The World of Pern(tm) is copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright. This is a log of roleplay on PernMUSH, available online by permission of Anne McCaffrey, author of the Pern novels, and recorded by A.S. Korra'ti (piper@murkworks.net), player of Mehlani of Telgar Weyr on PernMUSH. This log may be distributed freely as long as this header remains intact. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Log Date: 5/24/98 Log Cast: Jaynelle, Mehlani, Jorenan, Ofira, R'val, M'kla, Aurian, Tenli, Gwyndelone Log Intro: One may expect that having been Searched and thus far spending sevendays of work at Candidate chores and training is sufficient distraction for Mehlani away from her fair of eight firelizards. In fact, trying to keep from adding to the chaos of several fairs of firelizards already residing with their humans in the Barracks, the young woman has attempted to encourage her pets to sleep with the dragons and riders with whom she is best acquainted -- S'lah, brown Camelth's rider, Sh'roun, blue Elefanth's rider, and of course, K'star and brown Indyth. However, with the distraction of her Candidacy upon her, Mehlani has managed to have it slip her mind that having three green firelizards Impressed about a Turn after her first green means that all four of them will be going proddy on her at the same time. This slips her mind, that is, until she wakes up one evening with the massed sensations of four proddy greens tugging at her thoughts.... ---------- Your location's current time: 21:31 on day 1, month 1, Turn 23, of the Tenth Pass. It is a winter evening. Jaynelle smiles "Hi Mehlani. I do have something to ask of you though." Abruptly, Mehlani rolls out of her cot, frowning deeply to herself; she apparently has just jerked right up out of the depths of a nap. Her hat is askew on her head, and as she fumbles to right it, her gaze snaps distractedly round in Jaynelle's direction. "Wh-what?" Jaynelle smiles a little "Nothing liek that. It just seems that you know everyone here ... and well, I was wondering how long you have been here." Mehlani, apparently not comprehending Jaynelle's query very well at the moment, blinks several times. "A-about two Turns," she answers, her voice warbling out of her oddly, higher-pitched than normal. "I..." And she scrubs the back of a dainty hand across her eyes. "Please excuse me..." And quite suddenly, she wanders out of the room. You head through the entrance to the inner cavern. Inner Cavern(#1272RJL$) Obvious exits: Steam Baths INFirmary Candidate Barracks Corridor Weyrfolk Quarters Living Cavern You walk through the large entrance to the Living Cavern. Telgar Weyr's Living Cavern(#750RJM$) Contents: Jorenan Pierron Obvious exits: Lower Caverns Kitchen Bowl Jorenan is finishing what appears to be a report of some sort. He looks up and nods. "Hullo, Mehlani." A Mehlani looking strangely dazed and shaken comes wandering into the living cavern, her hat dangling from one hand, the other pushing through her short-cropped hair as if to push it out of her eyes -- though the auburn locks are hardly long enough for that, these days. The girl is heading for the kitchens, but her course seems erratic, and as she's hailed, she jerks her head around, blinking rapidly. Jaynelle walks here from the Inner Cavern. Jaynelle has arrived. Jaynelle follows behind Mehlani "Hey, wait up. Where are you going?" Jorenan blinks back, but only once. "Are you all right, Mehlani? Did Morningstar throw you or something?" He nods to Jaynelle, but keeps his eyes on Mehlani. "Jorenan," Mehlani blurts huskily, sounding startled, as if the young Baker's presence in the room is deeply surprising to her. She abruptly shakes her head, warbling out faintly, "I'm alright... I'm alright..." And she blinks a few more times as Jaynelle catches up with her; to the other Candidate, Mehlani adds in utmost earnestness, "I have to go to the kitchens." Jaynelle shrugs and nods "Ok," she says in a rather confused voice. As if Jorenan isn't here every moment that he's not in the kitchens. He glances in that direction now, and says, "You do? It's awfully late. There aren't any dishes that have to be done or anything, I don't think." Mehlani bobs her head up and down, several times, her big blue eyes about the size of marks in her slender face. "I need some wine," she murmurs, "just a little... I-I can't sleep..." Jorenan's mouth does not fall open in astonishment. Quite. He just nods slowly. "Err, all right. Do you want red or white?" "Red," says Mehlani distractedly, "Benden red... just a little..." Her gaze falls on Jorenan and stays there, and she blurts, "I'm alright!" Jaynelle looks over to Mehlani with concern "Are you alright? What is wrong 'Lani?" Jorenan walks off towards the kitchen. Jorenan has left. From the kitchen, Jorenan enters the kitchen from the living cavern. From the kitchen, Jorenan walks into the Living Cavern. Jorenan walks in from the kitchen. Jorenan has arrived. Pierron sniffs indifferently as the Baker apprentice enters. "Nothing!" pipes