DCW-HH: Short-Tempered and Grumpy

Writers: Jane
Date Posted: 9th June 2007

Characters: Tarehg, Grehga
Description: Tarehg gets some unwelcome advice from a healer apprentice.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 4, day 17 of Turn 4

The master dolphineer had an office that was his sanctuary. He had been
at the Hall less than four months but already people knew better than to
disturb him unnecessarily. Apprentices, journeymen, annoying
journeywomen like his former wife; even most of the masters ambushed him
out in the corridors or the classrooms if they wanted to talk to him
since his temper was notably shortened by being disturbed in his office.

Sadly the intimidation which worked so well with most was completely
ignored by his granddaughter. Not just any granddaughter; Grehga was a
deliberate insult to his view of life. Bright, bouncy, always happy
with the world - all of which distracted from her very clever mind in
his opinion and, more importantly, all that cheerfulness grated on his
nerves.

"What do you want?" he growled before the twelve Turn old was all the
way into the room. Not that any amount of growling would stop her. She
was oblivious to subtlety and impervious to bluntness.

"Just came to say hello to everybody," she said, grinning at her
grandfather. There was something in her expression that suggested that
she was well aware of how little her cheerfulness was welcomed. "And to
give you some advice."

"Just what I need. Advice from a half-grown apprentice – and not a
proper apprentice at that." He had a straight-edge in his hand and he
used it to poke at the knots at Grehga's shoulder. What had possessed
her to become a healer he couldn't understand, when all her family were
dolphineers and in this backwards Continent she couldn't even go to the
Hall to do her study. Instead she lived at the Weyr, of all places, and
close enough that she could come back and pester him whenever she wanted.

"If I wasn't a healer I wouldn't have this advice to give you," she
said, pulling the straight edge out of his hand and swishing it through
the air like a weapon. "It's about your hip."

Tarehg eyed the flailing straight edge and thought his granddaughter was
probably wise to arm herself. "What about my hip?" he grumbled. People
were always trying to interfere in his life – something he thought would
stop when he and his former wife had ended their marriage. It was
typical of his luck they had both applied for transfers to the Hall near
Dolphin Cove; and just as typical of his previous Hallmaster to say
nothing and approve both applications.

"We had a lesson on pain relief. Why it's necessary. Did you know –"
The straight edge stopped swishing for a moment and she looked earnestly
at her grandfather though not without a faintly discernable air of
amusement about her. "- that being in constant pain - chronic pain,
healers call it – without pain relief can make people _short-tempered_
and _grumpy_?"

"Is that so?" the master dolphineer muttered under his breath but it
seemed Grehga didn't need any encouragement from him.

"I mentioned this to Grandma –"

Tarehg didn't like the way the conversation was going. He could predict
the punchline to the tale and felt justified in wishing his
granddaughter didn't have such a smart mouth on her. Bouncy, cheerful,
and with a lack of respect for him he found very unappealing. It was
probably a good thing she had decided to inflict herself on the healers.

"- and she said you had been short-tempered and grumpy long before you
broke your hip."

That was better than he'd been expecting. And probably true.

"_And_ she said that not even the whole Weyr's supply of numbweed would
improve your attitude, though an overdose of fellis might."

Much more what he had been expecting. "Well I hope you thanked her
nicely for her professional opinion but when I need advice from a healer
I won't be consulting a journeywoman dolphineer who hasn't the
wherewithal to make master, nor a healer apprentice of some three months
standing." He reached out and snatched the straight edge from Grehga's
hand. "Is that clear?"

Grehga got to her feet, her smile wide and her small body almost dancing
with delight at the success of her teasing. "And abusive toward people
who care about them. It's exactly like they said!"

"I'll give you abusive ..." Tarehg threatened, but he was talking to
himself. The all-too-quick Grehga was off again, and he was sure he
could hear her laughing as she went.

Last updated on the June 21st 2007

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DCW-HH: Short-Tempered and Grumpy