Moongazing (2/2)

Writers: Yvonne, Devin
Date Posted: 8th June 2024

Characters: Alina, T'lin
Description: T'lin and Alina go to watch a lunar eclipse and chat about friendship.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern, Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 27 of Turn 11

Alina

T'lin

T'lin bounced just a tiny bit as he looked through the telescope. "I
can see it!" A shadow was slowly creeping across the moon. He stayed a
few seconds more, then stepped aside so Alina could see.

Alina pressed her eye to the telescope lens. Red shadows rolled across
the moon's surface and leeched away the white. "I wonder... is this
what the Red Star looks like? Are there telescopes strong enough to
see that far?"

"Yeah. They set one up near the Star Stones one night and let all the
Senior Apprentice Technicians and Smiths come take a look," T'lin
said. "It was . . . weird. It's actually grayish-red through the
telescope and it's got pink clouds." Seeing a close view of their
ancient enemy was both fascinating and frightening.

It sounded kind of... pretty. Alina stepped back from the telescope to
let T'lin have another look. "It's not fair that something that evil
has sunset coloured clouds."

"It really isn't." T'lin bent to look through the eyepiece. "Wow, this
is so neat."

Calaroth tilted his head. }:Can I look through the telescope?:{

T'lin laughed. **No, sorry love. This is much too small for dragon
eyes. You'll just have to keep looking through mine.** T'lin wondered
if there was a way to make one big enough. It would have to be _huge_.

Alina tipped her head to one side as she watched T'lin and his dragon.
"What did he say?"

"He wanted to know if he could look through the telescope. Imagine his
big eye trying to see through this teeny-tiny thing." T'lin watched as
the dark red shadow slowly covered more and more of the moon. It was
about half way before he stepped back to give Alina another turn.

She could feel Imiarth peering curiously through her eyes as she
watched the rest of the moon turn blood red. It was spooky, but
beautiful in its own way. "I wonder who else is watching this right
now," she said, stepping back from the telescope for T'lin. "I think
my family can see it from where they are. I hope that they're looking
up."

"Mine too." T'lin looked up at the disappearing white of Belior. It
was impressive even without the telescope. "The world is full of
beautiful, amazing things."

And terrible, terrifying things. But on the whole, Alina thought T'lin
was right. She nudged him with her shoulder. "I'm glad that you
invited me out here tonight. Thank you."

"What kind of friend would I be if I let an aspiring Starsmith miss
out on this?" He nudged her back.

"A sensible one, because there is no way that I'll ever be smart
enough to be a Starsmith!"

"Alina, don't be so hard on yourself. I know girls get told things at
holds, but you _are_ smart enough." He wondered if anyone at the Weyr
was making those kinds of comments, and if so, he was going to set
them straight.

"I just... missed out, I guess." She sighed. "My cothold wasn't like
yours. Where I'm from people don't get chances to just... ask to study
a Craft and get accepted. Apprentices have to show that they've earned
it, and... well, yes, they have to be boys." She pursed her lips.
"Maybe not as much now, but certainly when I was of age to apprentice.
I'm ten turns too late."

T'lin knew he was lucky, and sometimes he felt guilty about that.
"Apprenticing isn't like Standing. You're not too old, and it's not
too late. A lot of journeymen would be happier to train you than a
twelve-turn-old who can't sit still."

The thought was like a bruise she couldn't stop poking. It had started
with the weather reports, and then the math charts, and the... feeling
_useful_. J'ackt was gone so often training others to fight and doing
whatever N'vanik asked him to do, and it wasn't like they'd ever have
children to take her time... she blew out a sigh. "I don't know.
Maybe. You are making my head fat, saying I'm smart."

"If I'm the only one telling you that, you need better friends." T'lin
smiled and gently poked her. "My turn."

She stuck out her tongue at him. "You already have a fat head," she
said, but then rolled her eyes at the look he gave her. "Fiiiiine.
You're smart, and a good friend, and I actually _like_ you, T'lin. And
if you haven't noticed, there are very few people I actually enjoy
spending time with at the Weyr. I like talking to you, like about the
weather or math or... I don't know. Stuff. Life."

It was hard to believe this shy, awkward, thoughtful woman was
weyrmated to J'ackt. Sometimes it was true that opposites attracted.
T'lin realized he was still staring at the deep red landscape of
Belior. "Whoops, I'm hogging it." He stepped away from the telescope.
"Well, it's clear you know how to give compliments, you just need to
work on receiving them. Am I right thinking you didn't have many
friends back at the cothold?"

"What are you implying about me-- oh!" Alina's breath caught as she
stepped back up to the telescope. Beilor's craters were in sharp, red
relief.

T'lin waited a moment, letting her enjoy the view. "Well, maybe there
weren't many people your age back at the cothold and you didn't have
many opportunities to make friends. And then you come here and you're
overwhelmed by the Weyr."

"I am not!" Beilor was too entrancing for her to put much bite in her
voice. Perhaps she'd embroider a series of moons on something, in red
instead of the usual greys and whites and blues and yellows. Maybe for
T'lin as a way to say thank you for borrowing the telescope and
bringing her out here. "There were plenty of people my age back at
Nadol Cothold. Did you know that when I was Searched, there were five
of us taken?" She smiled. "And I still don't much like any of _them_
either."

"Ah, I see. You have very discerning tastes. So I'm like the Benden
wine of friends."

"Pretty much." She stepped back from the telescope. "So if you're the
Bendan of friends, what am I?"

T'lin took in the spectacular close-up view of the eclipse again as he
thought. "A special brew made by a Master. Known only to a few and
savored."

"Pff." Alina rolled her eyes but couldn't help from smiling. "I pity
your poor weyrmate. With flattery like that you probably have V'rel so
tied around your fingers he's turned into a glove."

"It's really more the other way around. I _pined_ for him, Alina." He
laughed at his past self.

She hid a smile. "I know you _did_, you silly wherry, but now I bet
he'd jump over a moon if you asked him to."

"Well, I'd jump over _both_ so there," T'lin said. "Oh! Totality's
ending." The first glimmer of white appeared at the edge of the moon
and T'lin quickly moved aside for her.

Alina held her breath as she watched Pern's shadow race across the
moon. How many other people were watching the moons right now? It made
her feel small, but also part of something huge. She stepped aside
again for T'lin as Imarith came to curl up behind her, the dragon's
breath hot across the back of her neck.

T'lin admired the last of the eclipse, Calaroth watching through his
eyes. Finally he turned. "Now it's time for snacks. A moonlight picnic
sounds fun."

Last updated on the June 12th 2024

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Moongazing (2/2)