Golden Apology [Goldriders]

"Weyrwoman Tsuen?" Kahleena timidly opened the door, glancing back anxiously at the other girls that were with her. She didn't think any of them were particularly eager to step into the den of someone they all agreed was both crazy and in a previously bad mood, but neither were any of them prepared to see things get colourful again. Dinner had been prepared for the weyrwoman, ways to apologise and reassure shared between them, and bubblypies were abounding - made with berries, not the redfruit Tsuen was allergic to! It wouldn't do at all to poison the woman when they were trying to reassure her that none of them were against her, plotting her downfall, or screwing her man behind her back.

"My lady, we brought dinner." Stepping into the dull house, after Nirinath had rumbled permission when no sound came from Tsuen, Kahleena opened the door wide and held her tray carefully in the other hand. Her own was piled with slices of meat, and roasted vegetables. Drinks, desserts, and other odds and ends were spread across platters her fellow goldriders were ferrying. It would be delicious, she was sure. The kitchen staff were tallented, and they had all worked veyr hard to help with what creations they could. Kahleena angled for the table in the centre of the dining area, and set her tray down. Tsuen wasn't there, and she raised her eyebrows slightly at Jada; she knew the Weyrwoman best. Placing her own tray on the table, Jada vanished into a room that was likely Tsuen's bedroom. The murmur of voices indicated Tsuen was in there; the lack of slapping or screaming was promsing.

When the two elder goldriders came out of the bedroom, Jada following behind Tsuen, Kahleena dropped into a polite curtsy. It was a formality that was barely used, but the girl felt was particularly important at that moment. Tsuen needed to feel she was in control of them, and Kahleena had been raised in the upper ends of nobility at any rate; whether she was crazy of not, Tsuen was still their Lady, and they were still her lesser folk. They owed her the resepct, especially if they didn't want to watch her go batshit again. She came up smiling slightly, brushing her hands over her skirts as she indicated the table laid out with food trays. "We made you dinner, my lady." She fought the urge to curtsy again; too many and Tsuen would cry falsity even if it were done with the best intentions on Kahleena's part.

Rhaedalyn had thankfully been down at the lake treating her dragon and firelizards to a day of playing and napping in the sun when all of the commotion had happened on the Sands. She had naturally heard all about it from practically everyone she had crossed paths with when she returned to the Weyr proper but none of them were believed except for Kahleena who had been there. Rhaedalyn loved gossip but even she knew to only believe so much and to find a proper source when it was an event of such great magnitude!

She hadn’t seen the story about D’ren and Jada but had seen others and knew from R’nd’s reaction about the one starring B’jin and him, that they weren’t true but built on facts. So it was hard to say if Jada had actually successfully seduced D’ren in all their time spent together. Tsuen had a right to be upset over such horrible things being written and then kept from her and while Rhaedalyn wouldn’t have appreciated being slapped or yelled at like Jada apparently had been, Tsuen was still their Weyrwoman and their head goldrider. Kahleena had the right of it; wingleaders treated their riders in much the same way and no one cared. That had been an unfortunately public spat between goldriders. Why did everyone have to step in and pick a side, the side against their leader? Greenriders fought daily and no one batted a lash.

It had upset Rhaedalyn and when Kahleena suggested they all get together to make an amazing meal for Tsuen, she had eagerly agreed. Several hours were spent compiling what she could find out about favourite foods, least favourite foods, preferred drinks, and any known food allergies. Rhaedalyn didn’t want to make a single mistake! She even went so far as to pass along all of her information to her fellow goldriders despite past differences and her uneasiness around most of them. She still wasn’t a girl that trusted easily and after the young dragons’ spat, Rhaedalyn was even more convinced it was best to stay away from them and not open up in case it was used against her.

After three attempts that day, a successful bubbly pie was created specifically for Tsuen’s enjoyment. Rhaedalyn had even scrubbed down her work surface twice to ensure no cross contamination would happen. How horrible it would be if she accidentally poisoned the Weyrwoman with redfruit? That reoccurring thought was what ruined the first two attempts at the pie and it was what now made her shake as she walked into the hut behind Kahleena.

