Checking on Cirina

Writers: Devin, Shawna
Date Posted: 1st March 2026

Characters: R'lor, Cirina
Description: R'lor comes by to check on Cirina after her Impression.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 23 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: N'vanik, N'kevyn, J'nic, O'rosin, Aydhara, Viseya

R'lor

Through the dragons, R'lor had heard N'vanik was going to Barrier Lake to visit with N'kevyn to congratulate him on the Hatching, and R'lor had decided to go along to meet with J'nic. R'lor had wanted to check on Cirina from the moment he heard she'd Impressed from the Stands, but the following day Dolphin Cove had Threadfall, and the day after that Barrier Lake had 'Fall as well.

Today was his first opportunity to pay a visit. He first spoke with Barrier Lake's Weyrlingmaster and asked permission to speak with Cirina. R'lor would never meet with a brand new weyrling from another Weyr without express permission, even one he knew as well as Cirina. Once he had it, he went over to the weyrling barracks.

"Cirina, congratulations!"

Cirina jumped at the sound of her name, startled out of a conversation with Saejith. "Oh, Weyrlingmaster R'lor. Sorry, hello! What are you doing here?" She reminded herself for the thousandth time that no one could actually take her dragon away and tried not to look worried.

"I came to see how you were doing," he said. "I'm sure you're thrilled to finally have your dragon, but the circumstances must have been a shock."

She took a deep breath, "This wasn't how it was supposed to happen," she agreed, "but... uh, no one has been mad about it?" Cirina didn't sound entirely confident about that. "And he's great. He's just absolutely perfect. Look."

Saejith had been playing with his siblings (or fighting, sometimes it was hard to tell), but he bounded towards his rider, skidding to a stop next to her and assuming the very precise sit that he'd learned to copy from Digger, tail looped around himself. "Look how big he's getting-" he was precisely average for a few day old blue, "and how pretty he is," he was actually more grey than blue, though his hide was shiny and smooth. "Absolutely perfect-why is there grass on your face?" Cirina quickly brushed it away.

}:Rath pushed me.:{

Which did not clarify the playing or fighting, unfortunately. "... and he's very playful."

R'lor looked at the blue with a fond smile. "He's very handsome. Hello, Saejith. It's a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand.

Saejith looked first towards Cirina, then stepped forward to bump his nose against R'lor's hand before sitting back down primly in front of him. }:This is the other J'nic?:{

**Uh, kind of. So be good.** Not that he ever wasn't. "Thank you. And thank you for sending my things over. And I hope not telling the weyrlingstaff here I'm trouble or anything."

R'lor chuckled. "I might have mentioned you to J'nic once or twice. There is one thing I'm disappointed about . . ." He paused a moment. "That I'm not going to be the one to train you."

"Oh no," Cirina paled, "you didn't mention the time Loseth and Panitath almost deafened me, did you? I don't need them thinking I'm dumb off the bat." She looked nervously towards the barracks, as if the weyrlingstaff might be lurking around a corner to jump out. "But um, it'll be fine. I mean you practically taught me with all the time I spent helping O'rosin study, right?"

"You have more experience than most, that's true. And J'nic will take good care of you, I'm sure," R'lor said. "But I will miss you."

"Of course you will," Cirina said with a cheeky smirk, "you'll have to find someone new to babysit the holder candidates. It's weird, you know. Now I'm the one who doesn't know where everything is; the tunnels here are just awful."

"You have a friend to show you around, though, right?"

"Sure, but she also has her family and friends and," here, Cirina lowered her voice as if Aydhara might hear her, "Rath is a little less... agreeable than Saejith." The little blue puffed his chest out proudly. "We can't be joined at the hip, ya know. I'll figure it out, I'm sure. Ugh. It's going to be awful when it gets cold, though. I'm just glad it's not Dragonsfall. I'd die if it snowed."

