Parenthood

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 14th July 2014

Characters: Meledei, R'haran
Description: Meledei asks after R'haran's adopted daughter.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 15 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Sahna, Asley
Notes: Mentor approved.

The harper greenrider sat at the table in the dining cavern re-reading the
letter that had arrived that morning. People were starting to gather ahead of
the evening meal and he knew in a minute he would have to put the papers aside
and socialise. If he was lucky the rest of his children would join him though he
tried not to feel neglected if they didn't It was a _good_ thing that they have
other friendships and liked their foster-mother. It was an _excellent_ thing.

"Hey R'haran." Meledei approached the table, a smile lit upon her face for the
greenrider. Her eyes noted the parchment with writing, though did not linger
long enough to be rude and actually read what was written. As she spoke, she
inclined her head toward the chair opposite of him - empty and just waiting
patiently for company. "Would you mind if I join you?"

"I would be honoured if you would, Meledei." He indicated the letter. "More news
from Sahna at the Harper Hall."

"How is she?" The tray was set with a soft click while the chair groaned as
Meledei scraped it against the floor to give her more room to lower into it. She
shuffled closer to the table then settled down to pick up her fork only to stab
a slab of steak so she could saw at it with a knife. "Still doing all right?"

"Oh, yes. I get word back through the harper grapevine and the printers seem
pleased with her progress. And she says she's enjoying the work." He folded the
letter and slipped it into his pocket. "I hate to admit it but I never really
feel she's _safe_ out there, as if 'out there' is a completely different world
from in the Weyrs. The Weyrs aren't perfect and the Holds and Halls aren't
entirely peopled with monsters, but suddenly it feels that way." He smiled at
the goldrider. "Parenthood."

While she couldn't blame him, Meledei also knew that the Hold's decision to
retain its female harpers despite its move was really a step in the right
direction. She just hoped they were careful to protect their female crafters.
"Do you think she'll ever come back to the Weyr?"

"I don't know. If she finishes her apprenticeship -" He shrugged. "Printers tend
clump together in bigger Holds or in Halls. And there will always be better
opportunities for her in the North." He had offered to send her North but that
wasn't what she wanted.

"Do you think she'll go up there?" Meledei enjoyed her visits to the North but
she had no plans to move up there. She much preferred her home continent - and
her home Weyr in particular.

"I don't know." His expression was rueful. "The whole decision to become a
printer apprentice was a bit of a surprise to me."

"Did she not give any indication she was interested?" Meledei had known early on
what Craft she wanted to focus on, though she'd been told she'd make a fair
harper. She had a keen ear for music and her voice a warm quality. The love for
beasts, however, had won over her love for music - and her love for dragons
above both.

"Not really. She read a lot and seem to have a stack of books." He shrugged. "I
thought she was just making up for the Turns when they didn't have much."

Meledei's lips quirked upward. "I'd say that's an indication, but I guess a lot
of people like to read and don't become printers. Will she have a chance to
visit any time soon?"

He shook his head. "Not really. You would have apprenticed at the Weyr, wouldn't
you have? When holder children go away to apprentice they often never come back.
Not so much of a problem for me since Evie can still move me around Pern - after
a fashion - so I can visit her."

"Yeah, I did apprentice at the Weyr." Meledei would have never had the
opportunity to apprentice at a Hold - she was female. Still, if she had, would
she have returned to the Weyr? In her heart, Meledei knew she would have, but
that it wasn't always the case for everyone. "How often do you visit her?"

"Once a month. I take one of the others with me. She seems pleased to see us but
I don't want to be a clingy parent, either." He held up the letter. "We write a
lot."

"That's better than nothing." Meledei still had her father and she couldn't
imagine living somewhere far from him. It was one of the reasons she had no
plans to go to another Weyr. "That reminds me, I should write to Asley, see how
she's doing. She's at the Hall too."

"The printer apprentice? Sahna's mentioned her in her letters. I don't recall
meeting her here, though."

"She was here, moved when the hall moved back to Emerald Falls." Meledei hadn't
heard from her since - not that she had been any better. The young goldrider
resolved to change that. "Sahna's made friends with her?"

"I don't know that they're friends - she's a senior apprentice, nearly a
journeywoman, Sahna said, but they're both female apprentices in printercraft
and her name comes up from time to time." He was pleased to hear that Meledei
knew the older apprentice well enough to be considering writing to her. That was
something of a recommendation.

"Oh, okay. Hopefully she'll be able to help show Sahna the ropes and all that."
It was extremely common for older apprentices to help the new ones.
Unfortunately, it wasn't all that uncommon for there to be problems from the
older and more experienced apprentices too, but Meledei didn't think Asley was
like that. "Well, tell Sahna I said hello next time you write or see her. It's
nice to hear she's doing well."

"I will. She'll be pleased that you've remembered her."

"Why wouldn't I?" Meledei grinned. "I should tend to some things. It was nice
chatting with you, R'haran."

"And with you, Meledei."

Last updated on the July 15th 2014

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Parenthood