The Kiss Heard 'Round the World

Writers: Devin, Halyonix
Date Posted: 15th December 2025
Series: Bronze and Blue Entwined

Characters: K'mai, Nirian, I'serin, Brecand
Description: A pleasant visit to the tavern turns sour when holders have some rude things to say.
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 11, day 12 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: N'vanik, E'kirim, J'ler, Zariah

K'mai

I'serin

"And I here thought that you had _forgotten_ about me!" Nirian cried happily as she spotted K'mai walking into the tavern that evening.

"Nirian, love! Of course not!" K'mai blew her a kiss.

"You pretty little liar," she teased with her hands on her curvy hips and flirty grin on her face. She went to go pour him a drink. "Well, catch me up on the party news. Who's with who now?"

"Did you hear the best, juiciest gossip from Dolphin Cove?" K'mai asked with a bright, eager expression. If news hadn't reached the tavern yet, the rumor mill was broken.

"Noo...?" Nirian answered, looking saucily curious as she handed him his drink. "You'd be--oh! Your friend Lord No Name is here." Her gaze centered on the door, where that unnamed rider who had bought bottles of wine for K'mai's birthingday was walking in, tucking something into his pocket. "You _definitely_ forgot about me," she teased, though it was less enthusiastic.

"I assure, I did not. I have been busy," I'serin said as he sat at the bar next to K'mai but enough distance away so as not to accidentally touch.

Nirian wrinkled her nose, not believing him one ounce. As she went to pour him a drink, she said, "You were saying, K'mai?"

K'mai tried to be careful in public, but he couldn't hide a flash of warmth when he saw I'serin. Nirian's question brought him back to reality. "Oh, uh . . ." he gave I'serin a brief, slightly guilty look. "The Dolphin Cove Weyrleader danced with his greenrider friend again, only this time they _kissed_!"

The bartender's eyes went wide. "His _male_ greenrider friend? The one that you were telling me about last time? The boy toy?"

A wide grin spread across K'mai's face and he nodded. "Uh-huh. They finally admitted it. A bronzerider into men. A _Weyrleader_! That makes _three_ bronzeriders I know of who are attracted to men." He paused to count, checking that he wasn't including anyone he wasn't supposed to. Maybe he shouldn't include E'kirim, he did seem pretty annoyed at K'mai's questioning, but the young bronzerider wasn't hiding it, either, and the whole sharding Wing table had heard J'ler bragging.

Nirian laughed. "Oh, I bet the rumor mill is just having a basket of felines over that," she said. Sure, it might be a little odd -- guys into guys and whatnot -- but Nirian wasn't going to judge. Their bedroom, their rules. "Well, I hope he's happy," she added as she passed I'serin his drink. "What about you, Lord No Name? What have you been up to?"

I'serin paused as he went to take a sip. "Not...much," he said carefully. "Drills, sweeps. The occasional Holdless rescue."

"Again?!" Nirian asked as she planted her hands on her hips in disbelief. She looked over at K'mai with flirtatious accusation. "You aren't doing heroics again, are you? One of your friends came here, telling me all about how you risked life and limb for a Holdless a few months ago."

"It was a family with little kids. I couldn't let them drown," K'mai said. "Anyone would have done the same."

The barmaid grinned wickedly at him. "Of course you couldn't," she agreed. "Now, when's the next party at the Weyr so that I can have a night off and enjoy it?" she asked. She looked over at I'serin. "Do you go to these parties? You don't really seem like the type. You strike me as someone who loves curling up with a good book. I can't blame you there. It's what I do most evenings."

"I do, indeed, appreciate books. Printer Hall is a favored destination of mine," I'serin answered, still carefully. He was always uncertain about Nirian. She was flirty but also sincere and it threw him off. Most women attempted to flirt with him in order to get in his bed. Nirian seemed to just like flirting.

"And neither one of you has taken me there yet," Nirian said with a dramatic pout. "That's okay. I'll get Zariah to the next time she comes to drop off new books. She lets me help her deliver sometimes." It was one of the brightest days to Nirian's month. Her sultry gaze flickered back to K'mai with a smile. "Although, _you_ could come get me for other things, you know. I'm _dying_ of boredom out here. Take me to the next thing where this Weyrleader you were talking about is! I want to see him dance."

I'serin almost choked on his drink.

K'mai gave him an amused glance before turning back to Nirian. "Sure! Shards I hope he keeps dancing with Z'kim like that. It's one of the hottest things I've ever seen."

Nirian's eyes sparkled. She licked her bottom lip playfully. "I bet. You dragonriders are always good to look at." Well, usually. Lord No Name wasn't the most handsome but Nirian could appreciate the sharpness in his eyes. He had a quick mind between those ears. Probably good with his tongue. Teasingly, Nirian asked of him, "What about you, my Lord? Do you like to cut a rug like that Z'kim guy?"

I'serin coughed, sputtered. "No," he eventually answered, still finding his voice. "No, I do not."

Nirian pouted dramatically again but the expression left within a moment. "A shame. You should try it. It's fun." She winked at K'mai. Grinning, to the bluerider, she said, "So, next Hatching or Gather or whatever you dragonriders do for partying, you'll come get me?"

