Time Gets Away

Writers: Devin, Emma
Date Posted: 19th November 2006

Characters: Oria, D'ren
Description: While bathing their dragons, Oria chats with D'ren about various things
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 3 of Turn 4

Oria

"Hello Oria," D'ren greeted as he slipped from Menanth's neck.

"D'ren!" she replied by way of greeting, with a grin.

"How have you been?" he asked. Oria wasn't a close friend, but she'd been encouraging when he was a candidate and that had given him a certain fondness for her.

"Busy," she replied. "At least with the hatching over we can rest a bit now.
Degrorth seemed to be out on search all day every day."

"Do you like it? Being a Searchrider?" D'ren set down his pail of sweetsand and pulled out a brush.

"I think she likes it more than I do at times," stated Oria as she scrubbed at a tender spot. "Sometimes the holders don't like to see me."

"Because you're a girl? Or because you might take one of their children?"
After he'd said it, he wondered if it sounded rude.

"Both I think, especially around Emerald Falls Hold itself."

"Well that's . . . too bad." The bronzerider didn't know what else to say.

"I'm not sure how happy they are to see me, but they do seem to appreciate us searing thread from the sky."

D'ren lifted another handful of sweetsand. "It's quite an experience, isn't it? Fighting Thread, I mean."

"Scary, and thrilling, all at the same time."

}:We are meant to fight Thread,:{ Menanth added.

"Does fighting Thread ever get, I don't know, routine?" D'ren asked as he moved farther down his dragon's side.

"No, everytime has been different, get complacent and..." She shrugged.

He nodded. "I know." The Weyr was still recovering from the horrible accident of month 7, and smaller tragedies were happening all the time in Fall.

"Hard to believe that it was almost half a turn back now."

"And there are reminders of it everywhere." Menanth started to croon, picking up his rider's somber mood.

"But we will get through it," she said forcing a smile, forcing cheerfulness. It wasn't really something to talk about on a nice day like this.

"Turn's End is coming up," D'ren said, happy to change the subject. "Do you have any plans?"

"Not really, I'm going to the gather of course, and it did cross my mind to go see my brothers up north."

"Do you see your brothers very often?"

"Not as often as I'd like," she said a little sadly. "It's a long way to go, and they all have their own lives now."

"Nowhere is very far for a dragon." D'ren patted Menanth.

"I know that, but sometimes it isn't just distance you have to travel," she said.

"Ah, I see." His own older brothers had been growing distant for turns, but he was sure much of that had to do with them being dedicated to the cothold and him becoming first a harper apprentice and then a dragonrider.

Oria gave Degrorth one final scrub and sent her off to rinse. "They're all married now, some with babies and Journeyman knots. So different to here."

"Time seems to get away from you, doesn't it?"

"I don't know where it goes, I really don't."

Menanth adjusted a wing so D'ren could get under it. "Sometimes I wish we could be like our dragons, and not notice the passage of time."

"I could see that being an interesting way to live," she said after a moment. "But what about memories?"

"Yeah, that's the flaw in my wishful thinking. Long memories are worth having," he said with a small smile.

"Although no doubt there are a few things everyone would like to forget."

D'ren paused in his scrubbing to turn toward her. "Not too many things, I hope."

"No, not too many." She smiled as Degrorth returned. "I'd never want to forget her."

"I don't think there's any way we _could_ forget them." The bronzerider returned the brush to Menanth's hide.

}:I won't let you forget me,:{ stated Degrorth.

Oria grinned, "She says she won't let me forget her."

D'ren laughed. "Especially when she wants a bath," he said with a wink.

"Indeed!"

Last updated on the November 19th 2006

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Time Gets Away