Keep Calm and Party On

Writers: Leigh M-F., Paula
Date Posted: 20th November 2017

Characters: Olwinna, L'exan
Description: Olwinna is an ideal party date
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 1, day 1 of Turn 9

Originally the plan had been to take Ashuli and Neia to the Gather, but Ashuli had come down with a chest cold she was having difficulty shaking off. Neia decided to opt out in order to help take care of her, and L'exan would have too out of solidarity, but they'd insisted he not. Ancients, he loved that pair. But since he didn't really enjoy attending Gathers by himself -they were meant to be shared!-, L'exan had asked around to see if any fellow fun-loving sorts also disliked going alone.

That brought him to Olwinna, the lovely lady he'd had a great time with at the ale-tasting. Without telling her that his original plans had been usurped (even he wasn't that dumb), L'exan simply said he wanted to bring a guest to Emerald Falls. Now he was waiting with Larzeth in his Gather best: snug dark blue pants, polished brown boots, and a light gray shirt of a slightly more conservative cut than he usually wore, but for a party, especially a big one, L'exan would dress accordingly.

"Thanks for inviting me," Olwinna walked over to them, pulling a jacket over her gather dress. She had plans going to _some_ gather with someone anyways, and when L'exan had asked her, she had said yes without a second thought. He was fun guy to be around. The dress she wore was designed to enhance her assets. She was more slim and graceful than curvy, so needed bit help from discreetly placed paddings.

"You're welcome- say, that's a well-cut dress," L'exan interrupted himself to comment with a grin, his previous tailor apprenticeship showing. "The color really brings out your eyes, too. Nice choice. So, you all set to go?" He reached up and pulled down the hooded coat he had wedged onto Larzeth's harness, donning it as well. "Would you like to climb, or let me go first and pull you up?" His blue was settled on his stomach, so all he would have to do was cock a foreleg to make either option easier.

"Thanks and yes, I'm ready," Olwinna replied, closed her jacket and pulled on gloves. "You can help from behind," she answered the question with a wink. Her shoes weren't best for mounting a dragon, she had to careful not to let the heel sink to his hide. She also had to hitch up her skirts. Olwinna was certain L'exan didn't mind it at all.

The bluerider didn't mind in the least. He hid a grin as he carefully grasped the healer's hips and helped her safely climb up. Larzeth lifted his leg higher so his rider could strap Olwinna in, and then L'exan got himself buckled up as well. "All right, here we go!" he called, and Larzeth launched, taking them to just the right altitude before making the jump to Emerald Falls.

Even from the air, it was a glorious sight.

Olwinna peered the scenery. Emerald Falls' Turnover gather was always a sight to see. Colourful flags flapped in the wind and the Gather square was packed up with people and stalls. Watchdragon was busy directing arriving dragons to land to the pasture, where the livestock had been moved out of the way. Despite the atmosphere of Emerald Falls Hold being generally against Weyrfolk, plenty of dragonriders had still showed up.

Larzeth carefully landed near a group of other dragons, mostly blues, greens, and a couple browns. L'exan tied his coat to the harness, unbuckled himself and Olwinna, and slid to the ground. "Where would you like to go first?" he asked, raising his arms to help his guest down.

Olwinna also removed her flight gear. "Shopping," she replied. "I need to buy gifts for my children." She turned to look at the stalls.

"Good plan. I should try to find something for my little girl. Well, not so little," L'exan amended, and offered Olwinna his arm so they could stroll together.

}:Have fun,:{ Larzeth told his rider, craning his neck around to give Olwinna a polite head-bob where she could see it. }:I'll be basking and chatting. I think I heard something about a few dragons from Windswept and Rising Moons being here, so there's lots of news I haven't heard going about.:{

**Gossip, you mean,** L'exan teased.

"Thank you for the ride, Larzeth," Olwinna thanked the dragon. Her flit appeared and landed on her shoulders and she was set to go. "How old is she?" she asked L'exan while the weaved their way thru the growd.

"Thirteen now," L'exan said a small laugh, shaking his head. "Oh, Ancients, where has the time gone. She's growing up so fast. What about your little ones?"

"Sh'low would protest being called little, he's 18 now. The younger one is eleven," Olwinna replied.

"Hey, you're their ma; you could always get away with calling them your little ones," L'exan jokingly pointed out. "At least that's what my daughter's ma always says, so I just take her word for it."

"Of course I can get away with it," Olwinna replied. "So, do you have any ideas what to buy for your daughter?"

Oh, but he did so like that attitude. "Well, it better be something useful or her ma will scold me," the bluerider kidded. "But since she's apprenticed to the scribes now, it probably shouldn't be something like a wristband or anything like that. She could likely use ribbons or a scarf to keep her hair back."

"How about one of those fancy quillpens? I've seen some really special ones?" Olwinna suggested.

"Good call. If I can find any, I'll get some," L'exan promised.

*****

Shopping had been a fun and successful event, and their lunch had gone just as well. There really was no cooking like that found at a Gather. "I'm not going to need dinner tonight, I ate so much," he laughed at himself on completion of the meal. "Where to next?"

"How about dancing? The harpers seem to be setting up their instruments," Olwinna suggested, noticing the activity at the performance stage. The Hold's staff was also clearing the square for dancing.

Dancing, huh? L'exan considered that. He wasn't the best dancer in the world, but he wasn't a complete dunce at it either. He nodded and stood up from the small table they had enjoyed their meals on. "Let's give it a try," he said, grinning, and held out his hand.

"Lead on," Olwinna took his hand. She liked dancing but then, she was party-girl.

The bluerider gladly escorted Olwinna to the dancing area, which had been packed smooth to insure there would be no tripping or sprained ankles. As the harpers finished tuning up, he bowed to the healer with a smile and a gesture that indicated she should place his hands where she would be most comfortable with them on her body. "You lead, I'll follow," he offered. "I haven't danced in way too long."

"Alright, then's it's a high time you do," Olwinna said and took the lead.

Thankfully for L'exan's luck, the activity wasn't anything complicated, like the toss dance or a reel. The following dances weren't hard, either; mostly, he just had to trust Olwinna to show the way, and it worked remarkably well. He didn't even notice how much time had passed until the band announced it needed a short break.

"Already?" Olwinna was surprised when the harpers went for a break. She had been enjoying herself. "Well, I need a drink anyway."

"Me too. Dancing's thirsty work." L'exan looked about to reorient himself. "Where'd the refreshments get to?"

"You're the taller one, look around," the petite healer said with a grin. "I agree, it does get you thirsty." The walked out the dance square to the stalls. "The vintner's hadn't closed their stall yet, has they?" Some traders closed when the dancing began, while others, mostly food sellers, kept open whole night.

"Doesn't look like it. Let's go, then," the bluerider said cheerily, and lead the way this time. If the rest of the night was going to go this well, he would have to take Olwinna to more parties. She really was a great lady to have around in fun atmospheres.

Last updated on the December 10th 2017

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Keep Calm and Party On