Bonding Time

Writers: Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 5th July 2014

Characters: Harki, Rorela
Description: Harki needs a friend.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 20 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: P'nal, G'nir, Ma'din

Cerillith assured her that Upinth's rider was in her weyr - and more
importantly, alone - so Harki made a beeline for the safety of Rorela's
company with a bottle of wine in one hand a whole mess of emotions in the
other. She knocked on the Wingthird's door and entered when she heard
Rorela's voice. "Shards and shells, I need a drink," she said. "Maybe four.
I should have brough you a bottle too."

Rorela lifted her head from her book and sat up on her couch, putting it
aside as Harki barreled into her weyr. Her brows arched immediately at the
look on Harki's face. "Well...okay. What have you done and was it any good?"

"It wasn't me and no." The greenrider collapsed onto the nearest chair and
began working at the bottle's cork. "P'nal told me that he's in love with me
and wants to give up his knots to be with me. Scorch him-- what am I
supposed to say to that!?"

"He did what?" Rorela gaped for a moment in utter shock. "P'nal, Lord Holder
of Lack of Empathy Hold said that to you?" She rose to immediately gather
two glasses for the both of them. "Give up his knots? He lives for his
knots!" She frowned. "And right after Hygalia leaves, when G'nir needs him
the most? What is he thinking?"

"I don't know. I told him not to-- can you open this?" Harki held out the
bottle out to Rorela, feeling pathetic because she couldn't get the cork
out. And because of P'nal, and what he'd asked her.

Plucking the bottle from Harki, she went to her cabinets and pulled out a
small corkscrew. She worked at the cork, brow knit in thought. "Giving up
his knots is stupid. Shards, I bedded G'nir and you don't see him offering
up his knots. Not that he's desperately in love with me, but still. " She
popped the cork and padding back to the chairs, poured the glasses. "I
didn't think you'd spent that much time around P'nal." She handed Harki her
glass and eyed her. "Oooo...have you been sneaking around with our
wingsecond?"

"No!" Harki threw her hands up in exasperation, and wine spilled down her
wrist. She glared at it, then licked it from her skin. "Jodeth's caught
Cerillith the last couple times she's risen, and it's been good. I mean,
_real_ good. But other than that we haven't! He even told me that he
couldn't the last time we were in a flight room together!" The wine was dry
against her tongue, and she took another gulp of wine to savor the taste. Or
so she told herself. "And sure, if it was fooling around some, I'd be up for
that. But if he gave up his knots it'd _mean_ something, and I don't want
another relationship _or_ to be responsible when it crashes and burns!"

Rorela watched the wine slop on to Harki's wrist with a pursed mouth. "Then
how can he be in love with you?" Rorela took another drink, leaning back.
"If he only really knows you in flight rooms and during drills, he doesn't
know you at all." She shook her head. "If you don't want it, say no.
Simple."

"I did," she said quietly. "Well, I did sort of. If he wanted to fool
around, fine. But I told him to keep his knots."

"And how did he take it?" Rorela rubbed her chin. "And how do you feel about
him?"

Harki took another gulp of wine. "He seemed... sad. Upset. I don't know.
He's hard to read."

"You didn't answer my other question." She refilled Harki's glass. "How do
you feel about him?"

"I don't know! He's good between the furs, and I like him, but I don't know
if I _like_ him like him. Which makes this whole thing even stupider! He-- I
can't be whoever he thinks I am." Someone worthy of giving up knots for.
Someone to make big choices for, or to give up a future for. "I'm not that
kind of greenrider."

And P'nal should have known that. She felt a burst of further irritation for
the man for putting her friend in such a corner. "Neither of us are. And
don't try to be. You were honest with him, he can't fault you for it."

Harki stuck her lower lip out in a pout. "It's not fair."

At that, Rorela snorted. "Nor is it fair that I've only bedded G'nir one
night. But it's life." She paused. "Well, at least you know it won't affect
him in the Wing and during meetings you can just stick with me."

"I told him I wasn't going to transfer, either," Harki said after a moment.
"I came back here for the Wing. This is where I belong."

