First Meeting, Again

[Dragon]

G'han was in his weyr, putting the last thing in it's place. For the past few days he had visitors in and out his place. Some frequented more than others, some simply stopped by once to welcome him back. But there had been one familiar face or two that hadn't yet gotten around to him. It didn't bother him, really. People were busy, they had their duty and he had his. Infact, as a dragonrider, G'han was drilled with duty since he was first bonded to Gerenanth.

Speaking of the beast, the bronze lay at the ledge sunning himself lazily. G'han walked over towards him and and scratched his side. A smile played his features, perhaps in appreciation of the beast. Certainly the two had an interesting relationship now than when they first started out. Started out here. Here, where he did so much growing. Telgar contributed in it's own way, certainly, but not like Dark Moon did.

She'll come around. Gerenanth broke through his thoughts with a tone that was both commanding yet lazy.

G'han gave a puzzled look at his dragon. "Who will come around?", he asked confused. G'han had to blink a few times, before he finally got it. However, Gerenanth was well into explaining at this point.

The woman you spent most of your life with here. That's who. Gerenanth's tone was a bit irritated at having to clarify himself, but it was still lazy.

G'han looked at his dragon for a moment. Gerenanth certainly couldn't have read his mind, could he? He was certain he wasn't even thinking of her. But perhaps he was.

I took the liberty of contacting Mneith. I told him mine would like to see his. Gerenanth's tone was sly, and by this point no laziness in it.

"You did WHAT?!", G'han shouted, putting emphasis on the last word and totally in shock now by his dragon's actions.

Gerenanth fell silent, but there seemed to be a dragonic grin on his face. G'han wanted to curse at his dragon's actions. Such a meeting, especially under the circumstances, was too unpredictable. Afterall, one of two extremes could happen. She'd either slap him across his face, or be glad to see he'd returned. Though G'han wouldn't put it past her to do both. "Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later. Too bad it's not on my terms", G'han finally said, eyeing Gerenanth.

[Spirithawk]

Rhia watched as the Weyrlings threw the last sacks of firestone into the pile. It was dirty work, that much was certain and all of them and the new dragonets were covered in the black dust that came along with putting firestone in the sacks. The previous Weyrlings had had a lot of time on their hands and had made a nice pile of firestone to be put into sacks for the dragons. The current Weyrlings had been doing just that.

She felt and probably looked grubby. The first thing she would do when she finished with her pupils was go for a bath to wash off the most of the grime. Then she would head out to the lake and see if the water had cleared yet since the hurricane. If not, then she and Mneith would head out to the beach. The giant brown needed a good scrubbing. He was looking just as grimy as she was.

I do not.

She ran an appraising eye over the brown's deep chocolate hide. It looked several shades darker than it normally did from the amount of black dust all over it.

Yeah right.

The dragon snorted. He had been helping move the larger chunks of stone off to the side so they could be broken apart. The little dragonets were looking worn out and the Weyrlings were showing signs of tiring so Rhia decided to call it a day. They had gotten quite a bit of work done today with exercising the dragonets growing wings. The Weyrlings had done their laps around the bowl and then more exercises in bonding with their dragons and then she had stopped for midday and then put them to work with the firestone. She was a little tired herself but she had been up much earlier than her charges had running errands for the Weyrleader.

There weren't many Candidates right now and she had them working with the Weyrlings. What better way to teach them than to include them in the lessons they hoped to be a part of one day. They would get hands on experience with dragonets that the current W'lings hadn't had.

"Allright everyone. That's enough for today. The drudges have some meat cut up for your dragons and they have also gotten the supplies you will need to bathe your dragonets and get most of the dust off yourselves before you go to the Weyrling Barracks. Candidates, you help wash the dragonets. There are barrels of water and buckets for you to rinse them and sweetsand to scrub them. They have also brought oil for you to oil them when you are done bathing them. Make sure to oil them well because otherwise their hides will crack and that could be deadly *between.*

The drudges would supervise them as they bathed the dragonets. The W'lings should have that mastered by now and Rhia felt she and Mneith both had earned a rest. She climbed up the giant brown's shoulder and slid between the neck ridges for the short ride up to their weyr. Rehan and Giana were playing somewhere with Chiron, like usual with a watchful drudge keeping an eye on them.

