A Kiss with a Fist (S'jiro)

She was crazy, she knew it. Her brother, when she told him what was going on, was completely aghast. Although her sister was more understanding it seemed neither of them expected the recklessness of her recent behavior. The Candidate Master had taken her aside yesterday, he was concerned about her, apparently. Veyani did try to explain she wasn’t very good at paying attention to begin with and now she did have a lot on her mind while trying to find her place within the Weyr. The noise and bustle overwhelmed her. The Candidate Master said he would try to get her signed up for outdoor chores but she would still be inside the Weyr for some. Pranks were commonplace at Fort so he didn’t lecture her about putting some Bronzer’s clothes in the latrines; he seemed to find it amusing more than anything.

I don’t know what has come over me. She thought as she left to go clean, as one of her chores. It was one of the lesser used passageways. Near to S’jiro’s favorite staircase which really wasn’t helping her focus much at all. Perhaps the Candidate Master knew this which was why she had been given said chore. But more likely it seemed this was a quiet place where she wouldn’t have to deal with the usual throngs of people. The bucket she had carried full of soapy water was meant to help her scrub the floors. The bucket was sooo heavy; she didn’t think she would ever make it here. However once in place it seemed fairly natural to begin scrubbing the floor, much like she had when she had house chores at home.

Humming a soft tune as she worked she didn’t think to have any interruptions, other than ones she created for herself. Veyani focused on the job at hand in the hopes that she could get back to the barracks to change before dinner with her brother and sister. Even in the afternoon these passageways were dark. Glows were replenished by those who had that chore. It seemed less monotonous than her current chore but she would have to walk around the Weyr quite a bit, might as well stay in one place. She was on her knees scrubbing the floor with a good amount of effort when she heard voices. Ignoring them and continuing to hum softly, she thought perhaps it was someone just passing through.
As usual, she was wrong.

“Look who we have here guys. “ One of them said with a not so charming smile. There were three of them, all of them male and all of them much stronger than she was. Veya stopped scrubbing, using her pants to wipe her hands dry and stood up, thinking they were just referring to rumors. “You really should learn to respect your betters.” Another of them said, as they walked closer to her. As they advanced she backed up against the wall. Brown eyes were wide with a natural fear.

The young men had been told to rough her up a little. “Why should I?” She said in defiance of their words. She had no idea who they were or why they had come to disrupt her. Anyway who were they to demand her respect? They didn’t seem to feel the need to answer with words as one of them knocked her off her feet with a good knock to her jaw. Instead of staying where she was on the floor she got back on her feet. Owwww that had hurt. As soon as she was on her feet, she tried to dodge another blow to her face but while she was defending herself against that blow another of the guys, punched her in the gut.

The air was knocked out of her for a moment and she tumbled down again unable to breath. When they had her on the ground on of them straddled her so she couldn’t get up. Veyani had been so taken by surprise and outnumbered she had not had a chance to fight back but she did try to escape the one who was straddling her. Before she could make use of her hands he had them pinned down to the ground. She could see in their eyes now exactly what they intended to do to her and she vocalized her complaint, “Leave me alone. There is no reason for this. Please. Please don’t.” Her voice was bordering on hysterical with fear of what was to come next.

While the one moved his position to sit on her tummy, the others worked on her pants. Faranth she was glad she wore pants. It made this harder for them. She tried to use her legs to kick them off. But then one of them grabbed her ankles. “It will be better for you if you shut up and stop fighting us.” His words made her try harder to fight but that ended with her getting another punch to her pace which caused her head to hit the rock floor with more force than perhaps they intended. For a moment she was unconscious.

As typical, S'jiro had his nose buried in another book. Perhaps not as typical, as he lay back on the steps, the book was open, resting over his face so that it covered his eyes, shielding them from the light.

The Bronzerider had been trying to nap. Just a short nap would have been acceptable. He was tired and felt groggy after his Wing had been switched to flying nighttime shifts. They had flown a sweep ride last night, and S'jiro had barely had a chance to clean himself up and eat before coming here. He imagined that most of the rest of his Wing had gone straight to their weyrs to sleep after that, but the Bronzerider didn't like to sleep laying down on a full stomach. It gave him weird dreams.


While he'd been resting his eyes from fatigue, S'jiro heard voices rise from the bottom of the stair well. He started to lift his head, picking the book up to peer out from under it, thinking that perhaps someone was coming his way..but then he decided that that wasn't the case. For a moment he waited, listing intently to see if he could tell there were people on their way up the stairs or not, but he heard nothing else.

Laying his head back again, the book was replaced over his eyes and the closed them, going back to his nap. No sooner than he'd done so and he heard a girl's voice, more frantic than before, rise over the sound of others. There were definitely male voices too, but their depth did not carry as well, so they seemed muffled.


At that point, S'jiro was roused from his sleep, and figured he was obviously better off going back to his own weyr to get some shut eye, so he sat up, taking his book in one hand to close it. As he was about to stand up and go back up the stairs to head back to his weyr, the Bronzerider's attention was caught by how shrill and panicked the woman's voice seemed to be. He stopped to listen more intently to what might be going on...and then suddenly remembered that he and the other Bronzeriders of their Wing had ordered some younger kids out to take care of Veyani by teaching her a lesson. They'd intended on getting her and Emerene back for stepping too far out of line. But this time, they intended for things to get a little more difficult for Veyani. They wanted to scare her by letting her get a little roughed up.

Wondering if that voice might be hers, S'jiro thought he should check on the progress of their Lesson the boys were teaching; and if it wasn't her, then he should at least see what kind of trouble was being caused.

S'jiro might be an elitist and he might take advantage of his birthright and rank, but he wasn't inhuman. He knew his responsibility to the Weyr and still possessed his own kind of chivalry. Chivalry and kindness were not lost on him.

That being the case, as the commotion continued to escalate, S'jiro's mood soured as started down the stairs.

"Look what you did, she blacked out, you dimglow!" The one boy said loudly. obviously unhappy that they were missing out on time to make the girl miserable. She was no good to them knocked out. Unfortunately for Veya it was enough time for the boys to pull her pants down past her knees. When she came to, she knew there was no escape.

The one who was on her chest was stroking her cheek, "Welcome back to the living where you are going to wish you were dead." He whispered, eyes sparkling with the anticipation of what was to come. It was exciting, it was something he enjoyed. Something he had done before. Veyani spit blood and saliva at the young man. Her eyes saying exactly what she thought of him.

"They weren't lying when they said you were stubborn. Thats okay, it makes it all more exciting." He said with a smile and looked back at the others. One still clung to her ankles. She had decided though, she didn't have the physical strength. "Now you'll know your place and never question it again. You can thank me for that later. Now I want you to be a good girl. Do what I say and it will all be over more quickly. Or you can continue to resist and well, that will take longer and be less pleasant for you." He touched her face where a bruise was beginning to show.

Biting her lip in pain, she felt tears threatening her eyes. He did not deserve to see her cry. She needed to be stronger. If it took longer then she might find a way out of this. As doubtful as it was, she wanted to believe she could find a way. Her ankles were being held as firmly as her hands so she lifted her bleeding head off the ground and as painful as it was, bit the man on the nose.

"You fucking bitch." He snarled, nose bleeding, he had loosened his grip on her wrists for a split second which was what she had been counting on. Turning her wrists so she could escape his grip, she used one hand to claw his face near his right eye. He fell backwards. His friend trying to catch him, let go of her ankles. She got up on her feet to run, her head ached, everything was blurry, she couldn't move fast enough, although she made it to a wall for support and tried to move more quickly.

Her pants were down so she tried to pull them back up but before she could do anything, the very angry man grabbed her arm. He was clapping at her performance. "You really don't know where you belong do you?" The third man who seemed to be less interested in teaching her a lesson and more interested in looking out for anyone who might interrupt the little game, said finally, "Show her."

