Jil'mae
********

Jil'mae groaned and sauntered over to his friend. He knelt down next to
Skeeter's massive eyeball. <<Girl troubles, buddy?>>

<No. Game troubles.>

<<Ah. Well, maybe you'd solve whatever trouble it is you're having if you'd
spit out that piece of treegum you've got in your little cage of fangs there?>>

<Why? She's fun when she's this mad.> 

<<Spoken like a true ladies' man.>> Jil'mae chuckled, swearing that he could
hear laughter in his lifemate's tone.

<Hey!> Skeeter huffed. 

<<Spit it out, fella. Then you can go capture it again and enjoy her being
this angry all over again.>> The rider made it sound so easy, that the
dragon wondered why he hadn't thought of it himself.

The massive draconic head turned. <You know females, don't you?> Skeeter
asked, a bit awed.

<<Indeed I do. Now, cough up the ball and start the game up again.>>

<Well if you think it'll work, okay,> Personally the dragon wondered if he
gave the ball up if he'd ever get it back. <She is a fine looking dragon
after all. And I think she likes me.>

<<I'm sure she does,>> the rider agreed. <<But I'll bet she'll like you even
more if you play the game fair.>>

<But then she won't get mad....and like I said...>

<<I know... she's cute when she's mad."

<Right!>

<<Your funeral pal.>>

<Na... she likes me remember?> Skeeter reminded his rider then turned to
speak to the female sitting on his back.
<Are you done yet, Andromeda? I was ready to return your sporting good.>

Andromeda beat Skeeter solidly across his hindquarters with her tail. <Give
it back, then, you oaf!>

With a popping sound, the ball shot from Skeeter's mouth like a projectile
and landed some several yards away. Andromeda leapt from his back and seized
the ball with her forepaws. She dropped it a few times before she got a
solid hold of it. <Eeew! Dragon spit! There's dragon spit all over my ball!> 

She looked up and saw Skeeter barreling towards her and quickly turned and
ran with the ball, holding it very carefully, slippery though it was. <Come
on, Skeeter!
Come and catch me! You'll never do it, though!>

Karine and Jil'mae stood where they were, laughing at the spectacle. Karine
put her head in her hands and wiped laughter tears from her eyes as she
watched her dragon running away from the larger red beast and fumbling with
a treegum ball. 

Jil'mae couldn't help it. Reaching out he pulled Karine close, as much to
support her as himself. She came willingly as he made no other move. Just
clung to him until she got her laughter under control. Then he release her
and both rider's rolled their eyes.

"What can you do with them?" he asked and saw her about to go off in another
fit of giggles.

He chuckled again and then turned back to look at the two dragons. "You know
if you want I can go with you to talk to Mc'key about getting some training
to join a flighwing? It might just be the thing to teach that hussy of yours
some control."

"HUSSY!!" she said rather loudly and then repeated it, but he could see by
the glint in her eyes that she wasn't really upset.

"I'll have you know that if she is acting like a hussy... it's Skeeter's
fault," she said wagging a finger at him. "He's been teaching her a few
things I know *I* never taught her."

Jil'mae grinned. "That's my boy. If she sticks around him to much longer I'm
sure she'll pick up a few other habits."

"I'm almost afraid to ask what those might be?" she said, casting a sidelong
look at Him as they started walking back towards the Warren offices.

<<Skeet's can you see if Vas's rider can see us now?>> Jil'mae sent the
thought to make sure their trip wasn't a waist of time.

<He said his rider is free for only a few minute,> came the dragon's replied
as he hopped along trying to catch up to the female in front of him with the
treeball. <They're getting ready to go to that place where Kikeane's rider
is and bring here home.>

<<Good... Tell him we'll be right there.>> then turning to the girl walking
beside him, Jil'mae told her what Skeeter had just told him. 

"Well it'll be nice to have her home and all of her troubles left in the
past," Karine frowned suddenly. "Do you think they'll be all right?"

Jil'mae nodded his head.

"They will if I know my buddy as well as I think I do. He's loved her for a
long time, and will see to it that the past won't haunt her. He'd do
anything for her."

[[Paula... I'll let you decide if you wan to take the training or not and
what is said...]]


Ghost
*******

Where was he?

Shouldn't Key be here by now? He'd promised he would be here when the Lords
read their decision. And that would be in a little over an hour. 

Norik had informed her this morning at breakfast that they had reached a
decision and had set the reading for 10 on the clock. 

Just over and hour away and Key wasn't here yet.

A knock at her bedroom door had her hurrying across the room to answer it...
but it was only her mother. 

Ghost tried to look happy to see her, but Dellanie wasn't fooled. "He'll be
here my sweet one.. Never fear. I promised he would and he will."

"Oh mama... I just want this to be all over so I can get back to the Warren
and ... be with him," her cheeks turned a slight shade of red after
admitting that, but Dellanie just grinned. 

She knew exactly what her daughter meant. She felt the same way about
Norik... but the older two had done something about their long denied
feelings last night.

And Dellanie was still feeling the after glow of their lovemaking. It was as
wonderful as she had dreamed of it being. 

A second knock brought the girl's head up and started her heart to beat
faster. Her body refused to move, so Dellanie went to the door and opened it
admitting Mc'key and Norik.

"I found this young man outside the hall wondering around looking lost and
decided to take pity on him and bring him up to see you," Norik told her as
he reached out and took Dellanie's hand in his then led her towards the
door. "We'll leave you two alone to talk until it's time to go."

