Chapter 3
There were eight new ones to come; Ankevor was already there of course, and Bretine and Janika had arrived early; and another ten-turn old had arrived with his older brother Traal, the gregarious lad from a timberhold in Tillek. Brafor was a delicate lad unsuited to the lumber business, and when he had shown an interest in his brother's craft his parents had been relieved.
"He's spoilt of course" said Traal "Being the baby; and delicate into the bargain. We've two older brothers and three older sisters and he's been made a bit of a pet. But he's got a decent nature for all that and it's hard not to pet him I guess; only he's learned to be lazy. You lot'll help poke him, won't you?"
"Assuredly, if we cross his path" said Amrys. "I'll set Bretine to it; she'll be one of the older ones in the new kids."
"Cheers" said Traal "I feel better able to leave him now and concentrate on my own work; for I'm determined to make it into the second class. Master Lynger said he almost put me up as it was, and how soon I went up was up to me. If I work hard I can drop some stuff to concentrate on dyeing, 'cos I find it fascinating!"
"Oh, we'll help you out with that as well" said Amrys "You are a hard worker; if we can get you over the hump with your sewing and knitting you'll qualify I reckon and can leave them behind forever!"
"Thanks!" Traal grinned.
First of the new ones to arrive was a boy called Sajed, from Lemos; as Amrys said, anyone could pick where he was from as it was a typical Lemos name. He came by Green dragon. He was thirteen turns old and if he was dismayed that the only two new boys yet there were only ten – and already fast friends – he did not show it. Bretine took him under her wing as befitted a future weyrwoman and found him a pleasant companion, in no wise too full of boyish pride to befriend a girl; and she found it worth discussing with him the idea of helping each other to work hard enough to be moved above the babes! Sajed liked that idea a lot; though being with smaller ones did not bother him too much. He told Bretine that he was used to being with youngsters, having three younger siblings as well as four older; but that having friends his own age would be extremely nice, and too move away from the youngsters was a great thing to aim for! When the subject of logicating came up – Amrys commonly told anyone she thought nice about it – Sajed admitted to knowing something about it already, having cousins called Kyal and Sadvia in the Woodcrafter Hall which had its own logicators.
"Oh you're Ranking then" said Amrys "But it's all right, we shan't let on" she added cheerfully "There's four of us with Rank and a Gold Rider's niece; and they don't make an issue of it here thank the first egg, we're just apprentices."
Sajed grinned.
"Good" he said.
Next to arrive was a lad whose appearance made Zayven groan when the boy walked in the main door. The nosier second-turners and seniors lurked on the stairs to watch new arrivals and greet them if they thought it worth while; the new first-turners waited to meet their peers downstairs.
"I recognise him" said Zayven in dismay "Kid comes from Twosprings Hold; whiney little turd with less imagination than a flock of fowl, and all the worst attitudes learned from Holder Bitrul."
"He might have improved" said Amrys optimistically.
Apparently he had not.
Cavan, as the boy's name was, expressed surprise on seeing Bretine and Janika that girls were allowed to be crafters and cut their hair like weyrwhores.
Amrys was down the stairs in a flash and he received a shaking and was told to keep a civil tongue in his head if he didn't want her to arrange for him to meet Thread up close and personal for disparaging those who fought it so bravely since the weyrwomen were more men than he would ever be; and she, Amrys was quite prepared to take him out under leading edge.
Master Lynger turned a blind eye to this; sometimes peer pressure worked better than discipline over bad attitudes.
"She will too" said Jeral, backing up Amrys "She's a mean shot with a flamethrower."
As nobody came to back up Cavan, the boy perceived that here his ideas were universally unpopular – and Amrys universally popular – and subsided into incoherent muttering.
"We of Lemos particularly honour dragonmen" said Sajed "And dragonwomen too; say such a thing in MY hearing again and the dormitory will punish you. You have fair warning."
"He'll do" muttered Amrys to her friends, of Sajed.
Next to come was an eleven turn old from Nabol Hold itself; Arter was a cheerful lad who could hardly wait to get stuck in; and though he was younger than they, Bretine and Sajed exchanged a telling glance, and invited him to work with them to pull ahead. Arter was both pleased and flattered; and readily agreed.
They also invited in a lad called Jaid when he arrived, a boy from Northfork Runnerhold their own age. Jaid had grown too tall to be a jockey and had turned to the craft as a second choice; but as he said, he was lucky to have a good loving family in a Hold with a supportive and caring Holder; and he planned to tithe his earnings when he started making marks to the High Reaches Weyr childhold.
The final three lads to arrive were between eleven and twelve; Asmon was a happy and contented child; probably, Amrys quickly realised, because he had not the wit in him to recognise trouble let alone worry about it; Beric, the youngest at only just Turned eleven, was a lad with a humorous twinkle in his eye and a turn for blurting out comments that made up in honesty what they lacked in tact and discretion; and Brollom, Craftbred at the Harper Hall. Brollom was fascinated by the brocades woven at the Fort Hold Weaverhall. Having been caught taking a loom apart to improve it – and having explained his idea well enough to show its merits to a master tolerant enough to listen – his mother's Weavercraft brother had packed the boy off to the Rivenhill Hall to be near 'that unwholesomely clever Bronze Rider Craftsman'.
