Adored

Writers: Estelle, Nici
Date Posted: 26th July 2005

Characters: Terissa, R'yal
Description: Terissa and R'yal spend the evening drinking together, and Terissa reveals a secret
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 6 of Turn 3

Terissa let out as lady-like a belch as she could manage and handed the wineskin over to R'yal. "I think we need a bigger skin frankly..." She sighed dramatically. "And how did two sexy greenriders end up drinking alone tonight _anyway_?!"

"We're not alone. We have each other," R'yal said solemnly - or at least, as solemnly as he could manage after having already polished off one skin of wine with Terissa's help. "Still, it's strange. I'd have thought that between the two of us, we'd have something for everyone!"

"Well, everyone's all...quiet since well....the _incident_." None of their crowd had been seriously injured and somehow both greenriders had been unscathed, but there was a sombre air to the Weyr of late. "I know it was tragic, but we can't all stop _living_ now, can we?" She'd lost one sex partner and no one saw _her_ all frowny.

"I'm sure they wouldn't have wanted me to stop throwing parties. It's just - I haven't felt much like it lately." It was hard deciding on who to invite when he kept thinking of names and, moments later, remembering that the riders in question would never come and drink with him again. "Maybe I should hold another - just a little one. You, me, A'zer and K'nure...how are those two, anyway? I haven't seen much of them since...then."

"Oh, they're _fine_. K'nure is just...quiet. Let's not forget Rasakith was injured not too long ago. And A'zer is...well, he's started writing songs again. Bloody epics..." She shuddered.

"Has he? Oh dear." R'yal grinned. "We'd better stay well clear until he gets it out of his system. And as for K'nure's quietness...maybe he misses you. Are you sure you're coping, juggling him and all those bronzeriders of yours?"

"K'nure and I had no promises and I can juggle just fine. It's that I can't juggle when one of the men I'm doing it with can't _walk_. Shardit...give me that wineskin!"

R'yal took a lazy swig before handing it back over. "I didn't know they needed to be able to walk...though that gorgeous journeyman might throw you out of the Infirmary if you tried your 'juggling' in there."

Terissa tried not to snort wine through her nose--that would truly be a waste! "Too true...healers can be such sticklers about alternative forms of healing..." She thought of something and whacked him, though without much force. "And you should talk....you've got more notches on your belt than _I_ do!"

"You flatter me, my dear," R'yal replied, placing one hand over his heart with an air of overblown modesty. "After all, you've still got one bronzerider-related notch that I haven't..."

One of her brows rose, dramatically. "Oh, what's that?"

"Maybe I should call it the double notch," R'yal said, as delicately as he could after consuming half a wineskin and more. "The one _I_ wasn't invited to, and had to make do with A'zer."

Terissa snorted inelegantly. "Like that's a hardship. How many can say they're so _adored_ as you?! A'zer worships you." Part of it was jealousy--she was never sure if she was _liked_ let alone loved for more than her body-- part of it simply too much wine, but shard it, there it was now...

"Well, of course. All the blueriders worship me," R'yal said airily, gesturing wildly around the room with the wineskin. "No - come on, be serious. A'zer's a good friend and a _very_ good lover, but I doubt he adores me."

Terissa gave him a 'look'. "Men really _are_ dense sometimes," she replied, her mouth loosened by the wine. "R'yal, he's told me himself--shardles, I've had to _read_ some of the songs he's written about you..." She shook her head and snatched at the wineskin before he wasted the contents. "I figured you just...knew."

"You're teasing me," R'yal said suspiciously, scanning her face for any hint of fibbing. "He writes _songs_ about me? Terissa, that's completely ridiculous."

"Uh huh..." The greenrider grinned, then opened her mouth to sing in her tolerable soprano:

'There is a sun that never sets
A blue that never fades

My true love's hair
My true love's eyes

If only love could never set
Or ever fade'

She giggled. "Okay, to do him credit, he was only just starting that one when he showed it to me and he looked as embarrassed as _I_ felt..."

R'yal stared at her, for once too astonished to make fun of her. "A'zer wrote that? About _me_?"

She nodded and took another swig of the wine. "Unfortunately. He's done better..." Okay, so maybe she was just a bit jealous. She and A'zer had always been close--so perhaps that's why it stung that he'd _really_ fallen for someone more irreverent than she could ever be.

He shook his head. "But I'm...I'm...well..." Never usually abashed in the least where his conquests were concerned, he struggled for words now. "You know. Notches on my belt, and all that. Are you _sure_ it wasn't about someone else? There are lots of blue-eyed blonds in the Weyr."

Terissa finally looked at him, really looked at him. "You really didn't know?"

"Of course I didn't know! Do you think I'd have told you _all_ about last night with J'kiren at breakfast if I'd known A'zer felt that way?" R'yal groaned. "Oh, shards! And I thought he just didn't want to hear about my midnight escapades over his morning klah. You must all think I'm totally heartless."

"No...just...R'yal." She shrugged. "He's never told me it bothers him....he's older than both of us and should know better. I mean, we can't change what we are, can we?"

R'yal looked stricken. "I suppose not, but...I should have noticed, and been more careful about what I said. I will be in future..."

Now she was regretting her big mouth. "It shouldn't change _anything_. I shouldn't have said a thing...we're all just friends, R'yal, really!"

"Of course we are. I just..." He shook his head. "I'm still half expecting you to start giggling like a fool and for A'zer to pop up from behind me in fits of laughter!" He glanced hopefully over his shoulder, just to make sure.

Terissa gave him a sloppy hug and a kiss. "I'm sorry, R'yal!"

Well, that probably meant it really _was_ true. "Whatever for?"

"I didn't mean to make you _feel_ bad." Now she felt horrid. She'd given away a confidence and R'yal--temporarily at least--a conscious!

"I don't feel bad," the greenrider said, pretending a confidence he certainly didn't feel. "Really, I don't. I'm flattered. And if we finish a few more of these skins of wine together, I'll probably have forgotten about it by tomorrow morning anyway." At least, he hoped so - then he wouldn't have to face the difficult problem of what he was going to say when he next met A'zer!

Last updated on the September 6th 2005

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