Participants:
| Date: | 11/28/10 |
|---|---|
| Location: | EW: Weyrlingmaster's Office |
| Synopsis: | Ahnika makes her report on her fitness and health as W'red had ordered her to, and W'red reveals that he knows about her relationship with Max, cautioning against it though not prohibiting it. |
| Rating: | PG-13 |
| Logger: | Ahnika |
It is in that little crevice of time between morning lessons and lunch, where Weyrlings are more or less expected to use the time to clean their stations in the barracks, or attend to some scrape received during training or other odds and ends of personal, but productive, time, and Jhath and Ahnika enter the barracks after an extra few rounds of exercise for them both. Grabbing up a towel to wipe herself down, the redheaded weyrling eyes the entrance to the Weyrlingmaster’s office before asking Jhath to ask Tavaith if the Weyrlingmaster is in his office and available to be met with. Politely. Jhath does, but even after given leave to see the Weyrlingmaster, Ahnika trudges down the short hallway to his office and knocks respectfully on the door before poking her head in, “Sir, I’m told you might have a few moments to spare for me?”
W'red is sitting in the chair behind his desk, all his work is up to date and he is taking a moment to do nothing, he is deep in thought when the knock on the door makes its way through the daydreaming, even though Tavaith had asked if Ahnika could come and see him. The deep voice barks out a little more harshly than it is perhaps meant too, "Come", the door is already opening and the redheaded weyrling pokes her head, W'red sits up a little straighter, "Yes, yes, come in sit, Ahnika."
Ahnika can’t be said to look unhappy, precisely, but she isn’t smiling. Her expression is simply neutral. This is all “business” in her mind. She comes in the rest of the way and closes the door, snapping off a salute, “Thank you, sir. You wanted to be informed when the Infirmary has concluded my injuries finished healing, sir. They’ve removed my bandages,” something that was actually done sevens ago, allowing Ahnika to return to lighter, better-breathing and short-sleeved tunics, “and I’ve finished out the ointment that they gave me for the scarring, and my right arm still holds a little weakness, but I’m able to do all the tasks I was able to do before the … incident, now, and the Healers say the strength will continue to get better over time, sir.”
W'red returns the salute, waits for the weyrling to enter fully into the office, he listens to her rattle off the report on her health and a smile spreads slowly across his face wrinkling the crows feet in the corners of his eyes. "I am glad to hear that it has healed well, I have noticed also that your training is almost back to full pace." He nods with his head towards her right arm, "Just take care not too overdo it with that arm it may be getting back to full strength but we are going to push it way past where it was before the injury, I will still give you some leeway for another sevenday or so but after that you will be treated as all the other Weyrlings, no slacking or special treatment. The part most likely to give you trouble is going to be tossing firestone sacks, you can't throw short as it will fall down onto some unsuspecting rider, so that I think will have to be your biggest focus and challenge at this stage." The Weyrlingmaster leans back a little in his chair, "thank you for the report back though," blue eyes staying focused on the green weyrling.
“Yes, sir,” Ahnika says, remaining in her at-attention position in all but her eyes, giving W’red her attention respectfully as opposed to the opposite wall. “Thank you, sir. A sevenday is more than enough time,” she says, somewhat boldly and more than a little to reassure both herself and him. She really has no idea, but she’s going to continue to do the exercises the Healers explained to her and intends to be back up to full speed as soon as possible. As his blue eyes remain focused on her, however, she shifts a little and then does look at the opposite wall, “That is all I needed to report to you, sir.” Subtly asking for dismissal? Perhaps.
Noticing the stiff at attention stance of the Weyrling W'red's smile still in place, "At ease Weyrling, when I invite you into my office and offer you a seat, it means you can be at ease immediately, otherwise I would not ask you to sit but would leave you standing there at attention." He nods, "yes that is what you were asked to report back to me on," the smile briefly flickers before he continues, "please sit, there is something else I would like to discuss with you, although it will come up in training later it is perhaps something that I feel I need to bring up with -you- as an individual now rather than later."
Her expression shifted into a guarded look now, Ahnika nods, “Yes, sir,” and takes one of the stool seats offered her. Her hands fidget in her lap. If she is curious about what he wants to bring up, she doesn’t look it, which likely means Ahnika knows precisely what is coming, or rather, she thinks she knows anyway.
