Of Bathing Dragons and Hangovers

Writers: Clancey, Heather
Date Posted: 8th January 2012

Characters: Devyn, J'darin
Description: Devyn meets J'darin when he's in less-than-stellar shape, but he still makes "a big splash".
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 14 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: P'nal

Devyn

J'darin

J'darin frowned darkly up at the sky. One class graduated and one in
training. It was enough to drive any man insane - and to drinking.

And so drinking he had done. Already, breaking his promise to P'nal.
But he would not let it happen again.

Too much drinking. Hasaarth had finally given up on him and left him
alone in his mind. Oak never left him alone in his mind, for which
he was grateful, but as the bright sun shone down on Dragonsfall, he
was very put out with his bronze, and the way the sun shone right
_through_ his eyes, it seemed.

}:Your head hurts because you drink, But I want a bath, and I itch :{

Frustrated all anew at his dragon - surely he wasn't smart enough to
knowingly punish his rider for behavior he didn't agree with - still,
he grabbed up the things he needed to care for Hasaarth. Even
feeling completely awful as he was this sunny restday, he would never
deny his dragon care. But he was ...slow.

Hasaarth was already down at the lake, settled near a pretty jade
colored green.

At least it was warmer than it had been, and he might not freeze to
death with the sun shining.

Oak joined them, swooping low around Hasaarth, then swooping across
the green in curiousity. Ignoring his normally well-behaved brown
flit, he tried instead to apply himself to bathing his _very_ large
bronze.

**Have you always been this big?**

Hasaarth snorted at his rider, who was barely able to hold the brush
to scrub. It was probably patently obvious that he was not quite
himself, especially for someone who knew the bronzerider well enough
to know he was normally graceful and puposeful and efficient.

Devyn was a morning person, always had been, to her there was nothing
like getting up and watching the world shake off the slumber from the
night before. The skies opened up, everything was rejuvenated and
fresh, and it made Devyn feel as if she could climb a mountain- or
bathe her dragon.

"Hold still, Ellyth!" She called to her green with a smile as she sat
astride her dragon's neckridge, brush in hand as she fought to scrub
the hard to reach places. As ususal, Ellyth was in one of her "moods"
and really wanted to just stay submerged under the water until she
felt like coming out.

**You could have been a fish!** Devyn told her as she commenced
scrubbing, her arm muscles aching since she'd already been working on
Ellyth for quite a while.

When her arms were quaking with the effort it took to use the brush,
Devyn stopped scrubbing and exhaled, "I need a breather." She panted
as she settled the brush across her thighs and shook her arms to
relieve some of the achy muscles. When she looked up, however, it was
to see the Weyrlingmaster, J'darin, and his bronze Hasaarth coming
down to the Weyrlake.

**Oh look, Elly-girl, a handsome bronze.**

That did the trick, immediately Ellyth got over her need to swim like
a dolphin, and she stood proud and tall, her green hide glistening
from the water and enabling Devyn to return to scrubbing.

Hasaarth responded accordingly, turning his own proud head toward the
green to admire her. He crooned at her gently, earning himself a
sharp slap from his rider when the turn of his neck made J'darin fall
forward, losing his balance with a big splash. "Bronze idiot!" He
muttered, darkly, peering around his dragon to see if the green's
rider had noticed.

Addressing the young woman, he tried smiling, but failed as his lack
of balance distracted him again. "Apparently Hasaarth thinks your
Ellyth is much more interesting than his hungover rider, trying
valiantly to bathe his far-too-large self." the scrub brush thunked
again against that stubborn dragon-hide.

"Why couldn't you have been a nice, small green like her, hmm?" He
said, only partly joking.

It was enough to set Hasaarth to snorting though, and almost enough to
make J'darin smile, despite his pounding head.

Devyn had been watching J'darin out of the corner of her eye, and
wasn't sure whether to let him know she'd seen him fall or not, until
he spoke to her, "Well, I'm sure come flight time you'll remember why
you're grateful to have a male dragon." She said with a pleasant smile
as she watched the pair interact.

The greenrider slide off of her dragon's neckridge, making a gentle
"sploosh" in the water, "And I can't blame Hasaarth for being
mesmerized by Ellyth," she winked conspiratorially, "she's a beauty
after all."

J'darin chuckled at her reference to flights and nodded
wholeheartedly. "Indeed, lovely lady. Though, the last time
Hasaarth chased, we won a gold." His grin was arch as he went on,
though he was rightfully proud of their accomplishment. "Before our
lovely Onnyth, though, Hasaarth definitely had developed a passion for
greens. And I am always glad when he wins." His smile broadened.

