A Stitch in Time (Muze)

[Alyx]

Joia

She looked a little like a catfish with the way the strings dangled from her mouth; Joia sat cross-legged on her bunk in the quiet of the quarters, stitching at the tear in the pale, soft fabric in her lap. It would be a shirt when she was done, but for the moment it just looked like scraps of fabric. The spare strings bounced as she frowned, her attention on trying to get the sharding needle threaded. It took over a dozen tries, but finally the tiny thread slipped into the needle's eye; Joia smiled. “About time, you stupid little thing.”

Tugging the thread through, she twisted it around and made sure it was well and truly secured before she stabbed the needle into the bed near her knee and shuffled the fabric around. Matching the seams was easier than threading the needle, and within moments she was tugging the needle free of the bed and set about setting the first of the form to the shirt, humming softly as she did. She wanted to finish it before it got warmer; it was meant to be summerwear – light and breathy fabric that would make it easier to deal with the warmer months.

If she finished it in time, she could give it to the intended owner before she made S’bol take her home ...

( tovaana basic start, hope its okay)

[tovaana]

Candidate Muze;

She had a rare moment of silence. Of course there was the murmur of people and the occasional person that passed her in the hall…but in terms of things to do, she had a moment to herself until she was needed for other chores later that evening. She let out a sigh; glancing around and examined the passageways she was traveling through. The first seven-days she was there she had been lost all of the time, but now she was getting used to the new caverns. She hummed intermittently to herself, enjoying the moment as she wandered aimlessly. She ended up finding a bucket with soapy water near where other chores were being done. Did she really want to clean in her spare moment?

Muze chewed softly on the inside of the lip in thought and finally crouched to pick it up and a rag. She would only need it for a moment and she could bring it back. She’d wanted to clean her part of the quarters. It was one thing when others did it quickly as a chore, it was another when she had the time to spend a little more time and get the spots that were often missed. It was a shame she was thinking of it then, but why not?

She walked awkwardly with the bucket in one hand, switching sides when one arm got sore. When finally arriving at the girl’s barracks she paused at the entrance to who else was in the room. At first she perceived the room as empty, but it was only one glance and the soft humming had blended with the other distant noises. Since she had perceived herself as alone, her firelizard jumped at the opportunity and appeared above her. The green firelizard flapped in the space above her, creeling sadly and landing sloppily on shoulder. At home she had had more time to be alone, but here Coyli was finding it harder to have time to Muze all to herself.

“Oh, you silly thing.” She said, dropping the bucket as she helped her pale green friend situate around her shoulders, and as she settled she wrapped her tail around her neck. With a sigh she picked up the bucket and headed into the room, eying Joia curiously as she dropped the bucket off by her bunk. Muze wiped her hands on her pants and stretched her hands as she peered over to where Joia sat, splayed with threads and pieces of material. Her eyes glanced up to Joia’s face to see how she felt about her disrupting her silence.

“Whatcha doing?” Muze asked from her own bunk leaned a little on her tip toes to see if it would give her a better vantage point. Coyli stayed quiet and huddled on her shoulders, hiding under Muze’s short crop that had grown to her shoulders. Muze felt like she was hiding, but she knew it was her little friend’s feelings that she was feeling.

[Alyx]

Joia

Joia looked up gently as the footsteps announced another person coming into the girls’ barracks. The strings still dangling from her mouth, she rolled her lips to keep a grip on them as she tilted her head. She frowned around them, trying to jog her memory. She had not been the best as getting to the newer candidates, mostly because she just didn’t want that pain again. But she had been in the barracks with them, and lessons with most… at that’s the ones she hadn’t been able to dodge. Still, in spite of watching the girl haul the bucket of wash water into her little area of the far-from-private barracks, Joia couldn’t remember her name.

