Plenty Of New Things

Writers: Devin, Vix
Date Posted: 31st March 2007
Series: Saving Each Other

Characters: N'vanik, Z'kim
Description: N'vanik gets a visit from an old friend and they talk about what he's been up to since he left Dream's End.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 2, day 28 of Turn 4

N'vanik

Z'kim

"Zeke!" N'vanik laughed and pulled the man into a rough hug. "Loseth said you were here and I could hardly believe him."

The greenrider slapped his friend on the back in reply, a broad grin on his face. "I had to let my favorite bronzerider know that I was here as soon as possible, didn't I? After all, it's been far too long since we've met up."

N'vanik nodded. "Yeah, it has been." He wasn't very good at keeping in contact, not even with the few people he considered friends.

"I've missed you and you'd better have missed me just as much." Z'kim pulled back and winked at his old acquaintance. "And Warroth often asks if we can visit Loseth."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, I bet she does. Without him around, she has to settle for second best in all her Flights."

"There are few males who wouldn't fight for the right to her," was Zeke's reply. "However, she told me that if Loseth is nearby for her next Flight, she _might_ let him catch her."

"Might?" That was practically a challenge. "When do you think that will be?"

}:I'd like to catch her again,:{ the bronze said.

"A little over a sevenday." The greenrider grinned broadly. "We'd both like you to be there."

"The truth comes out. _You_ want to get lucky again." N'vanik snorted. Waking up to Z'kim the first time had been strange to say the least. But winning was winning, even if the rider was male. And even if that rider was his friend.

Zeke was unruffled by his remark. "Of course I do. We've been over this before - just because your preferences lie with women doesn't mean you aren't good."

N'vanik burst out laughing. "_Of course_ I'm good! And maybe, just maybe, I might come by the restday after next for a few candlemarks."

}:They would have to prove themselves.:{ Warroth uttered this challenge to both her rider and Loseth.

The remark brought a chuckle from Z'kim. "You _were_ good. You may have lost your touch. After all, the colder air here may have had a detrimental effect on you."

"The colder air gives me more reason to find warm beds," N'vanik said.

"Ah, so now I'll need to hear of all of your exploits since arriving here, eh? That much hasn't changed - nor would I expect it to have done so."

"_All_ my exploits, or just the sexual ones?" he asked with a smirk.

"You'll certainly insist on my hearing of the sexual ones, won't you? The others - depends on how proud you are of them."

N'vanik gave him a look that was half amused and half cautious. "I had fist fight with my Wingleader a few months ago." Z'kim was one of the few people that really knew what had happened back at Dream's End, and he might not be very happy to hear N'vanik had been fighting with his Wingleader again. Although the fight with H'lib really hadn't been a _fight_. N'vanik had only punched him once.

The greenrider sighed. "Haven't you learned anything from the past?"

"Hey, he threw me on a table! I had to defend myself," N'vanik answered.

"Provoked or unprovoked, _you're_ the one who gets into trouble."

N'vanik crossed his arms. "He got into trouble, too. He lost his knots for a while. And I'm still here, so it wasn't as bad as last time."

Z'kim frowned at that news. "And so next time something happens, you'll figure that it won't hurt anything to swing, right? The lack of consequence this time will encourage you to seek more trouble."

"Oh, c'mon!" N'vanik rolled his eyes. "I was grounded for a month! I watched my wingmates get hurt while I sat there being useless!"

"A month? How did you handle that?"

He snorted. "Drinking. Not the best idea I've had."

"It doesn't sound as if your time here has been good at all."

"Oh, I've had some scorched days, that's for sure," N'vanik said. "But it hasn't been _all_ bad. I had a thing with this goldrider. Kinda still do." He wasn't sure what there was between him and Trae, but there was some kind of connection.

Z'kim gave him a skeptical look. "A goldrider? You? You don't even _like_ goldriders."

"I like one," N'vanik said with a shrug. "She's . . . not as bossy as the rest of them. And a lot more fun."

His companion stared at him, studying the bronzerider's face to discern whether he was joking, and then repeated, "A goldrider? You?" Zeke shook his head. "How did that happen? You wouldn't even go near goldriders except during Flights."

"I was in a new place, thought I might try something new." The corner of his mouth turned up. "Heh. I've done plenty of new things at Dragonsfall."

"Apparently so," conceded Zeke. "You're still getting into arguments and yet you've become more sociable. What other changes have you in store for me?"

N'vanik grew quiet. "I've been . . . taking care of a dragonless girl."

"Taking care. . . ? Somehow that doesn't fit the image that I've always had of you."

"I didn't plan to. It just . . . happened." The bronzerider shifted his feet. "She's got her own place now, and she's doing really good."

Zeke approached this tentatively. "So. . . are you glad to have your privacy back? Or do you wish she had stayed?"

N'vanik considered. "A bit of both." It was nice to know he could have the weyr to himself, even if he did spend much of his free time with Tal, but he did kind of miss knowing she would always be there when he got back from his duties. "But I still see her a lot, and we still sleep together." He held a hand up before Zeke could say anything. "Not sex. Just sleep. She still needs to have someone there at night." He didn't want to admit that he still needed it, too.

These revelations were certainly surprising to Z'kim. He knew that the bronzerider was reluctant to reveal too much of himself, to allow himself to be vulnerable. And yet, here he was, presenting a softer image of himself than the greenrider had even glimpsed. "You're showing a side of yourself that I've not seen before."

"I think she's ruining me," N'vanik said with a wry smile, shaking his head.

"That's happened to many a man before you," Zeke stated softly. "The question is, are you at the point where you're ready to be ruined?"

The bronzerider snorted. "How am I supposed to know that?"

This brought a shrug from the greenrider. "Considering that I've not reached that point and never intend to do so, I've no idea. However, I've seen many who are very content to settle down and allow a woman to change them completely."

N'vanik swallowed as the panic started to rise. "Uh-uh. No way. I'm not settling down. Not ever. This is just . . . a phase or something." Change was bad enough, but settling down? That was insane.

Zeke nodded. "So obviously you're not ready to be ruined."

"Not _that_ ruined!"

"But you like having her ruin you a little?"

N'vanik rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know. I'm different around her, and it's . . . scary."

The greenrider paused for a moment before offering his thoughts. "As I see it, you have two choices. You can either decide to run from what scares you or you can explore it further and find out exactly why it frightens you. Of course, if you choose the second, you might not like or be completely comfortable with what you find."

"I always run," N'vanik said quietly. "But I don't know if I can this time." The fear rose up again, the worry that Talryne was getting too close, that he might need her, that he might do something to hurt her. He sighed and shook his head. "Let's talk about something else."

"That's probably the safest choice," noted his friend. "Alright - aside from the occasional fight with your Wingleader, how goes the flight work?"

"Good. No scorings." N'vanik started to relax. At least this was a safer subject.

Last updated on the April 1st 2007

[Prev: The Book] Series: Saving Each Other [Next: Overwhelming]

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Plenty Of New Things