Good Decisions All Around

Writers: Devin, Halyonix
Date Posted: 28th May 2025

Characters: N'vanik, R'vkal, Ravan, Ynkara
Description: N'vanik congratulates R'vkal on his Impression
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 6, day 26 of Turn 12

N'vanik

Notes:
~*~

N'vanik stepped up to the young man with a smile. "Congratulations,
bronzerider."

"Thank you, Weyrleader sir," R'vkal answered with a big grin. He
couldn't help it. He just felt...amazing. Weirdly amazing. Like being
drunk but not. Like being in love but not with a girl. "Meet my
family, sir. They came in from Green Valley." He motioned to his burly
father and ebullient mother, both wearing proud smiles as they looked
over the sated bronze baby dragon that R'vkal was cleaning up from his
first feeding.

"Pleasure to meet you, Weyrleader," his father Ravan said, shaking
N'vanik's hand with a smith's steel, calloused grip.

"A pleasure to meet you, too," N'vanik said. He turned to R'vkal's
mother and gently kissed the back of her hand. "Congratulations to you
both as well. Your son Impressed a fine young bronze."

"That he did!" Ravan boomed proudly. "Knew he had it in him. Will miss
him at the bellows but train him up right, Weyrleader. He'll do
Dolphin Cove well."

R'vkal flushed at the high praise. "Got a lot of learnin' to do ahead
of me," he said to his father. "Don't set the goal too high just yet.
Indrath's just hatched." Indrath blinked his oversized, sleepy eyes
adoringly at his new rider.

N'vanik held a hand out to the hatchling with a fond, paternal smile.
"Hello there, Indrath." The dragonet looked up at the Weyrleader and
made a soft chirruping sound that could easily be translated as a
greeting.

The Weyrleader reached out and rubbed Indrath's head. He could feel
Loseth's pride in the young bronze. "What's he like? Got a sense of
his personality yet?" N'vanik asked.

R'vkal shook his head. "Polite. Just that he isn't quite sure how his legs
work yet. Knocked me over when he found me. Dragonets always so
clumsy?"

The Weyrleader chuckled. "They can be. They've only just hatched, you
can't expect them to know how everything works yet. I'm glad he didn't
hurt you."

"Takes a lot more to hurt a smith," Ravan said with a laugh as he
clapped his son on the back.

"He apologized, that's for sure. Felt bad he did it," R'vkal added.
"Guess your dragon was like that too when he hatched?"

"He was a bit ungainly, but he didn't knock me over," N'vanik said
with a fond smile.

Seeing that fond smile mirrored on the Weyrleader's face made R'vkal
feel like he was taking part in some privately shared miracle between
dragonriders. "Got our work cut out for us over the next few months
for sure. Indrath and I won't let you down, Weyrleader sir. Never quit
on something I put my mind to and not about to start now." Indrath
bobbed his head, agreeing.

N'vanik chuckled at the dragonet nodding. "That's good to hear."

"Shells, he's eaten that whole bucket already!" R'vkal's mother,
Ynkara, said. "I didn't think they had such appetites."

"Growing boy," Ravan remarked proudly. "Ryv was the same way! Ate
everything in sight for a bit there."

It seemed like Indrath would be like his rider as well. He sniffed about
hopefully as R'vkal looked around for the nearest unclaimed bucket.

"He'll probably need more than his smaller siblings," the Weyrleader
said, "but remember not to overfeed him."

R'vkal nodded. "Yes, Weyrleader sir. Just a bite or two more, Indrath.
S'all you need. You can have more later." Indrath spread his stubby
wings and opened his mouth for his morsels. "Shells, that's a bit
adorable when he does that," R'vkal gushed uncharacteristically.

"They're extremely cute at this stage," N'vanik said, watching the
hatchling fondly.

"And then he gets bigger. With big teeth," R'vkal's mother joked. She
reached over to pet the hatchling gently. "But never fearsome, right?
You'll always be Ryvankal's best friend."

"R'vkal, Ma," the weyrling corrected her gently.

"Oops, sorry, dear. Habit. R'vkal? Not another combination?"

"Indrath likes it. And R'nkal sounds too close to 'wrinkle'. Ain't
going the rest of my life like that."

The Weyrleader laughed. "An unfortunate elision would be a tragedy.
Sometimes I think 'really, _that's_ what you picked?'"

"You've heard one worse than 'wrinkle'?" Ravan asked.

"Ph'lart," N'vanik deadpanned.

Ravan guffawed. "Terrible! I would have asked for another name."

"Glad you didn't pick that one," R'vkal murmured to Indrath. The whole
talking in his head thing was going to take some getting used to.

"Already proving he has good sense," the Weyrleader said.

Indrath let out a big yawn that ended in a burp. "Think that's a
sign," R'vkal said. "Guess I should get him settled before he falls
asleep." He looked at his parents. "See you at the Feast." Then, to
N'vanik, he said, "Thank you for coming to see us, Weyrleader sir.
Much appreciated."

"Indrath chose well," the Weyrleader said. "You'll make a fine rider."

Last updated on the June 10th 2025

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