First steps

Writers: AL, Paula
Date Posted: 29th November 2010

Characters: Sh'lua, Lirit, C'lua
Description: Sh'lua introduces Lirit to his son, in hopes they would become friends.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 10 of Turn 5

"C'lua, are you in?" Sh'lua asked and knocked the door.

"Of course I am, where else I would be?" a bitter voice replied thru the
door.

"I'm bringing you a visitor."

"Help yourselves in," C'lua sounded sullen.

Sh'lua pushed the door open and turned to look at the blind harper. "This
way," he touched gently his arm.

Lirit passed through the door, a smile upon his face, though it wouldn't
really matter since He couldn't see it and neither could C'lua. "Hello."
He greeted as he stepped inside, turning that grin from side to side
since
he wasn't quite sure where the dragonrider to whom he planned on talking
truly was.

Sh'lua guided gently Lirit to where C'lua sitting. "There's a chair behind
you," he murmured.

Sh'lua's directions weren't all that necessary. Lirit had his staff and his
hands, he could find his way, but he didn't complain. He reached out,
catching his hand upon the chair and then lowering himself into it, his
staff placed upon the floor at his feet. "C'lua? Nice to meet you. I'm
Lirit."

"Hi. I know you. I've listened your singing in many evenings, before this,"
C'lua replied and his hands reached to touch the bandage over his eyes.
Gesture was wasted on Lirit, of course.

"Hopefully you've enjoyed it rather than have been tempted to wield fruit
and throw it at me." Lirit's mouth stretched into a grin, his own gesture
also lost upon the dragonrider. "Can't help but wonder that at times."

"I've loved it. I love music. Unfortunately, I'm very untalented on that
field," C'lua replied.

"Well, talent isn't the only thing one needs to have." Lirit pointed out as
he rest his arm upon the chair. "In truth, when I was a child I couldn't
keep a tune in a bucket. It wasn't until I was older that I was able to
catch on to that. If you would like lessons, I would be glad to assist
you."

"Hah, I can't sing a crap. I think unmusicality comes in family," C'lua
snorted.

"Is that an actual word?" Sh'lua murmured.

"I suppose it is now!" Lirit laughed and shook his head. "If you're
interested, you could train in a different instrument. I'm pretty good at
the gitar and a couple of other instruments. Gitar and voice are my
strongest, though."

"How I can learn anything, being blind?" bitterness crept back to C'lua's
voice.

"The same way I did!" Lirit's mouth twisted in amusement. "I've been
completely blind since I was six. I've learned plenty since then."

"And how is that?" C'lua asked and Sh'lua detected a spark of interest in
his voice. That was good sign, C'lua hasn't been interested in anything
since his injury.

"Well, you have to try a little harder sometimes, but it's all worth it."
Lirit assures the young dragonrider. "An learning instruments? You
learn
by ear. You feel it more rather than looking at squiggly lines and dots on
some page. And you learn it better too because you're not restricted to
that."

"My harper tried to teach me read notes when I was a kid. I could never
understand how those little squiggles translated into music. Instead, the
wood always talked to me, or to my hands," C'lua said.

"You can do that too." Lirit pointed out his head bobbing a little as if to
emphasize. "I don't have much experience with carving, but I've made a few
flutes. You just have to see things differently. And watch where you put
the knife."

"You know, your grandfather doesn't really look what he is doing when he
carves," Sh'lua put in. "His eyes are most likely following some pretty
woman while his hands do the work."

"See? There you go. Eyes aren't everything. Frankly, sometimes they can
be rather limiting." Lirit admits with a grin.

C'lua shook his head disbelief.

"C'lua, he can't see your gestures any more you can see mine," Sh'lua gently
reminded his son.

"Sorry. I just find that hard to believe," C'lua murmured and voiced his
thoughts.

"Well, I speak from experience. I've been blind since I was six...most of
my life. You learn how to use your other senses, to do the things in
different ways. But you can still do them." Lirit is firm and yet gentle
in his reply. "Just because you can't see doesn't make you helpless."

"I feel so helpless," C'lua said with desperate tone.

"But you're not. You are, however, are going to have to get used to
things." Lirit's tone became a bit more serious as he spoke. "And, if
you
want, I can do my best to help you. It won't be easy, and it won't be
immediate, but you won't be helpless. You just have to try."

"I...really could use the help," the young brownrider admitted. It was a
tough piece to swallow, but just admiting was a step forward for him.

"Well, why don't we meet and start learning how to do things." Lirit
suggested, reaching to scratch his cheek. "What gives you the most
problems
right now?"

"Finding things, dressing up or undressing, bumping into things or
accidentally pushing mug over the table," C'lua listed.

"You'll have to learn how to be organised. Really organised. And you'll
need some help at first, but as things go along, you'll get more and more
indepedent." Lirit assured him, "Why don't we start tomorrow? If Sh'lua
is
willing to help us out, we'll get you organised and able to pick out your
own clothes. That will be a good first step."

C'lua started to nod, then realized the futility of that gesture and
reverted to verbal response: " all right, sounds good to me."

Last updated on the January 21st 2011

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