Waiting

Writers: Francesca
Date Posted: 8th February 2024

Characters: Sellek
Description: Sellek thinks as he waits to learn the outcome of J'nic's interview.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 10, day 5 of Turn 10

Sellek gave a final wave to the other journeyman technician and left
the hydro plant, making his way towards the dining hall. He had
received permission to leave early, to either celebrate with or
console J'nic. His weyrmate was generally calm, but Sellek knew how
much he wanted the Weyrlingmaster Third job.

Sellek himself was more conflicted. While he wasn't a dragonrider, and
knew J'nic was well-versed in a variety of coping mechanisms, he
worried being on the Weyrlingstaff full-time would be even more taxing
than his weyrmate was expecting. What would happen when a weyrling was
seriously injured or lost /between/? It was bound to happen at some
point, and would happen again, and again, and again.

However, while the psychological toll to J'nic might be higher, the
physical risks would diminish considerably. Sellek spent every
Threadfall with a knot in his stomach until he knew J'nic was back
safe. He had considered finding a way to get a firelizard egg just so
he'd have an easier way of checking in on dragon and rider. Knowing
they were supporting the weyrlings and not fighting Thread would be an
immense relief.

Rather than entering the dining hall, Sellek decided to walk to the
lighthouse and back, as a way of hopefully releasing some nervous
energy. As he walked, he thought about the decisions that had led the
couple to this moment.

Transferring was something Sellek had assumed would never happen as
long as he remained weyrmated to J'nic. Left to his own devices, J'nic
would have happily spent the rest of his Turns at Dragonsfall Weyr,
where he had lived his entire life. It had taken months of
conversations, and lots of patience on Sellek's part, for the
greenrider to finally agree to transfer to the Weyrhold.

When Sellek had been posted to Dragonsfall Weyr many Turns ago, he had
been glad to finally be in a place that accepted him for who he was.
That joy had only increased after meeting J'nic, and then adopting
Diara. However, growth in his craft had taken a back seat. He had
decided to focus on general repair and maintenance, which was what the
Weyr most needed. While the work was satisfying enough, it didn't
allow him to innovate as he would have liked.

The construction of Barrier Lake Weyrhold, and in particular the hydro
plant, had been the perfect opportunity. It had allowed him to dive
into hydro-engineering work, which he had excelled at in his studies
but not had much of a chance to do as a Journeyman. It had been an
easy decision to transfer temporarily to the Weyrhold. At first, he
thought he might just stay for the initial construction, then return
to Dragonsfall Weyr. However, as the time passed, he began to dread
the thought of returning to his old routine. That was when the
conversations with J'nic had begun.

The couple had been together for over fourteen Turns and their
commitment to the relationship, as well as their calm dispositions,
kept them from descending into explosive arguments. Both of them were
willing to compromise; it was just a matter of determining the best
way forward. An additional factor to consider was their daughter who,
at least at the moment, had no intention of moving.

Ultimately, J'nic had promised to transfer. As a dragonrider from a
family of dragonriders, he could fairly easily maintain relationships
with everyone at Dragonsfall Weyr no matter where on Pern he was.
That, combined with the exciting work Sellek was doing at the Weyrhold
and the possibility of obtaining the Weyrlingmaster Third position had
tipped the scales.

Now, all Sellek had to do was wait and see what happened with the
interview. He reached the lighthouse and stopped for a moment,
wondering where to go next. Not much time had passed since the start
of the interview, but he was anxious to be nearby when it was done, so
he turned and headed back towards the Weyrbowl. Even if he was not
told immediately, he hoped J'nic would at least have a sense of
whether the conversation had gone well or not. Sellek considered
reaching out to Raileth, but decided not to. On rare occasions, the
green had spoken to him, but he didn't like taking advantage.

He remembered the first time she had passed along a message from her
rider, several months after they had officially moved in together. At
first, he hadn't realized he was hearing her voice in his head and she
had needed to repeat herself. Over the Turns, Sellek and Raileth had
developed a relationship grounded in an understanding that they both
loved and supported J'nic in their own ways, and they were sometimes
able to work together if he was being particularly stubborn. He had
never thought he would count a dragon among his friends.

By his estimation, not even half a candlemark had passed since J'nic
and Raileth's arrival, but there was J'nic's unmistakable form making
his way towards him. Sellek took a calming breath (one of J'nic's
techniques that had rubbed off on him) and attempted to school his
face into a neutral expression as the greenrider approached.

"Well?" he asked, when J'nic was close enough.

Last updated on the February 10th 2024

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Waiting