Full of Surprises

Jada certainly was full of surprises.

D'ren neither anticipated or expected Jada to want to talk about her flight so soon. He was pleasantly surprised to wake to a request for an audience. He'd planned to give the poor girl some time to recover from the shock, but he was pleased with her initiative just the same. He responded immediately and invited her to meet him for lunch to discuss whatever she had on her mind.

The Weyrleader arrived early. Few had arrived yet and the food was fresh. It smelled delicious. He smiled and quickly fixed his plate before taking his usual seat. Normally he hated sitting at that elevated table, especially when it was just him. He found it pompous and pretentious. Today, however, he was hoping to make Jada feel special. She deserved to after what had happened. Besides, it was far enough away from the rest of the crowd that hopefully no one would overhear their conversation.

What do you think Jada wants to talk about? Ronarth asked eagerly.

No telling. The clutch, I'd imagine. She probably has a lot of questions. D'ren was pretty confident that the young woman could handle it, but he could still remember being a weyrling himself. Ronarth had been a horrible handful. It took him ages to learn to control the willful beast correctly. Unfortunately, it looked like Jada didn't have as long to learn.

The flight could have turned into a disaster. Thank Faranth it hadn't.

The Weyrleader took a long sip of his klah and waited. He expected she'd be along shortly, and they could get down to business.

If it had been left up to Jada, she would have spent the day relaxing and not doing much of anything. Krypth, however, had much more on her mind than just allowing her Bonded to relax. No; Krypth had Risen, and it was time for the women to rise to the occasion and not give in to self-pity. Talian was hardly out the door when the Gold was reminding her bonded of the fact that they had a lunch meeting with the Weyrleader. Jada groaned, instinctively going to scrunch her eyes shut; Hah! That hardly worked as well as she wanted, and Krypth's agitation at her pain was the spur that made Jada rise, moving across the room to a pair of hide breeches and a plain linen shirt.

Alas, Jada had nothing that could cover the marks on her face, but she did have tops that would cover most of the other marks. Not her kiss-marked collarbone, alas, but who would be looking beyond the purple rimming her golden-amber eyes? She changed quickly, stuffing her feet into a pair of boots that would serve. "I'll be back, love. Go sun yourself."

I think I shall go stretch my wings. It wasn't a disagreement at all! Shaking herself, Krypth commented, The sunlight is so pleasant with the wind cool beneath you. I had never noticed that simple a joy. Krypth walked with Jada to the edge of the Gather Square, and as Jada moved into the dining hall (close) to promptly, she launched herself into the air.

Inside the dining hall, Jada waved to D'ren, sitting at the high table, and hoped he noticed. First, however, she ducked to the side, to gather a plate before moving to join him. She chose lightly this morning- fresh fruits, mostly, with a little bit of the proteins which were supposed to help with bruising. She narrowly missed bumping into someone, heard a soft gasp as the woman got a good look at her face, and Jada moved more quickly in the direction of the head table. She was in no mood to feed the gossip rounds. Besides, they would make what they wanted of anything that she said anyhow.

She approached the table and slid into a seat next to D'ren, smiling a faint greeting to the Weyrleader. "Good afternoon, sir. Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice."

D'ren was able to his his distaste. Flights were unpredictable and could sometimes get violent, he knew. Especially when riders like S'kef were involved. He noticed Jada's black eye right away, but chose to neither linger nor comment on it. It was part of Weyr life, unfortunately. He imgained where would be whispers nonetheless, if only because of Jada's status as weyrling goldrider.

In passing, he wondered how many poor greenriders got marked up like that every time and no one even noticed.

He smiled at Jada like nothing was wrong, and nodded for her to take her seat. "Good day," he said pleasantly. He slid his own plate over a bit, realizing he was taking up a bit too much space. "It's not a problem. You know I always have time for you." He spoke almost like a doting parent. As he looked at her, a hint of paternal concern flashed unwillingly in his eyes as well.

"So, what did you have in mind, Jada?" he inquired as he took another sip of his klah. "Yesterday was a big day for you. I'm glad you and Krypth came out of it all right." First flights were almost always ugly, but he didn't feel the need to actually say that.

Outside, Ronarth watched through his rider's eyes and creeled. Hurt?! Why is she hurt?

She had a rough flight, Ronarth. It happens.

YOU never hurt female riders, though!

S'kef and I are...as different as you and Tyrrisath. Tyrrisath, the bully of blues and the biter of greens.That ought to get the point across.

