Breaking Curfew

Writers: Corrin, Halyonix, Heather, Iluva, Sia, Suzee, Yvonne
Date Posted: 8th February 2025

Characters: Sanvi, Halia, Nosarre, Katora, A'ris, M'rhas, C'uren, G'lor
Description: The Weyrlings sneak out after curfew
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 4, day 3 of Turn 12

Nosarre

A'ris

M'rhas

The first sevenday of weyrlinghood was a blur of new sensations and hunger and exhaustion, but by the second sevenday Sanvi was getting irritated by how strict the weyrlingstaff were. Every day was planned to minute. Chores, lessons, lifting weights and running, feeding Respellath, shovelling baby dragon poo, and doing it all over again. A dragonrider's life was supposed to be exciting and this was _not_.

"Psst," she hissed at Halia, rolling over in her bed just moments after lights out. "I can't sleep. Want to go for a _walk_?"

"A _walk_?" Halia echoed, curiously stressing the same word. Weyrling routine was stifling enough that she'd be down for a regular little stroll at this point, but the suggestion that Sanvi had more in mind was intriguing. She glanced over at Arimith, dead asleep, before cautiously swinging out of bed. "What have you got in mind?"

"I'm kind of thirsty, you know?" Sanvi paused. "And if anyone is listening and is thirsty too, they're welcome to come for a walk as well."

"Please," came Nosarre's voice from the dark. Wrentley's shining eyes were a tiny beacon above her bunk. Unlike her stupid dragon, she slid gracefully out of bed and grabbed her nice long coat. A quiet rifle through her things revealed the half-full flask she had brought to the candidate party, all those sevendays ago.

Katora raised her head at the conversation. She recognized Halia's voice, and Nosarre's, and then decided that sneaking out was going to be more trouble than it would be worth. Plus, Saoirth was contentedly asleep and what if she woke up, only to find Katora not there? She'd save the excursions for another sevenday.

A'ris had found sleep impossible. The hot, stuffy air in the Weyrling Barracks, coupled with the snoring of some of the other boys, made the new brownrider feel claustrophobic. Since they weren't supposed to be out after curfew, A'ris had settled for sitting down just outside the barracks entrance, leaning his back against the stone to take in the fresh air.

The shuffle of footsteps and soft, hushed giggles caught his attention.

"Going somewhere, ladies?" he asked as the girls appeared.

Leaning against the wall, G'lor smiled. "I was about to ask the same thing."

Sanvi's heart pounded until she realized that it was just A'ris. But even the scare felt good. Toeing the line, saying yes ma'am and no sir and letting herself fade into conformity-- a little bit of rebellion made her blood fizz and the stars regain their missing sparkle. "Going for a walk. You're coming too, right?"

"Sure," A'ris agreed. "Someone's got to be the 'lookout' right? I can listen in on the Weyrlingmasters' dragons. Hopefully that will give us all a headstart if they decide to come and check on us."

Across the barracks, Alzaryth was aware of what was happening first, but the suddenness of feeling through their link instinctively yanked M'rhas from out of his unconscious abyss and up onto his feet, stumbling down the corridor before he was ever actually awake and registering the shapes of the other weyrlings at its end. By the time he reached it he was no longer looking to attack-- just bare-chested and in his briefs, shivering by the door.

"A walk?" M'rhas yawned loudly behind them, "where?"

G'lor's brows drew together, "Man, get some clothes on! It's sharding freezing out there." He looked back at the girls, "Are you sure you want to go out in the cold?"

Nosarre wrinkled her nose at M'rhas, and then over at G'lor. "If you don't want to, don't come." She said, unscrewing the cap off her flask and taking a drink; whatever alcohol it was burned just enough on the way down, though she hardly reacted as she offered it to Sanvi.

Sanvi did wrinkle her nose when she took a swig. "Ugh, where'd you get this?" she said as she handed it back to Noserre. Then she turned to the boys. "Get some boots at least, M'rhas. I am _not_ giving you a piggyback if you are not wearing pants."

G'lor shook his head. "You're out of your minds if you think you're going to enjoy a walk in the snow. I don't particularly relish freezing my nuts off so you can giggle and drink." His expression changed as he looked at Sanvi, "Unless you're offering another kind of ride." He waggled his eyebrows.

She laughed. "That was terrible, G'lor. At least _try_!"

"Oh cummon Sanvi," he swaggered over to her. "Are you saying you don't want to be 'G'lorified?'"

"Oh by the Egg, that's both better and much, much worse!" Sanvi said as Halia made a face.

M'rhas' brows furrowed for so many reasons that they just froze in place, a little like how the rest of him was starting to feel. "Well, I'm not going out like _this_," he assured Sanvi and G'lor, who nearly sent him back to bed with that last horrible line. "I dunno if I'm gonna go if we gotta listen to G'lor strike out the entire time. Is there any more alcohol than this?"

