Riders Don't Marry
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: AL, Chelle
Date Posted: 5th February 2010
Characters: Parale, Briata
Description: Parale and Briata visit and discuss romance.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 7, day 18 of Turn 5
"I'm so glad you could come." Briata stated with sincerity as she guided Parale through the halls. They had kept in touch with letters, but Briata was glad that Parale had been able to come and they could spend some time together face to face. She would always be grateful to the other woman. Parale had been a friend when everyone else cowered before Briata's title. "I know you can't stay long, but I'm glad for the time you are able to spare."
The Weyr was certainly something else. Parale had seen the Hold watchdragon and those that had come on Search, but nothing like this. Her eyes had been wide as they had first gone into the tunnels. How could Briata live in a place like this? Well at least she seemed to be doing better now. "Well it's nice to get away, though I don't do it often. Anise has Jirek. Thank Faranth I have just the one for the moment."
"Well you just don't worry about him, he'll be fine," Briata assured the woman. They would have the evening and then the rest day the next day. It wasn't much, but it was something. "What do you want to see first?"
"I..well..I don't really know. I mean you hear things about riders.. Well doing things right in the dining cavern and all." Parale whispered this, not wanting to offend anyone lest they weren't alone in the tunnel.
"Doing things?" Briata lowered her voice to match Parale's though she wasn't quite sure why the woman was whispering in the first place. "What things?"
"Things that you do with your husband." She wasn't indecent enough to speak of such acts in detail in a public tunnel. "Private things, the depraved creatures."
Briata blinked. Then she both blushed and laughed at the same time. The girl managed to pull her laughter in and lower it into a soft giggle. "Oh Parale...it's not like that. All those rumours and stories, most of them are blown up by people's imaginations. They are...looser here, but it's nothing compared to what people in the holds say it is."
"Hmmm, so if we do get a bite or two, we won't be mauled?" As a woman approaching her maturing turns, Parale was rather unspoken when she wasn't around men.
"No, no! No one will maul us, I promise you." That wasn't to say men hadn't approached her in the halls, especially after the gold flight but...well, Briata decided she wasn't going to mention that. "So please relax, it will be fine."
Clad in her usual attire, Parale was sporting a bright green overtunic with a seagreen skirt. Her head was covered properly with a red kerchief. "Allright, let's get some rolls."
Briata smiled and led her friend toward the dining hall. Yes, the Weyr was a lot different, but so many of the stories were nothing like the Weyr at all. Of course, the stories did have some truth to them, but the ruth had been expanded and twisted so that things were made to seem so much worse. Hopefully Parale would see that. It really wasn't so bad.
Once they were sitting and eating, the holder found herself surreptitiously watching the Weyrfolk. "So what have you been doing here?"
"Well, I've apprenticed to the craft." Briata hadn't mentioned that in her letters for fear someone might make the connection. She motioned to the knots she now wore upon her shoulder. "It's actually quite interesting. I'm learning a lot."
"MMM I know a thing or two about dyes and cloth, but good for you to turn a trade. A craftwoman always has a living." Parale thought for a moment what might happen to her if she was too old to care for the children.
"And...I'm seeing someone." Now that was a subject Briata wasn't sure how Parale would take.
She was quiet for a moment as she digested that bit of information. It hadn't been that long since the divorce, after all. Though Briata was a young thing and she needed to get settled before it was too late. "Really?"
"Yes." Briata nodded and cast a glance around the dining hall. Of course, B'lamick wasn't there. She had already told him a friend was coming. They would meet up later and then Briata would introduce Parale to her beau. "His name is B'lamick."
"A rider.." Well that was a change, but what did Parale know? Briata was surrounded by them. "Take care my dear. Riders don't marry." If you didn't mind *that* lifestyle, then it could work. But riders died and left behind women and children.
"No, they don't marry." Briata agreed, her words slow. "But they Weyrmate. In truth, it is much like marriage. I...we aren't Weyrmated, but we are courting."
"And they die young Briata." Parale said it softly to lessen the sting, but she thought it needed to be said. She didn't want the young girl to have her head in the clouds again, only to be hurt once more when her fantasies weren't reality.
"Some do." Briata managed a small smile. "And some don't. I can't ignore my feelings for someone simply because they might die young, as painful as it might be should it happen."
"I just..be a bit more practical this time. Think about things before you jump into them. I'd hate to see you in the lurch again, dear." She didn't say it, but inside her head she heard **but don't end up like me**.
"Oh yes, I agree completely." Briata didn't want a repeat of history. "We're taking things slow. He's very sweet - I'll introduce you later."
"MMmmmm.." Parale then focused on her rolls. "Well it's easy to see where our flour tithe goes. These are lovely."
Briata giggled and picked up one for herself. "Yes, they are quite good. The Weyr has its good points - the food is one of them." Silently, she was glad Parale hadn't balked when Briata told her about B'lamick. It wasn't necessarily going to be an easy life, and the fear that she might lose him would always be present, skulking in the shadows, but...but Briata did care about him and they were going to take things a lot slower than she and Ishek had. This time, she wanted the man to be sure that he wanted her. She just hoped he didn't change his mind.
Last updated on the February 6th 2010