Right Hand Man [Alyx/G'rett]

[Zen]

A'zael :: Bronze Fath

Absently scratching lightly at the bandages over one of the gashes from yesterday’s duel, A’zael sat at his desk with the three hides listing each of Mavros’s Wings laid out before him. Off to the side was also the healers’ report on all the sustained injuries and estimated healing times from the last Fall. It hadn’t gone very well, in comparison to most of the recent Falls. There had been a good deal of injury, though Rau’s were by far the worst. At least no one had died… though not for lack of anyone’s efforts. His jaw clenched as he thought about it. What if Rau had died? He never would have even known it was K’rin’s fault. That murderous bastard would still be flying in his Wing like nothing had happened.

His fist hit the desk once in frustration. He wasn’t sure he would ever get over how stupid he had been. B’rax had cautioned him and he had ignored him. When did ignoring B’rax ever go well? And now it was solely his own fault that K’rin was getting away with what he’d done. He should have waited. He should have talked to wingmates, maybe someone had seen something incriminating? Something he could go off that wasn’t just a gut instinct from a few slurred words of an injured friend and past experience with the colorist ass.

He ran one hand through his hair and let out a long breath. He really needed to decide on a new wingsecond, and making any sort of decision about it was difficult for all the dwelling he was doing. He pulled the injury report closer, frowned at the worst of them, where Rau and Pallath were listed. It shouldn’t have happened. Yet another thing he should have listened to B’rax about. He should have transferred K’rin out of his Wing when he took over wingleadership. No matter how he looked at it, A’zael couldn’t see how any of this wasn’t somehow his own fault. His gaze slid over a few other names, riders or dragons that had been injured enough to be grounded for several Falls. He couldn’t help but wonder if any of them had been collateral damage from K’rin’s attempted murder.

He made a displeased noise in the back of his throat as he glanced down at the Wing lists, injury report in hand, and made a few notations next to those riders that wouldn’t be flying for a time. He needed a new wingsecond who would be able to take up the position for the next Fall in two days time, so he obviously couldn’t choose anyone that was grounded from injury right now. Tapping a finger on one hide, his gaze traveled slowly over the names of the riders in his own Wing, as though the answer would be made clear in the writing. He would prefer to promote from within his Wing… the Wings would be changing soon, with the weyrlings from the timing it mission nearing graduation in a few short months. It would be best not to shake them up too much until then.

Hm. He considered the fact that a new Wing would need to be formed… which meant it would be good to give possible future leaders a bit of experience first. He still wasn’t entirely sure who he was going to promote to Wingleader for the new Wing. That was a consideration for another day and he had plenty of time to ponder it. So many of the possibilities were still so new to Mavros, or so recently out of weyrlinghood. He hated that he was replacing a second again, he hadn’t been leading Gale Wing that long to be making a third replacement already. First D’van and now Rau. S’tor was always an option, but the man just didn’t have any initiative. A’zael was sure he’d make a decent wingsecond, but he’d never be a wingleader.

Settling on G’rett’s name for a moment, he considered. Srunae had a decent opinion of him. He seemed to be pretty level headed, from what he’d seen, and he was certainly a good wingrider. He’d gone back in time, which had been a risk. And his bronze was one of the larger dragons at Mavros. He’d sired Sularenth’s clutch. Clearly the bronze had the potential to make his rider a leader whether he wanted it or not. Hm. Replacing Rau with a bronzerider felt… wrong. And yet, after what had happened, perhaps it was the safest option for now. Rubbing a hand over his face, he sat back and sighed. Fath, could you ask Mastromideth to send G’rett to see me in my office? And realizing he was asking Fath to convey a message, he repeated in simpler terms, G’rett to my office. On his ledge, Fath lifted his head, happy to oblige, and reached out to Mastromideth, Hellohello! A’zaelminewantsyoursinhisoffice. That was probably about the best he could hope for.

Alyx

[Alyx]

G'rett and Bronze Mastromideth

G’rett was in the middle of a rather good book when he felt the shift in Mastromideth’s attention. Looking up, he watched the Bronze lift his head, but that was all; the Bronzer smiled, knowing very well that the big guy wasn’t going to move and risk waiting the tiny Green curled next to him on the stone bed. ‘What is it?’ The Dragon’s head swung to look in his direction. Fath says his rider wishes to see you in his office. G’rett frowned. ‘What for?’ He didn’t say.

Well, he hadn’t expected that this morning. Shards, if the rumors running around the Dining Hall this morning were anything to go on, A’zael was in a mental state that didn’t exactly make him good company for anyone. G’rett hadn’t exactly gone asking questions, but word of the duel on the beach was the flavor of current gossip, and while no one knew exactly why, they did all know that the Weyrleader had lost. And that K’rin was rather tight-lipped about the whole mess except to say that it was over.

G’rett closed the book with a sigh. ‘Tell him I’m on my way.’ Mastromideth rumbled softly. G’rett says he is on his way. ‘Thanks Big Guy. Let Mari know where I’ve vanished off to when she gets back from class?’ We will. We… G’rett shook his head, taking in the almost comical image of the Weyr’s adorable odd couple before tossing the book on his bed and heading for the door.

