I didn't know! (Aug Chores)

[Requiem]

He looked on raptly as the drudge demonstrated (for the third time) how best to clean off the pots and pans without sloshing suds and water everywhere. Dmitri thought the soaked tunic was well worth the sensation of having the young woman’s arms wrapped around him as she ‘guided’ his movements. Most likely she had some idea that this display of ignorance was at least partially put on, but she apparently was flattered enough by it that she didn’t take offense. Dmitri certainly wasn’t complaining.

Some of his cohorts back at Harper Hall had been too high and mighty to play around with drudges and would have looked down their noses at him, almost certainly, but Dmitri preferred the lower castes. They always seemed to have the most interesting stories at their disposal – the most dirt. Who was whose weyrmate and who they’d been seen flirting with. So-and-so was a northern transfer and this one over here was raised here. Even rumors of a disappearance or two, if that was to be believed. He was, without a doubt, intrigued by some of the oddities Selenitas offered.

For one thing, it wasn’t much like the holds he’d grown up in. The whole concept of having weyrmates but not necessarily couples and Flights and…well, it was much looser than he was used to. He didn’t mind flirting (being single himself) with a few people, but the prospect of sleeping around like a common floozy was distasteful at best.

The young woman was pressing herself most delightfully against him when she let out a little surprised mewl of protest. Dmitri was half-turned about when the hand fell on his shoulder and spun him the rest of the way. One arm plunged to the elbow in water, splashing everyone in the vicinity as the harper caught himself against the basin. He was staring up at a well-built man perhaps…three or four turns older. Dmitri shot a questioning glance at the girl hiding behind the glowering figure. Oh, perfect. She was attached to this beast, wasn’t she?

Straightening, he attempted his most disarming smile. “I’d never really done pots and pans before. Believe me, if I’d known…” He shrugged, knowing how weak that was and hoping that his natural – charm – might help. It seemed that the fellow wasn’t interesting in being charmed, however. Dmitri dodged a rather hefty swing and skittered backwards, tripping over a stool as he turned to beat a hasty retreat.

The picture of grace, Dmitri. Now he’s going to beat your face in. Well, it could use a little roughing up, I suppose…

[Ember]

Eikane was an old hand at washing pots and pans. Some of the nicest folk had deemed him a neat freak. The meaner ones however...He grinned in memory. Oh yes, he was a very fussy guy. He's been known to comment on the doings and appearances of his Masters before. The young man was therefor a bit annoyed at Dmitri's sloppy washing of the dishes. Really. Did Emoyan have to pair them together on chores? Eikane was of the opinion that Dmitri simply was not made for washing.

Just before he'd been able to correct the Journeyman boy on his technique a pretty drudge had taken up the task. Eikane was a bit put out, truth be told. Despite Dmitri's age the boy was clever and rarely needed 'guidance' on anything Eikane had noticed so far. Why had the Master Harper sent him here with the boy if not to make sure he didn't mess up? He sighed as he scrubbed at a burnt on layer of something at the bottom of a large pot. If only things would be more interesting.

Ta-da! Wish fulfilled. A crash nearby brought the older Harper out of his task. He watched with amusement as the drudge's man took offence to Dmitri allowing her arms to be around him so long. Or something. One way or another it was bound to be an amusing fight to watch. Or a pounding. Hmm. The man was awfully big. Step in? Don't step in? The big man easily had twice Eikane's body mass so if he did decide to help he'd have to calm the man down in another way.

Phooey. Eikane placed a hand on the big lug's arm before he could swing again. "Excuse me? Mind hearing me out before you beat on the kid?" he asked, oh so politely. "You see, he's just a boy. Surely you remember those awkward teenage years? You do stupid boyish things, not knowing how to deal with the stresses your body is going through. Yeah? Can you let him off just this once?" Eikane was half prepared for the man to take as swing at himself next for that little speech. Or Dmitri. He had sorta just called him a stupid boy. Whoops.

[Requiem]

Dmitri turned about to at least face the man determined to cave in his skull. The harper had at least that much pride, though he was definitely thinking about how he could snatch up the pail of oil just beyond reach and dash it in the man's eyes before the beating could start. It was a simple plan, really: throw the oil at the brute and beat a hasty retreat. No, he didn't believe the man truly wanted to kill him, but he didn't look all that intelligent and Dmitri would rather not suffer an accidental death, thank you very much. Nor did he care for infirmaries as a general rule. They stunk.

