Here Fishy, Fishy

Writers: Chelle, Miriah
Date Posted: 6th August 2012

Characters: E'rae, Bahji
Description: Bahji and E'rae meet again.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 9, day 6 of Turn 6
Notes: Follows: You're Not Supposed to Look

Bahji settled in the small corner of the dining hall that had rapidly become
her favorite spot. Unlike the others, however, she didn?t really eat
her food, but only picked at it; the expression on her face clearly
one of daydreaming. A slight flush lit her cheeks as she sat, moving
the food absently around with her eating knife.

E'rae had grabbed his food and was currently wading the tables toward
his wingmates when he happened to see a familiar head in a corner. He
wavered for a moment, wondering if he should bother her but she didn?t
look too busy-staring off into space like that. Plus she was all alone.

}:You?re going to bother her for other reasons:{
**Come on, she could probably use someone to talk to-someone wise in
the ways of the Weyr**
}:Right...tell it to me again tomorrow and I won?t believe it then either:{

Hearing his blue's snort in his head and knowing he couldn't fool Leith,
he gave up. E'rae headed to the girl's table and stopped. "Is this seat
taken?" he asked, thinking of his boyhood days in the Hold's Great Hall.

Bahji jerked out of her reverie and turned towards the familiar voice.
She immediately flushed in remembrance. "Oh...E'rae." She remembered
his voice distinctly. "No, it's not."

Sitting down, he began to take things off his tray and work on adding some
sweetener and spices to what needed it. "So, what have you been doing today
then?"

"Nothing much, I made two baskets for some of the drudges and am
working on a large one for a hamper." She reached for her water,
unerringly found it and took a sip before taking a deep breath and
smiling. "Yourself? Been bat...busy?"

"Well...I had to get up at the buttcrack of dawn and wash a dragon. Then
I had to do my exercises, wash myself, and go to my wing meeting. That
followed by midday meal, then chores, then drills...now here I am eating
dinner." In short, E'rae would be ready to sleep when he got back to his
weyr.

Bahji blinked and turned her head towards him. "I had no idea that
riders were so busy. It must be hard on you."

"You get used to it." He shrugged. E'rae had been doing this for turns and
turns. "Of course things were different before the Pass started. Now we have
a lot more to do. I love the brute though and he has to look good. Can't
hurt his chances with the ladies." **Would be lovely if the lady couldn't
see eh? Then I wouldn't have to bother hmm...**

"I'm sure that that's true. It's easier for people who aren't riders.
We don't have as much responsibility." Bahji's lips lifted. "I'm sure
he looks just fine, even if I knew what dragons looked like exactly.
Can't say I've really seen one. You said yours is a blue? What shade?"

"Uhhh Leith is a light blue color, kind of like the sky. It's hard to
describe.." E'rae didn?t know if she had seen colors all that much
when she was able to see. "I mean I know other folk work hard, but
usually you just have to take care of yourself or maybe your kids....
me..I have myself and a very large beast as well as quite a lot of
Pernese."

Bahji's face softened. "He must be beautiful." She smiled gently,
then shook her head. "No children. Not for me, anyway." She
changed the subject quickly. "I admire what you do, actually.
I just don't see how you find time to do anything but work, though."

"Restdays. They make it all worthwhile. Plus dragonriders become
experts at using weyrbrats for things when they can. Candidates, brats...
I always push some of them into helping when I can. Delegate, delegate.
Course I'm a bluerider so I can't push as much as some." E'rae thought of
Werenn. He did get to see her sometimes and she was a help.

Bahji pushed her food around on her plate. "So, what do you do on
your restdays?"

"Umm...party with K'mai, go to gathers, swim, hunt, fish, or sleep as
the case may be. Sometimes I see my daughter," he mentioned casually.

"Oh..." She paused, then considered what she knew of riders. From
what she understood, marriages really didn't occur that much with
riders and riders didn't have time for their children. She smiled
again. "It sounds like you make the most of your time."

"I try to. Of course I don't get to go anywhere as often as I used to, but
so it is. You ever touched a dragon?" It was mild curiosity now as he was
eating and was incapable of quite serious conversation.

"Me? Oh no. I've not had the opportunity to yet." She smiled brightly.
"I hope to eventually." She paused. He wasn't flirting today and
it made her wonder why. Maybe it was silly and a little embarrassing,
but secretly she had liked it. She blushed a little and cleared her
throat. "Would Leith mind?"

"Course not. He likes rubbing. Then again, so do I." His eyes got a little
bright as he thought about seeing her naked again. So many things had
come to mind.

