Unexpected Attraction (Th'orn)

[FaizahPandora]

Lakeen had been sitting in the library for a few days, mopeing. The drawing game she had been playing with Lawrence had suddenly stopped. She also hadn't seen him nor his bronze around the Weyr at all. She was sad, to say the least.

Today found her in much the same state.

She was sitting in a corner of the library, ignoring everyone who happened to go by, and sketching a picture in her sketch book. Anyone who managed to peek over her shoulder would notice that the sketch she was making was of Lawrence.

Lakeen sighed heavily, looking almost adoringly at the sketch. She was surprised how much she missed the sour boy...

[Wolfy]

Th'orn, after thoroughly bathing and oiling Equinoth, had waited for the newly dubbed Storm dragon to fall asleep. And then,after expressing his wishes to be left alone for a while to the boyish Mint, he ambled off deep in thought. His plans for school interupted for the time being, he felt that without specific task he was going insane. Yes, yes, he had the task of taking care of a newly htched dragonet, and a unique one at that, but he was quick with his hands and he was done oiling and bathng ad feeding fairly quickly. And besides,other than keep a strict schedule,the Storm mostly slept at this stage.

It was driving the Healer nuts!

Unconciously, he headed for his santurary, the Weyr Library. He had spent a surprising amount of time in there the last few weeks, and it was now the habit of his mind to go there. It was mostly empty, save for a few lone readers hunched by themselves. There was one in particular that caught his eye: a woman about his own age sat at a small corner table, almost completely out of sight, looking incredilbly lonely and sad.

Th'orn had never been a prticularly social person, and it was beginning to show. In this new world he had no friends or even equals who he could go to to talk to. He was lonely himself. After a moment's hesitation, the stolid weyrling strode over.

"That sketch is pretty good," he remarked peering, over her shoulder. Him being him, of course, meant he had no idea it was another resident of the Weyr.

[FaizahPandora]

Lakeen was so down in the dirt that she didn't even mind someone looking over her shoulder at her sketch. She just shrugged and said, "Thank you."

Lakeen looked over her shoulder to see who had complimented her. She noticed the Pernese boy, recognizing him from the latest hatching. Nakia's Isath's hatchling had Impressed him, she recalled. A gorgeous looking dragonet, too. Lakeen gave him a half hearted smile.

"You Impressed the odd colored dragonet. Storm, I think they're calling it." She said, turning in her chair to look at him.

[Wolfy]

Th'orn winced at the reference to Equinoth's uniqueness. He had hoped that he would be relatively unknown; he should have known that it would prove otherwise. "Yes, that would be me," he remarked. "It figures, I suppose, that I would Impress a first. I hadn't wanted to Impress at all."

Equinoth know this of course, and had completely understood. His rider had wanted to focus solely on his craft and had thought that he should stay wher he was wanted and needed. Now however, the situation had changed and he was wanted and needed much more here, with the dragonet by his side, unravelling the mysteries of Medicine much more efficiently on Earth.

He pulled up chair, sitting in it backward as he glared for no apparent reason at the stacks of books around him. With everything whirling through his head, he was mildly surprised the Storm didn't wake to pstart yelling at him to be quiet. Thankfully he didn't.

"Why do you look so completely dejected?" he suddenly asked, blurting out the question without really thinking. Silently he cursed himself.

[FaizahPandora]

Lakeen sighed sadly. "A friend of mine has recently disappeared. No one has really seen him, which could mean nothing, but..." She paused, trying to think of what to say next. "He's a moody one, and quite sour. But I do miss him. I'm afraid my sister might have transferred him to Isle, but I don't dare ask." She finished.

Lakeen thought over the man's strange reaction to her knowing him through his dragon's unique coloring. He seemed to want to avoid being known at all. Which was strange. Isn't that what all dragon riders wanted? And if he had not wanted to Impress at all, why had he stood at the hatching?

She decided to ask. "Why did you Stand? If you hadn't wanted to Impress..."

