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Folen looked up at a sky full of dragons and found himself smiling despite the grey clouds that had descended upon Telgar weyr. Even if he never wound up impressing it was wonderful just to be here in the presence of dragons.

Stretching a bit from all the work he had been given as a new candidate to Telgar Folen leaned his long frame back against a rock and pulled a little reed flute out of his pockets. He wasn't very musical at all. But at least he could play this passingly well. Flexing his nimble fingers he did a run of scales to warm up.

Then still looking up at the amazing creatures who defended this world he began to play. The songs were random, whatever seemed to match the tempo of the dragon's turnings and wheeling. He wondered as he played if music wasn't just a little bit like flying. He wished he were better at it. Then again, being here he might just have the chance to fly after all.

Laughing he started a happy lilting tune only then realizing he was being watched.

Folan lowered the roughly made flute with a laugh. "I appreciate the compliment." He bowed with a graceful flourish. "Now if only you could get our dear master harpers to see things your way, that would indeed be an achievement."

Settling back down with a grin he patted a near by rock in invitation. "It's good to see you Jada'mirei. The last time I saw you was...oh turns ago. You seem well, have you been here long?"

"Mmm, yes they do" Foalen con-seeded with a nod. "Not that you could convince the first turners of that.

Folen looked at Jada's hands closely. He could understand her worry even though he didn't share it. Many a female harpers used their looks to help in their work. To anyone who truly mattered it wouldn't matter. But it could effect how Lord holders and other well to do folk treated her should she not impress.

With that in mind he smiled comfortingly at his fellow apprentice. "If it bothers you then that is what you should do. In fact, I think I might be able to help you. A friend of mine gave me a special pair of gloves that are a wonder. The palm is herdbeast hide with a softer textile woven around it and the fingertips are left exposed for dexterity."

Folen dug around his belt pouch for a moment and then retrieved the gloves he had mentioned. They were of a black stretchy material save for the palms which were thick hide. "There is very little that could spare my hands at this point, but I swear by them. They are very nice for anything that requires deftness, but is hard on your hands. I would highly recommend them. You can borrow these if you like. I have another pair at home. I can send for a runner to bring them here.

"The only down side," Folen cautioned as he handed the gloves over. "is that my hands are a bit bigger than yours so they might slip a bit. But they will hold you over until you are able find a weaver or tailor to make a pair for you. They were all the rage at the last gather we had."

Folen laughed and flexed his fingers so Jadamirei could see them better. "I tend to do more physical labor at Harper hall than I have ever done of the musical verity. Honestly it's not a burden to me, as my hands are already rough. Rough enough to survive the short time it will take for my other pair to arrive."

"Then again," he said thoughtfully rubbing a finger under his chin. "I over heard someone talking about a tailor here in the weyr. Perhaps they might have something of the like. And if so they could fit it to you precisely. Hmm I like that idea. That way you won't feel guilty about depriving me of my gloves and I won't feel like less of a man for allowing such a lovely lady hurt to her hands. Though if he doesn't have them I insist you borrow mine. I want to see that smile of yours and I'll not see it if your in pain."

"I just happened to over hear someone talking about the tailor in the dining hall the other morning." Folen admitted with a shrug. He really hadn't been out and about that much himself. "I only arrived here a few days ago myself. So you shouldn't feel badly. I was just in the right place at the right time."

Folen leaned forward wrapping his arms around his legs as he spoke in a thoughtful voice. "But it's funny you should say that about life expectations. I don't think I ever really had any before I came here. Other than perhaps to make my parents proud. Oh, certainly others had expectations for me and I have always done my best to live up to those expectations even when it was obvious I would never be a master of anything in the hall."

Glancing up into his friend's eyes he colored slightly embarrassed. "I have to admit I was a bit jealous of you and the others who all seemed so passionate about what you were doing. Now please don't take this the wrong way. I love harper hall and everyone in it. I love listing to and playing music. But it just doesn't move me the way I have seen it move others."

Bending his head down Folen stirs the pebbles at his feet wistfully. "Maybe I am too idealistic, but when you are doing something you are meant to do, I firmly believe that the passion you feel adds something unquantifiable to your work that raises it up from duty and that which needs to be done in order to survive to something that compels and completes you. Like so many of the master's at harper hall. Or my parents neather of whom are masters but both fully dedicated to their paths."

