On the same page [D'ren, Tsuen]

It didn't feel like early winter to Jada. It was too warm, even for someone who came from a further south area of the Northern Continent. It was still chilly, of course, but the impact wasn't the same- she wasn't aching for a nice fur-lined jacket, though her fingers did feel strangely numb, not reacting as dextrously with her right hand as they would have last winter. Then again, she was still under careful watch by the healers after the wherry-brained episode only a few sevendays before. She and Krypth had pushed the Weyr into a tizzy, and Jada had been in the Healer Hall almost six days before they had let her go, certain that the fever was gone. And even now she was in and out every third day, with Krypth insisting she see the Masterhealer specifically. Even though her wounds were no longer to be considered open, the golden dragonet was not inclined to give Jada a bit of rest. Hands and arms thoroughly washed nightly under the dragonet's inspection. And if Krypth still wasn't happy, she would threaten with a ruckus. One day, Jada assured the little dragon, Talian was going to give them both a swift kick to the rear. And her marks were on it being the worried little wherry first.

Alas, or thankfully, that hadn't yet happened. And even more wonderful, D'ren had finally found the time for that meeting that he and Jada had discussed. The Weyrling goldrider had quite a few things on the docket for conversation, and Krypth fully backed her on each of the subjects. D'ren was aware that Jada was coming for business, not a friendly chat, and that pleased Krypth immensely. It was about time they started taking their place; who cared that the special lessons weren't due for another turn or so? The fact that Jada was preparing to dip a toe into the political pool of the Weyr was a cause for celebration to the gold.

"You couldn't have bothered to stay clean just this once?" Jada huffed, irritated to behold that the dragonet's hide was dull with mud and dirt. "You will not be going into the hut like that!" No way. She couldn't present her dragon to the Weyrleader looking like she was being neglected. Was there someplace they could stop and get her rinsed off? Not the bathing house, that was disgusting. And frankly, they were in a hurry. Why, oh why had she ever taken her eye off of Krypth?! Oh, that was right. Because Krypth had assured her she could be good for just a few minutes while Jada ran to their room and changed. But what had Jada come out to?

Krypth, Pluth, Terth and Teegarth all rolling in the mud while three other hapless weyrlings stared down at the dragonets like they had gone mad. Jada had shrieked, Silute had jumped out of his skin, Tirydin had beamed at her and winked, and Fayleri just left her face in her hands- as though that did anything.

And that was why Jada was marching her messy child through the Weyr, the gold's head hanging like a canine who had gotten caught doing wrong.

That was also why Jada was glad it didn't feel like early winter- if it had, she may have felt guilty about the fact she kept ducking her dragonet's seeking, beseeching nose. But no. It was warm, Krypth would dry and not freeze, and Jada was in a hurry to make the dragonet happy. You can't make me stay outside, Jada. Krypth's voice was crisp and clear as they neared the Weyrleader's hut. I'll dry off quickly if you just appropriate some towels. I promise! No mention of the fact Krypth wouldn't need to dry in the first place if she had only- no!

"Stay!" Jada told the dragonet fiercely, and was tickled pink when the dragonet sank to her haunches in front of the hut, sulking. "Be nice to Ronarth. He's a good boy, unlike a certain Krypth I could mention."

I'm not a boy. Krypth said snidely. Fine. Leave me out here. But you'd better believe I'll have my ears all over that door.

"You don't have ears." Jada retorted snidely, and the two stared at each other in adoration and disgust. Finally Jada lifted her hand to knock on the Weyrleader's door, and Krypth wandered off to see if she could find a window to sneak in. And maybe a bronze to use as a stepping stool.

Ronarth would deny her nothing.

It had been a hectic month for  D'ren. The hatching was a bittersweet success, resulting in the hospitalization of two candidates but also yielding the much sought after gold hatchling. There had been all sorts of other drama as well, including the near-death of the same gold weyrling, but things had finally started to settle down.

On that refreshingly cool afternoon, D'ren had taken his lunch in his hut and was cheerfully tidying up when  Ronarth alerted him to Jada's approach. Jada and Krypth are almost here the bronze said, lifting his head and watching the pair as they drew closer. Ronarth was cautious around Krypth; the bronze was well aware of her attitude and he had a delicate sort of pride that he didn't care to subject to her, even though she was just a baby. Ronarth hated feeling stupid, so he avoided anyone who made an issue of it..or was likely to.

He sniffed at the pair in greeting, but said nothing. D'ren, however, was quick to answer the door.

He opened it and smiled. He was wearing a relatively nice outfit, dominated by reddish browns, and had taken great care to shave and comb his hair neatly. This was, after all, an official meeting! He smiled warmly as Jada and motioned for her to come inside.

"Come on in," he said as he held the door for her. "I have some warm klah, if you're interested." He started to rattle on towards his usual niceties, but he reminded himself that she was there for business.

Ah yes, business. This was going to be an important meeting.

"So," he said as he followed her, seating himself in the kitchen. "You have some things you wanted to talk to me about?"

Jada beamed at Ronarth as he sniffed them. "Good afternoon," she said, but he remained oddly silent. See what you've done? she told Krypth, scowling down at the unrepentant female. Chances were good that the little dragon had somehow terrified the considerably larger bronze into silence. Her rancor towards her metallic brothers was well-known. It was even more epic than her hatr- okay, Jada could take that back.

I see. Krypth responded coolly. I don't care. It seemed (and truly was) that Krypth's hate list ranked: Hoth -> Greens -> All other bronzes -> Those (precious few) greens who didn't make the first go-round. Ronarth was placed confusingly somewhere in that list; Krypth hadn't decided if he should rank with the bronzes and their egos, or the greens and their idiocy. Krypth brushed past him on her loop around the house. Ahh, if only she'd been patient; D'ren opened the door quickly, and he would have been easily trampled by a gold dragon who wanted in on the human conversation. Alas, the gold was halfway around the hut, eying each window in turn. She would find one, shard it all! Jada didn't want her coming in the front door, and that was fine; Krypth was a smart dragon. She could find a window!

"Good afternoon, Weyrleader." Jada was in her cleanest pants, a nice white top, and had her hair braided. There were specks of mud on the pants, from where Krypth's splattered nose or tail had brushed her person, and her shoes were almost covered in the stuff. She had tried, but she could only try so hard with an uncooperative lifemate. The older rider looked like he'd done quite nicely with himself, so she rubbed her hands on her pants nervously- doing little more than smearing the mud glop and getting her hands damp. "I would appreciate the klah." that was a nice gesture, one she would have to keep in mind for when she had a hut of her own.

