For the Sake of History

Writers: AL, Devin
Date Posted: 4th February 2011

Characters: Z'ku, Meledei
Description: Z'ku goes to see Meledei and then the two get an idea.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 17 of Turn 5

Z'ku

He wasn't sure if she wanted to be left alone, or if talking about it
would make things worse, or ... there were a lot of things he wasn't
sure about. Z'ku finally asked his dragon to bespeak Elleth. }:Mine
would like to know if he can come see yours,:{ Xemroth said.

Elleth passed along the message and Meledei looked up from her carving, as
if she might expect to see Z'ku walk through the door. The door didn't
open, though and the goldrider sighed. Company. Friendly company. She'd
accepted it readily enough. She'd always been too much of a social type
to retreat from others. Yet there she was, sitting alone in her weyr with
a carving. **Tell him sure. I wouldn't mind having a visitor.** She
gave in answer though it was a few moments in coming Why did she have to
ponder whether or not she wanted to have a friend over? She was wallowing
and Meledei knew it...not that it really helped keep her from continuing
in that wallow.

After Xemroth passed along the message, Z'ku made his way up to her
weyr. He knocked and waited a few seconds before opening the door.
"Hi."

Meledei was halfway to te door when Z'ku just opened it himself. She
didn't mind, she had told him to come. "Hey." She greeted back, one side
of her mouth curling in a half smile. It wasn't as bright as usual, but
it was something. "Haven't seen you in a while. You doing all right?"
She turned and motioned toward the main living area and to the various
seats available, including what looked to be a rather comfortable couch.
"Want anything to drink?"

"I'm fine. No drink, thank you." He stepped inside. "I heard ... well,
I heard a rumor ... that you and F'gol broke up."

Meledei's face twisted but the expression was lost as she turned away and
moved to a sideboard. From within, she drew a glass and a bottle, then
poured some red liquid from it. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry to hear that." And he was, even though a part of him
insisted this was a good thing, because it meant he had a chance now.
Z'ku couldn't be happy about it, though, because it was causing
Meledei pain. He watched her for a moment, then took a seat on the
couch.

Meledei shook her head, then shrugged and took a long sip of her drink
before turning back to her visitor. "It is what it is. How have you
been?"

"I'm good. Xemroth is good." He thought about asking how she was, but
it was obvious that she wasn't doing well. But what else could he say?

"Good. I'm glad." Oh yes, the conversation was getting real interesting
real fast. "And your wingmates are well? How are you getting along? No
recent scorings that I've heard of on your part."

"No, we've been lucky so far. And my wingmates are good. A few
scorings here and there, but no deaths for a while." They were making
small talk, but he didn't want to hurt her by mentioning F'gol more
than he already had. Z'ku wanted to know what had really happened
between them. "And your wingmates? Are they also doing well?"

"They...seem to be. I guess. To be honest, I don't see much of the other
goldriders. The non goldriders are well...we don't get many injuries.
Not compared with the rest of the wings." She shrugged and let her cup
hover in front of her lips. "Occasionally....but...well, I haven't been
scored yet."

"We've both been lucky." Although he knew their luck would eventually
run out. He could only hope that the scorings he and Xemroth got were
minor. "What about outside your duties? Doing anything interesting? I
see you've been doing some carving." He nodded to the table. This was
getting more awkward by the minute.

"Yeah. I've been carving more the last few days." Meledei reaches over
to pick up the bit of wood. "Guess I have a bit more time on my hands
these days." She turns it over in that hand and then sets it back down to
take another sip of her drink. "Do you have a hobby like this?"

Z'ku shook his head. "Nothing like that. I've tried a few things here
and there, but nothing that kept my interest. I read sometimes,
histories and the like." He shrugged with a little smile. "I guess I'm
not very interesting." He wasn't a harper, like F'gol had been.

"I didn't say that." Meledei wagged her finger at him, then let that
hand fall into her lap. "You like the histories?"

"Yes. Some of them can get very dry, but there are good ones too.
Learning about the past can help us work toward the future." The
Hold's harper and his father had both encouraged his interest in the
histories.

Meledei jabbed a finger at the bronzerider. "You get it. I wish more
got it. So many people complain about having to go through the old
hides to read the old stories and learn the ballads and teaching
songs...they don't understand."

"I like to ask them what they think would have happened to us when
Thread returned, if no one had bothered to read the histories." It had
been bad enough with the records to guide them.

"Often that shuts them up. Sometimes they try to make it out as if
they'd be smart enough to figure things out even without the
histories." Meledei shook her head and sighed. "Some people can be
so stupid."

"I heartily agree." He thought of F'gol. The bluerider had been stupid
to hurt Meledei, and stupid to let her go.

"So..." Meledei didn't want to let the conversation wain. The silence
would be far too uncomfortable, for her mind would wonder onto
subjects it shouldn't. People it shouldn't. "Heard of any gathers
lately?"

He hadn't but ... "Would you like to go to one?"

"Might be nice to get away for a day." Meledei shrugged. She wasn't
really sure why she mentioned a gather. Last time she'd gone to a
gather she had been with F'gol. Now...now she wasn't with him. She
sighed and put aside her cup. "Find anything that caught your
particular interest in the histories you've read most recently?"

"Weyr history is full of fascinating things. There was once a Lord
Holder's son that Impressed from the stands. He was the only male heir
and when his father died a turn later it caused all sorts of problems.
I wish I could find the Hold's records that went along with it. I get
the idea there was a lot of political intrigue involved in naming a
new Lord."

Meledei cocked her head and she nodded. "I think I remember that,
though I can't for the life of me remember the rider's name." She
snorted. "Probably a lot of fighting happened...but maybe he had a
child who was named heir. That would be interesting to find out."

"Actually, his son was fostered at the Hold, but that was turns later.
I couldn't find out what happened to the son after that." It was
interesting to imagine what might have happened, but he wanted to know
the truth.

Meledei went silent a few moments, her eyes drifting down. When she
looked up, there was a glint of mischeviousness in her gaze. "Do you
want to find out?"

His heart beat double time. "Do you think we can? The records are
probably at the Hold ..."

"Why not?" Meledei straightened up, then leaned forward, that gleam
brightening. "I mean...we know how to do it...have you ever done it?
If we could get more information and details...if we were careful..."

Z'ku's eyebrow went up. "Sneak into their records room?"

"I could always say I'm coming to visit. I'm supposed to keep
positive relations with the Hold. You know, Hold, Weyr politics, that
sort of thing. Meet and greet the Holder and Lady...maybe talk to the
Headwoman about how running things at a hold and how that differs from
the Weyr..." It could work. Maybe. Get them distracted. "If you
rode with me on Elleth, I could drop you off somewhere outside the
hold. You could sneak in."

"I didn't know you were so ... crafty." He wasn't going to say no. It
meant spending more time with her, and he'd use any excuse for that.

"Well, we're not doing anything that's going to hurt anyway. If we
were planning that I would say no." Meledei pointed out. "We're
trying to find out a piece of history."

"Ah, yes. Sneakiness for the sake of history." He smiled. "I say, let's do it."

Meledei's face broke out into a smile. "Good. Next rest day?"

Z'ku loved to see her smile. "That sounds perfect."

Last updated on the February 25th 2011

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