Water Break.

Writers: Eimi, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 1st July 2017

Characters: J'nev, A'kua
Description: Wingmates have differing opinions on other riders' performances.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 12, day 23 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Ilyssia (ONPC)

J'nev pulled off his riding helmet and grabbed a cold drink off of the table that had been set up for riders to re-hydrate during the break. As he sipped at the cool water, he walked over to the other bronzerider who seemed to be doing the same.

"Can you believe the way the Wingthird is driving us today?" he said with a shake of his head. "We're not _Weyrlings_ after all."

"Tell that to H'tou, Yasmii, D'wen, and L'tris," A'kua muttered grumpily over the rim of the flask he'd taken. The water inside had been given a splash of lime, which he appreciated because it wasn't lemon. "They're the worst among those actin' like it. I get we're all pretty wound up lately, and I can't really blame anyone, but don't we need to focus? Thread won't stop fallin' just because there's trouble elsewhere. We need to be ready."

"The problem is H'tou thinks his green is a gold. He never wants to put too much strain on her or put her in harms way, so he holds her back." His timidity effected the wingriders around him for sure. Why didn't the Wingthird just see that and deal with the problem! "If I lead this Wing, I would transfer him to the Queen's Wing where he belongs."

A'kua made a mental note to tell Ilyssia that later. She would laugh her arse off. Of course greenriders had to be careful not to overfly their lifemates; A'kua couldn't fault H'tou for feeling cautious, given how hard it could be to rebound from strained muscles. Maybe it was overdone, aye, but that was something H'tou and his green had to work through. And that statement of "if I led this Wing" was the real kicker. J'nev didn't look much older than A'kua. If he wanted a promotion, he had quite a way to go. He motioned for J'nev to go on, wondering what other amusing things he might say.

"Seriously, some of these riders should be sent back down to Weyrling training. G'nir would whip them into shape." He pointed to a brownrider who showed a bit of a limp as he walked towards the water table. "And K'roni should have retired Turns ago. He was old when Thread _started_ falling."

"K'roni also studied the weather for so long, being able to predict it's second nature to him. Any Wingleader would be proud to have his skills in their Wing," A'kua defended. "So what if he's a l'l slow mountin' up? He hasn't missed a firestone catch yet. If he and Jasdeth aren't a danger to themselves or others, I say let them fly. Besides, has anyone even asked if they want to retire?"

J'nev shrugged a shoulder. "What dragonrider _volunteers_ to retire during a Pass? I never said the man was a coward." The broznerider had heard stories of K'roni's heroics during the very first Fall, after all. But J'nev could swear the man's reaction time was not what it should be. "I agree, he knows a lot. So let him go teach it to the Weyrlings and leave the fighting to younger men is all I'm saying."

"Hey, I never said he's a coward either," A'kua stated flatly. "But I don't think anyone has asked what _he and Jasdeth_ want, or that either of them are against remainin' in the Wing."

J'nev shrugged, unphased. "Does it matter what they want? If I live to be as old as Him, I expect my Wingleader to drag me kicking and screaming off the training grounds when it's my time to retire. It's not up to what we want, but what's best for the Wing."

The other bronzerider had ceased to be amusing. Of course it mattered what old K'roni wanted, up until it could no longer be sustained. As A'kua had said, neither of them knew what he had planned. Maybe he'd set a deadline for retirement. Maybe he wanted to transfer to another Weyr when he and Jasdeth couldn't fly Thread anymore. Maybe he was going to think about teaching weather-reading to weyrlings one day. But until he spoke up or their Wingleader decided otherwise, things were going to stay the same, and J'nev would just have to deal with that. A'kua shook his head and had another slug of water, thinking that Lys was going to get a lot of mileage out of this story.

Last updated on the July 21st 2017

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Water Break.