He gestured and she tiptoed her way through the house like a small creature, nervous. Luckily it was impossible to go into the bedroom instead of a kitchen; all the floorplans were much the same, and his bedroom was certainly the sectioned off part. She paused inside his kitchen, wobbling awkwardly for a moment before taking a seat. He followed suit, and Jada took a deep, quiet breath, trying not to twiddle her thumbs.

"I actually have a small list of things." she confessed at last. "I haven't been here very long, sir, and only a few sevendays as a Weyrling. but I do have some questions, and some things I would like to present to you for consideration." It really was a very short list, and she was certain that he would have a few things of his own to say in response. "Do you mind if I have that klah, sir? I'm a little nervous."

D'ren appreciated Jada's guts. She was obviously quite nervous, yet she still pushed herself forward. That was the key. D'ren had never allowed daunting circumstances to intimidate him, and that trait alone had gotten him quite far in life.

Unfortunately, it also made his life hard. Hopefully, Jada would soon learn the catch to Impressing metallic. It wasn't the easy life of luxury that many thought of it as; it hadn't even been before the plague! There was a lot of responsibility and stress involved, but it looked like nervous Jada was still striding forward with her head held high. That was a good sign.

D'ren nodded and moved into the kitchen, pouring a mug for each of them as he invited Jada to sit down. "Of course. Here you are," he said, sliding hers closer to her seat before sitting down himself.

"It sounds like you've been busy, then," he said, tucking away a distant amusement at her little confession. He remained patient with her. "Well, go right ahead then. I've kept you waiting long enough, and I don't have anywhere to be until this evening. We can talk as long as you need to."

No one was so helpful or polite to you when we were little Ronarth observed with approval. He'd already forgotten his anxiety over Krypth and was contentedly poking his nose at the kitchen window, watching them with bright eyes, waiting to see what kind of ideas and questions Jada had.  Ronarth could tell his bonded was pleased with the little goldrider's progress and was optimistic about her future.

Optimism. It was good to feel that in his bonded again. It had been a while.

Nope D'ren responded, They didn't. But we're going to give Jada the best possible chance we can.

"Thank you." Jada accepted the mug of klah and took a sip of it, taking a moment to calm her nerves and try to straighten out the mess of thoughts plaguing her. Reaching for her pocket, she paused, face frozen. Where was the parchment with her notes on it? She moved for the other pocket, praying it was there. She had made a list. It had been painstaking, trying to make it readable with her hands in their current situation, but she had succeeded! And now- where was that sharding parchment? She'd taken it back to the Weyrling barracks, and set it on the bed while she was changing, and she'd... she'd picked up her clothing, which had been on top of... but she thought-! Faranth! But she could still pull this off, preferably without confessing that she suffered from idiocy! She had faith. And she would have Krypth, but for the fact that the little wherry was somewhere outside, doing- Jada took another sip of klah, trying to ignore the way her hands shook from the weight of it combined with bowstring-taught nerves. Who knew what Krypth was doing? (Suddenly, Jada felt like one of those parents, who couldn't keep an eye on their children and let them run amok through the Hold.)

Krypth strolled around the outside of the hut, eying her sire's tail with disdain. So he had to take up the window spot, did he? Naturally, his big head fit most of the way in the window, leaving her no room to squeeze in, and it was the only open entrance she had found! Inconvenient, but she would simply have to walk him through the process of extracting his head from the opening and giving her a leg up. Ronarth. Her voice was to him alone, bossy and imperious. I need in that window. Scoot. Small words were always better with dimglows. Even ones as inherently- no, she couldn't call him nice. He was a bronze, after all. Just like that disgusting runt, Hoth. She tried to keep disdain from her mind-voice, leaving the tone bland and crisp.

From the window, the dragonet could hear Jada take a deep breath, and withheld her reassurance almost maliciously. Jada would need her support many times over the next turns, but this was a learning period for both of them. How could Krypth train her bonded for leadership if she didn't know where her skills lay?

"Well, I suppose the first thing I would like to discuss is what happened at the Hatching." it was a chore to keep herself from starting to babble. She had to make sure that she was clear and concise. D'ren's time was too valuable to be wasting on a Weyrling, goldrider or not, who didn't know what she was trying to say. "I understand that Healers are there..."

Hah! Jada supposed? Krypth made a disgruntled coughing noise, like she was hacking up something disgusting. Bad form to start with something so ambiguous. One either knew the first item on their agenda or they did not. She had opened with weakness.

"... in order to help deal with emergencies such as the mauling. I remember we were given advice that a mauling was possible, and that such accidents could vary in severity, but we weren't taught how to deal with it. We should be. Healers are there for a reason, yes, but they didn't get to Indivara first. There were several closer people, and almost none of us knew what to do, and I count myself among them. I guessed. I could have left it to one of the healer-trained candidates, but what if they didn't respond in time? What if we'd all waited on the Healer? What I would like to propose is a few small mandatory hours added in to Candidate and Weyrling classes, maybe even opened to be optional for Riders, with a Healer. Triage courses, very basic, possibly based around what we saw on the Sands this time. Excessive bleeding. Broken limbs. Facial wounds. Scratches that may be deeper than they seem." her lips quirked, and she lifted her arms blandly, briefly.

Ronarth turned his head towards the marauding goldling with a mixture of amusement and confusion. Shards, she was just so cute!  Like a miniature Nirinath! He was still fascinated with her, even if she was mean. He eyed her for a few long moments after her demand. As a bronze, he had no inclination at all to disobey her. He was deciding what else to do.

D'ren! he alerted, Krypth is trying to get in through the window I think! He shuffled backwards as he spoke, keeping his head low so he could still see inside. He had no intention of giving up his view inside, even though it would be just as easy to slip in through D'ren's eyes. Ronarth liked the window. Couldn't tell you why, he just did.

D'ren sipped his own klah as he listened to her proposal.  It made sense from a certain stand point and was a nice effort; he appreciated how much thought she'd put in to it! He was immediately concerned that it came just as much from personal experience, though.

He told her as much. "There's one problem with that, Jada," he said gently. He didn't want her to think he was scolding her or calling her idea bad. "Amateur medical care is more likely to do harm than good, especially for people with injuries as serious as Farlint and Indivara. If Farlint's bone had been set hastily by a candidate with four or five hours' training, he might have had to have it rebroken later, or Faranth knows what else."

