Getting Settled and Acquainted

Writers: Ames, AL
Date Posted: 14th March 2011

Characters: Meledei, Janani
Description: Janani reflects back on her arrival to Dolphin Cove and her first meeting with Meledei
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 13 of Turn 5

Janani sat at her desk watching the figure as she left the room. She
recalled the first time she had met the junior goldrider.

~*~ Begin Flashback ~*~

**To the right, Ang. Those are the chambers they've assigned us for our
stay here.** The golden queen veered to her right and landed easily on the
ledge. Janani quickly slipped off her dragon's back and then began untying the
bundles that had been strapped to her dragon. She'd volunteered for this.
In fact, she'd nearly jumped at the chance to get away from River Bluff for
awhile. No matter what kind of duties they needed her to do to help with
the younger queens and the other dragons, it _had_ to be better than the
assignments she'd found thrust her way at River Bluff.

It didn't take her long to unbuckle the riding harness and send Angdelouth
off to do her own scouting. With her bundles laid out around her, Janani
looked around the empty weyr, trying to decide the best place to start.

The rap at the door interrupted any thoughts Janani might have entertained
about where to start, and when the door open, a young woman stood there.
She lifted her eyes, jade shadowed by long, thick eyelashes. A smile
sprang easily to her mouth and she nodded politely. "Hello." The
greeting was warm, even a little enthusiastic. A flush graced her cheeks, but
looked natural rather than a result of exertion. Her hair was as straight as a
needlethorn and brown. The gentleness of her heart shaped face made her
look a little too young for the knots that graced her shoulder - the knots
of a junior goldrider. "Um. I'm Meledei."

Janani looked up and smiled at the much younger rider. "Hello. I'm Janani.
Please come in, Meledei. I'm afraid I don't have much to offer by way of
comforts yet. I just got my sacks untied." She moved her arm to indicate
the bundles that were lying on the bed. "So, you are one of the junior
goldriders? I believe the reason they asked me here was to help with some
of your training." Janani wasn't really sure _why_ they needed additional
help, but she had been so eager for a break from the goings on at River Bluff
that she really hadn't cared all that much about the reasons. "I'd offer you a
refreshment, but I'm afraid I don't seem to have any yet and I'm not quite
sure the routines around here. Perhaps, even though I was sent to help you
and the other queen riders, you might be able to help me get acquainted
with Dolphin Cove a bit." She smiled kindly at her, hoping that things would go
well between them, otherwise she might be forced to go back to River Bluff
before she was ready to do so.

"Oh that's okay, I didn't really need or expect anything." Meledei
stepped inside, eyes glancing about briefly before returning to the newest
arrival. "Yes, I'm the most junior of the juniors." Meledei admitted with a grin.
"And we could definitely use the help. But that's not why I'm here. I'm
here wondering if you needed anything. And if you want help getting
acquainted, I'd be glad to do that for you." The girl reached up and
tucked a strand of hair that had pulled loose from her tail behind her ear as she
regarded Janani. She seemed nice, and first impressions were important,
but they could also be deceiving. "But I'd be glad to help you with unpacking
or anything else you need."

"Maybe you could find us some refreshments first and then I would love
some help, if you don't mind." Janani found that the young goldrider was
actually quite pleasant to be around, which was a pleasant surprise. So many of
them had the _wrong_ attitude about things. She hoped the other riders here had
this same friendly, welcoming attitude.

"I don't mind at all." Meledei shook her head and turned back to the door.
"Won't be but a minute. And I'll be sure to request bubbly pies."
Bubblies. Oh, how could anyone resist bubblies? Besides, she was new,
the woman deserved a treat. The younger rider disappeared, but only briefly.
She latched on to a passing drudge and made her request before slipping
back inside the newest goldrider's weyr. "Okay, they're on their way and
it shouldn't be too long. In the mean time, would you like to go ahead and
get started?"