"Please, Warren! Not here!" Oh, yes. Shouldn't get his blood into any of the food, now should they? Much as he felt like sticking his tongue out at the girl who'd landed him in this mess to begin with, at least it provided the distraction he'd been looking for. Dmitri lunged for the pail of oil (thankfully cooled off by now) and rose up on his knees in order to put enough leverage behind it to reach this Warren...

So intent upon this means of escape was the harper that he hadn't noticed Eikane's intervention until the oil sloshed into the older man's back, dousing Eikane from head to toe. Dmitri winced sympathetically. That hadn't...quite worked as intended. Although Warren had apparently been shocked out of his violent behavior - at least for now. He stared at Eikane and Dmitri in open amazement while the drudge behind him tried to hide a giggle.

Dmitri might have apologized to his fellow harper, had not Eikane's words registered on him just then. What?! He rose gracefully to his feet and sniffed pointedly. "I'll have you know that there's nothing stupid about working alongside a lovely woman who you think is single." Fortunately, the boy was tactful enough that he didn't add the thought running through his head. What was stupid was getting all worked up over your partner flirting with a child and declaring war on him. Honestly.

"You look terrible, Eikane," Dmitri added maliciously. Warren was still staring at the twain dumbly. Quite a lot of brains that one had.

[Ember]

Wet. Uh...what? One moment he was trying to help Dmitri get beaten senseless the next he was soaked with oil. Not even water, but oil. He was frozen for a moment simply wondering why it has to be him to be splashed. Clearly Warren was the bigger target and yet...Ugh. He tugged on a wet lock of hair and outright groaned at the injustice of it. His clothes, his hair. Was this Dmitri's childish reaction to being called stupid or was this what happened when the boy had to aim?

"There's something stupid about being unable to wash pots and pans. Its really not that hard, you know," Eikane grumbled. All thought of the Warren guy was forgotten. Nevermind the fact that making the target seem inferior to an attacker often made the attacker stop. Why waste their time on them - or something like that. The malicious comment made Eikane's eyebrows shoot up. Oh he did, did he?

"You've got horrible aim, Dmitri." Eikane was not happy to have been splashed and not likely to settle there. Loathe as he was to make more mess that they'd surely be made to clean up later the other Harper needed to be taught a lesson. Behind him sat a few interesting things to throw at the boy. Eggs? No, Eikane wasn't violent by nature and eggs could hurt. A pot of some hot liquid was also discarded. Again, likelihood of burns. Ah, that would work wonderfully. Eikane grabbed a large bowl of unheated, thick paste and sent a lovely wave of the stuff flying at Dmitri.

[rii]

It didn't take long for the kitchen staff to ban Rulven from making any of the food, and serving it to others. Between his bottomless stomach and the various fire lizards that popped in expecting to be fed, the food rapidly began to disappear. Instead Rulven got assigned to perform tasks the other workers avoided. The smith didn't complain, bellyaching would only extend the time and effort he would have to put into the task. In the end, fussing or not, the chore still had to be done.

Currently Rulven was on all fours, a scrub brush in each hand and a bucket of dirty water at his side. He washed his way across the wooden floor with a wax on, wax off motion. His mind and body was devoted to the task; in a world all his own where only the floor and the scrub brushes existed, so Rulven didn't notice the beginning commotion. The chore neared completion, and Rulven couldn't help but grin stupidly with the idea of being allowed to eat afterwards. His stomach, not his head, often determined his day-to-day actions.

However, the sound of something splashing over his freshly cleaned floor quickly wiped the smile off of his face. Rulven raised up on his sore knees and peered over the preparation tables at the scene. An acute frown marred his features as he witnessed a second, thicker liquid being thrown and sloshed over the floor. No no, that would not do! He did not want to have to clean the floor again. Rulven hardened his expression and stood to his full height. He had plenty of pratice of being intimidating--scaring off his sister's unwanted courters and ex-boyfriends; deterring rowdy customers at his uncle's forge. Rulven looked threatening, and no one needed to know he was harmless; usually.

