Message for a Friend

Writers: Shawna, Steel
Date Posted: 26th February 2026

Characters: Cirina, T'thalin
Description: T'thalin talks to Cirina
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 23 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Aydhara, Sybana, Kadira

Cirina hadn't known the night of the hatching that T'thalin was one of the holdless candidates who'd transferred over, so when he approached her later in the main room of the barracks, she felt an instinctive wariness. "Can I help you?" She didn't let the wariness make her rude, as much because of her nature as from self preservation. They were in the barracks, which was surely the safest place in the Weyr, so she tried to calm down her instinctive alarm, not wanting it to wake Saejith, who dozed in his wallow in the barracks nearby.

"Um... hi. Not.... quite?" T'thalin responded, half awkward.

}:You can do it, Mine.:{ Roxarith sent, half asleep, before drifting off again.

T'thalin swallowed. "I just... Um. I mostly wanted to... say thanks. Hatching Night was... it was a lot." He offered. "If... if you're busy, I... can leave you alone now."

"Oh, you're welcome; yeah, everyone was a little wound up. At least there was no brawling. That would have been the worst first impression ever." Shrugging a shoulder, Cirina said, "I'm not busy. I was just writing some letters to send home." The little brown firelizard in her lap perked up at the word 'letter' (it usually meant 'treats') and she gave his head a gentle pat.

"You're not from Barrier Lake either?" T'thalin blurted, then flushed slightly, ducked his head. "I... Sorry. I... I'm not trying to pry. Um... can I ask where you're from, then?"

A pause, and then he added, "I... didn't want trouble. Honestly Roxarith was all I could think about." T'thalin offered. "Dragons... our dragons are _amazing_." His expression took on the half dreamy look of most new riders.

"Oh, it's not prying. I'm from Dolphin Cove Weyr. I just came to watch Aydhara Impress and, well, Saejith liked me. Er, well, originally I was from Riverbluff Weyr, but that depends on how technical you want to be." She didn't ask where he was from, having already heard the rumors about the Holdless Weyrlings. "Well, Roxarith was certainly looking for trouble. Careful with that- he's going to want to be bossy before he's entitled to be."

"H-hang on!" T'thalin protested, then squared his shoulders. "Roxarith wasn't, um, being bossy. He just said it wasn't a good idea for Saejith and Rath to fight. And then Aydhara called Roxarith stupid."

He paused, and then took a slow breath. It was fine. Everything was fine. "I heard Dolphin Cove Weyr has nice beaches. Lots of... dolphins. And firelizards?" There. Safer topic. "Your firelizard, does he deliver messages?"

"It wasn't his business if they got in trouble," Cirina disagreed, but mildly. Minor scuffles on hatching day weren't a concern. Gushing about her home, was, "Dolphin Cove Weyr is the best. You can walk right down to the ocean, and the sand is so white and soft. And yeah, lots of firelizards around." Coaxing the brown firelizard up onto the table, she said, "Digger here is very good at delivering messages, at least to places he knows. Do you need something sent?"

"Hello, Digger." T'thalin greeted. "He's cute." He added to Cirina. "And... I'm sure we'll see Dolphin Cove during training. Dragonriders fly everywhere, and that does sound really pretty." He added, and then shook his head. "... No thank you. I mean... not unless he knows Kadira? I... Um. I do want to write her."

"He doesn't know Kadira personally, but he knows Sybana. He could take something to her and I'm sure she could get it over to Kadira, they'd be wingmates." That would probably be less weird for Kadira than if she had Digger take it to C'rin. "Why? Do you know her well?"

T'thalin nodded. "I, um... we're friends." He responded. "Ishath was one of the first dragons I actually... really interacted with. He was amazing." He added.

"Oh, well you should definitely write her then. Tell her you Impressed," graciously, Cirina pushed over some of her own paper. "Why did you transfer to Barrier Lake if you had friends at Dragonsfall?"

