I Know What My Future Holds

Writers: Jane, Vix
Date Posted: 27th July 2007

Characters: Tamaca, Tey
Description: Tey hires Tamaca to recopy a letter for her and in their discussion some unpleasant memories surface for both of them.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 5, day 3 of Turn 4

"More eggs soon," Tey said, as she entered the room the scribes used and paused beside one of the other Candidates of long-Standing. "Another opportunity," she said, amusement in her tone and on her face. After Standing so often it was hard not to laugh at the highs and lows of being a Candidate. "Excited yet, Tamaca?"

Tam uttered a low laugh. "I find it difficult to muster much excitement, though I do enjoy Hatching feasts. Clutchings are fun to watch as well - if the gold will let anyone near while she's popping them out. How about you, Tey? Ready to find that lifemate this time?"

"Always ready," Tey said, laughing. "Problem is that none of them have been ready for me, to date, and with two siblings who aged over the limit without Impressing I think I know what my future holds." She found a stool under the desk and perched on it. "They must have sent out the Searchriders again. There are new faces all over the Candidate classes."

"I've noticed," Tamaca remarked, with slight derision in her voice. "I hear that they're also allowing candidates from Dragonsfall to Stand at this Weyr's Hatching. Do you think perhaps they've lost faith in our ability to attract a hatchling's attention?"

"Have they? That's a new idea. Perhaps I shall ask to go to their next one." Tey couldn't actually imagine moving away from her family, but it was amusing to consider the idea.

The other young woman mused over that possibility. "There is always that, isn't there? It might be fun to adjust to some place new, meet new people." She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Not that I think the chances to Impress are any better elsewhere. If that happens, it happens, but I haven't time to worry over whether it may."

"Mmm. Well, that is a point. Do you have time to do a small job for me? A silly job, really."

"Of course," was Tam's reply. "I'm not really given any crucial work to do."

"Aren't you?" Tey looked around the room. "It all looks pretty important to me."

The other girl shook her head. "Anything of importance is given to journeyman scribes. I only made it to apprentice before leaving the craft and now that I'm no longer a harper, that also counts as a mark against me. My work is non-essential. But what did you have in mind?"

"I want a letter written out. I've done it, but I'm not very tidy and I don't think my spelling is very good. I promised I'd write, you see."

"That's not a problem, though if you'd ask one of the others it would be a much more professional job."

Tey looked at the other Candidate. "In what way?"

Tamaca turned one of the papers she had been writing so that Tey could see it. "I can write well. I'm neat and my letters are well-formed and even, and I'm able to stay fairly straight. However, I work only in the same types of paper and ink that most people would use on their own. If you contract a journeyman or higher to do it, you can have a letter that is written on fancier paper, with all sorts of flourishes or different colors of ink."

"Oh no! I don't even want him to know it wasn't me." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a fold piece of paper. "Here. It's to Nalin; he's a little boy. Nine, I think, but very clever. I don't want him to find mistakes in my letter, that's all."

"Even I make mistakes, Tey." Tam glanced over the letter. "This will be easy enough to do, but wouldn't it be better if I just pointed out the mistakes and you copied it over yourself?"

"No, no. I'm really messy. He's already neater than me - and I promised to write."

The scribe pulled a fresh sheet of paper into position in front of her and picked up a pen. "Does it really matter that much?"

Tey smiled. "Not to Pern, I suppose, but to me it does."

"If it means that much to you, I'll gladly do it." Tamaca copied the greeting of the letter in simple but neat penmanship. "But I'll bet that all he really cares about is _what_ you say."

"Maybe. He's R'harne's nephew, you know. Nalin. His mother went to live ..." she waved her hand vaguely that could have meant anywhere, "On the riverboats with her weyrmate."

"I'd heard about that." Tam set aside the pen and gave the other candidate a perplexed look. "I can't understand that decision. It's difficult enough to imagine committing to any one person as a weyrmate, let alone to leave the life you know for him."

Tey didn't have a problem with one day having a weyrmate - somebody like her sister's brownrider, R'harne. "And leaving here! I just couldn't imagine living anywhere else - and never away from my family."

Tam paused at the reminder of family, but forced her face into a neutral expression and picked up the pen. "I should get on with this."

"All right. Should I come back later?"

"Yes. No." Tamaca moved Tey's letter toward her. "You'd better stay -
it won't take long and then you can answer my questions if there's something I don't understand." She pointed to a word on the original document. "Like this - what does this say?"

Tey blushed. "Inexplicable?" she suggested, having puzzled over the spelling for quite some time.

"Mmm. . ." The scribe made the noncommittal sound as she continued to write, glancing up as she finished writing the sentence. "This time we'll try to spell it correctly."

"I'm hoping you can - 'cause I certainly can't!"

"I'll do my best." Tamaca continued to copy the letter, once or twice more questioning Tey as to the content of the original. Finally, she set aside her pen and blew gently on the inky words to dry them. "There
- how does this look?"

"Well it looks lovely to me," Tey said with a grin. "Do you think dragons care about spelling and a neat hand? Because if they do that would explain some things in my family."

"I doubt that it bothers them." Tam's reply was almost toneless. "L'car has always been very neat but T'din. . ." She paused, eyes unfocused.
"T'din had trouble remembering how to spell family names."

"Did he die?" Tey asked, hearing the past tense and thinking she recalled something like that. Lots of young riders - and many not-so-young ones - had died during the early 'Falls, her own sister included.

The other young woman nodded. "First Fall." She forced a smile as she looked toward Tey. "It's long enough ago that it shouldn't bother me, isn't it?" She rose from her seat, annoyed with herself with her show of vulnerability and eager to move on.

"It's not _that_ long ago," Tey said. "I sometimes think about my sister - not First 'Fall, but soon after - but then she never got along with the rest of us and ..." She shrugged. "It's awful to say, but we're happier without her. That makes me feel sad, sometimes."

Tam's feelings about T'din were not the same as Tey's toward her sister; Tam's brother had been her best friend, even after he had Impressed. Of course, she was _not_ going to admit that to Tey - or to anyone.
Instead she shrugged. "People are born, people die. It's the way it is."

"Uh-huh. Well as long as Nalin doesn't die before I have a chance to get this to him," she said, indicating the letter. "How much do I owe you, Tamaca?"

With a slight toss of her head, Tam cited the price set for such copying.

Tey dug into her pocket and pulled out her purse rummaging around in it until she found the right denomination of mark. "Thanks for your help.
I'm sure he'll love it and he'll write dragonlengths back to me." She grinned. "Lots of reward with little outlay when dealing with him."

"And on a riverboat as well," mused the scribe. "I imagine they see a side of life that would be quite strange to us."

"That's why I want to keep writing. Everything he talks about is different - and interesting."

"I still think he'd be just as happy with your writing," insisted Tamaca, "but let me know if you need my help again."

"I will. See you at classes, or on the Hatching Grounds."

"Probably," conceded Tam, and turned back to her work.

Last updated on the July 29th 2007

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I Know What My Future Holds