This Wasn't Covered in the Parenting Books

Writers: Heather, Shawna
Date Posted: 1st September 2024

Characters: N'kayden, N'kevyn
Description: N'kevyn comes to visit the weyrling and offer some advice
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 1, day 3 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Aydhan

N'kayden

N'kevyn

It was early evening, and the stormy weather had left N'kevyn and
Avicath restless and bored and fidgeting about their weyr. Picking a
thought out of his rider's mind almost before it had formed, the
bronze reached out, }:We'd like to visit:{ Avicath's voice came loud
and familiar in N'kayden's head.

Then there was a moment of silence before the bronze's voice came to
Aberath this time, and there was a bit of a sulk in his tone, as if
he'd just gotten a sharp scolding. }:May we visit yours?:{

}:My rider says that he only has half an hour left of his break before
class. So it will have to be quick.:{ Aberath had decided early on
that being prompt was important, even if N'kayden sometimes wanted to
be the second-to-last person in the room.

}:We're headed to the candidate barracks.:{ Avicath said promptly,
already readying himself to give his rider the short lift. Normally
he'd have made him walk, but he had the sense to understand the time
limit. And, as always, he hoped to get a peek at the little brown to
reassure himself of Aberath's bestness. It was only a few moments
later when the large bronze dropped to the ground near the barracks
and let his rider slide off him.

"Oy, N'kayden!" N'kevyn didn't exactly shout, but his deep voice
tended to carry, "You haven't forgotten me yet, have you?" It was a
tease; he knew the pair were working hard.

"How could I, Dad?" N'kayden stood beside of Aberath, looking like
_tired_. All the horrors of Weyrling hood he'd heard about while
growing up had turned out to be true. Having a baby dragon while also
being required to attend classes and see to chores was more exhausting
than he had previously thought.

N'kevyn laughed, "You look... Like a weyrling. I'd say I remembered
what that felt like, but I'm afraid I mostly blocked out the
exhaustion. But what a fine brown you have there. You must be doing
well. Hello again, Aberath," he greeted politely. "Avicath has been
keeping an eye on you. He's very impressed."

Not that the bronze's opinion meant much to the world at large.

Aberath preened nicely, soaking up the attention.

"How's Mom?" N'kayden asked.

N'kevyn rolled his eyes, "Your mother is in the middle of some stack
of hidework. I offered to help, but apparently she had a system and I
was disturbing it. Practically threw me out of my own weyr!" He
sighed, shaking his head at the injustice. "I'll tell her you asked,
though. I just thought I'd stop by. See what you were up to. What's
the big lesson this week?" There was almost always some exciting
lesson on deck for weyrlings.

"Ground marching," N'kayden said with a roll of his eyes. "I can't
tell you how many circles we've marched on that practice field. When
are we ever going to _need_ to ground march anyway?"

"Never understood the marching much, myself," N'kevyn agreed. "The
weight lifting makes sense, but once you have wings, you don't need to
do much walking around. Oh! Take it from your old man: once he gets
big enough, don't do the flashy dismounts where you jump down. It
looks good when you're young, but you get to be my age and you limp
when it rains. Or maybe I just didn't march enough," he joked.

N'kayden rubbed the side of his nose, looking a little nervous. "Can I
talk to you about something else, Dad? Something... private?" He
swiveled his head around.

That got N'kevyn's interest, and his gaze suddenly sharpened, giving
his son a serious look, "Of course. What is it?"

"Well, you know, there's been a lot of talk about sex and stuff among
the Weyrlings. Everyone is looking forward to when the ban is
lifted..." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a folded piece of
paper. "I've.. er.. made a lot of promises to different people who
were interested in _me_ personally and well...I've never actually
_done_ any of these things so..." He held the list out to his father.

N'kevyn's eyes widened slightly, but he mostly kept his cool despite
this sudden and unexpected shift in the conversation. "Well... A bit
of advice. Some of this is... a little advanced. Maybe pick the person
you feel most comfortable with to start out. Someone with a good sense
of humor."

N'kayden's lips puffed out as he exhaled. "How am I supposed to do that
without everyone finding out that... well... you know," he jerked his
eyebrows, "I'm a _virgin_." The last word was a hissed whisper.

There was a moment's pause as N'kevyn processed that before he said
slowly, "Listen. The only person worried about who in the room is a
virgin is probably the virgin. And no one cares about who WAS a
virgin. Everyone was once."

Now he would have to find someone to.... _experiment_ with... someone
who knew what _they_ were doing, since he clearly did not. N'kayden
took the list back from his father, deciding that he was going to have
to start a _new_ list, one with prospective experienced sexual
partners who might show him the ropes. **I really thought that would
be more fun,** N'kayden thought with a sigh.

"Thanks, Dad. I'd better be getting back. My break is almost over," he said.

N'kevyn had the sinking suspicion he hadn't gotten this quite right as
his son sighed, but he gave his best encouraging, supportive smile,
"Let me know if you need anything. Or just want to talk, but I'll let
you two get back to things. Your mother and I are proud of you."

And he couldn't wait to tell Aydhan about this uncomfortable conversation.

Last updated on the September 22nd 2024

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

This Wasn't Covered in the Parenting Books