The Illusive Healer
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: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 9th August 2025
Characters: Lyani, Vandor
Description: Lyani tries _again_ to get a date out of Vandor
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 27 of Turn 12
“Hi. Hey there. How are you?” Lyani bobbed her head to the different healers she walked past as she breezed into the infirmary. She wasn’t dressed like a dragonrider today, instead she was in one of her light, flowy floral print dresses with the thin straps that crisscrossed over her suntanned back. The flat soles of her leather sandals tip-tapped lightly across the floor.
She found the senior journeyman harper she was looking for sitting at his desk.
“Busy?” she asked, helping herself to a seat anyway.
“Well, hello there, Lyani.” Vandor had started to lift a fork of meat to his mouth, but at the arrival of the woman, he set it back down, and a wide grin cut across his face, his stark white teeth glinting in sincere pleasure. “How are you today?”
Her eyes narrowed at the offending fork and plate. “Well, I was on my way to ask you if you’d like to grab something to eat, but it seems I’m too late.” There was a glint of laughter in her eyes.
Indeed, for Vandor had already been brought a plate. Motioning toward the stack of work on his desk, and smiled ruefully. “I, unfortunately, have too much to do to take the time to travel all the way to the hall and back.” There was more to a Healer’s job than seeing patients, and he had a lot of documentation on certain more complicated cases he wanted to review. It allowed him a better understanding of the situation, and that, in turn, would allow him to better serve those who came to him. “However, I can’t work and eat at the same time, so you are welcome to sit and chat while I do so.”
“I don’t want to keep you from your lunch,” Lyani said with a wave of her hand. “You're already forced to do a working lunch to get everything done.” He was a tough man to peg, she was discovering. “Could I interest you in a walk on the beach later when you have a break?”
“That sounds rather nice. I’m afraid it will have to be after I’m off duty, but if you’re willing to wait, it will be nice and refreshing to get out and walk a bit.” Dolphin Cove was beautiful, and the beaches were attractive to most people. Every day, people lounged upon its golden sands and swam in its cerulean waters, and Vandor certainly was among those who enjoyed the privilege of living so close to them.
Lyani flashed a smile. “That will do perfectly.”
--
The skies were a rusty orange with tinges of pink and purple beginning to streak through them when Lyani and Vandor finally made it down to the beach. It was the perfect time of day for a walk on the powdery sand.
“How was the rest of your shift?” she asked as the breeze from the ocean whipped her dark hair away from her face.
“It went well.” Vandor answered amiably. The sand sunk in with every step, and large footprints remained behind, accompanied by the more petite ones left by Lyani. Automatically, he adjusted his long stride to account for her more narrow one, and he turned his face to the display of the setting sun as it aimed for the bed of water that shimmered beneath it. The blue that yet remained in the sky had shifted from azure to periwinkle, but it was the burning colours that the great expanse featured and put on display for the world beneath that stole his visual attention. “No emergencies, I’ve formulated some new treatment plans that I hope will benefit some of my patients. It’s a lot calmer than when Thread falls. What about you?”
“Today was my day off from transport or sweep duty, so I visited my foster brother, By’ler, paid his new dragon some attention, and then did a little reading. There’s this greenrider that goes to and from the Printer Hall, delivering books. She brought a few really good ones last time.” Lyani’s favorite had been the sensationalized account of the greenrider who had saved Pern by discovering that Thread was falling out of pattern. “Do you like to read?” she asked Vandor.
“Some.” Vandor nodded, clasping his hands behind his back as he set into an easy gait that matched the woman’s. It was a lacy pace for him, his long legs easily taking longer strides, but he was used to modifying it for those of shorter stature. “I don’t often take time, though I’ve read an entertaining tale or two.” Books were getting more common, thanks to the Printer Hall, but he did not own one himself. They were cumbersome to take when one had to move often, and he’d not thought to acquire any since his return. “I take it you do?”
“Here and there,” she said with a flip of her hand. “I’m always torn about reading. Sometimes I really enjoy it, but then sometimes I think I should be using my free time from duties and Threadfall to be out living life rather than reading about someone else’s fictional one.”
“Is that not a form of living?” Vandor inquired, an eyebrow arching upward as he asked the question. “After all, if we do the things we enjoy, then we are living life, are we not? Who’s to judge what is worthwhile other than yourself if it is something you like?”
“A healer _and_ a philosopher.” She smiled at Vandor. “What is that you do, then, for enjoyment when you’re not working?”
“I think you give me more credit than I deserve.” The Healer cast a sidelong glance at the woman walking beside him, then turned his attention back to the scene. “I actually enjoy whittling. Nothing fancy, simple stuff, and I certainly wouldn’t make it in the Craft, but it can be fun to do. I also enjoy hiking and exploring, so being a travelling Journeyman suited me well.” And he had certainly seen far more of Pern than he would have otherwise. “Is that what you mainly do in your free time, read? Or are there other things you enjoy as well?”
“I’m a beach enthusiast. The sun and warmth. The sound of the ocean. It’s also a great place to read.” Lyani was the type who could make herself happy anywhere, doing anything. “Hiking sounds fun. Do you have any trails around here that you’d recommend? I’m a beginner, mind you.”
“You have to leave the Weyr but yes.” Vandor had spent a good many hours hiking in the course of his duties as a travelling Journeyman, but that hadn’t lessened the enjoyment of it. “I enjoy being out in nature. It’s soothing; gives you time to think.”
Lyani had hoped Vandor would offer to _take_ her hiking. Sigh. This man was either celibate or completely oblivious. “What sort of things do you whittle?”
“Nothing much. Dragons. Runnerbeasts. Felines, canines. Trees are my favourite.” Carving them from wood seemed a natural shape for them to take, but they were far more delicate and complicated than people might think. He did not consider himself skilled, but the way they twisted and turned made them quite satisfying to sculpt. “Come now, tell me more about yourself. You like to read - are there other past times you enjoy?”
“Reading and sunbathing. I’m a simple girl,” Lyani said as they turned and began retracing their steps back toward the Weyr. “I’m also rather fond of surprises,” she admitted. “It’s enjoyable not knowing exactly what a day will bring.”
“Is that so?” Her appearance certainly took him by surprise early, and the thought made him wonder how often she did that sort of thing. Pausing a moment, Vandor inhaled deeply and watched the horizon. The last vestiges of colour created a thin line against that of the sea, and the midnight blue turned into ebony the further up one looked. Stars danced like diamonds in the sky, and Belior was half risen with Timor nowhere to be found. “I have a feeling you are full of surprises.”
She barked out a laugh. “Yes, I would say I am. I enjoy a good time. Life is too short for anything else.”
“Ah, but what’s your definition of a good time?” The healer asked, noting that her attitude wasn’t necessarily uncommon among dragonriders. As defenders of Pern and fighters against Thread, they faced death every Fall. “That has a different definition depending on who you talk to.”
“Well, I do enjoy a good drink, as you well remember,” her cheeks reddened a little. “I like music and dancing. I love having something to laugh about.”
“Perhaps next time there’s a Gather, you’d be willing to take me? I’m not the best dancer, but I do enjoy it. It’s a lot more fun with good company as well.” And though there were Gathers up in the North, Vandor had only attended one or two, mainly due to how busy he’d always been. He didn’t resent the work, of course, it simply was how it was.
Oh, Lyani would _find a Gather_ she vowed. Surely someone on Pern was going to Hold a Gather soon? She would check in with all of her other dragonrider friends from other Weyrs and see what they’d heard.
“It’s a date,” she said with a smile.
Last updated on the September 2nd 2025