A Different Way Of Seeing

Writers: AL, Vix
Date Posted: 29th August 2008

Characters: Lirit, Drisha
Description: Drisha runs into Lirit and the two have a bit of conversation.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 24 of Turn 4

Lirit's fingers had just gone still, the last chord shimmering, then
slowly fading into nothingness. He paused for a moment, chose another
song, and was just about to begin to practise when he heard the door
open. His hand slid to the strings, but he lay it flat against them,
pressing his palm to keep them quiet and turned. "Hello?"

"You didn't have to stop," came a small voice. "I just wanted to
listen."

"Well, I heard someone come in." Lirit's smile flashed toward the
speaker in greeting. "I wasn't sure if maybe one of my Masters was
coming in to berate me about hitting a wrong note or going too sharp."

"You don't hit wrong notes," the girl told him sternly. "You're a
harper. Besides that, you're growed up."

"Ah, lass, you humour me." Lirit chuckled, even the sound of that
holding a musical quality to it. "And some people seem to think that
I'm not as 'growed up' as I should be."

She frowned, uncertain of the meaning of some of his words. "Of course
you're growed up. You don't have anyone following after you to make
sure you stay out of trouble, do you?"

"Now, see, that depends on who you talk to." Lirit's amusement rippled
through his words, "You see, some would say that my teachers have to
make sure I stay out of trouble."

Her eyes widened as she stared up at him. "You get into trouble?"

"I'm afraid I do from time to time." Lirit's smile turned rueful.
"Mostly when I make mistakes. But we all make mistakes, and...well, I
do try to learn from them."

The child studied him thoughtfully before confessing, "When I make
mistakes, my momma says that I haven't thought through my choices."
She uttered the words slowly, with attention to getting them exactly
right.

"We all do that from time to time." Lirit knew he'd certainly done his
share of that. More than he cared to admit, really. "But when you get
older, you don't do them as much. That doesn't mean you make more
mistakes, but the more you learn, the less you make." Or you made
different ones. No need to get into that with the child.

She stared at him, wondering what it was about him, something that was
not quite right to her. "Do you always think about what you're doing?
Momma says that I should always think but I get busy and forget."

"Well, again, that will change as you get older and the more you
practise thinking about what you're doing." Lirit was amused by the
child. How had she come to be there? Perhaps she was on her way to a
harper class? "But not always. I try not to let that happen too much
though."

"It's boring to think." The child reached out and ran her fingers over
the strings of his gitar, producing a plunking sound unlike what she
had heard when entering the room. "How do you make this work?"

"Ah, well, that would require thinking." Lirit shook his head, mock
sadness spreading over his face. "But it's boring to think, so I'm
afraid I can't tell you."

The girl gave him an exasperated look. "Thinking's okay if it's about
something you want to know. Especially if it's about doing something
fun."

"Yeah, but you have to think about things that aren't necessarily fun.
For instance," Lirit rubbed his chin, "Math. Do you find math fun?"

She frowned at him. "Math? You mean like counting?"

"Counting, adding, subtracting." Lirit nodded. "You have to think to
do math, but do you find it fun?"

"I count when I'm walking a long way or waiting for something," the
girl told him. "But I don't know nothing about adding or that other
thing."

"Ah, well, then the analogy will be lost on you." Lirit shook his head
as if ashamed of his lame attempt. "Oh well. Point isn't going to
get made so I might as well just let it go. Say, what's your name?"

"I'm Drisha," she said, as if everyone in the Weyr should know that.
"Who are you?"

"I am Lirit." The harper stood and swept a bow in the girl's
direction. "At your service. What brought you all the way over here?
Are you skipping out of your harper's lessons?"

"No," the child told him indignantly. "I only have harper classes
part-day. I'm 'sploring."

"Ah, then I fear you've not explored a very interesting sight." Lirit
clucked his tongue and shook his head sadly. "I'm rather boring, you
know."

The girl rolled her eyes at his lack of understanding. "I'm not allowed
to go outside by myself."

Where are you supposed to be now?" Lirit had a feeling that she
probably wasn't supposed to be exploring the weyr alone either.

Drisha waved her hand airily. "Back there."

The gesture was lost upon Lirit. "Back where?"

"Where my mom is."

