La misère moins pénible au soleil (Sol for Sal)

[Kila]

It was a summer day to die for. The sun hung in the sky for hours, giving the moon and her night only the briefest audience with the weyrfolk. Heat came in constant waves, crowding both the lake and the harbor with bodies eager for a swim. By day they swam and splashed and by night they laughed and mingled, no one eager to find their beds. Nothing seemed so terrible in the sunshine, and there were many who were eager to forget all the Dalibor dramas that seemed to always somehow pop up.

Today Sol had decided to enjoy the day from a unique point of view: alone. It was fun being out in the Bowl with everyone, but sometimes it was hard to really enjoy the scene when there were people jostling you left and right. It was for that reason that she and Eccolath found themselves on one of the small, sandy islands that reached out into the sea from the Western Continent. Sol had chosen one close enough to the land that it had trees and shade but still with a tropical water scene. "Oh gods, it's gorgeous Eccolath," she breathed, wiggling her toes into the sand and taking a deep breath of salty air. So pretty, the Cyan agreed. There was so much to take in that she just sat there and stared dreamily about, absorbing the feels and smells and sounds that surrounded her. The waves sound like a song, she murmured. The heat from the sun and the sand quickly lulled her and she sank down to her belly, stretching out deliciously on the beach.

It does, Sol thought, her toes tracing patterns in the small waves that lapped the shore. It was so relaxing. She wasn't ready to lie down yet though. She pulled her shirt over her head with relish, stripping down to her smallclothes. She chewed her lip, thinking, and then took those off too so that she stood in the shallows with only her curls to cover her. She closed her eyes as Eccolath had and let the sun warm her and the breeze play with her hair. So free. With a small smile just for herself she raised her arms and dove into the water, swimming out until her feet could not touch the bottom. It was cold and clear and exhilarating. People should always swim naked! she informed Eccolath, suddenly quite passionate about the idea.
Oh yes... naked... she yawned, Hearing but hardly listening.

[princesal]

"[You know you lost it.] I know I know!" An angry hiss back as Harri stumbled through jungle overgrowth, the cloying heat of the summer drenched him, and it was at the moment that he was glad that Hunting had been subpar at best today. Having tried to scout out the normal forest watering holes, they were nearly abandoned, the game having all headed outwards for the cooler water of the ocean. If the hunting had been better than he would have been bogged down, and the journey he had taken would have been for naught. He was here, as the memory he recalled about this area of Western Islands was that there had been a group of wild porcines. He was of the opinion that their meat was the most valuable, because it took so well to being stored.

He hadn't seen one since he had started hunting.

Well, no, that was a lie. He had seen one, and had readied the arrow, and let it fly, only to have it spooked by something. The arrow grazed it's side, and by the squeal that made Harri flinch, now knew it was a possible future meal. Experience told him that there were only a few options that the beastie could take, turn around and try to find him (and they could be down right mean, it helped that their bites were strong enough that first rule of hunting them was to avoid their mouths), or run away. It had bolted almost immediately.

Running up to look at the area, and retrieve his arrow, more bad luck revealed the broken arrow, but he thought good luck was that there was enough blood on the vegetation that somehow convinced him that he'd be able to trail and catch it. Most hunters would have given up a candlemark later, even the most steadfast would have had it at two candlemarks.

A stubborn person never stopped until they were unable to continue. Harri was such a man, though that strong stubborn streak (and the moodiness that went with the frustration of the entire thing) was usually kept hidden until he was alone. It wasn't a very nice trait.

"You're not helping situations. We don't even know what sharding spooked it. [Probably a wher that has been trailing you as you trailed the meal on hooves.] Yeah, and th- blood..." Touching a leaf, he rubbed it between his fingertips and pulled away. It was bright and red, and when he brought it up to his lips was salty and strong, warm. The animal was pushing itself, whether from the fear matched with the knowledge that whatever was trying to hunt it was right behind, or in hopes to return to it's home to lick what it recognized was a non-fatal wound. Walking around the bush, the trail of wet splatters against ground and green was stronger, like it had paused before continuing.

Pausing himself, he took a breath through his nose, trying to remain silent, even as the sweat ran down his neck and back, making his hair look like he had just taken a swim. The breeze shifted and he breathed it in through his nose and mouth, hoping to use his sense of taste and smell. Salt and sun, there was a lingerring taste of animal musk, but the ocean overpowered. Taking a step forward, a branch snapped underfoot, and a flurry of movement and a panic squealed surprised him as the creature took off again, this time trying it's best to run through Harri's leg.

Cursing, his reflexes were fast enough that he tried to make a grab for it, but the creature was faster, and not only eluded his fingertips, but also made Harri land flat on his front, effectively knocking the wind out of him. Alright, I am having a slab of that meat by nightfall today, even if it tastes horrible!!

Jumping back to his feet, rubbing his face with a shoulder, though that just smeared dirt over his cheek and nose, he took off, anger boiling in his eyes. It was barely a minute later, him hot on the trail, that they both burst through the vegetation, and onto sand. Harri stumbled again, falling to a knee as the sand shifted under his feet, but was back up again.

What was it doing?! One last attempt? Or was it working in pure panic mode. Harri was moving with tunnel vision, only focused on the porcine, who he was sure was wearing down. He followed it to where the water was licking at the sand, now that he could see it in the light, it was perhaps a bit bigger than what he had expected, and as it reared to face him, Harri realized he had made an error in judgement. It wasn't fear that propelled it, it was anger. Fumbling for his arrows, his hand came up empty, and that's when he realized that they must have been knocked out. Going for the knife at his sidebelt, the porcine charged at the same time.

What happened next was pretty funny, good thing there was no audience to watch. The porcine ran at Harri, and he swung the knife, only to have it dodge at the last second, and shift back to slam into his leg again. Harri went falling, and this time he landed face first into the sand, and to add insult to injury, a wave came by right then and crashed over him, getting sea water up his nose. By the time he pulled away, coughing, the animal was gone, and so was his knife, taken by the sea.

"[That was pretty.] Where is it?! [It's g- hey, a dragon!]" About to tell Hand not to change the conversation, Harri realized he was indeed looking at a dragon. A cyan dragon. A familiar cyan dragon. "Eccolath!?" That meant that Sol was around, he remembered Sol with fondness, even though it was... wow... had it been a turn already? No doubt she had forgotten about an old man like him. But that didn't stop him from jumping up and looking for her heartachingly beautiful hair.

[Kila]

A sudden shout and bout of splashing pulled Eccolath from her
reverie. She raised her head slowly, eyes still filled with sleep and
mind fogged with dreams, to find the source of the noise.
It's a shadowcat, she thought to herself.
But no.... those don't like the water... Pillies?
Too small for such splashing... Shipfish... don't shout.....
seamonster.... Her thoughts drifted and she almost fell back
asleep, but what she did eventually see was interesting enough to wake
her up. It was a porcine of all things splashing through the shallows.
The bounds of Eccolath's imagination expanded ever so slightly. The man
that came running after it was even more interesting. She thought he
looked familiar, but he was moving too fast and his face was too
contorted to tell. Sol had been floating with her ears beneath the
water, so it was only her lifemate's sudden clarity that made her look
up. "What is it, Eccolath?" she called, swimming in closer so
that she could stand. She quirked an eyebrow as a disheveled man tore
into view, hot in pursuit of what appeared to be a Porcine?
Yup. in the water. Mesmerized, they stood
and watched the bizarre showdown take place before them, unable to do
anything else.

It was the porcine that won in the end, fleeing back to the safety of
the woods. The man on its tail somehow managed to fly face first into
the water, sending up a mighty splash. "Oh," Sol exclaimed
bringing her hands to her mouth. Is he okay, Eccolath? she asked,
starting to hurry back to the beach reflexively. He surfaced,
spluttered, and then much to her surprise called out Eccolath's name.
The Cyan peered at him curiously. Harri of
Hand! she trumpeted in reply when she finally placed his face.
She bared her teeth in a grin "Harri?" Sol repeated, completely
surprised. But now that Eccolath had said it she knew it was true. The
holdless man's hand was held up in mid speech and he was looking about
intently. When he finally spotted her and their eyes met Sol smiled. She
had often thought of their odd encounter and wondered how he was faring.


