Hatching Feasts are Overrated

[Kristin]

K‘vin hesitated a bit before nodding in response to Lialla‘s question. He was definately mischief-making, that was for sure. And K‘vin still wasn‘t sure if L‘mar had meant what he said about poisoning. „I don‘t know him that well, but I know him well enough to know that he‘s nothing like you. Because he may, or may not have poisoned the Weyr several times while doing kitchen duty.“ He hoped he wasn‘t offending Lialla by saying those things about her potential brother, but she had said it first so it was probably all right. Besides, they still didn‘t know if L‘mar was her brother or not. „Hey, you‘ll have to tell me later when you‘ve talked to L‘mar if you‘re his sister or not. The excitement is killing me.“ K‘vin grinned, he loved this family drama. Why could something this interesting never happen to him?

Oh. That makes sense. I don‘t love everyone either. Just the ones I know. Her clutchsister was wise too. It was good to talk to someone who was smart. She loved the littlewing but he wasn‘t that clever and he couldn‘t talk. I don‘t know Peth and I don‘t know Polo. Is Polo a twoleg? Is he Peth‘s? Oh and I also know Olloth. He needed a little help to find His, so I helped him. I love him but Calzanth is still my favourite brown. Hmm, Cryth need her help now. It‘s almostalmostmostest. Of that Asileth was sure.

[Kaemi]

Although she wasn't sure whether or not this could be considered an awkward conversation, Lialla could certainly label it as an unusual one. "Nothing like me... poisons the Weyr every so often instead of actually doing his chore... yes, that sounds like the Liamar I knew. I suppose he wouldn't have changed all that much after Impressing." Shaking her head, a small smile having wormed onto her face. If it was actually her brother... shells, but what if it wasn't? Still, Lia turned the smile back up towards her companion. "Of course I will, K'vin. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity soon enough. Maybe I'll even do it during Weyrling Lessons, tomorrow. You'd see it, first hand!" This idea encouraged her to bite her lip, as she envisioned the scene it would cause, especially if he ended up not being her brother. How embarrassing! "Or, not."

So she was in a rather questionable mood, not entirely sure if she was pleased or not. Searching her brain for something to move the subject to, Lialla immediately remembered. "Now that we've dissembled my family life, broken the ice, you could say. You had a question?" She kept her face and voice devoid of any emotion spare pleasantly inquiring, but her eyes were alight with mischief. Maybe she and her brother had more in common than either of them knew.

Pleased that she and Asileth agreed on something else, Cryth tapped her tail rhythmically on the floor. Peth is our blue clutchsibling. He looks funny! But I like him. Polo is a firelizard, but I can't see him. I think he's... Her tail stopped tapping. The green searched the word, but when she couldn't find it in her own mind, she asked both Hers and Asileth: What's the word when you can't be seen? Lialla quirked an eyebrow, but quickly supplied, "Invisible." Oh, yes! Invisible. I think Polo's an invisible firelizard who is Peth's like the little brown small thing over there is yours. Her tail resumed its tapping. She liked Polo and Peth and Peth's and Asileth and Asileth's and Hers mostest of all! Oh thank you. Then I love you almostalmostmostest.

[Kristin]

Oh. So she hadn‘t forgotten. K‘vin was still changing his decision to tell her every couple of seconds but before he knew it, he had opened his mouth and a torrent of words came out. „YouseeAsilethisagreenandgreendragonsflyandthenyouhavetohavesexandI‘mavirginandI‘m probablygoingtohavetohavesexwithamanbutIonlywanttobewithwomenexceptmaybeIdon‘t
becausemaybeIlikementoobutIdon‘twanttoo.“ K‘vin sat frozen, his mouth open, and stared at Lialla. He couldn‘t believe what he had just said. He had been meaning to ask Lialla if she was nervous about Cryth rising too, but it had never been the plan to open himself up so completely. He had never told anyone what he had just told Lialla, who he had just met. But the words had come out and there was no taking it back now and what K‘vin wanted to do the most now was to run as fast as he could away from Lialla. Or disappear into to the floor. And what an interesting floor it was. K‘vin stopped looking at Lialla and focused his eyes on the floor and bit his lover lip so hard that he almost drew blood. His face was burning in shame and his mind was in chaos.

Asileth picked up on Hers distress and stopped talking to Cryth at once. K‘vinmine? What is wrong? Did Cryth‘s hurt you? Her eyes turned red in anger and she snarled at both Cryth and Lialla. No! Asileth! Lialla didn‘t hurt me. Don‘t be angry at her. Her rider‘s words relaxed Asileth a bit but she continued watching Lialla warily. Then why are you sad? Is it something that I did? No! Nonono Asileth dearest. You‘re perfect and I love you. It‘s... It‘s just hard to explain. That was an enormous relief to Asileth. She would reallyreally hate to be the one causing Hers distress. Promise you will explain it to me sometime K‘vinmine? K‘vin hesitated a bit before promising. He didn‘t want Asileth to think that she was to blame for all his problems. After all, she wasn‘t. She just made K‘vin have to face the problems that he would have to face sooner or later.

