K'mai's Birthingday Bash!

Writers: Devin, Estelle, Halyonix, Iluva, Shawna, Suzee, Yvonne
Date Posted: 13th February 2025
Series: Bronze and Blue Entwined

Characters: K'mai, Tavia, T'lat, Zariah, L'keri, I'serin, H'run, Th'reyos
Description: K'mai has his usual huge birthingday party and he's especially pleased to see one guest in particular.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 4, day 16 of Turn 12

K'mai

K'mai's small weyr was packed. They'd borrowed furniture from
unoccupied weyrs -- K'mai might get an earful from the Headwoman
tomorrow, but they _were_ going to bring it all back. Tables, chairs,
and couches were arranged in little clusters with space to walk
between them. The bed had two of the larger couches shoved against it
and the area was screened off because not everyone at the party was
into watching.

K'mai was in the seat of honor -- his own couch, positioned so he
could see the door and greet people as they arrived. A friend from
Barrier Lake had brought him a mug with a delightfully filthy scene on
the bottom. "Oh I love it! This is great!" He hugged her and then held
the mug up. "Can someone wash this for me please? I'm going to use it
_right now_"

"K'mai!" Tavia grinned as she came in with a lovely bottle of tell
tale golden liquor. "Especially begged from the Dolphin Cove Weyrwoman
for your birthingday!"

"Thank you!" He got up to give her a one-armed hug, mindful of his
half-full glass of wine. "You're the best Tavia!" He kissed her cheek
and then sat back down, glass in one hand and bottle of liquor in the
other. He admired it for a moment before setting it carefully on the
crowded table in front of him.

She turned and kissed his cheek with another smile then moved aside so
others could greet him.

T'lat walked in carrying his gitar with him. "Happy Birthday," he
smiled. "I brought some music."

"T'lat! What a thoughtful gift." K'mai stood to give the young
greenrider a kiss. "There's a few other musicians if you want to
coordinate." He gestured toward a corner where a small group was
chatting among themselves, two of them holding instruments.

The moment he looked over, H'run felt it. He put a graceful hand to
his throat and laughed a little more boisterously than the joke
warranted. It was foolish foppery but H'run couldn't turn down a
stage, especially if it was in K'mai's honor. He snuck a glance back
at K'mai to see if the bluerider was watching, but the door swung open
and stole K'mai's attention.

Zariah walked in with a bottle of wine in one hand and a tin in the
other, "Fresh baked cookies for you, K'mai. I see I arrived just in
time for the entertainment," she winked at T'lat and his gitar before
heading to open her bottle of wine. "Anyone else want me to pour a
glass?"

K'mai emptied what was left in his glass and held it out. "Me!" But
just then a friend returned with his new freshly washed mug. "Oh,
thank you!" He told him. "Zariah, look what Solby gave me!"

Tavia smiled at T'lat and put an arm around the other greenrider.
"That's a very nice gitar."

"Thanks, I made it." T'lat answered and strummed a ringing chord. "I
hope K'mai likes it." he blushed.

"I'm sure he will," she smiled and patted his shoulder. She
acknowledged Zariah with a wink then turned to look for a possible
hookup for the night.

Zariah laughed as she peeked into the mug. "Oh, that's so very you,
K'mai. What do you want it filled with? You seem to have quite the
selection available."

"You can give me some of that wine." K'mai gestured at the bottle Zariah
was holding. "And a cookie," he added with a grin.

Zariah laughed as she filled the mug with a generous glass of wine,
"Well... red wine. Jam filled cookies... there are worse combinations."
She pulled a cookie out of the tin and offered it to him, "You should
hide the rest, though. That's my secret recipe."

"Did you hear?" K'mai announced with a grin. "Hands off my cookies." He
took a bite and hummed in appreciation at the flavor.

"Oh, is someone handing out cookies?" L'keri bounded up, smacking his
lips, and reached for the tin. In his other hand he held a small,
rectangular book-shaped parcel. "Happy birthingday!"

"Oooh, thank you!" K'mai stuffed the rest of the cookie in his mouth
and set down his mug so he could tear at the paper. Inside was a book
titled 'Memoirs of a Greenrider of Pleasure'. "That sounds promising.
I hope you got me the naughtiest book you could find." He flipped it
over to read the description but got distracted by another arrival.