The moment was broken when Eccolath picked him up out of the water in
her mouth and waded back to deposit him on their little island. Sol
realized belatedly that she was only in waist deep water and her clothes
were still lying on the shore. Woops. Her hair covered almost
everything so it wasn't a big deal, but she sank down to her knees
regardless. "Harri! What are you doing here?" she called
cheerfully, waving from the water. Eccolath sniffed him, making a great
whuffing noise as she inhaled. You are no
seamonster.

[princesal]

How was... out of all of Pern, how in Faranth's name did he manage to chase a wild porcine into the same water that Eccolath and Sol were visiting!? There were words for this kind of thing, but he was still gasping for breath after his harrowing chase, that no words seemed to jump to mind. Rubbing his eyes, trying to get the seawater and sand out of them, he questioned his own sanity for a moment, wondering if they were just figments of his imagination. But, no offense to Sol, if his mind was just going to start imagining things, why these two?

As their eyes caught, and his lips turned up into a curve of a sandy smile... well, okay, yes, his eyes may have flickered downwards for a moment. At the way Sol's hair covered, the curves present. It was no wonder when Harri's face start to redden and he immediately averted his eyes. "ah... [Woo! Nice 'bathing' suit, Sol!]" Followed my a sharp whistle that Hand used his own fingers in Harri's mouth to make. Covering his mouth, and squeezing his eyes shut, his other hand reached up and tried to wave away Hand's words. Or would have, if the ground hadn't decided to stop hanging onto his feet.

Flailing for a moment, the 'trip' was short, and it was his own stubborn refusal to open his eyes that had him stumbling to his own knees. "Ah... I didn't see. I'm, I'm so sorry. I didn't see anything. I promise. [Pfft! Didn't see enough is more like it! Been at least 4 turns since we saw anything resembling a supple p-] Oh jeeze. Just... just ignore him. I'm so sorry. Where's... uh... can I find something for you? Is there something you - well, no, I'm not a Sea Monster."

He couldn't help but squint one eye open to look at Eccolath, and couldn't stop the smile. "Not today at least. You might have to come back next Sevenday. I might be a Seamonster then. [Or at least he might smell like one. Hey, Sol... want to grace my non-eyes with some beauty? The only thing I get to see is this ugly sod I'm attached to.] Oh... like looking at you all the time is a real picnic... [Didn't say I was the epidome of beauty, but at least I'm not weird and bulgy.] Y-I'm not weird and bulgy. [Elbows? Who ever thought of elbows! You know what elbows are? Bossy and opinionated! Just the other day I could hear one of them gossiping with your ribs. They're going to overthrow you.]"

Face still an alarming shade of red, Harri bit down on his lips, and tried to swallow whatever else Hand had planned to say. Keeping his eyes closed again. "I was hunting, or really I was failing at hunting... as you probably just saw. I'm... uh... still really sorry about... ah... Oh, the stew turned out good. Thank you for helping me that day." Change of subject, good idea.

Next idea he had was to bring up the weather, because it really was great weather right now. Especially for swimming, which Sol was doing. Not that he was looking at what she was doing, because well, what she was doing, she was doing without... without something. So yes, the something she was doing, she was something. That's all, that was the extent of his knowledge. "[So what brings you back, Sol? Missed us?] Be quiet, Hand. [Not like your saying anything. Just thinking about the wather, ho Boy, sure it hot out there. Yeah, not like it's Summer or anything.] At least I'm not a rude little extension of an arm. [-GASP!- You take that back! I have fingers! Four of them, and a thumb! Without my help you would be unable to grasp things! You have my back, right ladies? Or at least you have my knuckles.]"

[Kila]

Sol blushed at Hand's catcall and suggestive chatter, sinking a
little bit deeper into the water. She was still an avid supporter of
swimming in the nude, but next time she would have to take pains to
choose a more deserted deserted island. Eccolove, would you please
bring me my smallclothes? She wasn't really embarrassed, but she
thought it prudent to exercise some modesty with this man that she
barely knew. The Cyan reluctantly shook her head clear of visions of
Harri transforming into a seamonster beneath the full moon to comply. He
would have two heads, she decided, so his strange hand could have its
own voice. And he would have no elbows. The thought of an elbow
conspiracy disturbed her. She gave him a strange parting glance before
going to rescue her Rider.

Thank you, love, she said when Eccolath waded out into the water
with her smallclothes held daintily between her teeth. Even with the
dragoness shielding her from view, there was no good way for Sol to
dress without getting wet so she pulled them on beneath the water.
They'll dry, she said to Eccolath's quizzical look.
Then why did you not wear them before? Sol
rolled her eyes. I knew you weren't listening. Eccolath splashed
her playfully and then headed back to shore, unabashed. Grinning, Sol
grabbed her tail and let the Cyan pull her through the water.

"Well fancy seeing you here," she said to Harri when she got to
the shore, shaking some of the water from her hair and putting her hands
on her hips. His face was bright red and he was stammering like a
schoolboy, offering up a bizarre explanation about hunting. It's
funny that his hand has more confidence than he does. Hand indeed
had no trouble engaging her in conversation, but her focused remained on
the man. "You must have been hunting awfully far from home, if that's
where you still are, to have chased a porcine all the way here. I wasn't
expecting to see any people out here."
Obviously, since you left your clothes on
shore, Eccolath said mischievously, now fully awake. Sol turned
and stuck her tongue out at her lifemate childishly. They had a habit of
making each other act like that.

Her eyes lit up when he mentioned the stew. "I had all but forgotten
about that," she admitted, "But I'm glad that it turned out well!
I was happy to help." Walking with Harri and helping him pick the
vegetables had helped take her mind off of the more serious chore at the
heart of their visit. "My firelizard Lulz was beside herself when I
got back. She could smell the soup on me and wouldn't leave me alone
until I took her down to the kitchens and fed her." The greedy Pink
could be obnoxious at times, but Sol loved her.

"Why don't you stop bickering and sit down?" she said to Hand
after the third argument in a matter of minutes. "Or maybe we will
have your knuckles." It felt strange talking to a hand, so she
flopped down into the sand, ready to let the sun dry her out. "How
have you been, Harri?" she inquired. A large number of the holdless
children had come to Dalibor, so the number of those remaining at his
camp had to be small. She couldn't imagine how that effected the dynamic
there, but Eccolath immediately began to try.

[princesal]

As Sol had gotten out of the water, Harri was looking anywhere but her, on the times that he had to look back, he was closing his eyes. Hand, on the other... uh... hand... was seemingly looking straight at Sol, no wait, down at her feet, them up at her head, then down at her feet. Okay, the jerk was eying her up and down, without any eyes, and without Harri to supply the picture either. "Oh... I was doing some bigger game hunting. [poorly] Yes, poorly. I was hoping to salt the meat for Winter. [and yeah, we still live there. But you know, maybe Sol has a point, Harri. We could strike out from the little huts. We can leave and maybe find a cave somewhere that uninhabited. Or maybe a burrow that we can reinforce. That'd be plenty warm come Winter.] No, Hand." He couldn't leave like that, Hand knew it, and didn't say anything else about it. There was only so much he could say to get Harri to give up something he was never going to have again. He'd been saying it for five Turns...

Giving Sol a kind smile, even if he still wasn't looking at her. "It's alright. Your life is a bit more exciting. Lots of things happening all at once. [Yeah, we're just Holdless, it's alright to forget about us.] Hand didn't mean it that way. [Sure I did. It's not a lie. Sol knows it's not. People forget about Holdless, out of sight out of mind. It's not rude, it's just truth. MOST Holdless forget about other Holdless too.]" He ignored the dig, and just continued with Sol.

