Decisive Decisions

Writers: Bree, Yvonne
Date Posted: 15th April 2007

Characters: Tsaera, Lenala
Description: Tsaera decides that Lenala can't hide any longer, and makes her make a decision
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 3, day 2 of Turn 4

Lenala

"She's a lazy twit who never gets off her rear and won't leave!"

"He's a selfish philanderer! I hate him!"

Tsaera sighed and rubbed her temples. The bluerider and his live-in weyrmate had been going at it like that for the last quarter of a candlemark. He had cheated; she wouldn't sleep with him. He was never home, she drank too much. He was arrogant and cruel, she was fat and lazy. They both wanted the elegantly carved table and headboard they'd gotten as Weyrmating gifts, and neither one wanted to move out of the weyr they'd shared for the last two Turns. She wanted to keep all her jewelry, he wanted half of what he'd bought her back.

"It's not fair!" Leesa wailed. Her cheeks were blotched red and her eyes puffy from crying. "He gave me those pearls as a gift! I am _not_ giving them back so that he can give them to that herdbeast he's snuck off with!"

"Oh yeah? You think I want _my_ hard earned marks to end up in your hands?! You have been working three days a week in the kitchens and living off of me while I risk my neck flying Thread, you sow!" D'limn shot back. "I have a bad back!"

"You do not. You're just lazy!"

"Enough!" Tsaera banged her fist down on her desk, making both of them jump. "Just be quiet for a moment. I've had enough of your squabbling." "So you're going to make her move?" D'limn asked hopefully. Leesa shot him a look that would have killed a lesser man, and then stabbed his twitching corpse with a pen.

"No. _I_ am going to do nothing," Tsaera said. She grinned - an idea glimmered bright as sunlight on the waves. "But I know someone who will." **Tabanirth, get Vilarth to call her rider to my office, please.**

~*~

Lenala tried to hide a wince as D'limn called Leesa a lazy wherry for the third time in as many sentences, wondering vaguely if this was what Tsaera and K'sedel had felt like when they'd had to be in the middle of her problems with M'galec. Perhaps this was the Weyrwoman's way of holding up a mirror for Lenala... who was seeing a fairly unflattering reflection.

"D'limn, I don't think that's--"

"It's _my_ weyr, and the lazy--"

Shards, the man wouldn't have interrupted Tsaera like that. Lenala rose to her feet and leaned across the desk. "Stop interrupting me, or I'll give her your weyr _and_ the jewelry as well!" Perhaps not the most diplomatic way of getting him to shut his mouth, but she didn't have the presence Tsaera did.

Vilarth's approval was clear when her dragon spoke. }:You are my rider. He must listen to you.:{
**It's our job to make sure he does,** Lenala agreed. Perhaps Vilarth had a rather self-important view of the Weyr, but right now that was what Lenala needed to give her courage.

Before Leesa could preen too much, Lenala sat back down and resisted the urge to glance at Tsaera, who was watching from the other side of the office with her fingers steepled and her expression inscrutable.
"Now, D'limn. Please tell me your side of the story." When he opened his mouth, she held up a hand. "Without insults. The first one that comes out of your mouth will be the end of your chance to tell your side." }:You sound very smart!:{
**Thank you, love.**

D'limn didn't insult his weyrmate, but the smug look he shot her at being chosen to speak first said more than words. "Leesa's been giving me the cold shoulder for almost six months, now, for no reason. She sits in my weyr and drinks until she's so drunk she passes out on the floor, and she's gotten _fat_. So I got drunk a few weeks ago and- well, a man has needs. And this is a Weyr! Anyway, she blows her top and decides that she wants to kick me out of my own weyr. _My_ weyr! And she wants to keep everything-"

"Stop _lying_! You-" Leesa broke off with a look at Lenala. "He's lying."

"I am not. Shut up and let me speak!"

Leesa crossed her arms, a sour expression on her face. "Liar." "Back on topic, please," Tsaera interjected, seeing the look of frustration on Lenala's face. "No insults, and D'limn gets to speak until he's finished. _Then_ you get your turn, Leesa."

