A Common Dream

Writers: Danielle, Eimi
Date Posted: 15th November 2005

Characters: Catriana, Daigoro
Description: Catriana brings Diagoro lunch after his fall
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 8, day 26 of Turn 3

Catriana had the tray balanced expertly in one hand- raised high above her head as she made her way through the crowded dining hall, and out to the hallway. Breathing a sigh of relief, she began to make her way to the offices. Just outside the door she was looking for, she reached out and tapped the frame with one hand.

"Sir? Are you there Master Diagoro? It's Catriana....I've brought you lunch..."

"Yes, Catriana," Daigoro called from within. "Come on in!"

She opened the door, balancing the laden tray with care. "Good afternoon, Sir. How are you feeling?" The aroma of fresh bread and savory herbs filled the room. And klah. Couldn't forget that.

"Ah, Cinale, that wonderful girl," we said as he breathed in the smells.
"Thank you Catriana for bringing me my lunch!"

"You are most welcome, Sir." She found a place on the desk and set the tray down, careful of whatever it was he was working on. "How are you feeling? I heard about your fall..." Cat lifted the cover of the tray off, and started to arrange the silverware and plates for him. "I was worried."

Daigoro felt suddenly like a Lord Holder as she set the tableware before him. He grinned. The Hallsecond would have to get injured more often!
"Well, it wasn't really _that_ bad. Cinale was going to fall on the ice and I just made sure to cushion her fall."

"Oh! How gentlemanly of you, sir, to protect her so!" Cat finished setting out the lunch and poured him a cup of klah from the tiny kettle. "She was lucky you were there with her."

He smiled smuggly. "She was, wasn't she." Of course, he had felt pretty lucky to be with her that night too. "So how are you settling in Catriana?"

"Well enough, I suppose. At least I'm learning my way around." She smiled. "And Cinale is nice to work with. Although I do miss home a bit."

"Oh?" he asked as he blew on his stew. "What do you miss?"

Catriana hesitated, weighing her words with care. She could get into trouble if she said the wrong thing, but neither did she want to lie to him. He was kind, and she'd come to like and respect him. "I suppose I felt more involved at the cothold. I had a variety of duties...not just cooking." In truth, she'd had all the duties of an apprentice, but he did not need to know that...not now, and not ever.

Daigoro nodded. "Yes, I can understand that. I wasn't always at the Hall after all. I used to be assigned to a tavern. I was brewer, administrator, distributor... The fewer people, the more involved you _have_ to be."

"Indeed." She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "What was the tavern like?"

"Ah, it was a good time. I met a lot of different people and I was master of my domain." In fact it was then that he had his first experience leading other vintners. Daigoro doubted he would have ever have agreed to leaving the brewery if it hadn't been for that experience.

"It sounds like fun. But there is something to be said for new experiences." She was starting to learn the truth of that, in her own small way. "How is the stew? I'll have to report if you liked it or not to Cinale, you know."

"Excellent, as usual. Did you help make this?"

Catriana smiled. "Oh, I just helped with cutting the vegetables.
Cinale did all the seasoning and watched over the cooking of it. I'm glad to be able to report you liked it."

"Do you think you might like to be a cook like Cinale someday?" he asked curiously.

"A cook?" Catriana blinked, then blushed. "That would be alright I suppose...But I had my hopes on being something else." Should she tell him? Part of it at least? "I have always wanted to be a dragonrider, sir, since I was little and I saw my first dragon fly over the cothold."

"Really?" he smiled. It was a common dream among young people. He went through his dragonrider phase too, as he remembers. Of course, very few of the dreamers were ever selected. "That's a common dream for young people your age."

"I know. And probably hopeless." Catriana sighed. She'd heard much the same response from everyone she'd confided in. "But at least here, there might be a greater chance of being Searched than at the cothold.
But I suppose if it doesn't work out, I could always be a cook."

"That's true. A cook is a respectable profession." Daigoro had a certain fondness for cooks after all. Well, at least _one_ cook...

"Yes, sir." She knew Diagoro's words were true, and sensible, but her heart sank all the same. She'd never be a vinter, nor a dragonrider...even though she'd heard at the Weyr, she could at least be one of those...

The Hallsecond noticed her sudden seriousness. "Why the sad face all of a sudden?"

Cat lowered her eyes, studying the floor. "It's nothing. It's just getting harder and harder to have hope."

"Ah," Daigoro sigh sympathetically. Lost dreams were a painful part of growing up. But perhaps she would still find her dream. "There is always hope, Cat. Maybe the next search rider will be coming for you.
Or maybe you are not destined to be a dragonrider. Some of us have to stay plain folk. But if the dragon's don't come for you, it doesn't mean you won't live a happy life here with us."

"Thank you, sir. For that." She smiled again, not so brightly as usual, but it was a smile. "Can I bring you anything else?"

"No," he smiled. "Unless later you can bring me a bit of Cinale's tea.
It seems to make my back feel a bit better."

"I'd be happy to, Sir. When would you like it?"

"Later, when you have time. We can speak again," he smiled. Daigoro liked Cat, and if the Search riders ever did find her, he would be sad to see her go.

"I'll have time just before we start dinner. In a few candlemarks.
Will that do, sir?"

"That will do just fine. Thank you, Cat."

Last updated on the November 15th 2005

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A Common Dream