A Blast from the Past

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 10th December 2017

Characters: T'kala, A'vel
Description: T'kala and A'vel go on a date to the Harper Hall
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 2, day 16 of Turn 9

T'kala wasn't normally the type that looked in the mirror too much,
but he did make an effort to take a peek at his reflection and make
sure he looked put together for his date with A'vel. He knew that the
greenrider would be nervous about returning to the Harper Hall, since
his father didn't approve of his Impression, but he was hoping that
they would still have an enjoyable evening together.

He strode out to his blue and mounted up in a nimble leap where he
shoved his feet into the stirrups.

}:Tsogath, we're on our way.:{ Dagreth announced to the green as they
dropped from their ledge and made for the greenrider's weyr.

}:I will tell my rider,:{ Tsogath said, moving out of the way to make
space for Dagreth.

A'vel was, in fact, very nervous. He'd been trying to avoid wearing
anything blue that might attract scrutiny or notice, so he picked out
a brown tunic that basically fit and had no ornamentation on it. It
was very drab-looking. Now he was repeatedly combing at his hair,
trying to get it to look nice and not like wisps flying all over.

}:Dagreth's is here,:{ Tsogath announced.

T'kala smiled when he saw A'vel, "You look great," he said, and meant
it, "you all set to go?"

A'vel reached up and patted at his hair again. "You're sure it looks
okay?" he asked.

"Yes, besides, it's going to get a little windblown in flight anyway."
It was just the way things were when you rode a dragon.

"Ah, that's true." A'vel wanted to keep fidgeting but he knew it was a
delaying tactic. "I guess I'm ready."

T'kala noticed the tension, "Nervous about the hall?"

"A bit, but don't worry, I'm not backing out on you," A'vel said.

The corner of T'kala's mouth twitched, "I'm glad. It'll be fine. Your chance to show your family that the color of your dragon doesn't change who you are."

"I hope we can just go and listen to music and not see them at all," A'vel said softly.

"Maybe we won't," T'kala said, putting a hand on A'vel's shoulder and steering him out towards their waiting dragons. "One of my friends went to the performance last night and said it was amazing."

"Do you know what they were doing?"

"Last night was a soloist showcase, tonight is a musical play, I believe." T'kala said as he mounted up to Dagreth's neckridge.

"Sounds fun," A'vel said, before mounting Tsogath.

The green took off first and winged her way up high. }:I have a visual,:{ she said, sending it to Dagreth.

When they re-emerged from /between/ she bugled in delight. She'd seen the Hall from her rider's mind, she'd felt some of A'vel's memories from there - positive and negative - but she'd never really been there. Outside of practice jumps and passing over via Fall. She was excited even if her rider wasn't.

There were a couple of other dragons there as well, either transporting guests, or there to see the show themselves. People milled about outside, waiting to get in to take a seat, and from the way they were dressed, T'kala could tell they were holders and crafters.

"Go take a break," T'kala said, giving Dagreth's flank a thump as he slid off and went over to A'vel. "See anyone you know yet?"

"No, not yet..." the greenrider said as Tsogath took off. He wasn't really looking around, though. He was looking down and hunching his shoulders in.

The bluerider reached out and hooked a finger underneath A'vel's chin to tilt his face up where their eyes could meet, "Hey, stop that. You have every right to be here and enjoy yourself. Don't act like you're ashamed of who you are, or your dragon."

A'vel let T'kala guide his face up so he could see T'kala's darker eyes. "I'm not ashamed of Tsogath. I just don't want to disrupt an event if someone picks a fight with me," he said quietly.

"No one is going to pick a fight with you. I believe if your father tried his superiors wouldn't be very happy, now would they? The Harper Hall welcomes everyone." T'kala looked up, "Come on, the line is moving."

A'vel nodded at T'kala's words - the Hallmaster wouldn't be happy if he heard one of his important Masters was picking a fight. But his father still might be stupid and try. And so might some of the boys that had bullied him or made him the butt of the jokes.

He didn't verbalize any of that, though. Tsogath was encouraging him to not be self-defeating and telling him she wanted to hear the music, and she couldn't do that if he didn't go in.

"Yeah, let's," he said, following T'kala.

