Title: Benden's Kitchen
Author: Xans
Fandom: Dragonriders of Pern
Rating: PG
Genres: AU, character study(ish)
Archive: Here and my lj
Pairings: Um, none mentioned.
Warnings: Nothing, really…?
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are borrowed shamelessly from the creator(s) with no intent to make profit—unless comments are now profit—or to claim as my own creations. In simpler terms: so not mine, however much I adore 'em.
Summary: For my best friend, who wanted: Five paragraph long story. Five different Dragonriders of Pern, in five different occupations in modern day Earth.
Sitting in a window booth, Lytol nursed a cup of coffee as he digested the fine meal the diner's owner, Manora had served him. He gazed out at the street as he recalled past times; himself as a pilot, grounded by a training accident before he ever saw combat, his family that left in the years when Fax bought, threatened, and stole pieces of the town and nearly ruined life for everyone there. Lytol and his legal expertise were appreciated in the weeks after F'lar brought the town together to deal with the threat of Fax, and other snakes who tried to worm their way in after the mess Fax's arrest and execution left. But while Lytol had loved and lost much, each day brought new rewards, and he smiled fondly as his gaze focused on the garage across the street.
As if aware of scrutiny, Jaxom looked up from the car he and his friends were inspecting to catch his mentor's eye and waved, before returning his attention to the sports car in front of him. Years of dreaming, and months of designing in between working at Red's Garage, school and chores, had Jaxom exalted to have finally completed his project. It was a sleek beast with a powerful engine under all that white chrome and steel. As his best friends Piemur and F'lessan admired his work, Jaxom quietly proclaimed, "Its name is Ruth."
Back in the diner, T'lion picked absently at a plate of fries while he read a newspaper, until his hand encountered an empty plate and he looked surprised to find he'd eaten an entire meal without noticing. Slightly chagrined, he wiped a greasy hand on his jeans before taking out his wallet and flagging down Manora. Handing her a generous tip along with payment for the meal, he promised to stop by her home later that day to look at her horse that hadn't been eating, but first he had some other house calls to make. T'lion had always had an affinity for animals, especially horses, which had led him into vetinary medicine. The town appreciated having a local boy who went off for schooling come back and fix up their pets and stock. With a smile for Benden's Kitchen's owner, T'lion walked to the door, only to pause as he held it open for two of her most welcome customers.
The bell on the door dinged as it closed behind the sheriff, F'lar, and his brother F'nor, the chief of the fire brigade. Manora smiled as she grabbed a pot of coffee and called out to Mirrim in the kitchen to bring out their usual dishes. She couldn't hide her love and pride she felt to be mother to such fine men. F'nor was not one to hide in his brother's shadow, and had done well to educate people on fire hazards and safety. He still bore the scars of more than one fire he and his men had faced over the years, yet he still worked hard, and he still followed F'lar's lead in protecting and uniting their small town.
F'lar had been just the person they needed, after so many years of decline, to bring the town back to its former glory. He'd only been a rookie officer when he'd faced down Fax, but he'd proved himself to be steady and strong in his application of justice, even when he had little more support than a handful of friends and family. Over the years, the people had come to respect F'lar as he fought to stem the rampant crime pervasive to their slice of the world. So Manora had reason to be proud of her boys, at the way the other regulars nodded and smiled greetings, and that they could take this time to sit with her at eat a proper meal in a fine city
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A/N: Oh, you have no idea how many other characters wanted bit parts and had all these little snippets to offer. Brekke wanted to be a nurse, Lessa couldn't decide, Robinton and D'ram wanted to sit with Lytol and drink coffee... My only hope is that, well, this doesn't really suck. 'Cause I'm not the happiest with it, although my (one) target audience was well pleased.