Did I pass muster?

Writers: Jane, Kaysea
Date Posted: 16th March 2007

Characters: Swift, Kateena
Description: Swift makes a new friend when Kateena transfers in for a while
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 3, day 12 of Turn 4

"Okay Civi, that's it for the day, I'm beat!" Kateena pulled herself up against the pier and sat down on the edge, her legs dangling over the side.

"Kaaattt tireddd." Civi chitted from the water below, "Ciiivviii tireddd toooo." He nodded his head in the water, his rostrum swatting the water, sending up a shower of water. "Looong swiiiim, biiig tirreddd." They had only been at Dolphin Cove a few days, and both were feeling the effects of the distance they had travelled. "Need fiiiiishhhh."

"Okay Civi, you go and find some fish, and I'll go find something for me to eat." She pushed herself up from the pier and made her way across the sands towards the dining hall.

Swift paused to nod a greeting at the journeywoman as she entered the hall. "Just take a seat. Special service when you're out of meal times." He indicated the tray he held by lifting it a little. "I'll be back in a moment. Just need to feed a couple of hungry visitors."

"Thanks!" she replied to the older man making his way through the tables.

The short walk up from the beach had been time enough for her to dry out a little, but she had had to detour a little to her quarters to grab a towel to dry herself off, and then she had decided to change into dry clothes. Her report was needed by tomorrow morning, so this afternoon would be spent busily writing, it seemed silly to stay in the thin hide she went swimming in.

"Now, I know you're new here, journeywoman, but I haven't heard your name," Swift said as he returned woman and the table she'd settled at.
"I'm Swift, sometimes in the kitchens, sometimes out here."

"By name and by nature?" Kateena laughed softly, "Sorry, I couldn't resist, the way you skittled through those tables, your name suits. And my name is Kateena, pleased to meet you Swift." She held out her hand and smiled widely, displaying white, even teeth in a generous mouth.

Swift took the young woman's hand, appreciating the gesture. Though he'd found dolphineers more egalitarian than many people, they still didn't often treat him as an equal on first meeting. "A pleasure to meet you, Journeywoman Kateena. And welcome to the Dolphin Hall at Dolphin Cove."

"Do you know, you're one of the only two people to have welcomed me to the Hall?" she smiled, "Then again, I've only spoken to the Hallmaster, you and one or two other dolphineers, and I can't even remember their names now. Isn't that terrible of me?"

Swift thought it was terrible that more people hadn't welcomed her. She was far from her home, and he thought he'd heard she was only at the Hall temporarily, surely people ought to have been taking much more of an interest in her? "Perhaps they're shy," he suggested, not about to voice his critical thoughts. "Now, what can I get you? Large meal?
Light meal? Snack food? And something to drink?"

"Hmmm, my stomach is telling me a large plate of whatever, but my head is telling me to keep it small. I have a lot of report writing to do this afternoon, and I'll fall asleep if I have too much to eat. What do you suggest?"

"Summer greens with cold meat which is ... smoke cured porcine. And an ale? Or juice."

"That sounds wonderful. Just what I need, and some fresh bread if you have it? A juice sounds, good too, but can I also have some klah, I need some stimulation and that would be ideal." While talking she had been concentrating on Swift's face and more importantly his eyes, light-grey - with an added sparkle. She judged him to be in his late fifties or early sixties, but he held his age well despite the somewhat leathery appearance of his face.

With a smile Swift nodded. "I won't be long." He headed off to the kitchens and started to assemble a light meal for the journeywoman, fending off questions from the other staff who were as curious as he was about the new face in the Dolphin Hall.

"But is she pretty?" one of the old women demanded.

"Very. Probably the most beautiful woman to have ever worked here,"
Swift said calmly, not missing a beat in his work.

"She's not _that_ pretty," the man on baking duties protested. "Just ordinary."

Swift reached around the man to the trays of small loaves and took one to add to the tray. "So, now you're back to not knowing anything, Atah," he said to the old woman as he passed where she sat cleaning vegetables. "Unless you get off your backside and have a peek for yourself."

A small knife was waved in his direction as he checked the tray and lifted it. "I might just do that."

Swift made a disbeleiving noise. Since Atah had been given a chair to sit in while she worked she had hardly stirred from it, suspecting everybody of having designs on the wobbly chair that was such a relief to her old joints.

Out in the dining hall Swift quickly checked the other diners to see if anybody else was looking for him but the few people all seemed to be settled. He headed over to the table Kateena had chosen.

Kateena smiled as Swift approached, he had the body of a swimmer and seemed to be light and agile on his feet as he wielded the tray of food deftly between the tables. "That looks good, and just what I need right now...." she said, as he neared; but her attention was suddenly distracted from Swift to the strange appearance behind him, two or three faces peered around the door to the kitchens.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked.

Swift blinked in surprise. "Not that I know of." He started setting the plates out before her. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm...or rather, _we're_ being watched.." she nodded in the direction of the kitchens. "Or did _you_ do something wrong?" she laughed, "Because someone did something...I'm thinking..."

The kitchen hand looked over his shoulder and then back at the journeywoman. "There was some debate over what you looked like. I think it's probably resolved now."

"Oh?" she looked bemused, "Did I pass muster?"

"More than pass muster." He found himself smiling at her for a moment before recalling himself to his duties and nodding at the table before her. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

*You?* She had to stop herself from blurting her thoughts out, as she cocked on eyebrow at his comment. What was it about him? "Erm, no, I don't think I need anything else, just now. If I think of anything, I'll know who to call." She picked up the fork he had brought her, and poked at the platter. "It looks great!" she declared, flashing him a wide smile, once again.

"We do try. Enjoy your meal, journeywoman."

Last updated on the March 16th 2007

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Did I pass muster?