Moving on Up

Writers: Avery, Devin
Date Posted: 4th February 2019

Characters: T'lin, V'rel, L'pin, Ikalis, Betalisa
Description: Panitath's class starts getting private weyr assisgnments.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 6 of Turn 9

T'lin

It was just before lunchtime break in classes and it was time to pick
out their own weyrs. The Headwoman and a couple of her assistants had
shown up to get the process going. She had the really large map, up at
the front of the classroom by the weyrlingmasters; the one where
everyone's choices would be recorded. But the assistants had a few
smaller versions of it, rougher-drawn copies that could be shared at
tables and passed around so people could start thinking about what they
wanted.

Ikalis handed V'rel's table two copies of a map. He passed one down the
line towards Aleika, and bent over one himself. He appreciated that it
had been marked with symbols which weyrs had ledges that were sized for
bronze and brown dragons, which could fit anything in the medium range
(small browns, any blues, some bigger greens), and which were only for
greens. He also recognized L'pin's handwriting on this copy, and
thought, ***Hmm, that's why it's so well organized.**

"What area are you hoping for?" he asked T'lin, who was seated next to
him, of course.

"Something with a good view of the bowl, but most of those are taken."
The only weyr T'lin would be truly unhappy with were the sea-facing
ones, but weyrlings were discouraged from choosing those anyway. "We
should find ones close together!"

"I really hope we can," he agreed. He leaned down and looks at the map.
"Let's see...there's a lot of *low* ones. A couple higher up here and
there. Hey, there don't seem to be a lot of brown sized ones up there,
so maybe we'd have better chances."

"One of the many benefits of having a blue." T'lin squinted as he
studied the locations. "There's one here and one down here." He
pointed them out, a weyr near the top and another one level down and a
few weyrs over. "They're marked as medium and they're pretty close
together."

"Oh that's nice," he says. "Hope they arne't both taken by the time we
get there."

"We'll just have to get there _first_!"

"I guess we go up there and beat out the other weyrlings." But he likes
having a backup plan, so he looked over the map one more time. "Or
there's one here that's really nice, at the edge of a crescent, looks
over the feeding pens..."

"But it's farther away." T'lin grabbed V'rel's hand. "Let's go!"

V'rel let himself be pulled along behind T'lin. L'pin was up there with
the maps and smiled. "Both here to choose a weyr at once?"

"We want ones close together," T'lin said. "That one and that one." He
pointed to the map.

L'pin looked at it and neither of those were chosen. "Which of you
wants which, or do you care either way?"

V'rel looked at T'lin. "I'll take the one the next level down and
T'lin can have the top one."

"I do like being on the..." T'lin coughed. Not in front of the
Weyrlingmaster Third. "I mean, that sounds great."

V'rel's face flushed as he got the implication. "Rymeth is looking
forward to having his own space. And so am I," he said, trying to make
light of it.

L'pin had to press his lips together very hard to not laugh at T'lin's
words. "T'lin in this weyr... V'rel in this one..."

"Yes!" T'lin pumped his fist, glad they were able to secure the weyrs
they wanted. "It's going to be strange, not living in the barracks."

"I'm a little worried about it," V'rel said, as they stepped back to
make room for the next weyrlings to make their choices. "I've really
gotten used to hearing other people all the time."

"I could come whisper in your ear until you fall asleep." T'lin winked
and laughed.

"I'm totally fine with that." V'rel blushed a little as he thought
about the kinds of things T'lin might whisper, especially since he'd
been primed by the earlier comment. Then he quickly clamped down,
hard, on that feeling, worrying that maybe Rymeth had noticed, But his
blue seemed entirely inattentive to any surge of feelings he was
having. He was busy outside looking for the ledge of their new weyr.

He sat back down while others went up to pick weyrs. Only now that
they'd made their choice did he realize something else. Maybe T'lin
would have wanted to share a weyr with him, so they could be around
each other all the time, and so they wouldn't be too lonely after the
barracks experience. Could weyrlings do that? Or did they have to be
on their own until after graduation and then they could weyrmate? He
couldn't remember and he wouldn't have wanted to bring it up with
T'lin and get excited about that possibility and then get totally shut
down...

"Calaroth is happy we got something higher up," T'lin said. "Is Rymeth
happy? You said I could have the higher one but I guess we didn't
really talk about it."

"What?" V'rel asked, jerked out of his own thoughts by the question.
"Sorry, I totally missed what you said," he admitted.

T'lin knew his own mind wandered off enough, so he gave his friend an
understanding smile. "I was wondering if you and Rymeth were happy
with your choice, or did you secretly want the higher weyr?"

"I'm just happy to have any weyr close to you." He gave T'lin a soft,
kind of dopey smile.

T'lin made a soft noise of protest. "When you look at me like that it
makes me want to kiss you." Faranth curse this weyrling ban!

"Well...soon enough," he said quietly.

"_Not_ soon enough. The waiting is killing me." T'lin sighed and then
laughed. "Is it driving you crazy too?"

"Yes. Absolutely." He half-closed his eyes, and made _absolutely sure_
Rymeth was distracted. The blue was - he and Ascath and Bereruth were
comparing their new weyr assignments - so he said, quietly, "But
we're /betweening/ so soon, and then..."

"I'm not letting you out of bed for _candlemarks_," T'lin said with a
smile. He tried to keep his imagination from coming up with details.

V'rel's mind went and jumped right to those. "T'lin!" he hissed very
quietly, lifting a hand to cover his face and shoving a stranglehold
down on. Shards. _Shards_.

After a moment he cleared his throat, and said, "So uh, I guess we're
planning on spending that with each other?"

That's what he really wanted, but hadn't wanted to count on it, get
his hopes up too far, without confirming.

T'lin laughed. "Sorry! But yeah, I definitely want to celebrate
graduation to senior with you." He couldn't wait to explore more of
the physical and romantic side of their relationship. They hadn't had
much time before they impressed.

"Good. Uh. Okay. Yeah." V'rel was blushing.

"Shards, you're just too cute." T'lin took V'rel's hand and squeezed
it. "I really might have to write you that bad love poem."

"I'd love it if you did. I could try one back," he said.

"That's definitely an incentive." No matter how good or bad the poem
might be, T'lin would cherish one from V'rel.

Betalisa, one of the green weyrlings, came over clutching her sheet.
"Hey, what did you two get?" she asked curiously. "Bereruth and I have
ours, and she's already excited about..."

Last updated on the February 26th 2019

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