[Wolfy]

"I'm sorry, I should not have asked," he murmured. Now he felt the fool. If he had actually thought, and used his head, he would have realized that the girl had no wish to speak of it. She must think him a halfwit. An embarrassed flush seeped across his cheeks, highlighting the selfdigusted look in his eyes as he silently berated himself.

She was a very beautiful girl, he mused. She had said her sister might have mived her friend. So the Weyrwoman? She was related to the Weyrwoman? He scoured his mind trying to think of names and faces, attempting to match one with hers. Finally, he managed. Lakeen, of Bronze Wher Lakeest. He wished now that he had paid attention to the class abput Whers. But alas, he had not. He had been busy taking care of the newly hatched Mint and Fever at the time.

What she said next caugh him completely off guard.

"I was almost literally begged to be by K'van, Weyrleader of Monoco. Some idiotic Bronze decided to come up to me in the middle of a Hatching and told me I stunk too much to be his rider. That was several tur- ah, years ago. I had wanted to focus on my craft,and still do." He smiled dryly, remembering the night. If had been fairly exciting, yes, but that was how most Hatchings were.

[FaizahPandora]

Lakeen shook her head. "No. It's fine. I don't mind you asking." She quickly assured him.

While she missed Lawrence, Lakeen wouldn't deny company just to pine over him. In fact, talking to this man, Th'orn she believed, made her feel a little better. She smiled at him, glad he had decided to sit and talk to her. She quickly flipped to the next page and began to sketch a profile. She listened to him talk as she continued to sketch at a rapid rate.

When he began talking about his craft, Lakeen's curiosity was peaked. She stopped sketching for a moment to ask him another question. "What is your craft?"

As she waited for him to answer, she continued to sketch her newest picture. She occasionally glanced up at Th'orn before sketching more.

[Wolfy]

Th'orn watched curiously as she turned the page and began to sketch someone - for it was definately a someone - else. She truly was very good, he believed, and he had seen some pretty good sketched in the Weyrs.

He glanced up as she asked about his craft, and amusement colored his sky blue eyes. "Journeyman Healer, at your service," he said, dramatically bowing himself over. "And you? Before you were a Wherhandler, anyway?" He remembered for a moment the time his parents had gotten the fever that had killed them and the days following. He shoved the memories away, as he agreed with dragons on the fact that one should live in the present, not yesterday or tomorrow.

He watched her brisk drawing for a few more moments before laughing in recognition of the figure on the paper. It was himself! He smiled at her, his face lighting up with a rarely seen expression. He had a friend!

[FaizahPandora]

Lakeen smiled as she heard him laugh. She hadn't been much of anywhere recently, so of course she wouldn't know that Th'orn was a Healer, and had taken over the Infirmary. But as she sketched his profile, stealing glances at him, she had the sense that being a Healer would fit him.

Lakeen paused as she thought back to before she went to Pern. It had been little over a year ago, but she still remembered it.

She stopped sketching for a moment, setting her sketchbook on the table. "I lived with my mother. I took care of my younger siblings, especially Mentari. My mom is not the most responsible person on Earth..." She finished.

Looking back, Lakeen knew she wouldn't have traded this life for anything. She did not understand why she had been so afraid to be like Faizah. Lakeen now understood why Faizah had been so excited about having Impressed Surth.

[Wolfy]

He smiled, remembering a particular caretaker that had been 'not exactly the most responsible person.' Fortunately, she had not been his caretaker, and the child was never around anyway. "Responsibility is accepted, or it's not. It was her choice, and you took up a chance she discarded. I think it worked for the better. A large portion of your family is now loyal to Pern, no?" Th'orn grinned a little wider, brilliant blue eyes shining in a friendly manner. "Even Mentari, if I remember correctly. And, no boast, but I usually do."

He was comfortable with Lakeen, here, just talking as they were. Not often did he feel so at ease with another. Lately, the only one with which to vent frustrations on was Equinoth, and while he loved the loved the beast unconditionally, he needed other companionship.

