Flights of Passion

Writers: Eimi
Date Posted: 29th March 2009

Characters: L'rew
Description: L'rew tries to find a book to help him prepare for his meeting with Karri, with the help of an archivist...
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 1, day 2 of Turn 5

L'rew tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as he scanned the Record
Room shelves. He didn't even know exactly what he was looking for, but
he hoped he would know it when he saw it. It would help if he knew how
all those sharding shelves were organized! More than half a candlemark
had already ticked by and he was beginning to lose hope.

"Finding everything you need?" a female voiced behind him asked.

The brownrider nearly jumped out of his skin as he whirled around, face
turning bright pink. For a moment he thought it might be Karri!
Luckily it was just the archivist on duty. "No. I mean yes.
I mean..." He took a deep breath. "I mean I don't need help. With
anything."

Her eyes squinted at his rather nervous and guilty manner but she
decided to let it go.
"All right. Just let me know if you need help finding something."

"I won't. Need your help, I mean." He breathed a sigh of relief as she
shook her head ever so slightly, but returned to her duties.

"Right," he whispered, turning back to the shelves. He ran a finger
along the dusty leather bound volumes as he walked, quietly reading the
names aloud, hoping one of them would speak to him.

"'From Firelizard to Dragon'... 'A Detailed Study of the Draconic
Second Stomach'... 'The Reproductive Cycle of Dragons'..." He stopped.
'Reproductive Cycle'. Mating Flights. Well, that was closer at least.
His finger traveled up the leather to the top of the binding and
carefully began pulling it from it's place.

"Are you _sure_ you don't need help?"

L'rew jerked his hand back as he whirled around to face the same
journeywoman. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you. I can find it myself."

"May I ask what you are looking for?" she asked, still eyeing him with
suspicion.

"Just a book... to read." He forced a smile that looked more like a
grimace.

"Uh huh," she hummed in an unconvinced tone. "You're a crafter?"

"Me? No."

Her eyes quickly scanned the shelf behind him. "You just have an
overwhelming interest in dragon anatomy?"

"Dragon? No." No, dragon anatomy was certainly not what he was needing
help with at this particular moment.

The journeywoman's head cocked to the side. "Then might I recommend a
novel for reading? It might be more entertaining."

"Yes. No. I mean, I am just looking. But not for anything in
particular. Thank you." **Please leave me alone!** his mind screamed,
his hands beginning to feel clammy under her intense gaze.

Now she was _sure_ he was up to no good. "You're not planning to pull
some weyrling prank are you? These Records are for serious study, not
for juvenile games."

"No no, definitely not," he quickly assured her. "I just need a book,
is all. I..." Oh shards, he could be here all night trying to find
what he wanted, with _her_ looking over his shoulder at ever turn. "Ok.
I am looking for a book about... Well, you see, I'm a weyrling, but I
will graduate very soon. And I haven't... Well, you see, tomorrow...
There's a girl whose coming over tomorrow and I... Well, you see..."

Her expression softened considerably. "Come with me, I think I know
what you're looking for."

He followed her silently, hoping on Faranth's Egg that she was right so
he could get out of this sharding embarrassing situation! They stopped
in front of a row of mostly paper bound books, the type that were sold
cheaply in Market stalls.

She scanned the line of books until she found the one
she wanted and with a practiced motion slipped it out from it's space on
the shelf. "Here. I think you'll find what you need in this."

"'Flights of Passion'?" It was now his turn to look at her
dubiously.

"It's a Harper Romance. I think you'll find there's a lot of useful
information in there about... how a lady likes to be entertained."

"A Harper Romance?" He didn't need love poetry for Farath's sake, he
needing practical advice!

With roll of her eyes she plucked the book back out of his hands and
began flipping the pages. "Here," she said, handing the book back to
him. "Read this."

He took it in both hands. "'C'fir ran his hands
down...'"

She quickly stopped him. "Not out loud, please." After all, there were
other people in the Record Room who might not like Harper Romances read
to them as they
studied.

He shrugged, his eyes going back to the page. His face turned crimson
as he read the description of her 'mounting desire' and C'fir's 'urgent
need' and he quickly slapped the book closed. They actually kept stuff
like that in the Record Room?!

"Please remember to return it in a timely manner. There are others who
might like to read it." She turned on a heel and left him with his
mouth still
agape.

"Yes, ma'am," he whispered, having trouble finding his voice. L'rew
didn't even want to know what kind of people could write such stuff as
this, but it just might prove to have the information he needed...

Last updated on the March 29th 2009

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Flights of Passion