I am not a spoiled brat! (shifter/open)

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

3075.07.19 | Early Morning

Lavan was not particularly happy. In fact, not particularly happy was something of an understatement. Yes, being a Candidate was a high honor to be offered. Yes, as his father had pointed out after telling the Search rider that Lavan would certainly accept and Stand, it was the highest honor the Weyr could offer to a holder and was clearly yet another reconciliatory gesture from the Weyr to the Hold. After all, it wasn’t like Lavan was going to imitate his eldest sister and actually waste himself on Impressing anything. But no one had mentioned the chores! It wasn’t that Lavan objected to physical activity, after all it was a man’s sport to be able to climb and race sleds and fight, but chores? Like a common drudge! Was he not of the highest blood in the north? One of the most distinguished bloodlines in all of Pern, and they put him to tasks that belonged in the hands of a drudge, and a female one at that!

He didn’t even realize that he’d stopped scrubbing until someone came up behind him and smacked him, fairly lightly, all things considered, on the head with a ladle and told him to “stop daydreaming and get on with it”.

Lavan snapped, whirling around and slamming the kitchen worker against the nearest wall, hard.

“I’ve had it!” he snapped. “Honor or not, I refuse to be insulted by performing the work of a female drudge!” It would have been hard for any observer to tell which of the last two words he’d put more negative emphasis on.

Storming out of the kitchen, he grabbed the closest female he saw and pushed her in that general direction.

[shapeshifter]

Andromedae happened to be that female. She was immediately infuriated with the physical contact and before she saw the person's face she whirled around, "How dare you...." She trailed off and stopped for a moment, "What has you all riled up?" She inquired, assuming it was something to do with the chores she managed to dance around doing every day. She was not about to put herself in that position. She was going to be a rider, not some simple drudge in the kitchens!

Andromedae grabbed the boys hand and drug him down a corridor and to a side room incase anyone decided to follow him after his rampage. "So, who are you?" She asked as she shut the door behind them. There wasn't much in the room besides a few basket of glows, some bookshelves and a table with a few chairs surrounding it.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Lavan really hadn’t noticed anything about the girl, or rather, young woman, that he’d shoved towards the kitchens. If he had, he might have saved her for later and grabbed a different girl. She was tiny, a full foot shorter than him, but curved in all the right places, though he generally preferred a little more in the chest department. Her black hair was a new thing though, most the girls he knew had the blond or red hair of the North.

“Chores.” he growled, starting to try to brush past her. His face twisted in a brief grimace when her second sentence, after pulling him into a side room, was to ask who he was. What kind of ignorant nothing wouldn’t recognize his face? He might not have his father’s build, but he did have his father’s face and eyes. heck, now that he wasn’t wearing that dish-rag they called an apron, his clothes should have given it away immediately.

Of course, he’d even seen some others here who were from the South, perhaps the young woman had an honest reason for her ignorance.

“Lavan Kalarn, my father is Lord Holder Brencis Kalarn of Icy Caverns Hold,” Lavan answered, offering his hand for a formal introduction. He gave a slight bow as he did so. A proper Lordling always showed respect to woman of an acknowledged rank, and Candidate was an honorable rank to posses. After all, with her looks, it couldn’t hurt to set up a good claim early.

[shapeshifter]

Andromedae looked Lavan over, a handsome young man at that and not to mention, "You're a Holder's son?" She raised an eyebrow and did a half curtsey to show respect. "Well, allow me to introduce myself, I am Andromedae Bendam." She paused and let her eyes glance around the room.

"Either way, I figured dragging you in this room until the ruckus you just caused died down slightly. Those women can get a bit...hormonal so to say. I should know, I'm a woman too." She smirked and jokingly said, "At least one of us has the intelligence to dance around doing chores without showing out. I've managed to escape doing them. If it's not benefiting myself or my dragonet that I will Impress, then I don't care to do tasks in the Kitchens."

