A Way With Words

Writers: Devin, Dana
Date Posted: 28th May 2007

Characters: N'vanik, Traelyn
Description: N'vanik comes to see Traelyn
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 21 of Turn 4

N'vanik

Sensing Nyith stirring from her doze, Traelyn looked up. "Nyith?" The
queen rustled her bright wings and Traelyn saw that her glowing eyes were
focused, once again, on the entrance to the Hatching Grounds.

}:Loseth's rider,:{ the dragon supplied, tone more alert than sleepy.

**Will you let him come in?**

Curling her long tail tighter around her body, Nyith sighed, blowing sand
every which way. }:He may.:{

Traelyn was relieved to see that her queen was more agreeable to having
guests enter the Hatching Grounds, and not snarl them out. Her eyes were
trained on the bronzerider as he approached, and she stood, straightening
the slight creases in the shirt she'd borrowed from U'kaiah. Maybe she'd
have her own clothes back from the laundry by tomorrow. Maybe.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Hey," he replied. "How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. Still pretty tired, but I guess that's to be expected
from handling the time difference...and everything else." Reaching out,
she gently touched her fingertips to his arm. "And you?"

"I'm fine." Silence stretched for a moment. He didn't know what else to say.

Pulling her hand away, Traelyn sat down. For a long moment, she was
quiet, dark eyes unseeing as she stared out at Nyith's clutch. The touch
had been seeking, had been a silent question. But he hadn't returned it.
And that was enough of an answer for her. Leaning forward, she rested her
elbows on her thighs, and realized, suddenly, that it didn't surprise her
as much as she thought it would have.

"We're drifting, aren't we, N'vanik?" she finally asked softly.

He sat down beside her, close but not touching. "I don't know. Things are .
. ." He sighed. "It's a little weird to have you back."

A brow rose, and she glanced at him.

"What? It is."

"Why?"

"I'm used to you being over there. It's been half a turn, and now you're
back in my territory." He smiled slightly at his possessiveness.

"_Your_ territory? What exactly are you trying to tell me, N'vanik?" She
wasn't looking at him, but the irritation in her voice was unmistakable.

"I didn't mean it like _that_!" This visit wasn't going the way he'd hoped.
"Look, Trae, I'm not happy about the reason for you being here. But I am
glad about the chance to spend more time with you." N'vanik took her hand.
"Really." Even if it did feel awkward.

"You're kind of right, you know." She looked down at their hands,
worrying her lower lip lightly. "I mean, I _have_ been gone for half a
Turn. And we've both gone on and have done things...become almost
different people." Traelyn could see the change in him, like she'd seen
it when he had last come to Dolphin Cove. She could only imagine what
kinds of changes he saw in her. Then a half-smile curved her lips.
"Almost." Her eyes flickered to his. "And after everything I've
experienced in the past couple days, it does feel rather surreal to be
sitting here with you, watching Nyith's clutch hardening on Dragonsfall's
Sands."

"Yeah, that's what I meant." He smiled.

She snorted, shaking her head. "You do have a way with words."

"It's a talent." N'vanik leaned back on the bench, relaxing.

"Any other particular talents you've been honing since I've last seen
you?" she asked, tone half-joking, half-serious.

He turned toward her and smirked. "I'm always honing certain talents."

She grinned despite herself. "Oh? Want to name one off for me?"

Eyes dancing with amusement, N'vanik leaned over and whispered in her ear.

Her grin became even wider, and she tsked playfully, shaking her head.
"That was awfully predictable, N'vanik. I'm rather disappointed."

"You wouldn't be disappointed if I used that particular talent on you."

"Probably not," she agreed dryly, but her dark eyes glinted as she slanted
him a look. "Is this your oh-so-subtle way of inviting me to your bed?"

"Mine?" N'vanik cleared his throat and tried to recover. "I suppose it would
be more familiar than the one down here."

