Maybe Someday

Writers: Yvonne, Bree
Date Posted: 3rd April 2007

Characters: Tiya, F'lin
Description: F'lin keeps his promise to Abrei to keep an eye on Tiya
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 3, day 3 of Turn 4

It took a few weeks before F'lin was able to steal a candlemark of time to sneak back into the Infirmary. Classes took up most of his day and made his head spin, and when he wasn't taking classes he was spending time with Seneth. The little bronze was growing fast, and wasn't so little anymore. It took a while to oil him, and growing dragons needed a _lot_ of oil.

The Infirmary was busy and bustling, but it didn't take long to flag someone down to find Tiya. When she appeared nervous in the doorway to the waiting room F'lin leapt to his feet with a grin and presented her with a rather sad looking daisy he'd found between cracks in the flagstones outside. "For you, to make up for being a bad friend lately."

Tiya's nervousness evaporated as she stepped forward to take the flower from F'lin with a smile. "You're not a bad friend. You're a dragonrider now! You must be very busy."

"Eh, so are you," he said easily. "Healers never stop, do they?"

"They do sometimes." Feeling rather pleased with herself for her daring, she smiled at him. "My shift is over, actually. I was just finishing my report to the journeyman. Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Sure! I can introduce you to Seneth, too!" Having a dragon was still a new experience, and he wanted to share it with everyone. "I'd like that. Let me just go check out..." She disappeared, darting back out into the infirmary in search of the journeyman who she'd been working with.

F'lin sat back down and stared at the opposite wall. Like many of the rooms in the Weyr it was plastered and painted, but the plastering still followed the original contours of the wall. He began picking out shapes in the random bumps, and found a dragon's head, poultry feet, a belt knife, and a face in profile that reminded him ever so slightly of his weyrlingmate, Sh'vair. Tiya came back then, pick-cheeked and smiling, and he wondered if she'd been running. "You ready to go?"

She nodded. "Yes. Where is Seneth? Is he in the weyrling barracks?"

F'lin's eyes unfocused for a moment as he spoke with his dragon. It was still a difficult thing to do, and he wasn't able to concentrate on that and whose ever company he was in, yet. After a moment he smiled. "Just outside, actually. Not far."

"All right!" Tiya followed F'lin cheerfully enough, wishing she felt comfortable sliding a hand around his arm or taking his hand in hers.

Her adoration for the older boy may have started just because he was Tsaera's grandson, but in the time she'd gotten to know him, she'd started to like him for himself. He made her feel like she was just a normal girl, and sometimes she even forgot Fyzone and everything that had happened when he was around.

The weyrling held the door for her and absently chatted as he led her up the hall, down the stairs, and outside into the sun. It wasn't far to the weyrling barracks, and before they arrived a large bronze shape stood up from his patch of sun and ambled toward them. F'lin grinned and sped up a little. "Dragons look so awkward on the ground."

Tiya smiled and reached out a hand to touch the dragonet gently. "Oh, F'lin! He's so beautiful!"

"He is, isn't he?" F'lin said proudly. And so _big_ - already he'd doubled in size since he'd hatched, and Seneth wasn't done growing!

}:She really has no dragon?:{ Seneth asked curiously. He was studying Tiya as closely as she was studying him. }:Does she like not having a dragon?:{
**I don't think she's ever really thought about it,** F'lin replied.
"He likes being scratched under his chin for some reason."

She moved her hand obediently to scratch Seneth's chin. "Hello, Seneth. It's nice to meet you." She'd always thought she would like to be a dragonrider, but she hadn't been allowed to Stand once she'd gotten back to the Weyr. Abrei had said she needed time to recover from her ordeal, but Tiya had known they'd all been worried that she was broken.

"Seneth says that you can scratch harder, if you want." The weyrling smiled, then sat cross-legged on the ground between them, feeling as proud as a new parent. "All right." She did so, smiling as the bronze dragon leaned into her touch. "He must be growing so fast, F'lin! I thought he just hatched not too long ago!"

"Yeah, just a month ago. He's doubled in size and he eats like a runner. Maybe because that's so much of what he eats!"

}:I like runner meat,:{ Seneth said serenely. }:It tastes best.:{ Tiya let her hand smooth down Seneth's neck, her smile turning wistful. "Do you think I could Impress a dragon some day?"

"Sure. Why not?" It came easily - partially because it was the expected thing to say, and partially because of F'lin's own experiences. According to Abrei, Tiya had been through some pretty rough times before she'd arrived at River Bluff Weyr. But so had he.
And now he was a dragonrider, and he was finally in control of his own destiny. No tragedy, no wave could take that away from him... so why couldn't the same be true for Tiya?

"I want to..." But she'd never be able to while her life was still so shattered. If only she could find a way to face Fyzone... to see him _suffer_ for what he'd done to her. Maybe the pain and the nightmares would go away. Maybe then she could just be herself again. "Maybe your grandmother will let me Stand again sometime."

He shrugged. "Maybe. You'd have to talk to her. And A- Master Jynrek."

She nodded absently. That would be a problem... Abrei might have been worried about her, but Tiya always got the feeling that Jynrek saw a bit more than she wanted him to. He might not be willing to let her Stand. "I suppose I'll just have to hope, then."

}:She has small hands,:{ the bronze dragon said enigmatically.

"And until then, you can always come visit Seneth and I, and hear me complain about shoveling dragon poop," F'lin said cheerfully. That made her smile. "Thank you, F'lin. I will!" And in the meantime, she'd figure out a way to put the past behind her once and for all.

Last updated on the April 6th 2007

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Maybe Someday