Sharing The News (1/2)

Writers: Avery, Devin, Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 31st October 2017

Characters: J'ackt, Cyradis, N'vanik, L'pin
Description: J'ackt finally hears the results of L'pin's investigations.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 5 of Turn 9

J'ackt

Cyradis

N'vanik

Getting the summons to L'pin's office was odd; it took a moment for
J'ackt to realize that L'pin may have found actual news as to some of
the reason he had been made holdless with his family. Maybe, he
thought almost wistfully, he'd find out his birthingday. Not because
of any celebrations, but it would be nice to know. Just like everyone
else.

But when he was invited in, he had not been expecting to see N'vanik
and Cyradis there. Wavering by the door, he looked between the three
of them and slowly arched a brow. He wondered if he might be in
trouble for asking for L'pin's assistance in getting information from
Emerald Falls. He studied their faces before speaking. "I guess you
found out why my Da was holdless." He paused. "And you're worried that
it's going to upset me."

Cyradis chuckled. But looking at him now and realizing how his nature
had made him a dragonrider by birthright and nurture had made him so
sharding prickly, she knew this conversation could go many different
directions. "Let's just say that L'pin has found out more than he
expected when he set out. Why don't you come in and have a seat?"

J'ackt moved to a seat and sat, leaning back and looking between the
three with a furrowed brow. "If you're going to tell me something like
my Da was a murderer or something, it's not going to surprise me." He
snorted softly and tried not to picture his mother in his mind.
"That's something I already knew."

Cyradis wanted to help smooth this news but it wasn't really hers to
deliver. So she decided on a question instead. "How old were you when
your mother passed?"

Frustration and pain at the reminder immediately bloomed on J'ackt's
face as he glanced at L'pin. "I don't know." He shifted on his seat.
"I don't even know how old I am, Cyradis." He paused to rub his temple
as he tried to think and figure it out. "It was about ten Turns ago?
Maybe?"

Just from her experience Cyradis would have pegged him at about twenty
but again, the timeframe was more exact than that now. She looked at
L'pin then back at J'ackt. "You knew L'pin was doing this research for
you right?"

"Yeah..." He frowned and looked at N'vanik and then at L'pin. "Okay,
what's going on?"

L'pin had folded his hands together while the Weyrleaders spoke, so he
listened to how they introduced the topic. Cyradis' question and
J'ackt's response gave him an idea on how to phrase this.

"I went to Emerald Falls Hold to look into their record room to track
down the details of your father's case, just like we said. The
information on that was grim and rather like what we suspected. He
killed another guard who was making comments about your parentage, and
he was exiled for it."

L'pin gave J'ackt a few moments to digest that part.

"My parentage? What does that mean?" He wasn't surprised that his
father had killed someone, shards, it was what he suspected. But what
did his parentage have to do with it?

"When I checked the marriage certificate to see when they'd been
married, I also found out where your mother was from. Your mother
presumably never talked much about her life before marrying your
father, did she? Did you know she was Weyr-born?" the bluerider asked.

"No she didn't...She never did..." Jackt's voice trailed off and he
paled, looking at all three of them, leaning back a little away.
"Weyrborn? Like...from here?"

"From Far Island." N'vanik prepared himself from another round of
cringing and pity when L'pin explained about Octima. Since being with
Tal he'd gotten bitter about people's reactions to dragonless riders,
as if they were nothing more than walking horror stories.

Cyradis watched J'ackt closely as the others talked. If anything, she
felt responsible for this barrage of information and hoped he'd be
able to absorb what they had to tell him. She looked at L'pin hoping
he'd just spill the beans instead of stringing it all out. She urged
him with her eyes.

"I went to Far Island and found her sister, who was able to fill in
more information for me. Your mother had been a greenrider at Far
Island. She lost her dragon in an accident. Then she left for Emerald
Falls - clear across the Southern Continent, where she wasn't going to
be reminded of her memories any longer," L'pin explained. "Though she
continued to stay in contact with people from the Weyr, now and then."

He just stared at L'pin for a long time, as if having trouble
understanding exactly what he had been told. The words seemed to
sluggishly move in his brain, refusing to respond with actions or
words. The healthy tan he had acquired after long years outside and as
a rider steadily paled as the information sank in. His mother had
been...J'ackt shook his head slowly, then harder. "No, she would have
told me something that important." One hand balled into a fist as he
looked from one face to another.

But his mother had had an almost constant sadness in her eyes. He
thought it had been from his father. Could it have been...His gaze
dropped to the table, stunned as he sat back. Had she really been from
a Weyr? But why had his father hated the Weyrs when she had come from
them? Something else finally sunk in and his voice was hoarse.
"Sister?"

"You have an aunt," L'pin confirmed.

J'ackt kept minutely shaking his head as if unable to accept the words
given him. He was unable to look at any of them, but kept staring at
the table, trying to understand why he'd never been told, why his
mother had kept something so important from him. He tried to speak,
but couldn't, then cleared his throat. "What did you mean by
parentage?"

"Your aunt," Cyradis said. "Was your mother's twin. They were very
close." She took a breath and looked at L'pin again. "She's a
greenrider too. She thinks it's possible... Jenasom wasn't your
father."

Last updated on the November 2nd 2017

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Sharing The News (1/2)