(no subject)
North Weyr(#75RAh)
This is the sanctuary of High Reaches' senior Weyrwoman. It's been decorated in shades of blue and green with the occasional splash of sunny yellow for contrast. As with the Weyrleader's weyr, it's divided into sections according to work, leisure and rest. The desk and scroll-shelves take up a corner of the weyr with the sitting area in the opposite corner, brightened with hand-woven rugs done in a square key pattern. The bed is small but filled with soft quilts and sheeting.
To the right is the archway that leads out onto the ledge occupied by the Weyr's senior gold. It's large enough for her and for a number of slightly smaller visitors. Directly opposite the entrance tunnel is a smaller tunnel hidden behind a thick curtain. The air is warmer around that curtain, hinting at the tunnel's destination.
Of all the things that the current acting senior could be doing on this autumn afternoon, when there is certainly work to be done and accounts to double-check and verify before deeming them complete, the woman is seated in front of a mirror playing with her hair. First her curls are gathered up into a loose bun, then they're dropped and allowed to fall back down to her shoulders where they bounce a moment before stilling. Then Sinopa rummages about the assorted collection of hair combs and picks, humming softly to herself. Near the woman is a pale yellow dress draped over a chair and the door of her wardrobe is open.
Vanya enters the weyr, pausing to make a polite greeting to the gold dragon. "Afternoon, Citalth," she says. "You're looking lovely today." Then she moves forward to "knock" on the entrance. "Sinopa? I have some of the research you asked for," she says, adding, "May I come in?" A quick glance around the weyr shows her where the weyrwoman is sitting, and the healer smiles. "That's really lovely, by the way," she says, nodding to the dress. "I still can't wait to have you meet Rappa. He will be thrilled to find someone who can appreciate his designs more than I can." She hovers in the doorway, grinning.
Sinopa starts, dropping a comb onto her table before she turns to grin broadly at Vanya. It's a look of being caught in the act - of slacking off. "Vanya!" she greets, warmly and brightly. "Come in, come in. I'd love to hear it." The goldrider stands up and then looks over at the dress, eyes twinkling as her gaze drifts back to the healer. "Ohh, didn't I tell you?" she queries, moving over towards the sitting area of her quarters where she and Vanya can sit and discuss the results. "I did meet him. That dress was designed by him. Sorry I didn't tell you. I couldn't find you when it came time for me to go get a dress for the social." A gesture to a seat, "Have a seat," she invites. "Can I get you anything?" Because assistants need to be provided with food and drink when they return from errands, yes.
"Ah! Well, I'm glad the two of you hit it off. I told you he'd do right by you," Vanya says, moving into the weyr. "Just some juice, if you have it? I had a good-sized lunch and I'm stuffed to the gills." She moves over to a chair and sits down. "You'll look beautiful in that dress. The color is so pretty. It'll warm things right up." Then she sorts through the hides. "I've made you a copy of everything I found, but I'll go over it with you now. Frankly, I couldn't find much out from the other weyrs, save their queens are rising as expected. And, like you said, the queens who go home or leave High Reaches rise soon after. Within a month or so." She sorts and finds the appropriate notes. "In fact, considering the fact Diya's gold rose after she left here, I can safely say there's something definitely inhibiting the golds here at Reaches. I'm betting its the fact there are so many of them in close proximity. Mind you, that's just supposition on my part, but it sound feasible. Any luck on getting a dragon healer here to talk to all the gold riders?"
"Oh, sorry. It doesn't keep very well," Sinopa replies, referring to juice of course. Wine and liquor preserve well, though juice does not. "He's a wonderful dressmaker," the goldrider agrees brightly, taking a seat near her assistant before she grins mischieviously. "You know, he sent something along for you, too." Settling into her chair she takes on a more serious expression and nods. "A month or more?" There's a ... slightly stressed little laugh that follows that, and then a nod - in reference to the dragonhealer. So easily the mood changes.
Vanya nods. "That bothered me, too," she says, her brow knitting. "It's impossible for Citalth or you to be gone from here that long, so we've got to find another way. Is there any sign of her being ready to rise?" At the mention of her brother sending something along for her, Vanya smiles. "He did? That's /so/ like him. He's determined to see me dressed properly. Well, what /he/ considers proper, at least." She smiles fondly at the thought of her brother. "But, the Master Dragon Healer may have some suggestions. Other than sending the Caucus queens home, I can't think of anything. There are herbs which inhibit a woman's cycle, but that's not what we need here, and I don't know enough about dragons to even begin suggesting anything."
"I could... take off for a few hours each day, maybe. Go to Ista, do some work there," the goldrider muses, "Though I've no doubt my... opponents would seek to use that against me." A shake of her head and she focuses on the situation at hand. "He may. I've not heard from a dragonhealer in regards to that." A sigh then as her gaze turns downwards, the woman seemingly drooping for a moment before she looks up and grins at Vanya. "You /will/ be attending, you know. In fact, as your superior I /order/ you to go," she says officiously, though the accompanying wink gives away the joke.
