Glowtastic! (Chores, Group I, July)(Open)

[Ruby]

Glows. As'lin had to refill... Glows.

He lugged the basket along, removing dead or dim glows from the baskets around the Weyr- The Creche more spesifically- and replacing them with fresh glows from half of the basket he carried. The constant placement of old glows in one side and removal of new glows from the other caused the basket to be constantly unbalanced, and therefore about three times as heavy as it would be otherwise. Not only that, but As'lin didn't have anyone to work with this time, unless he happened to run into another glow filler, and they were heading the same way. It was possible, particularly around the more populous areas of the Weyr, but he hadn't seen anyone yet.

Anyone but Weyrbrats, that was. As'lin did not spend much time in or around the Creche, but it seemed like the whole population of the Weyr was here, just shrunken and louder. Somehow the little kids took up two or three times the space they should, it seemed. They were, of course, incredibly cute, but they were so excited by the presence of someone they didn't recogize who was vaguely nice to them that they had insisted on hanging onto As'lin's legs before the dear, wonderful Crecheworkers had taken them away to put them down for a nap.

He thought he'd seen Laurie's little Miguel, who he'd met at the Feast, but wasn't sure even if the boy would be in the Creche, so he hadn't stopped his work to see. There were quite a few other children who looked vaguely familiar- as in they were most likely the sons and daughters of various Weyrfolk he'd met, but he wasn't sure on any one. As'lin was working on the outside of the main area now, and wasn't sure where he needed to head next- hopefully he'd run into someone soon.

[boober]

Swish swish. The broom whispered quietly in the hallways as the dust and debris was swept up into neat little piles. Sweeping the Weyr’s floors sounded like a daunting task indeed, but for Cezine, it was a welcome excuse to be by herself and think. As per usual, she was dressed in slightly frayed and threadbare clothes of nondescript color. Her newly shortened hair was tied back with a slightly brighter-colored kerchief; it looked considerably newer than any of her other garments. Clearly, she’d gotten it when she’d shorn off her hair. It was still a loss she was getting used to, but she wasn’t compulsively touching it every five seconds anymore.

She knew when she neared the crèche, for she could hear the children within. It brought a smile to her face, hearing the laughter and loud chatter, and even the wailing of one small infant. The green weyrling paused briefly, straightening and arching her back somewhat. She sighed as a few muffled pops were heard as her spine cracked wonderfully. Walking around stooped over like that was harder than almost anything else. But she wasn’t one to complain. After stretching lightly, she went back to work, adding to the small pile of dust she’d acquired since the last time she’d been by a trash can or something of the like.

When she made her way into the crèche, Cezine was bombarded by squeals and little hands grasping at her clothes. Either the nap had been unsuccessful or it had been short. But most of the children were older, having outgrown the need for a nap in the middle of the day. The weyrling laughed, not seeming to mind that her dust pile was being scattered about by little feet. Leaving off the sweeping for just a few minutes, she gave a few hugs here and some pats there before stealthily handing out the supply of filched sweet root and even the hard candy that had been brewed recently. She was definitely a hit with the kids… to say she wasn’t would have been a bald faced lie. Of course, she had enough experience to be good with them.

Once the crowd scattered, the green weyrling swept up the dust into another neat pile again before collecting it and throwing it away. It was only when she was about to return to the chore that she noticed the junior weyrling replacing the glows nearby. Deciding he looked like he could use some company, she swept towards him, making her way over slowly but surely. Just as she reached him, a blue f’lizard appeared from between with a quiet chitter, scolding her softly for leaving him. Cezine simply smiled at Sky as the little blue settled on her shoulder and wrapped his tail around her neck possessively. Shaking her head slightly, she glanced over at As’lin.

“Are you lost?” The question wasn’t unkind; he just seemed a little uncertain, as if he didn’t know where to go next. She could probably help, if that were the case.

[Ruby]

As'lin was filling fairly aimlessly now. A surge of noise from further inside the Creche made him smile- that nap must have failed. Ah well, at least they weren't bothering him anymore. Oh, no doubt they were cute, but As'lin wasn't exactly in the mood to pick up all the glows and sort out which ones were live and which ones were dim once a crechling managed to catch him off balance. Returning to his glows, he didn't notice Cezine emerge from around the corner at all.

As soon as she spoke, though, he did. Rebalancing as he turned around, As'lin smiled a little self-depracatingly. "Not lost, just confused. I'm pretty much done in here, but I'm not sure what's been done by other people already. I'm trying to figure out where to go from here, that's all." Probably a longer answer than necessary, but the Weyrling looked familiar to As'lin, and he wasn't sure why. She rode Green, at least he could remember that, and wasn't in his Weyrling class.

