The World of Pern(tm) is copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) l967.
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[NOTE: This log was put together from a file generously contributed by
Kassima's player of PernMUSH.]

Log Date:
	12/22/97

Log Cast:
	(People) Calalin, Ceria, Mehlani, D'thon, L'mis, Davidon, N'kshar,
Aphrael, E'rian (NPC), Kassima, Kaylira (NPC), K'star (NPC)

	(Dragons) Golrath, Indyth (NPC)

	(Firelizards) Rianet, Holl, Vachon

Log Intro:
	In the months she's been in Telgar Weyr thus far, 15-turn-old
Mehlani has found herself underdoing a number of challenges: meeting new
people, finding a purpose in a strange new place to live... and trying to
figure out the deeply baffling behavior of a number of young men. Foremost
among them are Kassima's rakishly handsome young dragonriding cousins K'star 
and E'rian, who have started taking turns bestowing gifts upon her and who 
have been stirring up a number of rumors as to the nature of their interest in 
her. With attention like that, even if you're a shy wallflower, who can't
help but notice? It's a situation causing poor Mehlani a great deal of
chagrin, provoking her into trying to occupy herself with chores even more
often than usual, taking on a scroll-sorting task for Kassima. And the
situation causes her even more chagrin when people start taking it into their 
minds to tease her about the matter...

----------
Calalin wrinkles her forehead. Enjoying a chore is obviously not something 
  that's really occured to her. "I'm good at mending too, but that doesn't 
  mean I actually like it."

Ceria blinks suddenly and stands up. "I think I'm going to soak in the hot 
  springs," she says softly.

Soundlessly, Mehlani oh's to Calalin. Then she says succintly, "I haven't had 
  anything else to do in the evenings."

D'thon stands. "I'll go with you," he offers, perhaps a little too eagerly.

L'mis rolls his eyes at something he overhears, and he walks over the the klah 
  pot for a mugful.

Ceria nods silently with a slight smile.
Ceria walks towards the inner cavern.
Ceria has left.

D'thon walks towards the inner cavern.
D'thon has left.

Calalin makes a face at L'mis when his back is turned, and then looks back at 
  Mehlani. "Uhm.. how about relax? Take a break?"

Davidon gets himself a mug of klah and a couple sweetrolls before taking a 
  seat.

Mehlani's nose crinkles a little. It's not quite a 'I have no idea what you're 
  talking about' look; no, it's more along the lines of 'I've heard this 
  before, and I still have no idea what this is'. She tilts her head slightly, 
  nibbles at her lower lip, and then ventures, patting the satchel, "This 
  _has_ been relaxing... I mean... it's given me something to think about...!"

Calalin considers for a moment and then gets a sly look on her face, "Drowning 
  yourself in one thing to keep from thinking about something else?"

Mehlani blinks. Twice. "I..."

L'mis walks back to his table, but on the way he passes Mehlani's general area. 
  He comments dryly, "It's her right," before continuing to his seat.

Calalin looks up at L'mis, answering him, "Never said it wasn't. But I've 
  never known a problem to go away if you ignore it. Unless it's a scratch or 
  something."

L'mis shrugs, and sits, setting down the klah mug.

Mehlani flicks a timid blue glance after L'mis, looking momentarily grateful 
  for the intervention, before returning her now noticeably discomfited regard 
  to Calalin. She sits there with Kassima's satchel on the floor before her, 
  and one hand still poised upon it, as she murmurs awkwardly, "It... _has_ 
  been helping me sort my head out...!"

Calalin's face turns dubious, "How's that?"

Mehlani shifts where she sits, clearly struggling for words.

Calalin continues, "I mean, if I have to think about a big problem, and I go 
  off to do something else for a while, the problem is always there, big as 
  life when I come back to it."

Mehlani blurts out tinily, and just a touch over-swift, "It's helped because 
  I've been able to think about something else for a while, since I can't--" 
  Um. Er. She cuts off, very unsure about this, and starting to blush.

L'mis sneaks a glance at Mehlani, and then eyes her green firelizard perched 
  near him. He shrugs to the silent pet.

