Meeting Your Friends

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 19th August 2013

Characters: Harki, U'kaiah
Description: Harki tells U'kaiah about her visit with Aileyan
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 2, day 4 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Aileyan, Tavia; Mentor Approved

"So I met Aileyan." Harki was draped over U'kaiah's couch with a beer
in one hand and a pair of ragged weyrhide slippers on her feet.

U'kaiah had to cover his mouth to keep from spitting the foam he had
just sucked off the top of his beer all over the table. **Oh great
Faranth's toes...** he thought, swallowing thickly. Of course they
would meet, but he had expected to be there for damage control. **I
just hope Aileyan is still talking to me.**

"You did, did you?" he asked sweetly as he turned to walk back to the
couch. "What did you two talk about?" U'kaiah waved a hand to
indicate that she should lift her feet and give him a space.

"Absolutely nothing." Harki did as she was asked, and draped her feet
over the bronzerider as soon as he'd gotten comfortable. "I just
wanted to talk to her, but I ended up interrogating her. She tells me
all about her tragic past, how she Impressed, how _some_ young
bronzerider swooped in during her time of need and swept her off her
feet... and she doesn't ask me a _single_ question or throw the
conversation back to me. I know you like her and all, but she seems
kind of..." **Stuck up.** "...not your type."

"What?" U'kaiah sat there and stared at her a moment, mouth agape.
"She just told you all of that? What did you _do_? It took me
_months_ to get that much information out of her!"

"Maybe it was because I was more interested in _trying_ to talk to her
than getting her between the furs." She kneed him gently in the chest.
"I don't think she likes me."

Oh, he was sure of that... "Why, what did you do?" And how would it
come back on him?

"Nothing! Believe it or not, I just tried to have a nice, normal
conversation with her. You know, introduce myself. Since you weren't
going to." She glared at him.

He ignored that last comment. "Well, why do you think she doesn't
like you then?"

"Just the impression I got." Strongly. She shrugged. "It doesn't
matter what I think though-- she likes _you_. And she's pretty."

"Yeah, she certainly is," U'kaiah said with a soft smile as her
beautiful, big hazel eyes. They could cut him down or melt his heart
with a glance. "What did she say about me?"

"She said you fart in bed."

He rather doubted that. "Riiiight. You mean _you_ told her that, I'm
sure." Aileyan didn't just share personal details of their
relationship with people she just met.

"I figure she can figure that out on her own." Harki sipped her beer.
"The only thing she said about you was that you flew in to pick up the
pieces when some Crafter broke her little heart, and that she loves
you. Conversation got awkward, so I told her she'd better treat you
right or else. Then I left. See? Nothing to be embarrassed about."

U'kaiah snorted softly. As protective of Aileyan as he was, he should
be angry at the greenrider for threatening her. And he was sure he
would have a lot of explaining to do later. But how could he be angry
at Harki for being... well, _Harki_? And really, she could have said
a lot worse things. "All right, all right. You met her, you saw what
she's like, you managed to make her hate you. Job done?"

Harki swung her legs off U'kaiah to sit upright on the couch. "Believe
it or not, that wasn't my intention. Why didn't you just introduce
us?"

"Because I have a lot on my mind right now," he replied, chopping the
air with his hand in emphasis. The last thing he needed was to worry
about yet another woman's feelings. "We're trying to get Tavia over
here, I'm trying to make Aileyan comfortable with the idea, we have
trouble in the Weyr..." In that way it was good Harki took the
initiative, but maybe if he had been there things would have gone
smoother...

"Fine! But I don't regret going to meet her." U'kaiah could be such a
crabby pants when things didn't go according to his plans. "And you
know what helps when you've got a lot on your mind? Beer."

"I never said you _should_ regret it, Harki," he said with rather
weary sigh. Though he couldn't help but wonder if he wouldn't after
next he met Aileyan. "I'm just telling you why I didn't introduce you
earlier is all. No reason to read more into it. I'm just pulled in
fifty directions right now."

"I'm not. Reading into things." Although she could hear a
voice--B'lac's voice--telling her otherwise. She made things up. She
made mountains out of nothing. She'd done the wrong thing, _again_.
She took a swig of beer and told imaginary B'lac to shut up. He wasn't
going to be part of her life anymore. "And I brought you beer because
you looked like you needed cheering up. Sorry for making you worry
instead."

"I'm not worried," he assured her, reaching out to curl an arm around
her. "And I do feel much better. Thank you. It's just good having
you around again."

Harki felt like rolling her eyes, but didn't. "Drink your beer," she
told him, and then followed her own advice.

Last updated on the September 3rd 2013

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Meeting Your Friends