Second First Dates

Writers: Iluva, Shawna
Date Posted: 10th September 2026

Characters: Cirina, A'radess
Description: Cirina and A’radess get to know each other, for real this time
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 1, day 15 of Turn 13
Notes: Mentioned: Aydhara, Ciara

A'radess

Cirina was fidgeting. She knew she was doing it, but couldn’t seem to stop herself. It had seemed like a good idea to insist on a picnic lunch at the time- she hadn’t wanted to have this conversation in the middle of the Dining Hall. Out here in the sun, however, she was acutely aware that anyone could be watching, from anywhere.

In fact, Saejith had crept as close to the shore as he could without being chased off by his rider, for some reason excited where his rider was nervous.

Cirina forced herself to stop fidgeting with her braid, not wanting to make it any frizzier than it already was. Making herself face the lake, like this was a casual lunch and she didn’t CARE if anyone joined her, she took a calming breath.

Was he late? How long had it been? What if he’d decided he didn’t actually want to talk to her?

He hadn't. He fully intended to keep the… date?

But an unusual case of nerves kept him hovering in front of the mirror longer than he'd intended to. He couldn't quite get it to look the way he wanted it to. Tousled, but not too tousled. Maybe he needed a haircut. Then, just as he swung up Tarvanneth's neck the unusual impulse to change his shirt came. Aware of the time, he finally went with a burnt umber shade, but he found himself fidgeting with it as the wind crawled through his hair on the short ride to the ‘bowl. What was he worried about? Shells, he’d flown Thread for months. This was lunch with a girl he… sort-of knew. Tarvanneth rumbled, encouraging, amused. A quick duck into the dining hall later and A'radess arrived with very little time to spare.

He found her staring out at the shimmering lake with her hair aflame, back turned to him, and a name that he was still trying to train out of himself almost rolled from his tongue. Instead, he set down the glinting bottles of redfruit cider with a smile. “Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. Hi.”

She didn’t jump, but only because an excited Saejith had spotted Tarvanneth coming. “A’radess!” Her tone may have sounded more surprised than it should, but her smile was instinctive and warm. She started to scramble to her feet, then paused and sat back down awkwardly, “I have sandwiches, join me?”

“I, um, like sitting by the lake. It’s not the same as the ocean, but it feels a little like home, you know. Except you don’t have any sea shells.” She shook a wrist, making her shell and bead bracelet rattle quietly. It shouldn’t be awkward. People always said when you felt awkward, you should picture the other person naked, but she’d already seen him naked, so that wasn’t going to help. “This is weird, I’m sorry.”

He cracked the seals off the bottles and sat down opposite her with a barely audible sigh of relief. He was here. She was here. It was just lunch. A lovely lunch on a lovely day. They had never spent time like this before, just them existing together, nothing more expected. He was used to partial lighting between them, not this. He tried not to stare, though there was more of her to look at than usual, features he'd never had much occasion to properly study, and in some respects, considerably less.

“It’s only a little weird. But that’s okay.” He smiled back as he took a sandwich obligingly, though he looked thoughtful, not ready to eat.

“The lake is relaxing. I miss the sea sometimes, but of course it’s a lot easier with _between_.” A’radess tilted his head, mild, curious. “Where is ‘home’ if you don't mind me asking? Dolphin Cove or thereabouts?”

“Yeah. Well. I guess.” Cirina took a deep breath, “I mean, I’m from River Bluff, but a place that doesn’t exist anymore can’t really be home. Dolphin Cove took us in, and it’s where my mum and little siblings are. How did you get here? I never asked.” It was a deliberate attempt to keep the conversation from veering into familiar territory- where people got that sad look on their face and said they were sorry about River Bluff. A tragic backstory was a lot more tedious in real life than it was in stories.

A’radess blinked at that answer, the words ‘oh’ and ‘I’m sorry’ almost immediately on his tongue. But he took a small bite of his sandwich instead, a contemplative look crossing his face. He hadn’t realized-- though really, how could he? He didn’t know anything concrete, even her real name, up until a short while ago. She also didn’t seem eager to talk about her birthplace, and he couldn’t blame her for that.

“I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m from Vista Point. Both sides of my family are riders there. Not my parents, though.” He took a sip of the cider, and it was his turn to take a breath, wondering how to explain the thing that had changed their family before they’d even thought about starting over somewhere new. “Well, my father’s a harper. He got firehead a few Turns back and lost his hearing, so he couldn’t really teach in the crèche anymore. We didn't have much going for us dragon-wise for a while, but that sort of sealed it. He went completely deaf. Couldn't perform. Couldn’t teach. He still composes, but it's all from memory.” A long finger tapped his temple. “On restdays sometimes I’ll play something he drafted and give him my opinion, but it’s not what it was for him and I’m…” He shook his head. “It’s hard, you know? Anyway, like I said, the fact remained that dragons didn't seem to find much to their liking in that branch of the family for a while.” Hadn’t he just said that? His cheeks went red. “Maybe you can call it ‘luck’, but Kal and I Impressed here, so things have turned around for us. As much as they can, anyway.” A’radess smiled slightly, shrugging in a way that felt heavier than it looked. He was feeling oddly self-conscious, suddenly, for talking so long.

