The World of Pern(tm) is copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) 1967.
The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

This is a log of roleplay on PernMUSH, available online by permission of
Anne McCaffrey, author of the Pern novels, and recorded by A.S. Korra'ti
(piper@murkworks.net), player of Mehlani of Telgar Weyr on PernMUSH.
This log may be distributed freely as long as this header remains intact.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Log Date:
	7/18/97

Log Cast:
	Mehlani, Suzot, Devlin, Aidoann, Magpie, Thera

Log Intro:
	While Mehlani has been spending her time quietly living at Benden Weyr
with her father F'hlan, her close friend Devlin has been caught up with his
apprenticeship in the Minecraft, primarily away in Ista territory, save for
those times when the young man has stood for Impression. But while he's been
away and out of regular contact with Mehlani, Devlin has also been growing up.
Now, Mehlani hasn't seen him in some time, and he's come back to Benden Weyr
for a visit....

----------
On very quiet feet, Mehlani comes padding in from outside, her bronze fire 
  lizard riding his usual vigil upon her shoulder, his tail curled 
  protectively in a loop about her neck. The girl's face is slightly flushed, 
  perhaps from exertion, perhaps from the night air.

Aidoann
Aidoann is a girl of 17 Turns, 11 months, and 11 days. She has long black hair 
  and piercing blue eyes that seem to glimmer in the light. She is a small 
  girl, short and skinny, yet her form has changed recently and she seems to 
  be growing up and is beginning to fill out, looking more feminine than she 
  has.
Aidoann is wearing a tight, form-fitting, sleeveless tunic of green sisal with 
  a low squared neck stopping just short of indecent exposure. It appears to 
  have little in the back beyond what is needed to allow her dignity. 
  Displayed on her shoulder are two small knots. One is fairly new looking, 
  woven of the lavender and white of the Weavercraft. The other is a rather 
  old lookng one, woven of the red and brown of Ruatha Hold. The tunic lies 
  comfortably over belted white trous that look a little different than 
  normal. The trous, at least that's what you think they are, are very 
  form-fitting on her left leg, but appear to be sewn directly to the right 
  half of a wide, flaring skirt. The skirted half flows in extremely loose 
  pleats up to the snug waist. Her black hair, even though tightly braided, 
  reaches to her mid thigh.
She seems to be quite shy, although there is a glimmer of curiosity in her 
  eyes whenever she talks about any of her firelizards, especially when 
  talking about her beautiful queen.
Under your gaze, Aidoann becomes quite self-conscious, she looks at you 
  briefly, her eyes piercing, before continuing what she was originally doing.

Suzot
Suzot is tall (about 6 feet tall, in fact) with the sturdy slimness of an 
  active tomboy. Her rounded, lightly freckled face is serious and her actions 
  efficient and effective, from her clipped speech to her alert demeanor and 
  the fire of rapid perception which shines from her wide-set blue eyes. 
  Chestnut hair is woven tightly into a braid, sweeping sharply from a 
  widow's-peak and terminating squarely at midback, freshly cut. A single 
  silver stud pierces her left earlobe. Full lips smile appealingly...but not 
  often. 
True to her athletic, boyish lifestyle, Suzot wears the clothing typically 
  associated with boys: medium-brown breeches pegged narrower at the ankles, a 
  long-sleeved tunic of deeper brown, and low soft black boots. Dressed as any 
  male, Suzot's androgynous features, figure, and posture blur the dividing 
  line between the genders, as if calling her female were a mere formality. At 
  her shoulder are the Knots of Benden Weyr and Apprenticeship at the 
  Vintnercraft Hall. 
 
Suzot is 17 Turns, 10 months, and 12 days old. 

Devlin
A young man of approximately 16 turns, Devlin's appearance is topped with an 
  unruly shock of black hair. His form is lanky, nearing 6 feet in height 
  through various growth spurts, though it has yet to truly catch up and fill 
  out. Mischief sparkles in his grey-blue gaze and there is a hint of barely 
  controlled energy in his every movement. A pair of black wherhide pants 
  cover his legs, belted with a red belt which is imprinted with Benden Weyr's 
  symbol. A loose white shirt is tucked into the pants, carefully, and over it 
  is worn a wherhide vest. A patch on the vest shows the crossed 
  pick-and-shovel of the Minecraft, and an apprentice's knot of the same place 
  is attached to the shoulder. Sturdy and scuffed black boots cover his feet 
  and complete the outfit. His features are evening out slowly as he grows 
  giving way to a straight nose, noble brow and full mouth. A dimple appears 
  in his right cheek when he quirks a smile.
Carrying:
Mehla

Suzot nods in appropriate admiration. "You're doing well, then. Good." She 
  doesn't offer a synopsis of her accomplishments, instead asking, "And you're 
  glad in your Craft?"

