Playing it by Ear

Writers: Eimi, Suzee
Date Posted: 28th May 2011

Characters: U'kaiah, D'ale
Description: U'kaiah decides a change is needed.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 2, day 1 of Turn 6

D'ale

}:Kalamath's would like to see you in his office:{ was all Torerath
had to say. So D'ale put down the hide he was studying and trotted up
the stairs. Making his way down the hall he knocked on the open door
before he walked in. "You wanted me?"

"Yes, come in," U'kaiah said with a wave and then winced as the movement
stretched one of his wounds a little awkwardly. Eventually even the
best numbweed on Pern had to wear off. "Sit, please."

"You ok?" Dale said as he sat in the chair and propped his foot up on
his knee. "Torerath didn't say what you needed," he half smiled.

"Well, I'm on injured reserve at the moment." The Wingleader quickly
held up a hand to stave off any questions, "Don't ask." He continued
with the reason he was summoned. "I had a long talk with my Wingsecond
today. You might have noticed he's not really been himself lately. He
has been involved with a rider at Dreams End Weyr, and unfortunately
she's not doing well. A Threadscore got infected and the bacteria made
it into the bloodstream, which can be as serious as it sounds. It's
going to take a while for her to recover, both from the scoring and the
subsequent illness and he's just not sure he can lead a wing effectively
at the moment. I need a Wingsecond who can pick up the slack at a
moment's notice, and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to stay at
Dragonsfall, with her so sick and all. He went back and forth a few
times trying to figure out what he should do. So I made the painful
decision for him this morning and removed him from duty. I'm pretty
sure the transfer papers are crossing the Weyrwoman's desk as we speak.
So, as you can see, I'm in a bit of a bind, D'ale."

He opened his mouth to ask the obvious but stopped when U'kaiah held
up his hand. He didn't pursue the injury details realizing the
Wingleader didn't want to talk about it. He'd always found it a bit
politic to let people keep personal stuff to themselves if they
wanted. As the story went on and on D'ale shook his head. "I'm sorry
to hear about that." He didn't know the Wingsecond that well but had
respect for his skills. "Well you know I'll help out with whatever you
need U'kaiah. I'm sure Kenza feels the same way."

"Oh yes, Kenza's always all kind of helpful." As sarcastic as it came
out, she usually was a great asset to him. Unless she forgot she was
his Wingthird, not his mother. "D'ale, I need a Wingsecond who I don't
have to train and can just show up at drills in the morning and start.
I'm one hundred percent convinced you are the man I can count on. Am I
wrong?"

He chuckled at the Wingleader's comment about Kenza. She could be a
handful when she got on a roll but he wouldn't give away her secret
that she was really a softie underneath. D'ale's demeanor changed
though and he straightened. "Absolutely, you are not wrong," he
declared. He'd been U'kaiah's Wingsecond once before Dalora had come
along and he'd gone to Riverbluff for a few turns. "I would be honored
U'kaiah."

"Would it sound like I had manipulated the situation if I said that I
have just been waiting for the day I could make you my Wingsecond
again?" U'kaiah asked with a rather wicked gleam in his eye.

An answering gleam shone in the brownrider's eye as he smiled. "Only a
little. Not that _I_ mind." He caught a glimpse of the injury to
U'kaiah's ear and his brows momentarily twitched. "We've always worked
well together in the past. I think we have a great team with Kenza."

The thought of her made him realize why U'kaiah had warned him before.
He didn't think it would make a difference to their working
relationship but it did bring him up short on his recent thoughts
about asking her to weyrmate. The wing needed to know they could go to
either of them separately with their issues.

U'kaiah noticed D'ale's eyes flick over to his ear and he sighed
inwardly. That one was hard to hide. "I would definitely appreciate a
fresh pair of eyes. Three times now Thread has fallen through our line
on the right side in places where it shouldn't. Perhaps while you lead
the wing for the next couple days you can try to find the problem."

He nodded, he'd made a mental note of the problem himself and had been
watching when he could but other than makeing the observation of the
riders in that section of the wing he hadn't done anything further.
**Well that's my job now** he thought with half a smile. "We have
almost a full sevenday to the next fall. I'll see what I can figure
out."

"I should be able to fly the next Fall, but if not, I know I can count
on you to lead it in my place." It was not U'kaiah's first choice to
hand the reigns over to D'ale so fully so soon, but he was confident
that if it came to that, the brownrider could handle it. "Let's just
hope it doesn't come to that."

"I hope so as well" he said. "We'll play it by ear," he added with a
chuckle and another glance at U'kaiah's injury.

U'kaiah sighed once more. "Is there something you would like to ask me,
D'ale?" Perhaps there was no escaping the inevitable.

Last updated on the May 29th 2011

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Playing it by Ear