Scared Away

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 27th January 2006

Characters: K'far, Harki, Nineba
Description: K'far is expecting company, but gets Nineba instead
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 6 of Turn 3

Nineba flipped open the book in her hands, seeking comfort in her own writing. It was a diary of sorts, a wish book and a confessional... and private. She snapped it shut as another Weyr resident passed her in the corridor, and slipped it into her apron pocket. She was standing outside K'far's door waiting for him to return from dinner, and she'd been waiting for a little over a candlemark. And he still hadn't come back. Her feet were sore and she was desperately hungry, but she needed to talk to him.

K'far rounded the corner whistling and his eyes sparkling with anticipation as he went back to his room to tidy up before his company dropped in. The gleam in his eye faded significantly when he realized he _already_ had a visitor waiting for him. "Shards, Nineba, what in Faranth's name are you doing lurking in front of my door like this?"

"I needed to talk to you. In private," she said quietly. Her eyes were downcast and her posture as unthreatening as she could make it. She didn't want to scare him away again. "Please?"

"Yeah, well, when you and I are in private you seem to get funny ideas about just what our relationship entails," the brownrider replied with a cool edge to his voice.

"I just want to _talk_, K'far. Please?" She bit back the hurt in her voice and tried her best to sound unemotional. Distant. Maybe that was how he liked his women nowadays. But it was so _hard_ when he stood so close! "Just talk."

"What could we possibly have left to talk about, Nineba?" he asked as he opened his weyr door. "We are _over_."

"K'far! Don't! I just want to talk to you!" Nineba pleaded. She pushed away from the wall to stand next to him, and wished that she could throw herself into his arms. She still remembered how it felt when he held her, how safe and _loved_ she'd been...

He could see this turning into a very bad scene out in the middle of the hall. "All right," he finally growled. "But only for a couple minutes.
I'm expecting someone."

"Thank you." She darted into his weyr before he could change his mind, debated throwing herself onto his bed, but then decided that it was a little too forward. A bureau on one side of the room held a number of odds and ends, and she wandered over and picked up a book without really seeing it. "Who are you expecting?"

"That is none of your business, Nineba." He didn't want to tell her it was the woman who had nearly broken her nose before. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"About... how your day was!" Nineba turned on a bright smile and put down the book. "I should have brought you something. Sweets from the kitchens.
I know you have a sweet tooth."

"What is this," he asked incredulously as he began picking up the room, "you're trying to be _friends_?"

"I'm trying to be civil - something that you're certainly not doing," she snapped, then covered her mouth with her hands in mortification. "I'm sorry K'far - I didn't mean it! I know that you're under a lot of stress lately-"

"Yes, I am," he growled, "and most of it is coming from _you_ still hanging around me."

"If you'd only relax, and trust me..."

"And if only you'd believe me when I say that I _don't_love_you_."

Nineba was quiet for a long moment. She searched K'far's face for a hint of his true feelings and found none. "Remember... remember back at Dolphin Cove, that night I ran away from Maparlan and you and Toreth took me to that beach? And we had that picnic and drank that bottle of wine, and we just... we just held each other. Could we go back there, someday?"

"_No_ Nineba! That's just it!" he yelled, throwing down his pile of laundry on the floor in frustration. "Those days are _over_! _Over_!"

Tears pricked at her eyes. "But _why_?! We were so happy! I don't want to just- just throw that away!"

"Things were different then!" HE picked up the pile again, and threw it none too gently into a nearby basket. "I thought you were pregnant with my child and your husband cast you out! But I know that was all a great big lie."

"It _wasn't_ a lie! It wasn't!" Nineba started to cry. "Stop saying that.
I carried your child!"

The brownrider threw his head back and laughed in dumbfounded resignation. "Oh yeah? Then where is it? Why didn't the healers at Dolphins Cove know nothing about it? Tell me, Nineba, please. What happened to my baby?"

"I didn't tell anyone at Dolphin Cove, and when I got here I _miscarried_," she spat. "It wasn't my fault."

"You know, I'm not so sure you had the baby in the _first_ place, Nineba. I think it was all in your confused little head so you could try to get me to take you away from your mundane life!"

"How could you say that?" Nineba was aghast. "Don't you dare deny your own flesh and blood!" Just then there was a knock on the door.