With tail wrapped around Aido's neck, egg-laden Verelan warblecroons musically 
  to the new bronze arrival.

The girl with the bronze on her shoulder turns her head around, blinking sober 
  blue eyes as her little companion turns his head at the same time. The 
  bronze's eyes are equally blue, but it's only the bronze that makes any sort 
  of noise as he croons over to the one greeting him. The girl, on the other 
  hand, scands the cavern -- and blinks rapidly as her gaze falls on the 
  black-haired young fellow with the Minecraft sigil on his clothes.

Holl(#6542p)
Fire and sunlight meet and meld into a hide that is the classical shade of 
  bronze. The gleaming metallic color covers this fire lizard from snout to 
  tailtip, with the exception of his slightly oversized wings. The wings are 
  crosshatched with bold red and faint golden stripes, making him look, oddly 
  enough, like he's wearing plaid. When he trills, he trills sweetly, liquid 
  notes sailing skyward; at all times, silent or not, he seems to regard the 
  entire world with a warm tenderness in his little whirling eyes, 
  particularly when his chosen human is in view.
He is 3 Turns, 2 months, and 4 days old.

Mehlani(#4177PQace)
This is a young girl-child of about 4'8" in height, perhaps eleven Turns of 
  age, perhaps twelve, with a build so delicate that she seems composed of 
  very little else save twig-slender limbs and a fine, soft crown of medium 
  auburn hair. Her skin is pale, speaking of unfamiliarity with the sunnier 
  climes of Pern; her eyes, when she chances to direct her gaze straight at 
  someone so that they can be clearly seen, are dusty blue of shade, set at a 
  faint slant -- and enormous in her pointed little face, leaving her tiny 
  nose and mouth almost afterthoughts. Very seldom does this waif speak. When 
  she does, her voice is soft, sweetly toned, and clear of enunciation. But 
  far more often than not, she simply fixes her solemn regard on an object or 
  person of interest, and keeps it there with an attention span that suggests 
  the weight of the world depends on her drinking in every detail of her 
  surroundings through her guileless eyes.
Carrying:
Holl(#6542p)

Devlin nods to Suzot, "I am. It suits me. I've been... rather more solitary 
  since leaving Benden than I had been before and I get to spend a lot of time 
  working on my own." He has not, as yet, noticed Mehlani's entrance, though 
  Vachon does and immediately goes into a long line of trills of greeting.

Suzot hasn't any firelizards to alert her; she does, however, have the 
  advantage of angle. She sees Mehlani over Devlin's shoulder and waves to the 
  small girl (from more than a foot of height difference).

On Mehlani's shoulder, Holl perks up and chirps brassily in the direction of 
  brown Vachon, his eyes taking on a more vivid shade as he does. The girl, 
  too, seems to brighten, subtly straightening, looking taller. She has yet to 
  say anything, and although her wide-eyed gaze flicks to and acknowledges 
  Suzot, it's pretty clear that the majority of her attention is on the young 
  Miner apprentice.

Devlin half turns, both at Vachon's exuberance and Suzot's wave, and smiles as 
  he spots Mehlani. "'Lani! Heyla!"

Only at Devlin's greeting does Mehlani come closer, a smile beginning to 
  blossom across her small face. "Hello," she murmurs softly. Holl fans his 
  wings three times, and trumpets, evidently pleased at this turn of events.

With his eyes sparkling, Devlin gestures to Mehlani, "Come, join us. Suzot and 
  I have been exchanging stories of life as crafters. We'll rely on you to 
  update us how things stand at Benden."

Sway pops out from *between* and flies erratically for a moment then 
  straightens.
Sway swoops down towards Aidoann.
Sway is now listening.

Aidoann blinks at Sway

Magpie has arrived.

Salless sits down for a moment to rest her feet and take a sip from a mug of 
  Klah.

Magpie comes in chasing the flit.

