A Little Something

Writers: Avery, Yvonne
Date Posted: 13th July 2007

Characters: J'nus, Kapera
Description: J'nus repays Kapera for her help in finding Cairn Hold
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 4, day 2 of Turn 4

Kapera

A little elbow grease and lemon-scented polish had taken off the turns of grime and neglect, and the little box J'nus had found next to the murdered man at Cairn Hold was as good as new. It was a clever piece, with reddish petal inlays around a golden border. The grains were laid properly, he was relieved to see - the bronzerider hated it when the grain of the wood was ignored in inlaid materials.

}:Kopth, would you please ask Riyanth if her rider is in her weyr?:{ It was after dinner - most folks were either in their own weyrs or someone else's, so he was a little surprised when Kopth told him that Kapera was back in the Records Room. He changed direction and found her working by glowlight, making marks on a hide that he couldn't read upside down. Her penmanship was exceedingly tiny. "Kapera?"

"Oh!" The startled goldrider lifted her pen instinctively so as not to smudge the hide. "Hello." She blinked up at him. It had grown somewhat dark in the room, not that she'd noticed while working on the tithes. "How are you?"

"Excellent, thanks to you!" The bronzerider grinned and sat down across from her, placing the box on the table between them. The glowlight glinted off the polished wood and slightly tarnished brass hinges. "This is for you, as a thank you for helping me out the other day. I found it at Cairn Hold."

She took it and smiled, examining it. "It's beautiful." she said appreciatively, running her fingers across it. She had gotten gifts in the past from men trying to seduce her, many of which were more extravagant than this, but she'd known what they were for. And even before that, there had been courting-gifts and gifts of wealth-
though, those had been for Sepedet and not her. This, though...was different. Nice.

"Thank you." she said, politely. She truly meant it, but couldn't quite get that out right.

"You're welcome. It didn't seem right to keep you from profiting from the venture too, since it was you that found the map. If it weren't for you, I'd still be lost in here _and_ be out a very attractive vase." After he'd said it, J'nus wondered if he should. Not everyone was as practically minded as a Trader when it came to scavenging from dead Holds.

"A vase, hmm? It was still intact after Turns?" Kapera was surprised.
Some of the vases from her home had been very fragile- she'd broken a few when small and gotten in trouble for it. Of course, in a dead Hold, there might not be too much to break it except for stray animals.

The bronzerider nodded. "It's wooden. Pottery might last, but glass is iffy. Wood's pretty sturdy, though."

"Were there a lot of things left there?" Kapera asked. "I forgot if you told me why it was abandoned. The plague?"

"I didn't. But it was the plague - that and the altitude. There isn't that much left, however, unless you're interested in architecture."
The lie came easily, and only to protect his family's interests. "I got lucky with what I did find. Oh... and I did find a diary."

"A diary?" That perked Kapera's interest. She had written one, once, with candid observations about her family, but had been in for trouble and a beating when it was discovered. After that she had kept a new one, even more scathing, but far better hidden. She'd abandoned the habit after leaving the Hold, though.

She had hated having her own read, but loved the idea of reading someone else's, not quite recognizing the hypocrisy. "Anything interesting in it?"

"Not sure. I haven't read much of it."

"Seems interesting." She smiled at him. "If you need any other help with the Records you can always ask, you know. Maybe I can help you with something else. Is this your hobby?"

He shook his head. "No. Generally, I shop. Or build things."

"Shop?" Kapera queried.

"At Gathers, and markets." The bronzerider shrugged. "I grew up as a Trader. Those things never leave you."

"A Trader." Kapera said, musing. A Trader caravan had helped get her to Windswept Islands- and Riyanth. "Sounds like you've had a more interesting life than most, then."

Interesting? That was a loaded word. "That depends on your point of view," J'nus replied. "Maybe I had a bit of a different life, but not necessarily more interesting."

"I think it sounds more interesting than Hold life." she replied, smiling at him.

"You're Hold-bred, then?" J'nus asked, suddenly realizing that he didn't know a thing about the goldrider besides her name and title.

She nodded. "Breeding fodder." she said lightly, trying to sound unbothered by it. It was the way of Hold life. "Ran away on a Trader caravan, made it to a SeaHold where I booked passage on a ship to another Hold, got Searched and wound up at Windswept Islands Weyr. I was _much_ happier once I got there." she said vehemently.

**Breeding fodder?** "Sounds like. But what about once you got _here_?"

"I like it here." Kapera said defensively. In truth, she didn't know if she did or not. Certainly it had been a mixed bag; her pleasure at being Weyrwoman's Second had been genuine, but the lack of participating like another female rider in things that had sprung up due to her new rank had not been enjoyable. "The climate is different, but people are the same everywhere." To be set to work or used for power or pleasure or distraction, but not for trusting, not again.

"That sounds about right. I started out at Dolphin Cove Weyr, and when the winter rolls in, I sure miss it..." J'nus suppressed a sigh.
There was no going back, not for him.

"It would be nice if Dragonsfall were warmer, and I'm sure our lifemates would agree." Kapera answered.

If only he'd gotten an eighth of a mark for every candlemark he'd wasted listening to Kopth complain about the weak sun in the winter... "Ah well. Anyway, thank you again for your help with the map. It was a pleasure speaking with you,"

"It isn't a problem." she replied at his comment about the map. "I'll see you around, then."

"Have a good afternoon, m'lady," the bronzerider said. He smiled and bowed slightly, and left the Weyrwoman's Second to her records and solitude.

Last updated on the July 14th 2007

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A Little Something