A green dragon with socks strapped all over her

Writers: Eimi, Emma
Date Posted: 17th October 2005

Characters: Demalia, Birigundi
Description: Demalia comes early to pick up Birigundi
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 8, day 14 of Turn 3

Birigundi

**There it is Tapheth, down there,** the greenrider indicated the runner station below them, and asked her to take them down to it. ~She'd been looking forward to this, to seeing Birigundi again.

It was Birigundi's mother who peeked her head outside the door first.
"Biri! Biri! Demalia is here!" The woman slipped out and waited impatiently for the green to land.

"It's good to see you again!" called out the greenrider as she unfastened herself from the riding straps. "I was looking out for Leaf for the past few days." She got down from her seat, and walked over to Birigundi's mother, a smile on her face.

His mother threw her arms around the greenrider happily. "Welcome back, Demalia! Oh thank you for coming! It's so good to see you!" She released the young woman's body, but not her arm. "Oh Biri is just getting his things together. I know you'll want to be seeing him. He's in his room upstairs. I can point it out to you if you like."

"That would be good," she said. "Maybe I can surprise him?"

"Oh, how fun!" His mother whispered gleefully, even though there was no chance her son could overhear them. "Yes, his room faces the other side so he might not have noticed your coming. You can go quietly."

Demaliaflashed her a conspiratorial grin. Maybe he had missed her after all? And there was only one way to find out. She followed the directions, trying her hardest to move silently. Finally, she knocked on the door.

"Yeah, come on in," Birigundi called over his shoulder as he repacked his bag for the third time, trying to find a space for all the new socks his mother had given him. Why did she always have to give him _socks_?
He knew it was the habit of a good Runner's wife. Socks could make or break a runner at times. It was a habit he just could not break her of.

"It's me," said Demalia.

Birigundi turned around with a grin. "Demalia! I didn't expect you so early!"

"It's not that early really, and besides Leaf found me and wouldn't leave me alone until I got moving."

"Really? I never knew her to be annoying," the candidate chuckled.
"I'm sorry about that."

"She wasn't annoying, just insistent," grinned Demalia. "Anyway, I'me here now."

"Well, I'm glad you are." Birigundi smiled. "And I'm sure Ma has already pounced on you. She's been talking of little else since your visit."

"She sent me up here. I really like her, she's nice."

"Yeah, she is one of a kind I think," he chuckled. "Come over here and look at the socks she gave me!"

"Oh my! There are so many pairs! Faranth alone knows where you'll put these in the barracks."

Birigundi shook his head in tolerant affection for his overly helpful mother. "Yeah, you want some? It would take me a turn to wear through all these!"

"I have plenty," she said.

"Oh, come on," he laughed as he threw a roll at her gently, "everyone could use more socks!"

She caught it with a grin, "I suppose I could be persuaded."

"You think you're so good, huh?" Birigundi flung another pair at her, this time a bit harder.

She caught those, turns of tossing firestone sacks made socks easy.
After that, she threw them back. "Your turn!"

"All right you," he cried as the socks wizzed passed him. He picked up more rolls and began fire them at her, one after another. "Yeah, you're not so fast now, are you!"

"Okay! Okay I give up!" she said after a moment. There was only so much sock fighting one could do.

Birigundi laughed as he looked at the rolls strewn around the room.
"Well, I suppose I'd better clean up this mess. I was suppose to be packing and you distracted me!"

"Want some help?" she offered. "I helped make the mess."

"Yes, you did," Birigundi agreed smiling. "All right, lets get this mess cleaned up and then we can get some lunch."

"Has your mother made stew again?" asked Demalia as she bent to bundle up socks in her arms.

"Oh there's always stew on in the winter. Many a runner and traveler stop in here on their way, and Ma insists on feeding them something warm."

"And for friends too I guess."

"Yeah, well, you know how 'friendly' Ma thinks you and I are. I wouldn't be surprised if she hasn't been cooking up a feast for you down there."

Demalia knew she would like to be on those terms with Birigundi, but destroying a friendship was not what she wanted to do. Especially if he didn't feel the same. "Well I'm sure I'll enjoy it," she said, passing him some of the socks. "Where do you want these to go?"

"In my bag, of course," he chuckled as he took the socks in hand.
"Unless you want to strap them to Taphet individually."

"I'm not sure how happy she'd be with that, imagine how she'd look!"

Birigundi stopped and considered that a moment with a very serious expression on his face. "She would look like a green dragon with socks strapped all over her, I would imagine."

That earned him another sock thrown at him. "You asked for that," she said.

"What?" he asked with an innocent shrug. "You asked me to use my imagination as that was the best I could come up with!"

"So I suppose I asked for it as well," she grinned at him. "How about we go find out what that stew your mother has made is like?"

Birigundi threw the last pair into his bag and pulled the strings. "I can tell you right now, its the best stew you've ever tasted, 'cause it always is. And just to prove it to you, I say let's go try it."

"I'm with you there."

Last updated on the October 17th 2005

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A green dragon with socks strapped all over her