Suspicions of Staff

Writers: Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 23rd April 2021

Characters: Alina, J'ackt
Description: Alina checks out kitchen staff for J'ackt
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 20 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Cyradis, N'vanik

Alina

J'ackt

It wasn't easy to find somewhere to sit and observe the kitchens. The
head cook ruled the kitchen with an iron ladle and was more than happy
to chase out anyone who was in the way. The trick was to not be in the
way, and it took a few tries for Alina to get it right.

She chewed on the end of her braid as she twirled the spit, the fire
making her sweat and giving her a sheen of grease. It was easy enough
work, if boring, and even if she got some side-eye for a full
greenrider to be turning meat spits like the kitchen canines, it was
worth it to be able to get a sense of the chaos of the kitchens. The
kitchen workers, candidates and drudges swirled in a dance of stirred
pots, peeled tubers and scrubbed plates. It took a lot of work to feed
an entire Weyr, plus special meals for the ranked riders and the
Infirmary, plus packaged cold meals for the Craftsmen and field hands
who spent their time further away and couldn't make it for the usual
meal times.

The amount of plates to wash was staggering.

Alina sighed and shifted on her stool. Her rear end hurt and her one
arm ached from turning the spit, but if she was going to keep an eye
on the kitchens during a Feast for her weyrmate, she had to better
understand what was happening in the kitchen on a normal day. To an
untrained eye it looked like chaos, but now that she was paying
attention to the ebb and flow of the entire room, it was beginning to
settle into patterns.

**I just hope it's enough,** she thought again, chewing the end of her
braid. If someone died because she'd missed something, Alina wasn't
sure if she could live with herself. But her weyrmate was watching the
entire Weyr... how could she possibly say no to the responsibility
when he had so much more?

J'ackt poked his head into the kitchen, his eye searching quickly
before he found Alina. Many of the workers were familiar to him; he'd
worked within before he was Searched, so a few of the workers waved at
him. Some were more than familiar, but he didn't pay them as much
attention as they might have liked. Instead, his gaze sought Alina and
found her. Stepping in, he waved at a cook before she could approach,
and moved around the bustle to crouch beside his weyrmate. He spoke
quietly. "You didn't have to work too, Alina. Your arm is going to be
sore tomorrow."

"Maybe." She leaned over to kiss him hello, aware of how many of the
kitchen workers were watching.

He returned the kiss lightly and offered a brief, but strained smile.
Since the burden of searching out any potential saboteurs had fallen
to him, he'd been showing more and more strain and had been sleeping
less. "Are you ready to leave or do you need to stay a bit longer?" He
kept his voice low, but didn't offer any listening ears any fodder for
gossip.

Alina sighed, but her arm _did_ ache and she was hot from sitting
close to the fire. "Are you going back to our weyr?"

He shook his head. "Not right away, no. I have to talk to the
Headwoman's staff in a few minutes, but I'm going to our weyr after."
He reached and took over the turning for her to give her a bit of
rest. He kept his voice soft. "I'd like to know what you've heard when
we get back."

She nodded. "I'll stick around here a little longer, then. It's lonely
in the weyr without you. Stumpy misses you."

He nodded. "I know." He was mentally exhausted by the burden of
responsibility that had been laid on his shoulders; give me a
candlemark and I'll see you then, okay? Then maybe a long bath for
both of us."

"That sounds nice." A candlemark would give her enough time to go take
Stumpy out for a walk, too. The poor canine needed it.

He stopped turning the roast, then bent to brush his lips over her
cheek and quickly whispered. "I'll massage the aches out tonight. I
promise."

"I'd like that." Alina managed a smile as she watched him go, then
sighed and waved over someone to replace her. She stretched, then went
back to their weyr to walk an enthusiastic Stumpy. She had just sat
down when J'ackt walked in. He looked as exhausted as she felt. "Hi.
How'd it go with the Headwoman's staff?"

He held up a whole sheaf of hides. "There's so many that have come.
Candidates, new staff, new crafters. There's so many names, Alina. I
don't know how I'm supposed to go through all of this."

