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 Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:36 pm
L'thor smiled at the lad briefly before turning away to get Raith into her harness. "We'll go between," he said with a nod as he fastened the buckles and tugged hard at the straps a few times to check there were no weaknesses. "I have the morning to myself," he went on, "but I have drills in the afternoon. If we get there in good time, I can show you around for a while and introduce you to some other Candidates before I have to rush off... Seems like we're ready to go, pass your pack and I'll fasten it on before we head outside."
Oh dear. Haha. Poor Nehren; he was going to have to get closer than he liked in order to ride Raith. It seemed only polite to L'thor to ask him if he wanted to be in front of behind, be he foresaw blushes over the question. Ah well, no matter where the lad sat, burning cheeks would be invisible to him. Somehow he doubted that would comfort Nehren very much, but still.
*****
Conomor nodded slightly at the correction but made no other response than that; too busy concentrating. Seemed he was doing alright for his first try though... Strange how different uncooked blood smelled to cooked blood. It was certainly rather unpleasant, but not bad enough to distract him from his task as yet.
"Right," Conomor paused and glanced up at his butchering mentor with a smile, "I'm sure everyone would be horrified if we told them all about gathering the makings for their blood pudding... Still, personally I'd rather imagine the results than actually get them. Would get the wrong sort of attention I feel."
The big boys who liked to play all tough would brag how they could have done it too, and frankly Conomor much preferred it when they ignored him. He didn't fear them, he could hold his own in a fight, rather they annoyed him. They got people with muscle a bad reputation for one, and for another their whole attitude just grated on him personally. Thought the sun shone out of their backsides and that they'd get the biggest bronze in the clutch.
Shaking his head slightly to himself, Conomor returned to his task with a little more confidence than he'd had before. So far, this wasn't as bad as he'd expected but he had a feeling that the gutting wasn't going to quite as easy going.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:48 pm
Veyes smirked at the sheer thought about telling any prissy candidate about how the blood pudding was gathered. His imagination drifted away with him and soon he was telling the entire class how their meals were skinned, blooded, gutted then filleted all in the same setting. He caught the laughter that was about to escape his lips afraid he might get some blood in his mouth. It was easy to see what the boy was thinking and how amused he was with the comment.
He then turned to his work and quickly skinned the 3rd beast to make up for the lost time. Maybe the women would give Conomor an extra helping too for being diligent and diving in. He'd have to remember to mention his help to them.
"So...since you aren't kitchen help normally, what do you do usually? I mean you're a candidate but...you grew up here right?" he said after dragging the 3rd beast's skin away from the body.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:01 pm
Conomor looked up with a smile as he finally finished skinning his first beast. It was nowhere near as neat a job as Veyes had done, but he was still pretty pleased with himself. "That's right," he nodded, "sixteen turns now. Since I've started to put on all this muscle I've mostly been carrying water, and carrying things up from the storage caverns to wherever they need to go. Sometimes I get a bit of variety," he gave a wry smile, "I get to carry things from tithes down into the storage caverns. It's dull work, but it has to be done and it might as well be done by somebody who's good at hefting things around. I'm willing to put up with whatever I'm told to do for now; keeps me in good shape, and teaches me good things like patience and respect for people who insist on telling me how to do things I already know how to do. Things will change if/when I manage to Impress; then all the chores will be for my dragon, and I'm sure that will make everything seem more worthwhile."
If he Impressed. If. He was confident enough he supposed, had as good a chance as any but... Well, he knew very well that it might never happen for him. He might be stuck just carrying things around his whole life. No. He refused to do that. If he didn't Impress, he would become part of a ground crew once the Thread came. All he had ever wanted or planned for was to be a rider, but if he failed at that he refused to be completely useless. One way or another, he was going to do something with his life.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:58 pm
"Ah well I bet it gets pretty routine after awhile. I know it did on the farm. "I'm hoping they'll let me do something different but I guess some candidates don't want to get their hands into the meat before they get a dragon. I saw a few candidates working in the kitchen cutting veggies and roots and they seemed to think that was a pain."
He grinned a little more as he knelt beside 1st beast again and then put a hook through the right spot. "Well before you get started over there you can help me haul this up on the hook. Then the blood will drain out the bottom easier while I gut the rest." Once Conomor helped him put the body into place, he put a bucket under the head and made an incision at the neck to start the flow.
Overall, Conomor seemed pretty much like him in some ways at first glance. so that was a stroke of luck. Sometimes chance meetings ended up working out better for him it seemed.
