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Writers: Vix, Jane
Date Posted: 4th August 2008

Characters: Mahantan, Leisenn
Description: Leisenn arrives at the Dolphin Hall and is met by Mahantan.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 11, day 15 of Turn 4

Mahantan squinted as he peered toward the horizon, shifting slightly from one foot to the other. Was that a ripple he saw? The glint of sunlight off a fin? He closed his eyes briefly, clearing the image, before opening them and staring across the surface of the water again.
Yes, definitely something. Two somethings.

He watched as the faint glints of light came closer, gaining definition, as two dolphins alternately swam and leapt into the air, as if in a game with each other, some dance in which they engaged together, though steadily making their way to him.

He waited, waited, until the dolphins were almost to the dock before kneeling. One was familiar to him, very familiar, his own partner, Forrel. The other? Unfamiliar, though he had his guesses.

"She comes!" Forrel made this announcement, rising almost from the water in a tail walk.

Mahantan nodded. "Is the ship far?" "Not far! Not faaaaaar!" said the other dolphin, bobbing about trying to imitate the female dolphin and not apparently minding his lack of success. "Lee-sen here soon."

"Soon," echoed the dolphineer, knowing that the word had different meaning to the dolphin than to him. "Did you have calm waters to travel?" "Some." The dolphin splashed vigourously with his tail and added: "Some not. I am Tuuu."

"Greetings, Tu. I'm the Master of Apprentices, Mahantan." "Maht," Forrel told the other dolphin.

"Maht?" Tu tried the name out. "Lee-sen comes." He did manage to get onto his tail and then nodded toward the western headland of the wide bay.

Mahantan looked in the direction of the nod, noting a smudge on the horizon, a smudge that was growing in size. "Aye – won't be long now." From the rail of the ship Leisenn was watching the Hall - her new home
- draw closer. Already Tu had gone ahead with a local dolphin, been back, reported that there was somebody waiting for her - and disappeared again. If he came back again she was going to abandon the ship and head into the Hall with her young companion; she wasn't too old to arrive that way.

Mahantan shifted from foot to foot. He could swim out with Forrel and meet the new Hallmaster. Could, but did not. He had half a mind to turn away and head back to his office and work, rather than wasting time waiting. But he had received word and here he was, awaiting the woman who would be in charge, who would be over him in his work.

~ ~

"Come, Lee-sen!"

The Hallmaster didn't need to be invited twice by her dolphin companion and with a word to the interested crewmember she stripped down to her swimsuit and dived from the deck into the tropically clear waters.

"Warmer than at home, Tu."

"Niiice! Hold on!" The young dolphin barely waited until she was settled against his side, her hand wrapped around his fin before flicking his tail and starting back for shore, keeping well clear of the tacking ship.

~ ~

Mahantan watched as Forrel swam lazy circles. He stepped toward the edge of the dock, ready to call the dolphin in so that he could join her, but stopped when she suddenly rose up, looking further seaward and then leaping and diving. The Master of Apprentices squinted once more, taking the cue that the new Hallmaster was near. The ship was still too far to make out any detail, too far to warrant Forrel's level of excitement. He picked up the clean towel that he had brought with him and waited.

Leisenn released Tu's fin when the dolphin wouldn't slow down. While making an entrance was one thing, Tu wasn't always aware of how much room he needed to leave her between his body and solid objects like the pier. Instead she swam the last stretch and pulled herself up against the ladder, pausing to look around before starting up.

The other dolphineer stayed back from the edge, offering the towel.
"Welcome. . . Hallmaster?" Leisenn chuckled as she took the towel and buried her face in it. "Good guess, though I suppose courtesy would suggest the title isn't used until I get a handover from the incumbent." She quickly dried one arm and a hand and extended it to the other dolphineer. "I'm Leisenn. And you are Master -?"

"Mahantan." The man paused before adding. "The Master of Apprentices." "Ahh. Especially good to meet you, then, as I understand the Hall doesn't have a 'second right now."

"No," Mahantan told her with a sigh, "though I try to help with those tasks as I can." The light blue-grey eyes surveyed the man carefully as she continued to dry herself off and then wrapped the towel around her torso. "Did you meet Tu?"

The man nodded. "Forrel introduced us." "Good. That's the formalities out of the way, then. Could you ask somebody to meet the ship and bring my gear to my rooms." She hesitated and then asked: "Rooms have been organised, haven't they?"

For the first time Mahantan chuckled. "There are quarters and an office designated for you and all is clean and outfitted with both bedding and hidework. What you make of your space beyond that is up to you." Leisenn nodded. "As Hallmaster what I make of nearly everything is up to me." Her eyes roved over the former SeaHold that now did service as the Dolphin Hall. "I suppose only time will tell," she added in a thoughtful tone.

Mahantan shrugged. "Hopefully a good deal of what you see will meet your approval." "I'm sure it will," she said more briskly. "Well, Master Mahantan, let's see those rooms."

Last updated on the August 7th 2008

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