A Friend in Need

Writers: Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 28th February 2006

Characters: Abrei, U'kaiah
Description: Abrei comes to U'kaiah looking for a fight
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 14 of Turn 3

Abrei

Abrei had arrived at Dragonsfall in a temper. Humiliation in front of M'galec at U'val's hands had been bad. Getting a terse refusal from U'kaiah when she'd begged him to come for a visit had added hurt to her injured pride and anger. Finding out upon her arrival that U'kaiah had been too busy picking fights and getting demoted to visit her put a keen edge on her temper. Learning about it by knocking on the door of the wrong weyr had made her wonder how much of a friend U'kaiah actually considered her.

By the time she arrived at the bronzerider's new weyr, she was looking for a fight. She didn't particularly care what sort... insults, cursing, screaming... Too many bronzeriders had trampled on her pride and feelings in the past months, and the one who had brushed her off scant sevendays after promising friendship was going to bear the brunt of it. She gave the door a couple of hearty pounds and a kick for good measure, shoving it open without waiting for a response. "U'kaiah!"

U'kaiah hadn't wanted to face unpacking quite yet. His room was full of boxes and stacks of thing he had to find a home for. The bronzerider had been out on his ledge, curled up next to his bronze with a book, trying to forget his own humiliation. Hearing an angry woman burst through his door gave him a sense of hope for the briefest of moments. "Trae?" he called as he dropped his book and ran back into his rooms. Had she forgiven him for what he had done? Had she come to tell him she hated him? He didn't care, he just wanted to _see_
her... U'kaiah stopped short, however when he noticed who it was. His face fell a bit. She was not the woman he was hoping. "Abrei?"

The look of disappointment on his face was like another blow, this one hard enough to make anger falter. For the briefest of moments, she wanted to drop the anger and beg him not to be the next in a long line of people who were politely disappointed to see her. Her moment of weakness was the final straw, and her temper snapped. "What _possessed_ you to pick a fight with one of your wingriders? Did you take a blow to the head?" U'kaiah's jaw opened, but no sound came out. The new had spread throughout the Weyr, but it was still fresh and painful - the looks of disgust, the looks of pity and confusion. Abrei's coming to berate him just drilled the shame further in. "I...I was angry." He knew it was a terribly lame excuse. But how could he explain it when he didn't even know himself?

"What did you sharding _do_ to him?" Abrei demanded, taking a step forward.
"What did you do that was so bad they _demoted_ you, U'kaiah? And why couldn't you even bother to _tell_ me?" Everyone had already heard. This was the first time he actually had to explain himself out loud to anyone. His eyes could not meet hers as he answered her. "I threw him over a table. And started a brawl in the middle of the dining hall. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just couldn't... face that."

Screaming at a subdued, pained U'kaiah was far less satisfying than a real fight would have been. She took another step and brought herself face to face with him, glaring up at him. If she couldn't prod him into fighting back, she was going to end up apologizing to him and begging for forgiveness--by which point her pride would be pretty much beyond repair.
"You are a sharding idiot, U'kaiah." "I know, all right," he muttered defensively. It was very hard for him to look contrite with her glaring up at him that way. "I know, I made a mistake, ok? I don't need you to remind me."

"Is that so?" she snapped, resisting the urge to shove him. Maybe she was incapable of getting a response out of him, but she _was_ a grownup. "So why aren't you _saying_ anything? Or are you just hoping to get rid of me before your _real_ friend shows up?" "What friend? I _have_ no friends anymore!" Shards, he seriously didn't need this from her too! "I lost _everything_! Shards even you can't wait to come her and throw it right back in my face!"

Abrei's eyes narrowed in perverse satisfaction. "I came here because I _thought_ I had a friend. But I had to find out what was going on by knocking on the wrong sharding door." She forgot all about being a grownup and planted her hand in the middle of his chest and gave him a rather weak push. He batted her hand away. "Don't push me, Abrei. I've been pushed around enough this week, ok? I've been pushed by friends, I've been pushed by enemies, and I am sick of being pushed!"

"And I'm sick of sharding bronzeriders who only want me around at their convenience," Abrei snarled. "Is that what you all are going to do? Say whatever you have to while you like having me around and then ignore me the minute you get bored?" Her fingers tangled in his tunic and she jerked him down so she could hiss in his ear. "Well be a man about it and get it over with, U'kaiah. Throw me away." U'kaiah grabbed her arms. He didn't have to take this from her! Shards, he had proved himself to be a good friend to her. "_Once_, Abrei, I didn't come at your call _once_. I have things going on in _my_ life too, you know. I can't just be on hand to seduce you whenever you feel the whim!"

