Now's Your Chance

Writers: Aaron, Estelle
Date Posted: 22nd April 2019

Characters: T'ner, Anderli
Description: Tener's work catches the eye of one of his dragonriding seniors in the forge.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 15 of Turn 9

Anderli set down the finished bracket she'd been working on to cool on
the stone surface near the forge, put away the hammer and tongs and
leaned back with her hands on her hips, stretching her neck to work out
the tension. By the angle of the light - and the grumbling in her belly
- it was nearing time for the noon meal, and she didn't feel like
starting on a new piece, especially since she and Telaith had drills
that afternoon.

She tidied up her work area, making sure the fire was banked and all the
tools were put away. Around her, work was carrying on, so she had a
little time left. As senior journeywoman, part of her duty was to assist
in training the apprentices, so she decided to walk around the smithy
and see how they were getting on. There was an apprentice that she'd not
spoken with much yet, and she wanted to get an idea of the level he was
at and whether he'd be up for promotion soon. Seeing him at work nearby,
she went over to watch what he was doing.

Tener was happy to finally be working in a smithy where the forgemaster
did not hold a grudge against him for impregnating his niece. It was not
fair, really – she was not even properly his niece; he was just older
than she was and thought that entitled him to a closer title than merely
cousin. And he had been doing so well before that.

But all that was behind him now. Now, he was making buckles for riding
straps.

Anderli kept well back until the young man had completed the piece he
was working on, and examined the finished buckles instead. They were
bigger and stronger than the ones made for belts and shoes, about the
size of her palm. They weren't as smooth and shiny as the ones on
Telaith's harness, though, since they hadn't yet been polished.

She glanced up and realised that the apprentice was looking at her. "Oh
- sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you." She raised a hand in greeting.
"We haven't been introduced, have we? I'm Anderli, Telaith's rider."

"Not at all," said Tener, removing his goggles and gloves and returning
the wave. "Would you care to have a look, ma'am?" he asked. He had been
on his best behavior when it came to formality for worry of sparking
another grudge. The smithy was where he expected to be spending his time
– surely, a dragon would not really choose him...

Tener had been vacillating on which career he really expected would be
in his future with some regularity, and today was a smith day.

"I wouldn't mind a quick look, if it wouldn't be keeping you from your
lunch." Anderli knew how hungry one could get after a morning's hard
work in the forge. She certainly was! "You've been set to making buckles
for riding straps? We do plenty of that here."

"Yes, ma'am," Tener confirmed. "I hadn't made them before, for riding
straps, that is. A bit bigger than I'd been used to. But I'm enjoying
working for the weyr. Feels like I'm finally getting somewhere."

"You've not been in the Weyr long, then?" she asked, wondering what had
brought him here.

"Only a little while. I was Searched, and my wife and I decided it was
best for our family if we came here," Tener answered. "Things were...
complicated back home."

"Are you new, too, then? I thought I might have just gone this long
without meeting everyone."

"Oh, no, I've been here for Turns and Turns," Anderli said, grinning.
"But as a rider, I don't get to spend as much time in the smithy as I'd
like. These last sevendays, we've been introducing newly graduated
riders to the Wings, so I've not been in much. Lots of drills, and a new
greenrider I've been mentoring. She's on watch duty this morning, so I
thought I'd catch up on some work here. So you're a Candidate?" she
asked. "How long have you been here?"

"A few weeks, I think? A month, maybe?" Tener suspected Ayressa would
know the exact number of days, but for Tener, the days had already begun
to blur together, and he was not even sure what the day's date was. "But
yes, I am a Candidate."

"And you're holdbred?" She suspected it, since he'd mentioned a wife.
That could certainly cause complications. "How are you finding it here?"

"We've loved it, to be honest," said Tener. "Ayressa – my wife – has
taken up learning to weave, I've got my classes for the weyrlingmaster,
and I finally get to do real work in the smithy again. Aside from
missing our family, there's not a single thing that hasn't got better
for us since coming here."

