Another Thousand Cups

Writers: Bree, Jane
Date Posted: 25th November 2006

Characters: Dikero, Arateyka
Description: Dikero asks for Arateyka's help with the love of his life.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 13, day 22 of Turn 3

Arateyka surveyed her now perfectly tidied domain. Workbench, storage racks, lockable cabinets (not locked but latched closed), tool rack. The latter made her smile. As time went on the basic hand tools a smith owned increased, until a master crafter had an extensive range – and probably seldom used them. She still had some of the communal tools of her apprenticeship but more and more places on the rack were being taken by high quality tooling. Today, for instance – Hearing somebody in the building she snatched back the hand she had extended. Most the smith crafters had gone, headed across the river to the Weyr-proper for their evening meal, but that didn't mean that there weren't others working late like she was. Though thrilled at the acquisition she didn't want anybody to catch her gloating over her new shears.

"Hello? Is anyone still here?" A tall man wandered past the doorway to Arateyka's workspace. A few moments later he backed up and poked his head into the room. "Aha! Were you about to disappear, or do you have a few moments to help me with something?"

"I'm in no rush," she admitted. "What help do you need?" She thought he was familiar, but she wouldn't have been able to put a name to the face.
He was a journeyman, though. A senior. A healer. Perhaps it was a good sign that she didn't know him.

Coming through the door, he held up a battered looking old pot with one side of the handle broken off. "I know it's old and not very reputable looking, but it's my favorite pot for brewing tea, and I'm loathe to part with it. I don't suppose you can salvage it?"

"Well ..." she held out her hand for the pot.

Dikero handed it over gingerly, wincing at the battered condition. "I've been doing a lot of moving in the past few turns... I don't think it was sturdy enough to put up with it."

"Sometimes - most of the time - function is more important than form."
She removed the lid and inspected inside the pot, checking that the damage to the handle hadn't affected the structure. "This is all right."
She wouldn't have wanted a solder or weld in contact with the brew but that wasn't going to happen. She looked up and smiled. "This patient will live."

The man's smile was wide and relieved. "Then I'm glad I got it here in time. I don't know what I'd do if I had to live without my favorite pot."

"You might find out this evening. I'll fix it tonight but there's no need for you to wait. I can drop it off tomorrow at the infirmary, if you like."

Shrugging, the healer leaned against the doorframe. "Well, do you _mind_
if I stay? I don't have anywhere in particular to be, and I am very fond of my pot. Not that I don't trust that it is in the best of hands, of course."

"Would you let somebody stay while you cut bits off their loved one?"
Arateyka asked. "Then attached replacement pieces by using gas flame? Of _course_ you're welcome to stay, but only if you're up to it."

Dikero laughed. "Well, if I tried to attach bits of one of _my_
patiences with a gas flame, I imagine the Weyrhealer would set me on fire. But if you don't mind an audience, I'll try to be strong. Maybe you can give me a shoulder to cry on later if things go poorly."

Arateyka eyed the senior journeyman levelly. "By 'go poorly', I hope you mean with you. The pot is going to be fine in my care." She was enjoying the banter and the change it made from her usual workday socialising.

"How foolish of me!" Dikero swept an absurdly formal bow. "I yield the future of my pot to your most capable hands."

"Thank you." She set the pot down on her workbench and took out a tool roll, placing in it the tool and filler she expected to need in the repair. Deftly she folded the ends of the roll and tied it. Retrieving the pot she looked at the healer journeyman and nodded toward the door.
"This needs to be done in one of the main halls and it won't be very exciting. Are you sure you want to come along?"

"Without a doubt." Not only would he get his pot back, but he could do what he hadn't done in his Turn of exile in the Holds--flirt without having to worry that he'd end up thrown out. "Lead the way, my lady smith!"

<> When the job was done Arateyka managed to find a clean rag to give the pot a polish and then made a show of returning it to the tall healer.
"The love of your life. As good as - well, not new, exactly. That would be beyond my abilities. But the handle is good for another thousand cups."

Dikero turned the pot over in his hands, his smile growing. "I owe you a debt of gratitude, my lady. And I don't even know your name!"

"Oh. Arateyka. Does it matter?" She smiled in response to his pleasure.
Most of her work was anonymous but this time she could see that her efforts were appreciated. "I don't know yours, for that matter. Not knowing each other's names didn't slow down your flirting, I notice."

"I'm Dikero." Dikero juggled the pot into the other hand so he could offer his right hand to her. "And have enjoyed the flirting immensely!"

She took his hand, smiling. "It's certainly been a different way to work." Perhaps she ought to have been a little affected by his efforts but she didn't think he had been serious and she certainly hadn't been.
"And a pleasant way."

"Well, maybe more people should flirt with you while you work." Dikero grinned. "Maybe I'll come back over and flirt with you again some time!"

"You could try," she said, thinking of how the others in their small workshop would react to a healer journeyman hanging around. She finished packing her tools back in the pockets of the roll and secured it. "Is there anything else I can do for you this evening?"

"You've saved my oldest friend," he replied cheerfully, patting the battered old pot. "That's more than enough for one evening, unless you want to come back to the Weyr with me and partake in the evening meal."

"No, but thank you. I have things to tidy up here."

Dikero shrugged good naturedly. "Maybe next time, then." He gave her another of his overdone bows and mischievously smiles. "Thank you for saving my pot."

"You're welcome, Dikero."

Last updated on the December 1st 2006

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Another Thousand Cups