No Better Job

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 2nd August 2008

Characters: O'rian, Zelle
Description: O'rian and Zelle meet as O'rian washes his dragon.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 11, day 7 of Turn 4

The tall dark-haired weyrling waded out of the weyrlake and picked up the large, shady hat from the ashy beach and gave it a shake before jamming it on his head. He sluiced the water off his tanned skin and made a futile attempt to wring out his shorts while he was wearing them.

Washing a young dragon was a wet business.

"It helps if you bring a towel or two." The words were said just before one was tossed and landed right atop his head. That was followed by an amused giggle. "Hopefully that will help."

"Ahh, thank you." O'rian wiped his face and then righted his hat, peering at the person who had thrown the towel. The greenrider, for that was what the knots she wore declared her, was unfamiliar to him.
"He didn't want to be washed when we set out."

"Ah, so a flighty one, hm?" Zelle laughed softly. "I thought greens were supposed to be the flighty ones." The dragonrider set down the oil that dangled from one hand and then stuck that hand out to the younger man. "I'm Zelle, by the way."

"O'rian. That's Taoth. He's bronze," the young man said, somewhat apologetically. "Even though he's sort of dark-looking."

"This big lump is Rillith." Zelle patted the lovely, swirled coat of her lifemate. "And she's nothing but pure green, but that's pretty obvious."

"That it is. Does she like ... er ..." 'Small' dragons seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Taoth sometimes took exception to comments like that. "... Younger dragons?"

"She likes everyone." Zelle reached down to gather some oil and begin lathering her hide. "I've yet to meet anyone that she doesn't like."

"Wow. Do you think that's a colour thing - or just her own personality?"

"It's just her personality." Zelle chuckled softly, then leaned toward the weyrling conspiratorially, "I've met some really annoying greens.
Trust me, not all greens are as nice as she is."

"I'm sure that's true." His mother's green had also been affectionate, though. "Er - Zelle? When did you arrive here? I mean, I think I know most riders by sight ..."

"Oh, I'm pretty new to the weyr." Zelle clarified as she turned back to slather more oil upon the green's gleaming hide. "I just recently transferred."

"Ahh." The young man grinned. "I grew up here - here and Thayan Peak when we all lived there."

"Yeah, I heard about Thayan Peak." Zelle nodded, "So how are you finding life as a dragonrider? He's what...a couple of months old?"

"He's a little over six sevendays old so nearly a couple of months. I don't think that quite qualifies me to comment on life as a dragonrider ... except for Impression. I can say that I understand _that_ now."

"Yeah, that's pretty much how it is with everyone. But of course, there are things you experience now," Zelle pointed out, "Such as, what it's like to bathe one of these lumps. Just wait, you're going to have a lot more to bathe in the not too distant future."

"We're looking forward to it," the weyrling bronzerider said. He looked over at the dark-coloured bronze and smiled. Both of them were eager for their future.

"Good." Zelle nodded briskly. "Because there's no better job on Pern."

O'rian remembered his healer apprenticeship - now nothing more than a memory of a previous life. If he lived and if the Pass was the same number of Turns as Passes had been before ... Maybe then he could look again at going back to the job he once thought of as his calling. If things didn't work that way -

Well, the newcomer Zelle was right. He had the best of all callings now.

Last updated on the August 3rd 2008

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No Better Job