I'll Be Watching You

Writers: Avery, Miriah
Date Posted: 24th April 2016

Characters: J'ackt, Ikalis
Description: Ikalis is very protective of Alina and she doesn't hesitate to let J'ackt know.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 4 of Turn 8

J'ackt

Rumors were always flying around the Weyr, passing faster than the
wind from a dragon's wings or /between/. Ikalis liked listening to
them. If asked she'd say she was keeping a finger on the pulse of the
Weyr, since nobody told Caverns workers anything. (That was partially
untrue - maybe they didn't get direct information about what was going
on with the riders or leadership because they didn't get briefed, but
they were often overlooked when people talked about what was going on
because people treated other people like background extras, and that
meant she could hear things while working.) But it was a good excuse
to tell people.

The truth was, Ikalis listened so hard to rumors because it pleased
her to listen. Each tidbit of information got tucked away inside her
mind to be pulled out and considered later, like how Wavecrest would
snatch up tiny rocks and hoard them like the most precious of jewels.
Sometimes she'd keep it to herself and delight in knowing the secret
bit of information, smirking when she heard other people reporting the
wrong things. Sometimes, she'd go tell her friends about it, spreading
the information far and wide, delighting in seeing how other people
responded. Or sometimes she'd sit and brood over it, if it was bad
news, if it was news that would affect her.

The rumors about J'ackt were thick and fast as always. He was a juicy
enough topic Ikalis always kept an ear out, but she didn't know him
that well so most of it didn't matter. Though that drama with Jerinne
had been hilarious. The uppity brat getting her heart broke had been
worth it. But when rumors starting flying about him and _Alina_ -
well, amusement turned to jealousy and concern very fast.

Naturally, the first thing she could think of to do about it was to go
confront J'ackt.

Getting a pair of boots wasn't supposed to be complicated. Shards,
they had enough of them, surely. But it seemed to have taken forever
to get a pair that would fit him and not chafe. New boots tucked under
his arm, J'ackt headed out of the Stores and back towards the
Weyrbowl. He glanced into the passage and spotted a familiar looking
girl looking at him. He paused only for a moment; he knew who she was.
Alina's friend. He'd seen them together often enough. He nodded and
moved to pass her.

Just the man she'd been looking for. Ikalis pointed a finger at him.
"Hey, J'ackt. Got a moment?"

His brow arched and he took a moment before he shrugged. "Sure." His
eyes flicked over her. Alina's friend. Definitely off limits. _And_
the finger pointing didn't exactly scream attraction. "What for?"

"I've heard a lot of things lately and I wanna clear them up with
you," Ikalis responded. "Rumors spread, you know, and innocent people
get their names besmirched."

Besmirched? What the feck did that mean? He could figure out it wasn't
good. His brows lowered. and he frowned. "Maybe you shouldn't listen
to rumors."

"Rumors are useful currency," Ikalis said, defending herself. "They're
about you and Alina. That you're planning on sleeping with her then
discarding her once you've got her, because you just want the chase
and you dump women when you've got them so they don't get tied up with
you like Jerinne tried."

"Rumors are stupid and most of them aren't fecking true. They just get
tossed around to cause problems." He glowered immediately when Alina
was mentioned. " And as for Jerinne..." he snorted. "I made it very
clear to her from the beginning that it wasn't serious. No one knows a
damn thing about me and Alina and whoever thinks they do needs to shut
their shaffing mouth, or I'll shut it for them."

"I know a couple girls who could stand to have their mouth shut,"
Ikalis muttered. "Jerrine was a fool anyway."

His frown didn't lighten. "No argument from me." He took a deep breath
and eyed Ikalis. "Look, I'm not going to do a shaffing thing to hurt
Alina, okay?"

She wasn't sure what she'd expected - him admitting to a dastardly
plot to screw her and leave her? Him denying interest? But J'ackt
saying he _didn't_ plan on hurting her was a surprise.

"Are you...going to pursue her?" The words were hard for Ikalis to force out.

That made his brows raise a bit. "What's it to you?"

"Alina's very special. She's my friend," Ikalis said.

