Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn From: arsmith@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Alan Smith) Subject: [Colony] To pick flowers. Message-ID: Date: Sat, 09 Oct 1993 19:12:00 GMT Naurannun Annunlammen (called 'Nar') peered down at the water flowing below the ship. There was nothing to mark this particular piece of water as any differentfrom the millions of other pieces they had passed in the last month, but life in a colony ship was the single most dull, cramped, and unrewarding experience in her young life. There was no one to talk to (at thirteen, she considered to big to play anymore) and even if there was, there'd be no place to do it, the sailors selfishly claimed all the deck space for themselves, and belowdecks there wasn't a square inch she could call her own. She leaned lower to get a better view of the water. "Aaaaiiiieeee!" A voice shrieked. Arms grabbed Nar and pulled her back onto the ship. The face that confronted her was that of her elder brother, Hilaer. "Don't EVER do that again! You could have fallen in and..." He went off on the same tirade he went on the last time they had done this. Nar just gave him a bored and annoyed look. "You're not even listening, are you?" He interrupted himself. "Hil," Nar began. "That's Hilaer." "Hil. I am your only sister and therefore I get to use the pejoritive form of your name. It's in the customs, look it up." "You don't even know what 'pejorative' means!" "Neither do you!" Nar retorted "Therefore, since neither of us knows what it means, I get to make it mean anything I want." " -" Was all Hilaer managed to get out before he was interrupted by laughter from their eldest brother, Palanthar. "She got you there." Anth said, sitting down next to his sister, still giggling. "Have we been leaning over the gunwales again, kitten?" This got sullen looks from both siblings. "Anth, her name is Naurannun, or Nar if you wish to use the, 'pejorative'." Hilaer spoke. "Yeah, and I don't like it either!" Nar chipped in, "So therefore you shouldn't call me kitten!" Anth looked uncomfortable for about thirty seconds until he heard a gong. "Thank the gods, the dinner bell." He said, turning to get his grub. "You won't say that when you see what we have to eat." Nar chewed thougtfully on her fish while a middle aged woman sat down across from her, sighed in an exhausted way, and started to pick at her own fish. "So, Silivenfrin Lintesul, you have decided to grace us with your presence." The speaker was Astaldo Veduilin, a newly married man with one of the most merry faces Nar had ever seen. It probably came from his being a toymaker, she thought, both him and his wife Gwaehennneth were toymakers and they seemed perpetually cheery people. When bouts of seasickness swept the ship they were the most despised people in the colony. "Astaldo son of Angtol Veduilin, thou shouldt know better than to berate a mage who is responsible for your safety." Silivenfrin replied. Like her nephew Palandun, she tended to get polite when angered and/or under exhaustion stress. "My 'pologies, Silivenfrin, I was but trying to be my usual charming self." This got 'gimme a break' looks from both Nar and Silivenfrin, and a sheepish grin from Astaldo. Gwaehenneth came to his rescue, though, saying: "Well, I think you're charming, my valiant knight of the Last Lake." The gave each other a quick kiss. "Blech." Nar said, "Mush." "My thoughts exactly." Silivenfrin concurred. "How is your stay on this fine ship, Naurannun?" "Besides the mush part? It's dull! Shouldn't we be there by now?" "Another week, according to the captain. My nephew will be wondering where we are. This will probably be a big shock to him." "Your nephew's in Generica?" Astaldo asked. "He's a grad student pursuing his degree in Biology at the university there." "My brother Anth almost did that! That's why he wanted to come. Only he's a history student." Nar was the only member of her family, possibly the only member of the colony, who didn't want to go to Generica. "And he didn't go?" "He said he couldn't handle it if there wasn't the Bismanian culture he knew there. But he really wanted to go to Generica because it has so much history." "There is that." "So, did your nephew tell you what to expect?" Astaldo. "He's notoriously bad at correspondence, so no. I did read his report, though, but probably so did you." Astaldo nodded at this. "I have a question." Nar said, "Did he say there were flowers there? I love to pick flowers so, and I haven't been able to do it in a month!" "Yes, there are flowers there." Silivenfrin said. "That we can fix." Gwaehenneth said, "give it to him, honey." Astaldo reached in a pocket and pulled out a short dowel with a cap. he pulled off the cap and some flowers popped out. "You can pick these all you want." Astaldo said.