Three
Who: W'ton and Phara
Where: Weyrling barracks
When: Before dinner on day 14, month 3, turn 19
What: Phara brings W'ton dinner and wants to talk to him. So, they talk. While it does not go poorly there's also no resolution once more between them.
Some minor language.
Phara ambles into the barracks just prior to dinner, carrying a tray stacked with several plates of various foods. But she's got a target in mind with this largess. She looks around for him, her eyebrows raised expectantly.
Dasarth's not hungry, not dirty, not in need of oiling. Although he is quite shiny from a recent oiling so he must have just recently completed all these tasks. The bronze sits awkwardly at the foot of W'ton's cot with his muzzle resting on his rider's bare feet. Despite having just done all what needed doing the bronzerider weyrling is still dressed well. He must have just changed. Reclining on his back he's got a book he reads from. Either to himself or maybe he's sharing with his dragon who occasionally flexes talons against the ground.
Phara takes her tray and heads for the cot. "W'ton?" she says to catch his attention, and when, if, he looks, she lifts the tray meaningfully at him. "I brought you a real meal for once. I would like to talk to you, if.. we could?"
Footsteps in the barracks are not unusual so W'ton pays them no mind. Although shortly before Phara reaches the cot Dasarth turns his head to see who is coming closer. That must be why the book is on the way down as the bluerider begins to speak. "Ma'am," he says and with a tug of his feet to free them from being a headrest he sits up and salutes. "Real meal would be appreciated, ma'am," is then said with a grin. "Never going to say no to that."
Phara nods her head and grins lopsidedly, "Yeah, I remember how it is. Figured, you know." She sighs, "Anyways, I had the ladies in the kitchen put together a few of your favorites. Do you mind if I sit?" The tray gets offered out first.
"Move your big ole head," W'ton says and he lifts a foot to nudge playfully at Dasarth's muzzle when the bronze makes to use the cot as a pillow. With a snort of indignation his dragon moves is head and turns his back on his rider to sit facing the room. "The ladies in the kitchen have always been a few of my favorites, ma'am," he tells Phara with a wink. Patting his cot he takes the tray and then says, "Have a seat, ma'am. Knew one way or another you'd come asking to get into my cot."
Phara's lips twitch and she inhales sharply. She sits while she masters her quick temper and then lets that intake of breath out slowly. "I think we need to sort some things, W'ton. Firstly, I'd like to understand where you think you and I fit in the grand scheme of things here at the Weyr."
That might just be a smile nearly on his lips when she has to get herself under control. But W'ton's too good to let it show. Oh, he's not neutral at all in expression, but there's no cocky grin at least. "Grand scheme of things, ma'am?" he asks while investigating the tray and sniffing appreciatively at what's prepared. "Well, I fit in right here near the bottom, ma'am. Just a lowly ole weyrling. Doing what I'm told. By you and the others, ma'am."
Phara lifts an eyebrow. "Blind obedience isn't an ambition, W'ton. Blind obedience is fine for a normal wingrider. But, I believe I would not be making an incorrect assumption if I were to say that some day you hope to be more than a normal wingrider. Is this correct?" Her head turns to observe his face, his response.
"You asked where I fit into the grand scheme of things, ma'am," W'ton replies with a grin. "And right now that's what I got, right? Doing what I'm told. Think you got the point across well enough that it ain't my place to be asking questions." Because that brings about laps and all. "Just gonna do what ya say, ma'am." Yep. There's no answer to her question in there at all and he doesn't seem to be bothered much by that.
Phara shakes her head and sighs. "W'ton, questions are fine. We encourage questions. But when you insulted two of your weyrlingmasters to their faces... Well, a point has to be made. We want you to understand why we push you to do the things we do. We're not out to be cruel, or lord our power over you. We are trying to help, and you're going to have to take it on faith that we've learned a few tricks, having been where you are right now. It's truth that every dragon has a different personality, just the same as every person does. But there are core essentials to your training that we just can't bend on, for your safety, for the safety of Dasarth and for the rest of the Weyr." She's not letting her question go, either, and so she finishes the speech with another pressing of her lips. "The big picture extends to the future as well as the present. Where do you see yourself in five Turns, twenty?"
"Was an honest question I asked, ma'am," W'ton answers balancing the tray on his lap, but leaving it untouched still for now. "Meant no disrespect in it. Just was asking. Contradictory statements do make me wonder. Have to sort things out in my head, ma'am." His shoulder shrug up and down as he grins. "Ain't sure where I see myself, ma'am. You said yourself you've been here. Not much time to think about five turns from now when all you can do is keep up with the next feeding, yea? Not even been a month so I haven't really had time to consider my future. It'll come. We'll do well, of course." Of course.
