Not His Brother

Writers: Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 12th December 2005

Characters: Karaleigh, Dantial
Description: Karaleigh helps Dantial move some of his things into his brother's Weyr and bullies him into trying on one of the fancy tunics his mother made for him.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 5 of Turn 3

"And just how do you think you'll like living with O'dan?" Karaleigh asked as she set down the box she was carrying on top of the small stack of boxes that had already been brought over.

"About as much as I liked it when we were boys," Dantial replied dryly, setting down his own box with a relieved sigh. "I suppose it might be easier since he can't move so quickly now, though."

"Always the big brother, though," she said with a smile. Danitial's willingness to move in with his brother just so he could take care of him had won him a bit more respect from Karaleigh. It was something not many brothers would do.

"Always," Dantial agreed. He opened the top box and peered into it.
"Books... I think I have shelves next to my bed for these." Heaving another sigh, he picked the container back up and headed into the small chamber at the back of the Weyr that he'd claimed as his sleeping area.

"You don't really expect to be getting too much sleep with O'dan about, do you?" she asked with a chuckle. His brother was legendary for his many 'guests'.

Dantial quirked an eyebrow at her as he set the box down on his bed. "So what you're saying is that any hopes I have that my presence might keep him in line are probably in vain?"

"Oh, most definitely," Karaleigh laughed. "You're brother is incorigable, you know. I would knock when you come back from the infirmary."

"How delightful." Dantial opened the top of the box and started pulling books out of it, settling them onto the top shelf. "He won't like me as much when he figures out that I plan on chasing his guests right back out."

She gave him a warm smile, and decided it was best not to tell him that she was pretty sure it was just going to turn into another one of O'dan's games
- trying to see if he could outsmart his brother. "Well, it's very kind of you to be so concerned about him."

"That's what family does," Dantial replied easily. "Maybe I haven't seen much of him over the turns, but he's still my brother."

"I have a brother," Karaleigh said thoughtfully. "We never really got along, though. I haven't spoken to him since I came to the Weyr."

"Really?" Dantial paused with a book in his hand, tilting his head to the side. "Where _did_ you come from? I don't know if I've ever asked you."

"I grew up in a small rice farming hold in a valley not far inland. Just a few days from where Topaz Sea Hold used to be, actually."

"How did they fare in the storm?" The book went on the shelf, but Dantial didn't reach for a new one, instead giving his attention to Karaleigh.

Karaleigh shrugged. "They didn't say, so I guess they were all right. The mountains around would have offered some protection."

"You don't know?" Dantial asked, his voice sounding a little more shocked than he intended.

"No. I hear from them only when something of grave importance happens." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Not everyone thinks a woman harper in the family is an honor."

"Oh..." Feeling as if he'd stumbled across something painful, Dantial reached out a hand to her. "I'm sorry, Karaleigh. I didn't know."

She took his hand, surprised that it actually _was_ still painful sometimes.
"It's all right. It was the choice I made. I knew what would happen when I left my family behind."

Dantial pulled her closer and wrapped a friendly arm around her shoulders, giving her a cautious hug. "I'm still sorry. It seems unfair that you should have to chose to give up your family." She leaned her head on his shoulder briefly. "We never gave up on each other, Dantial. I know my parents love me. It's the closeminded wherry-asses around them. I know they cannot afford to bring more shame on our family by associating with me openly."

Smiling, Dantial released her and went back to his box. "Well, maybe you should come with me next time I visit my family. I'm sure my mother would love someone else to hug and feed."

Karaleigh smiled. "You think your mother wouldn't mind her son bringing her back a woman harper from the Weyr?"

Dantial shrugged one shoulder. "I think my mother is a friendly enough woman that even if she found it a bit unnatural, she wouldn't care. Especially once she realized you were a friend of O'dan." She thought about his comment as she brought over another box full of books.
"It wouldn't be enough if I was just _your_ friend?"