"I'm glad." She wondered what he'd meant about real work, but decided
not to pry. Instead, she turned over the buckle in her hand. "These are
good. Solid work. If I'd any advice for you, it would be not to focus
too much on the tolerances for these. Hide straps vary - as do dragons -
and it's actually good to have a bit of variation in the metalwork. The
main thing is that they're strong, but you've done that. No matter what
happens at the Hatching, you've made a good start in the smithy. Are you
thinking of going for promotion soon?" He was about the right age, but
she didn't know what training he'd had back at his hold.

"I would love to!" said Tener, the suggestion stirring up a bit of
excitement in him. "I would have by now if not for... Well, nevermind
all that. You think I'm ready to give it a shot?" he asked, smiling from
ear to ear and looking quite a bit like he perhaps ought to have been
wagging a tail. "Just based on the buckle?"

"Well, I do talk to the other smiths," Anderli said, laughing at his
eager expression. She lifted the buckle in her hand. "And I'd want to
see more of your work myself before saying anything definite, though it
is a good buckle. Of course, you do have your classes as a Candidate, so
it'll be hard work if you decide to go for it. And if you Impress, it'll
be off the table for a Turn or two, while your dragon grows."

"Don't worry, ma'am," said Tener, "I don't think I've heard the end of
'a few things are off the table for a Turn or two when I Impress' since
I landed in the bowl on the first day." He chuckled. It was going to be
hard if it happened. But who knew if it would? And look at Anderli. A
rider and a smith beside, herself. He would make it work if he had to,
whatever he had to.

"And I'm happy to do whatever work the forgemaster and the others need
to see to show I'm ready," he added.

"Good. I'll have a word with the Master." She put the buckle down with
the others. "You got any ideas about specialising, if you do get
promoted? Most of us here in the forge are metalsmiths, but we've got
some jewellers and glass workers, and there's a lot of starsmiths here
at the Weyr, too."

"Hm," said Tener, thinking for a moment. "I always expected to keep it
general," he answered after a moment, "back home. But I wouldn't say no
to looking into some of the fancier stuff to see how I like it." He
chuckled a bit. "I'd better think about it now before I get too busy to
hope for learning much of anything new, though, hadn't I?"

"Yes, now's your chance to try things out. If you ask Journeyman Garew
or Journeywoman Elleka, they'll be happy to give you an introduction to
their branch of the Craft." Often in the holds, she knew, the smithy
wouldn't be large enough to cover all of the specialities that were
available in the Hall or the Weyr. "And if there's anything you'd like
to go over, I'm happy to help. At least, when my Telaith doesn't need me."

"I will, thank you," said Tener, committing the names to memory. Or,
rather, having heard their names already, he committed their roles as
specialists to his memory. "And if I can help with scrubbing and oiling
Telaith, that seems to be a task I should be about, too, now." He
smiled. "Just say the word."

"All right. Come down to the lake tomorrow afternoon, and I'll introduce
you," Anderli said. She was not going to turn down the offer of some
help with bathing her dragon, especially from a strong young man who'd
get the work done faster than most. "It's good to get some practice in,
since if you Impress you'll be doing a lot of scrubbing and oiling."

"Tomorrow afternoon," Tener agreed, nodding. He would have to remember
to tell Ayressa as soon as he got home so he would not forget. He
wondered whether the dragon would be nice. Of course, her rider would
likely say she was. "By the lake?"

"By the lake," she replied, well pleased at having got a willing helper
for Telaith. "Well, I'll leave you to your work, Apprentice Tener. Don't
forget to stop for lunch. We don't want your wife complaining that we're
working you too hard."

"I certainly wouldn't want that," said Tener, his eyebrows rising at the
thought. Much as Anderli was likely mostly joking, Tener surely did not
want to do anything that would needlessly upset Ayressa. All the same,
Tener had never forgotten to eat before.

"Take care, ma'am," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

Last updated on the May 3rd 2019

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Now's Your Chance