The Wrong Challenge

Writers: Kaysea, Rochelle
Date Posted: 31st January 2008

Characters: Badaral, M'nex
Description: After the catastrophe with J'ritem Badaral gets more advice from M'nex
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 7 of Turn 4

**Head down, don't look around. Don't let anyone make eye contact.** The words were swirling around in his head as he made his way along the internal corridors to the laundry room. His chore for the week was taking the clean bed linens to the weyrs; not a taxing job, but not much of interest in it either. And no chance of avoiding anyone, either, the last thought occurred to him as he made his way through the maze.

On the up-side was the fact he had already done the section that J'ritem lived in, so there was little to no chance of running into the greenrider again that day, the same couldn't be said about his mother though. Ari knew he would have to report to the Headwoman in the morning, to make sure no changes had been made to the rosters before work started. He just hoped J'ritem wouldn't malign him too much to Tatitem.

He rounded a corner and ran smack into someone, and felt the colour rage across his face when he looked up and saw M'nex was the hard, muscular body he had hit.

M'nex staggered with an "oomph," and opened his mouth to berate the idiot who wasn't looking where he was going... and stopped, closing his mouth instead. Baradal, the candidate who was lusting after his fosterbrother... And it didn't look like it was going well.

"You need to watch where you're going, Ari." He said at last, not unkindly. "Otherwise next time you're going to run into a wall."

"Better a wall than anything else right now." he mumbled, shifting the linens under his arm and reaching for the two that had fallen during the collision. He managed to avoid M'nex' eyes while picking the linens up, but knew he couldn't do so forever.

M'nex sighed. He knew that mumble -he had talked to the candidate enough to know embarrassed defeat, not that it was hard to pick up. "Things go badly with J'ritem?" He asked, scooping a stray towel that had landed by his toe.

"You mean the gossip hasn't spread to you yet?" Ari asked, with not a little surprise. "I'm shocked the whole Weyr doesn't know what a fool I made of myself this afternoon." he shook his head and took the towel from M'nex with a nod of thanks.

M'nex resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "What gossip? Badaral, no one is going to think twice about J'ritem lighting into someone. Honestly, there'd be more gossip if he didn't. So what happened?"

"I made a fool of myself, said the wrong word, it got taken out of context...blah blah blah." Ari replied, trying to sound aloof, but realising he probably missed his mark.

"What did you say?" M'nex asked, his voice a little gentler. It was obvious that the candidate was shaken by his most recent encounter with his fosterbrother, and J'ritem was not easy to get along with, yet he was trying. The kid probably deserved some kind of knots for that.

"Told him I considered him a challenge." Ari admitted, feeling the colour of embarrassment creeping up over his face again. "I - I didn't mean it the way it sounds. I was trying to be smart, show him he didn't scare me off with his demeanour, but..." he dropped his head again.

"Hey! Badaral, what are you doing standing around gassbagging with the rider for. Get your arse into gear, and move it. _Some people_ around here actually work, you know!" Halvers voice carried along the corridor.

"If you're not gone," the man paused for a moment, "oh, bluerider M'nex!
Sorry, I didn't realise it was you. Look I'm hate to say this, but Tati-, your mother" he amended, "said I was to make sure none of them slack off, and it's my arse she'll boot if I don't keep on top of things." he said by way of explanation.

Ari slunk even lower if it were possible, at the mention of the Headwoman. "It's okay, Halvers. See you 'round M'nex." he turned and walked slowly off in the direction he had been heading before he'd collided with the bluerider.

"I understand, Halvers. I don't like crossing her either." M'nex stared off in the direction of the retreating assistant, thinking. A challenge.
Well, Badaral could have said worse, but still... Ouch. J'ritem would not have taken that well. Small wonder the candidate was flustered.
Maybe...

M'nex shook his head. J'ritem needed someone. He knew it, his mother knew it, Faranth but even Lecitrith knew it! But J'ritem was bitter, and some of his reasons were actually valid, making all the harder to reach him. The candidate had not only offered, but he'd tried, and would probably keep on trying. It was something he suspected they would all need.

"Why had he used that word? A challenge, it gave the impression that he had been dared to break the rider, and Faranth knew that was the furthest thing from his mind. Brek through the hard shell he had built aorund himself, maybe, but break the man himself? Never. But now, he shrugged, it was a mute point, because after today, he doubted if J'ritem would stay in the same room with him, long enough to spit.

Hiking the sheets and towels further into his arms, Badaral made his way along the hallway, stopping every now and then to deliver the towels to the occupied weyrs, all the time his mind focusing on his stupidity.

Last updated on the February 2nd 2008

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The Wrong Challenge