At first she smiled and then she blushed deeply and ducked her head.
"Why do you say those things to me?" She swallowed and nervously
tugged at a lock of hair in front of her ears. "I don't know what to
say when you say that sort of thing."

"Well you could either put me in my place, ignore me, or say something
smart. And I say them because it's fun to watch your cheeks turn red.
Besides, it is the truth." The way she played with her hair was cute.

She rubbed her ear and then her cheek as if to scrub off the blush.
"No one has ever said anything like that to me. Flirting, I mean."
She finally lifted her head and faced him. "Why me? Just for
fun?"

"I don't know...you're not the usual. It's fun to meet new people, you know?
And anyway, Weyr girls don't blush because they've seen it all and heard it
all." That was true enough. E'rae sometimes missed the girls he'd known
before. He was also not mentioning the fact that he also liked men just
then.

"So...you're flirting with me because I'm different than what you're
used to." She blinked for a moment, then despite her blush, she
leaned forward and a flicker of mischief grew in her expression.
"So, how exactly do I get to be a Weyr girl and learn how to deal
with the flirting?"

"Well part of being...Weyrfolk usually is taking part in breeding. Due to
the dragons and flights and the need for candidates, the Lower Caverns
women are the ones that carry rider children most of the time. There are
crafters as well of course but there aren't as many of them. Or you just
need thicker skin-to brush me off." He didn't have the heart to tell her
that he was probably also an awful flirt anyway when he set his mind
to be.

Well, that wasn't the response she was expecting... "Breeding. Then
that leaves me out. If I have children they can be blind as well." She
moved her hand towards him, found his arm after a moment, and
patted it. "I'll have to miss out on the breeding, then. I'm not missing
much."

"Breeding doesn't always mean children. The Weyr has ways of fixing
that. After all, as much as some of our women breed, if they were always
pregnant, the Headwoman would probably have to do everything herself."
He knew holder girls were never taught those sorts of things. "Though
even if your children were, would it be so bad?"

She looked surprised and shook her head. "I'll just put it this way.
I wish I had been born this way. I couldn't miss what I never knew. "
She shrugged. "If no children, then what's the point? It's for that,
after all." She suddenly laughed. "I don't even know why I'm talking
to you about it."

"Actually there's also pleasure in it," he readily admitted. "That's why
people do it so much. And yes I know, you've probably been told differently
your entire life. I was too before I came here." Indeed, E'rae still clung
to some of what he had been taught, making him the odd one out at times
in his new life.

"Pleasure..." She stopped and moved her hand away. She had always
been told it was a duty, nothing about it being pleasurable. "Oh."

"Indeed. And much of it comes from touching which you are probably better
at than I." He had already thought it over in his head so many times.

She hurriedly pulled her hands in her lap. "I see with my fingers,
I have to touch. It's not about feeling good."

"But it can be. I mean..." He put his own hand out as he finished eating.
His fingers stretched and reached her elbow, stroking lightly. "If I close
my eyes and think about that...it doesn't feel bad."

Bahji inhaled sharply, her skin prickling immediately. She swallowed
and reached to catch his hand in hers. "No, it doesn't." She held his
hand and shivered. "I should go."

"Know this-you have the power to control what happens. If you say yes
or no, it's your decision. I wish you the best m'dear in whatever you
decide." He didn't leave, though, giving her that choice as well. E'rae's
dark eyes were thinking behind that strong visage. There was a reason
why he had impressed blue. Still, he remained respectful.

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Yes or no to what?" She kept his hand
in hers. "Decide what?"

"Whether or not you find out about the rest of the pleasuring." He smiled,
though she couldn't see it. If she was feeling his pulse point, though, she
would have known he was relaxed, but slightly elevated.

Bahji went absolutely quiet, then bit her lip, her natural spunk displaced
by conflicting hormones of her youth. Her cheeks flushed and her hand
clenched on his for only a moment. "I barely know you."

"Sometimes it makes it easier. Then again, that seems to be a problem for
you and not I. You're more than welcome to get to know me though, if you
wish. I didn't say it had to be now." He was talking easily again, seeing
her respond. She was on the hook.

"Okay. I'll...get to know you and..." She let go of his hand and trailed
off. "Okay..."

"Leith. You'll probably have to know him too since he's always around in
some shape or form." Faranth help her if she could actually hear what he
said.

}:I take offense to that:{ said dragon snorted loud and clear as he listened
curiously to this exchange, considering the imagined images E'rae was
focusing on.

Her mind elsewhere, she nodded and rose. "I'd like that." She gave a
smile and picked up her dishes. "I will see you later, I'm sure, E'rae."

Last updated on the August 12th 2012

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