"And where is that?" Lirit pressed gently.

"Probably in the kitchen." The girl paused for a moment. "Or looking
for me."

"I see. Well." Lirit's hand searched idly for his gitar case and he
took it up once found and put away his instrument. "I tell you what,
I'm rather hungry. Perhaps you could help me to the dining hall and
we can make a quick stop at the kitchens to make sure your mom is all
right."

The child thought that over, chewing on her thumbnail. "She's gonna be
mad. Maybe I should just go back to our rooms and pretend that I've
been there all day."

"Now, Drisha, you shouldn't lie to your mother." Lirit shook his head,
then offered his hand to the child, holding it out not quite in her
direction. "Come on. She'll probably be more worried than anything."

She frowned at his hand. "Why do you do that? Act like I'm over there
when I'm over here?"

"You're over there?" Lirit turned a little more toward the girl, then
reached out his hand as he grinned. "Well, I can't really see you,
sorry about that."

She squinted toward him, studying his eyes. "Why not?"

"Because I'm blind." Lirit stated plainly, chuckling a bit. "I can't
see a thing. Not you, not light, nothing."

This was something new to her and definitely caught her interest. "So
you need someone to lead you around? And to feed you? How do you play
the gitar if you can't see it?"

The questions brought a rumble of warm laughter. "No, I don't need
people to feed me, or lead me around. I do that myself and I don't
need to see to play the gitar." Lirit reached over to pat his
instrument. "It just takes me a bit more practise, that's all."

Unsatisfied with the answers, Drisha asked another question. "Do you
wish you could see?"

"I would be lying if I said no." Lirit explained, leaning an elbow on
his knee. "But I can see in other ways, so it's not so bad."

She eyed him suspiciously, certain that he was teasing her. "You can't
see without using your eyes."

"Yes you can." Lirit insisted and motioned for the girl to come
forward. "I'll show you."

Drisha still did not believe him, but she certainly would not pass up
an opportunity to know something that the other weyrbrats did not
know. She moved forward silently.

Lirit reached out and gently began to explore her. His hands fell upon
her shoulders then moved up to her face, fingers dancing over her chin
and cheeks, her nose and brow. "Ah, yes, I see you now. My, you're a
lovely young lady."

The little girl's frown deepened. "You're not seeing me – you're
feeling my face."

"But that's how I see." Lirit held up his hands and wiggled his
fingers. "My fingers tell me what you look like and that is how I see
you, with them. I may not see with my eyes, but I can certainly see
with my hands."

"Then you're seeing wrong," Drisha told him indignantly. "I'm no Lady.
There aren't no Ladies in the Weyr."

Lirit laughed. "There's more than one kind of lady." The harper shook
his head in amusement. "And while you are not a Lady holder, you
_are_ a pretty young lady. If you are confused about the difference,
perhaps you should ask your mother."

She frowned thoughtfully. "Why don't you explain it?"

"Because, I am hungry and I don't explain things well on an empty
stomach." As if on cue, a glurtch was uttered by his middle and Lirit
placed a hand across it. "See? It's started to complain. Would you
be willing to escort me to the dining hall?"

"I guess." She started for the door, though her words did not sound
very enthusiastic. She paused to look back at him. "You're taking me
back to my Momma, aren't you?"

"Well, first you're escorting me to dinner." Lirit chuckled
softly patting the girl's arm. "And then, I suppose, I'll be bored to
tears unless you keep me company during dinner. Of course, we'll need
to tell your mother where you are, but I'll have to praise her
daughter for being such a wonderful companion that I would really
prefer to have her company while I eat. You will join me, won't you?"

Again the little girl paused. "You're sure you won't tell her that I
was bothering you?"

"Why would I tell her that?" Lirit shook his head. "If I told her
that, it would be a lie. I was enjoying your company."

"Alright." She grasped his hand. "Let's go."

"Oh good." Lirit grinned, "Better be careful, though. I might faint
with hunger and you have to carry me." Now _that_ would be a sight.
The young man didn't need to be led, but he allowed the girl to do so.
She had amused him. Perhaps he could help ease her mother's
displeasure by indicating he had enjoyed her visit - which, to be
honest, was no lie.

Last updated on the August 30th 2008

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A Different Way Of Seeing