The Difference Between-

Writers: Leigh M-F., Mirren
Date Posted: 1st February 2016

Characters: Elona, A'kua
Description: -being a parent and being a seed donor.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 26 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: NPCs Eionen, Shastia, Bailan, and Elonus

Zeiranth was starting to get big enough that A'kua was now due for a little help from Candidates. It was mind-boggling. Where was the time going? It wasn't long ago he'd been on the other side of this chore. A'kua just hoped he wouldn't get an annoyingly chipper chatterbox or some other form of morning person. He just wasn't in the mood for it.

It was surreal for Elona to be helping someone she'd known as a candidate, but it wasn't the first time. Even before she reached him, A'kua seemed different to the boy she'd known.

"Um, I'm supposed to help you, is that all right?" She knew some people (usually male) didn't like to accept help.

A'kua rose on his toes to look over his dripping dragon, and almost smiled. "Hey," he greeted quietly. "Aye, it's fine. Zei's already taken a dip, so we just have to use sweetsand at the moment."

Zeiranth turned his head around and whuffed gently at Elona. }:You like her. Who is she?:{

**She was a Candidate with me. Her name is Elona. She's a sensible sort.**

}:Oh, okay.:{ Zeiranth lightly nosed Elona's shoulder in greeting.

"All right." In spite of the nudge, this was awkward. "Um- so I'll start on this side…?"

"Aye," A'kua said again, and got to work.

Zeiranth waited expectantly, but his partner didn't start singing or humming as he worked. That was the best part about being bathed and oiled; listening to A'kua. His eyes shifted to the shade of worry. He could not remember past the last two days, but he knew this was a problem, and it might have happened before. If he asked about it, though, A'kua would tell him not to. Maybe he needed a different tactic. Zeiranth turned his head to nudge Elona's shoulder again.

"Um- you could have someone else help if you like," she offered, assuming he was uncomfortable with her presence.

"What makes you say that?" A'kua asked.

The bronze gave Elona an alarmed look and carefully caught the hem of her tunic in his lips, tugging.

"Um…" She flushed. "You might want someone you can talk to…" They had talked before he'd impressed, but he was far from the first to change dramatically.

The words took A'kua aback, making him wonder what could have prompted that statement, and a moment later, he felt embarrassed. Elona was, as he'd said, a good sort. She barely knew him and yet she had offered to listen to his problems if needed. Ignoring her wasn't helping anything, and despite the anger still simmering in the back of his mind, he could be civil to Elona if he wanted to. "I- I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't realize you felt put off."

}:Maybe you should have,:{ Zeiranth muttered.

"I…it's not…I just…" she stammered. "You seem - different. I mean, of course you are." He had a bronze dragon for Faranth's sake.

"I'm the same angry bastard I've always been," A'kua said, only to stop with a deep pang as he realized that was a little too true. But Elona didn't know him as angry, just troubled. He had always been nice to her. He let out a long sigh. "A lot happened on the twenty-second and twenty-third," he said slowly, reluctantly. "Someone I want dead found me. He said some things I could've gone without knowin', but I had to hear 'em so he'd go away. I'm still angry."

"Someone you want dead?" She didn't try to hide her surprise. He didn't seem the type to want anyone dead, but who could really tell? "Um…surely it can't be that bad?"

"It is." A'kua didn't look at Elona for a few minutes as he scrubbed Zeiranth's wing. "It was my worthless sire. I renounced him."

"Oh." Elona winced. She'd been on the receiving end of that and it still stung. It would probably always hurt on some level. "What did he do?"

"Slept with my mother, walked away, and came back eighteen Turns too late to do any good."

Zeiranth made a sad noise. He didn't like it when his partner was so angry and unhappy, but the emotions kept ambushing the weyrling even when he wasn't brooding over them.

Elona's mouth dropped open. "He knew she was pregnant and just walked away?" Naturally, she had no sympathy for men like that.

A'kua shook his head. "He didn't know. He didn't stay long enough to find out. He only found because he meandered back to the hold and someone I knew told him." He almost wished he could kick Bailan's arse for that. But she was too far away, and he didn't believe in hitting girls unless they were trying to physically attack him. Not that any ever had, but it was the principle of the thing.

}:Scrub harder. You'll feel better,:{ Zeiranth advised.

He wouldn't, but A'kua scrubbed a little harder once he was done with his bronze's wing. "Zei says we can scrub harder."

Elona scrubbed harder while she thought. Eventually she asked, "You're mad because he didn't know? Isn't that better than knowing and still leaving?"

He shook his head. "I'm mad because he never cared about the consequences of sleepin' around until someone called him on it. Men need to be more responsible, especially if women don't make any mention of being engaged or being on teas, or anything like that."

"Oh. You think he should have checked back later, then he would have known?" That made sense, but it seemed to be all too common with men. "Did your mother try to tell him?"

"No. He traveled too much, and there aren't any fire-lizards back there. She just sat and waited for him to come back," A'kua said bitterly. "I just- I don't know how to deal with any of this. I've known I'd hate my sire if I ever met him for Turns, but now that it's actually happened, it's worse than I thought."

Elona sighed. "I'm wondering if my son will hate me if I impress. What if he feels like I abandoned him?" Clearly A'kua felt that way about his father.

"He won't," A'kua said, now soapsanding Zeiranth's haunch. "Impressed or not, I know you'll be there when it matters most." He didn't know Elona perfectly, of course, but he had seen her affection for her boy the last time they had helped the creche workers. It was a logical assumption that she cared enough to actually be a parent.

"I'll be trying to," she replied earnestly. "Hopefully that will count for something." He'd have no shortage of people to look out for him, that was certain.

"It will, I think. You're actually tryin'." The evidence that good parents still existed helped a little.

Even though the redhead didn't start singing or humming, the anger ebbed some. Zeiranth felt relieved on sensing the minor shift in A'kua's mood, and nosed Elona gratefully.

"Hopefully he sees it that way." She smiled at the young bronze, gave him a pat and went on scrubbing.

Last updated on the February 9th 2016

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

The Difference Between-