You Could Learn

Writers: Avery, Yvonne
Date Posted: 24th February 2014

Characters: L'pin, Alina
Description: L'pin has a proposal for Alina
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 9 of Turn 7

Alina

Alina hadn't been _lurking_, precisely. She'd just been
going a little out of her way, each day, to walk past the
room she'd found the dragonrider practicing his harp. Her
new life at the Weyr hadn't left much time for music, and
although she hadn't exactly sought it out back at Nadol
Cothold, it had always been there. She and Elana had sung
together to pass the time at chores, her mother hummed when
she knit or did the mending, and the breeze often carried
catches of music from the workers as they sang in the
fields.

Her patience was finally rewarded when one afternoon, after
lunch, when she heard the sound of a harp drifting down the
hall. She picked up her pace, but slowed as she reached the
door. Perhaps the dragonrider would want his privacy to
practice. He hadn't seemed to mind her presence before, but
sometimes things changed.

It had been a few days since L'pin had had the chance to
practice. There were days when drills took all the energy
out of him, and this had been one of them. The weather
wasn't good and neither was his mood. So the tunes he played
were melancholy ones, of loss and tragedy and longing. As
that piece came to an end, he set the harp on the table and
rested his head in his hands.

There was a light knock on the door, then Alina stuck her
head around the frame. "Sorry to disturb you, sir, but I
heard your harp and was wondering if I could listen for a
while?" She spoke before really looking at L'pin, but paused
when she saw how sad he looked. A little forlorn, even,
sitting by himself in drab riding leathers in the middle of
a dim, half-abandoned room. The harp seemed like the only
bit of colour in the place. "But if this is a bad time, I do
have chores I should be doing..."

Around the corner came the young woman who'd listened to him
last time. She was an unexpected, but welcome, surprise. He
had wondered if he would see her again after their last
encounter. "Of course you can listen, as long as you won't
get in trouble." he told her.

She _was_ trying to impress the Headwoman, but a few minutes
spent elsewhere wouldn't matter, would they? "I have chores,
but I can put those off for a few moments. If you don't
mind," Alina asked, but she was already through the door and
easing into a wooden chair. The harp sounded so sweet, and
so different, she couldn't resist.

"Chaneth's been telling me I need some company," he said,
picking the instrument back up and running his fingers along
it. It wouldn't be fair to play her a sad song. He thought
about the little ditty he'd been working on, and wondered if
maybe a fresh pair of ears would be just the thing to finish
it.

"Now the night comes to close
And the daylight is breaking
The stars fade away and
The whole weyr is waking
Now up on the Stones heights
Comes the watchdragon's cry
It's time to start working
Dragons take to the sky
For there's sweeps to be had
Messages to be carried
The drills to be held
And weyrlings to be harried
And now it's the daytime
And our work's just begun..."

He trailed off there.

Alina sighed. "That was lovely. I haven't heard it before
though... what's that song called?"

"There's no name...yet." He looked at the harp and not at
her as he spoke.

"You mean _you_ actually _wrote_ that?!" Alina said,
surprised. Harpers wrote songs, not dragonriders! And it was
a good song too, not some diddly-twattle thing.

"I did." He beamed at her expression. "I might have always
wanted to be an archivist, but they teach you all aspects of
the Harpercraft at the Hall."

"Well, it's very good." She'd forgotten, but the last time
they'd met L'pin had said that he'd trained as a Harper
before he'd become a dragonman. It seemed strange to her
that he'd given up a perfectly good life as an archivest to
Impress a dragon. Dragons were so... unpredictable. And
Thread was so dangerous. "You should give it a name."

"I should give it a final two lines that rhymes with begun,
as well. I haven't composed in Turns - I'm out of
practice."

She pursed her lips, thinking. Surely there were surely a
million words that rhymed with 'begun'. It couldn't be that
hard. "I'm sure that you can compose something. You did the
rest-- the melody must be the hard part, I'm sure. So I'm
sure that you can finish it."