"May have been, but you phrased it in a disrespectful way. We don't like answering questions when you sound like a cocky know-it-all who isn't going to listen even if we tried to explain. I didn't feel my instructions were contradictory in the least. Dasarth and you are different from, say, N'eph and Telyhath. But I'm going to make them do the same thing as I make you do. Equal opportunity." Phara grins and a dimple appears in her cheek. "Sure, been there. Was just as much trouble as you are, too. Thought cuz all my friends were riders I should be able to do it all. Gave my mentor hell, sassed my Weyrlingmaster a time or two. And smarted up once we got closer to flying that nobody was going to want me for a wingmate if I was a nasty loudmouth. Just...think about how you come off to other people, W'ton. That's all I'm getting at here. Maybe you don't know where you want to be necessarily, but someday you will, and you don't want to screw up your chances of being where you want to be back before you knew better, yeah?"
Dasarth interrupts with marching orders. Booted feet sound behind the orderly words that come and that taste of iron makes it impossible to ignore what the bronze wants him to hear. << We will screw nothing up. I am quite sure she will not break us, W’ton. We must do what we do. Play nice with this one if you must. >>
While she talks he listens. Although somewhere in the middle W'ton wrinkles his nose a bit and rubs at his lips. But Dasarth must not have had a lot to say because it only happens the once. "Sure thing, ma'am," he answers with a polite nod of his head. "Now can I ask you a question, ma'am? Without you getting mad and calling me disrespectful and going off on me? Ma'am."
Phara lifts an eyebrow. Oh yes, she caught that grimace. "Only if you stop calling me ma'am after every other sentence." Her lips quirk upwards, teasing.
"So, every sentence then, ma'am?" W'ton asks with a grin. Shifting the tray a bit on his lap he scoots back a bit and then sets it down on the cot. "You gonna ride my ass the whole time?" he asks bluntly. "Because if so I wanna hear it from you and be able to believe it that it's because of you doing your job and not because you got some problem with me on a personal level." Well, she did say that he could ask.
Phara looks stunned for a moment and barks a laugh, "Shards, W'ton. That what you think this is? I'm treating you just like anyone else." She touches her nose thoughtfully. "You know, you set a bad examples for the others. Not just you, a few of the others too. You aren't the worst. I'm half-afraid I won't get through this Turn without taking B'kaiv apart. Dunno what to do, frankly." She sighs and folds her hands in her lap. "I mean. I'm a good rider, you know? But this, teaching people. Dunno how good I'll be. And you didn't here this from me, and I'll gut you if you tell anyone I said it, but - kinda just making this up as I go along."
W'ton's head shakes slowly as he says, "Think that's what you're going to do if you don't be careful." The words are tossed out rather casually like he's not really accusing her of a thing. "You want to call me on stuff when I make a mistake that's fine, but I won't be having someone give me grief just because she's mad at something she thinks I said or did that was insulting to her." He looks past her to Dasarth and then blinks before looking at Phara once more. "I'm a bad example?" he asks. "Really? I'm not sure where you're getting that idea."
Phara shrugs. "I'm doing the best I can, W'ton. I won't say you didn't deserve the laps, either. D'kai was just as affronted as I was, so I know it wasn't all in my head." She takes a deep breath and sets her face. "You can be. I am your superior, W'ton, and I always have been. And I let it slide, the way you spoke to me, because it didn't really affect the way anyone saw me, the way you talked to me. But now - well, can you maybe understand? If I let you talk back to me, or insinuate that I am attracted to you -" she hesitates and her face grows serious, agonized. "W'ton, I could lose my job if anyone was under the impression that I was interested in sleeping with you. And I know you think it's harmless. But not everyone in our class has known you for the last three Turns. They might think you weren't all talk. /Please/ don't make trouble for me or set a precedent for this sort of thing with the others. 'Well, shards, if W'ton can flirt with Phara, why can't I?' you know."
"Ma'am?" W'ton says with a curious tone, "I ain't been flirting with you. I made one comment just now and there's no one else around now is there? At least not that heard." Shaking his head he tells her, "You see that's what I mean. You assume I'm going to sit around and talk about your behind to people and that just ain't the case. Ain't been flirting with anyone, ma'am." Looking at the bluerider with widened eyes and an almost innocent expression he says, "You have not been around and all, ma'am, but I ain't flirted with anyone for a long time now. Don't suppose it matters and don't see any real reason to tell you, but to make sure you know, but I gave my word to someone I wouldn't be doing that no more."
