Hard Heads, Hard Times Dear Listener, You have no idea how much excitement was within me whenever I was Searched and brought to the weyr, nor do you have any idea how horrible it was when I got there. The first thing that I realized was that there was going to be no Animin, for he was my best friend.  He worked with the canines all of the time, and together we'd go out and see the latest litters, then "train" the puppies.  Actually, all that we did was hold them in our laps and pet them, but the man in charge of the canines said that we were training them to be kind to people that they knew, and only the ones that they knew.  I don't see why canines have to be used for hunting, but that's not what I'm telling you about right now. As I was saying, when I got to the weyr, one of the things that I noticed was how empty the Candidate's Barrarcks were.  There were very, very few people to talk to, and the one that I did manage to talk to (She wasn't a Candidate, thankfully) was rude. She was the MasterVinter's daughter, Quale.  Quale was one of those people that you just might consider somewhere along the lines of "perfect."  Atleast, in looks.  She had long, black hair and emerald green eyes, straight teeth (mine are straight, too, they're just not a white as her's), and has guys literally chasing her around the weyr.  However, her hair is very, very bushy, and that's one of the things that it's fun to torment her about.  In her personality, though, she's spiteful, rude, and concieted.  The first day that I worked with her in the kitchens, she threw a temper tantrum when the HeadSecond told her to wash dishes.  Can you believe it?  Washing dishes is like picking up a piece of cheese after lifting a two-ton hold, atleast for me.  She'd been disowned by her father for running off with one of his Junior Apprentices, a boy about the age of 15 when she was 19!  So they came to the weyr, and the boy is learning with experiance how to make wine, for someone set up a Vineyard for him.  The best thing about her, though, is her blue flitter.  Its name is Tallip, and this flit is a sweet as you could hope for, to me, atleast.  It's funny, because sometimes he'll let me feed him instead of Quale.  The thing that disgusts me most is that Quale's husband, Goianar, might be standing Candidate at the next clutch.  Not this one, thank the mightly Faranth.  Truth to be told, though, he's not all too awful, but Quale seems to be rubbing off on him.  Sometimes, though, it's almost a relief whenever Quale orders me around.  I'm still not comfertable with going up and having someone not tell me what to do.  I think that's why my chances of Impressing are slim, but miracles happen!  It might be a miracle for me when I'm on the sands, although just so long as I don't Impress in a clutch with Goianar, I'm fine.  The trouble in this part, Listener, is mainly about Quale and the Headsecond, but somehow I got involved in the whole thing. I was washing Quale's dishes for her whenever Riana (The headsecond) stormed in.  She started yelling about how I should be less gullible and stand up for myself.  Why can't she understand that I can't?  It just doesn't work for me.  I'll stand up for myself, and my knees get all weak and I can hear the whip snapping behhind me, and then I quit.  As many have said, I'm a short pipsqueak that can't do anything yet.  I can't sew like a girl should, I can't mend a rip in a shirt, and nor can I cook too well.  Yes, I can make the breakfast pretty easily, but that's about it, because bread and porridge are two of the easiest things in the world too cook.  There's really nothing to them at all.  But, then again, it's more than Quale can say. I didn't say anything about that, because I was afraid that Riana or Quale would just get more angry at me for my response.  As it was, though, Quale was the one who became angry at my silence.  "Answer the headsecond, scum!" She shouted at me angrily, and I fought hard to keep back the tears of anger and frustration that were building up inside me. "Yu-Yes,ma'am," I stuttered, afraid that anything more I might say would offend the headseocond and Quale even more.  "I...  I won't let it happen again." "I just wanted to see what she'd do, Riana," Quale said charmingly, and right then and there I could of hurled my breakfast into Quale's face.  However, I clamped my mouth shut, firmly, to ensure that I didn't relieve my stomach of its churning mass.  "I wanted to see whether she'd stand up to me, or whether she'd just go along.  There's no way that she'll be a dragonrider at this point in time." I could of burst out in tears at that point in time, because a dragonrider was the last thing that I had left, and if I couldn't be a dragonrider, then I'd end up going back to that Sharding hold, which was the last thing on Pern that I wanted to do.  Smiling charmingly some more, Quale then suddenly whistled softly, and a bronze firelizard appeared on her shoulder.  I don't tink that I could of done anything other than stare, had it not been for Riana's prescense in the room.  How could that...  That thing gotten a bronze firelizard? Noticing my struck opinion, she added, "Yes, my little bronze is lovely, now isn't he?  Tallip went between after I punished him for not taking a letter for me."  Her honeyed smile made me want to hurl again, but this time I actually did, turning my head to the side and relieveing my churning stomach of its burden. With a squawk at my loud cry of pain, for it did feel like my stomach was on fire, the bronze flit blinked between, and Quale let out a howl of outrage, and struck me across the face.  I don't remember much more than that, I think that I fainted or something, but I'm not sure.  All that I can remember was that when I woke up, Quale wasn't there, and neither was Riana, for there, sitting in the chair next to me, was Goianar, sobbing his eyes out over something that I wanted to know, would soon find out, and then wish that I hadn't. Back to Fhandi's main page Back to the Table of Contents Next Chapter Previous Chapter