Laughing at mention of a firelizard, he reached for a small leather bag, and untied it quickly, holding it out. "Well, can't disappoint a second time. It's just some salted meat. But some of those in the village say that the wild firelizards love it. [Germs with wings] No they aren't [Have you watched the group of local wilds?] Yes. [Vermin with wings. They'll eat absolutely everything if it's not tied down. Any bigger, and they'd be carrying off the livestock!]" He laughed at that, and then made a mistake.

He sat down next to her, still not looking. "Can you give this to Sol, Hand? [heh... sure I can...]" Which was where the mistake was. Because Hand reached out, blindly. "Everything has been going well. Winter was the same, the gardens are a little bit more difficult to handle, but since there are less to eat, there is less needed." Hand didn't mention the episode that Harri had had after they had left, he was too busy being entirely evil. And Harri was looking out at the ocean when Hand connected with flesh.

Soft, supple flesh. Hand would have chuckled darkly to himself. Harri... recognized that feeling, and with horror in his eyes, looked to see what Hand was grabbing. You know, for a thing without eyes, it had terrific aim. Eyes as round as saucers, he was staring at the fact that Hand had just grabbed one of Sol's breasts. "ahhhh! Oh my! I! No no no! I didn't mean to! Sh--... I'm sorry! Oh sh-shells!" He pulled Hand away like he had just been burnt, the bag of salted meat bits fell to the sand, a few pieces bouncing out. Harri wrapped his other hand around Hand's wrist, as if he had to hold him back. "[Whoops! Sorry, no eyes, can't see... heh heh heheheh] I am so sorry, Sol." At least now that he was looking at Sol's face, instead of anywhere BUT her at all, he had forgotten that she was in her smallclothes.

[Kila]

Though Harri and Hand had both admitted to the Holdless life and
camp being pretty dull and forgettable, Harri also made it clear once
again that he would not leave it, firmly turning down Hand's suggestion
that they strike out on their own. I wonder why... Sol did feel a
bit guilty when she was accused of forgetting but protested, it not
being entirely true. "I did forget the soup but I didn't forget you
guys," she said to Harri. No no, that was too
interesting an adventure to forget, Eccolath agreed, backing her
up. Fortunately it was only Hand who had imagined the slight. His face
was red and he seemed to be looking everywhere but at her, but he sat
down next to her on the sand and seemed to have no ill feelings about
it.

Sol was delighted when he dug around in his pack and produced a small
leather bag full of dried meat. Eccolath sniffed the air and moved in
closer, intrigued by the smell. "Is it really okay for me to take it?
Lulz will be so thrilled, you can't even imagine." It was stupid,
but Sol felt like something brought back from the wild or the holdless
would be exotic. She laughed along with him when Hand described the wild
'lizards that hung around their camp. "That's her to a T! She'll eat
anything and by the first egg I'm sure she'd go after the Runners if she
could lift them off the ground. Oh Farnath, it's like you know her!"
Hand had nailed it.

As it turned out he had great aim for many things, even without Harri's
eyes to guide him. Sol didn't think anything of the bag of meat being
handed to her, except perhaps that it was a friendly gesture. When Hand
missed her hand and went straight for her breast however, grabbing what
was there, she was so surprised and taken aback that she did not know
what to do or say. Eccolath was similarly confused by what was happening
and Harri seemed just as in the dark as the rest of him. She was only in
her smallclothes, which were wet to boot, which was surely why Harri had
been so flustered earlier. Hand however took advantage of the one thin
layer of fabric to feel what his other half would not even lay
eyes on. Clad as she was, the bizarre duo certainly got a good cop.

Instinct kicked in quickly and she dug her heels into the sand, scooting
herself back sharply and crossing her hands over her chest.
What...? began Eccolath, looking from Sol
to Harri and back again. The only other person she had known to touch
Hers like that was her old weyrmate, but that was a long time ago. Harri
looked mortified. He snatched Hand away, crushing it into a fist and
covering it, and began to apologize profusely, stammering and stuttering
all over again.

Sol met his wide eyes with her own, unsure of how she should react. She
knew that he was kind and honest from their first encounter, Eccolath
had confirmed that, so it seemed right to believe that the grab had been
through no intention of his own. But could she really believe that he'd
had no part in the actions of his own hand? Or did it even matter? Her
lifemate spared her the trouble of responding first.
What was that? the Cyan demanded, fueled by
Sol's feelings of shock and embarrassment. People were not allowed to
make Hers feel that way. She accepted Hand's independence much more
easily than Sal, being made of dreams and fantasies as she was, and
addressed it specifically. She pushed her face right into Harri's lap,
staring down at his prisoner with eerie orange eyes.
You may not touch her there. Only Shoth's.
Or you will feel my teeth too. She gave Harri an
uncharacteristically suspicious look as well, her face nearly touching
his.

Love, stop, Sol said, pushed into action by Eccolath's behavior.
She got up and went over to them, hugging the Cyan's neck and easing her
away from Harri. Reacting to other people's crises was always much
easier than reacting to her own. Her hair hung around her in salted,
sandy curled as she pressed her face against her dragon's beautiful hide
and soothed her. Eccolath was rarely fierce, but she was very protective
of Hers and did ferocity well when it was upon her. Thank you, but
it's okay, Sol crooned. You know that I do not want B'rak
anymore, no more than he wants me. It's alright, no one will touch me
who I do not want to with my big fierce dragon to protect me.
Eccolath seem pleased by that. The anger went out of her as suddenly as
it had come upon her and she turned to nuzzle Sol, wrapping her body
loosely around her. I will protect you,
MineOwn, she agreed, more content to have the honor than to act
on it.

Sol turned back to her human companion shyly, feeling embarrassed.
"Please don't let Hand do that again..." He had to have some
manner of control over his appendage. If not, maybe Eccolath's threat
would do the trick. "Why do you talk for it anyway?" she ventured
to ask, emboldened by her cyan fortress and the fact that she had just
been groped. It had seemed rude to comment on it when they had met
before, but Sol felt like she deserved some sort of explanation now.

[princesal]

Harri felt so bad.

No, that was an understatement. He felt like he might as well put Hand in Eccolath's mouth and ask her to bite down. It was impossible for him to imagine just how violated Sol probably felt, and that feeling got even worse. Crimson cheeked, the expression in his eyes looked like he was bordering on the edge of tears, his eyes were suspiciously glassy. Shaking his head, "I... I won't. I promise. I won't let Hand touch her again. I'm sorry, Eccolath. I'm so sorry Sol. I was trying to not look, and I didn't realize. It's all my fault. I can't apologize more to express how sorry I am." Hand stayed quiet, but Harri still had it bunched in a fist.

Looking down at the dropped bag, he leaned forward, and began to pick up the pieces, delicately brushing and blowing the sand off of them until they were all back in the bag. Biting his lip, he put them closer to Sol's foot, but didn't try to hand them to her, honestly afraid to touch her right now, uncomfortable to the point that the sweat on his skin earlier made him feel clammy. He felt nervous now, nervous to just sit here and talk like a normal person, because every time he started to feel 'normal', Hand did something that completely destroyed that brief idea.

Pulling his legs up closer, he was still getting over being semi-threatened by a dragon too. If only days and feelings like this weren't something of a norm for him, the change in it though, was Sol and Eccolath. "I really am sorry... Hand won't ever do that again. I would never do that."

The question was fair, and he looked down at his hand when it was asked. They weren't anything special, average sized, knuckles, fingers, nails which had quite a bit more grime on them (and he began to slide his thumb nail under the others to try and clean some of that dirt out). Realizing that he was sitting there for a couple moment, picking at his nails, had his fingers running down to tug on the jacket cuff he was wearing. Pulling off the quiver of... well... not many arrows left now, he set it down, the bow set next to it, then shrugged out of his jacket, laying it on the sand. He was still wearing the purple bandana over his wrist.

