The Delicate Art of Conversation

Writers: Patrick, Yvonne
Date Posted: 16th April 2007

Characters: J'nus, N'call
Description: J'nus avoids hidework by inviting N'call into his office, and then wonder how he can avoid N'call
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 6 of Turn 4

N'call

D'wrayt's Wingsecond's office was small. Smaller than U'kaiah's was what J'nus was really thinking. He'd moved in three weeks ago and in that time the bronzerider had come to the startling realization that, although he hadn't needed one before, he suddenly _needed_ an office.
There just wasn't enough space in his weyr for all of his things!

}:You keep too much,:{ Kopth said for the thirtieth time that day. }:Throw something out.:{ J'nus grit his teeth and ignored him. He wasn't about to throw out any books - they were expensive. The carvings had sentimental value.
All of them. Rugs added colour to otherwise barren walls. And one never knew when old Wing formations and diagrams of trial patterns might come in handy. Or notes. He kept copious notes.

}:J'nus? Throw something away!:{
**Shut up, you tarnished old windbag!** the bronzerider finally shot back. Kopth was just doing it to annoy him- the bronze sounded smug. He stared down at the hide before him and wondered if he could take a break. D'wrayt, it seemed, hated hidework. And so had his former Wingsecond, which meant that J'nus was plowing through hides that ought to have been done weeks ago.

Movement at the door caught his eye, and J'nus looked up just as N'call, one of his bronzeriders, hesitated in the doorway. J'nus decided that the young man _must_ want to come in- getting to know the Wingriders was much better than hidework! "N'call! What brings you here?"

"Oh I just wanted to congratulate you on your-" he hesitated.
"promotion. And welcome you to Azure." He held out his hand for a shake.

"Thank you." The older bronzerider hadn't missed the pause, but ignored it as he tested the other man's grip. Even if it had been a temporary assignment, the fact that Cyan had been given back to U'kaiah was a snub and a Wingsecond's appointment D'wrayt's generous way of allowing him to save face, for which he was grateful. N'call returned the grip with a steady one of his own. He smiled. "I know it's not the same as Wingleader but Wingsecond to the Weyrleader is still very important."

J'nus' expression froze. "I'll go where I'm needed," he said. Maybe hidework would have been a better idea.

N'call noticed the look on J'nus's face. "I didn't mean to sound condescending. I apologize if I offended you sir, I didn't mean you weren't capable." He hoped that was what J'nus had been thinking.

"No apology needed, N'call," J'nus said. Whether or not he meant it was up for debate. "I'm happy to work with D'wrayt."

"I am too. Was it as much a surprise for you as it was for me?" N'call asked.

"If I thought about it- then no. Have you only flown here at Dragonsfall Weyr?" he asked, desperate to change the subject. The office suddenly seemed claustrophobic, and he promised himself a fishing trip or a good long tinker with the chess set he was carving as soon as he was free.

"Yes. I've lived at Dragonsfall most of my life and Impressed here."
N'call was just as glad for the change of subject.

"And have you flown in Azure Wing all that time?" Although he'd probably been around since then, J'nus found he couldn't remember.
Whether it was his memory or N'call's memorability was debatable.

N'call tried not to take the question too seriously. "Yup. Since I joined the wings. I go this there." He pointed to the "x" shaped scar on his cheek.

"It's rare to see a rider who hasn't been marked," J'nus said.

"Unless all you do is spend your day with weyrlings, and even then they eventually grow up." N'call remembered the day he had become a dragonrider and flinched. "Well I just wanted to welcome you to the wing and hope you'll find it an, interesting experience."

An 'interesting experience'? **That's an interesting choice of words...** J'nus thought. The younger bronzerider was an odd one, he decided. "Thank you. I'm sure that I will."

Last updated on the April 17th 2007

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The Delicate Art of Conversation