A Little Tweaking (Ashela's Party 2/3)

Writers: Estelle, Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 18th February 2022

Characters: L'keri, Harki, Ma'din
Description: L'keri, Harki and Ma'din plan to drop in on a party
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 8, day 20 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Ashela

L'keri

Ma'din

L'keri wandered into the dining cavern, vaguely looking around to see if
any of his wingmates were about and wondering how to spend his evening.
Drink was off limits, as usual. Perhaps he could find a card game to
entertain him, and later, a lively and frolicsome woman or two to entice
back to his weyr - but right now, he felt the itch for mischief. He'd
been good for so long.

"Hey! L'keri! Wait up!" A greenrider hurried down the hall behind him
toward the dining cavern, her arms full of a variety of mugs and glasses
that had probably spent the last sevenday fermenting in her weyr. Harki
grinned broadly as she fell into step beside him. "What are you up to
tonight?"

"I was pondering that very question," he replied as they crossed towards
the kitchens. "Have you ever felt in the mood to do something completely
and utterly immature? Like the good old days when you were a weyrling?"

The greenrider snorted. "Have you _met_ me? I'd bet that I'm the
youngest old greenrider in this entire Weyr."

Never one to resist the opportunity to compliment a greenrider, L'keri
put a hand to his heart in mock astonishment. "Old? My sweet Harki,
you're so fresh and blooming that I can't believe you're a day over
twenty-five."

She laughed and handed him her dirty glasses. "You're so full of dung,
but I like it."

"I exist to please, especially fair greenriders such as yourself."
L'keri bowed to her over the glasses and proceeded into the kitchens,
where he handed them over to a drudge with a charmingly grateful smile.
"Let's see now...oh! I've got an idea." He paused, chewing his lower lip
as he pretended, not very convincingly, to consider the wisdom of what
he was about to suggest. "But I don't know if I dare."

There wasn't a dare that Harki had said no to. She smiled, marvelling at
how well L'keri could push her buttons. "I dare you."

"Oh - well then, since I've been dared, and by one of my favorite
greenriders..." L'keri clearly hadn't needed much persuasion, and he
lowered his voice conspiratorially as they left the kitchens. "So, you
know that goldrider from Barrier Lake, Ashela, rider of Aglayath? I've
heard from a trustworthy friend that she's throwing a party in her weyr
tonight. Very exclusive. But - inexplicably! - she forgot to send me my
invitation."

"How surprising! I'm sure the flit just got distracted. You know how
those things are." The greenrider shook her head. "I don't think I've
ever met Ashela. Have you?"

He shook his head. "I've seen her, of course." A slow grin spread across
his face as he contemplated the tall goldrider, with her trim figure and
shining hair. Down at the winter lake bathing her dragon, a damp blouse
clinging to her skin... Distracted, he nearly walked straight into a
cook carrying a large bowl of tuber peelings and was jolted out of his
pleasant daydream. "Sorry! As I was saying, like you, we've never been
introduced. But I think tonight would be a perfect night to remedy that,
don't you?"

"I do love partying." Harki paused. "You know... Ma'din also likes a
good party. Should we invite him?"

"You mean Ma'din wasn't invited either? And him such a cheerful,
sociable soul." L'keri shook his head in mock dismay. "We will certainly
have to rectify that."

Harki's eyes unfocused as she reached out to her green dragon, who took
a moment to wake herself. Grumbling, Cerilith reached out to Aznith.
}:My rider wants yours to meet her in the dining cavern to go to a
party,:{ she said peevishly.

}: He wants to know if it's a naked party.:{ Aznith replied promptly
with a trickle of Ma'din humor laced through his words. }: If it's in
the dining cavern, he says you first. But he's coming.:{

The greenrider smiled and refocused on L'keri. "Ma'din says he'll come
too. _And_ he's coming naked."

"Naked?" L'keri looked startled, then began to grin. "You didn't tell
him whose party it is, did you?" He snickered, imagining the stir _that_
would make. "You are a wicked woman, Greenrider Harki."

The greenrider batted her lashes. "All I said was there's a party. _He_
offered to go naked."

"Ah, if only Goldrider Ashela had taken more care to see we received our
invitations, we would have known the dress code," L'keri sighed in mock
regret. "We'll simply have to use our good sense and judgement. So, we
know what Ma'din's wearing - or not wearing. What about me? I bow to
your superior sense of fashion."

"I wouldn't." A low voice spoke out as Ma'din strode into the dining
cavern, a smirk on his face. "Did you actually think I'd come in here
with my bits and pieces waving about? So, where's this party?" He eyed
L'keri and then looked back at Harki, his voice dry. "As much as you
dream about that sort of thing, I'm sure we're not each other's
types."

The greenrider in question stuck her lip out in a pout.

"Aww, look. Now you've disappointed her." L'keri shook his head. "We
were both so looking forward to seeing the look on the face of our
delightful hostess...Lady Ashela." He grinned. "Still interested?"

"I'll make it up to her." Ma'din smirked and winked at Harki before
turning back to L'keri. "Ashela? We're crashing her little shindig?"
His smile widened at the thought of tweaking the nose of the saucy
goldrider and perhaps doing more to her at a later time. "Do tell
about this little plan of yours."

"Well, K'mai was invited," the brownrider explained. His friend hadn't
sounded too excited about going and seemed to be immune to the evident
charms of Ashela. "I'm not sure he'll let us in, though, it sounded like
he was only going to support H'run. But I do know that it's in her weyr.
So I figure the best approach is just to walk in and act as though we're
expected. She won't want to make a fuss by having us thrown out."

His grin grew even wider as Ma'din turned to Harki. "Oh, he knows what
I like. Have you been telling tales? I'm in." He rubbed his hands
together. "Tweaking ranker's noses is my pleasure."

"Who doesn't like a little tweaking?" L'keri asked, all innocence.
"Right then, let's go." He gestured towards the exit that led towards
the rankers' weyrs. "Our hostess awaits!"

Last updated on the July 15th 2022

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A Little Tweaking (Ashela's Party 2/3)