He mulled the question in his mouth again, trying to think about it... when it really came down to it, "I... I've always done it." As much as he could remember.


It wasn't a day like any other. He had the other children in the creche were sitting down while one of the workers was bringing a stuffed filled satchel into the room. She sat the bag in the chair, and already the children were wide eyed and curious about the going-on's about it. Harri felt himself scooting closer on his knees, grinning at his friend next to him. Everyone was everyone's friend right now, they were young enough to think that.

"Xerrel told me that you all have been extra good lately, and when I was at WeaverHall, I missed you all and made something for you to play with."

Harri was excited! He really liked when they gave presents in the creche. He liked playing with himself more then he liked playing with other children usually, so he hoped it wasn't something they were going to have to share. Childish glee swamped him as she reached into her bag, and pulled out what looked like a sock, only it had an embroidered mouth, decorative eyes, and bristly hair, probably from a herd beast tail.

It was beautiful. At least he thought it was.

There were more, and more! It was like her bag was filled with them! They were doled out around the room, and Harri could barely sit still as he pulled the fashioned sock over his own hand, and wiggled his fingers into place.

"Hello. [Hello!] My name is Harri, what's your name? [I... I think my name is Hand.] Hello Hand. [Hi, Harri. I'm glad you're finally talking to me. We can play together, and do whatever you'd like. I'll always be with you no matter what.]"[/i]


"I guess that while the people I grew up around went about their lives, he was just... he never left. He'll never leave me." Those words felt thick in his throat, and sounded heavy when he said them. "He gets worse when I'm nervous." Clearly. Giving Sol a nervous glance, before letting his eyes fall to the sand again. "I'm really sorry, Sol. I'm sorry, Eccolath. I'll leave if you'd like me to. I'd never want you to feel uncomfortable when you're trying to relax."

[Kila]

The scolding looked like it had nearly ruined him. Harri's face was an exquisite shade of red and his eyes threatened to spill tears. Sol felt guilty almost immediately and her heat went out to the broken holdless man before her. Eccolath watched him carefully as he examined Hand, picking at his nail in distraction. The Cyan could see far more than her Rider, glimpses of his private memory, and she shared them as they came. A crèche, but he didn't play with the other children.... a bag of surprises and.... a sock puppet. It was more than enough for Eccolath to psychoanalyze and create her own story from.

Sol picked up the bag of dried meat when he pushed it carefully towards her and sat down beside him, though not so close as before. "I forgive you then," she said gently, wishing the pain on his face away. "Let's forget about it, okay?" He was clearly contrite and had promised not to let it happen again, so there was no reason to dwell on it. She certainly didn't want to. Maybe she was crazy to trust someone who was practically a stranger (with questionable sanity), alone in the middle of the western continent, but she had Eccolath to protect her and a gut feeling that said it was okay. Besides, it was surprisingly nice to have company on her island getaway.

"I've seen lots of the children from your camp at Dalibor- they're standing as wher and dragon candidates," she said, changing the subject. Hopefully news of people that he knew would cheer Harri up and move the conversation forward. She had been hesitant to give him any information about the Weyr before, but since Dalibor had taken in so many holdless children she figured secrecy was a moot point. "There are two big clutches on the sand," she confided, her excitement evident. "Gold clutches from both kin. It's very rare."

[princesal]

Mention of the children really did a good job of changing the subject, as immediately he found himself unable to hold back a small smile. Rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hands, they were pretty much sandless, so he didn't have to worry about small bits of debris falling into them. He still felt incredibly embarrassed, but if Sol was willing to stay and try to move past the 'event', he'd try as well. "I miss them, a lot." Hands unsaid words felt tacky in his mouth, his tongue sticking to the roof, and he managed to swallow them, though at times like that, he wondered if they were really his words, yet only Hand was honest enough to say them.

He should have gone with them. The chance of starting anew, of being able to do something more with his life then just stay out on the Island until he grew too old and frail to protect himself from all the dangers that lurked around the corner. One time a wild wher had rampaged through, and while he hadn't gotten injured, the eldest adults that had... there were always more difficulties and complications in healing the older you got. His mother's mother was possibly still alive, and part of that terrified him. The idea that he could live into his 80th Turn, and still be out in the wilds, alone, still broken with only Hand to comfort him.

"I hope they all Impress. They work really hard, and it hasn't been easy for them, so I know they're all going to do really great." Mention of a double hatching, dragon and wher, and both gold, had him incredibly surprised, and it showed on his face as clear as the sunny day. "I've never seen a hatching." But even he knew how rare that was.

Sure, there had been opportunities, there always were, in Holds and Weyrs. He hadn't gone to see any of the wher hatchings while growing up. Even though his father was a Handler, Harri was convinced he'd never be allowed into the wher candidacy program. When he had moved, and become an attendant, there were evey more opportunities to see a hatching, a dragon hatching. By that time he already felt too old for dragons too, and hadn't gone to them. There was always something to do, and he felt like it would be better to work, rather than feel the disappointment of seeing people he had grown up with Impress, and find their purpose in life. He had eventually found his, but had gotten that taken away from him.

"And m- the Holdless children are going to stand during these hatchings? Do you know who are standing for dragons, and whers?" The bits and pieces of information he got back was never enough, and he clamoured for information about them. He really did care about other people, and wanted good things for them, and the sure smile on his face demonstrated that. But speaking about dragons, thinking about the last time he'd seen most of the children, had him thinking about other things too.

Sinking his fingertips into the sand, he looked out at the water, at the light that danced on the waves, bouncing from crest to crest like a slippery fish. A cool breeze whipped up from the ocean, and brought with it the smell of salt and sun. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at Sol. "Did... what happened with the smokeweed? You don't have to answer. I know it's not really my place to ask." He suddenly grinned, as if he was about to make a joke. "It's just a bit difficult to keep up with current events, living out here." He laughed, but it wasn't very loud, and fell pretty flat, and he was looking back out at the ocean.

[Kila]

Success! Harri smiled at the mention of the children. Just that
helped make the whole situation a whole lot less awkward. "I'm sure
they'll do great," Sol agreed. "They're tougher than the kids who
have lived in a Hold their whole lives. You should see how quickly
they've adapted to Weyr life." Despite the continued protest by many
people in the Weyr, the formerly holdless children had taken to
candidacy like pillies to water. "They will stand for the hatchings
coming up, but I'm afraid I don't know which ones are standing for which
specifically," she said apologetically. "I haven't actually
gotten to talk to any of them since I was in your camp last year. I know
that a lot of the people standing are dual candidates, though. That is,
people who have expressed interest in being considered for both dragons
and whers. To be honest they're all dual, whether they volunteered or
not. If you're on the sands and a wher chooses you instead of a dragon
you don't say no."

When Harri admitted to having never seen a hatching Sol was blown away.
She was speechless for a moment, but quickly tried to cover up her shock
so as not to make him feel bad. "Really? Well, unless you live in a
Weyr or are influential enough to be flown to one it is hard to get into
hatchings." She assumed that he had lived in a hold before he was
exiled, like most of the people on Pern. "Before I was searched I had
never seen any sort of hatching either. Well, some firelizards once, but
you know."

Why do you think he was exiled, Mine?
Eccolath interjected curiously. She had latched onto the most obscure
part of Sol's thought and it was now fodder for imagination. EXILE. The
word had a foreboding ring. I don't know, she shot back, but now
that the Cyan had said it Sol was curious too. She had already asked him
about his strange hand tendencies, so she thought she had pried enough
for one day. It would be rude to ask. We barely know him.

