Living In The Moment

Writers: Avery, Eimi
Date Posted: 3rd March 2008

Characters: Ishek, Gilsha
Description: A picnic provides the moment needed for Ishek to act on his growing attraction to Gilsha.
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 8, day 21 of Turn 4

For one of the few times in the last few months, Ishek was happy.
Delighted, even, in a childlike manner. He'd been planning this for a few days now, and now that it was finally time, Ishek couldn't stop the smile of excitement that had worked its way onto his face. He wanted to see the look on her face when Gilsha saw where they were going.

The area around Garnet Valley wasn't as beautiful to most people as other Holds were. It was very rocky terrain, and instead of trees with leaves that changed, it had many evergreens. But there were a few lovely spots, and Ishek had found a couple of them in his first few months at the Hold. Back when he'd still been new, and uncomfortable with the way everyone looked at him, he'd needed to escape, and what better way than by taking a runner to explore the territory of his Hold? This place had become his favorite early on, and he retired here when he wanted to think or relax alone and even his office wasn't enough privacy. The fact it was within less than a half-candlemark's walk was also nice.

The forest of evergreens thinned out into a small clearing. To the northwest was a dragonlenth high rockface with water streaming down over its edge in a miniature waterfall. The water collected in a pool at the face's base before flowing into a stream channel into the woods, the same stream that he and Gilsha had been walking by the side of in order to get here. Around the pool and stream was a grassy area that was filled with flowers when it wasn't winter. One could climb up the rockface- the parts where the water wasn't falling- and would find a few more feet of clearing before the treeline took over again. There were a few rocks suitable for sitting on in the grass. It was his favorite spot.

He turned to Gilsha. "Do you like it?" he asked eagerly. It wasn't impressive, like how he'd heard the namesakes of Emerald Falls was, but it was a nice little oasis in the middle of the rock and brush.

"It's beautiful! And so nice and quiet here." And shards it was so nice being away from people for a while! She had been going stir-crazy in the Weyr as of late, what with all the snow chasing everyone back indoors. This was just what she needed, she thought as she breathed deeply of the much warmer air. Not even a hint of the smell of dragons or herdbeasts or numbweed or Thread... "It's perfect, Ishek."

He couldn't stop the grin that spread over his face. She'd traveled so much, and he'd been afraid it might seem...pedestrian to her. "It's my favorite spot. I walk out here whenever I can get away and I like to sit and be alone. It's a place to pretend I'm not a Lord, I'm just me again." And there had been one more surprise...this morning, before she came, he'd ridden a runner out to plant a basket. Carrying it with him would have given away the same. He indicated it now. "There's a little bit of food too, in case we get hungry." He wasn't sure if she'd eaten or not, but everyone liked small finger foods at least. He hoped.

Gilsha smiled as she peered into the basket. It was kind of endearing the shy way he was trying to impress her. It was such a change from the lewd and outright offers she seemed to attract at the Weyr. Change and variety was always a good thing for the greenrider who hated when life turned mundane. "My my. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were putting more than a little thought into this."

"It just seemed right." Ishek said. "It's a lovely place, a lovely day...lovely company. There might as well be a picnic to go with it, don't you think?" He was daring with the company comment, and he knew it. How would she take it?

The greenrider had to stiffle a chuckle. "I agree. A picnic is called for in this case." Shards, part of her just wanted to give him a hand and put him out of his misery, but another part was sadistically amused watching him go through all this self-inflicted torture. For Faranth's sake, she lived in the _Weyr_! Did he really think it would be that hard?

Good, she liked it. Ishek couldn't help but feel pleased by her approval. He liked her, a lot. He found this greenrider creeping into his thoughts. She was so different, so fascinating. "I'm glad." he said.
He spread out a cloth for them to sit on and gestured that she should sit. "Do you have any special places of your own?"

"Of course." She flopped down uncerimoniously on her back on the blanket next to him. "But most of mine are in the North. I suppose its time I found a few more down here, but..." She turned on her side to face him, propping herself up on an elbow. "Perhaps I will have to steal yours."

"But the North isn't so far away by *between*, is it? Couldn't you go back?" he wondered.

"Oh I do. Often." If he only knew how often...

