A Meeting of Golden Minds
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyrhold
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Elsewhere on Pern
NPC Weyr (NPC)
River Bluff Weyr
Seacraft Hall
Writers: Estelle, Heather, Miriah
Date Posted: 5th September 2020
Characters: Ashela, Lanniya, Saibra
Description: The goldriders meet after a wing drill
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 4, day 12 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: J'lor, Teseada, K'reyel, K'far
Notes: Follows "DFW: Potentially Useful"
Ashela entered the dining hall, clean and dressed in fresh clothes, her
hair - damp from bathing Aglayath after the morning's drill - brushed
and tied back in a tail. She recognised some of the wingriders and
smiled pleasantly before making her way over to the table where her two
fellow goldriders were sitting.
Usually, she wouldn't have sought their company, but with her status in
Dragonsfall so uncertain, it felt like the sensible course. "Weyrwoman,
Goldrider Lanniya."
Lanniya looked up from her drink and smiled in greeting. "Ashela. I'm
glad you took me up on the offer. Come on and sit down with us. We
were just sharing a piece of cake. Would you like any? "
"Oh, thank you! That would be lovely, but just a little piece. I'm
watching my figure." Ashela patted her belly with a bright smile and sat
down opposite Saibra, reaching for a jug of klah.
After her many meetings with J'lor about her obsession with her
weight, Saibra was happy to say that she could enjoy having the piece
of cake with Lanniya. There was something about the untraditional
manner of Lanniya'a personality that allowed Saibra to be herself
around her, as opposed to "the Weyrwoman".
"Settling in okay?" Saibra asked Ashela as she slid a plate with a
piece of cake in her direction.
Lanniya cut into her piece of cake and took a healthy bite. Though she
had just given birth and her body hadn't quite recovered, she wasn't
worried about her weight. She was still small and had full confidence
that after she began drills again, she'd get plenty of exercise.
"Yes, thank you, Weyrwoman. Lanniya was kind enough to come over and
introduce herself, before the drill this morning. I felt most welcome."
She delicately cut herself a small morsel of the cake. "I hope I didn't
do too badly? In the drill, I mean."
"Not at all, in my opinion. The dragons were really interested in the
new queen, of course, so some were a little distracted. But that's a
little to be expected. They did the same with Anaeryth." Lanniya
popped a bite into her mouth, chewed and swallowed. "Be sure to get to
know the rest of the wing though." She paused, glanced at Saibra, and
cleared her throat. "Because of why you're here, I mean. They'll need
to get to know you."
"Aglayath was a little behind in transition but that's to be expected
when flying for a new Wing." Saibra considered her wingriders, many of
which were veteran flyers and also pursued crafts of dragonhealing or
healing when they could. "It's a rather cordial Wing, many of them were
flying in it before I came to Dragonsfall, and they were kind enough not
to point out my mistakes when I first came." She smirked a little,
knowing that some would not have that same restraint with her now, given
the Turns of familiarity now between them.
Ashela gave the younger goldrider a momentary sharp look. "That's very
comforting to hear, but I hope they'll gently let me know if there's
anything I could do better." She paused to try the cake and wished she'd
taken a larger piece. It was rather good. "I did have a question,
though. I haven't been introduced to the rest of the Wing's leadership -
your Wingsecond and Wingthird. Do you have any plans in that regard?"
Lanniya glanced at Saibra. She knew that she wasn't really experienced
enough for either position, but hoped that she'd be considered after a
turn or two. Having Ashela placed in any of those spots would
potentially cause some issues, but it wasn't for her to say. She
decided to give a bright smile. "They'll be gentle until they get to
know you and you like, make relationships with them and stuff, then
they'll be really really honest." She typically heard the dragon's
complaints enough to know how brutally honest they could be. "You
might want to start eating meals with the wing for a while, just to
get to know them. That sort of thing."
Her Wingsecond and Wingthird positions had been a sore spot for Saibra
for months, ever since Teseada left for Barrier Lake. K'reyel had
gently pushed her to make a decision but she was torn between age and
experience, versus trust and Lanniya's ability to hear all dragons.
"I interviewed K'far for the Wingsecond position," she admitted. "When
Teseada was my Wingsecond we constantly struggled between pregnancies
and clutches. There were times when I was pregnant and her gold was
egg heavy that neither of us could lead the Wing during Threadfall. I
would like a Wingsecond for the Threadfall side of business that can
be consistently there for our wingriders. Saying that, I am going to
need a Weyrwoman's Second, a goldrider, who can step in and take care
of Weyr matters, and Hold relations, for when I cannot." The senior
goldrider looked up at the other two women. "That would mean one of
you would fill the Weyrwoman's Second position and the other the
Wingthird."
Ashela thought that over carefully as she sipped her klah. The news
that a Wingsecond had been appointed was a blow - and all the more
galling since she'd absolutely no intention of becoming pregnant
herself. Why should she and her Aglayath have to fly as wingthird to a
lesser rider because other women chose to breed?
The role of Weyrwoman's Second was more appealing, especially if the
Weyrwoman had another child. She wondered idly if she could repeat
that little trick she'd played on Teseada... And then, she could find
a way to push out this K'far and take her proper place in the Queen's
Wing.
"Of course, I'd be happy to serve in whatever position is most useful
to the Weyr." She glanced at Lanniya. "I'm willing to work hard, and
as I have no family ties myself, I can devote my full attention to
whatever assignment I receive."
"My and Anaeryth's ages count against us. I know it." Lanniya replied
with a roll of her shoulders. To her it was obvious; she had the least
experience and despite her gifts, she had her own past that Saibra was
quite aware of. Nor was she going to use her friendship with Saibra to
influence the decision. The thought of running the Weyr by herself was
a scary one, not to mention the hidework! "I'm sure Saibra will pick
the right riders for the job."
"I will let you both know by the end of the fortnight," Saibra promised.
She wanted to talk it over with K'reyel first and see what he thought,
after all, whoever became her Weyrsecond or Wingthird would have
dealings with the Weyrleader, too.
"Thank you, Weyrwoman," Ashela said, with flawless courtesy. "Whatever
you decide, I do look forward to working with both of you. I'm sure
we'll be quite the team."
Saibra certainly hoped that would be the case. They certainly had a
rocky foundation with a young goldrider who had been reprimanded before
about /timing it/, and then with another goldrider who had purposefully
egged her dragon to rise at the same time as another gold. Lanniya had
matured greatly, Saibra thought, and perhaps even more so with
motherhood. The jury was still out on Ashela, in Saibra's opinion. She
would be very careful, and watchful, of Dragonsfall's newest goldrider.
Last updated on the October 13th 2020