He had to have run over a million reasons why the Weyrleader might want to talk to him but still couldn’t pin down an exact one by the time he found himself at the man’s door. He sighed again, straightening the pale cream shirt he wore to make sure he looked presentable, and rapped the door with his knuckles. He wanted a moment, then caught the handle and pushed it inward. “You wished to speak with me, Weyrleader?” He wasn’t sure if he was in trouble or not, but he sure as heck wasn’t looking to be the man’s second duel of the week.

Zen

[Zen]

A'zael

Fath informed him that G’rett was on his way and A’zael sat back in his chair and tried to clear out the negativity that remained surrounding this entire situation while he waited for the other man’s arrival. He didn’t want to present G’rett’s promotion in a manner that was grudging or reluctant. It was hardly an ideal way for him to be promoted, but it wasn’t like it wasn’t commonplace as dragons and riders were getting injured on a regular basis, and a second that couldn’t fly with their Wing for months at a time could hardly fulfill all their other duties and obligations as well. It just stung more for him because it was Rau, because it had been intentional and….

He sucked in a long breath and let it out, leaning forward with his elbows on his desk as he pushed his face into his hands for a long moment in some attempt to just block everything out. He was still so angry, only now it was turning towards himself more than anything. They’d been making such progress and because of his stubbornness and his inability to keep his emotions in check his brother could have died and it felt like they were taking a step backward again. But he needed to stop thinking about it that way. Promoting G’rett was not a step backward just because he was a bronzerider. He had his own merits, and because his bronze had the ability to make him Weyrleader in the future, he deserved the chance to get some actual leadership experience. He needed to separate G’rett’s promotion from the entire incident in his mind.

The knock on his door made him jump and he sat back in his chair once more as G’rett opened the door and stepped in. There was a time not long ago he would have insisted on not being addressed by his title, but he’d gotten used to it and though it still sort of made him inwardly sigh, he had long since given up on correcting people. “Sorry for the short notice, if I interrupted anything. Take a seat, if you like,” he offered, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his desk, and managed a small smile, “I apologize that Fath didn’t give you much to go on but it’s better to keep things simple when he’s relaying for me, or there tends to be more confusion than anything. You’re not in any trouble.” Assuring people they weren’t in trouble when he called them to see him had become a habit on account of Fath not being terribly reliable with communicating why he wanted to see people.

“I… well. You know from our Wing meeting after last Fall that… R’get and his green will be out for a while,” he had to take it slow to keep his emotions over it from overrunning him again, “That being said… I’ll be needing a new wingsecond. I was hoping that could be you? There’s no telling when our next gold will rise and… I’d like to give you some leadership experience beforehand. Just in case. That isn’t my only reason. I do think you would make a good second, besides, but… it is up to you to accept or not.”

Alyx

[Alyx]

G'rett of Bronze Mastromideth

The man jumped a little, making G’rett wonder where his mind had been, but at the same time? G’rett was a healer before he became a rider and still spent his spare hours helping in the Infirmary. R’get had been hurt pretty back, and the rumors of course stirred around how the experience Greenrider had gotten hit. Yes, accidents happened; even the best rider could screw up in the air and get hurt or killed but… add it to the duel? The rumor mill in the kitchen was having a festival day with the whole mess.

A’zael’s greeting soothed a few of the young Bronzer’s nerves, along with the blanket statement he wasn’t in trouble. Was his face that readable, or was A’zael simply used to people thinking they were in trouble around him? Honestly, probably the second, now that G’rett thought about it. He nodded, accepting the offered seat with a little calmer nerves. He still wasn’t sure why the man wanted to speak with him, but if he wasn’t in trouble, it was easier to face.

“I… well. You know from our Wing meeting after last Fall that… R’get and his green will be out for a while.” G’rett gave a slow, gentle nod. His mind jumped back quickly to the last time he’d been in the Ward, and how quiet the Greenrider had been. The good news was that he was expected to recover, but the extent of his recovery was still unknown ground. G’rett personally hoped for a full recovery – no one needed that type of lifelong pain.

The rest of A’zael’s words left G’rett more than a bit shocked. He wasn’t sure what to say; did he want the leadership experience? A couple of turns ago, he would have said a flat-out no. The big Bronze had stumbled into the man’s life when all G’rett had wanted was a Brown – he’d wanted to just be a healer, maybe a dragonhealer, and instead he’d found himself on a dragon that could get him more trouble than what he would have ever been able to handle! The timing back had put him in an uncomfortable position of playing the part of the role A’zael had to do now, and he’d hated but endured it, eventually becoming accustomed to the tasks it brought.

Since the return, he’d gone back to being ‘just a rider’ and it had been nice. But A’zael was offering him something he wasn’t totally sure he wanted or was ready for? He ran his hand over his bearded chin, weighing the offer. “Can’t say that’s what I was expecting when you called me here.” His voice was rough, slightly concerned but at the same time? He didn’t frown at the offer. The pair of men did have a slightly rocky history, given their friendships with Molls, but G’rett didn’t get the feeling A’zael was setting him up for anything like payback.

“If you think it’s a good call, I’d be honored to be one of your Seconds, A’zael. Wish it were under a different set of events leading to it, but…” G’rett nodded softly, not wanting to dive too deep into that whole thing. “Thank you for the chance. I’ll do my best.”

Zen Sorry for the super long delay!!