Calalin grins a bit, and decides to ease off, just a bit. In a more friendly 
  than irritating tone, she says, "Look, we've all been through it. It's not 
  that scary."

Rianet, despite being a couple of months old, appears to be very sage about 
  matters involving Mehlani. Her eyes whirling softly blue-green, the little 
  creature just chirps.

"Been... through...?" Through what? Mehlani doesn't finish the question, as 
  she eyes Calalin uncertainly.

L'mis sips his klah, absently watching Mehlani.

Davidon walks towards the inner cavern.
Davidon has left.

Holding up a hand, the girl ticks off several points on her fingers, "One, you 
  got all flustered when the Weyrleader talked about being protective. Two, 
  you got flustered with those two back there in the cavern. And three, if 
  there's a person in this weyr who doesn't know about that vest, hat, and how 
  you got that green, I'd like to meet them." With a shrug, Calalin halts and 
  drops her hands back to her lap.

Mehlani is only pink when Calalin mentions the Weyrleader. She reaches rose at 
  the mention of the earlier smoochfest, and by the time her apparel, not to 
  mention her green fire lizard, are mentioned, the lass is zeroing in on 
  fuschia. She shrinks slightly down where she sits, ducking the head on which 
  the suspicious hat in question is resting, and mumbles, "They're just 
  gifts..."

Calalin shakes her head, "If they're just gifts, why are you so red?"

Mehlani releases her grip on Kassima's satchel, looking decidedly flustered, 
  now. "K'star... and E'rian," she begins, speaking in the slow deliberate 
  manner of someone trying very hard not to stammer, "were both very kind... 
  so should I not make use of them...?" She plucks nervously at the vest, then 
  taps the hat.

Not far away from Mehlani, Rianet flutters over, her eyes whirling curiously 
  now, as she peers at her human and then at Calalin. Who are you and why are 
  you making my human turn fuschia?

Calalin crosses her arms before her and shakes her head again. "Didn't say you 
  shouldn't. If they're just gifts, then what's got you so bothered about it?"

"Everyone keeps _talking_ about it!" Mehlani blurts out, with uncharacterstic 
  force, and she promptly shifts from fuschia straight into maroon.

Calalin smiles, ever so faintly, "Did you stop to think that maybe they keep 
  talking about it just to see you blush so bad?"

N'kshar yawns, idly watching Mehlani turn a quite lovely shade of Maroon. With 
  a soft chuckle, he rises to get himself a refill on klah.

Davidon walks here from the Inner Cavern.
Davidon has arrived.

Mehlani leans over the satchel again, her slender hands moving to re-sort 
  scrolls that are already perfectly sorted, trying to duck her flushed cheeks 
  out of general view. "There's not much _to_ talk about... they have been 
  k-kind to me, for which I am very grateful, but..."

Aphrael walks in from the bowl.
Aphrael has arrived.

Calalin grins again, "Apparently there is, or you'd be an awful lot less eager 
  not to think about it."

Breezing out of the Inner Cavern with a towel slung over his shoulder and his 
  light brown hair still wet and dripping, E'rian pauses on his way out to the 
  Bowl to peer at Mehlani curiously. "Maroon's a good color on you," he 
  informs her with a wink and a quick wave to the folk in the Cavern. "Sorry 
  I can't stay to see how long it lasts, fair maid, but Milleniuth calls...." 
  With those words, another wink, and a flashed grin 'Lani-wards, he departs 
  once more.

Davidon waves hello as he comes in again, "Hey Aph! How goes?"

Aphrael shivers visibly as she hurries in from the bowl, eyes bright despite 
  the snow that dots all over her. She offers a smile and a wave to everyone 
  in the 'cavern, stepping further in when she hears Davi's call. "Oh, 
  Davidon! I'm well enough, thanks. How's it with you?"

Mehlani starts to answer Calalin, only to swallow hard, panic-stricken, as the 
  young green rider saunters airily to and past her. She looks after E'rian, 
  and immediately not only ducks her face but claps her hands to her cheeks, 
  trying to hide that she's turned raging magenta.

Davidon smiles faintly, "Doing alright, now that work is more or less done for 
  the night. You look like you could use some warming by the fire."