Abrei tried to yank her arms away from him, baring her teeth in frustration. "Let go of me you sharding arrogant ass. I didn't want sex, I needed a _friend_." One arm broke free and she dug her elbow into his stomach, seriously considering planting her knee somewhere very painful. He grabbed his stomach as he fought for air. With N'vanik he knew the cheap shots were coming. With Abrei he should have just assumed... "Scortch it all! You have to be a friend to _me_ too, you know!"

She watched him warily, ready to give him another elbow in a sensitive spot if he looked like he was going to grab her. "You flaming idiot! How was I supposed to know you needed a friend?" He folded his arms across his chest both for protection and to keep from shaking her. "Well, if my not coming when you asked me to wasn't clear enough for you, perhaps the fact that I don't live in the wingleader's weyr anymore could have given you a clue."

"What sort of logic is that?" Abrei exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "You didn't want to see me, so I was supposed to assume that I needed to rush right over here?" Her glare was back, holding a hint of betrayal.
"You're a _man_, U'kaiah. You're supposed to make _sense_. When did you turn into a girl?" U'kaiah shook his head. How that woman could be _Weyrhealer_, a position that is supposed to entail compassion and understanding was completely beyond him. Finally, though clenched teeth he muttered, "I didn't come to your weyr, Abrei, because I had to move out of my Wingleader weyr, and move into this spacious little supply closet where all the bad boys go. Does that clear things up for you?"

Abrei looked like she was a heartbeat away from stomping her foot in frustration. "I would have come to help you, you know. All you would have had to do was _tell_ me!"

The bronzerider snorted. "Was that before or after you kicked my door and started yelling that I was supposed to tell you?"

Confused frustration finally overcame anger, and to her horror Abrei felt tears sting her eyes. "Fine! So I'm an idiot and I'm a rotten friend and a terrible person! And let's not forget childish and cruel and unfit for my job and Faranth only knows what else." She shoved past him, determined to make it out of his weyr and at least a few hallways away before she ended up crying. "I'm sorry I bothered you! I won't come back unless you want me to, all right?" "Abrei, please. Don't go like this," U'kaiah said turning to face her.
Shards, he had lost enough friends. He didn't want to lose her too.

She hesitated a few paces from the door, but didn't turn to look at him.
"I'm not mad. I just want to go home. Just... tell me if you want to see me again." "Shards, Abrei, you're my friend. Of course I want to see you."

"When, I mean." She cleared her throat, hoping it would help the pathetic way her voice sounded. "When you're ready, just let me know." And yet she still stood there, wanting him to stop her. Wasn't that the way it was supposed to go? She would hesitate and he'd rush across the room and stop her... she could almost imagine feeling his arms around her.

Which was foolish. If she wanted to be held, there was a simple solution.
She turned abruptly, ignoring the fact that her cheeks were streaked with tears, and crossed the space between them in a few paces. Sliding her arms around him, she buried her face in his neck.

It was certainly unexpected. It took U'kaiah a moment to process the sudden change in Abrei, but his arms slid around her, and he began whispering to her encouragingly. Shards, she had never done _that_ before. "It's all right, Abrei. It's going to be all right."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice sounding raw. "I'm sorry I'm not a better friend." "No no," U'kaiah lied. "You are a great friend. It's my fault. I should have told you." She jerked back, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him. "I'm hurt and pathetic, but I am _not_ an idiot. Don't patronize me." She scrubbed at her cheeks with one hand, the slightest hint of humor in her eyes finally. "But you still should have told me." "Yes, I should have told you, Abrei," he whispered as he caught tears she had missed with his fingers.

"Yes, well, don't think I'm crying because of you," she said tartly, forcing a shaky smile. "Scrawny annoying harpers can't make me cry." "Hey now," he chided. "I haven't been scrawny for turns, as you are well aware."

"Big brawny muscular annoying harpers don't make me cry either," she replied sweetly. "Not even the ones who are too handsome for their own good."
Turning she surveyed the mess of boxes and planted her hands on her hips.
"So now let me distract myself from my own problems by helping you with yours. And we're starting with this stack. You almost backed me into it and sent all of us sprawling all over the floor." "Yes, ma'am," he said with a smart salute. The bronzerider couldn't help giving her a friendly pat on the back side as he slipped by her to pick up the first pile.

Last updated on the February 28th 2006

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A Friend in Need