Curled in Aido's carrysack, young Tipper chitterchurps, looking at the blue

Sway has left.

Magpie smiles as Sway flies over and wraps gently around her neck.

Aidoann looks at the little and can't help but smile for a brief moment, then 
  she turns, wiping at her eyes.

Mehlani, her hands clasped behind her back, approaches Devlin and Suzot then. 
  She's still smiling, just a little, as though the expression is somehow new 
  and strange to her and she's still trying it out. But she's also still not 
  saying much. Holl, on the other hand, croons steadily, eyes whirling at a 
  faster rate, blue-sparkle-light blue-blue.

Magpie grins as a tired, and run ragged rider from Igen comes to pick her up.
Magpie goes home.
Magpie has left.

Devlin looks expectantly at Mehlani, waiting for her to respond, patiently.

Aidoann smiles a tad, after talking to a nice bluerider, most likely the 
  watchrider from South Boll, nods to her and gathers his things, heading 
  outside, Aido folows close behind him.

Mehlani finally murmurs gravely, "I'm not good to ask about most things that's 
  happened in the Weyr." Her gaze lingers on Devlin, her eyes gone very round, 
  startled.

Aidoann walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.
Aidoann has left.

Suzot frowns. "Why not? Has someone been hurt?"

Mehlani blinks. And then shakes her head to Suzot earnestly.

"Good," Suzot says with feeling. "But why shouldn't we ask what's happened?"

The young girl nibbles her lower lip for a moment, and her bronze nuzzles her 
  ear, perhaps encouragingly. Her blue gaze shifts from Suzot back to Devlin, 
  and her tiny voice provides a reply of, "I haven't spent much time watching 
  what's happened."

Devlin looks clearly disbelieving of that pronouncement, "You? Not watching 
  what's going on?"

Blushing very lightly, Mehlani ducks her head a little, and then just bobs it 
  a time or two. Holl chirps once, as if to affirm the lass's silent answer.

Devlin grins, "What /have/ you been watching, then?"

"Tsornin," answers Mehlani softly, "and Adonith, sometimes. And Dulath. And 
  Father and Tzornth. And Holl."

On Mehlani's shoulder, Holl interjects another croon, at the sound of his name.

Devlin grins, "Well, then, how are those you've been watching doing? Your 
  father and stuff."

Mehlani lifts her head a little, perhaps buoyed by Devlin's gentle nudging of 
  the topic at hand. "Anra got over her fire-head," she says solemnly, "and 
  Momma came back to the Weyr, so Da is happier now."

Devlin tilts his head, "I didn't realize that Anra had gotten fire-head. I'm 
  glad to hear she's doing better. And you da, as well. I know how much you 
  worry over him."

Suzot only listens, but she listens intently as if what Mehlani said mattered. 
  As if she were the same age as herself and Devlin.

Still staring wide-eyedly at the young man before her, Mehlani bobs her head 
  to his words. All she says, however, is, "Anra got fire-head and had to stay 
  with Grandda and Grandma for a while."

Devlin nods, solemnly. He then says, "I got permission for you to come and 
  visit the minecraft hall if you'd like, 'Lani. Lily'd like to see you again 
  too."

To this, Mehlani nods a little more rapidly, a smile peeking at the edges of 
  her mouth.

You sense Suzot looking at you a little more closely than the rock-plain girl 
  is used to do.

'Lani's little face starts pinkening again, as she continues to stare hard at 
  Devlin, her head quirked. And all at once she blurts in a completely 
  unsolicited burst of information, "The Harpers and the Herders stopped 
  asking me to be in their Crafts."

Devlin arches a brow, "Really? How come?"
Devlin grins over at Suzot, "I bet either Vintner or Mine crafts would be 
  absolutely ecstatic to have you in them, 'Lani."

"I, I think it's because I got scared... hiding." And as she says this, 
  Mehlani's brow crinkles at her own words. She turns even pinker and inches 
  back a step or two, looking mortified.

Suzot nods quickly. "Aye! Vintnercraft's always looking for Apprentices, 
  especially ones that can already read."

Devlin waves a hand, dismissing the thought of the fault lying with Mehlani, 
  "If they hadn't circled like wherries over a wounded animal, you wouldn't 
  have backed away so much."

Suzot points out, too, "I didn't go into the Craft till I was fifteen Turns."

