Differing Philosophies of Life

Writers: Miriah, AL
Date Posted: 17th April 2013

Characters: D'hol, Meledei
Description: Meledei and D'hol discuss thier views of life
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 12, day 17 of Turn 6

D'hol

Meledei peered up at the sky. Thread had fallen that day, but the
chaos was over. The sun was setting and the blue sky was awash with
orange, pink, and purple. If one didn't know better, one would have
said Thread had taken the day off. The injuries found in the
infirmary, however, told another story.

Meledei had managed to come out unscathed, but she reached down to
trace a line over her pants where her scar could be found. She had
been very fortunate.

Clean up was done, things had calmed down. The first few Falls had
resulted in more insanity and had been followed by silent meals. Now
people were getting used to the way things were and meals were pretty
much normal, just with talk about who was injured, who wasn't among
the normal gossip.

Meledei leaned against a boulder and turned her eyes from the sky to
the lake. It too was bathed in colour, reflecting the sky as if
desperate to be in such a lofty position. It was peaceful now. She
had bathed, Elleth had been bathed and she felt better to be rid of
the grime. Now it was time to wind down.

Hair still wet from his bath, D'hol walked quietly up behind the young
goldrider and leaned against the boulder. "Heard you did good today."

Meledei turned her head to look at the rider, her lips stretching into
a smile. "Hey. I did okay. Managed not to get scored anyway. You
doing all right?"

He nodded. "Fair enough. Yumath ended up with a wingtip score, but
nothing he's not had before. It wasn't a rough Fall all together." He
moved to stand beside her, his eyes following to where hers had
lingered. His face was cool, but reflective. "No critical injuries
this time in my wing." He looked out at the sunset, then crossed his
arms. "Seems odd to see that beauty after a Fall."

"Ouch. Still, I hope he heals quickly." Meledei turned back to the
sky and lake then nodded. "Aye. It is. And yet here it is, despite
everything. It's as if Pern is trying to say, don't worry, everything
will be all right in the end."

"He's not the youngest bronze, but he's one of the most stubborn about
injuries. He'll be fine." He gazed over the sunset and arched a brow.
"I'm not so poetic. I see more of a 'I haven't killed you yet, so
enjoy yourself.'"

Meledei's head tilted back as she laughed. "Well, I guess that's
certainly one way to look at it. Still, I think I prefer my view."
Though it was obvious she was amused by the man's cynicism.

He turned his head to look at her and one lip corner curled up. "Not
surprising. You're young yet."

"Maybe. Or maybe I will always have this view." Meledei preferred
hers to be honest and she hoped she didn't become cynical as she got
older. It seemed that so many did.

D'hol's voice was reflective. "I hope you do, though I wouldn't wager
on it. But, perhaps you'll be one of the rare ones that do. You seem
to have that type of personality about you."

"I dunno. I might be a good bet." Meledei grinned. "Besides, I
don't know if I want to lose sight of the beauty of this world. I
have my days, that's for sure, when everything sucks...but I hope I
always come back around to see that there's more than just bad days."

"It isn't always." D'hol agreed. His eyes stayed on the sunset. "But
the beauty is fleeting and often it doesn't linger. The ugly...it
sticks to you." He absently rubbed the scar on his neck before
glancing back to the younger rider and offered a slight smile. "But
your attitude...I hope you get to keep it."

"But it comes back. And yea, ugliness can stick, but so can the right
kind of beauty. And sometimes the ugliness has something meaningful
and beautiful that goes along with it." Meledei could understand how
easy it was to fall into the trap of despair, but she tried hard to
think more on the positive aspects of life.

"You're quite the philosopher, Meledei."

Meledei shrugged. "Just feel like I need to look at things that way."
Otherwise, she might decide not to leave her bed.

Privately, D'hol wondered how the girl could stay so positive facing
what they did on a regular basis. Perhaps she'd never had the close
calls that many riders ended up experiencing. He frowned slightly as
he pictured her losing that view; it was an unpleasant thought. He
honestly hoped it would never happen and he couldn't say that his
opinion of most people was as hopeful. "Perhaps we older riders can
take a scrap from your hide, so to speak. It would make life a little
less dreary."

"And life shouldn't be dreary. At least not all the time." Meledei
knew life was going to have its moments, but if anything, Thread
should teach them that life was to be enjoyed and savoured - and
appreciated.

Last updated on the October 3rd 2013

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Differing Philosophies of Life