People Plotting Plushy Punishments
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Xanadu Weyr - Craft Complex

The large area has been separated into a variety of smaller sitting areas, couches and chairs organized into rings and squares, tables set where they can be used easily. A few desks for studying are pushed against one wall, while another has a variety of doors spaced along side it, opening into private quarters for the ranking crafters posted at the weyr. A set of double doors opens to the general apprentice dorms, and a long hallway stretches outwards, providing access to the various workshops.


Jessamin is flopped down on one of the couches nearest the apprentice dorms, her quilting spread out on the table before her. Luckily, few are about at this hour, so none can complain about the over-use of space. Bits and pieces of fabric in myriad hues of aubergine, buttercup, chiffon, walnut, and crimson are strewn about the hard surface. Some look nearly pristine in their wholeness, while others look as if tunnel snakes have been nibbling through them. Too, there is a pile of patches cut in elongated hexagon shapes, and what looks to be a row of much the same stitched together; not a single fabric repeats itself in the whole colorful mess. Jessamin hums softly to herself as she picks up the row sewn together and pins on another patch to the end of the row. Her flits take up the rest of the couch, two curled up on either side of her and snoring away like miniature dragons.

M'nol's flits proceed him into the crafter complex for his surreptitious meeting with Jessamin. They settle along the back of the couch, holding poses as if they were keeping watch. Then, after a sneeze, M'nol enters, two large boxes under one arm and a leather bag over his shoulder. He glances around the room before moving up to Jess and whispering, "The ovine flies and the flies are done."

Jessamin grins, setting down her quilting. "Excellent. There are the wires in the wings, yes? And the ends were sanded and sealed off properly?" She sweeps her sewing off the table and into her lap, to be put back into her basket while talking to M'nol. "Let's see what you have there."

M'nol sets down the boxes, opening one to reveal a rather large store of wool stuffing and the other to reveal a neat bundle of wired wings. Setting his bag down he pulls out a series of un-stuffed dragons, many of which clearly resemble various members of the Weyrling class, "Ro said he coul' get more stuffing if we needed it an' yeah, I sanded the wires and sealed 'em like you said. These should be ready for final construction and stuffing."

Jessamin grins, picking up one of the empty bodies — a bronze — and a healthy handful of stuffing. "First, to stuff the bodies. Just think of it as chunks of meat you're feeding a newly hatched dragon… not too big, not too small, and enough to fill 'em out right." She laughs softly, shaking her head. "What that must have been like for you guys, those first days after Hatching…"

M'nol grabs the tiny copy of Alosynth and, following Jess' instructions, begins to carefully slide stuffing into it. He nods, "That firs' week is kind of a blur. Feed - wash - oil - repeat. Definitely worth it, but I don' think I could pick out individual days if I tried."

Jessamin laughs softly, stuffing tiny bits of the fluffy material into the tail of the bronze—which bears an uncanny resemblance to Nyunath. Little by little, it begins to take shape, the forked tail looking fairly real, if puffy and downright adorable in its own way. "Lost time or not, I still hope to Impress someday. What was it like, when Faraeth first spoke to you? I've heard from riders long since Impressed, but I imagine it's still pretty fresh in your mind."

M'nol smiles, watching the faux-nyunath take shape in her hands as the faux-alosynth takes shape in his own. He ponders her question for a moment, "It was like being cradled by your mom when you cried as a kid… only knowing it would stay forever. And then hunger. Lots and lots of hunger."

Jessamin nods, and smiles. "I remember that feeling, but it was so long ago. And to know you'll never be alone… that has got to be one of the most wonderful things in the world." She playfully wriggles the faux-Nyunath tail at M'nol, chortling to herself. "How's that look? Hey… yours is coming along pretty well."

M'nol nods, grinning at the flopping tail, "It was… even if he can be a stubborn wherry sometimes. It's 'come on, I'm ready to fly' this, and 'don't you trust me to hold up your weight' that some days. That tails coming along really nice," he poses the faux-alosynth like a puppet, making it nod sagely.

Jessamin bursts out laughing at M'nol's antics with the faux-Alosynth, her azure eyes twinkling with mirth. "I said it before the Hatching and I'll say it again… you missed your calling as a Harper there. Kidlets would love this kind of thing!"

M'nol grins, nodding, "Did I tell ya tha' my hold harper wanted to send me to the hall? It's part o' why my da sent me down here. Wanted to keep me in a 'proper craft.' I think the dragons got the last laugh there."

Chaton walks in briskly, and wrinkles his nose in pleasure at the gathering. He walks down to them, grinning. "Hey guys! "What are you…" he spots the puppet. "What on Pern is that?"

Jessamin looks up, a rather guilty sort of 'busted' look on her face. Twin roses bloom upon her cheeks, as if she were caught out in a brisk autumn wind. "Ummm… M'nol, you want to tell him, or should I?"

M'nol hides his blush a tad better… of course he's had a lot of practice lately. He smiles to Chaton, "They're stuffed dragons. Presents for a friend."

