LOG: Waiting Around, Doing Nothing.
Date: Day 13, Month 12, Turn 20
Location: Nighthearth, High Reaches Weyr
Synopsis: K'del chats to Ebeny about the wing, and then about Crom. She raises some concerns he's not yet thought about.
Nighthearth, High Reaches Weyr
With its entrance located between the kitchen and the living cavern, this tiny bubble cavern is cozy, always kept warm and is filled with comfortable chairs and a small round table. At the far end, there's a hearth, outlined in ruddy, aging bricks, where a pot of stew simmers in the evening hours. Generally quiet, the nighthearth is the haunt of insomniacs and those seeking quiet from the bustle of daily Weyr life.
Miserable: wet and windy, and it's no wonder, then, that more than a few people have taken refuge indoors. It's been a few hours since Avalanche's drills broke up, but K'del is either still wet or well and truly wet again, as he makes his entrance from the caverns, headed directly towards the hearth and the klah pot, leaving a dripping path in his wake. His hands shake a little, probably from cold, as he attempts to pour himself a drink, and he swears quietly under his breath as he spills some on his hand.
"Don't tell me the rain got you twice in one day, sir." Ebeny's voice from a little way across the room, the greenrider curled up in a chair with a book balanced at a somewhat awkward angle against her legs. She studies the attempted pouring and adds, quietly, "I'd ask if you'd like some help, but it sounds terrible patronizing from here." From the look of her, she doesn't know whether to smile or not and therefore ends up looking a bit helpless instead.
"Think," says K'del, a moment later, turning around so that he can see Ebeny as he address her, wiping his hand on his trousers, "Maybe I'd better let my hands warm up first. Save myself on further embarrassment." He, at least, manages to smile, though his hands get held awkwardly behind him, as close to the hearth as they can get. "You'd think having a weyr with a direct path to the caverns /indoors/ would protect me from the rain... but you'd be wrong. How're you finding it, Ebeny?"
"I saw nothing," Ebeny promises, closing her book save for fingers kept between pages to temporarily mark where she's read up to. Now she manages a faint smile and nods an unnecessary affirmative. "I like the winter - crazy, I know - and I'm enjoying drills so far, so can't complain. But you know how it goes, ask me in six month's time and maybe I'll have a different answer." Her smile makes it all the way to a proper grin. Perhaps she's joking. "Nobody has actually tried to depose you yet, right?"
"Wise woman," laughs K'del, wiggling his fingers in an obvious effort to encourage the de-frosting efforts to get a move on. "But you're Reachian born and bred, aren't you? So that'd be less surprising, maybe. Glad, though, that you're enjoying drills. And Laurienth? She likes it, too?" He grins, too, and even his answer to her last doesn't dispel that one; "Suppose it's possible the intention was to drown me, this afternoon, but if so, they've failed this one. Give it time. What do /you/ think? Should I be deposed? Am I a traitor?"
"I am," the greenrider confirms. "And yes, she is. She likes to be active, doing things. Getting things right is quite important to her, so I suspect she'll keep on enjoying the work." Ebeny dips her head a little and laughs at his drowning remark, but instead addresses the questions posed her way. "I think it's a sensible idea. You don't change, you don't progress. Given the past, it was bound to make some people angry, anxious even. You're not a traitor. The past can't hold you back forever."
K'del wipes his hands on his trousers, as though, once again, this will make a difference. "So the key is to keep her challenged," he muses, his expression thoughtful for it. "So that there's always something new to get right." Her comments on Crom do much to keep that thoughtful expression in place. "Good," he says, sounding pleased. "Makes a big difference, for people who were here for all of the... nastiness, to feel that way. And you don't think it's beneath dragonriders, to farm?"
"Mostly," Ebeny agrees, a little hesitant, likely thinking how to phrase what follows. "Keep her occupied so that she doesn't..." One hand dives towards her book and taps against the cover. "Crash. Get in a foul mood. New things, challenged, yes." Any awkwardness on her part mostly fades when she states, "I don't think it's beneath anyone to do anything. Why shouldn't we farm? Then, I've not been a rider all that long, so maybe I'm not quite tuned-in to the right mentality yet?" She sighs softly and taps her fingers against the book again. "I know that's not very helpful at all."
