Not So Watered Down Wisdom (2/2)

Writers: Draconafin, Halyonix
Date Posted: 21st October 2026

Characters: Az'uka, Hesbia
Description: Hesbia inquires after wisdom from an older rider
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 4, day 28 of Turn 13
Notes: Mentioned: Ty’dis, P’yer [Deceased NPC]
Mentor Approved; by Devin

Hesbia

If he had caught her stillness, or her pause, he said nothing. Everyone took advice differently, if they took it at all. Rather he kept at the task he had started. Scrubbing down his dragon. No doubt the blues were sharing their own conversation. Nilzuth half leaned into the brush as Az’uka found one particularly dry spot and worked away the dead hide. When Hesbia spoke again he listened to her words and found himself nodding. “Drills tend to be more to keep you save, teaching you to react rather than think. For when you need them. But that’s all muscle memory” He scratched Nilzuth’s nose a moment, “An easier way to remember it is the old adage, the dragon is always right” Nilzuth crooned in agreement.

"Yeah, that's what the Weyrlingmasters say. The dragons know what to do up there. They were made for fighting. It's us humans that keep messing it up or whatever." Hesbia still didn't like the idea of throwing herself into mortal danger every sevenday for the rest of her life but she was slowly accepting the idea that _someone_ had to keep her little sister safe and it had better be her.

Shells. Now she had to ask. "You ever lost someone up there?"

Fragments of his own Weyrling days sat the edge of his mind as Hesbia admitted that the adage was well known even now. It would seem that some things would never change. As for people actively messing things up when it came to fighting -- Well, that was a hard call. It would certainly be better if they all worked together. Such mistakes could be forgiven and forgotten. Time and circumstances willing, the dragons didn't exactly remember the issues that came with being human. Before he could ponder it further the Weyrling posed another question that left him reason to pause. Different names, faces and places came to mind as his gaze unfocused to consider the question. While she hadn't said it directly there was something about the tone that made Az'uka realise Hesbia was not just taking about other riders. But rather those one might have a special connection with. Dragonsfall had lost riders within the last Turn. Every Weyr had. While he might have known them, it was hard to call them lost in the personal impact kind of way that Hesbia's question seemed to imply.

"--yes," when the answer came the bluerider's voice had dropped a few tones and seemed to come from far away. From the Deep Tunnelsnake hole she had unwittingly lead him down. He could name riders and dragons who had lost their lives. Some he regretted more than others; greens both he and Nilzuth had chased but hadn't gotten to know outside of another face in a Wing. Not all deaths were related to Fall either. He had seen accidents outside of the Wings too. Then there was the question of if it was worse for a rider pair to go together, or alone -- He had seen and been rattled by both. Slowly his thoughts came inwards, from riders he barely knew to those he would have been lost without. Leaving him to stare down his unfinished his answer.

"P’yer" the name came out shakily, as if it would somehow summon the man. It certainly summoned the memory. Dragon keening had rattled his bones, one hand had felt the bite of his friend’s belt knife. While the other had been unable to steady itself. Even as he had taken the draft from the Healer and let the man in question drown his sorrows. Literally and figuratively. Even now he could feel the faint sensation of the shaking return. Nilzuth’s eyes swirled with yellow tones and pressed his head deeper into his rider’s hand when it stopped working with the scrubbing brush. The shaking started to still and with a sigh Az’uka leaned his forehead against his dragon’s trying to will the memory from his mind. Desperately closing his eyes to stave off the pricking sensation that had started to well. "Thread took Wekith first. I couldn’t stop P’yer following him; even though I had stopped his fall." He gathered himself with a breath, although it caught in his throat. "He took the mercy draft and I saw him to Wekith"

The recollection had rattled him; and it wasn’t alone. A second came. From just last Turn. Of Thread, fire and ash nearly tearing Ty’dis apart surfaced. As vividly as if it had been yesterday, causing a mental shudder. It did little to quell the faint shaking that was now buried against Nilzuth’s hide. While the score and char hadn’t killed the other man -- it should have. It certainly robbed the younger man of his livelihood; no Healer could put a time line on if he would Fight again. Not being able to stop the impact of Thread caused the recent event to it cut far closer to the older memory that he would have liked. Variations of which were entirely sustained by over thinking. Two different bronzeriders linked across time by him. Now he had to live with watching Ty’dis potentially losing himself.

Well, shells, shards, and shit. She was just working with curveballs today, wasn't she? "P'yer," she echoed carefully. What was she supposed to say to that? Sorry for your loss? Maybe he shouldn't have been a dragonrider? Okay, definitely not that last one. That was just a pot calling a kettle black. "That uh...that really sucks."