Holl quirks his little bronze head around and peers into 'Lani's face 
  curiously. Cheep?

'Lani doesn't answer either of those last two comments, just standing there 
  now, scuffing one foot a bit.

Devlin holds out a hand to Mehlani, urging her to actually join them. 
  "Seriously, you don't have to choose anything until you're ready to, 'Lani."

Suzot doesn't reach out, but gives a nod meant to be encouraging.

The child's blue gaze takes in Devlin's offered hand, and slowly, she lifts 
  her own smaller one to clasp it. Her regard shifts down to take in his 
  fingers, and from the stare she gives them, they're apparently rather 
  startling to her, too.

You sense Suzot's gaze on that clasp, eyebrow raised.

That's better. Holl, with exactly that tone expressed in his liquid sweet 
  voice, nudges Mehlani's nearer ear again, crooning into it and resettling 
  himself. That bronze evidently has gotten down hanging onto the girl's 
  shoulder with two, three, or four paws down to a fine art.

Devlin gives an encouraging squeeze to Mehlani's hand and draws her to an 
  empty spot on the bench. "What have you been doing to keep yourself busy?" 
  The question seems to be directed to both Mehlani and Suzot.

Allowing herself to be guided, Mehlani settles down without so much as a 
  whisper of noise, next to Devlin. Holl flicks the lad a blue-eyed regard, 
  and croons his general approval.

Suzot clears her throat. "Just firestone duty," she mumbles, "and cleaning the 
  necessaries."

Devlin says "Is the Vintnercraft so much like the Weyr, then?"

Suzot shrugs. "No, but High Reaches is a lot like Benden."

Mehlani lifts her gaze shyly to Suzot, at that, and murmurs, "Father says 
  that."

Suzot nods to Mehlani. "Which one's your father?" She notably doesn't refer to 
  the younger girl as 'child'.

Quite earnestly and formally, Mehlani murmurs, "F'hlan, rider of bronze 
  Tzornth," exactly as a Wingrider might if identifying herself. Or, perhaps, 
  her father.

Suzot nods. "I think I've seen Tzornth sometimes...but not at the Reaches." 
  She finally unbends enough to lean her rear against the table, facing Devlin 
  and Mehlani as they sit together on one of the couches.

"Da has another daughter there," the youngster observes solemnly.

Suzot nods. "Aye. Bronzeriders do that." With one final glance at Devlin's 
  wineglass, she stands upright again. "I'd better go back to the weyr. I'm 
  about to sleep on my feet like a runner."

Devlin sifts through the latest news to hit the minecraft, then ahs, "Stood 
  for the last Clutch, huh?"

Suzot nods to Devlin. "Aye. I'm glad to get back to Benden."

Devlin adds, after Suzot's last, "Ah, well. Sleep well. Hopefully I'll see you 
  on the morrow."

Mehlani lifts her head a bit as the two older ones exchange their farewells, 
  still seeming skittish, herself. One of her hands rises, to touch Holl 
  lightly.

Suzot offers each a hand, palm-up, to clasp. "Sleep well, you both. If you 
  want me, I suppose you know where to look." Then she leaves the caverns, 
  heading for the weyrs.

Vachon, from Devlin's shoulder, gives complascent chirps to Holl, in a 
  conversational tone as Devlin clasps Suzot's hand.

The offered hand from Suzot seems to startle Mehlani a little, but 
  nevertheless, the child takes it, then lets it go, offering a nod in reply.

Holl chirrs amiably, telling Vachon all about the task of protecting this 
  young one to whom he looks.

Thera walks in from the bowl.
Thera has arrived.
Thera streches her arms out wide. "It's been a wonderful day off...." she 
  announces, and heads back to the omnipresent food trays.

Devlin settles back comfortably, regarding Mehlani, "So, you've been well, I 
  assume?"

Mehlani turns back slowly to Devlin, now that Suzot has wandered off for the 
  night, and nods shyly to him.

Thera looks at you for a moment.
Thera finds herself a table, after preparing a plateful of food, and settles 
  down, scooting nearer towards local life unconsciously.

Local life, at the moment, appears to include young Mehlani and her little 
  bronze Holl, perched as always upon her shoulder, as though he'd grown 
  there. The girl is sitting next to Devlin on a bench, and from the look of 
  things, she's quite tongue-tied, as she keeps staring at the black-haired 
  lad in what has to be amazement.