Rulven loomed between the two shorter males and pointed a dripping scrub brush at each of their's faces. A pointed scowl snapped to first Eikane, then Dmitri. It mattered little to the smith about who the two were, only that they stop messing up his floor. Rulven growled harshly with a single word, "Enough."

[Requiem]

Dmitri was definitely of a mind to call it a day as far as chores went and disappear before the stupid oaf over there finally sorted through all the vast amount of input that was frying his poor brain and decided to renew his attack. Thus he wasn't paying particular attention to Eikane's suspicious behavior, and a great glop of the viscuous goo caught Dmitri full in the face. He stumbled backwards with a startled splutter, groping for something with which to retaliate. A food fight in the kitchens...seemed appropriate enough, now didn't it?

Apparently not to the other candidate that Dmitri had completely forgotten about. They were about as different in build as it was possible to be, Dmitri and Rulven, and that amused the harper in some separate part of his mind. Nearly as much as having a scrub brush pointed at his nose. Despite being rather prone to flight out of the 'fight or flight' instinct, Dmitri wasn't one to intimidate easily. He was simply an inherently pragmatic soul. If you don't have the mass or the skill to stand your ground, don't bother. If you do...have fun.

Reaching up, he directed the brush to one side of his face with a finger, even as he gathered up the paste slowly dripping down his cheeks and flung it to one side with a flick of his wrist. His eyes met Rulven's as if daring the older boy to do something about it. To say that Dmitri didn't much appreciate being on the receiving end of scare tactics was putting it mildly. "I don't suppose anyone's ever mentioned just how obscenely tall you are. Tell me, what does one have to eat to grow like that? Your muscles even have muscles."

The harper might have continued on in much the same vein had he not noticed Warren's sudden movement. Dmitri nimbly stepped aside, putting Rulven between him and the angered man, wincing sympathetically as the smith took a solid punch to the kidney. Oh well. Better him than Dmitri; a blow like that would probably have cracked a few ribs on the smaller candidate. Let the two behemoths duke it out if they wished.

Determined to once again make good his escape, he lingered long enough to point a slender finger at Eikane. "This isn't ended."

[Ember]

Eikane was pleased with himself as the thick whatever sloshed right onto his younger counterpart's face. "I think there's a little something on your face Dmitri," he said, clearly trying not to burst out laughing. However the big hulking mass of a candidate that pointed a brush at both Harpers threateningly distracted him from the ball of slowly dripping ego that was Dmitri (in the older man's opinion). Eikane watched the man mildly to see if he'd do anything else. Secretly the Harper admitted that the big boy was probably right. A food fight only caused more mess and soon enough the fussy Eikane would have gone nutso. Saved by the giant.

Eikane, having not attracted Warren's attention, continued for Dmitri. "You really are huge," he said in a faintly admiring tone, "You got lucky with your Bloodline, I suppose?" Nevermind that some would consider Eikane lucky too. A pretty face, nice hair, related to a Lord Holder - well, the Lord Holder's wife anyways - yes, some thought him lucky. If they knew about his Bloodline anyways. He was fairly certain not many people knew about that. Anyways, back to the present.

He quirked a brow as Dmitri hid behind the large candidate and then attempted to threaten him. "I'm shaking in my boots, Dmitri." There were few enough things that bugged the man. Dmitri probably couldn't cause him too much grief in the long run. Eikane did groan at the mess on the floor however. Thankfully it wasn't too hard to clean and the pots and pans were mostly done. What had he been thinking, throwing that paste at Dmitri? Oh yes, he'd been thinking how annoyed he was to have been splashed with oil.

[rii]

Rulven's light scowl twisted with a thread of confusion as the two harpers started chirping about his obvious height. Like flitters, Rulven privately commented, they babbled what first came to mind. A further study would have to be conducted to determine which of the two were more annoying. At least fire lizards shut up when he shoved a piece of food into their muzzles--and the sudden idea of stuffing the dirty scrub brushes into the hapers' mouths became an oddly appealing option.

Rulven didn't care about their petty squabble, nor did he have any delusion of threatening the two into cleaning up the floor, he just wanted them to stop messing up his nice, clean floor. He opened his mouth to say as much but a unexpected punch turned his words into an angry, pained shout. The two brushes dropped to the floor. That hurt. He quickly recovered and attempted to get a 'hold' of the situation. Rulven snapped his arm around, fisting a hand full of shirt belonging to the snakey little harper before he could slip away. The paste on Dmitri squeezed through his fingers but the smith's grip didn't slacken.

