Taking a Challenge

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 25th December 2008

Characters: Lihona, Relea
Description: Lihona tries to get Relea to teach her how to knit.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 13, day 13 of Turn 4
Notes: Riverboat Sungazer

Relea

"Psst."

There was no answer. The woman didn't even flinch. She simply stayed where she was, working on her knitting, paying no attention to anything or anyone around her, not even to the little girl who was supposedly trying to get her attention.

"PSSSSTTT!"

Lihona discovered it was rather difficult to make that particular sound louder, as if it was designed for being uttered quietly. She supposed it had been, which was clever on the part of whoever designed words ... if somebody did, and she supposed somebody _did_ because otherwise where did the words come from. Her mind wandered off on a byway and she almost forgot about her interest in the passenger.

Once more, the passenger didn't react to the persistent hissing of the child. In fact, the woman might have sat there all day without even turning in Lihona's direction had it not happened that her ball of yarn which, at one point had been content with its lot in life, decided to make an escape and fairly popped off the pile of yarn, the head of which was sitting, and rolled along the deck, daring to wish for more than what it was given. It was only then that the silent woman's eyes lifted and she carefully set aside her work to stand and follow the string. She reached down to pick up the errant ball only to have her gaze fall upon the child crouching among the chairs that lined the balcony. Relea straightened and she smiled to the little girl.

"Ha!" Lihona exclaimed. "I was going to ask you something." Cautiously she popped her head above two of the seats on the balcony that surrounded the passenger deck. "Oh, here's your yarn." Lihona pushed the ball back under the chair legs toward the woman.

Relea tilted her head as she took the yarn, curling her long fingers around it. She looked at the child expectantly, watching her lips to make sure she understood what she was trying to say. She had seen the child, perhaps fleetingly, upon the riverboat when she had originally boarded, but they had never crossed paths before.

"Is knitting easy?" Lihona carried on, glancing one way and then the other with obvious concern that she might been seen. The passenger deck was for the passengers; all the riverboat children knew that, but they also knew how interesting new faces could be and took the injunction against annoying the passengers as a suggestion rather than a rule.

Relea raised her eyebrows, then motioned to the yarn that she held. She smiled and nodded, indicating that it was easy. Of course, it was easy to her. She had been knitting for almost as long as she could remember.
Even further back was the memory of her own mother knitting all the lovely things she would make.

"Yes?" Lihona interpreted correctly. Good. Could you give me lessons? Are you staying on board long enough for that?"

Relea laughed, the sound strange, especially coming from such a delicate creature. She nodded and motioned to the needles, then to the child who stood before her before nodding again.

"Are you keeping quiet so I don't get in trouble?" Lihona asked, looking around again.

The woman laughed again and shook her head. She reached up and touched her ear, then motioned to the stylus that swung from her hip.

"You can't _hear_ me? _Really?_" Inadvertently the little girl's voice had got louder with her surprise and as she realised she cast more concerned glances up and down the balcony.

"Really." The word was written in fluid script upon the small stylus and Relea turned it to show the child. She shrugged again and let the stylus fall back to her side before pointing to the knitting needles. She motioned to Lihona, eyebrows raised in a silent question.

"Oh, you want to show me? But can't you _talk_ either?"

Relea laughed again, the strangled sound unwomanly and at odds with her quite feminine form. She motioned to Lihona's eyes, pointed to the knitting needles then tapped the child gently upon the head. She then pointed to a chair before taking up one next to it.

"Oh, all right. But you have to tell anybody - well, let them know, at least, - that you invited me to sit up here."

Relea winked, the indication that she would certainly tell them that. After all, she had invited her to learn. Granted it had been after the child had asked, but her willingness to teach the girl was an invitation in itself. Again, Relea pointed to Lihona, then motioned to the chair. It would be interesting to try and teach the child without speaking. Most people didn't feel like they anything to learn from Relea. Even if they had, they probably would have felt like they _couldn't_ learn from her. The child hadn't seemed too daunted by the task. It seemed to her that the riverfolk were a lot more open minded than...well, perhaps than most of society, to be honest.

"All right," Lihona said again, not without one final look around for other crewmembers as she settled herself in the seat. "You see, I've learned to quilt very _late_ in life," she explained with a serious tone, "And it's possible that I'll never be any good. This is what the women do, on the riverboats. They quilt. But I could knit," she finished with a beaming smile and a confident tone.

Both of Relea's eyebrows arched up delicately as she watched the girl's lips. Late in life? She was still a child! Her lips twitched upwards in amusement and she took a spare pair needles from her basket and held them out to Lihona. They were thinner than the ones she was using on her current project, but they would get her started.

"Ohh. I can use these?" Lihona asked then frowned. "What's the point in me talking if you can't hear?"

Once again, Relea used her hands to speak for her. She motioned to Lihona's lips before pointing to her eyes and then tapped herself upon the head. She was well versed in lip reading, and only on very rare occasions could she not understand what someone was saying by watching them.

"Huh!" Lihona was impressed. "So you can hear with your eyes?"

Well, that was one way of putting it. It wasn't exactly correct, but it worked. The girl waved her hand from side to side, shrugged, then motioned to the needles she had passed over.

"Oh. All right. What do I have to do first?"

Relea leaned over, and reached out to guide the child's hands to where they needed to be. Yes, it would be interesting trying to teach her with such limited communicative abilities. That was all right - Relea didn't mind a challenge.

Last updated on the December 26th 2008

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