Ideals

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 12th August 2006

Characters: Larken, M'tone
Description: M'tone takes Larken out to see wild fire-lizards, and he asks her more personal questions
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 14 of Turn 3

The note the kitchen worker slipped into Larken's lap as she ate was short and sweet.

"Meet me by the first path into the trees in on candlemark. - M'tone."

Larken made herself finish chewing--slowly--before reading it over one more time. Then, glancing to her left and then to her right, she quietly rolled it up and stuck it in her pocket. One candlemark... That gave her enough time to finish eating and get back to her weyr with time enough to change. Was he here? The young woman looked up again, searching for him.

Her eyes fell on him as he stood in the doorway, looking straight at her with a knowing look on his face. His lips spread into a confident smile before he turned to go. He glanced at her once more over his shoulder as he walked out the door of the dining hall. The brownrider knew she would be there.

~*~

The memory of that smile still made her stomach flutter in ways she knew it shouldn't as she walked down the pathway. Shards--it was practically deserted at this time of day. And perhaps that was a good thing... Looking down, Larken smoothed her hands against the neckline of her blouse and across the front of her skirts, glad that she'd taken the time to change out of her puttering clothes. These were certainly much more flattering...

**Shards, Larken, what are you thinking?**

Taking in a deep breath, she stopped at the destined place and peered into the trees.

The brownrider leaned out from behind a tree further down the path and beckoned her further in.

With her heart in her mouth--why did it feel like she was doing something she shouldn't really be doing?--she hesitantly came closer.

"Have you ever seen firelizards in the wild?" the brownrider asked.

She shook her head. "Never. I lived far inland my whole life up until now."

"Well, then, come on, let's go," he grinned as he offered her his arm. "Go ahead and take it. I don't want you to trip and fall."

She glanced up at him as she slid her arm through his, wondering how she could trip and fall on a smooth pathway. But she certainly didn't mind having this innocent excuse to touch him... "Do they come around only during this time of the Turn?"

"I don't know. They actually haven't been in this particular place I'm taking you since I was a boy. I found out they came back and I thought you might like to see," he said as he lead her further down the path. "There's a break up ahead there where the path splits into two. You can barely see the second branch because it isn't used often. Only adolescent weyrbrats who want to get out of the Weyr for a little privacy, if you know what I mean."

"You mean to behave like young people do?" she asked with an amused grin, glancing down that path.

"Something like that," he chuckled. "Did you ever behave as young people do?" the brownrider asked curiously.

She blushed. "Not really. I didn't have...sweethearts, growing up. But no doubt you did?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Oh, of course. Few Weyrbrats don't, really." He looked at her a moment, studying her face. "Why didn't you have any sweethearts? You're sharding gorgeous, there must have been lads scrambling all over each other to get a chance with you. Were you saving yourself for some particular reason?"

"My husband." She ducked her head shyly. "Whoever he was going to be."

"Did you know that would be Ojisan?" he asked curiously.

Larken shook her head. "Not until I was seventeen."

He gently turned her off the main path to follow a small trail, lifting a few low hanging branches out of their way. "Is he what you pictured your husband would be? I'm sure if you cared enough to save yourself you must have had an ideal in mind."

She glanced at him. "Women in the Holds never get their ideals, M'tone.
It just...doesn't work that way."

"But you _had_ one, right?" he prodded. "Come on. It's just us, and no one else will hear you out here."

Worrying her lower lip, she glanced down to the path. "My ideal... He was more emotions I felt than an actual image." She flushed, wondering what on Pern had made her tell him that. What was it about him that made her want to say things that certainly shouldn't be said out loud?

"Go on," he encouraged her. "What kind of emotions?"

"Oh, I don't know..." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Like, the feelings I'd get if he laughed with me, or teased me--I always thought he'd have a marvelous sense of humor...."

"Charming? Brave? Great smile?" he asked as he released her arm to take her hand and help her over a fallen log.

Hiking up her skirts in her other hand, she clambered over it rather gracelessly. Shards...she wished she had known to dress in more outdoorsy-like clothes. "Charming...yes. And yes, I pictured him with a great smile." She blushed. "He'd have a dimple here," she touched the left corner of her mouth. "Shards, I must sound like I'm thirteen Turns old."

"No, you sound like a woman who knows what she wants. Well, knows what she _wanted_," he smiled. "Uh oh," he chuckled as they came up upon a small stream. "I forgot about this part. It's not deep, but I doubt you want to have a wet skirt, so..." The brownrider bent down and lifted the surprised young woman into his arms. "You're even lighter than I thought!
Allow me, my lady."

They were so close... Blushing again, she stared down into his face, noticing for the first time that he had flecks of gray in his eyes. Though Larken knew it was highly improper to look at him like this, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. She wondered if his skin was as smooth as it looked.

"You know, it's a good thing you and I didn't meet when you were young," the brownrider smiled as he stepped into the shallow creek.

She blinked, shaking herself from her thoughts. "Oh?"

"Yes. I would have fallen madly in love with your gentle blue eyes and heart-stopping smile, and you would have just shattered my poor young heart into a thousand pieces, because," he set her down gently on the other side, "as you can see I have no dimples at all." The brownrider gave her a grin just to prove it.

She couldn't help it--she grinned back. "That's very true. But...you're charming. You have that point going for you."

M'tone smiled and reached down to take her hand once more. "So do you think that if you had met me when you were young and unmarried, you might have noticed me despite my dimple-less face?"

Peeking up at him through her lashes, she nodded slowly. **Like I notice you now....** Ashamed, she bit her lip. What was she thinking? **Don't go down that path, Larken...**

A small smile touched his lips. It was amused, and yet at the same time, his eyes held a hint of regret. There was no going back in time now...
"Come on," he said, giving her hand a gentle tug, "I can hear them now."

Last updated on the August 14th 2006

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Ideals