The man with the scratched face picked her up off her feet, even as she flailed. "Lay down or I'll break your legs."
"Break them." She said, unable to do what he asked because of her pride. The man who had earlier been holding her ankles said, "Don't be a fool girl. Just lay down nicely and it will be over for you."
"No. It will be over for you. I'll live with it forever."
He grabbed her ankles and pulled them toward him. As his friend was sitting her on the floor. The clawed man pushed her shoulders back until they were on the ground.
He signaled for the third man to hold her arms while he readjusted her pants.

She was still writhing to get him off of her despite the hold they had on her. The man didn't want to risk knocking her out again but his fist was aimed at her face again. She knew what he intended to do. So she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Leave me alone!"

He turned his attention back to his own desire, taking his own pants down far enough to expose himself. He had every intention of hurting her.

As voices grew louder and he could hear what was going on from around the corner, so his steps quickened. It wasn't until he got to where he could see through the doorway into the hall that he realized his suspicions about who was involved in the incident were right. But what the men were doing to her was not part of their deal. It was his fault for not being more specific with them. In the future, he would have to be more direct about his orders. What insolent... the whole scenario made S'jiro mad!

It was S'jiro's instinct to reach out to Zemarith in a time of alertness and stress, touching the Bronze's mind with the momentary fear for Veyani and the rising anger, which elicited an equally emotional response from the dragon. S'jiro fumed even more then.

Dropping the book from his hand, the Bronzerider appeared behind the young man keeping watch for the others, linking one arm around his neck. Knocking his legs from under him, the Bronzerider hoisted the boy by the  neck, releasing him to send him tumbling to the floor.

Moving on to the next, the two boys taking hold of Veyani hadn't had any time to react by the time they realized that someone had caught on to their activities. So it was with shocked expression that the one who straddled Veyani was met with an unexpected kick to the face. The Bronzerider didn't care what kind of injury was inflicted upon him because none of the young men that the Bronzerider elite had sent to bully Veyani were Riders -they didn't have to take dragons into consideration.  

As furious as he'd ever been, to witness something so vile, S'jiro whipped around, following with a spinning kick that landed the hard heel of his boot to the back of the other man's head.

Falling over sideways, away from S'jiro, the man's entire expression was agonized as he grabbed his head, curling into a writhing ball on the floor.

The bent over figure at Veyani's feet was scrambling backwards then, startled and having lost his courage at first; but as soon as he saw his friend fall victim to whoever intervened on the girl's behalf, like a good and loyal dog, he decided to bite back. That was, until he'd gotten to his feet and realized who stood before him.


S'jiro's rarely let things become enough of a bother to him that he went out of his way to  do something about it himself. But this incident was an exception. Veyani had gotten her scare. They'd done what they were supposed to do. Going to this extent though, infuriated him; and since the experience was shared with Zemarith, emotions ran even higher in him. To the extent that the angry reddish-orange of the Bronze's eyes began to be reflected in his own eyes. Just barely, but even the barest hint of inhuman colour there was enough to appear a little unsettling given how irritated he was.

Recognizing S'jiro for who he was anyway, the other young men backed away as they were met by the Bronzerider's unforgiving stare. Scuttling over to where their friend lay on the floor, cradling his own throbbing head, they assisted him in getting back to his feet.

S'jiro continued watching them, making sure they were aware that their job here was done; and if they wanted pleasure, they would have to find it elsewhere.

Just as she was certain the inevitable was going to happen someone else intervened to save her. After struggling against the men who were much stronger than her and being beaten thoroughly, she found it hard to move away from where she was laying. She didn’t look to see who had saved her at first, she was much more concerned about getting as far away as she could. Her wrists were purple, as were her ankles and she knew without looking her chin and eye were both the same.

The only pain she could feel though was coming from her head. That couldn’t be good. Her hands pulled up her pants so that she was covered. From there she scrambled back a few feet and slowly got herself to her feet. Every part of her body trembled, she felt dizzy, at first too. So she didn’t move, she couldn’t move. When she regained focus, she could see who had intervened.

Once the other men were gone she could see clearly who it was. “S’jiro?” she said, somewhat disbelieving what she was seeing. Why would he save her? He didn’t like her. He thought she deserved exactly what those men were proposing to be shown where her place was in the Weyr. Maybe he didn’t agree with their method but from what she had seen of him, he wasn’t likely to get involved in other people’s business. “Thank you.” She said softly, closing her eyes and focusing on standing in one place. There were tears forming in her eyes again but she did try not to.

She walked the few steps it took to be in front of him and hugged him. Veya knew this wouldn’t be appreciated by him right now but this was what she needed. As she clung to him, as if in fear for her life, she began to cry softly, face buried in his shoulder. As much as they disagreed and their rocky start, she trusted him not to be so cruel as to hurt her right this moment. Not when all she was asking as to be held for a few moments. “I’m sorry… Can you just, stand here and hold me for a few minutes? Please?” She asked, tears still streaming down her face.

Once her few moments were up he could push her away, and treat her as if nothing happened. She would be fine with that. At least, she would try to be. Sometimes though, it felt as if there was an invisible string that drew her to him. There was nothing she could do about it. There was nothing he could do about it either. If one believed in fate, one might think their fates were entwined. She didn’t know what that might mean for them. Only that in this moment, she needed him to be the part of himself that had some feeling for her, no matter how small that feeling might be.

The Bronzerider watched after the other young men as they ran from the scene, keeping his back turned to Veyani until she'd had time to get her clothes back on. He'd seen her naked before, but that was beside the point; he could assume she was feeling incredibly vulnerable right now and that she needed to maintain that part of her dignity, even around someone who'd shared a bed with her before.

When she came to him though, arms hugging him, crying on his shoulder, S'jiro was a little taken aback. If he held her...if anyone saw them like this...Sh'nar would never let him live it down. But S'jiro didn't have the heart to push her away just then, either.

"Don't get the wrong idea." S'jiro didn't look down at her, where she clung to him, and it took some time for him to make any move to comfort her.

Veyani must have known that he and Sh'nar, L'mar and Z'rim, had all arranged for the boys to come and get rough with her. How funny that she would see him as her saviour now. There was no need for her to thank him. And he went on to make sure she knew why, even if it was only a partial truth. "I only stopped them because they were being too rowdy. How could I read with so much noise? Anyway, I told you not to come around here anymore, didn't I? Maybe if you'd listen to me sometimes, things like this wouldn't happen."

It was true, though he might be the cause of a lot of misadventures thrown her way. He wondered if such a frightening turn of events would sober those crazy ideas she had about the Weyr and have the kind of effect they'd been hoping for. But of course, with her, it would be just his luck that she would be even more stubborn about it all after this.

Not really knowing what else to do, S'jiro brought his hands to rest gently on her shoulders, sliding down to hold her arms in a way that might be a little comforting; but he went no further than that for now.

She nodded, “I know.” She knew he didn’t want to be seen with her. It didn’t matter right that moment. Veyani didn’t have the heart to tell her brother what had happened, and being the only witness who cared what happened to her, she needed S’jiro’s strength. Her tears were gradually subsiding as he continued to say things to make her upset.

She didn’t think he knew how to handle her right now. She understood though, he wanted her to be certain that he had no feelings at all for her, he cared only for himself. Which was all some kind of façade because she was not the sort of girl who he could ever truly be with, not when there were Goldriders and Ladies of higher birth ranks he could be courting.

Veyawas glad for what comfort he could offer. “I was told to come here for chores…” She defended her reason for being there. “I was scrubbing the floor.” Surely had had to do some chores as a Candidate, maybe not. Maybe his parents paid for him not to do those. Ugh, that would make perfect sense. Doubtless he had reasons for being that way then. His parents probably drilled all this nonsense into his head. He could treat her hatefully if he needed to.

