Dragonsinger - Chapter Six

[kalinara]

So last time on Dragonsinger, Menolly was sabotaged by her jealous roommates, but she also upstaged them pretty nicely. Dunca is still a problem, and I continued to rant about how none of this would be happening if Robinton and Silvina did their fucking jobs.



So we start out with the next morning. Menolly wakes up at sunrise courtesy of Beauty. Anyone with a cat can probably recognize that feeling. She thinks about how when she got in last night, she called her lizards inside and oiled them with the salve she'd gotten from the healer, Oldive. It helped her recover her composure, and in turn, the lizards shared their own experiences with her: bathing in the lakes (which aren't as fun because there are no waves) and glimpses of the Weyr.

Menolly decides to take advantage of her early morning and tackle hygenic details, like getting a bath and washing out her tunic. We get a narratively catty moment when she hears Dunca snoring. I sometimes wonder if Ms. McCaffrey doesn't base some of these characters on people she dislikes. I hope the petty revenge was satisfying.

Menolly enjoys the bath, which is a lovely change from harsh sea-water, or the mineral-heavy water from Half-Circle Hold. There are some cute fire lizard hijinx as well, though Menolly quickly hushes them as she doesn't want Dunca to wake up. But the fire lizards get a nice bath too.

While her clothes dry, Menolly puts on her only change of clothing: her patched tunic and trousers from the cave. At breakfast, Dunca does NOT approve and also doesn't approve of Menolly drying her clothes on the window ledge. She's supposed to dry them in a room inside where they would take days and be musty.

This annoys me a bit. I accept that Dunca is the token obstacle lady and thus is not going to have any redeeming qualities. But I've never liked the habit some writers get into by having their characters as needless know-it-alls who know a professional's job better than they do. It's lazy. Dunca has run a cot, presumably, for years. She ought to have a decent idea of how to dry clothing without them getting musty. Especially since, unlike Menolly and even Half-Circle Hold (which never seemed like a very image conscious place), she actually cares about presentability, and has high born charges. Does she want her young ladies smelling musty?

Dunca then tries to stop her from leaving, as though she has any authority over Menolly's curriculum, and again, this is the sort of thing that should have been hashed out before Menolly moved in. And if not then, it should DEFINITELY have been hashed out once Audiva confirmed that Dunca interfered with Menolly's schedule. Again: where are Robinton and Silvina?!

So there's a pointless confrontation which Menolly wins by pointing out how the message yesterday had gone astray, she heads to Harper Hall. Camo comes to help feed, with Abuna chasing him. And again, this seems like something Silvina should be hashing out. There are two competing needs here:

1) Menolly needs to feed the lizards, no question, and there are a lot so she could use help. Camo, who is mentally disabled, is adamant on helping them. Okay.

2) Breakfast needs to be served and Camo needs to help. Okay.

Neither Menolly nor Abuna are at fault here. Neither is Camo. But this is where we'd expect the headwoman to step in. Clearly a solution needs to be found. Perhaps a set schedule for feeding that doesn't interfere with breakfast. Menolly wakes up early, so maybe they could do it then. Silvina, as headwoman, should be sitting everyone down to figure this out.

So where is she?

I can accept that the awful characters are awful, but it's aggravating me that the characters who are supposed to be wise and admirable do not seem to be doing their jobs. If the Masterharper is meant to be too busy to run a school, then McCaffrey should have given us a damn headmaster. Hell, if said headmaster was someone like Morshal, then Menolly might face an actual challenge and Robinton's hands could remain clean. But apparently the school runs itself.

Menolly does spare a moment to hope that Camo's preoccupation won't cause problems between her and Abuna. And you know, Menolly, you COULD bring this up with her yourself. But this is only your third day, so I'll cut you some slack. Piemur comes running as well, tunic laces untied and clearly having rushed. He wants to help.

So then breakfast is served, and really, why is Menolly with Dunca again? Menolly gets her gitar and practices with it. She then remembers her other job: to check the eggs. She does: they're fine, and as she leaves she runs into Sebell and Domick. Just in time.

