Firelizards and Flirting

Writers: AL, Shawna, Sia
Date Posted: 7th June 2025

Characters: Aydhara, Cirina, Meledei
Description: Meledei runs into a couple of other Weyr residents.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 6, day 19 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Sh'del (not by name), Aydhan, Nidre, R'lor
Minor WLM slander

Aydhara

}:It’s lovely outside.:{ Elleth’s purring voice cut through Meledei’s thoughts as she stared at the paperwork in front of her. The dragon had commented quite a bit on the beauty of the day since it had dawned and she had set her sights on getting to work.

Meledei’s return to Dolphin Cove was bittersweet in some ways. The death of her father in Threadfall had been part of the reason she had accepted the request in the North. Losing him had been difficult, even with the knowledge that such a risk was simply part of being a Dragonrider. That hadn’t made it any easier. Perhaps she thought getting away might help, but it hadn’t, and there were plenty of other people that Meledei missed. Eventually, time passed, and she realised another change in season had arrived - it was time to go home.

Although they had only recently arrived, that didn’t mean she got to slack off. Meledei settled right back into work, and that meant helping Cyradis and Nidre, not to mention drills, and other things that stole her attention. **Yes, you’ve said that. **

}:Have I?:{ While Elleth was a dragon and as such her memory was not the greatest, it was certainly not that bad either, and far better than some, perhaps because she was a gold. Either way, she knew very well how many times she had mentioned the gloriousness of the day to her rider.

Making a note on the parchment, Meledei sighed. Although there was a lot of work to do, she understood the value of taking breaks, and it was almost lunchtime. Even before she voiced her intentions, the gold immediately knew.

}:I will wait by the lake.:{

**Of course you will.**

After eliciting the help of a drudge who set out to appropriate food for the newly returned goldrider, Meledei allowed herself to finally take that break. Making her way through the Weyr, she stepped out into the sunshine and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light which was far brighter than that inside the Weyr. Adjusting her direction, she made a beeline for the lake, and just as she drew closer to the shore, she heard a couple of voices.

The two girls already at the lake were unfamiliar, and one of them had the candidate knots of Barrier Lake Weyrhold. "Slate, come!" Aydhara called. The little blue firelizard blinked away and reappeared at Aydhara's shoulder, which caused the girl to shriek and startle the firelizard into blinking away again, reappearing up in the air and chittering at them. "Oh no. I've traumatized him."

“Well that’s because you’re supposed to give him a treat, not shriek at him,” Cirina teased. “Like this. Digger co-” she didn’t finish the word before a brown firelizard appeared at her shoulder, well versed in this.

"I didn't expect him to /between/ right onto me." Aydhara admitted sheepishly. "He's just a baby. Slate! Slate, come. I'm sorry!"

Pausing, Meledei turned toward the girls who worried over a young blue dragonet. From the look of things, the young firelizard wasn’t quite trained. She couldn’t help but laugh softly at the scene that played out before her. “Having a bit of trouble?” She called out, drawing closer.

“Not trouble, really. Slate’s just still learning. You're welcome to join us, though,” Cirina said brightly. “It's fun. I miss when Digger was that little and cute.” The brown squawked his offense and she added, “Not that he's not still cute.” As if he could have been understanding her.

“Aydhara, this is weyrwoman Meledei. And Meledei, this is Aydhara. She's from Barrier Lake,” the Dolphin Cove candidate offered as quick introductions.

"Oh. Oh!" Aydhara straightened and tucked the firelizard treat into a pocket and holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you, ma'am. My mother is the Weyrwoman Second at Barrier Lake. Or, Interim Weyrwoman right now, I guess. Until the next goldflight, anyway."

Without hesitation, Meledei accepted the hand and shook it, her grip warm and strong. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” It had been several turns since she had seen Cirina, and the child was now a full grown woman - and Standing for a dragon! “Looks like you’ve impressed recently.” She motioned to the firelizard in question. “How old is he?”

"About a sevenday." Aydhara said cheerily. "He's already very advanced. He's a Journeyman, you know. And we need to get this 'coming when I call' thing down, so we don't get kicked out of the candidate barracks. I'm sure Dad would let Slate stay with him, but Mom didn't really want any more pets. I think her brown is going to think his name is Trash Lizard."