Traelyn gave him a sharp look, and then understanding suddenly dawned on
her face. Looking away, she drew back and stared out on the Sands, once
again focusing her gaze on her sleeping dragon. It had been so easy to
slip back into that familiar bantering...to forget everything and just
lose herself in
flirtation. And during that brief moment, she'd forgotten his situation
with Talryne. "I guess it would be rather awkward if I came back with you
with her there, wouldn't it?" Her tone wasn't accusing, or angry, or
irritated...rather, it was quiet again.

"No. I mean, she's got her own place." He would just have to make sure she
didn't show up when he was with Trae.

Her own place? "It sounds like she's getting stronger, N'vanik."

He couldn't stop the smile. "She is."

"I'm glad. For her sake."

N'vanik looked at her, wondering what she meant by that.

Traelyn met his eyes. "She'd have to be strong in order to....well, to live
her life, wouldn't she?"

"I don't know how she does it," he said quietly. "How she can still have so
much life in her."

How could any dragonless rider? If something happened to Nyith...shards,
would she, Traelyn, have enough strength inside of her to survive such an
anguished separation? A death of half of her soul? Would she even want
to
live without Nyith?

Swallowing thickly, she turned her eyes to the queen, who, in sensing her
rider's dark thoughts, had raised her head to look at her. Her opalescent
eyes swirled serenely as she touched Traelyn's mind gently. }:We are
together. We have faced many dangers, and we are still together. We will
stay together:{

"We take advantage of so much," she whispered to N'vanik. "So much...."

When he was with Talryne, sometimes he could almost forget that she'd lost
her dragon. She was so alive when she was laughing or teasing, when she
moaned as they moved together. But when he talked about her with other
people, he was always reminded of what she'd lost, and that somehow made
him angry. He could never _really_ forget that Ysanth was gone, but he
didn't need to be reminded of it by that sad, pitying look in people's
eyes. "I'm reminded every day of what I could lose, but she doesn't make
me sad. She makes me happy, because she smiles, and she laughs, and I can
see there's still so much left in her. I see her struggle, too, and that
hurts more than anything. But she fights, and she wins, and she gets
stronger every day."

Traelyn didn't know what to say. His tone was so honest and so
passionate...she was almost embarrassed because it was so intimate.
Almost. She hadn't, until this very moment, realized just how much
N'vanik cared about Talryne. And once again, Traelyn was acutely aware of
the distance between them. She didn't know this N'vanik. She'd caught
glimpses of him when he had last come to Dolphin Cove...but she didn't
know him. She didn't
know what she could say to him. But she didn't want him to think that she
hadn't listened, and so she reached out, brushing her fingertips tentatively
against the back of his hand.

He took her hand and sighed quietly. "But I didn't come here to talk about
her. I came to see you."

Relieved that they were changing the subject to something less
uncomfortable for her, she smiled and shifted a little closer. "And do
you like what you see?"

"Hmm." He crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Too many clothes."

This was the N'vanik she recognized. Grinning, she imitated his posture.
"Maybe later, you can see what you really want to see."

His eyebrow went up. "Maybe later? Why not now?"

Traelyn pointed to her dozing queen. "She hates to be alone right now,
N'vanik. Especially after all she's gone through, and being in a Weyr not
her own... I just can't leave her."

"Ok." He nodded in understanding and gave her a quick kiss. Then he got a
mischievous look in his eyes. "Although, we wouldn't necessarily have to
go
anywhere . . ."

A laugh burst from her. "Oh, you! The last thing I need right now are more
bruises dappling my arse." She knocked her knuckles gently against the
stone beneath them. "I want a bed, bronzerider. With mounds of furs and
pillows."

A slow grin spread on his face. "I don't mind being on the bottom."

"I know you don't. And I don't mind being on the top. But I really would
prefer a bed..."

He crossed his arms, but he was still smiling. "Hmph. Ok."

She smiled back. "Good."

Last updated on the May 29th 2007

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A Way With Words