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V’al had no interest in being social after the hatching feast. Those who weren’t new riders seemed intent on getting drunk, and those who were were either mingling or pampering their dragons. After noting his room assignment, V’al left and took Lerath for oiling and a second chat in the woods. When he came in it was late and dark, and he went to bed without rousing his bunkmate. In the morning the other weyrling was gone, and the day passed normally. Until he returned in the evening anyway.

He paused inside the door and walked slowly to the second bed, his eyes trained on the floor. There were pants there, of a feminine cut, and…

He nudged them with a foot to see the bit of linen under, then swiftly turned away, cheeks flushing. His movements stiff, he retreated to his bed and knelt, organizing his things he’d thrown there with stiff, jerky movements. “A girl,” he muttered in disbelieving whisper.

V’al rose as he heard the approaching, a few unfolded shirts in hand. “Hi.” He said, stepping aside though there was plenty of room in the room. He squeezed the shirts in his shifting hands as she and the green entered. “Greetings to you and yours.” Another pause while he tried to watch her without staring. His thoughts circled around the memory that he’d changed clothes last night. He’d known his roommate had been asleep then, but now it bothered him.

“My Lerath is out exploring the halls. He should be back soon. Sorry I didn’t… see you last night when I came in. Did I wake you?” Shards, he better not have. It was hard enough not to wince already.

“It’s V’al now,” he answered. Giving up on cleaning, he sat on the edge of his bed. At least she hadn’t woken at an embarrassing moment, it seemed.

“No, I don’t think so. We’ll probably get a couple of days to adjust before they start getting on our backs about everything.” When she flung her undergarments about he adroitly moved his glance to the side and frowned stiffly at the corner of the room. Thankfully, Lerath’s arrival kept him from making a remark.

The little dramatically-colored blue entered the room with a curious creeling noise. His wings, as they always were when he moved about, were half-flared as if for balance and nearly got him hung in the doorway. After pausing to butt his head affectionately against V’al’s leg, he turned on the little green with whirling eyes and crooned a greeting. Is this yours? She seems nice.

“Thank you.” His dragon’s fouling wings became an excuse to rise and busy himself without looking at the things spread out on Optheli’s bed. “He’s got something against keeping his wings closed.” As Lerath turned to the little green he manually folded and tucked the frail wings into his body. “You’ll have to fold them when you’re in here,” he said in a low voice, his expression and tone bland but his handling ever-delicate. “When you and Dynith start growing there won’t be much room.” Despite his efforts, the dark wings, though mostly folded, were still stubbornly lifted a few centimeters from Lerath’s lithe body.

Lirith seemed to ignore this attention and rolled an eye back at His before returning to Dynith. He is always bothered by something, though he is at least calm. When he asked V’al if there was something amiss, the boy frowned. The response wasn’t direct words, but more of an impression of linens, Optheli’s sweet face, and her rounded hips. Lerath’s eyes whirled in amusement. I do not think he expected your Optheli to be a girl.

V’al struggled to rein in his frowning. The two dragons were obviously talking, and he thought it was about him. Would there be any privacy here? He rubbed a hand across his mouth thoughtfully until it became a neutral line. “Do you know how long it takes for a dragon to start flying on their own?”

“As for flying, I don’t mind waiting a bit, but I’d like to see Lerath aloft.” When the time came, he knew he would be proud of his friend for that. “But they’re going to grow on the way to that and when it gets cramped…” He made a not at Lerath’s cocked wings. Then he noticed the green’s hunched position. Was that his fault? “Have I said something?” he asked, nodding at the curled dragonet with a taunt expression.

Lerath’s eyes whirled curiously at the question. He didn’t understand the question himself to be honest. Mine, Dynith and I do not understand what bothers you about Hers. She seems healthy and kind.

V’al tried not to wince at the question. ~I’ve never lived with a girl before. I’ll get used to it.~

~You said you lived with your mother in the Hold before.~ When his rider claimed it was a different sort of thing, Lerath decided to pursue the line of questioning later and relayed what he’d learned to Dynith.

Lerath swung his head in V’al’s direction, and boy suddenly felt himself the center of attention. Not prone to embarrassment, he nevertheless looked put off by the changed subject. “I guess there’s no keeping secrets with them around,” he said, glancing at the dragons. Though disturbed, his eyes lacked accusation. “Even for politeness’s sake. I won’t lie then: I’m hold bred and I haven’t roomed with a girl before, so no, I’m not used to it. But don’t act like I’m going to take it out on you.” He did scowl a bit then at the trader girl, as if he found her caution bothersome. Rooming with the other sex will be the least difficult thing to get accustomed to – so long as you don’t get into a tizzy over it.” It occurred to him, belatedly, that his behavior might not encourage her to relax, but this only bothered him more and he sat on the edge of his bed in a funk of displeasure. Lerath’s wings broke from their tenuous folding as if on cue and he gave V’al such a puzzled look that the boy’s aggravation dipped off several degrees and he scratched the dragon’s eye ridge.

She could have her dragon find out about things he didn’t feel like answering, even if she were joking about it at the moment. More importantly, anyone with a dragon could do much the same. He scratched the dragon’s head and wasn’t able to imagine the dragon lying well. They’d have to talk about this at some point. He didn’t feel Optheli was a real threat, and in fact couldn’t directly imagine why any rider at the weyr would spy on him through his dragon, but he was an intensely private person and it was the thought that bothered him. He sighed and put the thought aside for now. “Cute, huh?” He glanced at Dynith. “Didn’t you Impress from the stands? What do the traders you were with think?”

“If you get in trouble?” V’al actually looked a little amused at the idea. “You don’t seem the type to get in trouble, but sure.” He nodded, accepting the idea. He wasn’t one to take on the troubles of others, but Optheli barely even seemed a ‘other.’ She seemed too naive to start any trouble except perhaps through foolhardiness. More likely the only trouble she would find would be the sort to stumble over her and he wouldn’t mind interjecting in that case. “Sure, just let me know.”

V’al smirked a bit at the story. “Pretty lucky then, the both of you Impressing.”