After a few minutes, Veyes walked over to Conomor and inspected his skin while the blood continued to drain, "Well, it's not bad for a start. You get to do the last one over there and I am going to continue blooding and gutting the first. When you're done, come on over and I'll show you the basics on the second one then you can do the 3rd yourself while I finish up the 4th. Oh and we save some organs; the list is tacked up on the wall over there and the vats are labeled so drop them in. Anything else is thrown over in that barrel." He pointed around the room as he spoke to each item in question then set down the skinning tools to pick up the gutters.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:19 pm
The blood draining was slightly more disquieting than the skinned animals, but not very much so. Certainly something he could deal with without complaint, after all he willingly ate blood pudding; this was just the uncooked version. Gilden seemed rather interested in the red liquid running down into the bucket, and so Conomor dissuaded her gently. She could look at the barrel of waste later, she'd like that. Much as the contents might not appear edible to him, he knew full well that his sweet little flitt loved anything flesh related.
Conomor nodded to Veyes' instruction; "Right," and set about the last carcass. It seemed easier this time around, though whether that was due to having slightly more experience, or due to some difference between this beast and the last he had no idea. Either way, he worked very slightly faster this time around and somewhat more competently. Before long he had stripped the beast of its skin, and carried the hide over to join the rest.
This done, he turned back to watching Veyes intently; he was determined to make the most of this opportunity. He might not get another chance to watch and engage in butchery before he found his dragon, and so he needed to learn as much as he could from this. He was determined not to show himself up in any weyrling lessons at all, so he really needed this. Perhaps it was vain to want to show well, but he didn't really think so. He wanted recognition for merit, not praise or rewards or anything else. He just wanted to be known by his fellows and his superiors as someone who was competent and would get on with any task without complaint. He wanted to be somebody who people felt they could count on, and surely there was nothing wrong with an ambition like that.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:38 pm
The buckets filled quickly and Veyes switched them out several times; emptying them into a heavy barrel at the far end of the room. He was starting to sweat just a little and carefully wiped his forehead with his arm to avoid smearing it with the blood that covered his gloves.
"So have you talked to many of the other candidates yet?" he finally managed to say after sliding his knife into the beast's muscle to make prepare the opening for the organs. He pulled over a table and once the beast was sufficiently open he started gathering the organs and entrails; cutting and sorting them then putting them into the proper vats.
"Mmm...you know I am not sure if the place where the candidate's learn to cut up the meat has the hooks but I find them helpful when you butcher. At home I built with my brother a pulley and hook swing so we could get the meat around easier when we were younger. It was pretty hard to haul everything back then before I got bigger. So your parents, riders??"
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:47 pm
Conomor inspected the guts carefully as they came out. Right; kidneys, liver; he liked those. Less keen on lung. Intestines... better left for Gilden in his opinion. "I know a few," he said after a moment, "the other wyerbrats I know at least in passing and I know a few others besides. Of course," he scowled, "everyone knows that little bunch who think bronze is the only colour for them. Try to avoid them myself, but they do tend to be very loud and take up a lot of space."
Veyes didn't seem like the sort dead set on a colour, which was nice. He minded less the ones who were sure they wanted a green or a blue, but best of all he liked the ones who hadn't made up their minds. After all, it was the dragon that chose, not you.
"I don't know how those lessons go to be honest," he said with a shrug. "I've tried to talk to people about them over the turns but I've never really got a straight answer. Seemed nobody wanted to even think about that lesson even after the fact."
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:03 pm
"Mmm...I really don't care about color so much. I'd be happy just to be picked. I could have the runt of the litter and I'd be satisfied. Just to be able to fly, fight thread...do my part...maybe find some adventure. I don't know what's so special about the bronze. Sounds like more work to me...more dragon to wash and oil. And if it is as picky as the first one I learned to wash...well I'd never get sleep!" With that he did laugh out loud because if Raith could only hear him she'd be scolding him right away. However, L'thor probably would be amused.
"Yeah...seems like you get a lot more attention around here if you are a weyrling. Candidates seem to be sort of second rate. Well, kind of like drudges until they prove that they are worth a dragon's glance. But I guess that's what keeps the Weyr going."
He dumped all the organs then looked over to the second beast, "Well lets get him up and I'll show you this process."
After they hauled the next one up on the hook, he gave Con a new set of knives to use for gutting. He placed the bucket under the neck then pointed out where the incision needed to go by pulling the neck flesh forward to reveal the arteries underneath. "Here's the best spot to get a good flow. Now things might be different when you do a beast for the dragon because they probably don't mind the blood so much. So when we get those classes will have to adjust this a bit. Oh...and well you might not have as many tools to use as we do here so always pick the sharpest knives if anything. Test them on a scrap if they'll let you before starting." He grinned for a moment then said, "You know if they ever test us I might see if the women will let me borrow a few of these." he patted the tools briefly before watching Con try things out.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:16 pm
Okay then. Conomor rolled his shoulders and peered closely at the neck. After pulling at the neck as Veyes had done to assure himself he had the right spot, he made the cut and stepped back to see if he'd got it right. Well, blood was certainly coming out and going into the bucket; that had been the intent. All the same, he looked over at Veyes for approval.
