Something Came Up (1/2)

Writers: Aaron, Estelle
Date Posted: 12th May 2019

Characters: Brennault, Lorican
Description: Brennault finally tracks Lorican down after he vanished from Dolphin Cove without saying goodbye
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 10, day 22 of Turn 9
Notes: Takes place at Rocky Bay Hold

Brennault

Whenever Lorican returned from his travels, there was always a long list
of orders waiting for him in the smithy, although he tried to build up a
surplus before he left. The master smith he worked with had now all but
retired, and spent most of his time teaching the two apprentices,
leaving the majority of the general work to him. Since he'd returned he
had put in long days churning out hooks, cleats, nails, rings and bolts
and all the other metal parts essential to the fisher craft.

The work was repetitive, but it occupied his mind enough that he didn't
have to think of all that had happened on his journey, and after he'd
left the Weyr. It also tired him sufficiently that he fell into bed at
night and slept, dreamless.

Now, he felt he was finally getting ahead and could steal some time to
work on the ideas he'd had while he was at the Weyr. He leaned over the
anvil and with careful, precise taps of the hammer, coaxed the hot metal
into the curling shape of a firelizard's tail. Intent on his work, he
hardly noticed the fading light as the evening drew in, or the
sweltering heat of the forge.

"I was almost a little worried you wouldn't be here!" said Brennault,
wiping the sweat from his forehead. It was hot in there! He had been
watching what Lorican was working on for a little while, bribing Marvel
with a meat bit to keep silent while he watched. He waited to speak
untill he was fairly sure he would not surprise Lorican while he was in
the middle of a delicate maneuver.

The smith had just placed the finished piece to one side and looked up
in surprise. "Brennault!" He smiled in real pleasure, put down the
hammer and pushed back the goggles onto his damp hair. After his
departure from the Weyr, he'd not been certain if he'd see the runner
again. Nor what he must think of him for disappearing without a word.

As he came around the anvil to greet his friend, he noticed the little
bronze and his eyes lit up. "You got a firelizard, after all! What's his
name?"

"This is Marvel," Brennault introduced the little bronze. "Marvel, this
is my friend Lorican." Marvel looked up briefly from his snack to cheep
at Lorican.

"I thought something important must have come up," said the runner. "But
I wanted to make sure everything turned out OK for you in the end. It's
good to see you at work." That was true in more ways than one, but
Brennault seemed fairly certain that whichever way Lorican's hammer
swung, it was not that way.

"Oh, yes." Lorican looked slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that. I
wish I'd had time to say goodbye, but...you're right, something
important did come up. It's all taken care of now, though." He smiled
and turned back to the forge to bank down the fire. "I was just
finishing up here. Will you be staying over at the sea hold? I'd like to
hear all the gossip from the Weyr."

"Things happen," said Brennault, "I understand. I'm glad you've got
everything put back together, though! I'll be here until tomorrow. And I
could probably use a bath myself, if you're headed that way," he
offered. It was better to get the sweat and dirt of the road cleaned off
before going to dinner, and likely it was the same with the forge.

"But we can always meet up for dinner and drinks if you're not. I'm
happy to get you caught up." He smiled.

"A bath sounds good to me. I'll show you where it is." Lorican hung up
the hammer on the tool rack and made sure the fire was out for the
night. He glanced over his shoulder at Brennault with a grin. "I'm
afraid there won't be any women in there, though. We're a bit more, um,
traditional at the Sea Hold than at the Weyr."

Brennault laughed as he followed after Lorican. No one at the weyr went
to the baths to ogle people. A little incidental ogling might happen,
but the baths were for bathing.

"Don't worry," he said. "I think I can make it through one bath without
peeping on anybody."

"If only everyone was that considerate. Last Turn, a few of the young
lads got caught trying to make a spyhole into the women's side," Lorican
said as he led the way over to the low stone building that housed the
hold's baths. "One of our smith apprentices was in on it, I'm sorry to
say. They had to spend their all free time here for the next few months,
cleaning the bathhouse and stoking the fires." He held the door open for
Brennault. "Now I think about it, the Weyr system is healthier, somehow."

"Well, there aren't any peep holes in the baths, at least," said
Brennault. He did not feel terribly bad for the lads who got caught.
"Not that I know of, anyway!" Some might do it if they were really set
on ogling without being seen in return. But the thought had never really
occurred to Brennault.

"There definitely aren't in this one," Lorican said with a grin. "And
hopefully, no-one will dare try to make any more." He opened the
glowbaskets to light up the room, then went over to a shelf and reached
down some towels. "So, what brings you out this way? Do you have
messages for the Sea Holder?"

"I volunteered to carry an especially heavy package here. I don't know
what was in it, but it would be tacky of me to say if I did, wouldn't
it?" said Brennault, taking the towel gratefully. "I wanted the excuse
to make sure you were OK. The extra fee didn't hurt."

"I'm glad you got some profit out of the trip. It must be a good run,
though. I usually go inland when I travel, to cover the cotholds, but
I've heard the coastal route to the Weyr is beautiful." The smith
stripped off his clothing, damp with sweat from the forge, and leaving
it in a pile by his towel, lowered himself into the warm bath with a
sigh of pleasure. Though his bruises had almost faded now, he still felt
some residual aches, especially after a day's work.

"It's worth making the trip when I can," Brennault agreed. The view and
the breeze were incomparable. He peeled off his clothing as well,
setting them and his bag aside where they would not get any wetter.
Marvel hopped down to let Brennault undress, and he dipped a forepaw
into the water for a moment before jumping back into the air and popping
between.

~~Call to me when you're leaving that place,~~ he sent. Brennault
chuckled and acknowledged the sending. And then he joined Lorican in the
bath.

"Have you found your runnerbeast?" he asked, though he expected the
answer would be no. He hated to bring up a sore subject, but it seemed
more rude not to ask.

Lorican shook his head. "No. It's a shame, I'd got used to the beast,
but I don't suppose I'll ever see her again. But I did get my tools
back," he said, brightening. "Someone had sold them to another smith at
one of the sea holds on the way back to the Weyr. Of course, I had
spares back here, and I can always make more, but it wouldn't have been
the same. Some of them belonged to my father."

Brennault refrained from patting Lorican's shoulder in the bath. Some
folks could be touchy about being touched while they were naked, and it
was better to respect boundaries.

"Well, I hope she turns up, too," said Brennault. "But I'm very glad you
got your tools back." A moment passed before Brennault realized exactly
what Lorican had said.

"You remembered her, then?" he asked. "Did you remember who attacked you?"

Last updated on the May 15th 2019

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Something Came Up (1/2)