N'mol tried to keep a straight back as he read over the hides on the gathering groups that would be going out in the next few days. After his conversation with Roscoe, N'mol had taken some time to oil a patchy spot on Tyeth and formulate what he was going to say to L'olt (with Tyeth's help, of course). Then he had seeked out the older Bronzerider, easing his way into the topic through casual discussion. The end result of that encounter was that L'olt had agreed with N'mol assessment of the situation and his suggested plan of action, and N'mol thought he may have secured another vote, provided that he could get F'itz on his team as the "hand of experience" in the wing. That would be his next task; hunt down F'itz and request he accept the nomination. Request with all possible convincing, of course.
N'mol skimmed the list of names for the third gathering group and took another drink of klah from his mug. The dining hall was slow at this hour of the afternoon, as most people were enjoying the day or seeing to their duties, but in another hour or so people would begin filing in for the chance to be the first to dinner. He set the klah aside and lifted one of the sheets he had already gone over, double-checking to be sure he hadn't just seen one of the names listed twice. After convincing W'lin, L'olt had provided him with the lists of seasoned riders who would be going out gathering and suggested N'mol look them over and assign the groups, since it was his plan after all. N'mol knew it was, in part, a test from the older rider. L'olt himself would look the final groups over and approve or alter them as he saw fit. N'mol just hoped he passed the test.
No. He would pass.
---
Kindra had spent most of the early afternoon oiling and scrubbing down Suunath after the Gold had eaten a rather large meal of Herdbeast, in fact the Gold's stomach bulged like a newly hatched dragon and as such, she was sleepy soundly now she was clean. Kindra on the other hand had been filthy and she'd spent a good while scrubbing herself down. Everytime she closed her eyes she saw the ragged faces of the riders that had lost their dragons to threadfall, seen the wounded staggering in, heard the screams the mourning of the dragons and she had slept very little. The fact showing under her eyes despite her attempts at hiding it and she knew that there was only more to come. Her stomach had grumbled, letting her know that it was time to stop soaking and scrubbing and go and eat.
She'd taken the time, as usual, to look practically spotless. She'd selected a dark red dress to wear today, trimmed in dark green embroidery, not one of her most fanciest of clothing but it was practical and she looked good in it. Her hair was swept back from her face and clipped at the back, leaving most of it down behind. She walked into the dining hall and realised she had missed the main mealtime. As she looked around for a drudge to get her something from the kitchens her eyes lit on N'mol,. head deep in scrolls. She smiled and strode over, "N'mol!" she called so she didn't surprise him.
---
N'mol lifted his eyes from the lists and caught on Kindra approaching him. He immediately set the hides down and watched her approach him, a welcoming smile on his face. "Good afternoon, Kindra." He took in the slight dampness of her hair and her usually cleanliness in a quick sweep of his eyes.
"Have a seat," he suggested when she got closer, but didn't indicate where. He knew better than to try to give Kindra orders, and although he didn't think she'd take it that way coming from him, he certainly didn't want to redirect her from wherever she wanted to sit. She would have sat with him anyway, even without the invitation, but N'mol was nothing if not polite. "You look lovely."
His conversation with Tyeth days earlier came to mind and he willfully kept it from his face. Kindra was an ally and a fellow rider. Nothing more. He was not pursuing her for underhanded reasons.
What 'underhanded' reasons? Tyeth suddenly chimed in, sounding faintly annoyed at his rider. We are laying plans for our rise in the ranks, as any good rider pair would do if they knew what was good for them. Winners come out on top. Suunath understands this and will not object.
N'mol ignored him and glanced back at his work to keep the distraction of dragon speech and thinking about unpleasantries from showing to Kindra.