Gerenanth says that his chosen would like to see you.

G'han? Surprise registered in her mental voice.

Who else? There was a certain smugness in his voice. He knew that it was Gerenanth who had taken the initiative but that wouldn't matter once their chosens met. He knew that Rhia had never spoken about him since he left for Telgar without a word to her. They had drifted apart before he left but he still could have said that he was leaving. She had found out from Christae that he had transferred out for training.

Why would I want to see him?

You'll have to sooner or later.

Rhia sighed. Very well. But I want a bath first and he can meet us wherever we decide to go to get you cleaned. You wait until we decide and then tell him if he wants to see me I will see him there.

She leapt off his back and stormed in to her weyr. He had been back several days and he had not contacted her before. Granted, she hadn't contacted him but that was besides the point. He was the one who had decided to transfer and hadn't contacted her or his kids since. Lately the twins had been babbling about him and his bronze and it infuriated her that he had just waltzed back into their lives like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't been gone for most of their nearly 3 Turns of life.

She forced herself to calm down and hurriedly washed off most of the grime and changed her clothing. She put on something that was tossed off to be washed and placed a clean change of clothes in her bag so that she could dress in clean clothes once she got her dragon cleaned and oiled. Her bathing suit went on under her clothes and she grabbed a pair of soft wher-hide sandals that would dry quickly in the Southern sun if she got them wet.

The ride down to the lake was quiet. Rider and dragon didn't really need to chatter to fill up their time. The lake still looked a bit murky so Rhia directed Mneith to the beach.

Tell him we are at the beach. She was a bit shorter with her dragon than she normally was but for once he didn't admonish her for it. He knew she wasn't exactly in a good mood. She stripped down to her suit and dove into the water.

Gerenanth, mine said that if he wants to see her he has to come to the beach. She's bathing me.

[Dragon]

We will go to the beach and meet her there. Gerenanth finally spoke up as he started to move around and stretch.

G'han sighed and shook his head. No point in going against this now. That'd just be worse for everyone. "If she kills me, you're going down with me you know", he said humorly, but laced with irritation. The bronzerider decided his current attire was enough and hopped on Gerenanth.

Traveling there, G'han was quiet. What in the world would he say to her? What was there to be said? Well, now was the time to figure it out. Gerenanth landed smoothely as ever, as if trying to look like some regal prince arriving on the scene. Though that was usually Gerenanth's perspective, so full of himself. G'han, however, dismounted casually. They weren't far from the pair at all, but G'han did have to take some steps in her direction before he finally hit water.

There wasn't anything he could think of to start off this conversation, but whatever he said she should be able to hear him. "Hi", G'han said a bit awkwardly with a goofy grin on his face, evidence of how awkward he felt. Perhaps waving didn't help the picture either, but he did. Eyes shifted to the side, as if to glance at Gerenanth one last time to fuss at him, but he trained them back on Rhia quickly enough to get her reaction.

And here we go. Gerenanth said to himself, allowing only G'han to hear his words.

[Spirithawk]

Rhia had been swimming with steady strokes away from the shore. Mneith bugled a greeting to the bronze, both to warn his rider and to greet the other dragon. Rhia turned in time to see G'han waving to her with a goofy look on his face and she sighed before heading back in to shore. She stood when she reached a depth where she could touch and pulled her auburn mass of hair away from her face.

"Hello G'han." Her voice was carefully neutral and her grey eyes were shielded. As WLM and CM and one of Christae's messengers she had learned to keep her opinions and emotions to herself.