He spoke calmly and warmly. He took another sip before setting his cup down. "And we need the candidates' full attention on the dragonets. Your being so far from the sands upset Krypth pretty badly. That type of distraction can lead to betweening."

Is she misbehaving?

I don't know what to do!

I guess that's a 'yes'

He didn't miss a beat in the conversation, though. "A few hours just isn't enough, and it's just not economical to point for more. That doesn't mean that what happened wasn't a tragedy, though." He paused and took another drink. Indivara was too young to be out there and sneaked onto the sands anyhow. In D'ren's estimation, she probably brought it on herself.  He wouldn't say that out loud though, and he still pitied the poor girl.

"Tsuen and I are considering putting the Master Healer out there next time, but we're worried to put him so near the hatchlings.  He's been searched, but he's also suicidal. If he accidentally Impresses a dragon, they'll both be dead before the turn is out. We'll keep a dragon by his side next time, though, so he can arrive faster if there is an emergency. We don't need amateurs trying to play doctor when dragons are trying to Impress to them, though."

He smiled at her yet again, trying to be reassuring. "Also, I believe Krypth is about to break my window."

Ronarth's submission was acknowledged by the dragonet as she trotted forward and eyed the window. Krypth may have been a little upset if she knew the way his strange mind was working, but she didn't, so as she raised herself onto her haunches and craned her neck, her eyes were swirling a bright blue-green. So, Jada had run into a stumbling block! Plans not going as you had hoped? Krypth asked, pressing her nose to the window and peering in, leathery tail almost wagging.

Oh shut up.

Turning her attention back to the Weyrleader, Jada nodded. "Normally, I would agree with that. I'm not asking that detailed information be passed on, and I hardly expect that in a situation like that any of the candidates would try and set a broken leg. Healers are nearby after all. I'm suggesting that at the least there needs to be more education than is being provided in regards to what will be faced, and options to help their fellow candidates in those important seconds between bloodletting and a quick Healer."

They both took a sip of klah, and she turned her full attention on the Weyrleader as he spoke again. "I don't know just how-"

I was very anxious, but not for the reason he is thinking. I don't actually remember all that well, but I remember your idiocy. How mildly Krypth cut down Jada. I'm seeing a trand in you. Get hurt, and leave me behind while you toddle off to worry about someone else. Krypth reached up, extending a forepaw and then the other to draw herself up. She could get in this window.

Bang! Crash! Crack! SQUAWK!

"Krypth!"

"Ah," he replied, "but you specifically mentioned broken limbs," he said with a small smile. He appreciated Jada's thought process, but he didn't appreciate being argued with; she would never know, though. He remained friendly as ever, especially knowing that Jada would need to know how to argue eventually. She might wind up as senior weyrwoman one day, after all. Many a girl had grown to that rank to learn that no, just because you said it didn't mean it would happen. Sometimes, you had to fight for it.

"Either way, healing needs to be left for healers. It'll be easier once we have some healers that we don't have to worry about Impression." Talian came to mind. He wanted to wrinkle his nose at the thought, but he restrained himself. The fact that Farlint especially had even survived was amazing, especially considering his isolated they were from 'civalization'.

"Now, the weyrling master as Ista used to teach basic first aid at his discretion, but it was mostly a waste of time. If anything did happen on the sands, they the candidates staying focused on the hatching. The ones who disobeyed usually just flailed around, panicked, and made it worse. The only help a candidate can offer another in that kind of situation is to apply pressure to any wounds, which G'ren should have mentioned when he went over possible scenarios..."

He leaned forward and smiled. "And if he didn't, he and I will need to t-"

Ah, there it was. D'ren tried to mask his displeasure as he looked over at the shattered window. He remained the outward epitome of patience.

Outside, Ronarth creeled.

He had her there. Jada couldn't keep her nose from wrinkling, recognizing that her example had backfired. Oh well, she was new at this, after all. And she was used to her ideas being dismissed. The Harper had never been the pushy sort, more than happy to lay back and let other people pilot her life. Unfortunately, Krypth had pushed her into a position where that was not always going to be feasible. Still, she was new to this and D'ren and Tsuen were capable leaders; she could always put her thoughts on the back burner and listen. Learn.

She gave D'ren a crooked smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. "We have several promising Healers among the candidates. A shame that Talian is-" she stopped herself, biting fiercely down on her lip. "Troubled." she settled on. She didn't want to think about that nice young man with his tawny eyes doing- well... what he'd tried to do. She'd be dead now if Talian had succeeded in his attempt, and she might not have been the only one. Indivara could well have passed, or Farlint. Who knew what that beating would have done to B'jin, Lunkhead or not!

"I like to think I did a little more than flail." she said mildly. D'ren's comment about how The ones who disobeyed usually just flailed around, panicked, and made it worse pricked her, just a little- okay, a lot. Jada had disobeyed, but... had she made anything worse? She'd been trying to help a friend, and she hadn't known what to do. Panic? Check, she'd been panicked; but there hadn't been flailing. (She'd been too busy panicking.) "Luckily, then, that it turned out fairly well." Focus had nothing to do with her Impression; she would have had to go to the Healer anyway for her wounds. And if her five seconds of quick thinking had anything to do with preventing a worse injury, she didn't see why the Weyrleader seemed to very set against it! but one didn't go against twenty turns of conditioning after just a few sevendays of upheaval. She would have backed down gracefully at this point.

Unfortunately, Krypth came through D'ren's window, and Jada freaked out. Ronarth creeled, and Jada jumped to her feet, not sure what to do, what to do! "Are you alright?" she asked, searching the floor for any telltale signs of ichor. The faceted eyes were still calm, and Jada started to kneel, to try and get closer to her muddy little beast.

I'm quite alright. Krypth announced, checking herself for any ouchy places. D'ren's window didn't open the way our door does. Oh, the obvious. Jada was going to kill that little yellow wherry. Kill her to Between and back. Jada went heavily to her knees, barely responsive hands tryign to scoop some of the pieces together until Krypth stopped her sharply. Don't do that! You'll hurt yourself again.

"I have to clean up your mess! You should have stayed outside!"

I wanted to be in the conversation!

"Then you should have stayed clean!"

This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to happen at all. Krypth was ruining D'ren's hut, and Jada couldn't do anything about it.

Jada's mild ruffling didn't go unnoticed. It was a little bit of a shame, because it meant Jada would soon have to learn one of the lessons that D'ren learned all to well, but also all too late: authority didn't come without serious social repercussions.

