Lost Things
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: Yvonne
Date Posted: 29th March 2024
Characters: Alina
Description: Alina looks for her missing tunic.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 20 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: J'ackt
Follows 'DCW: Robbed!'
**"Sometimes things just get lost"-- what a load of wherry dung!** Alina stomped toward the weyrlake in a temper. The meeting with the woman in charge of the laundry had _not_ gone well. The woman had just said "wait and your things will show up." Or, "Sometimes things get misplaced, jumping to theft is premature."
And then had _left her office_ when Alina had refused to budge until her things were found. Unacceptable!
The missing tunic with the constellations was the item of clothing that bugged her most. Alina had spent nearly a sevenday mapping the heavens onto fabric and embroidering little yellow stars. The pretty blue she also thought was quite fetching against her tanned skin.
**Perhaps the laundry woman stole it herself,** Alina thought darkly. The Headwoman's Assistant was a bit portly though, and even though the tunic had laces in the front it was very unlikely to fit her.
Or maybe someone had a vendetta against her. It wasn't self centred to think that. In the past she'd drawn a fair amount of jealousy from other women when her weyrmating to J'ackt became public, but that had lessened as time passed. So had the 'Holdbred' slurs hurled her way, although she still felt like the Weyr wasn't home in the same easy, comfortable way others did.
Laughter rippled from further up the path and a moment later three children appeared around the corner, their sun-bleached little heads gleaming like polished stones amidst the green. They toddled past on short legs as their foster mother chased after them with her hands outstretched. "I'm going to catch you!"
Alina smiled shyly at the children and their foster mother, stepping off the path to let them race by. None were J'ackt's children... not that she should look for them. Not that she should picture them in their own weyr, as their own... but sometimes she traitorously imagined what having a proper family would feel like. How a baby with J'ackt's blue eyes might feel in her arms...
Imarith interrupted her bleak thoughts. }:Did you bring the scratchy brush to get my wing joints?:{
**Of course, my love.** The wash bucket bumped against Alina's thigh as she reached the weyrlake and started toward the water where Imarith waited. The children's shrieking laughter dimmed and was lost in the forest. She started thinking about her lost tunic again. **I'd never forget.**
The greenrider waded into the water and began to scrub down her lounging dragon's jade green hide. Evening sunlight glinted off the water and the forest around the lake was fresh and lush green after the day's rain. Alina scrubbed her frustration into Imarith's hide and let it swirl away in the clear, calm waters.
}:See? You should wash me every time you are unhappy,:{ Imairth said after a while.
Alina smiled. **You're such a brat.** She collected her brushes, rinsed the sweetsoap from the hem of her work tunic, and waded back to shore. The sun was nearing the horizon and she really ought to change for dinner. Her missing blue tunic would have been perfect for a night like this. She could have worn a pink scarf wound through her black braid, and the pinks and starlit blues would have looked like a sunset.
But some things just weren't meant to be. She climbed onto Imarith's back, the ache of lost things sweet as a toothache as she turned her face to the darkening sky.
Last updated on the April 7th 2024