A Leaf on the Wind [Open]

The water was cold, almost like the Telgar ice Lymsleia sorely missed at the heat of the Southern land scape even in the early Autumn seemed oppressive. She closed her eyes as her feet sank into the cooling waters. How long had it been?  How long had she simply sat somewhere and undulged in the one thing that so many people said she should have taken up as her Craft?

Lymsleia for the first time in she'd been in Katila sang. Her voice was elegant, a soprano. It wasn't as polished a say a trained harper but it held some sway.

"Lost in an endless sea
Foggy, misty, rainy, unclear to me
Tossed about in a violent, storm
Beaches tan and sandy, shore
Alone I wait, afraid."

The song was a new, one she'd written only recently, whe nshe came to Katila, but as she reached the end, Lymselia felt her lips tighten. The song had been something she'd written in the small hours of the morning, trying to express the anxiety she'd felt recently welling in her chest. She stood up, and at the waters of the lake beat at her legs. How easy it would be to just walk into lake and end her life. How easy it would be.

She put one foot in front of the other, and managed to get only calf high. The biting cool water shocking her senses.

The day that Andol found to be so, well... intolerable outside, was really only made better by the fact that the young man knew he would soon be standing near, and maybe swimming in a fresh clean pool of water. Yes idea of anything that felt cold against his skin at that moment would be a much better change than the heat that seemed to plauge him now. Andol only really wanted one thing, and that was to make sure that no one else would be there to distrub him, especially if he ment to go swimming. The idea of anyone being able to see the candidate without all his articals of clothing on didn't exactlly appel to him. He had made sure to take his time with his walk to, sinice he wanted to turn this into a bit of a day trip... of course as he soon got closer and closer to the lake... he began to hear the soft sounds of singing.

His movements where slow carefully planned and he walked up to the waters egde, without really speeding up his walking speed... Andol was in no real hurry to find out who is was that was singing. It didn't take him long though before he reached the waters egde and his eyes caught site of a girl whose voice carressed his ears. It she wasn't exactlly a good singer, though not a bad one ethier... not that Andol could complain, his voice was about the same level when it came to verbally expressed musically arts. It was then that she did somthing else, that the young man found strange, which was the fact that she got up and walked out into the lake. It was quite a curious thing, but whatever the reason was that she wanted to go swimming in the water, it was her busniess... though unless she wanted to drown herself which if she was a stolen he figured that might happen... then it would become his busniess.

The youth stood there at the egde of the water not saying anything as he stared at Lymsleia with his dark, and unblinking eyes. For a moment he said nothing and cocked his head the side like a curious bird. His hands where in his pockets as he walked around the lake, to the spot where she had entered form. As he moved around the pond, his head pivoted and those eyes of his never left his target. Reaching the spot he figured she would return to when she deicded to leave the water, Andol perched there on the ground. Sitting indiana style he took off his shoes so that he could feel the sand on his toes. He then rested his chin in his hand, and contiuned to look at Lymsleia with a look that was not examining, but instead thoughtful... when he did finally speak his voice was a bit nervous, "That was some nice singing you had there." He mentally kicked himself a bit, now that sounded a bit cheesy, "So what is your name?" Oh great, now the compliments and nervous where starting to make this sound like a come on.... Again Andol mental kicked himself for sounding silly. He should have planned this out more.

The cold water had buffeted her senses and reminded her that she had something to live for- those eggs on the sands. The eggs she had touched with her now cold hands. Her hands were cold. The water was cold. She didn't back pedal, there would be no used in trying to step backwards now, but at the unknown masculine voice she turned around.

She moved slowly, as if hampered by the weight of her clothing heavy with water, which to some degree she was. Lymsleia tried to offer a smile, but the sudden chattering of teeth wiped it away. "I ahh.. thank you." she managed to remember her manners as she made her way back towards the shore. She took slow sure steps. The water wasn't  calling quiet so loud any more. Had she really wanted to throw herself into the lake, like the stories she'd heard from the other girls?

"My name's Lymsleia, Journeywoman Healer." she said politely . She touched the knots on her shoulder indicating her rank, but also that she was a candidate.

Andol wacthed for a moment, and tensed up his muscles at what seemed to be her 'lost in thought nature...' He wondered if she really was thinking about drowning herself, then that was frankly somthing he could not allowed. In his mind if you wanted that badly to lose your own life over being stolen... if that was the reason... then at least take it out on the culprit who stole you and brought you here. At least that is what he wanted to do, if he could ever find the man... well not that badly of course. Just one good punch to the jaw, or at least his chance to vent would be fine. His experiance in being stolen had been... at least form the way he had been treated. Strangly pleasent. After a few moments though he began to relax as he realized that not only would his intervention not be needed, but that she had also finally acknowlegded his preasances.

