Just an Inkling

Writers: Kaysea, Rochelle
Date Posted: 24th August 2007

Characters: J'ritem, M'nex, Badaral
Description: Washing Lecitrith, M'nex sees something that J'ritem appears to have missed about the candidate that has been helping him with his dragon.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 24 of Turn 4
Notes: Follows "Just Thought I'd Offer..."

He sat hunched up, arms wrapped around his knees, waiting for J'ritem and
Lecitrith to arrive. The cavern wasn't hot, but thankfully it wasn't cold

either so he wasn't uncomfortable.

He watched other dragons being bathed as he waited, aware of the strange
looks he was getting, but not caring.

Movement at the entrance drew his attention, and he almost bounced to his
feet when he realised it was J'ritem and Lecitrith and - another rider who
appeared vaguely familiar. He made his way across the warmed sand,
mindful of not incurring J'ritem's displeasure by trying too hard - as the
now familiar scowl crossed the riders face as J'ritem realised it was him.

"I'm here - as promised." he said, a little too brightly.

M'nex blinked, but the vision was still there. A young man wearing
candidate knots was coming toward them, and was talking to his
fosterbrother. He knew their mother hadn't assigned anyone to help J'ritem
with Lecitrith today, because M'nex always helped if he wasn't riding
drills or flying sweeps. A glance at J'ritem showed the greenrider was
scowling, but didn't seemed particularly surprised that the boy was there.

"Well, hello then." M'nex said with a friendly grin. Anyone who put up
with J'ritem in his fouler moods deserved his sympathy. "And who might you
be?"

J'ritem scowled at the candidate and M'nex's greeting, but he was more
concerned with where he was placing his crutches than Badaral's suspicious
behavior. Lecitrith was limping hopefully over to the interior lake,
ducking under an overhang and veering over to a place out of the wind to
the right when her rider requested her to for all their sakes.

"I'm, er, Badaral. Er, my friends call me Ari. I'm ... I er, offered to
help J'ritem with Lecitrith." Badaral looked from one rider to the other,
unsure whether he was angering J'ritem by explaining. But decided he
would rather have J'ritem scowling at him, because he was talking to the
other rider, than ignoring him totally.

"Really?" M'nex asked in surprise. This was unusual. "Well, the more the
merrier." He said, with a glance at J'ritem to see his reaction. After
all, it was his dragon they were discussing.

J'ritem said nothing, steadily picking his way across the uneven cavern
floor to where Lecitrith was waiting, her scarred wings half extended. He
wasn't going to say no. **Can you tell Djorth that I want M'nex's opinion
on him?** He queried his green lady as she lowered his head to his level.
He was half certain that the candidate was trying to use him to get into
his mother's good graces, since he had already admitted to having had
punishment duty, but he wasn't sure.

M'nex watched his fosterbrother with unfocused eyes as he listened to
Djorth faithfully relay Lecitrith's message and suspicions, and felt them
widen in understanding. But unlike his brother, he doubted the candidate
was that duplicitous. Most people weren't, which was why Ari's behavior
was so unusual. "Ah. I guess he agrees." He said for Badaral's benefit
when J'ritem said nothing aloud. "Come along then. I'm M'nex, Djorth's
rider." He said cheerfully. "J'ritem's my fosterbrother."

"Oh..." realisation came to the candidate in those three words and a wave
of relief washed over him. The bluerider's appearance with J'ritem had
given him a start, worry that they were a mated pair had occurred to him
almost straight away, but fosterbrothers - surely it was rare for
fosterbrothers to weyrmate?

A smile widened on his face, "Well, pleased to meet you M'nex." Ari
replied, his eyes flashing from M'nex to the still silent J'ritem. "So
you've known each other a long time?" he spoke quietly now, not wanting
J'ritem to think he was prying, when in reality, that was exactly what he
was doing. But he wouldn't pass up the chance to learn something more
about the man.

M'nex grinned. "You could say that. He was ten when mum took me in, so
we're not the closest. But we're friends as well as brothers, and the
only dragonriders in the family, so I try to help him out whenever I can.
He did it for me growing up, it seems only fair to return the favor." He
watched the candidate's face carefully, trying to figure out why Ari had
looked so relieved when he'd been introduced as J'ritem's fosterbrother.

"I didn't have any older siblings," Ari confessed, "just younger ones, but
I know what you mean about helping each other out. I hope my younger
brother and sister realise that even though I'm here at the Weyr, if they
needed me I would be there for them."

He glanced back over at J'ritem, wanting to learn more about him, but not
quite knowing how to go about it, without raising anyone's suspicions.
"It must have been good having an older brother you could go to when you
had a problem. Especially one who's so quiet - he must have been a good
listener?" They were nearing J'ritem and Lecitrith, so the opportunity to
discuss the other rider was coming to an end, much to Ari's
disappointment.

