Territorial

Writers: Avery, Paula
Date Posted: 8th March 2016

Characters: A'kades, Lenala
Description: A'kades and Lenala have a moment together.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 4, day 21 of Turn 8
Notes: Follows Catching the Ghost; Mentioned: Rhosyn

Lenala

Volaith bellowed in disappointment when another dragon's talons
wrapped around Orlaith. He abandoned the chase and plunged downwards
towards the ground, heading for the nearest river to plunge himself
into to cool off from the mating surge before he could take himself
back to the Weyr.

On the ground below, A'kades staggered away from the tangle of riders
around the cots. He could barely think through the surging
disappointment he felt from the other half of himself. They'd been
close, he was sure of it! He/Volaith had been so close to winning
another gold/claiming the Weyrleadership. Betrayal and anger mingled
with the blinding lust from the gold flight. He wanted to make his way
to Lenala to sate the feelings but he knew she'd taken Vilarth far
away and would not yet be back. Instead he fell into the arms of one
of the waiting women who had come to console the bronzeriders who'd
lost.

Afterwards he cleaned up in the bathing pools and then requested a
drudge bring a meal to his weyr. He found he didn't want to eat with
everyone else in the Dining Caverns.

}:Vilarth, my rider is eating alone in his weyr. Does yours want to
join?:{ the bronze asked the gold. He had seen she was back, and his
rider did care for hers very much. Perhaps she could ease the feelings
his rider was having, in the way that curling with a green on the
heights had eased his.

}: She will come, :{ Vilarth promised, before even contacting her rider.

When Lenala knocked his door, she was wearing just a light bathrobe
and her hair was damp.

"A'kades? Vilarth sent me to you, are you alright?" she sounded
concerned. Vilarth hadn't been very forthcoming with facts, just
insisted that she go to see Volaith's rider.

He looked up from his meal and blinked, surprised to see her here.
"Come in, sit down. I'm disappointed because Volaith is
disappointed," he said honestly.

Lenala was going for honesty too. "Well, I'm not disappointed and
neither is Vilarth. Neither of us feels comfortable sharing, and until
her next Flight, Volaith is hers."

"I can't blame her for being possessive. Where did you two take off
to?" he asked curiously.

"There's a spot near my father's Hold I sometimes go. It has a
waterfall and small pond. Very beautiful and very private," Lenala
replied and sat next to him.

"A waterfall and a pond? It sounds beautiful," he said, reaching over
to take her hand.

"It is. A good place to think. The water was cold though, so took warm
bath when I got back," she smiled and curled her fingers around his.

The thought of Lenala in a bath briefly stirred his mind in
distracting ways, reminding him that the flight moth had been a quick
satisfaction but not what he'd truly wanted or needed. "And did you
have any insights?"

"Maybe," Lenala replied, like that she was territorial too.

"How'd you feel when you found out who won?" he asked. "Shards, but I
wish it had been a bronze of our own."

"I was relieved. Relieved it wasn't you. As long as it's not you, I
don't care who it is. I won't work that closely with the Weyrleader
anyways," Lenala replied. It may sound selfish but it was honest.

That was certainly one way to look at it. The Weyrleader heavily
affected the main fighting wings, but the Queen's was special. "Almost
a pity it's not you as Senior and I as your Weyrleader though, hmm?"
he teased, wondering if she'd ever wanted the top job.

"I'm not ready to take over from Rhosyn," Lenala said. "But it would
be awesome to be like one of those legendary pairs, staying together
through Fire, Fog, and Fall-ruling side by side the whole Pass," she
sounded a bit wistful.

"It is a lovely vision. And perhaps not yet, but who knows how long
she'll be Weyrwoman? There's more than 40 Turns left in the Pass," he
reminded her. Privately, he was thinking of other concerns, like
Weyrwomen whose dragons got sick, or who up and abandoned their post
because they were crazy.

"It's a long time," Lenala sighed.

"We'll get there," he reassured her. Plenty of Pernese were hale and
healthy until they reached their hundreds. He hoped to still be flying
Volaith, although possibly not against the Fall itself.

Lenala just shrugged it off. Such thoughts were depressive and she
tried to avoid them. It was far too easy to fall back to apathy and
melancholy. "How about celebrating you not-winning?" she suggested
instead.

"What kind of celebration?" he asked even as he slid the plate of food
aside. He could think of certain ways, given the residual flight
effects on him. He'd always wondered how another gold's flight
affected the goldriders who had to leave - too busy controlling their
own dragon to feel anything else wash over them?

Lenala got up, leaned over him, wrapped her arms around his neck so
that her breasts were pressed against his chest. "This kind of
celebration," she murmured and started to nibble his ear lobe.

A'kades pulled her closer to him and kissed down her neck. "I think
I'd be happy for this kind of celebration," he said in a voice
roughened by desire.

Last updated on the March 13th 2016

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Territorial