“Would’cha look at ‘er?” a young man gave a low whistle as a teen of 19 turns walked into the room, her head held high. She had a very noticeable form even through the loose fitting work pants and shirt. Her bust was hard to hide as well under the shirt. Her shoulder blade length stormy brown hair shined from its most resent washing. Her eyes were also stormy yet were a dark shade of blue. Her mouth sported a small polite smile on her light brown features.
“Keep ya’r voice down, dimglow,” a holdbrat growled next to him, “That gel may look sweet and innocent, ripe for pluckin’, but she’s not one ya’ wanna go near.” The visitor looked at the younger man and snorted in disbelief, “That’s the Steward’s daughter, Gemtia, and there isn’t anything she hates more than being hit on because of her looks. I’d stay away from her,” he looked the other man up and down, “No matter how strong ya’ are.”
Gemtia had stopped a little ways away and continued to smile politely though her stormy eyes were like ice as the gazed upon the conversers. The two visibly shrank in her gaze and she nodded her approval of what the holdbrat had stated before walking off.
“She seems to like you enough to nod to you,” the visiting man snorted.
“She only just stands me as I deliver a warning to those I hear talking of her that way,” the young man replied looking over his shoulder as the irritated woman walked out of sight, “She hates to use force but when push comes to shove, and for her she believes it comes quickly, you’ll end up in pain.”
“Bah, that’s just a story, I bet I could brake her, and have her for my own this night,” the man snorted. His companion shook his head, “Good luck to you, I take no responsibility for you here after.” The visiting man grunted and got up while the other watched in disgusted at the man’s ignorance.
“What’s a handsome lad like me gotta do to get ya’ ta dance wit’ me out there,” the well built man asked with a winning smile. The dark haired woman rolled her neck before walking again.
“Get out of my face already, Apprentice,” Gemtia just barely kept her voice from growling as she started to walk away from the dance, which was taking place in the main hall of Turasake Hold. “I have never gotten along with a man who sees me as a bubble headed easy beauty. Listen to what Kaoten told you earlier, he may be young but he knows what he’s talking about.”
“Hey! Don’t brush me off like that, you hardly even know me!” the visiting apprentice growled putting his strong arms on Gemtia’s shoulders stopping her movement for a time. Gemtia’s gaze slowly raised to meet that of her capture’s.
“I know enough of you, Sr. Apprentice, that the first thing you saw in me was my body,” she told him and shrugged off his grip on her shoulders as she ducked under his arm and headed towards her room once again, “Now leave me be before I brake your nose at the least.” The man was startled and growled catching her arm again only to find himself sprawling on the floor a moment later with a large welt quickly enveloping the left side of his face.
“Master Helxic will hear of this,” the man stated as he cradled his cheek where it had split and blood was trailing down his cheek.
“Go ahead, Talcin,” Gemtia replied, the man surprised that she knew his name, “You have come here to learn from his Journymen and Women. Well all things considering, that was your first lesson here from you Journeywoman, don’t try to hit on me in public or otherwise. You are here to learn about your craft not to get into the sack with those you think are pretty. Now leave my sights and I expect to see you in my class on time tomorrow!” With that Gemtia turned on her heals and calmly walked towards her room, Talcin holding his cheek in disbelief. Why hadn’t Kaoten told him that she was a Sr. Journeywoman of the beast craft?
Gemtia sighed as she opened her door to her room, why did men always have to go after her like they had a bet on her? A mewing caught her attention and Gemtia smiled a real and very soft smile. A young smallish feline sat a few steps away in her room looking up at her, mewing its head off. Gemtia shut the door slowly and swiftly scooped up the kitten looking nearly adult feline.
“Tell me, Iggy,” Gemtia asked the feline as he squirmed for a minute then 
finally relaxed when he realized he was alright, “If Master Helxic calls you a muted calico, why aren’t you mute?” The kitten mewed again up at her giving her chin a lick. Gemtia giggled softly, it was the same answer the nearly turn old kitten gave her each time she asked the question. The kitten for six months now, was her source of comfort and confinement that none of her small group of friends could give her. Iggy seemed to understand her in his feline way, even if he was crazy enough to chase a balled up piece of paper and bring it back to be thrown again like a faithful canine.
Gemtia set Iggy on her bed and kicked off her boots before getting totally undressed and heading for her personal bathing pool, as small as it was. Iggy followed her in and sat on the rim of the warmed pool. He batted at the air as Gemtia sprinkled some sweet sand into the pool before she slipped her body in, causing the water to rise and spill over slight and Iggy ran to the other side of the room. Gemtia chuckled at her feline and shook her head, that’s what brought the playful beast back as he tried to play with her hair.
