Better Than the Rest
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Duskdog, Sia
Date Posted: 15th June 2025
Characters: Q'vettan, D'brul
Description: Q'vettan finds a new Wingleader for Cypress Wing
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 6, day 21 of Turn 12
Notes: Dragonsfall and Dolphin Cove Slander
Mentioned: Br'elt, N'kevyn, R'kede
Q'vettan stood out on the weyrledge, idly watching the boats in the harbour. The water was choppy, even from his vantage point, and the moored ships bobbed in the waves. It would be nothing compared to the summer storms that would sweep through in a few months. He let the thought drift with the wind and took a few deep breaths, steeling himself for the next conversation he was about to have.
**Tell D'brul I'd like to speak with him.**
Tzenketh didn't rouse right away. Q'vettan knew that would be the case. He had time to make klah while he waited. The bronze moved at his own pace, and they were both old enough to know better than trying to push the other. }: Mogunth, my rider wishes to see yours. :{
Mogunth, too, was not the sort of dragon to be in a hurry. Though the fact that the summons came from his Weyrleader’s bronze _did_ motivate him to pass the message along more quickly then he otherwise might have. }:Tzenketh says that the Weyrleader requests your presence.:{
D’brul paused, awl half-raised above the straps he had been mending. **_Me_? Did he say what for?** Even as he asked, though, he was rising, putting his work down on the table beside him. He couldn’t imagine what the new Weyrleader might want with him, but a summons from the head honcho himself wasn’t something that any _real_ dragonrider would ever ignore, or delay, regardless of the reason.
He arrived swiftly enough, wearing exactly what he had been wearing when he was interrupted: the shirt and pants that he wore around his weyr for work, old and casual, the shirt lightly stained with the oil he had been using on his straps, sleeves rolled up. He was a working man -- they all were (or _should_ be, shard it) -- and he had no use for frills or gestures that were ultimately meaningless. Better to be _promp_ than to _primp_, as he always said.
To anyone who would listen.
Whether they liked it or not.
“Mogunth said you wanted to see me, sir?” he asked, his voice rough.
Q'vettan looked the other man up and down. Well, he hadn't told him what the meeting was about. Something to watch, at least when it counted. An everyman did well for their image, too. "Yes, have a seat." He gestured to the chair across from him. "Have you been paying attention to the news from Dragonsfall and Dolphin Cove, by any chance?"
D’brul sat. “I try to, when it’s not just idle gossip.” He scowled, making it very clear what he thought of that sort of thing. “Did something new happen? Some kinda holder nonsense?”
"A good practice." Q'vettan agreed mildly, as if he wasn't deeply invested in the goings-on of their closest neighbors. "The holdless nonsense at Dragonsfall is another can of grubs, as it were. One that I feel strongly about, after my experience with the holdless from Igen Hold at the end of the Interval. But no-- in this case, I mean the poor Threadfall Dragonsfall flew recently. It's not the reason why I've decided to re-evaluate the Wing leadership here, but it shows why we must continue to strive for excellence. It doesn't matter how experienced a leader is; even the tiniest mistake could mean death for someone else."
“About damn time somebody understood that,” D’brul said passionately, then caught himself and cleared his throat. “Didn’t mean to make it sound like past Weyrleaders didn’t. Just sayin’. ‘Good enough’s’ not good enough.”
“That’s exactly it,” Q’vettan said. He leaned back in his chair. “Barrier Lake is still new, in the grand scheme of things. We don't have the luxury of sliding by on reputation. We can't afford sloppy formations and bad calls in the air. We have to be better than the old Weyrs. And for that, I need solid Wingleaders that aren't going to make rookie mistakes."
D’brul nodded -- this was all among his favorite things to complain about, after all. They could always be better. Riders needed to take their jobs seriously. Barrier Lake should be the _best_, and if it wasn’t the best, they were failing it.
“You want some recommendations?” he asked. “I do watch, and I’ve got opinions.”
Q’vettan let out a quiet huff of amusement. “Oh, I know you’ve got opinions. I’m not asking for recommendations,” he said. “I’m offering you the knot.”
“The--” D’brul’s brain did an abrupt restart. He frowned, opened his mouth, closed it again, put his hands on his hips, looked off to the side, raised one hand to scratch at his head, put his hand back on his hip, looked back at Q’vettan, opened his mouth again, closed it again, and then, finally, “The… the wingsecond knot?”
"I'll give you the wingsecond knot, but only to give it to the person of your choosing. I encourage you to consider Br'elt or N'kevyn. They need experience and both are severely lacking in that department." Q'vettan said with an amused half-smile. "You said it yourself. You've been watching our leadership, or those that are working towards it. You have the opportunity to lead by example. Teach the young bronzes and browns what it is to be a Leader."
“I, uh…” He blinked, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sir. I _can_ do it. And I’m honored you’d offer, but… are you really sure that’s the best place for me? Mogunth is _brown_.”
"There's no way to know but to find out." Q'vettan said, "And if that brownrider R'kede at Dolphin Cove can do it, I'm sure as shells that you can. And do it better."
“Well yeah, of _course_,” D’brul said, puffing up a little. “Dolphin Cove thinks they’re fancy, huh? Think their brownriders are better than ours?”
"A bold statement, isn't it? It got me thinking. Why haven't we considered brownrider Wingleaders before? Aside from the sheen, what's the difference? It's all in the man's mettle, and you have that in spades." Q'vettan looked the man up and down. A little flattery could go a long way. "I take it you'll accept the knots?"
D’brul had never fancied himself a wingleader before. Not… in so many words, at least. He always knew he had plenty to teach. And sure, sometimes (all the time) he was sure he knew better how things should be done. But that wasn’t his place. His place was _fine_ -- he was _important_, his role mattered to the wing and to the Weyr.
But Dolphin Cove thought they had brownriders who could do it? Bah. Q’vettan was right -- it was about a man’s _mettle_! And he had that, didn’t he? Not just because the Weyrleader said so, but because D’brul himself _knew_ so. Lead by example, teach the young bronzes and browns, as Q’vettan said.
So… why not?
“Sir,” D’brul said, clasping the Weyrleader’s hand in an enthusiastic shake, “I’d be honored!”
Last updated on the June 22nd 2025