An Appointment to Keep

Writers: AL, Len
Date Posted: 16th January 2011

Characters: J'ren, Jaylene, J'zen, H'leif
Description: J'ren meets Jaylene and has a drink with her and her brother
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 13, day 2 of Turn 5

Jaylene

Now_that_was a pretty bronze, Jaylene mused, hoping her observations would get her lifemate's attention. But no, Reanth only had eyes for a tiny blue the colour of the sky over by the river. She would never pick a bronze, she thought, sighing mightily. She tried to shield her thoughts, lest her shy green would be discouraged.

"Never you mind, my beauty, he_is_a pretty blue over here," she said,
looking one last time at the bronze. And the rider! Wait a minute, he
was someone she recognized...

"Hey J'ren!"

The bronzerider straightened from where he had been examining his lifemate and grinned, then waved to Jaylene. "Hey there, what are you up to?" He bent down to look closely at the spot again, but listened to the woman. She was a dragonrider, she'd understand. "You doing all right?"

She boldly walked over to him, her green reluctantly coming in her wake.
"I'm fine, your boy okay?" He was a fine looking man, she mused to
herself.

"Oh yes, he's fine, just a bit of a dry patch. I'm just taking a closer
look to make sure it's nothing more serious. I'll probably give an extra
oiling and see if it clears up in a day or two." J'ren slid his hand
along his bronze's hide, then patted him. "How are you and yours doing?"

"She's eying that little blue over there,"she said, pointing back over
her shoulder to the river. "Typical. Why she can't enjoy the company of
a fine bronze like this fella..." She rolled her eyes good naturedly.

That brought a rumble of a low laugh from the bronzerider. "Indeed, I'm
sure my Kenaranth wouldn't mind the company of a fine green like her. The
bronze turned his head and eyed the green in question, eyes whirling
brightly.

Reanth eyed him once, gave a sniff and went back to flirting with the
blue. Jaylene laughed a bit sheepishly and said, "ah yes, sorry about
that. She_does_like those blues! And it seems that the more the blue's
rider prefers boys, the more she likes them!"

"How interesting." J'ren mused, rubbing his chin as he eyed the green.
"Very interesting indeed. But as most greens are caught by blues I
suppose it's no surprise that she would prefer them. I hope she stays out of trouble, though that may be more of a concern for her rider."

"Too late! I think I've traumatized half the blue rider population in this Weyr. They wake up with me and then go running and screaming to my
brother!" She rolled her eyes and chuckled. This repeat
performance had turned into a running gag between her and her younger
brother, J'zen.

"Well, try to stay out of any other trouble then." J'ren playfully
warned. "Wouldn't want you to make things worse now would we?" The
bronzerider made a vague gesture. "So where are you headed?"

"Oh, to the kitchens. I told J'zen I'd meet him and his latest partner
for a pint. And this one hasn't caught my Reanth, so we should all get
along." She laughed wickedly. "What about you? Care to join us?"

"Sure, I could go for a drink." J'ren agreed. He took one last look at
that spot and then bent over to take the oil can which had been left,
forgotten, when he'd gotten launched into the conversation and lathered it over. "There we go. Now, let me just put this away and get cleaned up and I'll meet you guys. Where to?"

"Just inside the dining area. By the stage for the Harpers."

"Works for me. I'll meet you both there." J'ren agreed wholeheartedly.

-+-+-+-+-

"J'ren...do I know him? His hasn't caught ours in Flight, has he?" For a moment J'zen's heart beat a bit faster. Not that he had anything against bronzeriders, he was just that he'd prefer not to have to speak to any that had caught his lovely green in public, if he could help it. They all had these funny notions that he might actually fancy them outside the flight. Like he was that desperate!

Jaylene laughed at the look on her brother's face. Unlike him, she rarely had that problem. "No, sweetie, you're safe." She rolled her eyes at her brother's partner, H'leif. The small group was on their second pint.

"Sorry I took so long." The subject of conversation apologised as he
approached the table where the three dragonriders were gathered. He
nodded to the other two before sliding into a seat next to Jaylene. "I
hope there's ale left."

"Lager," Jaylene said, holding up her pint. "Lots of that left."

Across the table, J'zen shuddered. "If it's an ale you want, just ignore
her piss water and have a bit of ours." He could never understand what
his sister saw in lager. Terrible stuff.

"I'll take ale, thank you." J'ren grinned over at J'zen. He didn't mind
a lager now and then, but he was more in the mood for ale. "Pass me a
pint?"

