Feeding Their Bronzeriders

Writers: Devin, Shawna
Date Posted: 10th April 2025
Series: Bronze and Blue Entwined

Characters: K'mai, Zariah
Description: K'mai and Zariah run into each other while getting lunch for their bronzeriders.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 4, day 19 of Turn 12
Notes: Comes before "Lunch Interruption"
Mentioned: I'serin, T'gyrlan

K'mai

"You again," one of the cooks said with a hint of amusement as Kmai
walked into the kitchens.

"Has the Weyrleader sent for lunch?" K'mai asked.

"No," the cook said with a small smile. "Do we need to send up a meal again?"

"Could I please get a tray with two lunches this time?" K'mai asked
with a charming smile. "I'll bring it up myself, so I'm not troubling
anyone more than I need to."

Farther into the kitchens, Zariah was in the middle of bickering with
one of the workers, though the familiar tone and the fact that the two
women looked a lot alike made it clear this was a family squabble.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Take the ugly ones if you're
going to help yourself to an entire loaf of bread," there was
amusement in the woman's voice, even as she smacked the back of
Zariah's hand.

"The pretty ones taste better," the greenrider said, unashamed as she
added a still warm loaf to the tray she was loading up. "Don't forget
to tell Zerias I'm coming over for dinner tomorrow so he doesn't
scurry off to a friend's' place for dinner instead."

"He might do that anyway, but I'll tell him. Now shoo, we need to work
on dinner."

Grinning, Zariah blew her sister a kiss before she picked up her
heavily loaded tray. "K'mai, I didn't know you were moonlighting as
kitchen help these days," she teased as she approached him. "Or are
you just trying to win points with the Weyrleader?" She lingered by
the door while the staff loaded him up with a tray with two lunches.
Her own tray had a slightly eclectic selection of today's kitchen
offerings, including a crock of soup that was more than one person
could eat.

"I'm not trying to win points, I'm making sure he eats," K'mai said as
he watched the staff fill the tray. "He keeps forgetting to have
lunch. Ooh, some of the fried tubers too, please. Yes, thank you."

"You're awfully familiar with his eating habits," Zariah said blandly.

"I figure someone has to look out for him." K'mai shrugged casually,
though taking care of I'serin, even in such a small way, made him feel
warm. He noticed Zariah had a lot of food on her tray. "Are you having
lunch with someone, too?"

"I was going to see if I could lure T'gyrlan away from going through
old wing reports with food," Zariah said, "apparently those fancy
wingsecond shoulder knots come with a lot of extra work. Who would
have guessed?" She joked.

"Oh Faranth, does he forget to eat too?" K'mai laughed. "Are _all_
bronzeriders like this?"

"Yes. And people say bronzeriders are supposed to be the smart ones,"
Zariah drawled. "T'gyrlan is lucky he's pretty." There was a clearly
affectionate tone to her voice, despite the slander.

"Working on your happily ever after?" K'mai asked with a smile.

"I can certainly hope. Is your bronzerider expecting a lunch
delivery?" The curiosity was killing her.

"No, I'm just going to show up and hope he doesn't argue too much."
The bluerider laughed. Belatedly he realized she'd said 'your'
bronzerider. Did she know something? Had she somehow guessed? He
opened his mouth to argue, but if he protested that might make things
worse. No, she was probably just teasing.

"Listen, you can be as coy as you want, but it's clear something is
going on there. Which, good for you, but make sure you're not doing
all the work. Bronzeriders can be surprisingly lazy," Zariah advised
him. "I'll give T'gyrlan credit, he's always grateful of my efforts.
He might be a keeper, if he doesn't get too ambitious and transfer out
for some promotion or another."

Sharp cold ran through K'mai. "I'm not being coy! He's my friend and
I'm bringing him lunch. He doesn't . . . seem to have anybody else
looking out for him," he finished quietly.

Zariah rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say."

K'mai tried to think of what to say next, tried to keep the panic from
showing. He forced a laugh. "If Turns of flirting with him at parties
never got me anywhere, I don't think a few fried tubers is going to
make a difference."

"Sure. right. All those parties he's known to attend," Zariah chuckled.

"He avoids the big, loud ones most of the time. My birthingday was
_definitely_ not his usual," K'mai's laugh was genuine this time. "He
comes to smaller parties sometimes, though, the ones that are mostly
sitting around and conversation."

"So he just likes smaller, intimate parties," Zariah said, trying to
control a grin. "Well I'm glad he has such a good friend like you
looking out for him."

Well, at least she wasn't pressing it. He nodded toward her tray.
"T'gyrlan's a good guy. I'm happy for both of you."

"Thank you. I'm happy. I hope he is, too." After a few more steps, she
asked, "Do you know T'gyrlan well? I know you're both from
Riverbluff."

"Oh yeah. I've known him since forever," K'mai said. "Faranth I'm glad
he's back flying. And with a promotion, too!"

Smiling fondly, she said, "Yes. He seems to enjoy the position, even
if it does seem to take a lot of time.He's interested in leading a
wing again."

"He had such a rough time being retired. He almost wasn't the same
person." Thinking of it made K'mai frown slightly, but then his
expression brightened again. "But now I see him getting back to his
old self, and it's wonderful."

"And yet I never caught you bringing your good friend T'gyrlan a lunch
tray when he was having such a hard time with his forced retirement,"
Zariah teased. "That must only be for special friends in particularly
trying times, I suppose."

His heart pounded with fear again. I'serin had asked him, over and
over, to keep their trysts secret. "Well, I . . . don't remember him
forgetting to eat. Maybe I wasn't such a good friend."

“Clearly not. Well, our Weyrleader is lucky you’ve grown more
attentive towards your friends. I hope he appreciates it,” Zariah said
earnestly.

"He does." K'mai looked down at the tray with a fond smile. "I should
get this to him before it gets cold."

"Same. Have a good lunch," she said, heading in the direction of
T'gyrlan's weyr.

Last updated on the April 15th 2025

[Prev: K'mai's Birthingday Bash!] Series: Bronze and Blue Entwined [Next: Lunch Interruption]

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Feeding Their Bronzeriders