I Promised (Alaid and a vendor)

[kysseh]

Gathers were celebrations that K'von had greatly enjoyed, even as a child. His father or foster parents would take him to Gathers at nearby holds, and he would run amongst the stalls, ooh and ahh over the lovely colors and shiny trinkets, beg--like any good weyrbrat--at the stalls with food or animals for sale. Yes, K'von had been quite the normal child in many respects, though he knew that his childhood view of matters had been a sheltered one. The wars had loomed over everything, and even if he had not noticed it back then, he noticed it now.

The colors here were... even more stunning than he remembered. The closeness to the weyr made it easier for the injured brownrider to tolerate a ride dragonback, and Dohulth had flown as gently and smoothly as he could manage. The brown had been a tad off color for days following his second failed Chase, but he was beginning to regain some of his good humor. He had, at least, started to joke with K'von again, which the brownrider considered a victory. Dohulth could not stay sullen for long; it simply was not in his nature, no matter how much his pride smarted from the rejection.

Now that he was at the Gather, though, K'von had another thing on his mind: the little Benden weyrling he had met in the Jungle. He still smiled at the memory, though his heart ached on her behalf. Poor child... so terrified by the happenings that she had been nearly--or perhaps completely--broken. Well, he held out some hope for her yet, a thought which Dohulth sincerely echoed.

She needs friends, Aorath's does. We will be friends to her.

Smiling in the direction of his distant dragon, who was sunning on a rocky hill a fair distance from the hold so as not to disturb the Gathergoers, K'von made his way in and amongst the stalls, searching for a suitable gift to reassure the weyrling that he was not out to hurt her. Jewelry seemed a little too intimate, and shiny things simply were not practical when one was in training. Cloth and clothing? No, rather too personal as well. The leatherworker's stall caught his eye for a moment, but he moved on, still deep in thought. He occasionally did glance around the crowds, hoping to see her shy face bobbing around somewhere in the midst of it.... hers or Kalierre's, really. That fully-fledged greenrider seemed to take up far more of his thoughts these days, and he wished he could find a way to fully reconcile them. Their late-night 'talk' in the Infirmary had been... awkward, at best.

Lightly cradling his injured hand closer to his body to avoid damage from the crowds, K'von spied a likely and familiar stall and made for it. Eggs... all sort of eggs! Oh, yes, this definitely bore a closer look...

[randi]

Crowds made her feel both safer and more afraid than anything else. Logic stated that, in the midst of people, she would be safe, that no one would dare harm her. However, her own fearful nature told her that no matter where she was, there would always be people watching her with an intent to harm, would drag her away from the stalls, from the safety, and then it would all be over, if she was lucky.

It was only by constant reassurance that she had ever left Aorath's side, ever wandered amongst the people. Alaid had stopped only once, spoken only a few words before scampering back into the crowd, clutching her prize. The pipes weren't perfect, and it had been an impulse, but she liked them already, plus, what else was she going to use those marks for?

Alaid paused near one of the other stands, pushing her black hair behind her ears and peering at her new... well, toy was the best word for it. She wanted to play it, but that meant going somewhere isolated or else possibly drawing a crowd and the girl did not want that.

When she looked back up, she recognized the egg stand as being the one she'd paused near. She could feel Aorath's snort from here. Should have bought a little cousin, Mine, Aorath encouraged, but it was too late for that.

If at all possible, Alaid paled realizing who exactly was nearby. The Confusing One. Ducking slightly, she wasn't sure if she should scuttle to and say hello or flee. No... it was better to leave him be. In the one and a million chance that he was decent, he deserved to be so without her. She turned to run back away when Aorath's voice of reason broke her fragile logic, making her pause, halfway turned from him.

You owe him a smile.

