For the Love of Goldriders

Monaco Bay Weyr - Galleries
The Galleries consist of a multitude of rows, cut into the rock of this vast cavern. The heat here is stiffling any time of year, but the breeze coming in through the open roof high above makes it bareable. Sheltered from the coast's weather, this cavern looks out into it but rarely experiances any of it. Stairs lead down to the Commons Cavern, from one side, while at the back of the galleries there is a passage way leading out to the treetop dwellings. Far to the other side of the galleries are several stairs leading up to the multitude of ledges where the dragons and riders view the hatching.
The cavern has gained the added illumination of daylight, filtering down from above, but from this angle, the majority of the light still comes from the multitude of papercovered electric lanterns that cast their cheerful warm colors on the galleries and the rest of the cavern. Springtime has arrived on Eastern Weyr, the flowers budding with wild abandon and all about new growth of the jungle seems to be the theme both in the animal and plant kingdoms.

-

Rough. That is probably the best word to describe the Half Moon bronzerider that is settled near the front of the galleries on this afternoon. Though, it is possible that it doesn't go nearly far enough. Tousled and disheveled, the young man is sprawled haphazardly across a bench, one hand behind his head, the other - and his legs - dangling at odd angles on either side of the bench. "What have you -done- Ysgie.." He groans to himself, the bronze himself no where to be seen, as he stares up at the opening far overhead. Is he hiding? Yeah, he might be hiding.

"Here," comes a Fortian rasp, an amused tenor: Xhaevyr has all but materialized just behind Z'tan's shoulder, holding a jug of some kind of cold liquid and a couple glasses of ice on a tray with a few other kitcheny foibles. No doubt the chefs have sent him to refresh the clutchparents, but Z'tan'll just have to do as a fill-in — or maybe Xhae is just going rogue, by setting the jug down and offering Z'tan one of those ice-filled glasses. "You look like you could use a glass." Of whatever's in the jug. Mysteries, mysteries~

There is a voice - and.. it isn't just a draconic one in his head! A jump and Z'tan is falling sideways off the bench, looking rather ridiculous as he sits there, stunned, for a long moment. Then clearing his throat, he is slowly picking himself up and resettling on the bench, gaze slipping to the glass, then the white-knotted young man - a young man who looks rather familiar. Glancing back at the glass, he finally takes with with a nod, and a crooked grin. "Shards, you have no idea. Or I mean, you might. Because Jazhira." Is that enough of a statement?

No, Z'tan's just hearing things! Oh, wait. Xhaevyr squints down at the foreign rider for a moment, before recognition clears upon the angular lines of his face. Oh, right. "We might both need a glass," he amends his previous commentary, sketching a glance around before sitting down. The tray goes down and he pops the top of the jug — it's some kind of sangria, by the looks of it, as he pours. "She sure is something," the Smith candidate agrees, crows-feet crinkling in an unvoiced laugh. "What's she got you sideways about?" He hands over the glass and lifts his ruddy eyebrows, grey eyes clear and inquisitive.

"I won't tell if you won't tell." Zel offers easily, as he holds the glass out toward Xhae. "She is something.." He agrees after a moment with a long sigh. "As is Szeta. And, uh.." He shrugs a bit before glancing up at the opening, trying to see if Ysgieuth is perched somewhere up there. "Well, -someone- decided they weren't going to be shown up this time. So someone has made sure we are stuck here, with Szeta, for.. well, a while." A shake of his head and he sighs. "We'll be lucky if we get a sevenday free, between with Chauth's hatch and Szeta ends up on the sands." Woe is bronzerider.

"Deal." Xhaevyr kicks his feet out in front of him, settling one boot over the other and staring out over the Sands below whilst Z'tan speaks. He lifts a finger in agreement about Szeta, and then laughs in a low chuff. "It sounds like it's a better problem to have than most." He sketches a cocksure grin askance to the other, and buries any pursuant remarks with a slow sip of the sangria in his own glass. "If you determine to make the most of it. You can sleep when you're dead, right?" He tilts his glass up in a toast.

Now full glass is tilted to nudge Xhae's with a soft ting, before Zel is taking a thankful drink, and he is peering at it with a look of surprise. "Shards, that's good." Another sip, and then he laughs softly, glancing behind him to check the location of the next bench up, shifting to lean against it sort of awkwardly. "Jaz may end up being the death of me, though at least it would probably not be a bad way to go. Well, unless its indirect death." Such problems. A wave at the sands, and then at the knot on Xhae's shoulder, and there is a wrinkle of his nose. "Someone got you, then, for those?"

