Somewhere Out There

Writers: Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 3rd October 2015

Characters: Eionen
Description: He worries
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 2, day 25 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: A'kua

**He was led a dance.** That was a line from a play Eionn had performed in when he was a boy at the Harper Hall. It had several meanings, some of which he had understood then, but he never really got its full implications until now.

Looking for Shastia's son was like chasing the wind in an attempt to capture it: One could run and run from sunrise to sunset, waving their hands and throwing nets and trying again and again, but they would never be able to grasp it. No one in all the cotholds and minor Holds he had visited so far had seen Aluka. Eionn was becoming frustrated; it had only been two years. How could they forget a tall, dark-eyed, redheaded youth with a distinctive accent and a gruff attitude traveling alone and in need of supplies? Though on the other hand, every time he examined the people he spoke with, watching them for hints, none of them seemed to be lying when they said they hadn't seen such a lad.

So now, once more, Eionn was lying on a cot and staring at an unfamiliar ceiling as he seethed over his lack of progress. Even after traveling with three different caravans so far, visiting as many places as possible, there was nothing to go on. And every time his attempts to find Aluka fell flat, Eionn's tensions and concerns steadily mounted, especially at night when he was trying to sleep. What if his- his son was completely lost? What if he was sick or injured somewhere and needed help? What if he had gotten into some form of trouble he couldn't escape from on his own?

Of course the harper wasn't deluding himself that Aluka actually needed _him_; children generally stopped needing their parents at certain ages. But what if he did after all? Eionn had decided if that were so, he would honor Shastia's memory and take their- their son to the Harper Hall. There, Aluka would never miss a meal, never want for clothing or shelter or the care of healers. He could pursue any craft he desired under a proper Master who wouldn't treat him like filth, as Bailan said Falior had. Then.... Then maybe they could get to know each other and be a family. Eionn didn't have any left; it was why he was so free to travel where he wished. His parents had been older than usual when they suddenly realized they were going to have a child after all, and thus he had never had siblings. His mother and father had passed within a year of each other, and they had been without relatives as well, so there were no uncles, no aunts, no cousins.

It would be nice to be related to someone again. To have someone to care for, to share life experiences with, to teach and guide. Eionn knew he would be terrible at it, but perhaps with time, he would get better. But that all depended on whether or not Aluka needed or wanted any of that, which was another thing Eionn kept getting hung up on. Bailan hadn't lied when she said his son would gladly kill him, but surely the lad was reasonable enough to at least hear him out, wasn't he?

Some days, the harper pretended that was so. He would imagine meeting Aluka, having a chance to explain everything and say how sorry he was. Sometimes he even allowed those daydreams to end well, and they sustained him as he searched, because he knew the reality would more than likely end in pain.

But he couldn't give up. Not yet.

"Ancients help me," Eionn whispered into the dark, and sighed deeply, closing his eyes. Tomorrow he would jump on still another caravan and search anew. Maybe the next hold would have some clues to Aluka's whereabouts, and other things Eionn had realized he should be looking for when he left Bex again.

He could hope, anyway. Right now, hope was what he had, so he was going to cling to it.

Last updated on the October 25th 2015

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Somewhere Out There