The Argument

Writers: AmajoS, Estelle
Date Posted: 14th March 2019

Characters: Benna, L'keri
Description: L'keri complains to Benna about his new diet, with unfortunate results
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 2 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Taren

L'keri

A tall glass of juice stood on a table in the Dining Cavern, next to a
plate heaped with a salad of leafy greens and brightly coloured fruit.
L'keri eyed it with suspicion. His stomach growled, and he detected the
mouth-watering scent of grilled meat and buttered tubers coming from a
nearby table. He was a fully-grown man and a dragonrider. How was he
supposed to live on this kind of diet?

Silently cursing all healers, he stuck his fork into the salad and tried
a mouthful. It tasted - just like greens. Fine, but he was used to them
being an accompaniment to a meal, not the meal itself. Maybe he could
have put up with it, if only he could have had a drink to go with it,
but even that was denied him.

Benna spotted L'keri when she entered the dining cavern. They didn't
always eat together, and when they did, usually it was in one or the
other of their weyrs. But, she noticed that even from a distance he
did -not- look pleased. Wondering what was wrong, she hurried over to
collect a tray of food before making her way to join him. "What's
wrong?" She asked as she sat down in the chair across from him.

"This!" L'keri pointed his fork at his salad in exasperation, as if that
made it all perfectly clear.

She blinked in confusion, "It's a salad. Why are you glaring at it
like it murdered your entire family?"

"Because it's not a proper meal for a grown man, that's why!" Seeing her
expression, he realised this might need a bit of explanation. "I had a
check-up with the Weyrhealer today. Well, I say check-up. He practically
kidnapped me and poked me with all kinds of freezing cold instruments
and then said I'd put on weight and I have to eat more salads. And drink
less." He turned his glare on the fruit juice.

"Well, I'm sure that the Weyrhealer wouldn't say so if he didn't think
you needed it. Besides," she tried to diffuse the situation with a bit
of humor, "you're never too old for a good salad." Personally, she
agreed with the Weyrhealer, about the drinking anyway. Of course, now
she wished she had grabbed different food when she'd gotten her tray.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one being starved." L'keri gazed
longingly at her meal, as if he'd have liked to seize and devour it
himself. "I'm a strong, healthy brownrider. I have a big appetite! And I
happen to like drinking, too."

"You aren't being starved, you big baby." She couldn't help but laugh.
She didn't mean to make fun, but it was just so silly. "It's a diet,
that's all."

"It's not funny!" he protested, aggrieved. He'd been expecting a bit of
sympathy. And possibly a few tidbits from her dinner plate. "The
Weyrhealer is a tyrant. Who does he think he is, telling me what I can
and can't eat?"

Benna pressed her lips together, beginning to feel irritated herself
now, "Faranth's sake, L'keri, he isn't out to get you!" She leaned
forward a bit, "Looking after people's health is literally his job.
He's just doing his job."

"He was enjoying it far too much to be just doing his job," the
brownrider complained. "Besides, it's _my_ job to be a dragonrider and
fight Thread, and I need plenty of food to sustain me. I don't think I'm
in bad shape..." He gave her a suspicious look. "Do you?"

She rolled her eyes, now really mad. "Oh, sure. Ask me a question with
no good answer. If I say "Yes" you'll get your feelings hurt and if I
say "No" you'll claim you don't need your healer prescribed diet.
Well, I'm not falling for it, brownrider." He pointed a finger at him,
"You are a grown man and you are perfectly capable of realizing that
your healer has your best interests in mind. You just don't want to
because it's inconvenient, or you don't like the taste of vegetables
or whatever." She really liked L'keri and usually found his childish
antics amusing and endearing, however this was not one of those times.

"That's not true!" he protested, feeling his temper starting to rise at
being treated like a naughty weyrbrat who wouldn't eat his greens. "I
work hard, I know my own health better than anyone, and if I want to
have a decent meal and a few drinks of an evening, I should be able to
without having crackshelled busybodies interfering!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have missed the healer's knots you've been
wearing. You must have earned a Master rank the way you're talking,
like you know better than a the weyrhealer."

"And I suppose someone must have promoted _you _ to Wingthird, since you
seem to be happily telling me how to behave." L'keri knew it was unfair
almost the moment he'd said it, but he couldn't stop himself. He made a
mocking salute. "Sorry, ma'am. I'll eat my salad and drink my juice like
a good little boy."

Benna reared back as if she had been slapped. Deep down inside, she knew
that this argument was as much her fault as his. Yes, he was pushing her
buttons and Faranth knew she had a temper, but she was a grown woman and
should be able to control her reactions better. However, at the moment
this rational part of her brain was indeed deep deep down.

"You know what? Do what you want." She pushed her tray toward him,
"Here, enjoy. Go get a second helping even. Get some dessert. Wash it
all down with an entire bottle of wine. See if I care. Obviously you
don't. I just feel sorry for your dragon since his rider seems
determined to ignore the weyrhealer's advice and eat and drink himself
into an early grave." With that, she stood and marched away.

"Fine! I will! At least I'll enjoy myself on the way out!" L'keri
snapped at her departing back, causing a few heads to turn at the nearby
tables. Left alone with the remains of his salad and her untouched tray,
however, he suddenly didn't feel at all hungry. But he _did_ want a drink.

Last updated on the March 22nd 2019

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