Turn's Beginning (4/4)

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 16th February 2024

Characters: A'vel, R'nar
Description: A'vel crashes at R'nar's weyr and they both have to face the consequences of the night before...
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 1, day 1 of Turn 11

"Well, that was an unexpected turn of events," R'nar said, referring
to the arrival of Dallec and Brennault at A'vel's weyr. "The offer
stands, though, if you need a place to crash you can use my couch."

"I feel like a sharding idiot for forgetting," A'vel confessed,
laughing. "If you don't mind, that would be great..."

He wondered if it would be weird. It wouldn't have been weird
sevendays ago, But, with what had just happened... an unusual moment
of intimacy (even before the kiss he couldn't stop thinking about), a
spell broken by the arrival of the others... would R'nar feel weird
about it?

"It'll be like living in the barracks together all over again," the
bronzerider said as Iorath reluctantly disentangled himself from
Tsogath to come down and pick his rider up.

}:Yes, you can keep speaking,:{ Tsogath said excitedly. }:Iorath may I
share your ledge?:{ The green _absolutely_ did not want to be left out
of this!

"I liked that, so sounds great. Tsogath is excited too."

"I'll see you there, then," R'nar said, collecting his helmet and
goggles from where they dangled on the side of Iorath's straps.

"Can I borrow his safety straps?" A'vel asked quickly upon seeing
Iorath's harness. They would serve as a temporary securement since
because he'd fled the weyrledge so fast, A'vel did _not_ have his
straps or his coat or goggles.

"Sure," R'nar said, pulling them free of Iorath and handing them over.

A'vel quickly rigged an improvised harness on Tsogath, then mounted,
and she followed them back.

--

The trip /between/ served to sober R'nar up a little more than he'd
been before and it gave him a little headspace to think. Think about
that accidental kiss. The only observation he really had about it was
that he was sufficiently weirded out by it. He knew other bronzeriders
that would have been incredibly bothered but... Well... It was _A'vel_
and they'd known each other for so long now, or so it felt. He hoped
A'vel didn't feel embarrassed by it.

Iorath dropped down to their weyrledge at Barrier Lake, folding his
wings and shuffling sideways to give Tsogath plenty of room as well.

Tsogath arrived out of /between/ and followed Iorath down, moving
herself close to him. A'vel slid down behind R'nar.

"You want some water?" R'nar asked as they walked into his weyr while
he flicked on the lights. "I think after the beer and wine, I need to
hydrate."

He was shivering from the chill. "Yes, I could use some or I'm going
to have the worst headache tomorrow. At least it's Turn's Day and not
a day with drills."

Spotting A'vel's shiver, R'nar yanked the blanket from the back of his
couch and tossed it at the greenrider. "I mean, we didn't even have
the good sense to grab your coat before we left," he laughed a little
and then returned to get their waters.

"Thank you," A'vel said, pulling the blanket around his shoulders. "I
mean, we were pretty distracted."

"Yeah...." R'nar said slowly, bringing the waters over and setting one
down in front of A'vel. He sat on the opposite end of the couch, but
turned so he was facing the greenrider as he reclined a little. "I'm
sorry about that... I would never...." Ugh. What was he even trying to
say at this point? "I would never want to disrespect you. You mean too
much to me for that."

A'vel blinked once, twice, three times. "I was going to say that to
you, don't steal my line," he joked. "I mean...you're a bronzerider. I
know it's just flight things for you, and with Tsogath flirting with
Iorath like that..."

R’nar made a noncommittal noise as he took a sip of his water. He’d
heard his entire life how bronzeriders were supposed to act. His
father had loved telling him.

“Regardless, I hope it doesn’t, uh, discourage you from letting me cry
on your shoulder in the future.”

"Of course not. You're my best friend." A'vel took a large drink of
his water. "Who else can we complain with but each other?"

"Exactly," R'nar said as he stood up and collected a spare pillow and
another blanket. "Here you go, milord."

A'vel took them and pulled the blankets up around his shoulders and
over his chest, like capes. He turned his head and breathed in an
unfamiliar scent from them, R'nar's, and had to pull them a little
further around his lap and at the front as a small reaction stirred.
"I appreciate the care."

