I'll Keep It In Mind

Writers: Eimi, Rochelle
Date Posted: 19th March 2007

Characters: Eleada, R'mer
Description: Eleada drops by R'mer's new weyr for another flirting lesson, and comes to a surprising realization.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 5 of Turn 4

Eleada looked around speculatively, smiling at Hanunth curled on his bed, his head lifted to look at Gliorith on the ledge.

**Have a good chat, love.** "R'mer? Are you decent?" She called out cheerfully.

R'mer knew that voice! What was Eleada doing there? "Um..." he quickly glanced around his room. Shards, the reading and handwriting worksheets he'd been working on! He couldn't let her see those! Picking them up in one massive pile he shoved them under a sofa cushion.
"Um... Yeah." She poked her head in, then walked over to him with a bright smile. "Hi handsome. Thought I'd drop by and see how your new weyr looked."

"Oh, well... As you can see," he said with a quick sweeping gesture, "there's not much to see here. But... uh... Well, come on in. And sit if you like. I can get you a drink... or not if you'd rather..." Shards, he was rambling.

She chuckled softly. He was almost as cute flustered as he was blushing!
"No thank you, R'mer." She said warmly, crossing over to the sofa to sit. "And calm down. It's just me, not the Weyrleader. There's no need to get flustered."

"Well, yeah, I know," he said, cursing the slight blush that was creeping up his neck. Shards, she always did that to him! "I was just surprised is all."

Ah ha! There was the blush she knew was coming... He really did blush easier than most people she knew. "Of course you were surprised." She said, eyes twinkling. "I didn't tell you I was coming."

"So... Anyway... This is my weyr..." R'mer wondered just what she was actually _doing_ there. Not that he wanted her to leave of course, but he didn't know what he _should_ be doing. He wasn't used to people just dropping by.

"It's nice." She said sincerely. "My first weyr was half the size -but then, Hanunth is a lot larger than Gliorith is." She grinned at him, and patted the sofa beside her. "Are you enjoying having your own place?"

"It's all right. It's a little too quiet though." He sank down on the sofa next to her, hoping she didn't hear the crinking of the hides he had stashed under there. "I never had a room to myself before."

Her heart jumped, and she struggled not to flinch at his words. There was a familiar crinkling noise as he sat, but she didn't say anything.
She had done that kind of hasty housekeeping before. Instead, she gave a sad smile. "I know what you mean. Before I Impressed, I always shared a room. But you'll get used to it." **I hope.** She added silently.

"I suppose so," R'mer shrugged. "But to be honest... well, sometimes I sneak out to sleep with Hanunth just so I don't feel so alone. It's probably silly, isn't it? I mean... I'm not a child, but I just hate sleeping alone... It's ok, you can laugh at me."

She continued smiling at him, remembering how she had done the same thing when she was younger -and trying _not_ to remember the night before, where she'd been driven to pacing around Gliorith by nightmares.
"I do the same thing sometimes. I think most riders sleep with their dragons when they feel alone... I'm not going to laugh, R'mer. It's hard sometimes, to get through a night when you know there isn't someone there." She said softly.

"You mean it doesn't get any easier?"

"I didn't say that." She said quickly. Just because she had issues didn't mean everyone did! Actually, her issues were mostly nightmares...
"I said _sometimes_. And trust me. It will get easier. You'll get used to it. I just meant that it's not silly to feel lonely when you're alone."

"Well, you know, sometimes if you're lonely, and I happen to be lonely too... Well, wouldn't it make sense to be lonely together sometimes?" Faranth's name, he couldn't believe he had actually gotten that out! He quickly glanced at her face to gauge her reaction. R'mer hopped she wouldn't be offended, or worse, laugh it off. Doubt crept in. Shards, he shouldn't have said anything. **Of all the stupid suggestions...**

Eleada blinked in surprise. She had never considered R'mer before, and wondered what had brought the suggestion up. But... She smiled at him again. He was obviously getting a little confidence to make an offer like that. "That's sweet, R'mer. Thank you. I'll keep it in mind." She said simply.

Shards, that seemed to be a rather non-commital reponse... "Well, you know. It's just a thought. And you know... I don't mean we'd have to _do_ anything... unless you wanted to of course..." There he goes, rambling again! **Just shut up now.**

She grinned. "I know what you meant R'mer. And I really do appreciate the offer. If I start to feel lonely, I'll keep it in mind. But you're a handsome young man, and if my lessons do you any good at all, I certainly hope you aren't lonley very often unless you want to be."

R'mer shrugged and tried to use his best cocky bronzerider grin. "Well, you know, it's not like I can do that _every_ night..." She chuckled. "That's true.I certainly never managed it when I was younger, although I certainly did get around." She grinned at him. "And since I'm here anyway, do you want to work on the next lesson?"

