An Overview

Writers: Avery, Len
Date Posted: 13th November 2014

Characters: Sh'del, L'pin
Description: Sh'del and L'pin go over their notes on the weyrlings
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 13 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: J'ackt, Alina, Saidrene, G'dori, X'dris, R'taren

L'pin carried in the klah, juice, and snacks and placed them on the table
between himself and Sh'del. "I thought this might help with the
discussion," he said genially.

Sh'del glanced at the drinks and sighed. "We need something stronger," he
muttered, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. Running through his
mind still was the way Zith had ran over Alina, and the distress that had
followed. He blamed himself for every moment of that.

"We could fix that if you'd like," L'pin said lightly.

}:Chaneth, mine is still upset over this:{ Loranth sent the blue the
mental picture that was stuck in Sh'del's mind like a loup. :}Please tell
yours:{

L'pin winced as the image came in. Poor Alina - to have her have been
wounded like that tugged at his heart. He couldn't blame Sh'del for being
distressed by it.

"It's quite an interesting set we have," he said a little more seriously.

The image of J'ackt Impressing flashed through Sh'del's mind. "You don't
say," he muttered dryly.

"The Healers say Alina will recover, though she'll need to be on light
duty." Unbeknownst to L'pin there was a particular fatherly tone when he

spoke of her.

Sh'del did pick up on L'pin's tone. Smiling broadly, he reached out to give
Trouble a treat. "I think we need to watch out for R'keh, he could be a bit
mean at times." The Holder boy had been a bully back when he was a
candidate. "I want him and J'ackt as far away from one another as possible."

"I agree. Let's never have them in the same weyrling groups. Though R'keh
might do well if we encourage him to mentor boys who he won't see as an
overt challenge. Maybe if we put him in a trio with a brownrider and
bluerider who his confidence could bolster?"

"Sounds good." Sh'del took the paper that was under his flit's bottom
and wrote some words down under the boy's name. "Let's also make sure
he's not around any greenriders until we work on his hidebound
mindframe a bit more." Of all the boys to get bronze, that one was the
most trouble. Sh'del sighed again as he recalled in his mind just what
that one had said only this morning to a male green weyrling.
"Actually, better yet, let's get him in with J'rell. That one'll
handle him just fine." The Weyr-born and burly green weyrling would
take about a candle flicker of the sort of crap that R'keh liked to
pore out.

"I like that idea. How does J'rell, R'keh, and N'tain sound for that
group?" N'tain was a steady weyrbrat who'd Impressed a brown and
seemed likely to keep his head on his shoulders.

L'pin took another sip of klah, then continued. "I'm surprised Satai
Impressed. She's been so quiet and in the back during classes and
seemed afraid of even the eggs," he added.

"Sometimes, those are the best weyrlings though. They're the most focused."
Sh'del smiled as the image of the shy girl came into his mind. "She'll be a
fine fighter, one day."

"I hope she will. Maybe near the end she could even be a trio leader?" he
wondered. "Give her a touch of leading, after she's seen others."

"Yeah, I'd want her towards the end. Let's build her confidence up slowly.
I'm not sure how she would take a set back." Sh'del scribbled some more
notes down before tapping on Alina's name. "I'd like to set this one up as
a group leader the first sevenday we do it. What do you think?"

"She's got the potential, but I don't know if she'd want to. Which doesn't
mean not to," he added with a smile.

Sh'del waved off the man's concern and took another sip of the klah. "I
already told her she's doing it. She was helping J'ackt with his writing,
so I'd like to see if she has any leadership abilities."

"I'm glad someone helped J'ackt with that," L'pin said. "I gave him a bit
of instruction as a Candidate, but he's had a lack of formal education
that isn't his own fault."

"No, indeed. Actually, speaking of the lad, I want him to get extra
instruction with things like his writing an hour right after classes are
over. Have him skip the afternoon chores and just concentrate on getting
the basics under his belt for a bit. One of us will need to let the
Headwoman know." He glanced at L'pin for his opinion and wrote a bit more
next to J'ackt's name.

"I can tell her that. It sounds solid. C'tarin could also use some help
with writing, would we want that together?"

"No, I suspect C'tarin's issue is something different than J'ackt's. He
says he keeps switching the letters around in his mind, where J'ackt just
needs a bit of attention." Sh'del's mind wandered back to the conversation
he had with R'taren the other night, and the man's attitude to life in the
Weyr. He couldn't image the sort of abuse J'ackt had faced as a Holderless
boy. Sighing again, he asked, "Where were you from, L'pin? You were
Holder-bred, right?"

"I was. Then I Crafted at the Harper Hall for 9 Turns." Gave him a bit of
perspective on everything. "Someone need mentoring?"

The look on Sh'del's face turned pensive. "No, it's just--" He bit his
words off and watched Trouble play with the papers for a moment. "It's
just I don't understand the mentality of the Holders, that's all. I
was talking to a rider the other night who has very traditional Holder
views and I just think if only they didn't cling on like they did,
then maybe kids like J'ackt would have had a much better start in
their life, you know? It just seems unfair."

L'pin nodded, weighing what to say. "I think the ways of the Weyr have
their own advantages, but that doesn't make them perfect. For girls
like Alina or Satai, the Weyr gives them a chance at being more than
just a wife or mother, even if they don't choose to take it. J'ackt
could have been a smart young Crafter or reliable Holder if he hadn't
been cast out."

"As for understanding them, consider this. In the end, it all comes
down to survival. The ways of the Weyr are dictated by the need to
keep the dragons healthy and the queens breeding new clutches, yes?
That's why we emphasize "a flight is just a flight" so much to the
younglings. After the plague, the ways of the Hold were dictated by
needing to make sure enough people survive to tend the Hold. To be
honest, the first few decades mandated it. Now it looks antiquated,
but if another population drop occurred, it would be useful."

"Yeah but..." How could he explain how very sad he found the whole
thing? "Okay, how can it be useful if they keep a large group of
people down? How does that help, in the long run?"

"I think in the end the Holders are afraid of change. Making women
marry young and have many kids is the only thing that saved them.
Maybe they can't think past that because they're still too scared,"
L'pin suggested.

"Women should be allowed to craft, but they're the ones who bear the
next generation. If they stopped having children, we wouldn't have
people to raise our food, or take up a craft, or even become a
candidate to search. The Holders think they can't balance work and a
family and give them only a family. But that's not true, because Weyr
women balance jobs and families. The Technicians and Dolphineers allow
women and some of those have children. Maybe they'll be the example
that changes the world."

He was a little disappointed to not be able to mention his own craft,
but the Harpers were too new at integration for him to see them as an
example.

Sh'del nodded in agreement. "So--as a former Holder--what do you think
we should do to help J'ackt? I was thinking a lot of one-on-one time
with one of the older female staff like Tiania to help with the
writing issue and to give him time off of evening work so he can
concentrate on getting his studies up with the other kids. Can you
think of anything else?"

"Not immediately. I think those are good steps - giving him the time
to catch up now is better than running the risk of holding him back."

"Okay, that's that then." Sh'del looked over the list of weyrlings. "I
think G'dori would also be good for a leadership role, X'dris and Saidrene
too." He turned the paperwork over to L'pin to okay.

"I think those are good choices. Give them spots in the trios," L'pin
agreed. "Then see who will work out for the nines?"

"Sounds good." Trouble nudged Sh'del's hand and creeled. "I think this
one wants her dinner. Want to come with us?"

"That would be great, thank you," L'pin said. It'd be nice to not eat alone.

Last updated on the November 30th 2014

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An Overview