Bread and Friendship

Writers: Aaron, Steel
Date Posted: 20th October 2025

Characters: O'rock, T'thalin
Description: Olind gets to know Tathalin better at Galgaith’s Hatching feast.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 12, day 14 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Galgaith, Sybana (not by name)

Olindrock was not sure whether that was a sad expression or Tathalin just had resting glum face. The other lad often seemed to be contemplative if not unhappy, but Ollie had not yet had the opportunity to bother him. Well, the time was nigh!

“Hey. You’re Tathalin, right?” Ollie had been a Candidate long enough that he did not stay in the classes Turn-round, so if he did not take this chance to get to know him now, it might be a while. “Want a cheese bread?”

Where had he pulled that from?

Tathalin had been contemplating making an escape. He hadn’t even _tried_ to make it onto the Sands, after all, for all he'd made an effort to convince himself to appear for the Hatching Feast. Something about solidarity.

At the voice, only half familiar, he looked up quickly. “... What? Oh… um… sure?” He offered in response. “Uh… yeah. I'm… Tathalin. You're… another Candidate?”

“Yeah, technically!” Ollie laughed. “You probably saw me in some of those classes before the Hatching, right? My family never Impresses, but we Stand, because that's what you do, right?” He handed several -- _several_ pieces!? -- of cheese bread to Tathalin. Where were they coming from?

“I'm Olindrock, but half of everyone in my family is Something-rock, so you can just call me Ollie.”

“I-- I _think_ so?” Tathalin offered uncertainty, and eyed the closest escape route with something like dwindling hope. “I mean, I've only been here since the fl--” He stops.

Then refocused on Olindrock, half baffled. “That… that's a _lot_ of… cheese bread.”

“Well, yeah, you gotta snatch it up before it all gets eaten, you know?” said Ollie. “It’s real good, though, so. I'd be real happy to share it with you-- I know some folks are real disappointed if they don't catch one o’ them little dragons’ eye on their first go, so. Come on, here ya go. Cheese that bread. It does a body good.”

_What?_ Tathalin stared at him, blankly, a moment, before he shook his head and gingerly accepted the cheese bread, unable to keep the faintest snort of a laugh from escaping. “... So _much_ cheese.”

And then he swallowed, ducked his head. “I… didn't _actually_, um… make it into the Hatching.”

“No? What happened?” Ollie took a bite of his own cheese bread as he leaned in to listen. Some last minute trouble, perhaps?

Tathalin's shoulders hunched just a little bit more, and he took a big bite of cheese bread to avoid having to answer at first. Was it _rude_ to just make an excuse and leave? Well… no one was _really_ paying attention to him but this Olindrock. Ollie.

“I, um…. Well… I realized everyone in the Weyr would be _staring_….” Tathalin said, finally, weakly.

“Ohhhh, for sure, for sure.” Ollie nodded with understanding. It could be tough to get out there and get judged and stuff. “Hey, that’s no sweat, brother. You have plenty of time to try again -- or you could just do somethin’ else if you don’t want to try again! My family never Impresses. Or hardly ever, anyway. There’s no pressure. And if anyone says otherwise, I’ll whoop their tail.” He winked.

Tathalin regarded him, baffled. “I… Um. Trying to Impress is the only reason I'm sure I'm allowed to, um… _stay_?” He said, finally, and tapped his chest, darted another look around. “I'm, uh… _Holdless_. You know?” he mumbled.

“Well, not no more, are you, eh? Now you’re weyrfolk,” said Ollie. “Tell you what, if you don't find the dragon you're lookin’ for, even if no one else has any work for you, I'll make sure you can stay on as a herder. There’s always room for one more.”

Tathalin stared at him. “You can just… _decide_ that?” He wanted to know. “I mean, I've been working as a Harper Apprentice here on top of Candidacy because it seemed like a good idea to prove I'm a hard worker but maybe I could add helping out with herd stuff too onto my duties--” He stopped, swallowed. Had he just been rambling?

His face turned redder, and Tathalin took another big bite of cheese bread.

“Naw, if you’re already harperin’, you don't have to do anything else extra,” said Ollie. “And who’s fixin’ to stop me, anyway? You live here, dontcha?”

Tathalin nodded, mutely. He did, technically, live here.

Ollie slid Tathalin another hunk of cheese bread.

“You doin’ all right?” he asked.

Tathalin accepted. What else could he do? “I… I'm fine.” He said, finally, and eyed the escape route one last time before he surrendered to the inevitable. “... You? … Ollie, right?”

“Oh, yeah, I'm just fine.” Ollie smiled. “Like I said, we never Impress in my family. We just Stand ‘cause that's what you do. Just a few more Turns on the Sands, and then I’ll be herdin’ for the rest of my life. But I’ll still enjoy plenty of Hatching feast cheese bread.”

“... Were you on the Sands, then?” Tathalin dared. “I… sort of thought it was… only for people who… actually Impressed.”

“Oh, well, I mean, you have to go out there to do that in the first place, don't you?” Did Tathalin think all the dragons climbed into the Stands to find their riders? “Did you go out when we did the egg touchin’?” asked Ollie.

Tathalin hesitated, and then nodded. “I… did.” He confessed. “And I--” He swallowed, shook his head. “... Never mind. … Besides. Egg touching isn't… the same.”

“I'm not out to judge you,” said Ollie. “I just didn't remember seein’ you out there. Hey, you know, you don't have to go again. There's no shame in bein’ regular weyrfolk. It takes a lot to keep this place runnin’ and the wings in the skies. There's plenty of work to do.”

“... I was keeping my distance from the gold. And her rider.” Tathalin muttered. “And… and I'm fairly sure being a rider is the only option, so…”

“All right, well. If you want to do it, then let's do it!” Ollie clapped Tathalin on the shoulder. “We’ll do it together. The next gold will rise before you know it, and then you just hold onto me, and I'll get you out on those Sands.”

“... Yeah.” Tathalin said, and rallied. “... Yeah. Let’s do it. Together. Just… you/re _sure_ ?”

“Well, yeah!” Ollie nudged Tathalin again. “Don’t worry, I can be sure enough for the both of us.”

“... Remind me of that later when I'm half convinced the dragons don't want anything to do with me.” Tathalin muttered. “... Still. I guess the dragonets _did_ choose some of us.”

“I think a good half or more of this clutch went to folks who used to be Holdless,” said Ollie. “I know a lot of folks think y'all are all… well, you know… But dragons know what's in here.” He touched Tathalin’s chest. “They’re the purest, most innocent creatures on this world, and if they say you can come in from the cold, then by the sun, who is anyone else to say otherwise? Come in from the cold, Tathalin.”

The other young man blinked at him, and then his face abruptly flushed red, and his shoulders hunched. “.... I guess you're right…” he conceded, and took another bite of cheese bread. “I mean… I _was_ told I… might have a chance. Maybe.”

“More of a chance than I do!” said Ollie. “They let us Stand because we were born here, but you actually had a dragon say you were good for it. You're good for it, eh? Dragons don’t lie, even if people do.”

“... You think so?” Tathalin blurted, and seemed to brighten slightly. “I mean-- you'd know more than I do about how a Weyr works.” He nodded, slowly. “... All right. I guess that makes… sense.”

Last updated on the November 2nd 2025

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Bread and Friendship