It was absolute folly for him to be here and yet he was. This was not
a Cyan Wing party. He was no longer a mere wingrider. Even as he
walked into the room, the party stopped. And not in a good way.

"Shells and shards, the _Weyrleader's_ here," someone whispered furtively.

I'serin restrained his grimace. His grip on the bottle wrapped in his
hands tightened, as if holding on to some unseen hand that would help
him navigate this awkward situation, as he strode towards K'mai.
"K'mai," he said, without any of the ringing tone he used as
Weyrleader. He presented the bottle to the bluerider, saying, "A
firelizard told me that you had a particular fondness for this
vintage."

K'mai jumped up so fast he nearly tripped and crashed into the table.
"I'serin! You came!" Even a few glasses in, K'mai knew he couldn't
kiss him -- not even on the cheek! -- but it never occurred to him that
hugging might not be okay. He wrapped his arms around I'serin and gave
him a firm, warm squeeze . . . and maybe smelled him a little.

As expected, I'serin froze. Not one to usually entertain people in his
personal space on a good day, this was definitely not what he had
envisioned happening. Honestly, he should have expected it from K'mai
but I'serin had a proven track record of being thrown off by the
bluerider. "I...could do no less," I'serin stammered out.

"Thank you," K'mai said quietly. He'd assumed I'serin wouldn't show
up. Big parties weren't his thing, and he was so nervous that someone
would guess what was going on between them. The thought of I'serin not
being there had been the tiniest shadow over K'mai's mood, and now
there was nothing but glowing happiness.

Everyone _else's_ mood on the other hand . . . K'mai pulled back.
"He's not here as the Weyrleader, he's here as my _friend_." He waved
a finger at I'serin. "So nothing you see here leaves this room. What
happens in K'mai's weyr stays in K'mai's weyr."

A woman planted her hands on her hips. "And when did _this_ rule start?"

"It's a special rule, just for him," K'mai grinned. "As for the rest
of you, _please_ gossip about _everything_ that happens tonight." That
got a roar of laughter and a few cheers.

"Come sit by me," K'mai told I'serin, fighting the urge to take his
hand as the bluerider turned back toward the couch.

I'serin had not intended to stay long at all, for various reasons, but
he could not refuse K'mai and not seem impolite. So, with as much grace
as his awkward self could muster, he followed the bluerider to the
party's seat of honor, quietly counting down the moments until it would
be socially acceptable for him to leave.

"Look what L'keri gave me." K'mai started flipping through the book. And
froze. It was . . . illustrated. And he just so happened to stop on a
picture that showed a broad, muscular man bending a smaller man over a
large desk. The picture was . . . very detailed. K'mai slammed the book
closed. "Well that's not meant for a Weyrleader's eyes." His laugh was a
little nervous. And he was . . . oh no, oh Faranth was he blushing?

I'serin had just taken an obligatory sip of the wine that someone had
offered to him when he spotted the illustration and immediately choked.
Coughing loudly, which helped hide the spike of panic, he said, "Yes,
ah...not meant for a Weyrleader at all." He continued coughing lightly,
giving K'mai time to recover the situation.

K'mai was stuck for a moment. He didn't want I'serin to feel
uncomfortable, but if K'mai acted too different just because he was
there, _that_ would look strange. So he lifted the book and said,
"L'keri! This one's a winner!"

L'keri had been engrossed in chatting up a greenrider, and when he heard
his name and turned to see K'mai holding up his gift while sitting right
next to I'serin, his brow rose. **Uh-oh.** If he'd known the Weyrleader
was invited, he wouldn't have...well, maybe he would. **Let's hope he
has a sense of humor.** Making the best of it, he raised a hand in an
innocent salute.

"Hope I'm not too late," came Th'reyos' warm drawl, "K'maiii. Whaddya
think, birthingday boy, in the mood for some sausage?" In one hand he
clutched a glass mug of amber ale. In the other a suspiciously large,
suspiciously-shaped package that he gave a little shake for emphasis,
still butcherpapered and sealed, topped with a bow.

This time K'mai's laugh was easy. "I'm _always_ in the mood for
sausage." He reached for the package and gave Th'reyos a heavy look. "I
can't wait to taste yours." And now that he knew not all brownriders
were off the menu . . . mmmm.

