[DL-J] Lessons to be Learned
by "Chris Weeda" <weeda@ix.netcom.com>

Day 18 - early afternoon

She shook her head sadly, staring down at the sand. "How do
you do it, Yasu? You seem perfectly content to be alone, never
letting anyone see behind that facade you wear. That's how I wish I
was too. How do you do it...and could you teach me?"

The bald-headed man paused momentarily, weighing his response
carefully, "Inner peace is difficult to attain, friend Tara."

"With everything that is going on, I feel that if I don't
find some sort of peace, I may go insane," Tara said, a hint of
desperation in her voice.

Yasu nodded, "Then I shall help you. First, you must do two
things for me. Number one, you must find a place where you are
completely at ease. Number two, you must find the one thing that you
fear most. When you have these two things, come and find me."

Tara looked at him, "But where will I find the time?"

Yasu walked up to her, placing an assuring hand on her
shoulder, radiating his peaceful aura around her, "If you wish to
find peace, you will find the time. Nothing good comes without
sacrifice."

<Tag, John. Time for Tara to go through self-discovery. Have fun!>

Evening – Day 18

The recruits left for their evening meal, some of them
complaining of aches and pains, using muscles that they ever knew
existed. Yasu watched them go, remembering when he was in their
place, although he wasn't allowed to complain, lest he risk severe
discipline. Remembering the request that Tara had made concerning
the yellow dragon, Selene, he began walking towards where he knew she
would be – the area nearest the dining hall.

Sure enough, he found the chubby dragon laid out by the hall,
her head placed just below the entrance, her eyes peering at the food
within. So absorbed was Selene in watching the hall that Yasu's
approach was completely ignored.

Walking near Selene, Yasu compared the dragon's body to that
of the others and found it sorely lacking. The dragon would most
definitely need help.

Moving closer, the shaven warrior clambered on top of the
yellow dragon without too much effort, having ample flesh to grab
onto. He received no reaction, which moderately surprised him and
disturbed him. Most dragons would have acknowledged his presence by
now, annoyed at someone besides their rider climbing on them.

Preparing for any sort of sudden movement, Yasu walked up
Selene's thick neck, all the way to her head and onto her snout.
Turning around to face her, he saw that her eyes were now focused on
the small man, somewhat puzzled by his appearance there. Yasu met
the gaze of the dragon and sat down on her snout in a Lotus position,
watching the dragon's eyes intently. All the while he focused his
energy to keeping himself in place, to not be moved. To him, he was
a part of the dragon and no amount of shaking would work.

Selene make a curious sound, followed by a whuff, smoke
coming out of her nostrils. Flipping her head up suddenly, she tried
to dislodge the human growth that had appeared on her nose. Much to
her dismay, it didn't fly off. She let out a more determined noise
and began shaking her head vigorously, the man mysteriously remaining
firmly attached to her snout, without yelling or frantically grabbing
at anything.

After a few minutes of whipping her head about, the out of
shape dragon let her head down with a sigh, unable to exert any more
effort to remove Yasu. Yasu nodded and rose, stepping off of
Selene's yellow snout, patting it affectionately, "We will talk soon,
friend dragon."

Walking into the dining hall, Yasu went in search of a
translator, so he could speak with Selene.

<Tag, anybody!>

Submitted by
Ieyasu
AKA Chris Weeda