Try Something Else

Writers: AL, Miriah
Date Posted: 21st March 2014

Characters: Meledei, J'ackt
Description: Meledei and Jenackt bond a little at the beach
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 27 of Turn 7

J'ackt

She increased her stride in order to catch up to the young man, then
tapped him lightly on his right shoulder. As she did so, she eased
over to the left so that she was on the wrong side of him turning to
look at whomever it was touched him.

Jenackt whirled to face whoever had touched him, an instant frown
lighting on his face. Since the fight, he'd been more on edge,
especially after having to start the blasted etiquette lessons. He'd
not been able to relax and it had been starting to get to him. Tension
coiled in his frame as his head jerked from side to side, seeing no
one.

He turned back, spotted someone in the corner of his eye and spun,
hand lifting in immediate defense.

"Whoa!" Meledei darted back, both hands raised to shield herself from
an expected blow. "Jenackt! Sorry! It's just me!" It was a
reaction she hadn't quite expected. "Geez..."

Still sporting a fading black eye and a bruise on his jaw, Jenackt
stared at Meledei and his eyes widened. He immediately dropped his
hand and shoved it behind his back. "Shaffit! Sorry...I thought it
was someone else.." He ran his other hand over his face, exhaling.
"Don't do that..."

"Sorry. I was just playing around." Meledei lowered her hands and
then clasped them behind her. "So I guess the rumours were pretty
much on the nose this time. Usually they're pretty exaggerated."

"Didn't mean to scare you, Meledei." Jenackt relaxed a little more.
"Sorry about that." He looked at her and shrugged. "Rumors are
everywhere. The evil holdless boy eats babies. Shh..don't get near
him."

"That's not true at all." The goldrider shook her head slowly and
clasped her arms behind her back. "You only eat baby canines."

The look of disgust on his face was evident. "I can honestly say I've
never eaten that and I've had to eat a lot of different things. " But
if he had been hungry enough, anything fuzzy would have been
vulnerable had he still been living outside of Emerald Falls. "But
don't say that around anyone. They might believe it."

"Oh Jackt, I was just teasing." Meledei wrinkled her nose, then
carefully, and cautiously, reached out a finger to poke him gently in
the arm. "And I'll say what I want to say and you can't stop me!" Her
face broke out into a grin once more and she withdrew her hand. "Still
hanging in there?"

**Jackt?** This time he didn't flinch at the poke, nor did he respond
with instinctive aggression. His lip twitched, just a little, in a
hint of a smile. "Of course you can. You ride the gold." He shrugged
at her next question and shoved his bandaged hands into the loose
pockets of his pants. "I'm alright I guess."

"You guess? You aren't sure?" Meledei mimiced Jenackt's posture and
then nudged him gently with her elbow. "Wanna talk about it?"

Jenackt eyed her and his lips quivered further, almost smiling as she
copied him. The goldrider was never what he expected from anyone who
had impressed a gold. She certainly wasn't like Cyradis or Saibra. He
pulled out a hand and scratched behind his ear. Part of him wanted to,
but part of him just wanted to block it all out. "I'm tired. Just
tired."

"Are you hungry to?" Meledei suggested as she tugged a hand from her
pocket so she could jab her thumb in the direction of the dining hall.
"We could grab something, head down to the beach and just relax as we
eat. Of course, that requires exerting some energy first!"

Honestly, he just wanted to sleep, but if he laid down, he'd never get
up for evening chores. So...he nodded. "I suppose I could eat." He
didn't make any promises about how much he would talk or how much he
would relax. He turned in the direction of his thumb and started
walking with her, his footsteps silent.

Meledei led the way to the dining hall. T'nom was preoccupied, so she
might as well spend the time with another friend. She managed to
cajole a few meatrolls, sweet rolls, fruit and fingerroots from the
kitchen, then gently tugged upon Jackt's sleeve. "Think you can make
it? The lake is closer if you'd rather go there."

"I'm tired, not weak." Jenackt replied dryly. He easily handled the
loads of food, but didn't hesitate on handing Meledei her share to
carry. He may have had etiquette shoved down his throat, but he dug
his heels in at being a complete 'gentleman'. He glanced at all the
food.
"Is there anything you want that you can't get?"

"I don't think so. But I don't like to take_too_ much advantage.
However, if there's something you particularly want, I'll ask for it.
If it's bubblies, I've already got two." She grinned. Meledei was
known for her love of sweets, particularly bubblies. She was always
careful to have them in moderation, however. Too much of a good thing
always turned it bad.

His nose wrinkled. "I don't like sweet things. You can have all you
like." It must have been nice to have the kitchen at her beck and
call.
At one time, he would have done anything to have food upon command. He
supposed that it was one of the benefits to having a dragon with a
shiny hide. "I'm fine with what we have." He held the food carefully
and walked out of the dining room, knowing she would follow and made
his way to the beach.

"You don't like sweet things? What's wrong with you?" Meledei's tone
was light, teasing and she reached out her free hand to poke him
again.
"Well then, what_do_ you like?"

He blinked at her. "They're sweet. It's just.." He made a face. "It's
too much, I guess." He shrugged, taking her teasing with good grace.
"I like fruit."

"Well, I got some red and yellow fruit too, so you are welcome to it.
I'll just eat both bubblies." Meledei's eyes twinkled. Yes, all
things in moderation, but the occasional splurge was all right too.
She kept pace with him as they traversed the path down to the beach
and selected a spot not too far away. "So how do you like life here at
the Weyr now that you've been here a while?"