Oh

It was an incredible relief to walk up to someone and not have their eyes stay fixated on the rings around her eyes. In fact, D'ren gave her a smile that was almost as though he didn't even see it, that it was normal, and it irked as much as it soothed. He scooted over a bit, and she settled into her seat more comfortably, positioning her plate in front of her carefully and setting out utensils one at a time, almost a ritual, to soothe the nerves. She was so inwardly focused on the little detail of positioning her silverware, just so, that she missed the flash of concern.

One deep breath, then another. She would gain nothing from being her normal, impetuous self. "I was..." not the one who set up this meeting, because Krypth seems to think she is already the boss of all she surveys. "I am concerned." She changed the last word, the tense. She had not been concerned, she was still concerned. "Yesterday was not... expected." The words were still uttered fairly smoothly, her mind racing ahead of her Harper-trained tongue. She kept her head up, not wanting to give anyone more things to spread rumors about than what she was already feeding them.

"She ate something. Instead of just blood. Gorging?" She wanted to make sure she had the right term. "I don't know how it will impact the clutch. She is still in her Ninth month, we haven't even begun Between training." Her eyes flickered, and she licked her lips. "I don't want to interrupt her training. I don't know how that would impact Krypth, me going Between with someone else." She lifted her fork, flipping it backwards, and then back around so that she could scoop up a bite of some sweetened fruit. It was hard to maintain composure there. Very hard.

She chewed, carefully, swallowed. "I don't know what I am expected to do from here. I don't know if this means she is sterile, like a Green, because she Rose about their age? I do know that if she does Clutch, we're going to have some serious scheduling conflicts with the rest of the Weyrling class." And she knew that she was lost and confused. Conflicted.

Jada had discovered something about herself, the night before. After S'kef had gone, and she had walked, alone, thinking. After she had sat under Valerian's window, and slipped into his room on quiet feet, fallen asleep next to him. She knew she'd discovered something, but it lurked, still shadowed, taunting her.

"You couldn't have expected it," D'ren reassured her. Krypth's flight had been a shock to everyone. He remembered he hurried way Tsuen left their hut, the way Ronarth started fidgeting and growling. It had all been so sudden.

The next part drew a sigh from him. "Well, she certainly did gorge," he said. "You didn't have any real instruction regarding that, unless Tsuen spoke to you and never told me. So I'm not going to hold you responsible for it. But, it probably will affect the clutch," he said. Unfortunate, but he wasn't going to complain. He was just going to tell it like it is. They were already recieving a gift in the form of such an early clutch, so he would accept that he was given.

Besides, such a young queen might suffer physically from carrying a large one. Small was probably best, or at least safer.

"But it'll be a problem if it keeps happening. You'll know what to expect next time, so hopefully we don't have to worry about that." A reassuring smile.

"And I'm sure she's not sterile. I've never heard of such a thing, and other than rising early, things seem to have gone pretty normally," he said. "Though, you're right to think ahead about lessons. With Krypth eggheavy, you'll have to delay or rework a good bit of the last portion." He took a bite and chewed slowly. Shards, he still wanted to eat an awful lot. He'd been moderating himself, at least in public.

"I'm sure G'rem will be willing to work with you. This is a pretty exceptional situation." He smiled at her. "I know it merits some cautious, but...I believe this can turn out to be a good thing."

As reassuring as it was to be told that there was no way she could have predicted this turn of events, she still shook her head. "I knew something was wrong, but I didn't ask anyone why it was different. I attributed it to hot days, or a... a female problem. There have been hot days, and she has made it through delicate times with me before without these reactions."

She shook her head. "Tsuen and I have not spent much time talking, sir." she said finally. "She's been busy with... work." Work and her child, or so Jada assumed. There was no saying for sure. Selfishly, Jada's world had been revolving around that which every good Weyrling paid attention to. Her classes and her dragon, and little else. It had been next to impossible to find time to add classes back on to her days, though she had been rotated back into chores with the rest of them. Ah, well. Little by little.

"By the time she rises again, I should have had more time to work with her. I'll get her to listen to me eventually. We would be expecting a turn, at least, right? Maybe more, like her mother? I'll work with her, sir." She had a whole 'nother turn to get her obeying, after all. If she couldn't do it in that time, she was just a terrible person.

"Do you think it will bother her if another dragon takes me Between?" She asked the question full on now, not mid-ramble. "Lessons will be important, until she is too eggheavy to go, and then I'll have to skip ahead to working with the Weyrwoman, until she's free of the Sands and we can start training again. Would that work?" would any of her plans work? Going Between, planning for those sevendays that Krypth would be Sands-bound...

"I hope you are right, D'ren." Not about G'rem working with her, but about this being a good thing. "I genuinely do."

