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

Elsewhere on Pern
NPC Weyr
River Bluff Weyr
Seacraft Hall

Story Listing
Series Listing

Weyrling Training

Writers: Duskdog
Date Posted: 31st October 2025

Characters: Rhynnan, Myara
Description: Rhynnan goes home after Calixith’s flight, and her weyrmate is up to something.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 12, day 11 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Miryan (NPC), Rhyvar (NPC), Rhenya (NPC), M’tharel (NPC)
Note: Directly after “What Comes Down”

Their weyr was uncharacteristically quiet. Even the visual signs of life were somehow muted: the toys usually strewn about the main room neatly put away in the box in the corner (one doll stubbornly hanging half in and half out), the mugs and bowls that somehow always found their way out of the cabinets to live on various surfaces around the room had disappeared, and the big rug was now hanging up on a line set across one side of Calixith’s wallow, minus the big juice stain it had sported for the past sevenday. The electric lights were off, the weyr lit instead by good old-fashioned glowbaskets, half-covered to give it a dim, intimate appearance. The wall of colorful chalk drawings was still there -- washed and redecorated lovingly dozens of times -- but the children responsible for it were notably absent.

Rhynnan found herself practically tiptoeing in, as if somehow the silence was fragile, the way it had been when they’d still had babies and had somehow managed to get all three of them to sleep at once. They were past that stage now, and she couldn’t imagine the kids napping in the middle of the afternoon, so maybe they were playing outside and Myara was taking a nap, herself.

Both bedrooms were empty, however, so she stuck her head into the bathing room, and found her weyrmate setting out supplies on the edge of the bathing pool.

“I was starting to think you’d all abandoned me,” she said, laughing a little when Myara startled visibly, clutching her chest.

“Rhynn! You scared me!”

“_You_ scared _me_. Where are the kids? Did you sell them finally? How much did we get?”

“_Hush_, you’re not even funny,” Myara scolded gently, coming over to take both of her hands in her own, looking her over. There was a hesitation there, as if aware she was about to say something that might get a reaction. “They’re going to spend the night with M’tharel. He hasn’t had his weyr walls drawn on in a while.”

Something in Rhynnan’s stomach did a nervous little _swoop_, her smile fading. “Spend the night? They’re not old enough for that…!”

“Of course they are. They were excited about it. It’s all they talked about all day. They packed little bags and everything.” Myara squeezed her hands. “I know they’ve never spent the night away from us before, but they’re plenty old enough. You should have seen Miryan, trying to decide which doll to take.”

“But what if she gets scared? What if Rhenya bullies her? What if Rhyvar falls and we’re not there…?”

“He’ll get up again, like he always does,” Myara said firmly. She let go of Rhynnan's hands to take her face gently between them instead, her expression softening. “Love. Remember, we talked about this? About you letting them try new things?”

“But--”

“Shh. They’re going to be _fine_. And _we’re_ going to have a night to ourselves for the first time in a very long time.”

Her tone was gentle, but the words had a clear sense of finality to them… and, maybe deep underneath, a note of _hopefulness_. It was enough to make Rhynnan try to swallow down the feeling of unease at the thought of her children being away (would they wake up in the night, afraid?), and turn her head to look back at the bathing pool. A little wooden tote sat there, with a jar of sweetsand and some other assorted bottles and jars that she couldn’t immediately identify. She _did_ recognize the bottle of perfumed lotion that they’d bought at the last gather, promising to pamper each other sometime soon. A pair of glass tea warmers -- a splurge from two turns ago that had gotten regular use in their bedroom in the evenings -- sat there, too, though the teapot and cups were still absent. The neatly-stacked towels looked fluffy and clean and, if she knew her weyrmate -- which she did -- probably faintly and sweetly fragrant.

“Cally rose today, didn’t she?” Myara asked softly. “I thought maybe you could use a quiet night. Just me taking care of you.”

Rhynnan let out a soft, shaky little laugh, leaning forward into her embrace. “Milady, I am _shocked_. Are you trying to seduce me?”

“I might be.” Myara nuzzled her forehead. “No, I know you may not be feeling it tonight, after the flight. That’s okay. I wouldn’t say no if you’re interested, but I don’t expect it. I just want to wash your hair and rub your back. I’ll be happy just _being_ with you like that, if you’d let me.”

“It would be rude of me to say no after you went to all this trouble, wouldn’t it?”

“Mmm hmm. And stupid. Who turns down a free massage?”

Rhynnan laughed. “Well, I guess I don’t have a choice, do I? Consider my arm twisted.”

Last updated on the November 2nd 2025