Secret Identities

Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 17th December 2015

Characters: Meledei, Endarin
Description: The goldrider and Hallmaster meet.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 3, day 12 of Turn 8

Rest days. At least, they were rest days when Thread was falling during
that period of time. Fortunately, there were clear skies that particular
rest day and Meledei was going to make the most of it. While she often
rode her dragon somewhere, the goldrider decided to stick close. Instead
of flying off to the far reaches of Pern, she decided to simply walk down
to the hall and spend some time among the gleeful tones of the dolphins who
resided there. She pulled off her clothes and placed them on the blanket
and adjusted her swimsuit before walking to the water and letting the
liquid lap at her feet.

Endarin's breath came in short little huffs as he jogged down the
shoreline, his eyes squinted against the sun and focused on the distance
ahead. He'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't get all soft around the
middle the way Famell had, so he had made a habit of leaving his office
every day and going for a jog before enjoying some swim time with Keva.

Idly he glanced down toward the water when he came upon the towel and pile
of clothing. It was the first sign that it wasn't a dolphineer in the
water. Most dolphineers just wore swimsuits around during their daily work.

Changing course, Endarin strode down to the water where the unfamiliar
woman stood.

"Afternoon."

Meledei turned to face the man who approached and she smiled. Although she
knew several people at the Hall, she didn't know everyone. "Hello." She
greeted in return. "How do you do?"

Endarin found himself surprised by the woman's cordial greeting. "I can't
complain. I'm the new Hallmaster, Endarin. And who might you be?" He held
out his hand.

Oh, the new Hallmaster. Or was it acting? "I wasn't aware the position
had been permanently filled, but a pleasure to meet you. I'm Meledei."
The girl accepted the hand to take it in greeting. "How do you like it
here thus far?"

"It hasn't. I'm hopefully only temporary, until they lure some other fool
into the position." It wasn't something he'd wanted, but he saw taking the
position as doing his friend, Famell, a favor. He gave the woman's hand a
small shake, "It's not bad here, much more peaceful than Topaz Seahold."

"I highly doubt you're a fool, they don't usually make them Hallmasters."
Meledei let her hand drop after he released it. "I love it here, but I'm
rather biased since I've been here for most of my life." One toe dug into
the sand which immediately filled as the water licked at it. "You were at
Topaz before? I've visited, but I've not spent more than a day there."

Endarin crossed his arms over his chest, "You're not missing anything." He
guaranteed that. "What's your connection to the Hall?"

"To the Hall? Nothing really, I'm actually from the Weyr." One thumb
jutted in the direction of said location. "I just thought I'd come down
here and swim with the dolphins."

"You said you had been here for most of your childhood, I just assumed you
meant you had family in the Hall." Endarin wondered if the woman was being
purposefully obtuse about who she was, the thought made him instantly more
wary of her.

He looked out over the water and spotted a few dorsal fins glinting in the
sunlight, "They're like pups when it comes to wanting attention. I'm sure
they're pleased to have someone come down just for the fun of swimming."

**Meledei from the Weyr. Who are you really?**

"Here as in the Dolphin Cove area, sorry, I didn't mean to be confusing. I
only have one member of my family here, and he's also at the Weyr." She'd
had a brother, but he had died. Quickly, Meledei took the distraction
Endarin offered, and as the man indicated the dolphin, she turned a grin
toward them. "They are loads of fun. I suppose your duties keep you busy,
but I hope you get the chance to play with them from time to time."

Endarin couldn't ever imagine himself "playing", as she put it, but he did
have a dolphin to tend. "I'm in the water as often as I can be, I have a
dolphin who would be very upset if I didn't. She's out there now." He
tilted his head out toward the dolphins that weren't far off the shoreline.
"She's the one with the scar on her dorsal fin."

Meledei stood upon her tiptoes as if to get a better look, though it was
hardly required. "Oh, the bluish-greyish one? She's pretty. How did she
get that scar?" While dolphins were intelligent and water animals, there
were times the sea wasn't the safest place to be - much like the land for
those who were land locked.

"She got hooked by a fishing vessel. While she was thrashing to get free
the hook ripped her dorsal fin up pretty good. That's how she and I met.
Many Turns ago now." Endarin watched as the dolphins peeped curious eyes
above the water line, wondering if the two humans had any treats to toss
them.

"They look ready to play. Why don't you join us?" Meledei peered back at
the man, her grin broadening. "The more the merrier, right?"

**She is the smilingist woman I've ever met.** Endarin thought. He wasn't
sure why she was so smiley but her offer was tempting. What man didn't want
to swim around with an attractive woman?

"Let's go then. I'll introduce you to Keva." Endarin said as he led the way
down into the water.

"Sounds good." Meledei followed, her fingers trailing through the water
until it was deep enough for her to swim. With long, smooth strokes, she
slipped through the water with the ease of one who was well acquainted with
the sea and drew alongside the Hallmaster and dolphins before coming to a
stop. As she trod water, she inclined her head toward one dolphin in
particular. "You must be Keva."

"Keeeeva." The dolphin trilled in return, nodding her sleek, grey head in
response.

Keva turned her attention to Endarin, "Endyyyyyy brrrrring treeeeeeats?"

"I don't have any on me. I'll bring you some to the pier this evening." he
promised.

"I should have brought some." Meledei bemoaned. She dove under the
surface, then reemerged on the other side of the dolphin. "It's nice to
meet you Keva. Is it all right if I swim with you and your friends today?"

