Rain Songs (1/2)

Writers: Iluva, Noli
Date Posted: 21st July 2025

Characters: A'radess, Aynia
Description: The two Wingmates share an ale on a stormy evening
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 9, day 25 of Turn 12
Notes: Storm (40°)

A'radess

Aynia

They had been flying in the Fighting Wings under two very different Weyrleaders for a few months now, and A’radess was finally starting to feel like he was getting the hang of things. How everything worked, from straps to firestone. Seeing his bronze in his element, all those other dragons alongside, working in formation to do something great together - well, A’radess was nothing if not proud of Tarvanneth and all he could do.

Just not right now.

A short while ago the evening meal had wrapped up, and A’radess was taking his time chatting with a few wingmates, trying to avoid going back out in the perpetual storm that day, which was currently throwing everything it had against the windows with a fury more reminiscent of the great Red Star than Pern. When he was finally ready to go, he reached out as he always did for a ride.

A rare wave of rejection hit him through the bond. Tarvanneth said in a sulky tone, }:No. Have you looked? It's _awful_ out.:{

**Are you serious?**

}:No.:{ Was all he said back. }:Later, if the storm stops.:{

It was baffling. The bronze would carry him into the heart of Threadfall without hesitation, but picking his rider up in a storm was out. Well, then. Part of being in the Wings was being adaptable to all conditions, so A’radess traded his klah for ale, a dark red with thick, dense foam holding it from the top, and sat down near one of his wingmates. “Aynia. Hey. How’re you doing?”

Aynia gave A'radess a bright smile. “Hi! I'm doing fine. Though I wouldn't mind it if the weather calmed down a bit.” She rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. “It's like Pern is trying to wash us all into the lake. And I don't know about you, but it's too cold for me to want to swim tonight.” She took a long drink of hot klah, mentally shivering at the picture.

“How are you? Tarvanneth is looking well lately.”

“Oh, I'm with you there.” A'radess said, with a grin and a sip of ale. “Between the storms lately and Threadfall, it's hard to want to spend much time out there. I could go for a warm beach just about any time these days.”

The comment about his dragon widened his grin some more, a hint of humor creeping in, masking the blush a little. “Thank you, he’ll like that you’ve noticed. He’s got the ego to go with the hide. He’s not enjoying the weather, either, though. I'm stranded here till the storm lets up or I venture out in it myself.” He shook his head, “So yeah, I'm doing great.”

Aynia laughed. “Ooooh, the beach sounds nice right now.” Then she winked at A'radess, lightly teasing him. “Stranded here? Way to make a girl feel special.”

That intensified A’radess’ blush real good, now realizing just how that sounded. “Well, that definitely wasn’t the right word. _He_ might be afraid of a storm-” there was a sharp wave of indignation across their bond there,- “but I’m not. And the choice between getting pelted by the storm and talking with you isn’t really a choice.” He smiled. “I’m not sure if that’s just a bronze thing or Tarvanneth thing, though. How about Nalath?”

Aynia rolled her eyes again, sighing. “No, it's definitely not just Tarvanneth. Nalath is hunkered down, too… though she found a buddy to keep her nice and warm, so she's not scared.”

}:You should try it. It’s nice.:{ The green's voice in her mind held no malice, only contentment.

**I'll leave the cuddling to you, dear one.** Aynia was happy that her dragon was satisfied. The weather really was rather bad this evening. Barrier Lake had its fair share of blusters regularly, but this one was the worst in awhile.

Looking around the dininghall, she commented ruefully, “I wish some of the harpers had brought their instruments. If we're all stuck in here, we should at least make a party out of it.”

A’radess glanced about as well. “A few more ales get passed around and we might hear a sea shanty or two.” Storms had a way of bringing people together, and there were pockets of riders embracing that sentiment to its fullest degree. “I’m not sure if it’ll be in the right key, but beggars and choosers and all that.” He smiled. “I didn’t even think to bring my gitar. Maybe it’d get bashed around in the wind, though. My father only just restrung it.”

“Oh,” Aynia sounded surprised. “I didn't realize _you_ were a Harper. Do you have a specialty?”

“Oh no, nothing like that. My father is the real Harper. He’s been a Master for… Faranth, I don’t even know how long.” He said with a rueful grin, and _not_ thinking of exactly how long it had been since his father had lost his ability to hear the sounds he could still weave with every instrument on Pern. It was a weird in-between space - still able with his hands, his mind, but never again with his hearing. “I made it as far as senior apprentice before Tarvanneth found me, and that was a little less than a Turn ago. I don’t seem to get much time for anything else, but you know, I still dabble. For fun.” Nor did he sound overly bothered by that, either. “If I hadn’t Impressed I would have specialized in performance, I think. Maybe did some illustrating or something on the side, but I’m glad to just be in the air and have him.”

A’radess paused, and let his fingers run along the condensation sliding down his glass. “Where did you grow up, anyway? Sorry, I don’t think I’ve ever asked you that before.”

“Oh, I was holdbred. I moved around some,” Aynia replied somewhat vaguely. Thinking about her childhood and her fractured, scattered family hurt; the hurricane that had devastated Topaz Seahold had been the first in a long line of traumatic events she had endured, and it was particularly heavy on her mind tonight. But as usual, she did not want to talk about it. Instead, she gave him a flirtatious smile and said, “We'd love to hear you play sometime. Nalath loves music.”

