Dragon Toy

Writers: Ainsley, AL, Cali
Date Posted: 14th March 2009

Characters: Meledei, F'gol, Afkica
Description: Meledei receives another mysterious gift.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 25 of Turn 5

The dining cavern was full and busy during the midday meal with many coming and going. A young drudge approached Meledei with a hesitant tap on the shoulder, "Excuse me," he said timidly.

The young weyrling turned up her eyes and rest them upon the young man. She smiled genially to him. "Yes?"

"I'm supposed to give this to you," he answered nervously handing her a small cloth bag. He didn't usually talk to the dragonriders, even the weyrlings.

"Oh? Why thank you!" Meledei took the bag gingerly. Was this the one who sent her the flowers? "Are you the one who left the bouquet for me?"

"The what? I was just supposed to give _this_ to you. Actually, Ulia was supposed to give it to you, but she got caught up in the kitchen," the boy answered with a shake of his head. "Fact I better be getting back myself."

"Oh...okay. Thanks." Meledei watched the drudge head off, then turned her attention to the bag. There was nothing remarkable about it, just a normal drawstring bag. She opened it and pulled out two items, a dragon carved from deep, rich, reddish-brown wood and another bit of hide with another note.

_Elleth may be as lovely as the morning sun over the ocean, but she does not outshine her rider._

Once again, the note wasn't signed. Meledei turned the carving over in her hands and marveled at the workmanship. She loved to carve, but this was far beyond her skill. The details were exquisite and precise even to the vein lines that stretched across the extended wings. Who could have done this? Was her mysterious admirer this skilled, or had he purchased it from someone?

"That silly wherry made me late!" Afkica fumed as she plunked down beside Meledei, but her attention was immediately drawn to the tiny dragon the other rider was holding. "Wow! That's incredible! Where'd you get it?"

"Looks like my mysterious admirer strikes again." Meledei held the carving out for Afkica to see. "A drudge just brought it a couple of minutes ago, along with those note, which isn't signed _again_."

"That is a gorgeous piece. Whoever it is must be a woodworker," she commented while reading the note. "I just wish someone thought this about _me_."

Whomever it was also knew something about her, what she liked. "It is a lovely piece." Meledei murmured as she took back the dragon figure and sat it upon the table.

Afkica's face scrunched up in thought, "Maybe he's ugly and that's why he doesn't just talk to you. Any particularly ugly guys been hanging around?"

"Or cowardly ones?" F'gol offered the suggestion as he sat down across from the two girls. He'd seen Meledei open the bag, and he didn't have to read the note to know who it was from.

"F'gol." There was a warning in Meledei's tone. She really wished he wasn't so...so...ugh. "And I don't care about how someone looks. There's more to a person than their features."

F'gol sighed, "I'm sorry, you're right, I said I'd be nice."

"I'm just trying to narrow it down for you," Afkica said with a shrug, "Not saying that being ugly is a problem. So, do you have a clue who it might be yet?"

"No, not at all." Was it someone she knew? Someone who knew her but she didn't know? Was it someone who liked her before she impressed or only noticed until afterwards? That thought kept coming back to Meledei again and again. Why all of a sudden? Why now? Why not before? Why not come talk to her? Was it merely shyness, or was F'gol right and someone was playing a trick on her? "I wish I had _some_ sort of clue."

"Well, do you know anyone who is good at carving? He might have purchased it, but maybe he made it."

"Instead of guessing," F'gol waved off the girl's question, "The next time you get one of these gifts, just refuse to accept it until they tell you who it's from."

"Well I have to admit, the gifts have been rather nice." Meledei stuck her tongue out at F'gol, then turned back to Afkica. "My father, actually, though I'd be very surprised if he went to my dad considering he's trying to stay anonymous."

"No, that doesn't seem likely," Afkica observed, before attacking her meal with gusto. "Did you ask the person who delivered it?"

"Well, I asked the fellow if he sent the bouquet and he didn't know what I was talking about, simply said he was supposed to give it to me...." Meledei's fingers danced over the bulge in her pouch. "Then he said he had to go and I didn't think to ask him who gave it to him in the first place. I shall have to hunt him down later."

Swallowing her food and taking a drink of juice to wash it down, Afkica replied, "Until then, I guess you are still left with a mystery."

"Well", F'gol stated before taking a bite of redfruit, "Whenever you _do_ find out who this 'mystery' person is, tell him I want a dragon toy too."

"It's not a toy, it's a figurine, a decoration." Meledei admonished. "I wouldn't play with it, but display it."

Afkica laughed at the both of them, nearly choking on the piece wherry she had just eaten.

"What?" Meledei frowned, her brow crinkling in confusion at Afkica's reaction.

"I don't know, the two of you are funny. How you interact. Have you known each other for a very long time?"

F'gol laughed, "Only all our lives, we're cousins you know." He wondered how long Meledei would let him go...

"Please don't remind me that we're related." Meledei groaned, catching onto the joke. "It's a good thing you aren't my brother, I would have beaten you to a pulp long ago."

"If I was your brother you would have had my good looks." He pointed out, since they looked nothing alike.

"Wow! Your families must have been beside themselves when you both impressed at the same hatching," Afkica stated finding the story completely believable. They seemed to share a certain familiarity and comfort with one another.

"Well, you know...they were happy." Meledei agreed with a grin. She glanced over at F'gol, wondering how far they were going to go with this. "Of course, I'm still amazed that Tealth wanted a blockhead like you."

Afkica chuckled, completely unaware that the joke was really on her.

"I'm _not_ surprised Elleth chose you," he leaned over towards the greenrider like he was whispering a secret, "She's acted like a controlling broody goldrider since childhood.."

Meledei picked up a fingerroot and tossed it at F'gol, hitting him on the side of the face with it. Fortunately it was cooked so it wasn't very hard. "Watch it you or I'll sick my dragon on you!"

"Oh, I'm terrified!" F'gol wiped a bit of the fingerroot smush off his face and stuck his tongue out at the girl. "If you haven't noticed, Tealth is bigger than Elleth!"

"That won't last forever!" Meledei shook her finger at F'gol. "Just you wait!"

"Are you two always like this?" Afkica wondered with a grin.

F'gol waved his hand over the table and grinned. "Not always, but mostly always."

"Yeah." Meledei nodded solemnly. "We're not like this when we're sleeping." She grinned just before popping some bread into her mouth.

Afkica drank the rest of her juice with a bit of a grin. "I've something I was hoping to see to before class, so I'll leave you cousins alone to bicker in peace."

As F'gol watched her walk away he gave a bark of laughter and leaned over to the gold weyrling. "Do you think she bought it?"

"Yes, I think she did..." Meledei giggled. "I'll have to break the news to her during free time."

Last updated on the March 14th 2009

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Dragon Toy