Vanya regards Sinopa for a long moment. "That's not a bad idea, but you're right about others using it to their advantage." She's quiet for a moment, then, "Well, what if you /were/ going about on weyr business? I mean, visiting the various holds beholden to High Reaches? Diplomatic missions, visiting the Lord Holders to assure them they are being covered, especially Nabol's new holder. I can help you write up reports that you can hand in. You're very good at charming people, and there's got to be concern in Nabol after the recent ... well, troubles. So, maybe spending a little time away from here might help on two fronts." At the mention of the Star Social, though, Vanya kind of loses a bit of her smile. "I ... well, I'd thought about going for a little while. I do enjoy watching the dancing. But, this sounds very much like a couple's thing, so I didn't plan on staying long. I will, however, go -- since my /superior/ orders me to." And the smile returns.
"Vanya, you're brilliant!" Sinopa replies, that slightly sullen mood from earlier disappearing. "We'll travel on weyr business and just be.. out a little bit more. Sounds perfect. I'm certain that Kalinda wouldn't mind a visitor now and then, either... been a while since the two of us had a chat," she ponders, winking at Vanya. "It'll do you good to get out," she encourages. "It'll be fun, there's plenty of handsome young men to dance with. Besides, your brother sent you such a beautiful dress. It's a very lovely rose colored gown. You'll break hearts in it." After a moment she adds softly, "But you don't /have/ to go if you don't want to."
"I'll go, Sinopa, no worries on that," Vanya says. "I'd really planned to go for a little while, anyway, and I'd love to see you in that dress." She looks at the one Rappa sent for her. "It is lovely, and it seems a shame to not wear it. But, you're going to steal the show. I can't compete with you, so I'm not even going to try." She gives a soft smile and reaches a hand to give Sinopa's arm a gentle squeeze. "So, have you been getting to know the bronzeriders?" she asks. "And, believe me, people are noticing you out and about in the weyr. I think you have some folks a little worried." There's a wink with that statement. "And, I do have some info for you on transfers and all. That's in this stack." She lays a pile of hides on the table. "You have a couple of advantages over Roa. Citalth has proven herself, and you're from High Reaches. That means something now."
"Don't be so modest," the weyrwoman chides gently, playfully. "We'll make you look absolutely /lovely/. With just the right hair and the right dress..." with that Sinopa stands up and then bustles over to the wardrobe where she takes out a rose dress, the one clearly meant for Vanya, and then approaches, "You'll be the star of the show." Obviously if Vanya were to somehow outcompete the lovely Sinopa, the weyrwoman wouldn't mind terribly. "Ah, on the transfers... I'll look over those documents later for something useful." But dresses and socials are far more interesting to talk about, no?
Vanya chuckles and sighs. "I'm not going to even try to compete with you, but I won't mind you helping me with my hair and all. I've tried to do it myself a time or two, but not often. I do better with other people's hair. Faranth knows I helped my cousins often enough to get ready for parties and all I was never invited to." There's a hint of sadness in her tone. "After all, a father with two very eligible daughters doesn't want competition for them." A pause. "Not that I would have been. They're both very lovely girls ... on the outside." As for the hides. "I found a bit of stuff here in the Records Room, but the girl, Miniyal... well, I got the impression she was watching very carefully what hides and records I was looking at. Any idea where she might stand in all this? I don't want to tip our hand if she's going to run to someone with information. She strikes me as the type to be quite mercenary."
Sinopa beams at Vanya, delighted that the healer is willing to participate in all the fun of gussying up and going to the social. "Oh, I will. We'll make you look so lovely, then go and steal the show together. We'll have lots of fun and break hearts at the social." The dress from Rappa for Vanya is set on one of the chairs and Sinopa reseats herself. "Miniyal, hmm? I hear that she's involved with Ganathon. I'd... not consider her an ally," the weyrwoman advises. "She was a records keeper for a while. I'm not sure if her interest is lingering from that, or if she's part of them." Yes, the nebulous 'them' finally has a tangible name attached to it.
Vanya's lips compress into a thoughtful line. "All right, then I'll see if I can't find time when she's /not/ in the records room to slip in there to complete my work. I've been trying to be discreet, but it's been noticed I've bounced around a bit lately." She continues to think on this, but then shrugs. "Well, /they/ can speculate all the want to, but we've got just a bit of an edge on things. R'zel warned me to be careful the other night. I think he's afraid of things getting violent again. I'm not sure if they will, but there are those around I don't trust. Keep a very careful eye on Citalth, and ... well, watch yourself, too. If there's a cook you trust implicitly, get them to start bringing you meals. It's perfectly acceptable as a practice, and you can always claim you're too busy to go to the cavern. I ran into a cook today in the baths. Young man, seemed nice. Kale. Might try to see if he'd cook for you. He seems very proud of his ability, and providing meals for the Weyrwoman would be a feather in his cap."