"You're lucky. Either way, you're still welcome to mine." he told her, still smug that things were going well. He'd really wanted her to like this place. It was special to him, and she was, in her own way, and he'd so wanted her to like where he liked.

"And what do I owe you for such a priviledge, m'lord?" she asked curiously.

"Owe?" He'd never considered this trip in such a way. "You don't owe me anything. It was my pleasure." He was flustered now, uncertain of what to do. She was here, he was here, the food was here...but Ishek didn't know what to do next.

"You're really out of practice, aren't you," Gilsha smiled, very aware of the confusion on his face.

"Most people don't treat me as Ishek, they treat me as a Lord." But he knew he'd told her that. "It's hard enough to relate to anyone without worrying what they'd think of me. And it's worse when... when you don't think you remember how to act normal." When you don't want someone as well-traveled as a dragonrider to see you as a provincial farm hand playing at being a Lord, a mere scarecrow dressed up in fancy Lord Holder's clothing, is what he didn't say.

"Well, now, 'normal' is all relative," she shrugged, crossing her arms loosely across her chest. "How do you _want_ to act?"

"I want to not have to worry if you think I'm being silly." he said honestly. Her respect was worth so much to him. Right now it ranked even even above that of his holders. "I want to not be afraid to speak my mind to you."

"Well then, why don't you? I'm not afraid to speak my mind to you."
Being honest about her feelings was never a problem Gilsha had since moving to the Weyr.

**I don't want you to react badly.** he thought, but he had told her that. Hearing from her that she wasn't scared to speak her mind to him-
not that he didn't know that, but the reassurance was good- gave him the courage he needed to speak up. "Gilsha, I'm very interested in you." he finally admitted. "Perhaps more than I should be."

"I'm sorry, is there something wrong with being interested in me?" she asked with a mock pout. Shards, he really was holdbred!

She didn't seem disinterested or shocked. Ishek supposed that was a start. But he didn't know how to react to her statement. "But we're so different. You're a dragonrider, and I'm a Holder. You can go anywhere you want, while I'm here all the time. And because it wouldn't be, well, acceptable for me to try to court you." At least in public- but he didn't say that.

Really, he couldn't even believe he was acting this way. But Gilsha was attractive. So different from Shama, but perhaps that was a good thing.
She was honest, and she treated him like Ishek, something no one else had in a very long time. She made him feel appreciated, free, without the burdens of being a Lord. And she was such a mystery. He couldn't help but be attracted to a spirited woman like her- so different from most Hold girls.

But these thoughts! The thought that he wanted to have a relationship with her, even when he knew that it wasn't appropriate, that a Lord Holder and a dragonrider couldn't be together. Everyone knew the reputation of greenriders, and it would shock his holders. The obvious solution was to keep things a secret- if she wanted there to be any 'things'. Which he didn't know yet. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself.

Gilsha didn't want to point out that she knew the obstacles they would face as much as he would. Perhaps more so. But she had been down this road before, and she was willing to go it again with him. "There's you're problem, Ishek. You're thinking too much like a Holder. Holders court. Weyrfolk _live_."

Live. It brought up thoughts of being entirely in the moment, of not having to consider one's image all of the time, of being able to be yourself. Courting had never been to his taste, either, a reason why he had stayed single for so long after Shama's death, resisting all attempts to find himself a match. He didn't want to play the dance of feigning interest in someone who was a political match, or waiting months or Turns to be with someone who he truly cared for. "I wish we all lived like weyrfolk, then." he said quietly.

"Look, Ishek," she said, taking his face in both hands and holding his gaze, "You could be betrothed to marry some pretty young thing next month. I could be lost /between/ with my body covered in Thread next sevenday. Stop wasting time with wishing. If you want to kiss me, than sharding kiss me already."

She was so blunt about what could happen- especially when it came to what could happen to her. Still, she was right. So Ishek decided to take the advice of a woman much wiser than he. Leaning forward, he kissed her, reaching a hand up to pull her closer.

Her fingers slid into his hair as she rewarded him for his sudden boldness. It would take some work, but Gilsha was determined that she would teach this man how to live in the moment yet!

Last updated on the March 9th 2008

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Living In The Moment