Amrys grinned as Brollom explained this.
"You draw your ideas out, kiddo, rather than interfering with other folk's equipment and H'llon will be glad to see them" she said. "He and his apprentices helped build all the looms here."
"Oh, do you know him?" Brollom demanded, promptly elevating Amrys in his own mind to a being to be virtually worshipped.
"Very well" said Amrys. "So behave yourself, work hard, and keep from altering stuff without permission and I'll tell him all about you. You'll never get to handle brocade if you don't work hard anyway" she added.
Brollom was convinced; and vowed to TRY to resist the temptation to lake looms apart!
The last child to arrive was also the third new little girl, Clareena by name. She came from a Seahold in Tillek, like some boys in Amrys' group. Lalter groaned.
"Ah, the tunnel snake in your dorm!" he remarked.
"What's wrong with her?" demanded Amrys "She looks more cowed than otherwise!"
"She's the most awful brat – takes any teasing as bullying and reports it" he said.
As Lalter rarely teased anyone beyond the of cynical remark, Amrys raised her eyebrows at that!
"Well, the kid is my responsibility anyway" she said; and went over.
"Clareena? You're the last girl to arrive, so the others have already chosen their beds; you'll be by the door, no choice I'm afraid" she said. "You'll be in Green Dormitory – the girls' dorm – and I'm Amrys, and I'm head of dormitory. It's my responsibility to help you and make sure you get washed and so on in the morning."
"I'm not a BABY" said Clareena, sullenly.
"No of course not; but some people – though more boys than girls! - need hustling out of bed in the morning, you know. And we share a bathing room with the Ranking paying girls, and whilst they're not supposed to hog all the hot water, if they do you need to tell me so I can take it to Otaysa, our House Mother" said Amrys. "How old are you?"
"I'm twelve."
"Well you're between the other two new ones in age then; Bretine is Turned thirteen and Janika is eleven. Come on; I'll show you to the dorm" Amrys put a kindly hand on the girl's arm.
"Don't you bully me!" cried Clareena, turning to slap the amazed girl.
"What the fardling shards?" cried Amrys, shocked "I was going to guide you, you silly ass!"
"And name calling! I'm reporting you!" the girl ran away.
Amrys could only stare after her, open mouthed!
Clareena returned with the Masterweaver himself.
"Cheeky brat!" gasped Amrys, bobbing a curtsey to the Master.
"Amrys, would you explain why Clareena thinks you have bullied her?" asked Master Lynger, himself mystified.
"I guess because I tried to be nice to her and put a friendly hand on her arm to show her to the dorm" said Amrys "I can't explain or understand why she'd fly at that or think it bullying I'm afraid, Master."
"Did you swear at her?"
"Not hardly, Master! I swore – I said 'what the fardling shards' – as I was taken aback by her, er, reaction" Amrys was not about to sneak about the blow; but she saw the Master's eyes flick to her reddened cheek "And then I called her a silly ass" she added "Which to my mind she was!"
"I see" said Lynger "Amrys has a reddened face. Did you strike her, Clareena?"
"Of course! I wasn't going to have her lay hands on me without retribution!" said Clareena.
"You struck your dormitory head without provocation – for taking your arm is no cause, indeed is a friendly gesture!" said the Master sternly "And she should not have sworn, despite the EXTREME provocation of being hit without cause. Amrys, I will fine you a thirtysecond for your language."
"Yes, Master; I apologise" said Amrys.
The master went on, fixing Clareena with a stern gaze,
"'Silly ass' does not constitute swearing, Clareena; and under the circumstances was a restrained rebuke. Many girls would have slapped you right back! Pray try NOT to make too much of an ass of yourself in future by sneaking about anything, let alone a situation where the only person at fault is yourself; it would be a bad way to begin your apprenticeship. This once I am going to let you off with a scolding for your rudeness to Amrys and to myself in wasting my time; I am going to take it that you were afraid of being seized with cruel tightness; if this has happened to you in the past I suggest you tell Amrys all about it. Now go with her to your dormitory and try not to be such a silly little girl again. Amrys will look after you; she's a forgiving little soul" and he smiled at Amrys.
"Which" as Amrys later said gloomily to her own coterie "Put me on honour to forgive the brat."
Clareena proceeded to whine that the space allotted to her was insufficient; and said that she hoped 'those stupid dolls' of the next bed's occupant would not take up too much room.
"What, turned Gold and want a weyr to yourself, do you?" said Amrys cheerfully. "If you want to be an apprentice you have to put up with dormitory living – however big a cavern you had to yourself at home. The rest of us live with it."
Clareena had not by any stretch of the imagination had a cavern to herself; she had always lived in a dormitory of girls her own sort of age. She had half expected the crafthall to have more facilities however!
