Her shoulder-length brown hair bobbing over the top of her back, Ela went on her way the the Masterharper's office, humming, as she almost always did, on her way. Brown eyes darted this way and that, not missing a single thing that happened in their view.

As she reached the door, she tapped once, lightly, and then opened it only enough to allow her slim build through. She stood at the doorway, and cleared her throat when the Masterharper didn't look up.

The old man, grey hair showing through at the roots, looked up almost wearily, smiling only slightly as he saw the journeywoman. "Ah, Ela." He said blandly, waving her in further to sit down on the chair opposite.

Ela strode across the room, flashing the Master a smile before sitting down with a flourish, her humming only abating then. "You wanted to see me, sir?" She asked earnestly.

He nodded. "Indeed I did, journeywoman," He said formally, and then leant forward. "Ela; you're 19 now, aren't you?"

The harper beamed, glad that he knew her age. "Of last sevenday!"

Again the Masterharper gave his slight half-smile. "Indeed. And I believe - we believe, including your parents - that it's time you did as your title suggests - and journey."

It shocked her, but she'd just been waiting for the day when this would happen. She hadn't loathed it, but wasn't exactly looking forward to it - Ela enjoyed it at the Hall, and didn't particularily want to be posted somewhere else. Her friends, and most of her family, were here, and she didn't want to leave them. But she would do as the Masterharper bid her.

"I- of course, sir," Ela replied mildly, trying not to show her disappointment. But not much escaped the Master's notice.

"You know it had to happen, Ela," The Master pointed out, with a hard edge to his voice. Ela averted her eyes. "You did - you were warned, even by your parents. And now the time has come-" His voice took on a lighter note, and Ela could here the rustling of papers as he organised something or other. She looked up, almost nervously, a tiny smile playing on her lips.

"Where am I to go, Master Plearn?"

The Master grinned. "I'm sure you'll love it, Ela. You're to go to Talor Cliff Weyr; should be a grand experience for you. You're being transported adragonback, the Weyrleaders were nice enough to- are you alright, dear? You've gone deathly white!"

And indeed she had, and her hands which before were lightly clasped on the armrests of the chair were now clenching it, going white around the knuckles. "I'm... going... to a.. Weyr?" She asked in a tiny voice.

Plearn gave her a strange look. "Why, yes. I thought you'd enjoy such a change in culture. Unless... you're not afraid of dragons are you? You have a firelizard-"

Ela gave a bitter laugh at his misunderstanding, and then at her Master's questioning look, converted it into a light, nervous laugh. "Oh, no, not at all. It's just-" She paused, and you could see her change what she was about to say, "-it was just a shock, is all. I'll be glad to go." It wasn't said with much enthusiasm.

Though he still looked at her strangely, Plearn let her odd reaction go. "Good. Now, I know I'm not giving you much time, but they said that your transport would arrive sometime this afternoon..."

"This afternoon?!" She squeaked, her eyes wide, and then: "Well, of course, Masterharper."

He gave her an approving smile. "You'll be asisting the Weyrharper there; he's been complaining about the amount of people he has to handle by himself, anyway. Dismissed, Ela. And good luck."

Plearn gave the girl no more heed as he turned back to his hidework, and Ela watched him for a moment before getting up and walking slowly out of the office, utterly confused.

Fret from Tripaldi Weyr

The first thing Julee saw as she burst into Ela's small journeywoman quarters was the girl sprawled on her cot, her head thrust into her pillow. Fret, Ela's green firelizard, managed to zip through the door before Julee slammed it, and landed on the only stool in the room, chirping her contentment at having done her job well.

"Ela! What happened? Fret was in an awful state when she came to get me-"

Snapping her head up, Ela beamed when she saw her friend, sitting up and gesturing for the apprentice to come over.

Though a few years younger than Ela, and still an apprentice harper, Julee was in more ways than one much more mature than the journeywoman - though she wasn't as good at the harper craft as her friend.

"They're sending me to the Weyr, Julee!"

The younger girl was overjoyed. "That's great, Ela! You must be so pleased - except for going away from your friends and- Ela?" Julee stopped as she looked at her friend's face, which looked almost frightened. "Ela? Why don't you want to go to the Weyr?"

"I- I do..." She started to protest, and then shook her head. "No, I don't! I mean, I wouldn't have minded going away, but you know how different it is at Weyrs..."

Julee waited for her to go on, and when she didn't, furrowed her brows. "No," She said bluntly. "What's it like at Weyrs?"

Ela blushed. "Y'know, it's different... mating flights... and things..."

