What are you Thinking?

Writers: Rochelle
Date Posted: 30th September 2007

Characters: Tatitem, M'nex, Jatati
Description: M'nex lets his mind wander while talking to his mother.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 6, day 5 of Turn 4

Tatitem watched her grandchildren in the corner with half an eye as she worked her way through the mending basket. Unfortunately, being the Headwoman didn't stop her from having to do her own chores, something she pointed out to Susha whenever she complained about doing chores as well as craft and candidate classes. It usually ended the argument, but not to Susha's satisfaction.

"I don't understand her fascination with the boy." Tatitem admitted grumpily to her children. "She's a good girl, and girl girls are supposed to be attracted to bad boys, but frankly, the whole idea irritates me."

M'nex exchanged a quick glance with Jatati over his mug of klah. His fostersister shrugged. "She'll either grow out of it, or she won't, Mother. There's nothing you can do about it. And this Turoar knows that he can't get away with anything while he's with her, so maybe this is a good thing."

M'nex nodded. "I don't see the problem, mum. Susha's a good kid, and Turoar has been keeping his nose clean since you sent him to the dragon infirmary, you said so yourself. Maybe he's seen the error of his ways."
He added flippantly with a grin.

Tatitem rolled her eyes. "Turoar and his friend are nothing but trouble.
It follows them around, even if they don't do anything to attract it to them." She added grudgingly. She didn't want to admit it, but Turoar had been doing a remarkably good job at staying out of trouble since he had brazenly appeared at her door to ask for Susha. The fact that he had been doing so well at reforming, at least on the surface, only irritated her because he was doing it with _Susha_.

"If they aren't actually causing the trouble, why borrow it?" Jatati asked. "Susha's almost eighteen. If she was in a hall she'd have walked the tables by now, or even married. She can take care of herself."

"I'd like to see you convince yourself of that when Jataire's that age."
Tatitem told her daughter shrewdly, seeing her glancing over at her granddaughter playing in the corner with her stuffed dragon.

As Jatati smiled sheepishly, M'nex said nothing, following his fostersister's glance at his niece in the corner. He shifted in his seat, trying not to fidget at the mention of Turoar's "friend." "She's only six." Jatati protested. "She's barely started harper classes.
I'm not ready for her to be interested in boys!"

Tatitem chuckled. She remembered a friend of hers telling her the same thing when Jatati was small. "It will come sooner than you think, so you'll need to be prepared. But.." Tatitem paused as she tied off a knot at the end of a darned sock. "You do still have some time. At least until she's old enough to stand, if she decides to do so." Tati sighed. M'nex's eyes went unfocused as he continued to stare blankly at the corner. It wasn't easy dealing with J'ritem on the best of days, and trying to juggle Badaral's determination to break through to his brother was even more difficult. If his mother knew about Badaral's crush on J'ritem, he could kiss what little success they had managed goodbye. She wouldn't tell J'ritem unless she felt it necessary -which was still a frighteningly strong possibility- but she could still give the plot away without meaning to. The fewer people who knew about it, the better. It would give Badaral more time to work his way into J'ritem's good graces, and hopefully, a much needed friendship.

Jatati grimaced, and Tati saw that she didn't want to discuss the idea at the moment. It was a painful and frightening thought, Impression, for all that she had hoped for her children to do so. J'ritem's injuries in the first fall had changed their family as drastically and irrevocably as her hiusband's death. But she shouldn't be so morbid, she reminded herself as she picked up a shirt missing a button. M'nex was thriving as a rider, so much more so than he ever had in his craft. Speaking of..

"What are you thinking, M'nex?" She asked idly, seeing the distant look on his face. **Probably about who he wants to see tonight.** She thought resignedly. M'nex had grown into a good man and was a responsible rider, but he was still only twenty, and inclined to be easily distracted.

M'nex jumped in his seat at the mention of his name, and turned guiltily back to his fostermother, his heart racing as he wondered if she had guessed at his thoughts. "Oh, nothing." He said hastily. "Just thinking about what I need to do tomorrow."

Tati snorted as she threaded a new color on her needle, and Jatati laughed at the blush creeping up his neck. M'nex shrugged it off, and forced himself to pay more attention to the conversation, left his mother really _did_ figure out what he was thinking!

Last updated on the October 1st 2007

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