as good as blue [tagged]

[tovaana]

Weyrling Cirene :: Blue Imperath

The blue was silent, but she could feel his presence in the back of her mind, as she got ready. Ready for what exactly? He didn’t verbalize it, but she could feel his curiosity as she brushed her hair and left it loose around her shoulders. She wore one of her nice tailored riding leathers. She thought it added a professional flair – and she really did plan on going riding soon after her plans. Ever since their first riding lesson, she had practiced flying Imperath as much as she could. Half because she was determined that they would be the best, half because it really was… thrilling and enjoyable. She looked at herself in the looking glass and nodded, pleased with how she looked, which was practically perfect as far as she was concerned.

She walked with purpose through the Weyr, ignoring the interested or judgmental glances of others as she went. She held herself high, her head held proudly – whatever their thoughts were, she knew who she was and what she was capable of. Besides what she had seen and heard from him, she had heard rumors of the Weyrleader – the sort of man that couldn’t be controlled – but perhaps influenced by a beautiful lady? She knew how the Weyr worked and she knew technically that as a Weyrling she could not be who she wanted to be… but that didn’t mean she couldn’t start making connections. A’zael had been Weyrleader for the last few turns, so it seemed probable that he’d be Weyrleader when she hit Rider rank. The Weyr didn't even have a proper Weyrwoman - and she didn't count Talera, since she hadn't earned it way 'tradition' demanded. So, if tradition was up in the air, why not plant a few seeds to further question how Weyrs were set up?

Finally she stood at the Weyrleader's office and knocked on the door with purposeful yet delicate knocks.

Zen

[Zen]

A'zael

The weyrlings that had gone back in time and returned with dragons were nearing graduation. This meant the formation of a new Wing. Finally, a relief Wing. Finally, it felt like they were getting somewhere rather than stagnating and limping along, something A’zael knew they couldn’t sustain much longer. But they had five golds and that promised a much needed boost in dragon numbers. So long as they could continue to find the candidates to Impress them. And that would be infinitely easier if Divano’s plan on the Southern Continent paid off at Turn’s End.

He rubbed one hand over his face. So many moving parts. He wasn’t made for this. He laughed softly at the thought and shook his head. Best to focus on the things he had any control over, like Wing assignments. He and the other Wingleaders had been keeping an eye on the Night and Day class, looking for those they might want to tap into their Wings, but they also had to keep in mind the formation of a new Wing that would come with it, and how some of them would need to go to that Wing, which was currently leaderless. It was definitely strange. They’d had only the three Wings for so long. It was difficult to decide who should be in the new Wing without a Wingleader to offer his own opinions on the matter. He would need to make a decision on that soon if he was going to have any solid plan.

The knock on his door interrupted those thoughts and he considered the source for a moment, wondering if he’d forgotten he was supposed to meet someone today. Fath was out spending time with Danovelith so didn’t bother to ask him who it might be. Standing from his desk, he moved to open the door, finding an unfamiliar woman on the other side. Her knots marked her as a weyrling and a bluerider. The only class he hadn’t much interaction with yet was the youngest, so he figured she must be in that class. So he hadn’t a clue why she was here to see him.

“Ah… hello,” there was a questioning tone to the greeting and he took a step aside, motioning for her to come in if she wanted, “What can I do for you?”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Weyrling Cirene :: Blue Imperath

She smiled at the Weyrleader when he opened his door. She ignored the confusion in his tone and hesitance. It was her own fault he didn’t know her better. She had clearly waited too long. With a nod and smile she took a step in while speaking. “I won’t take up much of your time, Weyrleader. I know you must be busy. I come with a peace offering – or trade if it suits you better.”

From the pockets of her clothes (because she made sure all her practical clothing had pockets), she pulled a flat bundle wrapped with supple leather. She put it on his desk gently. Inside he would find a rather plain handkerchief – or so it would seem upon first glance. If he chose to open it he’d see the outline of a dragon as if you were looking down on it while flying. The dragon was outlined in black and then stained the color of his bronze, Fath, or the closest she could get with what Mavros had in stock (especially since she went off of what Imperath had seen). Then she had stiched Fath’s name along the edges. Imperath had kept her busy for the most part, but she had gotten efficient when it came to caring for him and her other duties – leaving her time to keep practiced in her earlier profession.

After placing the gift down she sat in what seemed to be a chair for visitors such as herself. She sat as a lady would, despite her contrary clothing.