N'kshar sits back down at his place at the Thunderbolt wingtable, and slinks 
  down into it, intent on -not- being noticed.

Calalin's small smile turns into a full-fledged grin, "Just being kind, hmm?"

Davidon glances at N'kshar, but since he's trying so hard not to be noticed, 
  decides not to say anything.

N'kshar sighs slightly, always the most un-stealthy of his family. He 
  straightens up in his chair, giving his lip a good amount of abuse with his 
  teeth.

Aphrael tugs off her gloves, rubbing her hands together to try and warm then 
  as she edges towards the hearthside. "I daresay so," She agrees. "Spring, 
  and the snow still falls." Absently, she notes the glance between Davidon 
  and N'kshar, with a puzzled frown.

Kind. Yes. And wet... and... uhm... oh dear. While Rianet flutters about, 
  letting out a pleased-sounding trill at E'rian's passing, Mehlani leaps to 
  her feet with speed enough to suggest that her stool is on fire. "I 
  should... I should get these to Kassima... I..." Oh dear.

L'mis blinks, and watches Mehlani silently. He looks a bit concerned.

Aphrael manages to pour herself some hot klah, sighing with relief as she 
  gulps down a mouthful. "Hot, if not strong," She mutters under her breath, 
  and tilts her head slightly as she hears Mehlani, "Are you okay, 'lani?" She 
  asks the girl concernedly.

Davidon clears his throat, figuring he's just /got/ to ask. "So, how's um, 
  how's Bree?" he murmurs quietly to N'kshar while people are more or less 
  distracted with 'lani.

Calalin says "Careful, you don't want to fall and hurt yourself. Then the poor 
  boys will want to wait on you."

"I'm fine...!" Mehlani practically squeaks in Aphrael's direction, snatching 
  up the satchel of hides and scrolls and wrapping both her arms around it, as 
  if it had become some sort of protective talisman, and babbles out to no one 
  in particular, "Um... excuse me...!" And with that, the lass promptly flees.

"Um, Bree's fine. A bit distracted, but fine." N'kshar says catiously, after a 
  good moment of thinking.

[And outside, in the Bowl, Kassima and her daughter Kaylira, borne by green
 Lysseth, are coming in for a landing.]

Mehlani comes out of the short tunnel from the living cavern.
Mehlani has arrived.

Kassima takes a bit longer than usual to get down from her dragon, not only 
  because of her increasingly awkward form but also due to the two-Turn-old 
  held in one arm. By the time she turns around and sets Kaylira on her own 
  two feet, Mehlani has come fleeing from the 'Cavern. "Mehlani? Are you all 
  right?" Kassi asks in concern, even as Kaylira crows with laughter at the 
  sight of the poor girl. "Red! Red, red, red," she declares, giggling.

Mehlani comes bolting out of the lower caverns, headlong into snowfall, and 
  she skids on her bootsoles as her feet encounter the snow on the ground. Her 
  head whips around at Kassima's voice, and the lass stumbles towards the 
  rider, thrusting the satchel out to her. "I indexed them and Kaylira should 
  like the song about the dragon race and the little lost fire lizard 
  hatchling, and, um... excuse me...!" She whirls around again, the blush 
  having faded down back towards mauve, and promptly flees again, this time 
  towards a new refuge.

Mehlani disappears into the records cavern.
Mehlani has left.

Golrath rumbles at the departing Mehlani.

Kassima blinks and reflexively catches the satchel, her green eyes wide. "What 
  in the name of Faranth...?" she wants to know, staring after the departed 
  bronzerider's daughter. "When you're confused the very moment you set foot 
  in the Bowl, it can't be a good sign. C'mon, Kay." The greenrider slings the 
  satchel over her shoulder and takes her daughter's hand, leading the 
  toddler--who is still chanting about Mehlani's red face--into the LC.

[And meanwhile, inside the Records Room...]

"Mehlani, is that you?" a young man's baritone voice calls from the direction 
  of one of the stacks. A fedora-adorned head pops out from behind a shelf 
  containing many maps to peer curiously at the girl. "What's wrong? Why are 
  you mauve?"

