A New Friend

Writers: Clancey, Jelena
Date Posted: 6th March 2012

Characters: Dysali, Naton
Description: Dysali runs into Naton and helps me out, but their adventure continues.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 14 of Turn 6

Naton had been wandering the hallways of Dolphin Cove Weyr for quite a
bit of time now, and while he was thoroughly enjoying exploring the
place, he was starting to worry a little when he realised he had
entirely lost his bearings. Not that you could really get lost in a
place with some many people, but having no idea where you were was a
little unsettling regardless. While at sea Naton usually had a keen
sense of direction, there were no stars to navigate on inside the weyr
and he decided perhaps it was time to ask for some help. When he
spotted a young... greenrider - judging from her knots - passing by he
approached her with a broad smile. "Excuse me, Miss, do you have a
moment to spare for a lost stranger?" he asked in a cheerful tone of
voice.

Dysali had been walking along, rather absentmindedly, when an
unfamiliar voice called her out of her thoughts.

Her immediate, answering smile was cheerful. "Hello! Of course I
can lend a hand. Its easy to get lost in these corridors, sometimes."
She stuck out her hand in greeting, her short auburn curls bouncing a
little as she continued to smile. Since going with I'lan to the
beach, she'd come out of her self-imposed shell bit by bit, and she
found it easier to smile than it had been in prior months. "I'm
Dysali." Her dimples showed as she winked. "Now we are not
strangers, or won't be as soon as you tell me your name. And where
you're trying to go. I'd be happy to take you." She looked at him
curiously, wondering who he was. His knots named him a Dolphineer,
so he must be here to study at the Hall.

Happy to have found such a kind and cheerful young lady willing to
help, Naton took her hand and gave it a firm but gentle shake. "Senior
Journeyman Naton," he introduced himself. "And I was trying to find my
way back to the Dolphin Hall. I´ve been touring the Weyr for a while,
trying to get to know it a little, but I got a little carried away and
ended up.. well, here." He grinned sheepishly at the young rider.
"Where ever here may be."

He would find her hand calloused in the places it should be for a
dragonrider, even at her age. She was just 17 Turns, but had
Impressed Lillyth over 3 Turns ago, already. She returned the gentle
shake. Dysali laughed softly, nodding in understanding. "Here is
good, since I happened to be "here" too. Just in time. And, I was a
Dolphineer apprentice before I Impressed! I'd be happy to show you
how to get to the Hall from here. Its back the other way, and then
there is a path from the Bowl. Its not far."

She looked at him curiously. "Did you just arrive at the Dolphin
Hall? I studied at the Hall that ...was... at Topaz. Before the
storm destroyed it and the Hall was moved here. I try to spend time
down with the local pod, though, often. My dragon loves the dolphins
as much as I do."

"Oh, a fellow Dolphineer!" Naton said eagerly. "And thank you for
helping me out. I did just arrive at the Dolphin Hall a few days back,
transferred in from the North." When she told him about the storm he
had heard so much about already, he nodded, but only replied to her
comment on the local pod. "They're such such a nice group too, don't
you think?" he said with a smile. "Not that I think a dolphin could be
anything but nice, but alright. I'm quite amused with dragons getting
along so well with dolphins, it's wonderful to see them playing
together."

Dysali nodded in full agreement, chuckling at the image of Lillyth
playing with the dolphins. "Whats even funnier is hearing Lillyth's
comments as they play. Yes, they are very nice. Its a great place
to go on a restday if there is no Thread." Her smile faltered for
just that quick second talking of their airborne enemy, but it was
quickly banished by a smile. "Well, lets go. Maybe I can say hi to
the pod if I walk you back."

She went on conversationally as they walked back in the right
direction. "Coming here from the North is a big change, though less
so in the Weyr. But how is it changing to a Southern Hall? Are you
settling in alright?"

"Oh, wonderful, I'm sure the pod will love that," Naton said with a
grin. Dolphins usually loved visitors of every kind, and if Dysali had
been an apprentice there they would surely be excited to see her. As
he fell in pace with her, he nodded at her next words. "It is an
adjustment, yes, but at least the Southern Dolphin Hall has close ties
to Northern Hall. The people are nice, the dolphins are, that's all I
need, really!"

Dysali found herself smiling yet again and was surprised. She was
normally so sad and had kept to herself since... well.. since. But
here she was talking and grinning just like she used to when her life
still included D'ren. It was a good feeling and she wanted to enjoy
it, so she seized on the chance to escape, even for a little while.
"Simple needs you have Naton, very simple. Thats good!" She winked.

It was nearly impossible to be sad or closed in around such happy,
free creatures as the dolphins.

**Come meet us at the docks, love. We're going to see if the dolphins
will come play. **

}:Perhaps they will bring me nice fish?:{ was her lifemate's plaintive
question and she laughed aloud, her eyes that far away look all
dragonriders get, and one her new friend would soon grow accustomed to
if he was not yet.

**No, you have to feed yourself. You're a big girl, you can do it. **

}:I am not so big. But I am hungry. :{

Shaking her head, she apologized to Naton. "So sorry Naton! Lillyth
will ramble on occasionally. Here we are then!" They were at the
path that lead around to the Hall.

"Lets go play!" She smiled again. What _was_ with her?

"Oh!" Naton said in reverence. "You were talking to your dragon?"
There was an obvious curiosity in his eyes. He had never had much to
do with dragonriders in the past and now he lived so close by, he got
to meet them all the time. "Well, if she is half as lovely as her
rider, it will certainly be my pleasure to meet her!" Naton said
cheerfully. He was in a great mood already and the rider's
cheerfulness only increased it. There was a bounce to his steps as he
set down the path back to the Hall.

"Well, more like she was talking to me. At times, its quite the
annoyance having another person, what amounts to another person, in
your head. But I wouldn't trade her for all the Golds on Pern, nor
for anything else on Pern. She's my other half - I didn't even know
I was missing her until she found me on the Sands that day." She had
waxed nostalgic there, and the young man hadn't asked her for a
description of her life with Lillyth.

She went on, answering his nice words. "Oh, she's much lovelier than
I am. " She grinned. "I'm nothing much to look at but she's a
beautiful green dragon."

They had made their way down the path as they spoke and Lillyth was
circling around in the air, looking for dolphins.

"There she is, as a matter of fact." And pointed up. They came out
in the open shoreline where the Hall lay and the docks.

- Hide quoted text -

"That has to be an amazing feeling," Naton said with obvious respect.
He had absolutely no idea how it felt, but it had to be sharding good!
"And don't sell yourself short, young lady," Naton said with a kind
smile. "With that gorgeous smile of yours, I bet you have quite a few
more admirers than you think! Why, if I was a few years younger
myself, I would be on my knees begging you for attention right now."
When she pointed out her green, the grin on the dolphineers face grew
even wider. "Like I expected, she is just as beautiful as her rider!"

Dysali blushed, though on her it did not seem "pretty". It was just a
red face.

She was struck not knowing what to say to such flattery, especially
since she was, at best, cute. Though, she knew enough to know she
_did_ have a pretty smile and a great laugh.

Finally, she shook her head. "Thank you very much Naton. A very
nice thing to say but... No... no admirers... that I know of!" Her
smile curved for a moment, then faded. "I used to have one, though."
Mentally, she swore. Would D'ren _never_ be out of her mind? Would
she never be _over_ him?

Lillyth dived toward the water and Dysali darted toward her dragon
without giving the very nice Dolphineer time to say anything, or at
least anything she heard.

Last updated on the March 9th 2012

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