Tempest Weyr

After an interminable time spent building a client base and ferrying packages and mail between weyr and docks, someone finally, finally had something to deliver to Tempest Hold. The captain of one of the fishing vessels had gruffly asked Maikal to deliver a small, surprisingly heavy box to a woman in the Hold name of Fridda. And someone on the docks must have overheard the transaction taking place, because as Maikal was leaving, a man raced up and breathlessly asked him to deliver a handful of letters wrapped clumsily in twine. (Maikal rewrapped it much more professionally once they'd parted.)

No time like the present, so Maikal went to the room he'd been staying in, gathered his scant belongings, brushed and saddled Girl, and settled her saddlebags just so. They set off into the midmorning heat.

It was nice to finally leave the weyr. Maikal had had enough of dragonriders and weyrfolk to last him some time. He hoped he wouldn't need to return often.

Girl shared his good spirits to be back on the road again and broke into an easy trot, ears pricked, eyes sparkling. It had been nice relaxing in the weyrbowl pastures and eating her own weight in clover and grass every day, but she enjoyed the wilds as much as her owner did.

The prospect of being in the woods again made Maikal feel lighter than he had in months, and he sang softly to the tempo of Girl's hoofbeats:

"A far croonin' is a-pulling me away,
As take I with my cromack to the road,
The far coolins are putting love on me,
As step I wi' the sunlight for my load."

The Weyr was so overwhelming. Kuva had to get away, while the weather was nice enough, before snow and ice would block the trails or make game harder to find. She had to escape it for a little while, even if it meant pleading with fellow candidates to trade chores for a day or two. Chores weren’t anything Kuva found to be a problem, anyway, even if she had to double up and do several more in a day than she was officially assigned to. That was next week’s problem, in any case. Right now, she was free, and she had gathered up her favorite bow and a stocked quiver, some backup clothes just in case, and her trusty knife, and had headed out at dawn to hike the wilderness between Tempest Weyr and Tempest Hold, alone.

Well, she thought she was alone, until the sound of hoofbeats and song reached her ears, while she was skulking along a game trail a bit too narrow for runners to manage, but not out of earshot of the main path through these woods. At first, with a flinch of anxiety, Kuva hung back out of sight, unwilling to deal with things like socialization or potential questioning about why she wasn’t at the Weyr. However, it didn’t take her long to realize the courier was also alone, not with a pack of weyrfolk or holders. Anyone willing to be by themself out here couldn’t be too annoying to her, could they? He probably wouldn’t want the company, either, but now she felt more like she should make her presence known, just in case. No sense startling each other. That could lead to accidents, and with the kind of dangers that could be out here? People might shoot first at any unexpected noises from between the trees. She should say something.

Kuva slunk through the underbrush, inadvertently sneaking if only because she hated being noisy and noticed, despite her logic for approaching Maikal and Girl. Only when she was close enough to be seen did she properly call out, so as to not be a disembodied voice in the trees, “Ah- hello, there! Nice day for a ride, isn’t it? Sorry, um- Just wanted you to know I was here, so I… maybe don’t startle you, or your runner. Though maybe it’s too late, now…” Well, that came out all silly. She bit her lip with dismay, and peered at them as she stepped out of the treeline and into full view, already disheveled from her trek, with handfuls of burrs and sticky seeds clinging to her clothes in various places. “Nice song, by the way.”

“Oh- oh! And your runner is beautiful!” Her comment was honest, her eyes sparkled as she took in the gentle grays and dappled pale speckles. Her attention was fully diverted to the animal rather than the human, all within the few seconds after she emerged from the woods.

They were trotting easily down the trail when Girl pricked her ears and turned her head to the side. Maikal immediately turned his head to follow hers-- and a person stepped out from the trees. Girl snorted and came to a stop, head high and eyes curious.

The woman didn't seem threatening, especially once she opened her mouth. Maikal was not the easiest person to get close to, but it was very easy to win points with him if you complimented his horse.

He immediately smiled down at the woman. "Good morning. 'Preciate you making yourself known." He leaned forward to scritch Girl's mane. "Thanks. Her name is Girl." It was probably blindingly obvious this horse was his pride and joy.

Probably needed to be social in return. "Are you," he looked briefly at the woman's getup, "hunting? Are you from the Weyr or the Hold?"

"Girl! What a cute name." Kuva was beaming, clearly charmed by the sweet-seeming runner, as well as Maikal's obvious care for her. She didn't dare to reach out, as much as she wanted to. The beast was doing a job, which she had already interrupted, and you never could know for sure with runners- or most creatures, for that matter. Best to be careful and let Girl's person remain the sole one giving her directions or signals. Kuva kept her mild distance, sticking to the edge of the trail despite her obvious glee.