"I said 'usually'," he pointed out, his tone flat in an effort to avoid sounding sarcastic of demeaning. He really did mean well, but it looked like Jada was a bit sensitive. That was okay, though. She was a woman after all, and not one that had been groomed to assume such a position. D'ren's attitude towards her wasn't cruel or demeaning, but rather pitying. A sweet girl like Jada didn't deserve what would almost certainly happen eventually.

Now was as good a time as any to discuss it, but of course, he didn't even get his first comment out before Krypth's illustrious appearance. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he observed his kitchen floor, covered in shattered glass and now mud rubbed freshly from Krypth's hide.

I couldn't stop her Ronath said, quickly coming to his own defense. He let out another creel.

D'ren quickly hopped to his feet and trotted over, holding one hand out to brush Jada's arm. "Don't worry about it," he assured her. "I'll have someone come and clean it up. Can you take Krypth back outside?" he inquired. The cheeky little gold had the right idea, but wrecking people's homes was unacceptable! D'ren could even feel himself sweating a bit, but his outward composure remained excellent. "Sorry, Krypth," he added sweetly to the little dragon. "But I need to talk to Jada rider to rider. I hope you understand." He was polite to the little dragon, for he already had a fondness for her.

He brushed some of the glass away from the dragonet and rider with his foot and held out one hand to help Jada to her feet. "It's not a problem at all," he said, relaxing a little bit. "You should have seen the messes Ronarth made...It took me sevendays to get him to listen to anything I said. He used to crawl around and steal people's food right off of their plates. He got fat."

Ronarth objected. Am not...

I didn't say you still were, silly

....Oh, that's right. I knew that.

D'ren smiled a little bit and returned to his seat while he waited on Krypth's removal. It was just as much a personal space issue as anything else; a large part of him wanted to fly into a panic over the condition of his hut, but he was keeping that part squished away for now. It manifested itself in Ronarth, who kept pressing his snout against the window in an effort to, apparently, stick his head inside and fret over it. Too bad his head was too big!

Jada would need to learn to control Krypth, too. That would be a slippery slope.

"You know," D'ren said calmly, "I had a bit of an incident when I was in weyrling training." He hadn't told many people this story, but it pertained directly both to Jada's request concerning healers and controlling one's dragon. Perhaps if he shared a bit with her, she would feel more comfortable around him and wouldn't take his comments so personally. He reached for the front of his shirt and casually undid the top two buttons, peeling it open just enough to reveal the blotchy burn marks spread across his chest.

"Ronarth nailed me during flaming practice on our first day," he commented smoothly, speaking in a low tone and trying his best not to actually visualize the incident. It always upset Ronarth so much when he did...it was one of the reasons he never told anyone. D'ren didn't think back on it so badly; it was traumatic, but it was an important milestone in maturity for him. Ronarth hated being reminded of it, though.

It was humiliating.

Riding a dragon was not in the Harper Education Manual. In the North, it was a well-known fact that dragons were extinct- even if in the South it seemed that rumors of their demise had been greatly exaggerated. Jada's training had consisted of the education of any Harper worth their salt, with a focus on how to deal with children- not how to survive in a political arena. What she knew about the rights of authority had been built into her from the viewpoint of someone who wouldn't have it for a good long time. Masters usually took years to get there, and even then their authority wasn't anything more than what was provided them by the Master of the craft.

Still. Jada wanted to get this right.

She had never been anything close to punctual, or showing a leadership role. She led her children through becoming their friend, through making them love her for her mistakes. That had never worked on adults. They called her irresponsible, told her she had poor time management, held her back from Walking the Tables when she had been ready for a turn or more. They told her she was weak, childish, prudish, would never amount to anything, and she rolled over backwards to try and make them happy, because proving them right was easier and more productive than trying to dig in her heels and fight anything out. She saw the Weyrleader draw in a breath, but Krypth's appearance...

Dealing with Krypth was a good way for the Harper to hide her face and the thoughts that were writing themselves clear as day across her face. "I'm sorry Ronarth." she told the bronze, who was trying to stick his nose in the Krypth-sized hole in the window. How had her dragon not gotten stuck? The dragonet was getting much too big, even at only a few sevendays, to have so easily tumbled in through the window! She glanced to D'ren, to the faint tightness in his face, and hurried to try and accommodate his will. Uh oh, uh oh! He might be saying not to worry, but the face was saying something different, if only in the sheer blandness she saw there. No one was that unaffected by something like this! "I'll get her out at once, Weyrlea-"

No! Krypth's wings flared, and her little tail swung out unhappily. She stretched out her neck, snaking it around Jada and glaring up at D'ren from between her rider's legs. As though it made her cuter, somehow, standing in the mess that she'd made. It wasn't working on Jada, who was growing immune to cuteness after her experience with children, but maybe it would work on softening the grizzling Weyrleader. Anything you can say to her can be said to me! She needs me! Her voice was to D'ren only, leaving her rider completely out of the loop, even if Jada was unaware of the fact. Krypth thought nothing of doing what she had to.

Sheer stubbornness. Was Krypth sure she hadn't Impressed Indivara?

"Krypth," Jada tried cajoling, will you-

No!

"Krypth!" Still sweet, pleading. "Come, now!"

No!

"Krypth!"

No!

"Get out!" she grabbed the dragonet by the headknobs, wincing as her hands tried to reject her attempt at a grab, and dug her foot in (carefully) right under her tail. Nudging her in the rump. The dragonet creeled, but followed where the grip led. The process was slow, with Krypth digging in her heels and haunches, and Jada dragging and kicking her more than commanding her. All until the end, when in sheer frustration, Jada commanded, "Get out now, Krypth!" It was probably the most forceful Jada had been with her dragon. With one little cry, Krypth crossed the threshold and turned back, like a puppy- until Jada slammed D'ren's door in her golden face. "Ronarth, do you mind blocking the window, please? If she tries to get back in, she may hurt herself on the broken glass."

No! came the protest. (Oddly, however, Jada was able to feel a little pleasure. What on earth was Krypth thinking? Still, the dragonet held her own counsel.)

She almost collapsed across from the Weyrleader, exhaustion and annoyance written clearly across her reddened face. Her hands trembled visibly, and when she went for the klah, she couldn't get her hands to unfold to wrap around the cup, so she held them against it, letting the warmth flood her muscles. "I am so glad I don't have much of anything. And I am glad that she's growing so fast, but I can see her now, demanding that our hut be big enough for the two of us." That would be absolutely ridiculous, but Krypth had already been talking about how unacceptable it was that she would have to live outside...

