Take a Hint

Writers: Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 16th September 2015

Characters: J'ackt, Jerinne
Description: Jerinne's foot goes into her mouth.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 27 of Turn 8

J'ackt

It had been so hard to pin down some time with J'ackt -- but as soon
as she found him, Jerinne pinned him down. He was always so _busy_
with other people, or the things that weyrlings did, or worst of all--
other women. Jerinne did her best not to care, but she hated it most
of all when she tried to knock on his door and heard another woman's
voice inside. Or when she went to find him in the dining caverns or in
the Weyrbowl, and he was surrounded by women hanging onto his every
word. Sure, it was the Weyr. Sure, she was Weyrbred and knew what
relationships looked like. But he was her first, and that meant that
their relationship was special.

She lay on her back with her arms above her head and J'ackt's sheets
tangled around her waist, staring at the edge of the tapestry above
her head. It was certainly an inspirational tapestry. Sighing, she
rolled onto her side and tucked her hands beneath her cheek as she
looked at the man beside her. "That was amazing."

It had been okay, as far as beddings went, J'ackt couldn't help but
think. It had been more perfunctory to him than exciting, but she
seemed content with it. He hadn't had another offer and she had been
available...yet again. She'd been making herself available quite
often, he'd noticed. Most of the time, he had other options. It wasn't
as though she was a bad sort, or even bad in the furs, he just wasn't
all that interested in pursuing her as a regular bed partner.

Tucking his hand behind his head, he lay on his back and closed his
eyes. "Sure."

"Of course it was." Jerinne smiled dreamily. "Being with you is... I
don't even have the words, it's that good."

Sure it was, in her opinion. For all he knew, she hadn't tried anyone
else. But the quality of her voice made him uneasy. "Glad you liked it."

She smiled again and rolled onto her back, closing her eyes and
stretching her arms above her head. "I could happily be here forever."

**What??** That made him go still and his eyes opened. Looking at her
from the side, he slowly sat up, then rose to a sit to look at her. "I
don't do that." He decided to end that train of thought immediately.
"Look, I don't mind being in the furs with you, Jerinne, but it's not
a permanent thing." He rose and pulled on his pants with jerky
motions.

"Oh, relax! I didn't mean it!" Jerinne sat up, her smile suddenly
looking a bit forced as she watched him dress. She could feel him
slipping away, and it scared her. "It's just something stupid I said.
I mean-- could you imagine it? You should come back to bed, I'm sorry
I ruined the moment for you."

He shrugged. "It's not ruined. Just have other things to do." He bent
and handed her her clothing. "It's nothing personal."

"Oh." It felt personal. Jerinne kept her smile plastered on as she accepted
her dress and reluctantly swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "That's
all right. Do you mind if I wash up a bit before I go? I'll be quick."

He shrugged. "Sure. There's sweetsand on the shelf." He scrubbed his hand
through his hair and then rubbed his face, resolving to spend his time with
others from then on.

How had things gone from beautiful to awkward so quickly? Jerinne
tried to puzzle it out as she crossed the room and slipped into
J'ackt's bathing pool. It wasn't fair. She was trying _so_ hard to be
the perfect bedmate, to be accommodating and fun and now a slip of the
tongue had ruined it. She tried to school her expression as she
reached for the sweetsand. "So, what's your plans for the rest of the
day?"

"Have to bathe Zith and meet some folks this afternoon." The
Mindhealer. Shards, he hated those appointments. He glanced at her and
privately hoped she would hurry herself. It wasn't as though she
wasn't pretty; she was. She was just...he could describe it
adequately. It seemed as though she was always _around_. And despite
enjoying female company, it was getting to the point that he had too
much female company and had begun to wish for quiet time alone and
just away. From everyone.

Jealousy flared, in spite of what she told herself. "Oh?" Jerinne
asked casually. 'Who?"

He lifted his brow at her question. "Just some people." His voice had
cooled into a veiled warning for her not to pry.

She wilted at his tone. "Oh. Well, if you're free, I'll be around this
evening..." She reached for the sweetsand and quickly worked it into a
lather. "I could sneak us some treats from the kitchen and we could go
for a walk or a midnight swim."

She just did not give up. J'ackt pulled on his boots. "No thanks. I
have to spend tonight on lessons that I need to catch up on." Not
exactly. He just wanted some quiet time, away from everyone. "I'll
need to concentrate on that."

"Oh. Of course. Which is a good thing." She laughed, a little nervously. Why
was she nervous? Why had things changed? Jerinne mentally beat herself up--
if only her tongue hadn't slipped and she'd ended up saying something that
was a little too true. "You'll be graduating soon enough and be flying with
the Wings, and there's so much to know! You're so wonderful at being a
rider... you and Zith, I mean. No matter what anyone says, you're the
strongest, best pair from that clutch."

That just made him snort. He wasn't graduating with the rest of his class
and her constant compliments and gushing were annoying more than gratifying,
because he knew the truth. Strongest? Yes, well maybe that was true, but if
they were the best, they'd have already been in the wings and Zith wouldn't
be chewing his ear off every time Thread fell. He glanced at her. Fardles,
how long was she going to take in there. "Look, I'm going to go, so I'll see
you later. Just close the door behind you, will you?"

"Oh. All right. Bye, then?" Jerinne called as J'ackt left. She sighed
and looked around the now-empty weyr, and wondered yet again how
things had gone so astray.

Last updated on the September 27th 2015

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