A Bad Day Made Better

Writers: Devin, Eimi
Date Posted: 16th January 2007

Characters: D'cal, D'ren
Description: D'cal and D'ren talk about death, families, and lifemates
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 26 of Turn 4

The dining hall seemed too loud and D'ren hardly noticed what he was putting on his plate. He found a table that was empty on one side and sat down. The bronzerider was tempted to just go to his weyr, but it seemed far away and at the moment sitting here and not moving seemed to be the better option. None of the food looked good and he began pushing it around on his plate with his fork. **I hardly even knew him.**

"I don't think I've ever seen _you_ pick at your food, D'ren." They were all exhausted, but D'cal could tell something was bothering his young friend.

D'ren briefly looked up at his friend before returning his gaze to his uneaten meal. "B'cly was killed in Fall today," he said quietly.

The name wasn't familiar, but then again D'cal wasn't in the same wing. "Was he your wingmatge then?"

"Yeah. I didn't know him very well, but still, he's . . . gone." D'ren had thought the accident months ago had prepared him for losses in Threadfall, but the death of his wingmate seemed to prove otherwise.

"Did you... see it happen?" D'cal still shuddered to think of the first time he saw a rider get scored.

D'ren shook his head. "I didn't see it. But I heard his dragon." The young rider shivered, remembering that awful shriek of pain. "They went /between/ and never came back."

D'cal took a long thoughtful sip from his mug. "Do you know anything about him? About him personally, I mean?"

"He was born at the Weyr, and he liked wine." D'ren thought for a moment. "I guess that's about it."

The bluerider fingered his glass. "I wonder if he still has family here."

"His parents, maybe. Unless they transferred or something." The bronzerider began making a cross-hatch pattern in his mashed tubers. "He was a bluerider, and that made me think of you."

A chill went up his friends spine at the thought of his blue Aosorath screaming in pain. And it just might be them one of these days... "Well, it wasn't me." But he was someone's friend...

D'ren looked up at D'cal. "I know. But it could have been you. Or me."

"Yeah, it could have been." D'cal drank his ale ale silently a moment. "Does you family miss you?" he finally asked.

"I saw them at Turnover," D'ren said, feeling his mood brighten a bit.
"I took Dysali with me."

"That's nice," D'cal smiled, truly happy for his friend. But he couldn't help but feel a stab of envy. There was a time he would have liked to have introduced Dyaera to his family. Now it hardly seemed worth it. "I'm sure they were happy to see you."

The bronzerider smiled. "Yeah. It was really nice to see them again. And they were happy to meet Dysali too. She was afraid they wouldn't like her."

"What's not to like about Dysali. Of course they'd love her." His family would have liked Dyaera too. But that was before. "That's why I kept telling her. And I was right," D'ren said. "I was more worried that my parents or brothers would say something embarrassing. Which they thankfully didn't."

D"cal snorted lightly. D'ren didn't know how lucky he was to wonder if he family would be an embarrassment to _him_. The bluerider sipped his ale wondering who would be the great embarrassment, his family, or himself.

"What about you? Does your family miss you?" D'ren asked. "You don't talk about them much."

"I don't know, I haven't really talked to them lately," D'cal said with a slight shrug. He his discomfort behind another swig.

D'ren frowned. "Why not?"

"They're busy rebuilding Topaz Sea Hold. And its not like there's a regular runner route anymore." At least, that was what he liked to tell himself.

"I'm sure they could take a candlemark off to see you." But D'ren was getting the sense that D'cal didn't _want_ to see his family.

"Maybe I'll head out and visit them one of these restdays. But, you know, I've been rather busy myself." That was only half true, but hopefully D'ren would be appeased by that answer.

"A dragonrider's life is a busy one," D'ren agreed, deciding to drop the subject.

"And I've also taken up an old hobby again," D'cal said, his face growing a little brighter. "I'm helping one of the smiths in the ceramic shop. She needs some carvings to make molds from. I'm going to help her out with that."

"Really? Neat! What kind of carvings?" D'ren took a sip of his juice.

"I carved a dolphin the first time. I'm working on another one now. Next I think I'll try a dragon. I've never tried to carve a dragon before." It would probably take a few tries, but it was just so nice to be working with his hands again!

"Dolphins and dragons. Good choices." The younger rider smiled. "I'm sure you'll do fine on the dragon. You have a very good model for it."

"If he ever stops moving," D'cal said with a teasingly annoyed roll of his eyes. "Ever since his first Flight, he insists on showing off for all the greens. I'm hoping its just a phase."

D'ren chuckled. "I'm glad Menanth isn't that bad. He only shows off for _half_ of them!"

"Well, knowing those cocky bronzes, he probably doesn't think he _needs_
to show off to attract the other half," the bluerider teased.

"You're probably right about that, but it does give Aosorath a better chance." He winked.

"Why thank you, bronzerider," his friend winked back, "but I like the chances we've got."

Last updated on the January 17th 2007

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A Bad Day Made Better