Dragons, Mudpies and Kissing

Writers: Chelle, Len
Date Posted: 19th November 2010

Characters: G'wen, Scadril
Description: Galwen and Scadril discuss candidacy and romance.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 5 of Turn 5
Notes: Mentioned: L'rew, D'ale, J'darin

Galwen looked up at the sky with a mournful sigh. One of his favorite
greens was flying overhead. At the rate he was going, having one like
her was never going to happen. Glancing back down at his friend sitting
close by, he asked, "So if you could have any dragon in the Weyr, which
one would it be?"

"Pfftt..you don't have any dragon in the Weyr, goofy. You
have_your_ dragon which is the only one made for you." Shaking his
head, Scadril wondered why Galwen had asked such a silly
question.

Galwen rolled his dark eyes at the boy. "Really Scadril,
like I don't know that! But just imagine for a moment...if you had a
dragon, what would you want it to be?"

"A big brown of course. I'm not leadership potential so a bronze ain't
for me. And I ain't flying highspeed on no blue or green. Nah, a good
steady brown." Scadril was quiet as he thought about it.

Galwen studied his friend, imagining him on a brown. "Yeah, I could see
you with brown." He picked at a scab on his elbow before adding with a
grin. "So, this brown...if he could look like anyone in the Weyr, which
brown would you like yours to look like?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Maybe the color of dark mud...but light on the
edges. Good and solid sized, doesn't have to be real big."

"...Like mud?" Galwen rolled his eyes again. "Mud?? You've really
cracked your shell this time, Scadril. What about L'rew's? He's a pretty brown.
Or D'ale's. A lot of the greens seem to enjoy having him around." He glared
closely at his friend. "You're still thinking about mudpies, aren't you?"

"Well yeah," he replied easily. "But I still think that'd be a good
color. Those dark browns that you can't even see cause they're
like black are no good. No one would see me flying at night."

"Why would you fly at night? You got a secret girlfriend in a Hold or
something? Really, Scadril, sometimes I worry about you." He smiled
to take any sting out of his words.

"Eh well sometimes when you come back from Gathers it's nighttime.
And maybe I do have places to go and people to see," he said with an
I-told-you-so tone.

Galwen snorted. "If you're coming back from_that_you'd better
have the blackest brown that ever hatched." Pulling the wine bottle
T'bel had been so kind to give to two sad faced boys earlier, he handed
it to Scadril. He added, "Not that you need anymore, silly."

Scadril snorted and took it, sipping a bit before setting it down. "I
wonder how the hatchlings really know. I mean..they come out of their
shell knowing."

"I suppose they start to 'know' us when we go to see the eggs...?" He
shrugged his shoulders. Since before a few months ago he'd never been
considered for Candidacy, he had never given it much thought. "Maybe
we'll find out in a few sevendays. I thought someone said something about
J'darin and the Weyrwoman taking us to stroke the eggs soon. I just hope
the baby dragons know what mean bullies Nadden and Berren are. Shards,
can you imagine if they Impress and we don't?!" That thought alone called
for a large swallow of the wine.

"Sometimes mean ones impress, though. I mean, we hear stories about mean
Wingleaders all the time right?" Scadril tried to reason it out in his mind.

"Yeah, we do."

"Maybe they'll change. The dragons can change people sometimes." Putting
his faith in that, Scadril took another drink.

Thinking of some of the bullies Impressing whilst he and his friends
stood by unwanted by any of the dragonets made the wine sour in Galwen's
stomach. It couldn't happen, could it? He voiced his worry to his friend.

"Some people have to wait for their dragons. It's just the way it is.
Mine might not come for two more turns. To be a rider, though, to be
worth that, you should want to do whatever you have to. Even waitin'."
Scadril accepted that, just like he accepted everything else.

Galwen swallowed hard, hoping the wine wasn't thinking of coming back up.
"Scadril, how many times have you Stood?"

"A turn now it's been." He shrugged, knowing some people had to
stand for five turns before it ever happened for them.

"So that's been...three Hatchings?" Galwen tried to do the math for his
friend. That sounded about right.

"More'n that, but yeah it's okay." Scadril shrugged.

Galwen wasn't good at math even with a clear head. But something else
had occurred to him. "This wanting a brown dragon to go and flirt with
the Hold girls at gathers...have you ever been with someone yet? Y'know,
in_that_way?"

"Course I've felt a girl up, but I've never done the whole deed just yet.
Livin' in a Weyr, though, I'm sure it'll happen soon." Scadril wasn't in
a hurry for that yet either, though he knew it was bound to happen sooner
or later.

Galwen sighed, relieved. Grinning, he said, "True, particularly if you
get that brown. Actually, you've gotten way farther than me! I've never
even been kissed." The utter fear of being that naked and vulnerable
deserved another swig.

"Really? Why? The Weyrgirls always make out." Scadril wondered what was
going on there.

"Ah, and there lies the problem! Now my friend, what goes along with
liking green dragons?" He took a long look at the wine bottle to see
just how much had Scadril had.

"Doesn't matter. The Weyrboys make out too." Scadril said that very
matter-of-factly.

Galwen shuddered. "Would you want to make out with any of them? Can you
imagine doing it with someone like Valdin? Ugh!" Just the thought of
the skinny Candidate made Galwen's stomach lurch. "No way, if I'm going
to be put in a vulnerable position, I want someone who knows what the
bloody shards they're doing."

"Well there are older blueriders Galwen. I wouldn't suggest mothing a
flight, mind you, unless you wanted more than kissing, but some of the recently
graduated weyrlings will look at candidates since they're young too." Scadril
was full of solutions.

"Well, if you know one, throw him my way." The only young riders he knew
were girls.

"I'll try. Faranth knows I'm no matchmaker." No, that was womens' business.

"So..back to that mud dragon..."

Last updated on the December 16th 2010

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Dragons, Mudpies and Kissing