Here's to Never Growing Up

Writers: Halyonix, Aaron
Date Posted: 29th August 2024

Characters: Y'rim, D'men, Sareya
Description: Some banter within the family after the BLW Hatching
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 1 of Turn 11

D'men

Sareya

Notes:
~~~~~~~~~

And just like that, the Hatching was over.

"Oh," Y'rim said with quiet, disappointing realization. He didn't even clock that he was holding D'men's hand tightly throughout the event. "They didn't Impress."

D'men rubbed Y'rim's hand gently with his thumb.

"They'll have plenty more chances!"

The greenrider nodded increasingly as he saw the logic. "Mmm. Yes. I just...oh, I had hoped! You know how it goes. To be standing there, heart in throat, hoping." He paused, leaning his head against D'men's shoulder for a moment. "We should go down there. Looks like S'ros is heading there himself."

"Oh, he always has to beat the crowd," D'men chuckled. S'ros hated to wait for anything. "Come on. We'll go collect everyone for some proper communal commiseration."

Holding hands, the two riders made it down toward the rest of the family, which was an interesting thought for Y'rim to process. Was this...really happening? He kept thinking this was a dream he would be waking up from soon but so far...

Sareya looked the most disbelievingly disappointed of the three. "I was _sure_ it was going to be this time," she said.

Ferros rolled his eyes.

"You say that every time," he grumbled. "You know, I heard some of the other kids are getting together to shoot rum�" Dad, can we have rum?"

D'men laid a hand on Ferros's shoulder, and then S'ros joined them, carrying a nonplussed Daslim.

"Pops, I'm too big..." he groaned, feeling squished.

"Are we having commiseratory beverages?" asked S'ros.

"I think we might still be a little young for that..."

"Well, 'Reya and Ferros and I might be the perfect age for it�" what do you think, Y'rim?"

"Feeling that down, are we?"

Y'rim smiled. "How about just one commiseration drink, as a little ritual?" he suggested. He ruffled Daslim's hair affectionately. "And then we find some sweets."

Sareya, after shooting Ferros a sharp look for his remarks, said, "One drink. And not shots of rum. The last time you snuck away to do that there was vomit in your boots."

Ferros's eyebrows threatened to climb into his hair.

"Shhh! You said you wouldn't say anything!"

"Oh, she didn't have to," said S'ros. "The smell told us everything we needed to know."

Daslim wrinkled his nose. It had not been a pleasant smell, no matter how well Ferros thought he had cleaned them.

"It faded eventually!"

"It faded because I washed them properly with salt and soda," said D'men. Y'rim covered his mouth to hide a giggle.

Ferros blushed fiercely and crossed his arms defensively.

"Alright, fine, no rum this time!"

"I like sweets, though," said Daslim.

"As long as you don't eat enough of them to puke!"

}: Y'rim wants to know if they are always like this, :{ Quiroanth asked Abaroath with a giggle of her own.

}:Most of the time,:{ Abaroath confided.

"They're adorable," Y'rim whispered to D'men, still trying not to giggle.

D'men smiled warmly. They really were the best kids, and he did not think so just because they were his.

"I'm glad you think so."

"One commiseratory beverage and that's it," Sareya said sternly to all of them. "And then sweets, and then home. No late partying."

"No late partying for the youngsters, maybe," Y'rim said. He shared a spicy look with S'ros and D'men.

S'ros's eyes lit up, and he waggled his eyebrows at Y'rim and D'men both. D'men merely grinned, but those who knew him knew that was his _very_ excited face.

"All right, _mom_," Ferros groused at Sareya.

"Someone has to," Sareya shot back. Immaturely, she stuck out her tongue at Ferros.

Ferros pulled a face back at her where he thought the parents would not notice, but he was never as sly as he thought he was.

When the time came, Daslim passed on even tasting the celebratory drink, and Ferros thought the stuff tasted like the inside of a box of lye soap, but he was not about to actually admit it. He had powered through the rum, after all, and that might as well have been agenothree. Sareya bravely drank hers like the adult she thought she was, even though she thought it tasted nasty too.

D'men covered his face to hide the grin at seeing the twinge in Ferros's face every time he took a swig of the beer.

Daslim was happy to get started early on the sweets and was eagerly scarfing down as many bubbly pies and syrupy cakes as he could manage. "Oh, easy there!" Y'rim cautioned him with a grin. "Upset tummies are not how we want to end a day like this."

"Just one more?" he asked around a mouthful of the last one.

"I think that's enough, too, buddy," said S'ros. Daslim whined, but he did not argue.

"Want some milk?" Ferros taunted him.

Sareya shot Ferros a look. "You're not helping," she pointed out to her brother.

Ferros stuck his tongue out at her and then downed the rest of his drink in one pull.

D'men struggled not to laugh. They hardly needed encouragement for acting this way.

"They do eventually grow up, don't they?" Y'rim whispered to D'men with a grin.

"That's what people say," said D'men. "But we never did." He grinned and indicated he meant himself and S'ros.

"And hopefully never will," Y'rim said with a saucy wink.

Last updated on the October 14th 2024

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