A Pleasure to Meet You

Writers: Ames, Yvonne
Date Posted: 1st February 2014

Characters: Tsaera, H'vack
Description: Tsaera introduces herself to the Weyrlingmaster
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 5, day 5 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Rhosyn, K'sedel, Lenala, M'galec

Drills had put her through the wringer. Tsaera was sore all over and ready to crawl into her bed, but stubbornness kept her awake and on her feet. She might be retired, but she still had business to attend to -- namely hidework and charts. The thought of sitting down was intolerable so she decided to go for a walk after dinner to work off some of the stiffness.

The Weyrling barracks were relatively empty at that time of the evening, most of the Weyrlings off doing their chores or spending time with their dragons or friends. She intended to 'run into' one of the Weyrlingstaff-- preferably not M'galec-- but didn't see anyone until she came across the Weyrlingmaster's open door. The Weyrlingmaster was working at his desk, so Tsaera knocked on the door frame to get his attention. "You must be H'vack," she said when he looked up. "I'm Tsaera."

He looked up. "Ah, Tsaera. Come in." He stood and gestured for her to enter. "I'd been hoping to get to meet you soon." He knew the retired goldrider had arrived, but with some issues that needed his attention among the weyrlings, he hadn't had a chance to go and introduce himself yet.

"Please have a seat. What can I do for you today?" He wasn't sure if she was there just to introduce herself or if she had another reason for the visit.

"Thank you." Tsaera took a discrete look around the room -- and at the Weyrlingmaster -- and liked what she saw. H'vack's office was tidy and organized, the hides on his shelves neat, the nib of his pen cut sharp. The bronzerider himself was likewise neatly, if simply dressed, and he held himself with confidence. "Mostly I wanted to introduce myself to you, since we'll be working together while Rhosyn and Lenala are grounded. Do you have time for a quick chat?"

"Of course. I can always find time for a chat with a lovely goldrider," he gave her a friendly smile and reached for his pitcher of klah. He filled a mug for her and refilled his own. "I had spoken with Rhosyn and she said you would be leading the fighting wing, but that Lenala would still be handling the other duties around the Weyr." He wanted to make sure he knew if any of those plans had changed since he last spoke with Rhosyn about everything.

"That's right," she said, accepting the klah. "Rhosyn and Lenala will be managing the hidework and other duties-- all I'm here for is to keep wings in the air."

He gave her a slight smile at that, "Aye, but isn't that the best part of being a rider?" He glanced down at the hidework he had gathered and added, "I wish I could hand off my hidework sometimes and actually spend more time with the weyrlings and in the air myself, rather than relying on the weyrling staff for so much."

Tsaera smiled. "And I'm sure that the weyrlings could use the extra time with their teacher. But unfortunately everything comes with a price-- including the knots on your shoulder."

"Aye, isn't that the truth." It was nice to talk to someone who understood. This goldrider was different than the ones he normally dealt with. Perhaps it was her Turns of experience that allowed her to be more friendly than so many. Regardless, he was enjoying this conversation far more than he did with some other goldriders.

"I must admit though, I wouldn't trade these knots for anything, I had dreamed of holding this position for more Turns than I could count. This opening here was a true opportunity for me. I only wish that I had already proven myself to the leaders here. They seem to question more than I would have expected, which I guess I understand since I've not been her overly long." It still irked H'vack that some in the Weyr didn't think he knew all that was required of his job and seemed to need to question him about it like he, himself, was a young weyrling needing training.

"K'sedel's a good man, and a good leader," Tsaera said. "The Weyr has experienced a lot of changes since I left so he's no doubt feeling cautious. I wouldn't hold it against him-- I know that he has the good of the Weyr at heart. Change is never easy."

"Aye, you are right once again," H'vack replied. He didn't correct her in that it was actually the Weyrwoman that often seemed to question his tactics. That was better left unsaid.

"So, how are you settling back in? Is the Wing training going well?" H'vack was curious to hear how all the changes were affecting things.

Tsaera smiled as she wrapped her hands around her mug. "There are a lot of faces in Cascade I don't recognize, but they're all good riders and can act with minimal direction. Thankfully there haven't been too many formation changes since I left, so it will be easy for me to reintegrate."

"That's good to hear," H'vack replied. "With the weyrling wing flying close to Cascade I want to make sure we're prepared for any changes or alterations that you might need to make. They've been working hard, but it does take them longer to make changes than the more seasoned riders as I'm sure you recall. Perhaps we can even do a few practices runs with Cascade so they get used to seeing you in place of Rhosyn in the Wing." He didn't want one of them to make a foolish error simply because they were _noticing_ that something was different.

"That's a good idea, but let's wait a week or so until I'm settled. And you don't need to anticipate changes to Wing formations-- I'm only here for a month or so, and neither the Weyrwoman nor her Wingriders would appreciate it."

He nodded. That was good to hear. "We'll plan to meet up in about a sevenday then and run some drills together." It would be good for his weyrlings. "If I can do anything else to help you while you are here, just let me know."

"I shall. And if you'd like me to speak with the weyrlings and introduce myself before we run drills, please let me know." Tsaera set her mug on H'vack's desk and stood, holding out her hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Weyrlingmaster."

"That would be a great idea," H'vack remarked. He, too, stood when she did. "The pleasure was mine weyrwoman. I look forward to working with you while you are here." He almost wished she could stay longer. She seemed so much easier to work with than he would have expected.

Last updated on the February 8th 2014

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A Pleasure to Meet You