Even when she was done crying, she found herself comforted by his presence. Still she knew she would have to let go of him. While the room was quiet and no one was there, she could enjoy it. Couldn’t she? And then she would have to put him out of her mind because she couldn’t continue to pretend he didn’t hurt her or want her to be hurt by him. He did and he had arranged this to happen to her. It was a little sick, to arrange for something horrible to happen to her and then save her life.

“Too bad the beds at the infirmary aren’t as soft as yours.” She smiled and let go of him. Her indomitable, happy spirit, rising again out of the sadness she was feeling previously. “I need to go there, again. As you seem to like to get me injured.” She winked which hurt… a lot more than she thought it would.

S'jiro waited until Veyani was finished talking, watching her wink, which surprised him. How could she smile and joke at a time like this? Anyway, she was right, she needed to visit a healer. She had a couple of obvious cuts on her head which were bleeding, and the bruises cropping up on her arms and face were unsightly.

As she stepped back from him, releasing her arms from their hold, his own arms fell to his sides. Looking down at her, S'jiro made an offer that he hoped she wouldn't take to mean he was calling anything more than momentary truce between them. Anyway, he knew already that Veya was a terrible liar and it would be bad for her if she ended up having to admit what had almost happened. She had been embarrassed and terrified enough as it was; she didn't need the torture of having to relate the whole story to someone else unnecessarily. Just this once, he would help her avoid that. They might be able to avoid dumb rumours altogether. "If you go to the infirmary, they'll just make the situation worse. Go to my weyr ahead of me. Do you remember where it is? I'll get someone to finish your chores here and call for one of the Healer's assistants to come care for your wounds. If you go by yourself, no one will realize where you're going. Not this time of day."

Pausing then to fix a more stern look on her, he wasn't about to let her argue with him this time. And if she wanted to, then she could just deal with more humiliation all on her own. At least now she wouldn't be able to blame all this on him. He'd saved her from the worst crime he could think of, however much he might like to see her stubborn pride humbled, and he was offering her a way out of even more misery at the prying suspicions of others. "This isn't the time to argue. This once, just do what I say. And.. at least for the rest of the day I'll call a truce."

A truce? Oh boy... he hoped Sh'nar never heard of him doing that. Truce? Unheard of.

Veyani took a moment to really understand what he was telling her. He wanted her to go to his weyr while he retrieved a healer to save her some humiliation? That’s what it sounded like. Why bother humiliating her in the first place? It was probably as she suspected a few days ago. He wanted to not like her but he found himself unable to hate her enough to not think about her well-being a little bit. Besides he was being so nice to her at the moment. Even if that wasn’t going to last…his bed was worth it.

“I remember.” She said nodding. Veyani couldn’t bring herself to ask him why he was doing this. Maybe he felt responsible for what happened no matter how much he wanted to pin it on her. “A truce then.” She said amiably. She left him there, unsure how long after he would be following with a healer but she didn’t really care or mind. She didn’t want to be alone for long though. She wanted to have someone with her for a little while at least in case she started to fall apart again.

S’jiro was completely the most irritating and unfeeling man she had ever met but whoever this other person was she saw from time to time, he was almost loving and kind and unselfish. She couldn’t really hate S’jiro as long as he had those qualities too. He could easily ruin her life, he’d probably already begun to but she didn’t mind. And that was the real problem, eventhough he acted like he wanted her to suffer more than any other person on the face of Pern, she didn’t mind.

So as she made her way through the halls, a little more slowly than usual, she tried not to draw any attention to herself. When it seemed no one was around, she walked into S’jiro’s weyr and went straight for the bathing area. First she dabbed a wet towel where the blood was on her head to get rid of dried up blood and then used the bath to clean her body. After scrubbing herself well, she could see a majority of the bruising had turned even darker. She did not get her hair wet so as not to get in the way of the healer’s examination of her head injuries.

Wrapping herself in a towel she put her dirty clothes in the nearby bin. Now that she was clean, she went into his living area and found a well carved dresser. She took out one of his larger shirts and put it on. Nice fabric, it didn’t itch, it wasn’t coarse. She could revel in that while she was under his truce as well.

And then as she had said she would do, she went to the beautiful bed and pulled the covers down, slid inside of them and laid her head on a pillow. She was comfortable there. She felt more at ease now that she was clean and resting. Veya tried not to fall asleep because of her head injuries but it was unavoidable. Before a few minutes had gone by she was sleeping on her side, mostly in fetal position. Veya didn’t snore, or talk in her sleep she was very quiet. No one would have noticed her presence if they didn’t already know she was there.

S'jiro decided to find the boys responsible for Veyani's almost-rape later, putting their punishment off until after he made sure she wasn't in terrible physical shape. Emotional bruises were one thing, and common enough in girls, but the Weyrling Master would have his head if S'jiro got Veyani hurt to the point she couldn't attend her classes.

In a way, that kind of irritated S'jiro, because the whole purpose behind the rest of their bullying tactics had been to get her to understand her place, or to leave, which would end up with the same result. Still...it bothered him what had nearly happened.

So, the Bronzerider offered some fraction marks to a drudge for a little extra house cleaning, flirting just a little and thanking her for taking over Veyani's chore of scrubbing the floor. His next stop was by the infirmary.

Motioning to one of the many assistants that worked within the Senior Healer's office, he did a little pleading with the woman, putting on the most pitiful fake-sick face ever. He knew that it was completely unbelievable. Still, he insisted. "Mona, would you bring some antiseptic and salve for bruises to my weyr? I'm not feeling well and need to rest. You'll have to bandage me up, there."

Shooting him an outright skeptical look, one hand went to her hip, calling him out on it. "Look, Bronzerider, you may have greater privilege here than the rest at your young age, but I still have a lot of patients to help tend to."

S'jiro's eyes narrowed a little, being persistent with his argument, "But I'm exhausted and just got back from a night shift Sweep. After working all night, you'd make me try to sleep in the infirmary? I'll never be ready to get back to work by evening. Then, what if my performance suffers? The whole Wing will suffer with me."

Mona's mouth twisted into a knowing smirk. "More afraid of a bruised ego I think, than anything else?"

The Bronzerider was about to laugh then, but let his smile break into a fake cough. "Oh. See. I might be coming down with something. You'll have to hurry. Please hurry." Turning from her, S'jiro walked off, headed back toward his weyr, knowing that the woman would follow shortly after.


And indeed, soon Mona was on his heels, sure that there had to be some reason he was calling for her to attend to him at his own quarters. She had her suspicions, but kept her thoughts to herself. The two of them entered his weyr together.


Leading Mona inside, S'jiro sent her to the bed where Veyani was resting. He would have gone to another room to leave Veyani in privacy with the woman but he didn't want Mona getting unnecessarily nosy, so he stayed within the room. He did go off to one far side of the room where he could lounge himself in a chair to 'read' while Mona cared for the girl. As he sat down, crossing one ankle over his knee, he was sure he caught a suspicious glance back at him from the woman. But, until she asked questions, he didn't respond more than, "Please take care of her."

The door closed quietly enough but Veya hadn’t been in a deep enough sleep to not wake when she heard S’jiro’s voice. “Hello.” She said to the healer, with her usual cheery demeanor. As Veya, sat up in the bed, the obvious bruises to her face and wrists were unsettling to the healer. But the most unsettling thing was the girl was acting like nothing at all had happened. Wasn’t that what happened in these situations? The woman didn’t value herself enough. This must be the young Candidate he had formed a sexual relationship with. If he treated weyrbred women like this he would find himself in a very bad way. She had half a mind to report the injuries to the Master Healer.

