Logs:Similar Experiences
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| RL Date: 9 January, 2016 |
| Who: Dahlia, Jocelyn |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Dahlia took lunch away from her own lake. Jocelyn happens upon her at hers and the two talk of similar experiences and other things. |
| Where: Sheltered Lakeside Ledge, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 11, Month 10, Turn 39 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Farideh/Mentions, Hattie/Mentions, Irianke/Mentions, K'del/Mentions, Lilah/Mentions, Mirinda/Mentions, N'rov/Mentions, T'gar/Mentions |
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>---< Sheltered Lakeside Ledge, High Reaches Weyr >--------------------------< The far side of the lake gets much less foot traffic - there's less grass, due to the poorer soil, and the bed of the lake is muddy and not at all as nice to walk in. But a small stand of four willow trees with long branches hanging low and swinging in the breeze provides some relief from the sun during the heat of the day. A pair of small curved benches sit underneath the trees. The ground rises up sharply towards the northwest end of the lakeside, and the waterfall that feeds the lake thunders downwards there, foaming the water and creating a fine mist in the air that distorts the light. -----------------------------< Active Players >----------------------------- Dahlia F 19 5'9" sturdy, dk. brown hair, hazel eyes 0s Jocelyn F 25 5'5" lean, red hair, blue-gray eyes 1m While Taeliyth's presence in this foreign Weyr isn't an overly frequent occurrence, she's been here a handful of times since 'Reaches' last hatching. Today, there was a polite greeting for the watch dragon, a brief request for indulgence; they're getting out and about when they can, while they can. Today, it seems to be for Dahlia's lunch. Taeliyth has, courteously, taken off to fly farther afield lest her presence be unsettling to any of the locals, but Dahlia can be found sitting one of the benches with a wooden meal-to-go box in her lap, sandwich squeezed between her hands. There's something a little uneasy about the way she looks out on not-her-Weyr's-lake, but thoughtful, not the sort of look that says: keep away! With the weyrlings of Roszadyth's clutch preparing to learn to between for the first time, lectures and practicals leading up to their first trips are visualization-heavy. Some, like Jocelyn, have also taken to studying what aerial sketches exist of major landmarks around the world. During her free period this afternoon, the redhead takes the time to hike out to the far side of the lake, a hastily built sandwich wrapped in paper tucked in one hand while a folder sticks out from under the opposite arm. There's already someone seated on a bench with her own lunch, however, and that gives the weyrling a moment of pause. Pale eyes observe Dahlia before she's quite within conversational range, eyebrows lifting as she takes in the younger rider's insignia. It isn't until she perches on the edge of the empty bench nearby that she gives a dry, "It's quite a normal lake, I assure you, " for the other's uneasy look. Dahlia has a way of becoming so engrossed in her own thoughts sometimes that the physical world takes a backseat to whatever's going on within. It isn't until the silence is broken by Jocelyn's dry remark that hazel eyes blink from their study of the landmark in question and she jerks her chin toward the source, cheeks touching with a blush. "Oh, no," then quickly, "I mean yes," and, "I mean it's a lovely lake. A normal, lovely 'Reaches lake." Long lashes blink a little and she glances briefly down to her sandwich and then back to the redhead with hers and the folder and her knot with the gold thread looped through it along with the silver one. "Oh! Oh. You must be Jocelyn," if she didn't have a box and a sandwich, she would probably get up. "Fort's duties to High Reaches and her queens," is said with meaning and respect, not as an out-of-hand offering. "Will you join me for lunch?" That comes with a friendly, half hopeful sort of smile. "And you, " says Jocelyn with a longer, considering look, "must be Dahlia. You're too young to be Mirinda, " concluded with a sniff. "High Reaches' duties. What's wrong with Fort's lake that it's driven you to our - lovely, normal body of water? You do have one of your own, don't you? I thought I saw one marked out on an aerial map of the weyr, but I've yet to see it in person." One hand flicks open the wrappings around her own lunch, folder carefully pushed aside while she apparently elects to take the other goldrider up on her invitation. "I am," Dahlia claims her name easily. "Mirinda's prettier, dark hair, dark eyes. I don't think she likes to come here, unless she has to." She bites her lower lip briefly, an awkward moment, "and I think it's a bigger deal when seniors visit. There's a little freedom in not being that." Not much, but more. There's a little touch of a blush, "Taeliyth's going to have eggs in a couple months and travel will become limited, so..." She glance back the way the redhead must have come, "And I sort of thought maybe I'd run into Rat," that's admitted with a little roll of her shoulders, "running into you is nice, though. I'd wanted to meet, but I didn't want to distract you from your training." She, of