A moment later, Joia nearly put the needle into her thumb and remembered she was stitching. Smart girl, bleeding on light blue fabric would not be the best idea now. She rolled her tongue against the roof of her mouth, trapping the string so she could swallow without, you know, accidently swallowing the strings. The girl was talking, but Joia didn’t think it was to her? A lot of the new girls had pets; firelizards, a few canines, and at least one of those spitter things she thought. Maybe she should get a puppy or something, next Gathering…

Joia could almost sense the girl focus on her, but didn’t look up. She focused on the stitching; tiny little over unders that would secure the right arm to the back of the shirt. At least she didn’t jump at the question? Joia tucked the needle into the fabric, pulling it out and tugging the string secure before glancing up, strings pinned between her lips. “Sewing a shirt for a friend.” She talked around the string rather easily, without moving just the front of her lips that held the strings in place – it was a learned weaver’s skill.

“What about you? Cleaning up your space?” Joia nodded her head gently at the bucket by the other girl’s bunk, then dropped her eyes to the garment to keep stitching. tovaana

[tovaana]

Muze;

Sewing? She glanced once more at the pieces everywhere. A shirt? She tried to imagine all of the pieces together, but couldn’t make out where the sleeves or body would be…in fact; she didn’t see the shirt at all. She leaned back, as she hadn’t been invited and remembered how Vavi would often get after her for hovering when he was doing something. Though, Vavithan being her brother – he would get after her and then simply move her to a spot where she could watch without getting in his way. But he had never sewn before.

“Cool.” The most ‘sewing’ she’d ever done was weaving nets for catching fish, but the shirt seemed a lot more complicated than a simple net. “Like, a fishing net… but with a lot more appendages... and the nets were more like weaving and knots than anything else,” she said, resting a moment on her bed. Coyli was beginning to relax around her neck, sensing that she was not under any scrutiny.

“You know, you look like the eight legged creatures from the ocean that I used to see sometimes…back at the hold I came from.” Muze carefully avoided the word home, it had only been home because Vavithan had been there with her. Also, she wasn’t so ungrateful for all she had learned; it just hadn’t been… home. She said the phrase thoughtfully, but realized it may need a little more explanation. “I mean, with all your threads and whatnot…”

Alyx

[Alyx]

Joia

Like a fishing net? Joia hoped not! Fishing nets had all sorts of holes in them, and well… shirts weren’t supposed to have holes! She tugged the needle through the fabric, pulling the thread through after it as she stitched at the new garment. She wasn’t sure if she should correct the other girl or not, but really, what would be the point? Correct or and she might get mad and leave; but then, wasn’t that what Joia wanted? To keep people at a distance so it was easier to leave when the time came? After all, she was already going to have to deal with the pain of leaving Nova and Tak’ril behind.

The girl’s next words were more confusing for Joia, but the quick explanation made the weaver smirk around the threads pinned in her lips. That she was from fishercraft stock made a bit more sense now, with the nets reference and all. Joia scrunched up her nose and wiggled it from side to side, making the threads bounce around her lips and cheeks like an eldery man’s or an upset feline’s whiskers, then smile at the other candidate. “It helps me not lose my lines in the bedcovers while I’m working. Normally at home I’d have a workbench, but here, well..” She gave a shrug. “They are more interested in us learning weyr life I think then continuing holder skills.”

Joia pushed the needle into the fabric again, tucking a few more stitches into the hem of the shirt before she gave a little sigh. Well, since the girl was here, it would be rude not to at least introduce herself, right? Giving the thread a firm tug to set the stitch, Joia looked back over at the other candidate. “I’m Joia, by the way. Weaver by trade. Sorry I didn’t say something sooner. When I get working on something, I sorta tunnel focus on it.”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Muze;

Muze grinned as she wriggled her nose and watched the strings bob around her mouth. She swayed her own legs, scuffing the uneven ground under her feet lightly from her bedside. Her brown eyes shifted to her feet as she listened to the girl explain her reasoning for the threads. She wondered though at the last words, when she mentioned holder skills. Her legs paused and she looked back to the girl curiously, chewing lightly on the inside of her cheek.

“I’m Muze. Fishercraft by trade… and my brother does that when he’s working on boats. I do that when I’m day dreaming.” She said with a grin.

Her head tilted slightly, as if the new perspective would help her see the shirt in progress. The fact that she was making the clothing for a friend told Muze she was kind, but she also wondered why the friend hadn’t just gone to the weavers in the hold…but then just a moment ago she had made a remark about how the Weyr was more interested in Weyr life, than holder crafts. It was true that if she wanted to do any fishing or anything related to her previous life (if it indeed would stay in the past tense…) that she had to do it on her own time.

