He'll Have To Ask

Writers: Avery, Suzee
Date Posted: 18th September 2015

Characters: Cyradis, L'pin
Description: The Weyrlingmaster's Third talks to the Weyrwoman about J'ackt.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 17 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: J'ackt, Alina, P'ton, Riyanth

Cyradis

**See if Cyradis is free, please? I need to talk to her,** L'pin thought
to his dragon. He'd promised J'ackt that he'd talk to her, after all. He'd
been distracted by the disaster with the Blooding. But it was time to make
good on what he'd said to a still-living one.

}:Panitath, is yours available? My rider wishes to speak to yours,:{
Chaneth said respectfully to the gold. }:It's about Zith's.:{

}:Mine asks for about half a candlemark and then she can receive you
in her office.:{ Panitath relayed back to Chaneth. In the meantime,
Cyradis wrapped up her play time with her youngest daughter and took
her back down to her Weyr. On her way back up she saw L'pin coming
from the other direction.

}:I will tell him. Thank you,:{ Chaneth said gravely.

L'pin smiled at Cyradis when he saw her. "Hope I'm not interrupting
anything."

"Oh no," she smiled. "I was just taking afternoon tea with my
youngest girl, and her dolls."

"That sounds wonderful. Children are so much fun to spend time
around," the bluerider said softly. "You and Panitath are both well?"

"We are thank you," she nodded graciously. "Would you like a cup of
tea or klah? I have both."

"Tea please. I don't want to be too jittery," he said.

She touched the side of the pot and found it hot so poured him a cup
and handed it to him before pouring her own. "So," she thought she
already knew what it was about. "What did you want to see me about? Do
you have some news?"

He'd meant to jump straight into his topic, but a sudden need for
honesty pulled at him.

"I wanted to ask you what you thought of my performance. The
Weyrleader makes appointments, but its the children of your gold, and
your wing's golds, that I'm training. And it's my fault we lost one,"
he said, his hands curling around the warm cup.

How many times had she heard that question in all her Turns. The
Weyrlingmasters had a huge and all consuming job and sometimes the
failures ate them up from the inside. Harpers could teach almost
anything except what the Weyrlingmasters had to teach. But at least
they could sleep at night. Their students didn't die if they made a
mistake.

"L'pin," she leaned forward on her elbows. "You have an impossible
task. There will _always_ be failures. We can only do our best and
hope they learn it well enough." She half smiled as an apology for her
intensity. "Panitath and I are very pleased with the job you're
doing."

Her confidence in him shone through, and his shoulders visibly relaxed
at her words. "Thank you. I just...this was harder than I remembered."
Not as hard as when it had been his son. Had it been Alina...or
P'ton...

But he was here to speak about another boy. "I come to you about
J'ackt. He's chafing under the restrictions. I was hoping to appeal to
you."

She nodded and could understand the sentiment completely. They were
her Weyrlings and she was supremely interested in their welfare but
she was also able to distance herself from the daily cares until they
graduated into the wings.

"How do you feel he's doing with understanding and following
instruction. Is he paying attention?"

"He's doing better about it. I think a little positive reinforcement
would help - letting him outside with supervision. Are we aiming to
graduate him with Riyanth's class, or let him go a bit before then?"

She nodded, along with what the Mind Healer had told her this made a
great deal of sense. "I'd like to see him in my wing just as soon as
you think he's ready. I don't want to wait for any arbitrary
graduation timeframe." She sat back and picked up her cup leaning the
hot beverage against her lips for a sip. "Alright on the positive
reinforcement," she said "but with supervision until we know we can
trust him to make the right decisions. I'm sure he doesn't mean to
endanger Zith and we surely do need him." A corner of her mouth
lifted. "Though he won't hear that for me for awhile."

"I was thinking of limiting him to locations in the Weyr's territory -
as in around Dolphin Cove, not anywhere we overfly - and with either
weyrlingstaff or a metallic rider such as yourself."

L'pin nodded at her last point. He thought J'ackt eventually needed to
know that he was valuable and useful but he didn't think it should be
just now.

"I can live with that," she nodded. "But," she lifted a finger. "I
think I'd like him to come and ask me. I know he's chafing but from
all reports he's been on good behavior. It would be nice to reward him
a bit. You know," she waived a hand in the air. "Reinforce the
behavior you want."

"Can I clue him in at all to you being sympathetic, or should I just
tell him it's out of my hands and I'm not the one to ask?"

She thought about that for a moment and then half smiled. "You can
tell him that we've had a conversation and I asked questions about his
progress. But you don't know what I thought of your request and that
he will have to ask." The last interview with J'ackt had been
confrontational and she wanted him to have to come back to her with
the appropriate attitude. It was a learning experience. As a bronze
rider, he'd be able to walk over almost anyone very soon with the
exception of gold riders and Lord Holders. She needed to know he
really understood that and could use manners when they were
appropriate.

"That I can do," the bluerider told her. "I hope he handles it correctly."

"Oh I'm sure it's important enough to him, that he will. That's the
point, right?"

"Indeed it is," the Third agreed.

Last updated on the September 27th 2015

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He'll Have To Ask