Storm Swap

Writers: AL, Len
Date Posted: 27th April 2011

Characters: G'wen, Meledei
Description: Friends Meledei and G'wen have a chat over lunch
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 1, day 1 of Turn 6
Notes: Follows 'Catching Up'

"That was a good lunch." Meledei sat back and rubbed her stomach.
She had stuffed herself quite thoroughly and now she felt the idleness
of sleep that wished to take over. Oh, but she couldn't do that! No,
she wasn't at home. So maybe she should go home and take a nap.

"It's supposed to be a rest day, but I still have to practise." Kiira
mock complained with a soft laugh. "But I guess if I don't practise I
won't get any better."

"Practise makes perfect!" Meledei quipped with a grin. "A harper's
work is never done."

"Yeah well, I still have to clean up after Neath and feed her, so a
restday, I suppose, is never an actual rest day." G'wen glanced over to a
foster mother and her brood of little ones. "See? We're not the only
ones without rest."

"There are some things that just can't be avoided." Meledei
remembered when Elleth had been too small to hunt and had to be
cleaned and oiled almost every day. It had seemed like she _never_
had a rest day. "But, the sooner you do them, the sooner it's over,
right?"

"Yeah," the boy nodded. "And it's not like Neath is anywhere as big
as Elleth had been at this age, eh? So...tell us about the
Hurricanes! You promised to." He smiled at her, thinking they sounded
very exciting. Nothing like that ever happened here.

"Actually, Elleth was pretty small, but yeah, she was still a lot
bigger than any green or blue." Meledei still worried from time to
time about her dragon's size, but usually it was only when she heard
the whispers that still sifted through the Weyr on occasion.
"Hurricanes...well, they can be pretty scary. They're very dangerous
and cause a lot of damage. They can kill if people are outside in
them."

The boy groaned. "Ugh..no! Tell us about_your_hurricane! What was it
like? Where you scared? All we ever get around here are
blizzards...it's so not fair."

"It was a lot of wind and a lot of banging that you could hear all the
way inside the Weyr." Meledei didn't understand the fascination.
"And it's more scary if you're out in it. A lot of us were in the
dining hall because we had to go outside to access quarters or weyrs."
Meledei's mouth twisted upward. "Not sure if I want to experience a
blizzard. Those sound pretty nasty too!"

"Oh, they're nothing! They can be quite nice, actually. I used to go
and curl up with me da's blue, in their weyr and watch them." He
smiled, remembering the warm spot on Manarth, just on his foreleg,
wedged in between it and the big blue's chest. He could sit there for
hours, keeping warm curled under a blanket, watching the storm beat
outside. "Maybe we can swap storms! You come for a blizzard and I'll
come when there's a hurricane forecast." He would so love that, to
sit on the beach and watch the storm come ashore.

"A blizzard? Nice? I guess if you're not in it and don't have to
clean up any mess it makes." Meledei honestly didn't fathom a
blizzard being nice. All that cold? Ugh. That was probably the
worst part right there. "I'll stick with the warmth, thanks! If you
want to come for a hurricane, that's up to you, but I really don't
want to experience a blizzard!"

"I'd so love to! Maybe you could get someone's flit to send a message
or something." G'wen grinned, just thinking of how exciting it would
be to watch one coming ashore.

"I guess if you really _want_ too." Meledei just couldn't understand
why someone wanted to experience a hurricane. They weren't fun, not
by any stretch of the imagination. "But they're really dangerous.
And of course, you can't come if your Weyrlingmaster says no."

"No, I know." G'wen sighed at the thought of asking J'darin if he
could leave class to go watch a storm coming ashore thousands of miles
away. There'd be no way. "Maybe once Neath and I have graduated into
the fighting wings...maybe then."

"Yes, that would probably be best, to wait til then. You'll have more
freedom." And more time! Even on rest days, Meledei hadn't much time
to herself in the early days of her Weyrlinghood. "I'll be glad for
the visit! I seem to be the one who visits my friends most of the
time. Though the ones that have dragons are generally at Dolphin
Cove, so that probably has something to do with it." She added with a
giggle.

"I'd love to visit!" The boy's face lit up at the thought. "You could
show me the ocean. I'd_so_love to see it! More than seeing a
hurricane."

"You've never seen the ocean?" Meledei had been near an ocean or had
easy access to one all her life. It was easy to forget that not
everyone had such luxury. "Well then...I will definitely do that!
And we can go fishing and go out on a boat and everything!"

"Fishing? On a boat?" How brilliant would that be! "When's the best
time to come?"

"On a rest day!" Meledei didn't want G'wen to get into trouble for
skipping out on duties. "And after your dragon is flying, with your
Weyrlingmaster's permission, or after your graduation." She reached
out and patted the greenrider's shoulder. "But I can come visit you
in between that time!"

G'wen smiled at that. "You'd better!"

Last updated on the April 29th 2011

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Storm Swap