The Weyrleader Consult
If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. ~Dan Quayle
OOC Date: April 18, 2010
IC Date: Day 7, Month 7, Turn 22
Who: G'brion, K'del
Where: Council Chambers, High Reaches Weyr
G'brion goes to the weyrleader for help with Pterath, but he doesn't get it.
It's nearing dinnertime, and G'brion is looking for the weyrleader. He tried K'del's weyr first, and finding it empty, here he comes from the tunnel to see if there's anyone in the council chamber. He's biting his lip - it makes him look like a nervous squirrel.
There is someone in the Council Chamber - and it /is/ K'del. It can't possibly be official work hours, though, given the bare foot propped up on one uncomfortable chair, the way he leans back in another of them; he's reading, one hand holding the hides in place, the other idling wiping at the condensation on his glass. At the sound of footfalls, though, he glances up, surprise shading into thoughtfulness as he considers G'brion. "Looking for me?" he asks, cadence raising at the end questioningly.
"Hi," Gabe says with a nervous smile. "Yeah, uh, I wanted to talk to you about something? I mean, if you're not busy," he adds hastily. "If you're busy, I can just come back later or something." He shoves his hands into his pockets.
"Not busy," K'del assures, tacking his words on pretty much as soon as G'brion has finished speaking. His hides get set down on the table and he beckons the weyrling in, drawing his foot back towards the floor and pressing his hands to the tabletop. "And hi, G'brion. What's up?"
G'brion heads into the room, withdrawing his hands from his pockets again. "So, uh. Meara said maybe I should talk to you?" he says tentatively. "Because she said you had... issues. With Cadejoth." Which maybe isn't quite the way to put it, but there it is.
Sudden understanding floods K'del's expression, and he gives a little nod of confirmation. "Want to sit? Make yourself comfortable. Can offer you a dri-- you allowed to drink, yet? Always forget." Beat. That's a side issue, apparently, because he hurriedly continues, "Yeah. We had a... rough start, I guess. Take it that you and Pterath are, too?"
"We can, a little," Gabe says as he slides into a chair. "It's, um. Maybe a little bit? She was doing this thing where she made me itch whenever she got pissed off about something," he says, and makes a face. "But that's better, at least mostly. They showed me how to kind of block it out some and she doesn't do it as much now that it doesn't really work. She still, like - she gets mad really easy. Not just at me, but other dragons, too."
The whiskey bottle on the table gets pushed vaguely in G'brion's direction by way of offering, but K'del has abandoned his own drink to consider what the weyrling says directly. "Sounds difficult," he comments, easily, though not without sincerity. "Likes things her way? With Cadejoth it was... he hated me doing things without him. Being left behind. And he'd break stuff, or do things wrong, and I resented-- well. It took some getting used to, I guess. Working out a balance between us."
G'brion nods as he listens to what K'del has to say. He picks up the bottle and looks around to locate another glass so he can pour for himself - just a little bit, which he sips carefully. Whiskey is obviously not his usual drink of choice. "She used to be kind of clingy like that, but not as much," he says. "Mainly it's - if I do something she doesn't want me to do. Or if I don't do something she does want me to do. Or if I don't do things the WAY she thinks I should. She's kind of... picky, I guess?"
"She's got very strict ideas of what should be?" surmises K'del, though there's something of a question in that, too. He makes a face. "Must make it difficult. If it helps... Cadejoth grew out of a lot of stuff. And it just... got easier. Because he could do more without me, maybe, so he had his own stuff to think about. Maybe that'll help with Pterath, too."
"Yeah," Gabe says, nodding as if K'del's hit close to the mark, in describing the problem. "And like, she's got really strict ideas about how /I/ should be. She always wants me to stop thinking about things and just /do/ stuff. Except then sometimes when I do, she gets mad. So it's kind of impossible to keep her happy, you know? I don't want her to be unhappy. You think she'll grow out of it, then?" He frowns slightly.
K'del's frown matches G'brion's, though there's a definite thoughtfulness to it, too. "Can't promise that she will," he says, plainly. "Just because Cadejoth grew out of some of his stuff, doesn't mean she will. Part of who she is, if she's like this now, you know? But she's old enough now that you can share how you feel, maybe, and-- just don't let her get away with stuff, I guess." Putting this into words is obviously not quite as easy as he'd like it to be; he frowns harder, then reaches for his glass. "Guess the point is, she /is/ still a little kid, in dragon terms. I'm probably not making much sense, huh?"
G'brion shrugs his shoulders and sinks in the chair a little, taking another sip of whiskey. "Ah... well I know she's like a little kid. I don't see how I can - I mean, I /don't/ let her get away with stuff. But that's what makes her mad, you know?"
