Help anytime ... for anything

Writers: Ang, Suzee
Date Posted: 4th March 2012

Characters: K'ale, D'ret
Description: Daret's assigned to help K'ale for the day
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 6, day 8 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: N'klar, D'ale, U'kaiah, Kenaline, Kenza

K'ale

Still getting a few odd looks, Daret made his way to the lake as he
lugged a large bucket of sweetsand and all the brushes, rags and oil
needed to bathe a dragon. That it looked heavy was an understatement
since it was for a brownrider that he as assigned to today. His two
black eyes stood out on his lightly tanned face, thanks to the wall he
slammed into after the last Fall. He didn't dare take up N'klar's
offer until the bruising went away.

Seeing the Sr. Weyrling a short distance away, he picked up the pace
and nearly fell as the brush began slipping out of his grasp. Never
one to be graceful, Daret dropped the bucket (only losing a small
amount of sweetsand) and stared up at the tall young man. Tall ...
wow ... and gorgeous! Why didn't anyone warn him?!

Opening his mouth to speak, he was mortified when nothing came out.
Coughing lightly into his hand as he glanced at the lovely brown, he
finally managed to say, "I hope you're K'ale. I'm Daret and I'm
assigned to you today."

"Hello," said the brownrider. "Yes, I'm K'ale." He turned to stroke
the pecan brown hide of his lifemate. "This is Imalkyth," he added by
way of introduction. "Nice to meet you Daret. I'll take one side if
you want to take the other."

"My duty to you K'ale, Imalkyth," he said with a respectful bow and a
quick peak to be sure he didn't overstep himself. Some weyrlings got
mighty touchy about airs ...

"I'd be happy to but I'll warn you ... I'll be much slower than you.
I'm used to bathing greens!" Daret grinned and passed a brush to
K'ale before he dunked his in the water then the sweetsand. "How do
you like being a rider, K'ale?"

The big brown turned his head to look at the candidate. "He says to
scrub hard," said K'ale with a smile. Sometimes the candidates were
just a bit timid when they used the brush. His wing was almost
completely healed now but K'ale was on that side so it wouldn't be a
factor.

"It has it's challenges," he started. "But they're worth it."

"Scrub hard, right," he said as he headed to Imalkyth's shoulder and
scrubbed as hard as he could. He'd done this often enough but not on
browns. "Is that hard enough?" Daret asked with concern in his voice.

Sometimes he wondered if it really was worth it. All the hard work,
someone in your head *all* the time, having to get in the sky to fight
Thread ... "Really? I'm still not sure about it all. How often did
you Stand before you impressed?"

"Actually," he smiled. "I only Stood once." He didn't really want to
go into the whole history of his mother's near death scoring with a
brand new candidate. He'd get plenty of those horror stories soon
enough from experience with other riders.

"So, I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you new to the Weyr?"

Daret merely smiled at the answer, happy for the man. It's not like he
was going to admit that he was just as happy he hadn't Impressed at
the many Hatchings he'd attended. How could he explain it without
sounding like an idiot? "Actually, I've been here for about three
turns now," he said as he ducked beneath Imalkyth's wing to take a
look at K'ale. "Guess you were a bit preoccupied or just not
interesting in your fellow candidates."

"Well, I have been crafting most of that time and haven't been big
into the social scene." I just decided to take my last chance to
Stand." He still felt odd not knowing who the kid was and figured the
he should realize what a brown dragon meant he wasn't interested in
boys romantically. But he grinned at the kid. "Sorry."

So glad that K'ale hadn't taken offense, Daret grinned back. Perhaps,
one day, he may have a chance of getting to know him better since he
fully intended to be riding a green. "No need to be sorry. Can't
know *everyone* now, can we?"

Returning his attention to the scrubbing, he asked, "Could you ask
Imalkyth to lift his wing? Is he ticklish?"