"It was nice sometimes." M'nex agreed with a grimace. "But no, he's never
been that good a listener. He tends to hear what he wants to hear, or what
he thinks he should be hearing. He was always kind of hardheaded that way,
but he was very good at seeing what was really going on, so it kind of
made up for it." Or at least until he'd been injured, M'nex thought with a
sigh. Then J'ritem had started seeing what he thought he should be seeing
as well. Not always, but most of the time. It made him difficult to deal
with, at times.

J'ritem patted Lecitrith's nose, bracing his crutches before obligingly
scratching a half closed eyelid as he watched M'nex travel toward him with
the candidate. They were talking about him. He was sure of it. But M'nex
was good with people, better than him at least. He'd know what to make of
this strange kid who seemed so determined to latch onto him.

"Thanks... for talking to me." Badaral said quietly, "it's nice to know
someone doesn't think bad of me around here. I sometimes wonder what the
Headwoman told J'ritem about me, it seems to have coloured his opinion."
he shrugged.

"Best get on with it." He turned and walked a little way up the bank, and
collected the cleaning products he had brought along with him. He dropped
soapsand along the brooms head, and walked back down to the waters edge,
nodding at J'ritem and giving him what he hoped was a friendly smile.

The Headwoman had probably told J'ritem squat, since she tried to be
encouraging and not rant around him, M'nex reflected. He wanted to
reassure the candidate that any ill thoughts were coming from J'ritem
himself, but no matter how he worked it it didn't seem very encouraging.
The bluerider shrugged, and dropped his own bag of cleaning supplies,
handing J'ritem a brush and some sand when he noticed that Badaral had
brought his own supplies. Odd. He was moving to take a position by
Lecitrith when he saw the smile the candidate sent in J'ritem's direction,
and felt it click.

Oh shards. Badaral was being very helpful, and M'nex was willing to bet it
wasn't because he was naturally that way. The looks, the choice of
conversation, all of them were directed toward J'ritem and not M'nex. And
being from outside the weyr, M'nex wasn't even sure that Badaral realized
how he was acting.

J'ritem watched the candidate - Badaral, he reminded himself - moving
toward Lecitrith's flank as he lathered up his brush and braced himself
into position. He saw the hesitant smile, and queried Lecitrith. There was
a few moments pause, then }:Djorth says that his says the candidate is not
playing tricks.:{ She relayed obligingly. }:He really just wants to
help.:{

Badaral made his way along the dragons side, into the deeper water. He
concentrated on being as industrious as possible, anything to earn even a
nod of approval from J'ritem. He glanced over and realised M'nex must be
on the other side, but he must be talking to his foster brother because he
could see J'ritem responding to someone.

He would love to get M'nex aside for a little while, just to talk, but it
would have to wait, he couldn't see J'ritem being very impressed if he
felt they were talking about him. Shards, that would be disastrous.

M'nex scrubbed at some dirt embedded in the scars on Lecitrith's haunches,
trying to figure out what to do. He wasn't sure he was right about
Badaral's feelings, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed
to make sense. But it seemed so unlikely that of all the people Badaral
could have discovered his leanings with, he chose J'ritem. M'nex could
still be wrong. But... if he wasn't, his fostermother had been hoping for
some kind of relationship for J'ritem, someone he could be comfortable
with, if not happy. But J'ritem wouldn't believe that anyone who hadn't
known him before might be willing to meet him now. He couldn't tell him
his suspicions. If he did, his fosterbrother could very easily break the
poor kid's heart.

}:Djorth says that his thinks that the candidate is fine.:{ Lecitrith
reported to her rider. }:He thinks that he is honest about helping. I like
him. he got the itchy spot.:{

J'ritem shot a look over at M'nex. This was not what he'd been expecting.
It would have been easier to just dismiss him, but if he was being
honest...

Moving back up to the shore to refresh his soapsand, Ari lost his footing,
and slipped; for just a moment he wished he could stay under for eternity,
and not face the look he knew J'ritem would expend on him. Pushing up
from the lake bed, he surfaced again, shamefacedly. For a moment or two
he was unaware of the deep scratch down his cheek, unaware of the blood
spilling freely down his face.

J'ritem however, wasn't. He glanced over at the candidate, just barely
visible from his position, as the boy went to refresh his soapsand. He saw
him go under, then come up. He frowned at the clumsiness, but it wasn't
until the boy turned back toward him that his blurred vision caught a red
stain smearing across his face.

"What did you do to your head?" He barked sharply.

M'nex looked up, startled, at J'ritem's explanation, and moved around
behind Lecitrith to see what had caught his fosterbrother's attention.

"My head?" he looked from one rider to the other, unsure what he had done
wrong.

