Good to See You

Writers: Aaron, Estelle
Date Posted: 2nd April 2019

Characters: Brennault, Lorican
Description: Brennault returns to the Weyr and checks up on Lorican
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 23 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Urlene

Brennault

***

Lorican leaned back against a sun-warmed rock, his bare feet buried in
the sand and a straw hat shading his face and protecting his injured
head from the sun. He'd spent the hottest part of the day indoors in his
guest quarters, doing some design work but mostly resting and sleeping.
As the afternoon had turned to evening, he had started to feel more
wakeful and had ventured outside to visit the Dolphin Cove beaches.

He propped a board with a hide stretched over it on his knees and began
to draw, his eyes flicking up every now and then to gaze at a blue
dragon some way off, frolicking in the waves with his rider. The sketch
that began to emerge was highly stylised, with simple lines that could
be crafted in metal, and he narrowed his good eye as he tried to capture
the essence of the dragon's shape, the curve of wing and neck and tail.

"Hey," came a soft voice. Brennault had managed to find someone who both
could and would tell him where Lorican had gotten off to, but he had not
expected to discover him making fine art. "Feeling better?" he asked. He
was glad to see he was feeling well enough to be out and about, anyway.

"Brennault!" The smith looked up and smiled, immediately putting his
work aside. He started to push himself to his feet, wincing as the
movement strained at his sore arm and side. "You made it to the Weyr.
It's good to see you."

"Don't get up on my account!" Brennault insisted, moving quickly to sit
down beside him to stop him from trying to stand up. "It's good to see
you, too." He laid a hand on Lorican's stronger shoulder and smiled.
Moreover, it was a relief to see him.

Lorican sank back down again gratefully. "Thanks. I'm a bit stiff and
sore, but I believe I look worse than I feel." He'd seen the bruising,
gradually turning from dark purple to sickly yellow. Back in the hold it
would have brought attention, but he was surprised at how little notice
the weyrfolk paid to his injuries. But then, there were enough
dragonriders walking around with Threadscore scarring that perhaps his
didn't seem so bad.

"This place is doing wonders for my health," he went on, gesturing to
the wide expanse of beach. "The sun, the fresh sea air... You're lucky
to be based here."

"You aren't going to stay?" Brennault asked, sounding a bit
disappointed. While he had not spent very much time with Lorican, it
seemed that they had been through a lot together in their short time.
And Brennault hated the idea of losing touch with him.

"You could probably stay. If you wanted to. But if you don't, I'll come
visit."

His brow lifted in surprise. "You know, I never thought of it. The
Masters at the Smith Hall send me where they will, and it's a great
honour to be posted to the Weyr. At least, I'd have thought so." He was
aware that not all of his fellow craftsmen would approve of, or want
such a posting. "But I'm not leaving tomorrow. I've got to wait until
the healers clear me to go, at least ten days, they say. Turns out it
was quite a knock to the head that I took."

"I was really worried about you," said Brennault, leaning against
Lorican gently. "I'm really very glad you're doing better. Well. If ten
days is what you've got, then I guess I'd better be sure not to miss you
on your last day! We'll have to celebrate when you're cleared to go."

"I'd like that. I'll buy you a drink! It's the least I can do, after you
saved my life," Lorican said, ducking his head slightly in embarrassment
at the last.

"I'd never turn down a drink," said Brennault, smiling. He put an arm
around Lorican, hoping to cheer him up. As far as Brennault was
concerned, Lorican had nothing to be embarrassed about. "But don't worry
– I never charge for saving a life."

The smith laughed. "Good, because I don't know how I'd be able to repay
you." Although he did have some ideas about that, he wouldn't be able to
pursue them until he replaced his tools. "Nor young K'don and his brown,
and the healers who treated me when I arrived here. They patched me up
wonderfully."

Brennault smiled, gave Lorican a gentle hug, and then took his arm back.

"You sure look better than when I found you," he said. After finding the
man, Brennault could imagine that he might have blamed himself if
Lorican did not make it. He would have been plagued with thoughts of, if
only I had been faster or found him sooner or...

"I hope so. I must have been an awful mess." Lorican sighed. "You should
have been there when I got to the infirmary. The journeywoman healer on
duty was possibly the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I looked
like I'd fought a dozen rounds with the entire Hold Guard and come off
worst." He made a wry face. "Then there was the part where I threw up in
front of her."

"Isn't that how it always goes?" chuckled Brennault. "Well, my dad
always told me a story about a couple who fell in love after the Healer
nursed the sick man back to health. One of those plague stories, who
knows if it really happened, but. Maybe you should be sure to buy her a
drink before you go." He winked.

"I doubt a woman like that would be interested in me even if I was
scrubbed up and dressed in my Gather best," Lorican said drily. "She's
probably with a bronzerider, and I don't want to get beaten up all over
again. Besides..." His cheeks reddened slightly as he remembered some of
what he'd seen earlier at the beach. "I can't get over how...uh, relaxed
people are here. Do you ever get used to it?"

"I grew up in a pretty relaxed place," said Brennault. "So I'm probably
not the best one to ask when it comes to getting used to it." He grinned
at the blush. It was pretty cute. "But I don't think any bronzeriders
will beat you up just for asking. They're usually pretty relaxed, too,
as long as you don't go pushing and prodding once you've got your
answer. And besides all that, I wouldn't want to be a bronzerider who
beat someone up answering to the Healer who just put him back together,
yeah?"