"What's life without some risk?" Sanvi told M'rhas. "You going to get some boots on and come with us and find out, or are you going to go back to bed like a good little weyrling baby?"

"Better hurry up, either way. We shouldn't linger here," Halia cautioned. "You too, A'ris. G'lor. Are you in or out?"

"I'm both in and out," he pumped his fist. Then held his belly as he went around the corner to fetch his coat, hat, and scarf.

Sanvi had a point - he had a dragon now, the least he could do was handle a little cold and G'lor's ridiculousness. That looked to be their Weyrlinghood and probably life in the Wings too, after all. "Yeah. Alright, I'm in." M'rhas set off too, doing his best to soothe a worried Alzaryth with every piece of clothing he shoved on.

"Gross." Nosarre said, both about G'lor and at the mix of liquor in her flask. But the warmth in her belly made the blue weyrlings faces at least passable. "Come on, ladies. Let the boys catch up."

"Sure," A'ris agreed. "Someone's got to be the 'lookout' right? I can listen in on the Weyrlingmasters' dragons. Hopefully that will give us all a headstart if they decide to come and check on us."

"Who cares if they do?" Sanvi said, motioning for the group to follow her down the path toward the river.

"Wait for me!" a very loud whisper -- almost too loud whisper -- came from a new voice: C'uren. Not that they could really see him in the dark but the brown weyrling was wearing a big conspiratorial grin. "Sneaking out, my friends? I'm in!"

A'ris was beginning to feel less and less certain about this 'sneak out' when the group was growing ever larger. "Let's go then," he said, motioning for C'uren to hurry up.

The chill in the air and breaking curfew made Sanvi feel alive for the first time since they'd Impressed. Her grin stretched from ear to ear as she led the group to a secluded spot along the river that ran from the weyrlake. There were a few wooden benches there, much more comfortable in the chill than stone or metal. She motioned for the group to stay there before disappearing into the trees for a moment and reappearing with a second flask. "One of my friends brews his own and don't you dare go looking for my stash or I will break your kneecaps. It's real strong," she cautioned as she handed it to C'uren. "But he's nailed the spices."

C'uren took the flask and took a hearty swig. He let out a low whoop of appreciation after he swallowed. "Reminds me of the brews at sea!" he declared. "Something to put some courage in you to face the storm!" He handed the flask to the next person to try.

G'lor stood by the door and leaned against the frame. He shook his head and smiled. Jurorth had woken and he couldn't leave with the others without jeopardizing their adventure. "Have fun," he called softly and removing his coat turned back to his little blue.

"Keep it down, C'uren." Nosarre hissed, even though it was probably secluded enough that they wouldn't get caught. She was just sick of his voice already. "I think I know this friend. A vintner he is not, but he knows how to get drunk." She added as the person next to her took a swig and coughed. She passed on the brew, handing it to the person next to her.

M'rhas arrived curling his coat collar up around his neck and his chin jutting out in defiance against the cold and the rules they were oh so rebelliously tiptoeing around here in the trees. He gladly accepted the bottle from Nosarre, taking a big swig that burned worse than the first time all those months ago. But he restrained his grimace by immediately shoving it into C'uren's hands. "The sea, huh? What about this one?"

A'ris looked at the growing number of Weyrlings with a sigh. There was no way they _weren't_ going to get caught like this - strolling about in a giant clump. He pushed open the little mental block that he used to block out the dragon voices. Immediately snippets of dragon conversation filled his brain:

}:Aluneth? Are you trying to... _flirt_?:{

}:Oriath, does your rider have any redfruits stashed in his weyr? Mine would like to know.:{

}:Feyonth, my lovely emerald. My rider wishes to know if yours would like to join him for the evening?:{ This dragon voice, belonging to Pesrath, A'ris always recognized since it was one of the first dragon voices he'd ever heard.

What he didn't hear was the Weyrlingmasters' dragons, which hopefully meant they were still in the clear.

Sanvi sat on a stump next to A'ris. "Hear anything? You have that 'listening to dragons' look on your face."

A'ris was slightly startled by Sanvi's presence because he'd been so distracted by the dragons' conversations. Her nearness brought a blush to his burnished cheek that he was glad the darkness hid. "Yes, I'm hearing lots of things, but nothing from the Weyrlingmasters' dragons."

"Well that's good. I can't imagine that it'll last. Seize the moment and all that." She waved over one of the flasks, took a swig and handed it to A'ris before tipping her head back to look at the moons. "It's worth it."

Last updated on the February 11th 2025

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Breaking Curfew