Becoming Siblings

Writers: Eimi, Emma
Date Posted: 11th November 2009

Characters: Teseada, J'nev
Description: J'nev is invited to have lunch with Teseada.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 8 of Turn 5

Teseada

It was with a few mixed feelings that Teseada watched the Weyrlings go to their table in the dining cavern. Her mother had said to her how young some of them had looked, and she'd agreed, maybe it was suddenly finding herself Weyrwoman's Second that had made her feel a little old today. But then she scanned their faces, there weren't as many as on the day of the hatching, training injuries had held a couple back, and some had never managed that first jump /between/. And then there was the one that was the biggest surprise of all, J'nev.

She never expected to have a sibling, her parents had slowly drifted apart, and while they had remained friends, as far as she knew her mother had never conceived again. Of course in a Weyr women had options, there was the tea the healers would give you, or a short trip on a dragon to prevent conception. And now, well thanks to Onnyth's flight, clutching and hatching, she had a half brother who rode bronze, and younger sisters at a hold that she had never met.

Maybe, if only for the sake of getting along with a bronzerider she should make some more of an effort to get to know him. If nothing else, he needed to know that Onnyth would rise again soon, and that he would have to take himself and Ankioth away, and that was something she had heard most dragons didn't like, being having their chance at glory and satisfaction removed from them.

So, with a deep breath she walked over to J'nev's table. "Would you like to join me for a meal J'nev?" she asked.

There were whispers and grins among his companions as J'nev looked up at the goldrider. Of course, he had never mentioned to any of them just what his connection to the goldrider was. He had never talked about her, or his father, to anyone outside of the weyrling staff, so their assumption was natural, though annoying. "Um..." Well, there was no escaping it now. He could turn her down and look like the bronzerider that was above some needy goldrider, but she didn't deserve that. Besides, who else could understand his misery better than her? "Sure." He stood up and made sure to give the boy snickering next to him's head a slap for good measure before reaching for his tray. "I'll catch up with you all later."

Teseada had already found a smaller table, and placed her tray on it before going to speak to J'nev. She could have got somebody to bring food already, but that might have been a bit much. "The stew is good today," she said as she sat down, "I think my mother had a hand in making it."

"How do you know?" J'nev asked as he slid his tray onto the spot across from her.

"I came through the kitchens to drop a hide off with the head cook on my way here and she said something about it," explained Teseada. "The hide work never seems to end, I think that must be the downside of having rank around here."

"Yeah. Maybe the reason why golds and bronzes are so rare is that no one actually wants the dung heap that goes along with it." J'nev for one would be more than happy to always be a rank and file rider, no matter what some people might say about his "destiny" and "responsibilities". Ankioth loved him without all that, and that was all that mattered.

"Maybe, but Onnyth did really well to have three in her first clutch." Bronze dragons were seen as an omen, good luck for the future of the Weyr. "I hope she'll do as well again, and that's partly why I wanted to talk to you." She looked at her half brother. "She's going to rise soon, the last seven day of month six I think. You, you might want to try and be elsewhere."

"Well, you certainly seem optimistic about Ankioth's chances," J'nev chuckled as he speared a tubar with his fork. Of course, she had a point. The last thing he wanted to do was wake up in bed next to his sister, even if she was just a _half_ sister. A shudder ran down his spine. "Don't worry, I'll find myself elsewhere when it comes to that."

"I know, it's almost cruel to take away his chance, but there will be other flights and other golds. One day you and he could even be Weyrleader." Of course a newly graduated from weyrlinghood bronze wouldn't be too likely to catch a gold, not on his first time trying, but she wasn't going to tell her brother that, not when he was bound to hear it in classes.

He snorted before swallowing his mouthful. "No thanks. Especially not if _you're_ the Weyrwoman. Though who knows if I'll even be around here then."

"You're smart, so's Ankioth. You'll make it through, even if it's at another Weyr." Teseada told him, as she poured herself some juice. "You want some?"

"Too sweet for me," he said with a wave of his hand. "You're not even going to _pretend_ that you'd miss me?"

"Well, maybe I would, a little," she admitted. "I never had brothers and sisters like most of the kids round here did and I always wished I had."

"Yeah, well, at least you had a father who was there all the time. Well, for a while at least." J'nev had been lucky to see him for more than a night or two a month when he was growing up. There was a time he would have envied Teseada for having had so much time with D'nev. Not any more.

