Something Rare

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 13th November 2008

Characters: Briata, T'vanen
Description: T'vanen brings Briata home and finds out what's so special about her.
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 12, day 5 of Turn 4
Notes: Takes place after "A Girl And A Bronzerider"

Briata

The wind whipped at her face after coming back from *between*, quite
warm compared to the almost unbearable cold of traveling through
that...place...if it could be called a place. The silence that greeted
her, beyond the thoughts from Qwarith, was like a splash of cool water
upon a hot Summer's day. Briata took a deep breath as the bronze
landed. She couldn't help but lean into his rider, tired, so very tired.

}:She is tired,:{ Qwarith said, turning his great head around to survey
his passengers. }:It is quieter here for her.:{

**Quieter?** T'vanen looked around and supposed that the Hold - at
least this far out from the buildings - was a quiet place. Like most of
the settlements around Garnet Valley Hold this one was perched on a
mountain plateau, very pretty and (he suspected) at times very isolated.

"Are you ready to get down now?" he asked, turned to look at his
passenger with less grace than his dragon did.

"Yes." Some colour had come back to Briata's face, but it still lacked
most of its usual luster. She allowed T'vanen to help her off of the
bronze and leaned against Qwareth for a moment once she was back on the
ground. "Thank you." She stated softly after a moment.

"Did you not like flying?" T'vanen asked, still worried despite all her
reassurances that she was fine. She obviously _wasn't_ and he knew some
people didn't like flying or heights or - well, going /between/ upset
plenty of people.

"Oh no, the flight was wonderful." Briata managed another small smile.
"It's just...it was...a lot noisier than I expected. I wasn't
prepared for it."

"Qwarith said something about that, too. Is it because there are fewer
people here?" he asked, looking around. The Hold certainly was less
populous than the Weyr - any Weyr.

"Ah..." Should she tell him? It wasn't something Briata had made
public. Yet, he was a dragonrider and was more likely to understand
this sort of thing. "No. It's...it's because there are fewer dragons."

"Just Qwarith, and he doesn't make any noise," T'vanen agreed,
misunderstanding her.

}:She hears all of us,:{ Qwarith explained. }:And speaks.:{ The bronze
knew he could make anybody hear him if he wanted to, but found it more
curious that Briata could bespeak him.

Briata nodded slowly. "Yes, I do. All of them. And when I went to the
Weyr I heard every single dragon in that Weyr and it was ... well ...
overwhelming." That was putting it mildly.

"But -" The young man frowned, trying to understand what she was
saying. "You can hear _any_ dragon? _Every_ dragon?"

"Yes." Briata nodded slowly, the expression echoing her affirmation.
"And that's what was wrong - I was hearing all of the dragons."

He determinedly shut his gaping mouth, trying to think instead of just
blurt out the first thing that came to mind. How _could_ somebody be
out in the back of beyond like this, with such a skill? He knew of it,
everybody did, but it was so rare, even at the Weyr where the long
established bloodlines of dragonriders still existed. And they'd just
been to Dragonsfall, where the Weyrleader himself could hear and be
heard by all dragons. If she had spoken up then - though the man would
have been busy (not as busy as if the clutch had been sired by his
bronze) - T'vanen was sure the man would have made time for them.

"It's a rare thing," he said finally, certain that _that_ was, at least,
a sensible comment.

"Yes, I'm aware of that." Briata managed a soft laugh. "And I suppose
I should have known what would happen when I got to the Weyr. I suppose
I wasn't thinking clearly."

"I don't think the others people with ... this ... thing -" Strange that
it made him feel a little uncomfortable around her, as if she wasn't
just the interesting, isolated young holds-woman that he had thought.
"I think they just hear the dragon who talk to them. Like Qwarith does."

"I'm not sure. I've never been able _not_ to." Briata shook her head
and sighed softly. "I need to get to sleep. I'm rather worn out."

"Of course." He took her arm and turned her toward the Hold itself but
didn't moved off. "Briata - Do you think it will ever get easier for
you? At a Weyr?" His own half-hearted intentions were pretty much
dependant on her moving - because he certainly couldn't.

"I don't know." Briata shook her head, not really wanting to think
about anything at the moment. "It was the first time I've ever been at
any Weyr." Perhaps had she not been so tired, she might have picked up
on the insinuation in the question. At that moment, however, she was so
worn out that she was actually grateful that T'vanen was holding on to her.

"I'll ask at home - what people think." They had reached the door of
the Hold. "Somebody's bound to come along and take you away from me,"
he said regretfully, "because they'll think me walking you to your room
is inappropriate, so I'll say thank you now. I'm sorry it wasn't a
better experience for you."

Briata managed a small laugh. She wished he _would_ walk her to her
room for she wasn't all together steady. However, he was right, it
wouldn't be proper and so she took his hand and squeezed it. "It was
enjoyable, despite that. Maybe I'll learn how to...I guess control this
and any other visits I make won't be so overwhelming."

"Maybe you will." He glanced around, but nobody had appeared, and so he
cautiously stepped into the Hold building. "Come on, we'll see how far
I can get before somebody comes to rescue you," he said with something
of his old teasing, something that had been missing during the visit to
the Dragonsfall Hatching with his worry about her apparent illness.

Briata had to admit she was grateful. Seemly or not, his support
certainly made walking a little easier. She would be very glad to crawl
into her bed and fall into the sleep that called her - rather
insistently. They traversed the hallways. Several people appeared and
gave them looks, but no one stopped them or said anything. She came to
a halt a little ways from her room. "We should probably part here."
Briata stated softly. "Again, thank you for the hatching, T'vanen. I
did enjoy myself."

"I enjoyed your company, Briata," he said, unable to say that he had
enjoyed himself in the easy way he was used to. "Sleep well." He
glanced around with a grin and then leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

"Clear skies, T'vanen." Then she turned and slowly made the rest of the
way to her room by herself. Her dismissal was, perhaps, a bit colder
and more formal than she would have normally given. She was, however,
extremely tired and really just needed to go sleep - probably for about
a sevenday. Alas, she wouldn't have that luxury for they were leaving the next day for Garnet Valley. Well, she was going to take as much time as she could!

Last updated on the November 16th 2008

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Something Rare