Business and Pleasure [A'zael]

[Zen]

Turn 2761, Late 6th Month
10th Pass, 6th Turn

A'zael, Piara

He was hardly away from the new bride and groom when someone took his arm and he looked over to see the familiar face of Benden’s Weyrwoman. He grinned, “Piara! How lovely to see you.”

She offered him one of her glorious smiles in return, “And you, A’zael. I believe you and I have quite a bit to speak of, Weyrleader.”

His grin faltered a bit at that, “Do we?”

She giggled, deceptively innocent, “I’ve heard some very interesting gossip.”

“Well, you’ll have to fill me in, because I’ve no inkling what you’re referring to,” he told her with mild confusion. What were people saying now?

“Tell me, have my gifted candidates been well utilized?” she glanced up at him curiously.

“I would say so. We didn’t lose a single hatchling from our recent clutches,” A’zael replied easily, unsure where this conversation was going.

“Hm… and here I thought your young queens were only just due for rising. How is it their clutches have hatched already, A’zael?” Her gaze narrowed slightly, half playful, and half daring him to lie.

It took him a moment. “Ah….” Well, he’d walked right into that, hadn’t he? He’d forgotten that the news would have gotten back to Benden already, by way of Vitra’s father. But with all the help Piara had been thus far, she deserved the truth of the matter. “What is it you’ve heard, Piara? I’ll tell you nothing but the truth.”

“Will you?” from her tone she seemed doubtful, “I heard that a handful of riders, staff, and candidates took up a dangerous secret mission the likes of which ballads are written about. Have I heard exaggeration or misunderstood in some way?”

A’zael sucked in a breath, “I don’t think you have, though I’m uncertain if it’s really something a ballad could be written about. From what I’ve been told it was more of a tedious affair than anything.”

“A’zael… you do know timing it is dangerous, don’t you? There’s a reason it’s the stuff of legends,” Piara searched his face for any sign of him taking it too lightly.

“Ah, and you’d know all too well, wouldn’t you, being Benden’s Weyrwoman?” he grinned, then placed his hand over hers on his arm, “I was very keenly aware of the dangers, I assure you. Everyone that went agreed to the risks. No one was forced. We needed it, Piara. The quick boost in dragon numbers. I don’t think we could have waited for Danovelith’s and Sularenth’s clutches to grow… naturally.”

“What do you mean, you couldn’t have waited?”

He sighed, “We are barely hanging on as it is. Currently, all it would take is one bad Fall and I… I don’t know what we would do. We have but three Wings, Piara. It isn’t enough. The sooner we can form another Wing, the less chance one bad Fall will completely ruin us. It’ll still be a couple months yet, and there’s still a chance something could happen between now and then, but… I feel much more hopeful we can make it through now. That we’ll actually start growing rather than just… getting by.”

She frowned, “I didn’t realize it was so bad. A’zael, you should have said so. We could assist you further, you know.”

“You could, but would you? Would your Weyrleader?” he looked down at her, skeptical, “Mavros is used to being on its own, and you all made it rather clear that we were to fend for ourselves.”

She bit her lip lightly at that, looking away, “I suppose I don’t know what H’dor would do. I couldn’t make him send you aid, though I would certainly try. We have plenty of riders. We could spare a Wing to help you.”

A’zael laughed, soft and cold, “Sorry, I just can’t imagine having so many riders that I could afford to send any to help another Weyr, let alone an entire Wing.”

Piara frowned again, quiet and thoughtful for a moment, until she sighed, “You need to visit us again, A’zael. H’dor isn’t terribly pleased you haven’t yet. He agreed to allow your Searching until your twin golds rose and they have, and yet you send no word and don’t come to renegotiate.”

A’zael winced, “Is he here today?”

Piara shook her head, “I don’t think he wanted to risk confrontation with you here.”

Shells. Well, he never claimed to be good at this politicking thing. “Thank you, Piara. I’ll come to discuss everything at his earliest convenience, if you’ll let him know for me? I didn’t mean to offend him, I’m just…,” he laughed, at his own expense, “Bad at this.”

She chuckled, good natured, “Well I never thought you meant to offend, but H’dor is of a mind that you used me, and Benden. But it isn’t as if the rest of Pern has given you much chance to practice your politics so what more can be expected?”

“Uh… thanks?” he eyed her, amused, and she laughed and patted his arm reassuringly.

