Choosing New Furniture

Writers: Curious, Francesca
Date Posted: 19th April 2024

Characters: Kamalia, K'rel
Description: Kamalia meets new transfer K'rel and they pick out furniture.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 7 of Turn 10

Kamalia thanked the Headwoman's Assistant and assured her that she
didn't need any assistance. The other woman seemed relieved and, with
a nod and a smile, quickly left. The greenrider stepped fully into the
storage room, eyes beginning to scan the stacks of chairs and tables.
She hadn't needed anything for her weyr in almost a Turn and it was
always exciting to poke around the furnishings in storage to see what
caught her eye.

After a few moments, she noticed she wasn't alone in the room, and she
was suddenly very glad she hadn't brought a friend with her. If his
curly hair hadn't been enough to capture her interest, the
bronzerider's knots certainly did. He must be new, and not in her
Wing. "Hi there," she said with a bright smile.

Was K'rel odd in thinking that choosing new furniture was a pleasant
task? Maybe. He knew that a lot of people found it boring, but he
couldn't help but think of it as a sort of thought exercise. If you
chose the wrong items, you were sure to forget it. If you chose the
right ones, you would have a well-furnished Weyr that would last you
for turns.

It was also a way to keep his mind off of _other_ things. Faranth knew
he could use that right now.

He hadn't expected to encounter anyone else in the storage room.
However, that did not make it an unpleasant surprise. K'rel returned
Kamalia's bright smile with one of his own. "Good day," he said.
"Looking for some new furniture?"

Oh good. He didn't seem to be one of those arrogant bronzeriders.
"Just a chair," she explained, alternating between glancing at him and
all her options. "One of mine had an unfortunate accident." She
smiled, slightly embarrassed. "I sat on it a few days ago and it...
collapsed. Luckily," she gestured to the packed room, "it looks like I
have lots of options. How about you? You're new to this Weyr?"

K'rel nodded understandingly. "Those things tend to happen," he said.
"If nothing else, at least it's an excuse to get a nice new chair."
With that, he extended a hand out for Kamalia to shake. "New I am.
K'rel of bronze Zolinth, at your service."

"Kamalia of green Alaudath," she replied, shaking his hand. "I assume
you're getting more than a chair? It's always nice to get a second
opinion, if you want to work together."

"I think that would be lovely, if you don't mind," K'rel said. "I kind
of left everything behind up north."

"Oh?" She had assumed he was from another Southern Weyr. Curious, but
not wanting to pry, she continued. "Well, I hope you like it here.
Now, I assume you need chairs too? Want to start with those, and maybe
a table? There might be some matching sets around here."

"I'm going to need just about everything. Fresh start and all."
Something somewhat pained inched its way into K'rel's expression for
an instant, but he brushed it off quickly. With a grin, he added,
"Chairs and a table are a start."

Kamalia was dying to know more, but knew this wasn't the moment to
ask. Maybe she could get a few drinks in him later to get him talking.
For now, she kept the conversation surface level. "Well, if you have
any questions about the Weyr, feel free to ask. I've been here for
over seven Turns now." They reached a section with a variety of tables
and chairs. "So, what are you looking for in terms of a table and
chairs? Just something sturdy, or pretty as well?"

"I'd appreciate it. It'd be nice to have some idea what I'm getting
into before being thrown to the fire completely. Even if I am already
burning, as it were." On the subject of chairs, he said, "Sturdy, I
think. I'm feeling that practicality is my best option."

"Well, most of us are pretty nice here. Cyan Wing is, of course, the
best," she said with a grin, "but I'm sure whatever Wing you're in is
fine too." At his comment about the chairs, she nodded. "I think I'll
need to go with sturdy too. Although, hopefully not ugly," she added,
pointing to a particularly unattractive chair.

"Azure," K'rel said. "They say you can't go wrong with the Weyrleader's wing."

At Kamalia's indication, his attention drifted to her unfavored chair.
He walked over to it and rested his hand on the back, drumming his
fingers against it thoughtfully. "I don't know... I think I may take
it. Give my weyr a little personality, yeah?"

"The Weyrleader's wing is the most serious one. We're more the party
wing, although I'm not really involved in party planning." She enjoyed
attending though. Kamalia joined K'rel by the ugly chair, scrunching
up her nose at his comment. "I don't know if personality is the word
I'd use." She hoped he was joking, but couldn't tell. "If I saw that
in someone's weyr, I'd think there must not have been anything else
available, or that they'd just asked to have any old chair brought
up."

