Catching Up with Old Friends

Writers: AL, Anaria
Date Posted: 30th May 2011

Characters: K'hetah, Meledei
Description: K'hetah catches up with Meledei
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 3 of Turn 6

**Is that Elleth you're bathing with?** K'hetah asked his lifemate as
he peered out into the ocean. Off in the distance, Loeth was a tiny
bronze speck, next to another golden speck.

}:Yes.... hers should be on the beach right now,:{ Loeth responded
back after a moment. K'hetah considered for a moment, and then headed
off in search of the goldrider.

It didn't take long. Meledei sat on a large rock that jutted out of
the sand. She had always wondered how it got there. Had the ocean
brought it? Had the ocean once been higher and the rock had been too
stubborn to go with it when the waters receeded? Had a wing of
dragons picked it up and dumped it there for some reason? Yes, those
thoughts ran into silly things that would have never happened but were
fun to entertain the idea regardless. Her feet swung back and forth
and she only looked over at the bronzerider when K'hetah drew closer.
"They're having fun out there." There was no need to specify who
'they' were.

"Yes, they certainly are," he said, smiling at Meledei. "I apologize
in advance if my Loeth teaches her any bad habits!" He said, shaking
his head ruefully. "Mind if I take a seat there? I haven't spoken to
you since before you graduated, I figured it would be nice to catch
up."

"It _has_ been a while." Meledei put her hands on her hips and glared
down at K'hetah, but it was a soft expression and she couldn't hold it
for long. Her face cracked into a grin and she patted a spot on the
rock beside her. "Come on up. You have to go around to the back and
climb up."

K'hetah eyed the rock skeptically for a moment, before walking around
behind it to climb up. A moment later, he was seated next to Meledei,
fanning himself with his floppy hat. "I thought the weather was bad
here before the hurricanes," he commented dryly. "They certainly
didn't mention those when I moved here. So how've you been?"

"Not bad." There had been a few downs. Well, a really major down,
but Meledei didn't think it was necessarily to bore K'hetah with the
details of her breakup. "Just same old same old. I've been traveling
a bit more, meeting new people. It's been fun."

"Ah the freedom of being released from Weyrling restrictions," K'hetah
said, nodding his appreciation. "Do the dragonhealers have any idea
when Elleth will rise?" He knew from experience that it would be soon,
but had lost track of time regarding how old Elleth actually was.

Meledei shook her head. "I mean, it could be in the next month, it
could be another half a turn. It's really dependent on her and I
guess on what the Weyr _needs_." Dragons had a way of knowing some
how, and even the dragonhealers could never quite explain it. "So I
guess within the next few months."

"She's grown up quite nicely. Very well proportioned," K'hetah said.
"Have the two of you been enjoying flying with the Queen's Wing so
far?" The downside to being a goldrider was that there was only one
wing they could ever fly with. It made for a rather unfortunate
situation if one didn't get along with the Weyrwoman.

"Just small." Meledei could hear those words even if K'hetah hadn't
actually _said_ them. "Yes, it's been good. I think I've finally
gotten used to those flame throwers." They had been a lot more
unwieldy than even Meledei had thought they would be! But she had
gotten a lot of experience with them since her Impression, that was
for certain! "How are things going with you?

"Busy," K'hetah said truthfully. "With all of the changes that have
been happening recently, it seems like when I am not in Wing drills or
meetings, I am talking to my wingriders about what is and is not
appropriate to be talking about. And I don't think Elleth's size is
anything to worry about. She might look a little comical when she's
full of dozens of eggs, but beyond that, I think she's grown well."

"Comical!" Meledei lightly slapped at K'hetah and did her best to
look annoyed. Meledei wasn't very good at it though and didn't take
long for a giggle to escape. "Thanks. I think. What sort of things
are your wingriders talking about?" The last question was stated with
a bit more seriousness and the smile faded a little.

K'hetah grinned, and winced with mock pain at the goldrider's slap.
Her question made him a bit more reflective, as he considered the best
way to say what they'd been discussing, without turning into a gossip
himself. "It's like this. The concept that a goldrider - shards, _any_
rider, could just one day decide to risk their dragon... it doesn't
come up often, and it doesn't sit well with a lot of people. I think
the biggest problem is that it makes us look into ourselves and wonder
if it's something we could ever see doing."

