If Only She Dared...

Writers: Eimi, Emma
Date Posted: 8th July 2006

Characters: Birigundi, Demalia
Description: Birigundi shows Demlaia the best way to throw a stick...
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr, Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 12, day 9 of Turn 3

Birigundi

"You ready?" asked Demalia as she checked the straps one more time.
"I'll drop you at your mother's then come back and get you. You'll get a candlemark or two there," she said.

"Will you have time when you get back?" he asked buttoning up his jacket. "You know Ma will want you to stay for dinner if you can."

"I hope so," she said. Then, speaking to Tapheth, she asked the green to take them up, and then /between/ to the runner station.

Birigundi smiled up at her after sliding off the green's neck. "You're coming back for me, right?" he asked as he started unbuttoning his jacket.

"Two candlemarks at the most, depends on if I have to wait for replies.
But I will be back." With those words, Demalia and Tapheth left to finish their message run.

Birigundi waved at her and watched until she blinked out of sight before he turned towards the tavern to find his mother. When the greenrider returned it was his mother, not the candidate waiting to meet her.
"Demalia!" she waved enthusiastically.

"Ma!" she called back as she slipped down from Tapheth. "I came back to pick up Biri."

"He's still down by the river. Dinner isn't quite ready yet." The woman grabbed the greenrider in her arms and gave her a big hug. "Can you really take me to the Weyr?"

"I can do that, you should meet Nialyn." It sounded a bit odd to say that, but Nialyn herself couldn't come here. Besides, she liked the idea of knowing a bit about Biri that Nialyn didn't.

"Have... Have you met her yet?" Ma asked.

"Yes."

"And?" The older woman bit her worried her bottom lip a bit. "What is she like?"

"She seems nice," that was all she could say, having barely met her.

"You think I'll like her?"

"I think you will."

Ma gave her a relieved smile. "Well, I'm sure you want to see Biri.
He's down by the river. Just follow that path there. I have to finish the dinner for the guests."

"We won't be long," she said, smiling back at Ma.

Then she set off down the path, it was surprisingly green and shaded.
Warm as well compared to the weyr itself. "Biri?"

He had just successfully skipped a rock around the smooth surface, and he turned his triumphant grin to the greenrider. "Did you see that?
Five times!"

"More than you've managed at the weyr." She grinned, "It's so beautiful round here."

"Yeah, it is. You know, I forgot about this place." He breathed in the smell of the damp earth, river and trees all mixed together. Letting out his breath in a long contented sigh he smiled. "So how far do you think you could throw a stick do you think?"

"Probably as far as a sack of firestone in drills."

"Ah, but a stick is _completely_ different from firestone," Birigundi informed her as he picked up one. "Here, try."

She took it from him, and tested the weight. He was right, bagged firestone was very different, but surely that couldn't affect how she threw things. Drawing her arm back, she tossed it out into the river. It hadn't gone as far as she thought, but it had still gone a fair way.

"Not bad," Birigundi nodded as he noted the distance. "Ok, watch this."
He picked up a stick of approximately same length and weight, and instead of throwing it end over end, he twisted his body like a spring ready to release it's tension. Pulling the stick across his body, he uncoiled himself and sent it flying horizontally a good ways further than her stick had gone. "See?"

"That was good," she bent to pick up another stick and copied his movements. "Like this?" she said before tossing it out into the water.

"No no," he shook his head. "Here." Birigundi stood in front of her, took her hand and placed it on his hip. He took her other hand and stuck is arm straight perpendicular from the river. "All right now, watch how I do it. I twist from here," he patted the hand on her hip, "and I twist back like this." He demonstrated slowly. "And then I unwind and launch the stick." Uncoiling, he brought her hand back around his body with him, until it was almost wrapped completely around him. "Do you need me to show you again?"

For a moment the greenrider didn't know what to say or do. "Please," she said, it was short enough that she could get it out without too much trouble. Why did he have this effect on her; why did he make her feel something and why was it so hard when she was close to him like this.

"All right. So we start from this position, right? Then you twist like I'm doing now, your arm back like this, and then you really quickly -
much quicker than this but I don't want to yank your arm out - you quickly spin back around and release it. Like that. Think you can do it?"

"I think so," she said before trying it herself. The stick ended up in the water, further than her first attempt, but not quite as far as Biri had thrown it.

"Ok, that was pretty good," he nodded. "Here, let me show you just one thing." Birigundi moved around behind her and wrapped his fingers around her hip and took her stick-throwing hand in his. "Now when you twist, go ahead and lean all you weight on your back leg. Then when you move forward, shift the weight to your foreleg. Now, twist..."

As she did so, she couldn't help losing her balance, she just seemed to lean too far back. It caused her to fall, and most likely Biri with her.

"Whoa!" he cried as they both tumbled to the ground. Birigundi chuckled as he raised himself up on his elbow to look down at her. "All right, you're supposed to throw the _stick_, not the person. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said. "But what about you?" And why had they ended up like this, if only she dared reach out to him...

"Well, I'm on the ground smiling," he grinned. "I guess that means nothings broken beyond repair."

"No, it isn't," she said scrambling to her feet.

"Ok, let's try that again," he said as he picked himself off the ground.
"And this time, lets try not to fall."

"I'll do my best," she teased, "But I can't promise."

"Ok, one more time." He wrapping his fingers around her hip and her hand. "All right, show me how you do it."

The feeling of him holding her was almost too much, she thought as she twisted and then flung out the stick. It went out into the water, landing with a small splash. "Yeah, perfect," he grinned stepping back and clapping for her achievement. "Nice throw. Well, I think Ma probably has dinner ready by now. I'm _starving_. Shall we?"

"Lets, I'm hungry, all this exercise..."

"Shall we, m'lady?" he asked, holding out his arm to her and giving her airs fitting a lordling, betrayed only by the spark of merriment in his eyes.

She laughed and took it in the spirit it was intended.

Last updated on the July 9th 2006

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