"Hattie counts," Phara says in a low voice and lifts her eyebrows. "I just want /you/ and I to be perfectly clear. I'm not screwing up your chance to be a weyrling, don't screw this up for me. Now... anything you need to get off your chest, now that I'm done clearing my side?"
"My relationship with Hattie is right where it is supposed to be," W'ton says and there's a note in his voice that makes his words come out more firm than he might have intended. So, he stops and clears his throat. "What I'm saying, ma'am, is I've been nothing but a gentleman to Hattie and that's all my intentions are with her. She's got Elaruth to raise and I got Dasarth to deal with and we got time after for us. And I got no need to screw anything up for you, ma'am. You do seem to like to create a big ole problem with me where none exists, but that's been going on for awhile, ma'am so I just do my best to let it go. Said my peace. You just don't let yourself decide I need you giving me shit because of something I said last turn and we'll be fine."
Phara grimaces. "Three." She sets her fingertips against her chin. "You just phrase things prettier than B'kaiv does, but the two of you are cut from the same cloth." Head shaking, she says firmly, "I treat you exactly how I'd treat anyone else for the things you say /now/, W'ton. You're still making the same wrong assumptions you used to." She sighs and sets her hands to her knees. "Enjoy the meal, weyrling."
"Assistant weyrlingmaster Phara," W'ton says quietly and stands up to salute her. "You got no idea what I am made of. I respect your right to assume whatever you want of me, but that doesn't make it the truth. And if you'll listen back to my words I said so long as you don't do that, ma'am, we've got no problem. You need to correct me that's fine, but I want to know it's because I did something now. You tell me you can do that then we're fine. I got no problem with you, ma'am." He stops there and slides his hands into his pockets to grin at her. "And me and him ain't nothing at all alike. Do appreciate the meal, ma'am. Right kind of you."
Phara presses her lips together, "Three again. Yeah, yeah, that's me, a big barrel of kindness." She waves over her shoulder as she heads out the door.
"Shut up," W'ton tells Dasarth with a glare as the bronze shuffles around to lay his head on the cot right by the tray. "And keep yourself to yourself." Grimacing he shakes his head and then smirks at the bronze as he says, "Ain't listening to you now, buddy." Then he tucks into his meal so thoughtfully provided.
Where: Weyrling barracks
When: Before dinner on day 14, month 3, turn 19
What: Phara brings W'ton dinner and wants to talk to him. So, they talk. While it does not go poorly there's also no resolution once more between them.
Some minor language.
Phara ambles into the barracks just prior to dinner, carrying a tray stacked with several plates of various foods. But she's got a target in mind with this largess. She looks around for him, her eyebrows raised expectantly.
Dasarth's not hungry, not dirty, not in need of oiling. Although he is quite shiny from a recent oiling so he must have just recently completed all these tasks. The bronze sits awkwardly at the foot of W'ton's cot with his muzzle resting on his rider's bare feet. Despite having just done all what needed doing the bronzerider weyrling is still dressed well. He must have just changed. Reclining on his back he's got a book he reads from. Either to himself or maybe he's sharing with his dragon who occasionally flexes talons against the ground.
Phara takes her tray and heads for the cot. "W'ton?" she says to catch his attention, and when, if, he looks, she lifts the tray meaningfully at him. "I brought you a real meal for once. I would like to talk to you, if.. we could?"
Footsteps in the barracks are not unusual so W'ton pays them no mind. Although shortly before Phara reaches the cot Dasarth turns his head to see who is coming closer. That must be why the book is on the way down as the bluerider begins to speak. "Ma'am," he says and with a tug of his feet to free them from being a headrest he sits up and salutes. "Real meal would be appreciated, ma'am," is then said with a grin. "Never going to say no to that."
Phara nods her head and grins lopsidedly, "Yeah, I remember how it is. Figured, you know." She sighs, "Anyways, I had the ladies in the kitchen put together a few of your favorites. Do you mind if I sit?" The tray gets offered out first.
"Move your big ole head," W'ton says and he lifts a foot to nudge playfully at Dasarth's muzzle when the bronze makes to use the cot as a pillow. With a snort of indignation his dragon moves is head and turns his back on his rider to sit facing the room. "The ladies in the kitchen have always been a few of my favorites, ma'am," he tells Phara with a wink. Patting his cot he takes the tray and then says, "Have a seat, ma'am. Knew one way or another you'd come asking to get into my cot."