I'serin felt an odd queasiness in his stomach, thinking about K'mai, Z'kim, and Nirian all in the same room. Perhaps he should warn N'vanik.

K'mai nodded. "The next time N'vanik and his friend are likely to be there, I'll bring you. And after they have their sexy dance, I'll keep Z'kim busy while you go for N'vanik." He winked.

Nirian's eyes lit up. "Do you think I could dance with a _Weyrleader_? Oh, now _that_ would be something." She shook her hips suggestively and then laughed at herself. She went to pour them refills. "Seriously, K'mai, you need to drop by more often. You, too, Lord No Name. My shifts are better when you come by."

"I"ll try to drag Lord No Name out here when I can." K'mai smiled at I'serin. "I've been teaching him how to relax."

"Good," Nirian said. "No offense, my Lord, but you look like you could use some relaxation."

I'serin's expression was all the agreement she needed.

"Let me get another round for these guys and you can keep telling me the latest gossip," Nirian said to K'mai as she turned to grab more ale for patrons.

"No matter how much I flirt with her, I'm not going to run off with her right now," K'mai said quietly, a teasing light in his eyes.

"I would not fault you either way," I'serin answered quietly, though he was inwardly glad that he did not have to think about K'mai disappearing with another lover so brazenly in front of him that time. For some reason, he did not mind K'mai's polyamorous nature so long as he did not know that it was happening. "She is very...interesting."

"She's so much fun. But I'm here with _you_." K'mai gently nudged his foot.

A pair of holders sat down at the table behind them. "Weyrleaders with _men_," one of them said. "What is this world coming to?"

I'serin stiffened slightly at those words but then forced himself to appear relaxed. No one here knew his name, his rank, or his romantic connection to K'mai. They had to be talking about N'vanik. "It seems news about Weyrleader N'vanik's...dance...is making rounds," he murmured to K'mai.

K'mai also tensed. "They seem less than happy about it."

The second holder said, "The weyrfolk have lost what little sense of decency they had. Flaunting it in front of everyone. Disgusting."

"The green and blueriders are bad enough, but at least they know their place," the first man said. "Men like that aren't fit to lead."

Hearing that, I'serin briefly closed his eyes against the old pain that he felt that he now tried to compartmentalize, tuck away. He could almost hear his father in those words.

Just as he was debating what to do, Nirian, approaching the table with drinks and overhearing these words, said, "Shush your mouth, Brecand. I don't see you taking point on the grounds crew. Think you can tell dragonriders what they're fit to do or not do?"

Brecand frowned. "Even the dragonriders know what kind of men ride bronze. _Real_ men."

His friend nodded. "There's got to be something wrong with that N'vanik. It's unnatural."

K'mai was desperate to touch I'serin in reassurance, but he knew that would make things worse. Alongside his concern was a growing anger, protective and fearsome. "Maybe we should leave."

I'serin was quiet for a long moment. "I think that would be a wise course of action," he agreed. They would leave Nirian to deal with the situation, which was probably for the best, since she knew the men better.

"Don't you be a stranger, K'mai," Nirian called lightly as the two men began to leave. She shot Brecand a sharp look. "If you start scaring away dragonriders with that talk, the Hallmaster is going to have words with you."

"Well that's just my opinion!" Brecand said. "If dragonriders can't stand to hear men speak honestly, they should behave better in public."

Leaving was definitely the right idea. K'mai didn't know what he'd do if he had to sit and listen to that while I'serin suffered. "We could go to the cliffs? Or the beach?" Somewhere far away from rude holders who sounded way too much like A'len.

While both options sounded fine usually, I'serin's mood had curdled just enough to where he said, "I think I would like to go home." A quiet mulling over a glass of wine seemed a far better option then. He had always known that others would have an opinion about his sexuality but hearing it so unabashedly unnerved him.

}: Dragons do not care for the opinions of wherries, :{ Aluneth said caustically. But then, picking up on his rider's mood, he added, }: I chose you, not them. They are the unfit ones. :{

That only marginally made I'serin feel better in the moment, though it would be a maxim he clung to later. "We can go to the cliffs another evening," he said to K'mai.

When they stepped outside, Sebeth moved to block them from the view of the tavern. K'mai gripped I'serin's hand. "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

I'serin squeezed K'mai's hand back but let go after a moment. "I am accustomed to people speaking about dragonriders in such a manner," he said, though his tone sounded a bit sad. "There are...many things that Holders will never understand about us."

"I don't really care much when holders talk about me like that. I've heard it for Turns." K'mai shrugged. "But you . . . You're worried about being judged like that at home, too."

There was a pause from the bronzerider. Then, as if he was putting on pieces of armor once again, I'serin's posture shifted into his Weyrleader mask. "People will always keep their opinions. I cannot change that," he said. He moved towards Aluneth. "I will see you back at the Weyr, another night," he said, closing the conversation.

K'mai should be used to the way I'serin closed himself off like that, but somehow it was worse now. A mingled feeling of sadness and anger clawed at his chest. "Good night," he said as he watched his lover go.

Last updated on the December 20th 2025

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The Kiss Heard 'Round the World