Seeds of Spite
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: Corrin, Duskdog
Date Posted: 30th April 2025
Characters: N'dhavi, M'kadja
Description: Naldhavi tells Akadja about his infuriating run in with Dragonsfall’s young goldrider and ‘Second. They plan their next move.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 15 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Sybana, M’kayre
Directly follows “Testing Boundaries”
Naldhavi seethed silently all the way back to his tent.
It’s not that he wasn’t used to being treated badly by the holdfolk, or that he expected the weyrfolk to be any different. It didn’t really matter what he _expected_, what mattered is what had _happened_, expected or not. (And, if he were completely honest with himself, the fact that his approach had utterly failed was both mortifying and infuriating.)
He spent the rest of the evening imagining ways to get back at the young goldrider for her blatant disdain. He knew it wasn’t something he could do quickly or blatantly even though he was angry right now -- no, it would take time, and finesse. Not just because she was a goldrider and nigh-untouchable, but because slow revenge suited him much better. It was more fun to plan. More fun to watch in motion. Safer for him, and more of a surprise for _her_.
As soon as Akadja came through the tent-flap, though, he _had_ to talk about it.
“I spoke to that weyrling goldrider today,” he said immediately. “Sybana.”
Akadja stepped into the tent smelling of sweetsand and herbs, a damp towel slung over his shoulder. He had gone for a soak in the baths after dinner and had left his brother in good spirits, so he was surprised to find Naldhavi wound-up and simmering. A rare sight on any occasion, and especially odd now as they sat in the lap of the weyr’s luxury-- but his confusion quickly faded as the words sank in.
“Ah.” Dropping down onto his bedroll, Akadja set to work drying his hair. “I take it she didn’t fall for your charms?”
“Well, _that’s_ putting it mildly,” Naldhavi snorted. “Turns out, she’s a _bitch_. Not that that’s a surprise or anything. I mean, you don’t make it into any kind of power without being as awful as possible, right?”
He began to pace.
“I was _nice_. I was _so_ nice. I put on the sheepish act. You know the one. Girls _love_ that. You’ve seen it! It’s just so unthreatening. Kind of cute. Boy-from-the-hold-next-door.” Okay, so maybe he had a really high estimation of his own acting.
“It’s a good act,” Akadja agreed.
“I knew she’d be hesitant, at least, but expected her to try to maintain decorum, since she’s supposed to be some kind of lady or something, from what I’d gathered.” Naldhavi scratched his chin. “I _think_ where it went wrong is when I told her I’d been Searched. It was like I’d just killed her firelizard right in front of her.”
“You told her you’d been Searched?” Akadja blinked. “Why’d you do that? …You haven’t, right?”
“I thought it would be an interesting cover story! I told her I wasn’t sure whether I should accept or not, and I just wanted to talk to her about her experiences. I wasn’t sure she’d take me seriously if I just wandered up and started talking about something irrelevant.”
Naldhavi paused and scowled. “...I should have just caught her with the dragon and asked about _that_. These people _love_ to talk about their dragons. Like a farmer that grew the Hold’s biggest tuber or something.” He rolled his eyes. “The thought of one of us getting Searched obviously gave her fits. She thinks we’re not good enough for the Weyr, ‘Kadja. Thinks we’re not capable of ‘duty and discipline’, apparently. I mean, of _course_ she thinks that, it’s not exactly a new thought… but you should’ve seen her eyes. Like she couldn’t wait to scrape me off her boot. Her and the sharding Weyrsecond. When he popped in to make sure I wasn’t ‘bothering’ the bitch, I had to retreat. Wasn’t worth starting something with _him_.”
He sat down finally with a gleam in his eye, and a hint of a smile. “Anyway… no. I wasn’t Searched. But now I’m thinking maybe I _should_ be.”
“She thinks we’re not good enough, huh?” Akdaja said after a beat, voice low and tight. “Yeah, I reckon you _should_ get Searched. Me too. Let her choke on _that_.”
“And you should Impress a bronze, just to spite her.” He meant it as a joke, but there was a hard edge to his tone as he leaned back on one elbow, studying his brother’s face. The smoldering anger there was nothing to laugh about, and he felt his own ire rise against this know-nothing chit that thought so ill of them.
Naldhavi laughed, though, bitter and delighted all at once. “Wouldn’t _that_ get her panties in a bunch? I’d die to see her face.” He laughed again, more softly, and shook his head. “I don’t think dragons can be tricked or bribed. Can they? Surely if they can, someone would have managed it before. Seems like even the riders themselves can’t figure it out, which is… something.”
He looked at Akadja appraisingly. “What do you think? Want to be a candidate for a while? Maybe the dragons can’t be fooled, but I’ll bet the Searchriders can.”
Akadja grinned, cold and sharp. “Let’s do it.”
+++
Later, in the dark of their tent before sleep took them, Akadja voiced the thought that’d been niggling in the back of his mind. “Maybe the sheepish act wasn't the way to go. If she’s some highborn lady, maybe she saw it as weak… Highborn ladies don’t exactly go for the herdsman-next-door. Not openly anyway.”
“Hmm, yeah,” Naldhavi conceded sleepily. “Probably would have thought of that if I’d’ve been going for seduction, but it was more like… I was hoping for unthreatening, genuinely in need of the help of someone more experienced, you know? Just a normal guy, no guile, not somebody looking to get something from her other than honest advice.”
“Honest advice, huh?” Even in the darkness, the tone of voice carried the skeptical grin Akadja must be wearing. “What sort of _advice_ did you need from the likes of her? What were you thinking, ‘Dhavi?”
“Just establishing a connection, that’s all. It’s easier to get in later once you get your foot in the door.” He turned his head towards his brother, though he couldn’t really see him. “Trust me! Trust the process!”
Akadja knew better to doubt his brother when he had a plan-- even though it sounded like this particular door slammed on his foot. “Alright,” he conceded. “Alright.”
Last updated on the May 1st 2025