The Promised Date

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 28th July 2014

Characters: Talwynn, D'kere
Description: D'kere plans out a romantic evening, but Talwynn is a little skittish.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 8, day 13 of Turn 7

Talwynn showed up at D'kere's door and knocked on it. "It's Talwynn," she
said, perhaps unnecessarily if he was expecting her.

D'kere's weyr was not completely ground-level in the same way that the
Weyrlingmaster's was. It required a walk up a short set of stairs, but
the weyrledge was just up a slight incline, so still reachable by
young Weyrlings, or weyrfolk, but more private than the usual ground
level weyrledge.

When he had told Talwynn he was going to turn on the full charm he
meant it. Earlier that day the bronzerider shaved his beared... if you
could called it that. He normally just kept a couple days' worth of
scruff on his face, never really a full beard. And then he had even
stopped by the lower caverns and had his shaggy hair trimmed... It was
still shaggy, but shaped up a little.

"There is my lovely date." The tease could be seen in his eyes as he
opened the door.

She'd tried to look a bit nicer, too. Talwynn might have been dubious
about the idea of a date, but she didn't want to be a bad sport, either.
So she'd put on an embroidered tunic and a pair of pants.

"Good evening," she said. "You look different."

D'kere grinned, something that was normally hidden behind his facial
scruff, "Yes, well, my face feels naked but it is nice to show it off
every once in a while." He stepped back from the door and motioned her
inside.

"You look pretty different," she marveled. "Beard makes you look older,
but your smile is nice."

"And that is why I keep the beard. I would hate to be mistaken for one
of the Weyrlings," he had always had a baby face growing up, and with
his blonde hair and blue eyes it was just another reason people had
assumed he would be the last man on Pern to Impress a bronze.

"Through here." D'kere led Talwynn through his weyr and out onto the
slightly elevated ledge. Kenirath was perched up on the weyrrim for
the evening so that his rider could have his "date". Personally,
Kenirath felt it was a pretty good idea. After all, he always liked
sharing ledges with pretty females too.

The bronzerider had moved his table out onto his weyrledge where he
had a meal for two set up. A couple of outdoor warmers were set on
either side of the table to create some warmth for them while they ate
outside. Even though Dragonsfall was a cold place, D'kere had lived
there long enough to know how to work around it.

She was strongly impressed, and let out a low whistle. "You really pulled
out all the stops."

"I told you I have many admirable traits." D'kere pulled out Talwynn's
chair for her and gestured for her to sit. Once she was slid in to the
table he disappeared back into is weyr for a moment and then came back
out with a couple of plates of food, empty glasses, and a skin of aged
wine.

He hadn't been kidding about the chivalry. She'd have to tell Harki about
this - the other greenrider would find it fascinating.

"This looks good. You must have thought of everything."

"My mother works in the kitchens so I have all of the right
connections." He winked as he poured wine into their glasses and then
took his seat across from her. "How are you feeling after all of that
sack tossing?" D'kere inquired as he picked up his fork. Despite the
fact that the greenrider had never once complained, he knew that with
the injuries she had sustained she had to be feeling some of the
repercussions of reawakening those muscles and tendons again.

"Oh I see, you're an insider." She grinned.

He was being kind and he didn't look like he was going to call the
Weyrhealer on her. "Left hand hurts," she admitted after a moment.

D'kere winced with empathy, "I fractured a bone in my hand once. It is
hardly what you have to live with, but I at least can imagine what it
is like. Do you do those hand exercises?" He remembered having to do
some therapy with his hand while it was recovering.

She nodded, held it up and closed it slowly so he could see the way the
scar tissue pulled. "Those help with picking up items, but sometimes the
tissue stretches. I should probably get hand cream." The healers had one
that helped.

"That might be a good idea if you want to continue your practice. I
think you could easily join the Wings again once you are back in
shape. Probably the Queen's Wing, but that's still fighting Thread
isn't it?" D'kere knew it was hard not fighting Thread actively
because as the Weyrlingmaster's Second he no longer flew in active
duty in a Wing.

Her eyes widened and she couldn't quite breathe for a moment. Was he
saying that just to make her happier? But... "They didn't say that a Turn
ago," she said softly.

D'kere forked some fresh greens into his mouth and swallowed before
replying with, "And I am sure you are stronger now than you were a
Turn ago. Sometimes it just takes the body longer to adapt, but it
will. If you can stay in your riding straps, and make the firestone
tosses, and reach forward to feed your own dragon stone, then I don't
see why you couldn't at least fly in the Queen's Wing."