W'red's smile changes to a light chuckle as he notices the change in her face, he has heard rumours of a fight and that one of his Weyrlings was involved, but from what he can understand no one was hurt, so that doesn't concern him much at this time, although if new developments were brought to his attention that too could change. "What I'm about to say, you may think is none of my business, but as long as you are a Weyrling under my charge everything about you is my business, as with your injury, you may have thought it could be hidden but in this job of mine almost everything eventually finds its way to my desk or ears." The brownriders smile is forcibly removed from his face, as he tries to make light but not a joke of the subject he is about to bring up. "It has been brought to my attention that you are..have been..still are, having a relationship with someone outside of the weyrling barracks? How long this has been going on or how far it has gone, I am not sure of but it needs to be discussed."
Indeed, Ahnika thought she was about to get laid into for having a very public and inappropriately disrespectful argument with a Journeyman Healer. And so when W’red begins talking, her grey eyes slide to his face, still guarded but not quite as closed up as before. It is when he brings up the relationship that she stiffens noticeably. Anyone playing cards with her will rake in all her marks with the amount of ‘tells’ this young woman has. In an effort to keep her cool, Ahni puts her gaze elsewhere now, to a point in the back of the room. “What would you like to know, sir?” she asks stiffly, but respectfully.
Dragon> To Tavaith, Jhath drifts in with heady incense and a little warmth from her hearth fire, but not as much as she has been known to have when starting a conversation, « Mine has done nothing wrong. »
Seeing the girl's body stiffen up, W'red realizes what he was told by T'bin was obviously true, he had decided to tackle the green weyrling first as Max had no obligation to him or the position he held the weyrling however was a different story. "I fully trust that the restrictions placed on the class are being adhered to as far as physically getting involved with another, this however is not my concern as with everything that too would find its way back to me." Hoping that the girl would at least relax a little, knowing that he is not going to confine her or punish her for anything. "What concerns me more is what happens after Weyrlinghood, you a greenrider, he a walker. If you have managed to learn to block somethings from your young dragonet, now may be a good, time if not, I will be as tactful as possible here, without bringing undue concern to Jhath, therefore not putting into words what I am sure you fully understand, where that is concerned." The Weyrlingmaster waits a few seconds before he continues, "The relationship itself is going to be difficult to maintain, with what you know is inevitable. This is something normally only applicable when a dragon is older and these things can be spoken about freely, but you need to know if this was with another dragonrider you wouldn't be here, as it is a fully understood fact, that the inevitable will happen. I need you to know that a relationship with a walker very seldom works out for a rider, most especially riding on a green."
Dragon> To Jhath, Tavaith 's mind voice is soft and melodic as he sends soothing sounds the young greens way « mine is not accusing yours of anything, he is giving her good counsel, for her future and yours. »
Ahnika frowns a little, but doesn’t move and doesn’t relax. She remains dutifully attentive and quiet, until the pause is given and she says, simply, “Yes, sir. I have some ability to filter things to her now.” It wasn’t always the case. Took some discipline and a lot of practice. Then Ahnika lapses silent once more, listening to him continue. It is only after he finishes that she moves her gaze elsewhere again and this time she only says, “I have some plans in mind, sir, that should prevent any … challenges of that nature, when she rises. It’s something I’ve given a lot of thought, I assure you. But I love him, and Jhath hasn’t and won’t change that. I won’t let it.” Her voice remains respectful, but firm. She’ll not let go of Max, not ever, not while she still draws breath and her heart beats.
Dragon> To Tavaith, Jhath withdraws a little, but remains curious and alert at once. Her hearth a rustling sound of flames of medium strength, neither angry nor sedate. Her incense continues to permeate the chamber of her mind.
