Getting Some Perspective

Writers: Avery, Chelle
Date Posted: 16th July 2016

Characters: Kapera, Rhosyn
Description: The goldriders catch up
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 6, day 4 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: K'ran, Lanniya, Cyradis, Lenala, Solieira, Y'gel, J'nus, K'sedel

Kapera

Kapera had been looking forward to seeing Rhosyn again. With all the
drama surrounding Vilarth's Hatching, the River Bluff Weyrwoman had
been too busy for her to want to approach and bother. Having an
evening of drinking and chatting in a less public and stressful
environment than a Hatching Feast sounded like the perfect break from
the routine. And now that there was a new Weyrleader to talk about, it
made catching up sound like all the more fun.

Rhosyn was waiting in her weyr. There was plenty of food and drink available
and she had made sure the pillows and cushions on the chairs and sofa were
plumped up and comfortable. The Weyrwoman herself was dressed casually
since this was supposed to be a relaxing, fun encounter. The watchdragon let
her know when Riyanth was spotted.

Riyanth spiraled down to let her rider off into the Weyrbowl, then she
flew up to find a spot to sun. Her rider reminded her to make sure to
be sitting below the other golds' levels so as to not seem like a challenger.

Kapera then made her way to visit Rhosyn. Her hair was braided and up
off her neck and she was grateful that River Bluff and Dolphin Cove
were close enough in climate that she hadn't had to dress up or down
for it. Of course she'd taken pains to wear items in colors and cuts
that showed her tanning skin and flattered her, because she took pride
in being noticed, but she wasn't here to manhunt.

"How are you doing?" she said when she arrived.

Obviously Kapera had dressed more up. Shrugging, Rhosyn didn't comment on it.
Leading her inside her weyr, she gestured to the comfortable furniture and pointed
out the food on the small table nearby. "Well, no longer short on help exactly but still
not back to where we were. At least I have time to play a little waterball. You?"

Kapera didn't play waterfall herself, but she enjoyed watching the
play because of the attractive shirtless men. "How's River Bluff's
team doing? Our own needs a bit more work, personally."

"Oh we've got it down pat. Sometimes I feel like, though, that there's
not enough of a challenge. I mean most of my crew have been on the the team for
turns and it shows. I just wish we could find a team that would really work us." She
knew saying that might well bite her in the rear later but it was how she felt right then.
It wasn't boasting. "Dolphin Cove has had a lot of people in and out over the turns."
Grabbing one of the cookies on the tray, she slipped onto the sofa and stretched her
legs before sighing in bliss. "So...anything else between you and that rider eh?"

"We've gone on a few dates. But no formal establishment of anything," she said
with a shrug. And the recent event of her unwanted pregnancy had put distance
between them, though she suspected he didn't know why. It made it less
likely to change the undefined state that existed between them.

Hearing that and the tone it was made with, Rhosyn didn't pry any further.
If Kapera had wanted it to be more, she would have pursued it further-the
same with the bronzerider. Maybe he hadn't really caught her attention. "Eat
some of this. If you don't, I will eat it all and then I won't be able
to climb up on my own dragon after the Hatching."

"I won't say no to more food," Kapera said as she reached out and took a slice
of fruit. "So I'm sure you know the recent changes here have set all the tongues
wagging at Dolphin Cove," Kapera said, looking at Rhosyn. Gossip traveled
as fast as dragons thought, faster than dragon wings. Everyone was
speculating about the new Weyrleader of River Bluff, some complementing the
audacity, some disapproving, others concerned about how it would effect them.
Like her. "How do _you_ feel about it?"

"Honestly...he seems nice. It's a lot of adjustment, on both his and my parts,
as well as the rest of the Weyr. I mean...when I came in, it was easier for them
because of K'sedel. Everyone knew him. Now a few turns later and they have a
new Weyrleader they don't know." She closed her eyes, thinking about what all
had happened. "I have to think, though, maybe it was time for change. And anyway
you're from Dragonsfall-did you know him?"

"Nice is good. Better that then someone controlling or unwilling to listen, right?"
The answer to the latter question was a bit embarrassing. "I did. At the time I
wasn't impressed. I wanted men to court me and seek my attention and he
seemed totally disinterested," she confessed. "He always seemed to know his
stuff, he just didn't play games like many other bronzeriders."

"Oh well that may be a good thing then." Rhosyn had never been that sort of
goldrider, no offense to Kapera. If he had bought into that then it likely would never
work. "Faranth knows I need someone who is straightforward and dependable. He's
nearer to my height and turns too which is new. I'll be happy either way as long as we
work together well and he's not a stone wall and listens to me. With K'sedel I always
felt like an embarrassment." An all-too-rare bit of Rhosyn's vulnerability slipped out as
she drank some of the wine and bit off a bit of sandwich. "What were your Weyrleaders
like?"