"Maybe you could take it to say that I'm not big in partying," K'rel
remarked. "I've never been to a party that didn't make me want to
merge with the wall."

"Well, then I won't drag you to any parties. I promise." Kamalia
looked around, trying to find a sturdy but aesthetically pleasing
option. Anything to get them away from the ugly chair. "Look! Here's a
small table and two matching chairs." The table was round and a medium
brown color, with red undertones. She took a seat in one chair and was
pleased that it didn't wobble. Although, on closer inspection, the
chairs weren't an actual pair. They were pretty similar though. "This
isn't bad. You could get some nice cushions to make them more
comfortable; maybe a matching rug too. Or look," she pointed, "There's
a set there that's a lighter color."

K'rel chuckled, eyes following Kamalia even as he stood in place. "You
_really_ don't want me getting that ugly chair, do you?" he asked in
amusement.

"If I had the power, I'd make that chair disappear," she said
honestly. Then, in a more wheedling tone, "Come on! There are so many
better options."

K'rel laughed. "But who will give the poor chair a home if not me?" he
teased. Then, with an overdramatic huff, he finally stepped away from
the abomination. "I suppose I can consider some other options,
although I doubt they'll be better."

"Thank Faranth! Ok, let's get moving. You seem like the kind of person
who gets bored quickly and then ends up just choosing the closest
thing." She beckoned him over. "Come try out these chairs. You're
taller than me, so I don't know if they work for you."

K'rel hummed. "I'm not saying you're wrong," he said, which was about
as close to admitting that Kamalia was right as he was going to get.
He walked over to one of Kamalia's chosen chairs. After a few moments
of fidgeting, he struck a pose and asked, "How do I look?"

Looking at him seated, she was reminded that he was a pretty cute
bronzerider. A few Turns ago, she might have become overly giggly or
aggressively flirtatious, but she had learned some self-control. For
now, at least, she'd keep the conversation light. "Looks good! If you
like that color wood, maybe we can see if there's some similar pieces
for the rest of your weyr."

K'rel nodded thoughtfully. "Or... We could mix it up a bit, get a
different color for every piece of furniture." His smile grew a little
wider. "If I fool everyone who comes into my weyr into thinking that
I'm a complete baffoon, I can trick then with my competence."

Kamalia threw up her arms dramatically but couldn't keep a small smile
from tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You're impossible!" She
stood and headed over to a section that had some promising
nightstands. "One nightstand or two?"

"Just one," K'rel said. "The ugliest nightstand you can find."

"I don't know why I keep asking you questions. All your answers are
terrible." Kamalia looked over their options. "Are you a younger
brother? You're reminding me of some of my siblings."

"I'm going to choose to take that as a compliment," K'rel said. "But
no. I'm the oldest of three."

"Interesting. You don't act like an older brother." She looked at the
nightstands a final time and pointed. "That's the one you should take.
Now, do you want a chest for the foot of your bed? How about a
bookcase?

"I don't think I can frame _that one_ as a compliment," K'rel
murmured. Then, "I definitely need a bookshelf. Honestly, any chest I
get will probably end up full of books, too."

"Ok, then a tall bookcase. Maybe two." She looked around, wondering
which direction they should go. "You're taller than me. Do you see any
bookcases?"

K'rel peered around for a moment before gesturing toward the far side
of the room. "Yeah, over there." Then, with a raised eyebrow at
Kamalia, "It's a boring one, though. You willing to let me do safe and
boring?"

Kamalia shrugged. "Bookcases are pretty boring anyway." Besides, it
would be good for him to choose something for his weyr. "So, anything
you're looking forward to doing here at Dragonsfall?

"Living?" K'rel chuckled, shaking his head. "Faranth, I don't know. I
came here because I needed a fresh start, but I honestly don't have a
clue what that means."

Kamalia nodded, attempting to give off a sympathetic air. However, she
didn't have personal experience with needing a fresh start. The only
move she had ever made was to the Weyr, after being Searched, and she
couldn't imagine transfering. "Well, I think Dragonsfall Weyr is the
best in all of Pern, so I hope you like it here."

A quarter candlemark later, and the pair had successfully selected
enough furniture for K'rel, at least in the short term. And Kamalia
was pleased to have found a chair that was a similar color to the
remaining one in her weyr and, more importantly, that seemed sturdy.
"It was great to meet you, K'rel," Kamalia said with a smile. He was
cute, so she hoped to see him again. "Let me know if there's anything
I can help with, or if you change your mind about attending a party."

Last updated on the April 22nd 2024

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Choosing New Furniture