[Kaemi]

It took Lialla a few blinks to digest the words that had fallen out of K'vin's mouth. First she had to insert pauses in between each word, and then she had to actually hear the individuals words, associating meaning. After she registered, it took another blink. "Oh," she said quietly, it being a breath instead of an actual sound. She dimly noticed that a green had snarled at her, but it wasn't Cryth, so she really didn't care. "That could be a problem," the weyrling continued briefly, actually thinking on it. It didn't take long before she found the memory. Just a few sevendays before leaving to the Weyr, she had read a Record about a young weyrling's first Flight.

"You don't have to have sex, you know, not the first time Asileth Flies," Lialla told him. "For the first few times, until you're comfortable, you can lock the doors. After undergoing some sexual frustration during and after the Flight, you'd still be a virgin until you were ready to deal with it on your own terms." Now with the other part, which she didn't really know much about the... other... part. "And we're in a Weyr, now, where you may like men or women without judgment. And men aren't so bad to like." She smiled up at K'vin.

Not only had the green which she loved almostalmostmostest had just snarled at both her as well as Hers. Cryth's tail stopped completely, her good mood dissolved, and she would have snarled right back if Lia had felt the tiniest bit afraid or angry. Instead she just felt confused and a little bit embarrassed. Why are you snarling at me and Mine?! she asked hotly, mindvoice obviously angry and a little bit hurt. She had liked her clutchsister a great deal, as the one she loved almostalmostmostest, but she was being mean to Hers!

[Kristin]

K‘vin‘s head shot up when Lialla told him he didn‘t need to do that when Asileth rose. He almost forgot that he was embarrassed and instead stared in bewilderment at Lilla. Could it be? Could it actually be that Lialla had managed to find a solution so effortlessly while K‘vin had been thinking relentlessly about the subject for, well for the last few candlemarks. „Are you sure?“ His voice was small, but full of hope. He definitely wanted to do that for the first time when he was completely ready and in a clear state of mind. He had heard that during flights things could get a little rough, which was something that absolutely terrified the weyrling.

Lialla talked about his other problem so lightly, like it didn‘t matter really. K‘vin wanted to believe her but it was hard when it had been installed in him his entire life that men and women should only be with someone of the opposite sex, doing otherwise was disgusting. „Do you really think that? Don‘t you think it‘s wrong?“ Yet K‘vin had yet to encounter a person in the Weyr that thought it was wrong. Just the other day he‘d seen two women kissing and people had passed them by, seemingly unbothered by the public display of affection.

Yes, he forgot so easily that he was in a Weyr now, not back in Silver Cove where his father and brothers were, just waiting for an excuse to hit K‘vin. He wondered what his father would say if he knew that K‘vin was now a dragonrider. Would he be proud? Maybe, but K‘vin wasn‘t ever going to tell him. Besides, K‘vin was a greenrider. His father could always find excuses to criticize K‘vin and it would be just like him to demand to know why K‘vin hadn‘t impressed a bronze.

When she was sure Hers was all right, Asileth turned again to Cryth. Now that she knew that Lialla didn‘t do anything wrong, she was slightly ashamed of her behavior. And she had offended Cryth, the one who she loved nextnextmost. I‘m sososososo sorrysorry Cryth. Mine was sad and I thought that maybe Yours had made him sad. But she didn‘t so I‘m sosososososo sorrysorrysorry. I just don‘t want anyone to be not nice to Mine. He‘s small so I need to look after him. She hoped that Cryth could forgive her because Cryth was her friend now and she didn‘t want to lose either one of her two dragon friends.

[Kaemi]

“I'm not entirely sure,” she told K'vin, biting her lip. After all, Lialla didn't want to give him any false hope. “But I'm almost certain. I read it in a Record. And, if you could talk to M'ma- he's a greenrider, and our Weyrling Master- well, then you may be completely assured of it.” Hoping that her first words didn't cause him too much distress, Lialla offered him a small smile. “Granted, K'vin, you'd have to be completely prepared. Know when she's proddy- when she's ready to Fly, she'll get moody, and probably develop a glow. You'll have to be cognizant, and then be ready to lock yourself away before the Flight.” Just in case their Weyrling Master wasn't sure of it, she wanted to make sure the boy, whom she counted as a decent friend, would know enough about it to execute.

