A Good First Chat

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 29th November 2017

Characters: T'kala, A'vel, R'nar
Description: T'kala introduces himself to A'vel and R'nar
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 8 of Turn 9

T'kala had seen A'vel around the Weyr multiple times, crossing the
Weyrbowl at the same time, or just noticing him in the Dining Cavern.
Dagreth had even tried to win a couple of Tsogath's flights, of
course, she'd chosen bronze and the sturdy blue hadn't even come close
to outshining _those_ dragons, but he'd tried.

Since T'kala couldn't rely on winning a flight to introduce himself to
A'vel, he was just going to have to do it the old fashioned way and
hope it wasn't cheesy. T'kala was very confident, quietly, in himself,
but there was never a way to predict how dropping in on another person
would go.

So he opted on the old classic- try to sit beside of said individual in
the Dining Cavern. T'kala hadn't gotten to know many people since he'd
arrived at Dolphin Cove from the ruins of River Bluff, mostly because
he'd stayed in Rapids Wing, which still housed a majority of River
Bluff riders. He enjoyed having his former Weyrleader as his
Wingleader, but it did make it difficult to meet the other riders at
Dolphin Cove.

"A'vel, isn't it?" T'kala asked as he took a seat, with full plate,
beside of A'vel. He noted that there was a bronzerider, probably a
couple of Turns younger then he was, T'kala guessed, sitting there as
well.

R'nar merely lifted his head in T'kala's direction, a casual greeting.
"I'm R'nar, of Iorath, you're from River Bluff, right?"

"Yeah, in Rapids Wing." T'kala said.

A'vel looked up as someone spoke his name. The speaker had dark hair
and dark eyes, the knots of a bluerider. He recognized the face in
that vague way you did with all the people in a Weyr, but the name
didn't immediately come to mind. Shards, he hated when that happened,
it was embarrassing. He'd make the best of it.

"Well met, bluerider. How are you and your dragon today? Didn't Rapids
just have drills?"

"I'm T'kala, of Dagreth, by the way," he inserted before replying.
"Yeah, we normally don't the day after Threadfall, but I think the
Wingleader is still sorting things out and getting adjusted to
Threadfall here at Dolphin Cove. He's a perfectionist," T'kala lifted
his shoulders to say that he didn't mind.

R'nar nodded his head, "Makes sense. You liking Dolphin Cove?"

"It's not so different than River Bluff," T'kala said honestly,
"similar climates, easy access to the water."

"Does that make it easier, since it's so similar?" A'vel asked. "I was
thinking about how if I was to transfer I'd want to go somewhere
completely different that's nothing like this. Whether it's somewhere
cold and snowy, or maybe one of the desert Weyrs, up high in the
North."

T'kala thought about it for a second, "It doesn't really make it any
easier, I guess, other than I already had clothes suited for the
weather and didn't have to look for a winter wardrobe." Even though
the climates between Dolphin Cove and River Bluff were similar, that
was where the similarities died for T'kala. He'd been born and raised
at River Bluff, back when it was a Weyrhold, not a Weyr, so he had
many fond memories of the original structure and site there.

"That sounds like a small bonus?" A'vel offered. "Winter clothes must
be hard to fit."

He didn't really know what kind of comfort he could give beyond that,
so he thought maybe he could turn it to a more cheerful conversation.
"What are your hobbies and do you have a Craft?"

"I did have a craft, actually, apprenticed to the Tanners before I
impressed Dagreth. I still like to work with some pieces here and
there." T'kala thought that this was going better than he expected.
A'vel was rather easy to talk to, and even the bronzerider didn't seem
to mind the conversation. "What about you? Craft or hobbies?"

R'nar's eyes flicked back and forth between T'kala and A'vel. It was
pretty obvious to him that the bluerider was really there to talk to
A'vel, not that he minded at all.

"I bet working with the Tanners made it easier to make riding straps,
right?" A'vel asked.

"I was a Harper before I Impressed. So, singing, crafting instruments,
some records-work and diplomacy."

"Do you still manage to find time to do some of those things?" T'kala
asked, finding that most days he was doing well just to mend his own
straps, but then, he hadn't felt extremely motivated to do much other
than the bare necessities since moving to Dolphin Cove.

