So Much For the Afterglow.

Writers: Avery, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 8th September 2016

Characters: Z'then, A'kua
Description: It's never how the harper stories make it out to be.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 14 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: P'lene (NPC), Ilyssia, Eionen (ONPC).
Note: Rated PG-13 for implied naughtiness.

}:Zeiranth, is your rider free? Mine wants to talk,:{ Juvath asked from his perch on a ledge. His rider seemed really interested in speaking to the young bronze's rider, but he couldn't tell why. There was a wall up.

Zeiranth replied after a few minutes. }:A'kua says to come over. Things will be tidied by the time you get here.:{ A beat, and he added, }:Warn your rider A'kua is huffy for reasons he won't tell me about,{ whilst making room on his ledge for Juvath.

The aforementioned redhead was straightening the blankets on his bed when Z'then got there. The other weyrling's hair was mussed, and he was barefoot and naked to the waist. "So what's wrong?" he asked bluntly of his friend.

}:I will warn him,:{ Juvath said, puzzled by the bronze's words.

Z'then was fully dressed, unlike his friend, but he had been biting at the sides of his fingers. "I had an experience and I really needed to talk to someone about it. Boy talk. And my brother is - just - not the right person." he said.

"Must be bad if _I'm_ a better option than your own kin," A'kua muttered, and plopped onto the bed, running a hand through his hair to detangle it, unintentionally mirroring P'lene's motions earlier. "What happened?"

"I'm not asking my brother about - " Z'then started. He stopped, half-closed his eyes. "So Juvath chased and I didn't really want him to, and he _won_ and I really didn't want him to."

"Still not seein' the problem here," A'kua deadpanned, though he felt a little bad for being so snarky. Z'then's body language was very agitated.

}:You chased? What was it like?:{ Zeiranth asked Juvath curiously.

}:When I see a green I want it's like nothing matters more than her. Like the need to chase prey, or fight Thread,:{ Juvath answered. }:And winning is like this.:{ The brown sent over the victorious sensation of 'when you bite into a herdbeast and the blood is going down your throat and you know you're the best dragon around', victory/life/passion in one image.

"It was P'lene," Z'then said, putting his head in his hands.

Zeiranth silently digested what Juvath was sharing, and decided he liked it. }:When can I chase greens?:{

Now it added up. Apparently Z'then wasn't inclined toward men. But that was covered in weyrling classes: Dragons, comply, all that. The brownrider should've been prepared for this eventuality. So why was he so upset? "Did he do somethin' you didn't want done?" the dark-eyed weyrling asked seriously.

"I did something I don't want done. He was just...there. Being the first pair of legs I ever spread and..." Z'then flushed in his hands.

}:Whenever you see them and want them. It took me a bit before I cared.:{

}:I think it's worth the wait,:{ Zeiranth said reasonably. }:I know sometimes A'kua thinks about me chasing Gwynnyth. She is very pretty, and easy to talk to. But other greens aren't easy to speak with. And I can't speak to golds except for Mother.:{ He paused. }:Is that going to be a problem?:{

A'kua was silent, trying to think of how best to handle this. He finally decided on honesty. It was going to be a little hard; he hadn't discussed this with a lot of people. "There was a girl back at the hold. We messed around whenever she crooked her finger at me. It meant somethin' to me because I was so lonely, but it was meanin'less to her. When I got here, I had true sex for the first time. It was even emptier and even more meanin'less," he said slowly. "Aye, it was with women, but it- I didn't like it. It just made me feel like it wasn't worth it. I- I wanted more. I wanted it to mean somethin', be special. But it wasn't until I met Ilyssia that what I wanted was reinforced: Love to go with the sex. I know when Zeiranth wants to chase greens I'll have to brace for somethin' I don't want. I know I might wind up in some uncomfortable situations. I don't know how I'm goin' to deal with it."

}:What do you mean about not knowing how to talk to them? You just talk,:{ Juvath said. }:Talk pretty. Ask your rider. They like words.:{

Z'then listened carefully to A'kua's story. "That's how I feel about this moment with P'lene. It wasn't special. It was just instinct and body gratification."

Zeiranth hunkered down slightly in embarrassment. }:Greens and golds make me shy, though. It's hard to know what to say even when they're nice. Could my rider really help?:{

"Is it somethin' you could get used to? Or would you rather keep Juvath grounded durin' greenflights?" the redhead asked. "If it's love you're lookin' for, the Weyr's full of exceptional women."

}:I know of me and my rider I am better at talking to girls,:{ Juvath bragged. }:My rider thinks your rider is good at words, better than him. So maybe your rider can help you.:{

"I would love to keep him grounded but it's not seeming to work," Z'then complained.

"Would it help if you had someone you cared for to come back to?" A'kua inquired. "Someone who understood how you feel and could help you come back to a better place mentally?" Lys had done that for him so often. It truly was a great help.

}:If I feel brave enough, then I'll ask A'kua for help,:{ Zeiranth promised.

"I don't know," Z'then admitted. He'd never had anyone like that.

"Think about it," A'kua advised. "Then tell me what you decide. I'll help if I can." He wasn't sure how, but maybe Ilyssia could help him figure it out. She was Z'then's friend too; surely she would have some insight, smart lady that she was.

"Maybe I could talk to some other greenriders? Give things a shot?" he guessed.

"It couldn't hurt," the other weyrling stated. "Just keep an open mind, that's all. It'll get figured out."

"I hope you're right. This was just..." Z'then scrubbed at his face. "Not what I expected."

"I don't think it ever is," A'kua said quietly. "Are you goin' to be okay?"

"I guess?" Z'then said. "It's stupid to think this is bothering me."

"No, it's not," A'kua denied. "Knowin' this could happen isn't the same as actually goin' through it." That covered a lot of subjects, really, such as when he'd met Eionen. For a moment, he was tempted to give his friend a hug, but decided it wouldn't be appropriate, considering what Z'then was going through at the moment and what A'kua had been doing when Juvath called Zeiranth. "Let me finish gettin' dressed and we'll go to the dinin' cavern, get some klah and talk about somethin' else." A distraction was likely in order now to give the brownrider more time to process everything.

"Sure, that sounds good. I'll wait outside," Z'then said, hoisting himself up to go shuffle away. He was glad he'd come and talked to A'kua.

The dark-eyed weyrling shook his head, getting up to grab his boots and a tunic. He really did hope Z'then would feel better soon, especially before the next time a green went up. He also hoped he would be able to help somehow.

Last updated on the September 28th 2016

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So Much For the Afterglow.