This... isn't mine... (Cairenn)

[Ivy]

While delivering laundry, the drudges have had a mix-up. These aren't your clothes! What do you do?

A heavy sigh was given as she laid on her bunk staring up at the underside of the bed above her. Such was life as a Candidate - something she knew quite well. Chores... more chores... lessons... more lessons... an endless cycle.

Eyes closed as she laid there waiting for the rest of the Candidates to finish their daily chores. Turns in the Weyr as a Candidate left her with certain skills - she was always the first done with hers. The door opened and she opened an eye to glance towards it, ah, laundry was being delivered.

The drudge carried each bag to the correct bunk with practiced ease, and once she had left the barracks Ivy sat up and grabbed her bag. Opening it up she dug inside to pull some out to fold. She thought nothing of it as her fingers closed around a shirt and she tugged it free. Setting it on her bed she began to fold it - only to see it was small. Much too small for her figure. Glancing around she frowned. These weren't her clothes!

Biting on her bottom lip for a moment she thought about going through the other bags to find her clothes - but did she really want to try and explain what she was doing pawing another girl's undies when she came back from chores and caught Ivy in her bag? No, she thought not. Reaching back into the bag she pulled out some more clothes, thinking perhaps just a stray shirt found its way into her bag. No such luck, it seemed like all the clothes were made for someone much smaller than she.

Shards.

Stuffing the clothes back into the bag she watched the door intently, waiting for the trickle of other female Candidates to begin so she could try and figure out which ones' clothes she probably had.

[Aftershock]

Cairenn returned from her chores, finding the Candidate barracks again after only three wrong turns this time. She had been in the Weyr for about a week now, and was slowly getting used to the winding corridors of the massive underground structure, though the strangely smooth walls sometimes still blended together, especially without a skyline to use as reference, and Cairenn had a few embarrassing encounters going into a private Weyr rather than the barracks a couple of times already.

Releasing her thick mane of hair from the tie she had it held back in while she was scrubbing dishes in the kitchens for her chores, she shook her head and used her thin fingers to fluff her hair back into it's normal configuration as she approached her bunk. Flipping her hair out of her eyes once she was done, she started a bit to see that her bunkmate was already there, a sack full of something sitting on her bed as she looked out across the room. Blinking a bit, noting a similar bag was on all the bunks, including her own above Ivy's bunk, she climbed the short ladder to her own bed, pulling the sack over and seeing it was full of clean clothing. Pulling out a shirt, she began to fold it in order to put it away in her footlocker when she noticed it was quite a bit... looser... than it should be. Her brow furrowing in confusion, she pulled out a skirt, both not recognizing it and also noting it's incorrect size.

Climbing down from her bunk, taking the shirt and skirt with her, she walked over to Ivy, not having been able to avoid noticing how much more... developed... her bunkmate was compared to Cairenn's own willowy form. Holding out the shirt and skirt, she said, "Er, hello... Ivy, was it? I... I think they gave me the wrong clothing, because this looks like it would fit you better than me. Do these look like yours at all?"

[Ivy]

The girl would have gone unnoticed on a normal day, but since Ivy was watching the door she saw her bunkmate the moment she walked in. The niece of a rider she'd heard. Searched from Hyphen she'd learned. Only twelve turns old too. Lucky little brat. The older Candidate didn't know the girl at all, just about her. And truly she wasn't being all that fair in her judgement, perhaps it was because Ivy hadn't really been Searched from Blossom - and yet here this young girl, barely old enough to Stand, had been Searched out all the way from Hyphen. Knowing Ivy's luck the girl would Impress and she would once more be left on the Sands. Ugh.

Cairenn climbed up to her bunk and Ivy eyed the bag full of too-small clothing. Hm, it would probably fit the girl. Sitting up she was going to stand and ask the girl if the drudges had delivered the right clothes to her, but then she was climbing back down the ladder with her bag. Ah, she held out the skirt and Ivy nodded, "Yes, I'm Ivy. And yes, that is mine. I take it these are yours then."

Offering the bag out to the girl she offered a smile - one of those half hearted, tight lipped smiles that didn't reach her eyes. "I forget your name girl... Remind me if you could?"

