I'm Your Friend

Writers: Yvonne, Avery
Date Posted: 31st August 2014

Characters: Ikalis, Alina
Description: Ikalis doesn't let Alina's birthingday go unnoticed.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 14 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Cyradis, Chaysea, L'pin

Alina

She had to face Alina sometime. Unlike the weyrling schedule, she didn't
really have an excuse to have been busy. But eventually Alina might get suspicious if
she didn't go see her, so Ikalis steeled her nerves and set out to find the new
weyrling.

Alina's birthingday was as good an excuse as any. Besides, she should give
the present, since she'd bought it. So that was how Ikalis wound up wandering
down to the barracks.

The barracks were strewn with a confusion of sleepy baby dragons and
Weyrlings who weren't allowed to go very far. They were barely allowed a candlemark in
the day to themselves, and over half of them had already retreated to their beds.
Alina sat neat the entrance to the barracks with her legs stretched out in front of
her, uncomfortable in her new clothes and aching from the long day on her feet.
Her stitches were an awful combination of itchy and sore, and her thighs
throbbed in time with her heartbeat. And it was her birthingday and nobody had noticed.

}:That person is looking at you,:{ Imarith said helpfully. }:Who are they?:{

Alina looked up and smiled when she saw Ikalis hovering by the edge of the
clearing. She waved, hoping to get her attention.

Ikalis shuffled over and waved back. "Hey there," she said when she got
within speaking range. "How're you doing?"

"I've been better," Alina said, but she was smiling. "It's been a-- well,
a very odd few days. How are you?"

}:Who is that?:{ Imarith rose to her feet and waddled to meet Ikalis.
}:Why are they here?:{

"Are you still hurt? I'm sorry I didn't get to see you before..." If
something had _happened_ to her, she would have been a fool.

She peeked down at Imarith. She was still upset that Alina had Impressed,
but how could you be upset at a baby?

"How're you?" she asked the dragonet.

"That's Imarith. Imarith, meet Ikalis." Alina's manners kicked in, even
though she was stunned by what Ikalis had said. Ikalis knew everything that went on
in the Weyr, and if she'd cared she'd have asked about Alina's injuries long before.

Imarith, meanwhile, nosed at Ikalis' calf. }:Does Ikalis have food for me?
He smells good.:{

**She-- and I'll feed you soon enough!** Alina glared at the little
dragon, who sighed and collapsed into a pathetic heap at Ikalis' feet.

}:But I'm hungry _now_...:{

"Can I scratch her?" Ikalis asked curiously, not wanting to pet someone
else's dragon without asking.

"Oh, I heard it was your day, by the way." Her hand fiddled in her pocket.

Alina nodded. "I'm glad someone remembered. Thank you." That made the
sting of having Ikalis not know about her stitches a little less.

"Has no one else said anything?" Ikalis asked as she pulled her hand out
her pocket and handed a bundle. The gift was a small chain bracelet with a
little wheat sheaf charm dangling from it, wrapped up in a soft blue cloth.

"Is this for me?" Alina smiled in what felt like the first time in
ages. "You really didn't have to-- oh!" The weyrling gasped a little as she uncovered her
gift and held it up. "Ikalis-- I love it!" She slowly stood and embraced the other
girl. "Thank you."

She was genuinely happy with it, and that pleasure brought a real little
smile back to Ikalis' face. She hugged Alina back, trying not to blush or
feel funny.

"I hoped you'd like it."

"I really do." Alina drew back and tried not to feel a little teary. But it _was_ her birthingday, and it was nice that _someone_ cared. "You are the best friend I
could ever hope for. Thank you so much!"

"I'm glad I could make it a little better." Alina had Impressed, but she
didn't have her family or home to go back to...it must be lonely. "I can
sneak you a bubbly on the restday too."

"That would be _amazing_. But only if you come eat it with me." Alina sat
down again and held out the bracelet. "Can you help me put it on?"

"Sure." Ikalis fiddled with the clasp and placed it around Alina's wrist,
then smiled. "It looks really good. And you can get more charms for it
over time."

"Thank you. It's really thoughtful." Alina fingered the charm, smiling a
little at the sheaf of wheat. Wheat for home. "How have you been?"

"Pretty busy. Helping Cyradis with her son and Chaysea, you know, around."

Alina pursed her lips. "Don't give me that. I'm sure that you've been
up to _something_. You always are."

A half-truth, then. "I know I don't want to ride a dragon, but...it's
lonely when friends and family Impress, and then they're so busy, and
then you don't get to see them anymore."

A stab of guilt made Alina look down at the bracelet on her wrist
rather than at her friend. "If it's any consolation, I didn't really
want to ride a dragon either. And yet here I am. But-- I don't want
things to change. Let's plan to meet at least once every three days,
even if it's just for a moment. I _know_ a lot of people here, but
I don't _like_ a lot of people. But I do like you."

Now Ikalis did blush. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so down on your
birthing day," she said after a moment. "I really am proud for the two of
you. And I would love that a lot."

"Good!" Alina grinned, her mood doing an abrupt 180 as the tension
between them - whatever it had caused it - fizzled away. "Although you
might have to come find me for the first little while. I swear, it's
like we've been leashed by the Weyrlingmasters."

"Aren't they just taskmasters? Though at least some of them were
nice." She wasn't sure about the big one, but the Second and Third
were fine. "So c'mon, any interesting stories about Imarith?"

Alina sighed, half-smiling, half-exasperated. "She eats flowers. And when
I went to go see Chaysea for this absolutely _horrid_ change of wardrobe, she kept
asking where the heads were kept."

"The heads?" Ikalis repeated with curiosity.

}:I want a head!:{ Imarith perked up from where she'd been lying in the
dirt. }:Can we eat now? I'm still hungry.:{

Alina reached out to scratch her dragon's eyeridges. "Because Chaysea is the
_Head_woman. Apparently this makes sense?"

That startled a laugh out of Ikalis. "That's amazing. This is why dragons
are wonderful."

"They're something," Alina said, although she secretly agreed with Ikalis.
As angry as she was about the whole situation, Imarith _was_ something.

"I wish I could talk to them without Impressing to one," she said
wistfully. "Did you know some people can do that?"

"Really?" Alina tipped her head to one side as she considered her
dragon. "That's so weird. I didn't know people could do that. Have you
ever tried? Try saying something to Imarith."

Ikalis closed her eyes and thought about the green. **Hi there. Yes. You.**

Imarith yawned, exposing a set of tiny, sharp and sparkling white
teeth. }:Is it time to eat yet?:{ she asked Alina

**Did you hear Ikalis when she spoke to you?** Alina asked.

}:I'm hungry,:{ Imarith shot back. Which wasn't really an answer at all.

Alina sighed. "I don't think she heard you," she told Ikalis. "Maybe
we'll just have to practice. I wonder if talking to dragons something
that you can learn, like-- how to knit or something?"

"I didn't think it would work," she said softly, but inside she was a
smidge of disappointment. Of course Alina didn't feel she was special
enough for Imarith to be tuning into her.

"I don't think there are any hears-all here right now. I don't know if it's
learnable - I wish I could ask someone."

"I could ask L'pin," Alina said. If anyone would know, he would.

"Good idea. It makes sense the weyrlingstaff would want to know."

"Oh, I'm so glad you came!" Alina linked her arm with Ikalis', grinning.
"I missed you!"

A little frisson of happiness flooded through Ikalis. "I missed you too."

Last updated on the November 16th 2014

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

I'm Your Friend