Right Where We're Supposed to Be

Writers: Anika, Avery
Date Posted: 11th February 2015

Characters: Ilyssia, Z'then
Description: While Ilyssia and Z'then confer on riding straps, they realize they share a mutual interest.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 17 of Turn 7

Ilyssia

Not caring to spend her time in the barracks, Ilyssia brought the
riding straps she was working on out to the common area. Being from a
caravan, repairing tack was a common enough task, but piecing the
leathers together was definitely more challenging than just repairing
them. Her stitches were neat and even, which helped, but there was
far more than that involved.

Noting that Z'then was also working on his riding straps she took a
seat nearby. "How are you fairing?"

His tongue poked out the side of his mouth as he lined two pieces up.
"Thinking I wish I could stitch these while they were on Juvath."

"I know exactly what you mean! I feel as if I'm rechecking my
measurements every few moments. The stitching itself isn't bad but
shells the customization! Ugh!"

"I think I've mismeasured him at least once," Zethen confessed.

"Once? Shards! You're doing better than me then. Though I'm definitely
blaming some of that on Gwynnyth's growing every candlemark."

"Isn't that a fact? I don't know how Juveth eats that much." He shuddered.
"Are the patterns at least easy for you?"

Ilyssia gave a concentrated look to the piece in her hands. "I wouldn't
say _easy_ but not hard either. It's the areas where they're to attach and
unattach that's giving me the biggest headache right now."

"Is it confusing, or is it the stitching?" He took a moment to admire her
work as he scooted over.

"The stitching isn't the problem. It's more the attachment of the
clasp I think. See here?" she asked showing him the part she was
working on.

"I see it. You're having a problem attaching it, or figuring out how
to? I can show you mine if you want."

"That would be great, thanks!" She answered, anxious to see how he'd done
it. "What's been the hardest part for you? Just the measurements?"

"The stitching, actually. Mine doesn't look nearly as nice, and I'm
worried it won't be strong enough."

"Oh, I can help you with the stitching." Ilyssia looked at his riding
straps. "It doesn't have to be pretty, but you do want the stitches
even and not too far apart. That helps with the stability. Oh!
That's how you attach it!" Ilyssia exclaimed, taking note of the part
that had been so difficult for her. "Well, I feel sharding silly now,
that should have been obvious."

"I'm good at imagining how things fit together," Z'then said with just
a hint of pride in his tone. "So seeing how they go together is the
easy part. I just have to imagine where they fit him."

"That's a handy skill. You probably would have made a good smith,
though I'm sure you'll be an even better dragonrider. I bet you
weren't even fazed by those Dragon Toss drills earlier this month.
Thought I was pretty fit, but it turns out I had some muscles to
build."

"It wasn't that easy, but it wasn't too bad. Poor A'les has it much
harder I think," he demurred. "I was hoping to be a dragonhealer,
actually. Never apprenticed to it in case I didn't Impress and had to
go back home."

"I kind of thought I'd apprentice as a healer if I didn't Impress.
There was no chance I was going back and I always helped my foster
mother tend to people in the caravan since we didn't have a healer.
Now that I've Impressed, I was thinking about dragon healing since
I'll be too young to join the fighting wings for awhile."

"You tended people? That sounds great," Z'then said.

"We could do it together. I know normally weyrlinghood is too busy for
crafting and stuff, but there are the dragonhealing lessons and helping
out in the infirmaries. I bet if we tell the staff they'd put us on those
duties."

"That would be fantastic!" Ilyssia replied enthusiastically. It would be
great to have someone to share such a focus with. Of course this would
provide even more fodder for the gossips, not that she really cared. "Um,
you're not overly bothered by rumors are you? 'Cause I seem to attract them
like a magnet."

"It's a Weyr, it happens," he scoffed. In truth, he wasn't a fan of the
spotlight. But rumors were a small price to pay for a friend.

With a smile, the girl offered a nod. "That's how I feel, too, but I
wanted to be fair." She handed him back his riding straps and took a
look at hers so that she could get the attachment right. "So what
part of our dragonhealing lessons have you liked best?"

"I don't know if I'd say I like anything best," he said after a
moment. "I like what we're doing in the end, the helping a dragon out.
Some parts were kind of gross when I started, but now that I'm mucking
out Juvath's area it doesn't seem as bad anymore."

Ilyssia bobbed her head in agreement to that. "I've really liked
finding out more about dragon anatomy and the herbs and plants that
help them or hurt them. I never knew fellis was deadly to dragons."

"I didn't either before I came here. I guess because they're so
different from us. The color of ichor used to freak me out," he
confessed.

"That definitely takes some getting used to. It still gets to me just
a little, though I think part of it is that when I see it, I always
think, 'What if it were Gwynnyth's?'," Ilyssia shared, shuddering at
the very thought.

"Right? I think I was a little more distant about it all when I was
just assisting. Doing stuff like bringing tools and bandages or
holding them in place. But now that I have a dragon it seems to make
more sense to me how to fix them, but then I think "what if"."

}:It wouldn't be me,:{ Juvath protested, awakening from his doze at
his rider's feelings of nerves.

"I think that's one of the main things that draws me to dragonhealing.
If Gwynnyth were hurt, I'd want the right people there to help her.
Since I won't be able to enter the fighting wings right after
graduating, I want to learn how to be one of those that can help the
injured."

He nodded. "I respect that. But at least you'll have her with you. I
think I'd have rather Impressed earlier and had Juvath and waited to
enter the wings, rather than keep being on the Sands over and over."

"I was lucky to only Stand the once. Were you getting worried? That
you might not Impress?"

He nodded. "I wasn't sure what I'd do if I didn't - couldn't become a
full dragonhealer, so I was afraid to apprentice. What if I aged out
and then could never advance in rank? Maybe I could have gone back
home, but then I'd have had to get married."

Ilyssia made a rude noise followed by a rather unladylike comment.
"Sorry," she offered, remembering that such indelicate speech really
wasn't appropriate,"but my views of marriage are a bit jaded. I guess
it's okay for some, but I know _I_ really wasn't looking forward to
it."

"I can't blame you," Z'then said. "And I'd have had the better end of
that kind of bargain. But working the fields didn't seem like much to
me."

"Well, we're dragonriders now and we're right where we're supposed to be."

Z'then grinned. "It's the best feeling in the world."

}:Are you hungry? I'm hungry,:{ the brown told the green.

Gwynnyth yawned and stretched. }:Famished!:{

"Duty calls," Ilyssia said with a chuckle, collecting the riding
straps so that she could put them away before feeding her dragon.

"Indeed. If you want to trade advice on these later, I'd sure
appreciate it," the brown weyrling told her.

Last updated on the February 11th 2015

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Right Where We're Supposed to Be