“If only guys could be a bit like you… minus the depending on me for some sort of treat,” Gemtia chuckled, “It seems like the whole male body of the hold sees me as some sexual object. Almost makes me what to do something to make myself not look a pretty as they say I am.” The little golden eyes of Iggy looked at her questionably before he mewed again. “I wonder what Sytoqual’s up to these days.” Gemtia sighed thinking of one of the few young men who actually treated her like a person after her many growths. Sadly he’d joined up with a group of traders a few turns back. She may have had a small crush on the younger man but that didn’t hold too long if she did. One of her best friend, Nagie, the Head Cook of Turasake Hold had for some reason hated Sytoqual with a passion and was happy to see the man go. Iggy mewed as if knowing what the young Journywoman was thinking and his voice held something of a correction term, if a feline’s mew could ever hold that.
“Hmm… oh, you’re right,” Gemtia replied rubbing the kitten’s muted orange and black head causing the feline to scurry away for a time because of the water which drenched his head, “Sytoqual’s now S’qual, brown Fargrinth’s rider. Nagie’s not to happy that they just happened to impress at the same Weyr from the same clutch either. But she is happy with her green Nomikoth.” Gemtia sighed once more, wishing once again for a man in the word to actually look at her as a person and not as an object to find pleasure in. Taking in a deep breath she dunked herself under water. Iggy mewed questionably, half not knowing if his mistress was still in the pool. The feline hissed and ran from the other room when the young woman erupted again from the water.
Finished with her bathing she grabbed a towel from near by as she exited the bath. Her stormy brown hair was now a bit of a mess causing Gemtia to take in her reflection once more, and half wish yet again that she didn’t have so many of the things men seemed to think made of the perfect woman. She shook her head; within an hour she was asleep.
Gemtia stood in front of her students, the young boys and men of the class watching her intently, some even absorbing what she taught. It was the girls who looked slightly bored by the lecture on breeding and what to look for when breeding towards a certain traits. It was when she was coming to the part of oddities that a young man tried to take his seat at the back without being noticed.
“Talcin, it’s nice of you to make it to my class this after noon,” Gemtia smiled slightly though it was obvious that she wasn’t happy about his late arrival. Talcin resisted making a face at his better before sitting, “We were just starting our talk on oddities in species. Would you mind enlightening the class an oddity in a species?”
“The white dragons, Sr. Journeywoman Gemtia,” he replied smartly. The class mumbled in silent agreement, the white did seem a bit odd.
“That’s correct, Talcin,” Gemtia gave a half smile, then her eyes narrowed, “Or at least it would have been correct at the beginning of the last interval. Whites aren’t really the oddity in dragons anymore, they have become an essential part of the Weyr and are rarer than queens but not the oddity. Care to try your luck again?”
“Uh… Calico felines?” he tried. The class was slightly amazed to see their teacher soften and she smiled turning around.
“Now that is a correct answer,” she replied and turned around to reveal Iggy in her hands, “If you wanted to be more exact a calico male who isn’t sterile is a huge oddity. Iggy is more of what you might call a feline mutt. You see a feline calico is about 99% of the time female and the small percent that is male of the calicos are usually sterile. Iggy here, is one of the few who is not, hence the kittens who will more than likely over run the stable areas in the near future.”
For one of the few precious moments, all eyes were not on Gemtia directly. Iggy was getting all the attention and the kitten was eating it up… and mewing his head off.
“He sure like to talk,” one student chuckled causing the class to also chuckle in agreement.
“Yes Iggy does,” the Journeywoman replied, “Iggy here is known as a muted calico, but as you can tell he’s not all that mute.” Gemtia was inwardly pleased that there were a few snickers at the bad pun. It was times like these that some how the students didn’t seem to be students but more like friends and were a bit more open to her, possibly even respecting her as a person.
Iggy finally decided that sitting in Gemtia’s hands wasn’t enough and launched of her fingers to the nearest desktop. Gemtia hissed as the kitten’s sharp claws dug into her hands. Iggy on the other hand didn’t notice, and at this time didn’t care as he found a feather ripe for playing with. The kitten skidded across the desk to the amusement of the class and raced across the floor caring the feathered pen with him.
Gemtia couldn’t help but laugh at her kitten as he played, while she found something to wrap her hands in though the cuts weren’t really bad. As she was slathering numbweed on her wounds before covering them the drums started to beat out a rhythm, which Iggy seemed to be playing to. Gemtia wasn’t well versed in drums but knew enough to make out one word just before the objects appeared in the sky. Dragons!
