Breaking the Ice

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 16th January 2020

Characters: Saidrene, K'ran
Description: K'ran finally breaks the ice and speaks with Saidrene; who is still troubled about the flight she shared with J'ackt.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 2 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: J'ackt, D'hol
Note: Backdated due to Avery's LOA

Saidrene

K'ran

D'hol had not been exaggerating when he had told her that the days at Barrier Lake would be long and difficult. Outside of the normal drills and practices to get accustomed to flying with new riders over new territory, there was the never-ending work that needed to be done around the fledgling Weyrhold. As tired as she was, however, Saidrene was secretly glad for it.

Ever since the flight with J'ackt she had felt in a funk. She did not know if it was depression, exactly, but she certainly was not feeling like herself. Normally when she was in the Dining Cavern eating she looked for some of her new wingmates to sit with, since she was trying to make new friends. Tonight, however, she did not think she could it and instead settled into a spot by herself with her tray of food.

K'ran found he rarely used the large formal table at the head of the Dining Hall that he was entitled to eat at. If he was eating with some of the other rankers it was often off in one of the smaller private dining rooms or in the Council chambers as a working dinner. When he ate in the main Hall, he preferred to find a group and sit with them. He found it helped him bond with others in the Weyrhold, strengthening his relationships with people he knew, letting him meet people who he'd never encountered before, and letting everyone get a chance to see what kind of man he was.

K'ran spotted Saidrene off to the side, not with anyone else. That seemed unusual for her. He'd seen her with others before, when he was looking for where she was, so he could not sit there with that group, like a coward. Today he decided was as good a day as any to put his idea of dinner with her that he'd had after talking to K'lvin in practice, so he carried his tray in that direction.

"May I sit here, greenrider?" he asked politely.

Saidrene looked up from her plate, unable to hide the quick flash of surprise that stole across her face. "Oh, Wingleader," she winced, "I mean... Weyrleader?" She wasn't exactly sure what to call him any more. "The seats empty," she settled for saying.

"Believe me, the actual title feels weird. Lord Weyrholder somehow sounds more intense than Weyrleader - it's the Lord. Makes me feel all like a man of the Blood, which is ridiculous," he said, waving a hand at her as he settled down with his tray. "I would be fine with just Wingleader if they let me use it."

"Ah," Saidrene said as she watched him sit. It was sometimes weird for her to see him in the light of day, when he was being his professional self, when she had seen him in the dark of night when he was much more passionate. "What would you have _me_ call you?" she asked, an eyebrow arched. Clearly the question was weightier than it seemed.

He'd gone around asking the new weyrhold residents to just address him as K'ran if they preferred, Weyrholder without the Lord if they must. (It didn't stop everyone from using the title, some people just insisted on it, but others were happy to use his preferred informality. Really, it was interesting, seeing how others responded...)

But for Saidrene, specifically? It was rather a weighty question for K'ran. Perhaps for reasons Saidrene was feeling herself, or perhaps it was all in his mind. He remembered the way that when they'd come together in a weyr in bed, she'd called him Wingleader and turned his title from an everyday matter-of-fact into a caress - and how then he'd felt jarred every time she used it professionally, for sevendays afterwards. Would asking her specifically to use his name feel more unusually intimate, rather than casually informal? Well, he didn't want her to use his title when he'd been asking other dragonriders just to use his name...

}:Just _speak_ to her,:{ Rogueth advised him, with a mental image-emotion of the bronze huffing into water and blowing bubbles attached.

"Sorry, Rogueth was..." A half-shrug, apologetic, as though it was only his dragon who was distracting him. "Honestly, I'm fine with you just using K'ran."

Well, that was a start, she thought. It amazed Saidrene how short on words K'ran could be and yet how easily he had succumbed to her advances when she had came to his weyr that evening at Dolphin Cove. "Well then, K'ran," her lips twisted into a little grin, "are you enjoying the change of pace from Wingleader to Weyrholder?"

"The work is fascinating, of building a Weyr from the ground up for the first time. The chance to add in all the little details that you think of when you've transferred as much as I have, and you say to yourself, "wouldn't it be a bit more convenient if the wing offices were laid out like this", and then you actually get to talk to the architect and get it done..."

"And there's just so much to learn, too. As a Wingleader and later Weyrleader, I learned a lot about the upper management of dragonriders. As a Weyrholder, it feels like I'm almost taking on a lot of the Weyrwoman's job, too, and the Headwoman's. About supplies, and construction, and crafter needs, and all of the little parts it takes to get this sort of project done, not just the tasks you need to finish in a sevenday, but careful planning to make sure that this holds up and works out for the next few Turns and for generations of residents to come..."

He realized he was babbling. "Honestly, it's interesting work and I love every moment of it."

Saidrene enjoyed the way K'ran's eyes lit with enthusiasm as he spoke. "It is interesting," she agreed. "I have really enjoyed working with the other dragonhealers as the infirmary is constructed and I've never seen weyrs actually being built before, so that's been fun to watch."