"We're not worth as much, no," he said thoughtfully. "We are... potentially valuable. I suppose it's understandable that most of the resources go into weyrlings really." Why spend too much time and effort on people who might never have a dragon? Bare basics were for the best really. "Borrowing the right tools sounds like a plan," Conomor added, "shows initiative."
Oh! Right! He'd forgotten that questions. "My parents," Conomor said with a wry smile that showed he'd let that question slip by him, "they're both riders, yes. My father has a green, and my mother a blue. They're only parents by blood though. I know them and we get on alright, but I have a foster mother from the lower caverns staff."
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:43 pm
Ren did as he was asked and passed the packs up after running forward and pushing the barn doors open wide and letting the sun pour into the darkened space and giving the green a clear path for take off into the misty blue sky with only a few lazy clouds gathering hear and there and occasional casting a sparkle of showers over the land below. Nehren took one last look over his home land and breathed in deep before moving back to the dragons side and proceeding in hopping onto the leg Raith offered, he helped secure the bags as best he could before scrambling up in front of the rider, it mean that he could hang onto the greens neck ridges instead of having to cling to L’thors back. Again he seemed to make quick work of the clime onto dragon back, as lithe and quick as any tunnel snake at least he made up for what he lacked in physical strength in other ways. He’d hauled full nets before it was true but his father and brother had better upper body strength for that and there was always plenty of other jobs to be done on a fishing rig.
He tried to strap himself in at first, replying on his memory of the previous day and after watching L’thor do it but it seemed there was more to it than that as he managed to completely fumble it getting himself tied in knots and cutting off blood flow at certain points. In the end he sat quite and complacent muttering sheepish apologies as he let L’thor handle the securing them over his person. Which he should have done in the first place, being as he had no experience with such things just a cart harness and saddles and they were quite different.
He took a deep breath, he knew he was only really embarrassing himself like this because he was nervous and excited and terrified and then more excited, after all it would altar his life in the most complete way. New home, new friends, and family he guess, especially if he impressed and that was the most daunting of all but also a burning desire that was only getting stronger. “Whats between like?” he asked once he was settled running a hand along Raiths neck as much to settle himself as to please the green.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:41 pm
Veyes dropped the subject of parents pretty quickly as Con seemed to have let it slip by then filled in with a short summary. Parents weren't always the best topic even though Veyes really was curious as to how one might grow up in a place like this rather than in a Hold like he had. He guessed it probably brought on two mindsets - the ones who got to thinking it was common place to see dragons and the others that wanted to be riders.
He figured just by watching Con's face brighten every time they spoke about dragons that it had to be the later. Even as he showed Con the ropes on how to gut the beast, he realized that Conomor had the most serious expression upon his face each time a cut was made. It would have been amusing had Veyes not understood what learning this could mean for Con later.
It was a skill he had kind of taken for granted much of his life but now he was thankful that all those years on the farm might actually benefit his future dragon. And that in itself lead his mind to wandering back to his imagination as to how he might feed the little hatchling. What cuts of meat would be best? Certainly he should ask the Candidate Master later about that?
In a slight daze of dreams, he walked across the room but suddenly slipped on a blood mess; barely catching himself as he stumbled upon the swinging beast on a hook that he was about to gut. "Whoa...Umm.. don't mind me...just a little blood...that's all." he said rather embarrassed that he had lost his train of thought again.
He righted himself quickly and went to work hardly saying a word for the next several minutes.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:00 am
L'thor adjusted the straps without comment; Nehren would get the hang of it once he had his own dragon, or even after a few flights with someone else and so far as he was concerned a bit of initiative was good even if it didn't turn out perfectly right away. "Well, it's cold," he said as Raith braced herself, "hold on!" Nehren probably didn't need telling, but still. Raith flung them into the air and soared towards the coast.
"As I was saying," L'thor went on, "it's very, very cold. There's... just nothing there. No air, no light; you can hardly even feel the dragon beneath you. It's only for a few heartbeats though. Raith's ready to take us whenever you're ready to go; I've got the visualization... She says she'll go on your mark." Seemed no harm in giving him a little control over his first experience; he'd rather sprung in on Veyes, and that had seemed best at the time. This time however, a different approach seemed like a good plan. Closing his eyes, L'thor concentrated firmly on the place they would reappear. Just on the approach to the Weyr; close, but far off enough to give Nehren a nice impressive view of the place.
*****
Conomor gave a smile at the other youth's words but nothing more; there wasn't really anything to be said. Much better just to watch him work. Besides, small talk was something he'd never been all that good at. All in all, this butchering thing didn't look too bad. A bit like sewing. A strange simile perhaps, but he felt it fitted. You could very quickly learn how to make a reasonable job of patching up a hem, but it would take years to get really good at it; to know just how do really good fancywork, or in this case how to get the cuts right, to get the hide off perfectly or near to it. The guts weren't really all that bad either; he suspected it would be a lot worse if the beast was freshly killed and everything was still hot.