She backed up to the table and lifted herself onto it, crossing her legs and leaning forward to get a better look at Lavan. "So..." She let her sentence drift off, wanting to see what conversation this Lord's son would come up with.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

“Second in line to the only Major Hold nearby,” Lavan confirmed. His tone was casual; his gaze less so.

Andromedae explained her reasoning then, and Lavan laughed. Tossed back his head and roared with laughter. Here was a smart woman! Certainly worth spending some time with. Shards, she even knew at least the modicums of politeness, which Lavan had begun to doubt even existed in this place.

“That’s not a half bad plan,” he admitted. His voice ended not a moment too soon, for there were voices outside the door, and the sound of rushing feet. Clearly, a hunt was up for the absent Lavan, and it probably wasn’t so that dinner invitations could be delivered either.

Lavan rolled his eyes as the footsteps faded. “Just like drudges,” he commented. “Not enough brain to look anywhere except right in front of them.”

“You from around here?” he asked. Her dark hair made her look rather exotic in Lavan’s opinion, but that didn’t necessarily mean that she herself was from far away.

[shapeshifter]

Andromedae smiled and replied, "Well actually my mother and I spent a lot of time traveling. I don't know where we really ever started out but she wanted to experience all of Pern. I spent a good while in the Southern continent...but we came to a hold near here to settle until I moved to Ice Stone."

She then asked, "So how long have you been here, Holder's son?"

She looked the young, handsome Lavan over and decided to ask the question that burned in her mind, "Will you still try to run the Hold even after becoming a Rider?"

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Lavan thought for a second, then shrugged.

“I’ve only been here at the Weyr since the last Hatching as far as living here goes. If you mean this general area of Pern though… my whole life. I’ve gone to Conclaves in other places, but I’ve never lived anywhere else.” He was puzzled. Andromedae didn’t come across like Holdless, but if her and her mother traveled… perhaps they’d been traders?

Andromedae’s next question sparked a laugh. “Not unless my brother Mekeal doesn’t inherit for some reason,” Lavan answered. “He’s the first-born.”

“Where did you settle at?” he asked. It must have been a pretty small, and out-of-the-way, place. That was the only explanation he could think of for her not recognizing his family resemblance to the only Major Lord Holder for many days journey.

[shapeshifter]

"Well, actually we settled for a little while in a small village near the Harper Hall. Of course I grew up in a well to do social circle once we settled, interacting with Riders, Holders and CraftsMasters and Journeymen." She smiled and went on to add, "However, I moved here and she stayed to continue to schmooze Lord Holders and Craft Masters as always...if that gives you a hint is to why we traveled. My mother was a diplomat in a way, keeping the peace and boosting trade between Holds to better supply Weyrs."

Andromedae's short attention span only ceased after she turned 11 turns, after most of the major trading and mingling her mother made was done until her Candidacy.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Lavan certainly formed an idea as to why Andromedae and her mother had moved around based on Andromedae’s comment. Of course, it might not have been the right idea, but it was an idea. His interpretation of it was that Andromedae’s mother qualified for the term lady only because of being female. Which naturally made the diplomat comment come out of thin air.

“Harper Hall? Did you like it there?” he asked finally. No fault of the girl’s if her mother didn’t know how to properly settle, so pointless asking anything about that. There might have been a warning there, that the girl would be similar, but Lavan was uninterested in it. In general, though his family pride had always pleased his father, the company he kept had been, on occasion, quite under par.

"You learn to play anything?"

[shapeshifter]

"Harper Hall was fantastic! I didn't learn to play but I was taught to sing. Singing was my strong point, versus trying to play the flute or pipes." She shrugged and lifted herself from the table and walked a circle around Lavan, "So do you plan on returning to your Hold as Watch Guard after you Impress and graduate Weyrling training?"

Andromedae studied Lavan and oh was he worth it. Tall, nicely built, beautiful eyes...oh was he beautiful. She had a half smile grace her face as she locked eyes with Lavan, but it only lasted for a moment before she looked away.