But It's Gross!

Writers: Devin, Halyonix
Date Posted: 8th April 2025

Characters: R'lor, O'dyn
Description: O'dyn talks to R'lor about sex
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 6, day 13 of Turn 12

R'lor

Notes:
~*~

O'dyn was somewhere in the middle. Of a lot of things. He was
graduated from weyrlinghood but not yet old enough to go to the Wings
but old enough to have a job (sort of a job) but not old enough
to...okay, it was complicated.

"Weyrlingmaster?" he asked, peeking around R'lor's door one day.

The Weyrlingmaster looked up from his hidework. "O'dyn, what do you
need? Please come in."

"Um, this is...weird. To ask. I mean, I'm not curious about it _that_
much. I mean, not at all, really. But everyone else was talking about
it before they graduated and I just...I want to talk to someone about
it but not my classmates -- former classmates -- and I'm not going to
ask _another_ adult because it's kind of weird to just _ask_ someone,
right?"

"You can ask me anything, O'dyn," R'lor said gently. "That's what I'm here for."

The littlest bluerider squirmed. "I don't...what if I
don't...whatifIdon'twanttohavesexbecauseit'sweirdandgrossandIdon'tlikeitand-"

The Weyrlingmaster took a moment to work out the nervous jumble of
words. "Ah, you don't want to have sex?"

O'dyn shook his head with such vigor that it surprisingly stayed
attached to his neck.

"Well, unfortunately, Genireth is going to chase, and eventually he's
going to catch," R'lor said gently. "If you don't have any experience
with sex, you could panic and hurt him. And you could also hurt your
flight partner."

The littlest bluerider obviously didn't like this answer. "Can I...ask
him to _not_?" And then, inspiration struck. "Or! Or! Can the
Weyrwoman's dragon command him to not? Can't they tell other dragons
not to do something?"

"I'm sorry, but that wouldn't be right to do to Genireth. You can ask
him, and he may listen. But to deny him from flights at all . . ."
R'lor shook his head.

O'dyn looked absolutely despondent. "But...b-but...I'm just a kid!"
Okay, he wasn't a kid, he was a teenager, but he was still a really
young teenager and it wasn't his fault that Genireth had found him so
early and he wouldn't trade Genireth for the world but...but... "Can't
he...just wait?" Maybe in a few Turns O'dyn would be okay with it? He
didn't think so. But he was grasping at anything that would keep him
from doing...from...

Sex was gross, okay? Why did everyone _like_ it so much?!

"You are a dragonrider, O'dyn," R'lor said in a kind tone. "And you
have a duty to Genireth and your fellow dragonriders. Preparing for
your dragon to chase is part of your training, would it help you to
think if it like that? It can be a physical action, like drills, so
your body and mind will be familiar with it when you participate in a
flight." O'dyn certainly wasn't the first youngster who wanted nothing
to do with it.

O'dyn's face scrunched unhappily. Nothing in this conversation was
going right. It was all pointing to him doing this gross thing and he
-- "I don't even know if I like girls! Or boys! Or anyone!" he blurted
out.

That did make things a bit more complicated. "And that's all right.
Maybe try one of each? You may find that you don't like either, and
that's fine, too."

The bluerider made a noise that sounded like a cross between a canine
whining and something deflating painfully. He stared at his feet,
resisting the urge to kick childishly. "Maybe...I'll just ask him
nicely. For now," he muttered, defeated.

"O'dyn, I know this is particularly difficult for those born outside
the Weyr, but you need to put your personal feelings aside." R'lor
sometimes hated this aspect of weyrling training. Sex was an intimate
act, even for most weyrfolk, and it should be up to O'dyn when or if
he had that experience. But having a dragon took away that choice. "I
cannot allow you to ignore your duty and put Genireth's safety at
risk."

O'dyn deflated a bit more. "...yes, sir," he quietly said. And sat
there. Like some lost canine. Because he really, really, really wasn't
sure how he was going to do this thing that he really, really didn't
want to do but had to because he didn't want to get hurt or hurt
Genireth or anyone else and why was everything so complicated?

"I have some people who've agreed to help those in your situation, if
you would like? They will be kind and patient with you," R'lor said.

"...okay."

"It'll be all right, lad," the Weyrlingmaster said gently. "You did
the right thing by coming to speak with me about your concerns. I'm
proud of you."

He didn't feel proud. "...thanks," he said politely. And then, because
he wasn't a child and he was supposed to be a fully fledged
dragonrider and not a little weyrling anymore (even though he was
still helping with weyrlings), O'dyn tried his best to square his
shoulders like an adult and said, "Thank you for listening, sir."

Last updated on the April 22nd 2025

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But It's Gross!