A Surprise and a Decision

Writers: Estelle, Heather
Date Posted: 4th February 2020

Characters: Ayressa, L'hil
Description: Ayressa helps L'hil with some packages and receives an unexpected surprise.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 10 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: T'ner

Ayressa puffed out a waft of air, which succeeded in blowing her bangs
out of her eyes, as she wound up the spare yarn left at a journeyman's
work station. She had thought apprenticing to the weavers would be her
dream, since she enjoyed sewing, but so far, when she wasn't practicing
tedious stitches on spare cloth, she had been assigned to clean up spare
cloth, thread, and yarn from journeyman stations. "Waste not, want not,"
the Master Weaver had told her.

"Excuse me - Apprentice?" The man who'd spoken was short and compact in
build, but clearly sturdy in his riding leathers, and his fair hair was
tousled from being under a riding helmet. He smiled, apologetically. "I
wonder if you could help me. I've been asked to pick up a batch of cloth
to be delivered to..." He glanced at a scrap of hide. "Smuggler's Creek
Hold?" He raised an eyebrow. "Sounds dangerous."

"You'd think smugglers would be more discreet." Ayressa said, returning
his grin. She left her work and crossed the room to where he was. "Let
me see your slip, there should be an order number on there as well."

"Here you are." He handed it over. "Well, I suppose my Wingleader
wouldn't send me and my Zainath out there if there was any chance it was
a den of villainy. I'm L'hil, by the way."

"Ayressa," she said with a smile before looking down at the slip.
Turning to the storage shelves, Ayressa glanced around before spying the
wrapped package of cloth on an upper shelf. Stretching up on her
tiptoes, she managed to tip the package toward her and then catch it in
her waiting arms. "Here we go."

L'hil took the package from her. "Oof. Heavier than I expected." He
adjusted it in his arms and his eye fell on a tag hanging from the
package. "Uh-oh. Looks like this is one of two." He tilted his head back
and looked up at the shelf, seeing another similar wrapped parcel
nearby. "Ah...I don't mean to take you from your duties, but you
wouldn't mind giving me a hand getting them out to my dragon, would you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ayressa apologized, blushing a little at having missed
the second package. Going back to the shelves Ayressa pulled down the
other parcel. "Lead the way, sir."

"It's not far, she's just out in the weyrbowl," L'hil reassured her. He
thought back to the last time he'd been in the weavers' workroom. "Have
you been apprenticed for long? I don't remember seeing you here before."
She seemed older that most new apprentices - unless she was a Candidate
and had only taken up the craft after Search.

"A couple of months," she answered as she followed him out of the
workroom. "I came here with my husband, he was Searched, he Impressed
and I took up crafting."

"Oh! I see." That was rather unusual, L'hil thought. He and Zainath had
never brought in a Candidate who was married before. It must be awkward,
he thought, no matter how open-minded they were, but she seemed relaxed
enough about it. "Did he Impress one of Panitath's latest clutch? The
ones who were just promoted to seniors?"

"Yes, blue Lehystrath." Ayressa told him with a somewhat tight smile.

"Ah...right." That _was_ awkward, considering what he'd heard about
holders. L'hil decided to steer well clear of that topic. "Well, good on
you for taking up a craft. I don't know if I'd have the patience for
weaving. If I hadn't been a dragonrider, I think I'd have probably been
a cook or a baker. Always liked helping out in the kitchens as a weyrbrat."

"I actually considered the bakercraft," Ayressa admitted. "I love to
bake, as well, but I was afraid that having to do baking for classes
would make me hate it," she grinned.

"Heh, that's true. Having to bake with some journeyman or master
breathing down your neck and criticizing your technique would ruin
anyone's appetite." They left the caverns and walked out into the warm
sunlight of the Weyrbowl, where his green Zainath waited, already in her
riding straps for the journey to the hold. She turned her head to watch
them approach and crooned a welcome.

"Zainath, this is Apprentice Ayressa. She helped me bring out our cargo
today," he said, once they were close enough. The dragon dipped her head
as if to thank her. L'hil hefted the package of cloth and turned to the
weaver. "Hold on, I'll just attach this to her straps, and then I'll do
yours."

Zainath seemed more curious about the young woman than what her rider
was up to. She shifted so as to bring her head closer to Ayressa and let
out a warm breath.

Ayressa smiled as she approached the green. She knew that most girls
were obsessed with gold dragons, but she could not help the bit of
favoritism she felt towards greens because it was her favorite color and
she love how dainty and sleek greens were.

"Well met Zainath," Ayressa said in an awkward curtsy as she held the
package.

The green made a soft sound, halfway between a rumble and a hum, and
tilted her head to look Ayressa up and down. Her rider, finishing with
the first bundle, turned and glanced at her, brows raised as if
surprised by something he'd heard.

"She says she's pleased to meet you, too. Here, let me take that." L'hil
reached out for the second package, his gaze turning thoughtful. "She
won't mind if you touch her. She likes being scratched just here..." He
wedged the cloth under one arm, balancing it as he indicated the place.
"It's all right if you'd rather not, though."

"I never pass up the opportunity to give a dragon a scratch." Ayressa
said, surrendering the package to L'hil in favor of giving Zainath a
good scratch.

"Oh, she likes that." As the green leaned into her touch, rumbling in
pleasure, L'hil didn't immediately walk away to strap in the other
package. **You're sure?**

}:I'm always sure.:{

He cleared his throat. "Ayressa...did you ever think of standing
yourself? For the eggs, I mean. Now you're here, and you're the right
age, you could if you wanted."

"Oh, I mean, I thought about it when we first came but... Well, a dragon
told T'ner that he had promise. I don't know that one would want me. I'm
just a girl from a small hold." Ayressa admitted.

"Well, Zainath doesn't think so. That a dragon wouldn't want you, I
mean. Not that you're from a hold, we know that." The green bumped her
head lightly against the girl, as if agreeing with her rider. "She
actually thinks you'd be really good for the eggs. And she's been right
before." He grinned, looking slightly abashed. "Sorry, I always get
nervous at this part. I never know how people are going to react.
Zainath's a Search dragon, you see, and she can tell who should be a
Candidate. And she thinks you'd should be one."

Ayressa's eyes lit. "Really?" It both stunned and humbled her to think
that something as magnificent as a dragon, as Zainath, would think that
she, a mere wife and now apprentice weaver, would be suitable for a
dragon. Of course, she knew that being Searched did not always guarantee
Impression. Did she want the life T'ner had? She knew that mating
flights would be part of the package if she Impressed. The truth was,
deep down, Ayressa was really beginning to enjoy the independence and
freedom to make her own decisions at the Weyr. "I would love to be a
Candidate."

"That's wonderful!" the young greenrider replied, delighted. "I think
you'd make a great dragonrider, too. I guess you'd better...tell the
master weaver? Or the Headwoman? I've never Searched anyone who was
already at the Weyr before. Or when I was in the middle of transport
duty. Mostly the children here join the Candidates when they're old enough."

"I'll talk with them both," Ayressa said. It was true that she could
have made the decision to stand on her own, but hearing it from a
dragonrider made the possibility much more real. "Thank you so much,
L'hil, and Zainath."

"You're welcome. Now, I'd better get this cloth to its destination, or
the smugglers will make me walk the plank. Or is that pirates?" He
grinned as Zainath gave her an affectionate nudge with her snout. "Good
luck! I'll be cheering for you at the Hatching."

Last updated on the February 15th 2020

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A Surprise and a Decision