Bright Smiles and Honest Answers
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: Aaron, Duskdog
Date Posted: 30th November 2024
Characters: T'lonas, H'lem
Description: T'lonas checks in on Lemhask before the Hatching
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 7 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Tannock (NPC), M'thos
T'lonas was glad of the opportunity to get to know each of the candidates better, but Lemhask... Lemhask was a little bit different. He was special to Tannock, and though T'lonas knew that young romance was often ephemeral, the fact that they were together _now_ was important _now_.
"Good morning, Lemhask," he greeted, the resemblance to his son suddenly evident in his bright smile. "Have a seat, have a candy if you'd like!"
He gave the candy dish on his desk a little rattle. It wasn't quite as full as it normally was. Someone had swiped extra when he wasn't looking.
That smile put Lemhask at ease. The candy did not hurt, either. He grabbed one and popped it into his mouth and smiled. It was quite delectable, actually. Not that he should be surprised.
"Thanks," he said around the candy.
"How are you doing these days? Feeling good? On task with your lessons? Ready for the Hatching?" T'lonas asked.
"Oh! Um. Yes, definitely." Lemhask was not terribly concerned with the Hatching. His elder brothers had yet to Impress, so he clearly had plenty of time. He was more focused on spending as much time with Tannock as he could.
T'lonas nodded pleasantly. "I know you're weyrbred and this isn't your first time around, but you're still among the younger of the candidates, so I do need to double-check: tell me some of the major things that you _shouldn't_ do at a Hatching."
"Oh! Uh. Well. You never touch a dragon unless they speak to you. Or get in their way. Or do anything to piss off the gold. Er! I mean! To make her mad." Lemhask blushed. "And, uhhh... no goofing around or roughhousing."
"Very good. Thank you for not getting huffy at the question -- some weybred take it as a personal insult, but believe me, I've seen the most experienced candidates do some of the most reckless things." T'lonas jotted down a quick note. "Can you tell me why you'd like to be a dragonrider? Any thoughts you have about it?"
Huffy? Who would dare get huffy with their boyfriend's dad?
Boyfriend! Lemhask smiled at the thought of the word when applied to Tannock. He had been prepared, too, to be chuffed at the praise, but then he had to go and ask something hard.
"Uh..."
Why _did_ he want to be a dragonrider? He just did. Dragons were flippin' cool. Who needed a better reason than that?
But that was not what T'lonas wanted to hear. Hm. What would make T'lonas like him?
"Um... well, I want to protect people." Very noble. Mostly true. Nothing he ever really thought about that much. Fighting Thread was scary. Who wanted to think about that?
"And my dads are dragonriders." Traditional. Much closer to true. It was just what dragonriders' kids did. But also dragons were cool.
"It's a natural progression, isn't it?" T'lonas mused. "Nothing at all wrong with wanting to follow in your parents' footsteps. It's what we know, after all -- what we're comfortable with. And protecting people is a noble goal. That's ultimately why we do what we do, and sacrifice what we do." He smiled at the boy. What a nice young fellow. "Do you feel that you're ready? If you walk away with a dragon this time around, do you think you're prepared?"
"I guess so?" No matter how many times anyone asked him whether he thought he was prepared -- for anything, not just being a dragonrider -- he was rarely sure what to say. He could just say 'yes,' he supposed, but there was always the possibility of a zinger gotcha waiting in the wings to prove him wrong, and he hated leaving himself open gotchas. "Do you?"
"Do I think that I'm--" T'lonas realized halfway through the sentence what Lemhask was _actually_ asking, and laughed at himself. "Do I think that _you're_ ready? Well, this interview is partially to help me determine that. You seem a little uncertain, but that doesn't mean you're unsuitable or unready. In fact, sometimes that's less concerning to me than someone who thinks they have everything figured out. There's more nuance to it than that, though, of course." He considered Lemhask for a moment. "I think... that you're more ready than you think you are. It's always a little harder when you're young, but I think you would do just fine as a weyrling." He smiled reassuringly. "Is there anything you're worried about, or would like to ask?"
Lemhask tensed up a touch but then relaxed when he realized T'lonas was not laughing _at_ him. He was even a little bit proud to hear that he thought he was ready enough.
"Has my dad said anything about me...?" he asked.
"Your father talks fondly about all his children from time to time," T'lonas replied diplomatically. "But he hasn't said anything about you that gives me any cause for concern, if that's what you're worried about. And, if you're worried about me... I wouldn't hold anything about your relationship with my son against you as a candidate, even if things weren't going well for the two of you. I would never want something personal to interfere with my ability to teach and assess you fairly. But I'm pleased that things _do_ seem to be going well, and Tannock seems very happy when he's with you. Please just keep being your delightful self, Lemhask, and I'm sure that a dragon will be just as happy with you someday."
He closed his notebook.
Lemhask relaxed visibly and smiled when T'lonas ended his speech with assurances that Tannock was happy. That was the most important thing to him.
"If you don't have any more questions, you're free to go enjoy the rest of your day."
And so he did.
Last updated on the December 10th 2024