“Now then, enough politics for today, it can wait until you come to Benden and H’dor can be part of it. I insist on a dance with you,” she smiled brightly and took his hand, tugging him toward the source of the music. He let her lead, happy to leave the serious matters behind for now and just have some fun. But it seemed another visit to Benden was in order.

[Zen]

A'zael, H'dor, Piara

A few days and another Fall had passed since the Gather at Jask. He had received word from Benden only the day after of a meeting date for him to attend, and the day had come. A’zael was looking forward to seeing Piara again, H’dor not so much. He seemed a decent enough man and Weyrleader, but he was just so sharding hard to read, and apparently displeased with him already. Well, he was sure he had an ally in Piara at least, and if all went well perhaps he would linger at Benden a bit longer than planned.

“Ready to go, Fath?” he patted the bronze’s shoulder before he climbed up onto his back and Fath trilled happily. He enjoyed traveling outside the Weyr and meeting new people and dragons. Though they had been to Benden once before, it was far too long ago for Fath to remember. Let’sgolet’sgo! A’zael grinned as he tugged at his straps before giving the bronze the go ahead to fly. He fixed the image of Benden in his head and gave Fath the order to between.

When they reappeared into existence, they were circling over Benden Weyr, and Fath bugled his arrival. The watchdragon bugled back and showed Fath where to land with a quick image. Coming in for an easy landing in the same place they had the last time they’d been here, A’zael quickly dismounted, rubbing his hand over Fath’s leg as he waited for Piara and H’dor. It was H’dor that met him, and he didn’t see the Weyrwoman with him, assuming she was simply waiting inside.

H’dor didn’t look half as friendly as last time they’d seen each other, and that had been… well, not terribly friendly to begin with. There was silence between them for a long awkward moment as he tried to determine just what to say to the man, “Ah… I apologize, H’dor, for not coming sooner.”

H’dor met his gaze for a moment, “No excuse?”

A’zael blinked, “Er… I have none. Though if you would like empty excuses I’m sure I could muster some up. I am still learning how to be a player on Pern’s world stage, rather than at Mavros alone. I have only a sincere apology to give you, and the hope that you’ll find some understanding for me. I never meant to offend Benden, or… use you, as it might appear. It was thoughtless of me not to come sooner.”

“Hm,” the word, or sound, H’dor made did little to indicate anything to A’zael other than the fact that the man had heard him. H’dor then turned, gesturing for him to follow, and led him inside the same room he had met the Benden Weyrleaders in before. Piara wasn’t there. Shells. Did that mean he had to deal with H’dor alone? Without Piara’s support? That didn’t bode particularly well for him. Well, H’dor certainly knew his Weyrwoman. He had clearly convinced her to stay out of this meeting after the way things went last time, since he apparently thought he had used the woman. Which, well, he sort of had.

H’dor sat, and A’zael hesitantly took a seat as well, feeling completely out of his element. And here he’d thought he was getting better at this. H’dor laced his fingers together on the table before them and studied A’zael a moment, “So it’s true then, what we’ve heard? You sent riders back in time?”

“It is,” A’zael replied slowly, at a loss as to how this meeting might go without Piara, afraid to say the wrong thing, because he wasn’t entirely sure what the right thing to say might be. The truth couldn’t hurt, could it?

“Why would you risk it?” H’dor replied, his tone even. Maddeningly so. A’zael hated how hard the man was to get a read on. Was he angry? Had his apology done anything?

“I’m sure you heard from Piara-”

“I’m asking you,” H’dor cut him off quickly, and there was a flash of irritation in the man’s tone. At least that was something to go off.

“Well… we only have three Wings. At the start of the Pass that was fine, but as we’ve had to cover more and more Falls… we’re nearing our limit. We needed to be able to form a relief Wing as soon as possible, before my riders burn out all at once. I didn’t know what else to do,” he replied honestly, just a touch of desperation creeping into his tone at the end.

“Why not ask for assistance? The Northern Weyrs are doing well enough. We have riders to spare, if need be,” H’dor was back to giving nothing away.

A’zael, however, couldn’t contain his emotions quite so well, and found the question far more insulting coming from H’dor than he had from Piara. His hand slapped down on the table before him, despite himself, “Every Weyr on Pern made it clear we were on our own! Why would I waste my time asking for assistance when you all signed an agreement not to help us? As always, we were on our own to solve this problem as well! So we did what we had to do, and I’ll not be chided for it by someone that has no idea what we’ve been through!”