Sol flinched inwardly and looked away when he asked her about the
smokeweed. It was no longer sensitive information, but she was rather
sensitive about it. "No, it's okay... We still haven't found out who
is responsible. It's still a threat. The Western Lord Holder, or, well
the Weyrleader now, he made an antidote so we aren't in immediate
danger, but still...That's why we came to your camp last year," she
said guiltily. The holdless had all surely known their purpose as soon
as they'd touched down, but it made the admission no easier. It felt
like she was accusing them all over again. Harri's hollow laugh did
little to help. "It's just so frustrating," she said,
digging her fingers into the sand. There was no reason to let her
emotions get the better of her, but she felt so strongly that it was
hard not to let them show. "I mean, I feel like there has to be
something more we can do."

[princesal]

Harri couldn't help the soft laugh that left his lips. Nodding when she asked if he 'really' hadn't seen one. "There were some opportunities at the Hold I grew up in, at least for wher's. My father is a Handler, and I was told my uncle was at one point too. When I moved to a Weyr for a while, there were a lot more opportunities, but I was already an old man then, so I never bothered." He sounded much more relaxed now, even if there was still some ruddish hue to his cheeks, and he was either looking at Sol's eyes, the ocean, or her hair. The longer she stayed out of the water, and as it dried. It felt like staring at the sun, beautiful and warm, yet left him blind afterwards, and on some days it felt like claws digging in instead. Beautiful heartache.

"I think I was once around when there was a firelizard hatching, but I didn't pay attention to it. I had a big, fat, mean, white feline... and he would have probably traumatized a firelizard." Little details were so easy to share, it felt more then small talk. It reminded him of how he would talk with one of the girls that had left for Dalibor. He wondered if she ever got to start dancing.

It felt a bit like a relief, like he hadn't lost his ability to actually talk with others. Sol made him feel comfortable, like he didn't have to worry about messing up... mostly because Hand had already taken care of that little issue. He'd have to make it up to her somehow, and maybe they'd somehow run into each other in another turn. Letting his blue eyes dance over her, and then went to Eccolath, he tried to think what would be useful. Maybe the next time someone went off on their own, he'd locate some of his old marks, and ask them to find a trader and haggle over a nice jug of hide oil. Unless he really had been gone far too long, and there was something better than oil.

Maybe if he gave it to her, Eccolath would let him rub some into her hide. That'd be a new experience fo-

"... did... ah..." He reached up, and jokingly made the motions of cleaning out the wax from his ears. "Now that I don't have the candle in there, did you say that the Western Lord Holder is the Weyrleader now? [That's sharding ridiculous!] Hand, that's Sol's weyr! [Then she should know how ridiculous that sounds... especially to us. So wait wait wait, you're telling us that not only is he the Lord Holder of Western, but now the Weyrleader, AND he came up with an antidote?] That does s- [That reeks! I can smell it from here and I don't have a nose. Tell me, is Dalibor well known for standing behind the runnerbeast and then trying to convince everyone that the droppings smell like roses?] Sorry, Sol. Hand... is crude. [No, I'm factual with colorful language.]" Sighing, he didn't contradict Hand at all, because that sounded incredibly strange to him.

It sounded like a set-up, but he wasn't going to say that. What good would that do besides upset his present company? Hand didn't seem to have any problem pointing out what looked so obvious. "[It sounds like a set-up, Sol. What happens if dragons take the antidote, lay a clutch, and the baby dragons are immune to the antidote because it's been in their system since...] conception... but, a Gold Queen wouldn't do that. She wouldn't take it unless it had been thoroughly tested. [Yeah... Queen of a Weyr who has now allowed a Lord Holder to become Weyrleader.] Sorry, Sol. I think Hand might be a bit paranoid. [It's only paranoia if they aren't out to get you.] And that's helpful how?" Shaking his head as Hand didn't answer, he reached out and touched Sol on the shoulder.

"Sorry about that, that probably didn't help frustrations. I-... I'm actually really surprised to hear about a Lord Holder being a Dragon Rider too." His tone seemed pleasant, but inwardly he was nervous. After what had happened at Ruatha, he was afraid that somehow that would catch up with him. Or more that incorrect rumors about what happened at Ruatha would catch up with him. Lord and Lady Holders made him nervous, because of the power they wielded. They had shun-... the knowledge that one man not only held that power over a Hold, but now also a Weyr. He worried for the past-Holdless children even more. "There is always something to be done. If you want you can bounce ideas off of me, it's not like I really have many people to tell. I'm not the island gossip. [He's trying to be funny, Sol. You can just ignore his failed attempts at humor.]" Harri made a face at Hand, and looked back out at the ocean.

Part of his mind was busy whirling along on what he could use to make a water spear and try to at least easily catch some fish. It would give him some much needed energy, and with a quick glance around the beach, there was enough dry kindling to start a fire. "Would you like me to start a fire? I keep looking at the ocean, and realized that there is a lot of fish out there [give this guy a ribbon] I'm pretty sure I can catch something, if you're hungry..."

[Kila]

Sol hid her surprise better this time when Harri admitted to
having lived for a time in a Weyr. Eccolath, however, was baffled.
You lived in a Weyr and never saw a Hatching? Even
though your family had Whers? The Cyan had been born and lived
her whole life at Dalibor, so Harri's story was hard for her to
comprehend. Didn't you want to? she asked
incredulously. Sol looked to him for answer, curious to know herself.
Eccolath always came up with the most perceptive questions.

"You're hardly an old man," Sol protested. "And if you aren't
now, you surely weren't then. You should see O'sho, the Weyrleader. The
old Weyrleader. He's.... well, I don't even know how many turns, but
he's amazing- he does everything. And one of the ladies that works in
the kitchens? Ancient. How many turns do you have, Harri?" Sol was
30 turns herself, though she hardly looked it, and she couldn't imagine
Harri being any more than 40.

Her frustration and dismay about the continuing lack of information on
the poisoners was quite overwhelmed by Hand's dramatic reappearance. Sol
could not contest anything that it said, but her uneasy feeling
remained. "A lot of people think it was set up," she admitted
uncomfortably. Even she had serious doubts about the validity of
Callistath's flight, but Perbaith had won nevertheless, despite being
injured by one of the other Dalibor suitors. Lord D'lios was wickedly
smart, that much she knew for sure, But would he really have created
and mass produced an antidote just to further his cause? Sol didn't
know, but she had been grateful for it regardless. Eccolath had been
slow and sluggish, sure, but that was nothing compared to her safety.

"Fixed or not, I don't know, but he did win, and Weyr tradition that
makes him our Weyrleader. I don't think anybody thinks it's right that
he has rule over Hold and Weyr, but he hasn't neglected either
yet." Sol defended him because thus far he had only done good for
them. The side-effects of the antidote had been bad, especially during
Callistath's flights, but he had warned them of the potential negative
results. There was no way he could have known everything having
developed it so promptly after the poisonings. In that regard he had
done more than the Weyrleaders. "I'm not say that I trust him, but he
hasn't done a bad job so he at least deserves a fighting chance.
Everyone deserves that much."

Hand's theory about the hatchlings disturbed her because that too was
something that could be affected in an unforeseeable way. The weyrfolk
adored the babies, even unhatched, and would be devastated if something
happened to them. There were so many, and they were their future. She
must have looked miserable because Harri touched her shoulder lightly
and apologized. Eccolath honed in on the contact. She gave him a knowing
look, though it was Harri and not Hand responsible. For some reason she
found it very interesting. His offer and joke made Sol smile, though
Hand of course belittled his efforts.

When Harri offered to try to catch and cook some fish Sol realized with
surprise how hungry she was. She and Eccolath had left the Weyr early
and a quick glance at the sun told her that they were now well into the
afternoon. "Sure. If you want to; if you're hungry too. Don't just do
it on my account though. Eccolath and I will have go back eventually and
we can always get food there." The fierce sun had dried Sol off and
was bronzing her skin. Another dip before they left sounded great either
way so she climbed to her feet and wiggled her toes in the sand. Her
bonded floated over and nuzzled her, amused about some thought that she
would not share.

