Appearances, Deceiving, Etc.

Writers: Avery, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 2nd March 2016

Characters: A'vel, L'exan
Description: Bathtime conversations.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 4, day 14 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: L'pin.

Normally L'exan bathed Larzeth by himself. Being a blue, Larzeth didn't take much time to clean up. But L'pin had asked him to allow a Candidate to help out, and with it being so close to a hatching, L'exan understood the other man wanted the newly arrived Searched to comprehend part of the responsibilities that came with Impressing. So he waited by the lake while Larzeth got his breakfast, looking about for his temporary assistant.

The Weyrlingmaster's Third had assigned Favelance to help out dragonriders with cleaning today, saying if he Impressed he'd need all the practice he could get. So the apprentice was heading down to the lake, feeling nervous. The dragons were huge. The riders were fit. And the Weyr looked more different than he remembered.

**He's tall and you'll find him easily,** the boy had been told. So when he saw a tall and muscled man, he went over there. "Er, excuse me. Are you waiting for a Candidate?"

L'exan looked down. Far down. **I could use this kid's head as an armrest,** he realized, and managed not to laugh aloud in amusement. "That I am." He held out his hand. "I'm L'exan. Thanks for helping out."

Favelance took the hand and shook it firmly. This, he'd learned. "Hi, L'exan. I'm Favelance. I'm supposed to be helping you wash your dragon."

"That you are," L'exan said, and motioned to the feeding pens, where his dragon, another blue, two browns and a bronze were finishing up their hunting. "Larzeth'll be over in just a moment. He likes kids, you won't have any trouble from him."

"Oh, good. Is the bronze yours?" Favelance was assuming, though he didn't know it. A tall man like L'exan clearly had to be a noble bronzerider, right?

L'exan started laughing uncontrollably. "Wrong 'b' color, kid," he managed to say a few minutes later, and pointed up just as Larzeth swooped overhead, circling in for a landing.

**Wherrydung! You've just mortally offended a dragonrider. They're going to send you home,** Favelance thought, panicked.

He went for humor to cover his embarrassment. "How about we pretend like I'm just blind?"

"I'd rather find out why on Pern you thought I ride bronze," L'exan said jovially as Larzeth landed and walked over to them.

}:This is a first. He actually mistook you for a bronzerider? How could anyone possibly think that on meeting you for the first time?:{ the blue sassed as he licked bloodied chops.

"Because you're tall and strong and look like the Harper tales say they should," Favelance said, deciding honesty was the best policy.

The Candidate looked at the blue dragon and bowed his head politely. "Hello," he said softly.

Larzeth stretched out his nose and snuffled around Favelance's head to see how he would take it as L'exan outright cackled. "Hear that, Lightning Lad? I'm built like a harper's hero tale."

The blue gave him a sidelong look. }:Harper heroes aren't hornier than an entire group of herdbeasts,:{ he remarked.

"Ah, shaddap," L'exan chuckled. "Look, kid, I've seen male greenriders built like me and bronzeriders I could lift with one hand. So while I'm flattered, just remember it's not the body type a dragon looks for: It's the brain." He looked at his dragon. "Not a word outta you."

}:Wouldn't dream of it,:{ the blue sarcastically drawled.

Favelance stiffened slightly as the dragon's head came closer. He'd never been this close to a dragon except for getting here. There was a spicy, musky scent he didn't recognize and he assumed it was dragon's skin. It was really nice, he thought. The boy stretched his hand out to touch the head gently.

"I didn't know that dragons looked at the mind. I thought...well, I guess Harpers don't always know as much as they think they do," Favelance said. "I didn't offend you by guessing wrong?"

"Aye, they don't," L'exan agreed. "Not unless they Impress too. And no, I wasn't offended. It was funny."

Larzeth allowed the Candidate to touch him on a non-bloodied area of his face for a few minutes before stepping away to submerge himself in the water. He came back quickly enough, and L'exan tossed Favelance a scrub-brush and a pot of sweetsand. "You take the left side. Don't be afraid to scrub firmly except for around his eyes," he instructed.

"Well, I like being funny," Favelance said. The descriptor beat being 'bullied', after all. And then he occupied himself with feeling the dragon's skin.

"He's beautiful. Can I say that about a male dragon?"

"Absolutely," L'exan affirmed as he scrubbed away. "I've seen handsome golds and gorgeous bronzes, blues dainty as greens and greens built like brick outhouses."