K'del's expression is sympathetic, though he waits until he's rolled /his/ whiskey around on his tongue for a few moments, and then swallowed, before he answers. "I know," he says, simply. "But... you have to be willing to let her get mad, I guess. Sometimes. When it's necessary. For me... I had to learn to /show/ Cadejoth why he was upsetting me, mentally. So he'd understand. Used to just ignore him, sometimes, and he'd sit there and howl and it was awful."
"Did that really work?" G'brion looks anxious at the very thought. "I feel like... like she'd just get madder, if I did that."
"Ignoring him? Or showing him that he was upsetting him?" K'del shakes his head. "The ignoring... just made things worse. Don't do that. But showing him how he was making me feel? Eventually. Took some working out, but we got there. Can't promise it'd work with her, any of it. Every dragon's different, and all. If the idea upsets you... then no, maybe it's not a good idea." He looks wary, awkward, even.
"Showing," Gabe confirms. He shifts slightly in the chair. "Yeah, I don't know. I just wish she wouldn't get mad so much." He looks down at the floor. "I guess I'll just, uh... I don't know. Deal with it."
K'del's nose wrinkles, and he looks, for a moment, like he has no idea at all what to say. Then; "Talk to her. Be gentle. Show her good feelings: how excited you are about things, maybe, or what makes you happy. Include her in them. Maybe that wouldn't upset her?"
G'brion looks confused, for a moment, as if that makes no sense to him, but then he nods his head. "Okay," he says. "I can try that." He looks into the glass, and then gulps down the last of the whiskey in it. It makes his eyes water, and he reaches up to scrub at his face with his hand, then rises from the chair. "Thanks for the advice," he says. "I should let you get back to reading, I guess."
K'del opens his mouth as though he intends to clarify, but shuts it again and just looks awkward, as G'brion nods, then rises. "I--" he begins. And, "Wish I could be more help, G'brion. Wish I had an easy answer for you." He runs one hand through his hair.
G'brion nods again, and smiles weakly. "Yeah," he says. "Well - it's not supposed to be easy, right? That's what they say. ...thanks," he says again, and then turns around and hurries out, walking with a discouraged posture.
Again, K'del opens his mouth in some attempt to say something, but nothing comes out. Not until after G'brion is gone, at least, when he says, simply, "/Fuck/." Yeah. Nice going there, K'del. Real helpful.
OOC Date: April 18, 2010
IC Date: Day 7, Month 7, Turn 22
Who: G'brion, K'del
Where: Council Chambers, High Reaches Weyr
G'brion goes to the weyrleader for help with Pterath, but he doesn't get it.
It's nearing dinnertime, and G'brion is looking for the weyrleader. He tried K'del's weyr first, and finding it empty, here he comes from the tunnel to see if there's anyone in the council chamber. He's biting his lip - it makes him look like a nervous squirrel.
There is someone in the Council Chamber - and it /is/ K'del. It can't possibly be official work hours, though, given the bare foot propped up on one uncomfortable chair, the way he leans back in another of them; he's reading, one hand holding the hides in place, the other idling wiping at the condensation on his glass. At the sound of footfalls, though, he glances up, surprise shading into thoughtfulness as he considers G'brion. "Looking for me?" he asks, cadence raising at the end questioningly.
"Hi," Gabe says with a nervous smile. "Yeah, uh, I wanted to talk to you about something? I mean, if you're not busy," he adds hastily. "If you're busy, I can just come back later or something." He shoves his hands into his pockets.
"Not busy," K'del assures, tacking his words on pretty much as soon as G'brion has finished speaking. His hides get set down on the table and he beckons the weyrling in, drawing his foot back towards the floor and pressing his hands to the tabletop. "And hi, G'brion. What's up?"
G'brion heads into the room, withdrawing his hands from his pockets again. "So, uh. Meara said maybe I should talk to you?" he says tentatively. "Because she said you had... issues. With Cadejoth." Which maybe isn't quite the way to put it, but there it is.
Sudden understanding floods K'del's expression, and he gives a little nod of confirmation. "Want to sit? Make yourself comfortable. Can offer you a dri-- you allowed to drink, yet? Always forget." Beat. That's a side issue, apparently, because he hurriedly continues, "Yeah. We had a... rough start, I guess. Take it that you and Pterath are, too?"
"We can, a little," Gabe says as he slides into a chair. "It's, um. Maybe a little bit? She was doing this thing where she made me itch whenever she got pissed off about something," he says, and makes a face. "But that's better, at least mostly. They showed me how to kind of block it out some and she doesn't do it as much now that it doesn't really work. She still, like - she gets mad really easy. Not just at me, but other dragons, too."
