Sweet Home Amber Hills
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Devin, Bree
Date Posted: 26th March 2007
Series: Saving Each Other
Characters: Talryne, N'vanik
Description: Talryne asks N'vanik if he will take her to visit her family. And stay for dinner.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 3 of Turn 4
Talryne let N'vanik reach the end of the first chapter of the new book he'd picked out to read before she gave up and brought up the subject she'd been carefully avoiding for several days. She wasn't much looking forward to the discussion, so she kept her eyes on her knitting and blurted it out in a rush. "So my sister has been nagging me and she was getting worried so I told her I might go for a visit. Only I'd need someone to take me, and I was hoping you would. But that'd mean you'd have to probably stay and eat dinner with my family. It's all right to say no."
He turned toward her. "You want me to go to dinner with your family?"
She squinted down at her knitting as if it took her entire attention. "I'm not quite ready to have them all here, N'vanik. That would be... invading the space I've made. I thought maybe we could just--go there. Or, well, I could. And if you didn't want to bring me... Someone else could-" Which wasn't about to happen any time soon. Loseth kept her calm and comfortated, but the other dragons were still a sore spot.
It probably wasn't good to feel jealous at the idea of someone else taking her. "I can take you. It's just . . . me? Having dinner with your family? You're braver than I thought." He smiled to show he was teasing, but the idea made him uncomfortable. Things between them were awkward enough without adding her family to it.
"Oh, it's likely to be horrible all around," she agreed quickly. "My little sister seems to be obsessed with the idea of all of the eligible men running around the Weyr, and will probably ask you all sorts of things that you should ignore. And father... well, you've seen how he can get. But it really should be just the two of them this time..." If they invited the uncles and grandparents and cousins... shards, she'd _kill_ them!
"I must be losing my touch, if you're more worried about them behaving than me." N'vanik could just imagine all the fun questions they might ask.
"Oh, no. You behave as badly as you want." She peeked up at him and smiled. "Maybe they'll stop bothering me to come visit if you do."
He gave her a sly smile. "So should I flirt with your sister then?"
"That would depend on if you want me to smother you with your pillow next time you fall asleep," she replied darkly. "No one gets to flirt with my sister. Not until she's twenty-five. Maybe thirty."
"You said as could be as bad as I want. Now there are exceptions?" He feigned offense.
Talryne smiled and turned her attention back to her knitting. "I didn't say you couldn't do it. Just that I'd hurt you if you did. She's my baby sister!" And it wasn't as if N'vanik hadn't slept with enough women in the family already.
At some point, her smile was going to stop seeming so special. It had to, didn't it? "Hmmm, maybe I could just share stories involving myself and attractive young women?"
"Mmmm... I suppose. Just _don't_ tell any stories about me and attractive older men. My father might choke." And Rialine might get ideas.
N'vanik tilted his head. "I think you have much too innocent an idea of what my stories would involve. Good stories have details." He smirked.
"Do they?" she asked without looking up. "You always skip over the details when you read to me. I thought you were shy."
His eyes widened. "I'm not--that's . . . I didn't know if you'd be comfortable with it," he finished lamely.
Talryne had to struggle not to laugh at him. "N'vanik? Perhaps our adventures together weren't particularly memorable, but considering all the things I _was_ comfortable with you doing, I'd imagine I'd survive having you read illicit stories."
Like he need to think about _that_ right now. "Fine. _I_ was uncomfortable, because you were . . . hurt and I didn't want to think like that around you, okay?" It was the closest he'd gotten to snapping at her since the accident.
Her eyes tightened briefly, but she didn't flinch away. Instead she set her project down and slid across the couch and wrapped her arms around him. "I know. I'm sorry."
N'vanik sighed and returned the hug. "No hugging at dinner. I don't want your family to get ideas." Wrong ones . . . or right ones.
She closed her eyes and rested her cheek on his chest. "I hope you don't care about my family's ideas, because they're likely to get them no matter what."
He absently stroked her hair. "Well, let's not encourage it, at least." Abrei had certainly gotten ideas. Thank Faranth she wasn't going to be there.
Talryne poked him in the side lightly, smiling. "You would be so lucky, you big-headed bronzerider," she said lightly, hoping it would come off as a joke. "I'll write to my father and set up a date. Maybe in a sevenday or two?"
"Sure." It wasn't going to be a comfortable dinner, but it had to end better than the one they'd had a few days ago.
Last updated on the March 28th 2007
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