A Fathers Concern

Writers: Leigh M-F., Setsuna
Date Posted: 28th March 2016

Characters: Tameira, L'exan
Description: L'exan has a talk with his daughter's teacher, Tam, to get some insight. It goes off-topic in a hurry.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 16 of Turn 8

While L'exan had previously spoken with Sh'dori about this and had
gotten some good advice, Ashuli had recently said something that
prompted this. So while the kids of Ashuli's class were playing
outside and eating lunch, the bluerider went to the classroom he
sometimes picked his daughter up from and poked his head in. "'Cuse
me, Harper?"

Tameira sat on a mat, strumming her fingers over the strings of a
gitar, an intense expression of concentration on her face. Near by
rested a little tablet with sand on it for marking down notes. She had
been trying to find the right cording for a new song for a few days,
and it didn't feel like she was any closer today than any of the days
previously. It was almost a welcome distraction when she heard a voice
coming from the doorway.

She lifted her head, mildly surprised to see anyone at this time, let
alone a dragonrider parent. His daughter wasn't here. So why was he? A
good question to ask then. She let her lips lift into as much of a
smile as her weary frustrated mentality could muster. "L'exan, a good
noon to you. But what brings you here now?" She set aside the gitar,
she knew better. If she held it in her hands during a conversation,
she'd probably start idly plucking at the strings.

"Oh, Tameira, I thought it was you," L'exan said, coming into the
room. "Good day back atcha. I was hoping I could speak to you about
Ashuli. Nothing bad, but I had a talk with her recently over dinner,
and she said she knows she has time to think about picking a trade,
but she feels she has to choose sooner than later. But there are so
many options. So I thought I should get a different perspective." He
leaned his hip on one of the desks and motioned to the abandoned
slates in the classroom. "Are there any academic subjects Ashuli's
particularly good at?"

Tameira rested her arms comfortably on her crisscrossed legs as she
watched L'exan walking into the room. She raised her eyebrows somewhat
when he mentioned Ashuli, and explained. She allowed her face to relax
into a neutral expression again, but that didn't last long as a wry
smirk tugged at her lips. "Feeling the rushing passage of time,
dragonrider? Noticing his little girl growing up?" She remarked with
humor. But the fact he was showing care....Well, she couldn't fault
him. She stood and gave a light stretch before she began putting her
instrument and slate away. "I'm not surprised. She probably feels the
pressures of adulthood. She's very much near the age where most begin
their craft. But..hmm, let's see. Particularly good at?" She frowned
somewhat as she sifted through memories of class sessions.

L'exan didn't comment on the teasing because it was all too true.
Ashuli was indeed growing up very fast. He shoved aside the familiar
regret at missing so much of her life already, and nodded. "History,
math, reading, anything like that," he said. "She could make a trade
out of any of those, right?"

"Oh of course. Though she has decent printing skills, I fear she'll
never be sought as an apprentice to scribe." She smiled lightly again
then sat down in a seat now. She laid her chin on the top of her fist.
"The others you said though...yes, she is...good at mathematics. She's
already quite well on her way to grasping the full scope of what I
teach. Perhaps in a few Turns, she may even be ready to progress to
more advanced forms." She frowned a little. "Though I tease of her
growing up, there is caution to be had against growing up too quickly.
She has no reason to rush, though I haven't the heart to dampen such
eager learning."

The bluerider laughed. "I know, I told her that. There really is no
rush. But she wants to be responsible." He adjusted his ponytail
thoughtfully. "Math, you said? Y'know what, go ahead and keep
encouraging her on it, if you don't mind. If she's good at it, and
likes it, maybe that's just what she needs to do." It would certainly
do his mental health a world of good if Ashuli chose math as a
profession over dragonriding. He still wouldn't tell her no if she
wanted to be a Candidate, but still.

His speech provoked another raising of the eyebrows, and again the
little smirk of amusement. "Yes responsible. Though who knows where
she got that from, hm? Any ideas, L'exan?" Oh yes, she had heard of
his 'conquests' throughout the Weyr. Were it not for the fact he was a
good dragonrider, she would have considered him quite the slacker.
Murmurings she had heard of his behavior made her want to roll her
eyes, but she resisted the urge. "I'll even see about asking one of
the Masterharper's to give her an occasional lesson in more advanced
mathematics, see if she can enjoy rising to the challenge and thrives
in it."

