Getting to Know You

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 19th March 2006

Characters: Kiomo, Thalia
Description: Kiomo and Thalia must work together to plan the Weyrleader's banquet, and they get to know each other a little bit first.
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 10, day 8 of Turn 3

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me," Kiomo smiled as he took a seat across from the golden-haired former Lady Holder. "Lord Ishek said you and I would be working together on the Weyrleader Dinner and I thought we should get to know each other a bit. I've found it helps smooth over a lot of troubles if people who work together know a bit about each other."

Thalia gave him an arch look and folded her hands on the table between them. "I think it's a fine idea, Kiomo, since you seem to have the advantage over me."

"An advantage?" he asked quirking an eyebrow curiously.

"You no doubt know a great deal about me, but I must confess - I don't know a thing about you."

That brought a light chuckle from the Holder. "Well, I must say, besides that you were married to the previous Lord Holder and mother of the next, Lord Rethral's daughter and you enjoy riding runners, I really know very little about you."

"But that's still more than I know about you," Thalia said, refusing to be side tracked by either his words or his dark eyes. He was just... too smooth. "Well, I already told you who my father is. What else do you want to know?" He reached for his glass of juice before settling back into his chair.

"Well..." She'd been hoping that he'd smile and tell her everything, not that she'd have to ask! "Umm... why did you decide to come here?
And why now?"

"Let's see," he said thoughtfully fingering the rim of his glass. "My father had intended that I should have a high position - a large and prosperous minor hold of my own. But after he died, I just couldn't stay any longer. I decided to find my own way in the world.
Why here and why now? Well, to be blunt, and please forgive me, but Garnet Valley is in a bit of upheaval since the death of your husband and his steward. Such a shake up makes for a world of opportunities for an ambitious and hard working man. It is my hope that when the dust has all settled, I will have found a place here."

"Rather than a Hold of your own?" Thalia asked curiously. "Steps, Lady Thalia, steps," he said with a confident grin. "I know I'm only the fifth son of a Lord Holder. I also just turned twenty-five turns old and am unmarried. Would anyone just hand the rule of a Hold to an untried youth?"

Thalia smiled in spite of herself. His smile was rather...
infectious. "Perhaps not, although it's not unheard of. What do you plan on doing in Garnet Valley?"

"For now? Assist Lord Ishek. When he feels I am ready, hopefully he will give me charge of a minor hold. When I can show that I can turn a small minor hold into a larger prosperous one... Well, maybe someone will take notice of my abilities. If not, I'll _make_ them notice me somehow."

The Lady Holder was a little taken aback at his naked ambition, but bit her tongue before she said something rash. Her mind drifted to her son, little Aslian, the heir to a large Hold... who would have people like Kiomo to contend with, and him only a child. A baby.
"Well," she said after a heartbeat, "that is certainly an ambitious plan, especially since you've chosen to implement it so far from your home in a place where no one knows your name."

He considered her words a moment. "I think it's precisely for that reason I want to do it. No one here knows my name. Few people know my father's name or my brother's. Everything I will get I will earn. I am determined to have it so. If I succeed, let it be because I deserve to succeed. If I fail, let me fail and let me have no special allowances because of my rich and influential family connections."

Rich and....?! Thalia shook her head. "I couldn't imagine giving all that up."

Kiomo shrugged. "I'm not giving _everything_ up. I will always have my family. I am just giving up having a ready-made life. I mean, don't you wish sometimes that you could do whatever it was that your heart desired to do? Go where you want, live as you want, marry who you want... This is my chance! And it happens so rarely for someone who is of the Blood. I can't miss this opportunity."

The Lady shook her head, knowing all too well what it was like to be trapped. "No, I suppose you can't." He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "Not many people understand what it's like for us, do they. They think its all marks and fancy clothes and lazy days."

"No." Thalia picked up her papers and tapped them back into alignment to disguise the fact that his words had hit a little too close to home. It made her feel lonely. "So... in your travels, have you met the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader?"

"Of this Weyr? No, I don't believe so. Of other Weyrs, I have." He could sense it was an intentional change of subject. "Are they nice?"

"I have no idea. I was hoping that you could tell me!" Thalia said brightly. She picked up her papers again and passed them to Kiomo.
"So we'll just have to guess at what they'll like..."

He gave her a confident smiled as he took the papers in hand. "Well, lucky for you for you, I am an excellent judge of character."

Thalia raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Oh? Then what do you think of me?" she asked, unable to stop herself.

"Hmmm." He looked at her thoughtfully for a long silent moment, searching her face and her eyes. "You are more capable than people give you credit for. You have been well trained, though you haven't as yet had a chance to show all you can really do. You are loyal to those you love, but you are also lonely." A small smile crossed his face. "And I think you don't trust me yet. But you will."

That time he had _definitely_ hit the mark, and Thalia hoped that he couldn't see how flustered she was. "Of course I trust you, Kiomo.
And the first thing I am trusting you with is the guest list. _You_
will write up the invitations and see that they are delivered promptly, and make sure that I haven't forgotten anyone important."

"Yes ma'am, I can do that," Kiomo grinned. "Leave to me."

Last updated on the March 19th 2006

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