Mehlani, looking snow-dotted and deeply flustered, with her boot-soles still 
  slickly damp, nearly slips and falls at the sound of that voice. Her own hat 
  goes falling off as she flings out a hand to try to support herself against 
  the nearest wall. "I-I-I'm fine..." Oh dear.

K'star abandons his maps to sprint to 'Lani's aid, scooping up her fallen hat 
  and offering her his arm in support. "Careful, careful! The floor's slicker 
  than a freshly-oiled dragon, so to speak." Hazel eyes regard her with a 
  measure of visible concern. "You don't look fine. Methinks it might benefit 
  you to sit down... before you *fall* down," he adds, his wink showing the 
  words to be only a mild tease and not to be taken seriously.

Mehlani swallows hard, then hesitantly bobs her head, grasps the young rider's 
  arm, and allows him to guide her to a seat. She doesn't utter a word, though. 
  Her lower lip is slightly tucked in under her teeth, and her eyes are round 
  in a still rose-tinted face.

Once K'star is certain that Mehlani isn't going to fall out of her chair when 
  he lets her go, he sits down in the chair beside hers and proffers the hat 
  to the girl. "You dropped this," he observes, grinning crookedly. The grin 
  disappears once he gets a good glimpse of her expression. "Mehlani, you look 
  for all the world as though someone's frightened the living daylights out of 
  you. Is that the case?" Something about his tone promises that if it is, the 
  perpetrator will regret it.

Mehlani accepts the hat, though she can't quite manage voicing a thank-you 
  yet. She lifts timid blue eyes to the lad beside her, and it takes her a few 
  moments before she can finally whisper, "It... I... it's just... it's 
  alright, I..."

K'star arches both eyebrows, a bit of dubiousness intermingling with his 
  concern. "You don't want to talk about it?" he hazards.

Again flushing crimson, Mehlani mumbles, "It's just that... I... I..." She 
  ducks her gaze to the hat she's now clutching in nervous fingers, and 
  finishes in a small strengthless voice, "Shouldn't burden you with this...!"

K'star simply snorts, and shakes his head. "Burden, nothing--listen, Mehlani. 
  It disturbs me more to think that something's upsetting you than knowing 
  *what's* upsetting you ever could."

Mehlani swallows, and doesn't answer for a few moments; when she finally does, 
  her voice sounds oddly strangled. "I just... I just... don't take t... 
  teasing very well," she whispers, her head still bowed.

There is a thoughtful silence from Kes for a long moment as he considers this. 
  Finally, he replies with a quietly-asked, "Why not?"

"I... I just... I don't know, I..." Lani's hands worry at the hat in her hands, 
  and she still doesn't look up as she blurts out, "It's... okay, if it's 
  s-somebody that I-I-I know... a friend, but... if everybody's talking 
  about..." She trails off, but the implied 'me' is still pretty apparent. She 
  concludes with an abashed, "I get scared."

In the entranceway of the Records Room, a brown snout briefly appears and 
  whuffs a gust of warm air into the room. "'Tis all right, Indyth," K'star 
  calls to his dragon, and the snout withdraws. Turning back to Mehlani, the 
  young brownrider tips up the brim of his fedora and listens to her 
  explanation. "Scared. Huh. What're you afraid of? That they're really trying 
  to hurt you by it?"

Mehlani glances outside, swallowing once more at the brief appearance of 
  Indyth; perhaps that steadies her somewhat, for her color begins to ebb 
  back down to something resembling normal. But at K'star's further question, 
  she blurts, her gaze lifting back to him, "No...! If... if it was just me, 
  I, I could bear it, but wh... when they talk about other people _too_, 
  I..." And her gaze abruptly drops again. "Don't want anyone to be 
  embarrassed because of me...!"

There are some soft *pops* all at once, and Holl and Rianet, with Vachon 
  only a beat behind, emerge from *between*. The three fire lizards immediately 
  wing in towards Mehlani, creeling softly, trying to ascertain that she's 
  alright. Lani peeks up at them, shaken.