"You're bleeding, idiot." J'ritem snapped, rolling his eyes. Shards, what
was with this kid?

M'nex winced at J'ritem's harsh tone, and hoped that the candidate didn't
take it personally, although he knew better. With a small sigh, he set his
brush down and waved for Ari to join him as he walked back over to his bag
of supplies. After the first time J'ritem's crutches had slipped on a
stray pebble, he'd started including some basic first aid in the bag.
"Come here a minute. We need to clean that up." He said kindly.

"I am?" Ari lifted his hand to his face, smoothing it down one cheek then
the other. "Oh..." he could now feel the blood as well as see it, warm and
sticky on his face and hand. He didn't miss J'ritem's reaction and
gratefully accepted the help M'nex offered. "Thanks." he said quietly, as
they hunkered down by M'nex's bag. "I didn't realise..."

"It happens." M'nex replied, pulling out a scrap and handing it to Ari to
staunch the flow while he fished around for the small pot of numbweed.
"Just be more careful next time. Especially if you have plans of cleaning
your own dragon." M'nex smiled at the boy, watching his reactions, trying
to prove or disprove his theory. At least what he had told J'ritem via the
dragons was true. He didn't think that Badaral was trying to use him to
get into their mother's good graces. Not that he really thought it would
work, even if someone was daring enough to try.

"Stupid brush, I felt it hit my face when I went under..." he shook his
head, whilst dabbing where he thought he could feel the blood seeping.
"Am I getting it?" he asked M'nex. "Shards, I feel like a fool. No
wonder J'ritem called me an idiot. I try to help and end up making a mess
of it."

"You've got it." M'nex reassured him, withdrawing the pot. He took the
scrap from the candidate and inspected the scratch. It wasn't bad, just
enthusiastic. He rinsed it quickly, then smeared some numbweed liberally
on the scratch. "Don't feel bad." He told Badaral as he worked. "It was an
accident. He's sharding had enough of them on his own to know. I don't
think he really means it."

"You don't?" Ari's eyes locked with the blueriders, his words giving him a
renewed hope that all wasn't lost. Would J'ritem ever look at him as more
than just the wastrel candidate who had been sent to him as a punishment
for drunkenness?

"Really." M'nex nodded. "He's just a grump sometimes, I think he gets it
from mum. That and he gets cranky after a while. It isn't easy for him,
needing help all the time. Especially with Lecitrith. Not being able to
take care of your own dragon..." He trailed off with a shrug, a sinking
feeling in his stomach as he answered. Badaral had said that so
hopefully...

"Yeah, I think I would be the same. I was sent, as a chore, to help him
the first time. And I could see why he was angry then. But since, I've
offered, and it still doesn't seem to please him." he looked up and saw
J'ritem turning back to Lecitrith, "I'm not taking pity, but I guess
that's the way he sees it." Ari shrugged, "I think I should get back now
though, I don't want him ticked at me any further, today."

"Might be a good idea." M'nex agreed, dropping the items back in his bag
and straightening again. He paused a moment, then decided to say it
anyway. "He probably does see it as pity, since that's what most people
feel. If they aren't just scared witless or repulsed by his appearance."

"They aren't as bad as he thinks; besides, he should look at those scars
as a sign of honour and bravery -" Ari said quietly, "as should anyone at
the Weyr."

"That may be so." M'nex agreed with a sigh. "But most people see them as a
reminder they would rather not have, of what Threadfall can do to them if
they screw up. And even if they are signs of bravery, what use is a
dragonpair in a Pass who can't fight or even take care of themselves?" He
said rhetorically, echoing J'ritem's frequent lament as relayed to him via
Lecitrith and Djorth on his bad days.

The words halted him in his stride, and when he considered them it was
true; he too could see, maybe for the first time, just what it meant to
J'ritem that he couldn't fly his dragon any more. "But," he turned to
M'nex, then shook his head. "How do you convince him that he and
Lecitrith are worth more than that consideration?" he asked.

M'nex smiled sadly. "We don't know. But we keep trying. He's just got a
really hard head, and when he obsesses too much it upsets Lecitrith. And
in all fairness, he's much better now than he was four turns ago."

"He is?" Ari was surprised, he didn't think the greenrider could have been
more distant than he was. "I thought it was just me." he smiled, the
smile slipped form his face when he realised that J'ritem was looking at
him again. "Sorry." he muttered and slipped back into the water, hoping
that the whispering he and M'nex had been doing was quiet enough that
J'ritem hadn't heard them.

M'nex watched the candidate slither back to his position, and glanced back
at J'ritem. What should he do? He was almost certain that Ari was lost on
his fosterbrother. But he wasn't sure the poor kid's heart could stand
J'ritem's behavior long enough for the greenrider to realize it.

Last updated on the September 3rd 2007

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Just an Inkling