Mehlani, her voice still sounding strangely high. Her hat is still in her hands, and she fidgets with it, turning it around and around and around in her slender fingers. As Jorenan ducks into the kitchen and back, her gaze remains solidly affixed on him, beginning to turn oddly dewy, incongruous with the stoic set of her features. "I'm alright!" Ofira walks here from the Inner Cavern. Ofira has arrived. Pierron inclines his head and smiles sweetly at the Master Baker. Ofira returns, rather wet from Iraval's bath and gazes back at Pierron suspiciously. R'val walks here from the Inner Cavern. R'val has arrived. Pierron nods knowingly as the assistant weyrlingmaster enters. Jorenan gets a skinfull of Benden red for Mehlani. He pours her a glass, and goes over to hand it to her. "There you go. I'm sure you are, Mehlani," he says reassuringly. Jaynelle watches Mehlani leave again with concern. She looks over at R'val as he arrives "Erh, R'val." R'val grins at Jaynelle, "Hey Jaynelle..." Ofira holds Pierron's gaze until he looks away and then ha's quietly to herself. "'Evening Jorenan. Did youtake a lookk at that shipment of green bananas from Southern?" she smiles a greeting to Jaynelle and Mehlani too. Jaynelle sort of head-points in the kitchen and says in a very low voice "I'm a little concerned with Mehlani" Jaynelle looks over at Ofira "Sorry, ma'am. Evening" "Thank you," Mehlani blurts to Jorenan, blinking several more times as she lifts the glass to her lips, takes a few breaths, and starts sipping at the stuff. It makes her nose crinkle up, and she lets out a little cough, but keeps at it. She doesn't seem to notice Ofira's arrival, or, for that matter, R'val's. Her gaze still lingers on Jorenan, as she makes inroads on the wine. Jorenan glances away from Mehlani after she takes the glass and nods to Ofira. "I did, ma'am. They'll take some time to ripen. We should be able to speed some of them up if we bring them into the kitchens." Ofira nods. "We'll put them with some ripe fruit..." she says, her attention distracted by Mehlani. "Is she alright?" she asks Jorenan quietly. Jorenan nods. "Aye, ma'am, I took the liberty of preparing a bushel that way already." He gives Mehlani a glance, and notices that she's still looking at him in the process. He looks back to Ofira and gives a somewhat helpless shrug. "I just got here myself, ma'am." Which isn't true, but it gets the point across. Mehlani, being a dainty young lady, does not exactly have the ability to inhale a full glass of wine the way many riders do; she has to take it in small sips. And this is how she makes her way through that glass she's clutching, sip after sip in rapid succession, with just enough pause between each one to regain her breath. Jaynelle shrugs to Ofira's question, even though it was aimed at Jorenan. She does look back at Mehlani and tries not to watch her too obviously. Jayne is obviously concerned though. R'val sits, klah in hand, and watches Ofira talk to Jorenan... Ofira frowns a little, "I didn't think it was usual for candidates to drink wine." Jaynelle gets up and pours herself some simmered cider. Then she takes a small piece of bread and cheese before moving back to her seat. Jorenan considers. "Well, ma'am, I'm not really sure." Perhaps he's supposed to know the answer to that. But he's not admitting it if he does. With the way her attention is still riveted on the young Baker, it would seem that as far as Mehlani's concerned, he's the only person in the room. The one hand on her glass and the other hand now clutching her hat to her as if she were a little and it her prized blanket, 'Lani stares longly at Jorenan, her blue eyes turning progressively more and more dewy. M'kla walks in from the bowl. M'kla has arrived. Jaynelle chuckles a little and stars sipping her cider. Ofira glances back at Mehlani and follows her gaze to Jorenan and then looks back sharply. She sits back in her chair, and shakes her head slightly. "'Evening, M'kla." M'kla nods to Ofira, "Evening, Master." M'kla moves to find a place to sit, out of the way. Now isn't this the darndest thing? All Jorenan's innocent daydreams suddenly come true. Except that in -his- daydreams there was never an audience of half the Weyr! He swallows, glances at Ofira, then at Jaynelle. When M'kla comes in, he suppresses a quiet noise of utter panic. Aurian walks here from the Inner Cavern. Aurian has arrived. Mehlani makes it about three quarters of the way through the wine glass, and has to stop again. Her breathing has accelerated, and a rosy flush has begun to creep across her cheeks; that dewy gaze she's got affixed on Jorenan seems to unfocus a bit, and she presses her eyes closed for a moment, and then opens them once more. He's still there. Gracious, but Jorenan seems... interesting...! Jaynelle arches an eyebrow at Jorenan, then turns towards her klah. Ofira smiles at Jorenan, both sympathetic and somewhat amused. "Maybe Mehlani would like to go for a walk," she whispers to her apprentice helpfully. Aurian blows some of her