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Elsewhere on Pern
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Story Listing
Series Listing

Weyrling Training

Writers: Aaron, Steel
Date Posted: 29th August 2026

Characters: R'zen, O'rock
Description: R'zen has a perhaps overdue talk with O'rock
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 6, day 11 of Turn 13
Notes: Mentioned: A’yan, T’lonas, M’thos, R’kiva

Pernese Compliant Swearing

~~~~

If he had to be honest with himself, R’zen had been thinking about this for a while. Maybe _more_ than a while. The incident with Shaegerith and his rider, the subsequent discipline, all of it had called into things he’d previously never had any reason to doubt, and Ibranth had only bolstered that sense. But… but _now_? With so much changing, rapidly approaching?

They would fly for _real_, any day now. Or… soon enough, in any case.

Ibranth landed with his customary thump, the dragon’s tail sweeping snow from the Weyrbowl stone, still energetic despite finishing training a little bit ago.

Ordinarily, R’zen would head straight in toward the dining cavern for hot food and klah, his riding gear only so much protection against the cold.

But today… He hesitated.

**Ibranth.Tell Shaegerith to tell O’rock to meet us at the cavern entrance.**

The blue grumbled, but obeyed.

O’rock laughed when Shaegerith told him. It seemed ludicrous for R’zen to _summon_ him, not one ‘if you please’ or ‘by your leave’ to be found. At the very least, he felt safe to assume R’zen did not mean to challenge him to a duel right there at the entrance to the dining cavern.

**Ask him if he wants his laundry delivered, too.**

Shaegerith dithered, but obeyed.

}:No.:{ Ibranth said, simply, without even needing to check with his rider. }:He says they must speak. He waits.:{

Without further ribbing, O’rock joined R’zen where he was waiting. He took a bite of jerky and then stuffed it back into his pocket.

“Whatcha want?”

R’zen slanted a long, unreadable look at him. His dark-eyed gaze swept over the other weyrling, before he jerked his head toward the cavern’s interior. “... C’mon. Not talking to you out in the fecking cold.” he said, after a moment. “Need dinner.”

“Hm.” O’rock followed behind him, watching with more curiosity than he cared to admit.

R’zen filled his plate in the line, and ignored the wave of one or two other riders inviting him to join them to instead choose a spot where there were fewer people at the table.

“... So.” He said finally, stabbing a piece of roast herdbeast on his plate with a little bit more force than necessary, before he took a deep breath.

What in the world could be this difficult to say?

“Yeah?” O’rock cut off a piece of his own herdbeast and chewed it slowly.

“I don’t like you.” R’zen said, after another long moment, blunt. “And I’m fairly sure that the feeling is mutual.” He didn’t wait more than a breath before continuing. “But we’re flaming now, and basically all of the drills. Before we know it, we’ll be flying against Thread for _real_.”

He took a bite of his own food, and then pressed on. “If we let _this_ …. If we take this up there, we _will_ be putting others in danger, and that’s not what a future Wingthird does. Just ignoring each other won’t work. Not for much longer.”

Relief was plain on O’rock’s face for a moment, in the form of a twitch of a grin. For half a second, he was certain R’zen was going to ask him for hate sex.

“All right. What do you want from me?”

R’zen made a face, then shook his head as if to clear it. “... Drills. We need to focus on more active cooperation, not just following patterns. Ibranth’s way bigger than Shaegerith, but that means it’s a good balance between them. I’ve already been having Ibranth training with some of the older weyrlings for a while now, so he knows what to do.”

A pause, and then he added, “It would look… really bad. If our class messed up in our first real Blooding. You know that wilting-- I mean. You know A’yan. Did extra training with him in the beginning, yeah?”

“Aye, I know him.” O’rock wondered if R’zen was planning to make up with him, too.

“You’ve seen what I have then.” R’zen said. “If he keeps on like this he won’t be ready with the rest of us.”

“Maybe not,” said O’rock. “Doesn’t have all that much to do with us, though, does it? I can’t see T’lonas letting him fly with us if he’s just gonna get himself killed.”

R’zen scowled, at his plate more than anything in particular. That. That right there was why _he_ deserved to be first pick for a Wing himself. Almost no one else seemed to pick up how _important_ all this was.

“Do _you_ wanna be from a class where someone gets held back or whatever? What about the Weyrlingmasters’ reputations?” He challenged. “... My _point_ is, you know A'yan better than me. You can probably help him get on the level of the rest of us.”

“I’ve been doing what I can myself to help him,” said O’rock. “But ashes, if T’lonas and M’thos and R’kiva can’t do it, there’s only so much my help is gonna… you know, help. Their reputations are their business. I’d rather he get held back than he push himself too far and…”

O’rock coughed and swallowed.

“Shit, man. Almost nobody dies wrangling herdbeasts, you know, not unless they do something dumbassed. Here, doing this… We could do everything right, and just one little gust of wind? Done. Gone. Head eaten clean off.”

R’zen snorted. “You think like that, you’ll definitely stutter and freeze up.” He not quite retorted. “Why else in Faranth’s name do you think I’ve been putting all that extra time training? Why’d you even Stand anyway?” He added, and took a long drink of his klah. “I’m _going_ to be the best bluerider in my wing. I don’t care how long it takes. I’ve got Ibranth, and he’s got me. We’ll make it. _And_ we’ll impress anyone watching.”

O’rock raised an eyebrow and then took another bite of his food. It was like they were talking past each other, but was it not always?

“I’m sure you will.”

When his question wasn't answered, R’zen huffed, and ate a few more bites of food before he pressed on.

“So… we're in agreement, then?” R'zen eyed him finally. “More cooperation, and you'll… just keep helping A'yan. That way, we'll _all_ be ready.”

A longer pause, and then he added slowly, stiff and awkward. “I don't… hate you. By the way.” R'zen didn't like him, sure, but that was different.

“You’re just full of surprises tonight.” O’rock chuckled. “I never hated you. And sure. You got it. All the cooperation and help I can muster.”

Last updated on the October 28th 2026