Sylvan Weyr

[obeah]

Habit was not the sort of person who got stressed out. She had always tended to take things in stride. The early years at her hall had been boring, but she had learned to knit, bind a hide, and fix many delicate instruments, waiting until she grew. She had been discriminated against because of her gender, but she had just worked all the harder until her usefulness was undeniable. She had tried her hardest to save the Weyrwoman and the Weyrhealer she worked under, but when it didn't play out, she had quietly continued doing her job, though she felt she didn't deserve her knots. Even when she lost her leg, she worked as hard as she could, ultimately reorganizing the Hall's records.

Now, though, she would soon be expected to explain the appearance of not just one, but now three new colors. Perhaps the 'stride' metaphor wasn't as apt anymore. Her strides these days were just as fast, but uneven, occasionally painful, and she had to be careful how she carried things. She sighed, writing down what little she knew about inherited traits. This would be a lot easier if she had more data, but the paper waiting to be written was waiting now.

Habit cradled her head in her hands, jotting down the ratios she knew and the ratios she suspected. She wished all this new color business didn't hinge upon a single person. She wished that single person was more receptive and open. She wished they had some way to test her theory other than breeding tests. If wishes were firelizards, she would have enough to pick her up and fly her to a world where the paper was already written and she had her craftmaster knots in hand. She sighed, then got back to work. She had an idea about which traits were recessive to which, though not necessarily anything about the linkage involved in the color genes just yet.

She paused when she started to label the columns. She didn't know what to call them. She would have gone with 'red' for Dafnierth and the dud egg, but everyone was calling them crimson. She didn't want to say something coarse about the black, purple, or grey ones yet. Luckily, a distraction came up. Habit looked up. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

[akusma]

Karla bit her lip and rocked on her heels as she started with wide eyes at the legless woman. For some reason, Habit made her reeeeaaally nervous. It might have just been the leg, but she wasn't normally put off by things like that. Perhaps it was her closeness to the Weyrleader, or the fact that she'd had never spoke to the woman, or because she was the one trying to find out about Vesuviath, and that was terrifying. But that is why we are here, correct? So why worry? The the purple dragonet soothed, stepping up behind her rider, head resting on her leg as she, to, looked over at the woman who was supposed to have all of the answers. Karla mumbled something before coughing and smiling over towards the healer.

"We were wondering if you wanted a hand? You see, someone said you were trying to find out about Vesuviath and her siblings, and I'd really like to know more about that, so she said we should come and help," she chirped, creathing a bit deeper when she finished, still smiling with her hands clasped in front of her. The dragon sighed slightly, and nodded her head slightly. She too was nervous, but she had a better way of showing it then her rider. Unlike Karla, she had no intention of panicking over it all. She knew who she was, and that was all that mattered.

But for Karla, things were a little different. Oh! But what if the Weyr did something to hurt her dragon? What if she couldn't chew firestone? She knew that the Weyrling Master would make her chew when the time came, and Karla didn't want it to hurt her dragon! Then there was the fact that people kept wondering if there was something majorly wrong with the purple coloured creature. She hated it when people said that there was something mentally wrong with Vesuviath. It was the dragon herself that had pulled Karla out of more then a few scrapes. "Please?" the Weyrling finished, pulling her chin down slightly, still biting her lip, still with wide eyes. Vesuviath was grateful she wasn't pouting.

[obeah]

Feeling a little torn, Habit stood behind her desk to receive the weyrling pair, returning Karla's smile and leaning forward to nod a greeting at the purple-hued dragon. When she gave her papers a quick glance to make sure she had both of their names right, a scrap that had been left there as a note from someone caught her eye. So they were calling the purple ones mauve, the black ones sable, the grey ones chrome. It was obviously a political decision, and Habit's mouth twitched into a wry smile for a moment in response. "Hello, Karla, Vesuviath."

She walked around the side of her desk, posture its typical ramrod straight. With all the desk work she'd been doing since the Hatching, her leg didn't even hurt, so her stride was even and confident. Carefully, she listened to their story, nodding. "I appreciate you coming in," she said, nodding. "It's very kind." She crossed her arms over her chest and sat back against the edge of the desk, looking down at Vesuviath, then meeting Karla's rather nervous-looking eyes. She was two inches shorter than the fair-haired girl, and for some reason she was feeling it. Calmly, she nodded as Karla added a 'please' at the end.

"At this point, there's no need for you or your fellow weyrlings to worry," she started with, though she had the feeling it didn't exactly feel this way to Karla. "We looked over the hatchlings thoroughly immediately after the Hatching for all the common congenital defects." And some that weren't so common, given their mother, she added mentally. "The reason we're so focused on it here in the Infirmary is not because there's anything wrong," Habit explained, scooting back a little so she was actually sitting on her desk in front of them, hands clasped in front of her. She leaned forward a little.

