Stay Positive

Writers: Paula, Devin
Date Posted: 3rd October 2014

Characters: B'jon, A'dryn
Description: B'jon and Aldryn meet in meal line.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 9, day 3 of Turn 7

Aldryn watched the young man in front of him in the lunch line. Around
his age, and the knots showed him to be a weyrling greenrider. He
swallowed hard, knowing what that meant. Disgust rolled in his
stomach.

But that was why he was here, wasn't it? To be somewhere that a freak
like him could be... useful.

B'jon felt eyes on the back of his head and turned to look. He gave
the boy in candidate's knots a friendly smile. He seemed to be around
B'jon's age.

Aldryn tried hard not to think about how attractive the rider was and
forced a polite smile. "Good day, sir. I hope your dragon is well."

"Good day, candidate, she's fine. How about you? New to the Weyr?"
B'jon replied.

"Yes, sir. I arrived just yesterday." His heart was beating too fast
and he told himself to calm down.

"Stop calling me sir, please. I'm not sir to anyone," B'jon asked and
rolled his eyes. As a greenrider, he was as low ranked as dragonriders
could go. Not that he minded. Rank never been important to him.

"Sorry si-- er, um..." Aldryn stammered. "Greenrider." He cleared his
throat and tried to regain his composure. "I am Aldryn." He offered
his hand.

"I'm B'jon, and my lady's name is Denenth," B'jon replied and offered his hand.

"Well met, and fair skies." Aldryn shook his hand, heart beating a
little fast. When he pulled his hand away, it tingled. Aldryn couldn't
quite meet the rider's eyes. This was just the way he felt about that
trader boy that came with the Caravan almost a turn past.

B'jon flashed him a grin but was then distracted when the line moved
forward. After he had his lunch he turned to the candidate again.
"Wanna sit with me?" he asked, noddind towards a free table.

He shouldn't. This greenrider was far too tempting. "It would be my
pleasure." **You're unnatural. Disgusting. Unmanly.** The voice in his
head sounded a bit like him, and a bit like Gartrim, the worst of his
tormentors. Aldryn started filling his plate with food, wondering if
he'd be able to eat.

"So, Aldryn, where do you come from and what did you do before being
Searched?" B'jon asked after they had seated. His tone was amiable and
friendly.

"I'm from Blue Creek Hold. It's a... small place." Nothing compared to
the vastness of the Weyr. "I was an understeward."

"Understeward, I'm impressed," B'jon remarked. "I'm just a cotholder's
son myself. My main job was to tend the farm's beasts," he continued.

"So you're from a hold... have you adjusted to life here?" Everything
was so different.

"Yes, pretty well. Somethings things get bit crowded around here, than
I just take walk outside the Weyr. Now that Denenth's grown up, I can
leave the Weyr," B'jon replied. He had no troubles adjusting to the
Weyr, he had taken the dragonrider's life like duck to the water.

Aldryn wanted to ask what it was like, being a man who liked other
men. But he was too embarrassed and that was far too personal to ask
someone he'd just met. "How long ago did you Impress?" There, that was
a safe question.

"Not long ago, Denenth and I are barely out of weyrlinghood," B'jon
grinned. "So I haven't been dragonrider for long."

"Oh." Aldryn poked at his food. "How do you like being a rider?"
Another neutral question that wasn't what he really wanted to ask.

"I like it. It's hard work and dangerous but I feel like.... I was
born to do it," B'jon answered. He looked thoughtful when he chewed
his food.

Aldryn took a bite to keep from saying what was on the tip of his
tongue. It gave him a chance to think of something else to say. "I
hope life as a rider will suit me as well. Provided I Impress, of
course." He had to, or else his life was useless.

"Don't worry, when your lifemate founds you, you know you belong
here," B'jon said cheerfully.

If he Impressed, it would be green and then _everyone_ would know.
Would his parents disown him? "I hope you're right," Aldryn said
quietly.

"Cheer up, keep thinking positive and you'll succeed for certain,"
B'jon encouraged.

"Is that really all there is to it?"

"It worked out for me," B'jon replied. He was great believer in
positive thinking.

**Maybe you were just lucky,** Aldryn thought. "Then I'll do my best
to think positive."

"It certainly doesn't harm you," B'jon said.

Last updated on the December 19th 2014

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