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Writers: Devin, Dana
Date Posted: 13th August 2008

Characters: Traelyn, N'vanik, Talryne
Description: The Weyrwoman and Talryne meet again...and N'vanik makes a choice.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 13 of Turn 4

N'vanik

Talryne

Hearing a dragon land on the ledge, Talryne set her thread down and got up from the chair. She hurried across the weyr and then stopped, blinking in surprise. It wasn't a bronze that had landed, but a gold. Recognizing both the gold and her rider, Talryne smiled slightly. "Hi, Traelyn."

The Weyrwoman paused in taking off her gloves. "Hi, Talryne." Shards, was N'vanik not here? Clearing her throat, she finished shedding her gloves, but didn't make any move to shed her jacket, or to come further into the weyr. Already she felt like an intruder. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she said. "N'vanik's on a sweep ride. He should be back soon."
And it looked like she wasn't going to spend the afternoon with him after all.

"Oh. Umm...." She hesitated, wavering indecisively between staying and leaving. She wanted to see the bronzerider, but she certainly wasn't going to intrude on Talryne's privacy. And it looked like they already had plans. Taking a deep breath, she offered the younger woman a small smile. "I can...come back some other time."

And what would N'vanik say when he found out Trae had been there and left?
He wouldn't be mad at her, not exactly, but he wouldn't be happy, either.
"No, it's okay. You can come in."

Still, Traelyn hesitated. "The last thing I want to do is intrude on you both, Talryne."

"You're not intruding," Tal lied. "And besides, you came all the way from Dolphin Cove. I know you don't get to visit much." Part of her was glad she didn't.

And with Nyith rising soon, she wouldn't be able to leave the Weyr after this sevenday was over. But still.... "I won't stay for very long," she promised, finally moving to undo the fastenings on her riding jacket. "I just need to tell him something." Which was only a half-truth, and she knew Talryne was too sharp not to see it for what it was.

"It's okay. You can stay longer. I don't mind." Not too much, anyway. Talryne stepped back a few paces to let Traelyn in.

After hanging her riding jacket on an extra peg, along with her helmet and gloves, she followed her inside. "Have you started any new projects?" she asked, thinking that that was the safest topic they could chat politely about until N'vanik came in.

Talryne glanced at the tapestry she was working on and felt a rush of embarrassment. It was terrible. The tapestry was an assignment and it was clearly not her strong suit. She had plenty of other projects, though. She hurried over to a chair and picked up a red and white blanket. "I'm always working on something. Lots of things at once, usually."

She knew what it was like to always want to stay busy. It was a way to not think about things. Of course, Traelyn couldn't even imagine what Talryne still must be going through, but even so...she understood to a degree. "Like that?" She nodded to the red and white blanket.

"Yes. And a few other things." She glanced at the projects and materials around the chair. At least she'd gotten better at keeping things more confined to one area.

"It's really nice, Talryne," she told her, admiring the tight weave of the blanket. "How long did all of that take you?"

Talryne thought back. "The blanket took few sevendays. I started that sweater last sevenday. The other stuff I've been working on for a while."
Then, feeling both shy and proud, she asked, "Would you like a blanket? I have some finished ones. Or I could ... I could make you one."

Traelyn's eyes lit. "You'd do a commission?"

"Yes, but not really. I mean, you wouldn't have to pay."

Oh, shells. Feeling a little guilty, she shook her head. "No no, Talryne. Let me give you marks for it. You could put them to more crafting supplies."

"No, it's okay. It's not worth paying for, really. I'm just an apprentice." It hit her then that she wouldn't just be making a blanket for Traelyn, the woman important to N'vanik, but for the Weyrwoman of Dolphin Cove. Tal hadn't even been crafting for a turn yet.

Traelyn waved a hand. "Even so. Hard work should be rewarded." She wouldn't mind parting with a few marks for a warm blanket to snuggle in--especially a soft one. "Could I think of a color scheme and get back to you?"

"Um, sure."

"Great," she smiled.

After a brief silence, Talryne said, "Thank you. For thinking I'm good enough."

Before Traelyn could even think of how to respond to that without sounding condescending, she heard Nyith warble a soft greeting to Loseth out on the ledge. Her dark eyes flickered from Talryne to the curtain where N'vanik would come through any moment now.

He was grinning before he stepped into the weyr and was a little relieved to see Tal was still there. He was worried, too. She said she didn't mind him spending time with Trae, but she couldn't be happy about the goldrider's arrival. "Hello, ladies." He went to Tal first, giving her a kiss before turning to give Trae a kiss on the cheek.

