A Good Talk

Writers: Avery, Yvonne
Date Posted: 23rd December 2015

Characters: Alina, Ikalis
Description: The greenrider and caverns worker get a chance to talk.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 9 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: L'pin, D'hol, Zaeryn

Alina

"Alina,

Something's come up with one of the senior weyrlings and I won't be
able to make our lesson this today. I'll have Chaneth let Imarith know
about later this sevenday. Apologies, L'pin"

Alina read the hastily scrawled note for a second time, then crumpled
it into her fist with a sigh. This was the third time in a row that
L'pin had cancelled her music lesson. She reluctantly stood, slipped
her pipes into her tunic pocket, and left the room. L'pin did have a
lot of other responsibilities and a whole new class of weyrlings to
mind, but she had hoped that he'd be able to find a little time for
her... music was important to her, and she genuinely liked L'pin. But he
apparently didn't feel the same.

Disappointed and sad, the greenrider wandered from the room she was
supposed to meet her teacher in to the dining caverns on the hunt for
company. She spotted Ikalis clearing trays and crossed the cavern to
lean on the table her friend was working at. "Hi! You working all
evening, or are you off soon?"

"I'm off as soon as I finish cleaning these tables. Most of my work
was done this morning. How's Imarith? And you?"

"Well enough." Alina turned and began to help Ikalis. "We're
adjusting. I find if I avoid D'hol, life is so much easier. How about
you? What's new?"

**Avoiding you,** Ikalis thought, guilt and a trace of frustration
warring inside.

"I'm going to commission some jewelry from the Smiths," she said instead.

"Really?" Alina perked up a bit at that. "That's exciting. Are you
getting new Gather clothes too?"

"I don't think so. I'd rather have the necklace. Are you wanting
something new?"

The greenrider sighed again. "I haven't really thought of it, to be
honest. I suppose there's another Hatching next month, though, isn't
there?"

"More from Panitath, yep. Our queens have quite the regular schedule.
I feel bad for the Weyrlingstaff. In some ways it was easier when we
had just two..."

"I guess. But the Wings need it." Alina paused with her hand on a
plate of pastry crumbs, trying not to think about _why_ the Wings
constantly needed new riders. "L'pin cancelled our music lesson.
Again."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess he's really busy with Riyanth's clutch
blooding," Ikalis said. "How often were they supposed to be?"

"Just once a sevenday. But he's cancelled three times in a row now."
The greenrider's lower lip stuck out in a pout. "If you make a
commitment, you should stick to it."

"That's a shame. I didn't realize it was that often. I wonder if
anything else is going on in his life," Ikalis wondered.

It took Alina a moment to realize that Ikalis didn't sound outraged on
her behalf. She glanced at her friend, feeling a bit stung. But then,
Ikalis was also fond of L'pin, and maybe she didn't like to hear about
the weyrlingmaste doing something wrong. So the greenrider shrugged.
"Maybe. Probably. It's not like I'm that good a musician anyway.

"You should play for me and then I can tell you. I'm sure you can't be
any worse than some of the apprentices who make awful screeching
sounds," Ikalis said.

"Hey-- tell me more about this necklace you commissioned!" Alina said,
trying to change the subject.

At the question, Ikalis' eyes lit up. "It'll have agates and it goes
from small beads up top to larger ones. Brown and warm looking.
Zaeryn's doing it, she's really good."

"That sounds lovely. Agates are so pretty. I don't know Zaeryn,
though... is that a man or a woman?" Alina asked curiously.

"Woman. She's really focused on her stuff," Ikalis said admiringly.

"Oh." Alina couldn't help but pick up on Ikalis' tone. "Have you known
her long? I haven't heard you talk about her before..."

"I just got introduced to her when I was looking for someone to
commission. I can't believe I didn't see her before though. Female
Smiths aren't as common as male ones, even here. I like getting to
know women crafters," she added.

And Zaeryn had those bright eyes and the freckles...

The greenrider felt doubly abandoned. First L'pin cancelled - again -
and now Ikalis was clearly more enamored of her new friend than she
was of her. "Is she new
here?" Alina asked politely.

"I'm not sure. I don't know everyone, as much as I wished I did. Or
everything. But I hear most things," she said proudly.

"That you do. And I'm sure that you'll know more about her than Zaeryn
knows about herself, soon enough." The table was now cleared and
Ikalis was packing up to head back to the kitchen. Alina hesitated,
her earlier plan to see if Ikalis was free for the evening now seeming
less appealing than it had when she'd first thought it up. Then she
mentally kicked herself. "Are you free after your shift? Maybe we
could head down to the lake or something. I think it's stopped raining."

Ikalis hesitated for a second. Alina had hurt her feelings when she'd
shut down after Imarith's flight. But she also _missed_ talking to
her. So why not?

"Yeah, I didn't have any plans. My only plan all sevenday is keeping
Kalanes company at the evening dock watch down at the Dolphin Hall,
but that wasn't going to be tonight."

Relief washed through her. Ikalis wasn't going to leave her alone
after all. "Oh good! Maybe we can walk down to the dock anyway... I've
never really seen the dolphins up close?"

"You'd like them. They're grey and funny and they squeak when they
speak. And they're so happy, all the time. I think I would have liked
doing that if I didn't like baking more."

"From the way you describe it, it's a shame I haven't gone to see them
earlier." Alina brushed the crumbs from her hands. "Do you need a hand
finishing this up, or should I meet you at the Cavern entrance?"

"Is the dragonrider missing old cleaning chores?" Ikalis joked. "I
wouldn't mind the hand."

"Maybe I'm just impatient and not good at waiting," Alina shot back as
she lifted a tray and headed toward the kitchen. "You coming?" she
called over her shoulder.

Ikalis was stacking her own trays. "Right behind you!" she called.

Last updated on the December 29th 2015

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A Good Talk