17.Sep.12, 07:31 AM
D'ren sipped his wine and listened quietly as R'nya spoke. R'nya was a quiet man who spoke slowly and calmly, which might have rankled less patient men, but D'ren was all for a slow, deliberate conversation. It was a quiet evening with few distractions. What a rarity, in D'ren's world! A pleasantly paced conversation with a like-minded bronzerider was D'ren's idea of a good time these days, even if the subject of conversation was quite serious. He was content to listen all night if he needed to.
"You're not the only one to make a report like that," D'ren said casually, waiting until R'nya got all his thoughts out before chiming in with his response. "My own wing is pretty out of shape as well." He stiffened just a little, an empathetic expression crossing his face. There was just a hint of unspoken frustration there, directed primarily at N'gelt. D'ren liked a lot of things about the man, but their leadership style wasn't very complimentary.
"Here's the thing, R'nya..." D'ren said after a long moment of thought. "I like you. You and I have a lot in common, and one of those things involves expectations." The bronzerider frowned a bit. "I have very high expectations of myself, and of others. So do you."
He took another sip, swishing it around in his mouth for a moment. It was dry. "But sometimes, with things like this, you have to be patient. These men have been without structured wing exercises for fifteen turns. Of course the first practice was a disaster." He chuckled a little bit, managing to grasp a moment of lightheartedness in spite of all the recent stress. "Mine was like threadfall. Greenriders getting harassed, a bronze showing off, someone trying to trip someone else. None of that is okay, but it's like the first days of weyrling lessons. They're out of practice and have no bonds between them as a group...they need time."
He took a modest bite of his meal. He had a horrible tendency to overeat, especially while stressed, but having company put him on his best behavior regarding that particular habit. "Everyone is out of shape and to be honest, most of the leaders are untested. If it makes you feel any better, you've gotten more positive comments than negative...which is more than I can say for most of the untested wingleaders." They weren't all positive, but it was over 50%. That was good!
D'ren rested his chin on his hand. "There's a lot of work to do," he agreed sagely, tired but content. It was nice not to have the baby, or someone shoving charts in his face. "But here's the thing...This place is still rife with divisions, R'nya. That's one of the reasons I wanted to do this. To remind them that we are all dragonriders. They aren't going to get it just because a couple bronzeriders told them to, though. Keep a steady hand and they will learn in time. I'm not telling you to coddle them, but fifteen turns is a lot to undo in one afternoon."
He smiled and gave R'nya a playful wink. "I'm pretty sure you can take care of it. Though, I did hear some troubling things about T'shiro."
D'ren's expression hardened. "I know a contrasting...presence can be good sometimes," he said. He'd certainly used S'kef to 'motivate' people. "But from what I hear, T'shiro tried a bit too hard right out of the gate."
"You're not the only one to make a report like that," D'ren said casually, waiting until R'nya got all his thoughts out before chiming in with his response. "My own wing is pretty out of shape as well." He stiffened just a little, an empathetic expression crossing his face. There was just a hint of unspoken frustration there, directed primarily at N'gelt. D'ren liked a lot of things about the man, but their leadership style wasn't very complimentary.
"Here's the thing, R'nya..." D'ren said after a long moment of thought. "I like you. You and I have a lot in common, and one of those things involves expectations." The bronzerider frowned a bit. "I have very high expectations of myself, and of others. So do you."
He took another sip, swishing it around in his mouth for a moment. It was dry. "But sometimes, with things like this, you have to be patient. These men have been without structured wing exercises for fifteen turns. Of course the first practice was a disaster." He chuckled a little bit, managing to grasp a moment of lightheartedness in spite of all the recent stress. "Mine was like threadfall. Greenriders getting harassed, a bronze showing off, someone trying to trip someone else. None of that is okay, but it's like the first days of weyrling lessons. They're out of practice and have no bonds between them as a group...they need time."
He took a modest bite of his meal. He had a horrible tendency to overeat, especially while stressed, but having company put him on his best behavior regarding that particular habit. "Everyone is out of shape and to be honest, most of the leaders are untested. If it makes you feel any better, you've gotten more positive comments than negative...which is more than I can say for most of the untested wingleaders." They weren't all positive, but it was over 50%. That was good!
D'ren rested his chin on his hand. "There's a lot of work to do," he agreed sagely, tired but content. It was nice not to have the baby, or someone shoving charts in his face. "But here's the thing...This place is still rife with divisions, R'nya. That's one of the reasons I wanted to do this. To remind them that we are all dragonriders. They aren't going to get it just because a couple bronzeriders told them to, though. Keep a steady hand and they will learn in time. I'm not telling you to coddle them, but fifteen turns is a lot to undo in one afternoon."
He smiled and gave R'nya a playful wink. "I'm pretty sure you can take care of it. Though, I did hear some troubling things about T'shiro."
D'ren's expression hardened. "I know a contrasting...presence can be good sometimes," he said. He'd certainly used S'kef to 'motivate' people. "But from what I hear, T'shiro tried a bit too hard right out of the gate."