Laying Rumors to Rest

Writers: Avery, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 20th December 2015

Characters: Talwynn, A'kua, G'tyn, B'driin, Calsea, T'ralis, P'charl
Description: A bad day gets worse, then better.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 20 of Turn 8

His left wrist was pulsating even though he hadn't hurt it. Zeiranth had
tripped yesterday while roughhousing with some of his brothers, spraining
his left foreleg badly. The pain, while managed expertly by the
dragonhealers, was still there, a dull ache that Zeiranth couldn't keep
from his partner, and when A'kua tried to distance himself from it,
Zeiranth, normally so easy-going, felt distressed. So they shared the
discomfort, and while it worked for the baby bronze, it was making A'kua's
temper fray due to being horribly distracting. He couldn't afford to be
distracted; this geography test was talking miles, locations, climate, and
more.

"I'm telling you, she shouldn't be part of the weyrlingmaster staff."

"Don't let her hear that."

"What could she do? She's lamed."

There was also that; B'drin and G'tyn were whispering to each other right
behind him. Did they think they wouldn't get caught or something?

"Scars like that she needs to do something to keep a man," Calsea chimed
in. "This is part of her sucking up duty."

"You can't _say_ that about staff," hissed P'charl, sliding down in his
seat.

"You just don't want to get in trouble."

Oh, great, there went more of them. A'kua tried to remind himself to stay
calm and just do his best on the test, but the whispers kept coming. At
least P'charl was attempting to be decent.

"Look, all I'm saying is this is a physically demanding job," B'drin
insisted. "If the staff can't do it, they shouldn't."

"You're just saying that because she's a woman," G'tyn shot back.

"It's because she's a woman she got the job," Calsea chimed in. "She's in
D'kere's bed all the time, isn't she?"

A'kua's spine stiffened. Was she saying what he thought she was?!

"Yeah but by that logic they'd be sleeping with the male greenriders too,"
said T'ralis.

"Shhh!" P'charl hissed. The blue weyrling looked around nervously. "We're
gonna get in trouble..."

"Only if you tell someone," T'ralis snapped back.

A'kua dropped his charcoal pencil and brought his hands down hard on the
desk, creating a loud bang and sending more pain through his left wrist.
"Would y'all just shut up?!" he shouted, surging out of his seat to whirl
on the gossipers. "I'm tryin' to learn the difference 'tween my head an' my
arse here and you're drivin' me up the bloody wall! P'charl's right,
y'all're gonna get in trouble, but not with the weyrlin'staff! Your
trouble's gonna come from me if I fail this test!" He jabbed a finger at
Calsea. "An' ya! How dare ya accuse Talwynn o' sleepin' her way up? Have ya
even noticed how damn hard she works?" He had. The evidence was in how Tal
pushed herself, how she drank her klah extra strong in order to keep doing
her best.

T'ralis had the grace to duck his head and look a little bit ashamed. He
didn't want to fail the test either. But gossiping along was more
interesting than geography. "It's just not proper form for someone involved
with a member of the staff to be working with them. They try to keep
weyrmates out the same wing," he said, in a quieter voice.

Calsea didn't look ashamed or sorry. "And really, she's been crippled and
useless for Turns, so why would she get back here now if she wasn't - "

Talwynn appeared, looming over the shorter greenrider. "Is something going
on I should be knowing about? This doesn't sound like test taking. It
sounds like shouting."

**You called _Riveth_?** P'charl thought at Netalth. Now the wherrydung was
really going to hit the fan. If she'd heard what they'd said about her...
They were so, so in trouble now.

}:It was about her rider,:{ the blue said defensively.

"Mind telling me what this was about?" the greenrider added coldly,
scanning the whole group.

No one said anything. A'kua smirked cruelly. "Oh, so now that she's here,
y'all aren' brave 'nuff to say it to her face?" he taunted. "None o' ya are
man or woman 'nuff to own up to the garbage ya been spoutin'?"

T'ralis flushed. His eyes were fixed on the desk, tracing the patterns in
the wood so he didn't have to look at Talwynn, because he knew she'd be
furious, her grey eyes hard as the stone of the Weyr. While she had
originally been a figure he scorned and pitied, because of her scars, right
now she was terrifying.

"They were - _we_ were - talking about your position as weyrlingstaff," he
finally said, self-correcting to include himself.

"Not very complimentary about it, either," P'charl added. The bluerider
hadn't been bold before but with Talwynn there and with A'kua also mad, he
was finding it a bit easier to speak up.

"I gathered. You do realize that you're supposed to be taking a test, not
having the weyrling gossip candlemark, correct?" the greenrider said. "And
that insulting a member of the weyrlingstaff might not be the smartest
thing to do?"

"Why, 'cause you'll punish us? Does that make you feel big about yourself?"
G'tyn said.

Talwynn's eyes narrowed and her hands clenched. "Because it's not
respectful, and any Wingleader would punish you just as much, you know.
Disrespecting your fellow wingriders, or worse, your superiors, could get
you killed in Threadfall."

"Better she come up with the punishments than I," A'kua snickered.

Talwynn took a brief moment to imagine what A'kua would do. It would
probably be emotionally satisfying to see. It would also probably get him
in trouble, and if she let him do it while she was there, then she'd get in
trouble. While seeing her get punished for mishandling this might make the
brats rethink the idea she had special treatment, she had no desire to
screw up her work because of the wherry-dung they were pulling.

"Get back to work and finish the test. You've already wasted enough time."
she snapped. "Then stay in the barracks tonight after the inspection. No
free time to explore or get into trouble."

And she'd talk to the weyrlingmasters about their gossiping behavior. They
had been disruptive to the whole class, after all. P'charl and A'kua
weren't the only two whose ability to do their work had been impaired.

}:Zeiranth, my rider appreciates that yours stuck up for her,:{ Riveth
relayed to the young bronze.

}:A'kua says he was glad to do it,:{ Zeiranth replied. }:He respects your
rider and hates bullies. But he's still fuming. He wants to wrap his hands
and hit something when the test is over, even though he knows his wrist
will hurt more.:{

"Thanks a lot, A'kua," B'drin grumbled, aggravated. If the other weyrling
hadn't yelled, they wouldn't have gotten in trouble.

"You're welcome," A'kua said with a fanged grin and a tone sweet as poison
wine. Satisfied for now (despite still wanting to hit something due to
lingering frustration), he sat back down and picked up his pencil.

}:My rider says she'll talk to yours later. He should not hurt his wrist.:{
Riveth said.

Talwynn walked away from the group once they got back to work, still
seething.

Last updated on the December 23rd 2015

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Laying Rumors to Rest