Veya caught the look in her eyes and tried to keep quiet. “Was there a point where you blacked out?”
“Yes. It was probably less than two minutes but I can’t be sure.” Veya said.

“A concussion, you shouldn’t have been sleeping. Someone you trust needs to stay with you for the day and tonight.” And at that she glared at the Bronzerider. Veyani, reached out and touched the woman’s arm. “Don’t worry. He promised to look after me today and tonight. You have no reason to fear on that account.”
Mona wasn’t pleased by that answer. “No really. S’jiro saved me.” She pushed the issue.

The healer went about cleaning her head wounds, and then made Veyani stand up. She could see the bruises on her ankles. More than one person was responsible for these, most likely. “What happened?” She looked very concerned. Veyani, unsure of what S’jiro wanted known about the situation remained quiet as the woman had her take off the large shirt she was wearing in order to see the rest of her.

“Poor dear.” She said seeing the huge bruise on her upper stomach.

“Yeah that one knocked the air right out of me. I’ve never felt that before. “ She didn’t want to admit to a feeling of panic. Not being able to breathe for a moment, seemed silly to panic over. Veyani wasn’t sure how much they wanted to hurt her or make her suffer.

Mona, looked back at the Bronzerider, “Don’t you have any of her things here?” Again assuming that Veyani was his lover, although it was not obvious in their interaction with one another; why else would she be in his weyr?

The healer went on to take care of all her bruises but the girl was becoming increasingly cold. Standing without something on. As soon as the healer handed her the shirt back, she put it on.
“I expect her to rest but not to sleep for a little while longer.” Looking at the skinny young woman, “And maybe something to eat? You Bronzeriders can get room service I assume.” She was aghast at the condition the girl was in and was taking it out on the only man around because he must be the one responsible for the injuries. S’jiro didn’t have the best reputation but she didn’t think him capable of this sort of thing.

Veyani sat back down on the bed and tucked her slender body back underneath the covers. Rest was good. Food was good. She didn’t mind if she needed to stay up as long as she wouldn’t be alone. Alone with S’jiro could be a good thing. They were both intelligent, so they would have plenty to talk about. Even if they never saw eye to eye on anything. She smiled warmly at the healer before she left. “Thank you.”

A little surprised at first that Veyani had given him any credit, he had to remember that he had done her at least one favour today, and she was likely still a bit dazed after hitting her head so hard. That had to be why she had thanked him earlier.

Anyway, they were here now, and when Mona seemed appeased by Veya's words, though there was little explanation, he felt as though he could breathe a sigh of relief.

Getting up from his chair, S'jiro went to one of the tall armoirs of clothing where there were a a few of his sister's things hung there. "Here. You did leave some of your clothes last time. I had them cleaned for you." Of course they weren't Veyani's, but they were about Veyani's size, so Mona couldn't argue. Though he figured that Veyani would probably pin the question to him later who else he'd been having to his weyr while he was busy trying to bed candidates like her. He almost snorted at the thought.

Taking one of Tsuki's loose, frilly dresses to her, it was almost light enough to have been a night gown, but not so long. It was sleeveless and had a rounded neckline that didn't scoop too low. The fabric was soft but appeared almost weathered, in sun-faded shades of girly pink and misty gray. "Here, Veya. Put this on." Speaking to her with the healer present, S'jiro's voice was incredibly soothing and gentle toward her. He even came to sit at the side of the bed, next to her, continuing to play role of the concerned lover.

"You have nothing to worry about, Mona. I will make sure she stays up long enough to eat something before I let her lay back down to sleep. I'll send a drudge to fetch you again, should her condition get worse. I already found someone to cover for her chores. Thank you for your help." With a bit of a sigh, S'jiro was looking back at Veyani, thinking that the healer was right. The girl was terribly skinny. But how was he supposed to help that? She'd just moved into the Weyr!



After Mona had left them, assured that Veyani would be in good care, S'jiro ordered their room service and then went back to sit on the chaise lounge, where he laid down, one arm thrown back over his head as he tried to half-nap while waiting on food and beverages. He still hadn't slept. But now he'd have to sleep with one eye open, just to make sure Veyani didn't fall to sleep again.

"If you stay in bed, won't you fall to sleep again? Why don't you come sit over here at least? The table's over here anyway, for when the food comes."

“Oh I did?” She said, acting like she should have remembered. When S’jiro brought the dress out, she stared at it like it was something scary. “I suppose I could wear that. It looks, comfortable…ish.” Veyani unsuccessfully tried to hide her unenthusiastic feelings toward the garment and immediately put it on.

She wondered just who the dress belonged to. As Emerene had said, he was not the type to bring women to his weyr often.
Maybe she was wrong? Well whoever the other woman was, she wasn’t here anymore. Unless it belonged to a family member but she thought he was the only person in his family here. Maybe he had a sister who visited. Or like she previously thought it could belong to an ex-lover.

“Thank you.” She said as sweet as a bubbly pie. Before she could get back into the bed and its billowy softness, he insisted she sit down on one of the chairs nearby. Not nearly as comfortable but she supposed he was right. She didn’t want to fall asleep again before food came. Now that the healer was gone though there was no point in pretending to be nice. Although he did continue to look out for her well-being.

She sat on the chair next to the lounge so as not to encroach on him physically again. His eyes looked extremely tired now that she had a moment to really examine him. “You seem tired. Are you alright?” She asked, knowing he probably wouldn’t answer her. She felt strange being here with him. They had to do something to pass the time, why not talk. “Is there anything I can do?”

“You seem tired. Are you alright?” She asked, knowing he probably wouldn’t answer her. She felt strange being here with him. They had to do something to pass the time, why not talk. “Is there anything I can do?”


Probably because he was so tired, he started getting a little testy with her again, "You can do as the healer ordered. But I know how hard following direction can be for you, so I won't ask of you anything else."

Resituating himself on the chaise lounge, he answered her first question. "My Wing is on night shift assignments for the next few sevendays. Since it's almost evening now, it's been a while since I've slept. Later on, I'll have to go back out for patrols so I won't be able to stay with you all night." Both arms came to fold over his chest then, closing both eyes once he had seen that she came to sit in one of the chairs near him.

He was left wondering if Veyani would be okay here in his weyr by herself. If something happened to her and no one was here to know, Mona would blame it on him. He'd told her that he would look after Veya for now. S'jiro thought about callin his sister here so that once he'd gone, she could spend the night here with the candidate...He'd need to send her clothes to be laundered, too. Or maybe have Tsuki bring some long sleeved clothes with her, and some pants or a long skirt, so that Veyani could keep her bruises covered.

Veyani didn't respond to his snappy remarks. "Don't worry about me. I'll be awake long enough to eat." She said without any sarcasm or snide remark. She allowed her voice to be soft and soothing. She didn't want him to worry about anything at all. As angry as he seemed, he was still doing her a favor.

She listened to what he said and said quietly, "You really don't need to concern yourself about that. I'll be sleeping then and no one will disturb me here. If the healer thought it was serious she would have insisted I remain at the infirmary overnight."

Stifling her own yawn, she wondered when food would arrive. Veya wasn't good at sitting still and minding her own business so she got up out of the chair and found a blanket resting on one of the chairs. Sitting the blanket on the chair she had been on previously, she went over to S'jiro and took his boots off. If he wasn't sleeping then he would yell at her no doubt but he would be far more comfortable without them on, if he was going to rest.

She set them nicely on the ground next to him so he wouldn't miss where they were when he did open his eyes. Then she took the blanket off the chair next to him and gently laid it over him. Veyani went to the shaft to get the food being sent up by the kitchen. She wasn't a very big eater so she ate the stew that was sent up and drank a glass of water.

