Full of Surprises

Writers: Devin, Estelle
Date Posted: 27th February 2025
Series: Guarding Gil

Characters: I'lek, Tr'vel
Description: I'lek visits Tr'vel to share the gossip about Gil
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 7 of Turn 12

Tr'vel

I'lek's green Lirioth trilled a greeting to Eboroth as she landed
lightly on his weyr ledge. }:Hello! My rider is here, and he has brought
yours something to eat because he wasn't at breakfast. And he also wants
to ask him all about that handsome prisoner. They had a bath together
this morning. Oh, I'm sorry about the flight yesterday! Yelenith has no
taste. I would have chosen you over that conceited young brown.:{

The greenrider dismounted, clutching a rather squashed-looking parcel to
his chest. "Hello the weyr! Tr'vel! Can I come in?"

}:Why thank you Lirioth. You do have very good taste.:{ Eboroth said.
}:Come and join me.:{ He lifted a wing, ready to drape it over the
green.

Tr'vel had his back turned and grimaced where I'lek couldn't see. Then
he put on a neutral expression and turned to face the greenrider. "I
suppose, since it seems you've invited yourself." He'd been too
embarrassed to face the rest of Lightning Wing that morning.
_Everyone_ had seen what happened after that blasted flight.

"I brought you breakfast." I'lek entered the weyr, untroubled by any
notion that his presence might not be welcome. "We were all wondering
where you were. Terella thought you might be sick, but I asked Lirioth
to ask Eboroth and she said you weren't."

He unwrapped the parcel to reveal bacon rolls, fruit and pastries. "Eat
up! You must be starving. I'll have anything you don't want." To prove
his point, he picked up one of the pastries, perched on the back of a
chair and started nibbling.

"I had breakfast sent up," Tr'vel said. "And I'm fine. Just didn't
feel like company today."

"You can never have enough breakfast, and they always send up the
healthy stuff that no one wants." I'lek showed no sign of taking the
hint. "You didn't miss much. Gil wasn't there either. He must have been
stuck eating with C'nal, poor man." He rolled his eyes, and imitated a
conversation. "'Good morning, C'nal! Isn't it a beautiful day? The sun
is shining and the dolphins are dancing in the waves.' 'Huh. It'll
probably rain later.'"

Tr'vel chuckled. "He really is full of sunshine and rainbows." He took
a pastry and started picking it apart. "I asked him not to say
anything to the Weyrleader."

"What did he say?"

"He wasn't happy about it, but agreed since Gil is my responsibility.
Or was, at the time," Tr'vel said. "And I told him that if anything
like that happens again, I _will_ go straight to the Weyrleader." Gil
hadn't hurt anyone, of that he was sure, but there was still the
nagging doubt that the former holder might have passed information to
someone in the short time he wasn't being watched.

"That's good. I really don't think he'd been alone for more than a
minute before I found him, and he was just looking around him, not
trying to hide or anything." I'lek finished off the last of the pastry
and started on the bacon rolls. "He seemed very apologetic, anyway, when
I saw him in the bathing cavern earlier."

Tr'vel arched an eyebrow. "You saw him in the bathing cavern?" Then he
realized who he was talking to. "You went there at the same time
deliberately, didn't you?"

"I needed to wash," the greenrider replied, all innocence. "It was a
happy coincidence."

"Mmm-hmm," Tr'vel said skeptically. "You clearly want to tell me
something about him, so go ahead." He ate a small piece of sticky
pastry.

"Well, we had a little chat about yesterday." I'lek finished off the
roll and licked his fingers. "Gil is full of surprises. A lot of holders
from his background are offended that people like you and me even exist,
let alone experiencing us close up, as it were. But he wasn't like that
at all. He seemed curious about what happened, and how mating flights
affect us."

