Things I've Never Done

Writers: Heather, Yvonne
Date Posted: 29th March 2025

Characters: H'run, Esiah
Description: Esiah surprises H'run with a gift, and H'run makes a promise in exchange
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 16 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: K'mai

H'run

Esiah

Peri was _zooming_. The blue flit kept whizzing past Esiah's face at
break-neck speed. He'd just learned that he was probably going to sit
on his favorite dragon's head knob today.

Probably being the keyword.

True to his word, Esiah had shown H'run to the best bathing pool in
the Weyr, and kept the conversation light and casual. Still, the
shadows in the bluerider's eyes were unavoidable. Esiah felt that
maybe H'run needed something to take his mind off of whatever it was
that plagued him. Having learned that the man was a fellow harper,
Esiah had grabbed one of the "to go" painting kits from the Weyr's
workshop, and tucked two small canvases under his arm.

~~ Blue dragon! Calcifeth!~~ Peri sent images of H'run's lifemate as
he whisked ahead to great the pair.

"I hope you like to paint," Esiah called with a smile.

"Esiah! Good afternoon to you." H'run managed a smile as he eyed the
canvasses under Esiah's arm. "Is this an art lesson? I must shamefully
admit that I haven't painted much since I walked the tables..."

"This? This is just for fun," Esiah said jovially. "There's a nice
spot up on top of the Weyr overlooking the ocean and Weyrbowl."

A nice, relaxing landscape sounded all right... "Only if you promise
me you won't laugh at my feeble attempts?"

"Never," Esiah winked, but he didn't make any promises.

Once they were set up where Esiah had often sat and painted, and the
supplies were unpacked, the Master Harper turned to H'run.

"I have a little bit of a confession..."

H'run froze. Esiah was going to confess to-- what? He hated the colour
blue. He wanted to have sex right here on the cliffside. He was into
women. He had killed a man at Sunstone Seahold. "Oh?"

"I," he drew that single syllable out for a few beats, "didn't want
you to feel bad about your painting abilities, I wasn't sure if you
had any, so I went ahead and pre-sketched the landscape on your
canvas. You literally only have to color it in." Esiah flipped the
canvas around to show H'run. "I just wanted this to be, you know, a
fun, relaxing thing with no frustration." And now he hoped H'run
didn't feel offended.

The bluerider gave him an inscrutable look, then laughed. "Oh my, I'm
not sure how to feel about that." If it hadn't been Esiah who'd done
it, H'run would have been hugely insulted, but the Master Harper had
been nothing but kind. It was astonishing, really. He picked up a
small, flat brush and idly swiped it against his palm. "But I am not
so proud that I won't take advantage of your skills. Honestly, this is
already better than I would do."

"You can have the blank one," Esiah assured H'run, "if you want."

H'run grabbed at the canvas. "After all the work you did? Stars above,
no. But I will warn you that I am going to lie and tell everyone that
the composition of this piece is all mine."

Esiah grinned at that as he sat down on the foldable stool he'd
brought along. "Sometimes I host little painting parties in the lower
caverns. Wines, snacks, painting by number. It's a fun time and
everyone gets to leave with something they can hang on their wall."

"People who don't usually paint, you mean?" H'run sat beside him and
propped his marked-up canvas on the portable easel Esiah brought. "How
are the untutored at painting? We go through so many classes as an
apprentice..." Paint making, tones, hues, colour theory... it was a
lot.

"They do surprisingly well," Esiah said while mixing up the perfect
shade of blue for the sky. "I stand with my own easel at the front and
instruct them, piece by piece, on what to paint and how to make their
strokes. Now, their paintings aren't perfect, but for people who are
not harper-trained, they tend to always be pleased that they have
created something they'd never thought they had the skill to do."

H'run's estimation of the man went up. He wouldn't have the patience
to deal with fumbling idiots, but Esiah seemed to be the teacher that
a good Harper should be. No wonder he had Masters' knots, while H'run
didn't. The bluerider picked up his pallet and stared meditatively
over the sea. Perhaps if he were more like Esiah, he wouldn't be so
alone... "Whatever gave you the idea to have a party like that?"

"Some women in the lower caverns came by while I was painting on the
beach one day. When I offered them a brush and canvas they shied away.
Said they'd never be able to do 'something like that'. And that," he
tilted his head, his expert eyes surveying the lighting on the sand,
"made me sad. No one should be kept from painting, simply because
they've never done it before."

They'd probably said that because Eisah was a _Master_ painter, but
H'run decided to bite his tongue for once. "What have you never done
before?"

"Let's see," Esiah murmured, eyes never straying from their task.
"I've never... danced in the rain, caught a snowflake on my tongue,
played spin the bottle, been weyrmated, seen the sunset from a
dragon's back, or sailed on a ship." He finished the stroke on his
canvas and then leaned back to survey his work before tossing a smile
at H'run. "What about you? What have you never done?"

**You.** The thought was unbidden and caught H'run by surprise. He was
supposed to be mourning the loss of what he and K'mai had shared, not
lusting after other men-- even if Esiah was being unbearably sweet.
But there hadn't been anything between himself and K'mai to mourn the
loss of, had there. He was mourning a future he'd made up. Nothing
more than a dream.

The bluerider cleared his throat. "I've never taken centre stage at
the Harper Hall or earned a Senior Journeyman's knots. I've never been
to the Northern Continent. I've never been taken seriously... but
Esiah, you can't be telling me the truth when you say you haven't
played spin the bottle or seen the sunset from a dragon? Living at
_Weyr_?"

Esiah smiled at the surprised tone, but didn't look away from his
work. "I grew up in a minor hold. Fourth son, luckily, so I didn't
have to worry about marrying and breeding and all of that." He lifted
his eyebrows a little to show what he thought of _all that_. "Spent
most of my twenties between different cotholds and holds, teaching and
such. By the time I got to the Weyr things like spin the bottle or
riding with someone at sunset was the thing of teenagers." He sighed a
little, finished a stroke and then looked at H'run and winked. "I
missed my chance on such things, I think."

"You just don't go to the right parties. I'll tell you what, next time
I host a party you can come and I'll make sure that we play spin the
bottle. And if you're free this evening Calcifeth and I can take you
up for the sunrise."

The painter paused, turning to _really_ look at H'run. "You would do that?"

"You outlined a painting for me." H'run tapped the marked-up canvas
with the end of his paintbrush. "Seems a fair exchange."

"Then I'll take you up on that offer," Esiah said.

"As you should." H'run squinted at his canvas. "Pass me the green?"

Last updated on the April 3rd 2025

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Things I've Never Done