Tell Her She's Wonderful

Writers: Anika, Suzee
Date Posted: 28th October 2014

Characters: R'enh, R'taran
Description: R'enh gives R'taran some much needed advice about women.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 15 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentor Approved

R'enh

Clutching, his clothing to his half dressed form, R'taran backed into
the hall from the greenrider's weyr. "Was that really necessary?"

"You sharding arrogant wherry's arse!" a shriek from the weyr answered.

R'taran ducked the incoming boot which bounced off the wall behind
him, a far sight better than what had happened to the first one.
Having his belongings, the brownrider quickly pulled the door closed
to avoid any other missiles launched at him by the irate female.
Turning to see R'enh standing in the hall, R'taran moved to retrieve
his boot.

"I think I said something to offend her."

"You think?" R'enh crossed his arms and leaned against the passage
wall. "She doesn't usually kick riders out of her weyr like that," he
smirked. "What exactly did you say?"

"Let me preface this with, we enjoyed one another's company and both
had a perfectly pleasurable time before she got _chatty_," he uttered
the final word like a curse. "I'm dozing off and she's going on about
her sisters back in the Hold and a tyrannical father and some such
nonsense that I wasn't really following. I was nodding my head and
keeping my mouth shut. Then she asked for my opinion. She _asked_."

}:You really must stop offending those you catch.:{ Qharterioth
commented sleepily.

R'enh chewed on that for a moment and then quirked an eyebrow. "And
what, may I ask, _was_ your opinion?" He could only imagine what the
man must have said to get quite such a hysterical response.

"I told her it sounds as if her sisters are cosseted compared to mine
and that the one she was going on about should buck up do her duty to
the Hold and marry whomever her father tells her to," he said with a
shrug. "That was the gist of it anyway."

"So in other words you just don't know how to talk to women is my
guess," R'enh chuckled. "So if she were to asks you if her ass looked
fat in her flying leathers what would you say?"

"I'll be the first to admit that women confuse the shells out of me
but even _I_ know that's a loaded question requiring evasive
maneuvers." R'taran's brow furrowed as he reached down to pull his
boot on. He wasn't exactly sure what R'enh was getting at here. "I
won't lie about my beliefs just to bed a woman."

"Well that's just counter productive," R'enh grinned. "Get dressed and
come to my office," he said and turned away to go there himself before
turning back to the younger man. "You do want to see them again at
some point?"

Quickly yanking on his second boot and pulling his tunic over his
head, R'taran worked on fastening his belt as he followed his
Wingsecond. "That _would_ be a nice change," he stated, though
listening to advice on women challenged his pride. It wasn't like he
lacked female companionship, albeit he fared better with women from
the lower caverns than he did with greenriders.

}:You should listen to what he has to say.:{ Qharterioth advised.
}:Mnoranth says his rider can catch the same female many times.:{

**Hey, I do okay!** R'taran responded to his dragon indignantly.

}:Yes, but you upset many of those you catch or try to.:{

R'enh swung his door open and went around behind his desk to grab the
pot of klah he always had there. "Ahh good, it's fresh," he said after
a whiff. Pouring himself a cup he then slid the pot over to the other
rider. "So, I'm curious. Why do you feel you need to communicate your
personal views to a woman you only know casually?"

"I don't," R'taran answered, reaching for the pot and a clean mug that
was sitting close by. He poured himself some of the dark liquid then
added, "Unless they _ask_."

R'enh shook his head chuckling. "You don't speak woman then." He took
a sip of his klah and tilted his head slightly. "You're better off
saying nothing than saying what you really feel about things like
that. Women want to hear that they're lovely and special, and they
are... if you ever want to come back. Trust me, they are a limited
supply and they talk to each other. Word will travel fast and your
'company' will dry up just as quickly. I don't think you want that."

"No," the brownrider admitted with a frown. "So when they ask you for
your opinion...you ignore them? Say you'd rather not answer? Or
sidetrack them with inane flattery?"

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but women in the Weyr are
different from women other places." He leaned back in his chair
thinking back to the ones he had know at the Smith Hall. "It's
probably the dragons or maybe because they have more education but
they're different, more ambitious. Especially gold riders." He
couldn't say they were more intelligent but to him they were certainly
more interesting.

"What exactly did she ask you anyway?"

"Well," R'taran took a sip of the hot klah and tried to remember the
specifics of the conversation. "As I said, she was going on about her
family back in the Hold and her two younger sisters. I let her
blather on and kept my mouth shut, hoping if I fell into a doze she
would leave off. Then she asked my opinion on the matter. I said I
couldn't really speak to it." He looked somewhat smugly at his
Wingsecond. He _had_ tried to avoid the issue. "She said she wanted
a man's opinion. Then she told me all the ways her sister is trying
to get out of an arranged marriage. She asked what I thought she
should do. So I told her."

R'enh chuckled. "What? Did you not listen to her when she was talking
about her family? Did it sound like she wanted her sister to marry the
man?" He shook his head. "You're so stuck in your own head that you
didn't hear her at all. You have to listen to them man."

The younger man shook his head in confusion. "Listen and say what exactly?"

The klah rose to R'enh's lips for a quick sip as he considered the
younger man. "While we all have our opinions and if another man asks a
question he wants to hear what you really think. Women aren't that
way. They think differently. They just want your sympathy and I'm
guessing that's not what you did. So, now she thinks you're a
'sharding arrogant wherry's arse.' And that is what she's going to
tell all her female wingmates."

Normally he cared very little about others opinion of him. He acted
according to his own moral code, fulfilled his responsibilities, and
did what he believed to be right. Still, R'enh had a very valid
point. R'taran enjoyed his dalliances with the fairer sex, not to
mention that Qharterioth would never forgive him if he alienated every
female green rider in the Weyr. "I've never been very good at
obfuscation," he said tentatively.

"Who said anything about lying to them," R'enh shook his head. "A
woman is lovely and gives you something you can never get anywhere
else. You simply comfort her and pet her and tell her how wonderful
she is. Be nice, ask questions and nod a lot." This wasn't difficult
for R'enh because he really did appreciate women and for more than
just their physical bodies. "You can take my advice or not. It's
really up to you, but if the word gets around the only action you'll
get is when your dragon win's a flight."

"I do respect woman for...well their femininity for lack of a better
word and could not agree more that they are wonderfully made," R'taran
stated as if thinking out loud. Of course he still believed in the
more traditional roles for women, but he also believed in protecting
them and maybe this fell into that category. He came to his feet with
a nod, though the look on his face clearly indicated that he was still
puzzling through what R'enh had said. "I appreciate your insight,
R'enh, and will give this some thought. As you say, it would be
unfortunate to have no female companionship outside of flights."

R'enh nodded sagely and watched the man without judgement. If he
couldn't change his ways he'd be the one losing out for he certainly
wasn't going to find a wife to provide for his physical needs like he
would have had he not become a rider. The women at the Weyr could
choose whether or not to entertain him and if he kept on this path...
it was going to be _not_.

"Good day R'taran," he said as a dismissal. "Think about it...then go
apologize like you did something wrong whether you believe it or not.
That's the only way you'll fix this."

Last updated on the November 16th 2014

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Tell Her She's Wonderful