A Glimmer of Hope

Writers: Avery, Yvonne
Date Posted: 9th September 2014

Characters: Kapera, J'nus
Description: J'nus stops by Kapera's to pass on Kopth's words, and things get a little charged.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 11 of Turn 7

Kapera

}:Riyanth will rise.:{

J'nus jerked upright from his slouch over a bowl of oatmeal and
berries. **Now?!**

}:Soon,:{ Kopth replied. The bronze dragon sounded smug.

**How soon?**

}:Soon,:{ the dragon repeated.

J'nus wasn't able to get anything else out of him. The bronze was
patient, and thought his rider should be too. Normally J'nus _was_ a
patient man, but Kapera had asked him to let him know if Kopth thought
Riyanth would rise, and he wanted to give her something new. The last
time he'd asked, his dragon had said the exact same thing, and that
was sevendays ago. And 'soon' from a dragon could mean anything from a
candlemark to a sevenday.

He stirred his oatmeal, debating whether to share Kopth's news with
Kapera or to hold off until he had something more definitive. It
wasn't fair to get her hopes up. But Kopth had also volunteered the
information, rather than answering when J'nus asked. If he was taking
the initiative then something had to have changed. He set the bowl
aside, then stood and went to track down the goldrider.

}:His comes.:{ Riyanth told Kapera, who was at her desk looking over
the casualty reports prior to visiting the Weyr infirmary.

**Who?** That could describe about half the dragonriders in the Weyr.

The goldrider got a flash of image-sensation - bronze hide, curled up
on ledges, an odd taste of snow and chill, and a sense
of...possessiveness?

**Kopth,** she realized, and the gold rumbled from the ledge.

}:He watches me.:{ the gold said before settling back down. }:I told
him where you are.:{

Kapera pushed aside the report on the injured brownrider and fidgeted
with her hair, making sure her braid was neat before thinking with a
flash of tempter **it's not like J'nus would notice.**

"Morning," she said with a little smile when he walked in.

"Morning." The bronzerider flashed a brief smile before closing the
door behind himself. "Do you remember asking me to see if Kopth knew
when Riyanth will rise?" he asked quietly.

He closed the door, and she wondered briefly if this was work-related,
or personal. Then he spoke, and she felt like the wind had been
knocked out of her chest. Her eyes fluttered closed as she grasped
down the bond to her gold. Nothing felt different, but...

They opened again and she stared at him. "Did he say something?" she
asked, breathless with a little hope.

"He just said 'soon'." J'nus shrugged, a little helplessly. "That
could mean now or days from now. But he volunteered the information
instead of me having to ask. Something must have changed."

Her throat felt suspiciously choked, and it took effort to force words
out. If a bronze sensed it...if a bronze thought to watch her... if
any dragon would know, a bronze surely would. "Thank you for telling
me," she managed. "And Kopth, for noticing."

She'd gone pale. "Are you all right?"

"Oh. Yes." She touched her face briefly to ground herself in her own
body and not lose herself exploring her dragon. "He's given us some hope."

**You'd better be right,** J'nus thought at his dragon fiercely.
Kapera had gone through enough and didn't have to deal with another
dissapointment. He took a step toward her. "Kapera, no matter what
happens-- it will be all right."

"What good to this Weyr would I be if she didn't rise?" Kapera asked
him, finally giving voice to the ideas that had been circling around
inside of her for months. "What if they knew she wasn't going to rise
again and that's why Windswept sent me here? Pass a useless dragon
good for nothing but eating off onto someone else's problem, to screw
up yet another place?"

"That's not going to happen." It might happen. J'nus took another step
toward her
and put a hand on her arm. "Besides, what would Dolphin Cove have done if
you hadn't
been here? Saibra would still be gone and Cyradis still bed-ridden before the
Hatching. The Weyr needed _you_."

She stood up and let herself step close to him, till there was barely no
distance between them at all now. Things felt electrified. His hand on her
arm was so warm. His words were so reassuring, and she wanted to trust in
his solid conviction, but...

"They did, didn't they," she said after a moment. How strange to feel
needed, not like an idiot on a pedestal, but like someone who had actually
had an impact. Was it real?

For a moment, he didn't know what to say. Her skin, where he touched her,
was smooth against his palm, and he could feel the faint stir of air as
she breathed. Hurriedly he let her go. "Yes, they did. And nobody is going
to forget that."

She tilted her head up to look at him, trying to keep the mix of
complicated feelings out of her eyes - probably failing. "You're pretty
good at saying the right thing, you know that?" she breathed up at him.

He smiled. "I've had practice."

Impulsively, she leaned up and kissed him, her lips soft across his as
they quested.

Shells. He was already kissing her back, his arms around her waist to draw
her
against him, before he'd registered what was happening. This-- this
he'd missed. The
feel of her, her touch-- it sent a thrill through his nerves like nothing
else.
But... reluctantly he released her, slightly breathless and selfishly
glad to see
her the same. "Kapera..."

She licked her lips and looked up at him. "Yes?" Had she overstepped? But
he'd responded.

**Shells and scorching.** He managed a small smile, forcing himself to
do the honorable thing. The _right_ thing, and not take advantage of
her just because she'd heard some good news. "Congratulations."

She bit her lip, feeling a sudden sense of loss. She'd thought...she'd
hoped... Her body language deflated even as she fought to keep a stiff
face. "Say that when it's over," she said after a moment.

"I will." He gently kissed her cheek and forced himself to let her go.
She looked despondant... but this was Kapera, and she'd be fine.
"Kopth is waiting." **And so am I.**

That was an answer no dragonrider could argue with. "I shouldn't keep
you from him then. And thank you, for telling me." For hearing it from
him, and not the gazes of some other bronzerider.

"My pleasure," he said. And he meant it.

Last updated on the September 29th 2014

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A Glimmer of Hope