Solitaire

Writers: Cali, Eimi
Date Posted: 20th October 2005

Characters: B'vin, D'cal
Description: B'vin is back in his weyr but still unable to do much, so D'cal comes and visits.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 9 of Turn 3

}: Serenth says her rider is free. :{

**Great! You want to visit them?**

}: Yes. Serenth is a very nice green, I think, :{ Aosorath replied.

D'cal laughed at his blue's tone. "Well, then, we'd better go!"

"B'vin?" he called as he walked into the greenrider's weyr. "Where are
you?"

"Over here." B'vin grunted from the darkened corner where his bed was.
He hadn't bothered opening his glows, so the only light came from
Serenth's ledge, and her bulk was blocking part of that.

The weyrling followed the sound of his friend's voice. He smiled,
happy
to see his friend. "So, this is where you got to!"

If it had been anyone else smiling at him the way he was feeling, B'vin
would have surely spouted off some snide comment; but D'cal always had
a way of making him not so angry and he never minded his good moods.
"You might want to open a couple glow baskets on the ledge there so you
don't trip over my clothes on the floor. I haven't been much up for
housekeeping lately."

"That's all right. No one could blame you." D'cal lit the glows and
began picking up the clothes strewn about. "I'll make sure these are
taken care of by the laundry."

B'vin sighed and pulled himself up into a sitting position on the bed.
"D'cal don't. I appreciate it, but really, it's okay."

"What, are _you_ going to do this?" he asked with a chuckle. "Don't
worry, B'vin. I can talk and pile your clothes in _one_ pile at the
same time."

Conceding the point, B'vin simply nodded. While he had been allowed to
leave the infirmary and stay in his own Weyr with Serenth, he was still
mostly unable to do day to day activities. The Thread had damaged the
muscles in his hip and thigh making it hard to walk or bend. The
physical therapy with the healers seemed to be improving things, but
they left him drained and sore.

"You became rather quiet all of a sudden. Are you all right?"

He thought about lying. He thought about saying he was tired (which he
was actually), and that was the reason he was quiet. But he didn't
like lying to D'cal. "I just... I don't like others doing for me is
all." he admitted not quite able to meet his eyes. "My father says it
makes people weak."

His friend threw the last shirt on the pile and sat gently down on the
edge of the bed by his friend. "Well, I think even your father would
understand considering the circumstances."

"I doubt it." B'vin replied with a frown as he thought about his
father's reaction.

D'cal's eyebrows raised slightly. "He sounds like a hard man."

He shrugged, "Aren't all fathers?"

"Well, I wouldn't call my father _hard_." D'cal was surprised, he
hadn't thought about his father for a while.

B'vin had meant the comment more rhetorical than conversational and
decided he didn't want to go down memory lane with this bluerider, even
if he was the closest thing he'd had to a real friend. "I uh, did you
come by for anything in particular?" he tried to change the subject,
"I've uh, got to take Serenth to the feeding grounds and since I can't
ride her down, I've got to take the stairs and uh, it takes awhile with
these crutches."

"No, I just came to visit. I'll walk you down."

"Oh, that's okay. I didn't mean I needed to do it now," he tried to
backpedal. He _really_ didn't want D'cal to see him trying to hobble
down those stairs. "I was just, you know, if you had something in
particular I wanted to make sure there was enough time is all."

"Ah. Well, I just came to check and see how you're healing. And to
keep you company for a while since I'm sure you're getting pretty bored
just _sitting_ here."

"Well, It _is_ pretty boring here with just Serenth to keep me
company," he replied and added in a whisper, "she's not much for card
playing."

}: Aosorath doesn't think I'm boring. :{ Serenth purred.

B'vin ignored her comment and tried to ignore her tone. She was such a
flirt sometimes and it made him uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" D'cal asked as a strange look passed over the
greenrider's face. "Are you in pain?"

"No," he said exasperated, "Serenth's just in one of her moods. Now
how about those cards?"

"Sure. Do you have a deck? I can get them."

Pulling the well played cards from behind his pillow he grinned,
"Already got them." at D'cal's confused look he explained, "Lots and
lots of solitaire."

D'cal's features spread into a smile. "Well, why don't we play
'Threadfall' then?"

B'vin nodded and separated out the cards into two equal stacks.
"Ready, Go!"

D'cal flipped over the top card. "Nine!"

At the same time, B'vin flipped over his. "Three."

"Ha!" D'cal took both cards and added them to his pile. "All right...
Two! Shards."

"Lady!" B'vin said happily until he saw D'cal's draw, "Oh, what a waste
of a Lady!" But a win was a win so he gathered the worthless two and
his Lady and started his pile.

"I dodged a Thread there!" D'cal concentrated on the card and turned
it over quickly. "Ah ha! A Lord Holder! Come on B'vin, lets see what

you can give me for that?"

He grimaced before turning over his card, hoping for one of his twos to
fall. "Five." He sighed as he watched D'cal place the cards on his
pile. He might not be starting off well in the game, but it was much
better than solitaire.

Last updated on the October 20th 2005

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Solitaire