The Consequences of Inattention (2/2)

Writers: Avery
Date Posted: 3rd November 2017

Characters: Kapera, Riveenata
Description: Kapera issues punishment for Riveenata
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 2 of Turn 9

Kapera

Kapera's eyes flicked from watching Ikara leave to giving Riveenata her
full attention. The goldrider's green stare was hard, and the greenrider
dropped her chin and lowered her eyes. "What do you have to say about
your performance today?"

Did the Weyrwoman's Second expect her to defend herself? To protest that
she had done everything right and that it was the weyrling who had made
a mistake? It was maybe something she could do, take what Ikara had
said about what had happened, and argue that if the weyrling had done
the right thing, then she and Savith wouldn't have been at fault at all.

But if she did that, she'd just be being selfish, trying to duck
responsibility for her actions and blame everything on the wounded
party. And really, hadn't Jevila and Gulbeth been punished enough? She
_had _ missed the first sack, so this _was _ her fault. Denying it would
just make her look bad in front of the Wingleadership.

"I screwed up and now Jevila is hurt," Riveenata said bluntly. Better
to admit the truth, no matter how shameful it was.

"How bad is it? Do you know?" she asked.

She still hadn't heard dragons keening for Gulbeth...so Jevila was still
alive. **Still being the operative word there,** a part of her mind
said, the part that had been spending the time since they'd landed
running over and over what she'd seen of the hit and imagining worse
fates for the weyrling pair.

Kapera had lectured the wing right after they landed and had walked them
straight here, so she wouldn't have had time to go check the Infirmary.
But she had a gold dragon and so was likely in contact with the Healers
that way, and the greenrider badly hoped that she had news.

"It's very bad. The Thread landed on their back, and tendrils wrapped
down Jevila's back. She's been knocked out with fellis while the Healers
do their work, and the golds are supporting Gulbeth to make sure she
doesn't /between/ while her rider's out."

Riveenata swallowed. So she hadn't been over-imagining the worst case
scenario, earlier. It really was terrible. "So...she might still die.
They might both," she qualified, looking down at the table.

"Yes. And that's why I want to hear your version of what happened. I
know mine and I heard Ikara's. Only you know what you were thinking. And
look up at me, for Faranth's sake," she said.

Riveenata swallowed again and looked up. She couldn't meet the
goldrider's eyes so she looked at a point just over the top of her head
instead.

"Gulbeth came out of /between/ and called she was ready to throw. Savith
and I scanned the air to see if we were clear. She threw and it was
short. Then she threw again, much harder, and it went too far. Savith
and I moved closer to try to make it easier on her."

"Why didn't you ask her to move instead?" the goldrider interjected.

"I – didn't think of it," Riveenata said honestly.

"So then what?"

"Savith is fast, I thought we could get there, catch the sack, and get
out. And because we moved towards her, we moved out of the periphery
space I'd checked and we didn't see the Thread tangle."

"Narith called it for you. Why didn't you let her take it? Especially
since you'd called for resupply, so you should have known that Savith
was low."

Why was Kapera interrogating her? She'd let Ikara give her whole
statement without challenges. "It was right above us and that would have
Narith cutting it awful close to us. And Savith was sure she could do it
alone."

"But she didn't get it. And then she dodged out of the way and was
unharmed, while Gulbeth got hurt. Sounds like that was the result of
multiple bad decisions on your part."

"That makes me feel _awful _, ma'am," Riveenate blurted out. "If anyone
should have been 'scored from that, it should have been me! Jevila
didn't deserve it."

"No weyrling or dragonrider deserves that kind of scoring. Do you have
any defense for your actions?"

"No ma'am. They were all bad choices of mine that felt right at the time."

Kapera shook her head. "If Cyradis asked me to pick who I thought might
be at fault for someone else getting scored, you were low down on the
list. Your transfer papers called you responsible and well-qualified.
Your weyrlinghood papers said you had a great record, would be the kind
of greenrider who might make wingthird some day. I was happy you came to
our wing, we need a core of stable riders as well as the individual ones."

"But since you got to River Bluff, you haven't been living up to the
potential in your papers. Your performance has been adequate, but I
scolded you last sevenday about being misplaced in drill. Twice. And now
this. I don't know if you're ill, or if you have something going on in
your personal life, but it's clear to me that you're not fit to be
flying in Threadfall right now."

Riveenata sucked in a breath, knowing what the goldrider was about to
say, but it didn't lessen the impact of the words at all.

"You're going to the Healers for a full physical examination and you're
having sessions with a mindhealer. You're grounded from the wing for at
least two sevendays or until they tell me you're fine, whichever is
longer," the Weyrwoman's Second continued.

"What duties will I have?" Riveenata asked.

Surely Kapera couldn't expect her to do nothing but see the Healers.
If she couldn't fly drills or fall, she could work in the infirmary or
she could do...something… The idea of being alone with just Savith and
her thoughts of River Bluff ached.

"Nothing but caring for Savith, until you see the mindhealer. They will
tell me if they think you're capable of sitting watches or doing your
duties in the Infirmary. If they say you're capable of watches, night
shifts and I'll give you the durations."

Riveenata nodded her acceptance. "Yes, ma'am."

"Now get out of my office. Care for your dragon, and then go straight to
the infirmary to make those appointments. I _ will_ be checking," Kapera
said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes, Weyrwoman," Riveenata said, fleeing out the door to go see to
Savith. Maybe she could get that done, and to and from the Infirmary to
make those appointments, and then up to her weyr without anyone trying
to talk to her. Maybe.

But she had a sick feeling that people were going to come to her weyr
and try to talk to her about this, and she didn't want that at all.

Last updated on the November 7th 2017

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

The Consequences of Inattention (2/2)