She had to make herself meet Maikal's eyes to answer his question, her original awkwardness finding root once again, though she pushed through it. "Oh, well. It was truly more of a hike than a hunt. I brought all this just in case, but, uh." She gestured slightly at her gear, with a shrug to indicate she hasn't been trying very hard to track anything at all. "Oh, uh. Weyr, I guess, also. I'm still not used to that. It's why I'm out here, honestly. …Are you? From the Weyr, I mean?

Despite Kuva's attempt to be respectful and hang back, Girl impatiently moved forward and presented her nose to be scritched. Do your job, human! She snorted softly to make sure that her point was clear. Petting! Now!

Oh thank goodness this person was also awkward. Made Maikal's own awkwardness less.......... awkward. Noticeable. Yes.

Her being Weyrfolk made her less useful to him, alas. If she'd been from the Hold he could have asked her about it. Oh well. "Not really from the Weyr, just heading out from it. I'm looking to check out the Hold." He gestured at the mail bags. "Deliver things, the like. Starting up a new business."

He cocked his head and adjusted his seat in the saddle casually. "Not used to the Weyr, yet? You new then? Seems a lot of folks are coming in, nowadays."

Oh! Well, if she was going to be the brave and friendly sort… Kuva laughed quietly and obliged Girl's request, reaching out with both hands to give little scritches and scratches and pets on the nose. "Pretty sweetheart!" She wondered if anything she had on-hand would be suitable- or welcome- as a treat… She had squirreled away a bit of fruit from breakfast that morning for snacking on the trail, but Kuva would have no problems giving it up to share with an animal friend…

Truly, Kuva didn't even seem to notice if Maikal was awkward or not. Her own stumbling was forefront of her mind, altering her perception of him to a more favorable light. Distracting horse was a good thing, though, keeping Kuva from spiraling and giving her something to focus her hands and eyes on while trying to talk. "Oh! Deliveries are important, yeah. Not everyone has firelizards. I think they forget that, sometimes." She shrugged.

"Kind of new, I guess. Wher candidate. Supposed to go back to Lemos with one… eventually." She hums with a low tone, clearly unconvinced that will ever happen. "I'm used to the routine by now, but there's always something new going on. And so many people. Too many people. Um. So, you aren't really from the Weyr, either, but you sound like you've been around a while, anyway. Just business? Or are you hopeful to Impress, too?"

Girl pricked her ears and showed every evidence of enjoyment of the nose scritches. It wasn't long before she started hopefully nosing around Kuva's waist, poooooossibly hoping to find some pockets that maybe had some horse snackies in them.

"If she's bothering you, let me know," said Maikal offhandedly. "She'll fleece you for anything edible." Girl was a pretty good judge of character, which put Kuva in a better light for him. Not everyone was good with animals, which was, of course, suspect.

He huffed a bit at the mention of firelizards. "Those little flits can't carry an entire hold's worth of mail at a time. If you need actual deliveries, a courier is your best bet." Realizing that maybe he sounded a bit derisive of dragonkin in front of someone hoping to Impress one day, he added, "They have their uses, though."

"I been to Lemos." Maikal had been around, came with delivering mail, though Lemos was outside his usual route. "The forests are nice. Restful. Not as hilly as Telgar. Pretty far from here, though." That could be an invitation for her to explain why she was here at Tempest if she wanted, or she could ignore it, either way. Not everyone wanted to share their stories, he knew. (Maikal was, in fact, one of those people.)

"Impress? Me?" He laughed, and Girl tossed her head merrily in response. "No thanks." Oh, the laughter in his voice might be offensive to a wher candidate, so he continued, "I got everything I want right here," he patted Girl's shoulder. "I don't need-- um, dragonkin are fine, I just don't... need one." That probably wasn't better. "They have their uses. I see whers sometimes, in the holds. I've never been very close to one, though."

Welp. Hopefully he didn't piss her off enough to storm away into the woods again.

Kuva laughed lightly, continuing affections upon the runner while Girl sniffed out a treat. The hiker would oblige, turning out her personal snack pocket to reveal… mostly trail-mix type stuff, oats and nuts and bits of fruit that would keep for a few hours or days. There's not much of it; Kuva hadn't been planning to be out here too long. Gladly shared, all the same, though she does glance to Maikal with a mix of apology and pleading for permission, a bit too late perhaps.

His tone toward dragonkin did earn a curiously raised eyebrow, and Kuva's defenses went up just slightly again, the lilt in her own voice falling back into a people-pleasing kind of distance. But he wasn't being rude, exactly. Everyone was allowed their feelings, and shells, Kuva had some reservations about the whole thing, still, anyway. "Oh. Ah, sorry to.. assume! Not everyone can, or should want, to Impress, I suppose. People have to do the other jobs, after all. And it's, um. It is a lot… The danger, the.. limitations. I just, um. My family believed- believes- that dragons are…" How should she put this? It was too much to explain out of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere, and she long ago learned that her tiny folk belief was far from common. "…Divine, in a sense? So to… to Impress one, to be that close to them, is an honor and a, um. Noble responsibility, beyond saving us from Thread. Dragons, at least. Whers are probably close enough, though. But- but, no, yeah- I get it. Here, on Pern, before we move on, they have pretty specific purposes. Not for everyone." She fidgeted with another small, awkward laugh.

