Challenging Assumptions
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: Devin, Len
Date Posted: 27th May 2026
Characters: Sh'del, R'lor
Description: Sh’del gets out the smelling salts (and a few fresh pens) for poor R’lor after N’vanik and Z’kim’s dance
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 16 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: N'vanik, Z'kim
Oh, this was going to be good. Sh’del bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. Propping his feet up on the edge of the Weyrlingmaster’s desk, he sat back and waited for R’lor to show up. Luckily, there would be no distractions. All the new weyrlings had already been fed and a couple of the young assistants were showing the awake ones how to sooth itchy hides with lotions. He even managed to make sure Trouble was busy elsewhere, getting lots of attention from the girls who had not Impressed the day before. There would be no distractions for R’lor. Sh’del had even helpfully put out some new pens to help him scratch out more of his lessons about bronzeriders. He’d even put on a hot kettle of klah.
All he needed now was the star of the show.
The Weyrlingmaster stepped into his office and arched a brow. "Please remove your feet from my desk," he said mildly. At least Sh'del's feet were better than his flit. "Would you like some klah?"
“It’s not my feet, it’s my shoes,” Sh’del teased. “And as I brought the klah up, I should be asking you if you’d like some.” He bit the corner of his lip to not laugh as he leaned forward to pore R’lor a cup. He thoughtfully placed it in the middle of the pen pile. “Thought you might be needing those,” he offered helpfully.
"Thank you," R'lor said as Sh'del poured the klah. "Pens? I already have pens." His head was full of new weyrlings -- who might need extra help, who seemed to be handling things well, who might be trouble.
“Thought you might need some more soon.” Sh’del took a sip of his own klah. “Weyrlings are fine, I checked on them all early morning and G’del and Yennan are taking care of the boys and girls’ sides right now.” He named two assistants slightly too young to join their clutchmates from the last group to graduate.
"Good." R'lor stirred a bit of cream into his klah and took a sip. "It's nice to take a moment." There was a little voice that said he should go check on them anyway, but he gently pushed it away.
Sh’del sat back and watched R’lor out of the corner of his eye.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" R'lor asked.
Sh’del rolled his eyes and rubbed his hand over his mouth. “You’re not going to say a word about that dance last night?” His tone was incredulous. After R’lor had to get the smelling salts out for the idea that brownriders might not always be into women…and now silence?
What dance? Then R'lor realized what he must be talking about. "Oh, that." He rubbed his head and sighed. The Weyrleader had made a big public scene, kissing a male greenrider and upending everyone's ideas about bronzeriders. "I don't . . . Did you know about this?" Sh'del and N'vanik were friends.
“Of course.” Sh’del tried hard not to grin.
"How long has this been going on?" R'lor realized it was rude to pry into the Weyrleader's personal life . . . but putting on a display like that, _twice_, was inviting gossip.
"Oh...a while." Sh'del felt a tug of loyalty towards his friend. It didn't feel right to out how many turns it had been going on. "But bronzeriders and brown have been catching greens for ages now, it's only natural that the feelings of the dragons would spill over to the riders from time to time, don't you think?" What did R'lor think? Sh'del watched his face impassively, wondering how it felt for the bluerider. He opened his mouth to say more, but then shut it, allowing the older man to gather his thoughts.
"Is that what this is?" R'lor frowned. "Flights do complicate things, but I haven't heard of dragonlust actually changing someone's sexuality before." Dragonriders understood that what happened in a flight room was compelled by their dragons and not about personal preference. R'lor had certainly ended up with people he had no intrest it.
"Oh, I don't know...seems to me that sexuality can at times be more fluid than we think." Sh'del lifted an eyebrow. What was R'lor's background exactly? "I suppose with you being on blue it might've passed you by." Certainly he must have green riding friends who would have mentioned lingering passions with bronze riders after a Flight? Surely...maybe? Sh'del gave R'lor a quizzical glance.
"Well, for many people, certainly," R'lor said. "But aside from a few rumors here and there, I've never known of a bronzerider that had any interest in men outside the flightroom. To be fair, I don't often speak to bronzeriders about their personal lives." Though at the moment, he was extremely tempted to ask N'vanik several questions. Had he always liked men? Had he been hiding this long? Was this the result of flightlust turning into something more? DId he have other male lovers?
"No, they're too busy bossing the rest of us around," Sh'del said in a joking tone.
That got a soft chuckle out of R'lor. "A lot of our assumptions have been challenged lately."
"True, true." Sh'del noted that R'lor's cup appeared empty and he had worked with the man long enough to guess what that slightly worried look on his face meant. "The weyrlings are fine, but if you want to do a quick check before the first lessons, I've got to speak to the Weyrwoman about something." He stood up to leave.
R'lor nodded somewhat absently, wondering what other long-held assumptions they might be wrong about.
Last updated on the June 8th 2026