Heard That Name Before

Writers: Jane, Rochelle
Date Posted: 28th March 2007

Characters: R'syl, Jh'slaen
Description: Jh'slaen and R'syl talk while their dragons eat, and R'syl asks Jh'slaen about the latest rumor attributed to him.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 3, day 13 of Turn 4

The way Saradath was behaving, anybody would think he had been forcibly keeping her from the feeding grounds for a month. She was always a neat hunter and quick eater but today she seemed to be intent on setting a record for the fastest devouring of a herdbeast and all the mental control in the world was only getting her to grumble as she ate.

Feeling a little embarrassed by her behaviour and his own inability to control her - he thought he could get her to _stop_ if he had to, but getting her to slow down wasn't working - he glanced at the rider he had ended up standing next too. Somebody unfamiliar, and he wasn't sure if that made him feel better or not. An unfamiliar rider might be visiting, and while he wouldn't know Jh'slaen from anybody else, he might go home to spread tales of half-starved greens at River Bluff.

The other rider - a bronzerider for there was only one other dragon using the feeding grounds so early in the morning - was ordinary looking, with greying hair. And yes, still an unfamiliar face. He might have edged around to see what Weyr colours the man was wearing, and check his knots, but Saradath was doing enough to make them noteworthy without him dancing around like a drunken wherry.

"She's - she's not as hungry as she makes out," the greenrider said instead.

R'syl glanced at the greenrider. He'd wondered about the green, but hadn't paid much attention, figuring she may be nearing her time to rise. Some greens changed their behavior more noticeably than others, and the rider looked young enough to be unfamiliar with such behavior if that was the case. He shrugged diplomatically. "If she's hungry, she's hungry. So long as she doesn't try to steal Usaeth's food." He said with a smile.

"No, no. She's not like that. She just gobbles." He sighed and leaned forward, finally getting a glimpse of the man's knots and mentally groaning. Weyrlingmaster. The _new_ Weyrlingmaster, not even one that knew he wasn't just generally incompetent. "Sir," he added belatedly.

R'syl leaned on the fence surrounding the feeding grounds, listening to Usaeth's mental commentary as he selected his next meal. }:Not big enough. No. No. Good.:{ The dragon dove, and R'syl glanced at the greenrider again.

"My name's R'syl, if you don't mind. And the winged fishing rod there is Usaeth." Usaeth snorted through the herdbeast in his mouth.

"R'syl, then. And Usaeth's a good-looking bronze. Very long." The younger man looked away from the bronze and his herdbeast. "I'm Jh'slaen and she's Saradath."

Jh'slaen. He had heard that name before, and recently... Something one of the weyrlingstaff had been grumbling about... Oh. R'syl frowned.
"Aren't you the one who said the weyrlingstaff were lazy wherries afraid of danger?" He asked bluntly.

"No!" The greenrider shook his head. "Didn't say anything of the sort.
Not ever."

R'syl raised an eyebrow. He might be lying, especially since he was the new weyrlingmaster. Or he could be telling the truth. "I've heard your name batted around an awful lot, Jh'slaen. If you didn't say that, is there another reason?"

"I said ... something else. Not _that_ but now everything that annoys somebody apparently came from my mouth."

The other eyebrow went up. "What did you say for that to happen?" He asked curiously. He was tempted to believe Jh'slaen, if only because he'd heard -and been the butt of- several vicious rumors that he knew weren't true when Rosair had been convicted. Rosair...

}:That is the past.:{ Usaeth interjected pragmatically before he could start to brood, tearing into the hindquarters of the herdbeast.

"I _said_ that dragonriders who Impressed before they knew about Thread did so for different reasons for those who Impressed since the start of the Pass. People like me. We knew what we were walking into - older riders were unavoidably committed to fighting Thread by their bond with their dragons. I _said_ we were different; those before Thread and those after."

Ah ha! So this was the fellow R'harne was talking about... "I had heard that one, actually." He admitted, relaxing against the fence again. "And for what it's worth, I agree. There's a different mindset with the weyrlings I teach than the ones I trained with."

Jh'slaen remembered to shut his mouth after a few moments. "You _agree?_ Oh. That's ... Oh." He was flummoxed by agreement instead of anger and he knew he was sounding like a dimglow. "Well, the other one - about the weyrlingstaff. That wasn't me."

Watching the younger man's face, R'syl decided to give him the benefit of a doubt. He looked as if he'd been having a rough time of it, and R'syl had enough on his plate just settling in. There was no point adding grudges this early. "I certainly hope it wasn't you." He said mildly. "So good luck finding the tunnel snake that did."

Jh'slaen shook his head. "I'm not looking. How could I prove anything?
I'm just hoping it will die down ... in a Turn or two."

Saradath sighed noisily and sat back on her haunches, trying to decide if she wanted a smaller snack to finish off her meal.

**Done?**

}:Thinking about it.:{ Jh'slaen smiled and waited for a decision. At least she wasn't gobbling.

"Is she finished?" R'syl asked, watching as Usaeth finished his own meal with a satisfied sigh, and leisurely began contemplating the next course.

"Yes. That was a big herdbeast for a dragon her size." He held out his hand to the new Weyrlingmaster. "It's been a pleasure to meet you," he said as Saradath gave up eyeing the animals and flew over toward him.

"The same, Jh'slaen." R'syl said casually, shaking. The greenrider looked so relieved that he wasn't about to be yelled at. He wondered how many people had, and decided Jh'slaen was likely telling the truth. Who would openly announce an opinion that could cause that much trouble _twice?_ "Have a good day."

Last updated on the March 31st 2007

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Heard That Name Before