If K'del had paper with him, he might be taking notes on this; there's no doubt that he's listening intently, lips drawn in thoughtfully as, silently, he considers it all. "Noted. If there's anything we can do to help... just let Sisha or I know, okay?" The rest of her answer draws a rueful smile, as he finally turns back towards the klah pot, managing, this time, to pour himself a mug without spilling anything: his hands have stopped shaking. "You and me both, maybe. I just... don't really get the appeal of doing /nothing/. Just drills and sweeps forever." He says that over his shoulder, turning his head around a moment later to add, "Guess we'll have to see."
Another nod from Ebeny and a quick flash of a smile. "I will, thank you, sir." She does look just a tiny bit amused at the successful pouring of the beverage, but she doesn't make any comment on it. "I don't like the idea of waiting around, doing nothing. Spent far too much of my life waiting. And isn't there some sense of accomplishment at the end that would be better than just having the tithes? Even if people don't know how to farm, shouldn't they be willing to try? For whatever reason they want to justify it with." A quick breath taken in and she says quickly, "Sorry, I... babble."
Drawing his mug into both hands, and turning back so that he's facing Ebeny directly, K'del notes, his face lowered towards the (thankfully not /that/ hot, given his earlier incident) heat of it. "You can call me K'del," he notes, with a rueful draw of his mouth. "If you like. And don't apologise-- I babble, too, sometimes." Too often, his expression suggests. "I agree entirely. I'm... kind of looking forward to it, no matter how eager I was to get away from my father's vineyard. At least we won't be growing grapes."
"K'del," Ebeny quietly amends with another little smile. "No vines. Small mercies? I don't really know anything about farming. Runners, yes; farming, no. But I'd like to try, to learn and hopefully not mess it up half a dozen times along the way." She frowns and looks away for a few moments. "I think I must be a horrible person for thinking this, but you don't think the people who really don't want anything to do with it would try and stop everyone else?"
K'del looks pleased, for the use of his name, though the smile doesn't linger for too much past that comment, and the one about learning. It's the last comment he address first, his expression now a much more serious one. "You mean... sabotage?" There's a drawn out pause that follows that before he says, finally, "It's possible. The wingleaders have said they'll support me, even though most of them aren't thrilled. But. I don't know. We'll have to be vigilant, keep an eye on things. The last thing I want is for us to look unstable, to Crom. Or for something to happen, and people to blame Crom, whether or not it was them." Apparently, this is all a new concern, one he's not considered in detail before.
The greenrider grimaces and says softly, "I don't know what I mean," seemingly rather uncomfortable with having had the thought at all, let alone having spoken it aloud. "I don't really know anything..." Ebeny tries to backtrack, assure, or just plain take the words back by any means she can. "As you say, as long as we keep a look out... I'm sure it'll be fine. What sort of person would sink that low anyway? They'd be hurting themselves as much as anything, I'd think."
Despite Ebeny's backtracking, K'del continues to look concerned, sucking in his cheeks awkwardly. "You'd think," he says, "But people do strange things, when they believe strongly. I--" Beat. "Sorry, Ebeny. You're probably right and it's not something to worry about. But I guess that's my job, isn't it? Worrying. We'll just have to post guards, once things really get started, and see how things go." He manages - albeit halfheartedly - a smile. Of sorts.
"Yes," Ebeny answers a little reluctantly, of worrying. "Sort of. Doesn't mean you should have to worry about stupid comments made by people like me, though," she continues, her try for a smile maybe mirroring his effort. "I'm sorry." It seems she might say something further, but instead she uncurls from her seat rather reluctantly and stands. "Looks like Laurienth wants me to brave the weather. I'd better get going."
"It never hurts to be aware of anything," insists K'del, firmly. "Maybe it will just be a stupid comment, but maybe not. Either way, I'd rather be prepared for the possibility." He hesitates, as though he's about to say something else, but in the end, shakes his head. "Don't feel sorry, Ebeny, truly. And have a good afternoon. Don't get too wet?" The thoughtful expression hasn't really left his face, despite his small smile.
"I'll try not to. And you too," Ebeny returns. "Don't think about it too much? Maybe-" Green eyes look the Weyrleader over, concern - possibly misplaced - clear for just a few seconds. "Maybe you should go get dry in-case you get a chill?" There's no verbal goodbye, only a little wave as she ducks out of the cavern, preparing to brave the rain.
