Trevor
(morning, day 4, en route to Cynthia's office)

     Trevor spotted Turner waiting outside the dining hall, and waved to his
friend.  *There he is, Triss,* he told his dragon, who was walking alongside
him.  *There's the one who's going to be getting your room ready for you to
move into as soon as you start flying.*

     <Varie says he is very nice,> Trissana commented.  <I will watch him
closely to make sure he does a good job on my bed, though!>

     *You do that,* Trevor told her.  *And on Varie's rider, too.  When I get
back, you can tell me everything that they do today!*

     "I thought you'd both be training today," Turner commented.

     "Well, normally I would be," he replied.  "But I need to talk to Cynthia
about something, and we may be leaving the warren for just a bit.  I didn't
want to leave Trissana alone."

     Turner chuckled, reaching down to pat Trissana's head.  "Your mother and
I will take good care of her, don't you worry!  I've babysat a few dragons in
my time."

     "I'm sure you have," Trevor chuckled.   "Anyway, Triss is very well
behaved.  I'm sure she'll be no trouble at all."

     He was about to leave when Turner spoke to him again.  "Kellie and Varie
should be here any minute," the smith observed.  "Don't you want to wait for
them?"

     Trevor sighed.  "No, I can't.  Cynthia's waiting for me."  That wasn't
true, of course...the truth was that he just wasn't ready to talk to his
mother yet.  The pain of reading his father's words in that old journal...and
of learning the bitter truth that Kellie had kept from him all those
years...was still too fresh.  He didn't know whether to blame Kellie or not -
but he knew for certain that she wanted to talk to him about the whole thing,
and he just couldn't do it...not yet.

     Turner nodded slowly, and Trevor had the definite feeling that the smith
knew what he was thinking.  He wondered if Kellie had told him, but decided
not to ask.  So he knelt down to give his dragon a hug and reassure her that
he'd be back for her soon, and hurried off to find Cynthia.

* * * * * * * *
Kellie
(a few minutes later)

     <There's Trissana!> Varie said eagerly, as the green dragon swooped in
over the dining hall.

     *Trissana...?* Kellie began, leaning over Varie's neck to look below her.
There was Trissana, all right, standing next to Turner...she was confused for
a moment, but then remembered Turner agreeing to let the little dragon watch
them work on Trevor's new apartment.  She sighed, hoping that hadn't been a
bad idea.  The hatchling would inevitably distract them from their work, and
slow the whole process down.

     <Well, perhaps that is not such a bad idea,> Varie observed.  <Maybe her
being there will slow the big human down to your speed!>

     *Funny,* Kellie said drily, but had to concede that Varie had a point.
Her muscles were still sore from yesterday, and she had a bet to win...

     Varie landed near the dining hall, and crouched down so that Turner could
swing himself up onto the saddle behind Kellie.  Triss couldn't ride atop the
green dragon, of course, so Varie simply wrapped her forelegs around the much
smaller dragon and held her while she launched herself skyward again.

     "You just missed Trevor," Turner told her.  "Kellie, I know it's none of
my business, but...is there something wrong between you two?  I haven't seen
you speak more than a few words to each other since the hatching.  Does this
have anything to do with what Trevor did in the hatching cavern?"

     Kellie sighed.  "Yes, and no," she said sadly.  She, too, had noticed
that Trevor had been avoiding her, and she was pretty sure she knew why.  But
how could she explain any of this to Turner?  Or, more importantly, should
she?  Maybe he could help if he knew the full story...but now wasn't the time.

     Varie landed them on the ledge outside one of the unfinished apartments
that Turner pointed out to them.   They dismounted and walked inside, the two
dragons following just behind.  Kellie wasn't a stoneworker, but even she
could see that there was a great deal of work to be done.  The walls and floor
of the dragon's room were rough, and the great stone bed looked as though it
had been rather hastily carved from the stone floor.   From where she stood,
she could see that the rider's apartment farther inside was completely bare.
She groaned quietly, wondering how she would survive the day, much less win
that bet!

     Trissana looked curiously around her, then ambled over to the big bed and
leaped up onto it.  She circled a couple of times, then lowered herself down
onto her belly to test it out.

     <My rider,> said Varie, <Trissana is unhappy with her bed.  She says that
it is hard, cold, and lumpy!>

     *Well, remind her that it will be filled with sand later," she told her
dragon.

     Varie relayed the message.  <She is willing to take your word on that,
she says.>

     *How big of her!* Kellie grumbled, then walked over to where Turner was
taking some measurements.  "The edges of the bed need to be smoothed out," he
told her.  "I'll knock off the rough edges,  and you can cart the pieces out.
Fair?"

     Kellie nodded.  At least she wouldn't be swinging a sledgehammer!

     That part alone took nearly three hours, and Kellie discovered that
renovating an existing apartment was child's play compared to hewing out an
unfinished one.  She wondered how Turner ever managed to survive this kind of
work!  At length, the two of them took a rest break, but they were quickly
interrupted.

