Journeyman William followed as two of his students, Ward and Zoe, marched toward the beach. They were eager for contact with the dolphins that lived in the vicinity of Turin hold. William had been at Remyndal for longer than they'd been and maybe that was why he was more relaxed. or maybe it was because today was a sunny, inviting day. There'd be plenty of time to intereact with the dolphins. Enjoying the beach was also a pleasant passtime.
"Hurry!" Zoe called out.
"Yes, yes, you go ahead!" William called back, doing some light stretches.
Ward was with Zoe anyway. Though technically still a student, William knew there was talk of having him walk the tables in a few months. The young man with his shaggy hair and thin moustache was a fountain of knowledge, at least concerning marine life. Ward was passionate about anything living in the sea but wouldn't know a fly from a wasp.
When William finally reached the water's edge, all of ten minutes later, Zoe and Ward were already in the water.
"Now this is trange." Ward said.
The dolphins always came when humans got into the water. They were sentient and enjoyed the company of their "cousins" that lived on land. It helped that the students of Remyndal were taught to always bring treats. So when Ward didn't see even the slightest of disturbance in the currents, he got a bit worried.
"Do the dolphins migrate?" Zoe asked.
The dainty brunette had only recently started her studies after trying out a few different fields, and she had a lot to learn. But she was determined to learn everything she could, as fast as she could. The dolphineers of the South had a great reputation for saving those lost at sea and Zoe couldn't wait to be part of the Turin division. So far the dolphins had taken to her open and honest disposition and they all liked her company.
"Dolphins sometimes travel but the Remyndal dolphin pod usually stays close. Some of the males venture out to look for other pods when they reach maturity though." Ward started explaining, "I haven't seen this happen before."
Ward looked at William for confirmation.
"You're right. They should be here." William agreed.
The Journeyman whistled, but nothing changed.

"Why are they circling?" Damira asked Brian.
The sturdy red-head wiped the sweat off her brow, her legs and feet may be cool from standing in the water, the rest of her body felt the burn of the sun.
"I have no clue." Brian responded.
Usually the blond-haired, green-eyed young man with the alluring smile was confident and ready to wow. But now, the two of them were not in their element. As farming students they were much more used to working with dirt and seeds. Working on a novelty crop like seaweed had seemed like a sure way of bumping their grades. But both of them had underestimated how difficult this would actually be.
"I didn't even know dolphins ate seaweed." Damira sighed.
"They don't, they're supposed to eat fish." Brian said, "At least that's what I heard from my roommate."
The Hall offered room and board to students wishing to be closer to the classrooms and Brian had taken the offer to be away from home and his meddling sisters.
"Maybe your roommate can help us." Damira suggested.
She too lived in the Hall, mostly because her family was big with lots of children and little space. She'd not be able to study at home and had gladly used the study halls and library for their intended use. Even if some students didn't always stick to the rules, it was a lot better than at home.
"I can always ask." Brian shrugged, "He'll probably give me a lecture on dolphins anyway."
Damira and Brian made plans and discussed possible solutions while they went on tending the seaweed. There wasn't much to do in the sense of care, but the different species needed to be well-documented to give a decent rapport at the end of their experiment.

"Still no sight of them?" William asked.
"Not a fin in sight." Zoe sighed.
"Where could they have gone? What could have caused this?" Brian wondered.
William spotted a familiar face on the water and called out to his colleague:
"Hey Rhani! Can you help us out?"
"Sure thing. I'm just taking my skif out for a little fun." the journeywoman sailor replied.
The dark-skinned woman with the short, uneven hair steered her boat their way and came close enough for a conversation. William quickly explained what they'd noticed.
"So, have you seen any dolphins today?"
Rhany smirked, "As a matter of fact, I have."
"And would you be willing to take us to them?" William asked after a while of silence.
"For the right price." Rhany nodded, "I want dinner, your treat."
William debated internally whether or not the information would be worth the drain on his finances but in the end decided that there was little else he could do but give in, especially with the students in attendance. And Rhany knew it. She'd been grinning wide the entire time he'd made his case. When William gave in, her face lighted even more and she said: "Hop in!"
The trio managed to squeeze themselves in the skif and they set off. The weather was nice and calm and even should they fall overboard, their clothes would dry up fast enough.
"So where are you taking us?" William asked Rhany.
"Around the bay. On foot you'd have been walking for a few hours before you'd have spotted them. This will get us there faster." Rhany explained.
The small boat rounded the natural breakers and suddenly a group of dolphins came up to see what they were about. They didn't stick around though and hastily swam back to the shoreline where a couple of youngsters were standing knee-deep in the water.
What do you think is going on there?" Zoe asked.
"We just need to ask." Rhany retorted and sailed closer.

Damira and Brian looked up when the dolphins made a ruckus and they noticed the small sailboat approaching. When they got close enough, Brian recognised his roommate Ward.
"Just who we needed!" he told Damira.
"What's attracting the dolphins?" yelled Zoe from the bow of the ship.
The brunette was getting impatient to solve the mystery.
"Our seawee dmaybe?" Damira shouted back.
"Didn't you say that dolphins ate fish?" Brian added, cupping his hands in front of his mouth.
"We'll ask!" Ward called back.
Without further dallying, Ward dove into the water, followed by Zoe. William remained in the boat with Rhany.
"Shouldn't you go and ask the dolphins?" she playfully teased.
"Only if Ward and Zoe don't find out the answers, which they will." William said confidently.
And indeed, not much later the answer was communicated to the dolphineersin training.
"It seems you're disturbing spawning grounds for fish, shrimp and whatever else the dolphins like to eat. They've been trying to herd you into the right spot but you haven't listened." Ward explained.
"That spot is over there." Zoe added and pointed helpfully.
Brian sighed: "That's going to be a lot of work."
"Maybe the dolphineers can help?" Damira hoped.
"Oh they sure can." Rhany said, "With their mystery solved they have little left to do."
Then the journey woman pushed William out of her boat and headed back to the harbour.
"See you tonight!" she called to William.

Later that night, in a Turin tavern, three people shared a pint. One was the very well-known former head-mistress of Remyndal Hall. The other two were several years younger but they had gained enough experience to have walked the tables twice and had earned the right to be called Master.
"So you want to send off some of my students again?" Mauve, the Master farmer asked.
"As I understand, the seaweed will need time to grow anyway." Amasia said with a flourish of her hand, "They'll be back before you know it."
"William is quite taken with the dolphineer students you've got your eyes on." Master Philip said.
"So what? He can keep an eye on them if he wants. There'll be Weyr's close enough to sea so they can keep practicing." Amasia refuted the complaints.
"I guess there is little we can do to oppose what's already been decided." Mauve shrugged.
"You know they'll be back. All of them have come back." Amasia reassured her master teachers.
"And we'll have new students to foster while these take a break." Philip agreed.
"For once I'd wish you just let them graduate first before you offer them up to the searchriders."
"But then they would not come back." Amasia explained, "It's in our best interest to have them go without completing their studies. To leave them with a sense of urgency to return and finish what they started. You know I'm right."
The two others grumbled but agreed.

Lantessama Isle