"I appreciate your confidence, lady. Would you like me to
play something you know?"

Alina smiled, flattered that he'd ask. "That would be
wonderful. Something happy-- a Gather song, maybe? But then
I should go do my chores..."

"Of course. I would never want to get you in trouble." He
played the opening bars of a festival song to check she knew
it, before launching into the full piece.

Alina closed her eyes and let the music fill up the empty,
echoing places inside her. Warm notes plucked from harp
strings did a lot to ease the homesickness that never quite
left and helped fill the void caused by her sister's
absence. It was nice to just... _be_. Be still. Be
unguarded. Be okay with not knowing the future. Music made
her feel like herself again, at least for a little while.
But the song ended, as songs do, and she couldn't help the
small sigh of disappointment. "Thank you. That was lovely."

"It's always nice to have an appreciative audience. You're
welcome anytime," he assured her, meaning it. It did him
good to have some casual company.

After a moment, he spoke again. "Can you read music at
all?"

"A little." She shrugged. "We didn't have a Harper at the
Cothold all the time, so mostly we just memorized the
teaching songs."

"I ask because if you'd like, I can share some new music
with you for learning. But if you can't read it, it would
have been a poor gift - though I'd be willing to assist you
in learning, if you'd like. Or there's the Weyrharper."

"Really?" Her heart leaped-- then crashed back down to
reality. Her schedule was already so full with lessons,
chores and those stupid exercises that she barely had any
time to herself as it was. That, and she had to keep in the
Headwoman's good graces. When she didn't Impress, she had to
have something to take away from her time at the Weyr, and a
letter of recommendation from Quorri could secure her an
excellent position somewhere-- and hopefully a husband in
the bargain. Music lessons just weren't practical, no matter
how much she wanted them. And as _if_ the Weyrharper would
have time for someone like her. "Well... I don't know. I'd
love to, if you have time, but I'm not sure that the
Headwoman or the Weyrlingmaster would approve when there's
other things that need to be done. But I'd really like to
see the music, if you're okay with that." The last bit was
blurted out before she could help herself.

His lips had to twitch at the mention of who she reported
to, but he didn't say anything, not when he hadn't spoken to
the Weyrleader again yet. He still wasn't sure...

"There is encouragement to pursue other training if you
don't Impress, so there's no reason not to ask. If not,
there's always restdays. And I will make sure to bring you
some, and perhaps even loan you an instrument if you
wanted."

"Really?" An instrument? Learn to actually _play_ an
instrument?! "That would be amazing! I mean--" Alina
swallowed her enthusiasm and folded her hands demurely in
front of her, trying without much success to bite back the
smile that split her face. Manners still mattered. "That is
very generous of you. I would be delighted to learn, but I
wouldn't want to take up your time."

"I have several apprentice efforts that aren't going to
use," he assured her, pleased she seemed content. "As just a
wing rider, I find myself with an abundance of time. I'd be
happy to show you my weyr and the music and instruments,
when you don't have chores."

Maybe not his weyr... that wasn't something that a good girl
did, although visiting a dragonrider in an empty room wasn't
something good girls did either. "That would be most kind of
you," she said after a moment. "But perhaps we could meet
here instead? I already know the way."

It had been more than 20 Turns since he'd been hold- or
hall-bred. He knew another man might argue, but he didn't.
"That would be fine," he assured her.

"Excellent! I should go, though..." Alina beamed. This would
be marvellous! "When can I meet you again?"

"Tomorrow or three days from now," he suggested.

She thought for a moment. "I... I could meet you in three
days, after evening chores, if that's all right? I have
plans for tomorrow."

"Absolutely." And maybe by then he'd have talked to
N'vanik.

Alina beamed. "Until then, L'pin." She dropped a quick
curtsey and hurried out, her mind already on the chores
ahead of her.

Last updated on the February 28th 2014

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