“It’s not much, but perhaps enough to take a moment with a future blue rider? I have a question or two. About your Gale Wing, actually.” She didn't want to assume or steamroll into what she wanted. He had welcomed her into the office, but she didn't want to throw out too much at once. She'd spent enough time with others to take things one step at a time.

Zen

[Zen]

A'zael

Peace offering? Trade? His confusion only grew as Cirene entered the room and he wondered if he ought close the door and leave it open. Did she mean for this visit to be private? Was what she had to say something that should be said behind a closed door? Did it matter? Shells. He closed the door, pushing away his own vague worries over what she wanted. It would be fine. Probably.

She produced something from a pocket and set it upon his desk before taking a seat and he followed after her, still feeling overly cautious, but considering her somewhat cryptic words he didn’t think it was terribly unwarranted. The fact that she was still a weyrling was also somewhat off putting. Why was a weyrling coming to see him to give him a gift and talking about peace offerings and trades? It was strange, to say the least.

She spoke again, and despite how hesitant he felt about this meeting thus far, he offered her an easy smile, “I don’t require gifts in return for my time, particularly if I'm spending it with a beautiful woman, but I suppose I won’t turn them down either.” He took up the little bundle to see just what it was she was giving him, and was pleasantly surprised by the simple but thoughtful gift. A rider’s dragon was certainly a fast way to a rider’s heart. “Thank you,” there was nothing but sincerity in his gratitude, as he made his way behind his desk and sat down again, shifting a few hides into a pile to one side and setting her gift down on top for now.

“I’m afraid I haven’t caught your name. I apologize, I try not to get much involved with weyrlings until after you’ve all gotten through your betweening lessons. Loss is all too common,” his easy smile faltered a bit, but he didn’t want to dwell on the topic for long if he could help it, “Please, ask your questions. I’ll answer what I can.”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Weyrling Cirene :: Blue Imperath

She smiled politely at the compliment of being referred to as a beautiful woman. The woman knew she had a beauty about her – she also knew she could be intimidating. She knew all of this, what she didn’t know – was if these rumors about the Weyrleader were true. At the moment he didn’t seem to be living up to the rumors, of wanting to bed every woman he got alone. Then he thanked her for the gift and she simply nodded. It was all she knew about the man truly, that he was a dragonrider that got lucky when his dragon caught the queen. Beyond that were just the rumors and the little she had seen of him making announcements and such. Now that she had impressed to Imperath, as infuriating as he was… well, her stomach stirred gently at his sincere thanks – thinking of her own connection with her blue. Ahww, you do love me. ‘Not now, Imp.’ She got the sense of extreme satisfaction as the blue watched the situation with intense curiosity, he didn't even correct the shortened version of his name.

“Ah, where are my manners? My name is Cirene of Blue Imperath. Perhaps it’s presumptuous, but you should know that you won’t have to worry about when it comes to my lessons.” She added a small smile, but inside she felt a drop of coldness run down her spine at the thought of between. She had all the confidence in the world that she and Imperath wouldn’t have any problems at all when it came to betweening, she had already been reading up on the matter and paying close attention to lessons. Cirene had even started to practice by focusing on details and such around her and memorizing images in her mind. Still, despite her confidence, between warranted all the respect it demanded by way of deaths and also lives spared because of it.

“I’ve heard about how you work with greens and blues in your Wing. I want in.” That’s not what you really want. Mused a voice within her mind, echoing gradients of truth, but also interest from the blue. She ignored the voice in her mind and continued. “I know I’m only a Weyrling now, but I want to prepare now so that I can qualify for a position in your Wing. I don’t want to just ‘get by,’ if you understand? I know what I am capable of, and I don’t want to let opportunities slip by. So…” She paused, knowing she could come off strong, but she also didn’t want to be taken lightly. She leaned back a bit in her chair, a little more casual than the formal way she was sitting. She smiled and looked down at her hands and then back up at the Weyrleader, as if realizing she had come off a tad strong. “What can I do now to prepare? What are you looking for?”


