. "It's okay, nobody cares if /I/ suffer." She pauses "Except for /you/," That's to Joshi.
Rosmyn laughs at Banain's assessment. "He got used to watching over me when I was a kid. He was more like a nanny than a firelizard, weren't you, Deeg?" She fondly scritches his eyeridge and the little blue settles down once again. "I think he thought he had to responsible for me, my mother died shortly after he decided to be my friend." She takes a bite of the toothsome goodie and sighs happily. "Ohh this is soo soo good." Refusing to take the goods, she shrugs. "They are Joshi's, not mine and if I eat too many, I'd get fat and that's not good."
Elaia mutters to Rosmyn, "You're..."
The skinny as a rail weyrling bursts into laughter at that whisper. "Shells, if you are going to torment someone, at least find something that's got some merit to it. Make fun of my hair, make fun of my big feet, now that'd be better."
Banain grumbles under his breath, something that doesn't make anysense and trots away from the group. He does however, wave to them over his shoulder.
"Well of course I understand," Joshi says positively to Elaia, "We're all suffering here because of certain stupidity." She doesn't say whose, safer that way. "I mean.. look at us..." she points, "Bringing back sweets from another weyr just to get our craving? It's ludicrous when we should have our own supply! Isn't it?"
Banain heads towards the main entrance to the inner Weyr.
Banain has left.
Ayn heads towards the main entrance to the inner Weyr.
Ayn has left.
Elaia haughtily ignores Banain and his leaving, even Rosmyn only gets a sniff. She has /sympathy/ after all, and that's not to be looked down upone. "I know," she bemoans. "Imagine me, without any chance of ever having anything nice again. How will I /cope/?"
Rosmyn shrugs but gets that stubborn set to her jaw. "Weyrwoman Sarai is trustworthy and I am sure she has real good reasons why she told us we can't bring anything in until the tithe trains come through in a few sevendays." With a puzzled look Elaia's way, she bites and asks. "What does sweetener have to do with you being nice or not?"
"Did I name any names?" Joshi asks with an innocent saracasm. "I would never think to disagree with Sarai or certainly mentalities that even M'val knows she's going through." Joshi hasn't come out straight - but what she is or isn't implying - well nobody can pin down exactly what she means - just what to infer from it for themselves. "I'm just saying it's not fair for all of you --" she points to Rosmyn when she says this, "Who can't leave the weyr, to not have any sweets until the tithe comes in a few weeks. It's really unfair."
Elaia has no trouble with Joshi's implications, whether she knows what they are or not. "I think it's really unfair too," she bemoans. "You know, if you brought some sweetner, I could make you something nice," she bats her eyelashes at Joshi. "I'm a baker you know," a very new, young apprentice baker, but details.
Rosi's eyes narrow with faint suspicion as she regards Joshi and says evenly. "It's not fair either that riders fly Thread while the rest stay safe and snug within their homes. Life isn't fair."
"Well of course not Rosmyn but that's why we give a little.." Joshi says, "/and/ take a little." She looks at Elaia, "That would be nice wouldn't it? Perhaps I will bring you some... maybe." She makes no promises. "After all, Sarai says /no/..." A heavy sigh as if that's a burden that must be removed.
"I wouldn't tell," Elaia says quickly. "SHE might though," she casts a /look/ at Rosmyn.
Rosmyn scowls openly, rider or not, she's not impressed. "Don't be tempting the kid to disobey Sarai's orders. You know that she can get in real deep trouble if she is found with sweetener."
"Well of course," Joshi snorts at Rosmyn, as if it's just wrong to insinuate she didn't know. "I don't break the rules...." something muttered under breath follows that. "I really do miss having sweets here," Joshi reaches for the bag asking, "Any more of those rolls in there?"
Elaia generously offers the whole lot back to Joshi, only snagging one for herself. "I wouldn't want you to break the rules," she says piously, grinning mischievously though. "Not at all. I'd be shocked. Horrified."
Rosmyn nibbles on the last of her treat and licks her finger tips. As she hears her name called across the weyrling field, she wriggles her fingers at Elaia and nods to Joshi, a tad more reserved than usual. "Rider, I've got drills."
Rosmyn wanders towards the field to the northeast.
Rosmyn has left.
Elaia calls after her "See ya!" quite cheerfully; not seeming at all sorry that the weyrling has gone. "Soooooo," she says to Joshi. "Now the big party pooper has gone..."
"On with ya then Weyrling," Joshi calls out to Rosmyn. To Elaia she turns and says, "Naw you keep most of them," She snags one sweetroll and tucks it away in her sack to keep. "Hey if you're serious about that sweetener..." She turns and tosses a casual look with a raised brow suggestively, "Give me a holler.." Not saying anymore, she begins to walk towards the caverns.
Elaia grins, racing to catch up. "Of course I am," she says. "You name the place and I'm there."
"Shhh," Joshi puts a finger to her lips. "I can't promise ya nothing," she glances around furtively, "I'll let you know.. okay?" She looks down, "What's your name kid?"
Elaia looks positively delighted to be let in on the scheming. She giggles and lowers her voice. "I'm Elaia," she says. "Master Dendra's apprentice," and thus, her tone of voice seems to convey, a truly important personage.
"Alright Elaia.." Joshi says, "What's Dendra think about this sweetener shortage? Has she said anything to you about Sarai's little no-sugar fit?" She's digging for information.
Elaia gives Joshi a cagey look. "Let me worry about Dendra," she says. "What she doesn't know won't get me in trouble."
Joshi starts chuckling, "Alright then." She glances around again and says, "I'll be in touch kay?"
Elaia grins. "Kay," she says. "We should have a code word or something, so nobody suspects," Okay, she's thirteen. These things make sense to her.
Joshi raises a brow and shakes her head, "I don't think so... but I'll let others know about ya if I find anyone else..." she doesn't name names nor say she's got any to name.
Elaia grins widely. "I could have a code name, like 'Agent Flour' or something."
Joshi laughs, "Uh... whatever ya want I guess." She shakes her head and says, "Now scoot flour-girl before someone gets suspicious kay?" She waves a shooing hand.
Elaia beams and dances off, looking pleased. She still has something hidden in her shirt. She whistles a jaunty little tune as she heads off. She looks so smug.
The End
