What to Expect When You're Impressed

Writers: Avery, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 7th October 2015

Characters: Z'then, A'kua
Description: Second verse, same as the first.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 2, day 7 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: E'zar, Slif, Ilyssia

The Dining Cavern was full of people, so Z'then had a hard time
finding the one he wanted to congratulate. He thought about asking
Juvath to ask A'kua's dragon, but he remembered how it had been to
settle Juvath into sleeping. He didn't want to wake the dragonet up,
where he might call for A'kua and take the other guy away from the
feast. So he'd have to do this on his own.

Finally he spotted A'kua and pushed his way on over to claim the
sliver of space. "Congratulations!" he said.

A'kua jerked on the bench and looked up from the meal he had been
staring at so long, it had stopped steaming. "Uh, thanks," he said
awkwardly, rubbing his temple with his right hand, the left being
occupied with a fork. "Didja feel like this when it happened t'ya?
Like it wasn' real?"

"Yep. I spent the whole feast sure it was a daydream, that I was gonna
wake up and be in the candidate barracks, all on my lonesome while
E'zar strutted around with a bronze," Z'then said.

E'zar, that must be the brother. A'kua briefly wondered if he had been
part of the fight Slif picked and Ilyssia later reported to him. He
couldn't remember. But she had said no one was seriously hurt. "It
ever get better?"

"At the end of the first sevenday. By then I was so bone-dead tired I
knew it couldn't be a dream. You're never exhausted and sore and
thinkin' your arms are gonna fall off in a dream." Z'then wrinkled his
nose. "Er, not in my dreams, anyway. But that's how I knew."

"Oh, I know I'm not dreamin'," A'kua muttered. That was why he was so worried.

"Then you're better off than I was. You'll do fine though. Isn't he
everything you dreamed of?"

"Well, aye, but- Z'then, I dunno what t' _do_ with it now." The
redhead put down his fork to rub his other temple. "Guess long's I
don' get any kinda promotions, I'll be fine. If'n I'm just 'nother
bronzerider, an' no one expects too much from me, things'll be okay."
He had to believe that.

"You're a weyrlin', they can't expect any more from you right now,"
Z'then said with an authoritative nod, trying to pretend like he knew
everything about weyrlinghood when he'd only just ended it himself.
"They gotta make sure you survive it before they give you too much."

"Survival. That I can do." He'd survived Bex, survived getting to a
point where he could begin to heal, even survived confessing to
Ilyssia. He could survive weyrlinghood. He could, right?

"After all, the Weyrlingmasters aren't trying to kill you. Even if it
feels like when you're throwin' around those heavy stacks. Walking to
the baths will feel like 'surviving'!" Z'then shook his head.

"Y'not helpin'," A'kua sighed, but couldn't bring himself to truly
snap at the other young man. He meant well.

"I was hoping maybe you'd laugh," Z'then said, scuffing at the stone
floor with his shoe. "Seriously. You'll be fine."

A'kua managed a half smile. The sentiment really did mean a lot, even
if the delivery had been slightly off. "Thanks, Z'then." He was a
decent guy. No wonder Ilyssia counted him as one of her good friends.

"If there's anything Juvath and I can do, lemme know. I wish they'd
let me be your weyrling buddy but they'll make a bronzerider do that.
You might get someone really cool as your senior rider partner
though."

"Rather have someone known an' trusted," the junior weyrling sighed.
"Hey, siddown. I gotta eat, I guess, and no doubt ya got all kinda
tips that'd come in handy. May as well hear it now, right?"

"Yeah, don't forget food. It's my favorite part of the day." Z'then
might have tended towards fat before all the work of riding. Now it
was just muscle. "And don't forget to dance before the night's out,
too!"

Last updated on the October 13th 2015

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What to Expect When You're Impressed