Prompting Part XXIV

[sherlockbbc_fic]

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Fill: Who tries, Does (14/?)

[anonymous]

“M’croft is too busy romancing the Lord Holders out of their goods and the Crafters out of their Craft secrets to turn his mind to Thread.”

“I thought you said he’d be after us…”

“Oh, he will be,” Sh’lock said. “But Anneath will have risen by now, and he won’t let anyone but Diogeneth fly her.”

J’ohn sat up in surprise.

“Anneath’s rising?” he asked.

“Has risen,” Sh’lock said, “a while ago.”

“And you and Hamith are here?” J’ohn said. Sh’lock glanced over at him to point out how stupid that observation was. “I mean… shouldn’t you be… there.”

“Why?”

“Hamith’s a bronze… It’s… I mean…” J’ohn sputtered out. “Bronzes fly queens. It’s what bronze riders do.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not like most riders, J’ohn. I have no desire to be Weyrleader, nor do I have any desire for the Weyrwoman. My brother is welcome to both.”

“But what about Hamith?”

The bronze turned his heavy-lidded eyes towards him.

“Hamith and I are in agreement on this point.”

Hamith says that Diogeneth flies Anneath, Maryth said. That is how it is. She did not seem as confused by the idea as J’ohn was, so he let it go.

“Right,” J’ohn said. “So do you always do this, then? Find somewhere else to be when a queen’s about to rise?” Sh’lock looked up at him and then around.

“Yes.”

“Alright then,” J’ohn said, nodding to himself.

“What?” Sh’lock asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I said alright. It’s alright. Everything’s fine.”

“You’re not going to tell me that weyrbred people should be less prudish?” Sh’lock asked.

“You’ve never struck me as a prude, Sh’lock,” J’ohn said. It was true that weyrfolk had a different view on sexuality, though it was nowhere near the rumours that flew around the Holds. J’ohn had never been told directly when he was growing up, of course, but there was always the whisper of the goings on at the Weyr. The truth was, of course, when dragons were involved, things tended to get more complicated - and less complicated. Dragon mating flights broadcast desire to everyone within hearing distance, and when it was your dragon involved, as J’ohn knew, you couldn’t help but go along for the ride. He had worried about it constantly until the first time Maryth had risen, and then he had come to an arrangement. There was a warning before any green or gold dragon rose to mate, you could see it in her colour, and most seasoned green riders would find someone they were actually interested in and make sure that they were in the right place at the right time.

Gold dragons’ mating flights were somewhat different, and J’ohn could understand why Sh’lock would avoid them - and if Hamith wasn’t interested then it wasn’t like anyone was missing out.

“So you’re not…” Sh’lock said. J’ohn shrugged.

“Everyone’s different.”

“Right,” Sh’lock said, still staring at him for another long moment before turning back to poke at the Thread again.

Maryth had just returned from her hunting, satisfied and smug, the sunset turning her green hide a curious hazel, when Sh’lock announced that they should be getting back.

They mounted, and went between, the cold gripping them tight for a few seconds before they were above Fort Weyr again.

They landed on the heights and J’ohn followed Sh’lock and his catch back towards the caverns.

“So why did you need two samples?” he asked.

“It’s always useful to have a failsafe.” J’ohn looked at the side of Sh’lock’s head, but the bronze rider was doing an admirable job of not looking at him.

“So you didn’t really need me.”

“I was flying in Threadfall, it seemed prudent to have a Healer, if only with journeyman training, with me.”

“Right,” J’ohn said, nodding, though he couldn’t help but think that Sh’lock sounded a little too defensive. And it was shortly after that that he took a turn to the right and disappeared from view.

Did you tell him I was a healer? He asked Maryth.

No, she muttered back sleepily.

You should come back and rest, he told her.

I like the stars, she replied, so J'ohn left her to it. She'd come back eventually.

Sh'lock must have heard it from Stamford or his brother then, J’ohn reasoned before turning into bed. It wasn’t really a mystery.

*