To Kisses

Writers: Devin, Miriah
Date Posted: 15th September 2015

Characters: A'dryn, Lanniya
Description: /Betweening/ is celebrated
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 1, day 8 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: D'ren, K'mai, D'arvn, B'jon

Lanniya

Bursting through the door and still in her flight gear, Lanniya strode
into A'dryn's wear, brandishing a skin of wine. "We did it!" A wide
smile flashed on her face as she held out the wineskin. "I got this
from the kitchens. I say we celebrate!"

He couldn't help a little smile at her excitement. "You don't want to,
um... spend time with someone special?" Many of the weyrlings,
especially the weyrbred ones, had been talking about what they were
going to do once the ban was lifted. A'dryn planned to put that
particular experience off as long as he could, but now he could feel
the clock ticking.

Lanniya blinked at him as she sat down, still holding out the wine
skin. For a moment, it didn't click as to what he was talking about,
but then her eyes widened and a hint of a blush stained her cheeks.
"Oh. _That_. Well, no one's really offered." She looked a little
disconcerted about it for only a moment. "I mean, I've never even been
so much as kissed, so it's not like I can just throw myself at
someone, " she flung herself back against the couch dramatically, "and
say 'Take me, I'm yours!' or something." She then giggled and hopped
up, rummaging through a cabinet for some glasses. Finding two, she
poured them each a glass of red wine and pointedly thrust one at him.
"Besides, I want a little romance, you know?" Her eyes became a bit
dreamy. "Like in the Harper tales."

A'dryn accepted the glass and took a sip. Harper tales weren't for
people like him. "I hope you find that, Lanniya. Maybe a handsome
bronzerider will sweep you off your feet."

She curled her feet under her on the couch and eyed him, taking of a
sip of the wine. It was rather tasty, she decided. "What about you,
A'dryn? What about someone sweeping _you_ off your feet, or you
sweeping someone. There's lots of handsome greenriders and weyrstaff
that would like you."

His face heated all the way to the tips of his ears. "Um, I don't...
No." Though for a little tiny moment he thought of B'jon.

"Well, why not?" Her head tilted to the side. "Have you just not met
anyone?" She perked up a bit. "I know a couple of people." She lifted
her hands. "K'mai is really nice and he's cute. Or there's D'arvn. He
Searched me and he's a blue rider too."

A'dryn looked down. "I can't... think like that. I still feel like
it's wrong. Perverted." He couldn't just forget what he'd been told
all his life.

Lanniya sighed and shook her head. "I know it's going to be hard." She
rose and put her arm around her friend. "I'm a little scared too, you
know. But we have to do things for our dragons now. But you..." She
hugged A'dryn, "are not perverted or anything like that. Neither are
any of the other male greenriders or blueriders. "

He hugged her back, so thankful to have her as a friend. "I'm trying
to believe that. To see them, see myself the way weyrfolk do."

"You will believe it some day." She replied, with certainty. "I'm not
weyr raised and I don't see you that way."

"You're a wonderful person, Lanniya." A'dryn retrieved his glass from
the table and took a large swallow. "Sometimes there's a moment." He
closed his eyes, daring to be honest with her when he could hardly be
honest with himself. "A glimpse of what it might be like to love
someone. And I want it so much it burns." Saying it out loud made his
heart race.

"And don't you see? Now you have a chance to get that." She nudged him
gently. "Without anyone saying it's wrong or it shouldn't happen. You
get to be able to find someone who loves you as much as you love him.
And that's a good good thing." She took a sip of her own wine. She
didn't have that _burn_ so to speak, but then she hadn't had to hide
herself like he had had to.

Opening his eyes, he sighed. "But the moment passes and I hear all the
things holders say about people like me. What my Mother said at the
Hatching."

"That's them. They're not here. You are. They don't live here. You do.
And they certainly aren't flying Thread, now are they?" She huffed.
"What your Mother said was wrong, A'dryn. "

He took another drink. That was easy to say but he couldn't forget how
much those words hurt. "At least I know this is where I belong."

"You do belong here. And you always will." She gave him another hug.
"We're your family now."

A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed. He needed to change the
subject before he stared crying. "So what about your Harper romance
ideas? Do you have your eye on anyone?"

That brought a blush and Lanniya stepped away to take a quick sip of
wine. "There is this one bronzerider. He is very handsome and I'm
pretty sure he likes me."

"Oh?" A'dryn said with an amused smile.

She nodded and smiled. "I think I'll talk to him tomorrow and..." She
wiggled a bit. "Maybe I can get that kiss to start out with." She
turned to A'dryn. "Have you ever...you know..."

"Kissed anyone? Oh goodness, no!" Beyond being a perverse act, kissing
a boy would have been risking a beating.

"Oh. I was hoping you could tell me what it was like." She sighed and
rested her head on her hands. "The dragons don't really understand,
you know. Just the mating part."

"I'd be shocked if dragons _did_ understand kissing." The idea was
amusing. "You could ask someone else. Some of our weyrbred clutchmates
seem rather... experienced."

She shrugged. "None of them seems even a little bit interested."

"Maybe they're intimidated, with you being a goldrider." Although he
found it hard to believe that anyone who'd spoken to Lanniya would be
intimidated by her.

"Intimidated? By me?" That brought a grin. "I don't see how. I'm not a
senior gold rider or anything. It's not like I bite."

"Well, they don't know you. And... things are different here. Maybe
_you_ should approach them."

"They _are_ different." She agreed. "Maybe D'ren..." Her voice trailed
off. "I think I can do that. I know he likes me."

A'dryn smiled. "Of course he likes you. It would be hard not to." He
wished he could be like Lanniya. Things would be so much easier if he
was... normal.

She grinned and then lifted her glass. "To getting kisses."

For her sake, he went along with it. "To getting kisses." Although the
thought made his heart race with nervousness.

Last updated on the September 28th 2015

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To Kisses