W'red nods, "well love is a strong emotion most certainly as you know you love Jhath as well, it's just that non riders and riders don't make very good matches and not just for the rising of your green which you do know is inevitable, there are a number of other issues that will surface within the relationship." The Weyrlingmaster, may be talking from experience or he may be talking from seeing it over and over again just not working out, "when we fly Thread he will be left on the ground wondering if you will return, and if you return will you be in one piece, this type of stress placed on any relationship can have disastrous effects." A slight shrug of his broad shoulders, "however I cannot tell you who to love, or who not to I can only give you some advice, and ask that you keep it to yourself at least until the subject comes up in training and the the restrictions on you and your fellow weyrlings get totally lifted. Until then all I can ask is that you think long and hard about what you are involving yourself, Max and those around you in, voluntarily or not."
Dragon> To Jhath, Tavaith rumbles quietly, and relaxes leaving the subject where it is.
Ahnika doesn’t look at the Weyrlingmaster as he speaks. Her eyes are front and forward, chin and jaw set. Her cheeks begin to flush though, but if it is over talk of mating flights or talk over her relationship with Max, or talk of cutting him loose, it’s hard to say. She is doing a lot of blinking and hard swallowing, however, until he mentions Max by name and she stops and looks at him. “Max?” annnd now she slides her eyes right, “Who said anything about Max, sir?” And she shifts a bit more on the stool. Just … give it up, Ahni. She looks down at her hands next, “My love and I,” she says, not admitting to it being Max, “we’ve both prepared ourselves for the challenges. We’re ready.” Really? Her expression tells a different story as W’red’s seeds of doubt start to take root. “But I promise, we’ll keep things discreet, sir, until restrictions are lifted.”
The brownrider sighs and then smiles, "Max, the Beast Manager, he and a friend of mine had a chance meeting and another rider brought him greeting from you, a few words were exchanged enough to let me know, that Max -is- the love interest in your life other than Jhath, as I said before not much escapes me where it concerns the weyrlings." A nod given to the young woman, "Well my door is always open Ahnika, even after you have graduated, if you need to talk, and keep the discretion and you and me will have no quarrels over this, I do however think you should know, that I will be having a similar conversation with Max, although I have no authority over him as I do with you at this time, but it will be more of a man to man talk, over a glass or two of whiskey."
Frowning a little more at the end of what W’red has to say, Ahnika looks at the floor again and finally states softly, “Yes, sir.” Her hands fidget in her lap again, wishing she had brought in those socks to darn while here. “Thank you, sir …” a little more hesitation and she asks, “So … I’m not in any trouble?” Just to be clear, “And I can still see him?” She still doesn’t seem to want to put a name there, even if W’red has riddled it out through other means.
W'red chuckles at the fidgeting hands and the way the weyrling does not make any eye contact with him, "No trouble -yet-, keep to the restrictions and it will stay that way, you have to consider not only yourself, Jhath and Max in this, -if- and this is a big -if- you had to step over the line and your Jhath was able to handle the consequential troubling in her young mind, it is something she may not be able to keep it to herself and may start to share her thoughts with other dragonets, that way it will affect the whole of the weyrling barracks and that would be totally unacceptable, and you would find yourself confined to barracks indefinitely. Max would be banned from conversing with any weyrling, and banned from this area of the Weyr, so as you can see, it rests on your young shoulders, the responsibility to keep yourself under control." This last said with a grave tone to his deep voice. "If there is nothing else, then you can be dismissed, and thank you once again for reporting back to me, it shows your character on your part and this is partly why I leave the relationship between you and Max in your hands."
Ahnika keeps her expression carefully schooled sober and respectful and nods a little to everything he says, “Yes, sir.” She slides off the stool and puts her feet on the ground, “I’ve been really careful so far,” well mostly so far. There have been some instances of her pushing the envelope, only to find Jhath positively bored with the whole thing. “I’ll continue to be careful. Thank you, sir.” She swallows and then salutes him with his dismissal of her. She turns to go and will continue out in a rather sedate, preoccupied manner unless stopped.
W'red pushes back his chair and gets to his feet as Ahnika, gets near the door, he gives a return salute to the weyrling, "you do that and we'll have no quarrels, you can tell Max if he wants to visit here when you have free time he may as long as it stays within the limits, here especially you and he will get away with very little." A smile is given to the young woman as he follows her out of the office, he is hungry and off to find something to eat at the living caverns, who knows he may even bump into Max while there.
Closing Credits Theme Music: Joss Stone - "Young At Heart"