Frustrations

Writers: Bree, Nici
Date Posted: 5th August 2005

Characters: R'han, Abrei
Description: R'han and Abrei vent their frustrations after the meeting to discuss the new trouble at River Bluff.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 7, day 15 of Turn 3

Abrei

R'han slammed the door to his weyr behind him and ignored Yarbreth's protesting howl. "Is it just me, or are we the only two trying to see the bigger picture here?" The meeting they'd just attended had left him with one sure impression--the more people you involved, the less sense you made out of a problem and the easier it was to screw things up.

Abrei rubbed at one temple, throwing herself down onto his couch with a scowl. "It's a nightmare, R'han. Do any of them even understand that this is how _disasters_ start?"

"Apparently not," he said dryly. "Let's live off berries and sticks and have our dragons fish! Um...hello...can we isolate the problem first, perhaps?"

"There was no call for so many people to be there with so little information." Abrei pulled off her boots and tossed them with more than a little temper towards the door. "We should have been told the moment they found out about this... and _we_ should have spoken to Beastcraft Hall. Calling a meeting with no information..."

"I agree. Far too many people were there, none of them with medical knowledge. I can see a few beastcrafters, you, myself and the Weyrleaders. But wingleaders and others? What was the point save to confuse the issue?"

"And cause panic, no matter how they tried not to..." Abrei sighed and stood, moving to find some wine. Hopefully it would take the edge off of both of their tempers. "How am I supposed to deal with something when I don't know what it is or where it came from?"

"Or how far it's spread...if it has at all." R'han sat down and let her pour the wine, taking off his own boots. A nice long soak in the bathing room might cool his temper. "I just don't see the point in meeting to discuss....conjecture. Not when there are so many who could be effected."

"And if it _has_ spread and all of the other Weyrleaders are holding similary useless meetings, we'll all be dead before they bother talking to each other. And if it _can_ spread it's already too late to quarantine. We've condemned everyone along with us!" She slammed the mug down on the table too hard, her knuckles white. "Shardit all, R'han, this is absurd!"

"Pretty much...but what can we do? With every ranker they could yank in there, they want to 'contain' this. Oh, then there's the idiocity of keeping it secret to begin with! That's...almost homicidal considering how many riders from other Weyrs we have coming in here...if the disease is more than animal risk in nature, then we're putting other Weyrs in danger automatically!"

"For all we know, someone from another Weyr is the one who _brought_ it here." She finished an entire glass of wine, ignoring the fact that the label on the bottle proclaimed it far too nice a vintage to be consumed in such a careless fashion. "Though I trust Optham would have sent me a message if anything had happened... just as _I_ intend to send _him_ one, no matter what anyone says."

"I suppose that means I shouldn't feel too guilty about sending the other dragonhealers a quick note letting them know the situation and to be watchful of their charges..." His smile wasn't pleasant. Keep it quiet indeed--and then invite half the bloody rankers in the Weyr!

Abrei poured another glass of wine, and one for R'han as well, pleased to find that her lover agreed with her on this subject. Not that disagreement from R'han would have stopped her from sending her message--but it was nice to know he felt the same way. Bringing the wine back to the couch, she sat down. "Sit down and stop pacing. I'm tired just watching you. We know what we should do... and we'll do it."

He followed her order, taking the glass of wine and downing it with as much disregard for the vintage as she had. "Yes, we will!" He leaned back. "I don't mind facing Tsaera's wrath doing it either."

She took the empty glass away from him and set it on a side table. Her glass soon joined his, and she closed her eyes and rubbed at the side of her head again. "I don't even know where to start after that... every thing I think of brings me back to the fact that I don't know what we're dealing with, or how it spreads."

"I'd send a note to beastcraft hall and find out _exactly_ the information our beastcrafters were given and start there. At least you'll have the information first hand since we weren't privy to it." He snorted in annoyance.

"And then to Healer Hall, I suppose... My father will probably be able to find someone who knows if this sort of thing is a danger to us." Abrei opened her eyes and smiled tiredly. "I'll stir up less trouble that way... as long as he doesn't tell anyone he's sending the information to his Weyrhealer daughter at the Weyr."

R'han returned her smile. "And I'm simply hoping that nothing's changed regarding dragons and their innate immunity. Still, any animal disease limits their ability to feed--but there's always a viable alternative to getting around that."

"I suppose..." She sighed and rubbed at her temples again. "We'll find a way... but there's no point in us talking about it until we have more information. And at least both of us know that."

"True enough..." He reached out and massaged her neck for her. "And it's only giving you a headache and me a nasty temper. I say we end our rant and take a a nice long bath and then get dinner..."

She gave him a knowing look. "Dinner first... you have a bad habit of not leaving your weyr once you have me naked in your bathing pool."

"You're starting to know me _way_ too well!" he grumbled. Still, he rose and drew her after him. "Dinner first it is!"

Last updated on the August 29th 2005

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