[Aftershock]

Recognizing a blouse as Ivy pulled it out of the bag sitting on her bunk, Cairenn smiled and said, "Yes, that's mine. And this is yours? The drudges must have just switched which bunk they put the bags on." Accepting the bag from Ivy, she climbed back up the ladder to place the bag on her bed, and tugged the bag containing Ivy's clothes off her bunk and heaved the heavy sack down carefully to place it upon Ivy's bed.

Releasing the bag, she inhaled to regain her breath, the bag of clothes quite heavy to the tiny girl, and responded to Ivy's question with, "Oh, I'm Cairenn." She turned to look at Ivy's face once more, and couldn't help but notice the forced smile upon the other woman's face... and something not entirely kind in the woman's blue eyes. Cairenn's own smile died on her face, and her lip twitched a bit upward as she said, "I... I'll leave you to your clothes, then..." as she turned to climb the ladder back to her bunk so as to fold her own clothing in preparation for putting it away.

[Ivy]

Ivy sighed, she'd been much too rude towards the girl. It wasn't Cairenn's fault she was Searched at twelve, while Ivy had to wait until she was nineteen. Why hold it against her? She shouldn't, and had no reason to. So taking her bag she set it next to her on the bed and eyed the raven haired girl as she turned to retreat.

"I apologize. I came off harsh, I didn't mean to. So... You're from Hyphen, aye?"

Hopefully the girl would accept the apology - Ivy would hate for word to get out that Ivy was a jerk to kids.

[Aftershock]

Cairenn stopped as the older Candidate girl piped up, and slowly turned to look at her bunkmate once more. The girl did seem less aggressive than she did before, though Cairenn was still cautious... she knew this girl was going to be her bunkmate for a while, if neither of them Impressed at the next hatching, so it was best not to establish a antagonistic relationship, but she didn't trust the other girl very much yet... she could switch to aggressive again at a moment's notice.

"It's... all right," Cairenn responded guardedly, trying to affect a relaxed, friendly posture in defiance of the tension she actually felt. "Yes, I'm from Hyphen. A place I will do my best never to return to, unless it's on dragonback... and hopefully not even then," she concluded, a sour look forcing it's way past her veneer of calm and friendliness.

[Ivy]

"Southern, myself. I wouldn't mind going back - it was nice. Not as nice as I've heard Blossom is, but not as bad as I imagine Hyphen or Lighttower to be either. Never will be back though, even on dragonback." It was one of the first times she had mentioned where she was from to someone not incredibly close to her - for usually the mention of where she was from also brought mention of Darren and the child she lost. A shake of her head and she did her best to paint a smile on her face as she looked at the girl.

"Glad you got out of there, and congratulations on being Searched. Took me until I was nineteen to finally get my Candidate's robes." Another smile, this one a bit more genuine.

"Did I hear you have family in the Weyr as well? Word travels fast, especially throughout the Candidates who have nothing to look forward to but chores and the day the eggs finally hatch."

[Aftershock]

Cairenn nodded as Ivy spoke of her origins at Southern, noting silently the drop in the redhead's mood when she spoke of her past, and the false smile that was quickly erected moments later. Combined with the information that Ivy had not been Searched until nineteen, and both Cairenn and Roselle's encounters with almost being Joined off against their will by their fathers, Cairenn suddenly felt for the older Candidate girl... perhaps she was unhappy with Cairenn because Cairenn avoided a forced Joining that Ivy herself had been unable to.

Relaxing a bit as the reason for Ivy's aggression towards Cairenn was possibly revealed, Cairenn replied, "Thank you. Yes, my auntie... er, aunt... Roselle is a Greenrider here. She is the one who searched me, actually. Saved me from my horrible father and brother. It was just in time, too... I nearly was forced to Join some horrible old man I didn't even know so that my father could improve his own standing... a fate my aunt avoided herself by being Searched, from what stories she's told me," she added.

Her expression softening, Cairenn continued, "I've heard many girls are forced to Join with men as part of deals to improve the standing or profits of their fathers. I... I am sorry you were Searched at an older age than myself," she concluded, letting the implication of other things Ivy might have had to endure by not escaping her father until she was much older stand on it's own as she lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.