"You shouldn't have to either! If I can work with G'nir while lusting after
him, surely he can work with you." Rorela offered more wine. "Besides, if it
gets too bad, we can take it to G'nir."

Harki held out her glass. "I don't want to do that, either. He's a good
Wingsecond."

"Yes he is." She didn't like admitting that, but it was the truth. She
poured the proffered glass full. "So, what are you going to do, then?"

"I don't know. Curl up and die?"

Rorela rolled her eyes. "I don't think it's that serious, Harki. Just bed
the man on occasion."

The greenrider smiled a bit at that. "I'm not sure that he'd let me."

She sighed and shook his head. "All or nothing, huh?" She exhaled with a
vibration of lips. "That's his loss, then."

"Yeah." The other greenrider stared moodily at her glass. His loss. What had
he said - it would drive him mad not knowing what might have happened? Well,
it would drive her nuts too, but she _knew_ how it would end. Poorly, and
with P'nal hating her for not living up to expectations, and ruining his
life. She could live with that, but P'nal? Likely not. "Shells. Men. I don't
get them. At _all_."

There was a chortle of agreement. "Neither do I. And they call us strange."
Rorela leaned back in her seat, watching Harki. "If you want my opinion, I
don't think you and P'nal would be a good match. He's just so...serious. And
you're not."

"I don't think _anyone_ would be a good match for me." The wine was hitting
her system - three glasses in less than half a candlemark was taking its
toll. "I don't think there's a person on Pern who could put up with me
romantically for more than a month or two."

Rorela patted her hand. "I'd put up with you." She paused. "If I was bent
that way."

Harki snorted. "Only because I have a fabulous ass."

"And boobs. You have much more than me, but that doesn't take much." She
grinned. "Why look for romance anyway? It's overrated. Just find a guy that
you can bed often without the strings."

"Do they even exist? U'kaiah has two women tied up in strings. G'nir?
Strings." She started ticking off men on her fingers. "P'nal. Strings! And
if it's not strings, its weyrmating. Ugh." She shuddered. "I'm not looking
for romance, I'm looking for something that isn't complicated. And it's all
complicated!"

Rorela lifted her finger. "There are no strings with G'nir and I don't plan
on laying any down. He doesn't want things complicated either. Shards, bed
him. He's amazing in the furs. " She paused. "Try Ma'din. I don't think he's
looking for anything but spread thighs."

Harki wrinkled her nose. "Next time I have an itch, sure. But he's kind of
an ass."

"True, but being an ass sometimes equals being able to knock your boots off
privately." She gave a grin. "He makes a girl scream." She paused. "But not
during a flight, though. He gets a bit rough."

"I wonder if he can take it, if he dishes it out?" Harki bit her lip.
Sometimes playing rough was just the thing to take the edge off.

Rorela poured them both another glass, tipping out the remainder of the
bottle. "Don't know. Never tried with him. For a brownrider,
he's...intense."

Harki chuckled a bit. "So's P'nal."

"No, he's an annoyance."

The greenrider smiled a bit. "Thanks."

"He is." Rorela tapped her chin. "I think its time for operation Harki to
begin."

"I think that it's time you helped me finish this bottle of wine," Harki
told her. That was much safer.

"Methinks you are already tipsy, my dear." Rorela held up the empty bottle.

"Oh." Well, that was... not entirely unexpected. "Well. In that case, let me
hang out in your bathing pool until I'm too drunk too stumble back to my
weyr, and I'll sleep here tonight?"

"Just don't drown in it. I don't feel like cleaning up a corpse today."

"Fair." Harki whipped her tunic up over her head and tossed it into the
corner. "That would be a terrible way to repay a friend. You joining me,?"

Rorela stood and abruptly wavered. "Ah, shard it....that wine was a little
stronger than I realized." She rubbed her eyes and untied her own tunic. It
shortly followed Harki's, followed afterwards by her trousers. "Whoohoo.
Naked green riders. " She blew a kiss to the weyr in general, then flounced
to the bathing pool.

And Harki followed.

Last updated on the July 14th 2014

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Bonding Time