New Name, Who Dis?

Writers: Aaron, Devin
Date Posted: 23rd July 2025

Characters: H'yazi, T'lin
Description: T'lin searches Hayazi.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 24 of Turn 12

T'lin

Hayazi was a boy with a name for the first time in his life. And a boy with a place. But now he needed a job. He had never even considered he could ever hope to become a proper crafter, but now that he was at the Weyr, he had been visiting each of their crafters and other workers in turn, looking for work that felt right to him.

Today, he had learned how to oil a squeaky fan with the technicians. It was amazing to not only see, but live in a place with electric lights and fans and stoves and running water _everywhere_.

And now that his day was through, he did not have to wait days or even weeks to take a proper bath. What a life.

"S-sorry, hi," he greeted a man who was leaving the technicians at the same time. "I'm new here... would you mind showing me how to get to the baths again?"

"Oh, sure." T'lin smiled. "You're the uh, the one who came over from Dragonsfall, right? I'm T'lin, of blue Calaroth."

"Yeah. I mean. Yes, sir. N'vanik said I could." Hayazi was quick to add that disclaimer, lest anyone think he was doing something he was not supposed to. "I'm Hayazi." He had learned to go by new names so often, it was easy to remember this one. But it felt so much more right coming out of his mouth than any of the others had before it.

"A pleasure to meet you." T'lin might have been wary if the former Holdless was older, but Hayazi was so young and from what he'd seen in the technicians workroom the boy was shy and eager, not some shifty-eyed con artist plotting murder. "Follow me."

He cut across the Weyrbowl and a shadow fell over them as Calaroth flew overhead. The blue landed nearby, eyes whirling with interest. }:I want to see that one.:{

T'lin's eyebrows went up and he turned to Hayazi with a smile. "My dragon wants to meet you."

The overhead shadow froze Hayazi. His eyes darted about for cover. He had been fighting the urge to run from those shadows ever since they had brought him to Dragonsfall, and then to Dolphin Cove. Dragonriders overhead meant getting caught.

But. He was not doing anything wrong! Not any more.

"Is that... good?" Hayazi asked. T'lin was smiling, that had to be a good sign. Right?

"Very good," T'lin said. "You don't need to be afraid of him, he's very friendly."

The blue lowered himself so he wouldn't seem so big and crooned softly.

Hayazi was trying not to shiver. He had no business shivering. It was warm here. Hot here, even! Not like the frigid heights of the far south. But he could not stop trembling. No dragon had ever taken notice of him personally. He was going to know. They said the dragons could read your mind if they were paying attention to you. He would see every single bad thing he ever did.

"Even if I don't deserve it?" The Boy squeaked.

No. No! He was not The Boy, the Nameless any longer. He was Hayazi, the good child, the child Hayarall and Liazi deserved.

T'lin pressed his lips together. "Well, I don't know what you might have done before, but that doesn't matter to Cal right now. Go ahead and get closer, he wants a good look."

"He... seems so sweet," said Hayazi. Certainly nothing like his parents had told him a dragon was like. He stepped closer, expecting to be eaten at any moment. He had stayed well clear of the front ends of every dragon he had been close to so far-- as much as he could.

"He is, except when he's being a pain in my butt," T'lin said.

Calaroth leaned his head closer, eyes whirling faster. }:He glows.:{

Hayazi could not help but chuckle.

"I didn't know dragons could be that way," he said. He could hardly even imagine a dragon giving his rider grief.

"Have you ever wanted a dragon of your own?" T'lin asked.

Hayazi almost reflexively launched into a fib, but then his eyes darted back to the dragon. He was still mostly sure he would be able to tell if Hayazi was lying...

"It never really seemed like something I could ever have," he said cautiously. He did not want to admit that his parents taught him to be afraid of dragons. Wary of dragons.

"Calaroth thinks you have the potential to be a rider."

The blue inched closer until he was almost touching Hayazi.

"What does he want? I don't have any food." Hayazi almost wondered if the dragon would consider touching him something that he could 'defend himself' from, and the whole thing was just an excuse to get a little taste o' that sweet, sweet manflesh. Not that there was much of that on Hayazi, anyway.

"He wants you to pet him," T'lin said, holding back a laugh.

}:And also for him to Stand.:{

"Is that all right? You wouldn't be mad?" If the dragon really did want pets, Hayazi did not want to make him angry by refusing.

