Disclaimer: I don't own the world of Pern. I do, however own many of the characters in this story.

Now, dragonrider,

Talk soft, and kind;

Show all that is the Weyr

To who, in Fall, you did find

(By me)

Chapter Four: Acquaintances

When Yria woke from a felis-doused sleep, she felt quite recovered from her exhausting run for cover. She remained in bed, reminiscing on the last few hours she remembered. Most of it was a blur; a terrified headlong dash from thread, the green dragon and her rider rescuing the young woman, the bone-numbing chill of between, her arrival, then Teatathsonly, or Teal, then sleep.

Oh, blessed sleep.

But the fire lizards! She sat bolt-upright in the bed she was in, wearing a nightshirt, startling bronze Shaon off her leg with a squeak, and making Tayila rustle her wings and scold her from her perch on the headboard.

"So, Calitryi, you wake." said a voice. The speaker walked in from outside the door to the small room. It took Yria to remember 'Catys'' story and name, then the man who stood in the doorway.

"Y- yes, rider," she stammered. "And thank you, very much, for-"

"Ah, I was just doing my job." he said, waving a dismissive hand. "My name is Sh'voal, rider of green Avaelath. Teal has already told me your name, of your little beasties and how you wish to cook for us for a while." he added as Yria opened her mouth to introduce herself to the man who had saved her life.

"Oh," she said instead.

"Though she neglected these lizards' names. Have you named them yet?" asked Sh'voal, looking around to see the browns Waveskipper and larger Falie zip into the room. The supposed Caty grinned as he ducked in mock fright as Shaon gently winged over to inspect him, and introduced the four to Avaelath's rider.

As she said the names, pointing to show the dragonrider which she meant, each made a sign in turn; a nod, a full bow or a spread-winged outcry.

Yria then tried to get out of bed, but stumbled slightly on rather sore feet and legs. "Easy, now. Shall I escort you to the necessary, fair lady?" asked the green rider with a gallant bow, then offered her his arm. "You must be bursting." He looked so comic that Yria had to smile and laugh.

After a while, the two became quite friendly, discussing, oddly enough, the things Yria would need to make the now-required colored bands to put on the fire lizards, with Glory, Sh'voals' own blue as a patient example. He was rather larger than other blues; indeed, almost the size of a brown lizard.

They agreed that she should have the Seawatch Sea Hold colors though she was going to stay in Benden Weyr, but while Sh'voal thought they should have the regular neck-bands, Yria wanted harnesses, ones that had a loose band beach behind the forelegs, and also an even looser one around the neck, with a band connecting them over the chest. She thought that they would look quite decorative.

It was only when Teal came with a tray of food for 'Caty' and remarked dryly that green Avaelath's color could pass for a bronzes if she waited much longer for her weyrmate to take her to feed, that Sh'voal excused himself hastily, apologizing the whole way.

"He might be a little neglectful occasionally, but his heart's in the right place." Teal chuckled along with her charge.

000

The next days dissolved into flurries of cooking, making up recipes and trying out old, half-remembered ones, tasting, serving, butchery, plucking and all manner of other food-related chores for Yria. She also fed, bathed and oiled her four, as well as introduced them to the folk of the weyr who had none, and those with fire lizards, and learned her way about Nais.

Indeed, by the second sevenday, she was better acquainted with the dragonriders and the Weyr than she was with her foster-mother and own Hold. If anyone was puzzled how at ease she was away from home for so long, they did not mention it to her; she would not have been able to tell them. Yria knew most of Starwatch Sea Hold would believe her dead of Threadscore or know her taken to Nais Weyr.

Somehow, she didn't quite feel right about being there, even if she did earn her keep. It just wasn't right, deceiving these people, but she couldn't bring herself to tell them the truth.

Little did she know that, without her knowledge, Sh'voal reported to Seawatch anyway.

000

"Calitryi? Never heard of her." Calton thought back, but the name was unfamiliar.

"You may know her as Caty," the green rider told him. "That's what she said her nickname was."

"No, not Caty either." The Sea-Holder scratched his beard, but he had never heard of the lass Rider Sh'voal was telling him about.

Puzzled, the greenrider asked him to find out if anyone knew a girl by either name, and Calton agreed. Mounting Avaelath, Sh'voal wondered why the child was misleading them. He sat on his green, lost in thought, until she had to remind him that they were going between now, and that it might be a good idea to close his riding jacket he had opened in the warm southern air.

He did tell his Weyrleaders he had visited Seawatch, but said that the Sea-Holder had told him that Yria was to choose for herself. Sh'voal didn't want to spoil whatever she was up to, but he kept a close watch on her all the same.