Breakfast in Weyr [Nine]

[Windra]

Of course E'lis wasn't gonna see Ronnie around as much. Not after the wher attacks with everybody freaking out. And certainly not after her recent promotion! Although it did ... make him feel a way. A little lonely, mayhaps. Their 'second date' kept getting postponed. He wasn't really the type to nudge and nudge to the point of annoyance and decided to give her the space she needed. Who knew how much work a Wherleader was required to do?! Tuckal was almost impossible to find outside of her weyr! (Although that could have a lot to do with a slew of other problems. Who knew?)

It was Plemeth who urged him out. Your thoughts are driving me up the forsking wall. Go and say hello to the lady before I throw you off the weyr ledge myself! Of course she is busy. So go out of your way! I'll bet you she's famished and stressed!

He didn't need to be told twice.

E'lis ransacked the kitchen to fill a platter with meatrolls and stew, bread and cheese ... and, with a bit of sweet-talking, a couple of extra bubbly pies. The k'lah was tricky. Or, well, balancing the whole shardin' thing was tricky! Quite a few close calls on the way down to the wherhandler quarters.

And ... ah ...

Shit.

Which weyr was her's?

"Miss Ronnie!" he called in a harsh whisper, habit forcing him to be mindful of those who might be asleep at this late hour. It was long after dark. But this was the nocturnal section ... ! "Ma'am, I've brought food - ah, where are you?"

[nineofswords]

Ronnie was buried in paperwork. Which was honestly was her in her element; paperwork was something she'd been taught from birth how to handle, and her penmanship was crisp, neat, and efficient. But changing over from the last wherleader left a lot of paperwork, even for her. It left little time for much else.

She was so engrossed in what she was working on that she was blocking everything else out. Onisk was still sleeping, taking advantage of the hour on what was nominally meant to be a day off. It was Osk who noticed something odd, lifting his head and growling. When Ronnie still didn't look up at that, he slowly got to his feet and padded over to her desk to headbutt her with another growl.

She jerked, slightly, looking up at him. "Osk? What's the matter?" The brown jerked his head towards the door and Ronnie followed the motion, frowning. "There's someone at the door?" She got up and opened it and then she finally heard a familiar voice. "E'lis?" she called out, utterly surprised. "Eli-kins, is that you?"

[Windra]

The moment she opened the door, E'lis felt sweat dampen the back of his neck. "Uh - " She was caught completely off-guard, not expecting him ... or really, anybody. Probably. There was a haze about her: the air of intense work and no sleep for the wicked. The greenrider coughed into a closed fist, prickling heat in his face alerting him to the rousing crimson of his cheeks. "R-Ronnie! Evenin' to you, lovely - ah - hope ahm not disturbin' ya, love - "

He stammered over the words, especially since that last one caught in his throat. Plemeth gave him a harsh mind-push to help heimlich the rest out of his airway.

"Ah - ah haven't seen you 'round and ... well ... " Poor bashful boy. He glanced at his feet awkwardly. "Jes' worried ya might be overlookin' yer health, s'all. Brought some hot grub. And k'lah. Wine too, if'n you're wanting."

[nineofswords]

Ronnie saw the greenrider in the hall holding a tray, and for a moment her brain didn't seem able to register why that could possibly be. But then he was blushing, and she gave him a warm smile, because this, at least, was familiar territory for her. "Eli-kins, darling, you could never disturb me!" she said, striding out into the hallway to meet him and give him a peck on the cheek. It was also so they could talk without having to raise their voices and disturb her no doubt sleeping neighbors.

Ronnie let out a sigh that was half apologetic, half aggravated. "I know, it's been forever since we've been able to spend time together. The paperwork feels never-ending right now, and Osk - and I say this with all the love in the world, because he is just the sweetest in his own way - is a bit of a handful. Not in the sense that a baby is, you know how the young ones get, all energy and no sense, but he just gets overwhelmed very easily you see. It's been ever so long since he's been around so many people, and it's tiring, and he is quite an old wher you know, so he does tire rather easily. We were on half shifts because of how hard it is for him to keep up with us lively girls - which was a bit of a boon as I started settling into my new position - but I simply cannot bring myself to leave him alone to sleep once we're off duty because he gets nightmares you see, and it absolutely breaks my heart to think of him waking up to an empty weyr all alone after all those turns without another soul to rely on, so leaving him to his own devices isn't really possible right now." She stopped to wind her arm through E'lis'. "Oh, but it's wonderful to see you, it really is. Tell me, how's your darling Plemeth? Is she keeping you out of trouble?"