Domick still doesn't seem that bad to me. And to be fair to Menolly, she starts to wonder if he's teasing her when he tells her that she's not to race any Thread today. He apparently has a very sour voice, which does clarify why she's so adamant that he dislikes her. It would have been nice if Ms. McCaffrey had established that earlier. Sebell, who is really a far better mentor figure than Robinton, gives her a reassuring wink.

So the lesson seems to be an impromptu group study, with Sebell and Talmor. Menolly is assigned second gitar. Meanwhile, Domick does something with a metal pipe and makes it sound like a fire lizard's voice. The music he gives her is brand new, and it seems pretty clear he's testing her on her ability to sight-read and perform blind.

Of course, Menolly is awesome at it. But I don't mind it so much because she's clearly having a lot of fun, and relates it to the exercises that she used to do with Petiron. She wants to do it again, which amuses Talmor and Sebell. Domick admits that he hadn't believed Talmor about Menolly's talent.

Domick asks if Sebell had warned her about the exercise, and Talmor realizes that Menolly is anxious and gets him to back off a bit, explaining that Domick had only just finished writing it and it's one of his "tortuous inventions". He does note there was some faulty chording at a spot or two, but acknowledges that Menolly's hand is an impairment. For his part, Sebell is laughing so hard that he's almost crying.

We also learn that Talmor is a journeyman just like Sebell, and geez, no wonder the girls aren't learning very much. I'm sure Talmor is good, but if you have the real apprentices taught by masters, and the girls taught by journeymen, you're never going to find one that is going to equal an apprentice.

I would appreciate this bit of inequality more if I thought Ms. McCaffrey meant it to mean something.

Anyway, Domick asks her what she did, musically, at Half-Circle Hold, and confirms that "Master Robinton's been to busy to confer with [him] at any length".

Why is Robinton in charge of Harper Hall then?! DO YOUR FUCKING JOB.

So Menolly explains the first couple of chapters of Dragonsong: Petiron singled her out, taught her the skills she learned, which seem much more reasonable here. Petiron taught her gitar and harp, but there's no mention of any of the other instruments (except that he taught her to make them). This then gets into how she cut her hand.

Domick notes that when Petiron was at the Hall, there was no finer musician or instructor. He himself had been Petiron's apprentice. And both he and Sebell assure her that she shouldn't be ashamed of playing or of having joy in music. Domick asks her what she likes best to do at Harper Hall, and I'm wondering again why Domick isn't the headmaster, because this is a conversation that Robinton should have had with her ages ago.

Menolly mostly just wants to learn, but there is something she'd really love, and when she trails off, Domick encourages her gently. Menolly wants to play in a group. She loves the harmonies and hearing the melody line change from instrument to instrument. She compares it to dragon riding. Domick is very pleased.

They play again, though in parts rather than all the way through. Menolly likes this too though, because Domick is tweaking things on the fly and making adjustments. Menolly is now very happy that she's been assigned to work with him, and I'm happy that for ONCE we have a bit of nuance.

Domick was never as bad as Menolly had assumed, which frustrated me a bit because Ms. McCaffrey didn't clearly establish where Menolly's reaction was coming from until now. If I'd KNOWN he had a sour voice and resting bitchface (something that didn't come across in their first meeting, IMO), I would have cut her more slack.

They end up interrupted by the Threadfall alarm, which gives us a new and fascinating look at what Thread means for non-dragonriders. Menolly relates the preparation:

Menolly sat uneasily, aware that the Hall was preparing for Threadfall, as she had prepared for the menace all her conscious years. She heard racing feet in the corridors, for the door was half ajar. Then the clanging of shutters, the squeal of metal, many shouts and a gradual compression of air in the room. The sudden throb as the great ventilating fans of the Hall were set into motion for the duration of Threadfall. Once again, she found herself wishing to be back in the safety of her seaside cave. She had always hated being closed in at Half-Circle Sea Hold during Threadfall. There never seemed to be enough air to breathe during those fear-filled times. The cave, safe but with a reassuringly clear view of the sea, had been a perfect compromise between security and convention."

I just really like that bit. Anyway, Domick asks her about her harping skills, and Sebell offers her his harp so she can use it. Her harp calluses are gone, but she still enjoys it. She has a question about the music but Domick says they'll talk about that another day. Her scar is open and bleeding slightly. Besides, Domick reminds her that it's lunch time.