D'ren seemed to frown for a split second as Tsuen's schedule came up. The bronzerider masked his discomfort with another sip of klah. "...Tsuen hasn't been feeling that well," he confided softly, though he wondered if it was wise to share such a detail with someone like Jada. She needed to be in the know, but at the same time, she already had a lot on her plate.


"It isn't that she's ill," he added quickly. "She's just feeling very drained." He'd heard women often felt that way after having a child, but he also worried that maybe her resolve was fading. It had been a hard sixteen turns.

His would have worn out as well, had he let it.

His rapidly-aging face quickly shifted to a smile. "I'm sure you'll have more time in the coming months, though. It's been a very busy time for both of us, with the baby and all." He perked up a bit, his expression softened by the thought of his new daughter.

"As for her next cycle...Well, we won't know for sure until she rises again. The gold that Ronarth and I flew with back at Telgar rose once every 10 months or so, but Nirinath only seems to rise once every three turns. They dot end to be regular once they are established, though...so after next time, we should be able to expect it." He hoped she would find it reassuring, though he hadn't been able to give her the answer she probably hoped for.

He stretched a little and wiped his forehead. It was already too hot. He felt a bit self0conscious, sweating so heavily in front of a lady. "I'm sure she won't mind if someone takes you between, Jada," he said in a mellow voice. He was voicing his approval for a potential termination as much as anything else. He wanted to see more children being born, but the health of the clutch and the overall health of the goldpair in general just wasn't worth it.

Jada's brow creased in concern and immediate worry for her Weyrwoman when she heard that Tsuen hadn't been feeling too well. It was good to hear that she wasn't ill, but drained wasn't much better. "All work and no play could make Tsuen a very stressed girl." she said it with a playful wag of her finger, and a wry grin. "At least she'll have a bit of extra help soon enough. I'm very good at paperwork, I think you'll find." Mention of the baby had Jada's face quickly shifting even further in a positive, upbeat direction. "I have been wanting to meet her. She looks so adorable, and I've heard she is such a good baby too! Just chock full of smiles for everybody!" Just like her parents, actually. Hmmm, maybe it was a family thing.

Jada blew a puff of air out her mouth. "I didn't even notice any changes this time. I remember greenriders talking about a 'proddy' period, but other than this morning she hadn't been out of sorts at all. And even this morning could have been attributed to the heat, or any number of things." D'ren, however, was hardly the person to be talking about for those answers, so Jada filed them away for future consideration when she had another dragonrider about. "But that will be... at least a few months away. Dragons never Rise again before their old clutch has Hatched. Do they?" That would be terrible.

When he answered the question that had been gnawing at her, however, she couldn't hide the relief that crossed her face. Or the flash of genuine sorrow. "When she's older, it won't be as necessary." An excuse she was making to herself as much as to him. When Krypth was older, Jada would be able to take her body into her own hands, and on Krypth's wings. She swallowed, thinking ahead. Don't stumble at your first block.

"Now," she glanced at him sidelong, then took another bite and swallowed before continuing with "I believe you had told me I would be permitted to join in the selection of who would be allowed to Stand and Touch when Krypth Rose?"

Poor Jada. She was so worried about the implications of the flight! That was a good thing, though. It meant she cared, and it meant she would be aware in the future. "I've never heard of that happening," D'ren offered. "Some cut it close, but I can't imagine it actually overlapping."

He reached out and gave her a gentle but firm pat on the shoulder. "You and Krypth are both tough; you'll make it just fine."

As he returned to his meal, the other topic he'd expected came up: the candidates. Jada had been awfully determined to get her say in the matter. That was admirable and fine in and of itself, but she was young. Young queenriders made bad decisions, just like any other young person. D'ren was torn between wanting to trust her and wanting to put his foot down, but Jada had been understanding and receptive to compromise before.

It wouldn't kill anyone to talk about it. Besides, he had promised.

"Indeed," he said calmly. He finished the last of his meal and gently pushed the plate away. "So we should probably get to talking about it, right?" He smiled, reminding her that in spite of their differences in opinion, they were on the same side.

"Krypth's clutch is likely to be small," he said. "We'll have to see the actual clutch itself before we determine how many candidates stand, and I want a larger percentage to be male," he said. This, he would not waver on.

"...You made a good point about ages last time, though. I want to stagger female impressions, not end them. It would be a shame for the older candidates to miss out just because it wasn't their turn."

He finished his klah. He already knew what he wanted out of the arrangement, but Jada would get her chance to speak before he suggested it. "What do you have in mind?"