“All right everyone, that’s all for this afternoon,” a roar interrupted any further words from the Sr. Journeywoman.
“Dragons are here!”
“Wonder what they want…”
“Who cares, let’s go see them!”
Gemtia managed to capture her kitten, who batted at her hair in his playful mood, while most of her students went to see the one animal most every one of them wished to work around; the dragons. Gemtia’s inner child started to surface at the thought of the dragons, riding around on them sounded very fun, and if nothing more there were always needs of healers and beastcrafters during Falls.
“Everybody out here, the riders come on Search!” a voice, unmastakenly Lord Ronagin’s, called out. Search? Nobody’s Searched at Turasake Hold sense the impression of Nagie and S’qual, Gemtia thought a bit puzzled. But then again Weyrs did have other places to look, and also had those in their Weyr to choose from first; Turasake was still young.
“Gem,” a voice called and the head of Master Helxic rounded the doorframe, “You have the turns for this still don’t you? Why aren’t you already in the lines with the other girls?” Gemtia smiled at her Master.
“I was using Iggy as part of the discussion today, sir,” Gemtia chuckled, “He was in his element and decided to elaborate on it. I’ll be there in a moment.” Master Helxic mock scowled at the kitten.
“Be nice to that Sr. Journeywoman, feline,” he growled walking in, almost feline like himself, and playfully scratched the kitten’s head, “you’re lucky to have her and not get her temper like the other boys. You get her mad and I bet she doesn’t feed you for a week.”
“Helxic, that’s mean,” Gemtia chided her Master, “I’d never do that to Iggy.” The Master nodded and threw a hand around the young woman’s waist directing her towards the door and the already fairly long line of women outside.
“They probably won’t find anybody here suitable to be searched,” Gemtia sighed, “I mean the only one they found her last time was Nagie. You’d think the riders would inform others if there were more in our mists.”
“You may be one of my Sr. Journeywomen, Gemtia, but you don’t know very much,” Helxic smiled, “Those riders were from Harana Weyr. They’re totally different from these riders, they probably only sensed Nagie because her dragon was there. Just because they only found her doesn’t mean there isn’t a dragon at another weyr meant for somebody here.”
“Who’s here searching anyway?” Gemtia asked out of curiosity as the information seeped in that there may be some who could be searched this day.
“ Firestone Weyr,” the beastcrafter replied gently pushing the young woman ahead of him and towards the women who were being inspected by three different dragons, a green, a blue, and surprisingly a bronze. Bronzes aren’t normally search dragons; another oddity in nature, Gemtia chuckled. She froze for a moment, as the bronze seemed to glare at her as if reading her mental comment. Soon all who were of age in the hold were stationed in a line in front of the dragons and the bronze rider was the first to speak
“We are here on search for Firestone Weyr if you don’t already know,” he spoke out loudly with his nose held high enough that Gemtia could tell the man was not one to be easily liked and was probably worse than her newest male student in that respect, “I am Head Searcherider B’tal, bronze Neverenth’s rider. And these two are A’sal, blue Heaveneth’ rider and Nerkila, green Racath’s rider.” The other two riders bowed slightly as their names were stated and the one called Nerkila gave the Head Searchrider a stern look.
Iggy mewed slightly confused by the situation and lightly nibbled on his owner’s fingers. Gemtia taped the kitten’s nose lightly yet firmly telling the calico to not do that. The kitten hissed irritably as the bronze dragon’s head wavered over the young woman. Neverenth stopped to look at the duo as Iggy decided to hide in Gemtia’s silky hair.
“Iggy, quite that!” Gemtia winced trying to get the cat out of her hair. To her embarasment B’tal took one look at her bringing up an eyebrow and scowled in disgust as he continued to walk on. Neverenth, seemingly oblivious to the felines fear of him sniffed Gemtia once more before seeming to hurry to catch up with his rider.
The gorgeous blue head of Heaveneth was next to look at Gemtia and breathed softly on her. Suddenly Iggy wasn’t fearful anymore, in fact the kitten went through the effort of coming out from the now tangles of stormy brown hair and lean out far enough to sniff the blue. Gemtia stood there amazed still at her kitten’s changes of moods.
“Don’t worry, gel,” A’sal smiled as he followed his blue, “I had Heaveneth to tell your friend that they weren’t going to eat him and that we were friends. Hmm, we’ll check that with him. Better get moving, here comes Racath.” The ending he stated to his dragon as he eyed Gemtia like the other men usually did. Gemtia politely smiled and bobbed her head in thanks to the blue rider but was quite annoyed yet again by the way she felt like a piece of meat set before a watch wher.
