The things we can't have (Jenafa)

[laionii]

She set off down the twisting halls of Igen, which was surprisingly large for such a small Weyr. She finally made her way into the senior queen’s apartments. No one had really bothered with it after Shaye’s death, but now the rooms would belong to Jenafa. Someone had already removed Shaye’s belongings. Breena had not really gotten to know the queen rider but her loss was too much for many.

She dismissed these thoughts and set about with a broom using the ladder where the ceiling was too high for her reach. Though the work took her several hours she had the room entirely spotless and stripped of the old décor in a matter of hours. She had sent for Jenafa to approve the work and tell her where things should go, it was the best place in the Weyr and it caught all the best winds and breezes thus remaining fairly cool in comparison. It didn’t serve for the room to be abandoned simply because of a tragedy, she scanned the now spotless and void space hardly recognizing it from when it had been furnished for shaye.

[thedreamerlady]

When Jen arrived at the Senior Queen's weyr after receiving a summons from her maid, she didn't expect to find what she did.

Clean. Spotless. And none of Shaye's stuff was in it. Jenafa smiled widely, deeply approving. Not that Shaye didn't have good taste, but Shaye was a Holder's Daughter, and her taste reflected it. It lacked color, and warmth. Shaye had always liked being a cold fish, however, and Jen didn't intend to follow in the paranoid's footsteps.

"You never cease to amaze me." Jen announced from the doorway she was standing in, surveying the room with a smile. Oh joyous was the day she'd stolen the candidate from the Headwoman's main workforce. Holder girls had the right idea, with their maids. Not that Lady's maids did half the things she could depend on Breena for doing.

"Do you need my help?" Jen asked, curious as to why Breena had asked her to come. She was used to merely leaving it up to the Weyrbred girl to get things done. And she was exactly dressed to do any manual labor, in her knee length orange dress.

[laionii]

Breena glanced around the empty room before speaking to the Weyrwoman with an enormous grin.

“Well actually I need you to do the two things you are best at first,” she paused indicating the perfectly blank canvas she had slaved over, Breena was not a lazy drudge, and took a great deal of pride in any work done for the weyrwoman. It was Jenafa that saved her from the lower caverns workforce.

“Firstly you need to direct the other drudges as to where your things should go and secondly. . .” she added with an even bigger grin. “I need you to tell me how to set up Saharth’s sleeping area, and the bathing section. I would have directed it all myself but I thought you might enjoy a break in your day.”

[thedreamerlady]

Jenafa nodded, a flash of white teeth in a dark face being the highlight of her smile. She would enjoy a break, especially since her office was currently half packed, and her cactus was missing. The Weyrwoman of Igen hadn't realized how much she relied on her cactus to help her keep focused.

"Thank you Breena. After this, make sure my office is moved into the records room, will you?" The records room was nice, and little could be changed. Igen was a Weyr steeped in tradition, and changing the records room might spark a rebellion: Jen didn't want to risk it. In any case, it was twice the size of her old office, and while it entailed more work, at least everything would be on hand.

"Now." Jen looked about, mentally planning everything out. "Wash out the ledge for Saharth. She'll decide what to change later." And it was something Jenafa wanted to do personally, as well.

"Could you see about some bright rugs?" Jenafa entered the room, looking about, checking for entrances, exits, and closets. "And don't bother with the couch from my old rooms. Leave that for the junior. Replace the curtain over this sleeping alcove. I want something with purple, I think." Jen bit her lip, and though for a second.

"And didn't Shaye have a shelf in here? I liked it, I think. Bring that back." Jenafa looked about, and shook her head slightly. It was simply astounding to think that she'd become the Weyrwoman of Igen. And before she was thirty. It simply didn't happen. Not ever.

And it was overwhelming. She was lucky she had the support of the Bronzeriders, and most of the lower caverns. And the advantage of doing most of the work before Shaye died anyway. Maybe, Jen pondered, she should invest in a few more comfortable pieces of furniture.

[laionii]

Breena’s amber eyes flashed as she took mental note of every detail that was to be taken care of. She nodded at mention of the ledge being washed out, like everything else that had been completed before calling on Jenafa but Breena didn’t mind the comment. There were not many who had the work ethic she did.

“I thought maybe a few of the brighter tapestries that have been gathering dust in the store rooms” she suggested, glancing at the sleeping alcove she nodded. “And new bedding as well?”

At mention of the shelf Breena shot a glance to a younger boy who had been standing about doing nothing quickly he shot off and retrieved the item. That was the other perk of being Jenafa’s personal drudge, while It might not get her out of Janesa’s bad graces, It certainly earned her a bit of respect.

It was strange to think that Jenafa was the new weyrwoman, but it didn’t surprise Breena in the least. She knew the gold rider was more competent than most. “Feels odd doesn’t it? Only a month ago it seems like Saharth was holding her hatching and look at all that has happened since.”

[thedreamerlady]

Jenafa nodded, allowing familiarly from her personal drudge that she would have had brownriders beaten for even thinking.

"And it's amazing how little has changed. I wish there were more hours in the day." And Jenafa really did. She spent all of her time finding out her new duties, privileges, and any secrets that Shaye had kept from her. And she hadn't had time yet to speak to her new junior. That was something she needed to do very soon.

And she needed to look into her Bronzes. She had to decide on the real choices for Weyrleader were. And she would want to enlist Breena's help with that, as the girl was one of her sources in the lower caverns. Knowing what everyone in the Weyr wanted was always a good idea. Alas, she'd have to wait until Breena was away from other drudges to discuss that.

