The Girl By the Lake

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 22nd February 2006

Characters: R'alt, Lady by the lake
Description: Rialt goes to see the girl Reymer would _not_ see, and things don't go as planned...for Rialt, that is
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 5 of Turn 3

Blonde-haired, brown-eyed and willowy. That's how Reymer had described her.

And there was only one of those standing out there by the lake, the dying rays of the sun turning her hair into a golden flame. She was pretty.
Shards. The girl Rey had scampered off to must be a scorching knockout if he passed up a delicious thing like this!

Hooking one thumb casually in his belt loop, he strolled up to her, flashing a friendly grin as soon as he was close enough. "Evenin'."

"Hi," she smiled, not unfriendly, but he was definitely not the one she was waiting for.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Shards, I do hope you're the right girl, otherwise I'm going to sound like a scorching idiot." He looked at her, knowing that she was the right one, but _she_ didn't need to know that.
"Are you here for Reymer?"

A look of confusion flashed across her face. "Yes," she nodded.

"Ah." His expression took on a bit of a softer look. "I'm to tell you that he can't meet you tonight. He got in trouble and has to work a few of the later shifts." It was a better excuse than "he wasn't feeling well". No girl in the Weyr was stupid enough to fall for that one. "He also says he's sorry, and he wanted me to come find you so you wouldn't misunderstand his absence as being something else." Which was _exactly_
the reason why he _wasn't_ here, but this pretty young thing didn't need to know that.

"You're his friend then?" she asked, turning large brown eyes up to look at Rialt. "You're not just telling me all this to make me feel better about being rejected, are you?"

"Why? Do you think I am?"

She folded her hands in front of her and looked up at him with a small, soft smile. "Which? His friend? Or just trying to make me feel better?"

He returned her smile, and it was just as small. "Both."

"I'm not sure," she shrugged.

"Yeah, well... I wouldn't be sure either if some strange, roguish person came up to me to tell me this stuff."

Her eyebrows raised slightly. **Rougish?** "Well, Reymer is a pretty shy one. He might have gotten cold feet and sent a friend to finish the job for him."

He shrugged a shoulder. "I'm only telling you what he told me." Which was true. Sort of...

"Ah, then you _are_ his friend," she laughed, giving his arm a teasing punch.

Rialt grinned and caught her fist in his hand, his long fingers tightening around her soft knuckles. "Easy there, sweet."

"Are you so weak that _I_ can bring you bodily harm?" she asked with a sly smile, looking up at him with innocent eyes. "How very unfortunate."

A black brow rose and he gave her a slow, lazy smile, pulling her closer. If she wanted to seduce _him_ instead, he wasn't about to complain. "Do you want to see if you can?" he crooned.

"Sure," she snarled as she brought her other hand up to smack him right across the cheek with a thwack. "I don't remember agreeing to snuggling up to you! What kind of girl do you take me for?"

Stunned, he released her, his cheek smarting almost as much as his pride. Well, maybe not as much. "Shards, girl - I don't know if I deserved _that_." Hadn't she been flirting with him? For all the sharding...

"Well, if you didn't deserve it for assuming that I would be willing to jump into your arms, you sure as shell cracks deserve it for what you are doing to Reymer!" She was incensed now, and pulled her hand away from him with a violent tug. "What kind of sharding friend are you if you would agree to deliver a message to a girl and then try to steal the girl for yourself, huh?!"

Holding his hands up, he took a step back. Flaming shards, she was _mad_!
"Easy! I made a mistake, all right? Shards, I'm sorry." Damn, she was a feisty one.

"And another thing," she continued, a finger pointed directly at this chest, "I am not a _girl_. I am your own age, and though I have no doubt you are still a boy on the maturity scale, _I_ am a _woman_!"

Of all things, he actually grinned at her. "Well, I _know_ that."

"Hmph," she snorted. "You wouldn't know how to treat a woman if we came with a manual. You're only fit for girls. But Reymer, now _he's_ a man! And someday he's gonna see just what a shallow thief he has for a friend. Good day!" She turned and marched back down the beach towards the candidate barracks.

Rialt stood there for a moment, torn between his sudden frustration and wanting to laugh. **I'm not a thief he gives me the go-ahead, sweetheart.**

Last updated on the February 23rd 2006

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The Girl By the Lake