Amrys gave the girl a very straight look.
"Look here, kiddy, if Master Lynger is right and you've had experience of others twisting your arm that has made you afraid of any physical contact, in case it turns to hurting, it's a reason any of us would understand if you're touchy" she said "And you'll have my sympathy for one. You don't need to fear any of the girls in this dorm; they're all as straight as straight and a nice bunch who'd have nothing but compassion if someone has hurt you. And y'know, disparaging the hobbies of others is not either the best way to go, by the way, to get attention! The truth about what makes you snippy would be far better."
"I don't need you prying into my life!" flared Clareena "You leave me alone, do you hear? You and these other precious friends of yours!"
Amrys blinked.
"Well you're the strangest kid I ever met!" she said "If you want to be left alone so be it; if you can't speak without being rude I don't suppose anyone'll want to talk to you anyway. But I wager it'll be a lonely life!"
Janika was the next to fall foul of Clareena. Seeing the older girl hunched up on her bed when the other girls came up to meet their new dormitory mate, the smallest girl went over to her.
"Are you homesick? It is a bit strange at first, but the others here are nice. You can hold my dolls if you like!"
Clareena turned and glared at her.
"Why would I want to hold your stupid babyish dolls?" she said "Get lost, brat!"
Janika stared, her big eyes dark with hurt.
Amrys frowned.
"If you thought being called a silly ass was being sworn at, how then do you class calling a smaller child a brat?" she demanded. "And you on the subject of being bullied when you straight away bully the kid? If you act the bully, my girl, we'll treat you as such!"
"I'M not a bully!" declared Clareena.
"No? Disparaging another's hobby – and in the nastiest way – that I had already spoken to you about; and telling someone who is trying to help you to get lost, and calling her names smacks of bullying to me. Girls, Clareena told me she wants us all to leave her alone. I think it best if we do, save for necessary communication, until she can keep a civil tongue in her head. Clareena, if you have problems you may tell me about them; otherwise until you feel like growing some manners in the manure you call your brain, we would rather you did not speak to us any more."
"That's fine with me!" said Clareena.
Amrys slept badly worrying about the new girl; and was called to order for yawning in Master Rakul's lacecraft class. It was a rare enough occurrence for the Master to ask Amrys if she felt all right or if her head was troubling her again.
"No, Master, it doesn't often" said Amrys "It seems to have healed; I slept badly, is all. There's something on my mind; may I be excused to talk to Otaysa? I'm doing no good here."
The Lacemaster nodded; Amrys was trustworthy and would not be using this as an opportunity to skive.
Otaysa took one look at Amrys and sat her down with klah.
Her question was much the same as the Lacecrafter's.
"Is your head bad again?" she asked sharply. Since Siresha, one of the paying students, had caused Amrys to bang her head badly the little girl had suffered occasional headaches.
"Not like that" said Amrys "It's more a headache of a different kettle of fish if I may mix metaphors. I'm worried about Clareena; and I'd really like some advice. I didn't sleep much worrying about her."
"Tell me about it; it need not be official" said Otaysa.
Amrys did, with great relief.
"It's so STRANGE" she said.
Otaysa nodded.
"It's plain someone has hurt the child so that she bites like a mouth-spoiled filly" she said "Well, if she won't talk about it there's little you can do. A little bit of being ignored won't do her any harm – perhaps being lonely will make her open up more. Stay alert for any signs she wants to talk, won't you, dear; and I'll get her to help me and see if she'll chat to me."
"Thank you Otaysa" said Amrys. "I suppose what worries me most is that she'll say something nasty and upset Janika" she added with a sigh "Janika's just a kiddie and pretty vulnerable right now; and I suppose too that I'm afraid if Clareena does say something nasty that I'll lose my temper in defence of Janika."
Otaysa hid a smile at Amrys' air of being Janika's elder by turns.
"Janika must learn to stand on her own feet" she said "And your support will help her. TRY to keep your temper dear; you're pretty good at it on your own account. Let us hope that Clareena sees the camaraderie and kindness between the rest of you and warms to it. If not? Well then, I shall have to speak to the Master about putting her in the infirmary out of your way during her apprenticeship; we can't have her upsetting the rest of our girls."
"Thank you Otaysa; it's nice to know that if we CAN'T get anywhere we shan't be stuck with her for five or six turns" said Amrys. "I don't think I could stick it; and Janika certainly couldn't. Reckon even Lyssa would have trouble! Clareena bullies by being a bump on a log!"
Otaysa smiled at the expression.
"Well, we shall see; just do your best" she said "And, young lady, you are going to bed for the rest of the morning on my bed: I'll sit with you with my mending and chat if you can't sleep; but I'd like you to try to."
Amrys was amazed to wake up three hours later with her noon meal brought to her on a tray!
She felt MUCH refreshed as well as easier in her mind – as she cheerfully confided to Otaysa! Otaysa smiled. That had been the idea!