Return of the broken flute

Writers: Paula, Vix
Date Posted: 24th April 2007

Characters: K'sper, Aileyan
Description: K'sper returns to Aileyan something she tried to get rid off.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 9 of Turn 4
Notes: Follows 'Broken flute'

It laid there, half concealed, where it had landed after its owner had thrown it down from weyrledge. Sun glittered from its metal parts.

**Where? Am I getting close?** K'sper climbed over a tumble of rocks, catching his toe in a small crevice and cursing aloud. "Shards, that hurts! Explain to me again why we're doing this?"

}:There is something there. It is shiny and not a rock.:{ Bentith's voice was as obstinate as it had been when he had first set his rider to this task.

**But that doesn't mean that we need to look for it.** The brownrider stopped and squinted. "I think I see it."

The dragon leaned his head over the rock ledge. }:What is it?:{

**Give me a minute.** K'sper lay upon a rock and reached, reached a little further, and closed his hand around something cylindrical. He pulled it closer and looked at it, puzzled. "It's a . . . one of those harper instruments. A flute?" He turned it around, studying it, rubbing bits of
grime from it. "It's scratched. . . no, it's not. It has a name on it."

}:Who?:{

"I recognize that name." K'sper rose and clutched at the rope that he had tied to Bentith's harness, using that to help him scale the rocks back up to the ledge where the brown waited. "And she's in our Wing. We may as well
return it."

~*~*~*~

The knock on the door was quite unexpected. Aileyan had no visitors coming she knew of and she had expected to curl up with a good book. She went to open her door.

"Hello K'sper?" she greeted her wingmate, surprised to see him.

"Greetings, Aileyan." He offered her a friendly smile, looking forward to restoring the newly-found item to her. "I hope that I'm not interrupting anything?"

"No, nothing important anyway," Aileyan replied. She admitted being curious.
She wasn't the most social person, although she wasn't as shy as had been as a candidate, and people just didn't drop by to her without reason.

"Good. I think I have something that belongs to you." His grin widened as he removed from his inner pocket the flute, a soft cloth wrapping it and concealing it.

"What? Oh, that one. Thank you," Aileyan said. She felt odd seeing the flute she had thrown away in his hands. She hadn't had the heart to tell him that she did not want to see it ever again. Instead she just accepted the flute
with somewhat forced smile.

"Do you play?" He rolled his eyes. "Of course you play - why else would you have this, right? Actually, Bentith found it, and he really likes music, so he wondered if you would play for him sometime?"

"Actually, I don't play very well. I was just learning to when...my teacher moved away," Aileyan said.

"Oh. Well, there are plenty of harpers here at the Weyr. I'm sure someone would be happy to continue your instruction."

"Yeah, well, I kinda lost my interest," Aileyan murmured.

}: More like lost your temper :{, Kjarliheth sniggered.

"I guess it's tough trying to keep up something like that while taking care of a dragon," he mused. "But I always wished that I could learn to do something special. Are you sure you want to give up on it?"

"I dunno," Aileyan said. It was very awkward. She kept wondering what you were supposed to do in these situations. Call him in or just shut the door against his face?

"Well, then." Somehow this had not gone the way K'sper had pictured. He had expected her to be more pleased by the return of her property but she really did not seem to care. "I guess I'll leave this with you and get back to
Bentith."

"Right, erh, have a nice day," Aileyan said clumsily.

He nodded. "Yeah, uh. .. good-bye." With that he headed down the corridor away from her.

}:What happened?:{ asked his brown dragon.

**I don't know,** replied K'sper, ** but maybe we should have just left that flute where we found it.**

Aileyan closed the door after him and stared the flute.
"I can't believe it," she muttered. The flute seemed to be glaring back at her with sinister smugness, mocking her. She knew that the thought was silly, but she felt it was haunting her. With angry growl, she tossed the flute to the trash bin.

Last updated on the April 26th 2007

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Return of the broken flute