Food for thought (Annika)

[hrsegrl]

The Dragon Healer smiled. He remembered transitioning into his position a few turns back. It was definately not easy. "Yes, the transition from one Master to another is always a bit daunting. Most regular people go about their lives without even noticing. It is not until turns later that the transition feels complete and people know who you are and what you like to focus on."

His transition was not so bad but he could imagine for a woman it was worse. People were not accustomed to having a woman as a master crafter. "I hope you don't find any offense to this but I had a question for you. Did you find becoming a crafter almost too difficult because it is dominated by men?" He knew that did not sound good but he wanted to know for his daughter's sake. He was not sure he wanted to throw her to the wolves even if she had amazing talent.

Feeling bad about the question, he nearly blushed. "I'm sorry. I ask for selfish reasons. You see, I have many apprentices, all male of course and its hard to see that none of them possess the talent that my daughter has. She can do whatever they can do only better and faster. I have thought about apprenticing her over another boy but of course I fear the social stigma. I'd rather she had an easier life but I would hate for Pern to miss out on such talent."

He sighed, it had obviously been knawing at him for some time. It would be a hard battle even if he did apprentice her, she would have to work harder than anyone else just to succeed. He would make the world fair if he could but he could not.

[lastthoughts]

"Now there is something with some memory behind it," Annika said, and took a seat at one of the Hall's old tables. She looked away from her companion for a moment, the edges of her mouth smiling but her gray eyes focused far in the distance.

'And questions behind it too,' she thought. Had it really been only because she was female that she was given trouble? Who was this Phaedon, really, and could he do what he had to for his daughter when the time came? Would he find better answers than her grandfather had? Had her own life been so hard?

None of that really mattered, actually.

"You are a Master of your craft. If your daughter loves what she does like she loves breathing, if you know she has the talent, then that's all that really matters," her smile when she looked back to him was as warm and disarming as her honesty. A kind of peacefulness showed on her face, and as it wiped away some of her fatigue, her youth became more obvious.

"If you would really like to know my story, I'll be happy to share it. It is a good one, I think anyway. But I also think that you already know it will be hard for her. Hard in other ways than it was for me, and in some of the same ones. Harder than for the boys? Maybe. But you've said yourself she's more talented. So maybe it will just be hard a different way."

She paused for a moment and just took him in. The earnestness of his questions, the resignation already behind them: She felt for him. And for his daughter. She wondered how many fathers never even considered this possibility for their girl-children. What a horrid waste.
She shook her head, and laughed.

"I'm sorry, that doesn't sound particularly helpful, now that I've said it. Though it is true. Listen. I don't know a thing about healing dragons except what comes to me on sheets like the one you just handed me. But tell your daughter when she starts her apprenticeship that if she ever feels locked out, if she gets frustrated, or someone says something and she can't fight back, she can come find me. I may have a trick or two up my sleeve for her to try. Or at the least she can have a wander around the gardens with me and I can show her where all those herbs unguents come from."

[hrsegrl]

Phaedon knew that it seemed simple when you took the fact that she was a girl out of the picture. He had more to contend with than the other crafters when it came to his daughter's future. Luthiel would not be happy. She wanted the best for her children but she would not want to subjugate their daughter to a world where men had all of the power.

The dragon healer could guess that Annika's life might have been hard but she would not have done it differently. "Yes, I suppose it should be that simple." He sat down across from her. If Luaethi wished to pursue the craft and he made clear what she would be facing then the decision would be hers and he would not be to blame if she chose it.

"Well as my daughter I would be able to keep a close eye on her and at the same time if i show her too much favor it could be bad for her. I think you are right though, she would need advice from someone who understand what she is feeling. " He was thinking, scratching his head where his hair started above his ears.

"Luthiel won't like this." He said with a sigh. A mother was always concerned for the well being of her children. The children were all coming for dinner two nights from tonight and that might be the best time to bring it up with them. He would talk to Luaethi before then of course. So much drama to trouble his life with. If she had been born a boy none of this would even be a question. Perhaps that was what really bothered him. That it was even an issue.

