It's Good To Have a Hobby

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

Characters: R'ayl, R'lor
Description: R'ayl gives R'lor his gift
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 25 of Turn 11

R'lor

The weyrlings had returned to their barracks, even the most energetic
worn out after a long day of marching and drilling, and the long evening
shadows of the Weyr's cliffs were lengthening. R'ayl knew that the
Weyrlingmaster Third was likely to be in his office at this hour, there
for any weyrling who wanted to speak with him. When he arrived, he heard
voices inside, and waited until a green weyrling emerged, looking
relieved from whatever trouble had brought him there.

R'ayl nodded to the other boy, and waited until he'd departed before
tapping on the door. In his arms, he held a soft, squishy-looking parcel
wrapped up in a length of plain cloth.

R'lor was feeling just a _little_ bit run down and sighed quietly at
the thought of another weyrling with a problem. But he took a breath
and put on a pleasant expression. "Come in!"

"Sir?" R'ayl entered, his manner even more diffident than usual. "Please
can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Oh sure. Come in R'ayl." R'lor frowned slightly in concern. "What is it?"

"Well..." R'ayl wasn't quite sure how to explain. "I started my Craft
training again, like you suggested. With the Weavers. They said I could
work on a project." He wondered, suddenly, if this had been a bad idea.
His gift was only apprentice-made. What if it wasn't good enough?

R'lor relaxed, though he wondered why R'ayl was nervous. "That's good.
Are you enjoying it?"

"Yes, sir. The other weavers have been really helpful, and I'm not even
the most junior, there's a candidate who only just started. She came
from a hold where they wouldn't let her study the craft before. She's
better at sewing already, though..." R'ayl realized he was rambling and
R'lor probably wanted to finish for the day. "Anyway, I finished my
first project, and - I wanted to say thank you, for helping me through
weyrling training, after Delorth was poisoned, and for what you said the
night before Blooding, so... I made it for you." He offered the parcel.

"You made something for me?" R'lor smiled as he took the wrapped
package. He carefully unwrapped the cloth to find a bundle of knitted
yarn in blue and grey stripes which unfolded as he lifted it. "You
made me a scarf!" The stitches were a little clumsy and uneven, but
clearly this had been made with care. R'lor thought of R'ayl toiling
away, patiently making this row by row while thinking of him. Suddenly
his eyes felt a little watery. "Thank you."

"Do you like it?" R'ayl asked, his voice still a little anxious. "I've
never knitted anything this big before. I tried to choose the color that
was most like Kularth."

R'lor couldn't hold back anymore and pulled R'ayl into a hug. "I love it."

R'ayl felt an enormous wave of relief. The Weyrlingmaster liked his
gift, and that meant more than the praise of a master weaver - than the
Hallmaster himself, even.

"I couldn't have made it through training without you," he said shyly.
"It's not much, but I wanted to do something in return."

"You didn't need to do anything," R'lor insisted. "But I very much
appreciate it all the same." He looped the scarf around his neck. "How
do I look?"

The boy smiled. "It looks good." He was glad to see it was neither too
short to keep R'lor warm, nor long enough to be a danger while flying.
"I know there's not much call for scarves here, but I thought when we
fly Fall further south - or if you go to visit your old Weyr?"

"It'll be perfect for those times I'm in colder weather." He smiled as
he brushed his fingers along the fabric. He wished there would be more
opportunity to wear it here, but Dolphin Cove was too hot most of the
time.

"Perhaps I'd better learn to work on lighter fabrics next." R'ayl
realized as he spoke that he meant that. He was still nervous about
attending classes with the other apprentices, but everyone he'd met in
the weaver's workroom had seemed genuinely pleased that he was taking an
interest, and it had become a haven where he could work peacefully on
his knitting. "I'm glad I started working on the craft again. I wasn't
sure, after everything that happened."

"I'm happy you can enjoy it. Even when you become a wingrider, it's
good to have a hobby."

"Yes. It helps..." R'ayl tried to find the words to explain. "When I was
working on that scarf, I had to concentrate on counting the stitches and
not tangling the yarn. I forgot about other things, like Fall, or
whether the weyrlings will listen to me, or Master Sh..." He hesitated.
Even after all that had happened, he still felt uneasy speaking the
master weaver's name.

"Exactly. Our lives are dedicated to fighting Thread, or supporting
those who do, but we also need more than that. Something positive to
focus on, to take our mind off our worries." He touched the end of the
scarf. "And some are also a good way to make presents."

R'ayl brightened. "Maybe I could make some more!" He thought of the
other Weyrlingmasters, and his classmates. "Although perhaps I should
learn to work with lighter materials, for the heat."

"I think that would be a good challenge to work on." R'lor should make
something for R'ayl. Afterall, he had a Craft too.

"I'll ask the Master." R'ayl's stomach rumbled, reminding him that it
was nearly time for dinner. He'd been eating with the weyrlings, and it
was still a pleasant surprise when they talked to him and asked
questions about their training, even though he was a few Turns younger
than most of them. "I'd better go. I'm glad you like the scarf," he said
shyly.

"I _love_ the scarf. Thank you again, R'ayl."

Last updated on the June 12th 2024

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It's Good To Have a Hobby