Goldrider Calling

Writers: AL, Chelle, Jane
Date Posted: 7th August 2014

Characters: Meledei, Sahna, Asley
Description: Meledei comes to visit the printers.
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 9, day 1 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: R'haran

The only problem with riding a gold dragon was that it was impossible not to
be
noticed. The very fact that one rode the rarest type of dragon on Pern and
even
the lowest ranked among them was considered to be of respectable standing,
people paid attention when one visited. It was no different for Hold, Hall,
or
even Weyr. Meledei had gotten used to the clumps of people that would
gather when she visited somewhere and generally Elleth enjoyed the attention
by
those who lingered to touch and scritch her eyeridges. The little gold was
left in the care of several children who ooed and aahed over her while the
rider
herself trotted into the Hall, smiling and greeting those she passed by.

"Weyrwoman Meledei," Sahna said said trotting up beside the goldrider.
"I saw Elleth landing from our study room." It was lovely to see a familiar
face -
somebody from home. "Do you know where you're going? Can I help you find
anybody?"

"Well actually," Meledei admitted as she allowed a smile to creep over her
features. "You're one of the people I was coming to see." She flicked her
fingers in a circular motion. "You and Asley. Thought I would see how
the two of you were doing and maybe you guys can give me a tour of the
Hall."
People were still pausing in their step, their necks craned as they eyed the
new girl.
Several did double takes when they noted her knots, but Meledei simply
ignored them for the moment.

"I think I know where she'll be," Sahna said, pleased she could help. "Did
you
really come to see me too?" She was flattered but uncertain that she had
understood correctly. Her father was well-respected, though, and the
goldrider might have come at his request. "Did R'haran ask you to look for
me?"

"No, not really. I just thought I'd visit and see the two people I knew that
resided here." Meledei clasped her hands behind her as she shadowed Sahna
through the corridors. She craned her neck to study the architecture of the
building, which was quite a bit different in style than what she was used
to,
but everywhere she went, style differed at least a little. "So how have you
been? R'haran's been keeping me up to date with your letters, but hey, I
like to get it from the dragon's mouth."

Sahna grinned. "It's been wonderful. I know the Hall was still the Hall
at the Weyr, but here it feels more focused. Like I'm _really_ a printer
apprentice now."

"I suppose I can understand that." Meledei honestly wished the Hall was
still at the Weyr now that they were accepting female crafters. Still,
nothing
bad had happened and she hoped that it remained that way.

"Here. This is the study room." Sahna opened the door a little and peeked
around
the edge of it, before pushing it open. "Asley - I found somebody looking
for you."

She heard Sahna's voice and recognized it. As Asley turned, she nodded
and then when her eyes made contact and she realized who that somebody was,
something changed. She was frozen for just a moment. **Meledei!** The
goldrider
had come looking for her? Why? And of course she couldn't help but remember
just
how nice she'd been before and what her eyes looked like. "Well hello
Meledei!"

"Hey." Meledei grinned, noting the surprise etched over Asley's face before
she
managed to shake it off. "Since I knew a couple of ladies here at the hall,
I
thought I should come and check on you too, make sure you guys were
staying out of trouble. R'haran said you two knew each other so hey, I can
kill two
wherries with one stone."

Sahna grinned at the idea of being a dead wherry. "It's nice to see someone
from
home," she said happily.

"Not too many female printers in the South still so yeah we tend to know
each
other." The blonde stood up and walked over. "You look well enough. How are
things back at the Weyr?" She drank in the sound of Meledei's voice and the
familiarity of the young goldrider. Inside, Asley was screaming. **Don't
leave
me here!**

Sahna went to one of the larger tables and pulled out some chairs.
"Would you like me to get some klah from the kitchens? I'm sure it would be
all
right if I tell them it's for a visiting goldrider," she added, delighted at
the
surprise it would cause.

"Oh sure, knock yourself out. Hey, request some pastries too. If they have
bubblies, tell them the goldrider will love them forever if they provide
bubblies." While the Halls probably didn't starve their crafters, pastries
were
probably reserved for meals. Why not have a little fun while she was there?

The younger girl's grin lit her face and she happily trotted out the door.