There is some good news though, because everything's locked down for thread, she doesn't have to eat with the girls. I guess that makes sense, they can't have their lesson with Talmor, if Talmor was sitting in on Menolly's lesson. Menolly feels self-conscious, but Piemur plops down at the girls' table and says that he knew she wouldn't be hiding in the Hold "with the others".

Yes, thank you, Ms. McCaffrey, I don't know what I'd do if you didn't remind me that Menolly isn't like the other girls.

Menolly ends up getting into a conversation with Piemur, and another boy ("with protuberant eyes" who we're told usually sat opposite her) about the fire lizards and their ability to go after thread or breathe fire. Menolly hasn't seen them do that, but she admits, they're still young. Brolly, the dude, seems like a bit of a dick, but Menolly holds her own with him reasonably well and she also makes Piemur eat vegetables. And now she's included in the conversation, most of which is about the lizards.

There's some relevant current events info: Groghe (that troublesome lord who was insistent on the Red Star voyage), and Meron. Brolly resents that the Weyr controls the fire lizards and hands them out as prizes to whoever they want. Which seems like a fair complaint. Piemur notes that fire lizards won't stay if a person is mean, and Lord Meron's lizard disappears for days. Poor little thing.

Then the alarm goes off again: Thread is directly overhead. And fascinatingly, the fire lizards are reacting:

On the mantel behind her were ranged all nine fire lizards; their eyes sparkling with rainbow reflections of intense agitation, their wings spread, talons unsheathed. They were hissing, retracting and extending their tongues as if licking imaginary Thread from the air.

Cool. The Harpers start to sing the "alarm chorus" which is that "Drummer, beat and piper, blow" song from Dragonflight. The fire lizards sing along. They sing Moreta's Ride next, and Menolly gets to direct this one. This annoys me slightly more because conducting music isn't the same skill set as playing necessarily. She enjoys it.

It sounds like a full on opera, really. We're told of a baritone telling of the dread sickness. The tenors taking up the narration with the basses and baritones emphasizing the plight. A bass sings the Masterhealer role, while Piemur as soprano sings Moreta. The lizards sing along and apparently it's unforgettable.

I do really love the idea that the Harpers deal with the stress of Thread by performing. Brudegan, the choir director, asks if they'll sing like that again, and there's some banter between him and Piemur about their previous antics. Fortunately, Brudegan doesn't seem too upset about it. He even says that the fire lizards are free to sing along as they go into a more standard rehearsal. Menolly really enjoys it, and appreciates getting to observe Brudegan as a director, which she finds a bit humbling. In a good way.

There's another alarm, apparently indicating that the Threadfall is over. Silvina pops up out of nowhere to announce that she has meatrolls for the "outside crews" Apparently they all have duties outside, except Menolly of course, because again, neither Robinton nor Silvina will do their fucking jobs and assign her something. Or, you know, explain what she should have been doing during the emergency to begin with. In the real world, we have fire drills, and Threadfall is a lot more frequent a threat than a possible fire. They're lucky Menolly isn't prone to panic.

There is an upside though, as everyone races outside or to the windows to see the dragonriders.

FINALLY, Silvina comes in to do her job. She asks Menolly if she's had anything forwarded to her by way of clothes, and Menolly realizes that Dunca had complained. Silvina realizes Dunca was right, "for once", she reassures Menolly that she isn't mad at her, and is furious with herself for not thinking. Good. You walked her over to Dunca and should have realized then that she had no luggage, Silvina!

She takes Menolly to a storeroom. Most of the clothes there are more fit for boys and men, but fortunately Menolly prefers trousers. Silvina also decides that Menolly should have "some finery" and gets a bolt of rich red fabric to her. She then goes on a really bizarre rant:

“You’d have me dress you in drudges’ colors? Even they have something good!” Silvina was scornful. “You may not be proud in yourself, Menolly. In point of fact, your modesty has done you great service, but you will kindly consider the change in your circumstances. You’re not the youngest child in a family of an isolated Sea Hold. You’re an apprentice harper, and we”–Silvina tapped her chest smartly with her fingers—“have appearances to maintain. You will dress yourself as well as, and if I’ve my way, better than, those fumble-fingered females, or those musical midgets who will never be more than senior apprentices or very junior journeymen. Now, a rich red will become you. Ah, yes, this will suit you well,"

Okay:

1) Do drudges have anything good? Lessa didn't. Maybe that's a hint that Harper Hall treats its drudges better, I fucking hope so. Camo is Robinton's SON after all.

