A Breath of Fresh Air
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: Yvonne, Sia
Date Posted: 3rd September 2025
Characters: Aydhara, Ketlyn
Description: Aydhara and Ketlyn give themselves space from their worries.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 8, day 12 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: K'lin, D'narion, Casmari, Cirina, A'radess, N'kayden, Thiseta
Ketlyn held her breath for the entire Hatching, her eyes fixed on one particular Candidate on the Sands. She’d only blinked long enough to watch Donnarion and Kedolin Impress. She’d seen them by the kilns in the Glassworks and had a bit of a crush on them both. They were handsome and skilled and in the Craft she wanted… it was hard not to.
But then she’d looked again for Aydhara and found her standing alone. The last egg cracked and she walked off the Sands with her head held high, but Ketlyn ached for her.
Beside her, her brother Kemmin’s eyes were shining. “That was amazing,” he said as they rose to go to the Feast. “I can’t believe I saw that. Next time I’ll be down there.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you,” Ketlyn lied. She brushed imaginary wrinkles from her blue dress and smiled. “I’ll walk you to the Dining Cavern, but I need to go see someone after that…”
“Your friend? I’m sorry she didn’t Impress. I thought she would since she’s the Weyrwoman’s daughter.”
“The Weyrwoman Second’s daughter,” Ketlyn said absently as they joined the throng headed toward the Dining Caverns. Someone burst into song and then everyone was singing and clapping, and then they were outside in the chill air and hurrying as a crowd toward the outbuildings. Ketlyn didn’t envy the Kitchen staff.
“All right, go grab a plate and sit anywhere. Half of the people here are from outside the Weyr and those who are will be happy to see you. Just save me a seat, will you?” she said once they were inside. Then she kissed her brother on the cheek and went to find Aydhara.
Aydhara didn't want to go to the hatching feast, but at least she and Casmari planned to meet up after the hatching anyway, and Cirina was probably pretending to be named after a goat and making eyes at A'radess again. At least her Mom didn't fight her about raiding her closet this time, and Avicath gave her an extra nudge with his nose that nearly knocked her over.
She spotted Ketlyn in the hall and hurried to meet her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'll be ok," she said. "I didn't want that green anyway."
“I know, but still.” Ketlyn hugged her back, then stepped back to study Aydhara a little closer. She looked a little down, but somehow still gorgeous in a lovely purple dress. “Where are you going and can I come for a bit? I need a break from babysitting my stupid brother.” She felt a twinge of guilt abandoning him, but she was also still angry. He deserved to sit alone in the Dining Hall and feel abandoned for a bit.
"Well, let's grab some wine and bail for a while. It's probably going to be my stupid brother's turn to check on me soon. Let's lose the boys." Aydhara said brightly enough to hopefully fool the close inspection. "Did your brother mean to stay this long?"
“He sure planned to, but he somehow ‘forgot’ to let me in on his plan. I thought he was visiting for the restday,” Ketlyn said sourly. “Thank Farnath the Weyrwoman approved his transfer request because I don’t think I could have made him leave if she hadn’t. I maybe didn’t tell her that he’d already moved into my weyr when I spoke with her.”
"We could've done it. You grab his arms and I'll grab his ankles, and we'll just swing him." Aydhan said and mimicked the motion. "We still could. Why would he want to transfer _here_, anyway? Aren't you from Dolphin Cove, where it's warm all the time?"
Ketlyn didn’t want to think about thorny questions like why when it was simpler to just be angry with her brother. “I think it was just easiest for him to hitch a ride here on Varinth and then never leave. We’re a couple days walk from Dolphin Cove Weyr and he’s lazy.”
"Ugh, that sounds right." Aydhara wrinkled her nose. "Sneaky and rude. He better be picking up after himself, at least. Brothers are the worst. Maybe he'll get bored and ask to go home."
“Ha! Unlikely.” Ketlyn smiled, thankful that he’d found a bed elsewhere for a bit. Aydhara had guessed correctly that Kemmin wasn’t as good at picking up after himself as Ketlyn would have liked. She tucked her hand through Aydhara’s elbow. “He can go fall in the lake for all I care. Should we go get some wine?”
"Ohmygosh, yes." Aydhara said, "Maybe from the kitchens, instead of going back to the feast right away." She squeezed Ketlyn's hand. "You send Kemmin to me if he finally gets on your nerves. I'll have him searching the Weyr for wingsail wax for Avicath. Or Sebiath can throw him in the lake. He likes to show off when Casmari takes me out."
A different dragon knocking Kemmin into the lake wouldn’t be her fault. That was an _accident_. “If you can get him knocked into the lake I will owe you the biggest favour of all time,” Ketlyn promised. “Just say the word!”
"Oh, I'm on it." Aydhara said. "Introduce us when we get back so it's not weird when I try to make him wash Avicath later. For now, though-- wine is calling us."
Last updated on the October 3rd 2025