Frosty Aftermath
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: Shawna, Sia
Date Posted: 18th April 2025
Characters: E'kavas, Zariah
Description: E’kavas and Zariah deal with a disappointing flight
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 6, day 26 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: G’zan, T’gyrlan
E'kavas woke first, though "woke" was a generous term for the slow, aching return of thought as Roquath's lust faded. For a long moment he just lay there, groggy and overheated, and vaguely suffocated by a scarf yanked too tight around his throat. His chest was cold, bare skin hitting the chilly air where his shirt and long underwear was yanked up for even colder hands to press against bare skin. He was only somewhat aware that his belt was undone and only just enough of his pants shimmied down to allow for a poor mimicry of what happened out in the howling storm.
"For Faranth's sake, Zariah, you _cannot_ have all the blankets!" He said indignantly and tried to pull it free from their tangle of limbs.
The grumbling protests started out entirely incoherent and eventually resolved into, “It’s my flight room, give me back the blanket!” Except even with the blanket, it was freezing in the room. Except for one foot. One foot was still toasty.
Inspection revealed that that foot was still in her boot.
“Why is it so sharding cold on here?” Zariah wasn't prone to swearing, her irritation clear in her tone. “Where is my coat?” She started to get out of the cot, only realizing that E’kavas’s scarf was wrapped around one arm when he gave a strangled protest
E'kavas' curse was cut off at the windpipe. "Careful!" He sputtered as he pulled the scarf loose around his neck and tried to detangle it from her arm. Something felt rough against his back, and after a minute of scuffling he discovered it was the zipper of Zariah's jacket. "Tell Relsath she's the worst."
“I’ve been saying that for days. Your daughter scolded me. I don't even know how she heard,” the greenrider jerked the coat away from him, scrambling to put it back on. “Why today of all-” she stopped, getting a real look at E’kavas for the first time. “How many layers were you wearing?” As if she could talk, still (mostly) in her own long underwear, her sweater pulled up around her neck but not actually off.
E'kavas pulled his own undershirt down, and then his shirt, and then tried to awkwardly pull his pants back up his hips. "Not enough, it's never warm here, not even when you say it's warm," He complained. "I'm going to kill Roquath. He's going to be insufferable after this."
“It gets plenty warm here, just not now. Don’t worry, I'm sure Relsath will be mean to him in a day or two and deflate any ego.” Zariah tugged her long underwear back up straight before starting to untangle her pants from where they hung, held on only by the fact that she’d still been wearing one boot.
E'kavas rubbed at his face, trying to push away the groggy post-flight haze and the crust of dried spit clinging to the corner of his mouth, apparently. He spotted his hat tucked halfway under where Zariah had been, and he grabbed it and crammed it back on his head. "Plenty warm." He repeated in a grumble. He should have listened to his mother and transferred to Vista Point. "My weyr was warm."
He looked up to watch Zariah trying to detangle herself around her boot, and the absurdity of the situation hit him all at once: two half-dressed riders in a freezing room with clothing hanging off limbs like a game of capture the flag, both of them caught somewhere between annoyance, exhaustion, and lingering lust from two annoyingly satisfied dragons.
His hip ached. What did he do to his hip. E’kavas finally sighed and slumped back against the cot. “I’m too old for this.”
“I didn’t make you come out here,” Zariah said, uncharacteristically testy, “only one of us had to be here and I’m not the one complaining.” Looking him over with only the slightest hint of sympathy, she said, “You need to get tips on working out from T’gyrlan. He never creaks and groans like that.”
"Roquath made me come out here." E'kavas agreed, equally irritated at his stupid randy brown. If there was a way to prevent him besides spending days on watch duty at a hold, he hadn't found it. "Feyonth rose in the snow too. He didn't learn his lesson then, either, and it was soon enough that he still remembers it." He shook out the blanket and retrieved a grossly moist mitten. "T'gyrlan has two jobs: running drills and working out. I bet if you go over there now he'll let you sit on his back while he does push-ups."
Zariah scowled, “Don't tempt me. He's hopefully curled up somewhere warm with some flightmoth right now.” The jealous tone was unreasonable, even to her own ears, and she sighed, “I’m sorry. I'm being rude and none of this is your fault. I just hate when it's this cold. And I think she pulled something in that tumble. My back hurts. She's usually such a smart green.”
She was frustrated as much as cold, but it wasn't E’kavas’s fault they'd both been too bundled and chilled for a satisfying end to the flight and she simultaneously wanted to bury herself in layers against the cold and peel it all away from an over-stimulated body.
"Oh, no." E'kavas said in sympathy, "The wind was bad. I'll be surprised if Roquath isn't whining tomorrow. That's what I need to explain to the dragonhealer, again." He made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. "The cold is awful. Well, a makeup round is out of the question given this," He gestured at himself, "But do you want to use my bathing room? A hot bath would help the back. I promise the kids will ask minimal questions."
“I would love to use your bathing room,” Zariah sighed almost dreamily. “Even though your children have never once asked ‘minimal’ questions. Did you know Kevia seems to think all T’gyrlan and I do is stare at each other awkwardly?”
“If I didn't drop them… I had a basket of blizzard snacks.” She looked around the bare little room. “... I think I dropped them.”
"You didn't have them when I got here." E'kavas added unhelpfully. "And you're right, but at least 'Nico doesn't try to high five me anymore. And G'zan's no longer allowed to babysit."
“Your first mistake was letting G’zan babysit. I've heard stories.” Having resettled her layers as well as she could, Zariah stared gloomily at the door. “We’re going to have to get cold before we can get warm again.”
"The kids like him." E'kavas said with a shrug. He finally found the other mitten and jammed it on. "C'mon, the sooner we freeze the sooner we can be warm again."
“Everyone likes him, he's like a big happy canine,” Zariah said. “Alright. On three.” She stood there for far more than the count of three, then bolted through the door.
A handful of steps from the door, the greenrider spotted a familiar handle sticking out of the snow. With a little cheer behind her scarf, she bent to retrieve her basket. The day was looking up.
Last updated on the April 25th 2025