A Friend to Share with

Writers: Eimi, Elaine
Date Posted: 7th December 2005

Characters: D'cal, Kwiksol
Description: D'cal shows off some of his woodworking pieces to Kwiksol
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 11 of Turn 3

"Hey D'cal!" Kwiksol waved. He spotted the rider in the dinning hall when he was done with dinner. "D'cal, you have a moment?"

"Hi, Kwiksol. Sure," D'cal shrugged, "I have time. What's up?"

"Well, I had some time to, and was wondering if I can check out those pieces you mentioned before?" Perhaps Kwiksol was a bit jealous.
He'd lost any of his similar works in the fire, and had not yet had the time to replace anything yet.

He grinned. "Sure! Come on up to my weyr."

"Wonderful! Its been a while since I've been able to work with wood for leisure. Perhaps you can inspire me a bit," he said with a laugh.
"We can reach it on foot, right?" he asked as an after thought.

"Yes," D'cal laughed. "All weyrs are accessible by foot. That's how people without dragons can get to them."

"I wasn't sure," Kwiksol replied with a shrug. "Some of them seem pretty high up!" He said waving his hand high above his head.

His friend nodded. He had to convey more than one drudge up and down to the upper levels. It would be a bit of a climb. "That they are. But luckily, I'm not that important. I have one of the lower weyrs. Just a few stairs to climb."

"So the further up the more important you are?" He asked. "Is it because of privacy? I'd think the more important people would be further down, less of a walk. Oh wait," Kwiksol hit his head. "All the same to a dragon, isn't it?"

"Right," D'cal nodded. "But their Weyrs are larger too. My weyr is pretty small."

"But private," Kwiksol countered. "Thats gotta be a plus, and not a common thing for youths in the hall or hold necessarily."

D'cal shrugged. "Oh, I'm used to being in shared quarters. I lived on a boat for months at a time, after all. In fact, it was a bit of an adjustment, living alone. Well, except for Aosorath of course."

"Thats right, not quite alone with that blue fellow of yours."

"I guess I will never be truly alone again," D'cal smiled as they started up the stairs. "I have to say though. I never in my life thought I would end up here."

"While I always hoped I would," Kwiksol said quietly under his breath.
"Its funny, every one dreams it, but no one expects it, do they?" He said, this now for d'cal to hear.

D'cal shrugged as the turned a corner. "Well, I suppose I had my dreams when I was a child, but I really hadn't seriously _thought_ of being a dragonrider for many many turns until I was Searched."

"How _does_ search work exactly?" Kwiksol asked. He had wondered, this was one aspect of weyrlife he yet didn't know about.

"Well, some dragons, only blues and greens it seems, have a kind of talent for chosing young boys and girls who have potential for Impressing." They turned down another glowlit corridor. "Those dragons are sent out with their riders to Search for them. When the dragon senses there is a potential Candidate, they stop and find the one the dragon sensed and ask them if they want to come to the Weyr. That's pretty much how it works."

"So the dragons really _do_ always know," Kwiksol replied with a smile.

"Not all Candidates found on Search actually Impress though. Many never do. Just because they have the potential doesn't mean they will find the one for them." D'cal counted himself _very_ lucky that he and Aosorath could find each other.

"Yes, I've heard that," Kwiksol said, but grimaced in thought. "Why do people have to stop standing though. Some become too old right?
What makes too old, too old?"

"It's the dragon's choice, really. They just don't seem to Impress people over a certain age. Perhaps it has to do with compatibility? I don't know. I haven't thought about it." D'cal opened the door to him humble weyr and stepped aside to allow his friend in first.

"Maybe," he said as he entered D'cal's weyr. "Not bad, not bad," he said nodding, then caught sight of the wood works. "Over there," he said, pointing towards them.

"Yes, the ones up on the shelf," the weyrling nodded.

Kwiksol walked over to it, putting his hands behind his back to restrain himself from touching. He "Oooed," and "Ahhhed," a bit, the detail of the craftsmanship was pretty good. And the dragon, he was quite impressed wtih it.

"They're not a lot yet, but I'm working on it. This one," D'cal pulled the ship prominently displayed in the middle, "I started this when I was still a candidate. The wood is from Topaz Sea Hold. Or the remains of it, I should say."

"How, apt," Kwiksol finally said, searching for the right word, while observing the piece.

"Yes. It was a piece from one of the Shipyard dock beams," the bluerider said, a hint of sadness in his voice as he remembered that his family had worked on that dock for generations. And now it was gone.

Kwiksol grabbed the riders arm, lightly. "I'm sorry." he said, looking into his eyes.

"It's all right," D'cal said with a slight smile. "I just sometimes get homesick for a home that doesn't exist anymore is all."

"Maybe someday?" Kwiksol said. Such thoughts were always comforting.

"Yes," the bluerider said with a bit brighter smile. "They are rebuilding it. It won't be the _same_, but maybe the people will come back."

"Thats good, even if nothing is ever quite the same."

"Well, I guess it's only fitting. I'm not the same either." D'cal gently placed the ship back on the shelf where it belonged.

"People, are the sum of our experiences, nothing more, but nothing less." **That must be close to a quote from somewhere** he thought.
"And therefore, ever changing," he nodded. It was a good statement.

It took a moment for D'cal to wrap his head around Kwiksol's profound statement. "Yes," he finally nodded. "Change is a natural part of life."

"Enough of this contemplation," Kwiksol replied, giving d'cal a pat on the back. "How about you tell me about these other pieces."

"All right," his friend smiled as he pulled another down from the shelf.
"This one has a story behind it..." And it was nice to have a friend to share it with.

Last updated on the December 7th 2005

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