Butt Out

Writers: Devin, Chelle
Date Posted: 21st April 2012

Characters: Rhosyn, N'vanik
Description: N'vanik finds out she spoke to Cyradis and comes over to yell at her about it.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 7, day 26 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: Cyradis, R'enh, Janani, Qorri

N'vanik

Loseth was smart, even for a bronze, so when N'vanik asked him to
relay something to Orlaith, he refused. }:If you want to argue, then
you need to talk to Orlaith's rider directly. I will take you to River
Bluff, but I don't want to be in the middle of a fight.:{

N'vanik grumbled about Loseth being difficult. **Fine, then ask if we
can come.**

}:Orlaith, my rider wants to know if we can visit.:{

Relaying the request to Rhosyn who was knee deep in the Records
Room with a harper, Orlaith didn't realize anything was amiss. She gave
back an affirmative, but let Loseth know that the Weyrwoman would
take a bit to finish up with the current task.

N'vanik paced for a while and decided if he had to wait for her, he'd
rather do it there. So he harnessed Loseth and before long they were
at River Bluff and heading for Rhosyn's ledge. Once he dismounted,
N'vanik started pacing again. Was Rhosyn trying to cause trouble? Or
did she think he couldn't handle his own Weyr's problems?

It took her a bit to get everything straight, but the pile of Records
that needed to be recopied wasn't so bad as she first thought. She had
handed them over to the harper with the understanding she'd look them
over once he'd finished. Walking out of the room after that onerous
task and into her weyr, she wasn't surprised to see N'vanik already
there since Orlaith had told her when he'd arrived.

Obviously unhappy about having to deal with the Records, she tried to
put on a better face for him. He, on the other hand, looked quite
annoyed, and she hoped she wasn't about to get more bad news. Almost
afraid to ask, she ventured to say, "What brings you today?"

"I heard you had a talk with Cyradis."

"Aye I did, like I told you I was going to," she said easily. Still
not seeing a problem at this point, she leaned against the rock wall
of the weyr's entrance. If he wanted to come inside, he would. She
didn't have to invite him-not at this point-and he would know that. "I
think I understand her now-better than I did before. And if you're
ready, I'll share what I think." Of course, if he was still angry,
it'd be a futile exercise. Rhosyn understood his anger and echoed it,
but she didn't quite see Cyradis as a target. Hers was entirely for
Janani.

His anger went up a notch. "So you think I can't run my own Weyr?"

**So now he thinks he can be angry at me?** For a moment, she just
stood there and looked at him. And then she considered for a moment
that strange thing that was male pride. "You just hold it there,
Weyrleader. I just talked to *her*. She was angry. I didn't *do*
anything. And now I am going to *talk* to you."

"I understand why you are angry and who you are angry at. And while I
happen to love your thick hide, Cyradis doesn't. She doesn't want to talk
to you-but she did talk to me. So do you want to know why or are you going
to keep glowering at me?" Between the two of them, it was hard to guess
who was the most stubborn. However, Rhosyn knew very well they were in
her weyr and she could kick him out until he was willing to listen if need be.

**Love? Did she say love?** His head swam and it was hard to stay
angry when he was that surprised. "So you were ..." he searched for
something that wasn't an accusation. "Trying to gather information?"

"Right," she replied simply as if it was obvious. Her goal had been to
help him, though it likely meant helping Cyradis as well if she was
going to keep the two of them from killing each other.

}:Yours can be so dumb sometimes:{ Orlaith observed as she listened to
all of this while looking over at Loseth. The queen could feel her
rider's mind waiting for the bronzerider to catch up.

}: I prefer the word "dense",:{ Loseth said. Unlike his rider, he was
in a good mood, quite happy at an excuse to spend time with Orlaith.

N'vanik lifted an eyebrow. "So you weren't trying to solve my problems
for me?" The anger was still there, waiting just below the surface.

"No I was trying to help you. If I was going to solve your problems
for you I'd have had Orlaith order Loseth to River Bluff and be done
with all of this." Her face had a peevish look as if he was silly for
trying to fix a Weyr he obviously didn't belong at though she understood
duty and for now, he was still Weyrleader whether she liked it or not.

