Thank you for being a friend
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Corrin, Sia
Date Posted: 11th March 2025
Characters: Aydhan, Sybana
Description: Aydhan wants to get a good look at Dragonfall's newest goldrider.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 22 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Aydhara
Aydhan knew that the newest goldrider was going to be swarmed with friends, family, and interested well-wishers. She also knew that her temporary promotion meant she could bully the crowd into letting her do what she wanted. She held out a hand to the girl, smiling warmly. "Aydhan, gold Tymborikath. I'm the Acting Weyrwoman of Barrier Lake Weyr. Let me look at you, darling. How is Galgaith?"
Sybana had only just made her way through the latest wave of interested well-wishers (the caring, the curious and the ambitious) and was gratefully greeting her Uncle Dorix when Aydhan blazed in. She didn’t have time to be affronted. The other woman announced herself as swiftly as the knots on her shoulder and Sybana shot an apologetic look at her uncle and turned to shake the woman’s hand.
“It’s an honor, Acting Weyrwoman. Galgiath is-- wonderful. Asleep and wonderful.” Her smile, perfectly polite, warmed into something more genuine at the thought of her lifemate.
"Of course she is." Aydhan said warmly, her eyes sweeping over the girl. Young, poised, wearing the polite mask of someone who knew she was on display. She could spot a holder girl a mile away. She glanced briefly at the man Sybana had been speaking with, almost as an afterthought. A family member, perhaps, judging by their resemblance. It didn't matter, really, and didn't stop Aydhan from placing her other hand atop Sybana's and gently but firmly pulling her away.
"I was about your age when I Impressed, oh, many turns ago. But I remember that first night. The excitement, the exhaustion. I cried when I got back to the barracks afterwards. It was like the entire world flipped upside down."
Sybana let herself be pulled along. In the calculus of rank, an Acting Weyrwoman trumped most people, and the woman was… compelling. She cut in with the ironclad self-assurance and authority Sybana had observed in great ladies of the hold.
“The exhaustion--" She’d never have brought it up on her own, afraid it’d be perceived as weakness. It was a relief to hear this weyrwoman mention it too and Sybana leaned closer to confide, “It’s the strangest feeling. Like I’m half asleep-- and I suppose, with Galgi, I am! Does that… when does that stop? Do you always feel them so much?”
"It's the most overwhelming now, when she's so little. Aside from mating flights, at least," Aydhan said with a laugh. "But she's a part of you now, so you'll always feel her a bit. You learn when you should be listening and when you shouldn't. Tym's been so fascinated with the boats since we transferred to Barrier Lake, it was like she was a little dragonet all over again. It's hard to keep a straight face in meetings sometimes."
Mating flights. Sybana blushed.
Of course she had heard about them, generally in hushed tones and darkly veiled whispers about what weyrfolk got up to. It had always been somewhat abstract, something strange and deviant done by Other People, Far Away. Now she was one of those people. Now, as Galgiath’s post-hatching exhaustion tugged at her, weighing on her limbs and mind, she had some notion of what it might feel like. One day, her lifemate would rise and" oh, skies above…
She suddenly felt very young in front of this seasoned goldrider, who had spoken so breezily about something that left Sybana flustered. She couldn’t help her blush, but she _could_ follow Aydhan’s lead and move on with the conversation rather than dwell like the scandalized hold girl she feared she was. “That must have been… distracting. I never considered how marvelous boats must seem to a dragon.”
"There's a green that likes to go out and investigate, or so I'm told. The seacrafters are not so thrilled about it." Aydhan continued on, either not noticing or deciding not to comment on the sudden discomfort. "I could tune Tymborikath out, but I don't want to. Her excitement is one of the best feelings." She squeezed Sybana's arm and pat-patted it reassuringly, "I'm sure you have lots of friends here already, but if you like I can introduce you to my two children, sometime. They're about your age. N'kayden is almost done his weyrling training at Barrier Lake, and," She scanned the crowd but came up empty, "Aydhara is here somewhere."
“I’d like that,” Sybana said sincerely, some real interest showing through her polite veneer. “Honestly, I haven’t been at the weyr long, and things have been a little… competitive. It would be nice to meet people who weren’t so invested in the same egg.” She could certainly use more friends.
Aydhan nodded. "That dynamic will change once everyone is settled. It's hard to keep up the grudge once you've Impressed to the perfect dragon, no matter what the colour." She patted the girl's hand gently. She remembered those days, too, though the intricacies of it were faded now. "Any rivalries you had will come around eventually."
“You clearly haven’t met Nosarre,” said Sybana with a rueful laugh, but she wanted to believe Aydhan. It made sense. Impressing Galgaith felt wonderful. Surely Nosarre felt the same about her green, whatever her name was. Surely the animosity wouldn’t last. “I hope you’re right.”
"You'll see." Aydhan promised. "You're exactly where you need to be. Oh, look, I see Aydhara. Let's get her attention before someone else does. She'll be thrilled."
Last updated on the March 26th 2025