[kysseh]

So absorbed had K'von been in looking over the eggs that he had not realized for a few moments that he was not completely alone. Well, he had never been alone in the midst of the crowd, but there was someone very close by all of a sudden. He glanced over at the newcomer and immediately broke into a delighted smile at the sight of the weyrling, though the smile dimmed at the realization that she was turning away. "No, wait... Alaid, I-"

Oops, well, now she was no longer turning away... nor turning toward him. This was the delicate time where he could either make or break this communication. Knowing his recent luck, it would be 'breaking'. But still, he was not one to leave things and not at least give it a try. He caught sight of the little pipes in her hand and tilted his head curiously to one side. "I didn't know you liked music..." He was genuinely surprised, though he should not have been considering how little he knew about the girl. She could be full of surprises for all that he knew, or she could just have more depth to her than the frightened face that she presented to the world. Either way, he was still startled by that discovery of a liking for music.

Seeing as she was not fleeing from him currently, K'von decided to push his luck, aware of Dohulth's quiet encouragement. "I suppose Aorath convinced you to come, hmm? What do you think? Has to be better than the gloomy Gathers up north." Oh, yes he remembered those quite well. "More colors, for one thing. The north was all gray." And depressing, but he wasn't going to add that small detail in. Instead, he gifted her with a bright smile, keeping his injured hand in close. "Don't you owe me a smile, kiddo?"

Do not scare her off. Gently, Mine. Dohulth reminded him quietly. She is still quite new to you and to the weyr.

[randi]

Why did the green have to have a point? He had been nice to her, and she had promised him. Why had she come again? The Weyr would have been quiet; she could have actually got out and enjoyed the day without having to worry extensively. I would have made you come anyways, the green informed her smugly. Alaid knew that was true, and she could only be thankful for giving in to this. Else, she would have looked even more out of place. She hadn't much to choose from by way of wardrobe, but if Aorath had just whisked her here, she might have shown up just wearing her most comfortable clothes, which were, ironically enough, a pair of torn leggings and K'von's old shirt.

He was speaking to her. Gray eyes flickered towards him as she turned back to him. Alaid glanced down at her pipes, nodding with a small smile on her face. "It's pretty," she replied quietly, turning them over in her hands gently. "I haven't heard much. Little things, here and there," She peered up at him, curious. "Do you like it?"

At the question, she gave a small nod, grumbling quietly, "She made me." Aorath's amusement poured over their bond. "I didn't go to many," she admitted. "My mother liked Gather days. Less people around the Weyr meant she didn't have to hurt. I liked to be there with her for those." She was talkative today, wasn't she? Alaid attributed it to the crowd, Aorath, and nothing else.

Ah, so K'von remembered. She had expected him to. She had also expected him to decide on an unmentioned term that she hadn't heard. Alaid glanced down at her feet, shifting uncomfortably. Somewhere, she knew how to just smile, somewhere...

[kysseh]

K'von smiled at her, gratified when she finally turned toward him. It was such an improvement to see her face, to see her look at him. He did not want her to be afraid, though he could scarcely blame her for being so. Benden had a notorious habit of breaking people, females especially, and that she had any courage at all was gratifying. Her small smile was met with a broader one from him, and he watched her look at the pipes in her hand, struck by a sudden urge to hear her play. He was not going to push, though, or she might get very upset.

Her question surprised him, and he nodded emphatically, grinning a bit more mischievously now. "I love music... and dancing to it. I can't do much more than a waltz-step, though," he admitted. "And it's rather hard to dance with one busted hand." He gestured with the one mangled and bandaged hand, just grateful that he had liberally applied the numbweed to it. He did not want to be in sudden pain in the middle of such an enjoyable experience. That would have been unbearable.

She seemed a little more comfortable with talking to him now, and he listened in relative silence, an understanding smile on his tanned face at her explanation. Oh, but he knew some of that all too well, and he would have offered an embrace if he thought it would help. K'von opted to just let her talk it through, even when she seemed rather... unnerved by his reminder that she did owe him a smile. He decided to take pity on her, for this instance, though he would get that smile out of her somewhere. He could not stand it when people forgot how to laugh or to smile, and he had made it his mission to provide Alaid some enjoyment in life, even if it wasn't by his direct actions. That reminded him... he needed to look through some of the current batches of weyrlings for a nice boy--or girl, perhaps--to take her in hand and keep an eye out for her. She needed a friend who didn't have a few Turns on her.

