Those good old days

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 14th December 2017

Characters: Zh'no, E'naer
Description: Zh'no and E'naer remember simpler times...
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 2, day 13 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentions: R'sedel (not by name), G'wen and S'vin with permission, Sh'lua

The caverns of Dragonsfall were never particularly warm, but through
the joys of thermal heating, the rooms were always a comfortable
temperature. That was why, no matter the season, Zh'no, when at home, preferred to wear as little clothes as possible, and sometimes none at all. Today he was wearing only light linen shorts as he had been fixing his riding straps, and chose to keep his most precious bits
protected from dropped needles.

Freshly repaired and oiled, he decided his little blue friend could
use a bit of a rub down as well, and Mar was feeling particularly
clingy today. He crooned happily as he lay across his human's lap and
got a nice good belly rub at the end of his oiling. When he heard the
tap at the door, Zh'no was only slightly annoyed as the feelings of
contentment from his little flit were affecting him as well. "Come!"
he called.

Feral flew in first, chittering to Mar and ignoring the human.

"Hey! Do you mind if I drop in?" E'naer grinned at the door.

Mar gave Feral only a lazy response in return as he was still enjoying
his massage.

"Sure," Zh'no said simply as he smiled down at his happy little blue.
"I'm just finishing up here."

"How have you been?" E'naer asked when he walked in and took a seat.

"I'm good," Zh'no said as he scooted over to give the greenrider a bit
more room. "How are the new weyrlings?"

"Keeping me busy," E'naer replied with a good natured eye-roll. "They
can be a handful and this is particulary interesting bunch with quite
a few candidates from River Bluff Impressing," he continued.

"Yes, River Bluff refugees can be quite a handful," Zh'no said with an
eye-roll of his own. The oil being well rubbed into his skin, the
little blue's massage was done, but as the bluerider gently righted
him, he reached his head up and crooned softly for an eye ridge
scratch.

"I just don't know them as well I do our own candidates," E'naer
shrugged. "I'm sure by the time they graduate, there's no difference."

Zh'no snorted softly as he scratched the little blue ridge. "There's
no doubt of it. You'll know them all and they'll all love you,
E'naer. You just have that way about you."

"Thank you," E'naer grinned.

"You made me love you easily enough," Zh'no said with a sideways
glance and a smile of his own for the greenrider. Few could claim
that.

"I know, it's a gift or a curse of mine," E'naer said more soberly. It
didn't always end well. At least he and Zh'no had reminded friends.
When he had been down after his Score, the bluerider had offered his
quiet support.

Zh'no wiped his hands on the towel now that Mar had had enough and
turned to look at the greenrider. "Well now," he said, reaching out
to caress the corner of E'naer's lips. "What's with that serious face
all of a sudden? It's not trouble with G'wen is it?"

"Naah, nothing like that. It's just that sometimes I feel too old for
him," E'naer sighed. "Enough about me, have done anything interesting
lately? Met anyone?"

Zh'no really couldn't say anything about the age difference between
E'naer and G'wen. It was much further than age gap, and even that at
times seemed to have it's strains, though that had had nothing to do
with their decision to be friends. He felt for the greenrider, and so
in a show of silent support, he reached out to cradle his hand while
gently stroking the back of it. "Well, let's see... There's a
greenrider from River Bluff who seems to be popping up in different
places. I wouldn't say that he's all that interesting, but we have
met."

"Sounds like he's taken an interest in you," E'naer replied with low chuckled.

"Like a canine takes interest in a roast." Zh'no shrugged. "He was
nice enough, I guess, when he wasn't trying to get something out of
me."

"If he bothers you too much, just say so. Most of us get the hint," E'naer said.

"I doubt he'll stay interested long." There was only so many times
even a persistent greenrider could take being told no.

"What does he look like? Maybe I can toss some of G'wen's friends at
him," E'naer asked. "I'm sure S'vin might take an interest. Or
Sh'lua." Those blueriders pretty much went after anything that moved.

"I don't think I need to throw other riders at him to throw him off
the scent," the bluerider said with an amused eye roll. But now that
E'naer mentioned in, Zh'no wasn't sure what the greenrider looked
like. He hadn't paid that close of attention. "He's... Taller than
me. And not skinny, but not round either. Muscular. Definitely
strong." He had to admit, he did like that in a man. "He has a very
confident walk. Or maybe it's carefree. I'm not sure. But really
that's all I can remember. If it weren't for his size, I would
probably have trouble picking him out of a crowd. You know me. I
don't pay attention to faces of people I don't really know." Or names
for that matter.

"Sheesh, you really didn't pay any attention to this guy," E'naer was amused.

"Are you really surprised?" the bluerider asked with a quirk of his
eyebrow. "I didn't pay much attention the first time I met you,
either."

"So true, but at least you couldn't avoid me when we both were in the
same wing," E'naer said with a nostalgic expression.

Zh'no smiled, giving the greenrider a knowing sideways glance. "It
was hard to avoid you when we somehow ended up on so many sweeprides
together."

"And all those sweaty drills," E'naer said with a smirk. Oh, the good old days.

"You're not thinking of the sweaty drills. You're thinking of the
bathing afterwards," Zh'no said with a soft chuckle.

"You're right," E'naer admitted without guilt.

"I have to admit, you taught a shy young bluerider that bathing time
could be a cooperative exercise." Those carefree days when Thread was
just a shadow on the horizon. Would either of them live to see the
end of the Pass, Zh'no wondered. To live to watch new young riders
with no experience of flying in a Fall enjoy the innocence of the
Interval.

"It was fun," E'naer said.

"Yes. And I think you better start thinking of making your way home
to G'wen before you forget that the fun's over. You're monogamous
now," the bluerider said with a wink before raising the greenrider's
hand to his lips for a chaste kiss.

"I never thought that would happen," E'naer replied and kept his reply
kiss strickly on friend-zone too.

Zh'no kept his thoughts on that subject to himself. "Thank you for coming by."

"No problem. I stop by again sometime," E'naer got up to leave.

Last updated on the December 21st 2017

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Those good old days