"He _loves_ getting pets," T'lin said. **One thing at a time. Let's see if we can get him to relax a little first, hmm?**

Hayazi had touched vanishingly few dragons. Only the ones who had saved him from the flood and the one who had brought him to Dolphin Cove. But that had been business. Just a ride. This one _wanted_ him to touch him? Was asking for it?

It really did seem too good to be true.

"You're not gonna... get me in trouble for breaking a rule or something, are you?" he asked. How did one ask politely whether he was being lured into a trap? "It's really all right to touch him?"

"Yes. If you don't pet him, he's going to pout." T'lin smiled at his dragon.

Calaroth was barely holding back the urge to push his snout against the boy and demand pets instead of just asking.

"Ohhh, my goodness." The dragon was just a big ol' puppy canine! "I wouldn't want such a sweet, sweet boy to have to slink off to pout all by himself." Hayazi closed his eyes for a moment and just imagined that Calaroth was Hayarall and Liazi's sweet old canine, Talon. His father had silenced that poor old boy forever... but not Calaroth. Hayazi could imagine that Talon lived on in some small way in this dragon. And Hayazi could have some small way to thank him for being such a good boy. Such a good friend.

Hayazi hugged Calaroth's head, and tried not to let too many tears escape. He scritched his headknobs like they were Talon's ears.

"Such a good, good boy..."

Calaroth crooned and nuzzled him.

T'lin put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

Hayazi quickly swiped his sleeve across his eyes and nodded. He was not crying! He had never cried once in his whole life!

"Oh, uh. Yeah, sorry. Was that all right?"

"It's fine." T'lin smiled gently. "Were you overwhelmed at touching a dragon, or is something else going on?"

"He just... reminded me of someone else," said Hayazi. A dragon surely would not want to be compared to a canine. Or... used to vicariously say goodbye to a dead canine. Probably. "Sorry..."

"Do you want a hug?" T'lin asked.

Hayazi stiffened and shook his head. Maybe a hug would have been nice. But he had just met this man.

"No, thank you." He got in one more scratch for Calaroth. "But thank you for letting me give you some pets." And not biting my arm off, he left silent.

Calaroth bumped his nose against Hayazi. }:Tell him again. He should Stand for the eggs.:{

"Calaroth likes people in general, but he likes you in particular because he thinks you should be a Candidate."

Hayazi's eyes widened. A Candidate? Like, he could get his own dragon? That was enough to distract him even from getting booped by Calaroth. But then his eyes narrowed again.

"What do I have to give you for it?" There was always a catch.

T'lin's first instinct was to protest. Of course Hayazi didn't need to give him anything! But then he had a little playful urge. "You have to swear your undying loyalty . . . to Calaroth!" He gestured dramatically toward the blue.

Hayazi raised his eyebrow. It seemed harmless at first-- what was he going to do, ask for more pets? But how would he know what Calaroth wanted from him unless T'lin told him? He could say the dragon wanted anything, and how could Hayazi argue?

"And what would Calaroth want from me?"

T'lin smiled at Calaroth's answer. "He says you must give him pets and scratches and baths whenever he asks."

"That's all?" That seemed easy enough. But then, there was a possibility of complication. "Forever? Even after I have my own dragon to pet and scratch and bathe?"

Calaroth tilted his head, considering. T'lin reminded him that hatchlings needed a lot of care. "He says you can wait until your dragon is grown up and then go back to bathing and petting him." T'lin put a hand to his mouth. "Don't worry, he won't remember any of this by then."

Was this some kind of a joke, then? A game? A dragon was playing a game with him? One corner of his mouth quirked into a half-smile.

"All right." He leaned down slowly and pressed his forehead ahead against Calaroth's snoot. "Then, I swear."

}:I like him a lot.:{ Calaroth's eyes whirled faster. }:Not just because he glows.:{

"You've made a friend today," T'lin said with a smile. "Two friends, since I like you, too. I don't have any Search tokens on me, but I can give you one later. Or if you'd like I could walk you to the Headwoman's office and we can make it official."

"Could we?" Hayazi hated that he still could not fully trust T'lin. If he let him walk away before this was official, how could he ever hope that he would follow through? After all, Calaroth would not remember.

"We can go right now, if you don't have anything you need to do," T'lin said.

"Nothing but the bath. It's... just really nice to be able to have one whenever I want," said Hayazi. "How do I smell, Calaroth?"

T'lin laughed. "He says you smell like a human. I totally forgot we were headed for the bathing caverns. I'll get you to the Headwoman first, and then I'll walk you to the baths."

"Deal."

Last updated on the July 29th 2025

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New Name, Who Dis?