After setting aside some things that wouldn't go bad, in case S'jiro should be awake and want some, she went ahead and sent the rest back down the shaft. Then because she was a good guest, she took care of the glows that needed to remain lit so that he could see when it was time for his shift. Then before going to the bed, she kissed S'jiro on the forehead, "Thank you again. You made a very dark day, so much brighter." She whispered, knowing he was asleep and unable to hear her.

Then she walked quietly to the bed and laid down. She found it much more difficult though to fall asleep now and decided to read one of the books he had laying around. She was laying on the bed, facing where S'jiro was sleeping, reading to herself but every so often, she looked to check on him. Perhaps her nap and all the activity made her more energized?

Considering it was still daylight out and there were still things to be done, Tsuki had been running a quick errand for the creche workers, going to the infirmary to pick up a few little supplies for cuts and bruises that happened naturally, with little kids being as accident prone as they were. It was easiest just to care for things themselves than send every little bumped knee or scraped elbow to the already busy healers. While she was there though, Tsuki ran into Mona, who'd just come back from visiting S'jiro's weyr.

"Tsuki. You should really go check up on your brother. He has that girl over to his weyr, but I worry for them. I tended to a few injuries, but there seemed to be something..." the healer paused, reconsidering her words. She shouldn't be too accusing of the Bronzerider after all. "Well.. do you think you could go check up on them for me? You know your brother best, dear. Just make sure everything's alright, will you?"

Smiling with a nod, the harper girl assured her that she would do so. Just as soon as she'd gotten those few things she'd come for back to the creche for her friend.



Perhaps half a candlemark later, Tsuki showed up at S'jiro's door, knocking before she poked her nose in. Having seen that Zemarith was sound asleep, she wondered if S'jiro was, too. Though he might be waking soon to get to drills with his Wing. He'd told her a few days before, that they were about to switch schedules again, and he'd be working nights for a while. She hadn't visited with him since then.

As Tsuki opened the door, always inviting herself right in, she was cautious with word that another woman would be here. Her voice was small and perhaps a little timid; granted her profession, it might have been a strange thing. Yet.. it was when she was with the children singing and playing music that her voice was able to come out. "Hello? S'jiro? S'jiro, are you awake?"

Tsuki had poked her head just far enough inside the door that she could see where glows lit up the far corner of the room where her brother seemed to be sleeping. Her eyes wandered across the room then, wondering why he wasn't in bed. Perhaps that girl was there. But then.. shouldn't they be in bed together?

Not brave enough yet to go in, she left the door cracked open, pulling her head back so that she could stand up straight and was no longer spying on them. Looking back to Zemarith, still sound asleep, she couldn't ask him if it was safe to go in. She didn't want to intrude when there was company. She fidgeted behind the door for a moment longer, then cleared her throat. "I'm coming in!"


Appearing in the dimly lit room then, the harper girl was clothed in a long dress that was just as flowing as the shorter one Veyani now wore, only she wore a light sweater over it to cover her arms. Her hair was done up in long, thick black braids that curled over her shoulder, held in place by hair needles that were ornamented with semi-precious stones; some of them appearing a little expensive. Over the bridge of her noes, her face was covered by a veil that was opaque, embroidered with colourful flowers so that only her bright eyes could be seen.

Someone else entered S’jiro’s weyr and she didn’t notice right away, she was daydreaming again, something she did quite often. Worse she was daydreaming in the direction of S’jiro’s sleeping place at the moment. It probably didn’t look good to sigh dreamily while staring off into space in the direction of a very handsome young Bronzerider while reading a book and laying on his bed. Yeah, she was pretty sure there was no really good way to look at her situation. Veya scrambled off the bed then, realizing how inappropriate this might be, depending on who this girl was.

She was inclined to say a sister due to some resemblance of features but she wasn’t certain and she certainly didn’t want to create problems for S’jiro when he was being kind to her. Walking closer to where the other woman stood she put a finger to her lips and said, “S’jiro is sleeping.” With no explanation whatsoever of how she ended up here or why; the only story was the one visible on her features; she had been beaten badly by someone. “He was very tired.”

“He’s on the night shift for a few sevendays.” Veya explained, speaking in a soft voice but it was audible. As per her usual, Veyani was upbeat and kind. There was nothing wrong with her being there, as she had been invited. Whomever this was, was close to S’jiro though and she needed to be a good hostess if he had a friend, lover or sister here. “There is some food left from when the kitchen sent some up if you are hungry.”

She smiled warmly, “ I’m Veyani, or Veya if you like.” She said extending a hand which very clearly showed the bruising on her wrist. Biting her lip, she said, “I’m sorry if I’m intruding. He said it would be alright if I stayed here.”

She hoped it was. Because he had kind of insisted that she stay here but then maybe this was another form of his humiliation for her? This could just as easily be a lover as a sister. What did she know? He’d taken her here to bed her one time, for the fun of it and the fun of seeing her humiliated then. “I was just attempting to read…since I couldn’t sleep.”

Well this Veyani seemed rather nice. Not the usual expensive date she'd ever seen her brother with. And usually, with most of the Bronzerider club of theirs, there was more than one girl at a time. Sometimes three or more. So... wasn't this a change? Tsuki's head canted a bit, watching Veyani curiously because of that. Also, because she suddenly realized that the other girl was wearing her dress. She didn't mind though.

Obviously she hadn't heard the rumours about her brother and Veya. Either they hadn't yet reached all the ears within the weyr or the rumours had been kept from her. "Oh. I see." Well, if S"jiro had said that she could stay, then it would be fine.

Taking Veya's hand in a shake that was so light, her hands must have seemed frail or absolutely childlike. "My name's Tsuki." She was smiling then, too. "Do you mind if I come in for a bit the, or?" With the offer of food though, she assumed it was okay, since that was in essence an offer to linger for a while, so Tsuki closed the door quietly behind her.

"Should we be seated?" The girl went to sit at the end of her brother's bed, glancing over to where he rested peacefully before she looked back to Veyani. "Has he been sleeping long?"

Tsuki was so accustomed to people here being those that she knew, she didn't even think to explain her relationship with the Bronzerider properly. Her eyes falling down to the bed where Veyani had set the book. "Oh. That's one of his favourites. Did you know? Are the two of you dating?"

The small girl's kind eyes on Veya again, she wondered out loud, "Which Holding family do you come from? Or do you come from a master crafter's line?" Those were the typical type brought home by the Bronzeriders if there was no Gold involved, so she was only guessing.

"A couple candlemarks now. I decided it was best to not disturb him. He seems like he would be the type to be rather grumpy if woken when he didn't want to be." She smiled and sat on the bed next to the other girl. The line of questioning made her a little uneasy at first. She couldn't lie. She'd never been good at it. But she didn't really know how much of the truth she wanted Tsuki to know.

"No, I didn't know. I've only just started to read it." She said with a shrug. "Oh no, we're not, we're not really. You know me being a Candidate, I can't have any attachments and he's completely uninterested. We've just been playing pranks on one another. In good fun." She said, although most of it hadn't been fun. "He saved me from being ruined by some men today. Cause he is very ummm, chivalrous when he wants to be..." And maybe it was clear from her having such a hard time answering the questions that Veya was confused about S'jiro.

She wasn't really upset but she understood now why having any thought of liking her would seem a completely idiotic thing to him. In his circle of friends it was about rank and status and ones father's rank and status. "No." She said a sad smile on her face. "My father and mother are farmers. We've been farmers for generations." And she wasn't at all ashamed of that fact the people here wouldn't have food if it weren't for farmers. It was a hard life, filled with much toil, especially hard during Threadfall.

"My brother, sister and I were Searched from Keroon Hold a little over a sevenday ago. My parents wouldn't allow us to come so we snuck out at night and came to the Weyr anyway." She giggled, "Isn't that wild of us? We're hoping to Impress at Igen Weyr. Do you know if S'jiro is transferring there? It would be nice to know someone when we go there."