The whiskey bottle on the table gets pushed vaguely in G'brion's direction by way of offering, but K'del has abandoned his own drink to consider what the weyrling says directly. "Sounds difficult," he comments, easily, though not without sincerity. "Likes things her way? With Cadejoth it was... he hated me doing things without him. Being left behind. And he'd break stuff, or do things wrong, and I resented-- well. It took some getting used to, I guess. Working out a balance between us."
G'brion nods as he listens to what K'del has to say. He picks up the bottle and looks around to locate another glass so he can pour for himself - just a little bit, which he sips carefully. Whiskey is obviously not his usual drink of choice. "She used to be kind of clingy like that, but not as much," he says. "Mainly it's - if I do something she doesn't want me to do. Or if I don't do something she does want me to do. Or if I don't do things the WAY she thinks I should. She's kind of... picky, I guess?"
"She's got very strict ideas of what should be?" surmises K'del, though there's something of a question in that, too. He makes a face. "Must make it difficult. If it helps... Cadejoth grew out of a lot of stuff. And it just... got easier. Because he could do more without me, maybe, so he had his own stuff to think about. Maybe that'll help with Pterath, too."
"Yeah," Gabe says, nodding as if K'del's hit close to the mark, in describing the problem. "And like, she's got really strict ideas about how /I/ should be. She always wants me to stop thinking about things and just /do/ stuff. Except then sometimes when I do, she gets mad. So it's kind of impossible to keep her happy, you know? I don't want her to be unhappy. You think she'll grow out of it, then?" He frowns slightly.
K'del's frown matches G'brion's, though there's a definite thoughtfulness to it, too. "Can't promise that she will," he says, plainly. "Just because Cadejoth grew out of some of his stuff, doesn't mean she will. Part of who she is, if she's like this now, you know? But she's old enough now that you can share how you feel, maybe, and-- just don't let her get away with stuff, I guess." Putting this into words is obviously not quite as easy as he'd like it to be; he frowns harder, then reaches for his glass. "Guess the point is, she /is/ still a little kid, in dragon terms. I'm probably not making much sense, huh?"
G'brion shrugs his shoulders and sinks in the chair a little, taking another sip of whiskey. "Ah... well I know she's like a little kid. I don't see how I can - I mean, I /don't/ let her get away with stuff. But that's what makes her mad, you know?"
K'del's expression is sympathetic, though he waits until he's rolled /his/ whiskey around on his tongue for a few moments, and then swallowed, before he answers. "I know," he says, simply. "But... you have to be willing to let her get mad, I guess. Sometimes. When it's necessary. For me... I had to learn to /show/ Cadejoth why he was upsetting me, mentally. So he'd understand. Used to just ignore him, sometimes, and he'd sit there and howl and it was awful."
"Did that really work?" G'brion looks anxious at the very thought. "I feel like... like she'd just get madder, if I did that."
"Ignoring him? Or showing him that he was upsetting him?" K'del shakes his head. "The ignoring... just made things worse. Don't do that. But showing him how he was making me feel? Eventually. Took some working out, but we got there. Can't promise it'd work with her, any of it. Every dragon's different, and all. If the idea upsets you... then no, maybe it's not a good idea." He looks wary, awkward, even.
"Showing," Gabe confirms. He shifts slightly in the chair. "Yeah, I don't know. I just wish she wouldn't get mad so much." He looks down at the floor. "I guess I'll just, uh... I don't know. Deal with it."
K'del's nose wrinkles, and he looks, for a moment, like he has no idea at all what to say. Then; "Talk to her. Be gentle. Show her good feelings: how excited you are about things, maybe, or what makes you happy. Include her in them. Maybe that wouldn't upset her?"
G'brion looks confused, for a moment, as if that makes no sense to him, but then he nods his head. "Okay," he says. "I can try that." He looks into the glass, and then gulps down the last of the whiskey in it. It makes his eyes water, and he reaches up to scrub at his face with his hand, then rises from the chair. "Thanks for the advice," he says. "I should let you get back to reading, I guess."
K'del opens his mouth as though he intends to clarify, but shuts it again and just looks awkward, as G'brion nods, then rises. "I--" he begins. And, "Wish I could be more help, G'brion. Wish I had an easy answer for you." He runs one hand through his hair.
G'brion nods again, and smiles weakly. "Yeah," he says. "Well - it's not supposed to be easy, right? That's what they say. ...thanks," he says again, and then turns around and hurries out, walking with a discouraged posture.
Again, K'del opens his mouth in some attempt to say something, but nothing comes out. Not until after G'brion is gone, at least, when he says, simply, "/Fuck/." Yeah. Nice going there, K'del. Real helpful.