"What?" M'thew gave Nu'lin a look that clearly displayed his thoughts on the other rider. "You can't be serious."
Nu'lin nodded, a smiled on his face. "Dead serious. You gonna put up the marks or what?"
M'thew paused a moment. For this much money, he was going to be damn sure he knew what he was doing. "Amai? The little pink sugar-cookie?"
Nu'lin was still grinning. "Yep."
M'thew considered the wager again. "Fifty marks?"
"Yep."
M'thew shook his head. "You're crazy Nu'lin, you know that?"
The grey/bluerider laughed. "Yep." He waited another minute while M'thew tried to decided whether or not it was worth it. He knew he'd shocked his friend somewhat more than necessary.
M'thew wasn't normally a gambling man, but as soon as it went around that a Searchrider was coming, everyone in the Dining Hall had to voice their opinion on who would be chosen. M'thew'd asked Nu'lin if he had any guess. Nu'lin said he knew who would be chosen. Now how was the bluerider supposed to pass up an offer like that? Nu'lin knew who would be chosen, and it would be wonderful to see him proved wrong. Amai? Was he actually serious? M'thew bit his lip. Fifty marks was a lot of money. But Amai? "Fine!" M'thew grabbed Nu'lin's hand and shook it before the grey/bluerider could back out. "Fifty marks says Amai doesn't go."
Nu'lin swore and pulled his hand away. "Damn."
"Ah-ha!" M'thew, pleased that he was correct, leapt to his feet in excitement. "I knew you were bluffing."
"What?" Nu'lin looked up at him. "Oh, no. I'm not bluffing, I just wanted you to suggest a lower bet before we shook on it. I know Feena's birthday's in two days and I hate to take fifty marks from you." The grey/bluerider smiled slyly.
M'thew's face lost all expression. "Feena's birthday..."
Nu'lin's jaw actually dropped slightly. "Don't tell me you forgot."
M'thew glared at his friend, wishing every curse imaginable upon the cocky young rider. "How the hell do you..."
Nu'lin stood and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll accept an IOU." He left the table and began to walk towards the door to the weyrs. A few paces away, he stopped and turned around. "I wonder if Feena will..." He was followed out of the Dining Halls by a bowl of rice.
From the table right behind where the two riders had been sitting, eating and arguing, Celeste clicked her tongue and pushed her food around her plate with her fork. Realizing there was no way she was going to be able to eat after that, the Master Healer left to find the Weyrwoman.
* * * "Celeste?" Magika leapt up from her chair and hurried around to the other side of her desk. She grabbed the Master Healer's arm before she got to her chair. "What's wrong?"
Celeste smiled. "Why must something be wrong if I come to talk to you?"
Magika let out a sigh of relief. "I think you'll have to learn to live with it. Comes with the title." Magika sat down on top of her desk, shooing Karia and Karina out of the way.
Magika? Why's Celeste there? Hyth had an edge of nervousness in her voice.
Magika smirked and glanced briefly up at the ceiling. Nothing's wrong. She just felt like giving me a heart attack.
Celeste clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Nonsense Magika, you're in perfect health."
The Weyrwoman's telepathic conversation was abruptly halted by the interruption. Magika never knew how to respond to a person who'd replied to a statement she'd never voiced. "Yeah, umm.. Figure of speech."
Celeste sighed and smiled. "I know." The Healer sat down and folded her hands in her lap. "I'm here to talk to you about Nu'lin."
Magika raised a brow. "The new grey/bluerider?" She tried to remember everything she'd ever heard about him. "From Utopian right?"
"Actually from a nearby hold, impressed at Utopian." Celeste clarified.
Magika didn't know if she'd been talking to Nu'lin or had just picked that up from him. Magka hated to admit that the healer could occasionally unnerve her. "Okay. What about him?"
"I think he's a Searchrider." Celeste always felt weird talking to Magika about rider business. She felt that she had no right to tell Magika how to run that part of the Weyr. Then again, she did have a certain edge when it came to detecting certain talents.
Magika smirked and raised a brow. "In disguise?"
Celeste rolled her eyes and shook her head. "In training."