"I'm sure you'll make new friends here, too, especially with your clutchmates." R'lor smiled at Saejith. He loved it when they were so young and small. "Two female blueriders in the same clutch, that's certainly a surprise."

"Yeah, I guess. They seem... nice I guess." Cirina shrugged, "Is it a surprise, though? I've been thinking about it," her words came faster with excitement, "because Saejith is just confused about why he wouldn't pick me. Maybe it's happening more now because we know it can happen? Like maybe a few Turns ago he would have passed me by because I was thinking... I don't know. Green thoughts."

"Maybe. Dragon choices have been . . . a lot less rigid than we thought, especially the last few Turns." Girls on blue were the most obvious because they were the most visible, but R'lor was also thinking about how he'd had to update his lessons on dragonrider sexuality twice within a Turn.

"It makes sense, though. There's so much more of them now- the dragons can't be picky. Maybe stuff like this always happens when Thread starts."

Saejith stomped his front feet before headbutting Cirina hard enough that she rocked back a half a step. }: I didn't settle. You were the best.:{

Cirina laughed, then covered her mouth in embarrassment. "Sorry. It's weird to have a dragon."

"Having someone else inside your head all the time does take some getting used to." R'lor smiled warmly at both of them.

"He's SO nosey," Cirina agreed, "he's always rooting around in my head. And he's absolutely convinced all of my friends will be his friend, too. He was a menace to Aeoluth; it was like watching a kitten try to make a canine play with them." Her tone was equal parts exasperated and affectionate.

"Aeoluth wasn't rough with him, was he?" If the brown had hurt a newly-hatched weyrling, R'lor was going to have words with O'rosin's Wingleader.

"He would never be rough with him," Cirina rushed to defend her now second-favorite dragon, "it's not Aeoluth's fault Saejith is a little clumsy; it's because he's a baby." Cirina glanced over at Saejith, who made it a point to do a little circle to show off just how fine he was. Without even having to really look, Cirina gave a hop to dodge the little blue's tail, "If he's not tripping me with his tail, he's tripping himself with his wings."

"It's rough managing a body that's growing all the time, isn't it?" R'lor asked Saejith.

}:My tail IS too swingy,:{ Saejith said, taking care to tuck it back around his feet when he sat back down.

"Your tail is perfect," Cirina countered automatically. "He is growing good. The healers checked on him twice! They were a little worried that first night because his coloring was kind of dull, but he shined up nice with oil. Viseya says I'm going to make him so slippery the straps fall off. I think she's teasing, though."

He felt another pang that he wasn't going to train them and watch them grow together. "Would it be alright if I came to visit sometimes?"

"Um, sure, no one seems to care if we have visitors as long as it's free time. Just, you know, don't let the 'staff here think it's 'cause I need extra watching. I want them to like me," Cirina said earnestly. "I'm working hard at it so they don't think I'm a normal dumb Stands Impression."

He couldn't help laughing. "Cirina, you're weyrbred. They know that."

"Weyrbred candidates can be dumb, too," Cirina protested. "I need good marks. I don't want any special attention and extra work assignments."

"You'll do fine," he said. You're smart, you're determined, and you've got more experience with dragon care than any of your fellow weyrlings, save maybe the dragonhealer apprentices."

With a cheeky smile, Cirina said, "I don't know. I did do a lot of cleaning up the 'infirmary that month I was stuck there. I may have a leg up on them even. Now I just have to get the flying and the formations down. And remember I'm not a brownrider," she muttered. "I memorized the wrong formations for blue."

"You can start fresh with the rest of your class. I'm sure you'll do Dolphin Cove proud," he said with a little smile playing at his lips.

"And if I don't, maybe they'll just give me the boot when I graduate! Anyway, we should get back. Lessons start again soon," there was a familiar air of resignation to Cirina's tone. "It was nice of you to stop by. And thanks for having my things sent!"

Last updated on the April 1st 2026

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Checking on Cirina