D'ren started speaking, and Jada instinctively, obediently, snapped to attention until he went for his shirt, unbuttoning it. What?! Weyrling- oh. oh. A- burn scar? It wasn't very attractive, and she could see why he kept it hidden. But how much must it have hurt, to still be scarred there even now, when he had been injured on the first day of flaming practice? That would be almost half a turn to a full turn down the road for her class, but was many turns in the past for the man in front of her. Was it pity? Fear?

Grateful that she wouldn't be in that situation? "Does it still hurt?" she asked instead, curious. Not knowing just how much it affected Ronarth, she didn't think to keep her voice down the way the Weyrleader had. It looked like it would hurt. It was still a burn scar- or a series of them- her question, she thought too late, was rather naive and idiotic.

Krypth. That is enough. Nirinath's voice brooked no argument, though it was not -quite- laced with the queen's command. She laid down, allowing Tsuen to descend the riding straps she'd taken to having the gold wear. Normally the woman would have ridden her beast bare-back, but she found that moving about with her six-month baby bulge was easier if she didn't have to clamber up her dragon's smooth hide. Far more amusing would be her seventh, eighth, and ninth months, no? By then even the straps would be difficult to maneuver. To only her bonded, Nirinath made the comment, That is alright. You can just sleep on my back all the time, and then you need never get down. I wish that would work, my love, but unfortunately my bladder would not hold for the next three months. The gold turned to nuzzle her rider fondly, eyes whirling faster with unvoiced laughter, then turned back to greet Ronarth.

"Krypth, my dear, lovely girl, let's go take a bath, shall we? Nirinath needs one, too." Her voice turned cajoling, "I'll oil that pretty hide of yours afterward. Besides, Yours needs some time to talk to D'ren. I'm sure she will relate any and all information you need to know to you, later." She walked around the outside of the house to where the bronze stood, eyeing the broken window. Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn't say anything. What could be said? Instead she addressed the bronze. "Ronarth, would you like to come with us as well?"

You'll soon learn that you cannot go everywhere with Jada, for one reason or another. In this case, her nose wrinkled, you need cleaned. You are right, she needs you. But you still cannot always be right next to her physically. The senior Queen turned to the man-made river and strode off, not exactly leaving Tsuen, but trusting that the woman would speak up if she needed her help with the dragonling.

D'ren smiled softly at Krypth and leaned forward in his chair. "It's not that I don't want you participating, Krypth. It's that Jada also needs to learn some things on her own. If you're both strong together, you'll be able to accomplish all the more," he said in gentle reassurance to the dragonet. He had no idea if she would accept it or not, but he maintained his peaceful state of mind, hoping at least to reassure her. He liked the little dragonet and hated to see her upset, but he also imagined her presence would disrupt their conversation. D'ren wanted to see and hear Jada's concerns and responses. If Krypth was there, he would probably just hear Krypth's.

Jada's removal of the dragonet was a spectacle indeed. D'ren watched, feeling mildly bad about it and wondering if he should help. But no, Jada needed to learn to control her dragon. She wasn't doing a bad job of it, either. D'ren smiled as Jada closed the door and turned around.

"Good job," he said softly. He refilled her cup of Klah and smiled. Ronarth had already alerted him to Tsuen and Nirinath's presence, and while he wanted quite badly to see Tsuen, he also appreciated their efforts to comfort the queenling.

Tell Tsu thank you for me

Ronarth crooned in reply as he shuffled himself in front of the window, at Jada's request of course. D'ren says thank you, Tsuen. He likes you a lot and won't stop thinking about your swollen belly. It's strange, usually when he thinks about something so much it's because it makes him worried or unhappy. You must be very special!

D'ren was distantly aware of Ronarth's babbling, but decided not to stop it. It was harmless, after all.

Of course, with the drama dealt with, it was time to return to the topic at hand. "It doesn't hurt anymore," he said, using Ronarth's babbling as cover. "But it's always a reminder to me. I figured you deserved to know since this issue you've brought up - safety of candidates and weyrlings - is obviously pretty personal to you," he said, tone smooth and even. "I want you to know that in a way, it's personal to me, too. I'm not being cold when I argue logistics. It's just a part of the job...sometimes, you have to make hard calls."

He frowned, fleeting sadness brushing across his face. "Jada, I'm going to be honest with you. As a goldrider, you will have an awful lot of responsibility one day. That means making decisions that are hard, that don't fix everything the way you want to...or that you just don't want to make. It also means people saying terrible things about you and never being satisfied with what you decide to do."

He paused, biting his lip.

"I'm not saying that to discourage you, either. I want you to be ready for it. I wasn't ready."

I wasn't ready at all

Krypth's disdainful snort, her opinion of D'ren's sweetness, was not stifled by the fact that there was a door being slammed in her face. No; the thing that stopped her was the fact that Nirinath appeared, nipping an end to her opinions. She glared at the Queen that she could not disobey, turning her attention back to the hut, tail lashing in silent protest. Krypth didn't like this turn of events at all! She was not near her Jada, and this big lump of a dam of hers was being bossy, and she wanted Jada not Tsuen, and- Her eyes were a yellowy orange when she swung her head to look at the Weyrwoman and Nirinath, sulking and irritated. If you insist. She grumbled uncharitably. Jada won't tell me anything. Just you wait. I'll lose out on all the juicy gossip, and it will all be your fault. Even the compliment on her hide didn't stop her from sulking- mostly because Krypth didn't care what her hide looked like. What she cared about was that being comfortable kept her from spending time inside with Jada. This was a difficult issue, at best. There were certainly some solutions, but it would take a little before the right one came to her. But no worries. She'd think of one.

Jada couldn't stop the wince that crossed her face at Krypth's punishing irritation. She could feel it, and she really, really hoped that the dragonet could keep her passive- oh shards, who was she kidding? There was no passive aggressive irritation being felt right now. Krypth was as far into sulking as she could manage. You tell Tsuen thank you when you're done. It was an order, and Jada could feel the indignation rise up- then pop like a small bubble.

You do it. She's fat, Jada. Is she going to lay an egg soon? Krypth's curiosity was going to get the better of her. Both she and Jada knew it. It would only take a small confirmation, and the irritation would fade into an analysis of how Tsuen was going to lay her egg.

