Over Protective

Writers: Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 14th October 2005

Characters: D'cal, Zanie, Renner
Description: D'cal comes to invite Zanie to dinner and gets measured up by her over protective friend, Renner
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 8, day 18 of Turn 3

D'cal waited out by the dock. Surely as a dolphineer Zanie would make her way out there eventually, wouldn't she? This is where the dolphins would be after all. The weyrling was a bit shocked at his total lack of knowledge about the Dolphin Hall. He had worked with dolphineers on the ships, but he had no idea what they did on land. Perhaps he should try her inside?

Her voice cut through the morning silence, but it wasn't coming from the direction of the building. Sound carried well over water, and Zanie's laugh was as distinct as her voice. "Stop it, Renner, or I'll _kick_ you!" Her laughing threat was followed by splashes as two figures made their way back toward the shore.

"I can kick harder you know!" Renner said as he threw another wall of water her way.

D'cal stood on the dock and watched their antics. He wanted to call out to her, but she was with someone. Just who was _he_? They looked to be having a little too much fun to be... just colleagues. Perhaps he should leave and come back...

Zanie squealed and dove under the water, reappearing out of reach. Her back was still to D'cal, however, so she was oblivious to the weyrling's discomfort. "You're just mad because I was quicker than you this morning, old man. Are you sure you didn't hit your head when you fell out of bed this morning?" "Only when you _pushed_ me out of it with all your thrashing about!" he laughed.

Yeah, D'cal decided he should go. He turned and walked quietly towards land.

"Renner!" Zanie turned instinctively to assure herself that her father wasn't on the dock listening to this highly damning conversation... and instead found D'cal. "D'cal? D'cal! Hey, wait!"

The young man stopped and turned back towards them, trying to look as if he hadn't noticed them before. "Oh, hi Zanie!"

"Meet me over on the beach, will you?" she asked with a grin, gesturing toward a stretch of sand. "I left my stuff over there." She didn't wait for a response, diving under the water again in the direction of the beach.

Renner was on the surface waiting for her when she came up for air. "And who is this guy?" he whispered.

Zanie turned a pretty shade of pink. "Just a friend... a bluerider."

"A _bluerider_?" Renner asked as he watched the weyrling make his way towards the beach. "If he's just a friend, why are you blushing like that?"

She was smart enough _not_ to tell Renner that D'cal was the boy she'd kissed in the closet all those turns ago... she certainly didn't trust Renner not to tease him. "I'm blushing because he just heard you scream that I kicked you out of bed this morning! Not that he'll wonder why, with your ugly nose and rotten manners." "My _what_?" Renner asked, stung by her words. "My nose and my manners sure didn't stop you from knocking on my door in the middle of the night last night to ask if you could c±rl up with me! What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

Zanie's blush deepened--a lot. "I'm sorry, I was just being silly. You have a nice nose." She wrinkled _her_ nose at him and splashed though. "Though your manners need some polishing... poor D'cal is going to get to the beach before we do!" "So he has to wait for a minute. He had been waiting on the dock for a while. I know, I was watching him when we were coming in." Renner eyed her suspiciously. "How do you know him?"

"Wait, he was waiting before?" Zanie frowned at him, and now _she_ was looking suspicious. "Why didn't you say anything?" "I didn't know you were expecting a visitor," he muttered as his feet touched bottom.

Zanie's feet touched sand and she waded towards the shore. "D'cal! What are you doing over here?" D'cal smiled apologetically as he glance between Zanie and the stranger with her. "I just came to give you something. You know, as a thank you for the blanket you gave me. And I wanted to invite you to dinner tonight, but... I suppose you're a bit busy."

After picking up her towel and wiping her face, Zanie shook her head. "I don't think so... I mean, Renner and I always swim in the morning, but I don't have anywhere to be for a candlemark or so." She wrapped the towel around her waist and pointed over her shoulder. "That's Renner." As an introduction, it certainly was lacking, but Zanie wasn't feeling too charitable towards Renner at the moment. Not when he'd ignored the fact that D'cal had been standing on the docks watching them! Renner tried not to frown at Zanie's verbally economical introduction. He glanced at the boy, for he did look rather young, and met his eye steadily.

D'cal could tell he was being measured up. He reached out his hand to the dripping man. "I'm D'cal, weyrling and rider of blue Aosorath."

**At least he doesn't have H'jim's annoying smile,** the man thought as he took D'cal's hand firmly in his. "Renner, senior journeyman dolphineer. I'm the one who follows Zanie to make sure she doesn't trip and drown herself."

D'cal tried not to smile, knowing full well Zanie's reputation for being clumsy. However, he wasn't sure she would appreciate the joke. "It's nice to meet you, Renner."

"So you want to have dinner tonight?" Zanie asked, ignoring Renner entirely, though the fact that her ears were bright red indicated she hadn't been able to ignore his comment. D'cal smiled as he thought how the blush became her. "Um... yes. And you are welcome too, of course, Renner."

"Oh, no thank you. I have plans." It was a lie and he knew Zanie would know it. But it seemed that she was finally getting over H'jim. He didn't like the fact that she was moving onto _another_ dragonrider, but then again, perhaps it wasn't as serious as all that. Renner just hoped that she would not have reason to come crying to him again any time soon.

Zanie spared him one raised eyebrow, but she didn't argue. She'd already had quite enough of Renner interrupting her private time with men to last her a lifetime. "Do you want to come get me? I could probably find your weyr, you know... but I tend to get lost getting there from the inside." D'cal smiled with relief. "Of course we'll come get you. How about the
19th candlemark? Too late?"

"For dinner it is," Renner muttered under his breath.

He received a furious glare from Zanie, who turned back to D'cal with a wide smile. "Perfect. I'll be ready." "Great." He smiled and held out a small package for to take. "This is for you. It was nice meeting you Renner. And I'll see you tonight, Zanie?" Zanie smiled, leaning up to give D'cal a quick kiss on the cheek and ignoring the expression on Renner's face. "I'm looking forward to it." The weyrling gave her a grin. "Tonight then." He smiled at Renner, too happy to notice how fake the smile was in return. "Nice to meet you, Journeyman."

Renner let out a sigh as he watched the young man go, turning every few steps to look over his shoulder at the girl waving. "He seems... nice."

"Mmmhmm..." Once D'cal was out of sight, Zanie ripped the package open and gasped. "Oh, he gave me one of his carvings! I found this when I was poking around his weyr..." She held it up to show it to Renner. "Isn't it amazing?"

"It's very good," he begrudgingly conceded as he glanced at it. Upon further study his eyes widened a bit in surprise. "It's accurate too. Where did that blue rider learn about ships?"

"Oh, he's a seacrafter," Zanie replied absently, still turning the ship over in her fingers and admiring it. "Or was. At Topaz Seahold. He was Searched after... after the storm." "Hmm." The bluerider suddenly rose a bit in his estimation. At least he knew something about life on the water! "Well, you just remember to come home tonight."

Zanie frowned at him, pulling on the shirt she'd worn over her swimwear. "I was planning on it, Renner."

Last updated on the October 15th 2005

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Over Protective