“It was kind of weird here at first, actually. Vista Point’s still there, and it doesn’t really feel like home, either. Tarvanneth’s fixed a lot of things in my life.”

“Oh, that would be rough, your poor father. It’s nice that you’re able to be around him and help him,” Cirina said, genuinely. “And Kal is?” Context made her assume immediate family, but she couldn’t remember if he’d said that name before. Usually she was trying to get his clothes off fairly quickly when they were talking. She flushed, embarrassed at the thought.

“I wonder if it’s like… a thing. Maybe the Barrier Lake Dragons aren’t quite as set in their ways since the Weyr is so new? I always wondered why the Dolphin Cove dragons always seemed to like me but never picked me, you know? Saejith threw a wrench in everything for me. A good wrench, but a wrench all the same.”

A’radess was only a little surprised at the question seeing as mild amusement quickly rose up in its stead. Maybe a bit of quiet self-satisfaction, too, that their time together had taken such precedence whenever she had been visiting the Weyr. He offered a reassuring smile back. “Kal is Kalavra, my younger sister. Well, one of them. She was at Aydhara’s birthday party, but I think Tarvanneth was more eager to make an impression that night.” His smile turned momentarily playful. “She rides green Odeth now.”

Her theory did give him pause. He rested his chin on his knuckles for a moment, then that hand waved through his hair a couple times as he thought. “That’s an interesting thought. I’ve always heard the Weyr’s will can sometimes influence Weyrleader flights, too, so there could be something to a new place, with new minds around, that changes things for dragons.” A’radess craned his neck slightly to regard the young dragon not-so-stealthily observing them. “I’m going to assume that’s him,” he chuckled. “He’s a cutie, Cirina. Hey, Saejith,” he called. “So, how’s your family feeling about your new blue wrench?”

“Kalavra. Odeth,” Cirina repeated the names with a sheepish grin, “there’s so many names to learn, I’m not doing my best.” She was, actually, doing fairly well. “Oh yes, that’s-”

Saejith did not wait for his rider to invite him over, starting to bound over the moment A’radess made eye contact. He skidded to a stop and assumed a little pose, as if he were the prettiest blue in the Weyr, and not a dragon that looked like he’d been carved out of stone. Some dragons were jewels- Saejith was a rock. Cirina sighed, though her lips pulled up into a tolerant smile, “Everyone is mostly just glad I finally got my dragon. My mother is upset it happened here, not at Dolphin Cove, but my brother and father had already scattered to different Weyrs. The littles- I have two little siblings,” she explained hurriedly, “haven’t had a chance to meet him yet. I’ll take him home to meet them as soon as we’re cleared.” Picking idly at a piece of fruit, she was clearly debating whether or not to continue for a moment before she said, “No one has made a fuss about him being a blue wrench, but I don’t know if they don’t care or if they’re just worried about upsetting me. I was so sure I’d get a little green.”

“That is definitely the more expected outcome, with no gold egg on the Sands. There's only… a half a dozen female blueriders across the continent? I guess it must be a little strange for you. Rare things always draw a lot of attention and fuss.” A'radess admired the young dragon for a brief moment, then turned his gaze back to Cirina. “So, naturally, my youngest sister wants a blue now. You and Aydhara both getting one has put it in her head that _she's_ getting one.” His green eyes rolled in disbelieving yet palpable affection. “Don't let any doubts or negativity get to you. I know it's easy to say that, but it's kind of rare to Impress at all. You're doing great.” Under the table his boot nudged hers. “Besides, he’s yours and you’re his and if it wasn’t supposed to be that way, then it wouldn’t be.”

“Thankfully, Aydhara is there to distract people; she’s better at being the center of attention than me. It’s just hard. I feel like there should be something special about me, but I was just…there. And I’m so glad it was a blue and not a gold! Saejith won’t be green fast, but he’ll be faster than a gold.” She grinned, “You should bring your sister to meet him some time. He loves attention.”

A'radess nudged her boot again in a way that could really only be interpreted as encouraging, confident. “So does my sister. They should get along fine.” Turning in his seat to straddle the bench, he then said to Saejith, “Hey. Hey, you,” and beckoned him. “Come here and give me those eyeridges.”

Saejith did not need to be asked twice, eagerly presenting his eye ridges for scratching. His mottled blue hide was smooth and clean. Even his nails had a shine to them and were filed to precise points.

