A Friendly Tavern Visit

Writers: Eimi, Ames
Date Posted: 1st May 2011

Characters: N'tor, Maemira
Description: N'tor takes Maemira to a tavern in the north for a nice evening
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 1, day 2 of Turn 6
Notes: Follows "Would You Join Me?"

"Here, let me help you down," the brownrider said, lifting his
arms ready to catch her as she dismounted.

"Thank you," Maemira replied, feeling a little wind-touseled but
truly exhilirated by the dragon flight. Turning to the big brown,
she smiled and touched his hide, "Thank you for an amazing ride
Zaith. I never knew flying adragonback would be so very
exciting!" Her eyes nearly twinkled with a youthful excitement.

"I hope I get to do it again soon," she was grinning wildly at
N'tor as she turned her attentions back to him and looked toward
the tavern where he had brought them.

"You're feeling all right?" he asked, studying her carefully to be sure
she wasn't feeling any motion sickness, which some did when they were
not used to flying. "Your stomach's not upset, I hope."

"No, not at all!" She declared happily, "in fact I'd like to do it
again! Flying like that made me feel young and fresh all over again. No
wonder you all enjoy riding dragons so much!" She slipped her arm into
his almost without thinking. "So tell me about this tavern you've
brought us to."

"Oh well, it's just a tavern," he said with a shrug of his shoulder,
though he kept her arm safely tucked against his body. "The food's
good, the drinks are good, the keeper is friendly towards riders. And
if the night's right, they have music and that's good too. Oh, and it's
in the North."

"We're in the north?" She asked shocked. "But how did we...oh." She
blushed as she glanced back at Zaith. "There are _definite_ advantages
to dragons! In all my turns I've not ventured to the North," she
confessed. "Tonight is a clearly a night of firsts for me." Maemira was
grinning, happy to be trying new things and happy with the company.

"Did I succeed in impressing you, then?" N'tor asked with a rather
pleased grin as he held the door open for her.

"Oh, yes," she replied, nodding her thanks as she walked into the
tavern. It wasn't empty, nor was it full by any means. Maemira took in
her surroundings, approving of much of what she saw. This was no seedy part
of town, but clearly a more respectable establishment. "So, what shall I
order here? Do you have a favorite?" She asked as they moved towards
their seats.

"Their charcoaled avian is definitely an amazing local treat. It comes
to you looking a little black and dirty, so you're a little worried at
first, but when you bite into it, it has a wonderful smoky flavor to
it." It was what kept him coming back, for sure. "Do you like beer or
wine?"

"That sounds lovely," Maemira replied as she moved to her seat. "I'd
love to try it. As for the other, I actually like both. I'll have
whatever you are having!" She'd developed a taste for both beverages over the
turns.

"Beer goes best with the avian." He waved the young woman over before
pulling out a chair for Maemira to sit. "We'll take the charcoal avian,
the asparagus and bacon salad, and two half and half pints."

Slipping into the chair, she nodded her thanks to him. Just the sound of
the food he'd ordered sounded delicious. "Perhaps I should learn to cook
this meal once I taste it. I wonder if the harpers would enjoy it once
we have our own kitchens once again!" The woman returned with the pints and
placed them on the table. Maemira picked hers up and took a drink.
"Wonderful!" She replied looking over the top with a grin at her
companion. "So tell
me, N'tor, do you bring ladies here often?"

"Not really. Most ladies I know have dragons of their own." Or at the
very least were a bit harder to Impress since they'd spent much more
time around dragons! "Would it bother you if I had?" he asked
curiously, wondering if that was why she asked.

"No, not at all," she replied easily. She had no claim to this man, but
found she was enjoying his company, and decided to tell him that, "I'm
enjoying your company. It has been lonely than I expected at the Harper
Hall. Seems all the harpers are often too busy for good conversation."

"And here I thought there was nothing harpers like better than the sound
of their own voices," N'tor laughed, finding it rather hard to believe
that this woman would be lonely. It was a lucky break for him, though!