She walked over to her things and pulled out a bag of sweetsand. Mneith waded into the water and happily splashed to deeper water. He let out a bugle when he realized that the shipfish had come to help and play with him.

Come into the water Gerenanth. It feels great today.

"I need to get the firestone dust off his hide." She said and waited for him to finish blowing off a bit of steam so she could begin scrubbing his hide back to its customary shine.

"So why have you come back?" She said bluntly, meeting his eyes squarely.

[Dragon]

G'han's eyes tracked Rhia's every movement. He was wary, that was for certain, but there was more to it. Well, the more positive reaction of a warm greeting was shot down. So G'han figured which way this would end up going.

Really? I must test it out for myself. Gerenanth's tone was something playful and excited over the little scenerio he just caused. Gerenanth lumbered his way over to Mneith and started to splash around. You're right, it is. The bronze agreed with delight.

A careful response to his greeting, then an offhand comment on what she needed to do with her dragon, now a blunt question. G'han felt it too, something like a punch to the gut that came out of nowhere. But he was sure not to show it as he locked eyes with her. His eyes certainly held a soft nature to them as he looked at her, as if he were searching her eyes for the answer. "Well", he started, "Telgar got wind that Dark Moon could use some transfers. What better transfer than someone with experience of the place?", the question was rhetorical of course. "So", G'han dragged out the last vowel of the word, "How's it been?", he questioned as if this were some simple conversation.

[Spirithawk]

Rhia was careful to keep her face neutral even though she saw the softness in his eyes. Hers were guarded. "It's been great. The Weyr has been topsy turvy since Sh'iron left and Christae has been having to take on most of the burden herself and put some of the weight on her senior riders. I've been handling both the Weyrlingmaster and Candidate master positions and running messages for Christae. Rehan and Giana are a handful and I barely get to spend time with them with my duties. I don't know if they notice though because they are usually wreaking havoc with Chiron. We had to chase them out of the Hatching Caverns a lot when Kaith was there with her last clutch. I always make time in the evening to spend time with them. This evening I promised them that we would go for a ride on Mneith."

"What do you intend to do now that you are here? You didn't contact us for almost 3 turns and now you just show back up here. I could care less for myself but you've confused the shards out of the twins. They keep asking me questions that I can't answer." A bit of anger flecked her tone before she put an iron clamp on her emotions again.

[Dragon]

Shi'ron's leave was something G'han had heard of, yes. Of course Christae must have had work up to her ears since then. G'han simply nodded along as she answered his question.

But of course she soon switched the conversation. And shot back with a question of her own. G'han did note the flicker in her eyes and knew his words would have to be chosen carefully. Though he had to be honest with himself, he didn't know how to word his answer. "I intend to do what my duties require of me", he said simply. Simply, but there was more behind those words than simply his duties as a dragonrider. He carefully looked over Rhia, wondering just what her reaction would be. He had no intention to fight her over anything. Not over what happened between them, not over anything else. But he did note she was holding back some emotion. A part of him hoped it would stay that way, but a part of him thought she wouldn't hold her tongue for long.

[Spirithawk]

"Duties? Now is a fine time for you to think about your duties." Her voice was flat. "You aren't the one who has to deal with confused children. They didn't remember you. You left when they were too little. They knew their father was a bronzerider and he had transferred. They were fine. Now you return and just announce that you are their father without consulting me. What right did you have? You left. You shirked your duties. Now you want to come back and just pick them back up."

"What makes you think I would even allow it? What right did you have to turn their world upside down again? At the very least you should have done me the courtesy of letting me know you were back and meeting with me to discuss how this would be handled." If he expected an outburst, he was going to be sadly mistaken. She was not as much of a firebrand as she had been. She had matured a lot since he had last seen her. Her voice was deadly calm and devoid of emotion and her eyes were still carefully guarded.