“A’sal, quite hitting on the girl can’t you tell she doesn’t like it!” Nerkila snapped at the blue rider.
“I was only looking, Nerkila,” he battered back good naturally giving Gemtia a cheeky wink. The Journeywoman for once couldn’t help but chuckle at the carefree nature of the blue rider. It was then that Racath took in a deep breath causing Gemtia’s hair to fly upwards to the woman’s slight annoyance. Yet to her amusement the green started nosing her rider towards the line.
“You can’t be serious!” Nerkila snorted at her green who enforced what ever she said with another nudge to the candidates and straight into Gemtia, “she doesn’t look the part! You stubborn lump of grass, this girl couldn’t be one, she’s too prettied up to be one!” Gemtia looked about at the girls around her as she helped Nerkila right herself.
“What’s up, Nerkila?” A’sal asked coming back with his blue who seemed to look down his nose at the green’s actions. Nerkila stuck her nose in the air not saying a thank you to Gemtia and walked over to the blue rider. For three minutes a heated conversation was held between the two riders while both blue and green looked at the group before them intently. Every so often the dragons would turn their heads towards the riders and seemed to put in their two marks worth. Finally A’sal straightened and walked towards the searchies.
“You,” A’sal smiled pointing at Gemtia to her surprise, “What’s you’re name and how many turns have you.”
“I… that is,” Gemtia stammered in her startled state before finally snorted as the rider started looking her over again, “I am Sr. Journeywoman Gemtia of the Beastcraft. I have 19 turn and if you know what’s best for you you’ll put your eyes back in your sockets and pick up your jaw before I brake it. I don’t like being looked over, do you hear me?” A small smirk seemed to play on Nerkila’s features as A’sal backed away and seemed to shrink behind the shorter green rider.
“You take it from here,” he smiled slightly, “She’s a bit too scary for me.” Nerkila laughted at this and closed the distance between herself and Gemtia.
“I’m pleased to inform you, Journeywoman Gemtia,” Nerkila smiled, “that you have just been searched for the clutch on the sands at Firestone Weyr. I must admit I had my doubts until you scarred this one with just your words.” Gemtia looked at Iggy on her shoulder as if she suspected that the calico was playing a joke on her. The kitten only mewed, amazed at the dragons before him.
“Hey, B’tal!” A’sal called out happily waving at the bronze rider near the end of the line now. He looked over at the blue rider seemingly in annoyance, “We found a candidate here!”
“If you think she’ll impress take her,” B’tal replied as he looked at a young man before him, “Personaly I skipped over her because she doesn’t’ look like she could handle it.” The bronze snorted at his rider and B’tal scowled. Neverenth gave a low rumble again yet his rider continued to ignore his bronze. Finally the bronze picked up his rider in his teeth not paying attention to the protests for the man.
“Thanks a lot, Neverenth,” he growled as he was set down, “now I’ll need a new shirt. Fine I will say it sense you brought me over here.” B’tal turned on his heals so suddenly that he startled Gemtia once again, “Look I’m sorry for my words earlier. Get your things together, we’ll be leaving after the noon meal. You’ll be riding with Nerkila.” With that the bronze rider turned on his heals once more and marched down to the last hopeful he’d been on.
“Don’t listen to him, Gemtia,” Nerkila chuckled, “Being Head Searchrider’s gone to his head making him even more of a jerk. Plus he doesn’t like the idea that ‘lesser’ riders should be searching with him even if they are Searchriders themselves.”
“That’s why you glared at him earlier?” Gemtia asked amused at the green rider’s interpretation of the bronze rider. The green rider nodded rolling her eyes at B’tal’s back.
“Well, you best get your things,” she stated pointing towards the hold and finally turning back to the line like blue and rider had only moments earlier, “We’ll inform your Master of the changes in plans.”
“Thank you,” Gemtia bowed slightly but received no reply as the green rider got back to work. Gemtia shrugged and Iggy mewed again wiggling his rear as he prepared to launch after the swishing tail of the dragons. Oh no you don’t you little terror! the woman thought as she held the feline and turned at the same time. She had work to do, she’d been searched!
| Name | Gemtia |
| Age | 19 |
| Height | 6' 4" |
| Hair | Stormy brown |
| Eyes | deep stormy blue |
| Rank | Sr. Journeywoman Beastcrafter |
| Dragon | N/A |
| Born | Turasake Hold |
| Pets | calico feline, Iggy |
| Current Residence | Turasake Hold |
| Name | Iggy |
| Gender | male |
| Speices | feline (calico) |
| age | kitten |
| Mate | N/A |
| Children | N/A |
| Current Residence | Turasake Hold |