Ronnie gave a delighted gasp when E'lis said why he'd come, and finally gave the tray a proper look. "For me? Oh E'lis, you wonderful, beautiful boy, food is absolutely welcome!" She sighed wistfully at the wine. "I'd better not," she admitted. "I still have a few duty rosters I want to approve, and I shouldn't drink when I'm working on official Weyr paperwork. It's just sloppy, you know, besides which, I had an uncle who would drink when he did paperwork, and let's just say the errors that caused created a scandal that people still talk about to this day in the hold he lived in. Oh, but I shouldn't get into that. E'lis, be a dear and enjoy the wine for me?" She went to take the tray, then stopped, biting her lip. "Oh, but....I'm sure you'll want to eat this with me, won't you?" She looked back at her door, sighing. "I'm not sure Osk will do well with people in our weyr, and I'd rather not test that just yet. I suppose I could do with a break...is it absolutely miserable for a picnic in the weyrbowl just now?" she asked. "I could do with a break, though just a quick one."

[Windra]

"Not miserable at all, darlin', so long as you're around!" And he gave a broad grin, keenly aware that the blush was spreading fast across his nose. "Honestly though, s'a bit blistery. I would absolutely bundle up!"

Ronnie's little pecks and public displays of affection were not something he ever found himself tiring of ... but that wasn't the most endearing thing he was finding of her right now. The way she spoke of Osk - how highly, how much praise and adoration - doting on him like a toddler of her own. It was fantastic. She was undeterred by the brown's actions and surrendered herself - mostly - to maintaining his happiness in an environment he wasn't suited to for a long time.

"He hasn't really spoken much 'bout where he's come from, has he?" he asked suddenly and could not help but turn his head just a little - just a smidge - to try and glimpse the big boy nesting in the weyr. "'Caused a big ol' fuss and Faranth you know how some folk talk 'o whers like they're worse n' tunnelsnakes. Forskin' hypocrites. Heck if he ain't walkin', talkin' proof that they can have bad days jes like everythin' else and come outta it with a little TLC. Heard he's all scarred up. Ah can't believe some of 'em heartless ingrates still chain them up - " He felt himself prattling on, and picking up momentum and heat as he went. But E'lis also found he might be starting to broach a ... tender subject. "Betcha he's a big ol' handsome fella. Be nice for Plemmy to meet 'im whenever he comes 'round! She thinks Onisk is flippin' adorable."

Thinking back to his own bonded, he gave a snort.

"Oh, her," E'lis tittered. "Glowin' like a worm and Ah wager she'd be rising by sevenday's end. Gettin' right up my rump about everything and believe you me, s'all Ah can do to get a breather from her every now and then."

I could say the same of you, E'lis, snapped the green with a warning. Carrying on with your nerves like some jilted creche boy coming of age. I need my personal space, too.

"Oh, she's mad at me now," he laughed. "She packs such venom for a little thing. Then he put on a serious face, shifting to accommodate her linked arm without losing his grip on the platter. [b]"I know ya got so much goin' on darlin, and Ah don't wanna force yer hand if it'll make ya stressed n' throw Osk into a tizzy. If'n ya want Ah can pull up a few chairs n' we can munch at your doorway?"

[nineofswords]

"Oh, you flatterer," Ronnie said, giving him an affectionate and gentle slap on the arm. She nodded. "Good idea, though, about bundling up." The idea of eating out in the cold didn't exactly appeal to her, but cuddling up to E'lis was definitely something she wouldn't say no to.

Her smile was became softer - and perhaps just a touch sad - her tone less flirtatious as E'lis asked about Osk. "He hasn't spoken at all, to be honest," she said, adjusting her dress slightly. "The mindhealers seem to think he's alright, and he can communicate what he needs with me just fine. He just isn't ready, might never be. Which is fine, of course, I don't need to tell you that I talk enough for three people, I'm more than capable of compensating for a silent wher." She sighed. "Still, some days, I can't help but feel I'm not doing something right if he hasn't spoken to me yet." It was a silly thing to worry about, she knew. He'd heal in his own time, and nothing she did would speed that up. But it was a nagging insecurity she sometimes felt nonetheless.

