An Opportunity to Play (1/2)

Writers: Aaron, Avery
Date Posted: 5th September 2019

Characters: A'vel, Brennault
Description: Brennault invites A'vel to perform at the runner station.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 12, day 6 of Turn 9
Notes: Part 1 of 2
late due to Avery LOA

Brennault

*****

Brennault had invited A'vel to come back to the family's runner station
and to have him perform for the evening's big dinner. A'vel had been
nervous the second time, still seeing it as the province of actual
harper journeycrafters and not harpers-turned-riders, but Brennault had
reassured him it went well the first time, and it would go well the
second. Sure enough, it had gone just fine. It was becoming a tradition
at this point, he thought, since this was the third time he was doing it.

He still couldn't entirely believe that it had gone so well the first
time, actually. Hard to think that a chance encounter with Brennault had
led to him performing on stage in front of a bunch of the runners'
friends and family.

~*~

flashback: m8d27

A'vel had made plans with Brennault to go to the runner station the
day after Threadfall. So it was that he headed down to the Dining
Cavern to meet the runner for breakfast and figure out what the plan
was.

Brennault was relieved to see A'vel whole and unharmed. Every Fall, he
did his best not to fret and worry, but he could not keep himself from
it. Thread was deadly stuff, and any Fall could be the one where any
one or more of his friends might not come home. Or might never be the
same.

"Good morning!" he greeted A'vel cheerfully. "Ready for a road trip?"

Flying over the road counted as a road trip, right?

"You're not disappointed we're flying instead of running it, right? I
know riders get fit, but I'm not sure I could manage...however far it
is?"

"Disappointed to fly? Hardly!" Brennault chuckled. "It's too far to
make a day trip out of it, anyway. I wouldn't run that distance twice
in a day unless I just had to."

Besides that, he would not get to spend the trip with A'vel's hands on
his hips if they were running.

"Aha, so by inviting me, you're really inviting *Tsogath* so you can
fly. I see how it is," A'vel said, trying to look mock stern, and
mostly looking like a petulant little boy instead.

"Should I bring anything with myself?" he asked worriedly. "A gitar,
pipes, something to entertain with?"

Brennault only smiled all the more. A'vel was absolutely adorable.

"Ahh, you've found me out. I'm sure it has nothing to do with exactly
where I'll be sitting and with whom..." He winked.

"Honestly, though, Dad will make you play for everyone if you bring an
instrument. I guess that's the idea, yeah? Haha. But you'll make a
flaming good first impression."

"I was raised to always be a good guest, and providing some music in
exchange for the meal would seem fair, wouldn't it?"

"More than fair!" Brennault agreed. "Dad would feed you for free,
especially for coming home with me." He grinned. "But for bringing
music, he'll get you the best stuff he's got, food and wine and the
whole dragonlength. And a bed, too, if going home wasn't just an
eyeblink away."

"Say, that reminds me." Brennault held up his bag. "Do you two mind
the extra weight from a few letters?"

"It won't be a bother at all. Is it the run you usually do?" A'vel
assured him. "I'll go get my gitar first."

"It is," Brennault confirmed. "But you're getting me there quite a bit
faster. Just a quick jaunt up and down, isn't it?" he asked. "Guess
there's not much reason for me to ask to come with."

"You could if you really want, and just stay on Tsogath's back, but
it won't take us more than five minutes," A'vel said.

Brennault chuckled and shook his head. "I'll wait down here," he said.
It might end up being a little faster if they left from the ledge
instead of having to come back down to pick him up...

"Unless it would be easier for me to hold the guitar while you climb
back up," he offered.

"Oh, that works." A'vel said. "Shall we go meet Tsogath and get this done?"

"Let's do it!" Brennault agreed cheerily. He motioned for A'vel to
lead the way and then followed him out to meet the green. This was
already off to a great start.

Tsogath was outside and lying down to be climbed up on. She was
strapless, so A'vel let Brennault climb up first and held onto his
waist carefully, as Tsogath very gently took them up to the ledge and
alighted delicately.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"Not bad at all!" Brennault assured A'vel. He patted Tsogath's neck to
thank her. He realized then that he would have to get down in order to
put the straps on for the longer flight.

"If it would go faster that way, I'd be happy to help get Tsogath
dressed for the journey," he offered. "But no need to spare my
feelings if I'd only get in the way."

"Just hop down and we'll get it done," A'vel said. "Mind holding the
gitar for me while I get her rigged?"

"Not at all!" said Brennault. He slid down and then held out his hand
for the gitar. Once he had it, he walked around to give Tsogath quick
one-handed scratchies before A'vel returned with the straps.

"Can I give it a strum?" he asked.

"Absolutely," A'vel said.

Brennault fiddled with the frets for a minute, closely watching his
fingers, until finally he managed to strum one of the most easily
fingered chords.

"Tada," he said and then laughed. That was the extent of what he
remembered from the one time he asked a Harper to show him a few
things one night.

Well, he remembered more, but none of it was gitar-related.

"That's not bad for a non-Harper," A'vel admired. "Do you sing or know
any other instruments? Some people know pipes."

Brennault beamed proudly at the praise, faint and undeserved though it
may have been. "I sing along if I know the song," he said. He wanted
to make a dirty joke about knowing his way around pipes, but he
decided it was best not to prod in that direction with A'vel. He liked
A'vel and did not want to wrinkle his nose with off-color humor.

"Well, then I'll rely on you as backup for performing." A'vel stepped
back from Tsogath and gestured. "After you."

Brennault handed the gitar back to A'vel and then climbed up onto
Tsogath's neck. Once there, he held his hands out to take the gitar
back again.

"It would be my pleasure," he said. "Dad's got some tambourines and
stuff, too. I like to think I can keep a steady beat."

"I'm really excited for this," A'vel confessed as he handed Brennault
the gitar, then climbed up and clipped in their straps. "I can't wait
to see what a runner station's like. If I'd become a traveling
journeyman I wonder if I would have ever stopped and played at one?"

Brennault was thrilled to hear that from A'vel. It made it all the
better to know that he was sharing something with him that he wanted,
was looking forward to.

"Well, if you decide you like it, we can do this whenever you're free
and want to go. Dad's never going to tell you you can't play for his
common room. It's the biggest hub station for miles, so there will
always at least be runners to listen if not other travelers. Then
you'll be the traveling journeyman now!"

Brennault was always happy when he and a friend developed something
that was Their Thing that they did together. And he liked A'vel very
much, enough to want A Thing with him in particular.

"And of course, he'll pay you," he added just for clarity's sake.

A'vel waved a hand. "I'm happy just to have the experience, honestly.
I miss a lot about Harpering, now that I'm not under my dad's thumb
anymore."

He had more thoughts on that subject but didn't want to bring them up
right now. So he said, "Ready?" and when he got the assent, Tsogath
dropped off her ledge to start taking them out.

"Ready!" Brennault agreed. He would make the time to listen anything
more A'vel needed to get off his chest about his father later, but
deep conversation was not quite possible a'dragonback. At least he
would be physically close to A'vel for the flight. Sometimes hugs and
cuddles could go a long way even without words.

Last updated on the September 11th 2019

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An Opportunity to Play (1/2)