A Family Argument (1/2)

Writers: Avery
Date Posted: 19th October 2017

Characters: A'kades, V'rel
Description: A'kades visits Vatirel for Turnover and it doesn't go well.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 29 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: A'dryn

Volaith stood patiently as A'kades strapped him up. }:I am glad we are
going to Dolphin Cove. There are nice greens there.:{

**Yes, there's Nalarith and others,** A'kades thought back indulgently
as he tugged tight the last strap and then mounted up. **You can flirt
with greens before we go to Opal Cove Hold.**

}:Good,:{ Volaith said.

He jumped into the air above Dragonsfall and then /betweened/ to Dolphin
Cove when he received the visual from his rider. It was the late
afternoon there, and as they descended A'kades could see that there was
a number of people visible and bustling activity going on on the beach
and the weyrbowl. Preparing for Turnover festivities, he assumed.

Volaith landed, let his rider go, and then sprung into the air to find a
place on the rim and pay attention to the greens. His rider walked
through the weyrbowl and over to the Candidates' Barracks, stopping to
greet a few River Bluff residents who he recognized along the way. He
poked his head into the boy's side, but didn't see his son there. He did
see a young man from River Bluff, Norguzi, who informed him that Vatirel
had headed off to the crafters' area to work on a project.

So A'kades headed that way, and managed to run into Vatirel walking out
of one of the small rooms.

His son was carrying a pile of fabric and dropped some of it when he saw
A'kades. "Dad!" he exclaimed.

"Want me to help you with that?"

Vatirel was already on his knees, picking up the scattered pieces. "No,
it's fine, I've got it," he said, and then, to deflect, "I wasn't
expecting to see you here."

"I wanted to see all of my family during Turnover, even if it's not all
at the same time," the bronzerider said. "I also tried to see you the
other night, but you were occupied."

"Huh?" Vatirel asked.

"At the party for the River Bluff people. I heard about it via the
dragon gossip network, and Volaith and I stopped by when it was in
swing. I looked for you but when I saw you...you were pretty busy,"
A'kades said as a moment, deciding that was the most delicate way that
he could put what he'd seen.

Which had been his son and someone else at a table straddling each other
with tongues down the throat. He hadn't wanted to interrupt the good
time his son was clearly having. It wasn't that he disapproved exactly –
well, he did, but not because he was disgusted by it being two men
anymore. He just hadn't really realized that Vatirel was old enough to
be...dating or having relations or whatever his connection with the
other boy was. But now he was all too aware of it.

Vatirel was suddenly deeply grateful that he had dropped the bolts of
cloth he'd been carrying onto the floor. He turned bright crimson,
realizing exactly what his father must have seen. He couldn't imagine
that his father had seen the passionate public makeout he'd been having
with Tyselin. And he hadn't been interrupted after he'd left the table
with the other boy, which meant that his father must have decided not to
interrupt them because he would have known where it was going and…
shards, this was embarrassing.

"I didn't know you were coming to the party," he managed to choke out in
a voice that was only slightly higher-pitched then normal, "or I would
have tried to find you instead of sitting with my friends."

"I didn't know it was happening until Volaith heard about it beginning,"
A'kades said.

"Sorry you wasted your time coming out to see me and then didn't get to
talk." He finally got everything gathered up into his arms and the blush
on his face under control, so he stood up. "I'm going back to the
barracks," he added so they could start walking.

"I ran into A'dryn and talked with him," A'kades said. "But I did wish
I'd seen you."

**Of course he found someone else to talk to. They might have been the
real reason he came, and I was just an afterthought,** Vatirel thought
bitterly. **He seems to like A'dryn more than me.**

"It's why I wanted to come see you early tonight, though," his father
was saying.

"Get this stop in before the rest of your busy Turnover?" he asked, the
disgruntlement he was feeling bubbling up and out of his lips before he
could process or stop it.

"I'm sorry?"

When Vatirel looked over, the bronzerider looked genuinely confused by
the question. That made him feel bad, but now that he started talking he
was just going to commit to it. "Well, Dolphin Cove's ahead in time, so
you're coming here to see me, then you're going to go back to the rest
of your family for the evening, right?"

"I was going to spend some of it at Dragonsfall," A'kades said. "But I
also wanted to see my parents at Opal Cove's Tannercraft."

"Right, because you love it so much over there."

A'kades stopped walking, sensing something was going on. "Vatirel,
what's bothering you?"

Last updated on the November 2nd 2017

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A Family Argument (1/2)