"I can't really think of anything, sorry. There was someone past your door who wanted a word when I got to a good stopping place though."

"Weyrwoman Lessa. I'll hold the door for you."

"Thanks."

And when he's doing that:

I think he's a lot better now!

Some time passed on Pern since they last spoke, while Bella was looking at the other rider. Lessa is no longer right on the other side of the wall, so her answer comes via her dragon.

Lessa says: good! You have Benden's gratitude. I'll be down to speak to you myself shortly. Who and what are you? How do you speak in our heads like a dragon, when the dragons say you aren't one?

My name is Bella. I'm a human subtle artist; subtle artistry is a talent that pops up in a lot of different races on my plane and in most cases it permits telepathy, and I'm in school learning to use it to be a therapist.

Lessa says: does "subtle artist" mean you can lean on others' minds as well as speak to dragons?

Individual presentations of subtle artistry vary, but in my case it does. I don't do this without permission, consent is very important for doing therapy.

Shortly there are footsteps and then a voice on the other side of the wall.

"I'm here now!" Does this work?

Yes, I can read what you're trying to say to me.

You as well, though you give away nothing else. How are you so quiet?

If you mean you're trying to read things I'm not trying to say, the reason you can't do that is that I have good shields.

Yes, but how do you make them?

Many subtle artists have to make them on purpose but I don't, they do that naturally for me and the thing I have to do on purpose is let anything through.

Do you know how others make them?

Only the very basics and I assume none of it would work the same way for you since you aren't a subtle artist.

Why do you assume that?

Because your telepathy works differently? I could read to you from one of my textbooks, I guess, but subtle arts training is pretty heavy on the demonstrations and I don't know how to demonstrate this because I do it backwards from how you want to learn.

I'd certainly like to hear some of your book. If you're hoping to stay a while, we can carve a new door for that room so the Weyr can offer you our hospitality.

I should probably not actually go to your world, if the door ever closes with everybody from Pern on Pern then I'd be stuck there.

I could assign people to stay there - probably will, regardless - but I can hardly blame you with fifty turns of Thread to look forward to here. While I have you, perhaps you'd be interested in trading anything you know of your planet's technology for information on ours?

I can't say that sounds like a super great idea, sorry, it's very clever though.

What? she asks, a little testily and a bit wrongfooted as she tries to figure out why the emotional overtones to that comment sound so odd.

...I'm not gonna do that? Because I don't wanna have a starmetal comet fall on me or whatever? I admit it's kind of fun to think about, but, like, no.

...What? She's definitely just baffled at this point and not trying to hide it, though she half expects to get no answer. What's a starmetal comet and why would one fall on you? We're underground.

Starmetal is a material that comets are sometimes made of and sometimes they fall on people - but that's just an example, all kinds of things might happen to someone who gets a little too clever for their own good or who takes a nice present like a free milkshake and some clinical practice and a day off classes, and tries to turn it into an entire science fantasy story. I don't know what it's like where you're from, of course, I can tell something I'm saying is not landing but I don't really know what the disconnect is.