Pleasant Visit

Writers: Leigh M-F., Miriah
Date Posted: 14th July 2014

Characters: A'kua, Ninaine
Description: Just a friendly visit.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 8, day 7 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: J'darin

Ninaine

Rest days tended to leave Aluka at loose ends. Sure, he had so much time to spend on
his gitar with his compositions, but that wasn't always enough to fill the hours.
And now that there was someone he almost thought of as the sister he'd never had,
someone who could probably use some human company, it was time for a visit. And this
time, he had a ceramic bowl full of cobbler; dried redfruit with soft bread and
raisins, and a small wooden cup of cream to pour over it and eat before the bread
got too mushy. Few things were as gross as mushy bread.

Aluka walked into the weyrling barracks, ignoring curious looks that he assumed
originated from the fact he was wearing a shawl around his shoulders. It was a worn
blue thing that had belonged to his mother; no one had claimed it when she died, so
he took it with him when he exiled himself from his place of origin. "Ninaine?" he
called, looking about for the young woman.

}: There's someone calling for you. Should I make him go away?:{ Luneth perked up,
then sniffed the air. }: He has smell good things. He can come. :{

Ninaine turned in her cot, hearing the voice and slowly rising. **Stay here.**

}:But.. :{ Luneth immediately protested.

**I mean it.** Ninaine looked down at the already sulking dragonet. **You can look,
but you stay here.** As her green visibly pouted and flicked her tail, Ninaine
stepped out, just a little and not too far from Luneth. "I'm here!" She peered over
heads and a smile lifted her lips. "Aluka?"

"The only one," the redhead said, smiling as he approached the pretty young woman.
"Thought ya could use a visit. Here," he added, handing over the cobbler. "Since
Luneth ate your last treat. The spoon's somewhere in there. How ya been?"

}: Treat? :{ Luneth immediately lifted her head to sniff pointedly in the direction
of the cobbler. }: It smells good...I like smell good treats. :{

Ninaine looked over her shoulder and shook her head. "No, this one's mine." She
turned back to Aluka and smiled. "You didn't have to do this. Thank you." She looked
around moved to sit at one of the small tables, gesturing Aluka to sit across from
her. "Please, sit. Share it with me?"

Luneth gaze followed them, the look flicking between Aluka and the cobbler. She was
gradually getting better at allowing people to come closer to Ninaine, but still
objected to touches, so watched the visitor carefully.

The redhead shrugged. "I didn' haveta," he agreed as he sat, "but I wanted to. Ya go
'head with it; I already ate. There's only one spoon, anyway." That, and some people
didn't like sharing utensils with people who weren't related to them. Aluka wasn't
afraid of a few germs, but he was a little surprised Ninaine had made the offer.
Sharing a spoon with a man you weren't engaged to wasn't ladylike by Hold standards.
Maybe she felt that much more relaxed around him?

"Oh, we have extra spoons and dishes in that cabinet over there. I was going to
spoon us both out a bit." She rose, walked to the cabinet next to another table and
pulled out a saucer, then another just in case and an extra spoon. She returned to
the table and spooned out a small portion on her plate. "Are you sure you won't have
a bit?"

She was about to take a bite when a thought occurred to her and she paused with the
spoon halfway to her mouth, her eyes slightly wide. Getting her gifts...sending her
letters...was Aluka courting her? She stared wide eyed at him.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Aluka said, taking off the shawl and folding it neatly
before putting it in his lap. "I do 'preciate it, but I had some earlier. Ya just
dig in and-" And why was she looking at him like that? Or was something weird
happening behind him? He looked over his shoulder, but didn't see anything unusual.
He looked back to Ninaine, figuring she must have bitten her tongue and was just too
polite to swear. "Whatcha been up to lately?"

Her cheeks colored and her eyes darted around. They weren't alone, so she could rest
a little easy as far as reputation went (even though the weyrfolk may have waved off
such notions, she certainly did not). She took a small bite and wiped her mouth,
sitting a little straighter. "It's very good." Aluka was from a hold. It made sense
that he would do things this way and not the way these weyrfolk seemed to; of
course, he couldn't ask her father for permission. Perhaps he'd spoken to J'darin.
He was after all responsible for her.

"Oh..uhm. I've been working with J'darin with Luneth." She pushed the cobbler around
on her plate before taking another small bite. She swallowed. "We've had some
problems with her. But she's getting better." She took another bite.

}: So he wants to mate with you? :{ Luneth chimed in, looking at Aluka with suspicion.

A mouth full of food, Ninaine nearly spewed it out, but swallowed with soft choking
noises her face flaming red.

Oh, yes. Ninaine had mentioned that in one of her letters. It had been very
worrisome when he read it. He'd never heard of such a possessive dragon in over a
Turn of living at Dragonsfall. But he hadn't said anything about it then, and he
wouldn't say anything about it now. His friend was probably getting enough grief
about it from everyone else and feeling embarrassed about it. "How's that been
goin'?" he asked, and quickly added, "Ya okay? Should I getcha a cup of water or
somethin'?"

Ninaine coughed and was able to talk after a moment. "I'm fine. Really. Luneth just
said...something." She rubbed at her cheeks to try to take away the heat and then
cleared her throat. That was no way to behave in front of a possible suitor. "It's
not going to well. She can tolerate people being as close as you are now, but
touching still bothers her."

**Guess I better get used to non-sequiters if I'm friends with a dragonrider,**
Aluka thought with a mental shrug. "Time and patience, 'sall ya need," he said
encouragingly. "'Least that's what I believe." That, and the frame of mind that the
world was not out to get them. Not that he was one to talk about that.

Clearing her throat, Ninaine returned her thoughts to the conversation at hand.
"Patience is not one of her traits, I'm afraid. J'darin is making us separate a
little at a time, but she cries. And now, what's worse, I have to get...men's
clothing." Her nose wrinkled visibly.

Aluka bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Ancients, this was just too
precious. A holder girl's first pair of pants. "It won' be so bad, I promise," he
said. "They're just as coverin' as skirts if ya get the right style. And they're
easier to move around it. It'll make it easier to do your chores and care for
Luneth."

Her nose wrinkled even further. "I've seen how some of these weyr women wear them.
You can almost see everything." She shook her head. "Well, not me."

The redhead's mind went to the greenrider who had been his first. Her pants had
indeed been quite snug. Not too snug as to be difficult to remove, of course, but
they had hugged her legs and backside most appealingly. It had been the only
pleasant thing about watching her walk away from him.

When he didn't say anything, Ninaine looked at him. There was a distant look in his
eye that made her curious. "What?"

Aluka started. "What?" he repeated a little blankly, and then remembered the topic.
"Aye, get somethin' soft and flexible. It'll be fine."

"Are you alright?" Ninaine tilted her head. "Is something bothering you?"

The redhead hesitated. He wanted to lie and say nothing was wrong, but the thought
of lying to a friend, or at least an ally, but a bad taste in his mouth. But he
couldn't talk about it. It would just scare Ninaine into clinging to her holder
upbringing all the tighter. "It's nothin' ya should worry 'bout," he finally said,
which was basically the truth. It was his problem, not hers.

"Okay." She frowned and slowly took another bite of the cobbler. If a man didn't
wish to discuss something, she wouldn't pry.

Whew. He had dodged a crossbow quarrel. "So whatcha said 'bout seein' the harpers?
I'm thinkin' I'll follow your advice," Aluka said, changing the subject, and the
rest of the visit went quite pleasantly.

Last updated on the July 16th 2014

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Pleasant Visit