“Well, I'd hate to disappoint Nalath.” A'radess said with a knowing crook to his lips as he sipped. Aynia herself was like something crafted with a Master's touch - lovely to admire, hinting of mystery, a certain arresting quality held in her klah-brown eyes. Her smile was a fine instrument, and she knew how to play it. “What sort of music does she like?”

’“She's pretty easy to please.” Aynia's eyes sparkled suggestively. “What about Tarvanneth? What gets him crooning?”

In the back of her mind, something screamed at Aynia to _stop_, to make some excuse and just walk away. To not continue on this path, knowing where it was likely to lead and knowing that tomorrow she would want to take it back. But Aynia had a lot of practice in shutting that nagging voice down, and she firmly rejected it now. The raging storm outside was a physical manifestation of the psychological tempest inside her, and she craved a distraction, something to help abate the whirlwind.

}: I keep telling you it will help.:{ Nalath's voice sounded smug.

Daringly, her hand shot across the table and plucked up the mug of ale before A'radess. She took a long sip before offering it back to its rightful owner, a dazzling grin designed to forestall any protest against her impetuous act accompanying the mug.

“Tarvanneth likes a bit of everything-” A'radess looked subtly between that coy grin and the soft slosh of foam in the glass just in front of her, the flashes of color as striking at lightning.

This was a bad idea.

It was probably irresponsible to go down this path with a wingmate, and A’radess had to force himself not to see this through the same lens that it _felt_ like - yet another natural facet of connection, an extension of bonds between wingmates during a ‘fall. That same kind of trust.

He felt a flare of interest beneath his skin, yet arched an eyebrow and with a nimble flick of fingers waved her offer back across the table. “No, no. Help yourself. That move's worth at least two.”

Aynia kept her eyes locked on A'radess as she slowly brought the ale back to her lips. She drank again, more deeply this time, bringing her other hand up to join its mate in grasping the mug. Her fingers splayed wide, then tightened, almost caressing the cool surface. When she finally lowered it, she used her tongue to capture the bit of foam that had remained behind, dragging it slowly across her lips in the practiced way intended to immediately send a man's mind elsewhere. She felt the pleasant warmth spreading through her.

Settling the ale on the tabletop between them, she rested both arms on the table and leaned forward. The corner of her mouth tugged downward into a sly smirk. Her words were almost a whisper. “It's too bad our dragons have left us to fend for ourselves this evening. It's so crowded in here. I wouldn't mind going somewhere without so many people.”

A'radess smiled and took a long, much longer pull from the ale, trying to drown the myriad of feelings that incredibly intimate display conjured in his veins. Oh, this was definitely a bad idea. She was gorgeous, everything about her, and a solid wingmate, and despite the intersecting of his sensibilities, most of which were helpfully buoyed by Tarvanneth leaning into what at his most basic and mortal core he wanted to do about it, he knew this could end up messy. “It is too bad.” He agreed mildly, absently running a hand through his hair. “I’m not complaining about being stuck in your company, though.” He nudged his ale toward her in offer again.

“Why, bronzerider, are you trying to get me drunk?” Her expression was one of feigned scandal. Nevertheless, she accepted the proffered ale and drank. She studied him over the rim of the mug. He seemed to possess a shyness that she found surprisingly endearing. Still, she could see the way his eyes kept glancing over her body.

She handed him the mug back, intentionally angling it in such a way that their fingers made contact during the transfer.

“Aynia, we’re wingmates. I wouldn’t dare.” A’radess said as he let their fingers meet, making sure they didn’t fumble the mug.

That also got Tarvanneth’s attention.

The vehement sulking about the storm over, now the bronze was offering more quiet encouragement of A'radess’ baser, chaser instincts. }:It’s fine to follow it.:{ Tarvanneth assured him, with the confidence of an accomplished dragon decades his senior. }:_You_ just need to be honest about it.:{

A'radess doubted it was ever as easy as that. **Shush, not now.**

But even the way her eyes slid over his, intense and laser focused, was enticing. No doubt the origin of quite a few bad ideas. He felt heat under his collar as he drank. If one could feel a person simply through the act of looking at them, her eyes were already wrapped around him and unbuttoning his shirt with her teeth.

“Aynia,” A’radess leaned in a tad, his voice lowering. “I really like flying with you. I don’t particularly want to change that.” The glass slid toward the greenrider again. “Do you mind if tonight just stays at ‘two wingmates sharing an ale’?”

“What do you mean?” Her head cocked slightly, though her gaze never faltered. The warmth from the ale had completed its downward crawl and had settled expectantly at the lowest point of her core. Aynia was beginning to wonder if she'd be better served finding another rider with which to satisfy her overpowering need to lose herself tonight. But A'radess looked so _good_, and he was so sweet. “Yes, tonight is all I'm looking for, too.” And she took another swig from the mug, which was now nearly empty.

“Then we’ll have to make it a good one.” A’radess said, relaxing a little. Sleeping with someone from another Wing or the visiting friend of a friend was one thing. He sensed this was another. From what he’d observed, there appeared to be an implicit willingness among some wingmates to go home together if one of them offered.

He had a slow, unhurried smile for her as he drained the glass. He was willing to find out. “Seeing as we’re stranded… we could pop into the kitchens and see what they've left unattended.”

She felt her pulse quicken slightly. “Sounds great. Let's go,” she practically purred, taking his arm as they rose.

Last updated on the July 21st 2025

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Rain Songs (1/2)