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Tanami
(Day 13/14, after midnight, T'drim's apartment)

/snip from David's post/

The two finally arrived at the top of the stairs, and the young man led the 
greenish-haired girl forward to his workbench. He gestured to a large beaker 
sitting on the counter, filled with a cloudy-white liquid. 

"That's it. It was made for dragons, though, so you should only need a few 
drops. Just sprinkle some into your gills and breathe it in. It should 
help," Tad instructed, his mind all but clear now that he was discussing his 
specialty. He still couldn't move as coordinately as he would have liked, 
and his stomach was still doing laps around his rear end, but at least the 
room had stopped spinning. 

"Thank you," the exotic woman said, giving him a kiss on the cheek opposite 
the one that had received similar treatment earlier that evening. 

T'drim's body picked that moment to betray him. The cool of the night was 
replaced by the warmth of urine soaking the leg of his pants. 
/end snip/

     Tanami didn't notice anything wrong, but did notice Tdrim's reaction.  
The young man's face took on the look of someone who'd swallowed a piece of 
rotten fish.  She drew back, thinking that his reaction was due to her kiss.  
"I am sorry," she said contritely.  "I should not have been so forward."

     T'drim was backing slowly away, slightly bent over and with his arms in 
front of him so that his hands covered the area of his crotch.  "But T'drim, 
I would not have been *that* forward with you, not unless you had asked me!"

     "Huh?" T'drim asked, looking thoroughly confused and embarrassed.

     Tanami wondered what sort of strange tales these "landers" had heard 
about her people.  Judging by some of the tales that circulated among her 
people about the strange goings-on of the landers, she supposed she shouldn't 
be surprised that poor T'drim thought she might...well, *molest* him as a way 
of showing her gratitude.

      *These people are nice, but can be so odd,* she told Kethriss.

     [I know...the dragons can be a bit odd too...mmm, but they're also VERY 
nice!] Kethriss replied dreamily.  Tanami made it a point to inquire later 
about what sort of things the seadragon had been occupying herself with.

     Tdrim looked as pale as one of the "sheets" they used on the beds here, 
and continued to hold his hands tightly across his crotch as though he was 
guarding a king's ransom.

     "Um...I'm sorry....I need...to, um, go and change..." T'drim said, 
looking thoroughly miserable.  He turned and raced off into the bathroom, 
quickly closing the door behind him.

     Perplexed, Tanami walked over to the door and knocked gently.  "T'drim, 
is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

     "No...no, nothing at all!" he said hastily, through the door.  

     The waterbreather realized that she was probably crowding him, and 
should leave him in peace for a bit.  She'd already imposed on his 
hospitality enough for one night.  She knocked again.  "T'drim?"

     "Y...yes?" he asked hesitantly.

     "I am going down to the beach, with Kethriss.  "If you feel like getting 
out after you, ah, change...feel free to come down and join us.  Thank you 
again!"

     "My....pleasure!" he answered faintly as she took her leave.

* * * * * * * *
Tara
(Day 14, early morning)

/snip from Katrina's post/
. ""Um, I guess you wasn''t at the party all night?"" 

Tara colored ever so faintly. ""Kay and I left a bit early. Why?"" 

""Well, see, there was some ‰^Ëω^ËÏuh‰^Ëω^ËÏ stuff that happened."" Gus frowned. 
Really, the whole Dolfis thing didn''t matter ‰^Ë^î‰^Ë^î the important thing was 
she live up to Tara''s trust in her. ""I guess that aint important. But 
well, I been lyin'' to you since I come here."" 

Tara looked suitably shocked, but said nothing more than ""go on"". 

""Remember when you give me the job of selling them gems and dolin'' the 
money out? I was gonna tell you then, but‰^Ëω^ËÏ but I was a coward. Anyways, 

I''m sorry and I''m tellin'' you now."" Gus paused, trying to marshall her 
resources. ""Um, I aint a boy."
/end snip/

     Tara had been half-reading a report on coal reserves, and half-listening 
to Gus.  Upon hearing Gus' words, though, she immediately gave her full 
attention.  "I must not have heard that right," she said, giving her head a 
small shake.  "You're not a what?" 

     Gus swallowed hard and spoke very slowly and clearly.  "I ...aint...a 
boy."

     Tara blinked, letting the papers drop to the desk.  She stood up and 
peered closely at Gus, her face going a bit pale.  "Then...what are you?" she 
asked, realizing at once how lame that sounded.  And, now that she took  a 
good look at Gus, she had a strong suspicion that she knew exactly what Gus 
was talking about. 

     Gus frowned at the question.  "A girl, ma'am," she murmured quietly.  
The suspicious look Tara was now giving her was altogether too familiar and 
it usually meant the storm was about to break.  Without realizing it, she 
held her breath.

     Tara directed a thought at Varaenna.  *Did you know about this?* 

     [Me? Of course not!] Varaenna asserted, sounding a bit affronted. 

