Unsalvagable

Writers: Eimi, Nici
Date Posted: 4th October 2005

Characters: U'kaiah, Jaela
Description: U'kaiah shows up late to dinner with Jaela after the flight at DCW, and they enjoy the pleasure of each other's company in their usual manner
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 8, day 3 of Turn 3

As U'kaiah and Kalamath popped out from /between/ the sudden blast of only slightly warmer air told him he was finally home. The air at Dolphin Cove had been warm, even in the dead of winter. **Well, at least Trae has that to look forward to,** he thought to himself as he looked down on the Weyr he had called his home most of his life. It was good to be back where he belonged, though he felt a small ache of loneliness as he thought that Trae would soon be gone. She was her own Weyrwoman now...

Weyrwoman? **Oh shards.**

}: What? :{
**I need to talk to Jaela. We were supposed to have dinner tonight.**

}: Well, you need to eat. :{
**Yes, I know, but...** There were other implied promises besides a meal, and right now he wasn't so sure he felt like following through on them, or if he would have the energy even if he were in the mood. He had worked off the after affects of the flight quite enthusiastically back at Dolphin Cove... Still, he needed to apologize. He was pretty sure there would be no need to explain.

**Ask Calyth if we can land on her ledge, will you?**

A moment later, Calyth's guarded reply was 'yes', although she also implied to the bronze that her own rider was in a high state of agitation.

}:Calyth says yes, but her rider is not happy. :{
**Why does that not surprise me?** U'kaiah thought as the bronze came to land on the Weyrwoman's ledge.

After taking a moment to greet the senior queen, a few moments to breathe before facing the Weyrwoman, he called out to her. "Jaela? I'm here." He took a few tentative steps inside. U'kaiah never knew what to expect when Jaela was in one of her moods.

Jaela was seated at her table in her main area and it was obvious that she'd picked at her dinner and mostly eaten dessert...and had most of the wine. "Well, I suppose your heart is most definitely healed, bronzerider..." Golds gossiped and by now, half the gold dragons in the SoutherContinent had relayed the rather surprising and stupid occurances at Dolphin Cove. "Had fun working off the flight lust, did we?"

U'kaiah bristled at her words. Just what had she expected him to do?
"I'm sorry, should I have come back to Dragonsfall to work it off?
Should I have come here?"

"It's not like I've never eased the lust of a flight dazed bronzerider, U'kaiah..." She shrugged and poured another glass of wine. "No matter.
What brings you to my humble weyr?" Considering her weyr was anything _but_ humble, from it's elegantly covered floors to the intricate murals etched into the very walls, this was obviously sarcasm and it was obvious that its wielder was prepared to do maximum damage.

"Well, I had been under the understanding that I had been invited before. I didn't realize you had retracted the invitation." The bronzerider's eyes began to grow hard. After the day he had just had he was in no mood for her games.

"I'm surprised you remembered. And don't give me that look, bronzerider.
I lost yet _another_ 'second, this time to gross stupidity so sit down and let's see what of this dinner you were invited to but are now quite late for is still salvagable..." She sighed waved at the covered trays.
"I can have the drudges sent something up if it's too...icky."

U'kaiah's first instinct was to say something in Trae's defense, but he knew, in this case, there was little he could say. It didn't improve his mood at all, but his stomach was suddenly reminding himself that he had not eaten yet. If nothing else, this should be... interesting.
"No, this looks fine. I've been eating nothing but infirmary food after all."

She nodded, uncovering the trays and even going so far as to pour him a glass of wine. Turns of training to be a well bred holder often warred with her almost annoying independence and she made no excuses for that fact. "I ate most of the dessert..." She shrugged. "A weakness I'm afraid." Binging on sweets had kept her from taking Calyth and going to Dolphin Cove and making an ass out of herself so at least the sweets hadn't died in vain.

"That's all right. I'm not in the mood for anything sweet at the moment." The bronzerider said as he reached for fork and began stabbing tubers onto his plate. "It looks like it would have been a wonderful dinner."

Jaela swallowed half her glass of wine before she spoke again. "It would have been a wonderful _evening_, trust me."

"Well, I'm sorry I ruined your evening," the bronzerider snapped as he stabbed one of the tubers on his plate. It's not like it was _his_
fault, was it?

One of her brows rose. "Why are you snapping at me, U'kaiah?"

His eyes rolled. He wished sometimes the woman could hear herself.
"Come on, Jaela. Since the moment I stepped in your weyr you have been sarcastic and practically accusing. This was not my fault, you know."

"Why was Traelyn at Dolphin Cove?"

"I didn't ask her to come." His jaw tightened as he met her eyes. That one had hit home.

She smiled. "That's not what I asked you, U'kaiah. Why was Traelyn at Dolphin Cove?"

He refused to feel guilty about what happened. It wasn't his fault. He didn't know Nyinth would rise. He didn't know their senior queen would never rise again. He didn't know Trae knew where he was... Then why did he feel so responsible? Why did it feel like guilt was knawing away at his insides? "Because she heard I went to the Dolphin Hall this morning and she paniced."

Jaela poured herself another glass. "I wonder if perhaps you're worried about the wrong goldrider breaking your heart, U'kaiah. You defend her vociferously, she follows you foolishly, ignoring the state of her dragon, and endagering any other gold who might have been in residence, and you look as guilty as a boy with his hand caught in the sweets jar."

"I know what goldrider I want, Jaela. Trae has only ever been a friend to me, and now that is all I can ever see her as being. I love her as much as I can love any friend, but I don't love her like..." He stabbed another tuber. "I know what I want and it's not her."

"And said with such affection that I have no choice but to believe you!" she replied, the sarcasm melting into a teasing tone. "What did those poor tubers _do_ to you?"

He grabbed his glass and emptied it down his throat. U'kaiah could tried not to let a growl slip into his words. "It isn't my fault that she cares for me."

"No, it's not. And it's not your fault that she's so blinded by _whatever_ that she risked another gold dragon, nor is it your fault that's she's completely irresponsible." She shrugged. Personally, she thought Traelyn's sudden friendships to be close to mental and wondered how anyone could be so desperate to make a connection that they formed attachments that quickly--but she supposed it was now Dolphin Coves problem now and _not_ hers, thank goodness. A high level rider that unstable was certainly nothing to be mourned. "Sometimes, one sort of friendship can be mistaken for another...do you think that's what happened in this case?"

"No," U'kaiah replied with conviction, bristeling at the fact that he couldn't defend his friend. "As hard as it seems for you to believe, it is possible for a woman to care for me for _me_ and not for the hope that they can get into my pants."

Jaela stood, smiling. "U'kaiah, as little respect as you have for me, I truly wonder why you say you even care a whit for me. Feel free to eat your fill. Have a pleasant evening..." That said, she nodded and walked away, closing the curtains to her sleeping chamber with a crisp snap and leaving him quite alone.

U'kaiah sent Kalamath a quick thought to tell him that he would be walking back to their Weyr. He decided he needed not only the therapy of the exercise, but he took intense pleasure in slamming the door as he left.

Last updated on the October 4th 2005

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Unsalvagable