08.Nov.12, 01:47 AM
It was warm and beautiful, a fact that the Harper couldn't bring herself to bemoan after the lovely clouds of the day before. She was glad that she had come on this trip with the Candidates. It was good to get a bit away from her lessons- well, as such. Since she had been somewhat segregated from her classmates, she had spent an exorbitant amount of time sitting near D'ren and bouncing Tsereni on her lap. Tsuen's troubles, Weyr leadership, a young child- it all seemed to weigh heavily on the man who had become a father figure to Jada, and it wasn't very difficult at her to take at least part of that burden off of his hip while she was 'learning'. Poor D'ren, he was starting to list from the extra weight at his side. And she was learning! She had been made to understand it wasn't very traditional an education for a goldrider, but while Tsuen was indisposed, it was what she had.
Katila was good at working with what they had.
As she kicked her way around the lake, eyes darting from the shore to the glistening water, she collected a handful of small, flat rocks. Skipping rocks, she hoped, a fun little diversion. Here and there she would pause, tossing one out and counting the number of times the rock skipped. So far she was only at four bounces. It had been Kalem who had taught her to skip rocks. Kalem, who would have found the Weyr such an adventure. He'd told her in letters that he had hoped, before the Plague, he would be taken to the Weyr. He'd been 14 turns when the Plague had struck and the dragons believed to be dying out. He'd had the opportunity to dream about it, to see a few beasts in their heyday. How jealous he would be now!
She heard a whoop and a splash, and blinked golden-brown eyes out over the water, trying to see who was out there. Curiosity was something she possessed in spades! Her lower lip disappeared under her upper row of teeth, being pulled in fiercely as she followed the shore. What she found was a gem- trees and rocks, a pretty little cove... and a pile of clothing. And in the water, a- "You're naked!" she blurted out to the naked woman who was giggling in the water. Oh! That did look like fun, but what if someone saw! Modesty warred with jealousy on her face as she glanced back at the bushes.
If Jada had been practicing her manners, she would have excused herself and gone on her way, leaving Ellaira to dip in peace. However, Jada's manners were few and far between when it came to social interaction with a nude- err, new- face. Instead of stepping away politely, or averting her eyes, Jada watched the other woman with an open curiosity. "I'm Jada. And you're-" She racked her brain, trying to place the woman. 200 people in the Weyr, a whole turn to learn their names, and this one was a Candidate. Come on now, Jada. You know this. "El..." she said slowly, drawing the syllable out as if it were a nickname instead of a slip of the brain.
Katila was good at working with what they had.
As she kicked her way around the lake, eyes darting from the shore to the glistening water, she collected a handful of small, flat rocks. Skipping rocks, she hoped, a fun little diversion. Here and there she would pause, tossing one out and counting the number of times the rock skipped. So far she was only at four bounces. It had been Kalem who had taught her to skip rocks. Kalem, who would have found the Weyr such an adventure. He'd told her in letters that he had hoped, before the Plague, he would be taken to the Weyr. He'd been 14 turns when the Plague had struck and the dragons believed to be dying out. He'd had the opportunity to dream about it, to see a few beasts in their heyday. How jealous he would be now!
She heard a whoop and a splash, and blinked golden-brown eyes out over the water, trying to see who was out there. Curiosity was something she possessed in spades! Her lower lip disappeared under her upper row of teeth, being pulled in fiercely as she followed the shore. What she found was a gem- trees and rocks, a pretty little cove... and a pile of clothing. And in the water, a- "You're naked!" she blurted out to the naked woman who was giggling in the water. Oh! That did look like fun, but what if someone saw! Modesty warred with jealousy on her face as she glanced back at the bushes.
If Jada had been practicing her manners, she would have excused herself and gone on her way, leaving Ellaira to dip in peace. However, Jada's manners were few and far between when it came to social interaction with a nude- err, new- face. Instead of stepping away politely, or averting her eyes, Jada watched the other woman with an open curiosity. "I'm Jada. And you're-" She racked her brain, trying to place the woman. 200 people in the Weyr, a whole turn to learn their names, and this one was a Candidate. Come on now, Jada. You know this. "El..." she said slowly, drawing the syllable out as if it were a nickname instead of a slip of the brain.