     *Loki didn't tell you who he was joining with?* 

     [Sure, to someone named Gus,] the queen told her.  [When you have 
children of your own...if you ever take my advice and do so, that is...you'll 
understand how little children tell their parents, even when they're talking 
continuously.] 

     Tara grimaced, dismissing the queen from her thoughts as she moved 
slowly around the table to stand before Gus. To the younger rider's surprise, 
she took Gus' hands in her own and sat down next to her.  "Why?" was all she 
asked.  "Why did you feel you had to keep everyone from knowing who you 
really were?" 

     Gus tugged her hands free automatically and stared at the warrenlady, 
trying to find the word.  "I been on the streets as a boy for a long time.  
When Saul and Jerram," she stopped and made a wry face before continuing, 
"found me they thought I was a boy. I figured when I joined - IF I joined - 
it'd all come out.  But then Loki...well, he was so much smaller... I figured 
we could keep it goin' til he was big enough...but, well...."  Gus shrugged 
and fell silent, watching Tara uncertainly.  Just how much trouble was she in?

     Tara nodded slowly, trying to understand what it must have been like for 
Gus.  "What about your parents?" she asked.  "Didn't they take care of you?" 

     Gus flushed uncomfortably.  She hated admitting the truth about her 
mother - why people pitied her for bein' an orphan, but thought less of her 
if she'd been abandoned, she didn't know, but she knew she hated pity.  But 
there could be no more lies here - Tara  had trusted her.  "Ma died when I 
was 9...never had a da.  Wasn't really no one to take care of me."

     Acting on instinct, Tara enfolded the girl in her arms.  "Oh, you poor 
dear!" she said.  "I know how that feels.  My family abandoned me when I was 
young too." She held Gus out at arms' length and looked her over  carefully.  
"But things aren't like that at the warren," she said.  "Everyone is family." 

     Gus stiffened reflexively.  "I guess so," she muttered dubiously.  The 
idea that she was family with G'ret made her skin crawl.  "I..I'm sorry I 
lied to you."

     Tara reached up and used a finger to lift Gus' chin so that the girl was 
looking into her eyes.  "What made you decide to reveal yourself now?" she 
asked.  "Does...does Jerram know?"  Thinking about the rocky relations  
between Jerram and Gus, she decided that if he didn't know, he'd better know 
pretty damned quick before he did something he might regret! 

     Gus flushed a brilliant crimson.  "Um...yeah, he knows."  Oh boy, oh 
boy, does he know.  

     Tara nodded, seeing the look in Gus' eyes.  "I take it that it 
wasn't...easy, when he found out?" 
 
     Gus swallowed.  Just how MUCH truth did she really owe Tara? "Well, it 
come out at the party last night.  That's what me and Lainie had planned.  
But... um, things got outta hand.  But it wasn't me what hit him, I promise!"

      Tara stood up and paced slowly across the office, stopping to stare out 
the window.  Gus hadn't told her why she'd chosen to reveal her secret now, 
and maybe there was a reason for that. 

     She tried to put herself in Gus' place...she'd spent very little time in 
cities, but some of the things she'd seen on the street had been enough to 
make her stomach turn.  She could just about imagine what would make a  girl 
Gus' age try to conceal her gender from those who would try to use her in 
ways that no one should be used, much less a child.  "How old are you?" she 
asked.  "Your *real* age, I mean!" 

     "Nineteen, ma'am, "  Gus waited, trying to still the roiling of her 
stomach.  Tara's pity was self-evident...and Gus began to think she'd rather 
be in trouble.


     Tara blinked in surprise.  That was older than she'd have thought.  Then 
again, it was as a *boy* that she looked younger....for a girl, she was just 
about right. 

     "Gus, I'm not mad at you," she told her.  "Perhaps a bit...well, sad, 
that it took this long for you to find it in yourself to trust us with your 
secret...but I'm really not angry.  I guess I *am* a bit worried, though." 

     Gus blinked several times.  Damn, she had had far too much to drink last 
night - Tara wasn't mad? She was worried...worried??? "Worried about what?"

      "About you," Tara said.  "Look, I'm guessing that if you posed as a boy 
all these years, you can't be too...well, experienced.  "Have you ever...with 
a...a man, I mean...?" 

     Gus sighed.  She couldn't be serious.  Did no one at the warren have any 
idea what the street was like? No, she realized, that was even sorta the 
point.  "Tara," she began, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice, "I 
used to work for Duggan, I lived on the streets for nearly 9 years... I been 
with everybody."

     Tara's eyes widened.  "Oh...I didn't know..." She gave Gus a crooked 
half-smile.  "Well, then I guess you 'd know what to do if someone like G'ret 
were to proposition you, then." 

     "Rack him but good?"  Gus suggested.

       "That'd do," Tara agreed.   

     Tara sat back down at her desk, deep in thought.  She thought she 
understood the problem...Gus had felt the need to pose as a boy because she 
didn't feel secure about who and what she was.  Coming from where she had, 
who could blame her?  Still, she wondered if there was something that might 
be done... 

