AFGUNST
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Afgunst took a bite out of the apple she was holding. Some juice ran down her chin, but she deftly wiped it off with a napkin. She was reading her favourite fairy tale again. The one with the dragon. Some people had told her it was a sad story because the humans died, but all Afgunst could think about what a loss it would have been if the beauty of the dragon had been killed. If you thought about it that way then why would you care if the dragon torched the entire castle, killing everyone inside?
Afgunst put her book down. One castle faded and another became reality again. Afgunst was sitting next to a window. She knew perfectly well how late it was, even without the big clock in the hallway telling her that she was late. But she really didn't want to meet yet another stuffy old clerk who was going to teach her about the culture in Gremyne. She lived here, so she knew the culture. Reading and having fun was far more important.
When she heard the creaking sound of the doors Afgunst hastily replaced her book with a fine needlepoint painting. Her mother loved it when she made herself useful. It had something to do with not doing other, 'bad' things. Afgunst had a good idea what she meant and could only laugh at her mother's weak attempts to keep her away from the boys.
She didn't have to do anything to get a boy's attention. Most drooled over her from the moment they first laid eyes on her. She had it all, beauty, money and she was an only child, heir to the castle. But the day had yet to come for Afgunst to find a man worthy of her. That and she wasn't completely sure what to expect. What did boys really want? She had been surrounded by girl and women all her life, her own father was practically a stranger to her. She could guess the motivations of a woman just fine, but men were a mystery.
"Here you are!" her mother  said.
"Yes mother?"
"You've kept the new clerk waiting."
"Oh, I must have forgotten the time." Afgunst said, acting to be confused and embarrassed.
"Doesn't matter, I see you were doing something useful. Let us go."
Afgunst followed her mother to her old playroom. The room was now full of books, her old toys stashed away in chests against the wall. Much to Afgunst's surprise the clerk wasn't old and grey this time. No, the clerk was young, maybe 25 years with short blond hair and amazingly blue eyes. He was a bit too slender for her liking, but she could think around that.
Afgunst immediately let go the thought of waiting for a boy when she had found this man. Plus if she seduced him he would teach her things far more valuable things than the geography of the old world or something like that. She looked at the clerk, batted her eyelashes and smiled shyly behind her mother's back. Afgunst saw he had gotten the message. She was an easy prey.
"This is master Gerd."
"Nice to meet you." Afgunst said and bowed like she was thought.
The master nodded and waved her mother out of the room. For a moment Afgunst felt a pleasant tension in the room. Something that went deeper than her skin. She smiled at the master and waited.
"Shall we start where my predecessor left of?" Gerd asked.
"Why sure." Afgunst said and grabbed a book she had finished ages ago.
"Hmmm, Geography of the old world? Very interesting."
"Master Eboran thought so too. I know quite a lot of it, but I've never seen it."
"Oh, it's beautiful."
"You've been there?" she asked breathless.
"No, but I've seen the paintings."
"Tell me about it."
And so started their first lesson. Afgunst would ask about all things she didn't want to know and Gerd would tell her what he knew. All the while they were sitting next to each other, sometimes accidentally stroking and arm or leg together. Afgunst loved the way how it distracted and confused Gerd. When he told her something he thought was funny, she giggled. She had seen some girls in the kitchens do it and the boys always looked happier afterwards. So did Gerd. He started to tell things more lively and Afgunst had to admit he had a lot to tell her that was interesting.
For the coming months Afgunst learned the fine art of flirting, along with some basic things she needed to know about the geography of the old world. Although Gerd liked to woo her, he wasn't completely unaware of his task of educating a young girl. Maybe that was what she liked most about him. He could have easily dropped everything and went all he way for her, but he played the game subtle... Maybe this was the difference between boys and men.
It was almost sad to see him go. But he had jobs elsewhere and he had thought her all she needed to know. Afgunst didn't need him anymore. At the end he had been becoming more blunt and direct anyway. Like he was saying the playing was over and he wanted something from her. That was another valuable lesson. Every man could only wait a little while...
So that's what she told her mother. He had been openly blunt toward her and she, young and innocent, hadn't quite known how to react. She had blushed and that had only encouraged him further. Before the day ended Gerd was on his way. A pouch full of money and a good recommendation in his pocket, but still... he wasn't happy to leave.

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STATS -- BIRTH -- 6 YEARS -- 15 YEARS -- SEARCH -- DRAGON
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Afgunst is a Candidate at Darkling Dawn Weyr
Lantessama Isle