"Instead, you just show up and announce that you are their father like it makes no difference. I come home from taking the Candidates out on a field trip and have to deal with my children trying to figure out why their father didn't want them before and why he has come back. They ask me if he will leave again and why he doesn't come live with us. I haven't had time to talk to them about it. I have no answers for a lot of their questions because most of their answers rely on you."

Mneith was cavorting in the waves but he was also listening carefully. He wanted to make sure his rider would be fine but he was also concerned for the safety of the bronzerider. Sooner or later they would have to at least become friends for the little hatchlings sake.

[Dragon]

Alright, G'han was expecting something like that he must admit. But he could only go with what was fact. "I don't think my decision was smart, no. But I did know that they'd have found out eventually", G'han spoke in a more serious tone.

G'han could think of so many things to say, but many of them wouldn't have been a good idea. He had his own burns, but that wasn't the topic at hand. What they were speaking about now, this had been his fault in many ways.

Gerenanth splashed closer to Mneith. It will take time. But I think it's possible those two will work things out. Mine will want to anyway, if only for the sake of his little ones. Gerenanth spoke to Mneith alone as he looked over to the two.

G'han cleared his throat and spoke again. "I'll admit, it's a decision I regretted", he admitted. He then turned his head to the side and cocked an eyebrow, giving her a strange look. "Wait just a minute. When did you happen to return to the weyr? You left before I did. You didn't leave the kids here when you left, did you?", G'han asked her, realizing the full scope of things. As far as G'han knew she was the first to leave, and she took the kids with her.

[Spirithawk]

Rhia looked confused. "Are you talking about today? The kids are with the Headwoman, like usual. Christae asked me to run some errands later and she asked one of the drudges to take care of Chiron. The Headwoman stepped in and said she would keep an eye on all three of them because she's going through what supplies we have to see what we need to replenish. With the Hatching coming up we're going to need more supplies and some of the Holds don't want to send their tithes. I was going to take them to the beach but they wanted to play with Chiron."

She looked annoyed. "Who are you to question my mothering skills? Of course I know where my kids are."

Rhia had a feeling that G'han was talking about something else but she wasn't sure.

She is very stubborn and she was really hurt when he came back from that flight. She was also confused and hurt when he left and didn't come back. She was more concerned about her hatchlings. She didn't want to foster them out. No one would take both of them and she didn't want them separated. Luckily the Weyr had stepped in to help the two new mothers keep their children with them instead of fostering them. There weren't enough riders and drudges to foster them out in the Weyr anyway. They would have had to be sent to a hold.

[Dragon]

"No. You left without saying a word", G'han's tone was serious, his face was lined with tension. Obviously he was stepping into a subject that was giving him plenty of grief and pain. "We had that big fight, then you left", G'han told her, remembering it all like it was yesterday and taking a tiny step forward. But G'han was intent on keeping some of that emotion bottled up. That whole arguement and what happened after was a deep wound.

Hm. Gerenanth was pondering to himself over everything from his rider's perspective. I remember that arguement. I didn't catch that green, mine made sure I didn't even participate. Gerenanth had to admit, he would like to have participated in that flight. That green was quite a beauty. He understood his rider's reasons, however. My rider left shortly after yours did. Gerenanth wrapped the story up neatly.

[Spirithawk]

"I had a mission from Christae. I had to leave right away. I left the kids with her. I told you all this. Why on Faranth's green Pern are you quesitoning me about this now? I left you a letter." Her voice was more than annoyed. It revealed a temper barely held in check. The fury and hurt she had felt at the time he had left was still there, buried deeply.

Thats not what the rider from Telgar said. Mneith's mental voice was bland. He had been just as furious as his rider.

[Dragon]

G'han raised an eyebrow as the creases in his forehead formed. "Letter? What are you talking about? I received no letter at all", G'han was clearly agitated. He wouldn't have been so reckless if he'd heard some word from her. But his mind was made up when he was sure she had left the weyr. "I would have noticed a letter", G'han said bluntly.

