Apologies and Connections

Writers: Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 15th March 2014

Characters: Pierka, J'ackt
Description: Pierka and Jenackt begin to connect
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 15 of Turn 7

Pierka

J'ackt

She couldn't curl up on the seat like she used to. Her belly was just
getting too big and she was too uncomfortable. Besides that she still
had more than a month to go. So, the feet stayed on the floor when she
pushed her tray onto the table in the corner of the dining hall.
These days she tried to stay on the outside rather than move through
the tables. There was too much chance of her growing belly knocking
into someone or something.

But there she sat with her plate of food and absolutely nothing on it
looked in the least bit appealing.

As he carried his tray through the dining hall, Jenackt ignored most
of those already eating and for the most part, except for a few of the
kitchen drudges that invariably stared at him, he wasnt bothered. He
made his way to his usual table in the corner and stopped, seeing a
very familiar figure there.

He hadn't seen her since the debacle with the three other candidates
and they had snapped bat each other. Seeing her now, not eating and
looking miserable, a frisson of guilt coiled in his belly. She _had_
just been trying to help him. He took a deep breath and walked over,
setting his tray down quietly across from her.

The look she gave him wasn't exactly warm after all that had happened.
"Did you get in trouble? Did N'vanik punish you?"

Jenackt sat and exhaled through his nose. "I have etiquette lessons."
He didn't know if that was a punishment, but to him, it was bad
enough. "I uh...wanted.." He nudged the food around on his plate.
"uhm...I'm sorry. For snapping at you. You were just trying to help."

She tilted her head realizing this was a big departure for him.
"That's what friends do Jenackt. They try to help when something goes
wrong for you." At least her eyes softened toward him. "Apology
accepted."

He shoved the food around on his plate, staring down at it. "I'm not
used to anyone sticking up for me. And...I don't really have friends."

She snorted and picked up a fork to try some of the fried tubers on
her plate. "And do you wonder why? You're as prickly as a needle thorn
bush." She shook her head. "If you were to try to smile at a person
now and then it wouldn't be a bad thing."

"Never really cared." He admitted, keeping his voice soft. "I was
kinda on my own for a long time. Didn't have anyone else around." He
stabbed at a vegetable, but didn't eat it. He just kept jabbing at it.
"And the only reason I'm wanted here is because N'vanik wants me to be
a rider to fill up a wing...to fill space. Why should I smile about
that? I'm good for Thread fodder."

"Wow," she said while she chewed thoughtfully. "You don't have a clue,
do you? Have you ever even tried to make a friend?" She knew N'vanik
who had always been unfailingly kind and encouraging to her. She
couldn't accept Jenackt's characterization of the man.

He seemed to draw in on himself at her words and silently stared for a
long time at his plate. Did people honestly think the Holdless ran
about befriending each other on the rare chance they ran into one
another? That there was some of sort of camaraderie? The one time he
had met another holdless man, the other man had ended up dead. He
hadn't liked having to do that, but he had had to protect his
belongings. Befriending him hadn't even crossed his mind.

His first real interaction with the people at Emerald Falls had ended
up with him being shot twice with arrows for trying to run. And here,
the first thing he had been told was to not hurt anyone...Any of
N'vanik's or Qorri's people. He jabbed at a vegetable fiercely. He
wasn't one of those people and never would be. "Guess not."

"Ok," she said softly recognizing his discomfort with the subject.
"Here's how we do it." She stuck out her hand and added a silly grin.
"Hi, my name is Pierka. What's yours?"

He blinked and looked down at her hand. "I already know your name is
Pierka. And you already know my name." He frowned a little and glanced
around, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Are you feeling okay? "

She rolled her eyes. "Have you zero sense of humor? Faranth!" She
leaned forward though she took the hand back. "Seriously Jenackt, life
just isn't that serious. Lighten up a bit will you?"

She pushed her plate away slightly and leaned her elbows on the table.
"I was found in a shipwreck when I was what they figure was about
thirteen turns. All the others on board were dead. They thought
perhaps the other people were my family. But I don't remember." She
shrugged. "I don't remember anything before I was thirteen." She
looked expectantly at him. "Your turn. Tell me something about your
life. It doesn't matter what."

"I have a sense of humor." He protested. But he really didn't get
silliness. It hadn't been a part of his life.

He was about to elaborate when she started in on her story, startling
him. But he listened, his brows raising. His mouth parted and he
blurted out the first thing to come to mind. "I don't remember ever
having a home. Just living with my mam and my da in caves and such. It
was just us until I was ten and my mam died trying to have my sister.
She died too. Then it was just me and him." He looked down at his
plate and shrugged a little. "Taught me how to use a sword and steal
and stuff."

"That must have been a hard life," she said. Her hand went to her own
abdomen trying to imagine what it would be like to try and have this
baby with no healers, and no other support. "Is your da still around?"

"Sure it was hard." His lips thinned slightly."Couldn't expect help
from no one. All Holders wanted was to catch us." He still didn't look
at her and his eyes were oddly distant as he looked at his plate. "He's
dead. Got sick and died two winters ago. Then it was just me."

"I'm sorry," she said and put as soft hand on his arm. She'd felt
grief for people she couldn't even remember but she hadn't been left
alone in the wilds to go through it. They'd given her a chance at a
craft. "I'm so very glad they found you. I really do hope you can find
more friends here." There was real emotion and concern in her eyes for
him. She didn't know precisely why she liked him. Maybe it was because
they were both all alone in the world. She could understand how that
felt.

"Oooh," she said with a hand pressing into her side. "Knock if off,"
she said to the baby pressing into her ribs.

He looked at her hand as it lay on his arm and for a moment, his eyes
appeared moist before he rapidly blinked and swallowed, visibly forcing
the emotion back. His voice was a harsh whisper. " I'm not. I'm not
wanted here any more than I was around Emerald Falls. I'll always be on
the outside. It was better when I didn't have to see how much I was
everyday."

He rose and looked down at her stomach where her hand lay."I'm glad for
you, though. You'll be a good mam, just like mine was. It'll be a lucky
kid." He picked up his plate, the food untouched and walked away,
shoulders hunched.

"I don't know about that," she said mostly to herself as she watched
him walk away. There had been a moment there where he'd shown a tiny
crack. She wasn't certain but she thought just maybe there might be a
person she could get to know in there.

**Where are you,** she asked and a flood of unconditional love flowed
across her bond with Liddith.

}:Sunning with Taldeth and some others,:{

**Would you like a bath?**

As she got up to put her tray away, it swept over her that the Weyr
had provided her with all the things she'd been missing in her life
after the sad events she'd relayed to Jenackt. She had unquestioning
love in Liddith and a new life growing under her heart. Dolphin Cove
was her home.

Last updated on the March 16th 2014

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