You Can Trust Me

Writers: AL, Kaysea
Date Posted: 2nd May 2008

Characters: Eliste, Nico
Description: Nico comes to Eliste and tries to get her to talk to him.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 9, day 26 of Turn 4

It was amazing how much quilting Eliste could get done when there was nothing else to do. Except to relieve herself, Eliste pretty much stayed in bed. She had a good fifteen hours or so to herself.
Quilting helped pass the time in between the occasional nap.

She was just putting the finishing touches on Fog's quilt, small as it was. It had gone quickly, just as the others had. Nico's just needed to be bound, and Lineal's was finished. She hoped that the others had liked the ones that she had sent. Neke's had all the pieces cut out, but she had yet to start piecing it.

One last stitch and Eliste locked it and cut the thread. There. She was done. One more down, just a few more to go. Then she would concentrate fully on making some to sell. Of course, she would have to make one for the holder and his wife - they had been so kind to her.
That, however, would be more than a wall hanging, so she would wait.
Carefully, Eliste folded the finished mini quilt and pulled out the one for Nico. She had already cut the strips for the binding and pieced them together and gotten someone to iron it in half for her. She just had to sew it.

He paused for a moment outside her door. She hadn't been very welcoming to him on board the boat, and he couldn't see that things would have changed much now that she was landbound, but he had to give it one last try, and see if there wasn't some attraction from her side. With a deep breath, he set back his shoulders and knocked on her door, waiting with a stomach full of flutterbies to see her reaction to his arrival.

"Come in." Eliste's voice was muffled by the door. She didn't look up right away, fiddling with a rather stubborn stitch and pulling it taught before looking up. "Oh...hello Nico."

"Ellina - how are you? Mind if I stop by for a visit?" he asked, poking his head around the doorway. His dark hair, flopped into his eyes for a moment preventing him from seeing her reaction to his appearance. He quickly flipped it from his eyes, but the time of recognition had past.

"Oh, uh, yes." Eliste quickly put away the little quilt. Why did people seem to come when she was working on a quilt for them? It was as if they knew. "H...how are you?"

"I'm fine." he said blustering, as he took a step further into the room, "It's you that we're all concerned about. Are you sure there's no one we can let know about you, back at the Hold?" he asked, taking another step closer. "I dont' like the idea of you being here alone, especially with.... well you know." he nodded embarrassed once more.
This was totally unfamiliar feeling for him, being lost for words.
Why did she have this effect on him?

"No!" Eliste's head snapped up, her eyes wide and fear dancing through them. She flushed then and lowered her gaze once again. "No. I don't...I don't want anyone at the hold to know." Especially not her husband. Shards, what would he do if he found her? She shivered at the prospect. "No one. Please Nico...don't..."

"Hey!" he hadn't expected such a strong opposition, but throwing caution aside he crossed the room and hunkered own beside her and took her hands in his own. "I won't." he shook his head, his eyes meeting hers, "I promise." he nodded, "I wouldn't do anything you didn't want me to." his voice was barely a whisper, but he surprised himself with the depth of emotion that made his voice hoarse. His hands clasped hers tightly - "You can _trust_ me, you know."

Eliste's cheeks burned pink and she couldn't lift his gaze to meet her own. It rested upon his hands as they held hers and she felt the warmth spread across her face and down her neck. "I..." What could she say? It wasn't that she mistrusted him. She just...perhaps it was the way he had questioned her when they first met. It had set her on edge, just as his suggestion that he let someone at Emerald Falls know.
That had frightened her. "I...I know. Thank you."

"You can talk to me Ellina.... just talk - if ever you need to. I can listen as well, if not better, than I can talk. I'm not ... I mean, "
he flustered, "I'd like to be your friend." he finished lamely. He'd like to be more, he knew that now, but if he had to settle for friendship to begin with, he would.

What could she say to that? He had given Eliste no indication that he was mean, but the very opposite. Yet, his attention disturbed her.
She felt like she was expected of something, and she wasn't quite sure how to deal with it. "I'll remember that, thank you." She finished quietly.

"So, you don't want us to pass on any messges - I get that message very clearly, but is there anything else I can do for you on the return trip?"

Eliste shook her head. "No, but thank you again." She wished he would let go of her hands. It was such an intimate gesture and she wasn't sure what to think of it.

He nodded, his hands releasing hers, "Okay, if you're sure, then I guess I should get back to the boat." he shrugged sadly, as he stood straight again, and backed away from the bed. "We're leaving tomorrow, so I'll pop in once more before I go; just to make sure there's nothing else you want or need."

"All right." Eliste choked back a sigh, grateful that he had released her. Perhaps she would be finished with his binding by the time he returned. "I'll...I'll see you then."

He turned and left the room, feeling his shoulders sag more the further away he walked. Would she ever be more than just a friend? Was there someone else, someone she had left behind? He felt that there was, but he'd also gotten the feeling that she was running away from someone - the two thoughts just didn't match. Maybe things would work out better the next time they stopped here - he would live with that hope - at least until then.

Last updated on the May 5th 2008

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You Can Trust Me