Silence stretched out between them again, until H’dor finally sighed, “I cannot fault your logic.” A’zael bit back the sarcastic comment that rose on his tongue, but just barely. The man raised a hand for peace, “You’re right. The rest of Pern has ignored you. I’ve no idea what I might have done in your situation, but I do believe you are a Weyrleader who tries to do the best he can for his Weyr, and that at least I can respect. Even if you are… still learning.”

A’zael simmered, still irritated, “Am I to assume our previous agreement is at an end, then?” He would rather get this over with, if that’s where this meeting was heading.

H’dor seemed to consider him for a moment, “Do you plan to utilize the dragons’ ability to travel through time for any future clutches?”

It took him a moment to respond, as he wasn’t expecting the question, but when he did it was a rather definitive one, “No. Not unless our circumstances take a turn for the worse. But I’m hopeful we won’t need to take the risk again.” Granted, if what Srunae had told him about Tellamuth was true, it might not be much of a risk if the white was leading the group. But he still didn’t trust it. If they could get by without another venture back in time then they would.

“Do you have any idea when your twin golds might rise again?”

He was getting irritated again with all the questioning, but he took a deep breath and reminded himself that he probably owed H’dor the answers, doing his best to keep it out of his voice, “If they stay on schedule I would expect near turn’s end but… who’s to say how the time travel may have affected them?”

H’dor was silent again, and it was really fraying A’zael's nerves. How could a man be so… stoic all the time? He wished he had the skill for it. Was it practice or was that just how the man was? “Then… until they rise in this time, and their clutches hatch, I will allow our agreement to stand. And until your fourth Wing is formed, A’zael… Benden will offer aid, if you’ve a need.”

That was… completely unexpected. He couldn’t do anything more than blink stupidly at the man for a long several heartbeats, “I… thank you. I thought….”

“I appreciate your honesty, A’zael. All the political dancing has never much suited me either. I prefer to get to the heart of things rather than wasting time. If your struggles affected only Mavros that would be a different matter, but we were short sighted when we withdrew aid. I believe most of us thought Mavrosi leadership would break eventually under the struggle and give in to the demands laid out by the Council. Ignoring your struggles when they affect so many lives is no longer an option. We are dragonriders and our duty is to protect Pern. Continuing to uphold this… shunning is petty at best, and immoral when it puts so many in danger. Do not hesitate to ask for help if you need it. Benden will not deny you,” H’dor assured him. There was a certain weight that was lifted from A’zael’s shoulders at the ready offer for aid, and the acknowledgement of how stupid continuing to isolate Mavros was. H’dor stood with a gentle word of warning, “As an ally of Mavros, I do expect to be kept updated properly, moving forward.”

A’zael stood as well, responding quickly, “Of course.”

H’dor moved toward him, and A’zael met him, the two men clasping arms briefly, “Fair skies then. And A’zael… do try not to steal any more of my riders’ children?”

A’zael winced, “Ah… yes….”

H’dor shook his head as he turned and made his way from the room. A’zael sighed in immense relief, and turned back the way he’d come in. Outside, Piara was waiting for him, much to his surprise, “How did it go? I wanted to be there, A’zael, but… I know how I am. He made good points for my not being involved. Particularly as I like you so much. He wasn’t cruel was he?”

A’zael laughed at the bombardment of questions, “Do you really think so little of your Weyrleader?”

She threw up her hands in some exasperation, “I don’t know, A’zael, he’s so hard to figure out sometimes!”

He laughed again, “Tell me about it.”

She happily looped her arm in his, “Unlike we two, who wear our hearts on our sleeves.”

“I’m not sure which is worse,” he told her, allowed her to lead him away from the meeting room.

“So it didn’t go terribly?”

“No… it went surprisingly well. He may be hard to figure out but he’s a good man at heart, I think,” A’zael mused, glancing down at her with a grin, “Can’t say I wasn’t disappointed not to see you in there, though.”

“Well you’re seeing me now,” she grinned back, “Shall we celebrate a meeting gone well? Or do you need to get back to Mavros?”

“For you, Weyrwoman, I will stay as long as you’d like me to stay.”

She laughed, “I think your Weyr would start to miss you if that were the case.”

“Oh? How long do you plan to keep me then?”

She leaned into him slightly, fingers playing over his arm, “Longer than last time, to be sure.”