From Thera's shoulder, Quiq chitters at the other bronze, perched on the small 
  girl.

Holl sits back on his hind legs, evidently quite at ease on the slender perch 
  that is Mehlani's shoulder, and chirrups cordially Quiqwards.

Quiq has arrived.

Thera sighs, as she watches her flit zip off to who knows where. "Seein' as 
  we're the only ones up tonight, i suppose i oughta introduce m'self." She 
  nods politely to the young girl. "I'm Thera, and Faranth knows i've seen you 
  around the weyr enough, but i still don't know your name, i'm afraid." She 
  looks over at the boy. "Hope i'm not interupting anything."

Mehlani's blue gaze does not exactly snap, per se, but it does quickly rise to 
  Thera. She blinks rapidly, and then finally murmurs tinily, "My name is 
  Mehlani."

Devlin shakes his head, "Not at all. I'm Devlin. Used to be from around here, 
  but now I'm at the Minecraft Hall."

Thera grins a bit more, and nods again. "Nice to meet you both. I'm horrible 
  with names, so if i forget again, please forgive me later." She ponders a 
  bit. "I've gotta cousin, a younger one, who wants to someday be a miner...is 
  it good there? Er....well, not good, but perhaps strong?" She inhales. 
  "She's a bit of a brat, and i keep hoping that she'll fall into a craft with 
  more discpline then her mother gives her."

Mehlani scoots back a little on the bench, her posture slumping down slightly, 
  even as Holl starts trying to play with her hair -- perhaps to make her sit 
  up again.

Quiq hops off the table, where he's been eating at the fringes of Thera's 
  plate, and waddles closer to squawnk up at the other bronze.

Devlin chuckles. "The minecraft's a great place. Enough hard work to keep the 
  overactive from being a problem, but not so much that you get bogged down. 
  Vachon chitters at Mehlani about her posture even as a previously unseen 
  green peeks shyly out of Devlin's vest to peer at Mehlani.
Devlin asks Mehlani, then, "You still have the pin I gave you, right?"

As Mehlani appears to be trying to go out of her way to be as unobtrusive as 
  possible, Holl firmly warbles back to the other bronze. The girl then peers 
  at Devlin and shyly bobs her head.

Devlin pokes Mehlani in the side, lightly, "Then no hunching your shoulders 
  and trying to hide."

At that poking, Mehlani reddens, but a tiny smile curls her mouth's corners. 
  "Tiamanth wouldn't like it?" she whispers.

Thera grabs part of a meatroll and lures Quiq back to her side with it. 
  "That's nice to hear. Hopefully someone will kick her in the head. The 
  world's not all about boys, you know..." she waggles the meatroll about in 
  time to her speech, then catches herself, in the present company. "Ok, so a 
  good part of it is. But the rest isn't. Or something like that." She rambles 
  on to herself in the way that adults do.

Quiq makes a firm lunge for the meatroll, and gobbles off it's tip.

Devlin nods at something Mehlani murmurs. "Precisely," he responds, to the 
  young girl.
Devlin also nods to Thera, "There's no fraternizing allowed between the 
  apprentices at Minecraft."

Thera gets an evil wolfish grin. "That's perfect then. I'm telling her mother 
  to send her there for sure." She reaches into her vest and pulls out hide 
  from an inner pocket.

Mehlani nibbles again at her lower lip, but she does sit up a little 
  straighter.

Devlin flashes a grin at Mehlani as she sits up. Vachon, for his part, hops 
  down from Dev's shoulder and curls up on Mehlani's lap.

The quiet youngster smiles shyly down to the brown, and lifts her hands to 
  him, looking for places to skitch along his frame.

Vachon accepts the scritches as his due and chitters happily.

Devlin stretches a bit, "If you'll both excuse me, I think it's time for me to 
  get some sleep."

Thera looks up from her hide. "G'night Miner." She smiles absently, and waves 
  him off to bed.

Devlin reaches out and tousles Mehlani's hair as he rises. Vachon casts a sour 
  look at Devlin and stubbornly curls up more comfortably on Mehlani's lap, "I 
  think Vachon's staying with you for a while, 'Lani. I'm bedding down in my 
  old room. I'll see you in the morning."
Devlin walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.
Devlin has left.

Mehlani looks up at Devlin, very fully, his brown still on her lap, and 
  watches him go.

[End log.]