“I guess… I guess that’s a good idea, especially if I don’t impress. I mean, I can’t stay a candidate forever.” She mused with a stiff sigh, her eyes focusing on the girl’s thread work. “What other things can you make?” She asked with curiosity.

[Alyx]

Joia

A part of Joia was happy her earlier, colder behavior hadn’t driven Muze off. The little weaver hadn’t made much move to make friends with the newer candidates as they came in, which limited her circle of interaction to Nova and Shin – not exactly a wide base for conversation there. Nova was good enough company, and he made her smile, but Shin varied between annoyingly charming to pigheadedly stubborn. She had friends outside the candidates… at least, sort of friends? But most, like Mizao and Karo she didn’t really speak to anymore. Aleni she avoided like the other girl was going to burn her if she got to close. More recently, there was Tak’ril… but…

Pushing thought of the Bronze Weyrling away, she refocused quickly on Muze’s words. “Your brother is a candidate too then? Where you Searched together?” Somehow, that surprised Joia. Did they normally take more than one sibling? Well, She knew people born in the Weyr had several Dragonriders in their families, so why it be different for Holdborn? Muze’s tone made her feel she might have made the girl doubt being here for some reason and instantly felt bad about it. It wasn’t Muze’s fault that Joia wasn’t fitting in here, that she was broken and shouldn’t be on the sand –

Joia buried the reaction with a rush, coughing softly around the strings. “I’ve always liked weaving, and colors. So I normally do it to keep myself busy, or when I need to think about things. One of my regular chores here is actually mending clothing and leathers so, you could say I’m at least somewhat okay at it?” Tugging the needle in and out of the fabric for a few more stitches, she gave a soft nod. “Don’t worry too much about being a candidate forever. With as many Golds as Mavros has, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of chances to Impress before that becomes a thought you need to worry about.”

Joia ducked including herself in that comment, moving on to the girl’s question instead. “Let’s see… I can stitch basic items like shirts and leggings, and mend almost anything. I’m not good with large bedding, but I can quilt fairly well with a few tiny, fancy stitches my mother taught me.” Joia gave a bright smile. “And I’ve made myself a dress or two. I like to make my own things, that way they look how I want.”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Muze;

“Yeah, we were.” She grinned at the memory. “I think he came more to watch over me, but I think he’d make a great dragonrider.” She said with chuckle and grin. She stood up suddenly, hopping to her feet and found a bed closer to Joia to sit on, so she could admire her work closer, forgetting about the pail at the foot of her bed. She felt Coyli tighten slight as she moved closer to company, but relaxed after a few moments, lulled back into sleep at the sound of Muze’s voice.

“True.” She agreed, though not totally convinced. Her father had told her for so long that she couldn’t amount to anything, even with her brother’s contrasting words, the poison had set into some of her foundation. Why would a dragon want her? She didn’t know anything about thread fighting, her skills as a fisher would not help them in the sky. She took eagerly to the change in pace of the conversation as Joia started to mention the different things she could do.

“Dresses?” She repeated in awe. Dresses were not practical or necessary in her hold. Sure, they had parties, and sure – her mother had given her an old dress of hers… but it hadn’t fit very well, and Muze had left that at home in the dusty corner of her room. She blinked out of her stupor. “Can I see them sometime?” She paused, looking over the thread covered girl. “When you’re not so… buried?” She grinned, her short legs kicking slowly at the edge of her bed. This was nice. Joia’s company was far different than the company of her brother. She liked her brother, but he was family – Joia was a girl, and she seemed down to earth. Perhaps they’d impress to dragons from the same clutch. She’d like that.

Alyx

[Alyx]

Joia

Joia was pleased she was able to swing the conversation around back to the positive. She scolded herself mentally; she shouldn’t put doubts in the heads of the new candidates like that. They weren’t broken like her; they didn’t need to dwell on the chance of being left standing, alone on the Sands. They should look forward to the future… rather than dwelling on falls of the past. 'That’s almost logically sounds of you.' Shut up, I wasn't talking to you.