[princesal]

Eccolath's questions made Harri pause, but his benevolent smile didn't fade. "Yes, I wanted to. I had wanted to be a Handler, my father has a blue wher. But before I went to talk about it... I have an Uncle who... My mother says we have a lot of similarities. She told me that once upon a time he was a Handler too, but he wasn't all there... you know..." He tapped his temple, and wondered how funny it was that he was pointing out someone else's possible psychosis, when he believed that his little 'Hand' thing was a quirk he could stop anytime he needed to. "Whatever ended up happening, he was sent away, and the wher was killed. I didn't want something like that to happen to a wher if I impressed. I thought it was safer. Sometimes at the time it feels safer to not do anything, and you look back years later and you just wish you had done things differently. I was never Searched either." He raised both his hands, spreading them open like he was about to reveal something, but there would be nothing but air. "Sometimes I think that we all have a part to play in our lives, and sometimes people have to realize that they are just the background players of a Harper's Tale." He spoke with a strange light-heartedness that spoke volumes.

That tone, though light, echoed acceptance. He accepted his place in life, his choices, the decisions that had led him to this point and time. He spoke it with the conviction that had yet to waver. He believed where he was, was his lot in life, it wasn't a lot but it was his life. Grinning at her when she asked his age, "Well, I feel about 70. But if I'm correct in my numbers, I've had about 31 Turns. It's not nice for me to ask a lady her own Turns, so I'm going to guess about 23?"

It was Weyr tradition, but that didn't make Harri feel anymore comfortable with the idea. "[Still sounds like way too much power for one man, or woman.] I... I agree with Hand on that. [Shards, if you didn't I'd wonder if the last five turns have done your head in.]" Harri frowned at Hand. "I agree Sol. Everyone deserves a chance. Some people deserve a second one too. Like all the children."

After that, he followed suit and stood up, smiling at her. "No more thinking about the Weyr, or everything that's a part of it. Just enjoy your day. [Yeah! We'll catch some of the fattest and stupidest fish you've ever seen!!] I can't promise fattest"

Harri then he was pulling off the over shirt he wore, the thin white tunic he wore underneath had dried a little, his sweat no longer leaving it to stick, like a second skin. Toeing off his boots, he huffed when one of course went upside-down and got a handful of sand in them. His fingers went to the lacing of his pants, and stumbled over them, going red before turning his back on Sol and undoing them. He was wearing cloth underneath at least, and tried to fold his pants before setting them down on his boots, and grabbing the shirt to fold that as well.

He gave her a grin, and bent over to retrieve an arrow from the quiver, "I'm hungry too, I've been having the worse hunting, lets hope the fish will be as stupid as Hand said." And then he was heading towards the ocean, letting the waves lap at his toes before he walked in several more steps and disappeared under the waves. He never took off the bandana from his wrist.

"Your grandmother wrote you."
"I have a grandmother?"
"Well, it's your mothers mother. I still don't think she's fond of me."
"Is anyone fond of you?"
"Nice way to talk to your sharding father."

Harri unraveled the leather with the message, shells of different shapes and colors, some painted with extreme precision too. The leather was inviting him to visit her, that she lived on the ocean, that he'd be welcome for a short time. He looked at the shells, they smelled like the salt of their home.[/i]

Remarkably, Harri was a strong swimmer. He had amazing lung capacity, and he didn't mind opening his eyes in the salt water. Sure things were murkey this close to the shore, with the waves kicking up the sand. But he swam on. Looking for colonies of fish. His head bobbed up every now and then so he could grab a breath and keeping hunting for little swimmers. It wasn't very long after, but long enough, when he finally spied a little community.

Using his hands to help him sink to the bottom, the current was still there, but it only tugged and pulled at his weightless hair. Slowly moving closer, he didn't make any sudden movements, just concentrated on staying calm. By the time he reached where the fish were, several were curiously investigating him. They were small, and quick, and it would be pointless to go after them. Be careful of the sharp edges to the growth that most of them called home, he used it to help anchor him and pull him around. Raising up his arrow, he plunged it into an open hole, and kept still as whatever was in there trashed and then stilled. Pulling it out, it was a decently sized fish. There were shellfish too, and he gathered those, wrapping them up in the edge of his under-tunic. The arrow was difficult to wield now, but he made a last stab for a fish, and surprisingly got it. Thinking that enough, he pushed off the floor, and to the surface.

A little bit of a spin, and he found land (and Eccolath was big enough to see from where he was), and started to swim towards it. Harri went his own pace, not wanting to use up excess energy trying to swim back. He paused and reached for the bottom several times, it wasn't until his third try that he succeeded and started walking up onto shore. His shirt clung to his shoulders and chest, but he didn't want to loose the shellfish, and had it held up like a makeshift basket, which revealed his stomach. He looked around for Sol, wondering what she had decided to do while waiting.

[Kila]

Harri's story about his uncle and his Wher horrified Sol,
Eccolath as well. Why would someone kill a bonded Wher??? she
asked her lifemate instead of posing the aweful question
aloud.If he was too crazy... then he wouldn't be
able to control the Wher. Wild Whers are dangerous. Eccolath's
brain moved too quickly for her not to come up with an answer. Grim, Sol
agreed with her hypothesis. It was eerie to see Harri describing someone
else as off their rocker considering his own behaviour, but his
light-hearted acceptance moments later of being little more than a
background player was endearing. He is a strange one, this man that
we found, Sol observed. Eccolath did not disagree.

Harri jumped to his feet, ready to fish, so Sol let the rest of the
conversation slip by. She was glad to leave serious talk of the Weyr
behind her. She laughed when he and Hand began to prattle about fat,
stupid fish. "I hope there's some really dumb ones out there- now I'm
hungry!" She made a run for the water when he began to fumble with
his clothes. Good, now maybe it won't bother him that I'm in my
smallclothes, she mused. The playing field had been evened.

She reached out her arms and dove, letting the water swallow her up. The
cold was refreshing, and out here it was so clear she could open her
eyes and see what lay below. Sol held her breath and kicked her feet
until her lungs screamed, bursting to the surface a good distance away
from the shore. That was another thing she liked better about the ocean
than the lake: you could actually swim, not just wade around in
the shallows. She looked for Harri and spotted him a ways off. She
started forward to see if she could help, but stopped when she realized
she would probably only scare off the fish. I guess this is best left
to the experts. Instead she dove, relishing the feeling of being
underwater. Without intending to, she began to swim in a lazy circle
around the island, creeping along under the water and stroking when she
was at the surface. After a time she stopped and just floated, eyes
closed in simple bliss. She was surrounded by blue: the open sea and the
beautiful, cloudless sky.Both the sun and the cold water kissed her and
she breathed in the salty air. I could stay out here forever.

The smell of fire brought her back, however. She left the water
reluctantly when Harri began to cook their meal, paddling slowly back to
the shore. "Nice catch," Sol said when she saw Harri's fish,
coming up behind him. She sat down on the other side of the fire and
pulled her knees to her chest, hoping to make the wet fabric clinging to
her chest less of a target and distraction. Her hair stuck to her
shoulders and began to spring into those inescapable curls. She was
peppered with sand, but she didn't mind. "Looks good," she
murmered in distraction, her eyes drawn into the fire. Eccolath came and
settled behind her, curling into a semi-circle that almost surrounded
the whole fire. Her tail knocked into Harri teasingly before she dropped
it into the sand behind him.

Within moments of Sol sitting down there was a small pop and an
enormously fat pink firelizared dropped into her lap. "Gods," Sol
groaned good-naturedly, dropping her legs some so that the Pink would
not be wedged between her knees and stomach. "It's like she
knows." Lulz shook herself from side to side until she rolled from
her back to her belly. She eyed the fish hungrily and even glanced up at
the strange human that Hers was keeping company with. "This is the
infamous Lulz," Sol introduced her. "Hally will be along shortly,
I'm sure; he doesn't like being left alone." She waited knowingly
and sure enough her second flitter appeared a little while afterwards.
He was a beauty of a Black- long and lithe with an inky sheen to his
hide. He curled around her neck immediately, shy and uncomfortable in
the presence of a stranger. "And this is Hally. Hally, Harri. Harri,
Hally. Oh, and uh, Hand."

