A Quiet Place
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Bree, Clancey
Date Posted: 9th January 2006
Characters: J'darin, Maurgen
Description: J'darin meets Maurgen on the beach and asks her to do a portrait of his dragon.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 7 of Turn 3
After a couple of days of rain, the restday dawned bright and sunny. J'darin called Oak, and went out to Hasaarth who was already on his ledge glad for some sunshine on his bronze hide. The Weyrleader had no immediate plans today, and sighed a bit. Now was when he missed Kalina .. Traelyn didn't always want to see him, though she enjoyed their time together he could tell. Shaking off the lonlieness that had invaded him 10 days before, he made himself ready to go down to the shore to relax with his dragon.
): And bathe me.:{ Hasaarth added with a note of certainity in his thoughts that made J'darin laugh. A short while later, the pair were finding a place in the overcrowded sections of shoreline and J'darin sent Oak and Hasaarth on into the water, and went looking for a quieter spot to sit. The beach was crowded in front of the Weyr, but just around the corner of one of the jutting rocks was a nice quiet stretch of beach with only a young woman. She was sitting on a blanket with her shoes tossed off and her toes buried in the sand, and had a thin board with paper tacked to it balanced on her legs. She was engrossed in what she was doing, glancing up from time to time at the dragons visible in the water before returning to her paper. Finding some peace at last, the Weyrleader spied only one young woman, drawing. Pleased with that, he moved closer to her so that his shadow briefly covered her sketch. Hasaarth was already heading out into the water followed by Oak, and J'darin smiled briefly at the young Harper, her face vaguely familiar.
"Pardon me, mind sharing your quiet space with a needful bronzerider?" He said softly. She'd looked up at him with a frown when his shadow fell across her work, but the frown quickly turned to embarassment when she realized she was scowling at the Weyrleader! "Of course not, Weyrleader! I... I can move if you need me to." J'darin chuckled at her frown. He was used to be frowned at by women and men alike, and only found this charming as the young woman was obviously trying to work, and here he was interrupting her. "Nonsense. Stay, please.
I'm trying not to be the Weyrleader today, and this seems a good place to hide. Might I look at your sketches? My bronze loves to be drawn, proud thing that he is." Maurgen's cheeks turned pink as she shifted enough to give J'darin a clear view of her work. "It's not much... I just love to watch the dragons." She wondered if he'd realize that his Hasaarth featured prominently on the page.
J'darin leaned over her to look at the sketches, finally sinking down to the sand beside her without thinking. He found himself entranced by seeing his dragon on the page. He _was_ a very fine bronze. }: Of course I am! She has watched me before:{ he heard from the dragon in question, laughing at the first and curious at the second. He quickly turned to her and said, "Hasaarth says he's a very fine bronze.
He seems to think you've watched him before, although I suspect you draw a lot of dragons, especially in a Weyr!" His gaze traveled out to the water, seeing the scene for a moment through a portrait, and he found it beautiful.
"Oh, well... he is a very fine bronze," Maurgen replied, shyness in the presence of Weyrleader making her sound a little breathless. "Not that the other bronzes aren't lovely as well... they all are. And the other dragons, too." She bit her bottom lip to stop the words from tumbling out, the color in her cheeks deepening. His deep blue eyes watched the scene in front of his eyes for a moment longer before turning to the young woman. He ignored the dragon comments; all people who weren't riders was awed by the beauty of them, and most riders were too. Instead he smiled warmly at her, courtesy in every gesture. "What's your name lass? I might ask you to draw a special portrait of my bronze lump for me, if you're so inclined?"
"Maurgen," she replied, belatedly offering her hand in greeting before she remembered she had a pencil in it. "And I'd be happy to do a portrait of Hasaarth."
J'darin laughed again, removing the pencil for a moment with his other hand before shaking her extended one. Strong, yet gentle, he found himself interested in this young woman. "He has assured me he will sit perfectly still for hours, if you will let me scratch his eyeridges every now and then." He smiled again, wondering if he was scaring the poor girl, being the All-Powerful Weyrleader. "Perhaps we could start in a few days? What is your rate for portraits? I bet you could earn plenty of marks from dragonriders - those that have them anyway - drawing their overly proud beasts." His laugh was friendly, and warm. Maurgen gave him a wide eyed look of shock. "Oh, no! I couldn't accept payment from _you_, sir! Please, let me do it as a gift. I mean, it would be an honor."
"Faranth, lass. It would be wrong for me to do it for free. Couldn't you pretend I'm not _me_? Whoever me is?" He added with an ironic twist to his expressive mouth. He felt comfortable enough with this Maurgen to add that.
"But we can argue about it once you start. Say the day after tomorrow?"
Startled by how friendly the Weyrleader was, she gave him a shy smile. "It sounds perfect. Just let me know when, Weyrleader."
J'darin considered and realized Thread fell tomorrow. He adjusted the dates he'd told her and said, "I'll meet you right here in early afternoon on the
11th day, lass. We've Thread tomorrow, and I'll be busier than expected for the next few days." He smiled at her, then finished, "Thank you for letting me share your spot. Sometimes a Weyr is a loud place." He said softly, before turning to gaze back out at the water. "It can be," she agreed softly, glancing back at her sketch. She'd never dreamed that the handsome Weyrleader found the Weyr to be as loud a place as she did, though, and the thought of him sharing a spot with her made her smile.
Last updated on the January 9th 2006