“Any time,” R’nar shot over his shoulder as he yanked his shirt over
his head and tossed it aside. Boots and pants were tossed aside next
before he flicked the lights off and flopped into bed.

A'vel glanced his eyes over and then away sharply. He tucked the
pillow under his head, laid down and dragged the blankets down around
him, and tried not to sniff at the strange-but-familiar masculine
scent on them.

---

A'vel woke up to a lightly pounding head and the feeling of a strange
cushion underneath him. He sat up, then laid back down and just
rotated his head around to look as the world spun. The weyr wasn't
his. It was...

_R'nar's_. He was waking up in R'nar's weyr. Because he'd lent his out
for Brennault and his friend to have sex in. Because they'd been
drinking and they'd...

**It was a drunken accident,** he thought. Nothing more.

He noticed he was still in his clothes. Only his boots were off. He
still had no straps and no jacket, but they could make it /between/ -
he had no idea what time it was at Dolphin Cove but he was surely
going to be late to take people back, when he'd given them a generous
limit of till noon, but now what time was it here, much less
_there_... He wasn't running away from R'nar, it was just that he had
obligations.

He could get up and pad out to Tsogath and head back out to take them
back and get to his own space and clean it and figure some things
out...

He stood up, pushed the blankets aside, and went for the weyrledge.
Then he stopped. Iorath and Tsogath were curled together on the ledge.
But instead of side by side, heads out and haunches in, they were
lying sideways across it, Tsogath on the inside and Iorath outside of
her.

**Shardit.** No way he was easily getting away.

“A’vel?” R’nar croaked, sitting up in his bed, hair askew. “Ugghhh,
beer and wine don’t mix,” he groaned, heaving himself out of bed and
across the weyr to the water pitcher.

He squinted against the morning light as he pointed at the pitcher.
“You want some water before you run off? And I’ll have to wake Iorath
up so he can let Tsogath out.”

"I could - water, yeah, and a moment of hygiene." He realized he
shouldn't actually get on Tsogath without tackling certain morning
ablutions. And when he saw R'nar looking tousled in bed and...was he
not wearing a shirt - his gaze snapped to the wall.

"I'll get out of your way and let you get cleaned up first since you
probably have to get back to Dolphin Cove." R'nar said, making his way
over to his own wardrobe for clean clothes. He'd hit up the bathing
pools once A'vel was gone.

"I do. I have to take my friend's friend back home, and..." He waved a
hand. "I hope they had fun. Uhm, where to go for necessities?" It
wasn't like he knew the inside well.

"Right through there," R'nar pointed out. Then he turned and busied
dressing himself while A'vel took care of things. Glancing at the hook
by the door, he remembered that A'vel had come without his riding
jacket.

Stepping into the weyrcouch, R'nar grabbed his spare from its peg.

"Here you go," he said to A'vel when the greenrider reappeared. "I'll
get it back from you the next time I'm at Dolphin Cove."

A'vel came out with a less aching lower half, clean hands, and pulled
on his boots before taking the jacket and pulling it on. "Thanks for
the unexpected adventure," he said, smiling.

"I should be thanking you. I'd planned on spending Turns End by myself
until you invited me to see you play." He walked the greenrider out.
Iorath had finally, albeit reluctantly, shuffled to the side so
Tsogath had room to leave the couch for the ledge.

Tsogath made a grumbling noise as she did so. }:I do not wish to
leave. I am cozy.:{

**You can cuddle later. We have errands. You like errands. We're
taking the nice man back.**

}:I get a herdbeast. Or two wherries. Outside ones.:{

**We'll see what we can find out on the plains.** A'vel shook his head
and said to R'nar, "She only wants to drop the friend off if she can
catch wild game. She's too happy here otherwise."

"Iorath is loath to have her leave," R'nar admitted as the bronze gave her a final affectionate neck rub and then flew off from the ledge to give her room to leave. "Let's not go months before we see each other again," he said. "Maybe I can visit Dolphin Cove sometime in the next month. I'm sure my mother would like to see Eranar."

A'vel smiled. "Eranar can see the beach and play in the sand, or
something like that. It will be a good experience, different from
here. And, I'd really like to see you at home."

"It's a date, then," R'nar said.

A'vel gave R'nar a hug before stepping back. "I look forward to it!"

Last updated on the February 23rd 2024

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Turn's Beginning (4/4)