What a Tangled Web We Weave

Writers: Emma, Len
Date Posted: 25th July 2011

Characters: Teseada, G'wen, Daran
Description: Teseada's little white lie with the new Harper is threatened when she runs into him whilst on her way to wash Onnyth
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 8 of Turn 6

Teseada

Daran smiled when he saw Tes walking across the bowl, talking intently
with a dark lad who's knots said he was a green weyrling. The tiny
niggling in the back of his mind relaxed, as for a moment he feared
the guy would be a bronze or brown rider. Green riders meant no
competition, though he didn't fancy how some of them around here
seemed to not understand the words 'not interested.' He maneuvered
through the crowd to her.

"Tes! Hey Tes!" He noted to himself that she was wearing her Crafter
badge.

G'wen looked over the gold rider's shoulder at the young man bearing
down on them. "Teseada, I think someone's trying to get your
attention."

She looked up, there indeed was Daran. Fortunately her intention had been go
and wash a rather large gold dragon, and she was wearing an old tunic that
had the badge of her craft on it, then she'd stopped to talk to G'wen on the
way. "It's that new harper," she said.

He had time to say "ahh," as the Harper stopped right beside them.

"Hiya Tes!" Daran said, "how have you been?"

"Not so bad," she said giving G'wen a look. "Do you know G'wen?"

"No, don't think I do." He turned to the short man who was giving Tes
an odd look and held out his hand. "Hullo, I'm Daran, a friend of
Tes' here."

G'wen turned away from Tes, not being able to understand why she gave
him that look and said, "hiya, I think I've heard a bit about you and
Tes--"

She jumped in. "I showed him around the other night after he arrived here,"
she said to G'wen. "How long are you going to be posted here again?"

"About two months, I think. How about you? Ever decide if you want
to study at the Hall or not?" Daran grinned like a shy boy and reached
down to kiss her lightly on the cheek.

"I really don't know," she said, pleased he felt relaxed enough to kiss her
like that. "I will have to go there at some point to have my project
assessed."

"You will?" G'wen turned to her, incredulous. "What about Onnyth?"
He had never heard of a gold rider leaving to study at a Hall.

"I'm sure that she'd be fine, I mean it'd only take a day or so for them to
judge whether I can walk the tables or not," Teseada said, "and it isn't as
though any gold would lack for attention here. Her rider wouldn't allow
that."

"_Her_rider? Huh?" G'wen whipped his head around to look at Teseada
closely. **Neath, ask Onnyth--politely, mind you--what the bloody
shards is Teseada on?**

"Yes, uh..." Daran tried to remember the greenrider's name but failed,
he had been too interested in looking at Tes when she had introduced him.
"Well, I'm sure a queen wouldn't be interested
in what happens to a Crafter girl anyways." He gave the lad a smile
and wished he'd go away so he could have Tes to himself.

}:Neath's wants to know what is going on,:{ Onnyth told her. }:And I do
too.:{

**Tell her to mind her own business, and G'wen the same. I want him to get
to know me _for_ me, not the colour of your hide.** A thought of Y'nub
crossed her mind. **I won't be used as a prize in a bet again.**

"Nobody knows what dragons see in anyone, right?" she said looking at G'wen,
hoping Onnyth had passed on the message.

"Riiight." Mind his own business indeed! What the bloody shards was
the girl up to? G'wen hooked his arm in Teseada's. "Who knows?
Particularly gold ones. Wonder how that Onnyth is doing anyways?"

"Maybe we'll see when that clutch of hers hatches."

"Yeah, wonder what her_rider_will make of that?" G'wen gave the girl
a little squeeze.

Daran cleared his throat nervously. Didn't green riders only like
boys? That one was getting too familiar with Tes for his taste's.
"Uh...Tes? You busy, or would you like to go on a walk?" He
pointedly looked at the green weyrling, wishing he'd just get the
message and go.

The green weyrling in question just squeezed Teseada's shoulders and
said, "well, we_were_supposed to go wash some dragons, weren't we?"

"There's a green dragon that will get upset, won't she." Teseada looked to
G'wen. "Thinks she's a gold."

"She will indeed. She_may_get so upset she actually becomes a gold dragon,
or even possibly two dragons, a gold one and a green. You never know."
He gave her a little shake with his arm.

**Onnyth, have Neath tell him I said to calm down,** Teseada asked her gold.

"It's a treat to wash a dragon," was all she said aloud.

"Well, why don't you come along? You can come to, Daran, is it?" He
turned to eye the harper, ignoring his dragon's voice in his head.
"You ever wash a dragon?"

"I..uh...no, I haven't." Daran looked to Tes.

"Well maybe some day if you get to know a rider well enough they'll ask you
to help."

"Or you can come now, Neath would love having three people washing
her!" G'wen linked his arm in Daran's who tried not to flinch but it
showed a bit.

