Nothing Good Happens After Midnight (2/3)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Duskdog, Sia
Date Posted: 27th May 2024
Characters: Varethos, Zaphare
Description: Varethos and Zaphare start their wild night
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 10 of Turn 11
Varethos carefully led Zaphare down the winding tunnels into the Lower Caverns. He wasn't sneaky- he was too tall and mostly too awkward now for that- but he walked with the confidence of someone that was supposed to be there. Running an errand or a message or something equally mundane. Luckily, it was getting later, and fewer people were up roaming these levels of Dragonsfall.
"With great power comes great responsibility." He intoned to Zaphare with a wink, then with a little jiggle and slight lift of the door, the old lock on the storeroom door clicked free and the door swung open. He disappeared inside momentarily and reappeared with a bottle of wine coated in a fine layer of dust. "It might be shit-sour wine, or unintentionally perfectly aged." He said. "Now, where is this weyr you were talking about?"
“Playing a dangerous game with the wine, nice. It’s fine, I like surprises -- and drunk is drunk.” She grinned, reaching out to take his free hand. “C’mon, this way.”
The winding tunnels of the Weyr were hard to navigate for someone who hadn’t been there long, and she nearly got lost along the way (not that she’d let him know that -- she thought she’d done an admirable job of pretending she _wasn’t_ confused for a few moments). But luckily, she’d been there a few times, and the way was at least _somewhat_ familiar. They found their way to the weyr, which turned out to be a small single-rider accommodation, but it was just as she’d said: stocked with a basic table and chairs, wood for the fireplace, and a bed neatly-made with plain unremarkable sheets from storage, but not much else.
Once they were inside, and the door shut behind them, she turned abruptly, her hand still grasping his, and swung in close, placing her other hand on his chest. “See? Like I said: cozy.”
Varethos only had a split second to take in the simple weyr. He tried to remember if someone had this weyr previously, or if it sat empty for a while for Zaphare to find. She'd taken such an odd route down that it was difficult for him to picture exactly _where_ they were in relation to the other occupied weyrs he knew.
He didn't have much time to think about that, however.
“We didn’t grab any glasses,” she pointed out, reaching up to caress his jaw. “We’re just going to have to take turns with the bottle, I guess.”
Oh. He hadn't thought about that. Hadn't thought about much, aside from impressing her. "On the subject of the wine…" He held up the bottle, cork still embedded in the neck. "Here's hoping this works." And that he didn't make a fool of himself at the same time.
He'd seen his father do this before, when T'mhas had tried to plan an afternoon in the countryside and forgot a corkscrew. He slid his shoe off, placed the base of the bottle inside, and smacked it firmly against the wall. After an eternity (several hard smacks, made longer with Zaphare watching), the cork had slid out enough for Varethos to work it out without spilling anything.
"There!" He offered the newly-opened bottle to Zaphare. "Care to test the vintage?"
She was definitely impressed, and it was written all over her face for a few seconds before she remembered to school her expression back into flirt mode. “Wow, look at you, full of tricks. I hope you have a few more up your sleeve for later.” She took the bottle and tipped it back. “Hrm. This is… not bad,” she decided, passing the bottle back to him.
Varethos did not have more tricks, but it felt nice to have someone _think_ that he did. He certainly was full of surprises. He took the bottle and took a little sip, just to test. She was right; a little too dry, maybe, if that's what that word meant in relation to wine, but it wasn't sour or awful. He'd at least been lucky enough for that. "How _did_ you find this place, anyway?"
“I’m nosy,” Zaphare said simply, taking the bottle from his hands without asking and taking another drink. “And I get bored easily. So I just started exploring. I _may_ have peeked into a few occupied weyrs along the way. Then got lucky and stumbled on _this_. You never know when having a secret place to get away to might come in handy. But I’ll bet you probably already know of a few, since you’ve lived here forever…”
"I used to." Varethos said, which was closer to the truth of 'no'. He and Kelthiros had found a few when they were smaller, but they had long since been occupied. The hatchings had continued to expand the population well into the Pass. He used to imagine what it was like when his Dad was a child, and how empty the Weyr must have been back then. "I haven't been nearly as adventurous as you have. Except right now, I suppose."
“Why not? A little fun never hurt anyone.” That was definitely not true, and she imagined the little scolding voice at the back of her head saying nothing at all, just glaring at her with pursed lips. “So long as you’re careful. Or whatever.” She took another drink and then passed the bottle back to him. “...You’re not a virgin, are you?”
"I have my goody-two shoes reputation to uphold." Varethos took the offered bottle and, thankfully, did not choke or spray her with wine. "I'm not! I haven't been peeking into any occupied weyrs. I have done _it_ before."
She gave him a flat stare. “The way you said that makes me think you’re lying.”
He felt his face go hot again and hoped to distract her by passing the bottle back. "Well, okay, it's mostly with other boys. You'll have to be gentle with me."
It wasn’t much of a distraction, but it did buy him a few seconds as she took the bottle and drank again. “Aww, that’s sweet -- I promise I’ll try.”
Last updated on the June 1st 2024