There was also the little detail about Aradissicath’s opinion of the younger gold dragons that continued to make Rhaedalyn tremble with nerves. She had to go so far as to ask – beg actually – R’nya to have Xyreith distract Aradissicath for the evening. She loved her dragon but Rhaedalyn refused to let her come near the hut or poke around in her mind to add even a private snipe about anyone. No way would she accidentally start another brawl when they were trying to soothe out the bumps from the last one!

Rhaedalyn set her dish on the table when Kahleena did and looked nervously around the hut and at the other girls. She was going to be on her best behaviour with all of them that night. Luckily, manners came somewhat naturally to her thanks to her upbringing and Rhaedalyn dropped into a curtsey as well when the Weyrwoman entered the room. “Good evening, Weyrwoman Tsuen.” A greeting was a nice and simple thing to say. Anything more and she’d either be called out for sucking up to the emotional woman or called a liar and Rhaedalyn felt it was best was to stick with basics and speak only when spoken to.

Peorray was just as glad to let Kahleena and the others lead the way into Tsuen's territory. Well, her personal territory, seeing as the whole place was hers too. She'd never been there before and wasn't too keen on doing it now and rather privately terrified she was going to make a mistake and screw it up somehow.

It had sounded okay at first. A simple making-up dinner. But the closer it had gotten, and the more preparation and advice and coping strategies had been shared among them, the more nervous Peorray had gotten. Jada, Kahleena and Rhaedalyn had all either been high-born or craft-trained, and they were used to such sensitive things. Ameris wasn't, but she had Mizeath- who apparently seemed to know more about proper behavior than any ten Ladies put together. All she had was her partially-sheltered and brief time as a merchant's wife- not exactly high society.

But this needed doing, so she steeled herself and set her tray on the table while Jada went to presumably fetch the Weyrwoman. "Good evening, Lady Weyrwoman." She murmured on the heels of the other girls' greetings. Not being raised to such formalities, she was a beat behind when the others made their curtseys and it occurred to her that she ought to do the same. So she bobbed down into one with all the self-conscious awkwardness of a young herdbeast being taught to dance and tried to fade into the background. Unfortunately, nature hadn't given her much help in that regard.

Ameris had missed much of the tantrum thrown by Tsuen, having skipped out as soon as she was able. The younger gold rider could have kissed T'ken at the precise moment when he had spoken up, for she had used the lull in Tsuen's attention to beat feet and retreat. Mizeath had insisted that it had been the coward's way out but Ameris hadn't cared. Why should she have to stand there and take the vile abuse heaped upon her head for nothing she'd done. Her name had never even been mentioned in the letter, note or whatever it was but the chilling look Tsuen had given her had driven home that the elder rider could very well make her life a living hell. She had no desire to live through something like that and had removed herself as an object of focus. If it was cowardly.. Then so be it..

The acceptance to attend this dinner had been grudging. It hadn't come without an argument or without a few tears. Ameris had wanted to refuse the invitation to "make" up to Tsuen for the woman's outburst but Mizeath had, with equal determination, refused to allow her. Finally she had agreed, if only to get Mizeath to stop droning about a lady's proper behavior. The dragon never made demands but she could be as passive aggressive as the best of them. And usually her bonded had no idea she'd been manipulated by the young dragon.

She followed behind Peorray, a tray of deserts in her hands. One eye watched Jada and Tsuen from the corner as she moved to place the tray onto a counter top. She would watch their weyrwoman carefully tonight and the first sign of crazy Ameris would be gone nearly as fast as a dragon between. Turning back to the small group, Ameris goggled at the sight of not just one but all three of the other goldriders bobbing curtsies to Tsuen. She wouldn't do it. Not because she was still angry and upset - because she most definitely was - but because she had no idea how to curtsy and damned if she would embarrass herself to make someone else happy. Instead she politely spoke her simple hello with a nod, "Greetings Weyrwoman Tsuen. Lady Jada."