"I try to make time when I can. Not really for instrument crafting,
that's a lot of work, and I never liked it much anyway," A'vel
confessed. "Singing is easy for me to make time for. I can sing while
working on repairs or washing Tsogath. and I can usually carve out the
time to play something. Though it would be easier if I play with other
people, I'm sure."

"I would like to hear you sing sometime. There seems to be some nights
in here when dragonriders play and sing. I've seen that
Weyrlingmaster's Third- L'pin?- in here before." T'kala wouldn't call
himself musically talented, he could keep rhythm with his hands and
that was about the extent of it.

"I keep thinking I should perform in one of those instead of just
practice in my room," A'vel said. He'd thought about composing an
original piece to perform but he just didn't have inspiration or his
father's talent for it all yet. But playing something existing...he
could do that.

R'nar rose and clapped A'vel on the shoulder, "Gotta run. It was nice
meeting you, T'kala," he tipped his head to the bluerider before
leaving.

**Finally!** T'kala thought.

"Maybe we could catch a show at the Harper Hall sometime?" T'kala
suggested, since A'vel seemed to enjoy singing.

"See you," A'vel said as R'nar headed off.

A'vel hesitated before answering T'kala's suggestion. He had loved
seeing the concerts at the Hall even when he wasn't allowed to be in
them, whether it was he'd been too young, or whether his skills hadn't
been determined good enough for him to be a Hall representative -
since only a few apprentices were chosen.

If he went back for a concert, people would _know_ him and they would
_talk_. He hadn't been back to the Hall since he was Searched, and
given how he'd last parted with his parents... and how he was sure his
father had either been talking terrible things about him or hand't
said a word at all and had pretended he didn't have a son at all...
A'vel had resigned himself to just never visiting the Hall again.

But some concerts were big and well-attended. Couldn't they slip in
and stay at the back, where maybe nobody would notice them? And if
someone _did_, he'd have T'kala along. He wouldn't be all alone and
confronted by bullies. There'd be someone else to help get him out of
it.

"That could be interesting," he said.

"Bad suggestion?" T'kala asked, sensing the hesitation.

It was honest curiosity after a sincere offer, and so A'vel didn't
mind answering it with honesty in return.

"My father's a Master there, you see. It's why I became a Harper, I
couldn't do anything else. I haven't been back to the Hall since I
Impressed to a green, and I'm just a bit worried about people seeing
me there," he admitted.

"I understand. I was raised at River Bluff when it was a Weyrhold. My
family is very... traditional. I endured a lot of bullying when I
became a Candidate, and then even more during Weyrlinghood." T'kala
raised his shoulders, "It gets better."

"Even during weyrlinghood?" A'vel echoed, surprised. He'd found
weyrlinghood to be the first time when he'd been free of that
bullying.

"Yes, where we had been a Weyrhold, there was still a lot of holder
families and culture living at River Bluff. Over the Turns now it's
bled away and most people who don't like the Weyr lifestyle have gone
back to traditional Holds or gotten use to living at the Weyr." T'kala
grinned a little. "And I wasn't always bullied over being a bluerider,
some of it had to do with my size, I was short and skinny for a long
time."

"That's really interesting about Weyrhold culture. I should look into
what things were like then," he said with some fascination.

The size bullying was something he could relate to. "Same here," A'vel
said, waving a hand at himself. T'kala was obviously taller, and a
little more built than him.

T'kala chuckled a little, "Then you can appreciate how relieved I was
to finally fill out some."

"I don't think I'm going to get any taller, but maybe I could bulk up
a bit more," A'vel mused. "Do you do a lot of exercise, outside of
what we have to do with firestone and drills and all?"

"I jog and lift some weights here and there. I wouldn't say I'm as
habitual at it as some." T'kala admitted.

"Well, the results seem nice so maybe I should do that," A'vel said
with a glance over the bluerider.

The corner of T'kala's mouth curled up, "So is that a yes to the harper
hall?"

A'vel rolled his shoulders and squared them. "Yeah, I think it is," he said.

Last updated on the December 10th 2017

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A Good First Chat