She shoved the voice away, burying the darker wandering of her sanity in the back of her thoughts as Muze’s voice pulled her back to the conversation. She smiled at the thought of the girl’s brother accepting the Search just to keep an eye on her and laughed. “With luck, you’ll Impress together. Wouldn’t that be neat.” It would, maybe? As long as her brother wasn’t too overbearing? But then, it would be hard to hover someone else when learning to be a Dragonrider she supposed.

The other girl moved to a bed closer to Joia, and Joia surprised herself by welcoming the company. Perhaps another friend or two would make the next few months bearable until she could convince S’bol to let her go home. Plus, something about Muze reminded Joia of herself when she got here; a little lost, but so eager. The other girl’s reaction to Joia’s comment about making dresses was as plain as the stars in the night sky and Joia couldn’t help but grin.

“I don’t see why not. I have a blue one I did for the last graduation feast I could pull out to show you later.” She looked at the scraps around her, then back to Muze. Almost instantly, Joia’s eye tried to guess the girl’s measurements, and what colors might look best on her – a blue, maybe? Or a yellow… Muse was a bright personality, so something with color would be a must. Joia dropped her eyes back, tucking and tugging the thread through the seam she was working on.

“So, how are you liking the Weyr anyway? Settling in alright, or still trying to find your footing?” Joia wasn’t sure why she asked, but the words tumbled past her lips without much resistance. “Not sure what they told you when you got here, and I know we don’t get real lessons till eggs are on the Sands. Any I can help you figure out, or you all good?” Joia wasn’t the best person to sing the praises of Weyr life, but if she could help her new friend…

tovaana

[tovaana]

Muze

Impressing with her brother? She had just assumed it would happen, but one or the other could impress first… The thought of either of them impressing first would be difficult for the other, or it would be for Muze anyways. Perhaps her brother would be happy going back to his boats, but Muze would not be. She just nodded at Joia, confirming that it would be neat.

She’d rather think of dresses, the blue one she made for a graduation feast – she wanted to see it right then… Perhaps somehow she could trade Joia to make herself a dress – she’d have to wear something to the feasts that happened so much more regularly in the hold. Was there a way to act at these feasts? What if she messed up? Her eyes lifted from her feet where she was thinking about dancing up to Joia’s own gaze.

“Oh, uhm… it’s very different than hold life, but you would know that. I’m working hard, doing my best… I’m a little nervous that I’ll mess up something, you know?”

She paused, her brown eyes falling to her feet once more that kicked lazily in succession. Then she decided to just ask, since – she’d been thinking about dancing and she asked about footing… “Did you know how to dance before you came here? Who taught you?”

[Alyx]

Joia

As she worked on the garment, Joia was almost annoyed at the surge of protective instincts she felt toward the other girl. Muze was still fresh to the Weyr, still had a bright outlook on her future here, unlike Joia’s growing bitterness toward being trapped in the rut that wouldn’t let her go home. She tugged on the thread, pulling the gap in the fabric closed as she neared completing the seam. The body of the shirt completed, almost. She twisted the thread, doubling it in on itself to knot it as Muze continued to speak.

Very different than hold life? Joia grinned. “Very different is putting it mildly I would think. It’s more like...” She paused, both in thought and motion, her fingers stilling for a breath in mid tying of the knot, then she gave a burst of laughter and focused on Muze. “It’s like being stolen away in a dream and dropped into the middle of a Harper’s tale without knowing the part you are supposed to be playing in the story.” Joia shifted her fingers, pulled the thread, and tugged the knot into place.

“Take heart though, Muze. It’s fairly hard as a candidate to mess up too badly. The Candidatemaster seems to understand that most of us don’t know any more about Weyrlife and dragons then we do about moonbeams and starlight.” Lifting the shirt up, she held it at arm’s length and gave it a critical look, her lips shifting to wiggle the threads still trapped between the edges of them like an agitated feline’s twitchy whiskers.