"All right, all right... I'll bug you for a smile later," he finally acquiesced, giving her a pout that clearly indicated how sad he was about having to leave that be for now. He had made her promise something else, though, and he could not help but wonder what he could give her that would fit the bill. Or... perhaps fate was inspiring him, for he finally realized that the pair of them were standing near the egg stall again. He looked solemnly at her.... and then at the eggs, and it was obvious that the wheels in his head were turning. "Alaid, I have an idea to run by you..."

[randi]

Alaid had thought he would like music. She couldn't fathom why anyone would think otherwise, unless they were dead inside, completely. If their hearts had given in to the deep darkness of Benden, she didn't think they would like it at all. Would probably try to stop it. Would probably snap her pipes in half... The thought made her grasp them tighter, not wanting the phantom hands to take them, cold laughter chilling her to her core... For a moment, the image of K'von's face contorted with their hate flashed through her mind and she peeked up, relieved to see he hadn't changed, that the truth of nature still failed to touch him.

The mention of his hand drew her eyes, a small gasp drawing air in. She wasn't a Healer, but that certainly didn't look good. The mention of dancing was lost to Alaid as concern overtook her features. "Did they do that to you?" If he really defied the laws of Pern... they would try to strike at him. "Is it okay?" It was so much easier than the more personal 'Are you okay' which teased her tongue.

The silence in which she stared downwards seemed too long. She couldn't do it. Alaid tried, tried with everything in her, but the expression just felt loss. Aorath tried to help, mumbled random things to try and help, but Alaid couldn't do it. It made her feel miserable, because she wanted to. He had been nice to her, had not stopped playing the game yet. K'von deserved the smile she promised, and she wanted to, just for him. Just because he asked. It was impossible. The girl felt a lump rising in her throat, a feeling of helplessness momentarily overcoming her. She couldn't even smile for no reason. It took effort, but she pushed the feeling down, not wanting to upset K'von or Aorath.

Looking back up to see his pout made her frown slightly. She wanted to... "I'm sorry," she apologized. It was her fault that she couldn't. She felt the wave of upset coming again, but his mannerisms sparked curiosity that sent the other fleeing back into the darkness that spawned it. Between her and the eggs... what was he thinking? "Yes?"

[kysseh]

Her gasp distracted him, and K'von quickly turned to make sure she was all right, relieved to see that she was referring to his hand and was not being bothered by something else. He shook his head and gave her a reassuring wink. "Nah, it's fine. Dohulth was Chasing, and the greenrider's pet got a little.... nervous, so he decided to take his aggravation out on my hand. Ripped it up pretty nicely too." He shrugged the shoulder attached to the good arm, not overly bothered by the fact that his left hand was currently unusable. It did yield certain benefits, after all, though that Flight had ended in disaster. He would like to think that things had improved since then. "It's fine. Numbweed and stitches work wonders." That, and being fussed over by a guilty and lovely greenrider.

All right, he was well and truly shameless about some things.

Her prolonged silence went largely unnoticed as his gaze travelled back and forth between her and the eggs, until he realized that she was frowning. What... oh. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'll get you to smile eventually." And he would, for K'von had the perfect idea for accomplishing two goals at once. He had spied a tub of sand and eggs that looked suspiciously like firelizard eggs, and the fact that the vendor's eyes lit up when the brownrider spied it told K'von all that he needed to know. "Alaid..." he continued to his companion in a conversational tone. "Would you possibly be interested in a firelizard?"

You are getting her a pet-thing? Dohulth inquired curiously, now a little more alert to K'von's behavior. A pet-thing made a great deal of sense. It would be a good messenger and companion for her... and it would protect her from anything terrible. It is a good idea, if you can convince her. he added, to which K'von wholeheartedly agreed. "Dohulth thinks it's a good idea," he said aloud for her benefit, gesturing toward the tub nearly filled with hot sand and mostly-buried eggs. Ohh, but they were lovely. "What do you think?"

