Plans, Options, and Riders

Writers: Avery, Suzee
Date Posted: 1st February 2019

Characters: Cyradis, Kapera, Ikalis
Description: Gold rider meeting and some planning for the future
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 14 of Turn 9

Cyradis

Kapera

"A tray of treats for you, Weyrwoman," Ikalis told Cyradis when she
was allowed to step into the Weyrwoman's office. She set it down where
ordered to and removed the cover to display an arrangement of small
sandwiches and some cookies, as well as a pitcher of klah and some
cold juice. "Is there anything else I can get for you before your
meeting?"

"You always know what I like Ikalis," Cyradis smiled. "Thank you, that
will be all." She waited for a moment then turned toward her guest.
"So how are you doing?"

"Well enough," Kapera said with a bit of a half-shrug. She'd been a
little more quiet and introverted the past few months as her
relationship with J'nus cooled off again. To make up for the
loneliness it made her feel, she'd been putting extra time into her
duties. Cyradis had probably noticed it.

"You've been working hard," Cyradis smiled. "Any time for play?"
K'deren always made sure she didn't work so hard she had no time to relax.

For a woman who'd had such a notorious social life in her younger
days, to have been so work-focused now and spending so little time
entertaining men was certainly not at all typical for her. It had
probably been noted by a number of others, feeding the rumor mill. Was
she sick? Love-sick? Had she finally given up her wanton ways, settled
down, become a steady worker, become too boring to be worthy of the
rumor mill's notice?

She wasn't completely miserable and with no social life, but she
wasn't having nearly as active as one. And she certainly didn't know
how she felt about the change. It was strange to be spending many more
nights in, whether doing work at the archives and at the storage
areas, or in her own weyr on her own. Was there a way to say, 'not
really', without it coming across as a little bit pathetic?

"I haven't been unhappy," is what Kapera settled on saying.

"Well that's something, I guess," Cyradis looked a little more closely
at her second and friend. She wasn't a mind healer by any means but
she did know that a goldrider's mood affected her gold and that
affected the rest of the Weyr. "Any idea what could make you happy?"

Kapera was aiming for a flippant answer. She sent a grin in Cyradis'
direction, and said, "Make bronzeriders make sense?" But despite her
attempt to keep it light-hearted, her face shadowed a little.

"Like that will happen," Cyradis grinned back at her and took a sip
from her cup. "Any particular bronzerider need some sense knocked into
him?"

"Oh, I'd just like to swear off the whole lot. Who needs them?" she
asked, a little too flippantly. "Brownriders seem sensible, you and
K'deren seem so happy."

"That's because we are," she nodded. "I did have to swear off them for
my own sake," she added remembering her issues with both her first
Weyrmate and D'hol among others. "N'vanik isn't too bad if you don't
want any commitment," she smiled. "Which makes him perfect for my
Weyrleader. I just very glad that Panitath agrees."

"I could definitely see getting along with a guy like him as a
Weyrleader," Kapera agreed.

Cyradis chucked. "We'll find out fairly soon whether she still wants
Loseth. Have you noticed the glow? You'll need to be ready to go at a
moments notice. And you'll want to warn Dessa and Santhiath. Find them
a good place to go if things happen quickly."

"She was very bright in drills today, I wasn't sure if it was the
sunlight playing a trick. We'll keep an eye out," she agreed.

She paused, debating if she should mention something else. Was it too
soon to mention her observations of Riyanth's behavior, of her own.
She'd been doing so much extra work lately. And her dragon had been
grumbling. Were they getting ready...maybe... Ah, but were they even
really coherent thoughts at this point? Surely Cyradis would tell her
if she thought Kapera was ready to be doing anything more than she was
doing.

"Have you been keeping your ear to the ground, so to speak?" She
herself had found that people talked to her less since she'd become
Weyrwoman.

"I've been listening for gossip on the integration between the River
Bluff people and our own, since it's been over half a Turn," she said.
"So far it's been going smoother than I worried it would. I thought
the people from Dolphin Cove would resent having so many newcomers.
It's one thing to accept a few new transfers every now and then, but
whole wings worth of people coming over?"

She sipped her juice before saying, "The Cove riders have been working
hard to accommodate all the new people. I think it helps that there are
many here from Thayan Peak, who remember what a tragic loss of your
home is like."

"I'm sure that's part of it," Cyradis nodded. "Of course the
additional riders help very much with the increased territory. I am
hoping we'll have some more conversations with the other Weyrs about
working toward placing a new Weyr in River Bluff's old territory or
repairing it. Though I have been assured by the MIner Craftmaster that
it's impossible to repair Riverbluff and it would be well to select a
new location."

**A new location.** The thought echoed in Kapera's mind. A new Weyr
hadn't been opened in the South since before the Pass started, the
other new ones had been North. But then again, would this place really
be new? It would be replacing River Bluff, like how Dolphin Cove had
replaced Thayan Peak. Still, it would need new riders.

"Is it going to be brought up at the next Weyr Conclave, then?" she
asked, trying to remember when that would be scheduled.

"I'm not sure yet," Cyradis waved a hand. "I still need to talk over
my thoughts with N'vanik of course. But I know the wings have been
stretching themselves to cover the additional territory and we'll end
up paying for that in fatigue and injuries." She didn't add that she'd
heard some things about discontent from the various Holds that had
been covered by Riverbluff in the past. "If a new Weyr could be
established in that territory, we could go back to our old patterns
and it would put less stress on our dragons and riders."

"Putting a new Weyr there would allow us to go back to old flight
patterns," she agreed. Kapera had never been overly familiar with
River Bluff's territory but she still remembered Dragonsfall's and had
been able to visualize how it had changed.

Kapera wasn't much of a student of history on her own, but friendship
with J'nus and his fascination with old things meant that she knew
that over that last, longest interval, northern and southern Weyrs and
Weyrholds alike had opened up in prime territory, then closed down for
various reasons, until at the time of the Plagues there had only been
5 southern Weyrs left. And of course all of the Holds that had lost
their populace due to the Plagues or due to bad fortunes of other
kinds. Something like that might help the process, wouldn't it?

"And it would relieve some of the overcrowding some Weyrs have faced
with the extra riders. Though a new Weyr can't be constructed
overnight, so I imagine it would open in stages once the decision was
made. Although maybe there are abandoned Holds or even Weyrholds out
in the area?"

"Exactly," Cyradis smiled. She'd expected Kapera to pick up on the
nuances but it spoke volumes to her that she'd taken the information
to the next level. "I'd like you to step up Dessa's training." She
thoughtfully stroked her upper lip. "She may be having to assume some
of your responsibilities soon and she should be ready. Especially when
I'm out of the picture with Panitath clutching in the next few months.

"What in specific should I go over with her?" Kapera asked. "Are you
thinking more of the dragon specific duties or the ones unique to our
roles as gold_riders_ in the Weyr?"

"Yes," Cyradis nodded. "The latter, more specifically your duties as
my 'second."

Kapera nodded. "I'd be happy to. There's some that with her Harper
background I think she'll be even better suited to than I was when I
started."

Cyradis chuckled. "Then do what the best of us do and... delegate,"
she waved her hands in a sweeping gesture.

Last updated on the February 26th 2019

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