"Ah." That one syllable has a world of meaning--comprehension, sympathy, 
  and perhaps even a touch of amusement. "They're teasing you about Eyr and 
  me, then? 'Lani... if that's it, I don't think you need to worry about 
  us being embarrassed. Considering who our relatives are, it'd take a lot 
  more to accomplish humiliation than you think." A lopsided smile that's 
  as reassuring as he can manage curves his lips upwards even as the 
  fire-lizards appear from *between*. "What I'd be worried about is if it's 
  embarrassing *you*, as it does seem to be."

Mehlani finally looks fully at K'star, eyes round yet again. "You... how did 
  you... how did you know?" she breathes.

"We get our share of teasing too, y'know," K'star points out with a grin at 
  'Lani's amazement. "Did while we were Weyrlings, do now while we're riders. 
  And Kassi did happen to tell us about all of the rumors floating around, just 
  so we'd be aware. I think Eyr's more amused by it than anything--though he 
  wouldn't be if he knew it was upsetting you so," he's forced to admit.

Mehlani sits up in her chair, aghast, making Holl flitter on the chair's back 
  where he's perched himself. "But they shouldn't be say-- you shouldn't be--" 
  She cuts off, starting to blush again.

"Shouldn't be saying what? We shouldn't be doing what?" Kes inquires, humor 
  wiped out by confusion and a trace of concern again.

"I don't want you to be embarrassed by what everybody's saying," Mehlani 
  blurts out. Surprisingly steadily, even though she's looking at the hat 
  again.

K'star's smile has a touch of ruefulness to it. "Like I said, 'Lani... no 
  worries on that score. I'm not, and rest assured that Eyr's not. If 
  anything, he gets a kick out of it all. The way I figure it is that they're 
  going to say what they say whether we like it or not, so why get hung up 
  over it?"

"If you're sure... that's what's important..." Mehlani murmurs, looking still 
  unsettled, though a fraction calmer. Holl nuzzles at her cheek from where 
  he's perched on the chair, while Vachon wriggles into her lap and Rianet 
  simply perches right atop the hat.

"I'm sure," K'star confirms readily enough. "Just let one of us know if 
  someone's upsetting you, eh?" Smiling, the brownrider watches the two 
  fire-lizards for a moment before a memory seems to strike him. "Oh, 'Lani! 
  I almost forgot! I got something for you today--'twas meaning to give it to 
  you when I next saw you, but it admittedly slipped my mind."

Mehlani blinks. "You..." _Another_ gift? "You didn't have to..."

"Oh, I know," Kes assures her breezily, even as he produces the gift in 
  question from his own satchel. "But I wanted to anyway." He sets it down on 
  the table for you to see. It appears to be a book, bound in blue-dyed leather 
  with a trim of violet and purest white. It's not new. The pages are somewhat 
  careworn, in fact, as though by a loving hand. A letter K is incised clearly 
  on the front cover, in a somewhat styalized script. "'Tis one of Da's 
  songbooks," the young man explains. "He re-copied it recently, so I asked if 
  I could have this one for you. I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit careful 
  with it. Some of the pages are loosening, but the writing's still clear, and 
  the songs are some of my favorites... I think you might like 'em, too."

"Oh... Kes..." Mehlani pauses an instant, then blurts out the "star" syllable, 
  as if unsure of her right to call Indyth's rider by his nickname. She turns 
  towards the table and the book upon it, her hand hovering over the book 
  before she gingerly opens its cover. Then she looks up again, awed, at the 
  youth.

K'star grins, evidently pleased that Mehlani finds favor with the gift. "Call 
  me Kes if you want to," he offers. "I hardly mind! I really hope you like 
  it... I remembered what your father said, about you liking music. And Kassi 
  told me you have a fine voice. D'you think there's any chance I could hear 
  for myself, sometime?"

Mehlani can be seen to mouth 'Kes' in consideration, and she bobs her head 
  shyly; aye, she likes music. But at that final question, as Rianet bats 
  her nose at her human's fingers in demand of skitches, Mehlani murmurs, 
  "You'd like to hear me sing...?"

K'star nods, his reply spoken in a tone that rings with sincerity. "I would. 
  Very much."

"Alright," whispers the girl, though that's her only reply. She shyly ducks 
  her gaze to the book as she carefully leafs through it with one hand, and 
  scritches the insistent Rianet with the other.

