But Who's There For ME?

Writers: Eimi, Emma
Date Posted: 14th September 2006

Characters: Demalia, Birigundi
Description: Birigundi runs to talk to his best friend
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 13, day 17 of Turn 3

Birigundi

"Demalia!" Birigundi called as he walked through the door. He was too
numb to think about knocking politely. "Demalia, where are you?"

"In the back, I won't be a moment," she called out, slipping a clean
tunic over her head. "Biri?" There had been an odd note in his voice,
maybe he'd been fighting with Nialyn again.

"Oh shards, Demalia, please tell me you have drink somewhere for me."
He had just left Rigella and it was hard to keep the panic pushed down
deep. **You're going to be a father _twice_ over...**

"A drink, are you okay?" she asked as she came into the main room of her
weyr. "Biri? I think I might have some ale?"

He flopped down on her sofa and held his head in his hands. This just
couldn't be happening... again... "Ale would be good."

She found the skin, and poured out two mugs worth, before coming to sit
next to him. "Have you had another fight with Nialyn?" she asked gently
as she handed him the drink.

"No," Birigundi shook his head as he took the mug. "It's not Nia. It's
Rigella. She's pregnant."

That wasn't news to Demalia, but the fact that he was telling her
this... He couldn't, could he... "It, you, not you?" She was glad she
had the ale in her hands, she could lift the mug to her face to cover
her reaction
as she realised what he was saying.

"It's mine," he nodded numbly. "I just... I can't believe it. I
just..." Running out of words he just shook his head from side to side,
as if that could say it all.

All of a sudden it made sense, why Rigella had asked that favour of her.
She must have listened to her when she said to tell the father, whoever
he was. "What are you going to do?" asked Demalia. "I mean, is she, is
she
going to keep it? What about Nialyn?"

Birigundi absently played with the lip of the bottom. "She is going to
keep it. And I really don't know how I'm going to tell Nia."

"You'll have to, it's not exactly the kind of thing you can hide."

"But she already gets jealous knowing I'm with other women. I told her
it would never be monogamous, but it still bothers her I think." And
with the baby coming so soon...

'Poor Biri' ran through her head. "There's someone else you'd have to
tell."

"Shards, I know," he groaned as he leaned back against the sofa
cushions. "Ma's gonna be angry."

"She'll need to know," Demalia said. "I'll take you out there, if you
want?"

"Not yet. Please, just not yet." Birigundi couldn't face them both
yet. He just needed time to figure out how to tell them. It was
just... still too confusing. "I thought she was a healer. Healers
should know, they should _know_ to take the sharding herbs!"

"They don't always work," said Demalia. "Most of the time, well you'd be
fine, but sometimes, well there's always a chance that you can still get
pregnant."

"No, apparently she didn't even take them," he said with a sardonic
smile.

That was news to her, Rigella had always seemed so sensible, but maybe
it was losing her father the way she had. "Are you sure on that?"

"That's what she says," he shrugged. "But does it really matter? The
results are the same..."

"I really, really don't know waht to say Biri." She could hardly tell
him he should have kept it in his pants, it was too late for that now.
Maybe this would make him realise that the only one who had been there
through
everything was her.

"Shards, Demalia. I just... don't know what I'm going to do..."

"Be there for them, that's all."

He nodded and stared down the mouth of the bottle. "But who's gonna be
there for me?"

She just looked at him for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "Your
friends will be there for you," she said after another long moment.

"Yeah," he nodded numbly. Of course she'd say that. That's the typical
response. "Is... your father still alive, Demalia?"

"Yes," she relied.

"I don't remember mine. I know I was born before he died, but I don't
remember him. I never really had the chance to really miss him. But
with all of this..." he said waving his bottle carelessly, not caring
when ale splashed down his hand, "Shards, I just wish I had a father who
could just tell what in Faranth's name I'm supposed to do. That's what
father's do, right? Guide their sons? Who's really gonna be there for
me?"

"There must have been someone there for you," she said.

He thought about it a moment. "Fergus," he finally said. "He took over
as station master after my father died. I think he felt guilty about
replacing my father in the station, so he looked out for me and my
mother. But he... wouldn't understand all this. He never married."

Demalia just looked at him, not knowing what to say, "Maybe you could
talk to someone here, one of the riders maybe?"

Birigundi finally took a drink from his bottle. "Do you know someone?"

"U'kaiah maybe? E'naer?" she suggested.

"Maybe," he shrugged, sighed, and leaned his head back against the
cushions. "Sometimes, Demalia, the only person I feel I can really talk
to you is you."

**And doesn't that tell you something?** she thought, if only.... But
now wasn't the time, not at all. "I'm here for you, you know that."

"Yeah," he said, giving her a small, forced smile. "Yeah, I know.
Thank you. You're a good friend to me."

She smiled, hoping he'd not notice how much effort it took.

Last updated on the September 27th 2006

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But Who's There For ME?