Hesbia rolled her eyes at how lame she sounded. Great. Just great. Open a giant emotional wound on someone and then say that it sucks.

}: You didn't mean to, :{ Oriveth pointed out gently. }: How could you have known? :{

**True but it seems like I asked the one question that he should be talking to mindhealers about or something. I didn't think it would be _that_ big of a deal.**

There was a pause while Oriveth dug through Hesbia's own memories for something. }: Wouldn't you feel the same if someone asked you about her father? :{

His rider bristled defensively, glaring at him for a hot moment. Oriveth's gaze towards her didn't waver. Eventually, she deflated, huffed, rolled her eyes again, and said, **Okay, fine, you're right. I picked the wrong question to ask someone I just met.** She blew out a breath loudly. "I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory," she said to Az'uka. "It's just...I was just thinking about how I'm going to be up there fighting Thread soon and what it's going to be like and how everyone talks about how dangerous it is and...you know...that sort of stuff."

Internally the bluerider wrangled himself; letting Hesbia’s use of his friend’s name act as a foothold. Had he known where the conversation was going before he got there the Weryrling rider wouldn’t have gotten such a raw reaction out of him. Talking of P’yer wasn’t a major feat after all, he could do it without letting it affect him at all. The man’s life and demise was fact, and thus it didn’t stop him being remembered. Just when Az’uka had the chance he preferred to be in control of the recollection; particularly of the event itself. As it was the survivor’s guilt that was stronger than he liked to admit. The same was true when it came to Ty’dis. Perhaps being a dragonrider had given him the ability to have a short term memory. Or it might have been Nilzuth’s influence, but once the memory had been spoken out loud that was all there was to it. It passed through the space and moved out of the forefront of his mind, clearing away the instability and rawness that had rattled him moments ago. He caught Hesbia apologising, and found himself guilty of placing her thoughts in a dark place. Thus he could have nearly chuckled at the irony, if it wasn’t so sharding wrong and inappropriate.

"It’s ok;" He picked his way around the mental Threadfall carefully. Looking up at his dragon and rubbing Nilzuth’s nose as the blue’s eyes returned to a calmer colour, revealing that Az’uka was well and truly back in control of his thoughts. A flash or mirth reached his eyes as he looked at the younger bluerider, remembering how she had started this last exchange. Saying that the loss sucked, far rawer that the way most people would have worded it. But if he had a choice, he preferred that over the phrase ‘I’m sorry’. He shook his head and waved a hand when she followed the path of a formal apology. Now there would be none of that.

"Think nothing of it," He gave Nilzuth’s neck a resounding pat to echo the truth of his words. He had not meant to stop her asking questions. If anything he was glad she was asking them before she got up there herself. "I won’t lie to you;" the statement hung there for a second as if to prove its point. Almost as if it was an apology for his own actions with in the conversation. "Nothing about Thread fighting is easy. That’s why your Weyrlingmasters drill you so hard; so in the moment, your emotions are not what are keeping you safe. Often the hardest part is coming back to the Weyr afterwards. When all that adrenalin and urgency wear off. I can be harder to be one of the ones still standing” He gave a short dismissing snort, "Fighting half a Fall doesn’t help either, Sometimes your mind is still up there with the Wings when you need to change gear and focus on being support"

**Good thing I don't give a whershit about anyone except my sister,** Hesbia thought to herself before answering in a mostly diplomatic (for her) way, "Yeah, I can't imagine it's going to be easy. They say your dragon does a lot of the work but you have to remember things quick." She gave Oriveth a final swipe. "Guess I'll find what we're made of soon enough," she said with an odd finality to her tone, staring at his unmarred hide.

She looked over at Az'uka. "Thanks for that chat," she said, which sounded a little lame but she did _try_ to mean it. It was better than chats with some of her classmates, that was for certain. "Guess I'll be seeing you up there in a few sevendays."

His brow quirked upwards when Hesbia mentioned that they would find out what they were made of soon enough. He still stood by the fact that many had already found out what the Weyrling pair was made. She was raw and honest and it would serve her well in his experience. Not to mention the fact that the Weyr would and could look after its own. When she mentioned being up there in the next few sevendays he nodded, knowing that both himself and Nilzuth would consider it an honour to watch their proverbial backs; both as fellow riders, and even friends when Hesbia was willing to let others in.

"Always welcome to have a chat Hesbia," He told her "The two of you can call on us if you ever need it" His tone implied he meant for more than just another chat. He was a ferociously loyal friend if nothing else.

Last updated on the October 28th 2026

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Not So Watered Down Wisdom (2/2)