Stargazing

Writers: Sia, Yvonne
Date Posted: 23rd March 2025

Characters: A'khal, H'run
Description: H'run stumbles upon A'khal stargazing
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 13 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: B'nell, Esiah, K'mai, Cyradis

H'run

The time difference between Dragonsfall Weyr and Dolphin Cove Weyr meant that H’run was awake well before dawn. He’d stayed up late as well talking with Esiah, but after saying goodnight he’d lain awake ruminating on K’mai. Every glance, every gesture, every word he’d said in the flight cots after that disastrous greenflight…

In a fit of pique he’d thrown off his light blanket and wandered to the kitchens for klah. The air smelled like flowers and fresh bread, and as he poured himself a mug he was serenaded by the happy chatter of kitchen staff.

It was awful.

The bluerider grimaced and decided to take his klah somewhere with less laughter. Joy was unpalatable at this hour. He started climbing stairs and eventually found himself at the top of the cliff, so he turned away from the star stones and started walking in hopes of finding somewhere decent for a sunrise.

Instead he found a man peering through a telescope. H’run debated walking past him so he could find somewhere to brood in peace, but then the man saw him and he was out of luck. “Fair skies, I hope?”

The other man had nearly made A'khal's heart stop when he appeared in the corner of his vision. He stepped back from the telescope quickly, careful not to smack himself against the eyepiece. "Fair enough." He said, "Wasn't expectin' anyone else out tonight, near scared me outta my skin."

“My apologies.” H’run bowed, careful not to spill his klah. “It is a rather dreadful time of night, isn’t it.”

"It's a perfect time of night when the skies are clear." A'khal said, "Got a good view of the other planets tonight. I'll regret it tomorrow at 'drills, but that's what klah is for."

“Which other planets?” H’run vaguely knew that one could see planets from Pern, but to him they just looked like other stars.

A'khal gestured towards the telescope. "Take a look! I was admiring the gas giant. Cinder is usually only visible at dawn or twilight, because it's so close to Rukbat. The other two on opposite sides of the horizon. I'm tracking the changes in the giant to determine how fast it rotates. One day there is supposed to be about ten candlemarks."

“Ten candlemarks!?” That seemed ridiculous. H’run bent to peer through the eyepiece and was rewarded with the sight of a bright, round orb that looked to be the size of a pinhead. It was both amazing to see that far and somehow utterly mundane “I wonder if Pern looks the same from the gas… planet… as that thing looks to us?”

"I think we'd be blue with a bit of green, with the water and the flora lookin' as they do, but who knows!" A'khal said with growing excitement, "There's stories about dragons being able to _between_ to the Red Star, but that's when it's at its closest point in orbit. If we could travel to the nearest planet? How wild would that be, to look up and see that everything is just this blue dot." He paused and shot H'run a wry grin. "You caught me at my most excitable. I don't get a lot of spare time for idle stargazing these days. It's all Threadfall patterns and Red Star tracking."

“Such is life in a Pass,” the bluerider said with a sigh. “Thank you for letting me look…?”

"Alas." A'khal agreed. "A'khal of blue Tenebith, at your service. Are you a new transfer? I don't think I recognize you."

“I’m… with the Queen’s Wing for a little while.” H’run sipped his klah and surreptitiously checked A’khal’s knots. The bluerider was Wingthird, and he wore the silver in his hair rather well. “H’run of blue Calcifeth. We’re from Dragonsfall Weyr.”

"That would do it. I'm in Cyclone Wing, myself." A'khal wasn't sure if the flick of the eyes downward was at his knots or at _him_, and he preened a little just in case, straightening his back and tilting his chin slightly to the side so the silver in his hair caught in the light. "You're in the right place. I'd rather fly Thread double than spend an entire winter in Dragonsfall, begging your pardon. I need to feel warm."

“No pardons needed. It’s rather horrendous there right now.” He sipped his klah again. Perhaps A’khal was right, and being spurned by K’mai could be a boon after all. “Are you from here, then?”

"I've been here since the Weyr first opened, but I impressed out at Vista Point." A'khal answered with practiced ease. "What about you? Were you raised in the perpetual cold?"

He shook his head. “I Impressed at Dream’s End Weyr, although I was Searched at the Harper Hall. I seem to keep moving to cold places. It’s a fault of mine. One among many,” the bluerider said with a sigh.

"We all have our faults. That's a minor one." A'khal said easily. "And you're rectifying it now, so I won't hold it against you. Has anyone introduced you to the harpers here? You look like a man who enjoys being on stage."

“However did you guess?” H’run pressed a hand against his chest and batted his eyelashes.

A'khal chuckled, "I just have a knack for these things."

“So you do. No, I haven’t been introduced to any Harpers yet. I’ve mainly been focused on touring the bathing chambers. Do you have a favourite?”

"I don't really have a good ear for those things, though I'll happily sing along off-key. B'nell is excellent. He doesn't look like a man who enjoys being perceived in public and he's one inconvenience away from an ulcer, but it's always a hoot watching him perform. Maybe you can convince him to do it more often."

“I’ve been assigned to the Queen’s Wing while I’m here so I recognize B’nell’s dragon but I couldn’t say that I could pick the rider out in a crowd. I suppose I should pay more attention at drills. Don’t tell Cyradis?”

"Your secret is safe with me. My advantage is being here so long. I remember when that kid was a weyrling." A'khal's eyes twinkled with a bit of mischief. "The view isn't as good as the baths, but you're welcome to stargaze here until sleep or 'drills. I may chatter too much, that's one of my faults."

On the one hand, revelling in his misery alone under a starry sky was very poetic. On the other, H’run was a social creature who found too much silence too heavy on the soul. A’khal was much older than he was, but he was also very good looking. It was the last fact that made up his mind. “I’d love to join you. And tell me,” he said gesturing at the telescope again, “what else can you see with this thing?”

A'khal grinned. "Let me show you."

Last updated on the April 3rd 2025

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Stargazing