Perhaps the little frown her lips puckered into next was hidden behind the thin veil she wore with all its embroidery, but it still shown in the harper's eyes her expression. "Oh my. But he saved you?"

Tsuki seemed confused perhaps, trying to make sense of things in her own mind. She was perfectly aware of the kind of pranks the Bronzeriders were capable of, so she had no doubt that they had caused Veyani no small amount of trouble. She didn't like it, but she never did intervene in their affairs. They didn't tell her everything. They were men amoungst men, and that was different than when she came around. They all protected her like a sister; which meant her ears also, were protected from having to hear unsavoury things.

So they weren't dating.. not really? Well then..Tsuki wondered why Veya would be here. They weren't friends either, it sounded like. It all seemed so odd. Tsuki didn't know what to make of it.

It had to have been apparent the confusion she mustered over it all. But her attention came back to Veya in full as she finished explaining about her family being farmers. Very strange indeed that she should be here. She almost wondered if her brother was going through some sort of identity crisis?

"I see. Pardon my being a little taken by surprise to find you here. It seems so out of place for him." Looking back at S'jiro where he was sleeping, Tsuki grinned again, giggling. The whole situation was just too amusing.

She couldn't stop giggling, and eventually covered her mouth to try stifling it. "Forgive me. I'm so sorry. You must really have my poor brother all out of sorts." Perhaps as out of sorts as Veya seemed to be about S'jiro.

"You'll have to forgive him, too. My brother is no as terrible as you might think -after the things he's done to you. And yes, he is chivalrous, if you want to put it that way. He's very proper; not typically the cross sort. I think people just misunderstand him. And maybe he misunderstands others sometimes." She knew though, that his outlook also didn't help his case much, when it came to commoners. She was a little surprised that Veyani had agreed to stay here being that they were in a war of pranks. Her staying here might very well have something to do with one of his plans for the girl. Tsuki sighed over that thought.

Tsuki's posture was perfect and she held her hands in her lap delicately, but as she met Veyani's eyes again, she seemed to straighten herself even more. "So you were searched that recently? It must be really hard for you to adjust to Weyr life with S'jiro giving you such a hard time. I'm so sorry that he has caused you trouble. But I'm glad he was able to help you today." That seemed to make Tsuki very happy. "I can't say I have had such a thing happen, but it was certainly a surprise when I got swept away by a Bronzerider the first time; the outcome of a lost mating flight. That was my first time..."

stopping there, Tsuki seemed to become shy about the subject, feeling it almost inappropriate to speak of such things, as though she still held a good sense of proper holder-bred propriety about her. So, she ended up kind of changing subjects, "Did S'jiro tell you about himself?" Though she suspected not, granted their relationship.

"S'jiro's the only boy of four." That set the harper to giggling again, hand covering her mouth once more. "We have one older sister who's supposed to be taking over High Hill Hold as soon as she marries. It would have been Sojiro but," and Tsuki referred to him by his full name, "he didn't seem to want that for himself. I guess..I don't really know what he wants. But I think decided to come to the Weyr to escape what his fate might have been otherwise.

"I think he brought me with him in order to save me, too. He did." Eyes following the light in the far corner of the room to watch S'jiro sleep, he wasn't smiling or frowning; her expression was simply at peace.

"I was the first of our sisters to be engaged. From the time I was 13, the wedding had been planned. But...there was jealousy in the family over it because I was the youngest. So, an accident occurred by my sister's hand and my face was scarred. Because I was no longer an acceptable bride, they married her to my betrothed instead. Soon after, I went to the Harper Hall to train. I was an embarrassment that my parents no longer knew what to do with, since they couldn't marry me to anyone well-to-do. So instead of settling for an unfulfilled life I started training as a harper and now I am here." Tsuki seemed pleased with that end, and her eyes rested on her brother still, glad that he'd thought to bring her with him when they were able to reunite.

"Oh. Yes, I do believe that both Sojiro and I will be going to Igen Weyr. So you will be, too? Yes. It will be nice to keep some friends along the way."

Veyani nodded, “He saved me.” And as hard as that was to believe, she still had no idea why. She also wasn’t sure what he was thinking of when he almost ordered her to stay here. Maybe he felt some guilt for starting a prank that got completely out of hand. There were limits to what he was willing to do to another person. Obviously. She did wonder who this person was in connection to S’jiro. She figured a sister because it just seemed to fit by the way she was speaking of him. Or a really close friend but all of her closest friends were family.

“I’m as confused about it as you are. And people say I act on my own whims…” She remarked with a mischievousness touching the corner of her lips. Out of sorts? Well he deserved to be after making her so confused. She didn’t know what to think about him now. He hated her, he couldn’t hold a decent conversation, he was selfish, and nothing she said was returned with a kind remark…he wanted to prove he was right all the time, which quite honestly was impossible because he was generally wrong.

Next thing she knew he was saving her life, being kind, offering comfort when she asked for it. She simply didn’t understand him. When Tsuki defended him she smiled, “I know he isn’t terrible. The only one who isn’t convinced of that is S’jiro.” He put on a face for his clique of bronzeriders but there was a deeper person, she knew it. Veyani had a feeling that because he knew that she knew he had to prank her more, make her more miserable. “I always forgive him.” She said, thinking about why that was. Veya never allowed herself to be upset by his pranks. Her forgiveness wasn’t a difficult thing for him to acquire, though perhaps it should be.

“Oh really? Well Bronzeriders are rather good looking… S’jiro was my first but then everyone already knows about that.”” She said looking over at S’jiro. “I wonder what that would be like. Isn’t mating passion really hard to control? You weren’t forced were you?
"
Veyani’s concern for the other girl was genuine. Although if a Bronzerider had done that to her then S’jiro would have already attempted to kill him. He would have to defend his own sister. “Your brother, doesn’t he have young women here often?” He had been conscious of how to please a woman which meant he had some experience.

“No, but then we don’t really have conversations. We have arguments.” Everytime she saw him they had an argument. Although not yet today because he’d been sleeping and she was injured. She listened to Tsuki tell her about S’jiro, letting her eyes rest on him as he slept. Well at least he seemed to be peaceful now.

As Tsuki went on to recant how she and S’jiro came to the Weyr, Veyani listened closely. He didn’t want to be a lord. The idea of it was almost preposterous. He didn’t want to be a lord, he didn’t want to be a Weyrleader. There was something in him that didn’t want to shoulder that much responsibility and why? Why not? She looked back at Tsuki. “I don’t think he really knows what to do about me half the time and the other half the time he is doing everything he can to put me in my place.”

Veya was really too kind to be so forgiving about everything that S'jiro had certainly put her through. And this was her first experience at the weyr. Tsuki worried that her brother might ruin the girl's experience here, just as the notorious Bronze club had previous run off a couple of others. Several more had simply given into their bullying tactics, too. But generally their reputation was enough in and of itself that others respected them -or for the mere fact they were Bronzeriders, and thus generally admired or looked up to by many. So the cases that there were those who did not treat them with proper respects were not incredibly frequent.

But Tsuki knew how those cases generally ended up. And it was never pleasant for the person who tried to defy the Bronzeriders. "The whole Wing.. all of the Bronzeriders: S'jiro, L'mar, Sh'nar and Z'rim...they're all wonderful. But they're all like brothers to me." She wished in that moment that Veyani could be in that same position. The girl seemed so nice. But Knowing the Bronzeriders, and given the fact that Veyani was from a much more modest background, it was unlikely that that scenario would ever work out. Even if they were inviting of her, it might be hard for Veyani to fit in.