Chaton ahs and sits down. "Awesome. How are the weyrlings doing, M'nol?" he asks, crossing his legs and proping himself up. "Hey Jess." he winks.

Jessamin nods, and smiles. She picks up another bit of stuffing and adds it to that already in the toy's body, giving it a bit more shape. On the table is a bag of stuffing, and two boxes of toy dragon bodies and wings. All of them seem to resemble the latest Weyrling class, and all of them seem to have been stitched with great care—if with varying amounts of skill. "It was a pleasant challenge, to help with this. I just hope the recipient can smile again when they get their present."

M'nol smiles, "I hope so, too." He moves from the tail to the head, stuffing bit of stuffing after bit of stuffing into the faux-alosynth. He nods to Chaton, "Pretty well. We talked some today about who we might invite to the graduation for all it's a turn off still." He blushes a tad more deeply and the very faint outline of a hand can be seen on his left cheek.

Chaton smiles, a crinkle in the edge of his eyes, and a twinkle for the centers. "I'm sure she'll love it." he nods. "So, M'nol. Anything else interesting happening?" he asks, casually.

Jessamin turns her attention a bit more fully to the toy in her hands, filling out the body a bit more before trying to stand it up on the table. It flops over on its side, not quite enough stuffing in the legs yet to help it stand upright. She shakes her head with a disgusted little sigh and picks the toy up again, resuming her task as she listens to the other two chatting amicably.

M'nol hands Jess a little cylinder of stuffing, "Here, I put a bunch of these together to help with the legs… they're a little stiffer since they're wrapped." He stuffs a few in his own project before moving back to the 'standard' stuffing to fill the core of the body. He gives Chaton a sidelong look, "Not really, just normal stuff."

Chaton gives M'nol a rather pointed look, and reaches over to poke his handprint. "Alright." he says, leaning back. "So, Jess." he purrs. "What are you up to?"

Jessamin motions with the half-stuffed dragon to her sewing basket. "The usual. Stitch, study, repeat." She chuckles, taking the cylinders of stuffing from M'nol and working them into the legs of the toy she is shaping; the legs look a bit sturdier after that. "I just apprenticed myself to the Weaver craft pretty recently, and so far, I'm loving every minute of it."

M'nol gives Chaton a pointed look, "Girl troubles." His statement is short and clipped. He adds a bit more stuffing to the faux-alosynth, then tests it, holding the small hole shut while setting it down. It looked decent. He added two more pinches of stuffing, then picked up a needle and began to carefully sew the opening closed.

Chaton nods and grins. "Girls are trouble. You'll learn." he teases lightly. "So, you guys are just going to sit here all night sewing?" he asks, snorting out of his nose. "So boring."

Jessamin looks at Chaton with a small bit of disgust, shaking her head. "Is it boring to see to it that a friend smiles? Is it boring to help heal a heart? You answer us that, Mind Healer, before you go questioning -our- methods." She all but stabs the next bit of stuffing into her toy's body, her lips in a tight, thin line of anger. "You have your ways, we have ours."

Chaton snorts a little. "Pssssh. You take me too seriously. Jeeze. I figure'd you'd have learned to accept casual teasing by now." he rolls his eyes dramatically. "But, if you wish me to go, Apprintace Weaver, I will do so.He gets up dramatically, and turns on his heels with a flair.

M'nol glances between the two for a moment. He'd had his interesting encounters with the mind-healer… but none that had left him so irritated as Jess seemed now. He reached into the box and grabbed the faux-faraeth this time, "Sewing with a needle that's not as long as my middle finger is a nice change of pace."

Jessamin sighs softly, and sets the toy down. "No need to run off like that. Just… my work means as much to me as yours does to you. How would you feel if someone teased you like that?" She ducks her head, shaking it as some of her frustration bleeds off.

Chaton plops back down. "I learned to deal with it as an apprintace." he shrugs. "Shrink-boy. All that jazz." he rolls his eyes. "We should all go party soemtime."

M'nol gives Chaton another sidelong glance, "Jess *is* still an apprentice, Chaton. Just got her knot." He points to Jessa's knot, then his own, "Oh, and I'm a Weyrling, no drinking or risque partying for me."

Chaton nods. "She needs to learn then." he laughs. "And, who said it had to be risque and involve alcohol?"

Jessamin turns predictably rosy at the mention of partying, squirming a little bit as she reaches for the toy. "Nobody said it had to, just that for some of us, it's a limitation to be respected." She offers an apologetic smile to the both of them. "I really shouldn't have lost it like that… it's not like me."

M'nol places a hand on Jess' shoulder, "It'll be fine, Jess. I'm going to leave these with you to finish. I have a test on local hold history in the morning." He sticks out his tongue in a clear indication of disgust. He raises an eyebrow at Chaton, "Is it really a party without at leas' one o' th' two? I may be young, but tha' seems t' be the gen'ral consensus here." He stands, stretching huge, a few pops even coming from his young back, "I should turn in." He gives each a wave in turn, then heads out, his fair following behind him. Jasper stopping briefly to give Chaton a good scolding before continuing on his way.

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