"Oh yes, I know better than most how people like to talk," Ronnie agreed with a hefty sigh. "I was a world-champion gossip back in the day. And nothing makes gossip more fun than a handy scapegoat, and the lumpy, flightless cousins of dragons do tend to be everyone's favorite in that department, don't they?" She couldn't bring herself to be mad about it anymore, honestly. All she could do was work like anything to change that perception, which was exactly what she was doing. Her expression turned very dark when he mentioned how some people still chained whers up. "Mm. If I ever come across the heartless brute who did that to him, I'm not certain I could maintain the decorum my parents worked so hard to instill in me," she said, her tone acidic and promising death despite her mild words.

Ronnie worked her lip thoughtfully when E'lis hinted he wanted to introduce Osk to his dragon. "Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get him more used to spending time around dragons and other people," she admitted. "We should pick somewhere quiet, though. Too many people, too much noise, and he just bolts for our room. Which, to his credit, is a far cry better than biting, but if you want him to not run off, we'll have to make a date of it somewhere quiet."

She let out a delighted laugh at E'lis' description of Plemeth. "Oh, good for her! I know dragons tend to get crabby right before a flight, but it'll be over soon, and she'll get to have some fun, which she more than deserves." She laughed when he said Plemeth was mad at him. "Well serves you right, gossiping about a lady's bedroom habits behind her back like that!" she teased. "And you should know not to underestimate us short girls," she added, putting her hands on her hips and drawing herself up to her full, unimpressive height of five foot five. "We have to be able to tear a man down with words or else everyone will just walk all over us."

Tension that Ronnie didn't realize she'd been holding unclenched in her shoulders when E'lis suggested grabbing chairs and eating in front of her door. "Oh Eli-kins, that would be wonderful. You beautiful man, if you weren't holding the tray I would absolutely kiss you right now." She quickly darted into her room and dragged a few chairs out and then a chest as a makeshift table for the tray. "Please, you perfect man, make yourself comfortable."

[Windra]

"Oh yeah, you sure do talk a lot," E'lis quipped with a light-hearted laugh. The rash of red across his nose and cheeks brightened hotter than the sun. "BUt it's a beautiful thing 'bout ya, darlin'! I never get tired of hearin' ya speak. Ya've got such a pretty voice! And you're smart, to boot!"

He wasn't going to tell her that listening to the drolling of some of these idiots made his brain hurt. He knew he wasn't incredibly smart, either ... and he didn't claim to be! But E'lis had common sense. Sooooo many among them weren't birthed with the intelligence to not hold a candle to oil.

Their shared sentiment about the treatment of whers made her blossom in his heart. "I've liked whers for a long time 'fore I met ya, Ronnie," he told her, trying to make it clear that she was not the reason he thought they needed to be defended. "Big 'n tough for all the jobs on land that a dragon can't handle! Don't get me wrong, Plemeth is tough where she ain't big, but ah've seen one big blue cartin' three full carts of coal outta a mine one time. One! That might not seem like a lot but for their size and, uh, relativity I guess, you'd think it'd take more n' one wher. Didja know I thought I'd bond to a wher for the longest time 'fore Plemeth found me? Not 'cause I'd age out or nothin'. They're just amazing!"

Stop kissing ass, Plemeth groveled. I'd have found you as a dragon or a wher.

"I'm not kissin' - " E'lis silenced himself with a sigh. There was no point in arguing with a dragon in estrus, and he certainly did not want to fight with the creature who owned his heart first. He felt a wave of relief, really, when Ronnie got some chairs and a chest together for them to dine. The trays were getting heavy! He set them down with a giddy grinning. The hallway was much more narrow now. Folks would have to squeeze past them. Frankly, that didn't much matter to him! "Haha! I love how ya can adapt to situations so quickly!" She'd done so without complaint over inconvenience or whatever. "Like goin' sledding in the mud! That's the most fun I've had in ages, Ronnie, and I'm so glad you were open to it!"

He did sit after carefully placing the food and spread his arms to allow the muscles to relax for a minute. Mugs and bottled were not heavy but full of liquid, it certainly got tedious! E'lis sought a roll of bread and bit into it without a second thought. Briefly he wondered if maybe he was supposed to wait for the lady to break bread first?