Hazel eyes fixed on Warren, who already had retreated after the mis-aimed punch and circled as if a predator waiting for an opportune opening. Rulven shifted his position, purposely putting himself between Dmitri and Warren incase of a second round. He kept the young harper at arm's length and ignored him much like he were a wild, thrashing animal he caught trying to steal a roast of weyrbeast.

"What--" Rulven's attention shifted to Eikane, the seemingly only level headed person at the scene. "--could he have possible done for me to deserve that?" His head jerked over to Warren as Rulven continued the train of thought. "A bit over excessive. Honestly, I know he seems highly annoying, but what could he have done for you to want to break his face?" Ow.

[Requiem]

Oh sharding shells and other less pleasant curses that he'd only heard in passing. What was with this collaring thing? Surely they didn't all enjoy his company so that they felt the need to keep him here? Glaring at Eikane as if to demand that the harper intervene, he writhed for a moment to test Rulven's grip, hissing as it proved fruitless. This was very, very...very undignified! (As if having paste smattered all over him while trying to avoid a man with sledgehammers for fists could be considered dignified.)

Well, hmph. He stopped his squirmings and settled for crossing his arms and glaring instead, doing his best to appear as if he weren't being held like some common animal. Oh yes. This was his choice. He meant to be here. That's right. Blowing a strand of loosened curls from his eyes, he found that the pretty drudge looked like she was about to collapse into hysterics - of laughter. Perfect. Really, it was the little faithless wench's fault to begin with, and here she was laughing it up as her man tried to pummel Dmitri and the man who had been struck might well decide to try his hand at it too. Well, fine then. If that made them feel superior.

If you can't beat them with brains, just beat their brains out.

Warren snarled in response to Rulven's question, continuing to circle, though his defensiveness vanished as it became clear the smith wasn't interested in retaliating. He sneered as the harper shrunk around to keep Rulven between them, eyes narrowing in annoyance. "It's none of your business. Get out of the way and leave well enough alone, and maybe you'll avoid any more bruises."

Dmitri peeked around Rulven's arm and flashed a smirk at Warren. "I did nothing but wash dishes. Is that a crime now?" He glanced at Eikane. Maybe, if he was lucky, Rulven would keep Warren from him, though he preferred simply making good his escape.

[Ember]

Oh ho. The boy was as strong as he looked. Maybe he was worth getting to know? They could laugh at how annoying his partner could be sometimes. Dmitri being held by the collar of his shirt was highly entertaining. More than that, the look the boy shot him was somewhat ironic. He wanted help? Admittedly he was pretty sure Dmitri hadn't meant to drench him but...surely he could see the amusement in the situation. If it got too bad he'd step in if he had to...

The Boll lad grinned in answer to Rulven's question. "He flirted with that guy's woman," he replied in a nearly sing song voice as he pointed at Warren. "He didn't know of course but evidentally that doesn't matter." The older Harper shrugged and turned to the nearest sink to rinse his face at the very least. Gross oil. That felt a little better,,, He turned back to the scene wondering what would happen now. Two big guys fighting it out in the kitchens could be disastrous. A small, slightly perverted part of him thought something else...but he wouldn't go there.

He whistled a calming little tune a Harper friend had whipped up for him. He missed the little guy. He'd been tailed by him for ages in the Harper Halls. Eikane leaned against a counter while he let the tune unwind, wondering if Dmitri would recognize it at all. Him and his friends had played and sung it together often enough while they were still apprentices. Hmm what to do, what to do. He didn't fancy the idea of being pummeled by either of the big guys although he did owe Dmitri the courtesy of helping him.

Eikane saw no way, yet, for him to help so he gave Dmitri a silent signal that he'd help if possible so for now he ought to just chill and relax.

[rii]

Brows raised in disbelief at Eikane's words. Flirting? That was the reason? Oh for the love of little green dragons!

Suppressing a burdened sigh, Rulven continued to shift to keep himself between Warren and Dmitri. No, he did not know the harper, but it mattered little to the smith. Being protective of others was part of his nature--even if he was shielding a troublesome harper that had previously messed up his clean floor. Certainly casual flirting did not merit a beating; maybe a threat, but nothing like what Warren wanted to inflict on the smaller male.

