[10.6.2707] Can We Talk?(Attn: Kikikaa)

[sorra]

Kikaya sighed softly as she went looking for the Assistant Weyrling Master. She was still a bit nervous about talking to anyone about her fears. M'cal had been one thing, but someone who she didn't know real well?

You'll be okay, Ralith told her sleepily. I'm here.

Kikaya smiled slightly. Thank you, Ralith. The teenager knocked softly on the Assistant Weyrling Master's office. She wasn't sure if Kikikaa was in, but she knew if she didn't try now then she would lose her nerve again.

[Mik]

Kikikaa was indeed in for as soon as there came a knock at the slightly ajar door, Trouble bugled merrily in an attempt to greet the visitor as Treasure trilled softly at the bronze currently being wrestled by their Pet. "Come in!" Kikikaa called as she managed to hold her squirming, sticky firelizard in the crook of one arm while trying to peel some of the parchment from his honey-hued hide. Thankfully it was only some notes of hers on what the next Lesson would be entailing so that she would be fully ready to help G'fal when he got to teaching it.

A chirrup from Treasure echoed her Pet's call to their visitor as she flitted to the top of the doorway to see who it was, relaying the image to her Pet with a friendly and inviting chirp for the young grayrider.

[sorra]

Kikaya waited quietly for an answer. The girl jumped a little when she heard the firelizards. She still hadn't gotten used to seeing so many. Even though she had seen them before they got kidnapped. The teenager quietly pushed the door open and slipped inside.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said softly when she saw Kikikaa holding a squirming Trouble. "I could come back another time if now isn't good." She knew she was rambling now, but she was nervous. This was a hard topic to bring up. And especially with a stranger.

[Mik]

Kikikaa smiled and looked up as she recognized the young grayrider that her green had so kindly shown her. "Oh, no, Kikaya. You're not disturbing me. Trouble is just living up to his name. Please come in and have a seat. I always have an ear open for the young ones," she told the younger rider as Trouble stilled for a moment as he gazed in fascination at the rogue rider.

Kikikaa managed to peel the parchment from the bronze's hide and double checked that he had not scratched any hide open either. He had a tough hide for sure, though it rarely stayed clean for so much as half a day. Setting the parchment on a far corner of her desk, she looked up to see if Kikaya had taken a seat yet, noting what looked like some nervousness in her. She must have something on her mind, she thought to herself.

She is young and new to our ways, Peronith softly butted into her rider's thoughts from where she lay in the sun before another rain would soak over the Weyr.

[sorra]

"Thank you, ma'am," Kikaya said. She still wasn't sure how to act around the ones that held rank at Nova. She didn't want to chance offending them or worse. The gray rider smiled slightly as she watched Trouble. She liked the little firelizards. They seemed like they would be fun to have around. She quickly pulled her thought away from the bronze and took a seat.

Don't be so nervous. She will not hurt you. She wants to help, Ralith assured her young rider.

Kikaya managed a shaky smile. Her gray knew her too well. She was nervous and she couldn't help it. She looked back up at Kikikaa. "Could I ask you something personal?" she asked quietly, not quite sure how else to go about this.

[Mik]

Letting the troublesome bronze go, Kikikaa smiled at Kikaya and said cheerily, "Sure. That's what I'm here for," hoping to see the girl relax a little. The long-haired rider moved to rinse her hands in a bucket she had nearby, then dried them on her pants. She was far from a proper woman in her actions and she did not mind it one little bit. Giving the young grayrider her full attention finally, she waited for a response.

Trouble flitted over to the side of the desk that the parchment had been placed and Treasure landed nearby him, crooning softly to the grayrider in greeting once again.

[sorra]

Kikaya was glad to know that at least she wasn't bothering Kikikaa. She watched the assistant Weyrling Master while trying to get her thoughts together. She had hoped this would be a lot easier then what it was turning out to be. She had to smile a little at the two flits though. They sure were entertaining.

"Ralith will be rising soon," she finally said. "And I well, I've never..." she trailed off, not quite sure how to continue.

[Mik]

Kikikaa smiled warmly at Kikaya. "You've come to the right person then." While she had had Trouble and Treasure before she had Impressed Peronith, the feeling was still completely different with Peronith because of the stronger link between minds with a dragon versus a firelizard. "Weyr protocol pretty much tells me to tell you to go ahead and experiment, but not every girl is willing to share the furs with just anyone, especially those that are holdbred."

