Needing a Friend

Writers: Devin, Miriah
Date Posted: 26th April 2016

Characters: A'dryn, Lanniya
Description: A'dryn runs to his best friend after his first flight.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 4, day 3 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: K'ale

Lanniya

A'dryn had taken a long bath, but no amount of scrubbing would wash
away what had happened. He knocked on Lanniya's door, desperate for
the company of his best friend.

Lanniya opened the door and looking at A'dryn's face, her smile
faltered. "A'dryn? Are you okay?"

"Nalarith rose." Didn't she know? Or had she gotten used to tuning out flights?

"Didn't it go okay? Are you hurt?" She had thought he was ready. He'd
been with a man before so surely... She bustled him in and closed the
door, hurrying to pour some wine for him.

"I'm... sore." The warm water had helped a lot. A'dryn reached for the
glass with a trembling hand. "A brownrider won. He wasn't cruel, but
when I apologized it made him angry." He didn't understand how it had
gone so wrong.

Lanniya frowned for a moment and then ran her hand through her hair.
"Why did you apologize, A'dryn? Brownriders know what can happen
during a green flight. They're not sorry about it." She nudged him to
her couch and pulled him down to sit beside her. "Don't ever be sorry
for who you are. You don't have to be here."

"But they don't even _like_ men. It must be horrible for them." A'dryn
swallowed half the wine in a few quick gulps.

Lanniya stared at him. "It's not horrible. It feels good for them too
during the whole flight, you know. Besides, it's the dragons making
the decisions, not them. They know that and I've spoken to bronzes and
browns and they never say anything about their riders hating being
with male greenriders. It just _is_. " She curled her feet under her.
"Just enjoy the moment. That's what I've gotten from dragons and their
riders. Don't worry so much about something you can't change."

"I know the dragons are in control. I wasn't _me_ during the flight."
Being one with Nalarith had been wonderful. "Nalarith enjoyed
everything and I enjoyed it through her... but it was still _my_ body
doing things I didn't choose. Same with the brownrider. He might
accept it and understand it, but he would never _want_ to be with a
man."

"Maybe." She agreed. "But they know it happens. It's a fact of life
that you shouldn't apologize for." She sighed. "Look, I don't know
much about...you know.. cause I've never done it and I've never been
in a flight yet. I don't know what it feels like to do that in a
Flight. But it's not going to be my choice either. And it kind of
scary to think about. I wish I could help you, I just don't know how."

A'dryn looked down at the remaining wine in his glass and took a slow,
deep breath. "But you _are_ helping me, just by being here. You're my
friend, the best friend I've ever had." Since he realized he was
attracted to boys, he hadn't been able to be fully honest with
anybody. Now he had Lanniya and he could tell her anything. "I don't
expect you to fix this, I only want you to listen." And he didn't want
her to feel badly about not solving his problems.

"I'm always willing to listen to you. For anything." Lanniya refilled
his wine. "I guess I just feel the need to fix things sometimes."

**Some things can't be fixed.** But A'dryn didn't want to make her
feel worse. "Thank you, Lanniya. And I'm here for you, too, if you
ever have need of a sympathetic ear."

"Everything with me is going alright at the moment." She shrugged.
"I'm more concerned with you right now."

He nodded and took a small sip of wine. "I feel better just talking to
you. I'm certainly not looking forward to next time, but I expect it
will get easier." Every three months until Nalarith was too old to
fly. The thought made him queasy. "It was embarrassing and frightening
and somewhat painful, but for all that it wasn't quite as terrible as
I feared."

Her brow furrowed. "I thought that after the first time it didn't hurt
anymore. " Her face relayed her confusion. "I thought it would be okay
for you now."

His face heated. "Flights can be rough and it's . . . um . . . not
quite the same for men." Thinking about it made the ache in his bottom
flare up.

Her cheeks pinkened right along with his. "Oh. OH." Her eyes widened.
"Right. I didn't think of that. Uhm...don't they make oil and stuff
for that?" Her brows rose. "Or do you need numbweed or something?"

He was mortified to be talking about this. He shouldn't be discussing
intimate details, especially with a woman. But that was holder
thinking, wasn't it? A'dryn wasn't a holder anymore. "Numbweed after."
He'd used some in the flight room and put more on after his bath.
"When the flight is happening there's no time for... preparation."
With more experience it apparently hurt less but it would be a while
before A'dryn reached that point.

Lanniya didn't know the specifics of how a man and man did
their...thing besides what the dragons shared. She was intensely
curious, but she could see A'dryn's discomfiture. "I guess it is
different. I mean...different areas and stuff." Her cheeks remained
pink. "But it's better outside of flights, right?"

"I've only done it the one time, but yes." He'd been sore after that
too, but in the way of tired muscles after a long day's work. This
felt more like a strain.

"Then you should do it more. To get in to the swing of it." Her eyes
grew mischievous and twinkled as she waggled her brows. "Then you can
tell me how fun it was." Her brows rose and then she suddenly gushed.
"I got kissed. Finally! I didn't tell you, did I?"

A'dryn was glad for the change of subject. "You did? Who kissed you?"
He sat straighter.

Lanniya blushed. "It was K'ale. He's from Dragonsfall and he's super
nice and very cute." She leaned forward and gave a mock whisper. "And
it was more than kiss. Not all the way, but some fun things."

His eyes widened. A'dryn's initial instinct was to be scandalized, but
then he remembered life was different here and Lanniya _needed_ to
have experience. "Oh. I'm very glad for you." And he was. A'dryn found
himself smiling.

Lanniya beamed."Maybe it'll be more sometime soon. I'm hoping!" She
lifted her glass. "And more for you too!"

Last updated on the April 29th 2016

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Needing a Friend