2) I don't disagree that a Harper has an appearance to maintain, but I could do without the comparison to "fumble-fingered females" or even the "musical midgets who will never be more than senior apprentices or very junior journeymen."

You're the fucking headwoman, Silvina. Those kids deserve better than your derision because they're not as talented as their peers. And no wonder they're not succeeding if this is the attitude toward anyone who has difficulty! What motivation do they have to work harder?

Silvina gives Menolly some clothes and especially underthings ("breast bands and underpants") because apparently Dunca was incensed that Menolly didn't have any.

Honestly, as awful as Dunca is, that seems like a reasonable complaint. Why is Dunca doing your job, Silvina? Silvina realizes that Menolly's upset, and takes time to bash Dunca a bit more. But, hey, Silvina, why didn't you notice again?

Silvina then decides to be maternal, and I'm annoyed even more:

“I think,” said Silvina slowly, in a very gentle voice, “that you have lived too much alone. And not just in that cave. And I think you must have been terribly bereft when old Petiron died. He seems to have been the only one in your Hold who understood what’s in you. Though why he left it so long to tell Master Robinton I simply don’t understand. Well, in a way I do, but that’s neither here nor there. One thing certain, you’re not staying on in that cot. Not another night…”

“Oh, but Silvina—”

“Don’t ‘oh but Silvina’ me,” the woman said sharply, but her expression was mocking, not stern. “Don’t think I’ve missed Pona’s little tricks, or Dunca’s. No, the cot is the wrong place for you. I thought so when you first arrived, but there were other reasons for plunking you there at first. So we’ll take the long view, as should be done, and shift you here. Oldive doesn’t want you on your feet so much, and sure as Fall’ll come again, the fire lizards are as unhappy at Dunca’s as she is to have them. The old fool! No, Menolly,” and now Silvina was angry with Menolly, “it is not your fault! Besides which, as a full harper apprentice, you really haven’t anything to do with the paying students. Further, you ought to be near those fire lizard eggs until they hatch. So, you’re staying here in the Hall! And that’s the end of the matter.” Silvina got to her feet. “Let’s just gather these clothes, and we’ll settle you right now.

Thank you, Silvina, but I have to rant again:

1) I'm glad that you're sympathetic to Menolly, but why exactly was she staying in that cot at all? Especially as you say, she doesn't have anything to do with the paying students.

Also, wow. So the girls are paying to get half-assed lessons from a journeyman? No wonder they're all bitchy about it.

2) If you didn't miss Pona's tricks, or Dunca's...also, what tricks did Pona do exactly? She just bitched! But anyway, if you noticed that, WHY DIDN'T YOU STEP IN?!

3) And so vanishes the only thing resembling an actual challenge in this story. Bets on whether or not we see any of these girls again?

So anyway, Menolly is going to be staying in the room that she stayed in that first night. Menolly's modesty kicks in, she thinks it's too grand for her. Silvina dryly offers to move all the furniture out and replace it with apprentice stuff. Menolly thinks that would be better and Silvina ends up laughing about it. She points out that apprentice cots are narrow, and she does have the lizards, so they decide to tie two cots together.

Um, Menolly, while I appreciate the modesty, have you perhaps considered that it's more work for everyone to clear the room out and replace the furniture?

But anyway, the room is now much simpler and humble. Then Piemur comes along, Shonagar wants Menolly to come to lessons. Apparently there's no lessons on Threadfall day, but Shonagar knows Menolly hasn't been assigned to a section yet, so he knows she's got nothing better to do. So Menolly is sent off to the lesson. Piemur is sent to the cot to ask Audiva to gather up Menolly's things. She emphasizes that Piemur should ask for Audiva.

It's actually more annoying to see Silvina being competent now, because she should have been all along. And what were those "reasons" for putting Menolly with the girls again? Aside from Ms. McCaffrey wanting a "not like other girls" plot that is now completely resolved?

Anyway, the chapter ends with Shonagar claiming Menolly's afternoons for singing lessons. Yay.