Learned My Lesson

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 15th November 2005

Characters: Daigoro, Cinale
Description: Daigoro almost gets up the nerve to be bold...
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 8, day 24 of Turn 3

Cinale

Daigoro hung another shirt neatly in his closet and reached for the next off the back of the chair. It was nice to finally be able to _move_
again! The twisting to reach for the shirt was bareable, though it did pull on his tailbone slightly. "Shards," he muttered as a pair of trousers slipped off the back of the chair and onto the floor. Bending down was when it really hurt. He carefully squatted down hissing a bit at the pain, but it was a good deal easier than it had been just a couple days before when he felt like he couldn't move at all.

As he slowly stood he heard a knock at his door. He grinned. That would be Cinale with his dinner. "Just a moment," he called as he threw the trousers back over the chair and quietly closed the closet door. Painfully, he leaned down to pull off one boot and then the other. He skipped over to the bed. Walking didn't seem to hurt at all anymore, but bending himself to slip onto the bed made him grunt a bit. Finally he was comfortably settle. "All right, come on in!"

"Shards, what were you _doing_ in here, hmm?" she asked as she came in with the tray. It had taken him longer to tell her to come on in than usual.

"I... had taken off my shirt and... well, it wouldn't be appropriate for a young unmarried woman such as yourself to be in a room with a shirtless man, now would it." Daigoro didn't want to admit the truth of it. She was only brining him dinner to save him the trip to the dining hall. Afterall, she thought he was still in too much pain to move more than the bare minimum. He felt a bit guilty about deceiving her, but the time they had together was worth it. Besides, this was probably the last night he could get away with it anyway...

She eyed him as she set the tray down on the table. "I suppose not, hon,"
she grinned slightly, coming around to sit near his feet. "How're doing today? Is the pain lessening now? Is my tea still helping?"

"Your tea is doing a wonder," he smiled. In fact, it was working a little _too_ well... "But I appreciate your bringing me dinner again. I don't mean to be such a burden."

Her grin widened slightly. "Of course you don't."

"So what did you bring me tonight?"

"Roast herdbeast. Nice and tender. I knew that you probably didn't feel like soup or anything like that..."

"I'm grateful for anything you bring."

She grinned at him. "But I _know_ you and your tastes, hon. You like to sink your teeth into your food." Standing, she went over to the table, bringing back with her a plate of hot food.

The Hallsecond breathed deeply of the smells. "Mmmm," he hummed appreciatively. "What a wonderful woman you are."

She handed it to him, along with a fork, before setting up the laptray. "You're spoiled rotten," she laughed.

Daigoro grinned boyishly. "I am. But it's only fair, you know. You broke me."

Her expression turned more contrite, but an impish gleam still flickered in her eyes. "Next time, we'll play rough on nice, deep, powdery snow, yes?"

Daigoro's expression turned just as grave, despite his smiling eyes. "Well, who is to say there will be a next time? I think I've learned my lesson..."

"Oh come one, love," she laughed. "I know the youth is still in you."

"At the moment I feel like an old man, bent over at odd angles and not able to stand up straight, or bend over either." He sighed. "I think I am getting a glimpse of my future. It's not pretty."

"You're only as old as you feel...and act."

"Well, with all my aches and pains I'm feeling ancient." But considering the fact that being with her made her feel like a young apprentice again, he figured that balanced out to just about the right age. Shards, but he needed to tell her how he felt. But they had been friends so long. What if she never even _thought_ of him that way? His mouth started to go dry at the thought. "You didn't happen to bring a drink for me, did you?"

She gave him a look of feigned disappointment. "You'd think I'd _forget_?" She clucked her tongue as she reached over to grab the wine bottle and a glass. "And don't assume you'll be getting out of your herbal tea tonight just because I brought you _this_," she gave the bottle a small shake.

He smiled at the bottle appreciatively. "Where is your glass? This vintage is too good to waste on drinking alone."

Cinale reached behind her. "Right here. If you hold both, I'll pour?"

He obliged her and smiled as she poured them both a drink. When she set the bottle aside he handed her the a glass. "What shall we drink to? It's too good to not have a toast of some kind."

"Mmm... How about to friendship?"

Daigoro's eyes softened as he smiled at her. "To you then, for you are the truest kind of friend, Cinale."

She felt a gentle heat grow in her cheeks as she leaned closer to clink her glass against his. Shards, that look in his eye... "You are too, hon," she told him softly.

He took a long sip from his glass. There was no better time, after all.
Who knows when they would have a chance to be alone again... "I've been spoiled these last couple days, you know. Having you all to myself."

She chuckled as she too took a sip of the fine vintage. "You like that, do you?"

"Yes, I do. In fact," he swallowed hard, "I think I could get used to having a woman who would be willing to put up with me."

Her eyes flickered to his. "I'm sure you could," she replied softly. "And I'm sure that a woman would be quite willing to put up with you. She'd be proud to, I think."

"Really? Do you think so?" He looked down into his wine glass, trying not to lose his nerve. "You know, I'm not such a young man anymore. A young woman might find me... a bit too old..."

One brow rose. "Since when are you _old_, hon? You're certainly not decrepit. And if a woman truly cared for you, age wouldn't matter."

"Yes, yes, I suppose that's true. If... If the woman cared for me, that is." He couldn't wait for her to answer. Quickly, too quickly, he leaned forward, not wanting to wait a moment longer to kiss her else he lose his nerve. He forgot, however, about his lack of flexibility, and as he had intended to reach for her, he instead reached his hand to his tailbone with a pained groaned. "Shards but that hurts!"

"Shells, Daigoro! Be _careful_, hon," she chided, concern etched in her features as she rose to her feet, rushing over to grab him his mug of herbal tea. "Now...can you lean back at all?"

"Yeah, yeah, I think so," he hissed through clenched teeth as he slowly pulled his body back to it's previously comfortable position. "Sharding back," he muttered as he took a couple quick breaths and settled himself back into the pillows.

She handed him the mug, her slight frown disappearing when he finally began taking some sips. "You really should be more careful, hon..."

Daigoro frowned into his mug. He had spent his whole sharding life being careful around women. For once he decides to be bold and _this_ happens. It figures. "I guess you're right. I learned my lesson."

Last updated on the November 15th 2005

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Learned My Lesson