Julee gaped at her a minute, and then burst out laughing. "Oh, no wonder you look so scared, Ela! You being brought up by those hidebound parents of yours..." Julee broke off, giggling and ignoring Ela's protests to the insult to her parents. "No, you know it's true. I'm sure it's not as bad as they say; you'll love it, Ela! And you'll get used to it, I'm sure! They're just-" She tried to think of an appropriate word, but gave up with a grin. "They're just weyrbred at the Weyr. They just see things a little differently - hopefully some of it will rub off one you, silly wherry!"

The journeywoman looked horrified at the suggestion. "I certaintly do not hope-" She began indignantly, but was silenced by Julee's wave of her hand.

"When do you go?" Julee couldn't help but be a little saddened, despite her reassurences.

The other girl's eyes widened. "Oh! I'm supposed to be-" She rushed to the window, and her jaw dropped comically as she saw her transport dragon in the courtyard, the blue's rider chatting idly to one of the Masters, every so often glancing towards the Hall. "Now!" She cried, spinning around and looking panicked. "Oh, help me pack, Julee!"

Beaming down on the young weyrbrat, Ela reached out and ruffled his hair, to which the small boy ducked out of with an impish grin. He bounded away, glad for his teacher's praise, while Ela clutched the small stone the boy had gifted her as if it were gold. The small present meant more than anything to her at that moment, and she gave a little sigh, opening her hands slightly to look at it. It was a pretty stone, the type that such a boy would pick up and give to somebody-

An amused chuckle broke her train of thought, and Ela swung around to face the intruder, blushing slightly. Though she'd been in the Weyr for almost half a turn now, she was still the quiet, almost meek person that she had been back at the Hall, even if she had learnt to be a little more outgoing through necessity.

"Get to you like that, don't they?" The woman, a greenrider by the knots fixed on her shoulder, said to the harper, grinning. "Have some of my own brats - melt your heart, they could."

Ela nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, they do," She admitted. "Are you in need of something, greenrider?"

The grin on the greenrider's face faltered slightly to an expression of interest. "Yes, actually, I am. I'm Brenna, Searchrider for Beach Shards Weyr - have you heard of it?"

Her brows knitted together, Ela shook her head, wondering what a rider from a differeent Weyr would want from her.

"Didn't think so; it's rather new. But anyway... there's a clutch on the Sands, you see, and we need candidates..."

"Ah!" Comprehension dawned for the young woman, and she smiled. "You want to know which of the brats that are running around has potential?"

Brenna cocked her head, grinning oddly. "Well, not really..."

Ela frowned. "Oh. Then what-?"

"Do I want? I want you to come back with me to Beach Shards, as a candidate."

Ela took a moment to absorb this, and even then she didn't quite comprehend. "... you're Searching me?" She whispered, shocked.

"It would seem that way," Brenna told her, amused. "With the Weyrwoman's permission, of course."

"I... I mean..." Ela stuttered.

"I take that as a yes?" Brenna grinned.

Ela managed to nod, a smile coming to her lips, though a bit uncertaintly. She'd have to learn how to cope with mating flights from first hand experience, if she Impressed. But it didn't matter. She could already handle talking about them openly since she'd been at the Weyr.

"Good! Now we just need..."

"... your permission to take her with me, Weyrwoman Falora?" Brenna smiled at the goldrider, gesturing behind her to Ela. The Weyrwoman grinned, cocking her head at the greenrider.

Ela stood a fair way behind; she'd only talked to the Weyrwoman once, the afternoon when she'd arrived, and Falora had been very busy then, so it had been an only brief conversation.

"How many candidates do you have at Beach Shards at the moment?" The Weyrwoman asked, seemingly avoiding answering.

Brenna frowned slightly, but answered. "Actually, with Ela here, it would fill it up, not counting the other spaces for extra candidates..."

"Ah." Was the Weyrwoman's comment. "Well, then, I deny permission." She had a straight face.

The greenrider gaped slightly - the Weyrleaders had the right to deny Search, but it wasn't often that they did. "You... deny?" Ela looked nervous - did this often happen?

The Weyrwoman broke into a grin. "Well, I'm sure you can find some other girl, Brenna. But for now, Talor Cliff Weyr needs a harper to assist our Weyrharper-" Falora shifted her gaze from Brenna to Ela, who kind of gaped back, "-and a candidate!"

Ela took a moment to get the meaning of this, and Brenna only a moment longer. The greenrider laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Shards! There goes another one! Well, Ela," Brenna turned, winking, "It seems I must bid you farewell; Talor Cliff has claimed you for their own!"

Candidate @ Talor Cliff Weyr.

To Top