Setting Sail
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 18th January 2016
Series: Shipwrecked
Characters: Zathris, Thayde
Description: Embark upon a sea journey together
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 3, day 19 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Benani, Irabel
Zathris inhaled deeply, enjoy the tangy saltiness of the air. While he loved Amber Hills, he couldn't deny the joy that being back at the sea brought him. The ship lazily rose and fell with the gentle rock of the water beneath and men passed cargo from one to another, up the plank, then down to the cargo hold. A couple of dolphins danced nearby, chattering happily to anyone who was willing to listen. As the Lord holder leaned over the side to watch them, a grin broke over his face and stretched from ear to ear. It had been far, far too long.
Thayde stood near Zathris, his forearms resting against the railing of the ship as he watched the ocean rolling by. The presence of the two dolphins below made him miss his partner Ada, who he had left behind at the Dolphin Hall before traveling to Topaz. It was nice to be on a ship again, he hadn't had a chance to do any sailing since leaving Jade Harbor and moving back to Dolphin Cove.
"Glad to get back to sea?" The two men hadn't seen each other in turns, and though they hadn't been the best of friends, their relationship was amiable enough that Zathris had been happy when he realized the dolphineer would be on the trip with him. "It's a shame your partner's not going with us."
"Very glad." Thayde told him. He was not his usual easy-going self, not after resigning his position and the rejection from Irabel. "It would be nice if Ada could be here, but she was working with rehabing some other dolphins, it would have been selfish of me to bring her."
"I suppose that's true. It'll be nice to get back out on the water." Although he missed Benani and his children, Zathris did look forward to the next few days. "Nice to work the ship as well. I'm afraid I'm a bit rusty. Hopefully I won't fall from the crow's nest."
"I'll try not to laugh too much if you do." Thayde flashed him a grin. The dolphineer wouldn't admit it, but he was rusty too when it came to working on a ship. He was fit enough from the work that he did daily, but it wasn't the same physical demands that working a vessel placed on the body.
"Just make sure you give the news to Benani in person if I manage to break my neck doing so." Zathris returned the grin with one of his own. He turned and leaned his back against the side of the deck. "Looks like cargo's almost loaded. We'll be heading out soon."
Thayde refrained from saying that he wouldn't mind delivering a message to Zathris's pretty wife at all. "Good, I'm anxious to get going."
"Got anyone I need to bring news to if you break your neck?" Zathris chuckled and glanced over at his companion.
"Not a single person except my mother and father, and they have plenty of children besides me." he said.
"I'll try to break the news gently then." Zathris chuckled, then straightened. "That's the last of the cargo. Ready to head out?"
Thayde gave a sharp nod, "I've been ready."
As Zathris crossed the deck to join the other hands who were preparing to sail out, Zathris turned to the dolphineer. "How long until you have to get back?"
"I've got a sevenday before I need to be back at Topaz for the journey back to the Dolphin Hall. Maybe after that time is up I'll actually feel like _staying_ there again." The way he felt currently Thayde had no interest in living at Dolphin Cove. "What about you? When will the lovely Lady Benani be expecting you back?"
"I'm only here for a few days, taking advantage of some extra time I didn't expect to have. We renewed some trade agreements with Topaz and settled them more quickly than I anticipated." Still, the time to get out on the open sea, if only for a short while, would do Zathris some good. He could work the ship well enough to keep up with the seasoned sailors, thanks to his turns growing up at Jade Harbour. "Carsten was kind enough to offer to let me sail with him and his crew for a few days."
Thayde turned and looked back as the full sail was raised, drawing them further from the shoreline. "Being a dolphineer makes it easier for me to get on a ship, even without Ada I'm still considered pretty valuable." The fact that he was a Master didn't hurt either. The dolphins that had been swimming around the ship near port had long since disappeared, returning to their pod Thayde guessed.
"I'm just lucky I have connections I guess." The fact that Zathris was a Lord Holder probably didn't hurt either, but he wasn't about to let any of the crew think he was worthless. As several men turned the wheel that was used to hoist anchor, Zathris joined them. A few moments later, it was secured and Zathris drew back alongside Thayde. "We always liked it when the shipfish joined us during our trips at sea back at Jade Harbour." The creatures always seemed so happy, no matter what. Sometimes, after he and his father had a particularly bad fight, he'd go out just to see them and cheer up a bit. "What's their secret to being so happy all the time?"
"I wish I knew. Despite their high intelligence they seem to be able to pick up only the simple, happy things in life. They don't hold grudges." Thayde shook his head, wishing he had the capacity to be as positive as Ada.
"If only people were the same, eh?" Zathris wondered if that was the secret to making peace. People were a lot more complex, it seemed. "It's a wonder you hang around people at all when you've got Dolphins to be with."
Thayde chuckled. "There _is_ a reason why I work in the dolphin infirmary. Cuts down on human contact." He watched as a sailor scurried up the main mast. "I'm guessing human contact comes with the territory when you're a Lord Holder."
"Indeed it does. Sometimes it's all right. At others, I sometimes wish I could toss people behind bars and just leave them there for a while, even if what they did wasn't necessarily severe enough for such punishment." Zathris offered a half grin and a shrug. "Can't all be perfect, I suppose."
The wood creaked and groaned, as if it were eager to break out of the confines of the docks and truly be free out in the open waters. The sound was familiar and pleasant and far too absent from his life. It was too bad Amber Hills wasn't closer to the sea.
Last updated on the January 24th 2016
Series: Shipwrecked [Next: Storm At Sea]