hair out of her eyes in annoyance. Her body moving quickly to the various pitchers of steaming beverages. Jorenan glances around. He takes a deep breath. All right, no need to panic. "Mehlani," he says, "Don't you think you're drinking that wine a little quickly? Maybe you should have, err, yes! Perfect! Why don't we go for a walk?" He gives Ofira a grateful look "I think I should go lie down," Mehlani murmurs. Her voice has softened, and almost slurred; she sounds like she's dreaming. Jaynelle chuckles somewhat into her cider and remains rather quiet. She does look over in R'val's direction with a twinkle in her blue-gray eyes. R'val glances at Jaynelle and winks, amused. "Aye, err, that's a fine idea too, Mehlani," Jorenan says. A flicker of a frown suggests that it's crossed his mind to wonder 'why me?' But then, the answer to that is so obvious that it's not really worth asking. "D'you need help getting there? Maybe Jaynelle would oblige." Tenli walks in from the bowl. Tenli has arrived. Aurian leans her hip against the table lightly as she fills her mug with the very warm cider. Tenli smiles a bit as she enters. It is more of a reflex than a genuine action. "Evening," she offers with a nod of her head before finding herself some klah. Gwyndelone walks in from the bowl. Gwyndelone has arrived. R'val smiles, waving towards Tenli. Jorenan nods to the newcomer, albeit with the distraction of someone who's faced with a real puzzle. Jaynelle looks over her cider and says very flatly "I wouldn't mind helping at all, but I do think Mehlani wants your help" as she looks at Jorenan with a very straight face, but her eyes do give away the amusement. "Quite a bustle in here, eh," Tenli remarks drolly as she slips into a seat. Ofira waves as more people come in, keeping an eye on Jorenan and Mehlani. "I know what it is!" she says suddently. "I remember once a while ago, I helped Mehlani to bed." Mehlani blinks, her gaze shifting around from face to face, as if she finally has realized there are other people in the cavern. Jorenan gives Jaynelle a look. It's obviously supposed to mean rather a lot, but there's no way that all of the words in his head made it into a single glance. Ofira says quietly, "The last time, it was one of her firelizards. One of her /green/ firelizards," she says pointedly. Tenli begins sipping at the klah in her mug. It barely gets done her throat as, suddenly, she begins to cough slightly. "What," she calls aloud in the cavern, though the question is not meant for anyone within the room. Grinding her teeth together a moment, she stands up to her full six-feet and crosses her arms on her chest. Announcing, "Who here ain't a candidate yet," to the cavern, she then surveys the faces. Mehlani, rather unconnectedly, murmurs, "I'd, um.... excuse me!" She starts to turn to flee, then pauses to gulp down the rest of the wine. Her blush is deepening. Ofira glances over at the rider curiously, and then sits back to sip her klah, looking worriedly at Mehlani. Aurian watches Mehlani with concerned eyes, but manages to resist the temptation to say anything of what she knows. Watcing Mehlani, as that is one of the more familiar faces she recognizes, Tenli wonders, "Candidate, ain't she? Shouldn't be drinking much if I recall correctly." Jaynelle blinks several times and then looks at Tenli with her cheeks becomming more and more red. She slowly stands and walks more towards the woman "I am a candidate ma'am. May I help you?" It's a fair bet that Jorenan was trying not to think of that possibility. But he nods slowly, and looks even less surprised when Mehlani turns to flee. But he stops her with a hand on the arm and says, "Drinnk some water. You'll have a headache in the morning if you don't." Then, Tenli's shout penetrates his head and he turns slowly. R'val glances at Tenli curiously. Gwyndelone slips in quietly, catching some od the conversations. Her attention soon goes to Mehlani, since she seems to the the center of everyone elses. Tenli gets back to the business that seems to be annoying her so. "Well," she near-demands, "it seems as though my aging lifemate believes there is someone -interesting-..." She pauses to roll her eyes, "in here. I'm tired and need some rest. Those of you who aren't candidates? Can you ferry up and we'll head for the bowl? I'm sorry for the timing...believe me." From the long-suffered look on her face, it's an easy statement to believe. Mehlani turns quite crimson, bobs her head unsteadily to Jorenan's suggestion of water, and abruptly whirls and stumbles back towards the inner caverns. You walk towards the inner cavern. Inner Cavern(#1272RJL$) Contents: Asher(#15147PJc) Obvious exits: Steam Baths INFirmary Candidate Barracks Corridor Weyrfolk Quarters Living Cavern Mehlani, looking shaken and flushed, comes stumbling hastily past, heading for the Barracks. You part the curtain and step into the Candidate Barracks. Candidate Barracks(#258RAHJ$) Contents: Harper Flutterby Candidate Supervisor Roster Obvious exits: Lower Caverns [End log.]