Talk About the Weather

Writers: Bree, Dana
Date Posted: 2nd December 2005

Characters: Ar'lis, Lenala
Description: Ar'lis tries to talk to Lenala about what happened, but she is determined to ignore it.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 9, day 9 of Turn 3

Lenala

Ar'lis was just getting ready to settle down on the couch when his bronze suddenly called to him from the ledge, }:Vilarth wants us to come down to the Feeding Grounds.:{ The bronzerider paused. **Vilarth?**

}:Yes. She says her rider is being broody.:{ Ar'lis rubbed at his brow. Shards and shells... She'd been avoiding him for days, and he _knew_ that she didn't want to see him. Not that he could blame her... And he truly couldn't. He heard Zylarth shifting, his long wings brushing against the weyr's walls. }:She's getting impatient, Ar'lis.:{ To shards with it all. He sharding wanted to _see_ her, even if they wouldn't talk.

~~

Zylarth arched his neck, crooning a greeting to his lovely mate as he alighted on the ground beside her, but not close enough to be crowding her.
If Ar'lis hadn't felt so sharding anxious, he would have smiled at his bronze's prideful antics. Slowly, he slipped from Zylarth's neck to the ground, his eyes instantly falling on Lenala.

The look on her face was resigned, but she managed to rally a smile for him.
"Vilarth started whining, did she?" She ignored the queen's annoyed tail flick and watched as Vilarth deigned to notice Zylarth.

"I've noticed that she only whines when she has a good reason to," he replied quietly, coming over to stand near her.

Lenala turned away, staring out over the feeding pens. "I'm all right, Ar'lis. I'm fine. I promise. I just wanted some fresh air..."

"I wish you wouldn't lie to me, Lenala."

She shivered in the warm air, wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't want to do this, Ar'lis. I don't want to have the heartfelt talk. I messed up and I know it and I just want to sharding _forget_ about it."

His fingers flexed slightly. Her tone made him want to take her in his arms and just sharding _hold_ her... But her body language was speaking plainly enough to him. "And you think I don't want to? Shards, Lenala, I want to sharding forget about it too...but _how can I_?"

Lenala glanced over at him and smiled--the charming, empty smile she'd given him at their first meeting. "It's easy, Ar'lis. Just smile and ask about the weather. Which is terribly warm, I think."

He stared at her. He had never wanted to see that look in her eyes again.
He hated how she was putting up that sharding barrier between them so easily. He hated that indifferent tone in her voice. And he hated that smile she turned on him. That smile...it cut him deeper than her words ever could. "It's _not_ that easy, love." His voice was very quiet.

"Sure it is," she replied, shifting her eyes back out to watch the feeding pen. "In fact, I think it's the easiest thing there is to do."

His lips parted to make another, quiet protest, but no words came out. And as he watched her, he realized that no matter what he said, she wouldn't hear him. He let the silence hang between them, awkward, heavy, and he turned his gaze to their dragons.

She wanted to break the silence, but there was nothing to be said. Her foolish decision to try and be something she obviously wasn't had gotten them into this horrible situation. Maybe time would ease the pain and let them both forget, but the only refuge she had now was the comfort of being silly Lenala, the woman who was affected by nothing.

Last updated on the December 2nd 2005

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Talk About the Weather