Jaylene mock pouted whilst her brother grinned at her and passed over the
jug that still held at least a pint of dark ale to the bronzerider. "So
J'ren, with a name like that, you're not a long lost brother by chance?"
He winked to let him know he was joking.

"Not that I know if. But if we are related and you find out, be sure to
let me know." J'ren raised his ale in a salute and then took a long
pull. "Does everyone in your family have a 'J' name?"

"Yeah," Jaylene said, "that's our da. He named us in honor of himself."
She grinned, "Our poor mother, putting up with a weyr full of children
who's names all started with 'Jay.'

"I suppose there could be worse things." J'ren couldn't stifle a small
giggle at Jaylene's story. "Didn't your mother get any say in what your
names should be?"

"Oh yeah," J'zen pipped in, "her name is Zalene, so we both have bits of
her name."

"No one knows where Jayonne comes from though. Rumour has it his is from
one of da's favorite flights," Jaylene mocked whispered and winked.
That'd teach her baby brother with saddling her with re-stringing his
violin.

"Ah, I see. Well now, that seems ta happen on occasion." J'ren chuckled
and winked back. "Jayonne...he ever stand before?"

"Loads of times. No luck though. He refuses to Stand now."

"How old is he?" J'ren reached up and rubbed at his chin. "A shame.
Could be his dragon just hasn't hatched yet. Ah well, I suppose he's
happy doing what he's already doing."

"That's the problem," muttered J'zen. "He's too in love with that violin
to want to be a rider."

"He's 20," Jaylene answered.

"Well, if that's his path...he doesn't have much time left to Stand
anyway." There was a shrug on J'ren's part and then he downed a goodly
portion of his ale. "Any plans for the upcoming rest day?" His gaze
darted around, noting each of the dragonriders pleasant in a friendly
fashion.

H'leif leaned into J'zen's shoulder. "We're going to sleep in and then
maybe have a quiet day in some cove alone."

Jaylene tried to signal with her fingers that J'zen's green was proddy and due to fly soon. She shrugged her shoulders, and said, "I've nothing on, how about you?"

"There's a gather at one of the holds up North." J'ren leaned against the table, the sort of thing one didn't do in formal company. But this wasn't formal company. "Thought I might head up there."

"Oh yeah, which one?" Jaylene asked. Maybe if she was one her best
behavior, he'd let her tag along as well.

"Fort. You interested." J'ren arched his eyebrows as he turned his
attention back to Jaylene. "You're welcome to join me. All of you. The
more the merrier after all."

"Fort?" Jaylene answered, full of curiosity. "I've never been to Fort!
Have you?"

"Once," H'leif answered. "For a gather actually. It was brillant."

J'zen shook his head and said to J'ren, "us green riders don't get out
much. I suppose if we did, then every gather and party and Hatching would be up to its ears in green dragons and their riders!"

"Maybe that means you should get out more." J'ren grinned and leaned
forward, "It would be interesting to see what would happen to a party up
to its ears in green dragons and their riders!"

"Unabashed sex," J'zen managed to say with a straight face.

"Hey, don't knock sex. It's a good hobby." J'ren chuckled, slugging back the rest of his drink. "One of my favourites to be honest." Even if he didn't partake as often as he liked.

"Oh, really? How nice, we have something in common!" Jaylene teased,
before taking a long swallow of her pint.

"Mayhap we should compare techniques." J'ren suggested with a playful
wink.

"And I know just the perfect place for that," she said, leaning into him.

"Let me know the place and time and maybe I'll comply." J'ren wasn't
above accepting advances from someone. He wasn't in a relationship at the moment and he wouldn't mind the company of a pretty woman. "Maybe we'll both learn something new."

"One candle mark, my weyr," Jaylene said, standing up and giving him a
wink. That'd give her just enough time to grab a quick bath.

J'ren grinned and watched Jaylene disappear from view. "Well now..." He
stated lifting his mug and then drinking the last of the brew. "Looks
like I've got an appointment to keep. Thanks for the drink and company.
I'll be sure to catch up with you guys later."

H'lief watched the man's retreating back and eyed his partner. "So is there any reason we're sticking around here?"

J'zen finished his beer and stood up, holding out a hand. "No indeed. Come along dearie, why should only bronze and green riders have all the fun?"

Last updated on the January 23rd 2011

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An Appointment to Keep