A Fake Boyfriend

Writers: Chelle, Heather
Date Posted: 20th August 2012

Characters: Asley, F'aen
Description: F'aen helps Asley out with a secret.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 4 of Turn 6

F'aen whistled to himself as he strode through the corridor to the
lower caverns of the Weyr. Luckily today was his one day off from
chores and so his time was his own. Lately he'd been developing a bond
with a certain man who worked as a tanner at the Weyr. If people were
wondering how F'aen had somehow managed to acquire a new pair of
leather boots and a new riding jacket they would quickly come to the
conclusion that the tanner was also sweet on F'aen.

Not that they were able to do much, mind you, but F'aen was enjoying
the opportunity to get to know the tanner while he was in weyrlinghood.
There was plenty of time for the other once he and Scarleth were ready.

Just as he was turning a corner, F'aen's tall, lanky form collided
head-first with a slightly shorter body. Printed sheets of paper flew
in every direction, raining down from the sky in slow, lazy zigzags.

"Oh no," F'aen winced as he looked at the scattered papers on the
floor and then back up at the apprentice printer. "I'm so sorry. Let me
help you get those," he said, bending down to begin gathering the
papers back up.

This was the second time recently that she'd been knocked into in the
tunnels. Did she have a sign on her forehead that said 'run into me' or
something? Asley gave him a look then saw the knots. The bluerider had
at least outranked this guy. After all the work she had done, though, she
was too tired to give him a piece of her mind. "Yeah....okay."

"I really am sorry," F'aen said again, his hands working quickly as he
gathered the pages together and then shuffled them and gave them a
firm tap against the ground to straighten them. Standing he presented
the papers to the woman with a smile, "There you go. Good as new...
unless you had them in a particular order and then I'm afraid we're
out of luck."

"We are? Try I am. I'm the one that has to fix this mess because you weren't
looking, weyrling." Maybe it would be good to get out of the Weyr, after all,
with all these dragonriders that didn't look where they were going. She didn't
know how they managed flying since most of them couldn't even do with their
own two feet.

F'aen's eyes narrowed. Not only was this girl younger than him, but
not of substantial rank herself. "Listen, apprentice, take an apology
and get over it. Perhaps if _you'd_ been watching where _you_ were
going this wouldn't have happened either. I was polite, I apologized,
I helped you pick up your precious papers and all you've done is
gripe."

"I was watching as best as I could with the paper pile I was hauling. And
excuse me but I thought anyone who saw it would think I should move over-
but you didn't see it I suppose." Knowing she was going to have to find
somewhere to get things in order, Asley began to head toward an empty
chamber.

He didn't know why, but F'aen found himself following the grumbling
apprentice into the empty chamber. A part of him wanted to prove that
he just wasn't some careless Weyrling. Call it stubbornness, but F'aen
was determined to help this girl out, and possibly even receive a
'thank you' in the process!

"Accidents do happen." Was all F'aen retorted as he looked down at the
papers that Asley was laying out to sort, "Tell me what to do so I can
help you sort these out."

Now that was surprising. For once, someone was taking responsibility
for their stuff. Asley relaxed just a bit. "Basically, they're booklets, with
numbered pages. It's several copies of the same booklet. So if I can get
them into stacks by page number, I can then collate them again."

"Got it." F'aen said affirmatively as he began sorting through the
papers, laying them in neat stacks according to the page number.

"Thanks..." She gave a breathy sigh as she worked. Maybe she had been a
little harsh-but it was so hard when she hadn't...seen anyone lately. Things
just made her so mad.

"So I don't think I've seen you around before." F'aen said
nonchalantly, trying to make conversation as he helped the apprentice
group her papers.

"I've been here ever since the hall came here," she shrugged. Asley didn't
have many friends, though, being one of the few printers. "I do work a lot
though. Tends to cramp the social scene."

"Maybe you should set your papers aside once in a while and come join
us on the 'social scene' then." F'aen smirked a little as he spoke,
thinking that perhaps some time away from the printing would loosen
Asley up a bit.

"I'm trying to make journeywoman before they make me go to Emerald Falls,"
she admitted with a conflicted look. It was clear the move was not something
she was happy about.

F'aen considered that, "You could become a Candidate and then still
practice your craft... It would be double the work, what with
Candidate chores, but then at least you could stay, right?"

"You have to be Searched to be a candidate. And anyway, I doubt my Master
would allow me to be, even if I wanted to. There are so few of us. Then again,
I like my craft. I wouldn't want a dragon in the way." No, Asley was too focused
for that. She had to get those knots.

So much for his plan. F'aen chewed on his bottom lip. Asley's
estimation of her predicament was accurate then, she needed to obtain
her journeywoman status if she wanted to remain at the Weyr."Are you

close to being promoted, you think?"

"I hope so. It's up to the Master if I'm ready or not, but I'm the right
turns and I have been studying long enough. I haven't failed any of my
tasks." As a weyrling, he was guaranteed to be a dragonrider so it was
different. He didn't have to wait for approval from someone.

Asley was quiet as she thought about what could happen to her if she ended up at
the Hold. She remember what had occurred before and was determined not to let it
happen to her, but there wasn't much she could do. Thinking about it
again-it was too
much. The dam broke and she quietly started to cry. Stepping back, she
turned away
from F'aen. Knowing how dangerous it could be, but not fearing the
weyrling, she turned
her face up and wiped it before admitting her secret. "I hate being
alone...it's hard
to find...a good woman."

F'aen nodded sympathetically and then did a double take- did she say
'woman'? That would certainly explain then her trepidation over
returning to the Hold. Such a lifestyle would be severely frowned
upon, to the point that F'aen wasn't sure if Asley would even _get_ to
pursue such a relationship.

"I understand," F'aen said softly, "as a male greenrider I probably
understand more than anyone else." He empathized.

"I almost think..maybe they know. Maybe they figured it out and that's why I
haven't been promoted. I...don't know what to do about it. I mean...I don't want
to be alone for the rest of my turns." And the thought of being with a man, like
that, just to be advanced made her ill.

The green Weyrling's brow furrowed as he thought about possible
solutions, "Maybe you could just 'date' a guy for appearances, and
then secretly pursue your real romantic interests."

"Yeah but what guy would do that? Hey I wanna be your fake weyrmate?" She
laughed, grabbing up her sheaf of papers. **How would I even approach a guy
about it without knowing whether or not I would be humiliated?**

F'aen considered how difficult that would be, and if he weren't a
_male_ greenrider, he would offer up himself for the part. As it were,
he figured people would be awfully confused by a homosexual man
"dating" a woman. "You know, I could help you find someone." He had
friends enough in the Weyr, maybe if he talked to one of them they
would be willing to help Asley out.

"I....would appreciate it." Her eyes held a very small shred of hope, but she
was cynical enough not to put much faith in it. Then again, dragonriders were
supposed to be trustworthy so maybe...but he was just a greenrider-a weyrling
even. "Listen I have to go but I'll see you around?"

"OK, I'll let you know when I find someone," F'aen promised, glad that

he had improved his standing with the young woman. Turning, the green
weyrling left, his mind sorting through possible candidates for Asley's problem.

Last updated on the September 1st 2012

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A Fake Boyfriend