"Why?" Magika really had no idea what made a Searchrider or why certain dragons could detect whether people would make good candidates or not.
"Because he's aware of...people." Celeste searched for a good word to describe her feeling. "And Confondreth understands too."
"Understands?" Magika could almost feel a headache coming on.
"Yes." Celeste nodded.
Magika sighed, debated whether or not it was worth continuing the conversation. Unfortunately, she was very stubborn. "Understands what, Celeste?"
"Why dragons choose riders." The tone in Celeste's voice clearly told Magika that only a fool wouldn't know what she was talking about.
Magika realised, with a twinge of anger, that there was no way she was going to ever know what the healer was talking about. Almost hopelessly she asked, "Why do dragons choose riders?" It was going to be her last attempt at this.
Celeste smiled, thinking this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because it's right." She tried not to sound haughty. "Of course."
Magika sighed. "Of course." She stood up and stretched, deciding she might as well take the healer's advice. She swatted at Karia. "Send for Aliana and Ehzeia." The bronze draca nodded and disappeared. The Weyrwoman mock-glared at Celeste. "You can talk to them."
Celeste laughed. She always enjoyed talking with the Searchriders. "It would be my pleasure."
* * * You are going to break off your wager with M'thew. Confondreth did not even bother to open an eye when his rider entered their weyr.
Nu'lin grinned. He'd learned very quickly that, after Confondreth's initial burst of questions when he was hatched, the grey/blue never requested or inquired. He demanded. Nu'lin picked Lucky up and carried her over to his bed. Dropping the vocal feline on his mattress, the grey/blue rider proceeded to pull of his boots before replying to his lifemate. "And why will I do that?" It was best never to refuse Confondreth anything outright.
Because he does not have the money to pay you when he loses. To all outward appearances the dragon was asleep.
Nu'lin laughed. "That's the point Dreth. Let's let him stew in his own juices for a while. Fret about what he's going to do with Feena. It'll make him even more thankful to us when I let him off the hook by gracefully bowing out."
The dragon finally raised his head and fixed his rider with a blank stare. He was not amused. There are three reasons why you won't do that.
"I give up." Nu'lin began to wiggle his fingers, letting Lucky chase them. "Why will I do that?"
Because. The dragon was almost infuriatingly smug. You are friends with M'thew, and you don't want to ruin that.
The rider was forced to concede that point. "Alright. That's one reason."
Because you are jealous of the relationship M'thew and Feena have, while at the same time admiring them for it. Your jealous made the wager, leaving M'thew with no funds for a gift. Your admiration will appear when you break of the wager and help your friend, who has no conceivable idea of a gift in his skull, to impress his girlfriend. Confondreth's tail flicked briefly, although his eyes remained an impartial brown. The dragon was amused and trying not to rub it in.
Nu'lin glared at the beast, temporarily debating whether or not to argue the point. He would like it if he could stand tall and protest vehemently that the dragon was wrong, but while Nu'lin might trick himself, nothing got past Confondreth. "Fine. Two."
The dragon did not continue immediately. He could see that he'd upset his rider. Nu'lin... The dragon wanted to be right, but he didn't want to anger his rider. I don't have a third point. Three just seemed like a nice round number. The dragon quickly put his head down and returned to feigning sleep.
Nu'lin smirked, pleased at the demonstration of love. "I won't get angry. I promise."
The dragon opened one eye. You say that, but then you get angry anyways.
"Tell me or I'm not going to break the wager off." Nu'lin pushed the cat off the bed. Miffed, Lucky strolled out to the dragonledge to clean herself.
Confondreth's eyes whirled the faintest shade of blue for a second. I have two good reasons why you'll break the wager off.
The rider was less than impressed. "What was you're third reason Dreth?" The dragon was silent. He knew this was a really iffy topic with his rider. Nu'lin, from his lifemate's silence, could already hazard a guess at what the dragon was going to say. Being the idiot he was, he still needed to hear it. "Dreth."
The dragon sighed. You're attracted to M'thew.
Despite his promise to keep his temper, Nu'lin felt his anger rising. He struggled to control his voice. "I am not."