"True enough." Lorican thought that he definitely wouldn't want to be
the one to cross Journeywoman Urlene. "But, since you are used to it
here, maybe you can tell me... Where are the men's bathing rooms? I went
to the one near my quarters, but there was a lady in there." The blush
deepened. "So then I found another one that was empty, but I'd just got
in and three other young women came in and...I didn't know where to look!"

"The weyr doesn't segregate bathing," said Brennault. It was something
he had actually already been used to, as well. There was not much room
for separate facilities at most of the small waystations, and though
women were not as common as men on the trails, they did exist.

"If you go in the middle of the day, you might be more likely to get the
place to yourself, but for the most part, you just... don't look at
anything." He chuckled and gave Lorican an apologetic shrug.

The other man's eyes went round. "Oh." He hoped he hadn't offended the
first woman by backing out as hastily as he had. "Well, if I'm going to
be here for ten days, I suppose I'd better get used to it." He shook his
head. "And I thought the sea hold was informal, after the Smith Hall.
I'm a long way from home."

"It will go a long way toward staying clean if you do," said Brennault.
"I've never stayed for very long at the sea hold," he said. "I've only
done the really long routes a couple of times each, and by the time you
get all the way there, you've been gone long enough to be ready to head
home."

"That one's not so far away as Emerald Falls, of course," he added.

"You've been out to Emerald Falls? That's a journey." Lorican covered a
good deal of ground as a travelling smith, but he tended to stay in the
same area, close to his base. "What's it like? I've heard it's changed a
lot over the last few Turns."

"It was the first place I went when my father agreed I was old enough to
go so far on my own," Brennault chuckled. "And it took me long enough to
get out there and back that I've never wanted to do such a long trip
again. It's been about three Turns now since I first set out. And the
whole round trip was round about six months if I remember right."

"The main Hold is next to a river where it meets with another one," he
said, thinking back to the trip. "The easiest way to go is along the
coast and then back south along the river. When you start getting out
pretty far in between where the big Holds are, the stations end up being
more like caves with beds and a little stash of food and water and first
aid supplies," he chuckled.

"I got really tired of dried fish, I'll tell you. But it was a lot nicer
to actually stay at the tiny little sea holds. They had fresh fish!
Though they were always happier to see you if you actually had letters
or packages to bring them."

"Anyway, point is, when I actually got to the Emerald Falls territory,
there was finally better food! It might be that it was just because of
the in-between, but I think Emerald Falls had the best food I've ever
had in my life. Figures that's what I'd remember most, isn't it?"

"But it's definitely better to stay closer to home. I almost decided
just to stay there for a while to avoid having to do it again so soon,
but I figured if I let myself stay, I might not come back for way longer
than I wanted."

"It can happen," Lorican said. "I've been away from Garnet Valley for
nearly five Turns now. At first I was homesick; I've got friends and
family back there, and I didn't know when I'd see them again. I've only
been back once since then. And travelling around the small holds was a
trial, to begin with. I used to be terrified I'd miscalculate the dates
and get caught out in Fall. But I've grown used to it, and I could see
myself staying in this area. Maybe we'll meet out on the road again,
some time."

"I hope we do. And this time, I hope it's under happier circumstances,"
said Brennault, chuckling. "I'm going to get a firelizard, I think.
After all this, I don't want to get caught out somewhere where I can't
send for help again. Plus, it'll be easier to find the addressees of my
letters in the weyr that way."

"I could have used one, myself, back there. Maybe it would have
remembered what happened to me." He shrugged. "Or maybe whoever it was
would have thought twice before attacking me at all. I don't suppose
you've heard anything from your father? They haven't caught anyone?"

"Not since I left to come back here. I'll talk to him again when I get
back out there," said Brennault. "I'll definitely see you again after I
see him next, so I'll let you know then if I know anything else."

"Thanks. I hope it gets resolved, one way or another. They must have
been bold, robbing travellers so close to the Weyr." Lorican supposed
the dragonriders wouldn't be affected much, since they could fly in and
out, nor the big, heavily guarded tithe wagons, but it would be hard on
the runners to have that fear hanging over them. "How long are you
staying? You'll be here tonight, right?"

"Bold or desperate," said Brennault, stroking his chin pensively. "I'll
be here tonight," he answered then, renewing his smile. He had a feeling
that he would have been willing to postpone leaving even if he had
originally planned to. "Have plans?"

"Well, I was going to dance the night away with the dragonriders of
Dolphin Cove," Lorican said, laughing, "but my leg's still a little
sore. So, if you wanted to get that drink...?" He'd half intended to
take his meal back to his room, since he didn't know anyone in the Weyr
and the dining cavern could be overwhelming, but he much preferred the
company.

"I wouldn't miss it," said Brennault, brightening a bit – and that was
brightness upon brightness. "Need help getting up?"

"Please." Lorican picked up his drawing, leaned on Brennault's shoulder
with his free hand and pushed himself to his feet with a gasp of effort.
He'd already had enough of being so stiff and sore, but it seemed
churlish to complain about it when there were dragonriders with worse
injuries in the Infirmary. At least now he had the strength to walk
around, thanks to the runner at his side.

Last updated on the April 12th 2019

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