Tsuki's face paled a bit with the realization that her brother had taken Veyani's virginity. "S'jiro was your first?" That was a little awkward. But maybe that explained why Veyani was here now. Maybe that experience had given them some sort of connection that they had yet to realize, even if S'jiro typically only used women for one thing -just as they tried to use him. It was the cycle of the upper-crust of society that one simply learned to accept. It was a constant battle of give and take, each for their own benefit.

The harper wondered then if Veyani's situation with S'jiro wasn't any less awkward than her own situation with Sh'nar. "Well...to tell the truth, even though he is more like a brother to me...my first was with Sh'nar. I don't even know if I remember it all. It happened so fast. He wasn't really in control of himself, but it was hard to resist him when he came on so passionately. Ohhhh you should have seen the two of them fight, Sh'nar and S'jiro, after that. They didn't speak for sevendays."

The girl was giggin'g again, then, like Veyani, usually seeing the brighter side to things. "I guess what they say about coming to the Weyr is true. You really do have to be on your toes around Bronzeriders."


“Your brother, doesn’t he have young women here often?” He had been conscious of how to please a woman which meant he had some experience

Tsuki considered that for a moment, tilting her head aside in thought. "I could be wrong, but it's not like... every day. Zemarith does win flights sometimes though." She leaned in even closer, speaking softly enough her voice was barely a whisper. "You'll see them sometimes.. the girls they keep around. They go to the tavern with them or attend the boys when they gamble. They're all girls from influential families but none of them dress like they have any bit of self respect. If they were at the Hold, it would be outright unacceptable." Sitting back then, Tsuki's hands returned to her lap, finishing the thought in a rather matter of fact tone of voice, "Those four -well, all but Sh'nar since he started seeing Blisse- usually have three or four women with them at a time. Every one of them hoping to go steady with a Bronzerider. I'm sure they ...do things... they're still men, after all. But I don't think that any one of them takes those girls seriously." Well.. she hoped not.

Tsuki had to mull over that for a moment, but quickly went on, "Knowing that someone like that is probably what he would have married if he had stayed at High Hill Hold, maybe that was something else he wanted to escape." The harper girl had no doubt that her brother was a more thoughtful and feeling person than to want to suffer a relationship that could likely lack any true love and affection for the rest of his life. Though he was young, perhaps a little immature still, and had a man's needs, he had feelings too.. and wanted someone in is life to return those feelings.


“I don’t think he really knows what to do about me half the time and the other half the time he is doing everything he can to put me in my place.”

S'jiro and the rest of their group of friends who'd come to the Weyr, they just had different expectations out of life than a lot of people. They were accustomed to a different way of life. They couldn't be faulted for that. That still didn't mean Veyani deserved to be treated as they were treating her.

Tsuki's mouth turned into a thoughtful twist of expression before another little smile arose from the corner of her lips. "Acting like this, I'd imagine you're correct. Of course," Looking back at S'jiro now, the harper's voice turned a bit wistful. "no one has ever fought back before."

Eyes turning back to Veyani she seemed very interested in that fact. Veyani had mentioned she and S'jiro had been arguing for a while now and Veyani obviously hadn't given up on their fight yet, so that meant it was still ongoing and S'jiro was still had issue with her. "You know...he can't give up right? If he thinks you've challenged his birthright or right as a Bronzerider."

Her expression much more serious now, she wondered whether either of them had thought about it quite like that. "I'm not saying you should give up on your argument with him, but...he isn't going to either. If he lets you win, Veyani, then that means he has to admit he's wrong.

"S'jiro's whole identity is fabricated on the basis of birthright and the Bronzerider image. So...you're not just challening some oversized male egoist idea, but you're challenging who he is; you're challenging the very system of rule we were raised on. That's a much bigger issue than whatever it is you both think your'e fighting over. Because if he's wrong, then he has to rethink who he is -his entire identity becomes obsolete." Tsuki wanted to tell the girl she should be prepared for a long, drawn out fight if she wasn't going to give up any time soon, but she didn't.

"Yeah, I thought I'd try it and see what the fuss was about. He didn't ask me to do anything I didn't choose to do for myself." And why not S'jiro, he was attractive which if Veya was being honest with herself was an understatement to her eyes. And he was someone who had enough experience she didn't need to worry about performance. Besides he wasn't going to get attached to her from a one night dalliance. It was perfect. That was until everyone started throwing their thoughts and opinions around.

Veya did what she wanted no matter what others might think of her. "I'm surprised they are on speaking terms." She said with a giggle of her own. Sh'nar was regarded as one of the best looking men at the Weyr so she could only imagine how hard it would be to turn down a desire fueled Sh'nar. He wasn't her type, Veya thought. Many of her relatives looked similar. Tall, broad shouldered, blonde hair. "Or maybe they should be on theirs..." Young beautiful women coming into the Weyr all the time must be such a temptation for them.

She thought about what Tsuki said about the girls. High born girls who acted like that could get into trouble, couldn't they. Even a farm girl like her would essentially be ruined if she lay with a man before marraige or did anything unseemly. Not that her parents ever had any hope for her marrying. No one would take her and she didn't like farm boys, they were dull.

"I know the feeling." she said, after thinking about what her life could have been like if she stayed home. "Although no farm boy in his right mind would marry me." She laughed openly. "I'm too free-spirited. I am unreliable. I don't do what other people expect me to do. And I certainly have no interest in being a brood mare." She sat thinking about it a moment. "Now that I think about it, no man ever would want to marry me." She said, looking down at the hands in her lap.

"Now, you however, being an intelligent, beautiful harper from a prosperous family, with a Bronzerider brother and wonderful manners... any man would want to marry you. Do you want to be married?" She asked, mostly out of curiosity. Veya liked S'jiro's sister, she was a bit more conversational but that didn't keep her eyes from wandering to see if he was still there, sleeping.

Veya's attention back on the Bronzerider and their ongoing argument, she smiled, an almost knowing smile at Tsuki. As if she was a cat and she had the mouse exactly where she wanted it. "I think he should be challenged to examine who he is. We all should at some point. Otherwise how can we become the better version of ourselves." Who was she to deny him the chance to explore another version of himself?

As for herself, "I'm not the kind of person to give up on something. I do what I feel is right, whether it seems wrong to other people or not. I do things often without considering the consequences...but I do know that no amount of his pranks will stop me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to cower or hide. He cannot hurt me in the ways he wants to." There was a look of fierce determination in her brown eyes.

"I refuse to be seen as lesser because of where I come from. Who I am determines my importance not what I am. Although I understand there are hierarchies. For someone to believe that it is only natural for people of my status to be treated like dirt on other people's shoes...its incomprehensible. There is nothing at all natural about that way of thinking. The common people, as you might refer to them as are the only reason Pern survives. They deserve respect, not to be treated poorly. They may have a meager existence but it is because they have so poor a life that those of higher standing should offer them more kindness and respect." She was staring rather angrily at S'jiro for a moment then, but she tried to erase the traces of it from her face.

"I'm sorry if my beliefs are too difficult for him to grasp... but surely he can see that mistreating people lower than him doesn't help his status. People fear him, they don't respect him and it is a shame. He has isolated himself in his ivory tower and he'll remain there until he decides to change his views."

Listening to all that Veyani had to say with due consideration, Tsuki had been watching her brother the same as Veyani had, perhaps not realizing the reason that the other girl had continuously been casting glances his way this whole time.

A long exhale of her breath in sigh became the unspoken expression of disappointment then. "I wanted to marry the man I was betrothed to. Even though I was too young to know what love was, our wedding day was going to be the happiest day of my life. I wanted to learn to love him like a wife loves a husband, and I wanted to have many children with him and live happily together."