An eerie sense of calmness came over Rulven as he took one more step to place the slippery mess of oil and paste between himself and Warren. The smith relaxed, lightly shoving Dmitri in Eikane's direction. His intent of holding the harper only stemmed as far as wanting to make sure he would be safe from Warren's fists. Rulven wouldn't have been able to do much if Dmitri had run with the brute on his heels. It was best to resolve the situation where it originated--or at least stall the man long enough for Dmitri to flee the kitchens.

"No," The firm statement held no challenge, but just the slimmest trace of something akin to sadness. "You've made your point."

And Rulven could only vainly pray the harper would keep his mouth shut and not spur Warren on. Didn't these people live in a Weyr? Such drama over flirting seemed so hypocritical considering their lifestyles heavily influenced by the dragons. Another withheld sigh. Rulven nonchalantly wiped his hand on his pant leg while keenly watching Warren.

[Requiem]

Useless. Quite useless. Dmitri turned from Eikane in disgust - or would have had he the luxury of such range of motion. He supposed he'd have to find his own way out, he would. Bothersome it was. (He also was distracted by the burning desire to question the smith further, since the candidate had run out on him after lessons, picquing Dmitri's curiosity past redemption. Yes, he did recognize Rulven. Not that it would be easy to mistake such a lumbering powerhouse for anyone else.)

Now, how to get free? Somehow he thought that the usual kicking of the shins and stomping on toes methods would probably be rather wasted in this situation. No more oil to fling - and, really, he was likely to get pummeled if anything else ended up on the floor. What else? What else? Maybe Rulven was ticklish? That half-helpless look from Eikane (the other half being clearly great amusement) was not of much aid. At all. Dmitri had just decided that everyone had to be ticklish somewhere when he was thrust toward Eikane.

Now, it wasn't a hard shove by any means, but Dmitri wasn't large in terms of mass and he hadn't been expecting it; the harper fairly flew into his fellow. Clutching at Eikane (and hoping the older harper was stronger than he looked, or they'd both be rolling around on the floor together, and if that idea didn't just sound exceedingly awkward) Dmitri pulled a face to be smeared with that oil. Oh blech!

"You are next to worthless as a helper, do you know that?" he grumbled. Only to notice, just in time, that Warren apparently had taken exception to Rulven's interference and was charging the smith. The fists swung like giant hammers (he was certain these two were the ones who created thunder) and Dmitri was fairly sure they connected somewhere from the sound of impact, but couldn't be sure. Nor did he really care, since Warren had tripped on the spill and was sliding headfirst across the floor.

Right into the legs of Dmitri and Eikane. The younger harper let out a startled yelp as he cracked an elbow on the ground. Not good. Not good. Wriggling, he almost managed to get away before the fingers closed on his ankle. He lashed out with a kick, hearing a sharp cry that sounded...a bit higher pitched than he'd expected. Who?

[Ember]

The expression on both Dmitri and the big candidates' faces was positively brilliant. Eikane was forced to hide an amused smile behind his hand. It was turning more and more into a serious situation but he couldn't seem to get a hande on his amusement. Although...there wasn't much he could do - more like there wasn't much he wanted to do - in the shituation and he wasn't being targeted so...why not laugh? At least it was keeping him from worrying too much about the oil all over him.

Eikane kept his eyes on Dmitri as the lad clearly looked around for some way to get out of his predicament. Hn. He'd probably figure out a way if he had more time. The kid was very clever, though Eikane would never acknowledge so out loud. Too bad Dmitri wasn't given the time though. He was released and shoved...towards Eikane. The moment before the impact Eikane's expression clearly turned to one of dismay. They were dragging him into this again?

Thankfully Turns of travelling from Hold to Hold for his craft has given the young man an odd strength, even if he didn't always look it. Some noticed the lean muscles in his build if the casual flirtatious look from some women was any indication. Most simply under-estimated him. So when Dmitri flew into him Eikane managed to stay upright despite the younger man clutching most inconveniently. He would shortly need the range of movement a person holding onto him limited. He wouldn't have time to reply to Dmitri's comment either.