A swell of hope blossomed in her chest, so fierce and unexpected that on
the heights Riveth let out a bugle. What he said sounded promising, but...

"I should - "

But she stopped her words there.

"You know, you're setting up this nice date, and I'm making it about my
troubles." Wasn't that rude?

The bronzerider shrugged as he swallowed a bite of bread, "I don't
mind. It is nice getting to know you better." He admitted, and then
took a sip of his wine.

She ducked her head and blushed a little bit. "I'm not all work," she
said. "But, I used to be. Learning how to not was almost a gift."

D'kere found her blush intriguing, "And so what did you do to fill
your time once you were no longer in an active Wing?" Finished with
his plate he pushed it aside.

She nibbled on the end of the meat before answering. "Mostly my craft.
I've been comparing prior star charts of Dragonsfall with current ones.
Since this weyrhold has so much history and wasn't abandoned, it's a good
comparative project."

The bronzerider glanced up at the stars that were just beginning to
peer as the sun finally began to fade behind the mountains. "I am
afraid that my knowledge of the stars is not what it could be. Beyond
the stories my mother use to tell me when we would look out at the
stars and make pictures out of them." He turned his eyes back to her,
"What made you decide to be a starcrafter?" Most people tended to pick
the big three: harpering, healing, or smithing.

"They're the most beautiful things I've ever seen. And they're so
consistent, too. The stars come up in one place now, and next month, in
another. The Turn after this, every month, the same places, eternal and
unchanging. Star time isn't like our time. It reminds me there's more than
just the day to day."

It was possibly the most poetic thing she had ever said, and she fell silent.

D'kere studied Talwynn as she talked about the stars. It was evident
that she did love them, and he found her more beautiful in that moment
than she had been in his bathing pool the other day. He liked that
Talwynn wasn't like most other greenriders who were worried about only
a good time or the next set of furs they might climb into to. She
seemed deeper than that, as if there was more to her than surface
value.

"Back when I told you that the fee for my help was a date. You seemed...
Surprised?
Or cautious even. Why was that?"

She nibbled at the fork for a moment, even though nothing was on it.
"Would you believe me if I told you I've never been on one?"

At first D'kere chuckled but that quickly faded as he looked at Talwynn with
disbelief, "Really?"

She shrugged. "I look like a boy and I spend all my time with my work."
Though she was softer now that she wasn't rigorously disciplining herself.
"I used to scare everyone else off with my tongue," she added.

"Maybe I should have been a bluerider then because you are the
loveliest boy I have ever seen." He grinned and then added, "What
happened to your tongue then? It hasn't been too scary to me."

She laughed at the image of him as a bluerider. "You haven't seen me
really pissed off. Or defensive. Or - just prickly. Should've seen me
before Riveth rose last."

D'kere flashed a smile, "I tend to find that the more proddy and
prickly before the flight make the best partner's during the flight."
He winked.

"I slammed my fist into glass," she admitted. "And maybe Kenirath'll win
the next time."

"I am sure he will try his best," the bronze did enjoy participating
in flights on the occasion. "But that doesn't mean we have to wait
till then."

She tilted her head. "I'm just surprised you're interested."

The bronzerider shook his head, "Well, don't be."

"Can I think you're a little crazy?" But she smiled as she said it.

D'kere smiled, "As long as it's not bad crazy then feel free." The
bronzerider
stood and came around the table, taking one of Talwynn's hands in his own,
"Come
inside with me?" There was a clear invitation in his blue eyes, an
innuendo in his
voice, "You can say no... But I hope you don't."

He was so _earnest_ about it. She wanted to give in, to see where this
went, but suspicion and an edge of fear welled up in her. She wanted to
turn and bolt, but the gentle pressure of his hands was enough to deter
her from that.

"For just a drink?" she asked hesitantly.

"I would like more than a drink, but if that is all you want then I will
show you
what I drink on special occasions." D'kere said without letting go of her
hand.

The urge to just run down the ledge subsided enough that she could give
him a weak smile. "Special occasions, huh?"

"Come on," he coaxed with a smile, pulling her to her feet, "I don't bite
I promise.
I am chivalrous, remember?" He winked and keeping their hands linked he
led her back
inside his weyr.

She had to laugh at that. "I remember." Chivalrous and charming both.

Last updated on the August 7th 2014

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The Promised Date