She paused to shoo her bronze away from the parchment that he was slowly inching his way toward again, Treasure conveniently hissing softly at him to scold him. Trouble squawked at both his Pet and the green before obeying and flitting off to perch on a shelf while he thought of his next move.

"I'm sorry for him. He's a bit of a pest sometimes," the greenrider apologized as she turned back to the young grayrider. "Now, it's scary the first time. At least for me it was and for a good bit of others from what I've heard. Peronith's maiden flight was also my first roll in the furs with anyone. The firelizards aren't half as bad on the emotions as a dragon is, so I went into it worried about the outcome. When her emotions peaked before choosing her mate, I had already given up the battle and whatever happened was my dragon's doing. Ya' see your dragon will feed off your thoughts, too, and that will either make her flight better or worse. Were you here for Chandrath's flight?" Might as well dive right in, she supposed. This sort of talk was not an easy one to beat around the wherry with.

[sorra]

Kikaya listened quietly. She watched Trouble and Treasure with a small smile. The girl quickly turned her attention back to Kikikaa. "Experiment?" she whispered. That thought kind of scared her. And she didn't want to be with just anyone. Actually, at the moment she didn't want to be with anyone. She didn't feel ready for this.

She watched as Kikikaa had to shoe Trouble away.

"It's fine," she whispered. "I don't mind him." The girl tried not to tremble. "I am scared," she whispered. "And I've heard about the dragon's emotions. I don't want to be so scared of the outcome that I hamper Ralith." The girl was fighting back emotions now. "But I don't feel ready to be with anyone. I lived under K'ain for so long," she whispered. She hadn't liked anyone there and hadn't wanted anyone to even touch her. She couldn't imagine if Ralith would have rose there. Kikaya shook her head. "No ma'am, I wasn't," she said quietly.

[Mik]

Kikikaa smiled again. Well, she could not use the goldflight to help explain things, so she would go with the usual. Obviously Kikaya was quite scared about the whole rising to mate thing. "Experimenting is when you just find a willing partner, usually a greenrider or a bluerider around here and well, you see what happens," she explained, taking each comment of the young rider's in stride to answer every question presented.

Treasure's gaze switched from watching her troublesome counterpart to paying attention to the visitor. With a soft croon of comfort for her, she stretched her slender neck to touch the girl.

Kikikaa nodded. "It's normal to be scared. I was, too. It's really not as bad as you think. You don't have to be with the rider of the winning male after the flight. If you never talk to him again, you won't be scolded in the least." She did not mention the fact of ending up with another female. Kikaya seemed to be pretty straight in the greenrider's eyes and she did not want to upset her further by expressing that possibility. Besides, the dragon usually followed her rider's preferences when it came to choosing her males. Peronith did and Kikikaa was very thankful for that.

"Now, is there anyone that has caught your fancy since you've been here?" If there was a rider that she seemed to be okay with, then Kikikaa would go out of her way to talk to them and see if they could help out with this maiden flight.

[sorra]

Kikaya sat rigid in her chair. It was helping to talk to someone who had at least been through the same feelings she was having now, but it still scared her. "There are actually people who are willing to just well um, sleep with anyone?" she asked softly. Normally she was spitfire, but this was an uncomfortable conversation even with another female.

The gray rider absently touched Treasure's head. The little flit at least seemed to feel a bit of sympathy. Not that Kikikaa wasn't.

"You don't?" Well, that made her feel a bit better. At least if she ended up with someone who she didn't like she didn't have to be with him again. She hadn't known that. But then again they hadn't really learned much under K'ain. He had kept them all in the dark. "How old were you when um, you had your first time?" she asked softly. Kikaya still wasn't sure. Kikikaa said it wasn't bad, but maybe it was for some.

The young rider shook her head. "I really don't know very many people," she whispered. "I've only met N'huel and a couple of the other weyrlings that I'm in classes with," she admitted. She hadn't met any of the older riders except for G'fal and Kikikaa. And of course she knew El'dan and Z'zak.

[Mik]

Kikikaa smiled, holding back a light hearted chuckle. “Yes, people at the Weyr are very different than those that came from a Hold in that area. You see we have green mating flights often and gold mating flights at least once a turn with each queen. In those flights, the losers often find themselves sleeping with someone that wasn’t involved in the flight at all. There are very few ways to sate a male dragon’s lust affect on his rider.” Sometimes she was glad that she had paid extra attention during her classes and refreshed her memory often with Weyrling questions like these.