[randi]

She felt relieved to hear that he was okay, which was, on the whole, surprising. Alaid wasn't sure what to think of him, but she was aware that she had been genuinely worried that he had been hurt because he was different. The realization that she had been accepting him as an enigma worried her intensely. The chances of it being only months after her escape that she would find the single being capable of standing against the world were slim, and her luck had never been one to be in her favor. The wall she had been neglecting in favor of trying to trust K'von was suddenly fortified anew. She couldn't take the chance that he was playing her to inflict the larger pain. She just couldn't. When he was done with this little step in their dance, she would go back to Aorath and ask to go home, she resolved. As much as Alaid wanted to have someone she could trust, she just couldn't let herself slip into that place. She couldn't afford to be hurt.

Realizing she hadn't said anything more about his hand, she shook her head, her eyes falling back to the ground, her posture slumping and making her appear to shrink. "That's good," she managed softly, aware that her mental lockdown had awakened Aorath.

Did he do something? The green was instantly on the defensive. Alaid's lips moved slightly with her answer. Not yet. Instantly, sadness overcame the green on th other end of the bond. At least stay to hear the music, Aorath said, more as a request than an order, which was strange for the green. Alaid conceded.

So lost in her talk with Aorath that she almost missed his question. A firelizard? She peeked up at him, thinking, though not at the offer. Aorath had told her that she wanted her to go to the next firelizard Hatching to give her something to protect her when Aorath could not. Instead her mind clicked away, trying to find the angle, where he could hurt her. He could make her trust him again... It had been easy last time, hadn't it? Remembering that she had promised to play the game so long as he was willing to run with it, she mumbled, "What do you think?"

Aorath sighed unhappily. Hers was being difficult. She had shut down her door to the light, and was trying to find a lock to keep on it forever. It was her fault for Alaid's retreating, her fault that Alaid had cut off whatever link she had made to the brownrider. Unable to see Alaid's outward reaction, she spoke to K'von. Alaidmine is probably going to try and hide very soon, her tone practically begged for him to reestablish whatever had been lost, if he could.

[kysseh]

Her prolonged silence was disturbing. K'von was concerned. Had he frightened her somehow? He had not thought he said anything remotely intimidating or scary or... threatening. Then again, his people skills were a tad on the rusty side, so he did tend to slip on occasion. Still, he watched her with great concern, firelizard eggs forgotten for the moment. She mumbled something about his hand which he quickly dismissed, her posture quite frightening. She looked... defeated, young, vulnerable. He made a soft noise of discontent, unable to discern what the movement of her lips meant. He extended his good hand in a gentle gesture of welcome, stepping closer to the container of sand and eggs and intending to invite her closer.

Her mumble had him tilt his head to one side in confusion. Was she purposely trying to be ambiguous, or was she just afraid? The unfamiliar, higher tones in his head confirmed the latter of the two as the reason. The poor girl seemed terrified of him... of the whole situation. Well, he could try to rectify that. "Alaid, I won't hurt you. But I promised you a present." Actually, she had agreed to let him get her a present, but it was all the same, wasn't it? He gently beckoned at her with one hand, catching the vendor's eye and angling his head at the tub. Oh, yes... they'd be getting one of those, though the bargaining could wait until she picked one out.

"This is my present to you. You'll have a little creature to bite anyone who bothers you... including me," he said, his eyes sparkling with gentle amusement. He was trying to tone down his normal cheerfulness to keep from frightening her, but nothing seemed to be working. "That way, I'll never be able to be in the same room unless you say it's all right. Good idea, right?" Of course it was; he had thought of it, hadn't he? He gestured toward the eggs with one hand. "So... which one do you want? A little tiny one or a nice big strong one like this... ooh, look, that one's pretty too." His grin had returned, eyes alight with almost childish glee. He could not help it; he had always loved staring at dragon and firelizard eggs, with their lovely colors. "Any one caught your eye?"

[randi]

She caught the noise, but was too afraid of looking back up at him, in fear that she would see him for what he truly was. She had built him up to be someone he wasn't, and Alaid didn't want to look at him and know the truth. It was easier without looking, easier to think of him as who he was. She was ready to slip back away and run for a larger group of people or to be by herself. Anywhere but here with him, the lying, hurting one. Biting her tongue to fight off the tears that stung her eyes, Alaid's plan fell the moment he tried to beckon her closer to the stand. She couldn't run. Aorath wouldn't let her, even if he did, which he wouldn't. He'd had his teeth in her once, he wouldn't be happy that she'd slipped away, caught on. Her head shook slightly as the tears slowly became a non issue.