Friend was the word that slipped from her tongue, but not the one
resonating in her heart. Her heart thought, **friend, and if only she
was more, if only she wasn't so holdbred, if only she wasn't caught up
in her fanciful notions of a good holder man and such a traditional
lifestyle...**

"You said you don't want to do something to hurt her, but she's not
like other girls, and she might get hurt anyway. She has these
notions, and anything that doesn't live up to them..."

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know." J'ackt's words
were now a little sharp and annoyed.

"Just making sure you have all the facts you need. You didn't answer
me if you planned to pursue her or not." the caverns worker said,
crossing her arms.

"I know Alina just fine." J'ackt shot back. "And it's not any of your
concern if I pursue her." What was all this talk of pursuing Alina
for? First Saidrene, now this girl. Even if he wanted to, he highly
doubted Alina would be interested in what he was interested in.
Faranth, he'd fecking tried...perhaps not a full blown seduction or
anything, but the girl couldn't even stand to stick around after a
kiss.

"I'm her friend and it counts for something," Ikalis retorted. Friends
looked out for each other. "That Ervine guy turned out to be a real
tunnelsnake and I would have protected her from it if I could. I'd
protect her from you too if I had to."

He just looked at her and glanced over her pointedly. "Really." His
voice was dry.

Okay, maybe that had been too stupid to say when she was too small and
inexperienced to fight him. Doubt wormed in her heart, but she
straightened up, trying to not show fear or back down. "Yeah. Because
I don't want to see her fall off an emotional cliff and I don't care
who it is that pushes her off."

He had to admire her spirit and determination. She must care for Alina
very much. "That's not in my plans, either." His voice softened. "I'm
not going to do what you're afraid I will."

"Not on purpose. She might break her heart over you anyway," Ikalis muttered.

The entire situation was a complicated mess. She was looking out for
her friend's best interests, because she didn't want to see Alina
hurt. Her own desire factored into her protectiveness - she wanted to
see Alina happy and _with someone_, preferably her, accepting that
being a greenrider was better than a hold breeder. But if it was the
case that Alina would never show favor to her, she should pick
someone. Not just sit around, pining about for a man from a system
that was broken and a prison for women.

J'ackt wasn't a holder man, but he wasn't a weyr man either. He had
his own rules and was unpredictable, which Ikalis didn't like because
it meant she couldn't be sure if J'ackt was going to take the right
kind of care for Alina. Whatever that was. But if he was sincere...

"I hope Zith catches Imarith next time," she said suddenly.

His brows snapped down immediately. "Don't hope that and if you're her
friend, you should know better." His lips thinned. "That's her dragon
choosing, not her. If I ever was to take her to bed it would be
because she wanted it, not because she was forced into it for her
dragon's sake." His eyes narrowed. "You must not know her well at
all."

"Since I'm not a rider, it's true that I don't know exactly what
flights are like. But I do know that she's going to be forced into it
no matter whose dragon catches her. She didn't even know S'avn, and he
probably wasn't careful with her. If you like her and want to be
gentle, that has to be better for her than someone who doesn't have a
whit of caring at all, right?" Ikalis said. "I'm just saying if she
has to be caught it seems like a friend is a better option than a
comparative stranger. It's what I imagine I'd want."

"I wouldn't be gentle or careful in a flight." J'ackt's voice was
flat. "You don't think, you only feel. It's intense and I may even
accidentally hurt her and not mean to." He leaned forward a bit. " A
stranger she doesn't have to face and talk to. A friend would be
harder to forget about what happened. I promised her that I'd do my
best to keep Zith out of her Flights and I mean to try to keep that
promise." There was always the possibility that he wouldn't be able
to, but he could try.

"When you put it like that, it makes sense," Ikalis said, willing to
admit her own error in the face of J'ackt's experience and truth. "But
I just want her safe. As it seems you do."

"Hm." He grunted. "So retract the claws, there, feline. I'm not out to
feck her and run."

"Good," the caverns worker said. After another moment, she added, "You
know, you're not nearly as bad as they say."

He arched a brow. "Depends on who I have to deal with." He shrugged.
"So, anything else?"

"No. I think we're good," she said.

"Fine then." He nodded and walked around her, feeling both annoyed and
irritable.

Last updated on the April 28th 2016

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

I'll Be Watching You