He was lying. G'han tried to point that out. I'd certainly have admitted to catching that beauty of a green. But G'han did the right thing and I didn't participate. Gerenanth's tone was earnest, conveying truth to the brown.

[Spirithawk]

"I made sure to write you a letter to let you know I would be back the next day around sunset. I put the letter on the bed because I knew you would see it there. I told you the kids were with Christae if you wanted to go pick them up and I would be back to talk to you when I finished with Christae's errand. If you hadn't been so caught up with dragonlust you might have seen it." The last sentence held a bit of a snarl of anger.

He said that it was a bronze from another weyr that caught the green. You weren't back when you were supposed to be. The rider remembered you being in the weyr and taking off after the green rose. His dragon even remembered it. The brown's voice held a bit of confusion. If you weren't flying to go after her then where were you going? They were certain that it was a bronze from another weyr that caught her.

[Dragon]

"Oh here we go! It wasn't me at all! If you'd sheath that tongue of yours and if you really had any trust for me, you'd kow I wouldn't do something like that to you", G'han snapped at her. "How much did I trust you with?! How far did I go to prove myself to you for you to just assume I would do something like that to you", G'han was catching himself from shouting that much was obvious but it wasn't going well. Anyone near the lake could hear him. But after a moment or two of quietness, he calmed himself. "You obviously don't know me", G'han said camly and quietly with eyes closed and fists clinched. All this time and she didn't trust his own word, but that of some mistaken stranger.

"Instead, you trust some stranger's nonsense and think me a wherryhead to believe you left some note on the bed of all places. I would have noticed it. Don't think so lowly of me", G'han's voice was still quiet but there was a bite to it. This subject was like throwing salt into an open wound...then plunging a knife into it.

If he saw me take flight, then he saw me returning to the weyr. I assure you I didn't catch that green. There was no point in Gerenanth lying about it. I'd have liked nothing more than to catch that green, but my rider wouldn't hear of it. It wasn't an arguement I was willing to start either. But I do recall their being other bronzeriders from other weyrs there. We certainly weren't the only one. I remember that much.

[Spirithawk]

"Sheath my tongue?" Her eyes snapped with cold fury and she couldn't have sounded more furious if she had yelled. "His dragon remembered seeing you there, and remembered seeing YOUR bronze taking off in flight. It was a bronze from another weyr that caught that green. And you tell me that I need to sheath my tongue?"

"Mneith saw me write the letter. So did Christae. Do I have to drag her out here to prove that to you?"

"All I know is that he tells me that and then I get called out on an errand. I left you a note and then when I return you had packed your things and just left. If you weren't guilty then why did you leave like some skulking son of a Bitran? You left me. You left your children without a word and you expect me to trust you?" That last bit definitely came out as a snarl.

Uh oh. I do believe this was a big misunderstanding.

[Dragon]

"It wasn't Gerenanth shardit! You honestly thought I'd have done that to you?", G'han spat back. He calmed himself a bit before continuing. "Gerenanth wasn't happy about my decision, I'll admit. But he did stay out of it. I made him stay out of it and he wasn't about to argue my decision. Go ahead, ask him yourself", G'han told her. He was trying his best to hold back that anger. He had taken such great lengths to show how he had felt about her and what she had meant to him, and this is what he was repaid with. G'han was hurt.

"Show me this supposed note then", G'han challenged her. "I'd like some proof of this. If I had known you had written a note and not just run off, then I wouldn't have taken off as well", he continued. G'han's muscles were tense, every bit of them. His teeth were gritting and his fists were still clinched. He was on edge about this. After all this time and this is what she truely thought of him?

No kidding. Gerenanth replied. Do you think they'll realize it in time? Gerenanth's voice now had a bit of worried tone to it.