"I was at Ista's re-opening, and that was just cleaning up a place that had been built and making it re-suited for habitation. This is an entirely new project, and it's so different, and yet the same. It's long candlemarks but genuinely exciting. Is that where you're assigned, the dragonhealers?" He wondered if she was working a lot with K'lvin and if the other bronzerider had thoughts on that.

"Yes, I was working as a dragonhealer before I Impressed Ashareth, and I had just started getting into the studies again to hopefully start working toward rank progression when Barrier opened. I figure this would be as good a place as any to work on my craft since it's needed more here than at Dolphin Cove." And she didn't want to see Alina and J'ackt, but that was another thing entirely.

"Have you seen any interesting injuries yet to dragons? I know some of them have been involved in parts of the construction process and doing work on that - the Project Manager told me about bronzes pushing sand into the Hatching Caverns, etc. Which is certainly an image."

"No unusual injuries yet, just the normal scorings during Threadfall." Saidrene smiled when he brought up the bronzes. "It seems like the bronzes have been enjoying 'playing' in the sand. Ashareth certainly hasn't minded when she's been asked to sleep in the dragon infirmary while they create the dimensions of a weyrcouch around her."

"Sounds like a comfortable job. If they need to borrow a bronze - well I'd loan them Rogueth but he's small, maybe he could pose for a brown. They'd better use Xmrenth instead."

Rogueth, who was out catching fish in the lake, made a disgusted impression.

Saidrene shook her head with a smothered grin. "Shhh, don't insult Rogueth like that. He would be the perfect model for a bronze weyrcouch in the infimary." Even as she said the words to K'ran, Ashareth said them to Rogueth.

"If you'd like the bronzes to be crowded in, sure. Unless you think they need it for taking down their ego?" he said. He didn't hide his own grin and sparkle of amusement in the eyes - he didn't like he and his bronze being genuinely insulted, but poking fun at himself helped let down some of the barriers.

"There are other bronzes on the smaller end of the bronze scale, and of course, large browns that could fit, too." Saidrene scolded teasingly.

"Then feel free to ask for him as a model. I'm sure he's bored while I'm planning," he told her.

The banter had dropped all his defenses and nerves and he wasn't thinking anymore about the awkwardness between them, just enjoying the flow of things. Even the reference to his duties didn't hurt.

"I'll do that, I'm sure Ashareth won't mind keeping him company while he's modeling." Saidrene knew the green was a helpless flirt, especially with the bronzes.

"He'll certainly appreciate that, he likes her company," K'ran said.

"How is she doing right now, anyway? Besides being a model? I saw a report that we needed more fresh meat and fish brought in to feed the population, so Rogueth is doing his part to help the supplies by fishing...I was planning on asking some other riders if they want to go on fishing and hunting parties."

And by ask, he meant, there would be formal schedules and assignments drawn up for it, if necessary. However, he knew going out to hunt was fun for a lot of riders and their lifemates and he suspected a lot would volunteer for it as a break from other duties they were working on. Fishing...perhaps would be less popular. He could lead some of those himself if he had to. If he had _time_ to get away.

"Everything is a game to Ashareth so I am sure she would enjoy hunting and fishing. I wouldn't mind getting out of the Weyrhold a bit myself," Saidrene confessed. She was enjoying the work, but a break from the normal routine was a welcome thought.

"Shall I move your name to the top of the volunteer list, then?" he found himself asking, hoping that she'd say yes.

Saidrene graced him with a full smile. "Yes."

"Have you had much of a chance to explore the surrounding area?" he asked.

"No," she admitted, "I didn't want to go by myself."

"I'd be happy to tell you about some of the local interesting areas, have Rogueth give Ashareth some information," he said. "There's some abandoned holds and settlements in the area, and some beautiful mountain lakes."

"Or you could go with us and show us around?" Saidrene suggested.

He laughed, slightly. "As though there's time for that...though I suppose I could make some of it, especially if we're doing hunting parties or the like."

"See? There you go." The greenrider smiled.

"I suppose, since you're in D'hol's wing, that it will be cross-wing hunting parties. Smaller groups. Getting people to know each other," he mused, giving her a small smile.

"I do like to get to know people," Saidrene acquiesced. "Especially the Weyrholder," she winked.

"I like getting to know people too. It's a major perk of this job." He picked at the last bits of food, feeling a pang of regret his time talking to her was coming to an end. It had gone far easier than he'd expected. Saidrene was very simple to spend time with. It was pleasing.

"I'll keep you informed about it," he promised. "In the meantime, is there anything else you think you need? Or want to talk about?"

The fact that he overlooked her flirt was not a promising sign, she thought, and so she settled for a friendly smile. "No. Thank you for the conversation, K'ran," she said, standing and picking her tray up. "I'll be looking for my name on those hunting party lists."

"I promise to put it there by mine," he said, giving her another curve of the lips, a more natural smile that crinkled his eyes.

Last updated on the February 1st 2020

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Breaking the Ice