Let's Find a Solution

Writers: Noli
Date Posted: 21st July 2025

Characters: F'lin, Aynia
Description: F'lin addresses Aynia's performance after drills
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 8, day 18 of Turn 12

Aynia

**Seneth, please have Nalath tell her rider to meet me in my office at the end of drills,** F'lin told his dragon toward the end of the day. Ever dutiful, the bronze passed the message along. Thunder and cold rain had turned the lake grey as deep swells rolled the ships and bit their white teeth on the shore, and F'lin was shivering in his flight leathers. He was not cut out for this weather.

But Nalath and Aynia had been slow to go /between/ to replace the forward nine, and they'd been too quick to go /between/ when it was time for their nine to fall back. He'd noticed and sent a correction to Nalath via Seneth a sevenday earlier, but it kept happening.

The rain was nearly sideways when the drill ended. F'lin had Seneth drop him at the entrance to the Weyrleaders' space, and he dripped rain water through the halls as he headed to his office. It felt too formal for this type of chat but the weather demanded it. He was hanging Seneth's straps on the hooks by the door when Aynia knocked. He opened the door and gestured her in. "Take the seat by the fire."

"Thank you." Aynia shivered, stripping off her wet gloves as she entered, and approached the fire gratefully. She flashed F'lin a smile as she the warmth begin its work drying her rain-soaked frame.

"To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" Aynia actually had a pretty good idea why she had been summoned. Drills today had not gone well; she had been distracted, and it had been obvious that she and Nalath were struggling to stay in formation during changeovers. But her manner was all charm and confidence, and her voice light.

"Overall, I'm pleased with how you're performing with the Wing, Aynia. But remember last sevenday, when I talked to you about your changeovers? You're still struggling." He came to stand next to her near the warmth of the fire. "What's going on?"

Aynia studied F'lin for a few heartbeats, wondering how to respond. She knew that his critique was justified, and that he was doing his job in attempting to address it. Still, she felt a flash of irritation. This past Turn had been a difficult one.

She adopted an expression of chagrin. "You're right, I'm sorry. I'll work harder at fixing it."

He sighed. "That's what you said to me last sevenday, Aynia. You're not in trouble but you also didn't fix it. I'd like to help you fix it."

The irritation heightened. "Thank you. I've got it, really." Aynia hated this feeling of weakness. "It doesn't make sense why we drill in this rain, anyways. We wouldn't be flying a 'Fall in this weather. Thread drowns when its coming down this hard."

F'lin flexed his hands against the warmth and tried to remember that she was as cold and ready to retreat to her weyr as he was. Everyone was complaining. "Weather changes quickly. You know that," he said mildly. "How are you going to fix the changeovers?"

Aynia stared at F'lin for a long moment. She realized that the Wingsecond was not going to be distracted or mollified without a real answer. She sighed, and her shoulders slumped.

"I'm not sure. It's the storms. I really don't like them. I think Nalath is picking up on that. That's why we're late moving to the forward."

He exhaled, unhappy that he'd put the pieces together. She was from Topaz Seahold too, and knew exactly how quickly a storm could turn. "I understand."

"You do?" She felt a tiny flicker of curiosity cut through the gloom that had enshadowed her mind. She had expected... well, she wasn't sure _what_ she had expected, exactly. Maybe to hear F'lin verbalize the 'suck it up' she tried constantly to tell herself? A reminder that dragonriders didn't have the luxury of fear, at least not of anything save Threadfall? She glanced up.

The bronzerider was staring into the fire rather than look at her. "I don't like storms either. I know how dangerous they can be."

Aynia nodded, though F'lin likely didn't see. Images of the hurricane that had scattered her family and destroyed her childhood home flashed through her mind. "So how do you fly them without letting that bleed through to Seneth?"

"Time and work with a mindhealer." He smiled as he turned toward her. "My goal is for my riders to be safe, whether it's in stormy weather or clear. I can either give you another sevenday to see if you can regain your focus, or I can move you to a different Nine that flies further back and more central in the Wing to see if that helps. There's a Threadfall in the next sevenday though, so I'm trusting you to tell me if you can't get your focus and you're not feeling safe. There's no penalty to saying that you'd rather be elsewhere in the Wing when we hit the leading edge."

Aynia considered the question for a moment. Despite F'lin's assurances, she couldn't help but feel like requesting the move would be akin to admitting defeat. That didn't sit well with her.

On the other hand, she could not guarantee that the next time drill or 'fall happened in bad weather that she would have better reaction times. She certainly did not want to have to repeat this conversation.

Finally, she spoke. "It's probably best to move me back," she confessed. "At least for a bit." She hoped that as time went on, things would improve.

"K'parlin has been cleared to return to active duty a day from now, so Q'vettan and I will be moving people through the Nines anyway. Do your best to stay on time for tomorrow's drill and we'll have you somewhere else the day after." He hoped that it would ease her pride a little if her move was disguised within the normal Wing rotation. No dragonrider liked having their struggles exposed to their Wing. "And the Starsmiths are calling for a couple days of clear skies ahead. I know I could use it. Everything I own is damp."

Aynia nodded. "Alright." She swallowed, then barely above a whisper: "Thank you."

"Any time. I want you to come home to the Weyr every time, Aynia. So if there's anything wrong, I hope that you'll feel like you can come talk to me about it and we can find a solution together." He offered her a small smile. "Us folks from Topaz Seahold need to stick together."

"You were at Topaz?" Aynia hadn't realized that she and F'lin shared that bit of history. "How old were you when...?" she didn't want nor feel she needed to finish the question. If he was from Topaz Seahold, he knew there was only one 'when' that mattered now.

He exhaled softly. "Nineteen." A lifetime ago.

She nodded, feeling comraderie. "I was fifteen," she said quietly.

The air felt heavy now, heavier than it had when the conversation had begun. The shared tragedy was like a palpable thing; its weight pressed downwards and inwards, enveloping the riders.

"So neither of us like storms," F'lin said after a moment, mostly to break the silence. "But the good part is that Barrier Lake is too far inland for hurricanes." Or built on a volcano. Small mercies.

Aynia chuckled a little, thankful F'lin had spoken. The tension seemed to ease a bit. "Yes, that's why I'll never transfer to one of the coastal Weyrs."

She sighed. "Thank you, F'lin. It... helps to know that someone understands."

**More than you know.** He smiled. "If you ever need someone to talk to about how great the fish pies and saltwater taffy at Topaz Sea Hold were, let me know."

That made Aynia grin-- not her usual 'charm them to get her way' smirk, but a real smile.

"Oh yeah. We will definitely need to have that conversation about why our tithes don't include more fish in general," she joked.

"I nominate you to bring the petition to the Weyrwoman," he said.

Aynia winked at F'lin. "Don't do that, I'm a _lousy_ writer. Though I do have a Harper friend who could probably draft me a decent letter, if I asked him really nicely."

She shifted in her seat. Though the fire had succeeded in warming her, the clothes were still sufficiently damp to be uncomfortable.

Shells, she was charming. F'lin looked back at the fire. "Let me know if you do. You're free to go, Aynia. See you tomorrow at drills."

Last updated on the August 1st 2025

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