Keva turned questioning eyes at Endarin, not sure why this human was asking
her permission to swim. Didn't the ocean belong to everyone?

"Swiiiiiim!" Keva bobbed her head up and down in a nod.

"That is as close to a yes as you'll get." Endarin said, wondering if the
woman understood that dolphins had equal intelligence to humans despite
their limitations in speech.

"I know." Meledei giggled and waited for one of the dolphins to offer a
fin. Kerchek, one she'd swum with before, glided over and nudged her,
after which she grabbed on to his dorsal.

"How about a race?" Meledei suggested as she looked between dolphin and
partner, then pointed to a buoy which floated where an underwater hill made
it more shallow and to warn boats to avoid the area. It was still plenty
deep for the dolphins, though. "To there and to the shore. As soon as
we're able to run, we have to let go and race to my blanket. First one
there wins."

Endarin felt confident that he would win, he _was_ a dolphineer, after all.
This was what he excelled at. "Alright, you're on." He agreed.

"Good." Meledei patted the dolphin and encouraged the two creatures to
line up. Once that was done, she called out, "On your mark. Get set.
GO!" Immediately, Kerchek sprang forward, Meledei clutching his fin.

In one smooth, fluid motion, Endarin latched on to Keva's dorsal fin. Turns
of training and riding just this way gave him an advantage. Pointing his
toes and extending his body fully to make himself flow through the water,
he tucked his head and held his breath, letting Keva do all the work.

When they reached the shallow water, Endarin released Keva and used his
hands to push off from the gritty bottom. Gaining his feet, Endarin tore
through the ankle deep water, and didn't let up until he was standing
beside of the woman's blanket.

As water dripped from his hair, Endarin placed his hands on his hips and
smiled, a rare thing, "I win."

Meledei had kept her own, but there was no way she could match the seasoned
dolphineer. He made his declaration and she laughed. "Indeed you do."
After a moment's paused, her eyes gleaming. "You wanna do it again?"

Endarin made a face and shook his head, "Of course not, I might lose if we
do it again." He winked. "After all, I would assume a goldrider is a fast
learner." The woman's shoulder knots were peeking out from beneath the
blanket they had raced to.

"A very fast learner." Meledei nodded. "We have to be, after all. Have
you been to the Weyr yet?"

"No, I haven't had the time yet." he admitted. "Why didn't you tell me you
were a rider?"

"Does it matter?" Meledei's eyebrow quirked upward.

Endarin arched an eyebrow as well, "No, but I can't imagine why you would
omit it."

"Because it doesn't matter." Meledei's other eyebrow joined the first.
"If I announce 'hey, I'm a goldrider', I feel rather egotistical."

"It's egotistical to let the Hallmaster know your position at the Weyr? It
seems like a professional courtesy if you ask me." Endarin lifted his
shoulders in a shrug.

"Why does position matter? I'm a person, as are you. Everyone should be
treated with respect, regardless of position, so why bother with it in the
first place in an informal setting?" Meledei canted her head to the sky.
"I mean, I'm just Meledei, whether I ride a gold or not."

"You're also impossible and slightly infuriating. See? I'm treating you
just as I would anyone else, even though you do ride a gold." He just
didn't understand this woman. Was she trying to be annoying? **If so, she's
very good at it.**

"Am I now?" Meledei crossed her arms over her chest. "So we go from
having fun with each other to being irritated at each other? I suppose I
should be used to it by now." At least this man wasn't a beau so the
emotional investment was negligible.

Endarin's lips twitched as he fought off a smile, now clearly amused by her
reaction. "I think I am less irritated and more perplexed. Perhaps you are
just a rare individual and the rest of us lowly creatures don't know how to
handle you."

Now that did irritate Meledei. "Lowly? I never indicated that you were
less than I am."

The Hallmaster reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. **This is why
you stay clear of females, Endy-boy.**

"I didn't say that you did. _I_ am the one who made myself lower than you.
It was an attempt at levity, which clearly failed miserably."

Visibly, Meledei relaxed and sighed softly. "Sorry. I've...well, some
people have indicated some similar things to me in recent past so…"
Sheepish was not an expression she wore well, but wore it she did. "I
didn't say anything because I came here to get away for a while, to not be
a goldrider." Not that Meledei would ever give back her dragon, but
sometimes it was nice to shrug off her duties, even if only temporarily.

"Ah, now that's all you had to say. I'm only a temporary Hallmaster and
already I try to escape it as much as I can." Endarin could empathize with
the need for some solitude, or to get away from people asking you questions
or needing something from you. **Why couldn't she have just been honest the
first time?**

"Well, if you ever need to escape your rank again, our beach is yours. Keva
certainly enjoyed herself and you seem to be friends with Kerchek already."
Endarin glanced out to the water where the pair of dorsal fins waited just
in case the humans came back.

"Then why don't we escape it again with another race." Argument averted,
Meledei's face lit up again and the mischievous glint resumed its
twinkling. "I need the opportunity to try and beat you."

Endarin sighed, feeling as though he owed it to Meledei if he wanted to
keep in her good graces. Did he want to do that? Having a friend in a
goldrider at the Weyr wasn't such a bad thing.

"Alright, one more race." he conceded.

"Good. Onyourmarkgetsetgo!" The words were stated in a rush and before
Meledei even gave the Hallmaster (acting) a chance to react, she was off
toward the water like a shot.

"Ah, and the lady is cheater." Endarin said to himself with amusement as he
raced down the beach after Meledei.

Last updated on the December 21st 2015

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Secret Identities