**Phaedra**
****************

"How are you, Argent?" Phaedra asked politely.

"I am fine..." she replied, before quickly remembering her manners and curtseying slightly.  "How are you, today?"

"I'm well..." the Queen smiled slightly.  "You're getting settled, I take it?"

"I'm trying to ma'am.." Argent nodded.

"Please...have a seat, Argent.  There are a few things that I need to tell you about Geode and what will be expected from you." Phaedra couldn't help
but notice the girl's response;  apparently, she was very touchy over the
very mention of 'duty'. Phaedra began to wonder just what had happened
at Jasra. 

"Why don't we start with what happened before you came here. Certainly, 
I don't mind another queenrider. I'm just curious, though, why did you 
decide to come to Geode?"

"I...my family is here, and I wanted to see them."

"I see." Phaedra hesitated, then: "I'll be honest with you. I received a
lot of correspondence from Jasra. It all concerned you, and none of it
was very pleasant." 

Argent looked rather hangdog at this point. "I had assumed you would."

"Indeed." Phaedra opened her desk drawer, then picked up the hefty
file on her desk and dropped it in with a thunk. "What you don't realize
is that none of it matters to me at all. I make my own decisions here, and 
no one else. Do you understand?"

"My history at Jasra is not very good," Argent continued. "I didn't like it
there at the time."

Phaedra nodded. "And it was reflected on how you were seen by others.
I understand that. Here, however, the slate is clean. A new start. 
Already, I have made a mistake, by not being around when you arrived;
I apologize for that."

"You...apologize?"

"Of course. We will have to work closely together, will we not? I intend
not to have fights with my junior queen riders." Phaedra stuck out her
hand, which was immediately grasped by Argent. "Welcome to Geode,
Argent. Some might say it's not the most hospitable of warrens, but in
its own way it is beautiful. I think you will like it here."

"I hope so."

"Fine." She smiled. "Let's go see your dragon, dear."

**************************************

*Where is Inagua, Tek? She was supposed to have Myacura here a 
long time ago!*

<I've contacted Myacura. Her rider says that she will be here in a few
minutes.>

*Women!* V'dar fumed. This one especially; this girl had a lot of problems.
He was forced to agree with that once he saw her a few minutes later.

"What....what happened to you?"

"I don't know what you mean," Inagua responded surily. 

"I think you do," he responded. "You look like hell."

"I thought I was going to be here to see Mya fly, not to take a lot of crap
from you!" she seethed. 

Where was he going to find the patience to deal with this? Chaperon, 
indeed! V'dar cursed Phaedra under his breath. It figured that the ice
bitch would saddle him with this rather than deal with it herself. He
simply didn't have the authority, no matter how he acted. He scowled
at the disheveled queenrider, then had a flash of inspiration that made
everything clear. It was too bad that the same vision made his heart
sink.

He should have known she was already taken. She was playing him
for a fool. Well, the truth hurt, didn't it?

"You look like hell. You sound like you've been on some all-night binge,
and you smell like....sex." Gods, it had been so *hard* to say that.
"Have your parties on your own time, but if you want me to help you
with Myacura, then you need to be in better shape when the time 
comes. I don't feel like playing games." He turned on his heel and started
to walk away.

"V'dar, wait! What about Myacura?"

"Some other time," he threw over his shoulder. Perhaps the idea of
getting drunk wasn't such a bad idea after all...

*****************************

lets see, a tag to Tracee and a tag to Bridget :)

Good post, Barb!







Allen Veazey
wolf@dbtech.net
	
	"I'm not really bad, I'm just drawn that way."
			--Jessica Rabbit