An Unsolicited Gift

Writers: Jane, Vix
Date Posted: 29th November 2008

Characters: Vanea, Rahona
Description: Vanea stops at the Sungazer to check on supplies, has a chat with Rahona, and leaves with something she had not expected.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 12, day 28 of Turn 4
Notes: Riverboat Sungazer

Rahona had once thought she would rush off the riverboat every time it docked, just to get ashore and get a change of scenery and company. But she just ... didn't. It surprised her how much she enjoyed the Sungazer, and found that it provided nearly all she needed so that even when they were at Emerald Falls Hold she often stayed onboard. There was always something to do and when she took a break the broad balcony that ran around the crew deck provided a nice sheltered spot to sit and watch the activity on the wharf.

Which was why she saw the approach of the Hold's Headwoman and, setting out to find Vaheri in case it was about quilts, she made her way down toward the landing stage alone, the Sungazer's headwoman not being any of the likely places Rahona had time to check. Somebody had to meet the Hold's Headwoman, and that somebody would be Rahona today.

Vaheri knew where she was heading, but her mind was elsewhere, concentrating on the supplies she would need in the coming month. She had been at the Hold for the previous Turn's End, but not as Headwoman. Now there was so much to consider, so many traditions to uphold, and so much more to organize. She was almost upon Rahona before her eyes focused on the riverboat woman. She smiled in acknowledgement. "Rahona, well met."

"And you, Vanea. Have you come to see Vaheri? About quilts?" Rahona knew her knowledge of the subject was woefully lacking given the reputation the Sungazer had for producing such wonderful work.

This produced a slight laugh from the Emerald Falls Headwoman. "No, not quilts, not this time. I just wanted to check with Vaheri about supplies and the best places to order them." She sighed. "And try to figure out how to update my lists with all the changes that are bound to come about."

"I'm sorry but I couldn't find her on my way down here," Rahona admitted. "But apparently she's onboard. Would you like to come aboard and have a glass of juice while I find her for you?"

"There's no hurry," Vanea told her, "though I wouldn't mind a glass of juice. Do you have time to sit and join me?"

"Of course. I wasn't doing anything." Rahona wondered if that sounded as if she wouldn't have time for the headwoman if she had been busy. "Come up to the crew deck and we'll find seats on the balcony."

"Gladly!" The headwoman followed, thinking to herself that it would be much more difficult for anyone to find her while she was aboard – and at the moment there was no one she really wanted to make demands of her.

Rahona led the other woman up the stairs onto the middle deck of the Sungazer, the one that accommodated the crew, wondering if she ought to have invited the Hold's Headwoman up to the (admittedly more luxurious) passenger deck, though while they were in port it would be empty. Better they sat down in the crew space where they was always something going on and always drinks and snack available from the galley.

"This is cozy," Vanea noted as she glanced around, reminded of the area of the kitchen where the workers relaxed between the busier times of the day – simple and yet comfortable. "Do you spend much time in this area?"

"Our rooms are all so small, they're only for sleeping in. We're always out on the balcony outside out rooms, or in here. So, yes, it gets used a lot." She looked around, trying to remember how this room had struck her when she had first arrived from the Weyr but all she could remember from that time was her disbelief at the size of the staterooms. So tiny. Beautifully fitted out, but minuscule compared to her suite of rooms at the Weyr The older woman waved her hand dismissively. "Sleeping space has never been that important to me. However, it does seem that you're all living in closer proximity than if you were in a Hold."

"We are ... I don't know if it's because the crew is all family but it seems to work. No blood on the decks, anyway," Rahona finished with a smile.

"I think that the riverboat people are different from those ashore," Vanea told her. "In the Hold it seems that everyone is in competition with everyone else – whether to get ahead or to do less work than others."

"Oh, no. It's for the good of the Sungazer, here. For the good of the family. It's always said, and I think it's probably thought about even more than it's spoken." Again, it worked well on the Sungazer, but Rahona suspected that some of the other riverboats they met didn't match that strong sense of duty with a high regard for each person's individuality that she saw among the Sungazer crew. Lineal had been allowed to leave for a seacrafting apprenticeship; their children would be allowed to return to the Weyr to Stand for Impression if they wanted to.

"I think that explains more than you realize," the Headwoman replied. "The good of the Sungazer and the good of the family are the same thing. In the Hold the lines are a little less clear and the good of individual families may be at odds with the good of the Hold." She sighed and smiled. "But my task is to serve the Hold and to see to it that the Lord Holder is happy with the way it is running."

"That can't be an easy job," the former weyr resident said, thinking of the Headwomen she had known at River Bluff.

"Not usually," she answered, "and especially not now. The Lord Holder is planning a celebration for Turn's End and it's my job to see that everyone is fed and happy. I've stopped by to see what I can do about some of the more difficult to acquire food items."

"You probably need to talk to my husband, then," Rahona said a little regretfully. It would have been nice if she could have answered the other woman's questions. "Would you like to come along and see him? I think he's in his office."

"I suppose I could, but perhaps I should check over my list once more." Vanea chuckled and shook her head. "No matter how long I contemplate what I need and keep lists, as soon as the riverboat pulls out I think of one or two more items that should have been on it."

"We could send Sunbow back to you, to check, when we're a day or so out," Rahona suggested with a smile. The gold firelizard was very responsible and quite used to being handled by people so it wouldn't be difficult for the Headwoman to give Sunbow a message to carry.

"Really?" Vanea pondered that offer. "I'd never thought of using a firelizard. If that beauty of yours wouldn't mind, I'd definitely welcome the help. Of course, I've no experience with the creatures."