The laugh that startles out of Xhaevyr's throat is a good one. He almost upsets his sangria but catches it in time, leveling it out. "Szeta," he replies, his vocie rich and wry. "She got me for them." He gestures with his chin out toward the Sands below. "It was, uh… it was an interesting experience." The younger man slants another look sideways at Z'tan, as if weighing his next comment, before he asks, simply, "How did your Search come about? I never thought… The searchdragons never took half a sniff at me before I came here."

"Oh, shards. Was her timing…" The hand without the sangria is waved as Zel takes another sip, trying to keep from laughing at Xhae's situation. "Was her timing amazing?" But then, the Half Moon bronzerider is losing the battle to the chuckles. "Would you believe I was collected by a proddy green, and I was too afraid to say no?" A slight shake of his head, "I never understood the timing. Spent my whole life in and out of Weyrs, and it was what - a few sevendays before my twenty-fourth turn day?" A shrug - no accounting for the whims of dragons.

"Her timing was amazing." Xhaevyr's exasperation shines clear through his rasp, and the rueful screw-up of his face. "I didn't even know what I was saying yes to, not really." AND HERE HE IS. Go figure. He shakes his head at the story of Z'tan's own search: "Well… I understand the feeling. There's not a damned way I'd back out. Not with how bold that one is. I'd never get any sleep." Szeta would be demanding he build her stages for all of her plays or some other thing, in recompense for his rudeness. Xhae can see this all unfolding. Something uncords in the broad stitch of shoulders, though. "Was it worth it?" He studies his thumbnail with studied casual expresion.

"I am certainly she knew -exactly- what she was doing. That one is trouble." And yet, here Zel is - though part of that is thanks to his no-good dragon. Falling quiet, he seems to ponder the question for a moment, taking a sip of his drink before swirling the glass and listening to the ice clink against it. "Absolutely. I.. Honestly my only regret is not knowing about Ellira until later.. And not getting to see her much for her first turn. I don't regret standing, and Ysgie at all. Even if he is a headache sometimes." Literally.

"Decidedly," Xhaevyr agrees, the rich roll of his voice not ill-used from agreeing on Szetamirath's particularities. He's happy enough to relax in the quiet between topics, the work and wear of weyrlife still evident but released in (surprisingly) good company. "Ellira. Your daughter with Jazhira?" he hazards, memories hazy. "She your only one?" Is the son as prodigious as the sire?

"Yah, with Jaz.. And I mean, as far as I know. But even Jazhira took forever to bother to tell me, so who knows." A shrug and a sip of sangria, and he glances out over the sands. "I mean, thankfully Ysgieuth hasn't had me waking up next to too many strangers - he seems to do better when at least I know the woman, but." A shake of his head. "I've learned its better to say, 'I don't know for sure', when it comes to that. Otherwise people seem to get angry."

"Makes sense." For at least the first part that is, until Z'tan gets to the last bit, and Xhae jerks his head a little in surprise. "People get angry at… you only have one child?" He's right bloody baffled at that, or perhaps not following, though that wouldn't be the first time that's happened, either. "Or not knowing?"

The last of the sangria in his glass is finished, and while the pitcher is eyed for a moment, the glass is set aside as Z'tan stretches and sighs, staring up at the ceiling. "Its, uh.. complicated." He offers after a moment. Eyes close, and he thinks for a moment before elaborating. "So, there's this goldrider. Tanit. I, uh… I mean I'm not sure what we are, but, we're close. She.. asked me if I had kids. I said no. Turns out that I misinformed her.." Turning his head to glance at Xhaevyr, "She wasn't super happy, when it turns out while I didn't know about Ellira yet, she was a thing, and so I guess I lied to her. I mean, I didn't -mean- to." And with a sigh, he is sitting up and reaching for the pitcher after all. "Women."

Xhaevyr lifts a hand, palm flat, the gesture insistent. "Hold on." He was raised by Harpers, logic is just in his blood, and this doesn't pass his internal gut-check. "To the best of your knowledge, at the time that you said it, what you said was true. How can you be expected to be answer truthfully a statement when you weren't informed on the issue?" His slate gaze is slightly incredulous, more for Z'tan's benefit than against at least, but his head shakes. "You didn't lie to her." Firmly said, and then in an echo of exasperation: "Women." He snorts a laugh however, a puzzle-piece clicking into place. "Tanit, that's the other one? Chauth?"

"As I said.. Women." Z'tan just shakes his head as he fills his glass. "That's the other one. Tanit and Chauth. And Chauth is.." A groan. "Chauth is Ysgie's sworn enemy since they hatched on the Sands together, I think. We finally snuck away for a break, and now.." Pitcher is offered back to Xhae. "I don't want to explain it, but obviously I am not going to have much choice." Leaning back once more, "I mean, I love them, but.. Women." Once more in the back, for emphasis.

