From:  "M. David Lankford" <mdl_ww_stuff@hotmail.com>
Date:  Wed Jan 23, 2002  5:35 pm
Subject:  [DL-T] Finding a Balance

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[DL–T] Finding a Balance

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Morning, Day 3

Tanda glared daggers at Soucivi's back as they filed onto the green for
their morning training. He had some nerve pretending like everything was
business as usual! She’d practically thrown herself at him, the night of
the party, but he seemed determined to be nonchalant about the whole matter,
like it had been a mere matter of circumstance, completely unremarkable.

"Probably has young girls throwing themselves at him every day," she
grumbled under her breath. "No big deal at all, is it?"

The trainer was berating them for lateness, and that made Tanda’s mood even
fouler. The fellow looked as if he could have used three or four more
hours' sleep himself, and a proper meal besides, but why take it out on his
charges? Completely unfair. To make matters worse, he was making them run
the hatchlings through some stupid obstacle course – utter busy-work.

Eventually it came to be their turn. Tanda read the parchment slip that
contained her instructions, but when she looked up she saw Pepper already
headed for the colored balls the conjoined twins had manipulated during
their test.

<Pepper, no! We're supposed to do something different. The paper says->

<Who cares?> Pepper snorted, causing a tiny cloud of black flecks to appear
briefly. <This looks like more fun. I bet if I jump up and down on the red
ball, I can make it burst!>

<Pepper!> Tanda said, astonished. Was her dragon acting out because of her
bad mood? Or was Pepper just naturally feisty? <No breaking things, or
we'll get in trouble. Besides, I want to do well on this test. Head over
to that pile of sticks and logs, to your right past the water barrel.>

<Who cares about some stupid test?> Pepper wondered, gaze lingering on the
tantalizing red ball. Finally she reluctantly tore her attention away from
it and headed toward the woodpile.

<Don't you want to do better than the others? I know you're the best, but
*they* don't.>

<You're still mad at Dargen's rider, aren't you? OK, I *have* to do better
than *them*, I guess. What's my task?>

Tanda was relieved that Pepper was cooperating at last, though it was
worrisome that she seemed mainly motivated by spite. Tanda did her best to
ignore that for the moment, concentrating.

<We're supposed to use two sticks to lift a bigger stick.> She frowned.
<That seems odd.>

Pepper gripped a twig in one claw, then tried to grasp another in her mouth,
only to bite right through it. She huffed indignantly, once again sending
black flecks swirling. She selected a slightly larger stick for her second
effort, and soon was waddling back and forth, trying to angle her two sticks
underneath a third stick. She managed it once, but the third stick,
precariously balanced between the other two, was actually smaller than one
of the supports, so it didn't count. Her next target was so heavy that one
of her support twigs snapped, forcing her to start over.

<This is ridiculous!> Pepper fumed, losing her resolve. <What a stupid
test!>

<There's got to be a way,> Tanda reasoned, <or else they wouldn't have
asked us to...>

<Unless it's a trick question and they're just seeing how long it takes us
to say it can't be done!> Pepper was silent for a long moment. <Warton
says I'm giving up way too easily,> she grumped.

Tanda balled her hands into fists. Her head ached. This test wasn't
busy-work after all; it was strenuous, trying to school her own thoughts and
maintain some sort of balance, all while Pepper's volatile mood kept
teetering from playfully destructive to sullen, then back again...

Balance? Teetering? <I have it!> Tanda thought triumphantly. <Pepper, go
roll that small log out away from the rest of the pile!>

<I can barely lift it by itself, let alone use it to pick something else
up,> Pepper complained.

<You don’t need to lift it,> Tanda coaxed, <just roll it into position.
Yes, that’s good. Now go get that long, flat plank... drag it, yes, you’re
doing fine... okay, lift the plank and set it across the first log,
longways. No, I meant the other way. Yes, like that.>

<No way I can lift both of those at once,> Pepper groaned. <At least not
until I'm bigger!>

<You don't have to lift them, we're supposed to use *them* to lift a bigger
piece of wood. That log, over there… that should work.>

<You're crazy! I can't lift that one at all! It probably weighs more than
I do!>

<Can you at least nudge it around a bit? Until it's on the edge of the
plank?>

<I'll try.> Pepper did so, with some effort. <But it's still too heavy to
lift!>

<Never mind that. Just jump up onto the longer end of the plank.>

<You do it!> Pepper sassed back.

<You were anxious enough to jump up and down earlier! Pretend it's the red
ball, if that helps.>

Pepper grudgingly flopped onto the upward end of the plank, and was
astonished as it slowly sank under her weight, elevating a chunk of wood
heavier than herself on the other side.

<It's magic!> Pepper marveled.

<It's a teeter-totter,> Tanda grinned to herself. <A simple toy, one that
lets a small child lift a larger one off the ground, as long as the heavier
person sits closer to the balance point.>

<It's fun!> Pepper jumped up and down on one end, making the whole
contraption vibrate.