"I guess some of the more hidebound riders might disagree," she finished, shrugging. "However, I hope to foster a safe, neutral, apolitical environment here, at least." She looked down at Vesuviath. "We're focused on it here because we're being asked to predict things we don't have enough data for. Inheritance patterns, for one, flaming abilities, for another. Even the gender of the... er... chromes is in question." She looked down at Vesuviath, then up at Karla once more. "Was there any specific question you had in mind?" Habit stopped her biologically-related tirade before it got out of hand. Maybe Karla had a question she could answer. If not, she might find herself the object of a long lecture about heredity in which Habit bounced ideas off her. Poor Karla. "I hope nobody's been giving you trouble."

[akusma]

Karla's worried expression turned into a brighter grin as Habit said hello. Well, at least they hadn't been turned out. Not that she'd been expecting to be turned out, she wasn't quite sure what she'd expected exactly, but she supposed that being welcomed wasn't really on the top of her list. Now, it was nothing against Habit that made her say think that, it was just that she had looked busy, and busy people always seemed to be angry when you disturbed them. She presumed it was some sort of gene you got from grumpy parents, since she knew plently of people that had never been grumpy in their lives when they were disturbed - or rather she had known people before she came to the Weyr. Which reminded her she'd have to let her parents know about Vesuviath, even if they didn't care. Plus she needed to make sure they weren't spending all of her money. You don't like your clutch-mother and father? 'It's complicated, Via-love.'

She straightened slightly when Habit rose and said she was grateful for them coming in, her smile becoming a little less mad and a little more happy. Oh, now that was a lovely thing to say! Vesuviath stopped a sigh before it happened and looked up at the woman in front of her. She was shorter then her bonded, but she doubtd Karla had noticed that; she wasn't the sort of person who did notice things. Like her rider, she listened with a polite interest in what was being said, though she herself was not worried. Her sister, her brother and her two siblings were completely normal for themselves. They could not suddenly learn how to be Blues or Greens.

The blond forced herself to not bite her lip as Habit began. Oh, but there was plently to worry about! Maybe not about Vesuviath's physique, but there were other things...Mainly to do with the people side of things, but if anything was to be decided about them, she was sure it was here; since they seemed to know the most about the new colours, not that there was much to know right now. The Mauve snorted slightly as Habit glanced at her after stating that two of her siblings gender was under questioning. I am female, and it's not about to change, she murmered softly to Karla, who's face crinkled slightly as she tried ever so hard to not laugh. 'Oh, shush you! I know that, and if anyone else doesn't, then they're braindead.'

"Oh, no one's been bothering me really. They mainly bother Vesuviath-" I do not mind them. "And she doesn't mind them syaing things about her," the blond chirped, grin staying strong even though her thoughts turned slightly murderous. Oh yes, there'd been people saying that her darling wasn't really a dragon, they she should have been shipped between in her egg, or worse when she'd hatched. It did bring to mind the question that it Vesuviath had been taken between, would she still have Impressed? She hoped not now, but if she'd been asked that before the Mauve's hatching...She didn't know. "I don't really have anything specific in mind, just general things really, and people related things but I should ask the Weyrlingmaster those things. Have you found anything about the flaming yet?" she babbled slightly, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet as she thought over what she was going to say. If it helps, let the woman know she can examine me if she wants. "And Vesuviath says you can examine her anytime you want as well," Karla add dutifully, frowning slightly at that. The idea wasn't exactly appealing to her...But if it helped.

[Carni]

"Would you mind me joining this conversation?", a calm, male voice asked from behind Karla. It was A'der who had snuck up to them silently, trying not to interfier with something. He knew from his own Weyrlinghood how jumpy he had been around elder riders even tho he had been around them all day before already. Maybe it was just the impression that made many Weyrlings easy to scare at first, the fear of loosing their precious partners still fresh in their minds. Not all Weyrlings were like this, but this young girl - even tho she seemed to be just a tiny bit taller than Habit - seemed like one who would turn around and run away if he scared her... or hiss and bite into his leg if he pushed her. He certainly did not want to have a Weyrling gnawing on his legs... You'r being silly..., his bronze snorted from his sunny place at the beach, amused by his riders thoughts.

"I don't think we'll know much about their flaming ability until they are large enough to try...", he said while casting a glance at Habit that sought for agreement. He didn't understand enough of dragon anatomy to be entirely sure but knowing about the dragons under his command was somehow his duty and he was thusly relatively certain they wouldn't know anything for sure until they tried. Something that didn't really make his life easier, neither seemed it to make Habits easier. It were probably the exact same questions that had brought Karla here and he wondered if the young girl or rather her dragon could help her. 'Mauve'. Hopefully the young Weyrlings were okay with that term, even if it made their seperation clearer once more. He didn't want them to be excluded but couldn't include them either, being torn between two fighting parties and many riders in between who weren't really helpful either. Maybe Habit had found out something useful? Quietly the Weyrleader stood in the doorframe, waiting for both the Healers answers and the Weyrlings reaction. He hoped she wouldn't be so uncomfortable that she turned around and left... but sometimes a Weyrleader caused that in younger riders. There were only a stubborn few who didn't flinch when they saw his knots, Habit being one of the more refreshing ones among them...

