Sounds Like Something You Cough Up

Writers: Aaron, Devin
Date Posted: 21st November 2025

Characters: M'sar, H'lem
Description: M'sar and H'lem celebrate Impressing browns.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 12, day 14 of Turn 12

M'sar smiled when he saw his bunkmate -- _former_ bunkmate, now -- at the Feast. "Can't believe you got a brown, too!"

"Yeah, is it that incredible?" H'lem folded his arms, but he was too happy -- and too relieved after speaking with his fathers -- to stop grinning. Of course, he was anxious to spend as much of the feast with Tannock as he could, but he was not about to ignore his bunkmate, either.

"Both of us liking men and we snagged both the browns. The dragons must be confused." M'sar laughed.

"One of my dads is a bronzerider," said H'lem. He would never call Ghraisath confused. "Didn't I mention that?"

What he had said was, Tannock's dad was the Weyrlingmaster. Not exactly the same.

"Maybe?" M'sar said. "What's that got to do with anything?"

H'lem squinted at M'sar for a moment. He could never tell when he was messing with him. So he just shrugged.

"I think the dragons know exactly what they want," he said. "And it's you and me! We're it, friend."

"Nazoth was definitely sure about me," M'sar said. "Oh, hey, what's the new name?"

"Mactallath insisted I am H'lem," said the new brownrider. "It wasn't what I would have picked. But it's me now. What about you?"

"H'lem?" M'sar snorted a laugh. "That sounds like something you cough up. Nazoth says my name is M'sar now."

"He sounds like he's coughing something up when he says it, too," H'lem lamented. "But he wouldn't have anything else."

M'sar laughed harder. "It's weird to have someone in your head just tellin' you stuff."

"I thought he would be... I dunno, different. He's not at all like the dragon I imagined I would have." Or was that the way it always was? H'lem half wanted to go lie down next to the baby dragon and cuddle him until he fell asleep, too...

"What did you imagine?" M'sar asked.

"I thought he would have more to say," said H'lem. "Maybe he'll grow into that? I don't know."

"Well, he just hatched, right? Amazin' that they can talk at all, and that they know their names, and tell us what our new names are." M'sar chuckled. "I thought I was gonna have a girl dragon so Nazoth isn't what I expected, either."

"That is a good point... People babies are born not knowing how to do anything but eat and poop, and they're not even that good at the eating part."

M'sar thought about Nazoth's round little tummy bulging with meat. "Nazoth was so impatient to eat. Shards, you really _can_ feel what they're feeling. It's so weird."

"Mac is _all_ feelings..." H'lem smiled goofily. No matter his misgivings about Mactallath being quiet, he could not help but be smitten with the brown.

M'sar couldn't help a smile spreading across his face, too. "We're all walkin' around grinning like fools, ain't we?"

"Oh, I'm grinning like a genius," said H'lem.

That got a laugh out of M'sar and he nudged the younger weyrling. "There's that sass again."

H'lem could not help but beam with pride. He always felt more... useful? when he made someone laugh.

"Always."

"It's great that we'll be in class together," M'sar said. "You can still be my alibi." Maybe he was just drunk on Impression, but he felt . . . glad? H'lem would be with him.

"Already planning to sneak out?" H'lem wondered. He would have been flattered to learn he was finally starting to grow on M'sar.

"I've been on my best behavior. Now I got what I wanted." M'sar reached out and felt Nazoth sleeping. A bond they would have forever, something no one could ever take away from him.

That was a good point. It was not as though they could repossess a dragon. Something about flouting the rules of weyrlinghood did not sit well with H'lem, but surely M'sar did not mean doing anything that could get Nazoth hurt. No rider would ever hurt his dragon. On purpose.

"Where to next?"

"Hmm?" M'sar didn't know what he meant.

"Well, you got where you were headed," said H'lem. "Where will you go next? What's the next plan? Wingsecond? Wingleader? Lord of All Pern?"

M'sar snorted. "Ain't had time to think about all that." But maybe he _could_ think about the future now. "Tomorrow I'm gonna get up way too fecking early and feed Nazoth. That's what matters."

"Ugh, it is gonna be so early, isn't it?" H'lem wrinkled his nose. Then he smiled. "I can't wait."

M'sar nudged him with an elbow. "Let's go get a drink, kid. Tonight we celebrate!"

Ooh, a drink! Lem could never pass up the opportunity to be So Grown Up.

"Yeah!"

He would keep an eye out for Tannock, too. He would never forgive himself if he went the whole feast without finding him. It would be forever before they could hug again.

Last updated on the November 28th 2025

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Sounds Like Something You Cough Up