Two Roads Diverged In a Weyr

Writers: Francesca, Halyonix
Date Posted: 3rd April 2024

Characters: Oriene, Chalzie
Description: Oriene and Chalzie discuss Turn's End celebrations and life choices.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 7 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: Arrilon, Tirraze
inspired by the Robert Frost poem "The Road Not Taken"

Oriene

Chalzie gave her foster mother a final hug, then began heading back in
the direction of the Dolphin Hall. She did not usually invite Ivorwen
to the Turns End celebration at the Hall, but this time it was
special. She would hopefully walk the tables. And she wanted her
foster mother to be there for the occasion.

It was late afternoon and the sun was hot on her face as she crossed
the Weyrbowl. She thought she had time for a swim before the evening
meal, or maybe a study session. As she approached the beach, she saw
someone familiar walking towards her. She and Oriene had overlapped
for a few Turns as apprentices, before the other girl had become a
Candidate, although they had been in different classes. They hadn't
been close, but it was nice to see her.

"Oriene!" Chalzie called out with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Chalzie! You're _here_?!" Oriene greeted brightly. "I didn't expect
to see you here! What brings you to the Weyr?"

"I'm not here every restday, but I do come pretty often," Chalzie
explained. "This time, I'm spreading the word about the Turns End
celebrations at the Hall. You're coming, right? There will be a water
show with the dolphins, good food, and music on the beach."

Oriene opened her mouth to reply instantly and then paused. Was she
going? Surely, it wasn't a matter of being allowed to. She could get
permission from the Weyrlingmaster and catch a ride with a dragonrider
probably. Probably. Maybe.

But, coming off her conversation with the Weyrlingmaster, Oriene
suddenly wondered if she _wanted_ to go. Yes, the food, music, and
dolphins would be fun, no doubt about that, but with it would come
people -- no, her _family_ -- asking her when she planned to come
back.

And the truth was, Oriene wasn't sure that she was going to come back.
Even if she didn't Impress.

"I...I'm not sure," she answered Chalzie. "I...want to, I just..." She
looked around, then said, "Do you want to go sit on those rocks over
there and talk? Do you have a minute?"

Chalzie wasn't expecting a simple question would be so complicated to
answer. However, Oriene's reaction made her curious, and she wasn't in
a hurry to get back to the Hall. "Sure," she said, moving towards the
rocks. "Happy to talk. What's on your mind?"

The two young women took over the spot. Oriene wrapped her arms around
her propped-up knees and then nervously pitched into the heart of her
problem. "Why did you decide to go back to Dolphin Hall?" Why...what
made you not want to be a Candidate or a dragonrider anymore?"

Chalzie crossed her legs and faced Oriene. "Ah," she said in
understanding as the other girl asked her question. "I normally share
the short version of this story, but I think the longer version might
be helpful." She thought back to when she was thirteen and made the
decision to apprentice. "Growing up here, it's pretty much expected
that all the weyrbrats will become Candidates. I mean, not everyone
does, but it's something to do; and you can always apprentice too. So,
that's what I did. But, I never really thought about why I was doing
it, you know? And then, I don't know if you remember the big hurricane
that happened over eight Turns ago? The one that hit the Weyr dead on?
Well, dolphineers warned the Weyr and then helped with salvage.
Learning about everything they did opened up a whole new world for
me." It was hard to explain the sudden shift in mindset. "I mean, I
had known about dolphineers before, and the Hall was right there, but
it took the hurricane to make me realize that being a dragonrider
wasn't the only way to help others. It took a few sevendays for me to
decide, but then I apprenticed." She took a deep breath, deciding how
much more to share. "I'll admit, at first I attended every Hatching I
could, because I still wondered if there was a dragon for me. That
stopped after a while though. It's pretty unfair that being both a
dolphineer and a dragon isn't really possible."

"So, that's my story," Chalzie said. "How are you feeling about being
a Candidate and everything?"

Oriene nodded along as Chalzie recounted recent history that she also
knew about. Her expression flipped to active, pensive listening though
for the parts where Chalzie related how she had figured out what she
had preferred to do with her life, as though she'd be able to glean
some missing puzzle piece from it. But she didn't. In fact, it seemed
as though the more Oriene listened to everyone else's take on what she
should or should not do with her life, the more confused she became.

This confusion, and a bit of disappointment, showed on her face by the
time Chalzie asked how she was feeling about it. "I'm...not sure," she
admitted. "You know my parents are both dolphineers. Everyone in my
family is. Or is associated with the Hall in some way. I
just...thought I'd do it too, you know?" Her shoulders lifted in a
half-shrug. "But, the thing is -- I don't think I _want_ to do what's
expected of me. It's my life, right? I should be able to do what I
want. I just...don't know what I want."

Chalzie couldn't personally relate to what Oriene was going through,
but she had some friends who had taken some time to figure out what
they wanted to do. "That makes sense. It sounds like it's good you
came to the Weyr then, so you have less pressure from your parents."
An idea came to mind. "You know, if you'd like to explore some
different crafts, I bet you could check with the Headwoman. I have
friends who tried out a few crafts, which helped them decide what to
do. Is there anything you're curious about? Or parts of being a
dolphineer you miss?"

This actually sounded like a really good idea. Oriene immediately
brightened. "Yes! Well, okay, I'm good at details. And remembering
things! Everyone always tells me that I have a really good ear -- I
remember lots of things that I hear. I'm not great at singing but
there are other specialties to harpers, right? I could look into
something like that!"

"That sounds like a good place to start," Chalzie said encouragingly.
A little over a Turn ago she would have known someone Oriene could
talk to, but Arrilon was at the Harper Hall now. "I'm not an expert on
the harpercraft, but you could work in the Archives or something. And
if you decide it isn't a good fit, you can always look into a
different craft."

Thinking it further through, Oriene said, "I guess? I mean, there's no
time limit on apprenticing. You can start at any time, right? Unlike
being a Candidate where you age out. So yeah, yeah I guess I could try
that and if it doesn't work out, then I can just try something else!"

At the end of this, Oriene's expression brightened with hope. She
obviously felt a lot better about the whole problem. "Thank you!" she
exclaimed. "That...that really helps!"

"No problem," Chalzie said with a smile. It felt a bit strange to be
giving advice to someone just a few Turns younger than her about life
choices, but she was glad Oriene was feeling more hopeful about the
immediate future. "And, I do hope you come to the Hall for Turns End.
It will be fun! If you bring some friends from the Weyr, maybe that
will keep your parents from talking to you about serious things."

"I will! I promise!" Oriene said. "I was going to bring Tirraze, I
think she'd really love it. And maybe someone else. It'd be great to
see the dolphins again, for sure. Are you part of the planning?"

Chalzie shook her head. "No, but I will be in the water show. And,
I'll be walking the tables."

Oriene's delight was palpable. With wide eyes, she breathed, "Is
it...for real? You're going to be a journeyman?"

Chalzie couldn't help but smile in response to the question. "Unless
something horrible happens before Turns End, yes. I'm pretty excited.
That's why I came to the Weyr today. To let my foster mother know."

"And she'll be there?" Oriene asked. Of course, she would, who
wouldn't?! It was a big event for Chalzie!

"She said she'd be there for at least the start of the celebrations.
She isn't fostering any little ones now, which makes it easier for her
to make it over to the Hall." She could even catch a ride on a dragon
to make the trip shorter. "I need to get back to the Hall, but it was
really nice seeing you. And, I hope to see you again in a few
sevendays!"

"I wouldn't miss it!"

Last updated on the April 7th 2024

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Two Roads Diverged In a Weyr