Nobody said anything to him as they moved through the line, and he thought they were going to be clear. Then they got to the people at the door who were waving them in to be seated, and he flinched. He knew the older lady. She was friends with his mother. Would she say anything?

T'kala stepped closer to A'vel as they were funneled through the doors. As they stepped inside he could just catch the hint of someone behind them saying, "Isn't that Faveron's boy? The one who impressed a _green_ at the Weyr?"

A'vel stiffened as he heard the words and his hands clenched tightly. He kept marching forward, though his body langauge was clearly uncomfortable as he moved towards the seats they'd been waved at and sat.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," he whispered over when they finally sat.

T'kala smiled and put his arm over the back of A'vel's chair, "Not at all." Now that the first comment was out of the way, they could relax and enjoy the musical.

A'vel tried to tell himself that everyone was going to be paying attention to the music and not to them, but still he worried the people next to him were staring at the casual way T'kala was next to him. But once the play actually started, he stopped thinking about people looking and leaned forward, enraptured in the music.

The musical was just the kind that T'kala liked, there was drama, romance, and a crazy relative who liked to horn in on important situations. The actors that played the roles were also amazing, T'kala thought, showcasing skills that he could only dream of having. When the curtain dropped for the intermission, the bluerider stretched out his legs and stood. "That was great."

"I didn't realize how much I missed a full performance music," A'vel said with a sigh. There were Harper-trained folk at the Weyr who performed, but it wasn't quite the same.

"It definitely adds to the performance, the stage and props and everything." T'kala hadn't been to a show in a while, they'd been a little more frequent at the Weyr back when it was Weyrhold. "You want to grab a drink or anything while we wait for the second act?"

"Clearly those of us at the Weyr need to work on stepping up our acts," A'vel joked. "I'm okay just waiting here, unless you need something?"

"I think I'll grab a drink," T'kala decided. "Want me to bring you one?"

"Sure, uhm, just juice?" A'vel asked.

"Coming right up," T'kala said, leaving A'vel to go retrieve some refreshments for them. The bluerider was only gone a moment before he returned and handed A'vel a cup. "Well? Does it feel like being home again?"

"It does," A'vel confirmed. "It makes me wish the Hall was still at the Weyr...in that then this kind of performance would be around all the time for us." There would have been downsides, as well.

T'kala didn't miss the Weyr being a Weyrhold at all. There had been a lot more bullying back then, but he was glad that A'vel still felt at home at the Hall. Music played and the lights dimmed again, a signal that the intermission was over. Sitting by down, T'kala set his drink aside and then casually took A'vel's hand, lacing their fingers together as the curtains opened again and the second act began.

A'vel sipped at his cup, keeping it in his left hand as the play began. He jumped in surprise when T'kala's hand brushed his other one, and his instinct was to hiss a no at the other rider. But it was dim and the music was happening and what was he so worried about? So he curled his fingers into T'kala's, instead of pulling away.

The bluerider smiled a little in the darkness. It was a small thing, holding hands, but it was a start.

The rest of the musical went by in a blur, with T'kala thinking more about how nice A'vel's hand felt in his, than really focusing on what was happening to the male lead on stage. Before he knew it, they were back at Dolphin Cove, standing on A'vel's ledge. This was normally the point where T'kala would have either been invited inside or not, if the rider was more experienced, but he could already sense from A'vel that there would probably not be an invitation. The best he could hope for was a kiss, perhaps.

"I had a nice time, A'vel, thank you for going with me," T'kala said.

This was the part where people kissed, right? That was how it worked in courting, he thought from the lessons in how to be a man and find a wife when he grew up his mother had tried to drill into him, from Harper tales, from what he knew about other people's relationships. But while he knew what was expected, and he had had an ejoyable time, he just wasn't feeling that yet. So he pressed T'kala's hand between both of his.

"I had a good time too. Thank you for accompanying me back. I wouldn't have been brave enough to go on my own," A'vel said sincerely.

"Of course," T'kala got the signal. "I hope we can do it again some time." He tilted his head to A'vel in a little bow, and then turned and walked to Dagreth, who crouched for his rider to mount. T'kala wasn't sure at all if A'vel was interested in him in the same way, or if this was just the beginning of a friendship. Only time would tell.

Last updated on the December 23rd 2017

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A Blast from the Past