A Party at the Lighthouse (1/3)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Duskdog, Francesca, Halyonix, Heather, Iluva, Sia
Date Posted: 17th August 2025
Characters: N'tur, Calonice, T'erin, N'mar, W'yel, Aydhara, D'narion, Riali, Veldhan
Description: The Barrier Lake Weyr candidates throw a clandestine party before the hatching.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 8, day 17 of Turn 12
It was quiet out, for a Weyr. The showers from the day had begrudgingly given way to a relatively clear night, though stubborn wisps of clouds still valiantly struggled to partially obscure the moon Belior. It appeared that most of the Weyr's residency, having finished the evening meal, had decided that tonight was an excellent night to stay indoors, and there was little activity to be seen from where the watchdragon perched near the Star Stones. The brown dragon's rider shivered as an unexpected gust of cold night air hit him. Shards, it was freezing! Why had he volunteered for this shift? He could be home in his own warm fecking bed right now. He slapped his arms against his torso, trying to increase the circulation, and peered harder into the darkness below, his gaze on the dining hall building that also served as quarters for the Weyr's Candidates.
Thereâ€" movement! N'tur momentarily forgot his discomfort as he watched the shadowy figure steal out from the back of the building and cut a path south towards the small peninsula that boasted the lighthouse.
Soon the solitary figure was joined by othersâ€" a pair here, a small cluster thereâ€" all making their way slowly towards the beckoning light.
Veldhan was leading the group, his broad grin hidden in the dark, but everyone knew it was there. Furtive but excited whispers could be heard. “This way!” Guiding the Candidates on towards the door at the base of the lighthouse, which Veldhan and his friends knew would be unlocked.
Calonice felt her heart pounding as she crept through the night with the others. A delicious shiver ran through her, but not from the cold. No, it was the _thrill_ of it all. Since she had arrived, everything had been so structured, so scheduled. She had not realized when she had fled her Trader family caravan that she would be giving up so much of the freedom that she had always taken for granted. Tonight, she intended to enjoy that freedom to the fullest.
The dragons weren't watching them tonight. Donnarion made sure the weyrlingstaff dragons were preoccupied before alerting the others. A wineskin of his own, brought from home and saved for a special occasion, pressed against his side as he casually walked up to Calonice and looped his arm with hers. "I'd like to start the night with a date, at least." He said, "Though I won't be upset if you end the night with another date."
Calonice grinned up at him, delighted. “I was hoping for that,” she cooed happily. She squeezed his arm with her own.
Temrin was, normally, a rule follower, but being from the Healer Hall at Jade Harbor meant he didn’t know a lot of people at Barrier Lake. The only person he really knew was his father, and they hadn’t exactly seen a lot of each other in the last four Turns. So tonight was about making friends and not, he hoped, getting in trouble.
“Are we sure it’s okay for us to be here?” he asked.
“I’m pretty sure it’s not!” Wayell whispered back. His hands were trembling in a mixture of trepidation and excitement. He would have never _dared_ to do something like this back home, but here he was, with actual _Candidates_, pretty much all of whom were older than himself, sneaking out to a _party_! His mother would be bawling her eyes out if she knew! “But, uh… it’s just fun, right? There’s nothing wrong with fun… right?”
The ever-present anxiety of being caught and disappointing someone -- or worse, being kicked out -- was making it a little hard to breathe, but he was _trying_.
“Nah, man. It’s gonna be fine.” Neymar assured him, idly glancing behind the troupe to see if they’d been spotted, wearing a grin that still lit the dark. A few Turns ago, he might have hesitated to be sneaking out and drinking with a bunch of other Candidates. There were always things he was Supposed to Be Doing - but after seeing a few clutches and getting to know some of the others better he’d since come around on all accounts.
With this clutch at most a few days away, they had every reason to be doing this. It was called bonding. It was called unwinding. It was whatever word acceptably covered the exhilaration of letting loose. They’d done everything they were supposed to be doing for a long time, and now it was time for something they weren’t supposed to be doing. He planned on making it a good night. “And watch your step!” Neymar called as they approached the lighthouse, though not saying what or where they should watch.
"Stop being such babies!" Aydhara hissed as she neared, her blue firelizard trailing after her like a bad watch canine. Her sling-bag rustled gently with the sound of glass and she pulled out a wine bottle that looked almost too big to fit and handed it to Neymar. "Holdbrats. No one ever lets y'all have any fun, do they? I get why you had to run off to the Weyr."
Riali ignored the jibe, sticking close to one of the other girls. Besides, in her case, it was true. She’d never snuck out at night before, but figured being in a group would minimize any punishment if they were caught. It was all pretty exciting; the night sky, the dark lake, the lighthouse. The alcohol some of the other candidates had swiped from somewhere, even if she couldn’t drink it. “Are we sure there’s no one up there?” she couldn’t help but ask in a loud whisper, not caring if it further annoyed Aydhara. It would be disappointing to be caught before the festivities even got started.
Just as the frontrunners of the group reached the base of the towering structure, the door cracked open and a narrow beam of light illuminated the pathway on which the candidates were approaching. As the door slowly swung wide, it revealed a figure, and there was a gasp heard from far back in the group as it became obvious that there was indeed already an occupant in the lighthouse.
“It's about time you lot got here.” The voice emanating from the figure was young, though the nearest of the candidates would be able to make out the knots of a wingrider on the breast. “Hurry up and get inside, it's sharding _cold_ out here!”
~
Half a candlemark later and the party was in full swing. The young dragonrider who had greeted the Candidates had ushered them inside, where they were met with makeshift tables laden with treats and booze. It seemed as though a few of the newly graduated weyrlings had pooled together to sneak supplies into the lighthouse earlier in the evening, and one dragon had even helpfully lit a small bonfire on the narrow strip of beach below the lighthouse, where it hopefully wouldn't be as noticeable from the Weyr proper.
Last updated on the September 2nd 2025