[Log] Replacement
Who: Raija (NPC), R'dur, Ronari
When: Day 21, Month 11, Turn 12
Where: Lakeshore, Telgar Weyr
What: R'dur finds a new wingleader for Thunderbolt.
Telgar Weyr Lake Shore
The vegetation thickens near the lake, becoming a meadow that runs along the edge of a narrow, sandy beach. The sands spill down into a crystal lake to the north, lapping against the crater walls to the north and east. A fence runs northwest-southeast, blocking off the lake from the feeding grounds. The grass is thick with autumn, and the long strands are beginning to seed. The few trees that stand on the banks of the lake are in their full splendor with leaves of red, gold, and brown. There are dark green water lilies on the lake, but they are no longer blossoming. In one corner of the meadow, Telgar's herb garden makes the air thick with the smell of mint and thyme, and the chives are in full bloom. Around it, a few fall flowers are blossoming. The lake is cast into dark shadows, though it reflects the lights from the weyrs and the sky overhead, making a constellation in the waters.
Contents:
Suraveth
Brimath
Obvious exits:
Bowl Lake
In the autumn, Telgar is bright with the turning colors, inside and out, and cool breezes sweep across the bowl, heralding snow in the next month. But tonight, it's clear and crystal as the sun sets over the lake; R'dur is out by it with Raija, the three-turn-old toddling around him in a too-big coat while he sits nearby and watches her.
The seasons turn, and in Ronari's opinion it is far too cold out for a swim, but Suraveth doesn't think so. And Suraveth inevitably gets her way. As the green lumbers out into the surf, Ronari spies R'dur, along with a small child she doesn't recognize, and ambles their way--careful not to get wet. "Good evening," she says quietly, not wishing to startle anyone. "Mind if I join you?"
"Ronari," says R'dur, glancing around and offering a warm smile to the young woman. "Hi. No, please, come join us--Raija was a little wound up this evening, so I thought I'd let her run around a little. Bri--Brijana--appreciates it when she's actually, you know. Not bouncing off the walls; that's why we have Tiriana, after all. How are you, and Suraveth?" The little girl continues her gamboling, though she shoots the woman with her father a curious look before continuing again.
"I'm well and she's...Sura; I don't think anything could take the bounce out of her," Ronari admits with a small sigh. "Been busy." She runs one gloved hand through her hair, briefly hiding the fatigue in her face and slightly pink-rimmed eyes. "How've you been?" she continues, sparing the child a cursory glance.
"No, likely not," admits R'dur, with a shake of his head and a wry smile. "The dragons... they don't change so much, do they? Alidaeth is still Alidaeth, the same as he ever was." There's something wistful in his tone, and he glances away from the greenrider to call Raija over. She's tiring out already, and comes willingly over to curl up against her father. R'dur offers, "We're well enough, Bri and myself and the family. Raija's finally, hopefully, starting to get out of the terrible twos, at least."
Ronari offers a wry grin and shakes her head. "I'm certainly glad to hear that. You know, I'm still not sure you lot aren't collectively mental--parents I mean." She laughs a little to show she's teasing, and lowers herself to a squat, trailing her fingers through the sand. "How's Cyrra been?"
"I... think most of us might be, at that," agrees R'dur sheepishly, blushing as he glances down. "Raija is three, like I said; Ysalia's eight now, and..." He shakes his head. "And I won't trouble you about Tiriana, who is in the midst of the terrible fifteens." He wrinkles his nose, and studies the water a moment, one hang absently ruffling his younger daughter's hair while she yawns. "She's well, I think--I don't see her often these days, I'm so busy and she's so busy. But, er. I was wondering. Can I ask you something?" More serious now, he glances sideways at the greenrider.
Ronari grins and chews on her lower lip, one hand subconsciously lifting to caress her jaw--perhaps remembering a long ago injury. "Tiriana might e trouble--she had a wicked right hook," Ronari recalls, though her tone is more amused than bitter. "I haven't been able to catch her either, so it's good to hear she's well." At the brownrider's more serious seeming question, she shifts backwards, landing with a soft 'thud' in the sand. Curling her knees to her chest, she wraps her arms around them and rests her chin between them. "You can."
"She has a wicked everything," confesses R'dur helplessly. "If I make it two days without a complaint about her, I consider myself lucky. She..." He doesn't finish, just shrugs and gives up. Instead, he releases a breath, hands fidgeting again in one of those nervous moves he still hasn't quite outgrown. Finally, he says slowly, "You know I've been pulling a sort of--double-duty, the last few months, forever long. As Weyrsecond and wingleader of Thunderbolt. And it's not--it's too much for one person to do, but we... I--anyway, would you--would you be interested in, in being wingleader? Replacing me, I mean?" He bites his lower lip, studying her anxiously.