Not an egg. A baby. Jada tried to send her a picture of a baby to Krypth, but the only baby she could remember well was Benden.

So the baby is fat! It's okay, I know how to help it lose weight.

.... Jada gave up. She took a sip of her klah, breathing out a sigh. "She is definitely energetic." the Harper said finally, mildly, ignoring the shaking in her hands. "We'll see how good a job I actually did sometime soon, I'm sure." One lesson wouldn't be enough for Krypth! Smart as she was, there would be something new coming soon to a Weyr near them! But back to business. Jada nodded, her disappointment at his decision clear on her face. Maybe she could encourage such a lesson in some personal time? "You could also look at it as investments for the Weyr, if you choose to reconsider in the future. Not all of your Candidates are Craft-trained. Some of your Weyrbred folk may find a calling in Healercraft, if they come to spend time with it. But," she hurried forward, "That is the last I'll say on it." She wasn't going to waste her breath arguing it at this point. His house was a mess, and it was her fault- well, Krypth's, but Jada was supposed to be able to control her- and somehow she was imagining diplomatic negotiations spiraling out of control.

As a goldrider, you will have an awful lot of responsibility one day. That means making decisions that are hard, that don't fix everything the way you want to...or that you just don't want to make. It also means people saying terrible things about you and never being satisfied with what you decide to do. Jada liked being liked. Loved it, in fact. That was why she tried so hard to be pleasant, friendly, efficient, talented... everything that someone could like. (It was also why she failed so hard at so many things, she was sure.) The thought of being disliked for decisions she would have to make made her face twist. Still, it led in to the next thing she wanted to bring up.

"Well, that is actually the perfect lead-in to my next request." she told the Weyrleader with a bright smile, lips thinner than she would have liked. "I wanted to ask you to make sure that I am on the same page with you on some of your policy." No matter what anyone might believe, Jada wasn't a complete idiot without Krypth there to prod her along. From the get-go, things were going to change. When she'd registered the way everyone was looking at Krypth, and just what role the little dragonet played for the people of Katila... she'd had an idea they weren't going to be to her preference. But hey- it was in Jada's nature to paddle until she sank.

She at least wanted to be on the same life raft as someone else.

She figured the Weyrleader could guess which policy she was referring to, but didn't wait. "I want to be sure I thoroughly understand it, whether I agree with it or not." And she didn't agree with it, but then, she didn't know his side of it.

"Remember, it's as much a logistics problem as anything else," he said, masking his irritation that she wouldn't let the topic go. He imagined Jada's concerns were being exaggerated by her own personal experiences. Tending wounds on the sands was dangerous for a candidate, didn't she get that yet? It still wasn't a terrible idea, but a terribly impractical one. The stubborn streak wasn't a good sign, either.

He actually wanted to tell her he'd think about it, but encouraging this level of arguing wasn't a good idea.

"That's the idea with the crafters, actually," he continued patiently, moving on to the next topic. "We're encouraging the weyrbrats to look to the crafters if they are interested. Most of them are too young right now..." He paused and took a sip of Klah. "But I know for the fact that many of the older ones are starting to get with the northerners and learn new skills. I'm sure there will be healers among them." Better be, with a Master on staff.

He took another long sip as Jada asked her next question. Ah yes, the ever-popular childbearing edict. D'ren sighed a little bit, visibly but subtly distressed by the topic, and put the mug back down. "I'm going to tell you something that I haven't told anyone else, Jada," he said in a mellow tone, sounding oddly distracted by his own calm discomfort at the topic.

He wanted, no, needed Jada to trust him on this. Well, in general, but this was a particularly touchy topic. So he would open up, dropping his defenses and his courtly tone to be frank with her.

"The one-child-before-standing rule was actually Tsuen's idea," he said slowly. "I took credit for it publicly to protect her from the backlash."

He readjusted himself in his seat before continuing. "I suppose I did start it," he explained, thinking back to the night he and Tsuen had first discussed it. "It's well known - and I'm not trying to be cruel - that women are poor threadfighters compared to men. Not in every case, but in general. There are tough girls who make fine threadfighters, but our ratios are too high. I'm worried that it'll become a problem once thread starts to fall."

"Obviously, we've been in no condition to be picky about it until recently. But Tsuen and I agreed that we needed to shift the numbers a little bit now that we have so many candidates - not remove women completely or even mostly, but trend towards different ratios. We talked about several ways to deal with it. It's unkind to do a re-search and only take the best among them to stand...We already took them from their homes with no consolation other than a chance to Impress. I can't just take that from them."

"So Tsuen proposed the one child rule. A larger population means an end to stealing, and a quicker return north....and it gives young women a way to get on the sands without being denied completely. It will also stagger them a bit...It's not a wonderful setup, but it's the best option available."

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "That doesn't mean I'm proud of it, but I have to support it to the public. If I say something like that and turn around and apologize for it, they'll eat me alive," he confessed. Shards, he felt so old.

"I said I was done." her voice was flat in response to his irritation, demure and carefully hiding any censure she felt for his irritation at her. Her eyes were on his nose, on his jaw, on his hands, anywhere except his own eyes. D'ren was hiding his annoyance well indeed, and she wondered how much she had missed until this little crack. Oh well. She couldn't help it. They were going to have had this conversation eventually, she reminded herself. Both parts of her main agenda, actually- one part of which had been slapped down a little impatiently. Not that she didn't understand it. He had to look at so many pieces that she didn't even know existed! Still, obedience didn't mean she liked it.

Then there were other edicts, which she didn't understand. Perhaps it had just been dumb luck, or bad timing. Perhaps it had been, again, logistics which she didn't understand, but not long after she had been brought to Katila there had been an announcement made that she, and other women, would be unable to Stand for future clutches unless they gave the Weyr a child. It had blown Jada's mind, at first, the audacity of a total stranger kidnapping her from her home and then attempting to dictate what she did with her own body. Still, she'd come to see a reason for it. She hadn't caved, however, and had stubbornly refused to indulge in the physical pleasures that each candidate was encouraged to engage in. At twenty turns, she had no desire to be a mother, nor was she going to risk being pregnant on the Sands. What if it affected her chances of Impressing?

The thought of not having Krypth already made her feel empty.

She heard the Weyrleader sigh, and her golden eyes flicked to the tired, drawn face. Had the man looked so old just a moment ago? Or maybe, the longer she stared at the pieces that made him up, the more she realized he was human too. That thought made her slightly uncomfortable. Old people were supposed to be immortal. Realization of the mortal coil was inevitable, but D'ren? From a distance he seemed like more than the man in front of her, opening himself up. She straightened as he told called her by name, blinking and glancing away guiltily.

