The Reveal

Writers: Devin, Dana
Date Posted: 25th February 2006

Characters: N'vanik, Traelyn
Description: N'vanik come to tell Traelyn about what had happened between him and U'kaiah
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 13 of Turn 3

N'vanik

Loseth burst out of /between/, into the sunlight of Dolphin Cove. }:You are still hurting. You should rest,:{ the bronze said.

**I don't need to rest. I'll be fine.** N'vanik clenched his teeth in anger. They spiraled down and Loseth landed beside Nyith on her ledge.
With an effort, N'vanik controlled his temper and walked into the weyr.
"Hey, Beautiul! Want to take a little trip?" She was going to see the black eye. She was going to ask questions. He knew that. And she was going to be mad. He knew that, too.

Traelyn had just finished dressing when she heard his voice inside the weyr. "N'vanik?" She hurried out of the sleeping area and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of him. Her dark eyes widened. "By the Egg..." she breathed, unable to tear her gaze from the ugly bruise covering his eye.

N'vanik cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Morning, Trae."

"What happened?" she asked softly, a faint feeling of dread creeping into her thoughts as she came closer.

"I had a little fight," he said, teeth clenching again at the memory.

Shards. "With who?"

**Let the yelling begin.** "U'kaiah."

She stared at him. And she realized that his answer didn't surprise her as much as she thought that it would have. Her eyes closed briefly as she brought a hand up to her brow. Shards, shards, _shards_... "Why?" she managed to get out, her thoughts already drifting back to the morning before when U'kaiah had come to her.

"That sharding . . . he attacked me. Right in the middle of the dining hall," he said. This might be worth it if Trae got mad at U'kaiah, too.

Traelyn sat down on the sofa, her eyes now fixed on him. "He _attacked_
you? Why?"

N'vanik shrugged. "I had a little fun with Sarian, and he acted like I'd done something horrible. I don't get it."

She frowned, not understanding. Rivalry? _That_ was the reason behind the punch? Rivalry was so common in the Weyr... And U'kaiah of all people should know that. "I don't... Why would he think that, N'vanik? What _happened_?"

"Me and Sarian had a little fun on his desk. I didn't _mean_ anything by it. It was just for fun. Sarian blabbed about it, and he came into the dining cavern, threw me on the table . . ."

Conflicting emotions sprang up in her and she rose from the sofa, walked a little ways away before turning around to stare at him. She hadn't been expecting to feel jealousy - among other things - and that bothered her. How obscure - to feel that. Her jaw tightened as all the other feelings rushed in, swamping her. "So you had sex on his desk and he punched you because he found out?" Her voice was tight, clipped. U'kaiah had better control than that. She knew he did.

"Well, he threw me on the table and yelled at me. I punched him," N'vanik said. How satisfying it had been to feel his fist connect with U'kaiah's face.

Her upper lip curled in a silent snarl. "So you both had to take it out physically, did you?" Anger was beginning to build in her; anger directed towards _both_ men.

"I wasn't just going to take that from him." His temper rose slightly.
Sharding U'kaiah.

"Of course not," she growled. "You men have pride-filled egos the size of the sharding _Weyr_. Of _course_ you're not going to keep yourselves from taking each other out!"

"Well, we sure did _that_!" he said. Sharding, _sharding_ U'kaiah! "I'm grounded, and U'kaiah's lost his knots."

"I'm not surprised. After behaving like two, hormonal-crazed adolescents, I wouldn't expect any lesser punishment!" Furious, she paced forward again, trying to drive away the images that her active imagination churned up: U'kaiah losing his temper and throwing N'vanik down, N'vanik socking him, N'vanik pushing sharding Sarian up on his Wingleader's desk to... Snarling, she whirled around to glare at him, her dark eyes flashing.

N'vanik returned the glare. "U'kaiah started it! This is _his_ fault!
Again!" And to think, he'd actually started to like that man.

"You _both_ are to blame! You _both_ lost control." She came closer, her jaw clenching. "Couldn't you have taken Sarian somewhere else to screw her?"

"If I would have known it would get me grounded, I _would_ have taken her somewhere else." A thought came to him, and he shook his head. "No. You know what? I'm glad I did it. I'm glad he attacked me over something so stupid. Now everyone knows U'kaiah is just as bad as me!"

"See? _This_ is why your record is scortched, N'vanik. You don't sharding _learn_!"

"And what am I supposed to learn?" He took a step closer to her. "Why don't you tell me, since you know so much?"

Her mouth snapped shut, and she stared up at him, her eyes burning with cold fire. "I shouldn't _have_ to tell you."

N'vanik threw his hands up. "What, am I supposed to read your mind now?"

"No! You're supposed to know better!" She took a step back from him, wrapping her arms around herself, unable to stand his proximity.

He glared at her, ignoring the pain it caused his bruised eye. "Maybe I do know better. Maybe I just don't _care_."

"And look where you're not caring has brought you!"

"Yeah. Flying off to where I don't belong--again." N'vanik turned and walked toward the ledge. U'kaiah's words echoed in his head. That's what made N'vanik hate him most, because U'kaiah had been right.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" she snarled, stalking after him.

"I belong at Dragonsfall, if I belong anywhere. Not chasing after you."

Her breath caught as if she'd been slapped, and with it, her temper raged to the surface. "Chasing after me? _Chasing_? Who says I'm sharding _running_?"

He stopped and turned to face her. "You're halfway across the continent!
You don't have to run!"

"I see. And you do? To 'chase' after me, I mean." Her harsh words held bitter sarcasm. "I wasn't aware you'd been lying to me all those times you came back to see me. What, did you want to charm me so I'd be willing for a hot ride between the sheets? Why do you need _me_ for that? You have Sarian, and you don't even need a _bed_ with her!"

"Sarian isn't you!" he yelled.

"Then what am I to you?" she yelled back, her voice beginning to catch.

N'vanik closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, much of the anger was gone. "You deserve better than this, Trae," he said, pointing at his black eye.

She gazed at him, searching his eyes, finding herself at a sudden loss for words as the implications lurking behind what he'd just said began to dawn on her.

The look in her eyes unsettled him, even more than he already was. He turned and laid a hand on Loseth's arm. The bronze bent down.

"Fine. That's just fine." The words came out like a breathy croak, and she quickly cleared her throat, feeling hurt begin to mingle with anger. "_Leave_ then. Leave now. Run away from it, N'vanik. Go hide behind your sharding pride."

Without turning around, he said, "It's not about pride this time, Trae."
Then he mounted his dragon and told Loseth to take off.

Last updated on the February 25th 2006

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The Reveal