Awkward Congratulations are in Order

Writers: Aaron, Devin, Halyonix, Shawna
Date Posted: 31st July 2024

Characters: Saedyna, Tirraze, Cirina, Oriene
Description: The quartet of girlfriends meet up at the Feast
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 5 of Turn 11

"Tirraze!" Saedyna ran up as soon as she saw her friend. She was wearing a long dress the same blue as her eyes. The bodice was low enough to be mildly scandalous at a hold, but it was almost modest for the Weyr. She also had a matching set of a necklace and earrings, gold with sapphires. Saedyna twirled to show off her dress. "It seems I'm wearing _your_ color. A blue! It's so amazing!"

"What? Oh. Yes. He really is." Tirraze smiled dreamily. And then her eyes refocused. "Whoa! You look... breathtaking." Had she always had those jewels?

"Thanks." Saedyna blushed a little. "I wanted to look good for the Hatching Feast. But I didn't think I'd Impress!" She reached out for Avarith. The dragonet was deeply asleep, but Saedyna could _feel_ her, and that was such a wonder. She held up her hand to show off a small emerald ring. "This doesn't match but I just _had_ to wear it. It's almost the same color as Avarith's hide."

"Oh, don't you two look pretty tonight," Cirina said, spotting them. "And congratulations!" She'd changed, of course, but into a more simple Gather dress than the lovely new dress she'd picked out for the Feast. That had been a victory dress, and she'd stuffed it back into her trunk after being left on the Sands. Again. "What a pretty ring. When did you get that?" Her own jewelry tended more towards seashells than stones, but she could appreciate the shine.

"Oh, a while ago." Saedyna smiled at the ring for a moment, thinking of her dragon. Then she looked up at Cirina. "You look pretty."

"Oh, thank you, this is a favorite of mine," Cirina said.

Tirraze had not been paying attention when she got dressed. She simply let herself move where her muscle memory took her. She was not horribly mismatched, but neither was she wearing anything special.

"I love it."

"It...it looks good on you," a shy voice said. Oriene, standing nearby, obviously struggling with something but still trying to summon her usual sunny smile. "Congratulations!" she said to Saedyna and Tirraze but it lacked heart. Still, Oriene wasn't going to admit her own disappointment. She was going to focus on her friends' triumphs!

"Thank you." Tirraze smiled, but something was off with her. Like she was not quite really all there. Oriene certainly noticed.

"So, um, what's his name?" she asked.

"Who? Oh, the dragon. Um." Tirraze paused to ponder and smiled in the same oddly vacant way. "Riamorth."

Saedyna gave her a curious look. "I think you're floating even higher than I am."

Cirina caught Orienne's eyes, giving her a sympathetic smile and then mouthing, "Weyrlings" silently at her fellow candidate. It was always the same. Fellow candidates suddenly blissfully and annoyingly starry eyed.

Oriene caught Cirina's expression. She managed a sympathetic smile back. This just...didn't feel right. This wasn't supposed to happen this way. "Riamorth is a pretty name," she managed to say. She didn't feel like saying it though. She didn't know what she felt like then.

"Hm? Oh. Thank you." Tirraze smiled. Something about the name felt like... it belonged to someone else. But everything she was feeling now felt that way. Even her own body. Perhaps she was dreaming, after all. It felt like a dream.

She focused on a cup on a nearby table and held out her hand. If she was dreaming, the cup would fly to her hand...

...

Nothing.

"Are you okay Tirraze?" Saedyna felt like she was glowing from the inside, but Tirraze seemed like she was half asleep.

"Oh, I'll be fine," she said. "I think I'm just a bit tired." That was it, right?

"Maybe you should just get some dinner and go get some sleep?" Cirina suggested. "Be nice and rested for your first day?"

"No, I... Hm... Maybe that is for the best." Tirraze could always feast double the next time.

Saedyna gently took her arm and steered her toward the tables. "Let's get you some food."

That left Oriene and Cirina alone for a moment. "This...is weird, right?" Oriene murmured to the other girl.

Cirina shrugged, "Yeah. Maybe she's still in shock a little? I would be."

Oriene didn't seem convinced on that but she didn't press the thought. "I guess," she said quietly. Her arms shifted so that she appeared to be hugging herself, holding herself together in some unconscious way, but after a moment of that, she bounced on her toes restlessly and said, "Let's...go join them. Food is a good idea." She linked arms with Cirina as they walked away.

Last updated on the July 31st 2024

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Awkward Congratulations are in Order