Playing Hooky

Writers: Leigh M-F., Heather
Date Posted: 4th May 2015

Characters: A'kua, Saibra
Description: You can run from the weather, but you can't run from your problems.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr, Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 12, day 13 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: R'enh, weyrlingstaff

Saibra

It had been relatively clear for long enough that the sudden
appearance of snow was a real let-down. Sure, the uncles and aunties
with some weather sense had warned anyone who would listen that it
might happen, but lots of people had seriously hoped it would not
after all.

Aluka was feeling especially grumpy about it. He had been washing
dishes in the kitchen when he had been told to deliver a lunch to
Saibra. It was all neatly packed in a basket so no heat would be lost,
and one of the other Candidates had been nice enough to loan the
redhead a long, cozy coat, but Aluka was still cursing steadily and
vehemently as he walked. Not because he minded the errand, but because
he had to go in the accursed snow to do it. He was shaking it off his
hair and shoulders and the basket outside the Weyrwoman's office when
he suddenly sneezed loudly and rapidly three times. After a beat, he
sneezed once more. "Ancients, this weather better not be makin' me
sick again," he complained to the cold air, and knocked. "Lunch
delivery!" he called.

Beneath her riding breeches and modestly cut sweater, the Dragonsfall
Weyrwoman wore a skimpy, barely-there two-piece bathing suit for her
planned trip to a hot, white sandy beach that day. Most days Saibra
didn't have the spare time, or energy, to make a beach trip, but this
one she had planned out for a while-- the only thing she was missing
on her trip was a companion....

"Lunch delivery!"

She heard the call through the other side of the door and smiled.
**The redheaded Candidate.** Saibra remembered Aluka easily, since he
had caught her and saved her from face planting in the Weyrbowl, after
all.

"Come in!"

The Candidate did so, shutting the door firmly and carrying the basket
to Saibra. "Those are the biggest, wettest snowflakes I've seen at
Dragonsfall yet," he complained.

"I know." Saibra agreed, wrinkling her nose in disdain. "Which is why
I am escaping to the beach for a couple of hours. People keep
promising me that Dragonsfall has some sort of 'summer' but I am
beginning to think it's nothing but a myth." Taking the basket from
Aluka, Saibra hauled it out to the weyrledge where Chioneth waited,
beginning to acquire a blanket of white fluff on her golden hide.

**It would have been great if R'enh had been able to go to the
beach.** She thought as she secured the basket.

}:Why not invite Arinoth's rider?:{

**Kyne?! Ugh, he would read too much into it... and I would have to
suffer through his company.** Of course the view would be amazing
since K'yne happened to have a muscled, toned body that women dreamed
about.

Spinning on her heel, a sudden epiphany struck the Dragonsfall
Weyrwoman, and she walked back into the weyr with a sultry smile,
"Aluka, why don't you escape the snow with me?"

The Candidate had been snickering over the comment about summer -it
felt pretty apt at the moment- and not really paying attention to what
Saibra was doing now that the basket was safely in her possession. Her
approach and question caught him completely off guard, and for a
moment, all he could do was stare at her. He processed her smile a
beat later; it wasn't an unfamiliar expression to him. Bailan had
given him that smile many a time, and it and the offer were so, so
very tempting. But it also made him wary. "What would I tell the
Weyrlin'masters?" he asked, and as the words left his lips, he knew he
would accept the invitation anyway. He tried to ignore the distrustful
voice in his mind when it started nagging him about what a bad idea it
was.

"I'll take care of that. Do you want to go or not?" Saibra arched one
glossy, black eyebrow at him as she waited for his response.

"Lead on, my lady," he said, and followed her onto the ledge. His
heart did a funny sideways hop in excitement and lingering worry. He'd
never truly played hooky before. He had never ridden a gold, either,
much less the senior gold! He gave Chioneth a courteous bow.

}:Kenirath. My rider requires the Candidate Aluka's assistance for a
while. He will be absent from the Weyr for a bit.:{ Chioneth informed
the bronze that belonged to the Weyrlingmaster's Second.

}:Of course, my Queen,:{ Kenirath crooned to Chioneth, wanting very
much to earn the senior beauty's favor in time for her next flight,
}:I shall let my rider know.:{

Saibra mounted Chioneth first, her movements sure and graceful as she
slid into place along the Queen's neckridge. Wiggling her hips, the
Weyrwoman got comfortable in the straps first before leaning down and
extending a hand to help Aluka up. People often underestimated the
difference between mounting a smaller dragon, like a blue or green,
and then trying to get up on a gold. Once the Candidate was in place
behind her, Saibra quickly worked through the straps, making sure they
were secured about them both before glancing over her shoulder at
Aluka with a smile.

"Hold on." She warned, and then Chioneth reared back on her powerful
golden haunches and sprang aloft into the air.