     <My rider, Trissana thinks that you should make her bed larger.  She
thinks this one is going to be too small for her.>

     Kellie's eyes widened, but not as much as Turner's did when she passed
along the hatchling's comments.  "Make it bigger??" he demanded, throwing his
hands up in the air.  "Kellie, does she realize that once you chisel something
out of rock, it's not too easy to put the pieces back?"

     <She is quite insistent about it,> Varie apologized, after Kellie had
passed along Turner's words.

     "Well, tell her that this  bed is exactly the same size as Blanchie's,
and she's not exactly a small dragon!" Turner said, exasperated.  

     <And she wants to know if you can get her some food,> Varie added.  <She
says that all this work is making her hungry.>

     That one caught Kellie by surprise, and she fell back laughing, right
into Turner's arms.  The smith's own composure dissolved when she told him
what Trissana had said.  Then he broke down too, and the two of them both
stood there laughing so hard they had to lean on one another for support.

     Triss climbed down off the bed and leaned herself against Turner,
nuzzling his shoulder and arm with her muzzle, and gazing t him in mute
appeal.  

     "Oh, gods!" Kellie laughed. "Turner, how can you turn down a face like
that?" 

     "I think she's picking up Trevor's tricks!" Turner half-laughed and half-
groaned. "This is just how my sister used to con me into doing things for
her!"

     "Well...can we do it?" Kellie asked doubtfully.

     "Get her some food, yes," Turner replied.  "Make her bed bigger? Not a
chance!"

     Kellie spoke to Varie again, then turned back to the smith.  "I had Varie
tell her that we'll do what we can, but not today," she chuckled.  "If she
outgrows the bed, they'll just have to move I suppose!"

     "You're devious!" he said admiringly, and surprised her with a quick
kiss.  

     "And you're a rogue, Turner!" she replied, trying to keep from blushing.

     "Of course! That's why you like me so much!!"

     <Now she is asking when her new blanket will be ready!> Varie told her.

     Kellie rolled her eyes.  "I forgot all about that!" she moaned.  "Turner,
can you sew?"

     "Of course I can!" he said.  "My mother made sure all of us knew how to
help out around the shop.  Why?"

     Kellie related Trissana's request to him, and Turner frowned.  "Sew a
dragon-blanket? Tonight?? I...well, I had other plans for us tonight, you
know!  Just the two of us, maybe a bottle of wine...and I'd even let you win
at strip poker!"

     "Strip poker, eh?" she asked, intrigued.

     "Or maybe you're too tired after all this work," he suggested.  "Maybe
you'd just like to go to bed..."

     "Bed, eh?" she asked, even more intrigued.  Gods, he was *so*
charming...but she'd promised herself never to care about anyone after K'rald
had died...oh, what should she do?

     Suddenly he had his arms around her, and she let him pull her unresisting
into his embrace.  She let herself settle against his muscular chest, and felt
his lips fastening themselves onto hers...and she decided that she'd worry
about her promise tomorrow.  She leaned into the kiss and returned it for all
she was worth...

     Suddenly, Varie sprang past them, almost knocking them over.  *What the
hell!!* Kellie exclaimed, as the green dragon hastily extended a wing and
covered the little pearl dragon with it.  From underneath the wing, they heard
muffled squawks coming from the outraged hatchling.

     *What's gotten into you, love??* Kellie demanded.  *Let her go!*  She
pulled herself out of Turner's grasp and strode over to where Varie was.
Turner just stood there with a confused expression on his face.

     <My rider, have you forgotten who this little one is joined with?> Varie
asked softly through their link.  <Or that whatever she sees now, your
hatchling will see later?  I think she has already seen more than you would
like her to!>

     Kellie slapped her forehead with her hand.  How could she have been so
stupid?

     Turner stepped up behind her.  "Kellie...is something wrong?" he asked.
The smith seemed nervous for some reason.

     "We forgot something," she said.  "We forgot whose dragon that is!"

     Turner's eyes widened.  "Damn! So we did!!  Say, you don't think..."

      Kellie sighed.  "That that's why she's really here?  Probably...that
would be just like Trevor...he'd know we can't do anything in front of
her...but...well, work."

     Turner thought quickly.  "Kellie, have Varie call Shinner, would you?
Have her ask him if Dan'yar's twins are home, right now...and if they are, if
he wouldn't mind coming over here for a moment."

     Kellie relayed the request, and Varie answered a moment later after
letting Triss out from under her wing.  <Shinner's riders two hatchlings are
home,> the green dragon replied.  <He is coming, but asks why we need him.>

     Kellie passed this along to Turner.  "Why did I just have her tell
Shinner to come over here?"`she asked.

     "Because I've just volunteered the twins to babysit our little
chaperone!" he chuckled.  "And as soon as she's gone..."  He grinned wickedly
at her.  "...we'll get back to *work*!!"

     "Oh, you rogue!!" Kellie chuckled, as they watched Shinner backwing in to
land next to Varie.  She decided that the type of work Turner had in mind was
better than swinging a sledgahammer any day... 

(Tag Barb - who, by the way, helped me write this!)

NRPG:  Just a short post to get me partially caught up...I'll pick up with
Trevor and Cynthia in my next post, which should be out on Friday.

Submitted by

John

Trevor & Trissana
Kellie & Varie
Cleft Warren