Not Just a Courtesy Dance

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 16th December 2017

Characters: K'lvin, Riveenata
Description: K'lvin and Riveenata dance at the hatching feast.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 17 of Turn 9

**Get out of your weyr, they said. It'll be fun, they said.** K'lvin
thought as he stood near the wall in the Dining Cavern, hands shoved
into pockets as he watched the happy crowd gathered to celebrate
another successful Hatching. He had felt compelled by duty to attend
the Hatching, because that was a dragonman's duty to his Weyr and
Weyrwoman, but he had been planning on skipping the feast and
returning to his weyr.

"Go and socialize" the mindhealer had told him, and it hadn't been a
request. The retired bronzerider was cleaned up for the first time in
days with a jawline that gleamed from a fresh shave, and his hair
pulled neatly back. He wore a pair of his finer clothing that had been
tucked away for so long that the smell of cedar still clung to them.

**Just a little longer and then I can leave and say that I came,** he
thought before someone near his elbow caught his attention.

"Riveenata?" He barely recognized her outside of her riding clothes.

Riveenata was still relegated to night watch shifts, but because the
Hatching had been mid-morning, Savith had woken her up and she'd
gotten a seat just as the eggs started cracking. Then she made it back
to her weyr to dress up for the feast and the dancing. Since it was
the middle of the day, maybe she'd get some fun in before she had to
do watch.

Now she was wearing the pretty clothes she'd worn at Savith's hatching
- an ankle length green skirt, and a cream tunic with a scoop neck and
green ribbons on the sleeves. She'd had a bit of food and was now
strolling through the crowd carrying a wineglass.

She spotted K'lvin and angled over to say hello, glad to see him at the
event.

"Hi," the greenrider said with a smile at the older bronzerider. "How
are you and Xmrenth?"

"We're fine," was his standard answer, "he enjoyed the Hatching. My
pleasantries to Savith." He gave her an approving once-over look. "You
clean up nice. Did you get excused from duty tonight?"

A pleased expression dawned on her face with the compliment. "I was
going to get dressed up, have a few dances before dark, and then go
sit the watch like usual, but Riyanth told Savith that we were
excused. So I can stay out as long as I want tonight and see how
Dolphin Cove handles its Hatchings."

"I was told I should come out and socialize. So here I am," K'lvin
didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about being at the feast, but he
did manage a genuine smile for the greenrider. "Might I interest you
in a dance? We can celebrate. Me, for being seen out of my weyr, and
you, for being off-duty."

"I'd be happy to dance with you," she said, pleased by the invitation.
"Those are both good reasons to have a dance."

K'lvin took Riveenata's hand and led her out onto the dance floor. He
thought back to the last time he'd danced, it had been with Bahji
alone in their weyr together, with nothing but his slightly off-key
humming to use as their music. **Now's not the time to think about
that,** he told himself, knowing that the moment he stopped to picture
his deceased weyrmate would lead to nothing but heartache.

The steps of the dance came naturally to him after the many Turns of
hatchings and graduations that he had attended. Riveenata was also the
only person he could imagine dancing with in that moment, because she
understand better than anyone else what he was going through, even if
they were Turns apart in age, and even though they hadn't been
particularly close when they'd both been living at River Bluff. What
they had experienced in the ruin of their Weyr had forged a bond
between them.

The greenrider hadn't danced since the last celebration at River
Bluff. She'd skipped out on the welcoming party the Weyrleaders had
thrown, and she'd stayed in her parents' weyr at Turnover instead of
going to the main Weyr's party. She just hadn't felt like making any
new friends at the welcoming event, or celebrating a new Turn's
beginning when the last one had ended so brutally.

Accepting the dance had started as one of the social courtesies that
passed between acquaintances: a way to help K'lvin stay out a bit
longer as he'd been ordered to, and as a reason to stay out herself so
she didn't flee back to her own weyr to avoid the happiness.

But she found herself enjoying it. The older bronzerider was a very
skilled dancer, he must have had a significant amount of practice. It
was a dance of moderate pace that hadn't required one to be
particularly close to the partner but she'd drifted in as it went on,
and as it ended, she felt disappointed.

"Thank you for partnering me. You're a very good dancer," she said.

"As are you, Riveenata. I was afraid I would be rusty, it's been a
long time." The harpers struck up a slower song. "One more?" he asked.
K'lvin suddenly found himself reluctant to leave this moment of
normalcy, something his life had been lacking since River Bluff.

"You're not rusty at all. And I'd really like that," she said. Because
it was a slower dance, she took a step closer into his space.

K'lvin's hand automatically slid to the small of Riveenata's back, his
steps sure and confident as he guided her on the dance floor. She felt
nice, K'lvin thought, which was a startling confession to make even to
himself. He hadn't thought of a woman, in any kind of way at all, since
Bahji's death.

The bronzerider's hand on her back was warm and nice and as the slow
dance continued, she found herself drifting even closer to him, until
finally she could lean forward and put her head on his shoulder as they
danced if she wished. If he'd been one of her closer friends she would
have. But this rapport she had going with him was new and fragile and
she didn't dare be that intimate yet.

When the dance ended, K'lvin stepped back, "Thank you for the dances,
Riveenata. I'll let you go now, I am sure there are some others who
would like to catch a dance with you," he'd already seen R'kehr's and
C'rin's eyes glancing in her direction.

"Thank you, K'lvin," she said. Saying his name felt a bit odd, but his
old title was no more and just saying bronzerider felt too formal given
that they'd just been having a nice moment.

"In the event you're still around later in the evening, I'd be happy to
offer you another one. If not, please, have a good night," Riveenata added.

"You too, Riveenata," K'lvin left the greenrider and strode out of the
Dining Cavern with his hands in his pockets. He'd socialized for the
evening, as he'd been instructed to do, and it hadn't been so bad.

Last updated on the December 23rd 2017

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Not Just a Courtesy Dance