A brow lifts as the warnings are issued. "You think that something might be going on? Something drastic?" the weyrwoman asks softly, looking very concerned at the news. "I'd not like anything to get violent. Citalth and I... we'll take care of ourselves. And you, take care of yourself as well. We'll be... very careful, yes." There's a glance thrown at the gold, who's lounging on her ledge some more. Lazy thing, no wonder she's such a pudgeball of a dragon. "Kale," she repeats slowly, before her glance flickers back to Vanya. "Is there... anything else? I think that there's some business at Fort that ought to be attended to soon." Oh yes, Sinopa is going to get a start on this 'getting out' business.
"Well, R'hal came in when I was in the baths, too," Vanya mentions, her brow still creased a bit. "Wingsecond for 1A. Ganathon's old wing, and J'cor's wing, now." She pauses a moment, fingering her notes. "We talked a bit about what he'd like to see in weyrleaders. He didn't say much, except he would like to keep his position. He doesn't seem very happy J'cor replaced him with Ch'dais." She pauses again. "He's respected, and I'm not certain he wouldn't be worth cultivating as much as the bronzeriders. It never hurts to have allies, especially ones no one knows about."
"You're the second person I've heard to mention him and his situation," Sinopa replies, sounding surprised at the mention of R'hal. "I met with R'vain and we talked briefly. R'hal came up in conversation. Though... I've heard of him before. He's somewhat well known, especially among the wingleaders." And the weyrleaders, apparently. A headshake. "It's a tough situation," she agrees, "Tough for a brownrider. Tough for a very loyal rider."
Vanya nods. "Exactly. I get the feeling that sympathy -- well disguised, of course -- may work with some of these riders who really know what they're doing and are getting passed over. I know it sounds radical, but ability really should count for something at times. And, like you say, he's respected. He might have quite a bit of sway with other riders, and, well, I've heard half the battle for weyrleader is popularity." She shrugs again. "He said he would be at the Social, so maybe I'll snag him for a dance then steer him toward you, to meet you and all. I'm not as charming in social situations as you are." She pauses. "R'vain. I like him, though he's a bit ... well, he's no E'sere." She grins. "Not many are, unfortunately."
"It's not as though there's no precedent for it," Sinopa interjects. "After all... Weyrleader Igen took a transferred brownrider and made /him/ a wingleader. I'd say that R'hal has far more followers who believe in him than a transferred rider, wouldn't you?" A shake of her head as she agrees, "R'vain is no E'sere. Not even close," she agrees, "But we're not looking for a substitute for him, are we?" A pointed look, that. "He's the Weyrlingmaster, which has put him in a rather advantageous position over the turns." Clout, and the ability to brainwash younglings.
Another nod from Vanya, and a raised eyebrow. "I'd not looked at that aspect before. What do you think of him as a possible weyrleader, though? Do you think he could handle the ... well, the diplomatic side of things? Or, do you think he'd be willing to let you take care of that?" She ponders this herself for a moment. "If there's precedent for it, well, maybe it should be encouraged? High Reaches needs to get back some of it's own identity, and stop importing leaders and all. Once we start getting more eggs on the sands, we won't need them. It would be best if the weyrleader could be from Reaches, or long enough here they've become Reachians." As for R'hal, she seems to agree wholeheartedly. "Yes, I do. Everyone seems to respect him a great deal. He needs to have his chance to lead a wing. In my opinion, that is. But, that's up to the weyrleader, not me. And, the only thing you have to watch for in R'vain is he's very close to Essdara, and she's firmly in Roa's court."
"Weyrleaders care more for the wings than the inner workings of the weyr. I've no doubt he might rub a few Holders the wrong way, but... I could soothe things over, I'm certain. He's no inexperienced rider and he's well-known. Maybe not well-liked..." she muses, "But he would be a good option, yes. A different leader than E'sere would have been." A brow is raised, "And who would this... Essdara be? And... why would she matter? R'vain seems... power-hungry enough that he might be tempted to forsake some of his friends. If it made him weyrleader."
"She's a cook he hangs around with. You saw her the other day at lunch. She's the one who took off when we came in. She's been a friend to me, but lately ... well, like I said, she's firmly in Roa's court and R'vain's bed. So, just be warned." Vanya nods, though, to the power hungry remark. "Well, a man hungering for power is a very useful man. If guided correctly, R'vain may be a very strong contender, and I'd rather us be the ones to attract him, if possible. But, he's not stupid, so be careful." She glances over toward the entrance. "I'd best be getting back to work on things. I'm still going through all those books and hides R'zel gave me on dragon healing. And, if I'm going to the social, I'd best be trying on my dress, too." She grins, standing up. "You've a copy of everything I found, Sinopa," she adds, grinning. "I'll drop in here tomorrow before we go to the social and let you have a go with my hair."
The warning earns a nod, and that's all, from Sinopa. "He seemed... rather receptive to the idea of collaborating. Though, we never actually dicussed much." The promise of hair and dressing up earns a wide grin and she nods, "Come by and we'll get you in that dress and then make you look positively lovely before we hit the social. I appreciate your help in all this," she adds, standing up. "We'll be off to Fort, shortly. If anyone asks I stepped out for business."