“Very young then. Sounds like you’re doing a good job.” Meledei didn’t have a lizard of her own, but she’d been around enough to see that the girls, though struggling, were handling everything quite well. “Don’t be too discouraged. Although they grow fast, it’s not an instant process, the training.”

“Yeah, I’ve been giving her a lot of tips,” Cirina chimed in. “He’s doing really well. He already knows his name, even when someone else says it. When Digger was a sevenday old I hadn’t even picked a name yet.”

Aydhara rolled her eyes. "We already said that we know. He doesn't need to be perfect, anyway. He just needs to be better than your Weyrlingmaster Second's flit. Cirina said that one is a nightmare."

Cirina looked guilty, “I didn’t say that.”

Meledei laughed and shook her head. Obviously the two were friends, and in the project together. Her lips curled up in a grin as she looked between the two girls. At one point, she had such friendships, but time and conflict had driven them away. She still had a few friends - which reminded her, she needed to get back with G’wen. Even though she’d been there a sevenday by that point, the two managed to miss each other. “Maybe I should get a firelizard some day.”

"I'd recommend it." Aydhara said. "I can even show you some of my firelizard nest hunting spots, if you'd like. I clearly have some proven success. If your gold doesn't mind coming to get me at Barrier Lake, anyway." It was a lot of long, isolated strips of beach, anyway, with plenty of time for other activities.

Cirina looked from Aydhara to Meledei, back to Aydhara, slightly confused by the tone shift. After a moment, however, she went with it, saying enthusiastically, “She's very good at firelizard hunting. The clutch she found even had a gold egg.”

“I’ll think about it.” On one hand, having her own firelizard could be useful. If she got one that was smart enough, it could send letters quite easily. On the other hand, having a pet, while not as much as a dragon, still meant a lot of responsibility, and Meledei’s downtime was precious. “Who got the gold?”

"My dumb dad." Aydhara said with a grin. She hadn't wanted a silly gold, even as a firelizard, and there wasn't a hint of jealousy in her tone. "Bronzerider N'kevyn. He's here…somewhere. I think he came to bother Nidre, but I try not to ask what he's doing when he agrees to give me a ride. But we don't need to take him with us."

Cirina snickered and elbowed Aydhara, “Do you think Nidre was excited to see his little gold? I shouldn’t make fun. I’m glad he brings you around.”

“One of the advantages of having a dragon is having a free ride. Once you graduate, anyway.” Seven years ago, Elleth chose Meledei, and the former Beastcrafter never looked back. While having a dragon did ‘saddle’ one with a lot of responsibilities, it also offered a different sort of freedom.

Ayhara giggled and elbowed Cirina back. "Ask him when he comes to collect me." Then, straightening a little, she continued to Meledei, "I'll be able to visit anytime once I Impress. In the meantime, though, is it a date? Firelizard hunting? We have a seven candlemark time difference or something, but I bet I can get out of chores if you show up at Barrier Lake asking for me."

“I’m pretty sure they would.” Not that Meledei flaunted her goldrider status, but that was just the way of things. Of course, visiting a Weyr, she’d have to check in with the local leadership. But yes, Ayhara would likely get some time off because of it. Maybe. Possibly. They could see.

Cirina rolled her eyes, but mustered up a cheerful, “Well, that sounds like fun, but it's such a shame I'm very busy with my own lessons. But you two will have fun.” It could never be said Cirina wasn't a good wingwoman. “Just remember, if you find another egg, Slate might be jealous, Aydhara.”

“Definitely wouldn’t want that,” Meledei stated with a chuckle. “But maybe any extras could be given to others? Some people are even willing to pay marks.”

"Maybe if we find a big nest." Aydhara reasoned. "Slate's going to need to get used to being a big brother. My future dragon is going to be a lot bigger than he is." Then, to Meledei, "So, next restday? Unless you have any plans?"

“I do now!” Meledei grinned. Taking off for a rest day would be fun, and she didn’t care if they didn’t find any firelizards - just the adventure was enough for her. “I look forward to it!”

“I don't want to hear another word about how I owe you for my birthday bonfire adventure. We're even now,” Cirina said quietly (and cryptically) to Aydhara. “I gotta go, though. If I miss class again, R’lor will ban me or something. Bye!”

Last updated on the June 13th 2025

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Firelizards and Flirting