Jorina stops in the doorway when she sees Neliar, a mug of juice halfway to her mouth and an half eaten meatroll in her other hand. "Oh! I didn't expect anyone in here. Can I help you?" She finally asks, making her way to the rear of the desk, where she sits in capacity as the apprentice master.
Neliar's face adopts the look of someone caught somewhere they should not be. "IIIII'm...." is all he manages to squeak out, he clears his throat and tries again. "I hope so, I would like to join the Starcraft, would you be able to help me" he ends on a hopeful note.
Jorina waves negligently at a chair and nods. "Sure can." She quickly stuffs the rest of her meatroll into her mouth and eats it before continuing. "I'm the Apprentice Master Jorina."
The blush on Neliar's face flames red as he realises he did not address Apprentice Master Jorina by her rank. "Thank you Apprentice Master
Jorina." he mumbles before taking the offered seat.
Jorina chuckles sipping at her juice. "No need to use my rank. It's new and I'm not used to it yet." The woman rifles through hides until she finds a mostly blank one and pulls it out to take notes on the interview for the other masters. "So why do you come to us to be a StarCrafter, eh?"
Neliar's face finally turns to its usual colour, as he begins to relax. "Ever since I was a small boy I've spent time looking at the stars. People have always told me I should join the StarCraft and learn more about then." He shuffles in his seat not quite feeling comfortable about discussing his passion for stargazing. Hoping Jorina will be able to see how interesting he really is.
Jorina nods jotting a note. Amazing how so many applicants say the same, or nearly the same thing. "And how old are you, son?" Actually, Riina hates using the word 'son' but not knowing his name, she feels awkward using the 'dear' she reserves for female applicants. "It'll give me an idea of where you'd fit in here. Plus, you may like to know that we don't just stargaze, but we do lots of maths and stuff. It's really a dreadful craft if you plan on getting a lot of sleep."
Realizing he has not introduced himself to her he quickly makes amends, "My name is Neliar and I'm 14 turns." His grin widens at the mention of maths, a thing he has always been good at. "I understand that, I know I'll have a lot to learn." If I'm accepted. is left unsaid.
"Well met, Neliar." Riina replies, making a note of the name, too. Looking up, she pauses, gazing into the middle of nowhere. "Oh, yes, where do you come to us from, please?"
Neliar smiles, "I come from Tillek, well almost. I lived in a cothold quite close to Tillek." Suddenly he yearns to be back home, a feeling that goes as quickly as it came.
Jorina nods, pulling a knot from the drawer and handing it to the Tillekian. "Tillek is a lovely place. We have a few crafters posted there, though I personally wouldn't leave Ista Island." She grins.
Neliar reaches over to take the knot from Jorina, amazed that he has been accepted. "Thank you." he mutters with pride. "I never thought I'd leave Tillek." he confesses, but he did and look where it has got him.
Neliar rises from the chair, not sure what to do now. "Thank you for your help Jorina." he says with a shy smile before walking to the hall.
Harpers tale - Saturday, June 30, 2001, 9:24 PM
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