"One wasn't too bad. He had been leading the Weyr before the previous
Weyrwoman died so he was old and experienced. It was one of the good
professional relationships, where you both have your own personal
lives but cooperate on running your own halves. He was patient with my
inexperience," she remembered. "The other was a bit more fractious,
froze up at the first Fall, made the wings nervous. I wasn't sure how
good he was going to be."

"Oh hm doesn't sound like it would have worked out. The first one sounded
good. It was like that with K'sedel. Thankfully I only got used to him over
a few turns. I think if it had been a very long time, I would find it hard to
have someone new." Not for the first time, Rhosyn wondered how Tsaera
felt through all those turns. Then again, things were different since she had
more experience and could easily deal with it.

"It would have been miserable waiting for Riyanth's next flight and
being stuck with him," she agreed. "I've been liking having flights as
a Second. It's a bit freeing to know the only weight is if the clutch works
out - no concerns about other factors."

"I suppose so. I actually like things better now than when I was a junior."
It was hard to explain the almost daily threat she had lived under. The extent
of the controlling repressive personality she had been trained under still
made Rhosyn pause at times and was perhaps more responsible for her
extreme way of living more than anything else.

"Even though the flights mean so much more, and all the weight is on you?"

"Well sure everything is my responsibility now, but at least I get to make the
decisions instead of having to abide by someone else making them for me all
the time. I have my freedom too." Frowning, Rhosyn thought of how she'd overdone
it recently. "I mean sure things can be hard sometimes, but not as bad
as they were and I do have help. Lenala is flying again now and she's a good
Wingsecond."

"I'm glad to hear she's working well with you. It would have been so
much harder without a good one," Kapera said.

"Yeah, now I'm just hoping I can get Lanniya to manage as a wingthird someday."
That was some time off, though, but Rhosyn was trying. The girl had her issues but
hopefully things would come about like they needed to when she got older. "I like
Cyradis, though, so you probably are more at ease at Dolphin Cove hm?"

"I do really like working with her. There are worse Weyrwoman to be
partnered with, and she's taught me a lot about solidly running a
Weyr. The Cove needs that kind of stability, I hear."

Something about Rhosyn's words caught her attention. "Is Lanniya
having the normal just-graduated issues of any weyrling?" She was a
young one, wasn't she?

"Everyone has different issues, but with her...she's very young but it's also
her personality. She wasn't Weyr or Holdbred. Even for a trader, she's not
typical either." She had been flying with her for a bit now and had
been watching, but Rhosyn still couldn't say she had rendered a complete
judgment on the girl. It was a wait and see in her book. "It's hard to get her to
finish some tasks she doesn't like, like hidework. And she's proven in
the past to be very impulsive."

"So it sounds like she's not used to all the new responsibilities and
just wants to enjoy herself. Could be a teen thing." Kapera hadn't
much wanted to buckle down to the requirements of goldriders easily.
She'd wanted to have fun. Hidework and the like had seemed like a
terrible fate. Her younger self ached in empathy with the young
goldrider, while the more experienced goldrider in her knew that those
traits needed to be lost quickly. "I'm sure within a Turn she'll settle out.
Threadfall seems to age weyrlings faster than before. Good luck with
her though."

"I hope so. With everything else changing and happening recently, I
don't need more to worry about. Hopefully, Orlaith will give us another
great hatching and that will be one less thing they can hold against
Rogueth. Plus, it'll give us something to be happy about again. I'm tired
of being tired and of running around trying to keep everything together."
She just wanted things to go back to normal again, with the Weyr
running smoothly.

"That kind of morale boost is important," Kapera agreed. "I hope it
eases up for you soon. Feeling like the only one keeping the place
running is an awful burden."

"Sometimes....I do appreciate the help I have, though. My headwoman and my
Second are both women I can count on. At least I don't have the responsibilities
of the other Wingleaders. K'ran can deal with that now. And our Weyrdragonhealer
knows his business." So many other things were still changing though. Like K'sedel
was going to try his hand at being Weyrlingmaster. "Enough about that, though. Tell
me about the Dolphin Cove men running about and maybe I'll tell you about some of
the ones here. And perhaps we can manage to go through half of this skin. It's a good
vintage, after all." Flopping over on the sofa, Rhosyn poured a bit more into her glass.

"I'm not going to say no to the wine," Kapera said with a grin.

"So about Dolphin Cove men, there's this one bluerider who knows this
_amazing _ trick..." she started.

Last updated on the July 21st 2016

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Getting Some Perspective