Sometimes There Are Two
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Aaron, Heather
Date Posted: 11th September 2019
Characters: T'ner, Ranni
Description: Lehystrath and Sukiith demand their riders' attention as they go on an "adventure"
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 12, day 6 of Turn 9
Lehystrath had never yet ventured out from the wallow by himself. It was not as though he was afraid. He was not afraid of anything. He simply had not yet had his fill of being near to T'ner.
T'ner was, the blue thought, the more uncertain between the two of them. He had not been when Lehystrath chose him, but now he was. He missed his Family. A Very Important thing for a rider. There was something else a little deeper than that, but Lehystrath did not really understand it.
They would work through it. Lehystrath was not worried. He did not worry about anything! Except, perhaps, when it was time to eat again. For now, he was satiated both for food and for T'ner's touch.
T'ner had studying to do. It was a boring sort of work, but necessary, and Lehystrath could hardly begrudge him of it. Up until then, he had simply rested beside T'ner where he could touch him while he did his studying. But now, Lehystrath was getting bored of resting, and he decided he would poke his nose out to see what everyone else was doing.
Lehystrath padded out of the wallow as silently as he could. He was not sure why his instinct was to sneak, but it seemed natural enough.
This brother and that sister was busy resting near to their riders. Lehystrath sighed. Was no one else getting curious or bored?
}:Sukiith,:{ said the blue to his nearest clutchmate, }:Are you bored?:{
}:I am hungry.:{ Sukiith grumped as she looked up at Lehystrath. Of course, the green dragonet was always hungry and she felt that her rider was too busy with "unimportant" things, like that stick thing that she so often had in her hands when she was pushing dirt around on the floor.
This was quite the problem. Lehystrath was bored but not hungry, but Sukiith was hungry but not bored. The blue tilted his head and pondered a solution.
}:We could,:{ he suggested, }:go and look for something to eat!:{ An adventure to find food could solve both problems!
Sukiith raised her head, clearly interested. }:I have seen where the big dragons eat.:{ The slightly pudgy dragonet stood and bumbled into Lehystrath as she made for the door.
Lehystrath was just a bit nonplussed that he did not move quickly enough to be a little more agile in moving out of Sukiith's way. He might have also preferred to have gone first, but he could certainly work with this. He followed behind her, ready then to dart aside if necessary.
}:Not far, is it?:{ he asked.
}:A little bit,:{ Sukiith confessed. }:But it's an adventure, right? I thought you were bored.:{ The green sniffed.
Lehystrath laughed. By the Egg, this one seemed ready to turn everything around on him in a moment. He would have to be all the more clever.
}:'Twas no complaint,:{ he said, his eyes whirling green with intrigue. }:But perhaps there may be a better topic of discussion. What have you on your mind?:{
}:Food:{ The green replied sassily, her tail swinging back and forth along the ground with each waddling step that she took.
**Where are you going?** Sukiith's rider asked, projecting a tone of confusion.
}:I am going to watch the big dragons eat.:{ Sukiith didn't add that she might try for a bite herself, even though her rider cut meat and fed her every morning.
**I'll be there in a minute.** Ranni replied dubiously.
}:My rider is going to meet me there. Where is yours?:{ Sukiith asked Lehystrath.
}:I need you to appear,:{ said Lehystrath to T'ner.
**What?** asked the erstwhile smith, completely confused by the request.
}:I'm here.:{ Lehystrath showed a quick image of the path he took to get to where he was, which might have made T'ner dizzy enough to fall down if he had not already been sitting.
}:I need you to step around the corner, like you were coming this way already. Please.:{
T'ner did not have the heart to say no, so he set his pencil down and jogged over, slowing just as he approached.
"Alright, let's go, then, shall we?" he asked as though he knew exactly what was going on.
**Where are we going?** he asked his blue.
}:On an adventure,:{ Lehystrath answered.
T'ner shrugged and decided to roll with it. Whatever it was had to be more interesting than the studying.
}:Ah, here he is now,;{ said Lehystrath to Sukiith, puffing out his chest proudly.
The green's rider showed up not long after, although she looked slightly uncomfortable when she realized that T'ner was going to be there as well. Ranni didn't have anything against the blue Weyrling personally, but ever since word had leaked out that she was pregnant, she found it awkward being around the other Weyrlings. It was no secret that she would not be able to graduate on time with her class since she would have to take a break from Weyrlinghood once her pregnancy became too advanced. "Hi," she said to T'ner as she watched Sukiith awkwardly slither over the pens that encircled the herdbeasts that kept the Weyrs' dragons fed.
"Oh, hello." T'ner had not been certain which green this was – they all looked similar enough that he did not quite have the differences in shade memorized just yet – until Ranni joined them. Now, of course, he could see that it was...
Slag, what was her dragon's name again?
}:Sukiith,:{ Lehystrath supplied helpfully.
"Are you and Sukiith coming on the adventure?" he asked.
"Ah, yes, I believe the 'adventure' is watching Sukiith and Lehstrayth chase herdbeasts." Ranni said as she stood on the bottom rung of the feeding pens fence and folded her arms on top. Sukiith as lumbering awkwardly toward a herdbeast, which kept snorting and backing away. There was no way Sukiith would be fast or agile enough to catch a heardbeast yet, Ranni knew, but what did it hurt to let her try?
**Is that what you two are about?** asked T'ner as he glanced down at his blue. Lehystrath was merely watching Sukiith's attempt. After all, he had not been hungry the whole time.
}:Ah, you nearly had him that time!:{ the blue said, seemingly ignoring the question.
"I wonder if it might try to step on her...?" said T'ner, starting to worry. He should have asked what this was about before he simply showed up.
Ranni turned an eye on the dragons, which were easily the size, if not larger, than some of the herdbeasts. "I think they'll be fine. The herdbeasts will most likely just scatter and I don't think that Sukiith or Lehstrath will be fast enough to catch one."
Perhaps "step on" was not precisely the right choice of words. But T'ner was a blacksmith, not a wordsmith.
}:I would worry more for the beasts than for Sukiith,:{ said Lehystrath. }:They may have sharp hooves, but we have sharp fangs and claws. Though I am touched that you would be concerned.:{ The blue's eyes whirled with amusement.
"I wouldn't put it past them to catch one," T'ner added.
"How is Ayressa and Resser?" Ranni asked to be polite as Sukiith bounded awkwardly toward a herdbeast.
The corners of T'ner's eyes tightened a bit as he held back a bit of emotion. Lehystrath scooted closer to him so that he could touch him, but he was getting a bit big for that. T'ner laid a hand on his hide.
"Last I heard, they were doing good. But I don't think Ayressa would say so even if she wasn't. I miss them a lot."
T'ner coughed and gestured vaguely to his stomach.
"How's, er... all that going?" he asked.
Ranni's hand automatically went to her stomach. There were no real outward signs of her pregnancy yet, but her aversions to food and morning sickness assured her that R'nar's child was indeed growing within her. "It's going, I suppose. I am just hoping to get as much done with my Weyrling training as possible before I'm physically unable."
"Well, ah... If there's anything I can do to help, I've lived with a pregnant woman before, so... just let me know," said T'ner.
Lehystrath turned to glance curiously at Ranni and then at T'ner. The concept of growing a hatchling inside one's belly seemed terribly inefficient to him, but then, it was not as though more than one would fit in there, anyway. Perhaps that was why riders' folk did not have golds to do all of the egglaying themselves.
**Actually,** said T'ner to the blue, **sometimes there are two.**
Lehystrath seemed skeptical.
Last updated on the September 23rd 2019