What Are Wingmates For?

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 10th July 2008

Characters: Ciara, Teykara
Description: Teykara comes and offers to wash Ciara's lifemate.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 11, day 4 of Turn 4

Ciara

"Got a dragon needing a good scrub?" Teykara asked as he poked her head around from the dragon weyr into the rider's quarters belonging to the other greenrider.

"Yes." Ciara slowly straightened, back still quite stiff and sore.
She smiled to the new arrival. "Ellianith would be very happy to have a good bath."

"Do you want to - _can_ you? - come down and watch?" Teykara asked, surveying her wingmate with an assessing eye. "You know I'll scrub her properly and listen to what she's telling Yeulanth."

"Yes, I can, as long as you can put up with my slowness." Ciara assured her, her movements careful as she drew closer to her friend.
"It might take me a while to get there."

"I'm in no rush," Teykara assured her. "R'harne's got watch duty tonight so my evening is all yours."

"Then we should get started, or you'll miss your watch." Ciara smiled a little as she began to make her slow, steady way outside. "Thank you for your willingness to help. K'sedel does what he can, but he's busy at the moment."

"What are wingmates for?" Teykara grinned. "Is he any good at scrubbing little dragons?" she asked, amused at the thought of the former Weyrleader mucking around trying to wash a green after Turns of washing his bronze lifemate.

"He's used to larger ones." Ciara laughed softly, then winced at the bit of pain the action caused. "But he's not too bad."

"Probably thinks it's like cleaning and oiling a firelizard." The other greenrider laughed as she dawdled alongside her injured wingmate. "Is he looking after you properly? Does he have time or does his son work him too hard?"

"Oh no, K'sedel takes good care of me." Ciara insisted, "I think he was more worried about this injury than I was."

"That sounds all right, then. Are you sure you're supposed to be walking this far?"

"They didn't say I couldn't." Of course, they didn't say she necessarily could, either, but Ciara wasn't going to worry about that. "As long as I can take my time, I'll be fine. Please, distract me, tell me what you've been up to as of late."

Teykara thought for a moment, but in the end she had to shrug.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just living our normal lives. Thread, drills, sweeps, watch duty, time off. R'harne and my family. Oh, and occasionally I go out to meet up with a riverboat on the Nettleweed River, over in Dolphin Cove's territory."

"Do you have family there?" Ciara's brow furrowed. She had never been over in that area though she had heard of the riverboats. It sounded intriguing and she wondered what they looked like.

"I didn't - until R'harne's sister married a seacrafter who came from the riverboats. He was going back to captain one - and took her and their two children."

"Oh. How does she like it?"

"She loves it. I don't think she was sure about it - living away from the Weyr - when she left, but she's really enjoying it. Odd sort of life."

"What's it like?" Ciara motioned for Teykara to stop so she could lean against a wall and rest. Her back was burning, the muscles stretching and complaining at being used. She closed her eyes, listening.

"Well, they live in the tiniest little spaces, four of them to a room, though all the fittings are polished wood and lovely. And they paddle up and down the river, stopping where there's a signal flag out and at their scheduled stops. They have passengers aboard, and cargo. Lots of bulky things like cotton and wool. Sometimes livestock! Almost anything. And they tie up against the bank every night." The other greenrider shrugged. "It seems very romantic, but they seem to regard it as very ordinary." She hesitated, wondering if she should insist Ciara go back to her room or just keep chatting and giving the other greenrider a chance to ready herself for the rest of the walk.

**Yeulanth? Ask Ellianith how her rider is, please.**

There was a moment's pause after Yeulanth asked Ellianith, but then the second green replied, }:She is in pain, but she wants to walk. She says she is fine, just needs to rest for a moment.:{ Outwardly, Ciara opened her eyes and smiled. "I'm fine, really. Walking in moderation is supposed to help the healing process."

"Moderation can be a very misused term," Teykara observed. "But there's no rush. Say when you're ready to go on."

"I think I'm all right now." Ciara straightened and began to move onward once more. "I'll try not to hold you up too much."

"I'm yours to command," Teykara said with a grin. "Walking, washing dragons, whatever. You'd do the same for me if I'd been scored."

"Yes." Ciara nodded, then added with an amused smile. "And I'd be sure to sneak you all the bubbly pies you wanted."

"Oh? Like that is it? I'll get you some after we get your dragon clean."

Ciara's smile grew brighter and her eyes twinkled. "You are a dear friend! I think this will help give me motivation to move faster!"

"It would me, too, but don't you rush anything. That man of yours might not be Weyrleader any more but he still scares me."

"K'sedel?" Ciara looked over at Teykara in surprise. "Him? He's really a big softy."

"Right. I believe you. No, I'm lying. Of course I don't believe you!"

"You just don't know him well enough." Ciara insisted gently. "He's not so bad when you get to know him."

"Er - I'll admit I didn't have a lot of motivation to get to know the Weyrleader. Not so bad now he's Wingsecond, I suppose."

"You might find that you like him." Ciara managed to pick up the pace a bit. She supposed she could understand Tey being intimidated, but she had never felt that way.

"I might." Teykara wasn't entirely convinced but she was willing to let the point go - after all, then man was Ciara's weyrmate. She nodded at the lake shore where two familiar green dragons waited. "Nearly there and then you can have a proper rest."

"Yes, and my Ellianith can have a proper bath, thanks to a good friend."
Ciara fairly beamed at her wingmate.

Teykara smiled, happy to help another dragonrider in a situation she could find herself in after any Threadfall. "You're welcome."

Last updated on the July 14th 2008

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