< Ashelle, in the dining hall >

  Ashelle listened to the compliments from Mara, and had the good grace to
blush...then felt quite nervous at meeting the Warren's Bard.  Now..to get
up the nerve to talk to her directly about her love of singing!

> Then the young girl recognized the Warren's bard coming toward them and
> leaned toward Ashelle when she sat down after her song, "*That's* Analise!"
> 
> "Mara, are you going to introduce me to your friend," Merissa's mother
> asked stepping up to them.
> 
> Mara nodded. Not having any kind of musical talant at all, the woman had
> never paid anymore attention to her then did anyone else. Well at least she
> did remember her name, "This is Ashelle."
> 
> "That was an wonderful song, Ashelle."
> 
> "Thank you." Ashelle blushed, "Acutally it was just something I made up for
> the baby."
> 
> "Baby??" Analise looked down at the carriage, noticing the baby for the
> first time. "Oh, how beautiful." She began to fawn over the child.
> 
> Mara grinned, "It's Oberon. Merissa and Th'rin's baby."

  Ashelle stifled a giggle, having sort of figured out what Mars was
talking about earlier.  She *thought* it was something about adoption, ro
she guessed so, anyhow.

  Taking a breath, and keeping her voice steady, as she often had when
talking to customers at the tavern, she looked at Analise with respect,
and managed a smile.

  "M'am?  Might it be possible to speak with you for a few moments, if you
aren't busy?  It was suggested that I speak to you about my singing."

  Analise blinked, and then nodded, maybe the girl had talent, maybe
not...the song was a bit rough, but she'd sung it better than some she'd
heard.  She certainly had guts.

  'Shel went on, everything coming out in a tumbled rush.  "You see, I
sing, well..sang in a tavern near Killaglen, and I know quite well that I
might not Join with a dragon here.  I love to sing, and was wondering if
there was a place that I might sing to entertain the other riders?  Or
barring that...maybe you could teach me to sing better??"

  Analise's jaw dropped.  Guts?  Nope..this one was as daring as they
came.  If she didn't know better, it sounded as if she wanted to
apprentice to be a Bard!

  For once, the Warren's Bard was at a loss for something to say.  But say
something she would, as soon as she thought of something!

---------------------------------------------------------

> Mara'd noticed him the moment he stepped into the dining hall. And try as
> she might, she couldn't stop herself from following him with her eyes. She
> felt her face burn as he noticed her and smiled.
> 
> >"Hello Mara," he said with a friendly grin. He nodded to the black haired,
> >odd eyed girl and flashed a dazzling smile at the baby.

  Ashelle looked up, and sighed softly.  Now this was a much nicer looking
young man than her silly brother, that was for sure!  And she caught the
blush on Mara's face, smiling.

> "Hi," Mara said softly, trying not to let her voice crack as she spoke.
> That was about all she could do as she sat watching him. She studied his
> face, thinking how nice it was .. She grinned stupidly. He did have a nice
> face ..
> 
> >"I'm Ashelle," she said with a smile. "Join us?"
> 
> >He shrugged and sat down. "I'm Nalin- no N'lin now I suppose," he said
> >with a half smile. Being N'lin was going to take a bit more getting used
> >to. "You here for the hatching?"

  'Shel nodded, and smiled...a flush of excitement on her face.  Whether
it was from her talk with Analise or her thoughts of a possible Joining,
it was hard to tell.

  "Yes, I am.  And I'm not sure whether to be nervous, or happy about it.
What was it like to Join?  I might write a song about it."

> Mara continued to watch the young man as he talked to Ashelle. She felt a
> silly grin on her face .. he was sooo nice!
> 
> It wasn't to much later when Mara had to leave N'lin and Ashelle. She had
> to get Oberon back to the apartment before Merissa or Th'rin decided to go
> looking for him. She didn't want them to worry.
> 
> She sadly waved to the two and headed home.

  Ashelle waved at her new friend, and smiled.  "See you later, maybe?"
Then turned to look at N'lin with a puzzled expression.

  "She appeared sad, I hope it wasn't anything I said?  Did you two want
to be alone or something?  I would have left..."

------------------------------------------------

< Ashelle, later that day, I think >

[NRPG:  I'm not sure of the timeline here, sorry.  I'm not sure when
Xanthia ran out, but I'm doing this after the chat with Analise, please
correct if necessary.]

Ashelle had talked with Analise at some length, and was wandering around
in a sort of daze.  She couldn't believe that she'd had the utter nerve to
even suggest having the Bard help her.

She could just imagine how fast that would spread around the Warren, and
the Searchling Barracks!

> Th'rin watched her in surprise. She didn't seem all that happy to know that
> she had family. What was wrong with her? She should be thrilled! Especially
> when it came to such a perfect baby as Oberon.
> 
> >"No." Xanthia said finally, after considering all the facts.
> 
> >"No?" Th'rin asked.
> 
> >"Not my nephew. Hair and skin, too dark. Eyes are violet, not blue."
> 
> >"I already explained that," Th'rin told the redheaded girl, "Pa'gan's skin
> >was very tan and his hair was black, like Oberon's. But his mother Aradia,
> >had violet eyes. Oberon has his father's hair and complexion, his mother's
> >eyes."
> 
> He stared in shock as she suddenly took off in a run. He and Merissa looked
> at each other for a moment. "Maybe I should .." he began.
> 
> Merissa shook her head. "No, love. I think she needs some time to sort all
> this out. It's a lot for a person to take in. Let her be for now."

  'Shel was wandering around, looking for a place to sit and think...as
she really didn't want to go back to the Searchling Barracks just yet.
Finally, she spotted a likely place and headed towards it.  As she got
closer, she spotted what at first appeared to be a clump of rags against
the wall. But as she finally got nearer, she realized that this was a
person, a young girl from the looks of her, and she was not only crying,
but rocking back and forth.  And she appeared to be in a good deal of
pain.

  Dropping to a squat near the young girl, she spoke very softly, for fear
of startling her.

  "Hello...are you all right?  Do you need a healer?  Are you hurt?"  She
settled to a cross-legged position, and watched worriedly...wondering if
she should run to the Warren Healer...she was certain she'd be able to
find him or her.  "Can I help?"

  Deciding that maybe someone more experienced with medical matters was
needed, Ashelle stood quickly, and softly spoke as she turned to go.
"Stay here, I'll be right back.  I'm going to get you some help."

  She took off at a mad run, slamming into a rider, and apologizing
profusely as she asked where the Healer was...then almost skidding into
the office, looking around.

  "Hello?  I need a Healer, fast!  There's a young girl, and she's in a
lot of pain!"

[Tag: Morgie, Kris]

[NRPG:  I was going to see Th'rin, but I think he's busy, I dunno who to
have come back with me, sorry.]

-------------------------------

Jeanette
Ashelle/Oaklah-to-Be * WhiteRiver