The arms themselves were still lifeless on the bed, but the garment was at least starting to look like the finished product. And clearly, to the curious eye, not cut for a form like Joia’s. She turned it back and forth a little before dropping the fabric back onto her legs as Muze questioned her skills of dance. Joia tilted her head, and then shrugged a little. “I know a few dances? Mostly ones for Hold festivals – you know, the ones that you all dance around together and try not to trip each other up?”

“But as for the fancier one-on-one dances, no. Never had real cause to learn them till here, and I didn’t have a clue where to start. And for those, Nova taught me mostly how to not step on his toes, he’s got better rhythm then I do honestly. And before the Weyr he-“ Joia caught herself, remembering in a breath Nova wasn’t like Shin and didn’t banner his family all over like a badge of status. She flashed Muze a smile. “Nova’s from one of the larger holds where Dances and so on are much more a thing.”

“What about you, Muze? Dance much, or shall I ask Nova to add you to the dance classes?” Joia caught up one of the shirt’s sleeves, lining it up as they spoke, then started to pin them together. “I think everyone comes here having to learn something, honestly. Cooking, cleaning for some, courtly graces and dancing for others… I guess Dragonriders have to be well rounded in skills I suppose?” At least, Joia pondered, she’d have some new skills to take home with her when S’bol finally released her from this nightmare.

tovaana

[tovaana]

Muze;

She smiled as Joia validated that it was indeed very different from hold life… and then Joia made Muze laugh. She first gasped at the perfect analogy of how was it was to go from hold to candidate and then laughed, “yes, that’s exactly how it is!” She awed at this for a moment, feeling more at peace about feeling out of place. It was normal and it was okay for her to have those feelings. She also decided in that moment that she very much liked Joia.

It was as she was talking about dances that her mind was finally able to put the pieces together – to ‘see’ what it was Joia was making. She was so entranced by the girl’s handiwork that she almost missed what Joia was saying about dancing. Unfortunately Muze didn’t even really know the hold dances, but she had watched them enough. She didn’t trust her sense of rhythm in any situation, so the idea of celebrations at the weyr made her nervous.

“Dance? Me? No…” She thought to Nova, Joia’s excited friend. He didn’t seem so daunting, and perhaps stepping on his toes wouldn’t be as embarrassing as someone else’s. “You think Nova would be okay with me stepping on his toes?” She asked sheepishly, voicing her previous thoughts.

Her big brown eyes trailed down to the shirt once more, vaguely realizing that this shirt she was making probably wouldn’t fit Joia. “Did someone ask you to make that beautiful shirt your stitching?” It was fine indeed; the attention to detail and the amount of detail was far superior to a fishing net’s knots. Her mind wandered back to the idea of the dresses she had made, how fine those must be! Perhaps she could catch some fine fish and sell them for a few marks, to pay Joia to make her a dress. She could do that, she’s probably enlist her brother – they worked best as a team, and he probably could use a few extra marks in his pockets too.

[Alyx]

Joia

It was very much a bonding moment, Muze’s enthusiastic agreement of Joia’s words of being dropped into a bit of a Harper’s tale and left to fend for themselves. Joia grinned but reminded herself at the same time that she shouldn’t open up too much. Friends made in candidacy didn’t last – her shattered friendships left on the Sands of the last Hatching were a testament to that.

Still, it was nice to talk to another girl. Joia adored Nova, but it was nice to have at least someone else to chat with that was her own gender? She missed the nights talking with Mizao and Karo, the chatter about boys and dreams and lessons… Joia pushed the thought away, not wanting to ignore Muze with her own, lost heart wanderings.

She paused in her work, looking over Muze quickly and grinning brightly. “I don’t think he’ll mind. You look like you weigh less than me, so it would be a lot less pain on his toes than when he taught me. Will catch him when he’s back from chores and ask him.” Normally, with anyone else, Joia might feel bad offering up the lessons without talking to him first. BUT this was Nova, and he loved making new friends.

