> The warrenlady sighed. Yes, she did have her hands full. But right now she
> needed to concentrate on matters at hand.
> 
> "Callana Blade," Cynthia repeated as she searched her desk, "Ah, yes, I
> have your transfer papers here."
> 
> "So, would you like to tell me a bit about yourself; your abilities,
> interests, anything else you want to tell me?"
> 
> The warrenlady listened closely to everything Callana told her. She noted
> that the woman only disclosed the bare minimum and was closely guarded
> about her past. Cynthia knew that she would not find out much today from
> this one.
> 
> "Well, if there is nothing else, I will send for Farr'in and he can show
> you around and get you situated."
> 

Callana considered her options very carefully, remembering Farr'in as
the one who had showed her in...

[Flashback/Dream]

"You're the one they call Blade, aren't you?"

Callana looked up, startled that the friendly voice was directed at her.
She looked up into the bright green eyes of one of her classmates, one
of the more popular ones, Tereketh.

"Excuse me?"  She wasn't sure she had heard his tone correctly.  He had
sounded nice to her, not patronizing, or scornful, or just plainly mean.

"You're Callana, right?" he said, studying her face curiously, as if he
tried to match her face to a name he had heard.  "Blade... really
doesn't suit you."

Callana's brows furrowed.  Shortly, all she could say was, "Really."

"Really," the young man smiled, a crooked, charming smile.  She had seen
him use it on the other, mainly female, members of her class.  She raked
a hand through her hair, pulling it from her face.  It was a familiar,
nervous gesture.  "You just joined?  The class, I mean.  You don't have
a dragon yet."

"No, I don't," Callana said.  "My sponsor enrolled me."

"Ah!" Tereketh smiled broadly again.  "A little more than a one-word
reply!   I must be getting somewhere."

"At least one of us is," Callana shrugged.  "I seem to be wasting my
time."

"Oh, no time with T'keth is /ever/ wasted," purred Merranie, coming up
behind Tereketh.  She draped one lithe arm over his shoulder, a low,
sensuous laugh escaping from her mouth.  T'keth shrugged out from
beneath her arm.

Callana just eyed her, while in the background, she could hear someone
chanting loudly, "Catfight!  Catfight!"

"Well," Merranie smirked.  "It looks like /T'keth/ is the one wasting
his time."  With that, she stalked gracefully off in a hip-swinging,
long-strided walk.  Callana's nose wrinkled slightly, her eyebrows
quirked distastefully.

T'keth, of all the ways to react, snorted.  "She tries too hard," was
all he said, adding a careless shrug.  "No sense of subtlety at all."

Callana shrugged, ever so slightly.  "I have a history paper to write-"

"For Ekela's class, of course.  I'm sorry to have kept you," T'keth
said, smiling again.  "'Kela can be such a crotchety old skin when it
comes to assignments.  Her class is tough.  If you want some help, feel
free to ask."

"Thank you for the offer," Callana replied neutrally.

"Any time," T'keth said, and again, smiled warmly.  Callana couldn't
help it this time; the corner of her mouth twitched, her eyes glinted. 
He turned, hefting his own bag of miscallaneous scholarly utensils and
texts, waved once over his shoulder, and strode off for his apartment.

[End Flashback/Dream]

"--get you situated," Cynthia was saying.  Callana's eyes focused.  She
could feel Slaire's comforting presence.  "Would you like that?"

<Were you listening, Slaire?> Callana sent quickly.

<Warrenlady Cynthia offered to call Farr'in to show you around.  You
should pay attention,> Slaire chided, oblivious to her rider's lapse.

<Sorry,> Callana replied hurridly, then cut off contact.

"He said he was in weaponspractice with ..ah.." she paused, trying to
recall the names.  "Ah, yes.  With Lenna and B'rand."

"Of course," Cynthia nodded.  "I can have someone else escort you-"

"No, thank you," Callana cut in smoothly.  "If you would be so kind as
to pass along directions to where they are holding this practice, I can
find my own way."  She patted the sword that was still slung across her
back.  "I'll need to be going there anyway."

Cynthia nodded, and gave her a small set of instructions.

"You will be assigned to a patrol shortly," Cynthia noted.

"All right.  Thank you," Callana nodded.  "Is there anything I can do
until I'm assigned?"

"No.  Take the time to aquaint yourself with your new surroundings,"
Cynthia smiled.  "It may take some time."

"I... don't get lost... very easily..." Callana said hesitantly.

"Oh, nothing'll suddenly change on you, that's for sure, but Cleft is a
fairly new warren, and things are always being built--"

Callana wasn't really listening.  Her face was pale, her fists were
clenched.  She fought down panic.  She could feel the sweat trickling
down the back of her neck, down her back.. it felt like blood...  The
warren wouldn't change suddenly on her.. not like the wastes.. it was
only sweat, only fear, not reality, not blood...

She fought for control.

"Are you all right?" Cynthia asked, realizing Callana wasn't listening. 
Outwardly,  Callana stood stiffly, staring straight ahead, her fists
clenched.  Her feet were braced slightly apart, as if she was trying to
stay upright on unstable ground.

Callana blinked, her fists relaxed, she stood easily again.  "I'm fine,"
she replied.  "Of course I'm all right."

"Then, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things to see to," Cynthia
said, her dismissal obvious.  Callana nodded, said her thanks again, and
exited the office.

The directions she had been given were clear, and she wound her way
through the Warren to find her way to the sparring area.

There were only a few people practising at this time of day.  She easily
spotted Farr'in, who stood with his back to her as he watched a man and
a woman dance across the ground in an intricate, deadly display of their
skill with a blade.

"Well," she muttered to herself.  "I wonder if I even remember how to
hold my own sword..."  She skirted the area, careful to stay away from
the other practising combatants.

She stood silently, watching the two two practice, a slow smile
stretching across her lips.

*It might not be so bad here, after all...*

===

NRPG:  Tag, Barb!

Submitted by:
Keri Rodgers
Callana Blade & Slaire

===