"Not many people seem to, up here, so far from the coast. There should be more about soon, though. Sunbow's got a clutch right now. Her first." Rahona couldn't help the pride in her tone. The firelizard might not be her child, but the captain's wife suspected she was feeling very grandmotherly toward the eggs.

"A clutch? That must be exciting for you." The Headwoman thought of the conflicting stories she had heard about firelizard eggs, most probably more myth than truth. "I've heard that the eggs are difficult to hatch."

"Really? You just have to keep them warm, in sand by a fire or heat source is good. I've never heard of them _not_ hatching," Rahona admitted. "There were lots around at the Weyr."

"Perhaps that's the difference," Vanea asserted. "At the Weyr there are more who are accustomed to eggs. Here at the Hold, the only eggs we know are the type that are cooked in a pan."

"Argh!" Rahona waved her hands in a shhshing motion. "Not something we mention around Sunbow right now."

The Headwoman looked at her in surprise. "It ... she understands when you talk about it?"

"Yes. She's cleverer than most. The golds are supposed to be. But I think a green would understand too. Or perhaps they understand from my mental picture. I'm not sure _exactly_ how it works."

"Then I'll definitely watch my words around any that I encounter. I'd not want to offend such a creature, though I see few of them."

"Would you ... Would you like one of Sunbow's eggs, Vanea? I couldn't say what colour would hatch or anything - but if you'd like one you'd be welcome to it."

"Me?" The Headwoman blinked in surprise. "I'd ... you honor me by offering but I have no idea how to take care of such a creature."

"I could explain that. Though ... they can be a little demanding when they're young. Just like any babies. But when they're adult they're good companions. Clever enough, even the greens."

"If one could carry messages like yours . . . That would be handy, wouldn't it?"

"It would. And they can keep an eye on the children, too," Rahona said. "Not that Sunbow has had to, with the children mostly confined to the boat, but the folk at the Weyr often had theirs keeping an eye on the children, making it possible to allow them more freedom."

Now that was definitely of interest to the Hold woman. "Only children?" She took a deep breath before launching into the explanation. "You remember my mother? She has taken to wandering now and then and it's a challenge to keep track of her."

"Oh. Oh, that's not good." Rahona nodded. "If you train the firelizard to watch her, it would, I'm sure, but it wouldn't be ready for that right away."

"No, but it would offer some hope," the other woman said. "My family is worn out from looking after her but if they felt we had some help on the way, they might be able to endure their tasks more gracefully."

"I can get you an egg right now, if you'd like one," Rahona offered. "Or you can come and choose one for yourself."

"I'd have no way to choose, but I'd love to see them."

"Most people just choose the biggest in the hope it's a gold or bronze. But it's not really much of a guide since the firelizards all hatch out about the same size."

Since Vanea had had little contact with either dragons or firelizards, this made little difference to her. "Any egg will do."

"We can let Sunbow pick. She likes doing that. She hums and hars and considers the recipient ... I think it's an act though. I'm sure she has no more idea than I do what's inside her eggs." Rahona led the other woman up the stairs to the crew deck and along the balcony to the room they had heated to suit the gold firelizard and her eggs.

Vanea eyed this deck with interest, though her fascination was overshadowed with watching the gold firelizard. "I'm sure that she'll choose the one most suited to me."

"Sunbow?" Rahona said, though the firelizard was already watching them, "This is the Hold's Headwoman and she would like you to choose an egg for her to take home and hatch for you."

The gold considered the other woman with obvious caution.

"She would be a good friend to the hatchling. And feed it right away. And take care -" The riverboat woman didn't need to go any further for the little gold was digging in the sand, moving some eggs to one side and reburying others.

Vanea really had not expected this level of response from the firelizard. She leaned closer, then remembered herself and pulled back from the creature. "How many eggs did she clutch?"

"Eight. It's a small clutch, so perhaps it was only a brown that caught her. And if it's the same as dragons the small clutch probably means no metallics. No gold, no bronze."

"That part doesn't matter, the color," the Hold Headwoman told her. "I'm just amazed that she takes such care of so many. It's difficult enough to take care of one youngling at a time." She frowned again. "What will I need to do to care for the egg, and for how long?"

"Keep it in warm sand, like this, and turn it so that the heat is even. That's about it, until it hatches which should be about day 21 of next month."

"It sounds like it'll take some care. And when it hatches, I feed it?"

"Feed it raw meat, and be ... affectionate. I'm sure that'll be easy. They're endearing little creatures. And for the first few months you'll be feeding them two or three times a day - they're very insistent. But in adulthood they fend for themselves much more."

Vanea considered those instructions: she already spent a good deal of the day in the kitchen, supervising, so feeding the creature would not be a problem. Besides that, if she were able to train the firelizard to carry messages and to help to watch over her mother, it would e well worth the trouble. "That seems clear enough. And when you return, could you help me to learn how to train the creature – if it actually hatches."

"Of course I could though I'm sure you'll do fine by yourself. Here. I'll use on of these baskets for the sand ...." Rahona half filled the felt-lined basket with sand and then inserted the egg Sunbow had chosen. "If you want to feel the warmth of the sand that's here - this is how hot it needs to be."

The Headwoman felt the sand and nodded. "I think I can manage that. And I can ask my daughters to help me keep it warm and to watch over it."

"The more helpers the better - at every stage." Rahona finished covering the lone eggs in sand and handed the basket to the Headwoman. "Here. Specially chosen for you by Sunbow."

"Thank you." Vanea turned and bowed her head lightly to the gold firelizard. "And thank you, Sunbow."

"You're welcome," Rahona said, pleased with the disposition of another of her firelizard friend's eggs.

Last updated on the November 29th 2008

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An Unsolicited Gift