A Little Lost

Writers: Emma, Joy
Date Posted: 12th November 2005

Characters: Ulte, Fieayz
Description: Ulte helps Fieayz who's gotten lost.
Location: Smith Hall (NPC)
Date: month 8, day 24 of Turn 3

Ulte spotted the girl wandering around, looking a little lost. He'd never seen her before, but he'd heard of her. The population of the Hall was small enough that a new fosterling made the rumor-mill easily enough, though he couldn't remember if he'd heard her name or not.

"Need some help?" he offered.

"Please," replied Fieayz. "I'm a little lost."

"Thought so," Ulte grinned. "Where are you trying to get to?"

"Back to the main Hall. I just came out for a walk to get orientated, and ended up getting confused." She smiled at the boy, an apprentice by his knots. "I'm Fieayz."

"Well, come with me and I'll show you the way. It can be confusing. I got lost a few times when I first got here myself. My name's Ulte, by the way." He returned her smile.

"Have you been here long Ulte?" she asked politely.

"For a few turns, yes. I came here to apprentice when I was twelve."
He gestured for her to take the right turn at a corridor intersection.
"Do you like the Hall so far?"

"I don't think I've been here long enough to decide yet. I came from the Vintner Hall."

"Do you miss it?" He remembered when he first arrived at the Smith Hall, he'd had to battle homesickness for a while.

"I do, strangely enough. Didn't think I would, but I do."

"It's hard to imagine what'll be like to live somewhere new before you do it. Especially if you'd never been away from home before." Once again, Ulte was drawing on his own experience.

"Well, I did stay at the Weyr for a while..."

"Did you? What was it like?" Like most youngsters, Ulte had harbored childish daydreams about becoming a dragonrider. He'd decided on a different course for his life, and no dragon on Search that happened to come to the Hall had ever been interested in him anyway, but he was still often curious about Weyr-life and if it was as wicked as he'd heard.

"It was fun, but I missed my Father, and my baby brother."

"I know what that's like," Ulte replied sympathetically. "How old were you when you went to the Weyr? Unless I'm being nosey. You can tell me if I am." He grinned at her as he led her around another corner.

"It was about a turn ago," she said, half answering his question. "I only went back home a few months ago."

"You came here so soon after going back home?"

"Papa organised it."

"Oh." Ulte didn't know quite what to say about that. It seemed rather... unfair or maybe unkind to him. But he didn't know the details and didn't want to press to ask. It was none of his business anyway. "You might wind up liking it here," he offered.

"Maybe I will." She grinned.

"It's really nice, the area I mean. Especially in the summer when it's warmer." He didn't know why he wanted her to like the Hall so much, but he did.

"Maybe you could show me it in the summer?" she suggested. Summer wasn't that far off, really.

"Uh sure. I could do that. If you wanted." Ulte smiled, his face growing slightly warmer. He wasn't sure why.

A thought occurred which sobered the pleasant feeling, "Say, you foster with the Hallmaster, don't you?" He was suddenly quite mindful of the last time he had contact with a girl under his care and how much trouble it had caused.

"Yes, yes I do."

"Well maybe I shouldn't. I don't want to get you in trouble," he didn't want to get himself into trouble either. "The Hallmaster is kind of strict," Ulte added sheepishly.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if someone else were with us, Otrina maybe."

Ulte wasn't so sure, she hadn't seen how _angry_ the Hallmaster had gotten. "Maybe," he replied with a smile. "Anway, here's the main hall. I have to get to class now, or I'm going to be late. It was nice meeting you Fieayz and don't worry, you'll learn your way around sooner than you think."

"Nice to meet you too Ulte."

He smiled and waved as he headed off to class, confident that she'd be able to get to whereever she needed to be. He hoped he would be able to get to know her better, but didn't want to get her... or himself into trouble.

Last updated on the November 13th 2005

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

A Little Lost