A Jealous Shade of… Gold
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: Duskdog, Shawna
Date Posted: 20th June 2025
Characters: Nidre, N'kevyn
Description: N’kevyn wants to show off his firelizard. It’s not a euphemism
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 6, day 19 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Aydhara, Aydhan
It hadn’t taken Aydhara much work convincing her father to give her a ride over to Dolphin Cove. He’d already shown off his new pet to everyone at Barrier Lake Weyr who hadn’t been fast enough to escape him and was ready for a new set of people to show off for. When they landed at Dolphin Cove, he’d sternly told his daughter she had two hours before he had Avicath reach out to Jossenth.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Nidre was busy, of course, but he had the bronze ask if he was free just in case.
}:Is your rider free? Mine wants to show off his new annoying yellow baby.:{ The bronze didn’t sound overly thrilled about the matter, mostly because the firelizard tended to wake them all up before the sun came up, which was a time of day that Avicath did not believe should exist.
}:She is in a meeting, but should be out in a quarter-candlemark, if you don’t mind waiting?:{ Jossenth replied, after a moment conferring with her rider. She stuck her head out of her weyr, looking around, as if searching for Avicath. }:What baby? I want to see. You can come to my ledge..:{
Avicath perked up, making a little hop to head towards the gold’s ledge before N’kevyn said, “With me, you big dense monster of a bronze.”
}:You have legs,:{ the bronze groused, but didn’t take off, reluctantly waiting for his rider to climb back on before making the short glide across the Weyr.
“Jossenth,” N’kevyn greeted politely as he slid down. “Look what I have. Isn’t this the prettiest little gold you ever did see?” He reached into a sling that was around his chest and pulled out a tiny sleeping gold firelizard. “Meet the precious lady Citrine. Isn’t she just perfect?” The firelizard gave a slightly alarmed squawk as she awoke to find herself being offered towards a gold so much larger than herself.
Jossenth blinked and turned her head so that she could get a better look at something so small, one large eye trying to focus on it. }:Oh!:{ she said to Avicath. }:It’s so tiny! I should get one so that it can sit on my back and we can be Large Me and Small Me. Jossenth and… Smallsenth.:{
“You’d better not be talking about what I think you’re talking about,” Nidre said as she entered the Weyr. “Hi, N’kevyn. Meeting ended much quicker than expected. What ideas are you putting into my dragon’s head?”
Avicath perked up, }:Oh that’s an idea. I want one. Get me one,:{ the last was a demand that his rider ignored.
Following along, if only because of his own dragon’s demand, N’kevyn said brightly, “I can’t help it if your lovely Jossenth has decided she wants to be more like me. I’m honored, I am.”
She rolled her eyes. “She’s cute,” she allowed, looking over the little gold. “Did you buy the egg, or just get lucky on the beaches? Or… did someone _else_ buy it for you?”
“We found it on my birthday picnic, would you believe that?” N’kevyn turned the little gold this way and that before she got annoyed with being manhandled and squirmed free to crawl up his arm. “It wouldn’t have been as much fun if I’d just let Aydhan buy one for me. I’m a kept man, but I have standards.”
“You had a birthday picnic and I wasn’t invited? I’m hurt.” She wasn’t, but she couldn’t resist the tease. “I could have had a firelizard.”
}:We _should_ have one!:{
**No.**
“Oh, well, it was a family affair. The children would have been appalled if I’d brought a date. You should have mentioned you wanted one, Aydhan was just giving them out to her competition,” N’evyn was still testy about that.
Nidre waved a hand. “No, I don’t really want one. Seems like a lot of trouble. Keeping up with Jossenth is quite enough, thanks.”
}:She is cruel to me, Avicath,:{ Jossenth commented sadly.
“Yours is certainly cute, though,” she allowed. “What did you say her name was? Citrine? Did you pick that, or did Aydhan?”
}: Mine has put me on a diet,:{ Avicath commiserate with a gold, }:He thinks I’m too magnificent.:{
N’kevyn’s mouth twitched but he ignored that conversation, feigning an offended look, “I named the Precious Lady Citrine, of course. I also named our children.” That might not actually have been true, “Aydhan’s not terribly creative, but she has me. She’s been calling hers ‘Trash Lizard’.”
“...is it going to _stay_ ‘Trash Lizard’? And would she have named your children ‘Middensly’ and ‘Garbage Baby’?”
}:Does “magnificent” mean “round”?:{ Jossenth wondered. }:Because you are. But do you know what else is round? The sun and the moons. You should remind him.:{
“His formal name in the Harper records will be ‘Dingus’,” N’kevyn said seriously. “But I think the children would have just been Aydhan Three and Aydhan Four if I hadn’t stepped in.”
}:It does, yes,:{ Avicath said, }:But you’re right. Lots of really great things are large and round. And heavy. The more of me, the better, I think.:{
Nidre considered for a moment. “Isn’t that more or less what their names are? I’ll be honest, I have trouble keeping track. Aydhan Two and N’kevyn Two? Wait, you’re saying there’s another Aydhan somewhere?”
“Aydhan is named after her father, Aydharin,” he said. “So she’s already Aydhan two.”
“So what you’re saying is, she has no excuse and should have known better.”
“Oh, she knows it was such a lovely name that there should be more of her,” N’kevyn said in the clear tone of a smitten man, even after 20 Turns. “If you do want a little pocket dragon, I’ll have eggs next Turn, I’m sure,” he offered.
She gave a little laugh, not _quite_ a scoff, but close. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think I’m ready for Jossenth to have a partner in crime.”
}:This is unfair,:{ the gold protested. }:I should get a say, don’t you think, Avicath?:{
}:You should. It’s rude of her to make calls like that without consulting you,:{ Avicath came in firmly on the gold’s side
N’kevyn just laughed, “Well, if you ever change your mind, just let me know. She really is a lot of fun, and she listens better than Avi.”
Avicath did not protest, because listening would imply he needed to be told what to do.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Nidre replied. She had to admit, the little creature _was_ charming, and N’kevyn had a way of making his enthusiasm infectious. Maybe she would consider it… someday. “Do you have somewhere to be immediately? You could stay for dinner. I’m not a cook like you are, but Dolphin Cove’s staff know their stuff.”
“Is it true you eat only fish and drink only tropical fruit juices?” N’kevyn asked in a teasing tone, as if he hadn’t stolen more than one meal from Dolphin Cove’s Dining Hall. “No, as much as I’d love to be entertained by you, I should get my daughter home before her curfew. She’s running wild with Cirina right now. I’ll check into your schedule soon, though, if you’re interested in another home cooked meal. I can even travel with my apron if you can get ahold of ingredients.”
“I’ll take you up on that sometime. Have a good night, N’kevyn.”
Last updated on the June 23rd 2025