Greenrider Girls Away

Writers: Halyonix, Shawna, Yvonne
Date Posted: 5th May 2025

Characters: Harki, Zariah, Vaile
Description: The greenrider girls go surfing
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr, Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 4, day 21 of Turn 12

Notes:
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"I would like a day away," Vaile said without preamble as she sat at the table with Harki and Zariah.

"Hmmmm," Zariah considered around a mouthful of food, "you thinking beach day away, or a different kind of away?" It took little twisting of her arm to agree to any kind of day away.

"A beach, for sure," Vaile answered. "It's still too blastedly frigid outside and I've had sweep three mornings this sevenday. I'm ready for _warmth_."

"Surfing?" Harki perked up. It felt like Turns had passed since she'd been on a board. "I could go surfing."

"I could go sit on a beach and watch you surf. I'll guard the picnic basket," Zariah said, sounding perfectly pleased by the suggestion. "I'm more of a 'get a tan' than 'catch a wave' beach person."

Harki sighed. At least she wouldn't be alone if she drowned, though. "I know a couple of good surf beaches we could hit up. They're not as good for swimming though, if you just want to swim. But the sand is soft and there's shade from the trees," she said coaxingly. "And I know of at least one perfect spot for a hammock."

Vaile lifted a finger. "You will have to show me the hammock one one day. I could use a quiet sunny place to read a book. Or nap. Let's do one of the surfing beaches. I've always wanted to give it a try and if it turns out to be a bust, we can just flit to a better one, right?"

"I love it. I'll bring the food," Zariah volunteered, "someone else bring drinks? I don't even know where to get a surf board even if I wanted to try..."

"I'll get the drinks if Harki gets the boards," Vaile offered.

Harki's eyes were wide with delight as she considered a few of the beaches up the coast. There was the one she wanted to go to, and then there was the one that they _should_ go to. Reluctantly she let go of her dreams of big waves in favour of maybe having someone else who wanted to surf with her in the future. And maybe if was lucky, they'd go to the other beach to watch her surf a bit later, once Vaile was tired of falling off her board and eating sand. "I have two. You can borrow my old one."

"I'm so excited. I haven't had a good beach day in a while. T'gyrlan hates sand. It's his worst flaw," Zariah joked. "Or a good girls day, for that matter."

"What sort of person hates _sand_? That's like hating sunshine and puppies," Harki said, wrinkling her nose.

Vaile laughed. "Agreed. Though it does get int more annoying places than puppies." She clapped her hands together once, commandingly, a smile spreading on her face. "Meet back in the Weyrbowl in an candlemark?" she proposed.

"He doesn't like scrubbing it off Hanassath, but, I mean, that's what candidates and weyrbrats are for, right?" Zariah felt no shame in turning a sandy dragon over to her children or nieces and nephews. "Alright, I'll go scrounge us up a nice picnic!"

It wasn't much more than a candlemark later when three green dragons came from /between/ into hot, humid air currents above a rocky shoreline. Silvery fish darted beneath the waves as Cerillith led the way down the coast from the promontory they'd used as their visualization landmark. It wasn't more than five minutes before she circled down to land on a wide strip of spiky grass with enough room for at least six green dragons lined up nose to tail. Behind them was a golden sand beach speckled with driftwood, seashells and animal tracks, and beyond that the sea rolled inexhaustibly forward in perfect, even waves.

Harki unstrapped herself and bounced onto the grass with a wide grin. "See? Perfect!"

"Absolutely," Zariah agreed, laying out an old blanket and dropping a bulging picnic basket to weigh it down. "Are you sure you both want to risk death and drowning when there's such beautiful sun?"

Vaile laughed. "We'll be fine," she said. "It can't be any more dangerous than Threadfall. Our dragons can fish us out of the water if it gets too bad." She picked up the board that Harki had loaned. "Alright, show me how to do this."

"Easy enough!" Harki put her own board down on the grass and demonstrated how to paddle the board with her arms, pop up onto her feet from lying prone, and how to position her feet for the best balance. She then gestured to the ocean. "I'll push you on your board for the first little bit and let's see if we can get you standing. Uh... you _can_ swim, right?"

Zariah did come over to watch the beginning little lesson on surfing, but she looked highly skeptical about the feasibility of anyone actually getting to their feet on the board. "Now she asks the important questions," she said teasingly. "That water looks rough out there, but I'll be here cheering you on." She seemed reluctant to go past where she could still touch the bottom. but content to bob in the waves near the shore.

Laughing, Vaile tried to repeat Harki's lesson, saying, "Of course I know how to swim. We'll be fine. Let's give it a try!" She picked up the board and headed towards the waves. "See you in a few, Zariah!" she called.

Harki led the charge into the water and the two women swam out until the water was about chest deep, just past where the waves were breaking. Harki got Vaile to lie on the board while she scanned for the first wave that might be big enough for Vaile to surf. Three passed before Harki started pushing the board and yelling at Vaile to paddle. She gave the board a final push. "Stand up!"

A wobbly Vaile did so just in time. She obviously didn't have the same experience and skill as Harki but she was able to pull it off for about three seconds before she lost her balance and toppled into the wave. "That was great!" she exclaimed when she resurfaced.

From the shallow water where she could still touch, Zariah let out a loud whoop of excitement. “Nice job! When the snow falls this winter, I’m taking you skiing! That’ll help your balance!”

"Very nice!" Harki bobbed up next to Vaile with a wide grin. "Want to go again? Unless you want to go skiing _now_...?"

Vaile laughed. "Shells no! Let me master this thing first. We can ski another day!" She called over to Zariah, "Are you sure you don't want to try this?"

Zariah laughed and called back, "I don't think I'm a good enough swimmer to try that. I prefer my water frozen if I'm going to stand on it."

"Suit yourself! Ready to go?" Harki asked Vaile.

"Let's do it!" Vaile replied enthusiastically.

Last updated on the May 19th 2025

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Greenrider Girls Away