K'ale nodded then chuckled as the big brown lifted his wing. "He can
hear you just fine. He says he's not tickish." Then he told Imalkyth
he could go rinse.

Happy that he could finish quickly without the brown squirming, Daret
finished his task and dropped down into the water. The waves lapping
at his chin felt good since he was quite hot after the hard work.
"Ahh, this feels good," he said and grinned up at K'ale. There was
still things that needed to be done but he felt he could take a few
minutes to cool off. "Join me?"

K'ale chuckled. "I don't know about that," he said. It was freezing
outside and just the thought made him shiver. "I have to go back out
soon and wet hair would make things dicey."

Imalkyth came out of the water and K'ale grinned. "Besides, now we
need to oil him." He held out his extra paddle to the candidate.

Trying not to take the brush off personally since he was pretty sure
K'ale wasn't into boys, Daret rose from the water with a grin and
accepted the paddle. "I would hate to have my hair freeze. That's
something I'll remember, thank you," he said as he dipped into the
oil. "Is there anything else you can think of that you learned after
Impression? I mean, something you hadn't even thought of as a
candidate?"

"My parents are both riders too so I was exposed to all the stories
growing up." He thought a moment. "I guess the biggest thing of all
was the sheer depth of the bond with your lifemate. There's no way to
describe it really."

"Ahhh, then I'll just have to experience that for myself," he said as
he stroked the soft brown hide. It amazed him how the oil changed the
color and texture of a dragon. "Imalkyth is beautiful. Had you ever
thought you'd Impress a different color?"

"Well," he thought back. "I did dream about bronze but I know now that
Imalkyth was the one for me all along."

"Of course you dreamed of bronze, most boys do. Not me though," he
said with an impish little grin. Daret wondered if there was ever a
time that a candidate refused Impression. "Have you known anyone who
was disappointed in the color that chose them? I mean, did it
interrupt with their bonding or anything?" That was the one thing he
worried about most because he knew, deep in his heart, that anything
other than a green would not be a good fit for him.

"No never," he said. "With the hold born its usually the family that
is disappointed not the rider. I think deep down they know. I mean, I
wanted bronze but I think I knew brown was best. My da rides brown and
he's U'kaiah's Wingsecond." K'ale smiled, "even lead the wing while
U'kaiah was off attending his baby's birth at Dolphin Cove." K'ale was
quite proud of his father.

Well, that was a relief. Daret quickly spread the oil along
Imalkyth's hide as he thought about what his father would think about
him Impressing green. He didn't think his Da would mind but one never
knew. Smiling at the pride in K'ale's voice. "So do you have a
brother or sister?" he asked as he peeked around the brown's shoulder.

"I do," he smiled. "My sister Kenaline is a greenrider at Dolphin
Cove, we also share a mother with a our brother Zadayle. He hasn't
Impressed yet. Then my da had another daughter at River Bluff but
she's really little, only four turns." He grinned around Imalkyth's
chest at the candidate. "My ma is Kenza, Cyan's Wingthird."

"So it's all in the family. Impressive," Daret said then grinned at
the pun. He often wondered what it would be like to have a large
family. Then he considered the three turns here at the Weyr and he
didn't have to wonder long. It was like being in one big family.
"Does it ever get on your nerves? Having so many family members to
keep track of, to answer to, to worry about?"

K'ale shrugged. "Well I didn't even talk about fosters." Actually he
hadn't thought about it that way at all. "No, it's just the way of
things I guess." He finally finished and came around to the other
side. "Looks like we're done. Thanks for the help," he said with a
smile.

Fosters … he hadn't even thought about foster siblings and Daret
blanched at the thought. "I think my head would explode," he said
then grinned back. He paused at the smile on K'ale's face and felt
his heart beat a bit faster. The boy was just too beautiful for
words. "My pleasure K'ale, Imalkyth. I would be happy to help
anytime, just call for me … for anything."

Last updated on the March 9th 2012

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