Just Like All The Rest Of Them

Writers: Cali, Rebecca
Date Posted: 7th March 2006

Characters: F'gol, M'tias
Description: Figol goes to M'tias to talk about Aletta and doesn't like what he hears.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 26 of Turn 3
Notes: Follows "Confused by Emotions"

M'tias?" Figol called as he knocked on the weyr door. He really hoped this was the right weyr. The drudge he had asked directions from had seemed sure, but he didn't want to find some angry rider on the other side of the door wondering why a scrawny harper apprentice was roaming the halls. M'tias tossed his towel on a chair as he answered the door, "Figol? what's wrong?" Even though the two had gotten reacquainted, he hadn't expected the harper to seek him out for anything.

Figol slid inside the weyr without waiting for an invitation, not wanting to be seen. "Nothing really, I just needed to talk to a rider... and you're about the only one I know." "About what?" He wondered if his friend had decided to stand.

He scratched his head, not quite knowing how or what to say. After Aletta had stormed off, he had gone back to classes, but he'd been distracted all day by her behavior... and his. All he knew is he needed to talk to somebody. He couldn't talk to one of the journeymen about what had happened, he was sure they would tell him to stay away from her; and he couldn't talk to any of the other apprentices, they'd either admonish him for what he _had_ done with her, or tease him for being to afraid to do anything _more_ with her. "I don't know, dragonrider stuff I guess. I had something happen today."

"I'm listening." M'tias was worried, it wasn't like his friend to be so wound up.

"But you can't tell anyone... you can't tell Aletta or anyone we talked about this, okay?" he said nervously.

**Aletta? I should have guessed.** He sighed to himself. "I won't, and Woeth's asleep so he won't hear it that way." Figol looked over at the sleeping brown, just now realizing he was even there. "Okay, well, Aletta and I were swimming today, and there was this green flight, and it went right over us. Well, I... I mean we, got... you know, _those_ types of feelings. I tried to ignore them, you know, like we were all told to; but Aletta... she came over and started kissing me! And did I mention she was swimming naked?" he was talking fast and had to catch his breath before continuing.

"What was the problem then?" M'tias raised an eyebrow, Figol was _very_ strange.

"But that's not all that happened." he groaned, didn't M'tias see... "I tried to tell her that it was just the green flight, but she didn't listen. She kept wanting to do _more_ than just kissing, and when I finally made her stop she got all upset and ran off! Why'd she do that?"

"Why did she want to go father, or why did she run off?"

"Oh," Figol hadn't thought of that... "Both, I guess." "Well she ran off because you urned her down. She probably thinks you think badly of her." M'tias paused, "I'm assuming that she wanted to go father than you did because she likes you, flights have a way of making people act of something the would otherwise never admit. After all its not like you'll ever be involved in one of Farsith's flights. Unless you decide to stand that is."

M'tias's mention of Farsith's flights made him momentarily forget his other concerns. "I heard some of the other apprentices talking. They said that riders in a flight..." it really wasn't a proper discussion to have but he _was_ a rider so he would know, "become intimate with each other, even if it's two men, or a man and a woman who don't know each other. They don't _have_ to do they?" "I've never heard of any rider not participating. Even if it is a male greenrider. The dragons chose. For a green, she wants the fastest, strongest or smartest male. The male just wants to win. We riders accept what happens." He shrugged. "Personally I don't know, Woenth hasn't chased yet. I prefer that he sticks to greens with female riders or a gold. But I won't tell him he can't chase."

The thought of Aletta with some strange man made Figol's stomach clench. "So you'd just go and _be_ with whoever, just because your dragons mated? Couldn't you just say 'no thank you' and go back to your weyr?"

"It doesn't work like that Figol. Like I said. _I_ don't know from personal experience but I've been told that when dragons are in flight, you're the dragon too. You want what they want. I wish I could explain it better but I can't."

Figol shook his head in denial. It sounded so _wrong_, much worse then what the apprentices had been saying. He couldn't believe that Aletta would be part of that, and yet, he remembered the way she had reacted to the other green flight, like it was perfectly acceptable and normal to just start kissing him. "Figol, this doesn't mean that Aletta's any different than the girl you know, she's a dragonrider and this goes with it."

But she was different now. He had heard the stories of dragonrider behavior growing up, usually as a warning of how _not_ to behave; and since coming to the Weyr, he had even glimpsed it in the halls and dining cavern on the occasions he had been sneaking around. Aletta had never acted like that though. He had thought that she _was_ different; but now he was realizing that she was just like all the rest of them. He had to get out of here, away from the dragonriders and back to the safety and normalcy of his Hall barracks. "I have to go, M'tias. It's almost lights out." M'tias felt a deep sadness, afraid that he may have lost a friend. "Good night Figol. I'm sorry if I couldn't help you."

"Me too." Was all Figol could say as he scurried out the door.

Last updated on the March 8th 2006

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Just Like All The Rest Of Them