Alaid could have repeated the verbal tapestry of curses she had woven at her lovely green in the jungle when the dragon told K'von. Some days she thought the dragon wanted her to be miserable. Aorath was instantly offended by the idea, and would have given Hers a harsh nuzzling for daring to think so had she been immediately accessible. Hearing K'von speak made her head turn towards him, her head lifting slightly, but her eyes remaining firmly ground-centered.

His statement made her eyes narrow, her next breath catching slightly in her chest. Why wouldn't they just give up and leave her be? Though she had to admit him confessing the game in front of the stall-runner would be slightly odd, she couldn't see how it mattered. They were all just going to hurt her and she just didn't want to be hurt and it wasn't fair. She was biting her tongue again, her fingernails digging into her palms to help her fight the tears again. She hadn't asked to be a girl, hadn't asked to ever leave the normality of Benden, hadn't asked to Impress, hadn't asked for anything more than a place to hide. Feeling herself near the edge of crying, she had to go to him, stiffly, had to look at the eggs to keep herself from breaking down into an upset, though she remained silent.

Alaid peeked up at the sand-filled tub, at the firelizard's eggs, listening to him while her eyes gently flew over the shells, caressing each one individually. She gave a small nod, admitting it was a good idea, but there had to be a trick, had to. For the moment, however, her eyes were lost on the shells.

One seemed to catch her eyes moreso than the others, her gray eyes meeting one of the most beautifully colored things she had ever seen. The shell was dark purple, what small glimpses could be seen beneath the pattern of violet clouds that swirled up to the top where a golden light peaked. She couldn't tell the size due to the surrounding eggs, but didn't care. Alaid loved it the moment she saw it. The thoughts about K'von and her own despair seemed to melt away. There was only her, the egg, and Aorath.

Aorath was immensely happy to feel Hers quit panicking. Even if it was the egg, K'von had done something to fix the problem, and she was grateful. However, sensing that Alaid was probably not going to speak to K'von and thus let herself be miserable over the egg should it slip through her fingers, she sent the man a helpful image through Alaid's eyes, sending him her sincerest gratitude for what he was doing.

[kysseh]

K'von let his hand drift back down to his side, upset by the fact that she seemed near to tears. He silently cursed Benden, cursed its practices and habits, cursed its leaders for making such timid toys of women. It seemed nearly every woman coming from that weyr was either broken or toughened by their experience, and he thought Alaid was more of the former than the latter. He regarded her with gentle sympathy in his eyes, not wishing to trouble her further by reaching for her. The brownrider just tried to not let her obvious rejection of his kindness bother him, waiting patiently for her to make a move.

And move she did, closer to the tub to investigate the eggs. He let her keep the tub between his body and hers, watching her just looking over the shells in the tub. The vendor seemed to sense that he was about to make a sale, but K'von just waved a hand to indicate that the man should wait. Alaid still had to pick one, after all, and K'von was in no mood to rush her. There was no rush, no hurry. This was his gift of reassurance to her, and the brownrider gave her a gentle smile, watching her look over them. He just watched and waited until her gaze seemed to stop travelling. Ah ha. She had decided?

Unfortunately, he was left with the trouble of trying to figure out which egg it was. Was it that red one? Or the purple? That weird bluey-green one? He fidgeted a little, bemused until Aorath was kind enough to point it out. He smiled and turned to look at the vendor, gesturing at the egg in question. He could see the man's eyes widening at the prospect of a sale, and the brownrider quietly stepped aside to talk quietly with him. It was a back and forth battle, and the man was stubborn. In the end, a price was decided upon, and the man traded K'von a small leather pouch for a handful of marks.

Victory! K'von headed back toward the girl and the tub, extending the pouch toward her. "All yours, kiddo. Just... put your egg and a little warm sand in there, and that ought to do until you can get it back to a warm fireplace back at the weyr," he said happily. He kept his voice low so as not to alarm her. "Good choice, by the way. It looks pretty nice."