Relief blossomed over her face at the fact that D'ren was willing to let her get her say in after all. She couldn't hide it, and she didn't try. She went from slightly stiff in the face, puffed up, to relaxed and almost silly- in a second, flat. She'd been almost certain that the man was going to deny her, tell her she needed to wait for this conversation. Not because he intended to renege on his promise, but because she was still untutored in the political part of the decision.

"I hope it is small, for her sake." Surely the Weyrling Gold would be unable to handle a clutch the size of her mother's! In fact, perhaps the gorging this time had been a way for her body to ensure it? Maybe? No, it had probably simply been Jada's incompetence.

Should she tell the Weyrleader what she actually wanted, or what she thought she'd get? Hah! It was a joke she had even asked herself the question. D'ren might want to know what she wanted, but the truth was hardly the answer he would get in that regard.

"All females who have borne children to the Weyr are already eligible to stand," she said slowly, "But any of those who have not that will age out before Nirinath is due next to Rise should be allowed to Stand as well." They didn't know when Krypth would next Rise, or what her next Clutches would look like. "We only have Nirinath as a basis to guess from right now. And while we do know that older people are Impressing, we don't know where that new upper limit stands."

She licked her lips, considering carefully. "I don't know how many females over the age of 25 are here, but I want to offer it to them that they may come and Stand if they so choose. I don't know how many of them even will, with Krypth not flown by a bronze. If there was a chance of a Gold, maybe more would come. As it is?"

"The girls who have had children are already down on the list," he assured her. It was already more than he wanted, to be honest, but he knew changes like this couldn't happen overnight. It would take time, and at this point it was hard to know just how things would turn out. This was the first time trying something like this.

"25 is a little young for blanket admission," he said afterwards. "Nirinath's cycle is every three turns. She's closing in one one turn since her last flight, so I'd say 27." He spoke calmly, trying not to intimidate Jada. He wanted her to be a part of the process, but he wasn't going to coddle her and let her get her way all the time.

"27 and older ensures that veryone gets at least one more chance before the unofficial age cutoff," he reasoned. He'd probably take 26, if Jada wanted to argue with him. "After Krypth rises the second time, it'll be easier to work out the numbers."

That brought up an interesting question. "Hm. I do wonder how old is too old to Impress a dragon," he mused. He preferred younger candidates; younger people were more adaptive to the massive mental changes that came with Impression. Beggars couldn't be choosers, but candidate ages were something he was interested in experimenting with in the future, when things would be easier.

He had some big plans. He hoped everyone could hold on just a little bit longer while he put them into motion.

She nodded at his assurance that at least those woman who had been here long enough to bear children would already be permitted to Stand. Good.

"What if... the women who are 27 or above, or the mothers... if they decide not to Stand, we can open their position up to others who are older? It wouldn't put the count above what we would be expecting, since it would be one for one, but would bring in a few more of those debatable ages."

Jada knew she probably sounded like an untutored child to D'ren's older ears, but she was a teacher, not a politician. She negotiated with children, not parents and grandparents, who most certainly didn't want candy. "And we can discuss it more when Krypth rises next, especially if there is a chance of a Gold or a larger clutch next time."

If he would discuss it at all. What if she was blowing her chances with her desire for negotiation and her need to be involved? But Shard it all, Krypth was her dragon!

"That sounds fair," he replied. "I know many of the older girls have lost interest in standing. They have children, or they simply have a look at dragonrider life and decide it's not for them." Men sometimes felt that way as well, though admittedly less. The life of a chromatic rider in particular could be hard, and many people of either sex were past that sort of ambition once they approached thirty turns.

"That sounds like a deal to me, Jada. I'll have someone interview the women ages 27 and above, and any who don't wish to stand will leave a slot open for someone in the 25 to 27 bracket. The mothers as well, since I imagine some of them are more interested in their child for the time being."

He smiled a little. "Maybe you should do the interviews, Jada. I imagine you would seem more approachable to them than myself or Tsuen. That way, no one will feel pressured to give up their spot."

He stretched a bit. Shards, he was stiff and sore. Getting old! "And we'll discuss it more once the clutch is on the sands. It'll be easier to tell once we have an exact number. Each clutch will be different as well...so I'm sure there will be plenty of negotiations in the future."

Ugh, it was so hot. He wiped his forehead again. "Ugh, pardon me..." he muttered, flushing a little bit in embarrassment.

When the Weyrleader agreed with her, not even putting up a protest about her compromise, Jada nearly fell out of her chair. What?! She'd- she'd done it? It wasn't everything that she might have wanted, but it was a compromise within a compromise, and he didn't seem upset about it, but more thoughtful?