Zen

[Zen]

A'zael

Cirene’s assurance that she would make it through lessons was met with a tight smile, but he couldn’t really bring himself to say anything to it. He certainly hoped she was right. Instead he nodded, which could be interpreted any which way, “Well met Cirene. Lovely name. It suits you.” Even in practical wear she was certainly a woman that could easily turn heads, and his compliment was genuine. When she continued as to the reason for her visit, a brow quirked in surprise. He had never had a weyrling approach him like this. It was a bold move, but one he could appreciate. He sat back to consider her for a moment. She didn’t want to just ‘get by’, she said. She was hoping for promotion, at some point in her future, to be more than just another wingrider. Initiative. It was the biggest thing he looked for when considering what blue and green riders to add to his Wing, so that he could grant them opportunities the other Wingleaders would not. There were plenty of blue and green riders that were satisfied to just be riders, and there was nothing wrong with that, but for those that wanted more, his was currently the only Wing that would provide the chance.

“I have to say, this is a first for me,” he spoke after a moment, “Weyrlings don’t typically ask for specific Wing placements.” He tapped a finger on his desk absently as he considered her question, “Coming here today is a good start. Unfortunately advancement for blue and green riders has to take your dragon’s abilities into consideration as well as the rider’s. I need seconds whose dragons are capable of lasting an entire Fall, which can be difficult for some of the smaller dragons, but endurance work can be done to improve on natural skill.” Rau had proven that. His pleasant expression faltered for a moment at the thought of his brother. If Rau wasn’t still recovering, he probably would have pointed Cirene to him. Rau would work with her and her blue, help them try to achieve their goal.

He cleared his throat softly, “My… former second, R’get, has been in charge of overseeing endurance training for those blue and green riders interested, who he deems appropriate for it. He’s recovering from a Threadfall… accident, at the moment, but seeing as you’re still a weyrling there is plenty of time to wait out his recovery. He’s fairly adept in his assessments and I trust his judgment on the matter. For the time being, I would encourage you to continue to work on your blue’s endurance outside of your normal training when you can, just be careful not to push him too hard while he’s still growing. Initiative is the first thing I look for when considering promotion in my Wing. If I don’t have to specifically delegate to you constantly and you take it upon yourself to perform tasks and duties that may or may not already be expected of you, then it makes my job all the easier, as being a Weyrleader and a Wingleader makes for a rather busy day for me. More than other Wingleaders, I need to be able to trust my seconds completely to oversee the Wing in my absence, as occasionally my duties as Weyrleader take me away from the Weyr and my Wing, and if I don’t need to worry about my Wing’s wellbeing while I’m gone, it only helps me be a better Weyrleader.” Not that he would always be Weyrleader, hopefully, but he doubted very much his consideration for Wingseconds would change even when he wasn’t, “Does that help you at all?”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Weyrling Cirene :: Blue Imperath

Ah, that was right – it was a particular piece of news that had interested her, because R’get had not just been any Second, but a green rider as well. It had been a point of irritation that A’zael had replaced him with a bronze rider. It felt like regression, rather than progression – as far as her plans went. Even if it had been a threadfall… accident (the pause hadn’t been lost on her), whatever that meant. Perhaps it meant that it had been a particularly bad fall, something bad had happened, or perhaps he wasn’t sure it had been an accident. His talking didn’t let her think too hard about it in the moment, while she was intrigued by gossip, she was hyper-focused on her mission.

“If I don’t have to specifically delegate to you constantly and you take it upon yourself to perform tasks and duties that may or may not already be expected of you…” She smiled and nodded at this. That wouldn’t be a problem, not for her. She continued listening with the same interest, but her mind peaked with interest at the mention of the importance of trust he needed in his Weyrseconds. She hadn’t asked about that – but she was pleased with the additional information. Perhaps it had just been the natural progression of his thoughts going from his expectations in everyone in his wing. Trust. Teamwork. No one had ever been on her side growing up, everything had been a competition in craftwork, it was definitely something slightly foreign to her and she knew this particularly would take special attention on her part.

“Yes, thank you. I’m sorry to hear about R’get’s condition. I’ll see about acquainting myself with him once he’s feeling better.” Or are you going to make one of those silly little handkerchiefs for him too? ‘For the love of Faranth, will you keep your thoughts to yourself? I thought you wanted this too?’ She glanced at her lap while shooting the quick message and then back up at A’zael. Trust. Teamwork. She bit her lip, fighting her internal pride that told her she didn’t need help.

“I must admit, team work has never been a… strength of mine.” She flashed a nervous smile. Trust. She imagined opening up a little wouldn’t hurt – and perhaps he’d see it as a way of beginning that thing called ‘trust’. She didn’t trust anyone, as she supposed everyone else was out for just themselves, just as she was. “You don’t have any tips for that either, by chance? Books perhaps? My craft never demanded that attribute.”

