Heartbreaker

Writers: Anika, Paula
Date Posted: 6th May 2015

Characters: Aishara, R'taran
Description: Everyone suffers a little heartbreak at some time in their lives and it's R'taran's turn.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 12, day 21 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: R'ehn, Meledei (indirectly)

Aishara

R'taran was feeling good, very good. Things had been going so well
this last month he felt as if he just could't lose. So when he saw
Aishara by the runner stables he decided it was time to have a little
chat with her. He'd tried to be subtle with limited success. The
greenrider was always friendly, but nothing more. Perhaps it was time
to be a little more direct.

"Good morning, Aishara," he offered with a smile. "Going to annoy
your dragon with another runner ride today?"

"Morning R'taran. Yes, poor Ayumith is feeling so unappreceated right
now," Aishara replied. Grooming a mare she was about to take out, she
didn't really pay attention to R'taran.

For a moment or two, he just watched her graceful movements, briefly
questioning this attraction he had for her that seemed more than he'd
ever had for other females. Was it just because she had been the
first to catch his eye, when he was still a boy? He'd been with many
women, and just recently he'd been with some particularly attractive
women, but he still found himself wanting Aishara and wanting more
than just a good time between the furs. How exactly was he supposed
to go about communicating that, though?

He cleared his throat. "Aishara, are you, uh, with someone? I mean
um, I know you aren't weyrmated but do you uh, see someone sort of
more exclusively?" he asked awkwardly.

"Whuh?" Aishara had not expected anything like that and felt rather
idiotic. "Yes, I have some special," she thought about R'ehn and a
soft smile appeared to her face.

Taken aback, not having expected an affirmative response, R'taran
forced himself to keep his expression bland. She already had someone,
and from the look on her face, someone she truly cared for. His
stomach dropped as all of his hopes dissolved as if eaten up by
Thread. "That's good, Aishara. I hope he's very good to you," he said
quietly with a nod, taking solace in the fact that he'd not made a
complete and utter fool of himself.

"Thank you, he is," Aishara replied. She still had a feeling she was
missing out something.

What he wanted to do was turn on his heel and walk away, maybe go find
a bottle of spirits and stay holed up in his weyr until duty required
him to come out, but stalking away now after making the point of
coming to talk to her would come across rather odd. Reaching for
something else, anything else, he asked, "So, um, how did you find
that special someone, or I guess I should ask how did you come to
realize that he was someone special?" The brownrider didn't want to
know the answer so much as to avoid looking like a total idiot.

"I blame Ayumith for finding him, his dragon won her Flights many
times. We started to see each other outside the Flights too and things
just gradually grew from that. When did I realize I love him? I can't
say for sure, one day I just knew I want him to be a permanent part of
my life. Or as permanent as our duties and lives allow," Aishara
replied.

R'taran wanted to ask who it was, but he wouldn't. If he paid
attention, he could probably figure it out for himself, but then why
did it matter? It wasn't him and it never would be. "I guess
sometimes our dragons know us better than we know ourselves," he said,
without giving his statement much thought. Would leaving now seemed
odd? Had he made enough conversation to justify having come over and
asked such a personal question? His usual confidence had completely
fled, and he was unsure how to proceed, but since he could think of
nothing else to say, he forced a smile. "Well, I don't want to keep
you from your ride."

"Hey, no problem. What are the friends for?" Aishara said with her
usual friendliness.

_Friends_. He'd been hearing that word more and more lately and had
thought he was liking the sound of it but just now it sounded like an
unpleasant epithet. "Enjoy your ride and your restday, Aishara," he
said with a nod, turning to walk away from a dream he'd had since he
was a teen.

"Thank's R'taran. Have a good restday too," Aishara replied. She
watched his back when he walked away and frowned. "I think I missed
some clues here," she told the mare who neighed softly and snorted to
her hair. "Something was going on with him but I don't know what."

}:It is too early to go to the weyr.:{ Qharterioth informed his
rider. He was, as was usual of late, perched close to Elleth
showering attention on his recent mate. }You should seek out Elleth's
rider. You were _pleased_ when she called you friend.:{

**It's...complicated.** R'taran responded.

}:Just like I did not win Ayumith's flight, you did not win the flight
with her rider. There are other females to chase.:{

Such things were so simple for dragons. R'taran shook his head, but
was comforted by Qharterioth's presence nonetheless.

Last updated on the May 8th 2015

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Heartbreaker