}:He really thinks I'm beautiful?:{ Larzeth asked, surprised. He had never been called such before.

**It's probably the dark colors. They're very appealing shades of blue,** his rider reasoned. **Or it could be your own muscle. You're obviously in great health.**

The blue arched his neck and preened like a green.

"Well, he is, and he should know it," Favelance said. He began to scrub, going harder like he said he'd been told. "Is this okay?"

Quite pleased, Larzeth bobbed his head to imitate a nod, and shifted slightly in the sand to adjust his stance.

"A lotta dragons like firm scrubbing," L'exan said. "It feels good to them. Gets the arms tired in the early weyrling days, but that builds muscle in the end. Lots of weyrling and wingrider chores put on bulk. If you Impress, remember to eat more to compensate. Our bodies need more when the chores get harder."

"They said eating'd make me bigger and stronger. Maybe riding would," Favelance said dolefully.

He scrubbed quietly for a few minutes before speaking up again. "So...did you know he'd be blue?"

"Nah. No one ever knows," L'exan said offhandedly, only realizing why Favelance might be asking a moment later. If the boy thought bronzeriders looked like him, maybe his parents did too. "I had a good feeling without any proof," L'exan amended. "I've liked what the lads have _and_ what the ladies have for long's I can remember. Wasn't until I got to a Weyr that I found out that might mean blue, green, or brown. No real way of knowing for sure until Impression actually happens, though. But I love Larzeth and I like riding blue," he finished proudly.

"That's good," Favelance said sincerely. "If you're happy, that's what matters... And having a dragon must be the best feeling."

"It is, but it comes with a whole lotta responsibility. Gotta be sure you can handle it. Larzeth says scrub a little harder on his shoulder, he has an itch."

"Oh, sorry Larzeth." Favelance stepped up his work.

"What kind of responsibilities? Besides nearly dying dramatically. Trust me, they tell the Harpers those parts."

"Feeding, bathing, making and mending straps, grading and sacking firestone, ground drills, flying drills, even politics," L'exan listed. "And more. There's always something."

"Politics. Harpers are supposed to know about contracts and mediation and politics. I liked that," he said reflectively. He considered the other described items. "The drills sound interesting. Flying way up there and practicing."

"It is, but you need to pay attention up there," the bluerider said very seriously. "Even experienced dragonriders can get taken off guard by sudden wind changes. Happened to my wing not too long ago. Our leader wasn't pleased."

"You look okay," Favelance said, scrubbing at Larzeth. "Did it hurt you, or him?"

"It hurt me because it hurt him," L'exan said, giving the blue's hide a pat. "But we had the best care, and helpful Candidates to bring us numbweed as needed, and now all's right with the world. Dragons can recover very quickly, thank the Ancients; it's people who heal slower."

}:Like that time when you were a kid, with the stolen peaches and the wall?:{ Larzeth asked. He knew there was a story behind that because his rider told it often to make others laugh; the details were just fuzzy to him.

"Oh!" L'exan laughed himself. "Aye, that's a good story. I actually got in more trouble as a holdbrat than a weyrling," he told Favelance, and proceeded to regale the Candidate with a story about an orchard walled off with a tall stone fence, a grove of peach trees too tempting to resist, and two hungry, thieving holdbrats who would remain nameless (cough Arlexiyan and his friend Pradol cough) who scaled the wall to filch some fruit, only to come to grief on attempting to climb back over with their shirts stuffed full of peaches. Pradol had stuck the landing, but L'exan had lost his balance on the top of the fence and fallen, landing on his friend. This resulted in a broken arm. Pradol's, not L'exan's.

Favelance had to stop scrubbing a few times, he was laughing so hard. "I can't believe that happened. I guess dragonriders aren't all perfect."

"Speak for yourself, I'm flawless," L'exan kidded, and slapped Larzeth on the haunch. "Okay, Lightning Lad, go rinse off. And there's your second to last lesson for the day, kid: Talking to someone while scrubbing a dragon makes the job go faster. The last lesson consists of how dragon hide oil can get _everywhere_."

"I'm game to learn," Favelance replied, grinning at L'exan. The bluerider wasn't really scary at all. Or weird. Or deviant. He was just a man. A nice one. Maybe this would all be okay.

Last updated on the March 6th 2016

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Appearances, Deceiving, Etc.