Folen shrugged again though his smile was brighter. "I don't honestly know if I will find my passion here, but if there is at all the chance that I may, then I want to take that chance. So I do think I understand how your feeling even if I never really had a set future." Folen's voice became playful as he continued. "And I don't think I'd want life to be like my dreams. I wouldn't have anything good left to dream if it was."

Winking Folen nodded at the gloves. "Consider the gloves yours then. At least until this evening. I've been put to mending this afternoon since I can sew, so I'll not be needing them. The gloves I want to use have the fingers intact." Folen wiggled his fingers in demonstration.

"My work would probably shame a weaver, but I can darn tattered cloths and robes passingly well. I've helped the drudges out oft enough at Harper hall. And it's a change from heaving dung or washing dishes. So I'll not complain."

"I can understand being focused on other things. Life in the weyr takes some getting used to." Grinning Folan shook his head. "At least we're used to discipline if not actual hard labor. Once you get used to the work, I'm sure you'll be fine. I've heard some stories of past candidates candidates who found candidate life to be quite the educational experience, not that it isn't otherwise, but some find it more so than others."

Folen reached down to pick up the reed flute from where he had set it. "Mmm that would be wonderful if it is true. I wasn't really paying attention to the music really, just feeling it. So maybe your right."

"Oh," Folen replied to Jadamiri's too bland statement about having been banned from mending." Lifting an eyebrow he smiled laughter just beneath his voice threatening to bubble up. "You don't say, sounds like there's a story there to me. But seriously, if you impress you are probably going to need to be able to sew at least a little bit in order to mend your own tack. If we can manage to eak a bit of time out of our overflowing schedule I would be happy to work with you on your sewing if you like. If you think of it like stringing a harp it's not so bad really. I have a feeling the candidates are going to be set to mending training gear at some point to prepare us. Though they may save that for the weyrlings. But where the weyrlings would find the time with all they have to do I don't rightly know."

"I'm glad you get some extra time with the weyrharper. You always were good with littles. They beam like a basket full of unshielded glows whenever you walk into a room. You have a way of making the teaching songs come to life."

"I think the hardest lesson for anyone to learn is that we never really reach a point at which we can stop learning. Not unless we want to stop growing as well. I think I nearly fell off my seat the day I realized the master harper himself still continues daily practices despite his hectic schedule. I mean he's the Master Harper. He's perfect right?" Folen asked in a way that made the question a statement. "Or at least it always seemed so when we were little."

Curving his back and dropping his voice until it was gravely Folen mimicked one of the oldest and most long winded though also dearly loved harpers at harper hall. "Anything worth doing is going to be challenging. If it wasn't challenging then it wouldn't be worth doing." Lifting a hand he waggled a finger imperiously at Jadamirei, "Life if properly lived requires effort from the participant. Never forget that."

Stretching and leaning back once more Folen laughed. "He's right though, the old codger."

"Don't worry about the mending gloves. I am certain that if I offer to take some mending to work on in my free time that no one will mind if I borrow a mending glove or two as well. We can get a bit of extra work done for the weyr and teach you how to sew well enough that once you have to deal with leathers and the like it won't be quite a shock. I'm sure you just need to be shown how in a way that you understand. After all your hands are deft enough on harp and guitar strings."

Folen laughed with Jadamirei, "The little ones can be a handful too, yes. But you've got a lot of patience with them. That will stand you in good stead in the future, whether your dealing with littles or dragonetts. I wonder if dragons like listening to stories as much as the littles do? I can so easily picture a whole clutch of hatchlings gathered around in a circle listening to a harper and trying to sing along."

((OCC I am assuming she plays both instruments. I will go back and check her sheet to see for sure. I just didn't know off hand.))

"Yeah it's the people you miss the most I think." Folen nodded smiling softly. "But think of it this way. You'll be happier to see them for the time spent away than you would if they were right there with you. I think sometimes taking a step back and looking at something from a different angle makes you realize what you value most. And that is a good thing to know. It means you will cherish it all the more for knowing what it is."

Folen laughed at the sudden mental image of the choir room filled to the brim with dragons all singing in concert. Not that they'd fit though the door mind you, but it's possible they could between in. He relayed the mental image to Jada so she wouldn't think he'd suddenly lost his mind. "Oh but then they'd think we were having a hatching, in the Harper Hall. Ha! Can you imagine? I think we'd wind up having to rebuildthe hall knowing what hatchings can be like.