To Lord Ishek

Writers: Avery, Eimi
Date Posted: 1st September 2006

Characters: Ishek, Kiomo, Peringel, Perina
Description: A feast is given in Lordh Ishek's honor, but Peringel's daughter finds Kiomo a much more appealing dinner partner than the Lord Holder...
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 13, day 4 of Turn 3
Notes: Follows "Welcome Lord Ishek"

"To you, Lord Ishek, and your wonderful leadership as Warder of Garnet
Valley. May this be the first of many visits to my Hold," Peringel said
with his glass raised.

"To Lord Ishek," repeated his wife, daughter, and the holders assembled
for the feast in visiting Lord's honor.

"Here here," Kiomo agreed. He subtly gave Ishek the sign that it was
now his turn to say something.

"Thank you, Holder Peringel, and may your Hold prosper even more than it
already has." Ishek said politely. "I hope this is but the beginning of
a close relationship between our Holds." Shells, but speaking made him
nervous! He hoped those words were okay.

"Thank you, Lord Ishek," Peringel said before taking a sip of his wine.
If only the Lord Warder knew just how close of a relationship he
intended for there to be! He gave his daughter a quick glance over.
She did look very pretty and was dressed perfectly for the occasion.
She looked so much like her mother at that age... Despite her willful
attitude at times he was quite proud to claim her as his own. But for
now, she had a husband to catch. When their eyes briefly met he nodded
towards Lord Ishek seated beside her. It was time she did her part.

Shards, but Perina hated this. Was she truly supposed to try to woo a
man who was, in her young mind, positively ancient? She would much
rather turn to the man on the other side of her. Kiomo was handsome and
young. And even her father could not object to the connects she heard
he had! Why couldn't _he_ be the one she had been assigned to woo? She
glanced over shyly in his direction. Her green eyes found his as he
reached for his knife. Faranth, she couldn't look away. Those _eyes_!
They just pulled you in! And that small smile in acknowledgement of
her... Her heart was already fluttering. Shells, what a catch _he_
would make...

A disapproving cough from her father made her pull her gaze off of the
object of her desire, and back to the reality of her mission. "So, Lord
Ishek," she said, trying to force cheerfulness in her tone, "I am told
your new Hold is prospering under your hands. Congratulations on your
success, and in such short time!"

Ishek smiled, feeling horribly embarrassed. "Prospering? Er...yes, I
suppose it is. It's as much the Holder's work as mine, though." he said
humbly. "How are you doing here, lady?" he asked politely.

Perina wasn't quite sure what it was the Lord Warder was asking. 'How
are you today?' 'How is your Hold faring?' 'How are you managing to eat
and drink?' **Old _and_ incoherent...** she thought with an inward
sigh. "Very well, thank you," Perina finally replied. She figured it
covered all the possibilities.

"It's very lovely here. You must like it very much." Ishek hated
small-talk, he wasn't very good, but he had a feeling Kiomo would be
upset if he didn't try.

"Yes, but I have always hoped to see _your_ Hold someday," she said,
forcing a sweet smile. **Shards, I'm gonna be sick...**

"Really?" Ishek was a bit surprised. He still had no idea what was going
on. "Well, perhaps if your father comes to visit, you could come
along...it's really a nice place, you know. There are so many carvings
and decorations. I wish I could tell those who built it how wonderful a
job they did. And the Lady Thalia, she's building a garden. There are
always things going on."

"A garden? How nice." **Faranth, kill me now!** It sounded like the
most boring place on Pern. She reached for her glass of wine without
looking and nearly knocked it over.

Kiomo reached out just in time to catch it, spilling barely a drop.
Perina blushed as their hands brushed against each other, steading the
glass. "Oh," she said looking up into the Holder's dark eyes shyly.
"I'm so sorry about that. I really am quite clumsy sometimes."

"Not at all," he smiled as he released the glass.

"So..." She hadn't intended to catch his attention in quite that way,
but as long as she had it, she found she really didn't want to let it
go. He seemed far more interesting than his Lord. "And have you seen
Lady Thalia's garden, Holder Kiomo?"

"Seen it? I'm helping to _build_ it," he chuckled, knowing full well
she was not all that interested in the garden. "It actually will be
quite nice when its finished."

"I would love to see it," she chimed in quickly. And she meant it. If
Kiomo would be her guide at least...