Heat spread over Tr'vel's face. "Oh. That's . . . interesting," he
managed. Disgust he could have handled. But Gil being curious . . .
and yesterday he'd seemed _concerned_ for Tr'vel. The wicked things
he'd imagined after he fled to his weyr filled his mind.

"Isn't it? He wanted to know if it was him in particular that caused the
reaction, or if it could have been anyone." I'lek's tone was casual, but
he watched Tr'vel's expression closely. "He was worried that he'd
offended you."

"Offended _me_? I was furious about him wandering off but what
happened after . . ." Tr'vel stared down at his plate. "He didn't say
or do anything rude."

"He doesn't know our customs, though. He's only been here a few months,
and most of those he's been locked up. I expect he didn't know how to
react to someone in the grip of flight lust and he's afraid he did
something wrong." The greenrider smiled. "Sounds like he did a lot
better than some holdbred candidates."

"Uh, yeah." Tr'vel picked at the pastry some more. "He asked if I was
going to be okay." The bluerider snorted. "It was just flightlust."

"Well, he wasn't to know. He probably thought you were about to
explode." I'lek grinned. "It's sweet that he was worried about you."

Tr'vel frowned. "I thought he was _your_ harper romance hero."

"Ah, but I know when I'm not someone's type," I'lek replied
mischievously. "And I suspect his is tall, dark and smoldering, rather
than fair, flirty and fabulous."

"I'lek," Tr'vel said sternly. "I'm his _guard_. I know you're having
fun with your fantasies, but this is real life." Yet an awful,
traitorous part of him perked up at the idea that Gil might be
interested. The flightlust had really done a number on him yesterday
and Tr'vel hoped he'd be able to shake it off.

"But that's what makes it so perfect," I'lek said, undaunted. "He'll be
having so much fun making passionate love with a handsome dragonrider,
he won't want to run away or plot against us." He bit into another
pastry. "Tr'vel defeats the conspiracy using nothing but his sex appeal!
The Weyrleader will probably give you a promotion."

Tr'vel bit his lip to keep from laughing. "You're _absurd_."

"It happens all the time in books." He started to wander idly around the
weyr, unashamedly examining the contents of the shelves. "Don't _you_
think he's attractive?"

"No," the bluerider said a little too quickly. "My type is 'people who
don't get involved in conspiracies against the Weyr and try to kill my
daughter's lifemate when she's fresh out of the shell'."

"He says he didn't know what he'd got himself into, doesn't he?" I'lek
pulled a book from a shelf, flicked through it, then put it back. "Do
you think he's lying?"

"I think he _might_ be, and that's enough. Besides, it's my _job_ to
be suspicious of him, because if he _is_ lying, if he's planning
something, then I need to keep all of you safe." Tr'vel couldn't
forget that.

"Aww." I'lek left off nosing through Tr'vel's possessions, came over and
wrapped his arms around the bluerider in a impulsive hug. "I'm glad
you're looking out for us." He thought for a moment, then looked up
innocently. "But isn't that C'nal's job now? You could go and visit him,
as a man, not as a guard."

"We're on rotation," Tr'vel said. Thank Faranth C'nal's turn had started
today.

"Well, you should think about it. Visiting him, I mean. I'm sure he'd be
happy to see you," I'lek coaxed. "He said that he enjoyed your company."

Tr'vel stamped down on the little flicker of interest. "He's a
_prisoner_. I'm his _guard_. _You_ go visit him if you want to be
friendly."

The greenrider tilted his head to one side, considering. "Perhaps you're
right. You don't want to seem too eager and scare him off. Leave it a
few days and then visit him," he advised. "Play hard to get."

Tr'vel groaned and put his head in his hands.

"Yes, that ought to work." I'lek said, pleased with his plan. "After a
day or so of C'nal, he'll be longing to see you again." Deciding that
his work here was done, he snagged the last pastry. "I'll keep you
informed."

Tr'vel was sure the greenrider would, whether he liked it or not.

Last updated on the March 5th 2025

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