"I would love to be one of the people involved in the interviews." It was an immediate answer, and her face lit up at the thought of being involved in something so... important.

She bent her head back to her food as D'ren stretched, and when she heard a crack, she almost jumped. Her head dipped, and she gave him a long glance. "Nothing to pardon you for, Weyrleader. It's sharding hot out there. It makes me miss the North. There was a lake, not far from my station in Ruatha, that was just crisp and cool. I always thought it was too cool, except in the summer. The lake is too far from the Weyr, here. Krypth and I haven't quite made it all the way out there, yet, for a swim."

There was certainly a closer body of water, but Jada much preferred the lake... but a 5 hour walk? Hah!

D'ren sensed the feeling of accomplished in Jada, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. He wanted her to participate, but any sense of political sense told him that he should have made her fight harder for it. He glanced at her, watching her glow, and knew without further thought that he didn't have it in him to do such a thing to her anyhow. He didn't want to manipulate her, he needed to guide her...but he wasn't the one who was supposed to being guiding her. Tsuen was the one who needed to. Tsuen was the one who needed to be caring after their daughter during the day too, but he'd taken that on as well.

Postpartum depression must have been a real bitch.

He didn't complain now, and he probably never would.  If Tsuen didn't feel up to the tasks, he would take them on. He always would, without any hesitation or regret. He smiled at Jada. "It really is horrible weather," he said, letting political matters slide away for the time being. They'd come to a compromise they could both abide by, and that was all that mattered for now. He was confident that she would do well in the interview process as well, and perhaps it would help her with her social confidence a bit. She wasn't a full goldrider yet, but she needed to get used to being important.

He could remember that feeling. He'd been an awkward weyrling and an unaccomplished bronzerider. Becoming Weyrleader was a kick in the teeth, but it seemed he'd finally gotten used to it...just in time to cut his remaining lifespan in half, it seemed!

"I'm hoping we'll return to the north before too long," he said with the slightest touch of mischievousness. He winked at her. "I miss the weather, but I think more than anything, I miss the people." He owed a lot of kids for taking them from their homes, too.

For a long moment, Jada was silent, staring at the plate of food and considering the words that D'ren had spoken. Cruel words if they were a lie and frightening, exciting ones if they were truth. Spinning the food on her plate, she stared down from the elevated table at the few milling through the hall, at those who were sliding in as she and D'ren conversed. Three hundred people, give or take. Almost, or over, two hundred dragons. Such a frighteningly small number when one thought about how much area they had to protect. But soon more dragons, and in time more children would come. Katila lay in a place with exponential room for growth, but there were so many people who remained that were hurt, angry... and homesick.

"I miss my mother." It had been turns since she had seen Szelem last, almost four. And on the way home she had been cruelly plucked. Stolen. "I want to see her again, and my siblings. Just see them, I don't have to talk to them." She'd dreamed about them again, last night, as she'd lain curled up next to a boy- a man- that her brother had considered a best friend, that her mother had looked at as another son. The thought of going home... Impression had dulled the ache, but it didn't soothe it. She couldn't imagine... there were so many who had been Stolen in their prime, turns before, who waited still for a chance to go home.

"If we went back, would we go as a group? Or would we be split up?" she knew as well as anyone else that there had been multiple Weyrs in the North. There were a lot of places that the dragons could go, though there would be vermin and dust to expel from their residence. "I- It probably hasn't been decided yet." What a silly question to have even asked. If wishes were wherries... She stabbed her fork into a slice of roasted meat, shoving the food into her mouth absently.

D'ren inhaled deeply and drifted away for a few minutes, his weary eyes growing glassy and moist with remembrance. He had no one left in the north. Everyone he'd known would be long-dead by this time. Shards, most of them had been dead or near it even at the time of the plague! The bronzerider sighed and finally managed a smile, looking at Jada with the same warm reassurance he usually carried.

"You'll see them again," he said, speaking with the calm confidence of a man who knew the truth. He slid his plate away.
"I'd rather not discuss it now," he said with the weakest and weariest of laughs, "but it is true. I promise you, Jada...you will see them again."

What else could he say? Not much, really. Facts were facts, and poor Jada had enough to worry about without thinking too hard on the return home. Now wasn;t the time.

It would be soon, though.

Soon! Ronarth echoed cheerfully, unaware that D'ren hadn't spoken the last part out loud. The bronzerider froze and a comical look came across his face. "...Sorry about that,  Jada. Ronarth is in a...gabby mood today."

Don't talk about it too much, Ronarth

How much is too much?

Ronarth...don't talk to her

Oh. Okay.