"Everyone is so curious about that." Jenackt frowned. **Maybe they
should have asked what I thought before I was made to stay.** As his
feet finally hit sand and the warmth of the sun beat down, he
shrugged.
He sat on the sand, feet curling up under him. "I don't want to talk
about it."

"Well, I'm curious because you're my friend. Of course, whether or
not you answer it is your privilege." Meledei shrugged and plopped
down in the sand. She hadn't thought to bring a blanket, but sand was
rampant everywhere, so she was used to it weaseling its way into her
clothing.
She'd just bathe later. At least they had some small cloths on which
they could place their food without getting it sandy. Meledei passed
several meatrolls, bread, and pieces of fruit and fingerroots over to
her companion. "Do you like it here though? I hope you do. I like it
here and think it's wonderful. But then again, I am rather biased."

He took the food and took a small bite. "I suppose it is wonderful for
you." He looked out at the ocean. "You've pretty much got anything you
want."

"Good food, friends, a dragon. Yes I am very fortunate." Meledei
threw a sidelong look at the young man. "You might Impress yet. And
even if you don't, there's a lot the Weyr has to offer. You could
craft if you wanted. Find your feet somewhere."

He sighed and stared at her. "You know...I could do without people
telling me everyday that the Weyr is a wonderful place to be. I get
it. Really. It's great for most people. "

"But not all." Meledei nodded, then leaned forward to rest an arm
over her knee. "I'm not one who will deny that there are those who
prefer to remain elsewhere. As much as I love the Weyr, I know it's
not for everyone. The question you have to ask, is it for_you_?"

"Don't have much else of an option." He replied and shrugged. That
much was the truth. If he left the Weyr, he faced imprisonment by
Emerald Falls when or if he was caught. "Can we talk about something
else?"

"Sure." Though the comment spurred her curiousity. Meledei wanted to
ask, but she refrained. The young man had his secrets, there were
reasons behind his actions. If he wanted to tell her, he'd do it in his
own time. "So is there _any_thing you like about the Weyr?"

He stopped to consider that. "Yeah. I have a roof over my head." He
stared out at the waves of the ocean. "And I'm not hungry all the time.
The food's pretty good." He looked down at the sands at his feet. "I
just don't understand a lot here, Meledei. I..." He struggled and looked
at her. "It's nothing."

"It's obviously something." Or he wouldn't have mentioned it. Meledei's
fingers severed a piece of meatroll from the main body, but she held off
eating it right away. "Look, if you want to talk, I'll listen and
nothing will get past me. I'm not the sort to gossip about stuff and
I'm certainly not going to break a friend's confidence. If you have
troubles or want to get something off your chest, I'll be glad to help
however I can. Whatever you decide, just know you've got a friend here
at the Weyr, okay?"

He didn't look over at her, but his fingers trailed in the sand as he
considered what she had to say. It was difficult for him to trust, even
though she had been nothing but kind. "I feel lost." His words were
soft. "I don't know what I'm doing."

>From as far back as she could remember, she'd intended to Craft and
Stand. If she hadn't Impressed, Meledei would have continued in her
craft. She had Impressed, so that hadn't been an issue either. For her
entire life, Meledei had a plan of some sort for her life - except for
once she had Impressed, she had wallowed in a/between/ state. Traelyn

had hardly shown her face and so Meledei had floundered and done as best
she could until Janani's arrival. "Yeah. I know that feeling." She
eyed the rest of her food, but didn't eat just yet. "Do you know what
you_want_ to do?"

He poked at the sand. "No." He tossed a larger rock into the waves
with a frown. " I don't like working in the kitchens. I hate cutting
stuff up. I work with Vandor too, but it's not something I really
like, just something I need to know. And they keep me so busy with
shaffing lessons that I really can't do much else."

"Is there anything you do like to do?" Meledei watched as the rock
sailed into the water and was swallowed in the froth. It sounded like
Jenackt needed direction of some sort or another. She honestly wasn't
sure if she was the best qualified to head him in one, but she wanted
to help.

He looked over at her and rolled his shoulders. "I liked practicing
with my sword. But it's not a craft and I don't really have time
anymore."

"Would doing stuff like making swords and what not interest you?"
Somehow Meledei couldn't see it, but then again, she didn't really
know Jenackt all _that_ well.

He paused and slowly turned his head to look at her. "I could make my
own then..."

"You realise swords aren't cheap, right? I mean, there's a reason few
people have them." Meledei didn't want to make it seem like the young
man would have delusions that he might suddenly have means to acquire a
sword. "But you could make your own after time. It's not easy to do it
either. You have to start at the beginning, learn how to work with
metal, get it to do what you want it to do. It's not easy work either
from what I hear. But, if you want to craft in something like that, you
have the opportunity to do so here at the Weyr."

He gave her a look that clearly said that he was aware of how valuable a
sword was. "Nothing is ever easy." He looked back over the waves. "I'll
give it some thought."

"I'll support you whatever you decide." While nothing was ever
impossible without the support of others, Meledei knew it made things
easier. She had a feeling Jenackt didn't have much of that in his
life. She wasn't sure _how_ she could support him, but she'd do it if
she could. "If nothing else, it's worth checking into. If you don't
like it, you can move on to something else."

Last updated on the March 21st 2014

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Try Something Else