Greenrider to Greenrider
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: 3rd August 2024
Characters: H'taysh, J'cello
Description: H'taysh has some concerns, greenrider to greenrider
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 17 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: N'kayden, K'lvin
H’taysh couldn’t put it off forever. It would be a few months yet before he could really _do_ anything about it, unfortunately… but he couldn’t stop thinking about it, and it was going to spill over into Selkirth eventually if he didn’t ease his mind. The Weyrlingmasters had warned them that the consequences of upsetting their young dragons could be dire, and he wasn’t sure how having a threat like _that_ hanging over his head was supposed to make him less anxious about anything, but… well, he had to do something about it. If nothing else, he hated having to keep his feelings secret from Selkirth, and if he could just stop having those feelings (or stop worrying about them, at least), he wouldn’t have to keep secrets _or_ worry about hurting her. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted, ever.
So he stuck his head around the corner to J’cello and Bairelth’s wallow. “Hey man… you got time to talk? You said you didn’t mind…”
J'cello wasn't doing much. He couldn't do much these days, aside from whatever Bairelth needed him to do. This time it was letting her drape herself across his lap, and he needed to drag his fingers gently from her snout to eyeridges. He was nearly starting to doze himself when H'taysh appeared in their wallow.
It took him a second to fully register. He shook his head quickly to knock the drowsiness away. "Sure, H'taysh, just a second-" He carefully untangled himself from the sleeping green. "Where do you want to start?"
H’taysh sat down, exhaling heavily. “Wow, geez, I don’t even know where to start. I’m, uh, holdbred, you know? And I’ve, uh, never… um… I mean. With a guy.”
"I hear that happens with some guys." J'cello said mildly. "Do you want to? It's unavoidable now, I guess. Baby dragons don't take that into consideration as much as folks are led to believe. I think, anyway."
“I mean… I guess? I don’t know,” he admitted, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. “I do, uh, like guys. I think. Been curious, you know? But I guess I never imagined being, um… the green. If that makes sense. You really think maybe baby dragons don’t pick based on… that? ‘Cause Aydhara told people that I’m hot for R’bain, and he was my friend, and I’m _not_, but I think now R’bain thinks I really am because I Impressed a green, and…” H’taysh stopped. “Sorry. That’s probably not something you can help me fix. Maybe my friend is just gone. And I don’t wanna upset Selkirth by getting all stressed about that, or about when she rises and stuff. She’s just a baby. She doesn’t need all that crap in her head, even if it _didn’t_ maybe make them panic.”
"Oh." J'cello had heard that rumor and figured the awkwardness was because of the baby dragons and unacknowledged romance. "Yeah, I can't help with that so much. You and R'bain need to talk that out. And if he's not your friend because of Selkirth and some rumors, then he wasn't a good friend to begin with."
He grinned then, trying to lighten the mood a little. "Never thought about being the 'green', huh? What if your partner wanted a turn?"
“Well… I hadn’t really thought that far ahead, I guess,” H’taysh said. “Is it normal to switch? Is that what guys do?”
"I don't know about _all_ guys, but I do." J'cello said. "My last partner had a preference, but it gets boring if you do the same thing every time."
“Huh.” H’taysh took a moment to digest that. “I guess it doesn’t really matter anymore, anyway. I’m gonna have to learn. And… people are gonna assume that’s what I want. I guess girls really aren’t going to like me anymore, are they? I mean, I wasn’t great at pulling them in the first place… but it was okay, y’know, because there’s plenty of fish in the sea, and some of them thought I was cute and funny. But now they’re all just going to think I’m a guy’s guy.”
"Hey, the best girl already picked you. Well, the best girl picked _me_, but you've got a close second." J'cello said with a fond glance over to the sleeping green. "People are going to assume a whole lot of stuff no matter what you do. People are going to think R'bain's a guy's guy too, since blues usually catch greens. Break expectations, if that's what you want."
“I’m really gonna have to brush up on my game with the ladies, then, if I’m gonna break expectations.” H’taysh chuckled, still sheepish, but feeling a little better at least. “And… I guess I’m gonna have to, uh, experiment with a guy. Once we’re allowed to, I mean. I don’t want the first time being when Selkirth rises and everything’s confusing and stuff. Is it true what they say, that you kinda lose yourself in your dragon? That you want what they want? Oh. I guess you wouldn’t really know yet, huh?”
"Well yeah. I've lived in a Weyr all my life. Flights are a whole different experience. Whether or not you like guys isn't going to matter much once she's in the air." J'cello shrugged. "K'lvin's probably going to go into more detail later when the dragonets are bigger, because that won't be embarrassing for everyone. But planning like you're doing is what K'lvin wants right now. For everyone, really, because all the male dragons are going to catch a green eventually."
“Right, right.” It felt good to hear, at least, that he was doing something right. He definitely didn’t want to talk to K’lvin about it outside of an impersonal lecture. Gross. But he _did_ want to feel like he had a proper handle on something. “So all I’ve gotta do is make an arrangement with some guy who knows what he’s doing. When we can, but before Selkirth rises. And, uh, take the time until then to learn to be cool about it. I got this. I can do this. I think? Ah geez, I’m a mess, aren’t I?”
"A little, but it's fine. Holdboys are like that. That wasn't my first awkward Weyrlingmaster lecture." J'cello said. "You don't have to be so formal with an arrangement. Were you interested in boys before Impressing? Turn that charm on the guys and see which one bites. Get on N'kayden's list."
“Nah, he’s hot, but he needs to step down a peg or two,” H’taysh laughed. “But yeah, maybe I’ll look around and see what I can catch. Somebody that seems nice enough not to be a jerk about it. Funny, I never thought about that with girls. Getting hurt, you know. This is so weird… but I’ll figure it out.” He smiled at J’cello. “Hey, thanks man. For helping out. It really makes me feel a lot better.”
"That's the spirit! And hey, the guy won't be a jerk if he likes you." He clapped H'taysh companionably on the back. "Anytime, buddy. It's the least I can do as the class eldest."
Last updated on the August 18th 2024