"Truth be told, all the do is talk about _themselves_ when you're with
them. It's not nearly as pleasant as the conversation we're having now!"
She was smiling. Not _all_ the harpers were engrossed with themselves,
but so many of them were.

"Oh, well, that's horrible. You need to talk about yourself more." He
nodded to the young girl as she brought them a small basket of rolls to
tide them over until their food was done. "So tell me more about _you_,
Maemira."

"What would you like to know, N'tor?" She asked picking up a roll and
breaking a piece of to pop in her mouth. "I've spent most of my life
living in and working in holds. As I think you know from our last
conversation, I was married and have 4 children. I don't seem them all
as much, but my
youngest, Rhyrin is an apprentice at the Harper Hall, which is why I
took the position when it became available." She looked at him, as
though asking what else he wanted to know.

"So, if you don't mind my asking the inevitable uncomfortable question,"
since it would have to come up eventually, he was sure, "where is your
husband?"

She gave him a look that meant he'd asked a doozy of a question. "Well,
it might not be what you expected. He's been gone almost 17 turns now."
She reached for mug of beer taking a drink. "He ran off with his male
lover. It was still pregnant with my Rhyrin. He just up and left us."
She shrugged those memories off as she took another longer pull on her
drink. "You _did_ ask you?" She quipped smiling to let him know she
really didn't mind. She'd long since put that part of her past behind
her so she could
move forward with her own life.

"Well, I'm from a Weyr. Men take up with men all the time, and not all
fathers, or even mothers, are part of their offspring's lives. But I
can understand that would be hard outside the Weyr." He personally
could not imagine giving up the experience of having and raising
children!

"Yes, it's definitely not the same outside the Weyr," Maemira replied.
"I don't begrudge him his happiness, but it did make life difficult for
me for a time." She took another full gulp of her beer. "Thankfully, I
had already had good standing at the holds and worked my way to
Headwoman so we never went hungry." **And some of those male admirers
over the turns
helped as well,** she thought to herself.

"It's a huge shock to be left with children to raise on your own,
especially when you expect your partner to always be there." N'tor had
a bit of experience with that, though the circumstances had been far
different.

"What about you, N'tor? Did you have a weyrmate or was it just
something more casual?" Maemira had learned alot about weyr life since
moving to the Harper Hall.

The brownrider licked a bit of foam from his lips before replying. "I
was weyrmated for about ten turns. But Chivara died. That was the one
and only time."

"Ah, I see. It can be hard to find someone after the ones we cared about
so much are gone. For whatever reason." Maemira found herself very
intrigued by this man. "Do you ever miss the companionship?" She looked
down into her mug, which was more than half empty, "I know I do. Even
after all these turns, I still do not like waking up alone."

"Well..." Whenever he didn't want to wake up alone, he didn't have to.
He wondered if this Hall-bred woman would be shocked. "I've had my
share of partners over the turns, so that's not the hard part.
Sometimes it's exciting to meet new people and try new things, but
sometimes you just don't want to have to work that hard, you know?"

"Aye, it would be nice to find such companionship. I agree." Maemira
wondered what he would think of the fact that she had ofttimes shared
her bed with willing men from the hold. He _was_ after all from the
Weyr, which likely meant it would not surprise him. "I've found my
comforts when I needed them as well," she remarked, raising her glass and
drinking from it.

He wondered if she thought he would be shocked. "Well, the very fact
that you're out here with me made me sure you were not the _typical_
Hall lady," he said raising his glass. "Of course, I'm not saying I'm
expecting your companionship tonight other than a few drinks, some food,
and some very pleasant conversation."

She chuckled softly. One thing that _didn't_ bother Maemira was that she
_was_ different from other hold and hall women. Over the turns she'd
come into her own and wasn't about to let someone else make her feel
less than herself.

"I'm enjoying the companionship we're sharing already," she stated with
a smile, "as for the other, that's something we'd just have to wait and
see, wouldn't we?" She drank from her mug. "I may not be opposed to such
an idea once I get to know you better."

N'tor snorted softly, his lips curling into a smile. "And I suppose,
neither am I."

Last updated on the May 22nd 2011

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A Friendly Tavern Visit