A Real Friend

Writers: Len, AL
Date Posted: 13th February 2011

Characters: A'shel, Briata
Description: Briata talks to Angshel about his dream of being a Dragonhealer's Apprentice
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 13, day 25 of Turn 5

Briata

Angshel was quietly waiting in the dining room line, when he spied a familiar face. Briata, he remembered her name was. Only this time she had...she had a queen fire lizard on her shoulder! He gasped and shut his mouth when he realised it was hanging open like the dolt he was. She was so pretty...and she had a queen flit, the last thing she'd want was to have to sit with a nobody like him. He dropped his eyes and thought about their talk, back when he was still in the infirmary.

There was one thing to be said about the Weyr, no one went hungry. Briata was among those waiting patiently for the line to move forward. It didn't go very slowly. Most of those knew how things went and if someone went too slow, well, most people just went around. Briata tended to wait which meant that people would go around her _and_ the slow person in front of her.

It was the only reason she saw Angshel, for he was the next person after a few skipped her. The person in front of her was an auntie, bent over, but able enough to carry her own food. The young woman had offered to carry the plate for her, but the auntie had refused. Of course, Briata didn't feel it right to simply skip around like most did. Like those behind her did...until she saw Angshel. Her lips curled up into a smile and she inclined her head toward the young man. "Good evening." She offered in greeting. "You look much better than the last time I saw you." Jewel perked up when she heard her pet speak and set her whirling, blue eyes upon Angshel.

The boy flushed when she spoke to him. Fumbling a bit, he said, "thank you. I feel a lot better too!" He stared a bit at Jewel before adding, "she's yours?"

"Yes, this is Jewel." The creature lifted her head, as if to greet the young man, but she didn't make a sound. Briata reached up to scritch the eyeridges just before the old lady moved forward and she could put something on her plate. "She's still pretty young. Not quite a turn yet."

"Wow, she's beautiful!" Angshel shyly moved around the elderly lady, letting her move in front of him. He couldn't imagine having something so beautiful that could be his, it just wouldn't happen.

"She is." Briata agreed. There was no pride, it was just a simple statement of agreement. She discontinued her scritching to set about putting more things on her plate - including some meat for her gold companion. "What have you been doing to keep yourself busy since I last saw you?" The weaver asked. "Did you inquire about crafting?"

"I..actually haven't yet." How could he say he didn't feel worthy of a Craft? Someone like her would never truly know what it like to be a drudge.

"I see. Would you like someone to go with you?" The words flowed from Briata's mouth before she really thought about it. Not that she minded. This was someone who was going to need encouragement and if she was placed in a position to do so, she would do her best.

"I...uh, you would do that? For me?" Angshel was shocked that someone he barely knew would do such a kind thing. Outside his mother, he didn't know kind people from the Hold he had grown up at.

"You don't belong as a drudge." Briata stated simply. Some people were born to be drudges. It wasn't from any sense of superiority on Briata's part, but simply that they just couldn't handle any other sort of tasks. Often times, these were children who were born slow and remained slow all their lives. They could only handle the simplicity of a drudges life.

Then there were others. Others like Angshel who had a light within them. It was dim...hard to see, but it was there none the less. When those people were drudges, it was generally because they didn't have the self esteem to see themselves as anything else - like Angshel. Sometimes it was because no one else gave them a chance...and maybe that was part of his problem as well. Whatever the reason, Briata felt like he needed to be in a different place. A drudge was not who he was.

Moving to sit down at a mostly empty seat, the boy said, "well...I guess I never really had any option where I grew up. Both my parents were drudges and no one ever said I could be anything else_but_a drudge. And too, being a drudge meant that no one really stopped to look at me and..you know..guess at what I am. Until...until those boys nearly killed me." The last sentence came out in a whisper.

"Perhaps it's time to prove them wrong." Briata suggested, her eyebrows darting up at the last words that come from his mouth. "You have a choice here. More than you do in a hold. Take advantage of it."

He nodded, knowing she was right. "It's just...I don't know. What if I'm not good enough? What if any Master doesn't want me?"

"But what if they would? You'll never know until you try. Wouldn't it be worse to live your life wondering what if than going and getting rejected? The worst they can say is no. They can't physically touch you." Briata wondered if that was part of the problem. Was he afraid of not just rejection, but having something worse done? She wasn't sure. She'd never had known anyone with that sort of history before and she wasn't quite sure what sort of effects it would have on someone.

"They can't?"

"Well, they have the ability, but they wouldn't dare. First off, people aren't normally like that here." Briata explained as she pulled a piece off of her bread. "If they did, they would suffer severely for it. But regardless, what _reason_ would they have to hurt you? There isn't any. Why would they want to hurt you for simply asking whether or not you can craft?"

Angshel simply stared at her. How could he put into words what he was feeling, and what sort of upbringing he had? People he had grown up with never reached for a reason to beat him. And those boys...what reason had they for doing what they had to him?

"How about we go this evening after my classes are over." She suggested, "I'll go with you." As Angshel's mind whirred and he stared at her, Briata gazed back at him. Something horrible had happened, that she know, but it had affected him so much more than just physically. And right then and there, the woman realised he needed a friend. A real friend. So she resolved she would be that friend, no matter what.

"Really? You don't mind?" She had that look in her eye that spoke volumes for the boy. Feeling all the tension leave him, he looked down at his food and began separating pieces out for her little Queen.

"No." Briata shook her head and began to delve into her food. "I don't mind at all."

Last updated on the March 15th 2012

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