And of course, she had her own ideas. Thankfully she had two turns to figure a way to create open Flight for her Junior, and turns to change the Weyr into her idea of perfection.

"When this is done, I need my hair redone." Jen mentioned, smiling still. "As for the tapestries, that is a good idea. Not to many, of course. And new bed sheets would be pleasant." Shaye's bed had been bigger. And softer. Not that Weyrwomen didn't deserve the best.

[laionii]

Breena laughed. She could not help but love Jenafa in a way, like a sister or aunt or cousin. As she dismissed the other drudges after giving each sound instruction on what items to fetch back, orders for the crafters and which tapestries should be brought to the room.

“I will work on your hair later, what are you in the mood for today?” she asked with a soft smile.

[thedreamerlady]

"Lots of little braids." Jenafa decided with only a second of thinking. She liked that style, though it was a lot of work. It also lasted the longest, thus, it was worth the extra effort. And from there, she, herself, could place it into whatever style she wanted. Besides, at this time, who knew when she would next have time to do her hair?

"Now, I'll return in an hour? I know you can get this place into shape in that amount of time." Jen smiled, and looked younger than she was. "And thank you for this Breena." The Weyrwoman was fairly spare with her compliments. However, Breena was the one who most often got them. After all, she deserved them, and a good deal of the other people Jenafa worked with did not.

Fade time to an hour later!

[laionii]

Silky blonde curls clung to her face as she wiped her brow. Intently she surveys the finished space. It had taken a good deal of work on her part but Brenna was never afraid of a little extra effort, especially not when it came to Jenafa.

Rich purple curtains now hang throughout the room; the fabric is soft and light weight as to not trap the heat. The new bed coverings are a shimmery fabric of ocher hue complementing the rich tones of purple. Four tapestries have been selected to hang on the walls, each in pristine condition; the first is a gold flight accented with cool greens and soft blues. The second is of Igen Weyr in the autumn all blue purple and golden orange, the third a scene near Boll at dusk, all blues greens golds and indigos. The last tapestry is vivid of a great queen clutching. There had been one other she had wanted to use but Breena was unsure how Jenafa would react to the flight of a queen wing against thread hanging in her room.

She waited now to see the woman’s reaction to the work.

[thedreamerlady]

Jenafa was frowning when she arrived into her new room. All of the work she'd assumed she could get done was instead spend consulting with people who needed to be talked to, but she didn't want to, and other such unpleasant duties. She'd be happy when she'd reworked her time and delegated certain duties. Not that she could completely change everything, not until she had two or three fully trained juniors, and none more to train.

Or such. And that would be turns in the making. But for now: standing in the middle of the room, Jenafa finally took in what her drudge had taken the last hour to create. It was splendid, and Jen couldn't wait to invite B'rek to come see it. A'stin would probably enjoy it as well, but she didn't particularly want to invite him into Shaye's old room to see what she had changed. That wouldn't be polite, or tactful.

"Well done." Jen finally added in a dry voice. She'd used up all of her vociferous praise out that day, and if Breena was hurt by her words, then the girl wasn't tough enough to work for Jenafa.

"I'm unsure of this clutching Queen however. It could be taken in the wrong light, after how Lyranth went." Jen wandered around for a few minutes more, checking things over, and making sure she knew where everything was. And she found a wonderful place to store wine.

"Are you ready to do my hair now?"

[laionii]

Breena’s face is expressionless as she absorbs Jenafa’s critique, She simply nods or moves to change whatever the Weyrwoman wishes changed. Her manner isn’t as much subservient as it is respectful and concerned.

“yes, Braids correct?” her tone is quiter than before.

(occ: sorry Rl finaly caught up with me, will be posting better soon.)

[thedreamerlady]

"Yes, braids." Jenafa responded distantly, looking pleased. Adjusting the strap of her dress, she looked over at the drudge, sitting down in a chair just the right height for what they were doing.

"I was wondering if you'd been around the local gossips lately." Jenafa asked, sounding curious.

[laionii]

Brenna moved quickly nimble fingers sorting through the wild mass that was Jenafa’s hair. “A few.” She sighs before going into purge mode. “There is concern over Shaye’s death, and even more over who will be the next weyrleader, though most of it is far off enough that people will not be too affected until Saharth rises again. “Many wonder how you will handle the position of senior weyrwoman, so don’t be too surprised if for the first few fortnights people seem jittery.”

[thedreamerlady]

Jenafa forsook nodding, not wanting to interfere with Breena's work on her hair. The braids could be difficult, and she wanted them to look as nice as possible, and last as long as possible.

"No panic." She mumbled to herself, obviously pleased. A little honest discussion about her was never a bad thing, after all. Or so she believed. And no worry about the Weyrleader yet. There should have been some discussion about who they thought would win the Leadership Flight. It was a topic rarely exhausted, starting anew almost as soon as the Flight was over.

"Is there any consensus about who the Weyr as a whole wants or doesn't want as Weyrleader?" Jenafa sorted information into her mind as she waited for her personal drudge to respond. She knew that she couldn't think about importing Bronzeriders until after her first Leadership Flight. Maybe from High Reaches? Igen would look like a good destination to a Bronzerider who could no longer stand the cold. But not until the people were settled with her as a Leader. And not until she got to know her junior better.