Xhaevyr lifts a hand in gracious decline of the pitcher, as aware as any within his class regarding the one-and-done rule for alcoholic beverages. "That sounds like quite the knot you've got yourself into," and this time Xhae doesn't even sound commiserating, he just sounds very entertained by this whole gordian knot. Likely because he's not involved in it, and he is kind of a sadist in everyday life… "So what do Tanit and Jaz think of one another?" This sounds like something that needs to be addressed in this week's Ask Reya column.

Dear Reya - I'm a bronzerider involved with two very different goldriders, but I can't choose just one - What do I do?! Zel takes a moment to top his drink back off, before the pitcher is settled carefully and he sighs. "I don't think Jaz cares - I mean, you know her. Tanit.. Tanit I don't know if I could figure out if I had a hundred turns. She doesn't want to be exclusive, but she doesn't just want to be a random.. whatever." Ice and drink are swirled as he ponders. "Just be careful, man, that's all I can say. I am not sure how others keep it straight. Like my dad." Though, really, did L'ton manage to keep them all straight?

"I don't think Jaz is a soul that could be tied down or care about tying another person down if she even wanted to," Xhaevyr agrees on the disposition of their common goldrider, so-to-speak, leaning back and sipping the last bit of his sangria. "She doesn't sound like a random whatever to me, the way you speak of her. For whatever that's worth," Xhaevyr offers. Wait, does this scene meet the Bechdel 2.0 test requirements? "I can't say that I can offer you any advice. I've spent more time on my career than on women, and the women I end up attracted to are… well, they're likely just as crazy as the three of you, and I don't understand them, either." Pause. "Though I'm not really sure I understand myself these days. Maybe it's just the location. Have you ever thought about moving north?" He's joking, the chuffed half-laugh audible in his tone.

"And that is what I love about her.." Zel replies about Jazhira, without a moment hesitation. "I mean, there are -other- things too but." Clearing his throat, he suddenly finds a spot on the sand quite interesting. "Honestly, I have stopped trying to sort it out with Chauth on the Sands, cause she likes to lurk and interrupt everything and its just… Like having a ridiculously huge toddler who doesn't know when to take a nap." As Xhaevyr comments on his own history with women, Zel can't do anything but laugh, shaking his head. "I am not convinced it gets better." A pause, and his eyes widen at the mention of north. "Shards, there is -snow- there. I am not suited for snow."

The half-sigh from Xhaevyr indicates fully all the things to love about Jazhira that he can't exactly be thinking about in his current situation in life. Fecking candidacy. "Wait, Chauth or Szeta?" Both? Are they both giant interrupting golds? Speaking of: "Is it just me or do all of the gold dragons on this entire planet seem entitled to speak to you regardless of any… sense of propriety?" This is Xhaevyr's thought about it, at least, with the entire two golds he's met in the entirety of his life. Listen. It's a trend. "What? Are you kidding me? Snow's amazing. Have you never had a snowball fight? Built a snow fort? Or a snowman?" Do you want to build a snowman, Zel?

That sigh draws a knowing smirk, but Z'tan is kind enough to not say anything else - He has been there. He knows the pain. "Yes." He manages at the question of exactly which gold. "Szeta.. I don't know. Szeta is.." And Zel hesitates as he tries to pick the right words. "Szeta is like a giant canine, who is just excited, generally. Chauth.. Chauth is that feline who wants nothing to do with you, since you aren't her person, and wants to know why you are in her space." At the question about golds in general, he just offers a slightly nervous laugh. "Have you, uh, have you met Leirith, then?" As the conversation switches to the positives of snow, he hurriedly shakes his head, waving a hand. "Hard pass. Give me sun and beaches. Only possible good thing about snow is it being cold enough to warm someone up."

Xhaevyr's brows knit back together when Z'tan goes to explain the differences between his two goldriders' lifemates; he slowly nods along when the explanation is out there. "Leirith?" blankly questioned in lieu of another question. Answer: no, no he has not. It might be spectacular when that meeting happens, though frankly any meeting with Leirith is spectacular, is it not? "The name is familiar. A senior gold, isn't she?" His parents would be appalled that he's not kept up enough with the top tier of Pern's governance to know this in a moment's recall. Thankfully they aren't here. It leaves him to argue the point of snow: "All you do in the sun on the beach is sweat. And sweat some more. And take your clothes off and sweat. You can't have any fun," amending, "in public," ahem, "In those situations."

"Yeah, you would remember her, if you had. She is…" What word to use. "Leirith. I really don't know what else to say." His finger absently runs around the rim of his glass, as Z'tan ponders. "Senior at Xanadu, yeah." He amends, before the comment about having fun on the beach has him laughing loud enough to draw a glance from someone higher in the galleries. "You clearly need to spend more time on the beach in the right company. After this is all over, of course." He motions to the clutch on the sands - he really isn't trying to corrupt the candidates.