---
Kindra smiled at N'mol, a genuinely friendly one. "Thank you N'mol, you're too sweet" she said in reference to his comment about her looking lovely "I'll sit in a moment i'm just going to get something to eat" she told him and moved past him to grab herself a plate of whatever she could find. She found a good selection of roast wherry and some other tasty items and put a good portion onto her plate. When she was done she noticed that there was fresh Klah so she grabbed a jug and a spare mug and went back over to N'mol, she looked over his shoulder at what he was reading, probably leaning in a little too closely but she was genuinely fond of the young Bronzerider, he didn't assume things like some of the other riders did. She reached out in her mind to her dragon but the Gold was still sleeping so she withdrew. "what is it you're working on there N'mol?" she asked, before moving away from behind him and sitting down just next to him.
---
"Gathering groups," he replied, eyes still glued to the hides. He didn't even flinch when Kindra settled beside him. He was used to her behaviors and he had his mind more on the task at hand than on casual conversation-- although he was always instinctively amiable anyway. "I asked L'olt to see about arranging groups for getting materials for new supplies so we can begin replenishing what's missing from the stores. The Candidates have been tallying missing items and it doesn't look good. I think that the other Wingleaders had already considered the idea, but it seems I was the first subordinate to point it out vocally to one of the other Bronzeriders. Since I was feeling so helpful about that, he passed the names of volunteers and assigned riders along to me and asked me to arrange groups for each gathering trip." He lifted his quill and after a quick dip added another name from the master list to the list of those gathering nettles at Ista for new numbweed.
"Some riders are going to be very unhappy with me," he commented, more to himself than to Kindra.
---
Kindra listened and nodded as he talked. "I'm pleased someone is taking stock of medical supplies, with everything else I have to do, I forgot to arrange for inventory to be taken," she said, genuinely relieved someone else had already thought of it. "when that list has been made could you make sure i receive a copy?" she asked him when he was done speaking. "It's going to happen N'mol .... when you become Wingleader there are going to be plenty of unhappy riders, especially the older ones. You're too sweet sometimes, trying to make everyone happy" She said, putting a hand on his arm in an affectionate way. Oh she'd flirted with N'mol and he wasn't stupid, he'd probably heard of her 'flings' ... shards she'd had a few already but nothing was ever serious. So far N'mol was one of the few young men in her life that she wasn't bored of already but maybe that was because he was just a good friend and seemingly nothing more since he'd not really taken the bait when she'd flirted with him in the past.
---
N'mol glanced up, startlement clear in his gaze when he met her eyes. Mostly, it was at the fact that he'd been talking to himself and the fact that he had felt comfortable talking about his thoughts with Kindra sitting right beside him. Was that really how much time they had spent together? When had she gone from the combative Lord Holder's daughter with a Gold to just Kindra? In his short life, N'mol often didn't have to have deep conversations with himself. However, it looked as if that lucky streak was very quickly coming to a halt, if the last few days were telling him anything.
Another part of his surprise stemmed from the very matter-of-fact way she announced he would be Wingleader. N'mol hoped, and he knew deep down he and Tyeth would make it someday, but he wasn't counting his flits before they were hatched, and hearing someone else do so for him was strange.
The touch on his arm centered him a bit and he blinked the momentary lapse of thought away, offering her a smile. He wasn't so sure about the sweet comment being entirely positive, but he took it in stride. "I didn't mean I would alter things to suit them. At a weyr, you take the jobs you're given and do them for the benefit of everyone, not just yourself. They'll do them, and if they have complaints, they can bring them to me and I'll do my best to talk them through it." He looked at her for a moment, then set a hand over hers. "Just because I'll give orders people don't agree with doesn't mean I have to order them to like it; they need to know they can still share their concerns with me and that I'll listen. It's better to have a leader you can trust with your opinions, than one you can't get near."