"Who else would she get it from?" L'exan paused. "Her ma, that's who."
Again, he took the teasing in stride. He knew some people still
doubted him over his past with alcohol and his continued flings. But
none of his partners could complain; he treated them the way they
wished to be. "Anyway, thanks for the offer. If Ashuli takes to it,
then I think we have our answer. Thank you very much, Tamme," he said,
pronouncing it "tammi" and needling her right back by giving her a
nickname.

She had wondered for a moment, but then his response after a brief
beat made her chuckle softly. Yet the expression on his face made her
very much not want to ask where his thoughts were taking him. She gave
a light bow of the head as he thanked her but then it seemed the short
show of chivalry was over. She playfully narrowed her eyes somewhat.
"Oh dear dragonrider, I think perhaps you might have gotten
Threadscore on your ears and damaged your hearing. You see my name is
actually pronounced Tameira. Tah-Mere-Ah. Perhaps I should letter it
out for you?"

And just like that, L'exan apparently lost his sense of humor. He
pushed off the desk and stepped closer to loom over the harper with a
thunderous expression. "You had better not make a joke like that
again," he said in a very stern tone. "I've seen that happen. I've
been Scored myself; I could have died if an infection had set in, and
that means my dragon would have died. Do _not_ -I repeat, do _not_-
treat Threadscore lightly, and don't you dare insinuate I'm stupid
either. I know very well how to pronounce your name. You heard me say
it earlier. You dished it out, Harper. Better learn to take it."

Tameira was startled to find the dragonrider suddenly standing over
her and looked up at him blinking. She immediately felt intimidated by
his expression and the playfulness dropped from her face like a stone
dropped from a cliff. She opened her mouth a few times, but nothing
came out. After a few heartbeats, she averted her eyes as her cheeks
began to burn uncomfortably with shame. He was right, she had gone too
far with her joking. Of course Thread was a serious matter, she had
learned and known it all her life. She had seen what it did to riders.

She lowered her head a little, still keeping her eyes away. Another
heartbeat, and she finally spoke but she did so softly, guilt and
penitence heavy in her voice. "I'm sorry, L'exan. I meant you no
disrespect. I won't joke like that again. I give my word."

L'exan stared at her a moment longer, then suddenly snickered. "Oh,
you should've seen your face," he chuckled, taking two steps back so
he was no longer uncomfortably close. "Sorry, Harper. Couldn't
resist." For the most part, anyway. Hopefully, though, Tameira would
think before she made a joke about Threadscore in a Weyr again. "I'm
still thankful you were able to tell me something my li'l girl's good
at. When we talk again, I'll know what to tell her."

She had waited for his response to her her apology and oath, but it
had not at all been what she expected. She looked up swiftly after
hearing him snicker. Her eyes widened a little as he stepped back and
chuckled at her, and her mouth fell open. As it took her brain a few
seconds to catch up, her cheeks flamed but this time with anger rather
than shame. She slammed her hand on the table near her and stood up,
positively afire. "You...you!" She grabbed the first thing within a
few inches of her hand, which just happened to be a thin music book
for teaching gitar chords.

She heaved, throwing the book directly at his disgustingly smug
grinning face. "Fired up, puffed up wherry of a rider, why I ought
to...ought to....I should.....Agh!" She let out a shriek of utter
frustration, unable to articulate the threats running through her
head. Instead she reached for another object to throw. Yes, she had
learned her lesson, as any young adult in a moment of foolishness
would, but that didn't mean she wasn't angry with him on how he had
taught the lesson.

The bluerider dodged the projectile with another laugh. "It's true,
it's all true!" he sang, darting for the door and ducking through it.
He poked his head back in a second later. "The kids are coming back,
you might want to pick that book up before it gets trampled," he
kidded.

She wasn't surprised he was able to dodge the book. She blamed the
training the dragonriders went through. It made her just want to hurt
him somehow even more. Just one good hit, that was all she wanted, a
solid score on that face that somehow made many women of the Weyr
swoon. Let's see how much they swooned if he got a lovely black eye!
For a moment he seemed gone, but then he poked his head in the doorway
again, teasing at her more. She let out another though quieter shriek
at him and ran across the room. She would have dearly loved to have
throttled him just a little bit, but what remained of her restraint
forbid such an uncouth action. She instead settled for slamming the
door on him, hoping it would at least hit his forehead or something,
and leave a mark for her to silently gloat over later.

Through the door, the harper could still hear the dragonrider laughing
in vast amusement. L'exan decided he liked Tameira; no wonder Ashuli
enjoyed her lessons so much. He hooked his thumbs in his belt and
swaggered down the hall, feeling much better about what he could tell
his daughter about her future.

Last updated on the April 1st 2016

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