Brown Bonding

Writers: Chelle, Suzee
Date Posted: 1st February 2011

Characters: D'ale, P'nal
Description: D'ale and P'nal have another chat about women and life.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 13, day 6 of Turn 5

D'ale

Since it was so cold outside, P'nal avoided going out there unless he
had to. The brownrider loved the weather since it meant less
threadfalls to fly.

Walking into the tavern, he ordered a warm mug of cider and started to
sip while he bit into a piece of bread. He had to be careful since he
had a tendency to gain weight during the winter without being able to
go outside.

D'ale decided it was high time to just get out of his weyr for a bit
of adult interaction. He loved his daughter and had her with him
whenever he could but there were just times he wanted to talk like an
adult. Walking into the tavern, he stomped the snow off his boots then
walked into the warmer room.

Scanning the faces around, he spotted one he knew and walked over to
the table. "Mind if I join you?" he asked P'nal.

"Ah no, go ahead if you like." He shrugged to any of the empty seats
before taking another bite of the bread.

He snagged the chair and ordered the same plus a bit of cheese. He
smiled. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, thanks. I've got my feet under me now so it's not so much to learn."
So far, G'nir hadn't had him flogged so he was pretty sure he hadn't fecked up.

"Not an easy job," he smiled. "But you'll do fine," he said. D'ale had
once held that position in U'kaiah's wing before he'd gone to
River Bluff so he knew some of the challenges the other brownrider
faced. Of course it was a little different with P'nal being second to
the Weyrleader since more of the day to day running of the wing fell on
his shoulders. "K'ale loved the belt by the way."

"Oh good," he replied, glad to hear that. "The new weyrlings are doing pretty
well I hear. It's good to have new blood in the Weyr."

"It is, isn't it?" he smiled. Several of the new Impressions were from
hold and hall. He still remembered the time before they searched
outside the Weyr and the clutches were small. "Not like the old days."

"No." P'nal thought about that and how much things had changed with
the advent of the Pass. Attitudes had certainly reverted back to the Traditions
and Duties real quick.

"Have to say though," he smiled. "I had more free time before the fall."

"Well of course. I could craft a lot more then than what I do now. Fortunately,
dragonriding causes a need for tanning, so that worked out." P'nal wondered
what would have happened if he'd chosen something else instead.

"I'd get rusty on the gitar." D'ale smiled. "Except they always ask me
to play at parties. So I get a chance to play and sing but not like
I'll ever advance. Harpering takes a lot of study and practice." He
leaned his elbows on the table and took a sip of his drink. "But your
work, man it's beautiful."

"Well thanks. I'll never reach Master, though. I saw, once, a jacket...
The leather had been woven together into a scene, with different colors..
It was beautiful. There were the moons and the skybroom trees.." He was
wistful, wishing he had enough marks to buy the thing. "It was a master's
work, I'm sure."

D'ale shook his head. "You would have, if you'd had the chance."

"We're riders first. In a Pass, we fly. It's our duty." He accepted it
and didn't care. When he Impressed, he had agreed to that.

"Absolutely!" D'ale agreed wholeheartedly. He wouldn't trade Torerath
for anything. He decided to change the subject a little. "Any romantic
prospects in your sights?"

"Not really. I mean there's the occasional furmate, but nothing substantial."
Dragonriders didn't have mates often, though. It was hard, since he could
transfer or get injured or die at any time during the Pass. He shrugged.

"Kenza's been warm lately," he said with a smile. He had a very high
regard for the greenrider who'd given him his son.

"Oh? And how do you feel about that?" P'nal was slightly curious.

He wasn't certain but the question made him think. "She's a complex
woman," he said. "We've always been good friends first even though we
haven't been more for turns. She was quite the wild thing once. But
I'm sure you'd know that," he reminisced. She hadn't wanted to settle
for a single relationship any more than he had.

"I think everyone goes through that phase at some point. I remember
as a weyrling..I thought I was hot stuff. And all those greenflights just
reinforced it." He grinned, thinking of the old days.

He laughed. "We still are hot stuff," he said, then he shook his head.
"I don't know how the holders and crafters do it, sticking with just
one. To hear them tell it we're crazy."

"Well I wasn't Weyrbred so...I understand why and how they do that.
The only reason why we don't is the dragons. If I hadn't Impressed, I'd
be perfectly happy with just one I think." He shrugged, considering.

D'ale looked into his mug for a few moments. "Ok," he said finally,
"Maybe I'm just a bit sour because I tried and failed. Then again
maybe I just tried with the wrong person." He looked back at P'nal,
"Ever been weyrmated?"

"Not for long periods of time." There had never been one that had
stuck. Then again, he had seen a lot of good greenriders go between.

"Me either really. It's just so hard to care that much about another
person and risk your own heart just to find out they don't feel the
same at all. " He shook his head. He didn't think he could face it
again but then he wondered if he'd actually given it his best. Love
with your lifemate was simply a fact... it just was. It was like
breathing from the moment you Impressed. People weren't like that.
But friends were great. He had plenty of them.

"Well I better go and get some rest, but it was nice chatting with you."
P'nal set aside his empty glass and got up, heading off.

D'ale sat a few moments longer considering the last bit of their
conversation before he too finished his drink and thanking the barkeep
went out the door.

Last updated on the February 12th 2011

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Brown Bonding