"I had never really given much thought to women in crafts before my daughter showed that she had such promise. I suppose it shoudl have bothered me before now. I don't see why it is even an issue." Phaedon thought it was because he had been raised at the Weyr where women were incharge of things that men were not. The Leader was a pair, a man and a woman. Why should crafting be so different?

"Are you doing anything for dinner two nights from now? Luthiel is having the older children over for dinner, we'd love to have one more. She would like to meet you if your going to be a confidant of our Luaethi." Again he was thinking about the future. His weyrmate would feel better knowing her daughter would have someone to go to, who would understand.

[lastthoughts]

Luthiel. His Weyrmate, she supposed. And children, plural. Having never known family other than her grandfather, and involved as she was in her work, that was a side of life that was truly a mystery to Annika. What in the world would it be like for her to be at a family gathering? Well, she would find out.

"That would be lovely," she said, "I look forward to meeting your family. To tell the truth actually sitting down to a meal is a bit of an infrequent occurrence in my life. Thank you for the invitation." She stopped to flag down a drudge and request a bowl of soup and some bread.

"I've never quite understood it either, you know," she continued, picking up the earlier thread of their conversation. "Especially why it would make anyone upset. Surprised, certainly. But angry?" She shook her head in disbelief.

[hrsegrl]

He did not know much about Annika's life but it sounded as though she had no family. If that were the case he'd have her over more often. Luthiel liked to have people over for dinner and so did he. Phaedon could not imagine how life was before the place was full of children. To top it off he now had a grandchild. Pharies was a darling little thing only two and already getting into trouble. He smiled to himself. Family was wonderful.

"You will be welcome any time as long as you don't mind loud children trying to talk over one another during dinner." Phaedon chuckled, after some chiding they generally settled down and lowered their voices. He was well aware that some people did not have patience for children. Obviously not that case for him or Lu.

The fact that women were not allowed in crafts except by special permission did seem remiss. "I wonder if it will change in my lifetime. Someday I'd like to think that women could do as they pleased just as men do. I don't know that the world is ready for that yet. Surely people like yourself will make it easier for future generations. Its a shame because we miss out on such talented minds."

Women as dragonhealers would be ideal because they had such a nurturing side, naturally and less of them actually impressed to dragons. He could not change the way things were overnight anymore than he could fly. For now he had to deal with what he had and what time he had to do it in.

[lastthoughts]

Annika had not considered herself as pioneering. Truly, the day to day troubles of establishing legitimacy had long since ceased to bother her. She had won that war, and any lingering rumbles were either honest expressions of differing opinion or the normal disagreements anyone in a position of authority was likely to draw. While she'd been coping with it the problem had existed moment to moment, and then it had stopped. So to look back on her life as an example of the possible was interesting. She admitted as much to Phaedon.

"It's so strange to hear you describe it like that. To me it's just been as it is. Now that I think of it, it's incredible to watch my apprentices go about their lives. They live a routine that I only learned about recently," she stopped short of telling him how she had managed her learning process. Not to spare him any worry as much as to avoid hijacking the conversation. And because the drudge arrived with a bit of whatever had been on the fire.

She tried not to tear into it too voraciously. She would, after all, be a dinner guest of Master Phaedon's fairly soon, and didn't want to seem like a complete maniac. She would not mind noisy children around at dinner in the slightest, she thought. Liveliness made her smile in most of its forms.

"Not to pry, but I wonder what it was like for you coming up. The population of the Weyr and the dragons in particular has been dwindling for some time now, and I know what that has meant for us. But for you? Do you worry?" The last was such an open question even she was not sure exactly what it was she was referring to. For the Farmers the concern was split between a lack of hands to grow what was needed, loss of knowledge, and the more general fears for the integrity of the Weyr as a whole. But for a healer of dragons? It must be like seeing your fields whither in the fullness of spring from an unknown blight. And were they lacking in children to teach as well? Annika took measured bites of the soup, life returning to her bit by bit.

It was nice to have someone to talk to.

[hrsegrl]

"We may never know the effect we have on the future." Phaedon said with a slight wistfullness. His own life was nothing too remarkable. He had not always been a dragon healer but healing humans and healing dragons were not so different that he could not learn and keep up with the other apprentices.

