Preparation

Writers: Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 11th August 2015

Characters: Eionen, Bailan
Description: Every trip needs to start with a plan.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 1, day 16 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Aluka

He was sporting quite an impressive pair of black eyes now. Eionn tried not to think how much it made him look like the gray and black puppy his family had owned when he was knee-high to a runner. At least the blow to his face hadn't damaged his eyesight. Well, technically it did, since the bruising and swelling forced him to squint. But he could still see, and he was currently thankful for that, as he was studying a map that his temporary hostess had somehow procured for him at her kitchen table.

The front door opened and closed, and Bailan came in with a cloth bag of goods. "Havin' fun?" she quipped as she set the bag on the counter she used to prepare food and started unpacking.

"I wish," Eionn sighed, setting down his charcoal pencil and rubbing his forehead carefully. "As much traveling as I've done in my life, I don't think I ever really comprehended just how much territory I might have to cover until I saw it broken down and marked out on this map."

Bailan snorted rudely. "All more reason why it's a stupid idea." She brought out two clay pots, one of which was red, and opened them. The first contained numbweed; the red had redwort, which she rubbed into her hands thoroughly. "Lift your head; got s'more numbweed."

Eionn did so and let her gently work the numbweed around his eyes and over his nose. "You have a good touch for this. Are you a healer?"

"Nah, we jus' all gotta learn this stuff out here," Bailan said, finishing and wiping her hands on her sky-blue apron. "Some o' the tools we use're sharp, an' there's always chance o' accidents."

"Hm, good point." Basic first aid could stave off the worst of trouble long enough for an experienced healer to get to work. And just yesterday, Harston had tripped and wrenched his right arm when he caught himself on a fence, which had used up the last of the numbweed in the house.

Bailan finished putting everything away, then began brewing some tea and making sandwiches for lunch. Eionn kept looking at the map, weighing out possibilities and pros and cons of the locations marked out, until finally he sighed and looked at his hostess. "There has to be some way to narrow this down. Did Aluka ever talk to you about places he wanted to see, Holds he hoped to visit, anything like that?"

The young woman shook her head. "He didn' have anyplace in mind other'n 'anywhere but here.'"

"Curse it." Eionn gave his long ponytail a frustrated yank. "All right. When we met, you told me a bunch of supplies were found to be missing after Aluka ran away. What were they?"

Bailan frowned, trying to remember the complaints and gossip that had gone around. "Four an' a fourth Marks, three waterbags, sev'ral pounds o' dried foods, a one-person tent, a quilt, a gitar, a good knife ya could hide in a boot, couple changes o' clothin', first aid stuff, an' a li'l book bound in red leather."

The harper shook his head, dismayed. "Even supplemented with wild foods and prey animals, that's not much. Too bad he didn't steal a runner as well. He could have carried more."

Bailan snorted again. "If'n he had, he'da been hunted down, beaten an' left t' die, an' all the supplies taken back."

Another good point. "Well, if he stole Marks, then he must have been planning to go somewhere with people-"

"Or not," Bailan interrupted, carefully cutting one of the sandwiches in half. "Aluka was kinda crazy; he coulda jus' been preparin' for anythin'. 'Sides, he was pretty sick o' people."

"All right, fine," Eionn said in frustration. "How far could he have gotten on what he had?" He wouldn't know; he traveled with traders or groups of message-runners if he could help it. If none were available, he tended to stick around whatever hold he ended up in until they were.

"Not far, I guess. Couple sevendays' worth o' walkin', maybe."

"Then if for some reason he couldn't find what he needed in the wild, he would have had to seek out another hold or a Weyr," Eionn reasoned. "So-"

"Why d'ya even care 'bout all this?" Bailan broke in impatiently. "Ya obv'ously didn' care then, so why care now?"

Eionn glared at her. "Because if I'd had any inkling at all that Shastia wasn't taking any teas, I would have sent her away or insisted she come with me when I offered to take her away," he said seriously. "I never once wanted to marry and have children, but if I'd known, I would have taken some Ancients-damned responsibility. That's what a man _does_ if this happens. I would never have allowed Shastia or Aluka to suffer the abuse that was heaped on them for so long. I take better care of my lovers than that, even if I'm not around for more than a couple of sevendays."

Bailan scoffed. "Sure, believe that if'n it makes ya feel better-"

"And I told you previously, I have to make this right somehow. At the very least, I need to apologize," Eionn interrupted.

"He's not gonna want that."

"That doesn't mean it shouldn't be said."

Bailan sighed deeply. "You're still an idiot, but fine." She picked up the pencil and swooped out a circle on the map. "These're the closest holds to ours, an' that there's Dragonsfall Weyr. We tithe to 'em sometimes. If'n Aluka absolutely had t' get more supplies, those're the most likely places t' go if'n he coulda even found 'em, since he didn' take a map. At the very least, y'can ask if'n he passed through."

Eionn studied the possible areas, calculated the routes the traders could take, and concluded if they looped through the holds on the way to Dragonsfall, it would take a month, maybe two. That was the disadvantage of caravans; while they offered safety in numbers, they tended to move somewhat slowly. But it was his best chance.

"Y'do realize this's the longest o' long shots, right?" Bailan prompted.

The harper looked at her once more and half smiled. "Yes, but I always did enjoy a good game of dice. Especially if the dice are weighted."

Bailan shook her head another time and wrapped one of the sandwiches in a clean cloth to take it to Harston. "Now I also know where Aluka got the 'I like t' cheat at games' thin'."

Last updated on the September 6th 2015

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