The Gift

Writers: Len, Suzee
Date Posted: 11th September 2012

Characters: G'wen, Kwiksol
Description: Now okayed to go etween, G'wen goes to the Harper Hall to buy a special gift
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 9, day 5 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: D'ale

Neath settled in the new Harper Hall courtyard, everything just as
T'bel had said it would be, with his coordinates. Still shy with
non-Weyr folk, G'wen swallowed nervously and patted his thick shock
of hair into his eyes.

}:As if you can't see anyone then of course they can't see you
either:{ Neath said, teasing. As bold as she was she would never
understand his shy streak.

Giving her a little slap after he slid off, G'wen flushed as he
realized just how effeminate that had looked to the curious faces
peering out of windows and around doors. Ah well, he was on green, it
wasn't like he could hide his sexuality.

Shaking like a leaf, he walked up to the first Journeyman he saw and
asked where the instrument making workroom would be, and then walked
to it, only tripping over his feet twice.

When he reached the door he knocked timidly, and then harder when
there was no answer.

"Come on in," called Kwiksol. "No need to knock." He had told the
sharding apprentices over and over again.

Mortified by his tone, G'wen walked in and turned, round eyed, at the
Journeyman there. He just wanted the ground to swallow him up, when
he saw the faces of some of the apprentices there, staring opened
mouthed at him. "S-sir? I was told the instrument making workshop
was here..." His already soft voice trailed off into the smallest
whisper as he talked.

Kwiksol looked up from the piece of wood he was working for the neck
of a new gitar. Having just transferred from Dolphin Cove Weyr after
the several turns the Hall had been located there he knew the knots as
well as any Weyrbred. "Good afternoon dragonrider," he said with a
welcoming smile. Standing he went around the table wiping his hands on
a towel. "What brings you all the way from Dragonsfall and more
importantly, what can we do for you?"

"I...I'd like to buy a gitar? Please?" As hard as he tried, he
couldn't get his voice to raise above a faint whisper. Crossing his
arms, the boy tried to hide that he was still shaking.

Kwiksol had difficulty hearing the little guy but he thought he
understood. "A gitar? Of course." He didn't detect any harper craft
threads in his knots so that begged a question. "Do you have
experience or are you looking for a beginning instrument?"

"I'm actually looking for a certain master's instrument, sir." G'wen shifted
nervously. "It's not for me, it's for my teacher. This is the name
of the master." He held out a sheet of paper that he had kept since
that day at the gather when D'ale had been so taken with the beautiful
gitar he had seen. G'wen had quietly--when he wasn't looking--written
the name down. Ever since then he had been saving his money for this
day, when he could finally buy a gitar from the same master, as a gift
for the man who had given him the music lessons he had always wanted,
ever since he was a little boy.

"Oh," he asked curiously and took the note. "Well then," he paused and
folded the note handing it back to the young rider. "We have two of
his gitars here." Kwiksol had played them both and knew they were
beautifully made. "This way," he said as he moved into another smaller
room. He picked up a case from one of the shelves and placed it on the
counter. Then he opened it.

"Ohhh...". G'wen peered in at the beautiful thing. It was just as he
remembered with the one D'ale had been so taken with. "It's lovely.".
He looked up at Kwiksol and smiled.

While the young greenrider was looking at the first instrument he
pulled the other down from a peg. I wasn't as beautifully decorated as
the first one but to Kwiksol, this was the better gitar. The mellow
tone of it's soundbox was probably one of the most beautiful he'd ever
heard. He played a few notes and let them vibrated into the room. Then
with a soft smile he set it in the lid of the case so the two were
displayed side by side. "That's the other."

The young greenrider's mouth dropped at the sound of it. He'd been
playing long enough to know a surperior instrument by now. There was
no doubt, as beautiful looking as the first one was, only the second
one would do for D'ale. He was already imagining how nice it would
sound with the brownrider's voice.

"H-how much is it?" He could feel his heart sinking, sure he didn't
have enough to buy that one.

Kwiksol didn't really want to let the instrument go to anyone who
didn't appreciate it but the look on the kids face told him this one
did. He named the price which personally he thought was less than the
instrument was worth.

G'wen wanted to weep for joy. The price was just_exactly_what he had
earned as a transport rider.

}:So it was all worth it?:{

**It was**

His hands shook as he put the exact amount of marks on the table. His
eyes blinked hard so he wouldn't cry, he was so happy and so relieved.

The Harper watched as the marks were counted out. The corner of his
mouth twitched at the rider's reaction. "Well if you're going to take
this between, I'm going to loosen the strings and wrap it up real
well. You can tune it right?" He'd already put the marks into a drawer
and pulled some cloth and leather to insulate the gitar from the
deadly cold shock.

"Of course!" Now that it was well and truly his, G'wen had recovered
a bit of his usual cheek.

Kwiksol handed him the package. Hopefully the instrument was going to
someone who would appreciate the quality of the piece.

The boy all but floated back to Neath, the object of all his sacrifice
over the last few months lovingly carried in his arms.

Last updated on the November 17th 2012

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The Gift