"Oh, that." Did they have to get on the subject of _her_ again? To
be honest, Meledei would be happy just forgetting all about that
goldrider and just move on. "She's the past, I'm far more interested
in the present and the future." She stated, turning her gaze toward
the water, her smile completely gone. She was gone and that was that.
She hadn't been a good leader in the first place. Certainly not a
good mentor. "Tell them they should talk about other things."

"Of course," K'hetah said, sensing that there was something personal
about Meledei's response to the situation. "Obviously, Janani's
arrival was gossip fodder as well, especially once it became clear
that the rising of her Gold was imminent. So of course every
bronzerider who'd never sired a clutch was thinking that this was
their time," he shook his head. "And once all of that calmed down,
there was the hurricane."

"One thing after another." Meledei relaxed slowly now that the topic
had gone to other things. Other things that didn't involve a certain
goldrider. "Hopefully things will be a little quieter now." She
hoped so. "Well, after the hatching," That of course would mean more
hububb and buzz. "Have you made any bets on when and what colours?"

"I was surprised there wasn't a gold egg, with so large a clutch,"
K'hetah said thoughtfully. "That said, I suspect it'll be about three
sevendays from now. As for distribution, I'm thinking a lot of browns,
blues and greens. We still are understrength compared to the other
Weyrs, and the dragons seem to just know what we need at any given
time. What do you think?"

"I guess I'm a bit surprised too, but maybe they thought two golds
were enough for now." Meledei shrugged. There was a lot of
speculation, that the dragons knew what was needed, even during the
flight. "We're getting better, though, and and after this clutch and
Elleth's, that will help." Shards she hoped Elleth had a good clutch!

"Indeed, I am very interested to see how Elleth's first clutch goes. I
think she'll be a great mother," K'hetah said, with a smile. "Well,
you know, so long as her Hatchlings don't turn out like she was as a
Weyrling," he added jokingly.

"You know, it's a good thing I'm not generally a violent person or you
would get smacked right now!" Meledei lifted a hand as if she might
still do it, but it fell and there was a grin on her face to show that
she knew he was joking. "But yeah, I'm curious too. And as time goes
on, I'm getting more and more eager."

K'hetah cringed, "Hey now, you already slapped me once. I am not
inclined to believe that you aren't a violent person. If you were a
greenrider, I'd suggest perhaps someone was a bit proddy!" He said.
"Although let me know how you're feeling once she calls you to the
Sands to look at her eggs for the 20th time," he added. Most golds had
some peculiar, annoying behavior regarding their eggs. "That is, if
she even lets anyone see them at all!"

"I have no idea what she'll be like. I've heard that golds can change
quite a bit when they're proddy and after their eggs have been lain."
Meledei really hoped that Elleth wasn't going to be annoying, but
she'd deal with things as they came. She was more concerned about
_other_ people dealing with her. "I guess we'll have to wait and
see."

"Well, I would like to come see the eggs once they've been laid,
assuming of course that dear Elleth will allow me," K'hetah said. "So
have you been trying to get to know the bronzeriders of the Weyr?" He
asked.

"Well, I like to know people in general." Meledei pointed out, "But
I've not gone out of my way to make sure that I spend time with ones
who just aren't interested." Some were, some weren't. She didn't
have a choice in the matter anyway.

"It pays to know people in the Weyr. You never know when it'll help
you out of a tight situation," K'hetah agreed. "I'm really glad to see
that you've come so far, Meledei," K'hetah said with a smile. "Elleth
picked well."

"She says she agrees with you." Meledei stated with a grin. "I'm not
sure I agree, but I thank you for the kind words none the less."
Meledei wasn't without her doubts, though she did try to keep them
from plaguing her too much.

K'hetah smiled, "You will someday. I hate to cut it short, but I
should probably head back to my office and finish some hidework before
bedtime. It was nice seeing you again."

Last updated on the June 2nd 2011

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Catching Up with Old Friends