"I never denied my fresh and blood," he growled as he walked straight up the much smaller woman. "I never denied it because I don't believe it ever _existed_."

"Yes, it did! I _felt_ it!" Nineba sobbed and took a step backward.

"Yeah, well, _I_ never felt it," he said, his voice raising. "I uprooted my entire _life_ and brought you down here because I felt _responsible_ for you and the baby. But I quickly realized that it was all some elaborate _lie_ you cooked up so I would take you away from your arranged marriage!"

The door creaked open and Harki poked her head around the frame. K'far was red in the face and Nineba was sobbing like a waterfall. She made a face. "This looks like a bad time. I'll come back later, K'far."

Nineba looked up in horror - it was that horrid greenrider that had hit her! "_She_ is your company?! But- but I thought-"

The brownrider's eyes blazed. "And I thought I told you it was none of your business!" His voice lowered to almost a whisper as he said, "I think its time you left, Nineba."

"No! I'm not going anywhere! Make _her_ go!" Nineba said wildly. She glanced around the room as if looking for somewhere to hide even as K'far advanced on her. "I'm not leaving!"

"No! I want _her_ to stay, and you _will_ go." He took another menacing step toward her.

Nineba retreated further, then made a dash for a chair. "I'm not leaving! I'm _not_!"

Harki, meanwhile, opened the door and stood quietly with her back against the wall. She did like a little drama now and again, but she'd never seen K'far like this before. It was a little frightening. K'far was furious now. His eyes were a combination of fire and ice as he stormed towards the flimsy seat and the woman hiding behind it. "You will leave my weyr by your own power, Nineba, or so help me I will break that chair over your thick skull!"

"Stop it! You're frightening me!" Nineba sobbed.

He was blind to her tears. "I will not _ask_ you again! Get out!"

"No! I just want to _talk_ to you! I want things to go back to how they were before- why won't you _listen_ to me?!" Nineba found herself with her back against the wall, and held out her hands imploringly. "Please, K'far.
I love you!"

The brownrider had had enough. He grabbed her, none to gently, and threw her over his shoulder. "You _will_ leave my weyr! And if you don't struggle I might throw you out the door and not off my ledge!"

Nineba collapsed limply against him and sobbed as if her heart was breaking, and Harki pushed off the wall to watch them pass by her with narrowed eyes. K'far wrenched the door open and deposited Nineba in the middle of the hall, where she promptly collapsed into a weepy heap. K'far slammed the door closed and leaned against the door, his energy suddenly spent. They could still hear the sound of Nineba's wailing through the door. "Sharding woman," he muttered. Finally he turned tired and apologetic eyes to the greenrider. "I'm very sorry you had to see that."

"What's _with_ her?" Harki asked. The last time she'd run into that particular drudge, she'd insisted that she was K'far's weyrmate and tried to attack the greenrider. Harki had punched her in the nose. But there had to be _some_ sort of history between her and the brownrider, especially since she made K'far so angry. "I don't know," he muttered as his head rolled back and forth wearily. "I just don't know."

Harki glanced at the door. "Maybe you should talk to her, instead of threatening her."

K'far groaned as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wooden door. Harki wouldn't understand. "I've tried talking to her. I've tried begging her. I've tried everything I know to do. She just _won't_leave_me_alone_."

"Complain to the Weyrleader. Maybe he'll make her leave?" "Why?" he asked as he pushed himself off the door. "I'm the one who brought her here in the first place."

The greenrider shrugged. "Suit yourself, then. But if you don't want to do anything about your... problem... I could maybe... help you forget for a while?" The K'far she'd glimpsed with the drudge had scared her, but the K'far she knew as a wingrider was a solid, dependable sort. **And a little bit of uncertainty is never boring,** she thought.

"You mean I didn't scare you off yet?" he asked with a growing smile. He had been looking forward to Harki's visit. It was good to know the evening wasn't completely ruined. Harki shook her head. "I think there's a little more going on there than I'd want to know about." **And you scared me... just not scared me _off_.**

K'far ignored the faint sound of whimpering that still drifted in from the hallway as his lips reacquainted themselves with the greenrider's and he found the escape he needed.

Last updated on the January 27th 2006

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Scared Away