Serious Attempt

Writers: AL, Devin
Date Posted: 17th June 2008

Characters: N'vanik, Feriana
Description: After a pleasant welcome and some catching up, Feriana pushes the wrong buttons with N'vanik.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 13 of Turn 4

N'vanik

Feriana laughed softly, eyes shining as she looked up at N'vanik. "You always were my favourite you know." She said softly, her voice low.
"Shards, I wish you would come back."

"You know I never liked it there." He shifted to lay on his side.
"Didn't like Dream's End, either, until Thread started falling."

"I could make it worth your while." Feriana teased, letting her hand roam downward. "_Very_ worth your while."

"Mmmm ..." He smiled lazily. "No need to transfer. I'm just a quick hop /between/ away."

"This is very true." Feriana agreed. "I should have thought of it before. I suppose I was a little skittish, almost afraid you wouldn't want me to visit you."

"You? Afraid? Since when have you been afraid of anything?" Maybe she'd changed. It had been over a turn since he'd last seen her, and a lot could happen in that time. He only had to look at his own life to know that.

Feriana laughed softly. "Okay, not really afraid. I am glad I did come to see you though. I shall have to make the trip down here more often."

"And I should take a few trips up to Vista Point." He trailed his fingers along her arm. "It's sharding cold down here most of the turn and I'd like to get away."

"I suppose I'll use that as an excuse to come down here." Feriana drew her leg up against his. "To warm you."

"That's a very good reason." He smiled, then his expression turned thoughtful. "Why now? It's been what -- a turn, turn and a half?"

"Something like that." Feriana shrugged. "I suppose I just kept trying to replace you, but that seems to be rather impossible. So I decided to come and get the real thing."

He snorted. "Replacing me _would_ be impossible. So what have you been up to, besides finding other men lacking?"

"Oh, the usual," Feriana let her fingers trace over N'vanik's chest.
"Fighting Thread, saving Pern. That sort of thing."

"I meant besides that," he said. Something about her seemed a little off. Maybe it was just because he hadn't seen her in a while.

Feriana shrugged, looking down. "Nothing really. Well, I mean, keep myself entertained, visit my family occasionally."

"Sounds boring. No wonder you came looking for me."

"Very boring." A smile broke over Feriana's lips. "Like I said, you're irreplaceable. So what about you? What's kept you busy? I see you've acquired a friend at least."

He chuckled. "It's nice to have someone that isn't up on weyr gossip.
This place is worse than Vista Point for wagging tongues. Let's see ... what did you miss?" He propped himself on an elbow. "I had a ...
thing, with the Weyrwoman's Second before she became Dolphin Cove's Weyrwoman. Me and a goldrider, if you can imagine that."

"Actually, I can, though I wonder how long did it last, hm?"

"It's still going on, sort of. We're more friends now." Despite feeling like Trae wouldn't miss him if he never saw her again, he still wanted her in his life.

"Really?" Both eyebrows shot up and Feriana pulled back to regard him.
"Would this be your longest attempt at a relationship then? Although I guess you're not really exclusive with one another."

The corner of his mouth turned up. "Tal is my longest attempt. My only ... serious attempt."

"You never even tried to get serious about me." Feriana pouted prettily.

"That was the _point_. We weren't supposed to be serious."

"You never got serious about _any_one before, though." Feriana pointed out. "So why her?"

"It just ... sort of happened," he said. "Tal lost her dragon, and instead of going to someone ... someone who knew what they were doing, she came to me." He remembered that first night, her standing in the doorway, looking so lost.

"If it's a serious attempt," Feriana queried, pulling back as if to get a better look at the bronzerider. "Then why am I still here?"

"Because I'm not a holder," he answered. "I still have sex with other people. That doesn't change what's between me and Tal."

"Sounds like it's not really so serious then." Feriana laughed softly.
"All the better for me, I suppose. I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of me if I keep receiving welcomes like today."

N'vanik gave her a hard look. "When I say it's serious, I mean it."

"But you don't act it." Feriana shook her head, lips still tilted in a smile. "Actions speak louder than words dear. Not that I'm complaining about your actions."

He sat up and said in a low voice, "Out."

The smile upon Feriana's face faded. "What? Why?"

"You think that I don't -- that I'm not serious about Tal. You think this is a joke. So you can leave. Now." He glared. Almost friend or not, if she was going to act like this, he didn't need her around. It wouldn't be the first bedmate he'd lost because of insults to Talryne or their relationship.

"Fine." Feriana slipped out of bed and dressed quickly. She headed for the door to the weyr, then stopped and turned around, leveling her gaze at the bronzerider. "If you're really serious about her, then you might want to act like it. Keep doing things like this and you're going to lose her." Then, without another word and before N'vanik could respond, she made her way out of the weyr, slamming the door behind her.

Last updated on the June 28th 2008

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Serious Attempt