When Greenriders Take Over

Writers: AJ Kraier, Jane
Date Posted: 14th February 2007

Characters: D'val, Jh'slaen, F'naren
Description: D'val, Jh'slaen, and F'naren discuss fake rumors over lunch.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 2, day 16 of Turn 4

"Are you using all of this table?" Jh'slaen asked as he approached the other greenrider. "Or can F'naren and I share it?" He was alone, though. F'naren was still wheedling his favourite juice out of the staff, something Jh'slaen thought crazy when the selection was more than adequate and they all did the job of quenching a thirst.

"No," said D'val, looking up, "you can... share it." He furrowed his brow as his gaze came to rest on the greenrider and his nonexistent friend. "Will he be joining you later, or have you been out in the sun too long and are starting to see people who aren't there?"

"He'll be here. He's trying to charm the kitchen staff - as if they don't get enough of that to see through him." Jh'slaen settled down at the table. Plate, knife and fork, glass of ice cold juice that looked inviting regardless of the fruit that it had been made from.

"Totally full of himself, huh?" D'val chuckled.

"No, not really. Not annoyingly so, at least." Jh'slaen shrugged.
"He and I grew up together. He just _is._"

D'val nodded. "That's why the name sounds familiar. I think you mentioned him the other day."

"Probably. He's a big part of my life. Like a brother, I suppose.
And then we were Searched together."

"Did you Impress from the same clutch?"

The younger greenrider shook his head, his mouth full of juice. A very nice redfruit juice. "Me first, him the next clutch. Saradath being green was a surprise to him."

"What was a surprise?"

Jh'slaen looked up at the brownrider. "Saradath being green."

"Hmm. Yeah." He placed his plate and a tall glass of light coloured juice beside it. "He'd been keeping secrets."

Jh'slaen grinned. "I guess I had. Do you two know each other?
D'val? F'naren?"

D'val studied the brownrider's face for a moment before slowly nodding. "Actually, we have... met before," he said, gesturing for F'naren to have a seat.

"Jzeth caught ... Ayleth," F'naren said, nodding an acknowledgement at the greenrider. "How are you, D'val?"

"Well, thank you. How are you and Jzeth?"

"Both well, thanks." He glanced at Jh'slaen. "My only problems are his problems."

"You mean the... uh... different reasons for Impressing?"

"That and the one he denies all knowledge of. The one that hiding out as weyrlingstaff during a Pass is just cowardly."

"I _really_ didn't say anything - not a word - like that," Jh'slaen said, uneasily looking around for the weyrlingmaster second. He had the feeling that the man was somewhere, just waiting to pounce.

"I've not heard that one," said D'val, "but I did hear that he said --
just rumor, of course -- that he thought that a blue or a green -rider could do just as good a job leading a wing or the whole Weyr as any bronzerider could."

"I didn't say that, either!" He looked a little thoughtful at that.

F'naren grinned at D'val. "Don't get him started thinking about it."

"There's nothing wrong with thinking about it -- 'what ifs' led to some of the best tales ever told. Now, if Saradath starts chasing Tabanirth... then we've got something to worry about."

Jh'slaen grinned. "Luckily I'm safe, but Jzeth -" he glanced at F'naren, "- he might try his luck. Weyrleader F'naren? That has a ring to it, don't you think, D'val?"

"Weyrleader F'naren... hmm..." D'val made a show of considering the sound of it for a moment. "Yes. Indeed it does. And just imagine the look on Tsaera's face when she wakes to discover you at her side, F'naren."

"She might be surprised -" he flicked a teasing glance at the pair of them, "- pleasantly surprised, that is - but the rest of the Weyr would be mutinous so let's just forget that silly idea, shall we?
Jzeth is barely old enough to catch greens - Ayleth was definitely a lucky chance - and he's not some hulking giant of a brown, anyway.
Let's go back to one of you being a wingleader, shall we? Aren't you going to find that difficult when you both only fly _half_ a 'Fall?"

"That's not a problem, we'll just do what we do now and switch out,"
said D'val. "We can be co-wingleaders."

"Yeah. D'val and I," Jh'slaen added. "It'll be an improvement, you know. Getting a fresh man and dragon - or woman and dragon, I suppose
- to lead halfway through."

F'naren made gagging noises. "I'd rather have a tired bronzerider than you two."

To Jh'slaen, D'val said, "I hope he remembers that the next time Jzeth gives chase to one of our greens."

"Chase Saradath?" Jh'slaen choked, coughing up juice that he had swallowed inadvertently. "No, that would be too ... too ..."

"Or worse," F'naren agreed. "Are you going to eat those fingerroots?"
he asked in a different tone, eyeing Jh'slaen's plate.

"Have them."

Suddenly getting the feeling that he might have said the wrong thing, D'val faked a cough and washed it away with a long drink from his cup of juice. "The cold juice is very refreshing, isn't it?"

The other greenrider grinned. "Well, the redfruit is. I don't know about that stuff F'naren drinks."

"Oh? And what are you drinking, F'naren?"

"Diluted pineapple."

"That's all it is?" Jh'slaen said, surprised. "You make all that fuss about getting some water put in your juice?"

"It's my favourite juice," F'naren grumbled. "And it's too strong for my gut if they don't water it down."

Jh'slaen rolled his eyes and grinned at D'val. "Impressed brown -
potential leader. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Yeah, hard to believe." He smiled wryly at F'rnaren, and added, "I didn't realize they had any pineapple juice or I would have gotten some too. It's one of my favorites."

"I just asked one day." The brownrider glanced at Jh'slaen before adding: "And the staff have to _like_ you."

"He flirts with the old women," Jh'slaen translated for D'val's benefit.

"So?" D'val knocked back the last of his juice and placed the cup on his empty plate. "You cannot fault him for that, Jh'slaen. When you ride a brown, you never know who you are going to wake up next to in the morning," he said, moving to get up.

"I'm sure there's an equivalent thought for greenriders," Jh'slaen said,"but I can't think of it right now. See you later, D'val."

"Definitely," said D'val, taking his empty plates with him as he left the table.

Last updated on the February 17th 2007

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When Greenriders Take Over