Phaedon was not hungry but he had some water brought to the table. As she began to eat, he nodded, "I became a Dragon Healer a little late actually. I was a Candidate and an apprentice Healer. So one clutch I was standing and a little green dragonet had hurt herself coming out of the egg. I was cautious of course, I wanted her to find her lifemate before I tried anything. When she impressed to a boy nearby I told him that she was hurt and I was going to help. After that the Master Dragon Healer told me I needed to join up. My father was not at all thrilled but he was persuaded it was for the best. Dragon Healing is much different in that one cannot speak directly with one's patients. I have to communicate through the rider and be very aware of the dragon's movement's and emotions." He had been a bit long winded but he still needed to answer her other question.

His water glass was placed in front of him, so he took a sip. "Everyone should be concerned. When Thread has come in the past one Weyr had over 400 dragons. Any Weyr can hold up to 600 dragons with five Queens." He could imagine the numbers but he could not fathom this Weyr being able to keep up with that kind of demand.

"I am hopeful though. Aliath is a fine example of what a Queen should be. She will clutch well and in time she will clutch another Gold. It may not be in this first clutch. I've never heard of a Queen clutching another Gold in their first clutch. I should think we will see at least one Bronze though possibly two." It was not that he was doubting Aliath's abilities. He was simply being realistic. She was too young to have to clutch such a large egg. He'd rather she did not till her second or third clutching.

Young Queens could have problems clutching Golds. He would hate to lose Aliath for a dragonet. Two more turns of no clutching. It would be devastating.

[lastthoughts]

Annika listened intently as she ate. Much though her life revolved around the Weyr's needs, she did not know terribly much about dragons' lives. The world was, however, a big place, and there was plenty she did not know about it.

"It sounds like you will have your hands full, soon," she said. "As will the rest of us, I suppose." Her thoughts wandered, mulling over all of this new information.

"I know that this means the young folks of the Weyr will be jockying for a place on the sands. Are any of your children standing?"

She had been too involved in her own craft's backward intrigues to lament not even looking into being a Candidate. Then again, clutches were infrequent even then. She wondered what it might have been like to attempt that path, but found that her greatest aspiration really would have been to go find other Farmers to learn from. Not exactly the dreams of a bold fighter of thread.

[hrsegrl]

Phaedon nodded. "We are all going to be very busy. Dragonets eat a lot more than their adult counterparts. So we need more wherries and herdbeasts, who will also need more grain and so on and so forth. Having a clutch is wonderful but I do not think the Weyr is prepared enough for it." He was obviously concerned but the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman were already well aware of these issues.

The dragon healer smiled, "Well I couldn't stop them even if I wanted to. Two of my sons who are fifteen and twenty turns of age are standing and one of my daughters who is seventeen. The dragons need choices so the more the merrier I suppose." He'd prefer not to lose two apprentices to the dragons but he even stood when he was young so he could not blame them for wanting to try.

Phaedon sipped some more water and thought about the Hatching. It was going to be a wonderful time and a scary one. He hoped they didn't lose any people or dragons. The Healers would have their hands full more than he would. Candidates were more likely to get hurt during a Hatching than dragonets were.

[lastthoughts]

Annika smiled, aknowledging silently that she was one of the people in charge of assuring there were no such gaps in their supplies. She did not fault him for if he worried. In truth that was one of the things she needed to speak to the Weywoman and Headwoman about soon. As exciting as a large clutch would be, it would make things tight. The uncertainty was a problem.

She liked the cast of Phaedon's face when he talked about his children. The soup and conversation had revived her to an even greater degree than she would have expected. Things would be alright. She felt relaxed for the first time in days. Yet he'd reminded her that her life was going to become yet more hectic in the coming weeks.

"I look forward to meeting them," she said, "And it's been wonderful talking to you. But I think I've caught my third or seventh wind, and as you mentioned, there's grain to get growing if we're to keep up with new hungry maws." She rose slowly, offering her hand.

"Til we meet again?"