"Thank you, Weyrwoman." D'limn shot another nasty look at Leesa before continuing. "So _anyway_, Leesa wants to keep everything we've got and leave me with nothing, even though it's been _my_ marks that bought everything. She claims she hurt her back shortly after we were weyrmated and working more than three times a week is too much for her, so she just sits like a parasite on the Weyr and drinks and bloats. I want to get rid of her, but I am _not_ moving and I am _not_ giving her my hard earned marks. And that _includes_ her jewelry and the furniture that we got for our weyrmating - she owes me for the two turns I supported her and got nothing out of it!"

Lenala tried not to rub at her head. "All right, I've heard your side. Now you sit quietly and let Leesa tell _her_ side." Though she could only imagine how much worse it was going to make her budding headache.

Leesa's rant was much in the same vein as D'limn's. While she was listening to her repeat the same complaints three different times in three different ways, she reached out to Vilarth. **Have Tabanirth ask her rider if she thinks it would be acceptable for Leesa to be moved to a non-rider weyr, since she can't exactly be staying in one meant for a rider. But in return she can keep the things she was given.**

Across the room, Tsaera's lips curved into a small half-moon smile. A moment later Vilarth replied in the affirmative. }:But Tabanirth's rider also wants to know what you intend to do with the things that they were given as a pair?:{ Lenala chewed on her lower lip for a moment, hardly realizing that D'limn had broken into Leesa's rant and was repeating his own list of ills. **When I was a child, mother used to solve arguments among us by saying one of us could divide up the gifts we were given, but the other got to choose which pile they got to keep. Maybe we could do that?**

After a moment Tsaera spoke up through the babble. "That's enough, both of you," she told the squabbling pair. "Lenala's heard what you both have to say, and neither of us need to hear you repeat yourselves."

"Sorry Weyrwoman," Leesa said, cowed. D'limn, however, only mumbled an apology. Once she was satisfied that neither would continue with their noise, the Weyrwoman turned to her Second. "Lenala?"

Lenala glanced once at Tsaera before squaring her shoulders. "This is my decision. D'limn, you will keep your weyr, because a drudge has no need for a cliff-side weyr meant for a dragonrider." She held up a hand and tried to look stern as Leesa looked like she was going to interrupt.

"Thank you--" D'limn started, but Lenala cut him off.

"D'limn, anything you gave to Leesa is hers. Spend your marks wisely in the future if you have a problem with that." It was what she should have told M'galec when he made an issue about his own choices in that area. "As for things that belonged to both of you--one of you is going to divide those items up into two equal lists. The other one will get to pick which one they get."

**Good for you,** Tsaera thought, and hid a smile. "Leesa - Lenala will speak with the Headwoman. Be prepared to move out tomorrow.
D'limn can draw up the lists. Again, bring it to the Headwoman and she or one of her assistants will supervise the move. Is everyone satisfied?"

Their expressions clearly said otherwise, but neither dragonrider nor drudge dared argue with the Weyrwoman. She nodded once, crisply, then sent them out. When the door closed behind them she turned to her 'Second. "That was very elegantly done, Lenala."

Lenala sank into her chair and let out an explosive sigh. "Did I make the right choice? It's so hard to be sure..."

Tsaera arched an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

She hesitated. "I think I was as fair as could be. There wasn't any perfect answer. And maybe now they can both spend their time being mad at me instead of fighting with each other." "The thing about acting as an arbitrator, is that no matter what nobody is going to be completely happy. You have to make a decision and make it with conviction - which you did. And I was impressed by your answer. It _was_ very fair."

Lenala straightened up a little, looking a bit more confident. "Thank you, Tsaera. I'm glad I did all right."

It was good to see the younger goldrider looking pleased with herself, Tsaera thought. "Yes. And, I don't know about you, but now that _that_ mess has been taken care of, I've got a bit of hidework to catch up on. And planning for the afternoon drills. I don't suppose you'd like to do that for me today, would you?"

Lenala made a face. "I have enough of my _own_ hidework to catch up on, I'm afraid. But I think I'm almost there."

"It would be a great favour to me if you'd do that. Our patterns are fairly tight, so maybe some fall and catch drills. If you could partner people up, and move the pregnant greenriders into groups of three with two non-pregnant riders, that would be a great help."

Lenala nodded and made a mental note. "I can do that." **I think.** "Anything else?"

"No, I think that's all for now." Tsaera smiled. "Thank you, Lenala."

Squaring her shoulders, Lenala left for her own office finally feeling as if she'd done something right.

Last updated on the April 17th 2007

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Decisive Decisions