Location: Nighthearth, High Reaches Weyr
Synopsis: K'del chats to Ebeny about the wing, and then about Crom. She raises some concerns he's not yet thought about.
Nighthearth, High Reaches Weyr
With its entrance located between the kitchen and the living cavern, this tiny bubble cavern is cozy, always kept warm and is filled with comfortable chairs and a small round table. At the far end, there's a hearth, outlined in ruddy, aging bricks, where a pot of stew simmers in the evening hours. Generally quiet, the nighthearth is the haunt of insomniacs and those seeking quiet from the bustle of daily Weyr life.
Miserable: wet and windy, and it's no wonder, then, that more than a few people have taken refuge indoors. It's been a few hours since Avalanche's drills broke up, but K'del is either still wet or well and truly wet again, as he makes his entrance from the caverns, headed directly towards the hearth and the klah pot, leaving a dripping path in his wake. His hands shake a little, probably from cold, as he attempts to pour himself a drink, and he swears quietly under his breath as he spills some on his hand.
"Don't tell me the rain got you twice in one day, sir." Ebeny's voice from a little way across the room, the greenrider curled up in a chair with a book balanced at a somewhat awkward angle against her legs. She studies the attempted pouring and adds, quietly, "I'd ask if you'd like some help, but it sounds terrible patronizing from here." From the look of her, she doesn't know whether to smile or not and therefore ends up looking a bit helpless instead.
"Think," says K'del, a moment later, turning around so that he can see Ebeny as he address her, wiping his hand on his trousers, "Maybe I'd better let my hands warm up first. Save myself on further embarrassment." He, at least, manages to smile, though his hands get held awkwardly behind him, as close to the hearth as they can get. "You'd think having a weyr with a direct path to the caverns /indoors/ would protect me from the rain... but you'd be wrong. How're you finding it, Ebeny?"
"I saw nothing," Ebeny promises, closing her book save for fingers kept between pages to temporarily mark where she's read up to. Now she manages a faint smile and nods an unnecessary affirmative. "I like the winter - crazy, I know - and I'm enjoying drills so far, so can't complain. But you know how it goes, ask me in six month's time and maybe I'll have a different answer." Her smile makes it all the way to a proper grin. Perhaps she's joking. "Nobody has actually tried to depose you yet, right?"
"Wise woman," laughs K'del, wiggling his fingers in an obvious effort to encourage the de-frosting efforts to get a move on. "But you're Reachian born and bred, aren't you? So that'd be less surprising, maybe. Glad, though, that you're enjoying drills. And Laurienth? She likes it, too?" He grins, too, and even his answer to her last doesn't dispel that one; "Suppose it's possible the intention was to drown me, this afternoon, but if so, they've failed this one. Give it time. What do /you/ think? Should I be deposed? Am I a traitor?"
"I am," the greenrider confirms. "And yes, she is. She likes to be active, doing things. Getting things right is quite important to her, so I suspect she'll keep on enjoying the work." Ebeny dips her head a little and laughs at his drowning remark, but instead addresses the questions posed her way. "I think it's a sensible idea. You don't change, you don't progress. Given the past, it was bound to make some people angry, anxious even. You're not a traitor. The past can't hold you back forever."
K'del wipes his hands on his trousers, as though, once again, this will make a difference. "So the key is to keep her challenged," he muses, his expression thoughtful for it. "So that there's always something new to get right." Her comments on Crom do much to keep that thoughtful expression in place. "Good," he says, sounding pleased. "Makes a big difference, for people who were here for all of the... nastiness, to feel that way. And you don't think it's beneath dragonriders, to farm?"
"Mostly," Ebeny agrees, a little hesitant, likely thinking how to phrase what follows. "Keep her occupied so that she doesn't..." One hand dives towards her book and taps against the cover. "Crash. Get in a foul mood. New things, challenged, yes." Any awkwardness on her part mostly fades when she states, "I don't think it's beneath anyone to do anything. Why shouldn't we farm? Then, I've not been a rider all that long, so maybe I'm not quite tuned-in to the right mentality yet?" She sighs softly and taps her fingers against the book again. "I know that's not very helpful at all."