Tsuki brought a hand up to tough at the side of her face where the burn scars remained. She doubted she would ever find someone like Sh'nar who could still find her beautiful, so she had decided to put thoughts of marriage away. His words to her had been so kind and heart felt that day; they replayed through her mind over and over again, giving her the courage to think that she could still be very beautiful and desirable enough to attract a man some day.

Hearing his voice in her mind just made her want to run to him, though. Tsuki wanted to be with Sh'nar right then. She would rather hold onto him, but she knew that he had never held any feelings for her but the feelings that a brother would have for a sister. Still...that day after the flight...No. it was all wrong. Nothing good could come of her pursuing a relationship with Sh'nar, even if he wasn't dating a Goldrider. She felt silly for ever thinking such things.

"I still want to marry someday, I guess. But that might be more difficult in the Weyr since marriage isn't as common. I'm a little afraid to love someone though, and equally as afraid not to. Either way, I can't get myself any more involved with Riders than what happened with Sh'nar. If my mother were to find out, she'd likely try to murder him herself. She doesn't understand life at the Weyr.

"Between S'jiro and I though, I'm probably the lucky one. Knowing that I will never marry as well as my sisters, our parents are much more likely to be lenient on who I decide to want to be with at this point. S'jiro on the other hand, he can have any woman he pleases -as long as it's just a fling. But outside of that, I figure they're hoping he'll give up on falling in love and wait for Zemarith to fly a Queen. If he falls in love before then, he can just forget about being with her unless her lineage is impressive enough. At this point, I'm sure they don't want anything to interfere with his flying a Queen." Foreshadowing anyone? It was an unfortunate thing to think that parents would put their children up to such expectations, having them put aside all thought of personal desires in order to drive them into a more successful future as they saw it, even if that future were something their children never wanted. It was the situation S'jiro found himself in, but at least at the Weyr he had more breathing room and there was a greater chance of him being able to do things his way.

"S'jiro and I may live in the Weyr now, so we can break the rules from time to time, but our parents still uphold certain expectations; they still have some control. The meager means that S'jiro and I manage on our own, is not enough to maintain the standard of living we've been accustomed to. Our parents allow us to maintain that lifestyle as long as their expectations are met. But they're just as likely to withdraw support if they've been greatly disappointed."

Tsuki scooted back on the bed a little, leaning back onto her hands so that she could gaze up at the ceiling for a moment before looking back to Veyani. "Do you see now? Do you see where he gets it? S'jiro's only does what they do to him. That doesn't make it right though, being mean like he can be..." But he wasn't just born with that terrible mean streak. Well...maybe that could be argued to some extent. But he still had feelings, and like anyone else, needed someone in his life who could return those feelings.


Tsuki went on thoughtfully, "So, is the farmer's existence is truly Poor? Are the holders of the world are any more favoured by fate? Or are the trade offs just different?  Are the farmers of the world more deserving of kindness than their holder counterparts? Isn't kindness, love and acceptance something that all humans desire, deep down inside?

"Both the farmers of Pern and its holders are equally important, but both must recognize that fact and treat eachother with the same respects.  Were the world to lack either one, it would be at a great loss." Tsuki wished that neither would scorn the other, and that they would be more willing to express kindness instead of criticism.

Tsuki sat up then, glancing over at her brother again as he seemed to be rousing from his sleep.



Barely having finished her thoughts to Veyani, S'jiro rolled over in his sleep, nearly falling right off the couch. But fortunately for him, that sensation of that impending-fall-of-embarrassing-doom to the floor below woke him enough that he was able to catch himself. Rolling back over onto his back, an arm sprawled over his head again until gradually consciousness returned in enough quantity that he remembered events from earlier in the day. Eyes opening to dim light, he searched for Veyani, finding her at the side of his bed. Why wasn't she asleep?

He thought he was seeing double, with two figures sitting there, so S'jiro stretched and sat up on his elbows to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Finally figuring out that there was a blanket over him and that his shoes had been removed, his still groggy mind had yet to attribute that doing to anyone in the room. So, it was with a yawn that S'jiro threw the blanket off of him and swung his legs over the side of the lounge. Standing, S'jiro ran a hand through his hair and made his way to where Veyani sat. Of course, it was shortly thereafter that he realized his eyes had not been playing tricks on him, and that there was someone else there with her. That alerted him, but in the moment after, recognized the other girl as his sister.

As he went to them, S'jiro's hands tucked into his pockets. He did take the time to examine Veyani to be sure she was still living, breathing, and nothing else seemed abnormal but her head, but after that, his attention turned to Tsuki.

Standing right in front of the girl, he looked her in the eye and bent over at the waist just enough that their foreheads could almost touch, thus bringing him down to her height. His tone of voice with her was absolutely adoring, almost like a parent to a child, and that manner of light admonition was incredibly gentle; almost kind of cute. "Tsuuuuuuki. Since when do we cavort with the enemy?"

S'jiro was obviously teasing Veyani by those words, trying to get under her skin, but he was also just remembering there was a truce still in effect, so he couldn't do much more than that.

Awaiting a suitable answer from his sister, S'jiro stood back upright stifling another yawn, running a hand back through his hair again. But the whole while, he'd begun casting distrustful glances back down at Veyani, wondering if she'd managed to corrupt his sister. He should have never fallen asleep. He should have known that something like this would have happened.


[er... it just doesn't flow as well as the last posty. so sucks that the site ate it >< booooo. ]

“I’m sorry it was taken from you but you know there is no reason you cannot meet someone here who would meet your expectations. Love shouldn’t be something to be afraid of, I mean I don’t think it should be. If you like someone there is no reason not to tell them, is there? You are telling them how you feel and if that person returns those feelings then you’ll be happy. If not then you know and you can try to move on right?” Of course, having never been in love, what could she really know about it? She had no idea the agony of being so in love with someone who would never reciprocate and not being able to move on.

These Lord types certainly had their priorities out of whack. What does it matter how much more wealth and power they acquired? They had plenty already. “Just seems silly to me.” She said with some indignation on the behalf of both S’jiro and Tsuki. “Although it wouldn’t be much different on the farm. Most the marriages are arranged by families in the area but since we’re all from the same background its not like anyone is getting much out of it other than children.” She frowned.“I’d much rather be cast out of society than be told I can’t love someone because of what they are.”

She looked serious now, “What exactly wouldn’t you have if you decided not to go along with your parent’s wishes? Fine clothes? Jewelry? Furniture?” She could almost roll her eyes, most of Pern got along just fine without such unnecessary provisions. “You could make a life for yourselves without their support if you wanted but you won’t give up…things?” Veyani wouldn’t ever understand that.

Priorities were definitely wrong around this family. Even the nicer Tsuki believed some of this propaganda their parents preached to them. “Yes well its much easier to go along with what people expect from you than to fight against it and do the right thing. He can continue to treat me horribly if he wants. I’m not going anywhere. Eventually he will lose interest in this battle because neither of us will ever cede to the other person and there will be other more unruly Candidates to teach lessons to.”

Or there will be Candidates expecting her to stand up to the Bronzerider for them, which would definitely not be good. She wasn’t a defender of the weak. She defended herself and the ideals which she believed in. She wasn’t saying the other girl was entirely wrong. “I respect those who are courteous enough to respect me as a person.” She couldn’t say the same for other people. Before she could continue on that train of thought, she saw S’jiro nearly fall off the bed.

Her eyes followed S’jiro’s every move. As he came closer and looked her over, he seemed to realize that Tsuki was there. Though he was obviously trying to get a rise out of her Veyani said nothing about trying to corrupt his sister. “We were mostly talking about you.” She said sweetly. “You know, about saving my life and such…” Her eyes belied the mischief in her words. Now he would want to know exactly what they were talking about. Standing up she practically flitted over to the dining area. “I saved you some of the food. Are you hungry? I promise it isn’t poisoned.” She paused, “Truce remember?”