Awkward Introductions

Writers: Francesca, Heather
Date Posted: 2nd June 2024

Characters: A'lin, N'kayden
Description: Nikhayden meets some of the other Candidates at Barrier Lake
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 9, day 22 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: Aydhara and Lenorin (not by name)

A'lin

N'kayden

**Well, here we go,** Nikhayden thought as he entered the Candidate
Barracks, his bag slung casually over his shoulder. He had already
been informed of exactly where to go and where his bunk was, but now
he had to meet the other Candidates who lived in the barracks.

He nodded to a boy who looked to be about his own age, as he set his
things down on the bed he'd been instructed to take.

"Hey, man, I'm Nikhayden," he said, introducing himself with a hand
out to the other young man.

"Arlin," the other Candidate replied automatically, shaking
Nikhayden's hand. "You're new?"

"Yes, I just arrived. You from Barrier Lake or somewhere else?"
Nikhayden asked while opening the trunk at the foot of his bed and
tossing his things inside.

Arlin wondered where Nikhayden was from, but didn't ask. "I'm from
Barrier Hills Hold, just a short walk away. I came here to help with
construction, then was Searched," he explained, not mentioning his
brother. Nikhayden would meet him soon enough.

“A local,” Nikhayden smiled good-naturedly. “I’ll probably need your
help navigating the area. All I know is, don’t sleep walk or you might
find yourself at the bottom of the lake.”

"Ah, yes." Arlin wasn't sure how to react to that. "It is a nice area.
Very different from how it was a few Turns ago though." It was strange
how much had changed, even for everyone still at the hold.

**Geez, tough crowd,** Nikhayden thought when Arlin didn't even crack
a smile at his attempt at levity. "What was it like before?" he asked
curiously. He thought it must be interesting to have the perspective
of life before a Weyr was built.

"No dragons," was the most obvious answer. "The hold is small, and
everyone knows everyone. We're all basically cousins if you go back a
few generations. Before all of this, it was pretty quiet: most people
farmed or worked with clay. Now, there are tons of people, from all
over the place. It's nice, but it's also a lot," he admitted.

Nikhayden had grown up in a bustling Weyr so the thought of having no
dragons and the small community of a Hold sounded lonely, and slightly
boring, to him. He wondered if the holders in the area resented the
Weyrhold for setting up camp in what had previously been a quiet
place.

"Must be nice to have family close by, though," Nikhayden said.

Arlin shrugged noncommittally. He glanced around quickly to make sure
no one was listening. "It can be nice. But, it's so different there,
you know? My family is really trying to be ok with everything that
goes on at the Weyr; or at least, they've decided we just shouldn't
talk about it. I see Candidates who came here without knowing anyone
and I wonder what that would be like." He stopped, realizing he was
talking to a complete stranger. "Uh... so do you have family here?"

The words 'be ok with everything that goes on at the Weyr' raised a
little flag in Nikhayden's mind. He came from an incredibly liberal,
weyrbred family. "Yes, my sister, Ahydara is also a Candidate. My
mother is the new Weyrwoman's Second here, so we all came together."

Arlin felt a spike of anxiety at learning who Nikhayden's mother was.
Why had he been so tempted to reveal something about himself? **Don't
be such a wherry brain.**

"Wow. That's interesting." He tried to think of something to keep the
conversation going while staying pretty superficial. "My brother is a
Candidate too."

"Oh?" Nikhayden was glad for the similarity. "That must be really
great for your family, having two sons who might Impress."

"Yeah, they're pretty excited. They've come to every Hatching." They
never stayed long afterwards, but he appreciated their presence. "One
of my sisters says she wants to be a Candidate when she's old enough.
Or, at least have a firelizard."

"A firelizard would be neat," Nikhayden agreed. "My father has
actually been spending time searching the beaches for a clutch." He
rolled his eyes a little in embarrassment at his father's
over-enthusiasm for _everything_.

"Really?" Arlin didn't understand the rolled eyes. He had no
expectation of ever being in possession of a firelizard egg, but would
love to Impress a firelizard. "He hasn't found any?"

"Not that I know of, I'm sure he'd have handed out hand-drawn
pamphlets on the eggs to everyone in the Weyr by now if he had."
Nikhayden finished setting up his bunk. "I'm going to go see how my
sister is settling in. It was nice meeting you, Arlin."

"See you around." He seemed nice, although Arlin wasn't sure how close
he could be to someone who had a completely different upbringing.

Last updated on the June 7th 2024

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Awkward Introductions