Oh yes, he saw the big lug sliding towards them and he was helpless to step out of the way. He could probably have shaken Dmitri off but he wasn't cruel enough to completely abandon the younger Harper. Eikane was swept off his feet (what a strange metaphor for love...) as Warren bowled into them. Eikane simply was not able to stay upright with a man two times his size sliding into him. As he and Dmitri toppled over he winced in smpathy for the younger Harper. He managed to fall more on the ground than Dmitri, though he was pretty sure that was his arm he fell on and that his legs overlapped Dmitri's a bit but he couldn't be sure. He did feel a foot connect with his shin and yelped in pain and surprise. Ouch! "You still have bad aim..."

[rii]

And people say I'm thick-headed..

Rulven frowned as Warren charged at him. He caught the first punch in his hand, the second missed. Muscles bulged as the smith gave a great heave to shove the other man away. The slippery mess beneath Warren's feet was in Rulven's favor. The other man's arms windmilled about as he stumbled, his foot coming down on one of the dropped scrub brushing--sending him into a face sliding dive right into..

Wince. Rulven didn't hold back the sigh this time. To make the situation worse, Warren proceeded to try to continue his spare with the young harper. It was really starting to.. tick Rulven off. Where were the authoritative figures of the chaotic Weyr? Or were they suppose to solve matters on their own? Rulven could have sworn he was not allowed to fight as a candidate. He really did not want to lose his candidacy. Where would he go if he got kicked out of the Weyr too.. ?

Picking up a pan from the nearby counter Rulven scanned the room and tossed it in the direction of the head of staff (the woman too busy scolding other candidates and weyrlings to notice the situation) It clattered noisily and she began to storm over to the fight, wooden spoon armed and ready.

"Let him go," That was Rulven's low growl and he turned back around to smash the heel of his boot into Warren's hand. Something defiantly snapped, and judging by the howl Warren emitted, it must have been a bone. The smith cared not, he had given the man amble time to manage his anger. A broken finger was far too kind of punishment. Rulven could do so much worse. Hazel eyes snapped over to the fallen harpers. "You were suppose to leave, not bicker at each other."

The wooden spoon slapped to the side of his bicep and Rulven stepped back, crossing his arms across his broad chest as the head cook surveyed the scene. Three males covered in who-knows-what, one of which continued to curse while clutching his hand. "What is going on here boys?"

Rulven kept his silence, merely throwing up his hands into the air and turning to walk back over to his abandoned bucket of dirty water. Let them deal with it, he had done his part and would surely suffer the consequences.

[Requiem]

Whoops. He kept on getting Eikane by mistake. "I guess so," Dmitri grumbled, a tad irritably. It wasn't very fair, after all, that Warren was still trying to bash him into little bits. And Eikane was much heavier than he looked. Dmitri squirmed futilely beneath the other harper's weight, trying to decide if it was worth it to try to attempt another kick or not. Then there was an agonized howl and his ankle was suddenly released. Trying to see past the body on top of him, Dmitri gave up. It had to be Rulven, though, right? He had to find out more about that candidate. It was a pressing concern now. If, of course, Warren didn't wring his neck first.

Then the voice. Shard it all. Was he about to get his arse chewed on top of it all? "That brute came after me," Dmitri responded swiftly, before anyone else could get their story in and ruin his chances of getting out of here with just a light scolding. "And Eikane tried to help, but neither of us are really very big, and Rulven came to our rescue." That was...in a sense...true. He was half-tempted to claim that Eikane was trying to molest him, but figured that he could have his fun with the harper later. Now it was more important for Eikane to collaborate on his story.

"So, you see, it really was just that...beast's...fault." Warren growled but, before he could get a word in edgewise, the man was kicked in the shin. This time Dmitri didn't miss his mark. Hopefully the woman hadn't seen him lash out...Lowering his voice, he growled to Eikane, "Get the shards off. You're suffocating me." Yeah. Which was why he was talking so much. He couldn't breathe.

The woman merely looked on skeptically, certainly predisposed toward taking all four of them out for a proper scolding, additional chores, and speaking to Emoyan about the three candidates. Messing up her kitchen like that! Unfortunately for Dmitri, he wasn't in a position to read all that in her face, and was rather preoccupied with trying to free himself from Eikane.