She moves back to the other subject. "I like it here more than Lemos. Even if it's frigid, sometimes. It's… I don't know. I like the wild. I like the hiding spots and variety. Forests at home get so boring, all… cultivated. I think I don't want to go back, sometimes. But I'm supposed to, once I have a wher and they're trained." She shrugged. "…Am I holding you up? Sorry.. You were, uh, working. I guess I was lonelier than I thought, to start chattering like this."

"S'fine." Maikal watched Girl munch happily on whatever Kuva was feeding her, then continued abruptly. "I'm not fond of dragonriders. In general. They don't-- some of them don't-- take kindly to the Holdless. Not all of them. But. I've had run-ins." He shrugged. "Anyway. I shouldn't take my experiences with the Northern Weyrs out on... on a complete stranger. Sorry."

Apparently oblivious to whatever the two humans were doing, Girl let out another whuff and nosed at Kuva's hands for more pets. This was a very obliging human, and she was a fan.

Maikal did smile when Kuva mentioned liking the wilds. They had that in common. "I like the wild, too. It will be interesting to explore this new continent." He was silent for a moment, thoughtful. "Could you just not go back? I'm sure this weyr could use more wher riders. You know your way around the woods and you're good with animals, I'm sure that you'd be very useful if you stayed here." This was said firmly, like he fully believed it. Maybe he was (definitely) trying to smooth things over from cramming his boot into his mouth a few minutes ago.

"I do need to keep going. Did you want to come along a ways? I spend most of my time alone, and it's good to talk to others sometimes," this last bit was said with a wry smile. "Remember how to interact with other people."

"Oh- oh. I guess riders aren't always.. They.. Yeah." Kuva fell quiet on that note, letting her focus be occupied by Girl's sweetness once again. She couldn't turn down a good creature. Any creature. Even a tunnelsnake would probably be allowed to sleep on her head, if it were to try. One of the reasons she opted for range and stealth whenever possible for hunting was so that she wouldn't be tempted to befriend every wherry that might get in a trap. Girl gets so many pets.

"Better a stranger, sometimes. For, uh, letting things out like that. If they don't like it, then neither one of you has to ever see each other again. If they don't mind? Then, maybe they're a new friend." Kuva flashed Maikal a brief smile over that. She hoped maybe the latter could be their category. She wouldn't mind hanging around this guy more often, opinions and all.

His conviction about her usefulness took her by some surprise, though, and she blinked. She didn't answer right away, and instead chose to let that sink in while outwardly accepting the offer to tag along by nodding and starting to walk. Eventually she did speak up again— in fact, hardly a few minutes had passed. "Well, if I go back successful, I get to walk the tables. And, then, I guess… Go wherever they would want me to… Orrr, I could try to stay here, even if I'm an apprentice that much longer for doing it. I am supposed to be studying these forests, after all. There's so much, I could do that forever, I bet." She ended up smiling fondly, imagining a life here instead of there. A place without tragic memories or frustrating obligations to a craft that she was starting to second-guess certain aspects of.

Oh, but they were chatting. She had to talk more. About him, not herself. "Are you not good with other people? I mean, er. You've seemed alright, to me! Maybe I'm not a normal judge of these things, though. Usually, ah, I'm more alone than not, too. I don't think that's a bad thing. You've got Girl, and an important service you provide, and if you don't mind being alone, what's the harm, right?"

"Ha. That's one way to look at it." Maikal shook his head self-deprecatingly, "I do need to be better about keeping some of my opinions to myself." At least she didn't seem mortally offended, even agreeing to travel a bit with him.

Maikal swung out of the saddle as Kuva started walking. No reason to keep towering over her as they talked. He did remember manners sometimes! Normally he'd tie Girl's reins out of the way and let her wander free since she never went far, but since they were in unfamiliar territory he looped them over an arm.

The mare nosed hopefully at her master's pockets only to be gently pushed off with a little huff of laughter and an admonishment that she'd already had snacks. She let out a whuffing sigh. It was tough being a horse.

"Mmm, so you're a... Woodcrafter?" That would make sense, with her being from Lemos, and studying the trees. "Is that..." he thought for a moment on how to say this delicately, "your passion?" Far be it from him to pry into something someone didn't want to talk about, but Kuva wasn't exactly bubbling with excitement. In fact, she sounded like someone who was well past second thoughts and onto third and fourth ones.

Ah, and now she was asking about him. He huffed another rueful laugh."Well, I get a bit feral if I'm out too long. So I'm told. Speak my mind when I shouldn't-- when I should be polite instead. Like just now. Forget how to, how to be around people. Like, when there is crowd it's just so loud and hot and close, you know? When I'm out of practice I just want to go sit in a dark room." He shrugged. "I dunno if it's like that for you, but it is for me."