“Did someone ask you to make that beautiful shirt your stitching?” “Hm?” For a moment, Joia was confused, then remembered she was actually stitching. She looked at the shirt in her lap, and almost out of reflex smiled and shook her head quickly. “Oh no. He didn’t ask me; I just… like to make things for my friends. Some people make pastries, others buy gifts. I normally make shirts or scarves or things like that.” She managed not to blush, mostly because she thought it probably sounded silly to someone that wasn't a weaver. "Back home, I never have the marks to buy gifts, so I made them. Even though I have marks now, it just doesn't feel the same I suppose."

tovaana

[tovaana]

Muze;

Muze grinned gratefully, feeling a bit more at ease in general. While dancing wasn’t the only stress she had been feeling, easing her dancing fear seemed symbolic of everything else. Her eyes trailed to the shirt just as Joia’s gaze did, and in all that she said – her brain was focused in on a couple things. Not only was this for a boy – but it was a gift. Muze had been raised around boys and men, and while some had attempted to flirt with Muze, Muze had never found any of them interesting and had simply believed that their intentions were faulty.

She couldn’t help it, words escaped her mouth – she worked hard on having a filter, but she had loosened her guards in that moment. “A boy?” She hadn’t meant the thought slip – but she could try to direct the conversation elsewhere, she realized that was a different level of confidentiality.

“That’s really cool!” She breathed. “I mean, people wouldn’t be super excited if I gave them a basket of fish… now, if I knew how to cook the fish…” She trailed off, perhaps she should learn how to cook, but it didn’t enhance the kind of rider she was. Muze imagined that Joia would have wonderful knack at fixing the rider’s clothes – her own clothes even.

“It makes sense though, it’s like…” She paused, looking at the threadwork and thinking about the time that it took Joia to create a piece. “…like you’re sewing you’re a part of yourself into each piece. I think it means more than just buying things with your marks.” She nodded to herself, as if agreeing with herself. Coyli protested at the excessive movement and shifted into a snugger grip around her neck. Muze tugged at her tail gently to loosen the hold then slowly unwrapped the chittering creature from her neck. Coyli quieted down, as if realizing she was bringing more attention to herself the more noise she made and dove into Muze's lap, burrowing under one of her hands. Absentmindedly Muze began to stroke Coyli with her other hand, her legs swinging lightly at the bed.

"You don't mind me talking to you, do you? I don't mean to be distracting."

[Alyx]

Joia

“A boy?” Joia’s instant reaction was to color a bit and duck her head. “Yes, a boy.” The weaver’s tone was playful, peeking out of the corner of her eye at the other girl. It wasn’t like that… well, not really. She recovered quickly enough as Muze pondered on, nodding her head to confirm the girl’s course of thoughts. “Exactly. I mean, I’m sure picking out the perfect gift takes just as much effort as making one, for me, this just means a little bit more.”

She tilted her head. “I don’t know, I’m sure there are a few people that might appreciate a basket of fish? I know my aunt used to give away baskets of berries for summer gathers. Not everyone though, you are probably right.” She almost wondered what Shin’s reaction would be, being presented with a basket of freshly caught, still wet and flip-flopping fish. Oh, the face!! Perhaps, if she was still around come the next Gather, she should try it…

At the other girl’s question, Joia shook her head quickly, without really considering that mere hour before she wanted nothing to do with making new friends or speaking with the new candidates. “No, I don’t mind. The company is… nice.” She managed a smile at the girl, but it wilted just around the edges. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to while I work; it keeps my mind from wandering off too much.”

She thought for a moment and then continued with a softer tone. “I… don’t take to a lot of the candidates, other than Nova. Well, and Shin when he’s not being a dusthead.” Joia pushed the needle threw the fabric, returning to the work of attaching the arm to the garment in her lap as she talked. “Most of my friends moved onto Weyrling training after the last hatching, and I just haven’t put a lot of effort into making new ones I suppose.”

‘Because I want to go home.’ She didn’t utter the last sentence, but it hung in her head like a dagger over a fire. Joia sighed a little, tugging the thread roughly, no wanting to let her downer mood infect what was a good moment of just talking with someone else. The motion caught her attention and she stopped, her eyes and features turning to look at Muze. She almost missed the little green firelizard as it hid itself again among the other girl’s hands.

“Oh, pretty. I didn’t know you had a firelizard.” She couldn’t help the small smile, her voice quieting just a little as she spoke. “She’s pretty. How long have you had her?”

tovaana