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 Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 3:45 am
R'than came to a halt outside the weyr and paused to make sure he looked presentable. He had considered wearing his riding jacket for the smartness of it, but practicality had won out; it was far too hot for wearing leathers whilst on the ground, and so he was neatly turned out in loose white linen trousers and shirt. Right then, everything seemed to be in order, so it was time to take the plunge as it were. He didn't like to question his leaders, but sometimes you had no choice in the matter. A green wingleader who had never been meant to have the position. She'd been meant for wingsecond, that was bad enough, but to have her actually in charge of a wing... Well, he would know why soon enough with any luck.
"Garith, please inform Sesesrath that I have arrived for my meeting with D'tai."
Up on his ledge, the brown gave a supportive rumble. "Of course Mine. Good fortune." Turning his mind away from his rider, he then addressed the bronze in question. "Sesesrath," he began, his tone respectful but unflinching and confidant, "R'than has arrived to meet with D'tai, may he enter?"
He hoped this meeting went well. Somehow he couldn't imagine the situation being rectified, but surely they were at least owed an explanation for what had been done. He couldn't imagine there being one that satisfied him, or His; they were far better qualified to take such a command than Lyveanna and Ruinnth were. True it would still have been much better to promote a bronze who had previously been a wingsecond, but if the choice had for whatever reason come down to R'than or Lyveanna, it should have been R'than. It had been R'than, but somebody had changed the positions around. It was a sad state of affairs when you could not trust your leaders, when you had to go to them and ask why they were behaving like fools.
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:47 am
Mine. Garith's has arrived.
D'tai groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had not been looking forward to this meeting. He had a sneaking suspicion what it was about, it had been the talk of the Weyr, after all. A greenrider in charge of a brand new wing? Scandalous! The Weyrleader glanced down at his papers and sighed. Perhaps if he just put out his glows and sat very still...
Mine, he knows you are here. I do not suggest that course of action, you'd look very silly. I do not understand why you are so concerned with this meeting.
D'tai grumbled. Because, Sessy, I do not care to explain myself or Helirra to a nosy brownrider.
Seserath blinked, trying to find the secret to this quandary. When he could not, he snorted. So don't. You are the Weyrleader, ridermine. Do as you see fit. It has gotten us this far.
Seserath was right, of course. Standing, D'tai unruffled his clothing and strolled over to the door, pausing for a moment before opening the door. "Wingsecond." He stepped aside to let the man in. "I hope this will be brief. I have many things to see to."
I meant be firm, Mine, I did not imply you need be impolite.
Sigh. Riders.
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 10:08 am
Well, here went. R'than gave a brief bow before stepping into the room. Shards. His heart was pounding. Usually he had no problem addressing superiors but this... this was different.
"Sir, I hope it will be." Nobody else was here, and there was no sense delaying. Just get it over with. "I wished to ask you sir... I wish to know why it was that the recommendations K'em made for the leadership of Hurricane Wing were reversed. If you decide not to tell me, that of course is your right," he emphasized the point with a nod, "but it would give me peace of mind to know that it was not because you found Garith and myself in some way lacking."
Too old? That was the only thing he could think of that might have caused the weyrleader to push them aside, but they were not so very old! They were fit and strong, they would be for many turns to come... So why? Why cause such a massive upset by appointing a green rider? Shards, it wasn't even as if the Weyr knew K'em's recommendations had been overturned, if that ever became public knowledge... He shuddered to think. He wished he knew K'em well enough to be sure the man wouldn't tell anyone else, but he'd only met him the once, and the man had recommended a green for wingsecond so clearly he was at least a little daft. A wingsecond that couldn't last a threadfall was bad enough... but not as bad as a wingleader who couldn't.
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 6:25 pm
He knew it. Why in Faranth's name had he trusted that boy to keep his mouth shut? This was much worse than he thought. Ah, he'd have a lot of damage control to see to once he weaseled his way out of this horrific little meeting, D'tai thought to himself dryly. Fabulous. And at the end of the day, he would be allowed to return to Helirra, so high on her pedestal she could barely observe the chaos she was causing. Shards, Favan was probably laughing herself silly.