"Thanks for this," Conomor said after some more minutes of silence, "please do let me know if I can do anything for you in return. I don't like to let a favor go unrepaid." He was sure there was something he could do for the other Candidate, maybe things he still needed to know about the Weyr, or dragons or... something. As Gilden crooned from the side of the waste barrel where she had alighted, Conomor grinned. When she had a clutch, perhaps he could give Veyes an egg. Who else would he want to have one? Nathail for sure... Of course, whoever owned the male flitt, assuming Gilden didn't mange to find a wild one, would want a say too.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 9:36 am
Veyes finished gutting the 3rd and left the 4th to Conomor to complete. He then returned to the 1st and put the gutting tools down to pick up even sharper blades. From there he started the process of carving the meat from the bones in various cuts and sized. Everything from shoulder roast to steaks and a variety of other cuts that were meant for the hatchlings.
"Mm.. you're welcome. Ah....well Umm.. there still a lot I need to learn about this place or anything that lets me learn more about the dragons would be nice." He wasn't sure what Conomor could do, so he was hardly sure of what to ask for in return. So he returned to the 1st beast and pulled the rest of it down from the hook after carving off the heavier portions of meat. Eventually he skillfully had all the beast spread out into various cutlets and started placing those on separate carts.
"One cart goes to the meat locker for the women to package and prepare for the kitchen, the other is for the hatchlings until the weyrlings get the hang of taking care of the cutting themselves." He smirked a bit because while he didn't have a dragon, he probably was already a better provider than any of the current kids with dragons.
"After you get done gutting the last beast, I'll show you the cuts for the hatchlings. Unless you want to see how the rest of the meat is carved for everyone else too." he said as he glanced up at the ventilation to the outside world. Time was slipping by but he still thought he'd be able to make his deadline. Things hadn't gone as slow as he thought it might.
"Maybe I can get the women to give you an extra serving too." he grinned as he went to the second carcass and started to prepare it for butchering.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 9:59 am
Conomor grinned, pushing aside trepidation as he approached the beast he was to gut. "I'll never say no to extra food," he nodded with a grin. "If you don't mind, I'll just keep the lesson to what weyrlings will need to do for today. No need for me to slow you down any further."
Right then. Blade went in so was dragged down so... seemed he'd managed not to pierce any organs. Alright. Now he had to pull them out. This was by far the least enjoyable portion; doing it was very different to watching. Grimacing, Conomor did his best to emulate Veyes, but had to admit to a running commentary of 'grossgrossgross' inside his head. Eventually however the guts and things were out.
Separating them from one another was just as nasty as getting them out, and close too they smelled terrible. He was suddenly very glad indeed that he usually spent his days hefting boxes and barrels around rather than doing this; it was making his eyes water a little. All the same, he was still glad to be here, cutting kidneys free of the rest of the animal's insides. He was getting his shudders out of the way now rather than in weyrling lessons. It was good. Nevertheless, it was with great relief that he dropped everything into the right barrel and turned back to Veyes.
"If you've some free time later, I could take you down to the records and show you some useful documents," he said thoughtfully. "There are some that show you dragon anatomy that I must have read hundreds of times over the turns, lots of different people have written scrolls of advice for weyrlings too. Then there's accounts of the Thread, histories if you're interested in that sort of thing... There's all sorts really, but I could guide you to pretty much whatever it is you're interested in. I practically live in the records when I've nothing else to do," he concluded with a grin.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:14 am
"Ok." Veyes nodded and started carving up the 2nd beast. He figured that Conomor probably would get the 4th beast done in time for him to learn how to carve on the 3rd and then could work on the 4th while Veyes hauled the meat to the carts. Even if he wanted to just drift off and dream, the time was getting shorter and so he tried to keep focused on the task.
Although, Veyes looked up after an odd odor hit the air. "Ugh...I think you cut an intestine." He wanted to pinch his nose from the aweful smell but that would get his face covered with meat drippings but knowing Con didn't have a clue as what to do; he rushed over and peer down at the cuts and sure enough there was a pool of the beast's last meal pouring out into the carcass. Reaching forward he quickly grabbed at the slimy intestine and lifted its coil up with a hand to stop the flow, then fished in his apron to pull out some string. "Here..Tie off each side of the cut and it wont' spew anymore. It's a good trick because sometimes the belly gets bloated and you just can't miss an organ with the knife."
With the offer that Con made he seemed thoughtful for a moment, "I'd like that but...mm...I might need some help if the words are pretty difficult. I got a basic reading education at the Hold but it doesn't help much when the words get really complex."
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