all people, must understand the demands well. "Fort does have a lake, and a spot a little like this at one end with picnic tables. It's nice. Does my being here bother you? I told K'del I worried about visiting, but--" Obviously, he must have said it was fine for her to be here. "I can go if you'd rather?" It seems to be a genuine offer that takes holds no suggestion of offense taken. Jocelyn's lips purse faintly. Simply, "Of course." There's nothing to be gained by revisiting the relevant piece of local history, so she turns her attention instead to the rest of Dahlia's words over nibbles of her bread-and-meat. "Eggs, " and there's a grimace. "My congratulations." She may as well have given her condolences, one knee crossing neatly over the other. "I don't think I'm looking forward to that whole ordeal, myself, even if I'm not the one who's going to be pushing out little dragons." At the mention of Rat, however, she can't help but to stare at the younger rider briefly, coughing after swallowing another bite of sandwich. "T'gar." She sounds surprised, but moves on to the more pressing inquiry at hand. "You're not, " and a hand lifts to pinch briefly at the bridge of her nose. "You're not bothering me. I'm not very good at being - welcoming." Uncomfortably, she clears her throat. "I've little doubt that we would have met soon enough, at any rate." Dahlia's hazel gaze considers Jocelyn as she speaks. It's not the look of a stupid girl, for all that her natural warmth might distract some that. "I'm nervous about it. Taeliyth isn't thrilled with all the check-ups and less thrilled with the idea that they'll expect her to stay in the cavern with the eggs once they're laid." She wrinkles her nose and adds, "She's not much looking forward to the laying of them, either." There's an amused, affectionate smile for her dragon, sympathy showing in her expression. "Just another of the things that is simply a part of life once something golden looks your way with that rainbow I don't even remember," that's wry, an attempt at humor, but testing. Some people, after all, are thrilled with their Impression to gold. "He's a friend," is murmured of T'gar, a little shrug there. "You're welcome to visit Fort as you like when you can between. It can-- it was hard for me to want to go anywhere once we could because every trip anywhere felt like a thing where I had to do and say everything just right which sort of takes any fun out of travel." Though Dahlia's openness and sharing seems quite out of hand, a shrewd conversational partner might notice that though she's said a lot, and none of it untrue, she hasn't said anything particularly questionable, so perhaps she's learned much of the art of harmless-but-real conversation. "I don't think Aidavanth will like those parts either, " Jocelyn admits, "although she doesn't mind the usual physicals we've had regularly since Impression." There's a side-glance for Dahlia's wryness on the color of their dragons' hides, followed by an exhale. "I've had a lot of days where I've wondered if I'd be happier had she been green, instead." Her expression turns faintly apologetic, despite the fact that she doesn't seem to be one of those thrilled people. "We're taking our first trip within the next seven, so it won't be much longer before I can, indeed." Still, the steady twitch-twitch of her foot belies her otherwise even acceptance of the other's invitation. "I've some reservations of what it'll be like to visit other places. I'll never get to experience the locales as just 'tourist Jocelyn from High Reaches.'" A frown puckers at her brow; the concept doesn't sit well with her, either. "I'll make a visit to Fort that isn't a - thing, " she decides, using the other weyrwoman's term. "I don't suppose that going incognito is a viable solution. I'd like to meet your Weyrwoman, but without all the trappings of, " nose-wrinkle, "formality. Unless she's the sort to want that sort of thing, " in which case, her expression promises, it'll be a short visit. Dahlia's smile warms, empathetic at Jocelyn's admission. "I wished that a lot, that she'd been green, or not there at all. At the beginning. It was a sore point for us. Hard, when they can get into your intimate thoughts. Can't hide that kind of thing, and what good would it really do to hide it." There's a renewal of her invitation for Jocelyn to join her with a gesture, that they might speak more intimately. It doesn't stop her from saying, "I've yet to meet Weyrwoman Irianke or weyrwoman Farideh, but soon, I hope, sometime. I've found that Weyrwomen are often busy. Weyrwoman Mirinda would probably be most comfortable with something more professional, or leastways half-way to formal. Though-- maybe not. I'm not always a good judge." She admits that freely. "There are options for going incognito places, but that's harder within your own sweep or when your dragon wants to come along, but not impossible, even then. It's okay to do that, too, to just take off the knot for an evening." She colors a little as she adds, "I'm afraid I was rather incognito here when I met Rat. I imagine it was-- an unfair surprise for him when Taeliyth spoke with Asaroth later." Almost suddenly, she thinks to add to the earlier topic, "N'rov would enjoy an informal meeting," and it's said with some satisfaction as though she's pleased to be able