The Devious Designs of a Drudge (2)

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 8th February 2019

Characters: Ranni, A'vel
Description: A'vel makes a bad decision with a good heart concerning Ranni.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 10, day 1 of Turn 9

Ranni

Ranni led the greenrider back out of the bowels of Sunstone and into the sunny courtyard where the green dragon still waited. "She's so beautiful," Ranni gushed as they approached.

Tsogath's hide was the bright green of spring grass in the sun. The
green turned her head to look at Ranni and A'vel. Her eyes had been
whirling a very slow blue-green as she drowsed in the sun. Now they
began to whirl faster and bring in more bright colors.

}:Who is this?:{

Aloud, A'vel said, "This is Ranni and she works here."

Tsogath leaned in towards Ranni.

Ranni didn't have to act as if she was awed by the man's dragon,
because she truly was. The creature was gorgeous, and so much larger
closer up. She wasn't sure what the protocol was for greeting a
dragon, so she curtsied. "She's beautiful."

}:She has manners.:{

"She likes your manners," A'vel relayed. "Go ahead, you can lean out
and touch her face."

Tsogath sniffed at Ranni's head. Once, twice. Warm air from her muzzle
gusted out, mussed the drudge's hair.

A soft laugh filled with genuine wonder escaped Ranni as the dragon's
breath wafted over her. She reached out, a bit tentatively, and ran
her fingers along the dragon's eyeridge. "She's so soft," Ranni said
in surprise.

"They're hidelike, not scales like tunnelsnakes. Isn't it great?" he asked her.

"Amazing," Ranni agreed, wondering what it must be like to know that
something as special and magnificent as a dragon had chosen _you_ from
everyone else to spend its life with.

"She really likes you," A'vel said as Tsogath turned and whuffed into
Ranni's hair again. "Realy, really...Tsogath, don't be rude!"

Ranni laughed again, "No, really, I don't mind. Thank you for
introducing me to her, I will never forget it."

"No problem, it was nice to - "

}:NO,:{ Tsogath said to him loudly, refusing to move her muzzle from
right beside the drudge's shoulder.

**What?**

}:We cannot leave.:{ The green swung her head to regard Ranni. }:I
like her. She is like the bright one.:{

He remembered Brennault asking him if Tsogath thought he had potential
- thought of how she'd called him bright one and then stuck with that
- and remembered he'd wanted her to be re-tested...

"Uh, Ranni?" he started, hesitantly. Oh shards, he didn't have a
Search token, he didn't know if Tsogath _could_ actually Search, uh.
What did he do?

Ranni was holding her breath as she watched the dragon and rider stare
at one another. Was it happening? Had she been 'chosen'? Everything
within her twisted as she waited.

}:I am sure of it,:{ Tsogath insisted.

A'vel took another moment to tamp down panic and remember his lessons.
Right, the Searchriders handed out the tokens so the Candidates who
didn't travel immediately could get passage back later. He couldn't
just take her back right now, right? He wished he'd paid a little
better attention to this matter, now. Ah, shards, he decided to make
the best of it.

He cleared his throat and said, "So, uh, Tsogath thinks your mind is
very bright. I think that means you can be a Candidate."

He stopped to let her react, then said, "I know you must have family
and a boss to tell, and permission to get... But I didn't come here on
Search, so I don't have any Search tokens to give you to show it so
you can get a ride to the Weyr after you've wrapped up business. So,
what if I tell you now, and then come back in a few days to see what
you decided?"

That was a good plan, right? He could go back to Dolphin Cove and get
real tokens and figure out how this worked....

Tears welled up in Ranni's eyes, "Oh, please take me with you today.
I'll go ask the Headwoman, I'm sure she'll say yes." There was no way
in 'fall she was going to ask Yriadha if she could leave Sunstone,
but the rider didn't need to know that.

A'vel paused and looked at Ranni's expression. Was she about to cry?
What had he said wrong? "What is it?"

"Please don't leave me here, I'm afraid if you go back to the Weyr
today you won't come back." Ranni didn't have to fake the emotion
behind the tears.

A'vel swallowed. She was crying now, wasn't she? Oh no. Oh, Faranth.
He was so conflicted. "I'll come back," he said, weakly. "What are you
afraid of?:{

}:We should take her,:{ Tsogath insisted. }:She is scared and she
would be Right for a dragon.:{

Ranni couldn't tell him what she was really afraid of, so she settled
instead for what she could say, "Of being stuck here, that's what I'm
afraid of. Of being a drudge forever. Of never being able to make my
own decisions. Please, let me just go tell the Headwoman, and then
take me with you."

A'vel bit his lip. "Okay. Go. I'll be here," he said.

The drudge smiled her thanks and then hurried off. Ranni bypassed the
Headwoman's office altogether and instead stashed a few of her only
possessions in a sack that she twisted shut. Giving herself no time to
think, or grow cowardly, Ranni raced back out to the dragonrider,
putting a happier expression on her face. "All is set."

A'vel used the time Ranni was gone to figure out what to do about
straps. Since he hadn't come on Search and intended to have a
passenger, he didn't have a full set for another person with him. What
he did have was two long ones he used to secure large packages. A
couple minutes and he got one laced through Tsogath's harness that he
could loop through Ranni's belt if she had one, and the other he could
wrap around her waist to be a belt if she didn't, and use to scure her
to him.

"Hi," he said when she got there. Tsogath flattened herself down and
bent a knee for easy access. "Okay, I'm gonna lift you up onto her
back, all right? And when we'll get you into the rigged straps."

He decided *not* to mention how improvised they were.

"Okay," Ranni's smile was brilliant, her eyes shining. Hope swelled in
her heart, and her pulse thundered in her ears. They needed to get
gone, she thought, before someone noticed what she was doing and
questioned it. The drudge scampered quickly up, with A'vel's help, and
into her place, remaining very still while the dragonrider strapped
her in. **You could get into a lot of trouble,** a tiny voice in her
mind said, but she brushed it away quickly. She had to get away from
Sunstone, she couldn't bear being there without Lady Xeladrie.

A'vel got Ranni secured safely and then held onto her waist.
"/Between/ will be cold and scary but I have you. Here we go," he told
her, before Tsogath jumped up into the sky.

The green had to make a leap to get up but then she began flapping her
wings very slow and careful to make it a smooth flight up to altitude.
Then A'vel squeezed Ranni's waist and then took Tsogath /between/ to
Dolphin Cove Weyr. They re-emerged into the cloudy sky over the
Weyrbowl, and Tsogath spiraled down slowly, to let Ranni have a look
at the place, before making it to a smooth landing.

A'vel started unclipping Ranni and then slid down, ready to catch her.

/Between/ had been frighteningly numb and empty, and her stomach was still trying to right itself, but Ranni didn't care. She'd done it! She'd made her way to the Weyr, and she would never go back to Sunstone.

Last updated on the March 3rd 2019

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The Devious Designs of a Drudge (2)