"That's about as likely as me stealing you for Dolphin Cove." He snorted.

"Which is why I didn't do it. Now come in and we'll talk." She was
tired of standing on the hot ledge and anyway, she had some of Cyradis'
lemon stuff hid. Grabbing it and two glasses, she poured before sitting
at her table in the situation room.

He followed her inside and took a seat. A drink was exactly what he
needed, so he took a healthy sip before setting the glass down. "It's
a mess right now, but I'll take care of it. I've gotten used to cleaning up
messes."

"I wish that weren't true, but so it is. This time, though, you don't have
to do it alone. R'enh and I will help you if we can. And apparently you have
a headwoman that knows her business. Do you even want to hear what I have
to say?" Her question was casual, but there was a slight challenge behind it.
If he even tried to shut her up, he would fall a peg or two in her eyes.

"Sure." He hoped it wasn't going to be a lecture on playing nice.

"Allright here's the situation. Right now you don't have a Weyrwoman.
There has to be someone there to do those things. Out of your choices-Cyradis
is the clear, and only, one that could manage it at this point. There
is also the issue of the fact that soon you will have a permanent Weyrwoman."
As she said this, she frowned as she silently cursed Janani again. "Out
of your choices Cyradis is also the clear pick there. Another thing to
note-golds will rise more often in a Pass when there is need. So just
because it may not be due yet doesn't mean it won't happen."

Orlaith had already proven that recently so she knew she didn't have
to reiterate it. "Right now, you are angry-but you're not angry at her.
You're just making her the target because she's *there*. She's angry at
you because you won't let her do her job and she feels like you treated
her rudely. I wasn't there at the meeting so I don't know what was said
or how was said-though R'enh says her gold was upset, which means she had
to be quite angry. You also don't want an upset gold since she will upset
the rest of the Weyr. Not a good start-I would say."

"It's your choice whether or not you will try again with her-though I
believe you will be forced to soon enough. You don't have to be nice-but
you will need to have a working relationship. I know how it feels to have
someone you are forced to work with make it hard as nails to do your duty.
That-N'vanik-will make her leave, just like I did." Everyone knew why Rhosyn
had finally come to River Bluff. A woman could only take so much.

"Oh and she made that stuff you're drinking," Rhosyn added almost as
an afterthought as she sipped her own.

The longer she talked, the more annoyed he got. "Well, thank you for
explaining that to me, since I have _no idea_ what's happening in my
own Weyr or what my feelings are. It's so sharding insulting I don't
know where to start." He stood, wishing he hadn't come here.

"I never said you had no idea what's happening in your own Weyr, you just
don't know what's happening with her because you haven't spoken to her
since the meeting. I'm telling you how she feels." Rhosyn knew what it
felt like to be a goldrider marginalized so in that respect she would
stick up for Cyradis. On the other hand, she knew exactly why N'vanik
felt the way he did and she only wanted to help him. He wasn't ready
yet, though, it seemed.

She'd completely missed the point. They could have argued, possibly
even calmly discussed, his tension with Cyradis, but that wasn't what
made him angry. "This isn't about her right now, this is about you
treating me like a dimglow. Golds rise more often during a Pass? Wow,
I didn't know that. And they might rise before they're due? How amazing,
in all my turns as a rider I never would have known that if you hadn't
pointed it out to me. And I _never_ would have guessed upsetting a gold
was a bad thing. What would I do without you pointing out all these _flaming
obvious things_to me?"

"Allright. If you want someone to be angry at-be angry at _me_. That's
fine, I can take it. They did some shitty things and they left. You want to
yell at them but you can't. Yell at me. Yell at me because I'm a nosy,
meddling bitch. Yell at me because I'm standing in front of you trying to
help you. Yell at me because I am here. I haven't left my Weyr and you
won't leave yours so here we are."

Hazel eyes were flashing and her entire body was tensed, as if to spring
on him if he even tried to hit her. This wasn't her full fury, just a small
taste. She wasn't even really angry, just wishing he would react.