Having been granted this much, K'star knows better than to press for more. He 
  leans back in his chair instead, trying to be discreet about watching--and, 
  just perhaps, admiring--Mehlani as she skims over the contents of her gift.

It doesn't take long for the girl's eye to be seized by not only the loving 
  craft of the book itself, but by its content as well. She clearly can read 
  the music scribed within; her blue gaze lights more than once in wonderment 
  and pleasure at what she finds among the pages. Mehlani drinks in the words 
  as well as the notes written there, her head bowed, traced by Holl's bronze 
  form beside it and light from the hearth-fire. At last, she looks up, her 
  eyes shining. "This is wonderful, Kes..." she murmurs.

"I can't tell you how glad I am you think so," K'star murmurs back, a smile 
  drawing the corners of his mouth upwards once again. "I really can't. I think 
  Da would truly be pleased t'know that it's gone to someone who may find some 
  joy in having it."

"It's new _songs_, how could I not...! I know all of Momma's...!" Mehlani 
  pauses, blue eyes met to hazel, a smile of her own peeking at the edges of 
  _her_ mouth. "I'll take good care of it... thank you...!"

K'star crinkles his nose at 'Lani, his dimple showing as his own smile widens 
  to an almost boyish grin. "The light in your eyes is thanks enough for me," 
  he says gallantly. "And, if it would please you, Indyth and I are at your 
  disposal--when we're off-duty, a'course--should you ever want to visit 
  Greystones and hear more new music from Da or Grandsire."

Evidently, all of this is meeting to the approval of the fire lizards. Holl is 
  steadily crooning, and Rianet cheeps sweetly up at the two young people. 
  Mehlani pinkens, but murmurs, "A Harper's songs must be heard from the Harper 
  who made them... at least once...!"

"That's what Da always says," K'star agrees, chuckling. "Nearly word-for-word. 
  I'm sorry that you can't hear Grandsire Keyssin play his old pieces. He still 
  sings, but his joints ache too much to play at all--that's why he retired. 
  But I already know he'd be glad to perform for you as much as he can. I 
  asked," he admits, with a touch of sheepishness, "after I got Da's book... 
  just in case you'd want to make the trip."

Mehlani starts to smile a little more, though she seems torn, her expression 
  vacillating between eagerness and shyness, the notion of hearing Harpers 
  she's never heard before conflicting with having to meet an entire Hold 
  full of new people. And _when_? She looks tentatively up at the brown rider, 
  and murmurs, "I'd like to, K'star..."

Perhaps sensing Mehlani's confusion, K'star thinks to mention, "If it would 
  be better, we could stick to Uncle Keyran's cothold--that's where Grandsire 
  stays anyway, and Da could no doubt spare the time to come down for awhile. 
  Most of the family lives there anyway, so 'tis no hardship for him to visit." 
  His smile is a cross between pleased and reassuring, a rather quirky 
  combination. "Then just tell me when you wish to go--there's no rush. Any 
  time's fine by me and Indyth so long as it doesn't conflict with our Wing 
  duties."

"Congratulations," the lass abruptly murmurs. "On... getting posted, I mean..."

"Aye, well... Faranth only knows what K'ira saw in me," K'star grins, ducking 
  his head a bit. "But 'tis good t'be out of the Barracks at last, I'll tell 
  you. E'rian's said that he feels about the same, now that L'taru's chosen 
  him for Starblaze. Listen... I hate to say it, but I should go. I've noon 
  sweeps tomorrow and Indyth won't be pleased with me if I'm half asleep 
  during them."

Mehlani bobs her head gravely. It isn't good to be drowsy during sweeps. "My 
  duty to Indyth," she murmurs.

"And ours to you, fair maiden," K'star says solemnly--but even as he tips his 
  hat in parting, he winks at Mehlani before turning to stride out into the 
  snowy Bowl.

Mehlani turns rose again at those parting words... but as the young rider's 
  already turned and gone, only the whirling eyes of her guardian fire lizards 
  are there to see as she watches K'star's departure till he vanishes outside... 
  and then, once more mouthing 'Kes', turns back to the book he's given her, to 
  delve into the treasure trove of songs.

[End log.]