The Places They're From (2/2)

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 21st January 2019

Characters: K'ran, Jeyme
Description: K'ran and Jeyme discuss punishments for the Rapids Wingriders.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 5 of Turn 9

K'ran

Jeyme

"I don't think I feel like I'm _from_, anywhere," K'ran admitted,
after a moment. "Maybe it's because I have such a transfer history. I
Impressed at Far Island, but I've flown at Ista, Dragonsfall twice,
River Bluff, and here twice now. So I've lived a lot of places, but I
don't feel like I've ever really been from, or belonged at, a single
one."

Jeyme thought that sounded a bit sad, lonely even, but she wasn't sure
she could be that candid with K'ran yet. "Perhaps Dolphin Cove will be
a place for you to put down roots?"

It was true that bronzeriders got traded for bloodlines, or to find
rank opportunities that were perhaps closed at their current Weyr, but
K'ran knew his transfer history did look rather checkered. It wasn't
because he was a bad rider, really - leaving Ista had been a
personality conflict, the first time at Dolphin Cove was because many
riders had been sent after their disaster, River Bluff had been an
accident. There were people who would look at his record and wonder if
he was actually a problem rider. Shards, with the way River Bluff had
been destroyed under his watch, sometimes it was hard for K'ran to not
think that about himself!

"I've always treated it as a chance for adventure at a new place, told
myself trading bronzeriders around for bloodline and leadership is
something to be expected and I should be honored to go where Pern
needs me. But it might be nice to spend more than two Turns in a
single location," he admitted, in a rare moment of letting his guard
down and being totally honest and a little vulnerable.

"I was actually expecting I'd wind up back at Dragonsfall for a third
time, when we were splitting up the River Bluff wings. After all, I'd
been there before I became Weyrleader, so that was my original thought
for Rapids, but then N'vanik reached out to me and personally invited
the wing to Dolphin Cove. It was very thoughtful at the time."

Jeyme studied her Wingleader. It was probably the most personal thing
he'd ever told her since they'd been working together. She appreciated
the vulnerability, it helped her understand K'ran better.

"Do you wish now that you had gone to Dragonsfall?" Perhaps in lieu of
the fighting between bluff and cove rider's in their Wing he would
have enjoyed the familiarty of the Dragonsfall riders that he knew.

A part of him wished that was the case. He'd appreciated the
personalization of N'vanik's offer, the way it wasn't just a pro-forma
'anything that Dolphin Cove can do' but a genuine invitation to help
fix things. And N'vanik and Cyradis were good 'leaders to work for.
But he was very familiar with Dragonsfall and its people, and he would
have had a few more familiar things.

Would it be right to tell Jeyme the truth, since she'd mentioned
considering herself to be a Dolphin Cove rider? Would it seem disloyal
to the Weyr? Would he insult her? But on the other hand, a man should
be able to be honest with his wingstaff, or why else work with them?
So he decided to tell hr.

"Sometimes I think I should have taken Rapids there. I like Dolphin
Cove, I think the wing is fitting in well here. But there are parts
about Dragonsfall I miss," he admitted, a bit of wistfulness in his
tone.

"Though who knows, there might be changes in circumstances again in
the future. I think at this point the only thing I expect is that I
can't expect where I'll go," he said with a shrug. "Sorry, I guess I
let this get a bit off topic."

"No need to apologize. We all need to get things off our chests every
now and again." She crumpled up the brown paper her sandwich had been
wrapped in and tossed it in the midden. "What you said reminds me
exactly how I felt while I was at Far Island. I really liked it there,
the Weyrleaders were great to work with, and I made good friends and
connections. But at the end of the day, when I would think of home, it
was Dolphins Cove that came into my mind."

"It sounds like there's something very nice about that certainty. I'm
glad you have it."

K'ran took another drink, draining the mug, and then added, "So what
do you think we ought to do to make the miscreants reconsider their
actions? Some punishment now as the stick, then some teambuilding to
try to hopefully make the wing functional as a unit again?"

"When we fought as children our mother would always make us hug and
say we loved each other." Jeyme's eyes glinted with amusement as she
pictured T'ket and Selyna doing that. "I suppose some sweepriding and
watch duty will be in order."

"Solo, or paired? I'm imagining putting them together on night watch
and hearing from our dragons that there's another fistfight
occurring."

"I would say solo first, then after some team building activities,
paired duties."

He was pleased by her line of thinking, and added, "And what would you
suggest to prevent resentment spilling between them in the meantime?
Who would you have punishment apply to?"

He was thinking T'ket and Selyna were the worst offenders as the
centers of the fight, but he had plans for handling B'lami's blatant
disrespect that even the other two hadn't done. T'kala and D'valis and
S'grul had joined in with words, but they had been peripherally
involved, and perhaps just the night of restricted privileges and
maybe one of watch duties would sufficiently make them fall into line.

"It all stems back to T'ket, if he hadn't gotten off his dragon
hot-headed and verbally attacked Selyna things might not have gotten
out of hand to begin with. So I would think his punishment needs to be
the most severe, and then Selyna and B'lami. I think in the meantime
order them to curfews as if they were Weyrlings, and have silent Wing
drills, hand signals only."

K'ran hadn't thought about the silent wing drills, and that made him
chuckle. "I like your punishments, done and done. Those drills are
going to be interesting."

Jeyme grinned and tapped her temple, "Sometimes you've got to think like
a mom."

Last updated on the February 3rd 2019

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

The Places They're From (2/2)