Gossip Girls.

Writers: Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 17th August 2016

Characters: Firelloa, Nariise
Description: Nariise has news.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 7 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Datrino, A'kua

Firelloa bit into her sandwich and chewed happily, relishing the good wheat bread and the thick slabs of ham and cheese, and the spread made from basil and olive oil and other good things. She was sitting outside her usual classroom for lunch, waiting for Nariise to join her; A'kua couldn't today because he was getting his forearm checked by a healer for hopefully the last time, which was fine by Firelloa. She had seen siblings drive each other mad from being together too much. Everyone needed their space.

Speaking of space, Nariise exited the classroom and plopped down right in hers, but Firelloa didn't mind. She gave Nariise a smile, but the other girl didn't return it, instead leaning in with a serious expression. "Datrino apologized to me before class."

Firelloa's eyes widened. "What?" That was unexpected. "Why didn't he apologize to me?"

Nariise snickered. "He's too scared of your brother to come near you now. I don't have any dragonriding siblings -or siblings at all-, so I'm safer."

"Oh. Well, what did you do?"

Nariise smiled, slightly crooked teeth white against her darker skin. "I told him I wouldn't accept his apology unless he told me why he's always so mean." Her expression sobered again. "It's actually very sad."

Firelloa lowered her sandwich. "Is something wrong?"

Her fellow apprentice nodded. "He's not a happy kid. See, his father's a dragonrider too, H'wun, but his mother is one of the crafters. She wanted his father to be faithful outside of flights, and he promised he would be, but he broke his promise."

The holdbred girl didn't quite get the reference to "outside flights", but she understood the important part: A promise had been broken. "Then what happened?"

"They started fighting all the time. It got bad enough that H'wun asked for a transfer back to his home Weyr, Dreams End. Datrino wanted to go with him because they're so close, but his mother wouldn't allow it, and now every time H'wun tries to come see him, his mother drives him off because she's still so angry at him."

Firelloa was staggered. "Wait, let me get this straight: She's hurting her son just to spite her former lover?"

"Weyrmate," Nariise corrected, not unkindly, "and aye, that's basically the story, sounds like. And she won't tell Datrino why she's doing it. He looked really lost when he said that. He's twelve, that's old enough to understand if she did explain. So now he's just getting madder and madder and being mean to everyone. He kind of hopes if he's bad enough, his mother will get fed up and send him to Dreams End after all. I gave him a hug."

The freckled girl shook her head. Yes, twelve was old enough to understand, but also too old to try that kind of tactic. Common sense dictated it wouldn't work. **He must feel _really_ lost if he's trying something so bratty,** she thought, and bluntly said aloud, "His mother must be holdbred."

Nariise gave her friend a puzzled look. "Aren't you holdbred?"

"Uh-huh. That's why I can say that."

"Oh." Nariise brought out her own lunch and started munching.

Firelloa sighed. "I guess there's nothing we can do, huh?"

Her friend shook her head. "Probably not."

Now Firelloa understood why her brother had such a dirty mouth: In a frustrating scenario where nothing could be done, swearing was a somewhat decent outlet. She was pretty tempted to do it herself, but she bit into her sandwich another time with a particular viciousness instead.

Last updated on the August 19th 2016

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