Sol felt more comfortable fully decked out in her firelizards. She
leaned back and relaxed, jiggling her legs so that they bounced Lulz up
and down. The Pink gave a weird, undignified garble of protest. "What
you asked earlier," Sol said, going back to their conversation about
age. "I'm very flattered, but I'm actually 30, though I can hardly
believe it. I came to Dalibor at 18 turns to stand for my first
hatching. It wasn't as big as this one will be, but it was Kalith and
Daidoroth's first clutch." With Kalith's disappearence Dalibor had
entered a new era, and this hatching would mark the beginning of. She
was part of the older one; the dying era. It was bittersweet to think
of.

[princesal]

After getting back on the beach, it hadn't taken very long to dig out a hole, and collect dried pieces of timber. Along the way he located some nice shells that caught his eye, and a few that used to be homes to some underwater life. It was habit to pick up things like that along the way, and probably explained why his home was often in disarray, or why he 'discovered' things he never knew he had. Harri hadn't spent long on it though, wanting to start of the fire sooner rather than later. So he had quickly set off towards the border where the woods opened up to beach. Locating some bigger pieces of wood, perfect for the fire, Harri quickly made his way back to the hole, and arranged the logs in there.

By this time he was singing a Harper song he remembered under his breath. Sorting through his things, he found the proper tools to start the fire, as well as a sharp, strong, knife. Within a few minutes, before Sol came back, Harri had started a fire, and had gutted and spitted the fish. The spits were sticking out of the sand, the fish was starting to cook almost immediately. His own mouth was watering as he used the small knife to crack open the shellfish he had found, setting those close to the fire as well, letting them cook on the half shell. He knew that some liked to eat them raw, but he didn't want to assume for Sol.

Harri's hair was dry and half flopping in his eyes, and half sticking up everywhere, by the time Sol got to the fire. "Thank you. I got some shells too, they're also cooking. [Finest quality sandy meal] Did you enjoy your swim?" Smiling, he watched as Sol sat down on the other side of the fire, his eyes unconsciously flicked up to those curls that were starting to form. They made a hollow part of his chest ache, and while his touching would be so much more innocent, with what Hand had done earlier, he didn't even dare ask if he could touch. As often as the situation turned awkward, it was never his intent to make it such.

He was still staring (and trying to avoid Eccolath's tail a couple times) and now obviously so, when he heard a pop, and "[You didn't tell us you were bring dinner. That pink looks fat enough to eat!] Hand! [Oh come off it, like your feline wasn't the fattest one you've ever seen. At least she looks nice.]" Harri actually did start laughing at that. "He's right, I did have a fat feline. She's cute. Hello Lulz." Then there was a black firelizard, Hally, and he was looking around for his pouch of meat, forgetting for a few moments that he had given it to Sol.

This time Harri had a huge smile on his face as Sol introduced them. "[Glad to know I'm not chopped liver.]" Reaching forward, Harri carefully tested the fish, seeing how the flesh was cooking. Looking up through his eyelashes and through the fire. "I'd never guess you were 30. [Yeah, no shards! You're lookin great, Sol. You have the knuckles of a 20 turn old.] I didn't mean to offend you by callling myself old. I'm sorry if I did. [You'd think with a talking hand he wouldn't put his foot in his mouth as often as he did.]" Making a face at Hand, he lifted up one of the sticks he had made into a skewer, and held it out to Sol, if she wanted it more cooked, she could stick it into the fire in front of her. He didn't touch his own, not yet. "It's still a bit under done, I don't know how you prefer your fish. I only gutted it, I should have cubed it."

Frowning in thought, Harri looked puzzled for a moment. "I... I feel like I recognize one of those names. Not personally, but in passing. Is Kalith a-... uh... copper? [Give him three more seconds for him to realize how he knows the name in passing.] W- [1, 2, 3]" Harri's eyebrows shot up, and his mouth opened and closed a few times, like the fish he had caught. His hand lifted to cover his mouth. He just remembered how he knew that name, Kalith. "Oh my f- [This is what I was talking about. I'm surprised he can talk around his foot.] I'm so sorry, Sol. I didn't... I mean... c-can you tell me about the hatchings at Dalibor? [Well, at least that was related, better then asking to touch your hair.]" He was no longer covering his mouth, instead he was covering his eyes.

[Kila]

Sol could not help but laugh at Hand's comment about Lulz (and
it helped her not to notice that Harri was staring at her from across
the fire). "She's a full blown meal all on her own," Sol agreed.
She poked the Pink, who made another strange garbled sound, this one
annoyed. Intent as she was on the fish, her reddish orange eyes flicked
upward to look at Hand when it talked. Sol could feel curiosity mixed
with her hunger. That is not for eating, she told her flitter
firmly, not trusting her not to try. She grabbed the small leather pouch
Harri had gifted her and pulled out a piece of the dried meat,
effectively distracting Lulz.

"Oh no, no offense taken," Sol assured him when he remarked on
her age. "I can hardly believe it myself. I feel 23." She
sifted through the bag with her fingers and pulled out the biggest piece
of jerky for Lulz. The Pink reared up and grabbed it greedily when her
human offered it to her and promptly began to choke as she tried to
swallow it whole. Sol pulled it from her throat calmly, giving the
distinct impression that she had had to do so many times before, and
gave it back. Lulz wrapped her chubby body around it and began to gnaw
at the meat furiously, taking it off piece by piece with her small,
sharp teeth. Sol held up a smaller piece for Hally, who peeked out from
behind her neck and took it gently. She nuzzled the timid Black with her
cheek fondly.

"Thank you," Sol said, leaning forward and taking the skewer when
Harri offered it. "My hair?" she asked quizzically, but let it
go. The holdless man realized the importance of Kalith's name as quickly
as Hand predicted. Sol lowered her eyes and stuck her stick into the
fire. "Yeah, our Sr. Queen. The Copper. She betweened."
The mirth went out of her and she pulled her knees back in close
subconsciously, Lulz and all. For a moment she looked like a lost little
child. "I'd actually rather not talk about it." Eccolath bumped
her gently with her nose, keeping her thoughts from drifting.
Why don't we show him instead of telling
him? she suggested. Sol brightened visibly. "That's a great
idea! Harri, how would you like to come to the Hatching?" He had
said he wanted to see one, and if he decided to come he would see two
Gold clutches hatch. Considering his present situation, it was the
chance of a lifetime.

[princesal]

With the track that the sun was taking across the sky, the pace, Harri knew that eventually the only light for the two of them would be the fire and the night sky stars. Looking up, he was thankful of the fire, because it could hide the color of his cheeks as Hand kept on helping him stick his foot in his mouth. Not only had he had to mention Kalith, but Hand had mentioned Sol's hair. He would be forever eternally grateful that Sol had just let that question stay unanswered.

How could he explain that when he saw her curls, it hurt his chest, like a steel band tightening around his lungs and squeezing tighter and tighter until he couldn't breathe. How did he explain that he wanted to close his eyes, and wrap his arms around her and bury his face into those curls and pretend that he was in another time and another place. He had no want to hurt Sol, or put her into a position that he was ignoring her. Harri wasn't that kind of person, besides, his mention of the past Senior Queen of Sol and Eccolath's weyr seemed to be an incredibly sensitive subject.

