Friendship Blues

Writers: AL, Chelle
Date Posted: 27th February 2013

Characters: Qorri, Meledei
Description: Meledei confides in Qorri about R'enh.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 12, day 2 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: R'enh

The argument she'd had with R'enh didn't go away even after a night's
sleep. Of course, why would it? Meledei had gone through the words
that had passed between them over and over again. Part of her was
angry. She had just been teasing during a light conversation. He'd
been teasing her too. So the fact that he had taken offense at
something that wasn't supposed to have been taken so literally angered yet.

Part of her was sad. Meledei had considered R'enh a friend. A good
friend. And as such, if she _had_ hurt him in some way, she had thought
that as such, he would have been willing to forgive her. He'd said they
were still friends, but the attitude he had taken had spoken of a spirit
that was devoid of forgiveness. Friends forgave each other. They
didn't treat each other with that cold indifference like he had. She
sigh and stood then picked up the records she'd finished and filed
them. She clapped her hands against her thighs and then turned to make
her way out of the records room.

"Why so glum, goldy?" Qorri asked as she came in to stick some of the tithe
numbers into the Weyrwoman's records file. Meledei did look a bit down and
she wondered if the young woman was getting sick. That couldn't happen!
Not on her watch!

"Oh, hey Qorri." Meledei managed a smile for the Headwoman and
shrugged. "Eh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it." Her eyes caught
sight of the records and she held out a hand in offer, "Want me to take
those?"

"Was just gonna put them in Cyradis' pile. She can sort them as she
wishes."
Qorri didn't miss the note in Meledei's voice though. It wasn't nothing.
It was
bothering her. "Listen, let's go get some sweet buns and you can tell me
and
we'll see if it's nothing."

"I'd rather have bubblies." A hopeful note lifted the last word in the
almost plaintive reply. Meledei did manage a small smile though. She
waited for Qorri to dump the records on Cyradis' pile (at least it
wasn't hers) and then fell into step beside the headwoman as they headed
down the hallway.

When they got there and sat down, it wasn't long before they had what they
wanted and Qorri was quiet as she let Meledei eat and get comfortable. She
would speak when she was ready. And the headwoman sipped some klah.

Ah, bubblies. They helped make things better - sort of. Meledei downed
an entire bubbly and gently sucked on her fingers to get the juices.
She wouldn't be hungry for dinner, but she didn't really care. Her eyes
flicked up to set upon Qorri, thumb in her mouth as she tried to drain
the skin of all traces of fruity goodness. "R'enh and I had....a
disagreement." She finally admitted.

"Oh? About what?" **R'enh hm? The Weyrleader's wingsecond...He's not
romantic
with Meledei. There was the flight but that was it.** Qorri was still
casual as she continued
to drink. Let her get it out.

"Well, you know, we're friends." Meledei's fingers played over her
glass of milk that she had gotten with the bubbly and sighed. "When
you're with your friends, you tease right? You make jokes, sometimes
insults but they're always in fun and aren't taken as serious, right?"

"Oh I'm a big teaser, but usually when I insult folks, I mean what I say."
Qorri gave a small smile at that. "I've known a lot of men to do that to
each other though. They usually think it's funny."

"Right. It's usually the guys I joke around with in that fashion. They
do it all the time to each other. And when I do it to them, they just
laugh. But R'enh took offense." And that just seemed odd to Meledei.

"Hmm well...do you know if he had anything going on right then? Something
that he was already upset about and then maybe you just happened to push
the wrong button at the wrong time?" Qorri didn't know of anything, but she
didn't keep tabs on R'enh much anyway.

"No, I don't. He was in a perfectly good mood when we started
chatting." Meledei sighed and leaned her chin against her hand. "And
then I went to go apologize."

"Aye?" Qorri encouraged, eating some of the food again as she listened.

"He said I had to be careful of what I said because of who I am and who
Elleth is." Meledei sighed and played with her glass again. "Then he
said maybe it was just a learning experience and we move on."

"Hmm... The thing is, Meledei, even though you are a goldrider, you are
still
young. You're a child sweetling and you should be able to act young
sometimes.
You'll grow and mature and change-but you're not there yet. R'enh is a
grown
adult who is no longer at the same stage of life you are. Sounds to me
like he thinks
you should grow up quicker just because you ride gold which I think is
stupid."
Of course Qorri would probably shelter Meledei for as long as she could,
but that
was neither here nor there. "The other possibility is he was having a
bad day or what
I call a man-fit. Like when we're about to start our menses...sometimes
they just get
grumpy too." She shrugged, offering up her thoughts on things without
having been there.
"Either way, I wouldn't let it bother you."

"Well, the thing is, _that_ didn't bother me so much." Meledei's
fingers slid up and down the side of the glass. "What bothered me was
what he said when I asked if we were still friends. Well...really, _how_
he said it."

"And what was that?" If he had hurt her little goldrider's feelings, so
help
him....

"He said yes we were still friends...and that if I would excuse him he
had work to do." Meledei sighed again and shook her head. "It was more
how he said it. It was...very cold. To be honest...I can't believe
him. If we're still friends...I don't think he would have dismissed me
like that. That's not how you treat someone who you still consider a
friend."

"He was having a manfit," she declared. "And he had no right to make you
feel bad like that. And nevermind-wingsecond or not, he shouldn't a dismiss
a goldrider even if you are young. Maybe he'll realize he was stupid and
come say he was sorry." **Oh he will and sooner than he knows**

"I don't know." Meledei's mouth quirked. "Part of me is sorry that
what I said hurt him. Part of me feels like he was over reacting
especially since I've heard plenty of guys insult each other for fun.
But what do I know. I'm still young." She shrugged and then stood. "I
should get going. Thanks for listening, Qorri."

"You're welcome. It was just a shame he didn't get the joke." Which meant
he had a personal reason for getting upset. "Don't trouble yourself, pretty girl."

Last updated on the March 2nd 2013

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Friendship Blues