"Thank you, Meledei." Janani replied when she returned. "I'd love to get
these bundles unpacked. In fact the sooner the better, so that the dresses
don't end up with too many creases in them." She looked around the room
and spotted what was to be her wardrobe. "We should be able to hang the
dresses in there, and then my riding gear and slacks can go in those drawers over
there." She stopped, quickly undid the leather thong holding her hair and
fixed the it so the loose strands weren't constantly assaulting her face.

"So, as we work, perhaps you can tell me a bit more about Dolphin Cove."

"Sure." Meledei crossed over to the bundles and crouched down and began
to untie the first bundle. The contents proved to be the riding gear in
question and she carefully unfurled the jacket and refolded it before
turning to the drawers. "So what do you want to know about it? Besides
perfect beaches, a lovely lake, an awesome Weyrleader...?"

"An awesome Weyrleader, eh? What makes him so awesome?" She asked as she
shook out some of her favorite dresses and moved to hang them in the
wardrobe.

"He just is. He cares about the Weyr. I mean, I haven't met a Weyrleader
who didn't, but he seems to care about the _individuals_ that make up the
whole. And he's not overly stuffy or makes himself to be more important
than anything else in the world. I like him."

"I'm glad to hear that, actually." She wondered what this Weyrleader would
be like when she met him for the first time. Hopefully she would have as
good of an impression of him as Meledei did. "What about the Weyrwoman.
She greeted me briefly when I arrived, but didn't seem overly inclined to
talk. I was asked here to assist her...or you rather, I guess, and I'm curious
as to what brought about such a request."

Meledei carefully placed the riding gear in the drawer indicated and then
stood up to clap her hands together before launching herself at the next
bundle. The question about Traelyn was responded immediately by a darting
up of Meledei's eyes, though they quickly fell down to the bundle and the
contents within. "Oh. Well. She's. The Weyrwoman." A dress was pulled
from the bundle and Meledei turned to the wardrobe to place it within.

Janani snorted a reply, "I understand that, Meledei. Trust me I've had my
share of _Weyrwomen_ in the past. I know how things can go. In fact that's
one of the reasons I took this little arrangement. I needed to get away
from my Weyrwoman for a spell."

"I don't have that option." Meledei gave a half smile. "But I'm glad you
were able to escape." The girl glanced over at the door and leaned
forward. "Promise you won't say anything to anyone? Not anyone?
Especially not the Weyrwoman or N'vanik?"

So Meledei didn't want people to know she was happy Janani had come or was
there something else the girl wanted to add something more. Intrigued by the
younger woman's tone, Janani paused in the folding of her shirt and watched
her. Lowering her voice in an almost conspiratorially whisper she answered,
"I promise."

Meledei nodded. "I'm glad you're here. Maybe now I'll finally get
_training_ instead of just having stuff tossed at me." Her nose wrinkled as
she spoke. "I've hardly even been _looked_ at by Traelyn since the hatching
and...well..." There might have been something more, but Meledei quickly
shut her mouth and left it unsaid, instead focusing on those clothes.

Janani paused, a garment still held up in the air before her as she looked
at Meledei. "I'm sorry to hear that you've not had a good go of things. I
can't promise that my being here will make things easier, but I _will_ do
what I came here to do, which is help you and the other riders like you."
She had been watching her, wondering what else had been left hanging in the
air. Janani wouldn't ask, that wasn't her style. "Tell me what you _do_ know
and _have_ had by way of training and then, maybe I'll have a better idea
where to start." She wondered if the Weyrwoman would make her life here
difficult if she clearly had made things tough on the young rider. Janani
wasn't afraid, though, more resigned. She'd spent countless turns learning
when to push back and when to vanish for a spot in order to survive and live
the life she felt she deserved.

"I've had candidate training." Meledei separated the clothes into piles,
dresses, pants, tunics, others. "And then...well, I didn't even train with
the Weyrwoman with that. I was just sort of...shoved off. Then after
graduation, I've pretty much sat in the Records Room copying records and
filing when not in drills." She shrugged and kept on working. "I thought I
was supposed to learn more about politics and hold relations."