Phara's lips twitch and she inhales sharply. She sits while she masters her quick temper and then lets that intake of breath out slowly. "I think we need to sort some things, W'ton. Firstly, I'd like to understand where you think you and I fit in the grand scheme of things here at the Weyr."
That might just be a smile nearly on his lips when she has to get herself under control. But W'ton's too good to let it show. Oh, he's not neutral at all in expression, but there's no cocky grin at least. "Grand scheme of things, ma'am?" he asks while investigating the tray and sniffing appreciatively at what's prepared. "Well, I fit in right here near the bottom, ma'am. Just a lowly ole weyrling. Doing what I'm told. By you and the others, ma'am."
Phara lifts an eyebrow. "Blind obedience isn't an ambition, W'ton. Blind obedience is fine for a normal wingrider. But, I believe I would not be making an incorrect assumption if I were to say that some day you hope to be more than a normal wingrider. Is this correct?" Her head turns to observe his face, his response.
"You asked where I fit into the grand scheme of things, ma'am," W'ton replies with a grin. "And right now that's what I got, right? Doing what I'm told. Think you got the point across well enough that it ain't my place to be asking questions." Because that brings about laps and all. "Just gonna do what ya say, ma'am." Yep. There's no answer to her question in there at all and he doesn't seem to be bothered much by that.
Phara shakes her head and sighs. "W'ton, questions are fine. We encourage questions. But when you insulted two of your weyrlingmasters to their faces... Well, a point has to be made. We want you to understand why we push you to do the things we do. We're not out to be cruel, or lord our power over you. We are trying to help, and you're going to have to take it on faith that we've learned a few tricks, having been where you are right now. It's truth that every dragon has a different personality, just the same as every person does. But there are core essentials to your training that we just can't bend on, for your safety, for the safety of Dasarth and for the rest of the Weyr." She's not letting her question go, either, and so she finishes the speech with another pressing of her lips. "The big picture extends to the future as well as the present. Where do you see yourself in five Turns, twenty?"
"Was an honest question I asked, ma'am," W'ton answers balancing the tray on his lap, but leaving it untouched still for now. "Meant no disrespect in it. Just was asking. Contradictory statements do make me wonder. Have to sort things out in my head, ma'am." His shoulder shrug up and down as he grins. "Ain't sure where I see myself, ma'am. You said yourself you've been here. Not much time to think about five turns from now when all you can do is keep up with the next feeding, yea? Not even been a month so I haven't really had time to consider my future. It'll come. We'll do well, of course." Of course.
"May have been, but you phrased it in a disrespectful way. We don't like answering questions when you sound like a cocky know-it-all who isn't going to listen even if we tried to explain. I didn't feel my instructions were contradictory in the least. Dasarth and you are different from, say, N'eph and Telyhath. But I'm going to make them do the same thing as I make you do. Equal opportunity." Phara grins and a dimple appears in her cheek. "Sure, been there. Was just as much trouble as you are, too. Thought cuz all my friends were riders I should be able to do it all. Gave my mentor hell, sassed my Weyrlingmaster a time or two. And smarted up once we got closer to flying that nobody was going to want me for a wingmate if I was a nasty loudmouth. Just...think about how you come off to other people, W'ton. That's all I'm getting at here. Maybe you don't know where you want to be necessarily, but someday you will, and you don't want to screw up your chances of being where you want to be back before you knew better, yeah?"
Dasarth interrupts with marching orders. Booted feet sound behind the orderly words that come and that taste of iron makes it impossible to ignore what the bronze wants him to hear. << We will screw nothing up. I am quite sure she will not break us, W’ton. We must do what we do. Play nice with this one if you must. >>
While she talks he listens. Although somewhere in the middle W'ton wrinkles his nose a bit and rubs at his lips. But Dasarth must not have had a lot to say because it only happens the once. "Sure thing, ma'am," he answers with a polite nod of his head. "Now can I ask you a question, ma'am? Without you getting mad and calling me disrespectful and going off on me? Ma'am."
Phara lifts an eyebrow. Oh yes, she caught that grimace. "Only if you stop calling me ma'am after every other sentence." Her lips quirk upwards, teasing.
"So, every sentence then, ma'am?" W'ton asks with a grin. Shifting the tray a bit on his lap he scoots back a bit and then sets it down on the cot. "You gonna ride my ass the whole time?" he asks bluntly. "Because if so I wanna hear it from you and be able to believe it that it's because of you doing your job and not because you got some problem with me on a personal level." Well, she did say that he could ask.