Ronari can't help but snicker quietly at R'dur's observation of Tiriana, accurate as it may be. When he lets the sentence fade out she doesn't push him, merely nodding her head in understanding sympathy. Listening to him lead up to the question, her face twists in confusion, but she's not in the dark for long. She chews on her lower lip, and for a few moments there is silence, broken only by the sounds of a far-off splashing green. Finally she takes a deep breath and exhales, her words trailing out at the end of said exhalation. "Why me?" she asks quietly, turning to face him with a slightly puzzled expression. "Out of all the capable riders in our wing--many of whom have experience from the last Pass--isn't there someone better qualified?" A logical Ronari; has the world come to an end?
"Because..." R'dur struggles against his inability to find words, grimacing as his tongue fails him. Raija is half-asleep by now, despite the increasingly nervous movements that brush against her as R'dur's nerve, always fragile, starts to fail. "Because you're capable. And--and you know, you're not inexperienced, not now--and--and--experience only counts so much. I mean, I didn't... I didn't even, before this. Have any, I mean. And... Everybody from the last Pass, most of them anyway, they just want to... retire, enjoy their lives--they already served their time. I'm sorry."
Even now, as used to R'dur's manner as Ronari is, she still finds his sentences hard to follow sometimes, and so for a moment all she can do is stare, blinking. Soon she puts it all together, and a slow smile pulls her lips up. "Sorry? Whatever for?" she asks, half interested and half stalling for time to think.
"Because, er. It's what I do?" says R'dur weakly, cheeks flushing again. "Or what I am, anyway. I'm sorry for just, um, springing this on you, and everything, and if you'd rather think about it--or just rather not--it's okay, it's really okay with me, I understand, really."
Thoughts seems to fly through Ronari's head at quite an impressive pace, as her facial expressions change a little with each new thought. Finally she seems to have reached some decision, because her face goes mercifully blank. She raises her head, lifting her chin and nodding sharply once. "I'll do it," she says quietly, but there's a firmness to her words that matches the set of her jaw. "If you think I can be of some help to you, I'll do it."
R'dur does not seem to expect that answer, because he's still looking fidgety and stressed. Until her answer, when he looks around again, eyes widening. "You--you will?" he says, surprised. And then a broad smile spreads across his face. "Thank you, Ronari. Really. I appreciate it. I'll let E'tyn know, and if you want, I can come to drills a few days to help you settle in, before I go to Icewind full-time. I... I definitely make a better second than leader," he admits.
Ronari nods, pale blue eyes flitting back and forth over the horizon as she thinks. "That would be most appreciated, R'dur," she answers, her voice still soft and her face set, even as she flashes him a reassuring smile. "Who are my seconds?" she asks, down to business and thinking quickly.
"That's your choice, wingleader," says R'dur, with a small smile. "Pick whoever you'd like. T'bay served me well, but... I expect he wants time to spend with his family, too, now; that's why he let me take over as wingleader in the first place."
Ronari nods, returning R'dur's smile. "I'll certainly take that into consideration, weyrsecond," she replies, returning the title with only the barest hint of tease in her voice. Something seems to trouble her then, and her face clouds over as she sucks her lower lip back into her mouth, chewing it in thoughtful concern. "Won't they object though? Being asked to follow a green rider...in both senses of the word?"
R'dur hesitates, frowning. "When I took over," he says slowly, "they didn't think much of me. I was young, I could barely get through a conversation on my own, let alone lead a wing. But--they might tease you, or prank you sometimes, but they do it because you're one of them and while they'll give you a hard time, they won't let anyone else, and they'll follow you. They'll help you, too, if you need anything--they've always been willing to do so for me, you know how the wing is."
Ronari takes her time in processing this, lids sliding down over eyes that have been called both dreamy and frightening. "I do, thank you." There's another short pause in which her eyes glaze a bit, the familiar expression of a rider in silent conversation. Suddenly the silence is broekn by her hearty laugh, and she tilts her head back and lets it go. "Sura wants to know if this means she can stop holding back when the wing does races." She shakes her head, still grinning, and attempts to explain. "She never would let go before, because she thought it would hurt the bigger dragons' 'masculine pride' to be beaten by a female--and a green at that. Now she asks if maybe it won't be so bad to be beaten by the wingleader's green. Good flaming Golds, sometimes she says the silliest things."
R'dur laughs at that, nodding. "She can do whatever she wants. Within reason, of course, but. You /are/ the wingleader now," he reminds her with a smile.
Ronari shudders at his last statement, a bit of reality sinking in. Her smile only falters for a split second before she shakes her head, running her hand through her hair again. "Yeah, yeah I guess I am." She spares a glance to the sleeping child curled against R'dur and rises, offering her hand to him as she does. "Thank you, sir. I won't let you down. However, I did promise Gay I'd look into some of the newer charts before breakfast tomorrow, so I'd better get back. You coming?"
"Yeah, I best get Raija home," says R'dur as he stands up and picks the little girl up. She's well and truly asleep by now, though, as he holds her and offers a hand to Ronari. "Thank you, for doing this. I appreciate it," he tells her, "and you'll do fine."