The bombshell that such a ridiculous idea had been-! Jada felt herself blanch, felt blood rush to her face. She could only imagine what her outrage looked like to the man. Luckily she didn't have to worry about clenching her fists, or shaking hands. She was shaking badly enough already that she couldn't even tell if her emotions had transferred that way. She took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out in a single huff, pushing it from her mind in order to try and focus on what else was being said. It was no hardship for Jada to agree with the fact that women were weaker. It had been shown time and again. They weren't as husky and the musculature was different. It was a unique woman who could hold her own in a test of strength against a man. So she nodded acceptance of his statement, waiting for the next bit with a thinly veiled patience.

And she wasn't sure how she felt about it. So many things crossed her mind. Irritation. Acceptance. Understanding. Outrage! How dare they- but she could- still, they! AGH.

She wet her lips, brow furrowing, stony silence falling in the space during which she could have spoken. But what could she say? Finally she sighed, wishing she could mimic D'ren's action and rub her own temples. Or that place right between her eyes. She was developing a headache of her own.

D'ren sensed Jada's discomfort and watched sadly as it blossomed into that speechless anger, the sort of thing he always felt so responsible for and yet so powerless to do anything about. His natural instinct was to reach out and try to comfort her, but that was inappropriate. He instead cast her a sincere frown, brow furrowed in the anxiety that he shared with her.

"It's a delicate situation," he said, elaborating slowly in the face of her silence. He didn't blame her for being upset. "I don't want to cut women out of Impressions, but Tsu and I are both interested in seeing them staggered a bit...fewer per clutch," he explained.  He didn't notice his own use of Tsuen's pet name; an impersonal gesture, one of those reminders that he was human. His guard was down.

"There are some questions about the implementation," he continued. "And some variations to consider. Some of the searchriders believe the girls should be re-evaluated and the best chosen to stand, but I've already mentioned how I find that unfair. I'd considered allowing girls up to a certain percentage of the candidates for each clutch, with extra consideration for those who've had a child or show special promise," he said. "Especially those who searched particularly well or are physically exceptional and should make solid threadfighters. That way, everyone will get a chance, but they'll be in smaller numbers per clutch, if that makes sense." He hadn't shared the details of the edict with anyone other than Tsuen, but Jada was going to ride a clutching dragon. She needed to know.

"And of course, you'll have a word regarding your own dragon's clutches," he said, smiling warmly at her. "But there are still a lot of questions to be answered about this, details left to figure out. This is the sort of thing you'll be a part of soon, so I'm glad you came to ask me about it."

He relaxed a little bit, though his frown lines remained pronounced. The whole business plagued him with guilt, which he was trying hard not to show to Jada. He was beyond the point of being impersonal, but he didn't want his own personal reservations to burden Jada any more than they probably already had.

"I appreciate the initiative," he added afterwards as he lifted his neglected cup. He finished off his klah and looked to Jada. "Do you need a refill?" he asked lightly, hoping to at least cheer her up a little.

It was a delicate situation. Jada could completely agree with that sentiment! There was so much more to this than she'd even dreamed. "What about those children?" she asked at last, choosing to focus on that instead of on more difficult matters to contemplate. "Mothers who don't want them except for a chance at a dragon? Obviously if they don't Impress they'll have someone to raise them, since they'll stay with their mother, but what if the mother Impresses?" Jada didn't expect them to have a nanny plan- those women would surely just have to suck it up if they birthed and failed to Impress. Narrow-minded, certainly, but that was just the way it was done. "It's hard keeping up with a weyrling, I can't imagine having a child too." Had Dragonriders done it all the time? Surely not! (If so, she needed tips. She could barely put her boots on the right feet some mornings!)

Jada should also have paid attention in Dragonriders 101. Krypth would fix that when she found out.

"And what about the women who start to get old?" then she winced, realizing how that sounded. "I mean, dragons prefer a certain physical age, right? Will that be taken into consideration? Nirinath's only risen twice. BGy the time the next clutch comes, some of these women will be almost too old. It could be their last chance." Way to forget her own dragon was a gold too. Luckily, D'ren reminded her by commenting on Krypth's future babies. Oh. Oh dear. Tsuen had spent months tied to the Sands. Luckily in the scheme of things it wasn't much, but it was something. And with Clutches came Flights, and- sex. Jada blanched again, and instead focused on his words.

"I don't like politics." she decided, almost sullenly. "Someone is going to end up mad, and you won't be around to protect the Weyrwomen- or myself- forever." it probably came out harsher than she would have liked. "I've never been one for making decisions like this, sir. I could never decide what you and Tsuen have decided. Ask anyone, it's probably gotten around that I wiffle and waffle around so much worrying about one thing or another that nothing gets done. Do..."

Jada took a deep breath, sinking lower into her seat and shaking her head in reply to D'ren's polite question. "Do dragons make mistakes? What if Krypth did want Indivara, and just got confused because Indi was hurt, and I was there, and...? She'd be better suited for this than me." Not because of any meanness in the girl, but because of a firmness that butter-soft Jada didn't share. Or didn't think she did.

D'ren smiled at her, subtly relieved that he could finally give her an answer they would both like. "Actually, we have enough creche workers that the ones who have no interest in raising the child themselves won't have to worry about it," he said. "Weyrs have always been this way...little if any traditional family structure and plenty of women who prefer their careers - in some cases dragonriding - to raising children. So Weyr children have always been raised communally by a dedicated staff, with the parents taking part if they choose," he explained. He laughed a little. "In fact, I took a few shifts at the creche last sevenday. Practicing for the new arrival and all."

He was still ridiculously excited at the prospect of being a father. 

"So don't worry. The ladies who want to raise their own child will be able to, but will have plenty of help should they Impress. The ones who don't, well, the children will still be well cared for.  Our creche here isn't as strong as the one back home at Telgar was, but it can handle plenty enough..."

He paused her her next comment, looking thoughtful and unsure for a moment, then smiled. "You know, I hadn't thought of that," he admitted. Impression ages had already crept farther than he was accustomed, and they only had two clutches to use as precedent. "That's a good idea, though. I'll make sure the older ones get pushes to the front."

The next part echoed personally for the bronzerider. He frowned at Jada's sullen observation. "It's true," he said gently. "It can be hard sometimes. I'm sure you've heard the horrible things people say about me and Tsuen," he commented, wrinkling his nose a bit at the thought. Threesomes indeed!

