Perfect Weather for Tobogganing

Writers: Eimi, Estelle
Date Posted: 23rd September 2018

Characters: Zh'no, L'keri
Description: Zh'no and L'keri take their daughters to a tobogganing party
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 6, day 7 of Turn 9

L'keri

Zh'no usually preferred quieter activities with his daughters, but
Elarna's foster mother had caught a rather nasty cold. Like a good
father, the bluerider set his personal loathing of screaming crowds
aside and agreed to be his younger daughter's chaperon for her
friend's tobogganing party. Though the sun was shining, the hill was
covered in soft new snow, and his breath came out in billowing white
clouds. Parents lined the hill, ready with cups of hot drinks or to
jump in after a crash.

"Daddy! Daddy! Did you see me?" Elarna beamed, waving at her father
at the end of another run.

"I did," he called back with a wave and a smile. "Are you feeling cold?"

"No," she called back. "I want to do it again!" and she ran with
toboggan in tow to climb the hill once more.

Nearby, a brownrider crouched down next to his daughter, who was
clinging tightly to his hand, and tried to keep the exasperation out of
his voice. "Look, Eluri, they're having fun. Don't you want to try it, too?"

The little girl stared down at the ground, torn between her fears and
her longing to impress her father. She had been so excited that he was
actually taking her to the party, but now they were out in the cold,
watching the toboggans speeding down the slope and kicking up clouds of
ice-crystals as they hit the bottom, she wasn't so sure. She had never
done anything like this before, and suddenly she just wanted to be back
in her room, curled up with a book. "But Daddy, they go so fast..."

"You'll be safe, I promise. Why don't you ask another girl to ride with
you?"

"But I don't know any of them."

"Yes, you do, they're in your class. Go on - just try going down the
slope once," L'keri pleaded. He glanced around. He had promised to take
Eluri to the party, mostly in an attempt to keep his resolution to be a
better father, but the enticing possibility of meeting women had been at
the back of his mind. There were plenty of women about - in fact, he
could only see one other man, a bluerider, at the moment - but after the
previous night's party, his head was feeling decidedly sore and he
wasn't sure if he was up to flirting.

"Okay." Eluri reluctantly let go of his hand and started to make her way
up the hill. The brownrider watched her go with an uncomfortable sense
of guilt. She would have fun once she tried it, he told himself. All
children liked tobogganing.

Left to himself, he shoved his chilled hands into the pockets of his
jacket and glanced over at the bluerider. "Hi...um, nice day, isn't it?"

Zh'no's eyes had been on the hills, so he was a bit surprised by the
voice. Turning slightly to see who it belonged to, he gave the man a
polite nod. "It is. Perfect weather for a tobogganing day." His
eyes then turned back to see if his daughter was still struggling up
the hill or if she had reached the top yet.

"Yes. Perfect weather." It was a bit cold for the watching parents,
though. L'keri stamped his feet to try and warm them up. "So...you've
got a kid here, too? My little girl is over there, on her way up."

"Yes, my daughter Elarna is the girl ahead of her, dragging the
toboggan." Though he wasn't as familiar with his daughter's
classmates, he was pretty sure he had not seen the man around, and yet
something about him was familiar. Usually Zh'no was not so interested
in new people, but he could not shake the feeling he had seen him
before. He just wasn't sure how to approach the subject.

"She looks like she's enjoying herself. It's a pity the grown-ups
don't get a go." L'keri smiled at the thought. "I would have loved
this when I was a boy, but I grew up in a warm climate. More swimming
than sledging."

"You are from River Bluff?" Zh'no asked, thinking that it would make
sense that the man had come with the others.

"I grew up there, but I haven't been back for Turns. Awful to think of
it now." L'keri gazed out at the children playing on the slope,
remembering. Then he shook himself. "No, I transferred to Dragonsfall
just a few days ago. This is the second time I've been here. The first
time was before the Pass began, but I left...let's see, seven Turns
ago now."

"You were in Azure Wing then." Now it made sense why the man looked
familiar. "I was weyrmated to Gernise, rider of green Duwath.
Perhaps you remember her."

"Oh - yes, of course." He hadn't known her that well, since she'd been
settled down with a weyrmate while he'd been up late partying with the
other singletons, but he could remember the accident very clearly,
perhaps because it had been before the Pass, when such tragedies were
less common. "She had a little girl, about my son's age."

Zh'no was glad that Gernise was remembered. "That's right. Zharnise
will be 11 Turns next month."

"She must be in the same class as my boy, I suppose." That was, if Arten
actually bothered turning up to the class. L'keri had already had the
first complaints from his foster mother, but he wasn't sure what he
could do without making matters worse. "They grow up fast, don't they?"

"They do," Zh'no nodded, looking up towards the top of the hill where
he thought he could just make out his daughter coming up to edge of
the run.

"Yes. Don't know where the Turns go." L'keri wriggled his toes in his
boots and stamped again to try and restore some feeling to them. On the
bright side, the fresh, chilly air was helping with his headache. He
would just wait until Eluri got down the slope, he decided, and then he
would go and talk to one of the women. He shaded his eyes and looked up,
trying to spot his daughter's red coat.

Elarna waved at her father, and he held his hand up in acknowledgement
before she pushed off with her legs and the sledge began it's journey
down the slope. Zh'no noticed very quickly that there were two heads
and four feet bobbing their way down the hill. "It looks like your
daughter caught a ride."

"Oh - yes, that's her." L'keri watched them go, relieved that he
wouldn't have to go up to the top himself to help. He heard a delighted
squeal floating across the snow-covered hill as the pair reached the
bottom of the slope, which was shortly followed by Eluri, running up
with her cheeks flushed and her hat slightly askew.

"Daddy! I rode on a toboggan! It went really fast. Did you see?"

"Yes, I saw." L'keri reached down and slightly awkwardly, straightened
the girl's hat. It was a long time since he'd seen her this excited.
"Did you say thank you?"

"Oh! No..." She turned back to the other girl. "Thank you!"

"Wanna do it again?" Not only did she enjoy making a new friend, the
fact that the extra weight had helped her go faster down the hill did
not escape Elarna's notice.

Zh'no watched the exchange with a slight smile, though his eyes
twinkled with delight. It made him happy to see that his daughter had
a much easier time making friends than he had.

"Yes!" Eluri glanced at her father. "I mean...yes, please?"

L'keri gave Zh'no a rueful look as the two girls raced off to climb
the slope again. "She usually has very good manners. Must be a bit
excited."

"I believe they both are, as children should be." Well, it seemed
their daughters were becoming fast friends. Perhaps Zh'no should
follow Elarna's example. "Shall we... get a hot drink? They maybe be
at it a while."

"Good idea. I'm starting to turn into an icicle here." L'keri spared
an appreciative thought for whichever parent had had the bright idea
of providing the drinks. "Oh, I should introduce myself. L'keri, of
Cyan Wing. My dragon is Rhalith."

"Zh'no of Sienna Wing and rider of Peohth. Also Elarna's father.
Well met. After you," the bluerider said as he stepped aside to allow
L'keri to lead the way.

Last updated on the September 28th 2018

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Perfect Weather for Tobogganing