What could it be then? Where had he met her before? He had her connected with Savitri in his mind for some reason. Of course. The river. Couldn't place her name, though. Oh well. "You must be in my chores group. I'm As'lin- I remember you from boat duty last rotation, but you'll have to forgive me, I can't remember your name."

[boober]

The swish of the broom paused briefly as Cezine nodded at the boy’s words before resuming her sweeping. Sky snuggled down against her neck, blinking his eyes slowly as if fighting off sleep. He had been taking a nap when his bonded had so rudely left him alone with the Big Green and Topaz. He didn’t want to stay with them; he wanted to be with his bonded always. Now that he’d reunited himself with her, he would be content to sleep. Cezine didn’t really seem to notice, still busy with her own chore. At first it seemed as though she was finished speaking to As’lin, and would say no more. But anyone who knew her would say that she just wasn’t the kind of person to leave a conversation hanging like that.

“Well… once I finish sweeping this hallway, we can go and look for one that hasn’t had the glows replaced, or swept. If you’d like.” She gave him the option of declining, simply because she knew some people preferred to work alone. There were days when even she worked better on her own rather than with someone else. She looked up when he introduced himself, smiling as she offered her hand in greeting. “I suppose we are in the same group. I’m Cezine, of green Brennath. It’s all right, I couldn’t remember yours either. No harm done.” The green weyrling knew that few people would go to the trouble to remember a green rider, especially one who hadn’t even graduated from weyrlinghood yet, so it wasn’t as if she would be offended by it.

She proceeded to sweep her way down the hall, gathering up the dust and debris with her broom before sweeping it all into the rest of the trash. When she was finished, she straightened and pushed her shortened hair from her face, making her way back toward As’lin. “Which direction did you come from?” If they’d come from two different directions, then perhaps that would give them a better idea of where they could go. “If we can’t find any more to do, then I guess we’ll have to move on to something else.” A logical decision, right?

[Ruby]

Adjusting the basket again to get at the fresh glows, As'lin smiled. "I'd like that. I hate it when I get assigned places alone- I feel kind of like I'm doing something wrong." He finished dealing with the new glows, and once again moved the basket- stupid, heavy basket!- to his other arm, freeing his right hand to shake Cezine's. "Nice to meet you, Cezine," he said, shaking her hand firmly. "I'm As'lin of Blue Stillith, for reference," he tacked on with a grin, realizing she had said she didn't know his name either.

As Cezine headed off to finish her sweeping, As'lin filled the last few glowbaskets, finishing up just a few moments before she did. Standing with the basket propped on his hip (in the most manly way he could manage, of course), he waited for her to join him by the door. He pulled it open, holing it for her, and would have gestured her through in a gallant way if it hadn't been for the sharding glowbasket. As'lin was about done with this nonsense, he decided. He'd ask the headwoman if he could be switched tomorrow.

"I came from the Bathing Rooms," he said. "The boys parts are done, although I guess someone else got the girls. Then the Creche, and now... I don't know. Anywhere, I guess. I think someone else has got the Kitchens." Glancing up the way he hadn't come, As'lin grimaced at the few dim glowbaskets along the way. "Where did you come from? Because it looks like we might have some luck down this way."

[boober]

The green weyrling offered a smile to her junior classman as she passed through the door carrying her cleaning supplies. “Thanks.” Just inside, she paused, looking thoughtful as she peered first one way then the other. “I started in the dining hall, myself.” That was quite a bit of sweeping, but Cezine didn’t mind. She was used to doing much more strenuous work than that. Even now, in her current ‘condition’, it was no trouble to work… so long as she wasn’t sick to her stomach. Then it could be miserable, but for now she was feeling just fine. She didn’t mention any of this to As’lin, instead thinking to herself.

“Have you done the glows in the Records room yet?” She tapped her foot thoughtfully. “There’s always the riders’ weyrs, if you haven’t been there. Let’s see…” After a moment she smiled. “How about the infirmary? I haven’t been there yet, have you? And if we find anyplace along the way we haven’t done, then we’ll stop and do that.” It seemed like a good plan to her, and without waiting to see if he agreed, she flounced ahead in the general direction of the infirmary. He’d follow or he wouldn’t, and if, upon their arrival they discovered someone had gotten there ahead of them, they’d think of something else. That suited her just fine.



[]

[Ruby]

((I agree... should we plot here before I post?))