What Part Of 'Guest' Does No One Understand?

Writers: Devin, Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 29th January 2007
Series: Saving Each Other

Characters: Talryne, N'vanik, Kinna
Description: Talryne and N'vanik are forced to make some decisions about their living arrangements when the assistant headwoman informs them that Talryne's things need to be moved out of her old weyr.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 2, day 9 of Turn 4

Talryne

N'vanik

N'vanik returned from drills to find Talryne shifting nervously on the couch as one of the Weyr's assistant headwomen looked on. She looked visibly relieved when he entered room, though her nervousness actually increased. "Here he is, now. He might be able to help... I mean, he knows what's going on better than I do."

"Is something wrong?" N'vanik asked, worried.

"No," she quickly corrected. "Well, actually, kind of," the woman quickly amended as she stood to her feet. "I'm Kinna, one the assistants to the Headwoman."

"What's wrong?" His gaze moved from the assistant Headwoman back to Talryne, trying to see if there was anything wrong with her.

"Well, sir, its her weyr. You see..." Shards, Kinna knew there was no politic way to put this. "Now that she... is no longer a rider, we need to move her to a room further into the cliffside."

"Oh," N'vanik said. "I suppose that makes sense." Talryne didn't even want to set foot in her old weyr, so he had expected that she wouldn't move back there. But did this mean she was moving out?

"Yes, so I came to talk to her about her new living arrangements. Are you her... lover?" she asked carefully. "Did you have plans for her to live here permanently? Or should we find her a room of her own?"

"She's a _guest_," N'vanik emphasized, trying to hold back the rising tide of panic. Permanently? "She can stay her a while longer if she wants to. But yeah, she should have her own room." He turned to Talryne.
"You are gonna want to have your own place. . . eventually . . . right?"

There was hardly any question as to what the right answer to _that_ was supposed to be. "Of course," Talryne said quickly. "I need my own room.
So I can live there." And since N'vanik was obviously panicked at the very thought of her staying here, she might have to consider that possibility sooner than she'd wanted to.

"I mean, if you're okay with it." He didn't want her to think he was kicking her out. Because he wasn't.

She shook her head. "No, you're right. I need my own room." Not feeling quite up to meeting N'vanik's eyes, she turned to focus on Kinna. "I'd appreciate it if you could help me find one."

"All right then," Kinna nodded. "What size of a weyr will you need? Do you have children?"

Talryne looked a little pale. "No, it's just--just me."

That didn't make N'vanik feel too well either. "No kids."

Kinna looked from one to the other. Shards, this was uncomfortable.
"Which level would you like to be on? Closer to the ground?"

"I don't really care... except maybe if there are any rooms with a bathing chamber?" The idea of facing the public bathing pools made her slightly queasy.

"I... can _try_, but I can't promise anything. Those are usually reserved for those with... special needs." Though losing a dragon just might count, Kinna thought with a pitying look at the former rider.

N'vanik was thinking the same thing. "If they don't give you a bathing chamber, I'll talk to the Headwoman myself," he told Talryne.

Kinna gave the bronzerider an almost amused look. If _she_ couldn't work a bathing chamber there was really nothing the bronzerider could do but lose his temper. Good luck with the Headwoman then. "If it is at _all_ possible, we will find one."

**You'd better,** N'vanik thought. "Good."

Bronzeriders. When were they ever going to learn that male bravado didn't get them _everywhere_ in the world? "Will you need help in moving your things?" she asked turning back towards Talryne.

"I... I don't know." She glanced at N'vanik hesitantly. "I don't really like going in there, still."

"I can move them for her," N'vanik answered.

Talryne tried to smile as she turned back to Kinna. "He'll move everything, I guess."

"That's just fine. I will let you know in the next couple days where you will be relocated to." She turned back to the bronzerider. "If you need boxes to pack her stuff into you can ask the staff. We have boxes we can give you."

"Okay." A couple days? N'vanik thought that seemed a little . . . soon.

"Okay," Talryne echoed, not really looking at either of them.

Before an awkward silence could stretch between Kinna decided she had all the information she needed. The woman would move, the man would move her, and if there were no rooms with private baths available they could try their luck with the Headwoman. "All right then. I will be in touch in a couple days."

When Kinna had left, N'vanik turned to Talryne. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to."

She shrugged. "I'll probably have to eventually. And maybe it won't be so bad if it's not... you know. That weyr."

"It'll be good for you, to have your own place. A new place." N'vanik tried to sound positive.

Talryne nodded and tried not to let him see how terrifying the thought of being alone was. "I think so, too."

Last updated on the January 29th 2007

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What Part Of 'Guest' Does No One Understand?