Lithya was slouching in her chair, her head leaning against one fist as she fingered her necklace idly. She was not in a very good mood. Ever since the lake incident, Ead seemed to be very troubled about something. He avoided the subject (and herself) and tried to hide it, but Lithya knew anyway from the disagreeable front he kept up. She had spent many an hour pacing back and forth, wondering if he...well, if he still...um...liked her. Buszketh wasn't helping either. She kept snapping at everyone, more irritable than she usually was. And her rider knew why, which was just another thing to worry about. She felt like swearing. Loudly.

However, that wouldn't help matters. Lithya sighed and stood up, but only to walk the few feet across her weyr. She dumped herself onto her furs and looked up at the ceiling dully. From the ledge, Buszketh offered some grumpy advice. I think you should just forget about him and be done with it. There are other people in this world, you know.  She told her rider disparagingly.

Lithya snorted. "I wasn't asking for your help." She spat, turning over to face the wall. Buszketh responded with stony silence and shifted around so that she was facing away from the inner weyr. Each of them glared at nothing in particular for about two minutes, at which point both human and dragon turned back around again. Lithya rolled over and got up, making her way out to the weyrledge. She sat down quietly in the cradle formed by Buszketh's forearms and leaned back against the comforting warmth of her dragon's neck. No matter what happened next, they would always have eachother.

Buszketh was in a brighter mood than usual. She had just eaten and been bathed. Her rider was asleep, so none of Lithya's anxious thoughts were troubling the dragoness. She was currently reclining on her ledge, sunning lazily.

I'm worried about my rider.  Vladmirth suddenly spoke up from his own ledge. Buszketh turned her head to look at the violet-blue male. Oh? Why?  The black-teal asked idly. Vladmirth was silent for a moment.

He's afraid to ask your rider to be his weyrmate. So...would you....?  He asked timidly. Buszketh's sunny mood dissolved abruptly. Of course not! I wouldn't share a ledge with you if the only alternative was to be Threaded!  She snapped, snarling and curling her lip. Vladmirth retreated with alacrity. Buszketh snorted angrily and closed her eyes, dismissing all thoughts of the male and his offer.

Lithya was noticeably fading back into her old self, leaving in her wake a trail of bruises and concussions. She stopped going out of her way to try and confront Ead, and instead avoided him as he was doing to her. Buszketh was snapping at anything and everything that displeased her from the combination of her proddiness and her rider's mood. The tension in the air was almost visible.

Stupid males....as if I would want to be weyrmate to any of those thick-skulled, smokeless excuses for a dragon....can't believe Vladmirth had the nerve to ask me like that...  Buszketh muttered mentally, mostly to herself, but Lithya could hear as well. "He what?!" The rider exclaimed. Asked me if you and I would be weyrmates to him and his rider. I said no, of course.  The black-teal told her grumpily. A variety of interesting expressions flitted over Lithya's face. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Whyever did you say no?" She demanded of the dragon. Buszketh sniffed haughtily and didn't answer.

Lithya smiled for the first time in several days. "Well! That would explain things." She mused, looking across the weyrbowl thoughtfully. This was something of a predicament...

The next day, Lithya was surprised by the sound of Vladmirth's mental voice in her mind. Vlad? What is it? She asked, concerned.

It's Ead, that's what. I'm going to need you to do something for us all. Knock him out, tie him up, stick him someplace where he can't get away from you, and tell him in no uncertain terms what an idiot he's being!  The dragon coughed slightly. Ah, that is, if you even understand why he's acting so foolish.  He told her. Yes, Buszketh told me only yesterday! She answered, shooting a glare at her sleeping dragon. I'll see what I can do. Thank you. Thank you very, very much.  Vladmirth said, relieved. Lithya smiled.

She wasn't really going to knock him out, of course. That would be a bit difficult to arrange without anyone else interfering. No; that wouldn't do at all. She had a much better plan in mind.....