The next part caused him to flinch just a little bit. "...You're right about that, too. The thing is...Tsuen is a permanent figure. Well, permanent as long as Nirinath remains fertile. I could be replaced at any flight. Tsuen....Tsuen needs the peoples' support more than I do," he said. He looked down and folded his hands, trying not to fidget and reveal his own nervousness. He looked like gravity had suddenly been turned up, like his own body was heavy. "It's better if everyone loves her and hates me," he said. "...But you are right about that, too. And after I'm gone, I don't know what's going to happen."

The next part completely changed his demeanor. His eyes flew open and he forgot all about his own problems, subtly but wholly horrified at poor  Jada's concern. "Oh, no..." he said softly, leaning forward and setting one hand on her shoulder. "...Dragons never make mistakes, Jada," he said in a warm, paternal tone, his rapidly aging face managing a consoling smile. "I know sometimes it's hard to understand. Ronarth seemed like a poor match for me at first, but it always comes out in the end. They never, ever make mistakes."

We do not! Ronarth confirmed lovingly. \\Krypth picked you because you needed each other! Just like he and I needed each other!

Around that time, Ronarth's nose came poking through the broken window. D'ren glared at it comically. "Ronarth! No!"

Ah. Well, that was one thing about the whole event she could support. As a child it had been hard enough trying to understand her older siblings, who seemed to dislike her- she couldn't imagine having to deal with a parent who resented her. And it wasn't that Jada would resent having a child- not at all. She would resent that it had been a mandate, not necessarily something that came from... love, or feelings. The rule could produce children that were little more to their life-givers than means to an end. So hearing that there were people who were with the children out of a want to be there? It made Jada go just a little squishy inside. As D'ren commented about his own arrival, Jada grinned and glanced at him. And then there were the couples like D'ren and Tsuen. Both incredibly busy, who would need the creche- but she couldn't imagine their child would go wanting for any affection, with that excitement in his voice.

Uh oh, she was thinking off-track! Jada stared at the lines on his brow, thinking, when she saw the look cross his face, and said a magical phrase that made Jada lighten up like it was a Gather. "That's a good idea," D'ren said, and that was all Jada heard. Praise? Was it praise? Praise praise praise? Maybe maybe, just a little? YES! It was a good idea! If humans could glow, Jada was getting there, until reality set in.

Lights went on, lights went off, and happy became sullen and sullen became happy, and sullen and happy sullen sad happy sullen. All of it ran across her face with a lack of professionalism that would shame her when she remembered she was supposed to be trying to impress the weyrleader. "I've-" Probably heard some rumors about you and Tsuen you haven't. "Heard the rumors." she breathed heavily. After all- listening was what Harpers did. Then again, he was Weyrleader and may have an army of draconic superspies feeding him information informers.

But he did have a good point. Tsuen and Nirinath were going to be around for a long time. They had to be. Jada wasn't anyone's choice for leading anything but the children's games! And in part, that was why Jada was certain sometimes of Krypth's mistake. Her devotion had to be meant for someone else. Even as a baby- a hatchling? weyrling?- she was so many things that Jada was not. Shards, it had been half Krypth's fault she was almost late, but it was the dragonet's fault she was actually on time, with her poking and prodding and punctuality!

Ronarth's voice was warm, and D'ren's face was just-

Nope. You don't cry on the Weyrleader, Jada!

But it was very tempting, right up until she watched a big bronze nose poke around a Krypth-sized hole in D'ren's window. Near-sobs turned into strained laughter, and Jada found herself missing the press of a warm, soft nose on her leg.

D'ren smiled back at the girl, visibly relieved that she had finally come at ease before him. He wasn't her enemy. No, he wanted to be just the opposite. He wanted to be a guide, a good influence. He wanted to help her adapt to her new position and find her way, so she wouldn't wind up lost and tormented as he had. Even as a young bronzerider he'd come to terms with the fact that he would never advance; not after the accident. To find himself suddenly Weyrleader, and in the most dire of circumstances? It was a series of disasters, something he wished very much to spare this poor, sweet girl from.

He could see her softening, the hope returning to her eyes. Why, he was starting to feel awfully mushy himself. The weight of the conversation seemed to evaporate a bit as he forgot about his current problems and watched Jada's near-visible glow. His comment about the rumors seemed to dampen her for a moment, but encouraging words soon set things straight again.

"It's just talk," he said with a laugh. "My mother used to say 'well, if I call you a redfruit, does that turn you into a redfruit?'. People are always going to talk, but if you do your job and maintain your integrity, I believe your true nature will always shine through for anyone who cares to take a close look," he said warmly. He was idealistic to his core, even in these harm times. It kept him going, the idea that things could and would be better one day. Someone needed to start the process, though.

As he watched Jada prowl closer to tears, he found himself feeling even mushier. Her sudden burst of laughter at Ronarth's antics saved the Weyrleader with a tightened throat himself. Jada's amusement at the situation diffused D'ren's instinctive panic over the chaos of the situation, and he began to laugh as well.

He laughed hard. Harder than he had in quite some time. It felt amazing.

"My mother used to say something similar." she admitted to D'ren, and managed to lift the mug for a long sip of klah. As always, when Jada thought of her mother, she worried. But it was getting easier, knowing that her family thought she had happily run off with- somebody. Who on Pern could Jada have met that would have dragged her away from Hall and Hearth? (Note the priorities there.) Oh, that was right. The Harper's lips curled fondly. Krypth. Though not quite the answer she'd expected, it was the honest one. The last sevendays with that loving little wherry had done more to cause Jada to consider the Weyr home than either a) the fact she couldn't ever leave again, or b) any of the friends she had made.

Luckily she had finished her drink before the almost-hysterical chuckles started. And when D'ren started laughing with her- a most confusing turn of events, to be sure- Jada found she didn't mind the dampness in her eyes quite as much as she would have before her hysteria and wrecked emotions manifested themselves.

She might not agree with the Weyrleader's decisions, but Jada thought she could see a glimmer of true kindness behind the political exterior he presented. Could a mean person laugh like that? Possibly. Probably. From that same viewpoint, a mean person wouldn't have needed to be nice to Jada. D'ren was Weyrleader, and Tsuen had many turns of leadership ahead of her. There was little political advantage to her being humored that she could see.

So why not relax a little?

And hope Ronarth stayed outside the window.