A Nice Chat

Writers: Avery, Mirren
Date Posted: 13th September 2015

Characters: Elona, Z'then
Description: The weyrling and the candidate catch up.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 1, day 6 of Turn 8

Z'then's muscles were aching from drills and the hot bath had relaxed
them. He'd pulled on a tunic and trews but hadn't bothered to dry his hair
before he made his way down to the Dining Cavern. Once he had a meal he
went to take it back to his weyr, not feeling up for the other weyrlings
in the class right now. But
then he saw Elona, and hesitated. They hadn't spoken in awhile. He'd
really wanted her to Impress in this clutch. So he shuffled over in her
direction and gave a little smile.

"Hey. Is uh. This taken? Are you waiting?"

Elona looked startled. "Um. No. I'm not waiting for anyone." Elonus was
playing with
a friend and she had some time to herself.

"D'ya mind if I sit? I can't take my classmates any longer," he confessed.

"Yes. I mean no, I don't mind," she stammered. "Are they that bad?" Maybe she
shouldn't have asked that.

He wanted to say 'yes', but that was unfair to them. "People are on edge
after a near accident," he said instead. "It's just not a good mood."

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "Are you all right?" Her brow furrowed
with concern.

"I'm okay," he said after a moment of surprise. "But people are tense and
snappy now and I just don't like the mood. Y'know?"

"I think I do," she agreed. "I guess they're all a bit scared?" She
knew you had to be tough to ride a dragon, but riders were only people
at the end of the day. Sometimes she wondered how they went back and
fought thread after losing a friend. Were they even allowed to say no?

"I'm scared," he blurted, then stopped, blushing. He hadn't meant to
say that. "I was scared of flying too high," he added.

"It is a long way up," Elona agreed. She wasn't scared of heights, but
it must be scary for people who were. "And 'between' -" She shuddered.
Now that _was_ something she was scared of.

"It's better with your own dragon because you can feel them in your
mind," he told her. "On someone else's dragon it's just being a
passenger and you don't know if you'll be there forever."

"That's good, because the thought of going there often is enough to
give me nightmares," she said candidly. "I'm starting to think that
there's a lot more to riding a dragon than I'd thought."

"Sometimes I wonder why I wanted this so bad," he admitted. "Juvath
means I won't ever be lonely again, but it's not...it's not like
Harper tales. It's terrifying. I don't -" He trailed off.

Elona felt the blood drain from her face a little. "Really? Maybe I
shouldn't-" She
certainly had other options.

"I mean, ask me once I've been Blooded," he said quickly. He didn't want
to scare her. "It didn't seem like we could get burned by our own
dragons, you know?"

"I don't really," she admitted. "It doesn't sound good though." She
looked worried. Maybe she was better off with the kids in the crèche.

"Don't let me scare you off. I just..." He shrugged, feeling bad now.
"But right now we're all tired and on edge. And probably terrible
company."

"Well…" She couldn't exactly argue with that. "I understand though. It's a
difficult time. It'll get better, I'm sure of it."

"Thanks for the confidence," he said, and meant it.

Small talk. He should do that to break the awkward. "Outside of waiting
for this hatching and your son, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much, just chores and more chores. Sometimes I think they
keep candidates here so they have someone to do chores." She smirked.

He laughed. "That's what candidates and drudges are for, eh? And
misbehavin' weyrlings."

"I think so," Elona agreed with a smile. "Not that I mind. It's good
to feel useful, otherwise…"

"I know," he agreed. "I wanted to apprentice to the dragonhealers, but
I didn't because I was always left behind and I wouldn't be able to go
far if I aged out. I was afraid of being useless."

"Oh." She gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sure you wouldn't have
been useless," she said generously.

"Well, what good's a dragonhealer who can't talk to dragons? I guess I
could have switched to people," he added. "But I stuck it out and here
I am, a weyrling."

Elona smiled. "Yes you are. You never need to worry about having a
place here." Unlike her.

"Well, with Lissath's hatching, we'll see about you. Or have you
decided not to go again?" After all, maybe she was tired.

"I'll try again," she replied. "In case there's a green for me. I'd
hate it if there was and I wasn't there." She didn't seem to certain
though.

He imagined having not been there for Juvath, shuddered. "If it's
meant to happen, it will."

"And if not then hopefully I'll be allowed to stay," she replied. "I
can't go home. They wouldn't have me after–" she hesitated, "having
my son."

"They'd be wrong for that," he said suddenly and fiercely. "The
Weyr'll be your family even if they're wrong."

Inexplicably, Elona blushed. "That's very kind of you to say, but the
Weyr can't just house anyone and everyone."

"What are you doing besides chores? You're good with your son, what
about foster?"

"I would want to do that if I don't impress and I'm allowed to stay,"
she replied. "I like kids and they seem to like me. Elonus would
probably be thrilled."

"As long as you do something like that they have to have you stay. I
mean, someone's gotta take care of all the rider kids, right?"

"Right," she agreed. "The way some riders breed…" She bit off her
words. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to criticise the way some people are."

"They're different. More casual," he said. He certainly wasn't going
to disagree. He'd wanted a wife and kids of his own before he was
Searched. Juvath meant that wasn't going to happen, not like that.
"The way they die I guess they have to."

Elona swallowed. "I suppose so, it's just not something I've gotten
used to. I'm not sure I ever will, really."

It was good to talk to someone else with a sympathetic point of view,
he thought. Some candidates he knew from holds had just thrown out
everything they grew up with. It surprised him, and he didn't like it,
finding those people fickle and too easy to please.

"It's refreshing to talk to someone else who thinks right," he said softly.

Elona blushed. "I'm not sure too many would agree that it's right. Not
here anyway. Most of them seem to think I'm odd."

"They never stop to think that they're odd," he said with a wry little
smile. "There's room for both perspectives to co-exist here. There has
to be. I guess that's why it's good us holdfolk keep coming to the
weyr. Somebody's gotta give them a new outlook."

"Imagine if enough Weyrfolk went to the hold though," she said, her
eyes wide. "I don't think they'd enjoy it too much."

"Maybe they should try it sometime. It might be good for them," he
said a little sourly.

Elona snorted. "I don't think they'd like the food," she said smiling
wryly. "We're
a little spoilt here for that."

"That's something I'd have hated to give up if I hadn't Impressed," he
agreed. "Thanks for talking with me."

"It's been nice," she said, suddenly shy.

Last updated on the September 16th 2015

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

A Nice Chat