The Voice of Experience

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 9th April 2008

Characters: U'das, Zebrekhan
Description: U'das and Zeb chat while cooking up a fine catch
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 9, day 14 of Turn 4

U'das tied the boat to the dock and lifted a basket full of fish out of it. His fishing equipments followed his catch.

"So shall we cook these up right here on the beach?" Zeb asked as he handed the bronzerider his own basket. It had been a good day at sea.

"Unless you want to take them to the kitchen," U'das replied with a shrug. "But nothings better than self-cooked, fresh fish."

"Your pretty Headwoman may be able to cook up a nice fish, but nothing beats cooking it right down on the shore where it can soak up the sea breeze into the meat." And the geologist had cooked up enough on his excursions to know the difference.

"Exactly," U'das grinned.

"And..." Zeb reached into his pack and rummaged around until he found a small canister at the bottom. "I happened to have brought my super secret blend of spices in anticipation of this feast."

The bronzerider laughed. "Don't forget to bring the wineskin too. It's under the bench."

"Well, we've thought of everything, haven't we," the geologist grinned as he pulled the skin out. "Except firewood, though there's plent to be had in the forrest there, I'm sure."

"I usually use diftwood. There's plenty of it on most beaches. It gives a nice, salt tang to the smoke," U'das said. He found a good spot to set their things down.

"True," Zeb nodded, "though I tend to like a little bit of the dryer wood for the bottom. I add the driftwood to the top of the pile since it can still have a bit too much water for a good heat. It's perfect for smoke though."

"You're obviously done this before," the bronzerider noted.

"Many _many_ times," his friend nodded. "I spent over a turn studying the grains of sand on beaches."

"Found any intersting ones?" U'das jibed. "Could you do the fire and I clean these up?" he asked, and picked a fish from the basket. He found suitable flat rock for a work table and took out his knife.

Zeb began gather the pieces of wood the sea had tossed up nearby.=20 "Interesting sands? Or interesting beaches?"

"Whatever is more interesting, " U'das said, gutting the fishes and removing the uneditable parts. Silvery fishscale started to pile to the ground around his table-rock. He worked the swiftness that only long experience can bring.

"Well, to a geologist and a crafters which rely on sand, it was fascinating. However, I have a feeling you'd be more interested in nice warm beaches." Few people really cared which sands were best for polishing, or construction, gardening or glass manufacture. "There are some gorgeous ones that are barely touched since you'd either need a boat, a dragon, or a nice long rope to reach them. But some of them are breath-takingly stunning."

"I bet. Me and Zack have found some real nice beaches too. I'm cartographer, so during the Interval, I spent lot of time charting the coastline or islands," U'das said.

"Ah, I probably could have used you." Taking a boat would have been so much easier than scaling some of those cliffs. "Did you ever sail down to around White Sands Hold?"

"Probably have been, but not lately," U'das replied.

"Oh you would have remembered these beaches. They are almost painfully white. The prettiest fine grained high silica concentrated sand you've ever seen. Soft like a blanket. Truly lovely. You should go down there some time."

"Okay, what's silica?" U'das asked, pretending ignorance. It was a gently reminder to his friend to not get too "craft-bound".

"It's..." The geologist rolled his eyes. It was too hard to explain.
"It's what makes the sand white."

"I've seen black sands too. Is the fire ready? I'm almost done here,"
U'das said and asked.

"Well, it would go a lot faster if I had something to start it with. Do you have a match?" Zeb usually had one in his hiking pack, but they hadn't exactly been hiking that day.

"Check the side pocket of my backbag," U'das said.

He dug around the pocket and was rewarded when he found the bronzerider's flint. "Well, between the two of us, U'das, we make the perfectly prepared traveler!"

"That's experience talking, my friend," The bronzerider grinned.

Last updated on the April 9th 2008

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The Voice of Experience