Being A Bad Example

Writers: Avery, Miriah
Date Posted: 5th February 2019

Characters: Talwynn, Ninaine
Description: Talwynn gives Ninaine some advice about her future
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 16 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Saibra, D'kere, W'ser

Ninaine

She watched as Luneth swam, exercising the injured wing and pulled her
knees up to her chest. The week had been stressful with her mother's
visit and...she shook her head and rested her chin on her knees. She
had to make a decision soon and bring it to Saibra. She had to figure
out what she was going to do with herself.

"Ninaine!" Talwynn called, seeing the other greenrider at the edge of
the weyr's lake. "How are you?"

"Hey, Talwynn." She waved a hand and gestured her over. "I'm okay I
guess. Been a busy week. How are you doing?"

Talwynn walked over and stood next to her. "Anything in particular
make it busy?"

"A visit from my mother and W'ser saw Luneth." She didn't expand on
the visit. It was still a bit infuriating and painful. "It could have
been a better week."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Talwynn said. "How is Luneth doing? I see her
swimming..." She looked out. She wasn't a dragonhealer to assess with
knowledge, though.

Ninaine nodded and moved over to allow Talwynn to sit next to her if
she liked. "Yeah. W'ser's orders. Her other wing is in a sling so she
can exercise the hurt one." She returned her chin to her knees. "Light
duty. We're never flying a Fall again."

"I'm sorry," Talwynn said honestly. "Has she gotten it through her
head yet, or is she still struggling?"

"She's more than struggling. She's insisting that she'll be fine and
it's like holding a wild canine when the wings go for Fall." Ninaine
sighed. "She isn't accepting it at all."

"It's so hard," Talwynn agreed. The control it required to grab onto
your dragon's mind when their instincts were screaming that Fall meant
fighting, no matter what. It made your will iron, or you crumpled
under it.

"When they say light duty, are you allowed any flights more strenuous
than to the Weyr-rim? Can you sit watch?"

"Yes, we can. But no elevator duty or anything like that. She can't
bear the extra weight. No long flights. She tried and her wing didn't
hold up well. The joint got locked up." She looked over at Talwynn.
"Looks like I'm going to have to learn a Craft after all."

Talwynn sat down next to her, thinking that just saying I'm sorry
wouldn't help. She'd wanted to punch people in the face over it.

"Any on your mind?"

"Not really. I've never really been creative." She admitted. "I used
to like to read when I had time. And I liked learning. I was thinking
though, " She drummed her fingers against her leg. "Maybe...maybe
other girls will come in like I was and I could help them. Maybe it's
not such a bad idea to be a bad example, especially if I could help
them not screw up like I did."

"For awhile I talked to people about Fall accidents and life after,"
Talwynn said. "When you're talking screwing up, you mean in Thread, or
in other ways?"

She scuffed her foot against the rock. "I kind of had a stick up my
butt when I came here." She chewed on her lower lip, wondering if
people still saw her that way. "I was convinced I'd be this proper
woman and Impress a gold. Then I Impressed Luneth and was so concerned
about the fact that Hold ways were the only ways that I me and Luneth
didn't have the best bond. I guess you remember that she hurt
J'darin?" Ninaine sighed. "She didn't play like other hatchlings
because she was guarding me all the time. And I was miserable. I hated
everything."

"So you think you could help other holdbred people get used to the way
things are?" Talwynn asked. "I remember hearing about the incident
with J'darin."

"Maybe I could." Ninaine stared at the water, watching Luneth rest by
floating in the water. Bright eyes, slowly whirling eyes peered at
them and slowly blinked. "I'm _still_ getting used to things. And I
still don't think I'll be as....carefree as other greenriders. But
maybe I could help."

"That sounds like a good plan," Talwynn said.

A thought struck her. "You know, if you don't know what craft you
might actually do, you could volunteer with people who do Craft and
get a feeling for it. I had my own craft but when S'taik was grounded,
he was working with the dragonhealers to learn the right things to
help Suvarth. And he liked it so much that even when he didn't need to
keep going back to tend his own dragon, he just wound up apprenticing.
I bet any craft takes some helpers."

Ninaine nodded. "I think I'll try that. It couldn't hurt." Luneth drew
herself out of the water, holding her injured wing slightly out to the
side. "I think she's done. And she's sore." She sighed. "Thanks for
the advice. I needed it."

Talwynn nodded. "Talk to D'kere if you want to work with the
Candidates and Weyrlings. I know he'd listen to you."

"I will." Ninaine rose from the stone and offered a smile.

Last updated on the February 28th 2019

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Being A Bad Example