     "Gus," she said, wondering how to best broach the subject.  "Now 
that...well, now that you've decided to come out into the...the open, maybe 
you'd feel better if you worked on your...your fighting skills.  I know that 
did wonders for me." 

     Gus stared at Tara and tried to scrape her jaw off the ground.  
"You...you want me fightin' more? I thought you didn't want me to fight..."
 
     "I want you to be able to defend yourself," she corrected.  "That's a 
lot different from just fighting.  Sometimes...well, sometimes a woman needs 
to know how to take care of herself...even in a warren. 

     "I can take care of myself," Gus protested, unreasonably stung by the 
implication she couldn't.  She was about to protest more vehemently when she 
recalled her position - or, more to the point, Tara's.  "I'll do whatever you 
want me to, ma'am," she muttered
 
     "Good...now listen, Gus, we're lucky here in having one of the finest 
combat instructors in all the lands here at Jasra...and I know he'd be only 
too glad to work with you.  In fact, I seem to recall that you and he both 
helped Elly out that night she was attacked...he took down that fellow with 
the green teeth, in fact..." 
  
     Gus felt her belly sink through the floor.  Great and little gods, she 
couldn't mean?  "Jerram?" she croaked. "You...you want me to work with 
Jerram?" 

      "Yes," Tara told her.  "I've already had Varaenna tell Seydor...Jerram 
will work with you all you need, starting right after your regular training 
today.  There's no one who can show you the ropes like Jerram can!" 
 
* * * * * * * *

Jerram
(midmorning, training field)

     Jerram stood off to the side, and watched the trainee-dragons land in 
formation.  They'd gotten pretty good at it, he had to admit.  Now that 
they'd gone through teleportation training, and formation flying, they were 
ready to join the warren's fighting wing.

     Well, maybe not *everyone,* he thought, watching a very 
bedraggled-looking G'ret climbing down off of his dragon.  "What the hell 
were you out doing last night?" he asked, taking a good look at G'ret's 
rather unusual condition.

     "What does it look like I was doing?" he asked, glaring over toward 
where Lainie was dismounting from Selene.

     "Catching some sort of social disease, if I had to make a guess," Jerram 
observed dryly as he strode past. "See if the med center can give you 
something for that, eh?"

     After giving the trainees a few moments to rest, he had Seyd inform them 
by way of their dragons that they were to practice their formations one more 
time.  At the same time, he had Seyd tell Loki to stay put.

     While the others were taking off, he walked slowly over to where Gus 
stood next to Loki.  He shook his head, thinking how hard it was going to be 
to get rid of the notion that Gus was a *boy!*  She wasn't, as had been made 
all too obvious to him last night.

     Gus looked up as he approached.  "So Tara sicced you on me, huh?" she 
asked warily.

     "You have an interesting way of putting things," he said.

    Gus shrugged.  "I tell it like it is."

     "If Tara felt you needed 'siccing,' she'd have done it herself rather 
than send someone else.  She's not as easygoing as she comes off as being 
sometimes."

     "She just felt sorry for me," said Gus.  "I'd rather she was mad at me."

     "Maybe she wasn't mad because she *understands* you," he pointed out.  

     "I don't see her ever posin' as a boy," Gus said.

     "I didn't say you two could qualify as identical twins," Jerram 
grumbled.  "But she understands what it's like to be alone, not having anyone 
you can trust except your dragon.  Your father abandoned you...hers disowned 
her, and then tried to kill her brother.  Look, I'm not going to pretend that 
I can even begin to understand what would help you..."

     "I don't NEED no help!!" shouted the obviously-frustrated Gus.

     Jerram cleared his throat to show that he wasn't finished.  "I don't 
pretend that I would understand what sort of help...*if any*...that you need. 
 But Tara understands more than you think.  Maybe she can see things about 
you that even you can't...or have never wanted to see.  Look, this isn't a 
plum assignment for me, because you'll probably try to kill me before it's 
done.  But I'm willing to give it a shot and see where it leads, if you are."

(Tag Katrina)

* * * * * * * *
(Later, training field)

     Jerram was just in the act of congratulating the trainees on a job well 
done and sending them on their way when Shawnee arrived.  Seeing the 
wingleader approaching, he held off dismissing them.  "Decided to come and 
look at your new charges?" he asked.

     "I thought perhaps I'd better," she agreed.  "How are they?"

     "They'll do all right," he said with a shrug.  "You'd probably best 
watch G'ret...oh, and have Selene go easy on the coal.  I was just getting 
ready to tell them that we're finished.  But now that you're here, perhaps I 
should just turn them over to you."

(Tag Barb - any rousing words for the new troops?)

NRPG: Many thanks to KK for playing Gus in the Tara/Gus segment! :)


Submitted by:

John

Tara & Varaenna
Jerram & Seydor
Tanami & Kethriss

Jasra Warren