As soon as the door was shut behind the two, Ghost was on her feet and in
his arms. His head swooped down and her lips were crushed beneath his. She
gave herself willingly and let him guide her. 

By the time he drew his head back, she was clinging to him to keep her
wobbling knees from collapsing. 

"Gods woman what you do to me!" he said softly, crushing her against his
body, his breathing as ragged as her own. She could feel his heart beating a
hundred beats a minute and knew hers was doing the same.

"I missed you too..." she turned and looked up at him, her body moving
against his in a way that she couldn't help but noticed just how much he had
missed her.

He release her then and moved away putting some distance between them. 

"Something wrong Key?" she asked, smiling sweetly. She enjoyed knowing that
she could effect him as much as his nearness effected her. "I thought you
liked kissing me... but now you're all the way over there.."  

"Minx..." he muttered and turned to her. "Just you wait until we get home
love and I'll show you just how much I enjoy your kisses. Or maybe... I'll
make you wait, and see how long you can hold out before asking me to kiss
you again."

"You wouldn't be that mean ... would you?" her lips turned up in a pout, but
the twinkle in her eyes gave her away.

His hands came up to brush away a stray lock of hair. His eyes followed
while his lips turned up in a grin. 

"Not if you behave yourself before we get home," he said, his eyes shifting
to meet hers. 

"No more kisses?" she pouted.

"Well maybe one or two," he replied and bent his lips to softly caress her,
but when she would have deepen the kiss he pulled back. 

Ghost was about to protest when Kiki's voice entered her mind. 

<My rider, my mother is here and said to tell you it is time for you to come
to the place where the human's are meeting.>

<<Please tell the Warrenlady we will be there as soon as we can.>>

The playful pout left her face to be replace by one of worry. Her eyes met his.

"Don't worry so My love," he told her as if reading her thoughts.
"Everything will work out."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Let's not worry about that until we know for sure," he told her. "Not Take
a deep breath, square your shoulders back and pick up your chin. You are
still the Lady of Lago Vista and she mustn't let anyone see how nervous you
are."

She made a big show of taking the deep breath and then moved her shoulders
around and lifted her head up high in imitation of one of the Lord's wives.

Mc'key let out a chuckle and pulled her close. "Let's go. We can't keep
everyone waiting. Especially since we're the one's who want to know the
outcome more then anyone else."

-------------   

"And it is the finding's of all the Lord Holder's that the request of
Bashie, only living daughter of the former Lord Bequest and his Lady
Sholina, Rulers of the township and lands of Lago Vista, is here by granted.
As of this day the records will soon it to be so."

Ghost head fell back as she heard the news. Her hands closed into fists in
her lap as the Court reader read off the Lord's decision.

"Oh yes!" she cried softly and felt Mc'key's hand cover hers. Turning her
head, their eyes met and she grinned.

"As to the second request," the court reader's voice pulled them back to the
goings on in the room. "The dissolvement of the marriage between Norik and
Bashie... These courts find it to be within the best interest of both
parties, and so may it also be granted."

In as much as Ghost wanted to turn to the man beside her and grab his hand
and get away from there, she remembered what he had told her earlier about
acting like a Lady.

So squaring her shoulders, she stood, walked towards the front of the room
to accept her copy of the official transfer of title papers, and then turned
back to face the new Lord of Lago Vista and his Lady. For Norik had insisted
Dellanie stand beside him for all to see the woman he loved.

Seeing Mc'key come up behind Ghost, Norik held his hand out to the young
dragon rider. "Take care of her Mc'key and if you two ever need anything...
I hope you know you can come to us here."

"Thank you Sir."

"Norik please... we are family now," the older man grinned and looked down
at the woman beside him.

----------   

Out side the great hall two dragon's waited for their riders to show up, the
rest of the contingence from Geode, including Warrenlady Phaedra having
already left.

Ghost wondered about the mysterious look she kept noticing in the tall
rider's eyes each time he looked down at her, but each time she asked him
what he was planing, he would tell her she just had to wait to find out.

When the two human's were standing next to their dragon's and Ghost would
have turned to mount Kikeane, Mc'key stopped her.

"No love. Come ride with me. I find I don't wan to let you go right now," he
told her and pulled her over to Vas and then helped her to mount the lager
dragon before climbing up behind her and making a show of fastening the
safety straps around her.

"What are you up to Key?" she asked, but he just smiled.

<<Kiki do you know?>> she asked her dragon.

<Why ask... just enjoy yourself.> Came the pinks reply, and no matter how
many times her rider asked... all she got was silence after that...

----------   

She knew she would never forget the sight that greeted her as Vas popped
back into the air above the Warren's domain...Though she had been expecting
him to take her back to the Warren and... his.. apartment...

She never expected him to bring her to the Western Chalet, a large
manor-type house that sat on the western face of Carnos.  It was long known
to be a favorite meeting place of the dragon riders and she had *heard* a
place where some of the Lords sometimes brought their current mistresses.
Some of the rooms were said to be truly lust inspiring....A place for lovers...

Was this what he had in mind?

--------------------------   

Nrpg:  as it's getting late and I promised Paula and Kiddo to get this out
tonight before I fell asleep over the key board.... here it is...

Peter.... hehe... I'll let you decide what other surprises he may have in
store for this as of yet untried, innocent, virginal....(gee where have I
heard these words before....)  young lady....

Have fun... :)

*****Submitted by: *****

Barbara (a.k.a.

Ghost & Kikeane
Norik
Jil'mae & Skeeter
Geode Warren