Lunch Date

Writers: Ames, Miriah
Date Posted: 29th April 2013

Characters: Z'an, Gelira
Description: Z'an and Gelira meet for a lunch date
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 1, day 10 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Rhosyn, Y'gel

Z'an

He had liked the pretty little thing guarding Rhosyn. She was firm and
no nonsense, but blushed prettily. It was charming. On his free day,
Z'an made a point of flying to River Bluff, not to see Rhosyn, but to
see if he could see that pretty little smile again. He had to ask a few
people at the Weyr how to find the girl, but his natural charm
and good nature aided him; he found where she could be found rather
quickly. Waiting outside of the barracks and leaning against Vicarth,
he waited.

Gelira was pleased to have a free day. She was hoping to catch up a
bit on her craft studies, but she was also eager to simply relax. She
had been quite busy for quite some time and today, well, today she
wasn't. Still twirling her hair up off her neck, she hummed to herself
as she placed a pin into the mass of brown hair. As she exited the
barracks, she smiled. It was nice to know she could spend some time
outdoors. It was a favorite pastime of hers, but she'd become so
engrossed in her duties, her studies, and her candidate training, that
she hadn't been able to enjoy her time the way she used to.

Not really watching where she was going, she nearly bumped right into Z'an.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she paused, tilted her head looking at him, and then
smiled. "Hello again."

Z'an smiled widely. "There you are. I was wondering when
you might make an appearance." He patted Vicarth's side
before standing straight. "I was wondering if you'd take me
up on my offer of lunch?"

"Oh," Gelira replied, slightly surprised. She hadn't _really_ expected
him to come, but she was flattered that he had. "Sure, I would enjoy
that very much. I happen to be free right now. Shall we?"

"Only too happy to." He gestured to Vicarth before offering his
arm. "I'd better introduce you before he complains that I'm rude...
again. Gelira, this is my stodgy companion, Vicarth. " The brown
snorted and turned his head to peer at Gelira with gently whirling
eyes. Z'an suddenly chuckled. "And he says he's not stodgy, but
someone has to be serious in our relationship."

She chuckled softly. "Hello Vicarth," Gelira greeted the brown,
reaching her hand out, she asked him, "May I?" Her eyes never wavered
from the dragon's as she waited. When he had shown he was okay with
her touch, Gelira gently patted him on his head, smiling.

"You've got your hands full with this one," she joked, shaking her
head in Z'an's direction, a smile lighting up her face at the light
teasing.

"I would say he has his talons full with me." Z'an replied promptly,
causing Vicarth to give a soft snort of agreement before settling
on the ground. "He'll stay here and eye the greens for a while,
so we'll have plenty of time to chat." Z'an turned back to Gelira and
gently tucked her hand in his arm. "So, Gelira, lead the way on to food."

She gave the dragon one last pat and smile, before turning back to Z'an.

"Come on, this way," she said, motioning for him to follow her. "Which
Weyr did you say you were from?" She couldn't remember if he'd told
her or not, so she figured that was a safe way to ask the question,
without him thinking her foolish.

He walked beside her, keeping a playful grin. "Dolphin Cove."
He bent to whisper conspiratorially. "But I visit here often
enough." He stood straighter and as they found the Dining
Hall, he ushered her in before him and moved towards the
tables with the piping hot food. Winking at her, he handed
her a plate. "Can't keep a man from food too long."

She chuckled at that. Gelira liked him. He was pleasant to be around
and had a good sense of humor as well. Filling her own plate, she
motioned for him to follow. "Come on, over here. There's a place we
can sit together." Sliding in among many of the others, they found a
place that still gave them enough privacy to be able to talk over the
din of the crowd of diners.

Sliding into a seat, Z'an made a show of resting his chin on his
hand to look over at Gelira. "So...tell me all about you. I'm easy
enough to know. Brownrider, I'm at Dolphin Cove, and most people
find me charming and irreverent. But I know nothing about
you other than you know how to fend off us men with
grace despite our pouts and pleas."

She chuckled, her eyes dancing with mirth. "Oh, I'm sure there's way
more to you than _just_ that, and I wouldn't mind finding out some of
those things." She liked this brownrider, more than she could say
she'd liked any of the others at her own Weyr. She wasn't sure what it
was about him, and truthfully she didn't care. Gelira was just happy
to feel young and free and alive while she was with him.

"My father's Y'gel. I'm sure you've heard of him." He was a rather
well known dragonhealer on all of Pern. "So I've been training to be a
dragonhealer, but without a dragon, I may be forced to follow a
different path in the near future." She shrugged at that, though
inside she _did_ wonder why she hadn't been chosen recently. "I've
stood for more hatchings than I care to remember, but truthfully I
didn't _want_ to Impress at most of them." She didn't often talk about
her feelings, but Z'an made her feel comfortable and for some reason
him not being from River Bluff made it easier to explain things to.

"I have indeed!" Z'an nodded as he took a bite of tuber, chewed
and then swallowed. "Smart man, from what I've heard. Since you're his
daughter, then you've got a bit of a step ahead of your peers."
He paused from his eating to tilt his head to look at her, then laid
his eating knife down to pay close attention. "Why did you not?"
He had Impressed his first Hatching, and couldn't imagine not
wanting an egg immediately. "Is there something that was
holding you back?"

She wasn't sure why she had told him in the first place, but now that
she had she needed to explain. Looking down at her plate, Gelira
frowned, taking a moment to consider what she wanted to say and how
she wanted to say it.

Looking up her face was more serious. "I was 10 when the Pass started.
I was here." She was speaking slowly, a shadow of sadness evident in
her eyes. "_Many_ riders fell. We weren't prepared the way we thought.
My mother..." her voice broke a bit and she looked down again so he
wouldn't see the tears that lingered still in her eyes. "We lost her
that day," she finished on a whisper.

Pushing his plate away to give her his full attention, Z'an's usual sunny
demeanor fell when she described the first fall. He remembered it all
too well. A light hand fell on her shoulder, giving her a comforting
embrace. "I'm so very sorry." It was no wonder she was uncertain
about Impressing, especially with that loss.

She gave him a sad smile, accepting and appreciating his words. They
were different than the words of sympathy she'd grown tired of in the
past.

"It wasn't easy, but things are better now. I am ready now to have my
dragon find me. Whenever that might be." She hoped sooner, but only
time would tell.

Z'an nodded. "I can't say I can relate," he admitted. I Impressed my
first Standing. I wasn't expecting it, really. I thought I was meant to be
a Harper."

She smiled at him, "Things don't always seem to work out the way we
hope or plan. Life has a funny way of taking control and showing us
that we're not really the ones _in_ control."

"Exactly, for instance, you didn't expect to meet me, either." He flashed
her a grin, wanting to get away from the serious subject and into something
lighter. "Nor I you. Life is good." He lifted his glass in a salute. "To
pretty candidates with pretty smiles."

She couldn't help it, she blushed then. "To strong, friendly
brownriders as well," Gelira replied lifting her own glass.

Last updated on the May 6th 2013

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Lunch Date