"Thank you." T'thalin responded, and accepted the offered paper, starting to write. "I, um...I had one or two friends, maybe a few, but I mean... I can always go back. Or... or visit, once Roxarith is old enough." He responded. "I... Um. I sort of. Well. I... wanted to try again as soon as I could, after... After I didn't Stand for Galgaith’s clutch."

He swallowed. "And I'm glad I came here. Roxarith is _amazing_."

}:Yes. I am.:{ the bronze sent, stirring sleepily. }:We are excellent.:{

"Why would you not stand for Galgaith's clutch? I've been Standing for every clutch I could, for all the good that did me. I'm going back to Dolphin Cove as soon as we graduate, though. Saejith keeps thinking we'll stick around, but I'm sure I can win him over," Cirina said confidently.

".... Um." T'thalin responded, and ducked his head again. "I... I'd... rather not say. If... that's okay. Nothing bad happened!" he hastened to add. "I just.." A half-hearted sort of shrug.

"... Right, none of my business." Cirina shrugged. "Anyway, just find me when you finish up your letter and I'll make sure it gets over to Sybana. ...I guess I should write her a note too. Otherwise it would be rude. I'm sure she'll be pleased to know I Impressed." The idea that the goldrider might have completely forgotten about a random candidate she met at the printerhall clearly hadn't occurred to Cirina.

"I'm not going to be too much longer." T'thalin pledged. "I, um. I know how to read and write." He paused, and then added, "I... don't know. I might just... stay here. Roxarith is from here. When he's big enough... we can just go visit. If we need to."

Thinking back to O'rosin, Cirina said seriously, "That's good. Weyrlinghood would be rough if you couldn't read." And her days of tutoring were over. "I'm sure it's a nice Weyr. I just want to go home when I'm done. My mum is at Dolphin Cove, and my little siblings and my friends. Tirraze is going to be so excited I have a blue too."

T'thalin nodded, at her tone of voice. "I can see how that would be bad." He said quietly in agreement. "There's... there's already so much we need to learn. Wait, um, that _I_ need to learn." He corrected hastily. "You're... from a Weyr. You probably already know most of what they're going to teach."

"Basically," Cirina said, with the overconfidence of youth. "I just need to learn to like fly and stuff. Not like I'm afraid of heights or anything, I just needed the dragon."

"Flying." T'thalin echoed, glanced back to where he knew Roxarith slumbered deeply still. "... I bet Saejith is going to be _fast_." He offered. "I, um. I imagine it won't seem like long at all until we're in the air." He added.

Cirina smiled, "Oh, he will be. Not as fast as a little green of course, but way faster than the bronzes. Or even the browns. Have you had a chance to fly much?"

T'thalin shook his head. "Not... um. Not really." He admitted. "But... maybe it will be a little bit different, anyways? I mean... they're _our_ dragons. My... my Roxarith. We... we have _dragons_." He repeated, and offered a smile of his own in turn.

"You should probably find someone to give you some flying practice," Cirina advised. "There's always those Weyrlings who throw up during first flights. You don't want to be one of them."

"I... You're, um. Probably right." T'thalin responded, ducked his head just a little, half embarrassed again. "I... I'd have to, um, ask the Weyrlingmasters, I think. And... and Roxarith. I.. I can't imagine wanting him to get upset. Or... embarrassing ourselves."

"I am definitely right," Cirina said, "everyone makes fun of the one who pukes on the first flights. The Weyrlingmasters can probably help you out, though. Anyway, are you almost done with your letter? I need to go give Saejith an oiling. He has an itchy spot."

"I... don't know if Roxarith would... like that." T'thalin said, but finished the last word and offered her the folded paper. "... Yes. I'm, um... done." He told her. "And, I... well. _Thank_ you. For... for letting me borrow some paper."

"Well, if you explain to him that it's important, I'm sure you can talk him around." Grinning, Cirina said, "Oh, I got the paper from Viseya. You owe me for the firelizard use. I'll write a note to Sybana later and send both letters off."

"... Deal." T'thalin promised.

Last updated on the February 28th 2026

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