Tentative Meetings

Writers: Chelle, Jelena
Date Posted: 4th February 2012

Characters: Veerona, Naton
Description: Veerona finally meets Naton, though she still isn't comfortable around him
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 6, day 5 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: Jylanya

Naton had seen Veerona around, but the girl seemed to have a tendency
to flee the scene when a stranger appeared. Yet, Naton was a little
curious about the girl. He loved children - they never complained
about his playful attitude in life and were so carefree that he loved
spending time with them - and this girl was the Headwoman's
fosterchild. From their first meeting, Naton had been impressed with
Jylanya and he had promised himself to get to know her better. He
considered getting to know Veerona to be a part of that. So, one day,
as he returned back from a shore patrol and noticed Veerona on the
docks, he turned to his dolphin partner for the day. "Play?" he asked
from the edge of the dock, which got a clicking approval. "Ask the
girl? Maybe she will play with us?" And that was all the dolphin
needed to dart off to where Veerona was sitting. "Plaaaay!"

She had been playing with her shells. Veerona could easily form them
into shapes and make people out of them if she wanted. When the
dolphin spoke to her, she wasn't at all surprised by it since she'd
grown up around the animals. "I don't have a ball." She put her hands
up and shrugged, as if to say she would if she could.

"'Ton has ball!" came the eager reply from the dolphin as she swum a
few circles before coming back up again. "Play with me and 'Ton?" At
the other end of the dock, Naton pretended innocence as he tossed a
ball back and forth between two hands.

Vee didn't know who Ton was so her face became an expression of
confusion. Her eyes searched for another dolphin or anything that
could be what it was talking about. Of course her glance didn't extend
to behind her where the dolphineer was.

"Come to 'Ton with me!" the dolphin urged on the girl as he darted
away to where Naton was sitting. "'Ton good friend!"

She saw the man then. Veerona recognized the knots quickly. Still, he
was a stranger. She didn't know him and would rather have had someone
she knew nearby. Her eyes scanned the area for a quick escape. Vee was
curious, however, and she had seen Jylanya speaking to him so he
couldn't be all bad, right?

She took a few steps closer, but stopped there. "Hi."

Naton didn't move towards the child, but smiled gently at her and
raised his hand in greeting, while he kept the ball in the other.
"Hello there! You are Jylanya's foster child, Veerona, right? I'm
Senior Journeyman Naton." Meanwhile, the dolphin splashed a little
water in the girl's direction playfully. "'Ton friend! Vee friend!"

"Most everyone calls me Vee," she admitted as she carefully watched
him. Wariness was still in her face and in her body language. She was
judging him. Whether or not he got past this first meeting depended on
him.

"Can I call you Vee?" Naton asked, still smiling at her, while he
tossed the ball into the water towards the playful dolphin, who then
bounced it back to Veerona.

She had a problem catching it, but she got the ball after a bit and
then threw it back to the sleek creature. "Maybe. So where d'ya come
from?"

As the dolphin bounced the ball back again, this time to Naton, the
dolphineer caught it and returned it to their dolphin friend who
passed it back to Veerona. "I moved here from the North last month,
came from the Dolphin Hall there." Naton replied easily. "I really
like it here though, it is a good new home."

"I was born at the old hall," she admitted, thinking about it. She had
been too young, though, to remember it much. "I'm southern," she said
proudly, as if that made her better. Of course Vee didn't know much
about the outside world just yet and how hard it could be for people
like her.

"The South is a good place," Naton said with a serious nod. "And I
heard the old Hall was pretty nice too. Do you like it here too,
though?"

"Yeah it's okay here too," Vee didn't venture outside the hall much,
though, since she was unsure of the Weyr and the people there. Unlike
most children who looked at dragons with awe and wonder, she was
afraid of the large beasts with their teeth and claws. "The beach is
mostly the same though."

"A beach is a beach," Naton agreed. "Then again, each beach has its

own unique qualities, as you might learn one day. What do you want to
do when you grow up? Do you want to be a dolphineer or something else
entirely?"

"I don't know. Lany says I can craft at the Weyr maybe if I want. Or
maybe I'll get married...I like the fins." Still unsure about her
future, Vee was content at the moment to learn her lessons and play.

"Well, you have plenty of time left to figure that out!" Naton said
cheerfully. He liked it when kids acted like kids and didn't get all
caught up in crazy ambitions like some children did. "How do you like
your Harper classes?"

"They're allright but sometimes it's the same old stuff. Ballads,
songs, letters...." None of the ballads talked about dolphins or
dolphineers. They were always about dragonriders and holders and they
didn't mean anything to her.

"Yeah, bleugh," Naton said as he pulled a face. He had hated learning
the ballads when he was a kid and he wouldn't wish that upon anyone.
"Is your teacher fun, though? A nice teacher can make even the boring
stuff bearable."

"He's okay I guess, but he's kinda old." In Vee's world old meant not
very fun. She shrugged her little shoulders then turned to look back
at the hall. "I better go now. They'll look for me." Her little lips
squinched with worry.

"Well, I wouldn't want to get you into any trouble," Naton agreed. "It
was nice meeting you though, I hope we'll get to chat again sometime!"

Last updated on the February 16th 2012

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Tentative Meetings