Ulterior Motives

Writers: Yvonne
Date Posted: 17th April 2025

Characters: F'lin, Thiseta
Description: F'lin and the new goldrider talk about pets, which is not what F'lin was expecting to talk about
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 5, day 12 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Aydhan, N'kevyn, D'hol, K'lvin

The new goldriders were a source of gossip. Goldriders were always a source of gossip, but never moreso when one of them could be their new Weyrwoman.

Aydhan he knew and liked but the others were a mystery, and if he was going to be Weyrleader then he needed every advantage he could get. F'lin put on his best smile and approached Thiseta after the Queen's Wing had finished drills and golden Imbeth headed straight for the weyrlake.

"Welcome to Barrier Lake Weyr Thiseta," the bronzerider said as he strode across the pebbled beach.

Thiseata looked up from her riding straps to see a tall man with wind-tossed brown hair and friendly eyes approaching. Her gaze darted to his shoulder: the Ash Wingsecond. A bronzerider. **Ah.** She straightened and put on a smile to match his. "Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here."

"I'm F'lin, of bronze Seneth," he said, bowing slightly. "I hope I'm not interrupting you? I can go..."

"No, not at all! I was just waiting for Imbeth and then we'll be heading back to our weyr," she said, gesturing him closer. "It's a pleasure to meet you, F'lin. How long have you been at Barrier Lake Weyr?"

"Since before it opened. I applied for the Wingsecond position with D'hol as soon as he opened it, and I was lucky enough for him to approve me. I was at Dolphin Cove Weyr before that, but I'm from River Bluff originally."

"Ah." Thiseta winced. F'lin's story was similar to K'lvin's, as well as a few others she'd heard. "I-- oh!" A little green flit appeared from /between/ and wobbled through the air toward Thiseta. She flung out an arm and the flit crashed-landed into her hand.

The tiny thing pulled a genuine smile from F'lin. "That yours? She looks new."

"She is. Aydhan gave me a flit egg as a welcome present," Thiseta said as she tucked the squirming flit around her shoulders. The green's whip-like tail curled posessively into the hollow of her neck.

F'lin reached toward the flit but waited for Thiseta's nod of approval before running a gentle finger across the ridges of her back. "I went flit egg hunting with N'kevyn once. I'm kind of mad that he found a nest before I did."

"Aydhan tells me that she barely saw him for a while. Now that he's got his own gold flit though, you could probably beg an egg off him once she rises."

The bronzerider stuck his hands in his pockets. "Maybe. To be honest I'm not actually sure I want one."

Thiseta raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to get woken up in the dead of the night or have your hair pulled in the middle of a meeting? Or have your dresser drawers tossed to shambles when someone is trying to make a comfortable bed?"

"Just not sure I'm a pet person," F'lin admitted with a shrug of his shoulder. "Hey, want a feline?"

"I'll stick with my flit," Thiseta said, readjusting the flit's claws so that she wasn't getting scratched. "Why, do you have a feline? I thought you said you weren't a pet person?"

"A feline keeps trying to have me," F'lin admitted. "I can't stop the darn thing from getting into my weyr."

"Perhaps it was there first and you moved into _its_ weyr. Perhaps its trying to get rid of you!"

F'lin tipped his head as he considered. "No... no. If it were trying to get rid of me it wouldn't be sneaking into my bed at night."

That made Thiseta laugh. "I am surprised. Usually bronzeriders are quite happy to have someone sneak into their beds!" To her surprise, a hint of colour on his cheeks hinted at embarrassment-- even though his smile was confident and cocky.

"Usually you'd be right, but I prefer to be the one to choose my bed partners," F'lin said.

She wondered if he had a weyrmate. "Does your feline have a name?"

He shook his head. "Naming her would mean that she was staying, and she's not. What about your flit?"

It was her turn to shake her head. "Nothing has stuck, so she's a nobody for now."

"She's very cute for a nobody," F'lin said. The flit yawned and bared its white, needle-sharp teeth. "Mostly."

Thiseta grinned. "Thank you. But... Imbeth tells me that she's going to go sun herself, and I ought to take these back to my weyr," she said, gesturing at her riding straps.

"Tell Imbeth that Seneth would love her company," F'lin said, even the wingman.

Thiseta laughed. "He can try his luck himself. Imbeth usually prefers the company of greens or other golds. She's a girl's girl like that. But if you want, you can walk me to my weyr?" Perhaps he'd carry her riding straps up the hill for her...

"It would be a pleasure." He gestured at the riding straps, eager to make a good impression. "May I?"

"Certainly." Thiseta mentally congratulated herself on her cleverness as she started back toward her weyr. "So tell me, F'lin. What are you going to do about your feline problem?"

Last updated on the April 25th 2025

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Ulterior Motives