What Did I Tell You?

Writers: Aaron, Devin
Date Posted: 25th November 2025

Characters: M'sar, R'bharra
Description: R'bharra congratulates M'sar on his Impression.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 12, day 14 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: S'yen, T'lonas

"Well, what did I tell you?" R'bharra grinned as he approached the newly Impressed brownrider at the Hatching feast. "Reveroth rarely misses."

"No pretty green for me." But M'sar was grinning. He couldn't help it.

"There could be a pretty green for you every few days," R'bharra chuckled. "In a few months, that is."

"Mmm, we could share flights." M'sar had enjoyed hanging around the flight rooms and snatching up the riders of losing dragons. They said participating in the flight itself was much more intense, and winning was even better still.

"In a few months, I'll hold you to it." R'bharra was not sure a baby brown could catch Reveroth on his first try. But she was often more than willing to bend toward the dragons whose riders R'bharra already wanted to bed. Often, but not always.

M'sar tried not to think about how far away that was. "I'll have to make sure Nazoth charms her so Reveroth likes him as much as she likes me. You can tell her the good news is she's still my favorite green." A _brown_. He still didn't understand it.

"Just when you think you know what the dragons like..." R'bharra shrugged. "Are you disappointed?"

M'sar shook his head. "He _chose_ me. He's . . . he's perfect." He could still feel the brown even though he was sleeping in the barracks, a light presence in his mind.

"Sounds about right." It was a rare occurrence that a rider thought otherwise. "Reveroth says she is thrilled to remain your favorite."

"Gonna miss washing her," M'sar admitted.

"Is your Nazoth going to be a jealous boy?" R'bharra grinned.

M'sar started to laugh and then frowned. "He did get mad when I thought about greens. But that was when I was thinking about _Impressing_ a green, so maybe he just doesn't want me thinking about having a different dragon."

"Oh, that's normal. He doesn't want to hear about how much you wanted a different dragon." The former Holdless man chuckled. "But when he's old enough for you to be worried about extra-curricular activities, you'll have a better idea of how he feels about you currying favor for _other_ reasons. It's been my experience that blues are a bit hornier than browns, but. The Pass changes things, it seems."

"I hope he chases a lot. I hope he _wins_ a lot," M'sar said. On the one hand, having a male dragon meant he was going to lose flights, maybe more often than not. But on the bright side, it also meant he'd probably be able to participate in _more_ flights.

"Well. Even when you lose... so did a lot of other guys," said R'bharra. "So you can grab your favorite fellow loser and enjoy your loss together. In a lot of ways, it's probably better that way."

"Mothing is incredible. I can't wait to feel it when we're both that hot and bothered." M'sar looked off into the distance with a dreamy smile.

"It's... different when you're up there with them," said R'bharra. "Not that it's not incredible, but it's different. Usually there's a round two, though. Or even three. Unless you end up with some perpetually repressed former Holder boy."

M'sar laughed. "Oh I know how to handle those."

R'bharra grinned.

"I bet you do." When he had first graduated to his own weyr, he had made it a point to handle as many of them as he could manage, but it eventually lost its charm.

"But I sure do appreciate a man who ain't afraid of what he likes." M'sar gave R'bharra a warm look. "Wanna dance?"

"I'd love to."

M'sar stood taller and offered his arm. "Look I'm all fancy now, a dragonrider and everything." He was glad R'bharra hadn't refused like S'yen. What _was_ his deal, anyway?

"You'll be Weyrleader before you know it." R'bharra took M'sar's arm. That was not usually his style, but he doubted it was M'sar's, either. This was a special, fancy occasion, after all.

M'sar laughed as he led the greenrider to the dancefloor. He set a hand on R'bharra's waist, uncertainty flickering across his face. "I'm not, uh, very good at dancing," he admitted quietly. "Not much practice."

"You'll get the hang of it." R'bharra offered a reassuring smile. "The real trick is to just have fun with it."

M'sar smiled, relieved and almost shy. "Like sex." Being around R'bharra made him feel so at ease. Despite the greenrider being taller, M'sar took the lead, with slow and slightly halting steps.

"Just so." R'bharra was content to let M'sar do the leading. It was his special day, and in the end, it never made much of a difference to R'bharra when it came to dancing -- or sex -- whether he was leading or following, as long as he had a good time.

Despite the awkwardness of barely knowing what he was doing and stepping on R'bharra's toes a few times, M'sar was having a great time. He was dancing with a man in the middle of a huge party and no one _cared_. Well, some of the holders did, but they didn't matter. "Keep your bed warm for me?"

"Oh, it'll be nice and toasty when your restrictions are lifted," R'bharra assured him.

It was going to be a long, long time. "Maybe you can come by and have Reveroth meet Nazoth."

"There should be a little room for them to talk and get to know each other," said R'bharra. "But I'll probably get the stink-eye from T'lonas if I skulk around too much before he's a bit bigger."

"T'lonas can s--" M'sar caught himself.

"Yeah, he could." R'bharra chuckled. "But you'd be best served to keep in mind, he can also keep you grounded. Clip your wings, keep you from flying between to anywhere you want to go. It's best to play their game when you must, as much as it has its downsides, because it comes with some amazing perks the likes of which so precious few get to experience."

"Yeah, but they can't kick me out now." M'sar's eyes gleamed with mischief.

"They can't cast you out," R'bharra agreed. He hoped M'sar heard the rest of his warning, but at this point, he would hear what he wanted to hear. R'bharra would make it worse if he pressed the point, so for now, he would let it go.

"About half the dragons went to holdless. This should be fun." M'sar laughed.

"More fun than my class, for sure!"

"What was your class like?" M'sar asked as he narrowly avoided stepping on R'bharra's foot again.

"Not fun. Chock full of squares." He laughed.

"Borrrrring." M'sar smiled.

"Oh, the boringest. We did get at least a full Turn before Thread came back. So. We'll always have that to remember. Well, I will. Reveroth doesn't remember shit."

M'sar's stomach tightened a little. Thread, right. "What was that like? Thread?" he asked quietly.

"It's the part we all try not to think about too hard," said R'bharra. "It's fire and ash and frost and chill and wind and death and it sucks. That's probably why all the rest of it is so... so good. Nobody would do it otherwise."

"If I die tomorrow, I know it was worth it." To know such overwhelming love, to know that he finally had a home. M'sar swallowed hard.

"It would have been, yeah," said R'bharra. "But imagine how much more worth it it would be to live."

M'sar lightly punched his arm. "Don't you dare make me cry. I ain't plannin' on dying anytime soon."

"Good." R'bharra grinned. He was a little surprised to see M'sar get so close to being genuinely open with him, but Impression could have that effect on people for a moment.

"This is the best fecking day of my life." M'sar tried to send R'bharra for a spin.

R'bharra laughed as he did his best to spin out and then back in. He thankfully managed not to fall down or look terribly ridiculous. He wanted to say that it only got better from there. But that was really not true.

Then again, there was at least one thing to look forward to.

"Just wait until you fly with him for the first time."

"Can't wait for that," M'sar said. His very own dragon, and the freedom of the skies. For the first time in a long time, he'd dared to hope for something, and he'd actually gotten it. Now the world was full of dizzying possibility.

Last updated on the November 28th 2025

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What Did I Tell You?