Hanging Around

Writers: Chelle, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 5th October 2014

Characters: A'kua, Nokala
Description: Now we're getting somewhere.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 7 of Turn 7

He was going to be very glad when he no longer had to run messages. Okay,
it was nice to walk around the Weyr, see parts he hadn't seen before,
stretch his legs, but there were some days he would much rather be doing
something else. But then again, he admitted, even as a dragonrider, he
might be needed for messages. At least he would have a dragon to talk to if
that happened.

Aluka turned a corner and paused, finding two offices immediately on the
right. Which one belonged to this new harper again?

Nokala's office was only halfway situated. She was still putting things up
and trying to make the space her own. Like most creative people, she tended
to let herself out into the world through objects and art. That showed in
her office. The harper was currently standing on a chair, hanging a canvas
she had done sometime ago.

Oh, someone was in that office there. He could ask for directions. Or maybe
that was the person he was looking for. Aluka went to the half-open door
and knocked. "'Cuse me, I'm lookin' for Harper Nokala," he said. "I need to
deliver a message."

She turned around, holding the canvas in her hand. "That would be me." Her
eyes focused on the young man, taking him in. A candidate, by his knots,
and Dragonsfall would have a Hatching soon. Nokala kept track of these
things since it meant losing apprentices in some cases. On the chair, she
practically towered over him so she promptly lowered herself to the ground
and set the hanging on the empty table.

Damn, she was tall. Aluka was impressed. And rather pretty to boot. He
wondered what kind of music she liked best. He came in and held out the
message with calloused fingers. "This came in for ya today. Dunno who sent
it, but I was told to find ya quickly."

Curious, she took it and opened it. Scanning the lines rather quickly, she
made short work of the note. Basically the Records she had asked for were
ready to peruse and the Scribes were holding them for her. "Thank you,
candidate, for your haste. Now, are you any good at wall hanging?" Might as
well use the help if she had it eh? Her eyes sized him up again and she
couldn't help but smile. Ingenuity was one of Nokala's strengths, using
what and/or who she had to hand.

Did that ever come out of left field. Aluka's eyebrows lifted, almost
disappearing under his browband. "'Cuse me?" he repeated. What kind of help
could she possibly need when she was taller than he was? "Uh, I dunno. The
housework I did in my hold didn' cover stuff like that," he admitted.

"Oh a holder? Well then..if you can just hand me that little hook there?"
If he would hand it to her, she could drive it into the wall. It was hard
to hold the canvas and do that at the same time.

Aluka wasn't sure what to make of her tone, so he just handed over the hook
and started looking around the office to see if there was anything
interesting in it.

Taking it, she used a mallet to drive it into the fissure in the rock she
had dug out. Nodding to herself, she reached for the canvas. "If you could
give me that please? And what's your name?" She held the small tool in her
mouth once she reached for the canvas.

The redhead lifted the canvas carefully and gave it over just as carefully.
"Aluka," he answered, making sure she had a good grip before letting go.
Dropping such a pretty thing would be a disaster. "Yours?"

She nodded. It was one of the few she liked, hence its presence in her
office where others could see it. Hanging the artwork, she got down and
admired it for a few moment. "Well met Aluka. Do you have a craft then?"
Intelligent and curious eyes focused again on him.

Looked like she had misunderstood his question. That was okay. The
conversation could be salvaged. "No," he said. "Candidates can't officially
craft, Miss Harper. Not to mention I haven' really found anyone who'd be
willin' to put up with me and teach me what I wanna know. My style's a li'l
out there."

"Oh but they can, they just can't be fulltime apprentices like those in our
Hall. That way if you don't Impress, you have something to do." She
grinned. Nokala was well versed in the ways Weyrs worked. "What do you
mean, out there? And what do you want to know?"

"I like faster beats and harder tones, and songs that tell stories on all
kinds of different subjects," Aluka said, covering his surprise. "I wanna
be challenged; learn more advanced gitar techniques. I wanna-" He stopped,
trying to think of how to articulate his desires. "I just wanna make the
music I hear."

"Well...that's something we can teach you if you really do want to learn.
You have to get the basics before you can move forward though. The first
thing would be to find out what you do know." She wasn't exactly
volunteering to take him on yet since he'd have to speak to the headwoman
about lessons with the harpers, but she wasn't saying no either. Now, that
was harpering.

The redhead snorted softly, but it was more like a sigh rather than
derisive. "Been there, done that," he muttered, scratching the back of his
head. "'S why I need a challenge."

"Still goes back to my earlier statement. We'd have to find out what you do
know so that we can build on it. The first step would be getting permission
from the headwoman though if it really is something you want to pursue."
Nokala's voice was soothing, something that had always been so. It was a
product of singing and using melodies in speech without thinking.

Aluka tilted his head, sizing her up and trying to get a read on her. Was
she speaking generally, or was this something else? "Was that an offer to
see if ya can make somethin' of me, Miss Harper?"

"Maybe so. I just got here so I don't have any projects or apprentices yet.
I have regular classes but there is time for something else." Indeed,
Nokala was a free agent, so to speak, and she liked it. It meant she could
choose what she wanted to work on.

Aluka found himself smiling as his pulse quickened in anticipation. "I'll
speak to the Headwoman and get back to ya tomorrow," he promised.

"Get on with you then." Smiling, she got down and set aside the hanging
tools in favor of the things she was going to put on her desk.

Last updated on the October 10th 2014

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Hanging Around