"You're the Weyrleader-you're in charge-it's your Weyr. You don't want
me to help you, fine. Then you go to her yourself and work your shit out."
Rhosyn would almost think it would be better if he'd scream at her and
yell and hit or whatever he needed to do-to get it out. Keeping it inside...
that was what caused problems.

"But you listen-you think she'll leave. You're fulfilling your own prophecy
by driving her off. You may not think it now, or even for a while, but
eventually if you do-you will regret it." Her voice was low then, even as
she sensed Orlaith curiously listening to the conversation. The gold knew
that Rhosyn wasn't really upset or she might have reacted differently. No,
the goldrider was baiting the bronzerider, trying to provoke him. The queen
didn't understand why, but she accepted it. She had also quickly moved at her
rider's request to fill the ledge so that N'vanik couldn't get around her to
reach Loseth. This needed to finish first.

"It's not that I didn't think you didn't know that. It's part of my train of
thought as I get to a point. I spit out all the facts that lead up to the point."
It was also how she thought things out in her head. Point A to Point B so she
tended to take a longer route to get to things but when she did, it was well
thought out. "I don't think you're a dimglow. If I did, I wouldn't talk to you."

"Maybe next time you can think things out before you talk to me about
something you know I'm pissed off about. I don't need you to tell me
facts I already know." Did she really not think she'd talked to him
like he was a weyrling? No, worse. "Because it sounded to me like you
thought I was a Candidate fresh from a Hold and needed everything
explained to me."

She hadn't been patronizing when she had been speaking. She had spoken
matter-of-factly as she stated the facts and her thoughts, but obviously he
wanted to take it differently since he was already angry and she was done
arguing with him. "Tell me what you want to know and we'll talk about it then."

He had to think about it. Finally he said, "There's plenty I want to
know, but it's not the kinds of things you can answer."

"Hmm...like what?" Her tone turned more curious now.

"Like why Janani really left, and if Cyradis will stay." And if Janani
leaving was somehow his fault.

"Can't say for sure on either count." The second answer would likely
depend a lot upon what he did in the future. Of course he knew that
so she didn't say it. "Can I ask you something?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"Say you don't win next time. Then what?" Her eyes were bright and it was
clear that she was listening intently to see what the answer would be.

That was certainly a possibility, considering the tension between him
and Cyradis and the unpredictability of a new Senior Queen. "Then I
guess I'll see if I can handle being a regular Wingleader. If R'enh
wins, maybe I'll try being his 'Second." Considering all the experienced
bronzeriders at Dolphin Cove, R'enh was the most likely to win. Or maybe
N'vanik was being biased. If it couldn't be him, R'enh was his first choice
for Weyrleader.

"He might," she offered as she thought about what he was saying. He was
going to stay. Of course there was also the matter of Talryne and she could
understand not wanting to uproot the girl-but shardit all! "So you'll stay."

"Of course. There's always next time." Although not being in control
might drive him mad. How hard would it be to watch someone else give
the orders? And to follow those orders?

**You were never going to come here** she told him inside her head where
he couldn't hear. Beside Loseth, Orlaith wilted visibly as she felt her
rider's disappointment. Still, Rhosyn was nothing if not relentless. She'd
hang on until he changed his mind or she changed hers.

"Shards, I might lose." N'vanik hadn't really considered it until now.
He looked down at the table and considered what it would be like to
_not_ be Weyrleader.

"Aye you might. You and I are in very different positions when it
comes to that." Indeed-Rhosyn could never lose unless she were unable to
complete her duties for whatever reason.

"Too bad you hadn't chosen Dolphin Cove instead. _You_ wouldn't
abandon us." It would be nice to have a Weyrwoman he could trust.

At that time Traelyn had still been around, but she didn't mention that
fact again. "Give Cyradis a chance-I think she might surprise you."
Watching him for awhile and sipping from her drink, she felt herself
cool down. "And are you staying or do you have to be back?"

"I didn't have any plans except yelling at you for meddling." He
smiled to show he was teasing. "But I can stay for a while."

Last updated on the April 30th 2012

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Butt Out