“He really is just… he’s just the best.” Cirina said in the smitten tone of a weyrling.

“The _best_?” A'radess' fingers paid special attention all along the length of those mottled eyeridges before gently cupping either side of Saejith's head. It had been a while since he was around a baby blue and it showed. “Faranth, you are _way_ too cute.”

Saejith practically melted into both the pets and the praise, tail swishing contentedly behind him as his eyelids drifted shut.

Tarvanneth, curled in the sun more than a length away, gave a drowsy rumble that didn't actually sound all that offended considering he hadn’t been called cute lately. }:I like babies, too.:{

“You probably don't--” because seriously just look at that face “--but if you ever want a break, or he wants a big friend to play with, Tarvanneth's offered to babysit.” Another rumble, this time surprised, echoed behind them. “The training's a lot. I suppose you don’t get far from the barracks right now, but we could even just grab klah. Watch them splash each other for a while.”

At ‘big friend to play with’, Saejith’s eyes snapped back open, and Cirina rushed to say, “Oh, I don’t know if Tarvanneth wants to do that. Aeoluth has taught him to pounce on tails and Rath has taught him to headbutt when he doesn’t get his way.” As if Saejith himself were blameless. “Actually, he hasn’t minded if I wander away from the barracks.” Shaking her head, she said, “He was all ready to send me home to Dolphin Cove to get my things the morning after he hatched.”

}:It doesn’t matter where you are, you’re still mine,:{ the blue said as if that explained everything.

“I’d love to get some klah sometime, though. I… I’ve always enjoyed the time we did get to spend together.” She couldn’t hide the blush at admitting that.

A'radess continued stroking Saejith's face another moment almost as if he hadn't heard anything, brushing his thumbs over the lower edge of the eyeridges that always made Tarvanneth groan and suffuse their link with warm, heady relief. He thought about her more than he had any other woman for a long time. Even though discovering the deception, and how long it had been going on, had briefly rocked his thoughts into a muddled realm of resentment, doubt and desire, he still thought about her. Still sought her face in the Dining Hall.

“I, uh…” A'radess started, hearing the gracelessness, inwardly cringing. He glanced back at her, at the blush, his touch on the blue dragon slowing. Cleared his throat. “I've felt… the same way. I know it's complicated for you, but I'm glad you Impressed your dragon here.” It was also baffling that she didn't think there was anything special about her, and he looked at her long enough to see the shifting glint of the sun on her hair. Maybe too long.

“And, if Saejith would like to learn any more questionable skills down the line, Tarvanneth is an expert bellower.” He took a drink of his cider then and tried to get his nerves to fully settle, his scratching of the blue resuming with one hand.

“I’m glad, too… I think. It’s been… different. Almost no one knows me here, less to… live up to?” Cirina shrugged. “And… thank you. For being…” So forgiving? So understanding? She didn’t know what she was trying to say, really, “for being willing to get to know me for real this time.”

Saejith deliberately leaned harder into A’radess’s hands as his rider got flustered, providing a welcome distraction to keep him from noticing her awkwardness.

}:I think we’re going to be good friends,:{ Saejith told Tarvanneth solemnly, }:She likes yours a lot.:{

**You traitor!**

Saejith just hummed contentedly with his own self satisfaction and the scratching.

“I think Saejith would love a bellowing lesson. I’m not sure Rath or his other classmates would appreciate it, though. Maybe next rest day.” The rest days were hard in a new Weyr where she didn’t know everyone. It would be nice to stop spending them hiding in the barracks.

A’radess smiled as thoughts turned to the potential of shattering eardrums the next restday-- and then, brighter still, at the young blue held in his hand, smooth and stone-hued, the ceaseless wonders that were dragons. The bonds that brought people to a place and held them there. “I don't think a lot of what I already thought has to change,” he offered mildly, setting the bottle down. “But I appreciate having the facts finally separated from the long fantasy. Caprina was a lot of fun. I've no regrets meeting her, but… Cirina’s definitely who I’d like to fly with.”

Tarvanneth's tail glinted in a slow, lazy serpentine woosh. }:Oh, I would like that,:{ he said to Saejith. }:We already like Yours, and you clearly have excellent taste.:{

A'radess’ face was just permanently warm at this point. “We can head further out that way when they practice. Or down into the lake if they're too loud. It might not carry so far and,” he grinned, “there's a better chance of staying a surprise for his clutchmates.”

}:Oh, yessssss.:{

Saejith practically purred, and his pleasure made Cirina give a little chuckle outloud in surprise. “It’s a date.” She opened her mouth to take it back in flustered embarrassment, but pointedly closed it. It could be a date.

Last updated on the November 2nd 2026

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Second First Dates