Settling in Just Fine

Writers: Sia, Duskdog
Date Posted: 23rd June 2025

Characters: H'taysh, D'narion
Description: Donnarion spotted H'taysh across the room and liked his vibe
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 6, day 18 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Calonice

H'taysh

Threadfall was over. A good Fall, as far as Donnarion could tell, though the buzz of dragons hardly ceased through the entire day. A small moment of quiet happened as the dragons rose to meet the edge of Thread and disappeared /between/, but came quickly again as they dipped back and forth, greens and blues swapping in and out, younger riders bringing firestone, and golds guiding back the injured. The steady hum of conversation had begun again by the evening.

And so his impulsiveness was bolstered by that pleasant hum as he slid into the seat across from the handsome greenrider he oogled that morning when he was with Calonice. He might even be _more_ handsome than he was before, with some of the ash of Threadfall lingering and adding a certain ruggedness to him.

"Well flown, greenrider!" He said, with a lingering glance up and down, "Or, at least, it looks well-flown."

H’taysh blinked. He was tired -- satisfied, but tired -- though hunger had won out over anything else, for now. He hadn’t really been paying much attention to his surroundings, so it took him a moment, but once the words and the _look_ registered, he grinned, blushing only a little. “Thanks! I try to make sure I look like I do some work around here. Just… rub in a little ash every now and then, you know?” He pantomimed rubbing something into his cheeks.

He wasn’t used to being hit on… at least not until he Impressed Selkirth and got released from restrictions. Then, suddenly, a bunch of guys had come out of the woodwork, and many of them had just made him feel uncomfortable. But not all. And this guy looked close to his age, at least.

"You look like you do plenty of work around here." Donnarion agreed with a grin. "The ash really adds to the heroic rider physique." He caught the slightest flush of H'taysh's face and leaned in, forearms braced on the table. Not too close-- he wasn't pushy. Just interested. Curious. And more than a little thirsty, now that the game could be played without so much secrecy. "I'm Donnarion. I've recently transferred over as a glasscrafter, but I'm going to give this next clutch a shot."

H’taysh lit up. This, at least, was something he could safely talk about. (And nothing wrong with indulging a little, maybe?)

“Oh yeah? That’s great, you definitely should. I was just here as a laborer when the Weyr was still being built and stuff, and me and some friends asked to Stand, and the Weyrwoman let us… and now I’ve got Selkirth!” He couldn’t help but beam at the mention of her name. “I’m H’taysh, by the way. It’s nice to meet you. You’ve, uh, got a pretty nice physique yourself.”

Donnarion flashed him a smile, flexing his arms just a little to preen at the praise. His next clever quip fell out of his head, though, replaced with a look of pleasant surprise.

"Oh, Selkirth!" Donnarion exclaimed. "She's such a darling. Well, so I hear. Could I avail you for a ride sometime? When your girl hasn't exhausted herself saving us from a gruesome end, that is. If that's not too forward. I've never asked to see a man's dragon before." His foot did slide subtly across the floor, to brush his leg gently against H'taysh's.

“She is, isn’t she? I’m sure every other dragon is great and all, but there’s really not any dragon as sweet as mine! …Wait, people talk about her?” The brush against his leg caught him off-guard, and though he froze, he couldn’t suppress the little shiver that went through him. Did he want to do this? Why not? If it was a girl he’d be over both moons about it. He had only really tried guys a couple of times outside of Selkirth’s flight, but those times had been pretty fun. Why not go for it, if this guy was keen? He was cute. “Well, maybe… how do I know you know how to, uh, handle a dragon?”

"I don't know if people do. I eavesdrop on the dragons more often than I think they realize. I'm not catching all of their names, but I've heard her talking to the others. I don't think I could point her out in a flight of greens, though, but I'd love to be able to match that sweet voice to a face." Donnarion caught the momentary stillness but didn't move his leg, seeing if H'taysh would break the physical connection first. No harm, no foul.

"As for handling one, well, you'll have to take me for a ride to find out."

If H’taysh hadn’t been so intent on his current predicament, he might have thought more about Donnarion eavesdropping on dragons. But as it was, he couldn’t think of much beyond the warmth against his leg and what he wanted to do about it.

“You’re real bold for a guy not from the Weyr,” he observed, though there was no judgment in his tone. “You’re gonna fit right in.”

}:I like him,:{ Selkirth inserted happily, unasked. }:He called me sweet! You should let him make you feel good. Maybe he’ll call you sweet, too.:{

H’taysh’s blush deepened, but his dragon’s encouragement was always buoying. “...you wanna come ride my dragon, huh? I guess I might give you the chance.”

Donnarion's smile grew wider. He'd have to remember that. Being able to eavesdrop had its benefits. "I'm sure I'll go back to my old tricks soon enough, but I'm enjoying not needing to sneak around. I could be more coy, if you prefer. I couldn't stand _not_ approaching a rugged man in uniform, still ashen from Threadfall. I might have a dragon of my own soon, and I hear there's a moratorium on that kind of thing for a while after."

“Haha, yeah, it’s a pain… but worth it for a dragon.” He laughed a little, relaxing. “I wasn’t brave enough to try back at the Hold. Wasn’t sure what I wanted, I guess. You don’t have to play coy on my account -- maybe we oughtta both enjoy that we don’t have to, y’know?”

"That's what I've heard. And they've been very convincing since I've been here." Donnarion agreed. "The chase will be fun again eventually. But for now, I'd much rather be clear how much I want to spend time with you. And Selkirth, if she's not too exhausted."

“Oh, she’ll perk right up once she sees we’re bringing a new friend.” H’taysh stood up, heart beating fast in his chest. He almost couldn’t believe he was actually doing this, and that he was excited about it. “C’mon, I’ll show you to my weyr…”

Last updated on the July 3rd 2025

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Settling in Just Fine