The most fun Xhaevyr ever had on a beach involved eating nachos and watching a bronzerider fight with a firelizard. Sad but true. It lasted for all of ten seconds. The dude really needs to learn how to chill out. "Leirith." Xhaevyr impresses the name into his memory and looks over with a quickness of glance appropriate for the suddeness of Z'tan's laugh. "What?" he defensively responds, then shakes his head. "Fine. I'll take you up on that, once this is all over." And then he holds up a finger, "But you have to go with me on my next ski trip so you can truly experience snow." Fair's fair after all.

"Depending on how this goes, you'll have plenty of time to think about it - so be thinking about your -type- so that I can make sure it is the right people. Maybe it'll be a graduation present." A shrug, and Z'tan glances at the candidate. At the mention of the ski trip, his eyes narrow slightly, and he considers the younger man for a moment before giving a reluctant sigh and a nod. "Fine. I guess." An involuntary shiver, and he shakes his head. "I'm cold just thinking about it."

"Plenty of time," Xhaevyr replies in a murmur, his rasp a susurrus of too-much thought expanding from internal to external. "If that isn't borrowing trouble I'm not sure what is, but thank you," wryly, "I think." A flash of a smirk, a hint of the signature smuggery that typically follows Xhae around like a cloak coming back to the surface. "I'll make sure the local talent is commensurate with how cold you think you'll get, and how much heat you'll need to warm back up." He tosses back the last of his sangria and settles his glass of half-melted ice back down on the tray. "So how will that work?" he asks, bringing this conversation full-circle: "You said you have eggs down with Tanit's gold? Currently?"

"It'll go quicker than you think. Just, uh.." Z'tan clears his throat, leaning just a bit. "I, uh, recommend that if you do have anything to take care of, you do it before the hatching. Because if you Impress, they will absolutely share anything and everything with anyone around." Not that he knows first hand or anything. And then he is straightening up like nothing was said, and the question of eggs makes the matter far less embarrassing. "They should be hatching before too much longer," As relative as that is. "So, I should get free there just in time to get stuck here. As terrible as that will be." Just horrible, right?

"Huh." Xhaevyr grunts his acknowledgement of Z'tan's very solid advice, leaning back to contemplate that. "As long as I don't bloody kill anyone before the hatching, I think I'm set." As wry as anything else, delivered as dryly. "Or if someone doesn't kill me." Beat. "If I disappear off the face of the planet, please check J'en's weyr, or… where he puts his dead bodies." Because that's the likeliest explanation. "Oh. Well, if you don't have eggs in two places at one time, I'd think that wouldn't be too bad. I was thinking on how tricky it would be if you had two brooding golds wanting all of your boy's attention, and him having only one of him to give."

"Good luck.." He murmurs, and there is a soft laugh. "I think we are still trying to figure out where that is, to be fair." His run-ins with the older bronzerider were few and from a distance, but from the look on his face, that was probably enough. "Honestly, I suspect Chauth would rather get rid of Ysgieuth, if she could, but at least he will sit there while she goes and does her.. Chauth-thing and terrorizes the Weyr." A roll of his eyes, and he shrugs. "It'd work out, somehow. Or someone would find -my- body eventually." The now-watered down sangria is finished, and the empty glass is eyed with a look of disappointment. "I am wondering if I should get this over with.."

"Thanks." Xhaevyr sighs, his pensive look downward at the eggs turning almost morose. He's not one to get maudlin outside of his cups, but then again, he's not drank anything in quite a while, and that sangria had a punch to it. He files away a mental note to avoid Chauth and her rider and shifts his weight, starting the early preparations of getting back to his work. "Get what over with?"

"Tanit. And what could go super well, or super poorly." Keep everything crossed for the sucker. Z'tan stretches, slowly sitting up, glancing at the sands. "Thanks for the drink.. I suppose I'll be seeing you around." Gathering his few things, he moves to slip out, before pausing to glance over his shoulder at the candidate with a smirk. "And don't worry, I'm sure Jaz will be excited when it is all said and done, too." And probably sick of this bronzerider.

"Oh. Well." Xhaevyr offers Z'tan a shrug as he gathers that tray. "You've got it." As encouragement enough as defined by the international code of bros, or something along those lines. There's only a wolfish grin for the commentary regarding Jaz at the end, and a half-wave half-salute gesture as the bronzerider makes his leave. For a moment Xhaevyr just sits, staring out over the eggs, before shaking himself back into the present and going back to the functional business of life.


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