"Your Ellyth is lovely, indeed. Any chance she's Rising soon?" A
slight wink, though it was without his usual style. While he spoke
he came around to the other side of Hasaarth to better admire the
lovely green, and maybe her rider, who was clad for washing dragons.
If only his head wasn't hurting! Recovering a bit, he tilted his head
at her. "Have we met before? I'm J'darin..." She seemed new to him.

Devyn felt encouraged by the man's wink and it made her wish that
Ellyth _was_ closer to rising, but unfortunately for her, the green
had flown not too long ago. Still, Hasaarth and his rider would
definitely be a pair to keep in mind. Sweeping her chin length hair
out of her face, because the locks hung in semi-wet strands, Devyn
smiled at the Weyrlingmaster, "I'm Devyn, and I don't think we've met
formally." She extended her hand towards him.

He grasped her hand with that all too charming grin, pulling it from
somewhere other than his aching head. P'nal was right, it seemed.
He needed to _quit_ drinking. His pounding head was denying him the
wit to enjoy a pretty greenrider. "Hello Devyn. Are you new here?
That great lunk is Hasaarth, though he seems to be bigger to me today
than usual, or so the time its taking to wash him would tell me. You
must be new! I'm sure we would have noticed you two before now."
His eyes twinkled again and he let go of her hand finally.

He was wet himself, his shaggy black hair looking even more shaggy
combined with bathing a dragon and a hangover that made him want to
throttle his own neck. The courtesy he showed women was ever
apparent, though, even in his state. Polite and interested, with a
minor touch of flirting. But he wouldn't chase down a greenrider for
his bed, even one this pretty. At least not right away...

Devyn automatically noticed the man's firm hand shake, the callouses
on his palm, and the way he made sure to touch her hand with just the
right pressure. It was silly, Devyn was sure, but she liked to try to
size people up by the way they shook hands. Sometimes her hunches were
right, and other times they were completely off-kilter.

"Oh, I've been around the Weyr for a while," Devyn assured the
Weyrlingmaster, not at all bothered that he'd never noticed her
before, after all, there was a _Weyr_ of people out there for the man
to meet, "I just do a very good job of keeping a low profile." She
grinned, thinking that was quite true since Ellyth was not the most
flamboyant of greens in the Weyr.

J'darin was surprised he'd been wrong about her being new, he prided
himself on being current on all the new riders, especially female
greenriders. There were less of them than the male greenriders, but
still, the Weyr was full of riders and easy to miss one out of so
many. But he _liked_ female greenriders.

"I understand about low profile... sometimes I just don't want to talk
to one single other person, and sometimes the last thing I want to do
is be alone." He mentally shook his head at his words because he was
really making no sense today. Why had he said _that_?

"Well, a pair as lovely as you two should be out for all to see and
admire." He grinned. "Maybe one day we can keep each other company
to have a "High" profile for once, hmm?"

"I think I could manage a high profile, at least for _one_ day." Devyn
laughed even as she stepped away from Ellyth as the green submerged
for one last rinse, "And if you think Ellyth and myself are lovely
now, you should see us when we're not looking like drowned wherries,"
she winked.

"And me without a head hurting from a little too much liquid diet."
He smiled again at her as both their dragons submerged and tilted his
head curiously. "That might be a good idea. Hasaarth tells me I
should spend more time with people and less with drinking and so does
my best friend. How about you help me test out the theory that its
just as much fun to _not_ drink? Maybe dinner tonight?" He couldn't
believe he was asking her to have dinner. He'd just met her, but what
better way to start following P'nal's advice than by spending time
with a pretty greenrider? It was very _bronzerider_ behavior. Maybe
that would help. And she seemed genuinely nice and interesting, too.

It only took Devyn a split second to consider the offer, and Ellyth
even less as she sent her rider strong feelings of approval, "I'd love
to," she told J'darin with a smile. The bronzerider was certainly
agreeable, even hungover, so Devyn imagined that he would be quite
charming when he was being his normal self. "Meet me in the weyrbowl
later then?"

"I wouldn't miss it, lass." He smiled and offered her a half bow, all
chivalrous male. Hasaarth sent a warm feeling of pleasure at his
rider's thoughts, too. He would be very happy if his rider followed
his own decisions of a couple sevendays ago to stop the drinking,
especially after he'd broken that resolve last night. Better to
spend time with _people_. And, that was a very lovely green!

Last updated on the January 18th 2012

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Of Bathing Dragons and Hangovers