Another Adventurous Soul

Writers: Eimi, Rochelle
Date Posted: 17th September 2007

Characters: Ariau, Zebrekhan
Description: Ariau discovers another weyr resident who loves to travel.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 6, day 2 of Turn 4

Ariau wandered along the top of the ridge, her back to the feeding grounds as she stared out over the weyrbowl and out to sea. She'd come up there to find a place in the open where she could work on her craftwork, but she'd caught sight of the magnificent horizon and a wave of nostalgia had prompted her to take a walk. She wasn't the only one.
There was a white haired man a little ways off also looking in that direction. Swallowing a sudden lump in her throat at the thought of her grandfather, she determinedly approached him.

"Nice view, isn't it?"

"Absolutely stunning," Zeb nodded, his eyes still fixed on the horizon. "You can see a thousand beautiful sunset's in a lifetime and still never tire of looking at them."

"I know." She sighed. "I love it. It kind of reminds me of some I saw at Ista. Or maybe Nerat." She added, musing.

"Ah, the North," the geologist sighed nostalgically. "Yes, they do have some very pretty sunsets."

"You've been there?" She asked in surprise. So far, very few people had understood what she was talking about when she mentioned her former continent.

"Turns and turns ago," Zeb nodded. "Prospecting for firestone."

Ariau smiled at the older man, delighted to have found someone who shared -at least a few- common memories. "You're a miner?" She asked, trying to see if she could sneak a peak at his knots without being too obvious.

"A Master Geologist, in fact." Zeb had noticed the movement, the usual tactic to learn about someone new. "I'm sorry, I remove my knots when I'm hiking. It's an old habit from my traveling days."

She nodded wisely. "My grandmother used to do that sometimes, when we were traveling. She said the Master knots drew too much attention, and you never want to stand out while traveling." She shuddered, remembering a narrow miss with a set of thieves who had seen an elderly couple with three young children and assumed they were easy pickings. "Did you travel a lot?" She asked wistfully.

"Yes," Zeb nodded, smiling at the memory. "I was practically holdless the majority of my life."

"Really?" She blurted out, excited. It was so hard to find someone who understood sometimes... "So was I! At least for about six turns." She admitted with a grin. "My brothers and I traveled with my grandmother all over the Northern continent."

"Ah, another adventurous soul, eh?" the master grinned. "Do you still have a bit of the wanderlust in you?"

She grinned back. "Definitely. I love seeing new places. You never know what you'll find on the other side of the horizon." She quoted a favorite saying of her grandfather, feeling her throat close briefly at the memory.

"And you meet so many interesting people." That was one nice thing about living in the Weyr as versus the Hold. If he had to be stationary, at least there were so many people coming and going that he would never run out of new people.

"And get into all kinds of trouble and adventures." She added with a laugh. "Like getting your food and blanket stolen, or falling asleep on your runner and having no idea where you are when you wake up."

"Now, I never had that happen," Zeb chuckled. "I usually relied on my own two legs to carry me where I needed to go."

"We usually rode, unless they sent a dragon." Ariau swallowed, determined to keep her voice even although her eyes drifted to the ground. "I even had my own runner, a brown mare named Filly, but she died last turn."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he replied, truly empathetic of losing a close friend. Her shoulders twitched, but she couldn't quite lift her eyes past his bootlaces. "Oh well. What happens, happens. I couldn't have brought her south anyway."

"Well, I know it isn't the same, but there are some fine runners here you can ride if you like. I could show you some nice trails." After all, apart from the time he spent teaching or with Tseada, the rest was spent wandering around the Weyr territory.

She blinked, looking back up at him. "I'd like that." She said hesitantly. If you wouldn't mind. And we wouldn't have to ride -you said you usually walk." She smiled at him.

"It's up to you," he shrugged. "I haven't ridden in a while, but its not that I'm opposed to the thought of a ride."

"How about we meet at the stables, and then decide what to do, depending on what we feel like?" Ariau asked decisively. "That way we could always walk if we felt like it, but I won't get lost trying to find you. I'm still not really familiar with everything yet." She admitted with a grin.

"Well, perhaps we should make a picnic of it. If you don't mind sharing a meal with an old man," he said with a smile that was anything but paternal.

"That sounds like a good idea to me." Ariau said with relish, noticing his interest. But having someone who knew what she was talking about, even a little bit, was such a welcome prospect that she decided to ignore it. "When would be good for you?"

"On the rest day. Are you free?" He was pretty sure he had no plans yet that day.

"As far as I know." Ariau said cheerfully. No one had been interested enough in her to make plans yet, so she had intended to spend the restday working on her craftwork. But a picnic would be far more interesting.

Last updated on the September 17th 2007

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Another Adventurous Soul