Something In Common

Writers: Avery, Chelle
Date Posted: 27th December 2015

Characters: Solis, E'rae
Description: Solis meets E'rae and finds they have a little in common.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 16 of Turn 8

Solis had always loved the beach. It had been a foreign concept to him
until he'd arrived at the Technicians Hall at Jade Harbor. Then he'd
fallen in love with it, and it was the one thing he missed on inland
assignments. One of the advantages of the Dolphin Cove job was walking
away from work and out to the beach to relax. It gave him time to
breathe, enjoy nature, and think about something other than work.
Sometimes it even gave inspiration.

But he wasn't looking for inspiration today. He just wanted to lie
down and soak up the sun. So he wandered about a quarter-candlemark's
walk down the beach, set down a blanket, and stretched out the
blanket.

At certain times of the day one encountered more people on the beach
than others. This wasn't the heat of the day so there were more people
out. E'rae quietly walked down the length of the coastline where the water
met the wet sand. The bluerider enjoyed the exercise and the air was cooler
here. Feeling the sand and water between his toes was a welcome benefit
as well. Seeing the Weyr get closer as he walked forward, he turned and
headed up the beach. Stopping to take a pull from his waterskin, he
accidentally blocked Solis' sun for a moment.

Solis looked up to see if clouds had happened. There was a few, but what
was blocking the light was a person. To be polite, he said "Good afternoon."

E'rae saw the technician when he looked down and realized he was being a bit
dense. "Ahhh well met. Sorry.." Sheepishly, he moved aside, aware that the
man wasn't wearing much, didn't look half bad, and that he was also alone.

"Hi there. I'm Solis. Want to sit down? Plenty of beach for us both."

"Ohhh sure I guess." E'rae took his time sliding down to the ground and
getting
comfortable. Thanks to his natural skin tone he didn't have to worry
about burning
too much. Closing his eyes, he adjusted the bandana he'd been wearing.
"E'rae,
rider to blue Leith, who is being lazy elsewhere."

"Good weather for him to be lazy in. I bet he loves the sun and sand
as much as we do."

"He was hatched at River Bluff so he's always been a beach dragon.
Sometimes I think it does make him lazy though." E'rae chuckled,
receiving a mental nudge from Leith in the process. The dragon didn't
argue with his assessment though.

"Were you always around beaches, too?" Solis asked.

"Oh no. I grew up in the mountains of Garnet Valley. It wasn't until I was
Searched
and sent to River Bluff that I knew what a beach was. Been near them ever
since though."
He went home every now and again, however. E'rae preferred the majestic
quiet of the
mountains. Werenn had never known that, however, so he'd chosen Dolphin Cove
to come
to.

"I grew up in Garnet Valley too," Solis said, pleased to find some
commonality with the rider. "I first found a beach when I was sent to
the Technician Hall at Jade Harbor."

"You might know my father, Eamis. He was a tanner. Still there with my
mother and a few of my brothers and sisters." Santeni was still at River
Bluff and he had one brother who had turned to crafting. That left five
more back at the Hold.

"My dad was a carpenter. He probably knows him if I don't."

"What brings you here?" He didn't sound like he had been at the Weyr
very long, though E'rae wasn't the best judge when it came to that.

"The upgrade process of the Weyr's electricity. You said you were at
River Bluff? So you were used to better than Dolphin Cove has been."

"Aye. And of course Garnet Valley has power too. So this was the first place
I
had been to that hadn't. I mean I understand what with the earthshake and
all."
E'rae had heard about it but he hadn't had to experience it, thank Faranth.

"It's different for sure. But I'm enjoying the challenge of fixing it.
Even if some of the residents aren't happy sometimes." Having the kitchen
staff cook in the Weyrbowl for a sevenday hadn't won them any friends, he
was sure.

"Oh I'm sure." He smiled, thinking of how much disruption something like
that
could cause. "Realistically how long is it going to take? And what's the
scale?
I mean, are we talking rampant power like River Bluff or something that
just has
the priority areas?"

"Right now it's the priority areas first. I'm estimating another 6
months, maybe? The first 6 months we were here was figuring out what
source we could use for the power, then we could actually start working.
I figure I can talk to the Weyrleaders once we have done what we were
hired for, and see what they think about keeping us on. I'm rather
enjoying being independent from the main Hall," Solis admitted.

"But what then? When you get the Weyr up to code do you want to stay
as the maintenance crew?" E'rae could understand why the man might have
reasons to stay at a Weyr versus a Hall. However, longterm crafters
usually didn't do well with weyrlife most of the time.

"I could see myself doing so," Solis answered. "My children are grown
and on their assignments at various Holds. Though my son who Impressed
is at a Weyr, of course. I find Weyrlife to have its advantages."

That particular statement could be taken so many ways. Then again it hadn't
been unheard of for some of the older crafters to decide to be open
after all.
Or perhaps he just liked the idea of being able to choose a different woman
for each turn. E'rae didn't judge. He didn't know the man. "And what are
those?"

"I like watching the dragons. It feels so much more energetic at a Weyr
than at a Hold," he said. "And after my marriage broke up, it was nice
to have the freedom to enjoy different relationship styles."

There was the head of the nail. It didn't necessarily mean men though.
"Ah." E'rae had lived at both so he could easily compare the two. "There
are actually more people in the Holds but they're spread out more.
Weyrfolk live more on top of each other so it seems like more. And yes,
the dragons."

"I like the crowdedness," Solis said.

"Well good luck to you then," the bluerider offered before standing and
brushing off his legs. Time to get back to the Weyr. He was hungry and thirsty
and needed a good bathing.

Last updated on the December 29th 2015

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Something In Common