[Spirithawk]

I hope so. She's very close to hitting him. Mine has a lot more patience now so I know she's really mad if she wants to hit him. She's bottled up a lot of emotion over the past two turns. Mneith's mental tone was worried as well as he responded to the bronze.

"How can I show you the sharding note? I don't have it! I left it for you. Did you ever think to ask anyone where I was? No, you just up and left! You knew I was Christae's messenger. You knew I was often sent out of the weyr on missions. Yet you just vanished without a word. At least I tried to leave you a note. You never once tried to contact me or your kids. I could care less about myself but no self-respecting father would desert his kids like you did."

"You just left and you expect me to trust you? I would have thought more highly of you if you had just admitted what you had done like a man instead of running and hiding like some tunnel snake! If it wasn't you in that flight then why did you leave?"

"You want proof? Mneith, please tell Kaith I am terribly sorry for disturbing her nap and her rider but Christae is the only one who saw me write that note the day G'han abandoned us and he doesn't want to believe me when I say I left the note. Please bespeak her and ask that Christae verify the fact that there was a note."


Mneith waded closer to the shore. I don't think Kaith would like that. He spoke to both riders. G'han, my bonded did write that letter. Mine, Gerenanth said that there were other bronzes from outside Telgar there and he was flying out of the Weyr, not after the green.

"Mneith you had better not be covering up for him to stop the fight." Her tone was not much calmer when she snapped at her dragon. Mneith was already agitated and it didn't help that his rider was snapping at him now but he didn't say anything. Rhia felt the hurt coming off of him and waded into the water, her temper cooling. "I'm sorry Mneith." She whispered as she pressed herself against her dragon. Tears spilled from her eyes, mingling with the salt water that dampened the brown's supple hide.

[Dragon]

"I did ask! They said you left. And they said it was because of that big arguement we had", G'han snapped back. She wasn't about to think of him as some stupid wherryhead that left for no good reason. G'han had plenty of reason, though it seemed plenty of reason fueled by rumors. After that, it didn't take long for G'han to lose his cool and leave the weyr. There was some irrational decision making on his part, that much was true. But he was no idiot.

G'han was growing furious now. She continued to accuse him of catching that green. "Owning up like a man? I can't own up to something I didn't do. Point again of how little you really did know about me", G'han spat out as he crossed his arms and straightened his posture.

Mneith speaks truth, G'han. Rhia did write that note. Gerenanth replied casually to his rider. But G'han is right, Rhia. He did not find that letter and I did not catch that green. Infact, he insisted I leave so I couldn't start an arguement with him on the matter. Gerenanth stepped up to the plate after Mneith, following his lead trying to dispel the lie this arguement seemed to be based on.

G'han's posture loosened now and some tension left him. Since when did you become a voice of reason you arrogant bronze? G'han had to admit Mneith was a good influence on his bronze and that probably attributed to why Gerenanth's personality changed when he switched weyrs. Then again, he figured Ebbeth would be a bad enough influence on the dragon.

[Spirithawk]

Rhia abruptly brushed away her tears. They would solve nothing. She only hoped he hadn't seen her. The brown sent a wave of encouragement and love to her. All the hurt and anger she harbored over the Turns had left her feeling drained now that things had come to a head.

"G'han I didn't think you would do that to me or the twins. Thats why it hurt more when I heard that from that bluerider and then you left without a word. Your actions didn't exactly make you look innocent."

"And I don't know who you talked to. The only one who knew that I was pissed was Christae, unless some drudge overheard and spread rumors. I wanted to talk to you first but then when I got back you were gone. I didn't know where you went and I was too proud to ask Christae where you had transferred to."

Mneith snaked his head around and gently prressed his massive, wedge-shaped head against his rider for support. I think you both owe each other an apology. The brown broadcasted his message to Gerenanth but not G'han. He was hoping the other dragon would take the hint and encourage his rider to apologize as well.

"G'han. I am sorry." Rhia was a proud woman and it took her a lot to say that but she also knew when she was wrong.