[obeah]

Habit didn't really know how she could help Karla further. Though she had gotten into healing for primarily intellectual reasons, truly caring about people had grown on her as she moved through the ranks. She looked down at Vesuviath thoughtfully, swallowing as her heart started to beat a little faster, first from the sadness that she didn't think she could help, then from a touch of jealousy as she watched them talk fondly to one another. It waned as she saw tension in Karla's frame. Would Habit really want to Impress if it meant her existence being called into tension? She decided she would anyway, not that it mattered. She would never be medically clear to Impress.

"If you want a second opinion after asking your Weyrlingmaster, I'm used to dealing with people under a variety of... stressful conditions," Habit confessed. She took a moment to think about what she could say about flaming, and in that moment, A'der showed up. She nodded a greeting to him. "I wouldn't mind at all, Weyrleader." She turned to Karla, asking if she minded. "Karla?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. She stepped to one side, making a triangle between the three of them instead of a line. She clasped her hands in front of her. "I might just take you up on that, Vesuviath. Thank you."

She looked down at Vesuviath, nodding. "Honestly, with them still this small, I still can't think of a way to tell." She tilted her head. "I have been thinking of some things for the future though." She dug around in her desk and took out a small tuning fork, the kind they used to diagnose stress fractures. She struck it against the side of the desk and held it up into the air, letting it ring for a moment. "Hollow structures sound different when you press one of these against them. They ring louder. But we'd have to wait until they're at least three months old before they get large enough to tell if their stomachs are proportionally the same size as a fighter's. They all start out the same size, it's just that queens'... and possibly theirs... don't grow from there."

Habit resisted the temptation to rest her head in her hands. "They used to tell us stories at Healer Hall about shipfish... They used sound to see structures that you couldn't yet feel... unborn children and that sort of thing." She shook her head. "Of course going to find them would be a terrible expense in terms of time that I certainly wouldn't advocate. By the time we ended up with a pod around, they'd be old enough to tell by testing it with firestone. And that's if shipfish even have said mythical powers at all." She frowned. "R'lein figured out this really clever way to tell if they're allergic to phosphine compounds, but we would have to test it on a gold... if we had one, this probably wouldn't be a problem. And we wouldn't be testing compounds on a gold anyway." It wasn't worth the risk.

"Three months, maybe?" Habit said, looking rather optimistically up at the Weyrleader. "If we're lucky."

[akusma]

Karla straightened and smiled brightly at Habit's words, nodding frantically at her. Oh, now that was awfully kind of her! "Thank you!" she chirped, clasping her hands in front of her now as she waitd on an answer to her question. She didn't quite know if she was expecting and answer, since she had no idea if the information was confidential to the higher ranks of the Weyr, or if the Healer would even know anything. Would the older riders keep the information from the new colour riders, such as herself? She wasn't stupid, she did know that some of the Weyr didn't like the dragons like Vesuviath, and there had been rumours of them not being allowed in the Weyr...Which was stupid! Every dragon was needed, everyone knew that! A dragon was a dragon, and needed to fight thread

The blond almost jumped as the Weyrleader made his presence known. As it was she merely squeaked and twisted slightly, almost loosing her footong and stumbling to the side as she blushed. Well, that was a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the Weyrleader! Oh, now what was he going to think of her? She had not wanted to come across as some silly little girl, and now he was sure to think of her like that! At Habit's question she half formed a curtsey before mumbling something about her not minding at all, it was Habit's office so she didn't have a say at all. She bit her lip and shuffled her feet for a moment before smiling shyly at him and turning back to the healer. Oh, she knew ettiquete, and this was hadly the way to act! Karla was not so happy that Habit was going to take Vesuviath up on the offer, but what could she do? Nothing. It is my choice to give, Karla. Besides, if it helps, then it is worth offering. The voice was no sterner then it had been before, no different from a summer breeze; but it was a slightly colder breeze, with a hint of steel in it.

The news that there was no way of knowing if the dragons could chew until they were forced to do so worried her slightly, and the frown must have been edvident. Why? If it is meant to be, it will happen. If I cannot chew, then I will not, Besuviath said calmly, sighing slightly. She looked backwards before she sat down, almost human like in the way she did it, but once she'd settled down, head held high, she was completely dragon like in the way she held herself. Though as Habit rumaged around her dest, Karla was more then a little curious. Another way of finding out? The tuning fork had her well and truly baffled her for a moment before Habit explained herself, and she giggled slightly at the idea of her dragon becoming a musical instrument. Vesuviath said nothing on the matter, but the shipfish...That's rediculous, she scoffed, shaking her head slightly. It's a fish, they are not exactly known for intelligance. Those are rumours, certainly. And I would not let them near me anyway. Karla smiled brightly "She says she doesn't believe the fish idea, but the other one sounds promising!"