Okay. The dragon was quick to surrender, hoping this might be the end of the discussion.
"Dreth." Nu'lin's annoyance was obvious from his tone. "Why do you do that?"
What? Confondreth wasn't sure exactly why he was feigning ignorance. This wasn't the first time they'd had this fight.
"Say I'm..." Nu'lin took a moment to lower his voice. The walls were thick, but the door to the dragonledge was open. "Say things like that and then just abandon them. I don't know whether you're joking or not."
Why does it upset you so much?
"Because I don't love men!"
You love me! The dragon's eyes were actually tinted red. Confondreth was renown for his lack of visible emotion. There was a long moment of tense silence.
Finally, Nu'lin couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright. You win. I'll back out of the bet."
Confondreth's eyes returned to their neutral brown. I told you you would.
* * * Nu'lin heaved a heavy sigh as he looked at the line in front of the FGPC. They had just engineered a new clutch of their unique flits and the demand for them was always high. Why am I here again?
Because. Confondreth, predictably, had the answer. We are training to be Searchriders and it is always good for Searchriders to be able to communicate across great distances through firelizards.
But Aliana doesn't have a firelizard. Why do I have to have one? Nu'lin was pushed out of the way by several more anxious people.
Why don't you want a firelizard? Confondreth flapped his wings. He was normal sized for a blue, but he still towered over normal people. They began to make room.
Nu'lin smiled. Oh, I'm just being difficult. He leaned against his dragon's side. It's fun to hear you reason through everything.
The dragon was momentarily annoyed, but it passed quickly. You'd better get inside.
Nu'lin went to take a step forwards, but froze, instantly realizing something. He turned to look at his lifemate. "You'd better get inside?"
Yes. The dragon didn't know what he'd said wrong. He was obviously preoccupied.
Nu'lin narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what was wrong. "‛You'd better get inside.' not ‛Go inside.' or ‛Enter now.'?"
The dragon immediately realized his mistake. He'd made it a request, not a demand. The out-of-character change in diction had caught his rider's attention. Get your ass in there now. The dragon was getting frustrated. Better?
"What is wrong with you Confondreth?" Nu'lin was actually starting to worry. Showing emotion had never been his lifemate's strong suit.
Go inside now, or so help me, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. The dragon had gone from anger to begging in seconds.
"Confondreth..." Nu'lin began to walk back towards his lifemate, genuinely concerned.
Confondreth shocked him by roaring and rearing and flapping his wings. He nudged at his rider with his head, almost knocking him over. NOW!!
Without thinking, Nu'lin left his lifemate and ran towards the building. He threw open the door, looking behind him to check if Confondreth was still certain about this course of action. He plowed right into the young man standing in front of the door, almost knocking them both off their feet. He quickly caught the man's arm to steady him, swearing inwardly at his lifemate for installing this need for speed in him. "Excuse me."
The youth he'd assaulted was a few inches shorter than he was. His hair was an amazingly light brown, so light it almost appeared to be grey in spots. It was kept a little long, hanging to just below his jawline. His eyes were large and perfectly blue. After his initial shock at being rammed, he smiled quickly, letting the rider know there was no harm done. He must have been 18, around Nu'lin's age. "It's alright. We're all excited." His voice was soft, deep and calm. Steady and strong.
Nu'lin wanted to say that he really wasn't excited, his dragon was just crazy, but his mouth seemed to go unusually dry. The man's eyes flickered downwards to check Nu'lin's shoulder knots, acknowledging that he was a rider before they returned to the rider's face. He seemed like the kind of person who never missed anything. Nu'lin instantly couldn't remember any part of the English language.
You're name is Nu'lin. You're pleased to meet him. Confondreth was pleased with himself for no apparent reason.
The desire to smack Confondreth broke the young man's spell. Nu'lin managed to smile. "My name is Nu'lin. Pleasure to meet you." The fact that his comment sounded like Confondreth's semi-sarcastic suggestion was a fact Nu'lin decided to ignore.
The two men shook hands. "Raydon. Nyterwyrm Hold."
