DCW: Exciting Offer

Writers: AmajoS, Avery
Date Posted: 5th June 2007

Characters: Narrala, L'pin
Description: Narrala gets an exciting offer.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 12 of Turn 4

Narrala hurried down the hallway leading from the Dining Cavern to the
section of the Weyr that the Harper Hall had been set up in. She was
walking slowly, not really paying attention to where she was going, as
her eyes were on the sheets of paper in her hands. She hummed as she
walked, the fingers of her free right hand twitching as if plucking
strings. She was studying the music for an upcoming exam.

Just before walking right into him, she noticed the Weyrlingmaster
Second in her path.

L'pin jumped aside out of the path of the harper apprentice. "Whoa,
there!" He smiled at her. "Busy day?" he asked. She was clearly intent
on whatever she was studying.

"Just an exam later," Narrala answered waving her sheet music a bit. "I
should really start watching where I'm going more." She blushed. I
hadn't been the firs time she'd nearly run someone over in the hallways
by not looking where she was going.

"How are you adjusting to the Harper Hall?" L'pin asked. "The male
apprentices treating you okay?" He knew Ruumin was having some trouble
adapting, and he was a male and the Hallbred boys were more likely to be
alright with him.

"Oh, you know, everything new takes a certain adustment period." In
fact, some of the males were simply horrible. There were some who had
made an effort or who hadn't been so narrow-minded to begin with, but
they were the minority amongst the Harpers. The Printers were much more
pleasant over-all. But in any case, she wasn't about to whine about the
situation, even if sometimes it was a bit harder than she'd expected.

L'pin nodded, remembering how hard it had been to adjust to a Weyr when
he had first come. "I hope yours is over soon then." he said. "Are you
enjoying the Hall classes more than the ones taught here?"

"Not better," she quickly answered, not wanting to disparage her old
teachers. "It is different though. The classes are much larger and the
work moves at a different pace. It's challenging."

"I was Hall trained." he commented. "I have to admit- and this is
between you and me- I enjoyed my Hall apprenticeship much more than I
enjoyed making Senior Journeyman at a Weyr." he confided. "Because at a
Weyr Harpers have things to do other than teach, and sometimes it's nice
to be in a place of pure knowledge." Sometimes L'pin had thought he'd
like to teach at the Harper Hall when he got too old to fly Thread- or
even to fly at all- but then he realized dragonriders couldn't do that.
But maybe, if the Harper Hall was still at Dolphin Cove...but that was
another story.

Narrala smiled, a little surprised at finding somewhat of a kindred
spirit in the Weyrlingmaster Second. She'd kind of expected Weyrfolk to
take issue with her decision to train in the Hall rather than under the
Weyr's Hapers. She was always surprised when it wasn't the case. Of
course, L'pin wasn't born Weyrfolk, but dragonriders were their own
breed. "Yes, exactly. There's never really any 'downtime' from learning.
It's exhausting sometimes, but in a good way really."

Ah, yes. He remembered that. Nonstop learning and playing and working.
"What's your favorite part of the craft?" he asked.

"Art," she answered immediately. "We've only touched on the basics of
design and media, I'll be getting more advanced classes when I move up
in rank, but I enjoy it the best." She didn't mention the compliments
she'd always gotten from the Weyr's Harpers for her talent - nor the
more grudging ones the Harpers of the Hall gave. She was actually
prouder of those, oddly enough.

"That's wonderful." he said. "There are never enough artists with both
talent and interest."

Narrala blushed at the compliment. "Well, that doesn't mean I don't
have to do the rest, of course. Or that I dont want to do the rest
either," she explained hurridly.

"Oh, I know." L'pin said. "I enjoyed playing music and making instruments
as much as any harper, but it's nicest when you can pursue your passion, I
think." It was admirable to him that there was someone who loved her work
enough to undertake what surely must have been a difficult transition.

Narrala smiled and blushed again, but she nodded. "Yes. Though I don't
always have time to pursue it right now. I practice in my spare time
though."

"That's good. It'd be a shame if you didn't have time to." L'pin paused.
"If you ever have time, could I see something of yours?"he wondered.

Her smile grew, as did her blush. "Sure, I mean, if you really want.
I've got lots of sketches and half-finished works. I did a complete
drawing for the Weyrlingmaster recently too. He'll probably let you
see it. If you wanted to I mean. I don't know if you'd want to."
Realizing she was rambling, Narrala stopped talking abruptly.

"Oh, I would." L'pin smiled at her. "I shall go bother him later on. Do
you take commissions?" Runard had been an artist and when they'd lived
together, there had been many works around their weyr. Most of them were
gone now, left behind to anyone else at Rising Moons who had wanted
them- and there had been several people. He realized that he rather
missed having decoration. "I'd be willing to pay you for something." he
added.

"Pay? Me? I'm just an apprentice. Wouldn't you rather ask a Master or
Journeyman?" Narrala replied with wide eyes.

"If there's one thing I've found, it's that heart matters more than rank.
You seem like you really put your heart into your art. Some of the others,
they just do it as technically well as they can, but it misses somthing."

A shy smile and a blush lit Narrala's face at the compliment and she
resisted the urge to tug on her braid with only the most supreme
effort. "Well, um, what sort of thing would you like?" If he was
serious, and she could manage it, she'd be very happy with a few marks
of her own.

He contemplated. "I'm not really sure." he admitted. "What sort of
things do you like to draw? I had a friend who loved to do landscapes,
but hated to do people, for example."

"Well, I don't get much of a chance to even try portrait work. We
haven't really covered that yet, and it's hard to get people to sit
and pose when they've got better things to do. But I draw anything
that sits still long enough."

"Is it hard to find living things that sit still that long?" He asked.
"Have you done any of the dragons? I know that many of them like to sit
on the Rim and lounge for very long periods of time." Chaneth adored
doing that, but he was so often chaasing after weyrlings that he just
didn't have the time anymore.

Narrala grinned. She'd grown up in the Weyr, of course she'd drawn
dragons! "Yes sir. I drew a picture for the Weyrlingmaster of his
dragon not too long ago. He seemed to like it." She blushed slightly,
remembering the man's appreciation for the artwork.

"That's certainly something Y'sani would like. I'll be sure to go see it
sometime." he said. "How about I seek you out later with a specific
request? I'm just glad you're interested in doing something."

"Of course," Narrala answered immediately. "Whenever you like."

"Excellent." L'pin smiled. "Thank you for the chat, Narrala. I have
weyrlings to go tend, though I'd rather stay and chat. I'm glad to hear
you're doing well, though." he said.

Last updated on the June 21st 2007

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DCW: Exciting Offer