Alina came and took the sheaf of hides from him, set them aside, and
wrapped her arms around her weyrmate. "I can help."

J'ackt sighed and returned the embrace. "Thank you. I'm so tired,
Alina. I'm just tired of having to do this, even if it has to be
done."

Alina was suddenly furious at N'vanik. This was his fault. What kind
of Weyrleader was he, if he couldn't see the strain that J'ackt was
carrying alone? She hugged him a little closer. "I know you are. I see
how much you're doing."

J'ackt nodded, squeezed her lightly, then picked up the sheaf of hides
again before sitting down with a sigh. "I suspect everyone. I have to.
But at least they've marked the people that have come from the Emerald
Falls area. If it were me, I wouldn't try to stand out much, like any
ranking crafter." He slid his fingers down the list, then rubbed his
eyes, blinked and then cursed. "Fecking letters. I hate reading."

"Let me." The greenrider plucked the sheaf of hides from his fingers
and then, daring, sat on his lap. "Mmm. All right. People from Emerald
Falls are suspect. What else might make someone suspect?" She scanned
the list. "I don't think Candidates would be as much of a risk. They
don't choose to come here. People who come to the Weyr alone... maybe
not Crafters. Or at least Crafters who bring their families."

"Some Candidates want to be here." J'ackt pointed out. It hadn't been
Alina's choice certainly and he'd been 'strongly encouraged' by
N'vanik and his own circumstance. If he'd had his initial way, he
would have left after his first hatching. His eyes studied the list
along with Alina, casually wrapping his arms around her as they both
looked over the list. "Unless it's a good excuse, but I just can't see
it either. Crafters are too noticed and most of the Crafthalls support
the Weyr." He rested his chin lightly on her shoulder. "Drudges. No
one notices them. Lower cavern staff who aren't Crafters, maybe. They
come in all the time from all sorts of places."

"Mmm hmm. But some are coming because of... reasons. They obviously
don't fit in at home or are coming to escape a marriage. Like...
Maljah." She tapped a name. "He works in the stockrooms, mostly. I
overheard some girls in the kitchens complaining that he only looks at
the male greenriders."

J'ackt glanced at the name; it wasn't someone he was familiar with.
There were far too many drudges for him to know all of them. "Hm...do
you think we can discount him then? It's not just an act on his part?"

"If it's an act, it's a good one," Alina said dryly. "I wouldn't waste
your time on him. I'd also be shocked if Rennilla is up to anything.
She works in the kitchens and is scared of her shadow. I heard that
she ran away from her husband. She makes absolutely _amazing_ taffy."
The greenrider's eyes went a bit dreamy. "Her grandmother was
apparently a baker, and I absolutely believe it."

**Alina likes taffy. Good to remember." J'ackt thought quickly, filing
the information away for a later time. He had never been fond of
sweets himself, but recognized that look in her eyes. His eyes went
back to the list. "Is there any that you suspect right away?"

That was a much harder question. Alina sighed and returned her
attention to the list but no names jumped out at her. It felt wrong to
be so suspicious. It was exhausting. "Not really," she admitted after
a moment. "There's a lot of names I don't recognize. I know that you
and N'vanik want to keep this secret, but it would be so much easier
if the Weyr knew and we could all keep a watch on each other."

"We don't want a panic. You know that some of the riders would panic
and fingers would start pointing and just the suspicion could tear the
Weyr apart. We don't need that when someone else is trying to do it."
J'ackt sighed as he studied the names again. The words blurred and he
shook his head. The strain of reading was making his head pound.
"That's it. I need a break." He sighed and kissed her neck. "How does
a bath sound to you?"

She purred and leaned into his touch. "Have I told you today how much
I like having a private bathing pool?"

That finally brought a chuckle and an easing of the tension in his
shoulders. "Hm... a few times." He stroked a hand down her back
slowly. "Come on." J'ackt rose, carrying her with her in his arms.
"Bath time."

Last updated on the July 21st 2021

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Suspicions of Staff