A man of few words. Nu'lin made some vague comment about Nyterwyrm being under Adanuk, his Weyr. Confondreth was still abominably pleased. This surge of emotions from his lifemate, especially since emotions were not normally forthcoming from Confondreth, was putting Nu'lin in a very friendly mood. The two continued to talk while the line in front of them dwindled. And then the people behind them passed them. And then they were alone in the room. Neither of them had moved, or even noticed the absence of the crowd.
"Hey!" One of the caretakers finally noticed them. "If you two are here for the eggs you'd better come quick. The last ones are hatching."
They both jumped, looked at each other, and broke out in a run for the incubator room. "Shards!" Raydon was upset and angry. The strong emotion didn't really suit him. "I'm sorry I kept you so long Nu'lin."
Guess I don't have to put up with a firelizard after all. Nu'lin smiled. "You take it Raydon." He paused briefly, wondering whether or not to brave the next thing that came into his mind. In the end, he did say it, only much softer. "And I'm not sorry we got to meet."
"Are you sure?" Raydon smiled hopefully at the rider. It was obvious he had his heart set on impressing one of the menacing little flits.
"Of course I'm sure! Shards Ray! You look like a candidate on the Sands. How could I refuse you anything?" What am I saying? Nu'lin couldn't stop smiling. What am I doing?
I'd tell you, but you'd get angry. Confondreth finally bothered to give voice to the source of his emotions.
Oh... Nu'lin could have started the argument again, but he'd feel slightly hypocritical defending his viewpoint while he stared into Raydon's eyes. This was definitely a new feeling. One he wasn't sure he knew what to do with.
The egg began to rock, and the two youths knelt in the sand beside it. In a few short minutes, a tiny granite-like creature had made its way out of its egg and into Raydon's waiting hands. Raydon couldn't take his eyes off the creature. Nu'lin couldn't take his eyes off Raydon. He watched as his new friend fed the baby flit and then kissed it softly on the nose. Raydon turned to the rider. "Thanks so much ‛lin."
Nu'lin smiled, finally giving up and giving in, to both Confondreth and his feelings. "I have my lifemate, Confondreth. You can have the tiny freak of nature."
Raydon punched Nu'lin lightly on the arm. "Don't call my little Gnarl that."
Nu'lin laughed. "Gnarl? What kind of name is that?"
"His name." Raydon held the flit so Nu'lin could see him better.
"I think he's cute." Nu'lin touched his index finger to the little flit's chin.
I know. Confondreth knew Nu'lin was talking about both the flit and Raydon.
Nu'lin disliked the idea that his dragon set him up, but the feeling faded quickly in Raydon's presence. Does he?
What? Confondreth was still bubbly.
Like me... Nu'lin suddenly felt very stupid. Is he even...you know.
Confondreth, thankfully, didn't laugh. I'm a Searchdragon, aren't I?
"So do I." Raydon hadn't been privy to Nu'lin's little exchange with his dragon and was still talking about Gnarl. "He's simply adorable."
Nu'lin blushed. Realising he was blushing, Nu'lin got embarrassed. Unfortunately, that just made him blush more. "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking about you, to Gnarl." It was easily, undoubtably and completely the riskiest thing the grey/bluerider had ever done.
Raydon blushed as well. Nu'lin was just relieved he didn't laugh or scream. "Thanks....I guess...look ‛lin." Raydon swallowed and looked away from Nu'lin. He was almost irresistible. "There's something you should know...I'm engaged...to a girl."
Nu'lin leaned over and quickly kissed the youth before he could logic himself out of action. "I don't care." And the rider was amazed to find that he really didn't. But this couldn't be right, not if Raydon was engaged.
You finally found the man to share the rest of your heart with, rider-mine. Confondreth finally relaxed, sure that everything else would work itself out.
Nu'lin sat back, waiting for Raydon's response. The brown-haired youth paused for a second, before smiling and running his hand through Nu'lin's short, messy blond hair. "Good."
Confondreth sighed. I told you you would.
* * *
Read Nu'lin's hatchling story.
Read Nu’lin’s candidate story.
Nu’lin impressed Confondreth at Cathair Utopian.
Lucky’s picture from White River Weyr.
Background from Enchanted Backgrounds.