He didn't respond to her thanks... he only offered a slight nod so as not to waste his words. Andol was very careful to hand out his 'your welcomes' to people, and usally only did so when he found the occasion to be on that such a level of politeness was of the upmost fashion. He contiuned to look at her, with an unblinking stare as he again cocked his head to the side like a bird, just to make sure that she was making her way out of the pond before fully relaxing. Some would wonder... how much influance did his chickens have on Andol's currently devolped mannerisms, "Ahh well you may call me Andol, Journymen Harper, if we are going to be calling each other by formal titles then." He knew that wasn't the case, but... still. One could never be sure how ticky a person might be here at the weyr. Not that Andol was concerned... if you where not higher ranked than him... then 'speaking freely' was the way he planned commuicating.   

He waited though until she had neared the waters edge his words cut through the air in a blunt manner, though he spoke this time with no emotion hidden behind his words. He didn't even sound curious, it was as though he already knew the answer to the question before he even asked, "You where trying to kill yourself weren't you? Might I suggest a cliff instead of drowning next time... the results are quicker and you get less pain I here... plus all that silly change your mind stuff doesn't come into play." He was taking on the tone of a bored teacher now, just giving another student more information. The effect was quite chilling actually, when combined with the emotionless stare that held his face at the moment and his deep dark eyes that seemed unblinking.

Lymsleia nodded. "I'll remember tha,t though I don't plan on ever doing that again, if I can help it. Normally one takes their clothing off to swim, but I had a distinct urge to try it with it on." she lied carefully. It wasn't a complete or absolute lie, but a slight distortion of the truth.

"Well met, Andol. I wasn't trying to drown myself. I though about a swim, just with... out thinking about it. Something caught my attention." she waved her and at the water in the distance.

She did like to swim. She liked to swim with the bare minimum of clothing on, and sometimes completely nude. But this time she'd tried it completely clothed, just to see what it felt like. "I wasn't going to drown. I swimm well enough. Falen's hold had rivers." she commented firmly sinking to the sand to try and warm her wet calves and ankles with warm lake-ground.

"If anything I was really trying to see what was out there, I thought it might be one of those mini-dragons, umm fire lizards, but I guess I was wrong. Just a trick of the light."

The stared at her with that emotionless look on his face that slowly changed to one that showed her story didn't exactlly fly with him. Andol wasn't stupid, he had once thought about killing himself also when he had been drug away form everything that he had known, but now... he figured that he still did have something to live for. Plus there was also the fact he didn't want his day spoiled, but her doing something stupid... that also had a lot to do with it, "Right... whatever you say, but isn't that going to be a very long walk back in wet cold clothes, for you to just be trying things on a whim. It seems kind of silly to me." For the first time in there entire conversation Andol smiled, though it seemed more like an amused smirk than anything really, "Oh well... what one does to there own clothes is really none of my business.."

He nodded his head at her reassurance, figuring that maybe there was no reason to doubt what she said... it was not like she had actually attempted anything in front of him, "Alright I was just checking. I could only assume that your another one of the stolen like myself. Frankly having you do something stupid and then ruining my day at the lake, would not exactlly have set me in the best of mood with you." He thought for a moment and then mumbled to himself, "That is if I would have decided to save you..." Andol kind of had a funny view on suicide... he viewed as kind of a personal choice, that no one else had the right to get in the way of... of course that was really only in some cases.

"That must have been fun, we had a few around where I lived too, but I didn't spend much time swimming. Usually just kept to the books and animal care... Still it doesn't seem like a good idea to go swimming in your clothes while you are way out here..." The funny thing was, and you could tell by the way Andol spoke... it was simply that he was thinking of her comfort when it came to the return trip to the Weyr. At the mention of the little mini dragons though again the look on his face turned more serious, "Look Lymsleia, you don't have to keep lying to me... besides if there are any of those to be found anymore... I can tell you right now that they will be found by me." The last words where spoken with a sense of conviction and passion that seemed to just suddenly spring out of Andol's reserved and unchanging exterior, and then quickly retreated back into him... as though it had never been there in the first place.

The smile Andol gave made her feel at ease, only slightly thougg. This one, this person was blunt, but interesting "It'll be a bit chill, but a good reminder to not try this again, and what's a little life without some 'pain'? Pain tells us -you are alive.- As does discomfort..." she fell silent as he began to speak again.

When he mentioned how her impromtu clothed swim might have ruined his day, raised an eyebrow. "I see, I didn't mean to nearly ruin your day. But you're absolutely right, I am one of those that was taken. Though I've resolved to make up my mind, and stand for this clutch. Those eggs are... counting on us. At least, the Weyr is to make sure we're there, and a potential partner to any of those dragons."  She takes a moment to absorb his words. "You would have had to think about saving me? You wouldn't have just done it out of good will?" She seems perplexed but his choice of  saving or not saving her.

She wrinkled her nose. "I wasn't actually lying I did think I saw one, but if the dragons are any indication. They can go Between... and humans cannot. It wasn't a lie. But I did for a moment consider simply  keep going. But you know what made me stop? The fact that my chosen profession is needed now more than ever here at the Weyr. Stupid mandate." she growled the last two works. The Weyrleadership was in her opinion-making a BIG mistake. "I don't think you'd find the miniature dragon eggs, I mean they're... practically myth with the plauge doing what it did...to the dragons..." she shrugs. "Maybe there are somewhere though. It would nice to find them."