"Sure!" He turned a bit more to face her, eager to know what it was she wanted him to do. Because if he got good at it, just maybe...

"I think..." She trailed off for a second, looking around the room. Yes, there was plenty of space, so that was an option. "It will be your choice, in honor of your new weyr. You can flirt with me, or we can start with dancing."

R'mer shrugged. "Can't we do both at the same time?"

She grinned at him again as she bounced off the couch, leading him to the center of the open space. "If you think you're up to it..."

"Well, if you're still leading I think I can manage," he said as he gently took her hand.

"For the first few times, I'll lead." She confirmed. "But once you start to learn the steps, it will be your turn." She slid her arm around him, and counted off the nonexistant beat as she began guiding him around the floor. "One, two, three, four. One, two..."

R'mer mentally counted with her. **Thee, four. One, two, three, four. One, two... Shards she smells good.** "Oh, I'm so sorry," he yelped as he realized he had trod her boot. "I must have lost count there for a moment."

"That's all right." She said evenly. "Just keep going. Follow my lead and look at me. There is no reason to be looking away from your partner when dancing. You can see well enough out the corner of your eyes to avoid other people. So, again. One, two, three..."

**One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four...** He kept his eyes locked on hers. Shards, she had very pretty eyes. "How did you learn how to dance?"

"Depends on the dance." She admitted. "But mostly my mother. She taught me the basics, and then had me dance with my older brothers until we found our own partners."

"Have you had a lot of partners?" R'mer blushed slightly, realizing how that could sound. "I mean special dance partners."

She smiled. She loved it when he blushed. It was so cute! "Yes, actually. To both questions." She tapped him sharply on the back when he tried resisting her lead. "But there were only a few special dance partners. One was a bluerider friend of mine, and a wonderful dancer. We used to spend candlemarks on the floor together." She smiled at the memory.

He wasn't surprised she had several partners. Many men would want to be with her, he was sure. But he was curious about the ones that she considered special. "What was he like?"

"U'schel?" She asked in surprise. "Well, he's a little taller than you, a little bigger too. But he was very nice, and very sweet. We were good friends, and frequent lovers." Her smile twisted a bit. He was also as sterile as a rock, and although it had bothered him intensely, he hadn't minded that it won her frequent attention. "He used to worry that he wasn't interesting to be with too, actually. We still keep in touch."

R'mer felt a little bit of jealousy towards him. It was obvious she was still fond of the man. "Were you ever weyrmated?"

She shook her head, her heart squeezing as a familiar face flashed in front of her eyes. **Linrary!** "No. But I did have a roommate..." Her voice trailed off.

"A man?"

Eleada shook her head again, forcing a faint smile to her face for R'mer's sake. "No. A woman, Linrary. We were like sisters." She sighed.
"She died of fever while I was in the infirmary, after Gliorith was scored."

"You miss her," he observed quietly.

She laughed, soft and bitter. "Is it that obvious?"

"Kind of," he said, shrugging a shoulder, his hand boldly sliding from her shoulder to her back as he stepped a little closer to her. "But sometimes you just seem sad. Why is that?"

"I do?" Come to think of it, he wasn't the first person to mention it...
She shrugged. "Everyone is sad sometimes. I guess I miss her. A lot. And she isn't the only friend I've lost. Everyone in the weyr knows someone who died in Threadfall." She sighed lightly. "It isn't an easy life, being a dragonrider. But we do what has to be done."

He knew exactly what she meant. 'We do what has to be done'... That sentiment ruled his life, even now. It was a truth, but a lonely one. "I've lost people too before. Not from Thread, but I've had to learn how to keep going too."

She sqeezed his hand in sympathy. "Yes." She said softly. "There are times I wonder if that is a trait our dragons look for, when they choose. There is a lot of endurance required in holdering, but dragonriders need a different kind of strength."

"Maybe we just need an understanding of our own mortality." Dragonriders certainly seemed to understand that every day could be their last.

"Maybe." She agreed, then grinned at him. "You know, your dancing is improving enough I think I can let you lead soon. But your flirting still needs some work. Honesty is good, but you probably don't want to know about every past fling."

But he did want to know. He wanted to know everything about her, the good and the painful. Perhaps especially the painful. Somehow, her pain made her beautiful. He had tasted it on her tongue when he had kissed her, and he wanted to know more. "You can tell me anything. I'll listen."

"That's sweet of you, R'mer. I'll keep it in mind." She said sincerely.
He was certainly insistant about talking to her recently, she reflected.
Was he lonely or... **Faranth! He's crushing on me!** she realized suddenly. The thought amused her. R'mer was sweet, but she didn't intend to let him be more than a friend. Besides, he already had a girl he liked.
Hmm.

Last updated on the March 22nd 2007

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I'll Keep It In Mind