The Welcoming Committee

Writers: Devin, Estelle
Date Posted: 27th November 2020

Characters: L'keri, K'mai
Description: L'keri and K'mai make a bet on their skills at charming the ladies...
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 4 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Urlene, H'run

L'keri

K'mai

L'keri sat at the end of the table where his Wing had gathered, gloomily
nursing a mug of klah and watching as one of the greenriders raised his
glass of wine in a toast. He smiled weakly and raised his mug in a
salute, then closed his eyes and tried to picture the moment when he'd
return to Dolphin Cove and present the proofs of his Turn of sobriety to
the beautiful Weyrhealer.

**She didn't think I could manage three months, and I'm nearly at
six.** He wondered if that would be enough for his pride. It would be
so easy to ask for the bottle to be passed his way...

K'mai got up from his seat and moved to slide in next to L'keri. "You
doing okay?"

The brownrider heaved a sigh and lifted his mug, tilting it to watch the
liquid swirl inside. "I'm all right, but...I just really, really want a
drink," he confessed.

"Stay strong." K'mai patted his shoulder. "You've been doing so well."

He watched longingly as another rider poured himself a glass of the
deliciously dark red wine, then tore his gaze away. "You've got to
distract me, K'mai. Tell me some gossip!" A thought occurred to him and
he got a sly look in his eyes. "Like, what about our new wingmate,
Calcifeth's rider? He seems...interesting."

"H'run," K'mai said with a sparkle in his eyes, "is indeed interesting."

Sensing juicy gossip, L'keri waited with keen anticipation. "Go on. Tell
me more," he hinted.

"Y'know I do sometimes feel sorry for you brown and bronze types,
missing out on so much of the fun. And H'run has been _very_ fun."
K'mai certainly understood people having different tastes. He had
tastes of his own. What he couldn't understand was taking an entire
gender off the menu.

"What can I say? You blueriders cast the net wide, while I'm like a
spear fisherman, with a narrow but intense focus," L'keri said, blithely
disregarding the fact that, other than his preference for women, he
could hardly be described as choosy. "But we both come away with a tasty
catch. I will say, though, if I ever change my mind, H'run would be near
the top of my list. He's a fine-looking man, and he tells a good story."

K'mai chuckled at that. "Oh so you have spent some time with him."

"I have," L'keri said, still intent on coaxing the gossip out of his
friend. "But it sounds like you had even more fun with him than I did."

K'mai leaned closer. "Do you want details, L'keri? I didn't know you
were so interested in what two men get up to in bed."

"So you did end up in bed together!" the brownrider crowed. "Ooh, K'mai.
That was quick work."

"I gave him a very warm welcome the day he joined our wing." K'mai's
smile might have been a little bit smug.

"Well, I'd drink to your success, if I could," L'keri lifted his klah
mug with a wry look. "Carry on like that, and soon Cyan Wing will be
even more popular than the Weyrleader's. We'll have more transfers than
we can handle."

K'mai laughed. "Would you be able to assist me in this welcoming committee?"

"I'd be delighted." His eyes glinted in anticipation of the 'welcome' he
could offer. "In fact, I'd be desolate if you left me out."

"Even _I_ can't handle every new wingmate by myself. I promise to let
you have first crack at the pretty ladies... once in a while."

"Now that," L'keri said, leaning forward in his chair, "sounds like the
perfect opportunity for a wager." He thought for a moment. "The next
time a lady joins our merry band of wingriders, we might see whose
welcome she finds the most enticing."

If nothing else, it might be a good way to distract L'keri from his
woes, and for that alone K'mai was willing to agree. "Oh, that does
sound like fun. What are we betting?"

"Well, I do have an overabundance of night watch duties at the moment."
Ever since he'd got back from Dolphin Cove, in fact. That was what
happened when you really annoyed the Wing's leadership. "When I win,
perhaps you could take some of them off my hands."

K'mai pressed his lips together, trying to think of something equally
unpleasant. "When _I_ win you have to volunteer to give lectures to
the weyrlings on how to be a responsible, respectful rider."

L'keri guffawed. "Lucky for the weyrlings, my unrivaled charm and
seductive skill will spare them that outcome." He held out a hand.
"You're on."

K'mai shook. "May the best charmer win."

Last updated on the December 1st 2020

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The Welcoming Committee