How to Pick Up a Girl
Posted on Mon Apr 21st, 2025 @ 3:27am by Bronze Rider Ni’hau & Green Rider Ouemi
Mission:
3531 AL
Location: Dining Hall
Timeline: M2 D29
“What’s a pretty girl like you doing sitting all alone?”
Ouemi nearly spat out her Klah all over the bronze rider who now sat across from her, but somehow managed to swallow it instead. “Does that line actually ever work?” she asked around a laugh.
Ni’hau gave her a crooked grin. “Well,” he said cheekily, “you didn’t tell me to go away, so I think that speaks for itself.”
Still giggling, Ouemi nodded. “Fair point,” she replied. It helped that he was rather good looking, too, and the fact that he reacted with good humor to being called out was charming. She decided that he could stay. “I’m Ouemi,” she said. “Xoviorath’s rider.”
“Ni’hau,” replied Ni’hau with a winning smile. “Zaijianth’s. Well met.”
“Well met,” she echoed.
“Are you going to Gather?” he asked.
She sighed and shrugged. “I suppose so,” she replied dispassionately.
His brow wrinkled. “It sounds like you don’t really want to,” he commented. He couldn’t fathom someone who wasn’t interested in a Gather and it showed.
She shrugged. “I do, it’s just that I’m new here and don’t really have any friends yet, so… it’s a lot less fun to go to Gather on your own, you know?” she replied.
“Well, then, you’re coming with me,” he replied firmly.
She gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks,” she said, “but I don’t want to take you away from your friends. I’m sure you’d rather spend time with them.”
“I’m new, too,” he replied. “And a wing leader. I haven’t exactly had time to make friends. And even if I did, I’d rather spend the day with a lovely lady like yourself.”
Ouemi was, of course, far too old to fall for such charm, but it made her smile anyway. “You’re laying it on awfully thick,” she told him.
“Sure, but it made you smile,” he replied with a wink. “I’ll count that as a win.”
She regarded him for a moment, her face unknowingly screwed up into a sort of sly and knowing grin. Ni’hau knew he would never be able to fleece her and actually quite liked that thought. After several seconds, she finally nodded. “Okay,” she said. “We can go to Gather together. As friends.”
“Of course,” he replied with another charming grin. “As friends. Finish your klah so we can get going.”
“It’s early,” she pointed out. “I thought riders arrive later.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “Details,” he said. “A lot of riders go early, then come back early to line up for the official arrival. Didn’t they ever do that wherever you’re from?”
”High Reaches,” answered Ouemi. “And no. But then, the venders were sort of slow to stir, too, so even by the time the riders showed up, they weren’t quite ready.”
”Wow,” he said, genuinely surprised. “I’ve heard of the slow pace of the Reaches, but that’s exceptional.”
Ouemi grinned. “Yeah,” she said. “I guess when it’s that cold, it takes us awhile to thaw out.”
“Fair enough,” he laughed. “I’ll bet Master Mari will be performing at some point.”
“I met her while she was here,” commented Ouemi. “I expected her to be rather exuberant, flamboyant, even. But she’s… quiet. It was weird. But I like her.”
“She’s always been like that,” he replied. “I’ve known her since I was a kid- my parents were Harpers,” he explained. “She’s a very different person when she’s performing.”
“I’ll say,” agreed Ouemi. “Your parents were Harpers- were you also a Harper?”
”Shells no!” replied Ni’hau. “I have no sense of rhythm and can’t carry a tune if a runner helped me. No, I was a dolphineer- for about two months before I was searched.”
”You were searched young,” she replied almost as a question.
”Fourteen turns,” he replied. “So yeah, a bit. How about you? Were you a crafter, too?”
”Woodsmith,” she answered. “I apprenticed my father. Everyone expected me to choose to become a Harper, but to be honest, I don’t think I was emotionally ready to leave my family and that’s why I chose to apprentice my father instead.”
Ni’hau nodded. Though he had been long ready to go to the dolphin hall, he understood that not everybody was as eager to move on in life as he had been. “Understandable,” he replied. “Do you think you would have enjoyed Harpering more?”
“Than woodsmithing?” replied Ouemi. “Probably not. I mean, I’d have been equally as content. I don’t think either option was better than the other. But, then I was searched and that ended that.”
“Content,” Ni’hau declared with the air of a Head Woman deciding what to make for dinner. “You’re content. No matter what you do.” In fact, he thought to himself, it seems to be her defining personality trait. That was refreshing. So many people were chasing the next best thing or striving for greatness. Someone who just sort of went along and did whatever came up was unfamiliar, but intriguing.
Ouemi considered that for a moment. He was right, of course. She had a way of just going along with whatever was happening- as long as it wasn’t dangerous- and not complaining. She was content to coast her way along, just taking everything life threw at her in stride. Even her brother’s death hadn’t kept her down for long. “Accurate,” she replied. “Even when I was searched, I wasn’t excited about it. It’s just something that happened. And now, I’m just a rider. No big deal.”
”Just a rider,” he repeated. “Nobody is just a rider.”
”I know, I know,” she replied, waving a hand in dismissal. “It’s a big responsibility, it’s an honor, etcetera etcetera.” She shook her head, indicating that she wasn’t discounting or disbelieving any of that. “My point is that I just sort of fell into it. I never aspired to it, but I never resisted. And I’m happy. I think I’d have been as happy if I’d been a Harper or a Woodsmith.”
”You adapt well,” he concluded. “I think most riders do. We have to. Our situation changes so easily. If we couldn’t adapt, we’d probably fail.”
”Is that what the search dragons look for?” she wondered. “Adaptability?”
”Maybe,” he replied. “Although, if we asked, I doubt they’d know.”
”Probably not,” she agreed, finishing her klah.
”Good, you’re done!” he said. “Let’s go!”
”You are really anxious to get there, aren’t you?” she asked. “All right, all right, we can go now.”
”All right!” he exclaimed jubulantly, grabbing her hand and jumping to his feet. “Oh, one more thing,” he said as they hurried from the dining cavern. “I have this ball to go to later.”
”I’m sure I can find something to do while you’re there,” she said automatically.
“No, I mean, I’m allowed to bring a guest,” he explained. “Do you want to come?”
”To… to the ball?” she asked, almost incredulously. “The Lord Holder’s ball?”
“Yeah,” he said, glancing at her. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I just thought it might be fun to go with a pretty girl.”
”There you go again,” she laughed. “Trying to butter me up.”
”Is it working?” he asked with exaggerated hopefulness.
”All right,” she answered with a laugh at his expression. “I’ll go. That means I’ll have to get my dress before we line up for the official arrival. Or come back here and change. That might be easier.” The dress was one she’d had for some time and she should probably think about replacing it, but as she typically only wore it for Turn’s End, it still had some life left in it. “I just hope it’s fancy enough for the ball.”
”I’m sure it’s fine,” he said. “You’d look good in a tuber sack.”
”I’d call nonsense on that, but you made me smile, so I’ll give you a point,” she replied.
”Ooo, how many points do I need to win?” he asked.
”About a million,” she replied as they reached the bowl. “I’m going to have to get my riding gear from my Weyr. Meet you back here in ten minutes?”
”Or less!” he agreed. “Don’t be late!”
