Running Errands

Writers: Eimi, Heather
Date Posted: 6th June 2017

Characters: Saidrene, Merlish, Waylor
Description: Saidrene is transporting a precious item for Harper Waylor when an unexpected turn of events introduces her to Merlish.
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 12, day 14 of Turn 8

Saidrene

"P-p-please be careful. This is m-m-my life's work you are transporting."

Saidrene stared at the largest stack of papers she had ever seen. She wondered how long it had taken the printers to come up with enough paper for whatever this 'life's work' was that Waylor had created.

Waylor was a short, nervous little man who sometimes stuttered when he got overly excited about something... such as his life's work. With soft, delicate fingers, that had never held anything heavier than a stylus in them, Waylor wrapped up his large stack of paper in soft leather and then tied it with a bit of twine. But he wasn't done. Waylor then took the wrapped leather package and slipped it carefully into a fur lined satchel that buttoned at the top.

"It will arrive safe and sound to the Weyrharper." The greenrider promised. When she'd been told she was on watchrider duty to the Harper Hall that day, Saidrene had expected a nice, quiet day of sitting near her dragon, twiddling her thumbs. She hadn't been at the Hall long, however, before she'd been asked to transport something of "the utmost importance" to the Weyr's Master Harper.

"Report back to me as soon as you return. I want to know what the Master thinks about it." There was an excited gleam in Waylor's eyes.. no wait, perhaps that was just a glare on his thick spectacles.

**Who does this guy think he is?** Saidrene wondered as she snatched the bag out of his hand, a little rougher than was necessary.

"I'd better get going then. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can report back to you." Saidrene took a step back and then turned and walked off briskly, before Waylor could have a chance to ask her to do anything else.

"What a dweeb." Saidrene muttered as she walked, the satchel bumping against her hip. She'd almost made it to Ashareth when her curiosity got the best of her. What _was_ so important about this stack of papers?

Looking over her right shoulder, and then the left, Saidrene reached inside the bag and pulled out the leather wrapped papers. "Report back to me as soon as you return." Saidrene said in a whiny tone, reminiscent of Waylor's trembling tenor.

Untying the string that held the leather in place, the greenrider held the stack in one hand, while peeling back the leather covering with the other.

}:Whatcha got?:{ Ashareth asked curiously, snaking her head around. }:Is it food?:{ She sniffed at the stack and then huffed when she realized that it wasn't.

"Ashareth!" Saidrene exclaimed as the dragon's breath sent the stack of papers flying.

The green dragon froze and slowly turned one, large eye on her rider. }:Oops.:{

"I'm so dead." Saidrene groaned as she hastily started chasing papers around.

A slight breeze picked up a few of the sheets, carrying them further along towards a row of cots. Their progress was only stopped by a fatefully placed bush. The young woman tending her garden nearby was rather surprised by the unusual decorations that had suddenly graced her yard. Curiously, she carefully removed them. Whatever it was, they definitely looked freshly written. But what were they doing _there_? She craned her neck around until she saw the greenrider chasing after another page.

Saidrene was muttering colorful curses underneath her breath as she ran, half-crouched, stooping every so often to snatch up a piece of the paper. She glanced up and saw a woman standing with some of the papers in her hand, "Hey, would you mind catching those?" She called as some fluttered by.

"Oh!" Merlish followed the pages with her eyes a moment before reacting. Shards, she felt so slow and fat as she ran after the sheets tumbling down the lane. She was finally able to scoop them all up. Looking around to see if there were any more. "Is that all?" she called to the greenrider.

"Yes, at least, I hope so." Saidrene panted as she walked to the other woman to collect the rogue pages. "Thank you so much for your help." She glanced down at the papers, hoping they were numbered sensibly so she could get the stack back in order before delivering it to the Weyrharper.

"I'm sorry about the dirt smudges," Merlish said apologetically. She had stopped one page from flying away with her foot and it had left an unmistakable print.

Saidrene waved off the apology, "I'm just glad to have all the papers." She looked over her shoulder then, "I'm just glad Waylor wasn't out here to see that happen, he probably would have had a stroke."

The young woman was surprised a greenrider was so familiar with a Harper of the Hall. "Journeyman Waylor? How do you know him? Are you a relative?"

"Oh, nothing like that. I was watchrider here often as a senior Weyrling. I've ran a lot of errands for him in particular it seems." Saidrene looked the other woman over. "I suppose you're married to one of them?"

**One of _them_?** Merlish thought with a slight prick. It almost sounded like a dismissive remark, but she reminded herself she was talking to a dragonrider. As much as she respected them and their role, she had no doubt they looked different on crafters and holders than their own. But the woman _was_ a dragonrider, and so Merlish replied with a smile and all politeness, "My husband is Master Eilomar. He is the Choir Master of the Hall."

"Oh yeah, I've heard him sing before, he's great." She'd been to a couple of concerts with her mother before Saibra had moved to Dragonsfall. "I'm Saidrene, by the way," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the green dragon who had slowly come closer, her head now looming over her rider to look down at the other woman, "and this is Ashareth."

The praise of her husband mollified her pricked pride and her smile relaxed into one that was much less forced. "Well met Rider Saidrene and Ashareth," Merlish said with a polite dip of the head in the dragon's direction. "I am Merlish. You are from Dolphin Cove Weyr?" The knots had not escaped her notice. Merlish had met Master Eilomar there before the Hall had relocated.

"I am. Originally I'm from Far Island Weyr, but I've been at Dolphin Cove for a little over three Turns now. What about you? How did you end up here?" Saidrene asked, since she noticed that the woman didn't have craft knots.

Merlish wondered if she seemed out of place that the rider would ask that. Did she have some air about her which shouted out her "otherness"? Did other people see it, too? "I came to the Hall to marry my husband almost three Turns ago when it was still located at the Weyr. Soon after we moved here with the rest of the Harpers."

Saidrene wondered why a woman Merlish's age would marry someone as old as Master Eilomar, but she wisely kept that question to herself. "Well, I'd better get this to the Weyr before any more mishaps take place." The greenrider rewrapped the papers and put them back in the satchel. "Thank you for your help."

"My pleasure. I hope you have fair skies, Rider Saidrene," Merlish said with a curtsy. "You are welcome at the Hall any time."

Last updated on the June 8th 2017

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Running Errands