She could help but feel a pinprick of annoyance at the "friendly" way he'd greeted her, but she quickly squashed it. Shards. "Hey, N'vanik."

"Been showing Trae your stuff?" N'vanik asked Tal. "Did you show her your tapestry?"

Talryne's cheeks flushed. "No." Shards, why did he have to bring that up?

"What tapestry?"

"That one." He pointed to it, off to the side near the fireplace.

"I--I have to do it for class. It's _terrible_," Talryne said, almost wailed.

The tapestry showed a sunset, or perhaps sunrise, behind rolling green hills.

"It looks very nice!" Traelyn rose to her feet and walked over to it, using her interest in the pattern as an excuse to put some space between them. "Shards, Talryne, it's not terrible."

"You don't have to say that. It's okay. I know it's bad."

"It's not bad," N'vanik said.

Talryne slumped, trying to sink into the chair. Great, now they were both defending her awful tapestry.

Traelyn turned, tossing an amused grin over her shoulder at N'vanik. "Better than I could ever do, that's for sure." Then she turned her dark eyes to the younger woman, feeling as though she had encroached on her time with the bronzerider long enough. Shards, she had really wanted to stay, but... Stomping down on that particular emotion, she said, "Talryne, would you mind if I talked to N'vanik for just a minute?" She began walking towards Loseth's weyr. "I can't stay much longer. It'll be just a moment."

"You don't have to ask me."

N'vanik smiled and bent down to kiss Tal's cheek. "It's not terrible." He followed Trae to Loseth's weyr.

"Bye, Talryne. I'll come by in a month or so to go over color schemes with you." Pushing the curtain aside, Traelyn escaped into the shadowy darkness of the dragon's weyr. Nyith turned her head to glance at her rider before turning her attention back to Loseth. She watched them for a moment, noticing her queen's flirtatious body movements as she coyly tilted her head towards the bronze.

Yes...it wouldn't be too much longer now.

Sighing a little, she turned around to face N'vanik, offering him a hesitant smile. "I guess I came at the wrong time."

"No, it's fine."

"It's not, but it's nice of you to try and make me feel better," she replied wryly, coming closer to give him a real kiss on the lips.

His arm went around her waist automatically. "Me and Tal spend a lot of time together. It's ok for me to spend a few candlemarks with you."

"For the rest of the month those few candlemarks will have to be spent at Dolphin Cove if you want to see me." Idly she fingered the laces on his tunic. "Nyith will be rising at the end of the month...at the latest, the beginning of next."

"Hmmm ... stuck at home, then. Maybe I'll come by to break up the monotony." Although he felt a little guilty about doing it with Tal right in the next room, he bent to brush his lips against Traelyn's neck.

"You should," she murmured, tilting her head so he could have better access. "We can find ways to pass the time, I'm sure."

He hummed against her skin. "I've got some very interesting ideas."

"So employ a couple when you come see me."

"I could employ a few right now." He pulled her closer.

She stiffened slightly in his arms despite her body's predictable reaction to the proximity of his. "What about Talryne?"

"I have a few ideas that involve both of you."

Not sure whether to laugh it off or be offended--was he teasing her?--Traelyn braced her hands against his chest. "I think not," she snorted lightly.

He chuckled. "Ok, bad joke." In his head, it was _fantastic_, but in real life ... no way. "But shards I'm tempted to ask you to stay."

**Then ask.** But out loud, she said quietly, "What, and kick Talryne out?" She shook her head. "I don't think it would go over very well." Her smile was rather rueful when her eyes met his.

"It wouldn't be kicking her out. It would just be asking her to leave us alone for a while." His fingers trailed along her waist. **Convince me.**

She studied his face for a long moment, tempted to accept the subtle challenge his caress implied....but shards, his unwillingness to come out and actually ask her to stay spoke volumes. "I'm not going to make this choice for you, N'vanik," she finally told him quietly.

There was no way to win here. Any choice would leave someone else out. It didn't have to be a major decision, though. It wasn't going to make or break anything. What it came down to was Trae didn't get many chances to visit. He would be with Tal later tonight, and every night. He would come back to her. He would _always_ come back to her, and if she didn't know that by now, nothing he said or did was going to convince her otherwise.
He brought a hand up to touch Traelyn's cheek. "Stay."

Last updated on the August 16th 2008

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