Making Dots

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 26th June 2008

Characters: R'haran, Lirit
Description: R'haran investigates the code Lirit uses for writing.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 22 of Turn 4

"Ahh. Lirit." The greenrider Weyrharper paused in the doorway of the empty classroom - empty of students but containing the blind journeyman.
"Are you busy?"

"Not particularly." Lirit struck a minor chord upon his gitar, a grin accompanying it. "How can I help you R'haran? Are there some apprentices that need to be struck down with fear?"

"I'm learning how to do that myself," R'haran said, entering the classroom and negotiating around the furniture to join the younger harper. "Not having much luck," he admitted ruefully. "They know me too well."

"Well, fortunately, I don't have to deal with too many apprentices."
Lirit enjoyed teaching, but that wasn't his first love, so he was glad he didn't have to do it too often. "It means I can concentrate on practising more. Besides, I prefer to be the loveable one as opposed to the big, scary journeyman."

"I'll have to keep that job then. I wondered - Do you have time to show me those notes you take? To explain how you do it?"

"Sure." Lirit carefully set down his gitar, then stood. "I don't take many, usually just when I have a really complicated piece and need to remind myself of nuances." He reached for a small bag that sat upon another chair and took out of it some hides. "It's easier to make them on here than paper. Paper tears too easily."

"There are heavier weights of paper," R'haran suggested. "May I look at those?" he asked, touching a corner of the hide so that the other man would know the greenrider's hand was extended.

"Sure, go ahead." Lirit held out the hides until R'haran took them, then let his hands fall to his side. "Yeah, but hides are cheaper, and just easier I think. Besides, I don't have to use them too often, so no point in using something like paper. I can get scraps of hide pretty easily too - stuff that can't be made into other things and would just be thrown away instead."

R'haran studied the hide in his hand. "So, how does this work?" he asked curiously.

"Well, it works by combinations." Lirit lifted his hands in the air, as if trying to draw what was on the hide. "Each combination of the marks means something different. You see the six dots, right? The three dots on the left are one, two, and three. The ones on the right are four, five, and six. Well, various combinations of those dots represent letters. If there's a dot in the sixth position, then that means the letter represented should be capitalised. There's also ways of representing sounds as opposed to just letters. That helps to keep things shorter."

"How do you make the dots?" the older journeyman asked curiously.

"By using a stiletto." Lirit shrugged slightly. "You have to be careful, because sometimes you can pierce through the hide."

"And you 'read' them back by feeling the dots?" R'haran ran his fingers over the hide, wondering if his fingers could be that sensitive.

"Right." Lirit nodded. "The different positions of the dots tell me different things. Those notes there are actually a pretty complicated set of changes I made to a very difficult piece I've been working on."

"I can remember everything I read," the greenrider said thoughtfully, "without exception. But this - I don't know if this would be 'reading' to my mind."

"It's different." Lirit agreed with a cockeyed grin. "And it took getting used to, but once you learn it, it's not hard at all. It's just...well, like I said, different."

"Could you show me each 'letter'? No - first, is this something you invented yourself, or do other blind people use it?"

"Oh no, it's been around long before me." Lirit shook his head. "I'm not nearly imaginative enough to come up with something like this. I don't think we know how it came about, just that it did, and it works well."

"So if I learned it, and sent something using the code to another blind harper ... They could just read it?"

"Most likely, though you'll probably not find many blind harpers around." Lirit cocked his head. He had heard of one other, but not at Dragonsfall.

"What about other blind people?"

"To be honest, I would be doubtful that it's that common." Lirit shrugged slightly. "I mean, harpers aren't everywhere, and I don't know how many really know this sort of communication. I was taught, but that doesn't mean it's common knowledge among all the harpers."

"But harpers should know it exists, at least, so that they can arrange other blind people to learn it. _I_ didn't know, though I must say all the blind people I've known have been old. Older," he corrected himself when he remembered they would not be that much older than he was himself these days.

"Don't look at me." Lirit lifted his hands as if in defense. "I'm just a performer. I teach a little, but they're only voice or gitar lessons."

"Well you can also write out - press out? - all the letters for this code and take me through them, too. Once will do."

"Sure. I have another scrap of hide in here somewhere." Lirit took up the bag and rummaged through it, then produced a bit of hide and a stiletto. "I'll write out just the letters for now. It will take more time to do the contractions, maybe when we can sit down and go over them in more detail would be a better time to do that."

"I'll come back if I'm stuck, but if I watch you do them - and you say the letters as you form them - I'll remember it all right."

"All right, then watch closely." Lirit bent over and began to make marks in the hide, saying the letters as he went along.

Last updated on the June 28th 2008

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Making Dots