Lithya waited until Buszketh was sound asleep. She quietly slipped down to the Weyrbowl and across the ground, standing in the shadows several dragonlengths below Ead and Vladmirth's weyr. She had watched Ead disappear into the Dining Hall for the noon meal just a few minutes ago, so it would be a surprise.

She grinned and began scaling the rocky wall. It was fairly easy, as there were an abundance of small outcroppings for handholds. Lithya made it up to Vladmirth's ledge and pushed herself up. She dusted her clothes off and moved to stand against the wall behind the softly glowing tree that she herself had gifted to the weyr's elven occupant. And waited for Ead and Vladmirth to come back.

Lithya didn't have long to wait, but it seemed like an eternity before the sound of claws scraping on rock greeted her ears. Vladmirth, be a dear and block the outer entrance. She told the dragon privately. He did so inconspicuously as Ead dismounted and walked into the inner weyr. Lithya stayed where she was until his back was turned, then stepped out quietly.

"You're being quite an idiot, you know." She said, a shade caustically. Ead whirled around at the sound of her voice. Lithya folded her arms across her chest. When the other rider didn't speak, she continued. "You're making everyone around you unhappy. Vladmirth's nearly grey, and don't think I don't know you're avoiding me. If you're so troubled about something (she didn't want him to know that she knew), you ought to just face it, instead of causing all this misery. Now what is bothering you so much?"

Lithya watched as Ead's jaw clenched slightly. He glanced quickly at the weyr entrance, which was neatly blocked by his dragon's bulk, then turned his eyes back to her. "It shouldn't matter to you." He answered evasively.

"Well it does. Now answer my question."

"No!"

"Why not?" Lithya countered, more than a little annoyed at his unreasonable attitude. "Are you afraid to? Afraid that you might find yourself looking like a complete fool? Well let me tell you something, you look even more foolish now for the way you've been treating everyone. So would you just tell me what it is that's making you act this way?" She asked, forcefully. Men. Elves. Whatever.

Her rather scornful remarks seemed to hit home. Ead ground his teeth imperceptibly. "If you must know," he growled slowly, "I'd like you to be my weyrmate, but I'm not going to ask and make myself into a fool. However, as you've so graciously pointed out, I've already done that. So..." And he hesitated there. For reasons that were pretty obvious. Lithya bit her tongue to keep from smiling, but her lips must have twitched. Ead gave her a look. "What?" he demanded.

Lithya uncrossed her arms and cocked her head to one side. This time she really did smile a little. "You should have said so in the first place. You really ought to know what I would say." she shot back. Ead glared at Vladmirth, who was still nonchalantly blocking the exit, then looked back at her with an unreadable expression. But it was fairly easy to tell that he wanted to know what she would say.

Meanwhile, Lithya was having a bit of trouble actually saying what she thought. The young woman could feel her face flushing, and swallowed several times. She sat down on the floor, her knees tucked up to her chin, and looked down at the ground. "Well...um...I would say...uh...I would say.....of course." Lithya managed to say, in a small voice. After a few seconds of silence, she cautiously raised her head to see Ead's reaction. He was crouched down right in front of her. She jumped back slightly in surprise.

Buszketh roused at that moment. Where are you?  The dragoness asked sleepily. Vladmirth and Ead's weyr. We're going to be weyrmates. Lithya answered, smiling at Ead. The smile was wiped from her face at Buszketh's response. You most certainly are not!  The black-teal nearly exploded. I refuse to share a ledge with that-that male! And you're going to tell his rider that you will not be weyrmates, right now!  Buszketh raged. I will do no such thing, you wherry of a dragon! How dare you! I am not your drudge, I am your rider, and as such I have the right to make my own decisions, thank you very much! Lithya shot back, incensed. She got to her feet abruptly, nearly knocking Ead over.

I WILL NOT BE WEYRMATE TO ANYONE, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!  Buszketh roared. Lithya stumbled backwards the force of her dragon's mental voice, both hands going to her temples. Fine! You can stay there. Alone! She retorted furiously, turning her back on the sight of the dragoness.

And then Lithya's legs buckled and she sank to the ground, tears leaking silently down her face at the fury of Buszketh's betrayal.