Her father noticed she was paying _far_ too much attention to the Holder
and not enough to the man she was _supposed_ to be impressing. Peringel
cleared his throat disapprovingly.

Guiltily she turned away from the Holder with his enticing eyes and
charming smile, and turned back to Lord Ishek with his... carvings and
decorations. "Your Hold really does sound lovely, Lord Ishek. And it
must be so convenient being so close to the Smith Hall."

"Oh, it is!" Ishek said. "Things get fixed, things can be bought. If you
like looking for something to buy there can be nice jewelry. What sort
of things do you like to do?" he asked her.

"I like riding," she said hopefully. That seemed a pretty standard
hobby. Perhaps it would give them something to talk about...

"Me too." Ishek said with a smile. He was glad to have something in
common with her- what did one talk about with a young lady? "Do you have
a runner of your own? What's your favorite part of riding? I like
feeling the wind and finding new places."

"I like jumping," she said, relieved there was something other than
digging in the dirt they could converse about.

"Me too." Shama had liked to ride. Meeting other women who did always
reminded him of her and how they'd been. And she was probably around
that age... "Do you ride often?"

"I try to ride every day for the exercise." **I bet Kiomo rides...
Shards but he's got a nice body! I bet he enjoys riding a flying runner
through lush green fields...**

"I wish I could ride every day, but there's work to be done." Ishek
lowered his voice a bit. "Sometimes I skip lunch, ride, and have a
picnic somewhere. Work all the time is boring."

"I think you're right, Lord Ishek," Perina mumbled in reply, though she
really wasn't listening to a word he said. She was too busy picturing
Kiomo, riding beside her, the wind in his hair, those dark eyes looking
at her and that smile...

"Excuse me, could you pass me the salt, Lady Perina?" Kiomo's voice cut
through her silent musing.

"Um... yes, of course," she said with a small secret smile, blushing
slightly as she did so. **He called me Lady...**

"So tell me," Ishek said, "have you ever traveled beyond Quartz River?"
What did he talk about? What was he supposed to be doing? Ishek didn't
want to look over at Kiomo. He knew he wasn't doing very well at
conversation, but what was he supposed to be doing?

**Lord Kiomo and his Lady Perina...** Oh, that sounded nice. And their
fine Heir... Kirin? Perimo?... "What? I'm sorry, Lord Ishek, what did
you ask me?"

She seemed distracted today. Ishek wondered if she was normally that way
or if there was something wrong. "I was wondering if you had ever
traveled beyond Quartz River. You know, besides short trips. Staying
over at some completely different place, seeing another side of life."

"Oh. Um, I was recently fostered at Sapphire Meadows Hold for a little
over a
month but then I was sent back."

"Traveling's nice, isn't it? Was it much different there?"

"Yes, it was much more agricultural. I really enjoyed the people
though..." Her father gave her a stern glare. The time she spent at
Sapphire Meadows was a rather touchy subject. "I would love to see the
sea someday. Have you ever seen the sea, Lord Ishek?"

"Once. When my brother was running the Hold I lived at at the time, I
was sent to a seaside Hold- a matter of trade. The negotiation didn't
work out." he confessed. "But I spent a wonderful sevenday swimming in
the ocean. It's big, and the waves are choppy, and it's salty and
beautiful. Everyone should see it once." Her innocent query made him
wish, for a moment, that Garnet Valley was by the sea.

**Chopping and salty. How... romantic...** "I would love to see it..."
She turned with a genuine smile to the man on her other side. "Have
you ever seen the sea, Holder Kiomo?"

"Yes, my father was Lord Holder of Ancient Stone Hold. It was right on
the ocean," he nodded.

A Lord Holder's son! She knew he had to be of the Blood! "Was it as
beautiful as they say?"

"Yes," Kiomo said with a far off smile. "There's nothing like walking
barefoot on warm sands, the sound of the crashing waves, the rustle
of the leaves as a cool breeze blows over you, watching the ships and
the clouds float by."

She smiled shyly as her eyes met his. Shards, she could almost picture
herself walking hand and hand with the handsome Holder through such a
scene. "I hope to see your Hold someday, Kiomo," Perina said softly.
Her father's impatient cough caught her attention and she guilty turned
back to the man she was supposed to be charming that evening, making
insignificant small talk and throwing out half hearted compliments as
she dreamed of the sea, and a man with dark eyes.

Last updated on the September 2nd 2006

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To Lord Ishek