Interesting People

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 28th May 2010

Characters: Fayazel, Puwul, Sh'lua
Description: Fayazel makes a new friend in the Hall's tavern
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 9, day 13 of Turn 5

"Now this is more like it," the Hallsecond smiled at the tavern keeper.
Business seemed to be good as he had to speak up to be heard over the
din of voices. "Was it a Fall? Or is it usually like this before a
rest day?"

"I haven't been here long enough yet to say," Puwul admitted. "Plenty of
weyrfolk today," he remarked.

"So I see," Fayazel nodded. Many of them very pleasing on the eye, too!
"Not out of hand, I trust?"

Puwul gave the hallsecond an amused look. "I've seen worse and handled
worse. They are actually very well behaiving lot. Unless someone brought
a green too close to rising here."

The look the vintner gave him almost one of shock. "They would never do
that, would they?"

"I heard from the staff that it happened once. Very interesting results.
Several marriages and so on," Puwul answered.

"Some people just can't be discrete," Fayazel sighed, having learned
that lesson turns and turns ago. He looked around the crowded room and
his eyes were drawn to a rather tall bluerider with the most charming
smile walking through the door. His eyes immediately snapped to the
knots on his shoulder. **Blue... better and better!**

"Pardon me," Sh'lua flashed the man a smile when he made his way to the
bar desk and brushed accidentally against him. "It's crowded today."

"What kan I get to you, sir?" Puwul asked.

"A pint of that wonderful, crisp cider the Hall makes, please," Sh'lua
replied.

"Dry?" Puwul guessed and the bluerider nodded.

"Not so crowded that there isn't a table," the Hallsecond said, nodding
towards an open spot off to the side. "The cider is an excellent
choice, by the way."

"I like the bar," Sh'lua replied. "You meet the most interesting people
when jostle against them at the bar," he continued.

"Hmmmm... Yes." Apparently the man hadn't taken the hint. It would be
a little hard to flirt with the man in earshot of Puwul, after all.
"Not to mention the perfect place to get a drink spilled on you. Hand
me the bottle, Puwul, I think I'll take it to that little corner over
there. If you get tired of bumping into people, dragonrider, you can
feel free to join me, and I can tell you a little more about how we make
our fine cider you are so fond of."

Sh'lua hadn't expected it from a holder or a crafter, so his wits were
reacting bit slowly. "Well, I just might want to hear it," he replied
and nodded to Puwul as thank's when he received the bottle from the
Tavern Master. The bottle was so cold that water was running across the
surface.

"The redfruit are grown locally, you see," Fayazel said as he slipped
into a chair. "Just like the grapes for the wine." He held up his own
glass and bottle. "They have been cultivated for generations
specifically with the taste of cider in mind."

"Really?" Sh'lua said. He pulled himself a chair.

"Oh yes. Some are grown to be fruity, others sweet, others crisp, as
you so eloquently put it. Redfruit are as varied as grapes, really."
Fayazel looked at the bluerider as he sipped at his glass of wine.
Relatively young, dark, not particularly handsome, but well built. Just
what he was hoping would walk through the doors of the tavern that
night.

"And I always thought a fruit is just a fruit," Sh'lua shook his head in
disbelief.

"That's like a crafter or holder saying a dragon is just a dragon, isn't
it. Now I assume that is not true." His eye brow quirked slightly as
he turned his glass in his fingers by the stem.

"Of course not. And neither is rock just rock," Sh'lua said, showing his
own craft-background.

"Or a man just a man?" Fayazel asked innocently.

"That too," Sh'lua said and poured the cider into his glass.

The Hallsecond watched as beads of condensation formed on the outside of
the glass. "Were you cultivated to be a dragonrider, then?"

"Oh, yes, most certainly," Sh'lua replied.

"And were you born at..." Fayazel glanced at the knots once more.
"Dragonsfall?"

"Yes, I have, although I've lived most of my adult life in Dolphin Cove
weyr and only recently...returned home, I guess you can say that," the
blue rider answered. "How about you? I don't think I've seen you around
here before."

"Oh, I'm not from around here. From quite far, actually. I was offered
a chance at a new life and I took it quite eagerly." Though it would
remain to be seen if half a continent was really far enough from the
wherry he had married! "Were you surprised when you Impressed a blue?"

"No, not at all. It was kind of expected," Sh'lua said and sipped his
drink.

"Then your parents were dragonriders?"

"Yes, well, my father is. Mother's actually lower cavern worker,
although she comes from dragonrider-bloodline too," Sh'lua replied.

"Then I guess being a dragonrider was just in your blood then." Like
wine making had always been in his.

"Must be, since all my older children have Impressed so far. The younger
ones are still too young to know," Sh'lua said.

"Oh, so you're married then?" Fayazel hid his disappointment well. He
knew not all blueriders were _his_ type.

"Oh, no. I'm completely single. Most of my children have different
mothers," Sh'lua said.

"Smart," the Hallsecond nodded with approval. "I am just _now_ escaping
my wife after thirdy-odd Turns of marriage. This hair was golden before
I was bound to her. Wasn't for long after, I'll tell you."

"It's so much more fun when you have all options availble in front of
you," Sh'lua said with a nod and cocky smile.

"Indeed." Fayazel leaned forward slightly, his voice almost a pur.
"And _do_ you see all the options available in front of you, dragonman?"

"I certainly try my best to," the bluerider leaned closer too,
interested twinkle in his eyes.

Only _try_? The bluerider could do better than that, he was sure,
Fayazel thought as he leaned back in his chair with a smile. "It's good
to see, then, that your vision has not been blurred by our crisp cider."

"I think it takes more than that. You know, the air is getting bit thick
in here. Want to go outside for a breath of fresh air? The moons are
very bright tonite," Sh'lua asked, although his bodylanguage made it clear
he wasn't thinking breathing.

"Oh, dragonman," the Hallsecond smiled, shaking his head as if he had
made a fine joke. "Where do you think you are? I can't walk out under
the moons with you. Aside from this table, I cannot even be seen with
you, no matter how tempting the offer."

"Oh, come now. I'm sure a smart man finds a way to be discreet?" Sh'lua
kept his voice so silent that anyone couldn't overhear them.

"A smart man, yes." He would not have gotten into the position he now
occupied without learning how to avoid scandal, though. "But being
discreet starts with choosing your partners wisely, and not rushing into
anything. However, if we were to have a drop or two more and you were
to express interest in purchasing some of that fine cider to take back
with you to the Weyr, I would more than happily escort you to the Hall
where you can... sample some of our wares, as it were."

"I would be happy to sample," Sh'lua said and lifted his glass so the
light shone thru the liquid. "Who knows, I might even buy something for
home."

"Well then, dragonman, I should be happy to have your business," Fayazel
smiled, thinking that having a tavern full of dragonriders as his
neighbor might be the best perk to being a Hallsecond in Amber Hills.

Last updated on the May 28th 2010

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Interesting People