He slid his hand away from hers and looked back at the list he'd been perusing, then added a last name and set it aside to start on the next, checking another name off of the master list as he did so. "You're welcome to help, if you'd like. I imagine you'll be doing many jobs similar to this. Better to know what's going on than not." One issue he did, genuinely, have with W'lin. He was training his Goldriders by trying to keep them from getting their fingers in the pots. At least, that was how it sounded when Kindra talked about it sometimes. Of course, Kindra's temper often left room for some interpretation for what had actually happened. N'mol handed her the three lists he had finished. "Two groups for nettles and one for linen from the Weavers Hall. I'll be starting the list for those going to Healer's Hall next. I'm leaving the assignments for numbweed brewing and portioning out supplies to the Masters appropriate for the fields. This is just supply gathering, for now."
---
If Kindra caught the startled expression on N'mol's face, she didn't make a comment on it, instead looked away from him and down at the list. What had started out as him escorting her and Suunath (and Isley and Kheth) had turned into a friendship, she was less argumentative and more open to listening to his ideas ... that didn't mean to say she didn't get her hackles raised form time to time but genuinely she liked him. He wasn't afraid to tell it to her straight up but there was something about him that gave her less cause to get annoyed at it. She really did see N'mol as winning his bid for Wingleader, anything else she was trying not to think about.
When he slid his hand away she withdrew hers, looking from him, back down to the list and nodded "Yes, W'lin has had me doing a lot of paperwork and things" her tone suggested she had no intention of elaborating. "Are these the only copies you have?" she asked when he handed her three lists. She mostly ignored the statement about leadership because she knew she would get into an arguement with him and she didn't feel like it, her arms still ached from oiling Suunath and she was tired. Yawning she sipped at her hot Klah and nibbled on her food as she read and listened.
---
"Yes. I'll make several sets once I've finished the lists. I'll make a copy for you." Just in case you don't see one. N'mol didn't want to step on W'lin's toes, but Kindra did have the right to know what was going on. Isley did as well, for that matter, but Kindra was the one seeking him out. If she saw fit to show the lists to Isley, that was her business. N'mol was making his strides, but he knew better than to overstep himself or try to take on too much all at once. Aiming for Wingleader was enough for right now; everyone else knew how to handle their own jobs their own way. It was the same reason he didn't take offense when Kindra took on her high-and-mighty secretive tone when she referred to her own doings. The junior Weyrwoman's business was none of his unless she said so.
"I need to check the lists the Candidates made again, but I'm fairly certain I've calculated the numbers for each group correctly, based on what we need. Linens, healing supplies, and numbweed tend to be the extent of it for now. We'll need to get someone to clear out some of the empty weyrs soon; the infirmary is still over-full of injured riders, and we may need a secondary one for next Fall. It's something to keep in mind for later, but not really a concern at the moment."
---
Kindra nodded and nibbled on some more meat while N'mol talked, it might not have seemed it to look at her somewhat bored seeming face but she was taking everything he said in, whether or not she thought anything was important... was her own business. "Thank you N'mol, you're more than welcome to bring it up to me anytime" she smiled.
She frowned just a little as he mentioned linens and such, she'd been there, at the front when the injured and dying had come in and that had affected her more than she cared to admit because she'd gone back to rest in an empty Weyr, Suunath preferring to stay near the injured and she'd felt so alone, despite the reassurances from her Gold. "I'll get into getting the drudges clearing the empty weyrs. Maybe we can move some of the riders at ground level to higher weyrs and make more room for the injured too. We're going to need some shelter for the injured and a way to shut them in if Thread falls... otherwise they're going to want to fly Thread i think" she said the last mostly to herself. "Healing supplies are greatly needed, i never thought we'd need so much. We can probably last a fall or two but certainly not enough to keep sustained" she wrinkled her nose at the thought of brewing Numbweed, awful awful task that was.....
---
N'mol glanced over and saw Kindra's wrinkled nose. As if reading her mind, he smiled. "At least we can avoid the numbweed brewing, since we'll be doing more of the managing and gathering. I've assigned myself to healing supplies duty under L'olt. Tyeth is big enough to ferry a good many supplies, and his maneuvering is pinpoint enough that we shouldn't have much trouble landing in the crowded Bowl to drop things off." It also showed others that N'mol was as willing to take instruction in order to get things done as he was to give it. He'd had to think long and hard about whether or not to take charge of a group himself. In the end, he'd decided it would be best to place himself with L'olt. If the older rider thought N'mol would serve better being in charge-- or delegated some managing duties to him-- more to the better.