Treasure crooned softly again and stepped forward, nuzzling Kikaya’s hand affectionately. Kikikaa smiled at her firelizard. Treasure had always been a wonderful little companion and she hoped that someday, the green’s calmness would rub off on her bronze.

The Assistant WeyrlingMaster shook her head. “No, you don’t. If you don’t know him or don’t want to get to know him or even don’t like him at all, there is nothing about a mating flight that binds you to the male’s rider.” At the question of her own first time, she again smiled, hoping to keep the mood lighter than the worry underlying the subject. “I was 16 when Peronith Rose for the first time. I was worried, but Peronith was listening to my hopes and she chose a blue with a male rider when there were two that were other girls riding blues. Your Ralith will listen to you, too. All you have to do is ask it of her between now and when she Rises. That way, when she wants to fly solo, she will still honor your wishes and choose a male whose rider will be nice to you.”

“Well N’huel’s dragon would be too young for your first flight, so him and a few other Weyrlings would be out of the question. Have you met any of the older Weyrling Class? I only ask because if we can find a young man with a male dragon, we can see about swaying Ralith’s choices during her flight a little bit.”

[sorra]

Kikaya's face flushed slightly. She hadn't learned anything about mating flights at the Rebel Weyr. Actually, they really hadn't learned very much useful stuff while under K'ain. And of course now it was all coming back to haunt her. And with Ralith so close to rising. She looked up at Kikikaa. "I never knew that," she whispered. She had grown up in a Hold before being kidnapped and in the Hold you didn't just sleep with anyone.

The young gray rider smiled slightly at Treasure. She was liking having the little green close. She was helping Kikaya to get over some of her fear.

"That makes me feel a bit better anyhow," she said softly. At least she wouldn't be bonded to the male's rider. That could be good or bad. The girl's eyes widened. 16? Then not much older then herself. "Wait, I could end up with another girl?" Kikaya asked in worry. That thought hadn't even crossed her mind. She didn't want to sleep with another girl. It was scary enough thinking about sleeping with a man, let alone another female. She closed her eyes tightly. Could this possibly get any worse?

Kikaya shook her head. "I haven't really met any of the other riders," she said quietly. "R'il and M'cal are the only ones I know around my age." She hadn't gotten a chance to really get to know the older riders. Well, that wasn't true. She just hadn't put herself out to try to get to know them.

[Mik]

Kikikaa smiled at Kikaya's quiet response to the difference between Weyr and Hold on the current subject. She had been Holdbred, but she had adjusted well to Weyrlife.

Treasure stepped closer to Kikaya and lay down with a soft croon, laying her head on her crossed forepaws and gazing up at the young rider with softly whirling sapphire eyes.

Kikikaa smiled, searching her mind quickly for the best words to use, hoping that she was picking them right. "There is a very small chance of that, but like I said, Ralith will honor your wishes. Even if there is a few female riders, if you and Ralith have the bond that I'm sure you have, you will be fine and she will choose a male with a male rider." She hoped that eased the girl's worries some.

At least the girl knew a few riders. She would have to talk to both of them and see if they had gotten to know anyone else. "Let's go at it this way." She leaned forward a little and sought out eye contact more seriously. "Let's ask M'cal and R'il if they know anyone that might work for you. M'cal's your brother, right?" She knew R'il was a greenrider, but that did not mean that his friendships were restricted to just greenriders.

[sorra]

Kikaya had finally managed to stop fidgeting. Although she had grown up in a Hold and she wasn't so sure she wanted to get used to sleeping with different people. That thought kind of scared her.

She smiled as she watched Treasure. The little green was very cute and helping her forget some of her worries.

The gray rider looked up at Kikikaa. "So I shouldn't end up with a girl?" she whispered. She didn't even want to think about that possibility. She would have to talk to Ralith more and make sure that her lovely gray knew that she didn't want to end up with a girl. She hoped Ralith would understand.

Kikaya folded her hands on her lap. The girl nodded a little. "Yes, M'cal is my brother," she whispered. "He was the one who suggested talking to you." She hadn't even thought about the possibility of talking to R'il. But then again, she hadn't really thought much. She had just been worried.