Meledei still hadn't answered her question so Asley stood there awkwardly,
thinking maybe she was waiting for Sahna to leave, but that didn't make
sense. After all, the goldrider liked men. She was sure of that.

As if she'd skimmed the thought from her mind, Meledei turned back to Asley.
"Things are going all right. How are things here?" She tugged a chair from
beneath the table and plopped down into it. "I bet it's way different than
things were at the Weyr."

Now that Sahna was gone, she could speak more freely. "We both know I
only came here to get my knots. Once I'm advanced, I'm leaving." She sighed
and
tried not to look as miserable as she felt. "I'm fine as long as I stay here
at
the Hall. If I go anywhere else outside..the day I came one of the guards
purposefully sent me to the wrong place. It's not...no matter what they say,
it's not
safe."

"Yeah, I kind of figured as much. If you want your mastery, working in
the field is just as good a way to get it." Meledei's lips turned down and
her
fingers tapped against the table. "You know, you don't _have_ to stay at the
Hall to get your knots. You could just go back and resume your
apprenticeship under
a Master at the Weyr. It would be safer and you'd get just as good an
education."

"Since they moved almost everything from the Weyr here...there's not as
much for me to study on. Here I can advance quicker." That was the one
advantage
she was counting on. "You forget, though, Meledei, as an apprentice if I go
anywhere now it has to be with the permission of my Master. So they would
have to let
me go back to the Weyr or anywhere else." Asley didn't see that happening.
"So
I only hope when I do get my knots, they'll send me somewhere that I won't
hate."

"Here," Sahna said, edging in through the door with a laden tray. "Klah and
cake
and cheese and bread. Though they didn't believe me at first until somebody
said they had seen a gold dragon land."

"Heh." Meledei figured the news would travel quickly enough - gold
dragons were hard to miss, even ones as small as Elleth. "Well thanks for
doing that,
Sahna. Asley's been catching me up with her. What's going on with you?"

"Um ..." Sahna concentrated on pouring klah into three mugs - much
nicer mugs than apprentices usually got to use in the dining hall. "I got
some
good marks on some of my history of printing projects." She was quite proud
of them
because they involved technical hand-skills which wasn't something she
had had any experience in before those classes. "And I'm keeping up with my
work." Not like some of her dimglow classmates who left everything until the
last
minute. "That's about it."

"Keeping up's a good thing." Getting behind wouldn't get her anywhere.
Meledei accepted a mug of klah and sipped at it slowly. "So how are you
finding
things here at the Hold and how does it compare with the Weyr?"

"I don't go to the Hold much," Sahna admitted. "Too busy."

"You haven't been out at all?" All work and no play made Sahna a dull
gal - though Meledei refrained from saying such a thing. "Do you not take
breaks?"

"There's plenty of space at the Hall, isn't there Asley? And we're
always very busy."

Asley stayed at the Hall for other reasons, but she'd already mentioned
those. "There is plenty to do and I think for some reason the females have
to
work twice as hard as the males." She scrunched up her nose admitting that.

"That's not fair." Meledei snorted just before she savored another sip
of her klah. "Hey, if you two ever want to go somewhere just to get away,
let
me know. I'm sure we can coordinate and go somewhere, especially on a
restday.
Maybe we could go to a Gather together or something." It would give them a
chance to breathe something besides printercraft.

Trying not to jump at the chance, Asley leaned back. "That would be great."
A chance to get out of the Hall and spend time with two other girls? Great!

Even Sahna, who generally planned to do extra work on restdays, was taken
with
the idea. Her eyes were alight with anticipation. "I'd like that, if it
won't
be inconvenient for you and Elleth," she added politely.

"Oh no, it won't." Meledei shook her head and then enjoyed another long
draw from her klah before she continued. "I enjoy that sort of thing. It
will have to be in a couple of sevendays, though, because I've already got
some stuff
happening over the next couple, but would that work for you two?"

Sahna nodded. "If you could send a message the night before, that would
help. We have to get permission to leave the Hall, you see."

"That's not a problem. I can give you at least a few days notice." Meledei
could be impulsive, but she understood while they couldn't.

The younger apprentice nodded. "That would be perfect."

Last updated on the September 7th 2014

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Goldrider Calling