If K'del had paper with him, he might be taking notes on this; there's no doubt that he's listening intently, lips drawn in thoughtfully as, silently, he considers it all. "Noted. If there's anything we can do to help... just let Sisha or I know, okay?" The rest of her answer draws a rueful smile, as he finally turns back towards the klah pot, managing, this time, to pour himself a mug without spilling anything: his hands have stopped shaking. "You and me both, maybe. I just... don't really get the appeal of doing /nothing/. Just drills and sweeps forever." He says that over his shoulder, turning his head around a moment later to add, "Guess we'll have to see."
Another nod from Ebeny and a quick flash of a smile. "I will, thank you, sir." She does look just a tiny bit amused at the successful pouring of the beverage, but she doesn't make any comment on it. "I don't like the idea of waiting around, doing nothing. Spent far too much of my life waiting. And isn't there some sense of accomplishment at the end that would be better than just having the tithes? Even if people don't know how to farm, shouldn't they be willing to try? For whatever reason they want to justify it with." A quick breath taken in and she says quickly, "Sorry, I... babble."
Drawing his mug into both hands, and turning back so that he's facing Ebeny directly, K'del notes, his face lowered towards the (thankfully not /that/ hot, given his earlier incident) heat of it. "You can call me K'del," he notes, with a rueful draw of his mouth. "If you like. And don't apologise-- I babble, too, sometimes." Too often, his expression suggests. "I agree entirely. I'm... kind of looking forward to it, no matter how eager I was to get away from my father's vineyard. At least we won't be growing grapes."
"K'del," Ebeny quietly amends with another little smile. "No vines. Small mercies? I don't really know anything about farming. Runners, yes; farming, no. But I'd like to try, to learn and hopefully not mess it up half a dozen times along the way." She frowns and looks away for a few moments. "I think I must be a horrible person for thinking this, but you don't think the people who really don't want anything to do with it would try and stop everyone else?"
K'del looks pleased, for the use of his name, though the smile doesn't linger for too much past that comment, and the one about learning. It's the last comment he address first, his expression now a much more serious one. "You mean... sabotage?" There's a drawn out pause that follows that before he says, finally, "It's possible. The wingleaders have said they'll support me, even though most of them aren't thrilled. But. I don't know. We'll have to be vigilant, keep an eye on things. The last thing I want is for us to look unstable, to Crom. Or for something to happen, and people to blame Crom, whether or not it was them." Apparently, this is all a new concern, one he's not considered in detail before.
The greenrider grimaces and says softly, "I don't know what I mean," seemingly rather uncomfortable with having had the thought at all, let alone having spoken it aloud. "I don't really know anything..." Ebeny tries to backtrack, assure, or just plain take the words back by any means she can. "As you say, as long as we keep a look out... I'm sure it'll be fine. What sort of person would sink that low anyway? They'd be hurting themselves as much as anything, I'd think."
Despite Ebeny's backtracking, K'del continues to look concerned, sucking in his cheeks awkwardly. "You'd think," he says, "But people do strange things, when they believe strongly. I--" Beat. "Sorry, Ebeny. You're probably right and it's not something to worry about. But I guess that's my job, isn't it? Worrying. We'll just have to post guards, once things really get started, and see how things go." He manages - albeit halfheartedly - a smile. Of sorts.
"Yes," Ebeny answers a little reluctantly, of worrying. "Sort of. Doesn't mean you should have to worry about stupid comments made by people like me, though," she continues, her try for a smile maybe mirroring his effort. "I'm sorry." It seems she might say something further, but instead she uncurls from her seat rather reluctantly and stands. "Looks like Laurienth wants me to brave the weather. I'd better get going."
"It never hurts to be aware of anything," insists K'del, firmly. "Maybe it will just be a stupid comment, but maybe not. Either way, I'd rather be prepared for the possibility." He hesitates, as though he's about to say something else, but in the end, shakes his head. "Don't feel sorry, Ebeny, truly. And have a good afternoon. Don't get too wet?" The thoughtful expression hasn't really left his face, despite his small smile.
"I'll try not to. And you too," Ebeny returns. "Don't think about it too much? Maybe-" Green eyes look the Weyrleader over, concern - possibly misplaced - clear for just a few seconds. "Maybe you should go get dry in-case you get a chill?" There's no verbal goodbye, only a little wave as she ducks out of the cavern, preparing to brave the rain.