<That's nice,> Tanda agreed, <but we have more tasks to do...>

<Forget it!> Pepper declared. <I'm going to stay here and play on my magic
teetotter.>

<Pepper...> Tanda chided.

<Oh, okay. You're such a grump today,> Pepper groused. <But as soon as
training is done, I'm going to come back and play some more...>


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[a short time later...]

>[snip from Andre’s "Behold the Power of Meat"]
>
>"You're only finished when everyone else is finished. And from I can see
>your team still has one person who's having some trouble." [Eth’n] said
>pointing at a grunting figure with brown hair messy with cow blood.
>"Give her a hand and then you're done. With the cow at
>least." He smiled and turned his back to Soucivi. Soucivi walked to the
>grunting figure, put on his most charming smile, and said, "Need a hand?"
>Tanda looked up
>at him and glared acidly.
>
><See! Meat does help!> Dargen cheered from beneath his tree.
>
>[end snip]

Tanda took her time before answering, since her emotions seemed to catch her
off guard lately. She really found it difficult to tell if Pepper's moods
influenced her own, or vice versa. In any case, an offer to help shouldn't
be answered rudely – even if he *did* sound smug while offering.

"I don't *need* help," she said, tossing her matted hair in a gesture that
failed to look as casual as she hoped, "but I would accept it anyway. For
Pepper's sake, of course. She's hungry."

"Of course," Soucivi agreed, and thankfully he had the good sense not to
smirk. The two of them worked side by side in silence for a while, until
he eventually he cleared his throat. "I still don't understand why you’re
so angry with me," he began. She began to interject, but he hurried onward.
"I'd like to apologize and smooth things over, if that’s possible."

"Why?" Tanda asked, eyes narrowed. "What difference does it make whether
I'm upset?"

He blinked at her uncomprehendingly. "Why?" he puzzled. "We're riders,
we’re going to have to work together on a regular basis. We’ll have to
depend on each other, protect each other... why wouldn’t I want to make
friends with someone I’m bound to spend so much time with?"

"Friends," she repeated softly, almost too softly for him to hear. "Fellow
riders, comrades." Her eyes went dull and faraway for a long moment, and
she looked devastated. "Of course." Suddenly she focused her attention on
him again. Now her eyes flashed as they met his, and she smiled at him,
albeit raggedly. "Can never have too many friends, no sir!" She hacked
through the joint she'd been working on, and tossed the bloody gobbet toward
Pepper, who munched loudly on it. "Thanks for the help, Friend. I'm glad
we've come to an understanding..."

"Tanda...?" Soucivi was puzzled. This was better than her shrieking at
him, but something still seemed to be wrong. "Are you-"

"I'm fine!' she insisted, jumping to her feet. "Thanks for your concern,
and for the help. I’ll see you later. Friend." She smiled brokenly for a
moment, then bolted, leaving Pepper to her meal.

"That makes even less sense than before," Soucivi murmured, bewildered.

<Maybe that wasn’t quite enough meat,> Dargen said sympathetically. <Try
more next time.>

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[Day 3, late afternoon, Telnor medical]

Ada gasped and sat bolt upright in bed, her damp shift clinging to her in
chilly patches. She managed to muffle the scream she’d almost made, so
that it came out as a whimpering murmur instead. The sound nevertheless
attracted attention.

"You're awake!" Libby beamed as she entered, grasping her hand and feeling
her forehead. "Fever's broken at last. We were really worried about you,
you kn-"

"There's no time for that!" Ada gasped, flinging herself out of bed and
stumbling to the floor. She resisted Libby's attempts to help her up,
flailing her way across the room and seizing her outer clothes from where
they had been laid neatly across the back of a chair. "K'drik's alive!"

"Your friend from Keldarra?" Libby said calmly, trying to approach Ada
again. Her tone was gentle, but her worried expression indicated that she
thought Ada might still be delirious, fever or no. "Yes, you mentioned
worrying about him before. But him alive is a good thing, right?"

Ada shook her head. "I mean, he’s alive *now*, but he won't be for long.
Not unless we go save him..." she dressed in a frenzy, resisting efforts to
be helped back to bed.

'"da, you’ve had a rough couple of days. You’re in no condition to..."

" HAVE to be!" Ada cried, anguished. "Don't you see? If I wait until I'm
well, it'll be too late..."

"How do you know all this?"

"I don’t know!" Ada admitted. "Those dreams... now that I'm awake again,
it's just a feeling... but I've never been more certain in my life."

"Well, just let us make sure that you're well enough to leave, and then you
can-"

"No!" Ada dodged around Libby and careened down the hallway, narrowly
avoiding colliding with an orderly cleaning the floor. "I've got to leave
NOW." She stumbled out into the afternoon sunlight, blinking against the
brightness.

<Xye! Hurry!> Ada cast around with her thoughts. <Xye, honey, please...
you’ve just got to be well enough to fly, now... I need you!>

She paused. <He needs *both* of us.> Ada blinked back tears. <Finally,
someone needs us...>

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Respectfully Submitted,

Dave Lankford
Ada & Xye
Tanda & Pepper
Konrad the Pest