Aluka automatically threw his arms around Saibra's waist as they took
off. That stupid voice yelled at him to remove his grasp immediately,
but he rationalized that the waist was better than accidentally
groping Saibra again, and it was such a nice waist, too. A womanly
waist- Between blinded him and broke his caravan of thought, and when
sound and sight and other sensations returned, they were somewhere
breathtakingly beautiful. The redhead openly gaped at it in wonder.

Chioneth circled slowly to land on Saibra's favorite stretch of beach.
Sunlight made the waves below them sparkle and dance as they crashed
upon the smooth, white sandy beach. The Weyrwoman's face was lit with
a smile of pure delight as she unbuckled her straps and flung them
aside.

"This is my favorite place." She told him as she remained up on
Chioneth and kicked off her boots so that her bare feet touched down
into the velvety sand when she jumped to the ground. Grabbing the
basket she had packed and then stuffing the blanket under one arm,
Saibra struck off to spread out the blanket. Once a square of sand was
covered by the quilt the goldrider began unceremoniously stripping out
of her riding clothes down to the two piece bathing suit she had put
on underneath her clothes.

The Candidate slid down too, bowing again to Chioneth before feasting
his eyes on the place. Herb-gathering trips and other such chores had
never taken him anywhere so stunning. He could definitely see why the
Weyrwoman loved it here so much. He turned his head to address Saibra.
"I've never seen anythin' so beautiful-" Shards! He quickly looked
back to the scenery, cheeks flaming. For a moment, he felt uneasy. But
surely there was no reason to, so he shoved the emotion aside and
cleared his throat. "I've never been to a place like this before," he
said a little awkwardly.

Saibra caught the awkward halt in the Candidate's sentence, but she
thought very little of it as she stretched out on the blanket,
absorbing the warm sun on her bare skin with a soft sigh of
appreciation. "Some of the people who have been at Dragonsfall since
the beginning of time," there was a dripping of sarcasm from her
voice, "don't understand my appreciation for the sun and sand. I'm
glad you see it too. There's just nothing like it." While she was
coming to appreciate more and more the beauty of snow, there was still
no replacement for the beach.

With the ability to visit places like this at any time, it was hard to
imagine how dragonriders got any work done. Without really thinking,
the Candidate took off the jacket and the dark gray sweater he had
chosen before he could start sweating too much, folding the clothes
neatly. With the warmth, the sound of the waves, and the beauty of the
area, he was starting to forget his recent worries and and current
uneasiness. "Where are we, exactly?" A frame of reference for future
visits -that is, if he Impressed- would be very helpful if he needed
to look up the area on a map.

"Some way west of Topaz Seahold, but still east of Coral Bay Hold, if
that helps you any. I was introduced to this stretch of beach when I
was living at Dolphin Cove." Saibra revealed, shielding her eyes from
the sun as she glanced over at Aluka. If he was a Turn or so
older..... **But J'ackt wasn't a Turn or so older, was he?** The
thought crept up and she quickly dismissed it by relaxing her head
back onto the blanket and draping her arm over her eyes.

Aluka had heard of those places in Candidate lessons, so now that he
knew what to look for. The redhead carried his clothes to the other
side of the blanket, where he sat close to the edge and pulled his
knees to this chest, resting his arms on his knees as he just stared
at the jewel-toned ocean.

He should really write a song about this place.

The words, "Aluka, come rub some oil on my back, I can't reach"
penetrated the air and the peaceful calm that had settled around the
Weyrwoman and Candidate. Saibra was now laying on her stomach, her
shimmering eyes regarding the redhead as she held out a small jar of
oil for him to take.

The young man was brought back to reality with a jolt, giving his
temporary companion a startled look. The thought of actually touching
the gorgeous woman in a way that didn't involve holding on for a ride
was as flustering as when he had realized who it was he had
accidentally groped some days before. For a second, he thought of
refusing, but that was a stupid idea. He would be an absolute moron to
pass up this chance. (He tried to ignore how that made him feel.)
Besides, it wouldn't do for them to come back sunburned.

Aluka took the jar, and made sure to brush his fingers against
Saibra's as he did.

The corners of the Weyrwoman's mouth twitched at the touch of
eletricity that passed through their brief touch as she handed the oil
to Aluka. Closing her eyes, Saibra folded her arms beneath her chin
and wiggled her toes down into the sand at the edge of the blanket as
she waited for the Candidate to begin spreading the liquid onto her
skin, which was already warmed from the sun.

Okay, that was a rather alluring sight. Aluka dropped some of the oil
onto his left hand and ran it slowly over Saibra's back with just
enough pressure to stir the nerves.

Saibra smiled to herself. **Hmm, his hands feel pretty good....**

Last updated on the May 8th 2015

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Playing Hooky