Sometimes he wished that he kept track of all the things he remembered, sometimes he wished that he didn't make things so awkward for others. It was hard enough trying to be close to someone, at the same time as retain his privacy. While he enjoyed hearing about others lives, usually it was an equal exchange, and he sometimes felt nervous or lacking when he talked about himself. There were some things he tried to avoid, and nodded when Sol said that she didn't want to talk about it. "Alright. I'm sorry. [He's doing about everything he can to not ask if he can hug you.]" Okay, that was true, it was the caregiver in him, when she looked so lost, even just for that moment, Harri's heart went out to her. In some ways, he was lucky that he was Holdless, because he didn't have to deal with the pain of loss the way that Sol did.

Sure, all the Holdless were in danger due to thread, but they had set things up to protect themselves as much as possible. There were other outside elements that they were unable to control, but nobody was putting themselves into a role of defender the way that dragon riders and wher handlers did at a weyr (or hold). He resisted asking what happened to the WeyrWoman. Harri had felt like Nishka had carved out his chest, he couldn't even begin to imagine how much pain or hurt came from having half of your soul ripped away. He remained quiet on his thoughts, and Hand did as well.

Reaching forward, he plucked his own spike of fish from the sand, touching the crispy flesh, and noticing that the meat pulled away from the bone easily on one side. Turning it in his fingers, he was watching the two firelizards, after Lulz had choked on a piece of meat, he was going to take special care to bury the fish bones. She was a chubby pink, were they usually excessive eaters, or was that just a trait that sometimes showed up with firelizards. He didn't know the answers, but they were both cute. About to stick the skewer back into the sand, when the question of him attending the upcoming Gold hatchings was asked, he was taken by such surprise that he fumbled with the stick, looking up at Sol at the same time that the half cooked fish fell into the sand, cooked side down.

Normally he would have picked it up immediately, and tried to brush off as much as possible, but instead he was staring at the cyan rider as if she had grown another head. It wasn't until the smile started to show on his lips, that it was clear that he was excited about the idea. Blue eyes danced in the firelight, and he smile turned into a grin. The weariness that was normally around his eyes, and the corner of his lips was gone... and with it gone, was that much more obvious that the fatigue was that physically apparent. "I-Is that allowed?! [That's a yes] I mean, I've never seen a hatching, and a gold hatching too? [That's a yes] I might get to see some of the children too? [That's a yes] I'd love to! [An exuberant yes]"

He didn't care about the fallen fish now, it was forgotten in it's sandy tomb. Harri looked like he had just been given a huge present, the invitation... with where he was in life, the possibilities of his future, it really was a chance of the lifetime. "Yes please! Please. Oh... Oh Sol. I... can I hug you? I won't do anything but hug, I promise, Eccolath." He was sitting up to his knees, and nearly topped over into the fire, able to catch himself at the last second. Even at his near slip, he was laughing, the smile not fading at all. His laughter sounded lighter than it had been in a long time. Surely one day wouldn't hurt. Pausing for a moment, he shifted back down. "Ah... a-actually, how about we make that a future hug..." He used the high reaching flames of the fire dividing them to hide his awkward realization of what they were wearing. That didn't stop his excitement though.

[Kila]

When Sol asked Harri if he wanted to go to the hatching he
dropped the stick he was holding (and effectively his dinner).
"Oh-" Sol said as the fish hit the sand, but the look of shock on
his face kept her from saying more. Had she said something wrong? She
had meant to make him happy with the offer, but he was staring at her
with a strange expression on his face. She sat back away from his gaze
ever so slightly.

Is he..? she began to ask Eccolath, but all at once Harri
practically burst with joy. A smile spread across his face and he began
to babble. Sol smiled with relief, her own blue eyes dancing; a mirror
copy of his across the fire. "They brought all the holdless children
to the Weyr so I don't see why it wouldn't be allowed. There will be so
many people there that no one will notice anyway." He was ecstatic.
In the short time she had known him Sol had never seen Harri look so
carefree. She moved to catch him when he threatened to topple over into
the fire and laughed when he caught himself. "It's fine, Harri.
You're welcome. Maybe we should save hugging for later."
Besides them both being in their smallclothes they had done he had acted
very familiar with her for being them near strangers. She didn't mind it
per say, but she knew to be wary.

"Oh man, look at the stars." She let Harri have all the shells
since his fish had fallen and by the time they finished eating night was
approaching. She had spent the whole day on the island. "We've got to
go," she said, going over to where she had discarded her clothes
that morning. Eccolath rose and stretched before padding over. "The
hatching will be soon so stay on guard," she warned. "Eccolath
and I will come to your camp at the first sign of the eggs moving. I
know you have to hunt, but try to stay there as much as you can.
Hopefully you'll be there when we come and we can just grab you up and
go." She straightened her riding jacket. She was mostly dry, but it
would be a cold trip between back to Dalibor. "So we'll see
you then, Harri?" She smiled at her odd companion and stuck out her
hand. "Thanks for spending the day with us."
It was interesting. Eccolath
agreed.

[princesal]

When Sol didn't reach for the shells, Harri was more then happy to eat them. Salted from the sea and warmed from the fire they were pretty good. He hadn't even bothered to try and recover the fish, his mind was too distracted, and sometimes the fine motor details (like trying to brush the grains of sand from a piece of flaking fish) would make his hands tremble. Frustrating, but it only happened rarely, especially if he was tired, and today had been a long... yet fast moving... day.

His smile didn't fade even when Sol said that her and Cyan Eccolath would have to leave. That said, Harri stood up, and started to use his foot to move sand onto the fire, effectively smothering the flames. "[He doesn't hunt all the time] I was just about... yeah, Hand's right, I don't hunt all the time. I'll probably be doing it for a couple more days, or at least until I take down something that would be worth bringing back and preserving for Winter. [He's been hunting more because he used to busy himself trying to watch over the children.]" Harri didn't say anything about that, instead leaning down to gather up his clothes and shake the sand from them.

Figuring that was as good as they would get right now, he slipped out his trousers first, the fire had effectively dried his underclothes, and he slipped on the long sleeved tunic over the undershirt he had been wearing. Socks went on before his boots, but all in all, his clothes were simple, and made to be easy to put on.

Looking back over at Sol, smile in place, and whatever other thoughts might have flashed other emotions over his expression, or in his eyes, were thankfully hidden due to the night. It would take about an hour for his eyes to fully adjust to the point that he'd be able to do any successful hunting. But he could see Sol as easy as if the stars themselves were reflecting off her curls. "Happy to be company, hopefully it wasn't bad. I mean, bad company. I hope I wasn't bad company. [Try not to ruin the day, Harri.] I'm not trying to ruin the day, I was just clarifying wha- [-t you were trying to say when you were trying to be clever and charming.] I wasn't try to be charming. [Good, because you aren't.] Thank you so much for that, Hand. Like, I was saying, Sol and Eccolath. Thank you for letting me spend the day with you. Thank you for inviting me to the hatching too."

The shift of movement, and the shadows, had him reaching out his own hand to meet hers. Even as he did that, the relaxation of the day was starting to fade away, the reality of Pern was closing back in. For one day it was nice to forget. Shards, I hope I didn't just squeeze her hand like I'm trying to mimic a wher bite... or gave her a fish hand. I hope she invited me because she wanted to, not because not inviting me would have been awkward... Thoughts invading his clear mind, but the smile never faded. "I can't wait to see you again. I feel like you're someone I was suppose to meet. Not... not like... I mean, that... uh..."

Harri pulled his hand away, suddenly feeling awkward. "I meant like... like... because I'd never seen a hatching... not just that. [He means that when he's not busy trying to swallow his foot up to the knee, you don't make him feel silly or awkward, even when he does silly stupid awkward things.] Yeah, that... sorta. Just, thank you, Sol. Thank you, Eccolath. Have a safe trip home. I... I should get back to trying to hunt."

Before Sol could say anything else, Harri was retreating, gathering up his equipment as he did so, and nearly ran into the woods, glancing back in time to almost trip over a piece of driftwood, almost. With a wave, not knowing if either of the four could see it, he vanished into the woods, mentally bashing himself for extra things he just shouldn't have bothered saying.