Zen

[Zen]

A'zael

A slightly strained smile passed over his lips as she spoke of meeting R’get, all of his feelings about everything that had happened surrounding his brother’s injury rising up like a sudden wave to crash over him and leave him quickly floundering back to the surface to escape being pulled down into those rage and guilt infested depths. He cleared his throat softly, “I would be happy to introduce you to him, once he’s well.” He’d had R’get keep an eye on the weyrlings with him as they started their Threadfall training, so he could keep a particular watch on the blues and greens and let him know which he thought might do best with the endurance training. Even though he would no longer be his second, he’d still like to continue with the practice. Rau should be well enough by the time Cirene’s class began that part of their training that he could offer some assessment, A’zael was sure.

He was a bit surprised when she admitted that teamwork was not one of her strengths, and couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped him when she asked if he knew any books on the subject that she might read. “Ah, sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at you, it’s just that teamwork is something better learned by doing, in my experience. It is difficult to learn how to work well with others when you’re alone with a book.” He gave her request for tips on the matter brief consideration, “Teamwork is vital to a dragonrider. Once you join a fighting Wing, you need to be able to rely on your wingmates, and they to rely on you, to keep each other safe, watch each other’s backs.” Thoughts of K’rin’s betrayal seeped in again and he did his best to push them out, “Your own survival during Threadfall, and your dragon’s, often depend on the trust and cooperation of your wingmates. There is a reason we fly in Wings and riders do not rise to meet Thread alone. Alone, you die. A Wing, a Weyr, is nothing without the ability to work together toward a common goal.”

He paused a moment to let her mull that over. He really hoped she took it to heart. A rider who could not work together with their wingmates was a liability. “You’re still a few months away from that part of your training, but you’ll see what I mean once you start practicing to fight Thread. You’ll get plenty of chances to practice teamwork then, while your life isn’t yet on the line. It’s alright to want to do more, be more, than what others expect of you based only on the color of your dragon… but a rider who works only for themselves rather than their Wing, their Weyr, and Pern, will not go very far.” He considered her a moment. It was clear she was ambitious or she wouldn’t have already sought him out personally to be asking these things. Ambition wasn’t a bad trait, it all depended on how a person might wield it. “As far as tips go… I’d say making connections with your classmates would be a good start. Several of them will end up being your wingmates when you graduate, so you’ll go into your Wing already having a decent idea how to work with them.”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Weyrling Cirene :: Blue Imperath

She was torn between irritation that she’d both have to wait for the man to get better before getting to know him and that A’zael wanted to introduce her to him… when perhaps she should be grateful that A’zael would play a part in introducing her to the green rider. As capable and independent as she was, she knew it would mean more from A’zael referring her directly to him, than it would if she introduced herself. So, she simply nodded with a smile, trying not to dislike the need for help – since she was certain she didn’t need any, at least, not for a simple introduction.

Her brows creased at his chuckle, but she kept her confusion light – keeping the anger that knotted in her stomach from reaching her expression. Her confusion transitioned into nodding and pursing her lips in understanding. Obviously. Obviously she wouldn’t be able to learn something like team work on her own. It was not going to be enjoyable, unless she really knew she could count on her classmates or wingmates. She should have been paying more attention at those who showed signs of being as capable as she and Imperath were. Now, she would. To make sure they could not let her down. Alone, you die. It was everything against what she believed. Alone, she had done better off – her family had had no faith in her abilities. It was certain that she had learned from others more capable while learning her trade, but it had been her hard work and persistence that had gotten her where she was, not anyone else’s. She hadn’t realized this difference in dragon life, until that moment A’zael was laying out the honest truth of it all.

She hated it. She wasn’t sure she could ever enjoy needing anyone else for anything. “Of course, that makes perfect sense.” She said softly in the short silence before he continued on. The next seemed to be a reprimand and it did sting, but she did not show it. She wanted to be more than just a blue rider, more than she wanted to keep her independence. It didn’t mean she had to like it, but if that was what it was going to take…

Cirene nodded again. “Well, Weyrleader, you’ve given me a lot to think about. I do appreciate you taking your precious time to answer my questions and offer your advice.” The woman stood, feeling as determined as ever that she’d succeed. Endurance and making connections with her classmates. There wasn’t anything that she couldn’t do. “I best be going, to not overstay my welcome. I look forward to meeting R’get. I offer my best wishes on his healthy recovery.” Quick healthy recovery, hopefully quick.

Zen