to meet Jocelyn's want, if not with the person Jocelyn mentioned wanting to meet. Jocelyn makes a little noise of agreement before wrapping the remainder of her sandwich back into its trappings. There's a moment where it looks as if she might not cross those steps between her bench and Dahlia's to join her; it'd be easy enough, after all to just ignore the gesture and continue on as they are. But no: she pushes to her feet at some length, scoops up her folder and half-eaten lunch, resettles herself a polite distance from the younger woman. "I'm fortunate, I suppose, in that we've asked the same questions. It certainly could have been a sore point for us." For the rest, she listens attentively, permitting herself a snort at the recounting of the other goldrider's first encounter with Rat. "I'll bet it was quite the surprise." Perhaps it's because she's amused at the idea of caught-off-guard-T'gar that her subsequent, "I'm sure I'll eventually have to meet N'rov, too, " is noncommittal rather than outright dismissive. "You should," of N'rov, is bright. "He's-- well, no, he isn't, but he likes to pretend he's mysterious. The first time I met him, he told me future." There's a brief pause where Dahlia's bright expression suddenly falls and she swallows, "With eerie accuracy, as it's turned out." Then she lifts her free hand to wave that off. "Anyway, he's fun. Don't let him unnerve you." She speaks with sororal fondness for her Weyrleader before taking a bite of her sandwich, making progress finally into the rest of her sandwich. Then, almost abruptly, "When I Impressed, I was a lot younger than Lilah or Hattie. I really wished then that I had another goldrider to talk to who might understand what was going on. I know you have Irianke and Farideh here and I can't imagine I'd be better than they are, but if ever you need an ear or just-- I don't know, empathetic company, I'm-- well." It's sort of an awkward offer, but a genuine one. "And if you don't, don't-- it's fine. I know better than most how hard having trust can be with this," a flick of her fingers indicates her knot. Then it seems like an excellent moment to try to finish her sandwich. Jocelyn's raised eyebrow, accompanied by her skeptical, "Did he, " might convey her opinion on fortune-telling. She's every bit as willing to let that subject drop when Dahlia does, shoulders stiffening a fraction as the other continues before she gradually rolls them back into a set that's more outwardly at ease. "You're young for this Impression, " the redhead remarks again when there's a break in her spiel, but it's a more matter-of-fact observation this time than anything else. "No one is necessarily better than anyone else, but I imagine you have a different perspective to bear on many fronts than they do." Of the difficulty in trusting another, well. The corners of her mouth give a wry turn upward. "Another one of those facts of life that came with being chosen by the dragons who now have us, " she says after some moments, nodding slowly. "I - appreciate the offer, Dahlia. I may take you up on it, some day. Likewise, I can't pretend to know your relationship with Mirinda, but I'll have less time put between me and my training than she undoubtedly has with hers if that perspective is helpful to you in the future." "There have been younger," Dahlia answers once her mouth is free to do so. "Mirinda was younger than I was, by turns." She looks down at her hands briefly as she uses a small cloth to clean her fingers of crumbs. "I'm having an easier time working with Mirinda than I did with Hattie or Lilah. I don't know what it would've been like with them as time went on, of course. People treat you differently as a weyrling, as a weyrwoman, as a person." She gives Jocelyn a rueful smile. "I'll take you up on that sometime, Jocelyn." Then she's sliding the lid on her box closed. "I'd better get back, though. I really did only come for a change of scenery over lunch. Lots of meetings and reports and-- well, I'm sure you know, or will soon enough." She rises, "It was nice to meet you. If you have a chance, tell Rat I said hi?" Because, why not, apparently. "I don't know that I could have managed this at fourteen or fifteen, " Jocelyn says with a quick shake of her head. "I would have had to grow up with her. That might have been too much of a struggle." And as Dahlia rises, so too does the redhead, even if her gaze has to lift up to meet the other's. "I've some idea, " is her sympathetic grimace for the too-exciting activities listed. "My best to you and your Taeliyth." She hesitates a second before adding, "I'll pass your message on. We're due back soon for afternoon practicals and drills, " so at the very least, catching sight of one another is probably unavoidable. "Good afternoon, weyrwoman." "If Aidavanth would ever like to talk," Dahlia starts, turning back after taking a few steps, "Taeliyth isn't always nice, but she does enjoy talking to other dragons." It's an offer, anyway. One that doesn't seem to need an immediate response, after all, they're dragons. They can speak when they like. Or not. "Good luck with your training, Weyrling." She offers politely, before a youthful smile flashes and she's heading for the lake shore where the wheaten gold is winging down to land and meet her. |
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