The Weyrman bristled a little at the thought.
Closing the door behind the brownrider, he gave the man a good hard look before he shook his head. "I do not wish to discuss the matter with you, Wingsecond R'than, because frankly, it is none of your business." What was the Weyr coming to, Wingseconds questioning the Weyrleader? (OH RIGHT. HELIRRA MADE A GREENRIDER INTO A WINGLEADER. Blazing Weyrwoman.) D'tai inhaled deeply, attempted to contain the temper he had suddenly grown amidst all the flying accusations. "It was nothing personal, R'than."
The Weyrleader sighed and shook his head. It would have been so much easier if it was.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:45 am
R'than sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, it was something of a relief to know he hadn't done something to offend... But that still left the matter of what Lyveana had done to get herself put ahead. "Sir... Thank you sir." He still wanted to know why, and so far as he saw it it was his business, but D'tai was Weyrleader and what he said went, even if what he said was 'let's have a green wingleader'. It was insane, stupid, utterly ridiculous, and he was still going to go along with it, even knowing that something fishy had happened.
"I can't vouch for K'em, I don't know the man," R'than went on after a slight pause, "but I can assure you I have not discussed this matter with anyone else, nor do I intend to in the future... I must admit sir I cannot understand your reasons for doing this, but I can and will abide by your decision. Lyveana has my full support." Not that his full support would matter a jot when the wing needed to fly a full Threadfall. Her excuse that they didn't need to do that yet and that she was therefore a fit leader was shortsighted; it was shortsighted of D'tai to appoint her too.
Odd. He had always considered the Weyrleader a steady, sensible man in the past. Now however... For some reason he had put a green rider in charge of a wing. Had she bribed him? Blackmailed him? Was D'tai seeking to draw attention away from the Weyr's other problems? Was he setting them up to fall when the first Thread came in the hopes of cutting down numbers?... No, that last one at least he refused to even consider. He might not believe in D'tai as he had before this fiasco, but there was no way the bronze rider would deliberately put riders in harms way... But how could he not see that he was doing exactly that? It boggled the mind, it really did.
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:40 am
"There's nothing wrong with K'em. My reasons," his reasons his a**!, "are my own, R'than. While you are free to question them, I am also free to refuse to ignore your questions if I see fit." D'tai would not betray Helirra. He would take the fall for her hideous mistake; Seserath groaned softly at the thought of losing Vasanth, but what could they do? They had to remain a united front, even if...even if...even if it cost him the reputation he'd spent turns establishing.
"Is there anything else, R'than?" the Weyrleader inquired, though his tone made it fairly clear he was not in the mood to answer questions.
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 12:33 pm
"Yes sir, one more thing." While he was here and being disapproved of he supposed he might as well go all the way; this had been nagging him more and more for a long time now. Maybe the answer would be 'none of your business' again but it was worth a try; worse case scenario, he got thrown out. "The crowding and supply problems are troubling everyone, I am sure you and Helirra are more aware of that than anyone. I was wondering if I could tell the wing," and all his friends elsewhere along with, candidates, drudges, crafters and everyone else in the tense Weyr, "that plans are being made. Everyone is sure that they must be, but it would reassure them to have it from you or Helirra that things are being done." Did he believe they really were making plans? He wasn't all that sure anymore: how could he know what to believe when the world was changing so much so quickly? What was left for him to rely on?
"Rely on me. We shall prevail R'thanMine.” Garith rumbled from his ledge. “Riders are strong, riders strive, riders triumph over adversity. It does not matter whether or not our leaders are making plans; we shall survive and help others to survive. It is our duty, and we always do our duty. Rely on me, we shall see one another through."
R’than sent a feeling of agreement, though he kept his attention too focused on D’tai to give more response. His lifemate's words relaxed him a little, not as much as they usually did when he was worried about something, but then he had never been worried about so many things that were so huge before. Garith was right though; they would prevail. Somehow.
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