---
Kindra nodded "He's a big bronze, a good choice and easier to bring more supplies in on him too" she admitted. "I've noticed his abilities" she added, refraining from mentioning that in fact it was Suunath that pointed it out in training that he was getting almost as good as she was at manouvering and she'd grimmaced a little at the time as a Green had her Flight just hours before. "L'olt hmm? Can't say i know him personally yet but i've heard he's a decent Rider" she commented before looking down at his sheets. "Have you been here very long N'mol?" she asked, suddenly wondering if the young man had even eaten yet and feeling slightly guilty for eating in front of him if he hadn't.
---
N'mol looked around for some sign of the time, but found that it was impossible to tell at the moment. He'd been consumed by his work, and the passge of time had been a dim awareness overall. "I'm not sure. A candlemark, maybe? I'll need dinner soon enough anyway. I want to get through these lists first, though. I want them finished before I head to sleep so I can give them a second look over in the morning and pass them along to L'olt so we can get the groups organized and out as soon as possible. I imagine missives will have to be sent to the Crafthalls involved before we can go, anyway."
He glanced over the master list of names again, and then dipped his quill in the inkpot and added his name, L'olt's name, and a third rider to the tally. He put a check beside the name on the master list, just to keep track. Otherwise, there were going to be a great many doubled up names on the lists. He still checked his work, of course, to be sure it didn't happen accidentally, but N'mol liked to be thorough.
---
Kindra wasn't best pleased he hadn't eaten and she signalled for one of the drudges to come over "N'mol ... there isn't much left over but there's bread and cold cuts?" she suggested, nodding at the drudge to fetch some despite whatever N'mol may have to say in protest. "OH... and some fresh and HOT Klah if you please!" she called to the retreating back. "It won't be dark for a while N'mol" she said, her tone suggesting (against her will) the want for some sort of company maybe "i mean... if you're not busy maybe Tyeth can come and talk to Suunath, i know she enjoys his company" she said, looking away a little.
---
N'mol glanced between Kindra and the drudge, but finally just took a sip of his nearing-cold klah. His face tightened very slightly at the taste and he set it aside. Maybe fresh klah would be a good idea. He looked back to Kindra as she suggested Tyeth spend some time with Suunath, but before he could process a reply, Tyeth broke in.
I will go now. Suunath will not be asleep for long, though I would not like to wake her.
N'mol could feel him changing from his place on the cliffs to approach where Suunath was even as he gave his own reply to Kindra. "I think he'd already taken your invitation for Suunath to heart. If you would like to return to your weyr before she wakens, I can always pack this up and finish it in your quarters. They can send food there as easily as here when dinner is finally ready." Kindra had trouble voicing her own thoughts, sometimes, though it seemed baffling in a woman so ready to tell others how to do things. Still, N'mol knew that in some ways Kindra was insecure, though it seemed to be in very few places indeed. One of which tended to be with leaving herself vulnerable to rejection by others. Whenever it came up with them, N'mol tried his best to make it as easy on Kindra as possible.
---
Kindra had to laugh at the eagerness of the Bronze when N'mol relayed that he was already moving and she gently prodded at Suunath, she could feel the Gold waking and responding to the fact the Bronze was nearing her Weyr already. "I'm sure it won't take a drudge long, i really would prefer you eat first .. before you get too engrossed in those scrolls of yours N'mol" she said gently before getting up and finishing her Klah "I'll see you later, Tyeth and Suunath can chat away, maybe they'll go off and sun themselves" she smiled.
Dragonflight: An Alternative Pern (Old Guild)
A B/C Pern Roleplay