Lialla truly had the best of both worlds. She had been born in the Weyr, had developed her original sense of morals and ethics and personality there, and then transferred to the Craft to grow up. She knew how people reacted to 'differences' that were so readily accepted at the Weyr. It let her have empathy as well as sympathy towards K'vin's problem. “You've been at Cerulean long enough, surely, to realize that we don't care whether or not your a hetero, or bi, or homo-sexual. Weyrfolk have to come to accept it, generally... there's too many greenflights to worry about who will engage in intercourse with who. Of course it's not wrong, K'vin!”

Although she was angry, and worried, and upset- a larger array of emotions than she remembered. Granted, she didn't remember much longer than a candlemark. Oh. The rapid emotions began to calm down with celerity. Oh. I guess I understand that, I guess. I love Mine and she is tiny, too, so I wouldn't want anyone to hurt her. But you're not going to hurt her, or be mean to her? Cryth asked.

[Kristin]

„How can you know so much?“ K‘vin blurted out and blushed. „I mean, you just solved my problem. Just like that. You seem to be so much in control, don‘t you have any fears or problems, aside from the lost brother?“ It was like she knew what K‘vin needed, she just calmly stated facts and had K‘vin hanging on her every word. Words couldn‘t express how thankful he was for her help. He certainly didn’t regret his earlier outburst now. He wished that he could hug her right then but instead just smiled at her. „And Lialla... Thank you. For both things. Nobody‘s ever talked about that like that to me. My father... He wanted me to me a big, strong, ladies man like him and my brothers.“ He shrugged ruefully. „And look at me, aren‘t I just the epitome of masculinity?“

Of course it wasn‘t that easy. It wasn‘t enough that Lialla said it was all right because K‘vin himself, even though he knew he was wrong, couldn‘t help being stuck in his old ways. Maybe people here didn‘t care whether he was homosexual or not, but he cared. No matter what anyone said, he didn‘t want to be one of them. But it helped to know that just in case he lost the fight with himself and became one of them, it wouldn‘t be completely terrible.

Asileth hesitated. Of course she didn‘t want to be mean to Cryth‘s but if Cryth‘s was mean to Hers, she would have to be mean to Cryth‘s and maybe even hurt her. I‘m really sorry Cryth but I can‘t promise that. If she ever hurts mine, I‘ll be sosososo angry. But Mine likes Yours, doesn‘t Yours like Mine? If Yours likes Mine, she won‘t hurt him I think. Oh Asileth hoped that Cryth‘s wouldn‘t do anything bad to Hers, she would hate to hurt Cryth‘s.

[Kaemi]

For a very brief moment, Lialla thought that maybe K'vin was mocking her. That maybe he was going to make fun of her, for reading the Records and being able to recall them. She had recoiled partially into herself, arms crossing her chest and eyes flashing, before she realized that wasn't what she was doing at all. The blush, followed by the soft smile, quickly clued her in, and her arms uncrossed. A dark blush began working up in her own cheeks, first from her mistake, and then from his words. "I read... a lot," she told him, hopefully answering his first question. The second one was a little harder. "I have problems," she continued, "but to those I'm hoping that maybe I'll read something in another Record someday which will answer it, and that will be the end of it." Realizing that that was actually true, and she bit her lip. "I've... had sex before." She wasn't sure if that was over-sharing, but since they were already on the subject, Lialla felt that fair was fair.

Social boundaries still escaped her, obviously.

"It wasn't a very pleasant experience, not for me, and so I don't plan on trying again any time soon. But I still have at least a Turn to come to turns with that, so I try to not think on it. Not to mention, there are female blueriders out there- and I don't like girls. We all have our fair share of problems." Truth be told, she was terrified of the idea of sex. But even Lia knew enough that K'vin didn't need to know that. Ever. Everever.

The blush was dieing from her face as he began talking again, and she smiled widely. "No," Lia said truthfully. "But that's certainly not a negative thing. I'm not the epitome of femininity, although I do like boys, and I don't think there's anything wrong with not wearing frilly dresses or giggling frequently." She really liked K'vin, and she hoped that he wouldn't berate himself too badly over his admission. Sexuality didn't matter in the Weyr, not in the least.

Oh. Oh. Well if she couldn't promise then someday she may hurt her Lia and that was badbadbad and if anyone hurt her Lia then she would... would... Cryth didn't know, not having a single violent bone in her body. Maybe if her clutchsister had done anything violent, besides snarling, she could have retaliated, but the green severely doubted it. I can't see LiaMine ever hurting anyone! And she likes Yours alotalot. But... but... if you ever hurt Mine then I won't love you almostalmostmostest! she promised, delivering the most serious threat she knew. Mindvoice passive again, she continued, But if you don't then I will!!