Janani frowned, "Yes, that's part of the package. Learning all the ways of
dealing with the Holds and how things go. Of course, over the Turns I've
learned that the active Weyrwoman's attitude is also par for the course. If
they're interested in you, you get the best of the best, but if not, well.
I've been down that path myself in the past. We'll see if we can rectify
some of those issues, though I can't overstep your Weyrwoman's place, I'll
sure do what I can." **And since I'm a visitor, she really can't do much to
me, not that I _care_ all that much anymore anyway!** Janani had grown tired
of the attitudes of so many goldriders, especially those in power. They
couldn't take Angdelouth away from her and in the end her dragon was really
the _only_ thing that mattered.

"Has..." she paused reaching out to Ang for Meledei's dragon's name, "Elleth
risen yet?" Janani asked.

Meledei shook her head. "Oh no, she's _far_ too young. I think it will be
at least another turn before she gets close to rising. Not even an inkling.
She's only a turn now, just a little over really. We've got some time
before anything happens in _that_ area." This was a much more pleasant
conversation. "I can't help but wish...I mean, I know it's not going to
happen, I don't think it's happened but once or twice before that I can
remember in the records, but I'd be tickled pink if she laid a gold egg on
her first clutch." Wishful thinking, but hey, dreams could still be
dreamed.

"It is quite a thrill when you _see_ that golden egg for the first time,"
Janani smiled, thinking back to a time when Angdelouth laid a gold egg. "It
doesn't happen as often as I think we'd like. It's almost as if Pern or the
dragons just _know_ when more queens are needed and when they are not." She
paused as she finished putting away the last of the clothes. "It's almost
hard to imagine that there could be something we don't understand that
affects when gold eggs are laid and when they aren't."

"There probably is. I mean, they are the way they are for a reason." To
fight Thread, the perfect warrior. Meledei smiled. Her dragon couldn't
fight Thread in the same way, but she was no less a warrior for it. Even if
she didn't act like one. "It won't happen. But..it's nice to think about.
How many flights was it before yours laid her first?"

"Aye, I'd have to agree that it's not likely to happen on your first flight.
For Ang, it wasn't until her fifth flight. I can honestly tell you we were
both surprised, happily, but surprised. I think the dragons knew by then
that Thread was returning. More golds appeared in the hatchings for a short
time then." Janani looked around the room and smiled. "It looks like we've
gotten most of my things put away. The room is still rather plain though. If
I knew how long I was staying I'd have brought more of my things from River
Bluff with me, but I gather I'm only filling in as second until you or one
of the others are old enough to take over." She looked at Meledei, wondering
how long that would be and if she _should_ in fact send for her other things
for the room _was_ rather stark and bare.

"Well, there are always people who will help you. It might take time and
effort, but if you want to be more comfortable, I can see about getting some
riders together to assist you." Meledei offered. She folded the last two
tunics and put them away, then straightened to look about the room. "But if
you don't want to do that, we could scour through the storage rooms and get
some stuff to put in here."

"That sounds like a great idea." Janani replied. "And I would sure
appreciate the help!" She _already_ liked it at Dolphin Cove and she hoped
that more of the riders here were like Meledei than they were like some of
the goldriders she'd known before.

"Just let me know when and I'll be glad to help, with either choice."
Meledei stood up and clapped her hands together. "Well, I guess I'd better
get going. I need to grab some lunch then get back to copying some records.
It was really nice meeting you though."

~End Flashback~

As her thoughts returned to the hear and now, she wondered how the young
goldrider would feel now that their relationship had changed. No longer was
Janani just a mentor and a friend, but she was the Weyrwoman. In her heart,
she hoped it would not mean a change in the way Meledei had treated her
since her arrival. She liked the goldrider just the way she was and unlike
some of the Weyrwoman she had served under, she had _no_ intentions of
trying to mold her in her own image. Meledei deserved to be her own person
and to find her own path, but Janani hoped that she could be a friend on
that journey.

Last updated on the January 28th 2012

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Getting Settled and Acquainted