"Oh, well, I'm sure it would be." Dantial moved the empty box from the bed and pulled the one Karaleigh had brought over closer. "But she doesn't get much of a chance to meet people who know O'dan. She may be friendly, but I think it's smart to not bring her to the Weyr. There are some things that would be a little _too_ shocking for her." "I could imagine," Karaleigh smiled. She was pretty sure most of O'dan's female friends would not be ones that she would be comfortable meeting...
"And _your_ female friends? How has she liked them?"

"I've never brought a female friend before," Dantial replied dryly. "I'd never been outside the Hall before I came here, so any women I knew were ones I'd grown up with." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "But, didn't you have any special female friends at the Hall?"

"It was a Hall," Dantial replied easily, placing another book on the shelf.
"You don't have special female friends in a Hall, Karaleigh. Not if you're a proper sort of man, which I like to think I am." "But even in a Hall there is a little room for romance," she replied dryly.
"Didn't you have any secret loves then?"

"Did you?" he retorted, hoping to end this line of questioning. Karaleigh smiled as she thought back to those early attempts at romance she had as a young girl. "I held hands with a boy a couple times. One even kissed my cheek at a gather."

"Well, I may have kissed a few cheeks..." The final books went onto the shelf and Dantial pulled the empty box from his bed. "But I never brought those girls home to meet my mother." "But you would feel comfortable bringing _me_ home to meet your mother?" she asked teasingly as she flopped the next box onto the bed.

Dantial quirked an eyebrow at you. "Why, are we going to be doing some hand holding and kissing that I didn't know about first?" She laughed. "If we were going to do a little hand hold and kissing, I should _hope_ you would know about it first!"

"Unless you are planning on trapping me in here and seducing me." Dantial winked at her as he opened the next box and peered inside. "Aaaah...
_here's_ where my nice tunics went off to. I don't know if I ever unpacked this box when I moved in the first time." "Faranth's name, I think you have more tunics than _I_ do!" And she thought _she_ was vain about clothing.

"My mother's a seamstress," Dantial replied, tipping the box over and letting the tunics fall onto the bed. "She has always been disappointed that I never showed much interest in all the pretty things she would make for me." "Why not? You would look great in these! This one for example," she said pulling up a dark blue tunic, "would look wonderful on you."

"I suppose..." Dantial lifted one of the sleeves on the tunic. "I suppose I just don't have many reasons to worry about how wonderful I look. It's not practical to wear this sort of thing in the infirmary." "Come on, Dantial. Try it on once. _Once_. For me." She shook the garment up and down expectantly.

"Right now?" he asked with amused exasperation. "Can't it wait until I'm done unpacking?" She smiled and shook her head, swinging the garment on the end of one long finger expectantly.

"Oh, _fine_," he replied grumpily, taking the shirt. "Go into the other room for a moment, would you?"

She smiled as she complied. Karaleigh had been living in the Weyr, she had almost forgotten there were still some modest men out there.

He appeared in the doorway a few moments later, tugging uncomfortably at the hem of the shirt. "Is it _supposed_ to be cut this tightly?" "Yes," Karaleigh grinned as she looked him over. "Who would have thought you were hiding such a body under all that cloth you usually wear!" She walked over and took his hand leading him further into the room so she could walk around him, getting the view from all sides. "Why, Dantial, it suits you _perfectly_!"

Dantial had the sneaking suspicion that he was moments away from a terribly unmanly blush. "It's not practical, Karaleigh. What's the point of it!" "The point is," she said as she moved back around to the front, "that you look very handsome in that tunic." Karaleigh nodded appreciatively, biting at her lower lip to keep her from giggling like a little girl at the new discovery she had made. Feeling his ears turning warm, Dantial cleared his throat. "Well, then. Now that you've made your point... do you mind if I go put on something practical so I can finish unpacking?" Not that he was blind to the look in her eyes... he would remember how much she appreciated this tunic in the future. Once he'd had a little time to get used to the idea. After all, he was _not_ his brother.

Last updated on the December 12th 2005

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Not His Brother