A Weyr-derful Family

Writers: Avery, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 2nd March 2016

Characters: Z'then, A'kua
Description: News, advice, gossip, and family.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 4, day 22 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: K'ran, Genna, Ilyssia, E'zar, Nokala, ONPC Eionen, NPC L'rille, NPC Firelloa.

A'kua's hands had never been so tired. Working with leather was even worse than he realized. He was proving to be damn near incompetent at it. Zeiranth was being so encouraging about the issue, but the redhead was seriously beginning to think he should ask someone else to do the job, because if his fingers hurt so much holding the evening's stew spoon was a problem, something was very wrong here.

Z'then nodded at A'kua as he settled down. "How's it going?" he asked.

A'kua groaned expressively. "How did you get through strap-makin' without your hands shrivelin' up and fallin' off due to bein' used so much?"

"It wasn't so bad for me. Not too different from stuff I had to do on the farm. I imagine very different from Harpering, though," Z'then said, not wanting to make A'kua feel bad about it.

"Aye, gitar and common garden care's nothin' compared to bigger farmwork or leather-work." A'kua grumbled. "So what's new with you?"

"Not much new in queen's wing, but Cyan's got changes. You heard, right?"

The junior weyrling shook his head. "What happened to Cyan?"

"K'ran's gone," Z'then said, leaning in conspiratorially. Goldflight yesterday at River Bluff and he was there and won. How do you screw that up?"

A'kua's head snapped up, next spoonful of stew forgotten, and he gaped at Z'then with wide eyes. "_What?!_" he asked incredulously. How on Pern had Rogueth won a senior goldflight? The bronze was in no way a powerhouse. The next question was more troubling, however. To him, anyway. "What about Genna?"

Z'then blinked. "What do you mean?"

Oh. Was that not common knowledge? Oops. Oh well, too late. A'kua leaned in and lowered his voice. "Genna and K'ran are sweethearts. If K'ran's goin' to be River Bluff's Weyrleader for the better part of a Turn, can their relationship survive?" He was going to have to talk to Genna, and soon, to see if she was okay.

"All the gossip I've heard has been about how he possibly happened to be there when Orlaith rose, or how his bronze even won," Z'then said, echoing A'kua's earlier thoughts.

The brown rider took a few bites of his meal while he considered the matter. "I feel bad for her. Here they were close, and he's gone off to be with another queen."

"It likely wasn't voluntary," A'kua pointed out. "Dragons, comply, all that. So now he has all this responsibility landin' on his lap." He shuddered. "That's exactly why I don't like bein' a bronzer."

"I hope Juvath _never_ catches a gold. Even a junior queen means the responsibilities around the Hatching." Z'then hated the idea about as much as it seemed A'kua did.

"Let's try to make 'em stick to greens once they're old enough. No responsibilities with greens," A'kua decided.

"Sounds good. No clutches, no responsibilities, no accidental Weyrleaderships." Z'then shook his head. "And may I stay at Dragonsfall and never transfer."

"Yes, please don't go anywhere," A'kua said unexpectedly. "Lys and I need you around."

"You do?" Z'then asked.

"Of course we do. You're our friend."

"And friends stick together and don't leave people." Z'then agreed.

"We'll need that when we're all up in the air together."

"Indeed we will. So you're doing straps, means first flights are soon?"

A'kua nodded. "Zeiranth is really excited. He does every wing exercise he can think of whenever he gets even a passin' notion that he should. He's not as concerned with our safety as I am; he just want to do his best and have fun."

"Sounds like Juvath was. Always so eager."

"It's a little weird, sharin' a mind with someone so cheerful," A'kua admitted. "I mean, I'm happier at the Weyr than I ever was in my life before-" despite recent events "-but it's still hard to believe Zei is so chipper. Especially in the mornin'. That's enviable." He still wasn't a morning person.

"Juvath is too. I think they have so much enthusiasm about new days. Maybe because they don't have as much memory of the old ones."

The junior weyrling tilted his head thoughtfully, then patted his pockets to see if he had any hide and his charcoal pencil with him. Something about what Z'then had said was making the creative process stir. "How's the thing with the dragonhealin' goin'?" he asked as he indeed found some strap leather he'd accidentally shaved too thin and then stuck in his pocket without thinking.

"I've started classes and they're interesting. A much heavier focus on anatomy than we had in weyrling lectures. I think I'm getting really good at drawing," he said proudly.

"Sounds like you've found your niche. That's good," A'kua praised.

"I really like it. You've already gotten your basic anatomy and dragonhealing overview, but there's more in the later months. If you have questions you know where I am."

"I do." Especially if Z'then didn't want to go anywhere.

"So besides straps sucking, how is it all going?"

A'kua finally dug out a stub of charcoal, muttering a curse over how small it had gotten, and started writing. "It goes," he said. "I'm still getting used to a few things, but it's gettin' a little better." His answer made him pause, and he looked up at Z'then. "Hey, you have a brother, right?"

"Yeah, E'zar. He's my twin."

The tall redhead hesitated and bit his lip before continuing. "What's it mean to be a good brother?"

Z'then took a moment to consider the matter before speaking. "It means supporting your family and believing in them, even when you think they're wrong, because you love them. Sometimes I think E'zar is an idiot. Sometimes I'm afraid he's gonna get hurt. So I want to step in and do something about that - tell him he's wrong, if I have to. And if something happened to him, I'd take care of him."

That sounded daunting, but doable. But then, he did that for his friends, and for Lys, so surely he could do that for family. Right? "Thanks."

"Why d'you ask?" Z'then wondered if it had to do with A'kua's confrontations with his father.

Another pause. He'd called Z'then his friend; he could trust him with this. "You probably heard the news already, about how my worthless sire found me," A'kua said slowly. Considering how keyed-in to Weyr gossip Z'then seemed to be, that wasn't an improbable assumption to make. "Well, he- he said I might have a little sister out in Dolphin Cove territory. He's goin' there now to confirm, and so're a few of Nokala's relatives. If we're siblings, and she needs a safe place to live because of it, then I want to take care of her as best I can. I mean, if she even wants to come here and be fostered."

"And you always thought you were only child, so that's a big change," Z'then guessed. "Coming all the way here from Dolphin Cove would be far...and quite a change for a holdbred girl."

A'kua nodded. "But I want to try. No one should be hurt like I was because of my sire."

"I think that's noble of you to say."

The other weyrling shook his head. "Nah. I just want her to be okay. But thanks again. I'll keep you in the know. And if I can't, then Lys can."

"I think 'wanting her to be okay' proves you'll be a good brother," Z'then said sincerely.

That meant more to A'kua than he could express. "But if I do muck it up, I can ask you for advice on how to fix it, aye?"

"Of course. Maybe my answers won't be perfect, but neither is life or family," Z'then said sagely. Then he laughed at himself.

A'kua chuckled. "And you know you can come to me or Lys if you need anythin', right?"

"Yeah. You're Weyr-family. We all are, now."

Just like he'd told little L'rille. "Does that make us brothers too, or just cousins?"

"I think cousins, otherwise that'd be a lot of siblings and it could get weird," Z'then said with a laugh.

"All right then, cousin Z'then, got any more news?"

"Did you hear about..." the brownrider began.

Last updated on the March 6th 2016

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