A New Friend

Writers: Anna, Emma
Date Posted: 2nd October 2005

Characters: I'lan, X'amor
Description: I'lan spots an empty seat next to X'amor and they soon become friends.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 23 of Turn 3

"Room for one more here?" asked the young bronzerider looking around the crowded tables in the dining cavern. There didn't seem to be many free seats at all today, for some reason it seemed more crowded than usual.
Which was why he was stood near an empty chair, the seat next to it containing a young bluerider.

X'amor looked up from his food, "Hmm? oh, yeah sure." He gestured forthe bronzerider to seat himself.

Which of course I'lan did. As he unloaded his tray, he realised that he didn't recognise the bluerider. "I'm I'lan, Naath's rider," he said,making polite conversation.

"X'amor, Calodith's rider." X'amor said covering his mouth which was full of meatroll at the moment. He gave the young bronze riderhi hand to shake before he went back to eating his food.

I'lan returned the gesture, and poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the table. "Can I get you some too?"

"Sure, thanks." He eyed the young rider, he seemed like a nice kid. "He took a gulp of the glass of water I'lan had given him and then asked, "So you're pretty new to the wings?"

"Pretty much," replied I'lan. "Naath keeps telling me he knows what to do, and to trust him." He grinned. "So far so good, at least."

"Yeah as much as you want to trust your dragon sometimes it's just human nature to be afraid of what could happen to you." He took another sip of his water. "Everyone feels that way, but you'll get better at letting your dragon just take the initiative."

"Been in the wings long?" X'amor didn't look that much older than him.

"Yeah a few turns."

"How old are you?" asked the bronzerider curiously. "If you don't mind me asking."

"No, I'm 19 turns. You?" X'amor gave him a look of inquiry.

"Sixteen turns," replied the bronzerider. With his height, quite a few people had taken him for a couple of turns older at least. And with impressing bronze, well there was an automatic assumption, of maturity at least.

The bluerider nodded. "Where are you from?"

"Topaz Sea Hold originally." As I'lan gave the name of his home, he paused for a moment, preferring to think of how it was, rather than the sorry state it had been in just after _that_ storm had hit.

X'amor nodded again in understanding, "I'm from a small hold near Rising Moons Weyr. I impressed at that Weyr and then transferred here so that I could see more of Pern."

"What's it like there?" I'lan was curious, the only other weyr he'd really been to was River Bluff, but he had no cause to go there now.

X'amor shrugged, "It was a great place to grow up, great people, nothing special."

"Your parents still there?"

"Yeah they both are still there, as well as any other family that decides to visit." X'amor smiled at the memories, "We used to get all the 'bad' cousins to foster. They would cause mayhem where ever they went, but my parents kept me around, made sure I stayed out of trouble as much as possible and so on."

"My parents went back to the Bakercraft Hall, my siblings too. But I grew up around Topaz Sea Hold until I apprenticed. Got myself searched when I came back for my sister's wedding." "At least it was a convenient time to be celebrating." "Indeed."

X'amor looked down at his empty plate, "Well I better be getting along now.
It was nice meeting you I'lan."

"You too," was the friendly reply.

X'amor smiled and nodded a farewell as he stood up and leisurely strolled out of the dinning hall. He noticed that he had been making a lot of new friends lately.

Last updated on the October 2nd 2005

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A New Friend