As he sat watching the Wherhandler draw, he suddenly wished he was as good at it as she was. He could draw basic shapes, sure, but anything else looked rather sticklike, or, if not that, it was a strange squash-like shape. He bit his lip, looking thoughtful and then leaned over, cushioning his chin in his arms.

"Would you teach me howto draw like than?" he blurted out suddenly. "I mean... I would really appreciate it and...uh..." He trailed off once again feeling the fool. His face fell foward. "Well, I must sound pathetic about now," he said, his voice muffled in the folds of his shirt.

[FaizahPandora]

Lakeen nodded. "Yes. There is only one Pandora missing!" She laughed at that thought. Her cousin, born even before Faizah, was missing. No one in their family had seen him since his mother, Lakeen's aunt, had died close to ten years ago. She often wondered where he was, but didn't worry about him. His father, who he lived with now, was a responsible and considerate man...

And if Nathan was anything like the rest of the Pandora's, he would soon find his way to Pern!

Lakeen was starting to feel better, sketching and talking with her new friend. It was relaxing and welcome. She had forgotten how much she missed being social. But being a wherhandler, really a wherling as she was, the whers tended to keep people from being social. The whers themselves were anti-social, and she supposed it extended to their handlers. But oh, how Lakeen had missed the company of others...

She stopped sketching for a moment as she listened to Th'orn stumble over his words. She understood that he was requesting her to teach him how to draw, but she couldn't help smiling as he seemed so unsure about asking. When he was finished, and had hidden his face in his sleeve, Lakeen nodded.

"I wouldn't mind teaching you. And you don't sound pathetic." She smiled at him, reaching up and lightly rubbing his back to comfort him.

[Wolfy]

"Sorry, I don't quite know what's wrong with me today. Usually I am not nearly as tongue-tied or foolish sounding." The intense Healer propped himself up on a hand and arm, smiling thankfully at Lakeen.

In truth, he had never acted like this, something he could not really understand. It was a kind of warm, fuzzy feeling that was maing him like this. But was in the name of the First Egg was that feeling?! He couldn't quite place it, and had never experienced it before. Huh.

Th'orn, be quiet. You are loud enough to wake the dead and bring Ghosts calling in the sky![/color] The weyrling started, blinking several times. I thought you were asleep! he responded.

Well I'm not. And you could wake anyone with the racket in your head. [/color] With that, Th'orn sensed the Storm repositioning himself, stretching out once more...and fall, once again, fast asleep.

He scowled crossly at nothing in particular as he grudgingly calmed his own thoughts down, feeling Equinoth slipping into ever deeper sleep. Finally, he shook his head, pursing his lips. "Blasted dragons," he muttered.

[FaizahPandora]

Lakeen smiled as she watched Th'orn. He seemed to be stumbling over every other word. Which, she had to admit, was a little cute. Lakeen had the feeling that he was often a very serious person.

Lakeen finished the drawing, her fingers now covered in pencil lead as she had been shading it, and turned to show it to Th'orn. "What do you think?" She asked him.

At the same moment she asked his opinion, she noticed him startle. She had seen that expression many times before, especially with newly bonded weyrlings. Surely his hatchling had just surprised the stoic man. She couldn't help but giggle just a little bit. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand, hoping Th'orn wouldn't be mad that she had found his predicament entertaining.

She heard his last mutterance. Again she laughed slightly. "That they are." She smiled back at Th'orn.

[Wolfy]

Th'orn grinned lopsidedly, shrugging as if to say they were helpless against them and thier habits.

"As I said before, you are quite an artist." For a moment he remembered an artist of similar skill on Pern. He couldn't remember the man's name, only that he had been a friend of the Harper, long since retired, and was of the Harperhall.

((And my muse says....
Blah blah blah!))

[FaizahPandora]

Lakeen smiled. "Thank you, Th'orn."

She watched him a moment, knowing that he was lost in thought. She wondered how his life on Pern had been, and what had made him so serious all the time. She also wondered how he liked life on Earth...

She decided to ask.

"Th'orn... How do you like Earth?" She asked, trying to make it sound light and casual conversation.