[Kristin]

K‘vin couldn‘t help being a bit startled when Lialla shared her sex experience with him. He also couldn‘t help blushing. Even though K‘vin had just talked about his (nonexistent) sex life with her, it was still a bit embarrassing listening to her. He did not want to picture Lialla doing that. Maybe he was a bit immature but the thought of people (that he wasn‘t attracted to) having sex was just gross. Most people did, but it didn‘t mean that K‘vin had to know about it. But Lialla was sharing a bad experience with him so K‘vin tried his best to put all ew-she-just-told-me-about-losing-her-virginity in the back of his mind.

He reached over to pat Lialla‘s shoulder awkwardly. „I‘m sorry it wasn‘t pleasant for you. Maybe you just need to find someone special for the experience to be special. I hope your second time won‘t be with a female bluerider.“ K‘vin forced a smile. He was not good at comforting other people. The Master who taught Mind Healing had all but given up on K‘vin.

Asileth was troubled. She was sure that she wouldn‘t ever have to hurt Cryth‘s, but she couldn‘t promise Cryth to keep her claws of Cryth‘s because someday, something could happen. But then again, Cryth‘s seemed nice. K‘vinHers had good feelings about her. And she reallyreally didn‘t want to offend Cryth. And besides, there was always the littlebrownwing. Even though he was small, he could probably hurt people a lot. Cryth. I promise to never hurt Yours. But if she does something bad to Mine, I will be madmadmad and I won‘t like you nextnextmost.

[Kaemi]

Oops, it seemed that she had overstepped her bounds, if the bright red blush coloring K'vin's face was any indication. Hopefully her story would aid him somehow in his own troubles. He was terribly awkward in his movements, but Lialla barely noticed in her own sudden-embarrassment. Returning a very forced smile, she did manage a real laugh at his own wish for her. "Oh... thanks," she told him. "I hope that, too." She hadn't really thought much of it, actually, until K'vin's own trouble brought it up in her mind. She hadn't had time. Shells, she had just Impressed earlier in the evening.

Stifling a yawn, the green weyrling determined that it had to be pretty late at night. She didn't even want to know where all the other weyrlings were. Surely they could have come in and Lia just not noticed them, but others were probably still involved in the festivities. Which was, quite frankly, ridiculous, considering the late time of evening. There would be a Weyrling Lesson bright and early- actually, she should probably be getting some sleep sometime soon. While a rather interesting conversation had been had, she could feel herself growing tired. More than that, Cryth was growing tired, as well. "Maybe... maybe we should begin to head our separate ways for the night, K'vin. It's getting fairly late."

It was true, Cryth was getting tired. She happily accepted Asileth's promise. I promise to never hurt Yours, either. Mine will nevereverever hurt Yours! So I will always like you almostalmostmostest, she returned. Give her a sevenday, and she probably wouldn't remember the promise, but that was alright. She made it and she liked her clutchsister a lot a lot.

[Kristin]

Until Lialla mentioned it, K‘vin hadn‘t noticed how late it was, but now he realized that he was in fact rather tired. It had been a long, exciting day. He almost didn‘t want to go to sleep because he wanted spend even more time with Asileth, especially since he had been talking to Lialla and not his dragon, but he could feel that Asileth was tired as well and tomorrow they would have to wake up early for their first Weyrling Lesson. „You‘re right, I‘m getting pretty sleepy and Asileth is tired too.“

K‘vin reluctantly stood up, cradling the still sleeping Toll in his arms. He was glad that he had decided to talk to Lialla, sure he had been mortified/embarrassed/uncomfortable most of the time but it had still been pretty nice talking to her. She had helped him with his issues but he didn‘t think that he had been of any use to her. Except maybe with the L‘mar issue, but it could be he had done more harm than good there if it turned out that they weren‘t actually related. „Good night Lialla, Cryth. It was nice meeting you and I hope everything works out for you.“ He may have been a bit formal, but he was sincere. Asileth, we should go get some sleep don‘t you think?

Yes, Asileth did think that would be wise. She was glad now that she had given Cryth a chance, because now she had made a friend and Cryth had promised to never hurt K‘vinHers and all was well in Asileth‘s world. But, she had never slept before so it was exciting to do that for the first time.

[Kaemi]

They were all getting tired, it was obvious. Her green was beginning to visibly droop, and in the intervals where no conversation was taking place between herself and Asileth, Cryth's tapping slowed down considerably, spacing out from one tap to the next. She followed K'vin's example in standing up, smiling at him before she bent over to caress Cryth's eyeridge. She was, already, the light of the weyrling girl's life. Straightening quickly, Lialla again smiled. "You three have a good night, as well. More than likely, we'll see one another in the morning."

And with that, they turned and made their way into the girl's side of the Barracks. Quickly they found their bed, delighted to have their own area for themselves. It was going to be very comforting. Too bad they wouldn't get to enjoy it much- much too busy to get a vast amount of uninterrupted evenings. Toddling onto her slab, Cryth sent out one last goodnight to Asileth, and then promptly went to sleep. It didn't take long at all for Lia to follow right on behind her green.