Teseada tried not to notice. Some people took time to get their heads around
the idea of sexuality being much more fluid in the weyr. "How about I meet
you later?" she suggested. "It's give me time to get cleaned up after what
can be a bit wet and messy."

"I...I don't mind." Daran dropped his head when the lad dropped his
arm out of Daran's own, to doubt picking up that he was uncomfortable
with greenriders in general. Shamefaced, he looked at G'wen. "I'll
help you wash your dragon, I've never as much as gotten to touch one
before. Is that okay?"

**Onnyth,** queried Teseada. **Are you hungry my love?**

}:Maybe,:{ came the reply.

**I think you should go scare a few herdbeasts now before the crowds
descend. I think Hasaarth may be there.** Mentioning the gold's current mate
sometimes helped to get her to move. Teseada could sense her mulling it over
before a response came.

}:I shall go and see,:{ the gold said as she began to head off, with a last
word for Neath.

}:My rider wishes that your not tell him about her. I find that strange.:{

}:Me too. People, can can be odd sometimes.:{ Neath watched the gold
go with a pang of regret. She liked Onnyth and considered her as
much a friend as dragons had. She gave G'wen the message, and added,
}: we both want to know what's going on.:{

**When I figure it out, I'll let you both know!** G'wen eyed the gold
rider and her beau and mulled over in his head about what Teseada had
said about that time when the boys had taken bets as to who would
sleep with her. Was she still uptight about that?

"Are you sure? Neath won't mind if Daran helps too will she?" asked Teseada
of G'wen.

"She'd love it," the boy said, his voice not at all it's usual
cheerfulness. The harper, for his part, quickly came around to
Teseada's side and out of reach from being touched by G'wen again.
The greenrider sighed and raised an eyebrow slightly at Teseada.
Their faces were so close to one another that Daran wouldn't have seen
it.

"Just play along," she whispered. "For now, please."

The boy gave her a squeeze and led them to where only one dragon now
waited for them. Turning to Daran, who had slipped an arm around
Teseada's side, he said, "this is Neath."

"She's beautiful!" Daran turned to Tes. "Wouldn't you say? I've not
seen a green with her colouring before. Is that common?" Nervousness
about greenriders aside, she really was a beautiful thing. "And big!
Whow, she's really big." He gulped a bit, being so close to a dragon
for the first time in his life.

"You should see my father's blue. Or the Weyrwoman's gold. They're big."

Pointing up at the green, who was peering at them with hopefully a
look that didn't say she was hungry, he muttered, "uh...she's big
enough."

G'wen giggled a bit under his breath at the obviously scared harper.
**Be nice, he's never been around a dragon before.**

}:Does he not think I know the difference between a person and a
herdbeast?:{ Reaching out to Onnyth, she added, }:I may be coming to
eat with you soon. Everyone here but mine is acting weird.:{

}:People,:{ replied Onnyth with a mental snort. }:You can't predict what
they will do next.:{

"She won't bite," Teseada assured Daran. "Where does she want us to start?"

"She likes her wings being rubbed." G'wen stepped up to Neath's head
and motioned for the harper to join him. "Come on, she won't bite."

}:Much:{

**Be nice or Tes'll have us for lunch**

Daran reached out hesitantly to touch Neath's cheek and jumped back
when he felt how soft and warm she was. He glanced back to Tes. "I
don't know why but I thought she would feel colder than that." To the
small rider he added, "she's really lovely." He swallowed nervously
and chided himself for allowing his Holder-bred prejudices to rear its
ugly head. That was something he'd have to work harder on.

"And she needs a good scrubbing," Teseada said. "Is that a dry spot?" she
said inspecting something. "Looks like," she began, then caught herself.
"Something I've seen on my Da's dragon."

"Do you get to wash your da's dragon much? A blue...did you say he
rode blue?" Nervous and flustered about being around G'wen, he didn't
mean to say it in the tone he did. But blue riders, weren't they...?

"Now and then," she said.

G'wen glanced over at Teseada, wondering if she was ignoring the
underlying tone in asking if her father rode blue. He leveled his
glance at Daran, narrowing them. If this jerk did anything to hurt
his friend...

Daran, for his part, was feeling pretty uncomfortable. Giving Neath
one last stroke he said, "uh...maybe I should go."

"You aren't in the way," Teseada tried to assure him.

"It's not that...I just have things I need to do."

"Are you sure?"

Ducking his head down, he just nodded. "It was...nice meeting
you..uh..." he said to G'wen. "See you around?" He looked at Tes,
hoping he didn't see the same anger in her eyes that the greenrider
had.

"We could go for that walk later?" suggested Teseada.

"That would be nice." Awkwardly he leaned down to give her a kiss,
hoping she didn't hate him for being uncomfortable about her father,
and her friend here, who was still giving him a stare that looked like
he'd enjoy shoving him /between/.

"Later," she said softly.

Last updated on the August 3rd 2011

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