"He was always busy though. If it wasn't Shoglenth, then it was craft duties, or hunting trips. I spent more time with my mother. Time with Papa was a treat."

It seemed they had that in common. "I haven't seen him much lately. Do you think he found himself another family?"

"I don't know, and I don't know if I should care or not. He hurt us both by keeping the truth from us. I don't know what to say to him any more." That was the truth, J'nev deserved that at least.

"My family still don't know anything. They keep sending letters - 'How's Da?' 'Have you seen Da?' 'Give our love to Da'. I never know what to say." **Da can go /between/ for all I care,** he thought should be his bitter reply.

"Maybe you should get permission to pay them a visit and talk to them yourselves if you can't think what to write." It half crossed her mind to offer to supervise the trip /between/, but that would likely be the last thing he would want. His family probably had suffered enough of a surprise with him impressing. They didn't need a goldrider half sister turning up as well.

"If I transfer, then there won't be any questions any more. And they can keep on with their lives not knowing a thing." Which was just better for everyone. He almost wished that he had never left their little home. Were it not for Ankioth...

"You won't be able to transfer just yet. They'll want you in the wings here for a few months to build up a record. And, I'd quite like to get to know you a bit before you think about going. It is kind of nice to have a brother around."

She had a point. It would probably be a while before he could get out of this place. And she wasn't bad. He had to admit that. In fact, there were times when he almost reminded himself of one of his own sisters. At least something good might one day come of the whole mess. "You know, you might not say that once you get to know me better. I think my sisters would tell you that I could be quite annoying sometimes."

"Maybe one day I could meet them. We wouldn't have to tell them who I was. Maybe if there was a gather or a market day that they might go to. I could just say I was a friend you had made."

"It appears goldriders and bronzeriders can't just be 'friends'," he grumbled, pointing his thumb in the direction of the table he had just left.

"When they grow up a bit they'll understand."

"You have a lot of bronzerider friends, do you?" he asked skeptically.

"Well, there's U'kaiah."

J'nev narrowed his eyes, unconvinced. "The man whose bronze flew your gold? Yeah, I'd say that was pretty 'friendly'."

"We got on well before that," pointed out Teseada. "And you, hopefully. If nothing else I'd like us to be friends."

"We're not enemies. We're not just acquaintances anymore. What else can we be but friends?" The only question was how good of friends, in his mind.

"That's something at least. If Papa had had his way we'd have never met."

"Hmmm," he hummed thoughtfully, stirring his broth with his spoon. "I can't say discovering he was a liar was worth it, but I am glad _something_ good came of it."

"Me too. Imagine what could have happened if he'd never had to tell us."

"You mean waking up next to me after a Flight, falling madly in love with me, and then finding out I was your brother?" He shivered dramatically.

"That is a bit extreme," she said equally dramatically. "I was thinking more along the limes of that we'd have mnever met."

"Oh." He shrugged, digging his fork in to catch another tubar. "Well, I'm your brother. I'm supposed to think of the most disgusting possibility imaginable."

"Is that what brothers are supposed to do?"

"Well, yeah, any way we can annoy our sisters. Don't worry. They manage to get their brother's back somehow."

"So what did they do to get you back? Or would it give me ideas?" teased Teseada.

J'nev gave her a warning look. "They started liking boys."

"Ah, and not ones you liked."

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Oh no. When you're the brother, _none_ of them are the ones you like."

"In that case I better watch who I talk to then!"

"That's right," he said with mock severity. "No bronzeriders for you, young lady. You stay in your rooms all day and contemplate all things pure and good in this world."

"All well and good until a certain gold dragon drags me out because she wants a bath."

He seemed to consider that a moment. "That's fine, just make sure you're fully clothed while you do it and only green dragon candidates can assist you."

"For that suggestion I should make you oil her on your own."

"See, I knew you'd figure out a way to retaliate," he said with an approving nod. "And speaking of work, I still have Weyrling classes."

"Then you should go, I wouldn't want you to be late."

"Yeah, tongues would wag for sure." And J'nev didn't feel like having to explain more than he had to about his relationship with the goldrider.

"We should do this again though."

J'nev stood up and grabbed his tray with a wink. "We will. It's a date."

"Sometime next sevenday then."

Last updated on the November 15th 2009

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Becoming Siblings