Th'reyos lifted his eyebrows as though he were somehow surprised by that
veritable fact. "Ooh," came a soft, low whistle, offering K'mai his
smirk along with his package. "Can't beat that kinda hospitality. I'll
be sure to remember that when it's my birthingday."

"Well then, I think I know what I'm giving you." K'mai looked him over,
biting his lip. Then he went on in a lighter tone, "But seriously, thank
you. And thanks for coming."

"My pleasure," Th'reyos replied mildly. Still grinning from the
hilarious image of K'mai's lip beside I'serin's face, he turned and
boomed to the room, "Alright, let's give a toast to the man of the hour
- to K'mai!"

"K'mai!" L'keri joined in the toast enthusiastically. "And Sebeth! May
your flame never falter and many luscious greens fly your way."

"To K'mai," Zariah joined in with a grin, "may your antics never catch
up with you."

"To K'mai," I'serin intoned with a soft, genuine smile. "Friend to all."

H'run lifted a glass, but his eyes were on the way that K'mai's body
angled toward I'serin. It was almost too subtle to notice, but he was
a Harper. He was trained to notice things. "To K'mai. And what better
a way to celebrate a beautiful man's birthingday than with music." He
swung his gitar around his neck and started counting the other
musicians in.

"To me!" K'mai said with a wide grin, lifting his new sexy mug. He
needed to show it to I'serin later and see how much he blushed.

"All right, that's enough praise. How are we going to completely
embarrass our birthingday boy?" L'keri grinned wickedly. "Dares?
Salacious stories from his past?" He started to sway to the music.
"Perhaps we can get him to dance?"

K'mai made a small movement that could have easily been a shift in
posture. He'd caught himself turning toward I'serin, not to _ask_, he
obviously couldn't do that, it was just that the bronzerider had
instantly come to mind. He _wished_ but . . . K'mai laughed. "You
think you can pick me up and spin me around, L'keri?"

L'keri struck a pose and ostentatiously flexed his muscles. "Come on and
find out!"

K'mai stood, and then he did turn to I'serin. "Hold this," he said as
he pushed his mug toward the bronzerider. A very baffled I'serin did
so, taking one glance at bottom of the empty mug and then staring
_very directly_ somewhere else as though he had not seen anything lewd
at all.

"I've done that," K'mai said in a loud whisper before darting away
with a laugh. His heart was full. So many people had turned out for
his party and having I'serin here was such an unexpected delight. He
blew a kiss at H'run to thank him for the music and stopped in front
of L'keri, throwing his arms up dramatically. "Lift me!"

L'keri had been making a show of stretching, bending his knees and
rotating his shoulders to warm himself up for a feat of strength. He
rubbed his palms together and slapped his chest, then waited for the
music to approach a rousing chorus. "Three - two - one..." He lifted his
friend into the air and spun around on the spot. "Ha!"

K'mai laughed in delight. "All that exercise is paying off!"

"Isn't it?" L'keri spread his hands wide and looked hopefully around at
the women in the weyr. "Anyone else?"

T'lat stuck up a lively tune appropriate for dancing and soon others
joined in. He winked at H'run and began to strum and tap the rhythm on
the body of his gitar.

"Me!" Tavia grinned and ran across the room at the brownrider.

"Tavia!" L'keri swept her up and spun around effortlessly, luckily
avoiding knocking over the various bottles, glasses and other riders
around the weyr. He'd some delightful memories of the last time Rhalith
had flown Sawauth that he wouldn't mind revisiting. He set her down and
bowed extravagantly. "May I have this dance, m'lady?"

"My pleasure," her green eyes sparkled up at him. She'd always enjoyed
time spent with L'keri so she wrapped her arms around his neck and let
him lead.

"So who wants to dance with the birthingday boy?" K'mai fought the
urge to look at I'serin. The Weyrleader of Dragonsfall Weyr had been
sitting very quietly on the couch, observing everything, much like he
had at his former Wing parties. There but not involved.

A lower caverns worker got there first and K'mai swung her into the
dance, smiling and laughing. Good friends, good music . . . it really
was a great birthingday.

Last updated on the February 18th 2025

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K'mai's Birthingday Bash!