Phara looks stunned for a moment and barks a laugh, "Shards, W'ton. That what you think this is? I'm treating you just like anyone else." She touches her nose thoughtfully. "You know, you set a bad examples for the others. Not just you, a few of the others too. You aren't the worst. I'm half-afraid I won't get through this Turn without taking B'kaiv apart. Dunno what to do, frankly." She sighs and folds her hands in her lap. "I mean. I'm a good rider, you know? But this, teaching people. Dunno how good I'll be. And you didn't here this from me, and I'll gut you if you tell anyone I said it, but - kinda just making this up as I go along."
W'ton's head shakes slowly as he says, "Think that's what you're going to do if you don't be careful." The words are tossed out rather casually like he's not really accusing her of a thing. "You want to call me on stuff when I make a mistake that's fine, but I won't be having someone give me grief just because she's mad at something she thinks I said or did that was insulting to her." He looks past her to Dasarth and then blinks before looking at Phara once more. "I'm a bad example?" he asks. "Really? I'm not sure where you're getting that idea."
Phara shrugs. "I'm doing the best I can, W'ton. I won't say you didn't deserve the laps, either. D'kai was just as affronted as I was, so I know it wasn't all in my head." She takes a deep breath and sets her face. "You can be. I am your superior, W'ton, and I always have been. And I let it slide, the way you spoke to me, because it didn't really affect the way anyone saw me, the way you talked to me. But now - well, can you maybe understand? If I let you talk back to me, or insinuate that I am attracted to you -" she hesitates and her face grows serious, agonized. "W'ton, I could lose my job if anyone was under the impression that I was interested in sleeping with you. And I know you think it's harmless. But not everyone in our class has known you for the last three Turns. They might think you weren't all talk. /Please/ don't make trouble for me or set a precedent for this sort of thing with the others. 'Well, shards, if W'ton can flirt with Phara, why can't I?' you know."
"Ma'am?" W'ton says with a curious tone, "I ain't been flirting with you. I made one comment just now and there's no one else around now is there? At least not that heard." Shaking his head he tells her, "You see that's what I mean. You assume I'm going to sit around and talk about your behind to people and that just ain't the case. Ain't been flirting with anyone, ma'am." Looking at the bluerider with widened eyes and an almost innocent expression he says, "You have not been around and all, ma'am, but I ain't flirted with anyone for a long time now. Don't suppose it matters and don't see any real reason to tell you, but to make sure you know, but I gave my word to someone I wouldn't be doing that no more."
"Hattie counts," Phara says in a low voice and lifts her eyebrows. "I just want /you/ and I to be perfectly clear. I'm not screwing up your chance to be a weyrling, don't screw this up for me. Now... anything you need to get off your chest, now that I'm done clearing my side?"
"My relationship with Hattie is right where it is supposed to be," W'ton says and there's a note in his voice that makes his words come out more firm than he might have intended. So, he stops and clears his throat. "What I'm saying, ma'am, is I've been nothing but a gentleman to Hattie and that's all my intentions are with her. She's got Elaruth to raise and I got Dasarth to deal with and we got time after for us. And I got no need to screw anything up for you, ma'am. You do seem to like to create a big ole problem with me where none exists, but that's been going on for awhile, ma'am so I just do my best to let it go. Said my peace. You just don't let yourself decide I need you giving me shit because of something I said last turn and we'll be fine."
Phara grimaces. "Three." She sets her fingertips against her chin. "You just phrase things prettier than B'kaiv does, but the two of you are cut from the same cloth." Head shaking, she says firmly, "I treat you exactly how I'd treat anyone else for the things you say /now/, W'ton. You're still making the same wrong assumptions you used to." She sighs and sets her hands to her knees. "Enjoy the meal, weyrling."
"Assistant weyrlingmaster Phara," W'ton says quietly and stands up to salute her. "You got no idea what I am made of. I respect your right to assume whatever you want of me, but that doesn't make it the truth. And if you'll listen back to my words I said so long as you don't do that, ma'am, we've got no problem. You need to correct me that's fine, but I want to know it's because I did something now. You tell me you can do that then we're fine. I got no problem with you, ma'am." He stops there and slides his hands into his pockets to grin at her. "And me and him ain't nothing at all alike. Do appreciate the meal, ma'am. Right kind of you."
Phara presses her lips together, "Three again. Yeah, yeah, that's me, a big barrel of kindness." She waves over her shoulder as she heads out the door.
"Shut up," W'ton tells Dasarth with a glare as the bronze shuffles around to lay his head on the cot right by the tray. "And keep yourself to yourself." Grimacing he shakes his head and then smirks at the bronze as he says, "Ain't listening to you now, buddy." Then he tucks into his meal so thoughtfully provided.