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Writers: Miriah
Date Posted: 9th December 2020

Characters: Ninaine, Orifa
Description: Ninaine is not happy that Orifa has been Searched
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 8, day 4 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: N'call (not by name)

Ninaine

Ninaine wanted to absolutely strangle whoever had thought that it was
a bright idea to bring her little sister to Dragonsfall, Search or
not! As she landed in the Weyrbowl, she quietly fumed at the idea of
Orifa, of all of her siblings, being there; though she dearly loved
her little sister and hadn't seen her since her own Search, Orifa was
the last person who ever needed to be on a dragon.

Not only could she get hurt, but if someone told Orifa that she needed
to sniff a pretty flower at the bottom of the bathing pool, the girl
would probably try to attempt it! Stressed, worried and determined to
convince her little sister to go right back to their home, she
immediately sought out the familiar Candidate barracks.

The moment she strode into the girl's side of the barracks, she heard
an excited squeal. "Ninaine!" Orifa bounded to her, then skidded to a
stop, her jaw dropping as she pointed at Ninaine's flight leathers.
"You're wearing trousers! I can see your legs!" There was another gasp
as she stared up at Ninaine's head. "And you cut your hair!"

Ninaine grabbed her little sister's arm and dragged her right out of
the barracks. "I had to. Come on. I have to talk to you..."

"I didn't know you'd left! Mother said that you were carried off by
some bronzerider and you have _three_ children now! But why are you
wearing those trousers? You can see everything! Is it exciting wearing
them? I bet they're comfortable! Hold on! You're walking so fast!"

Ninaine exhaled through her teeth, finally pulling Orifa out of the
barracks and to a place of almost privacy near the cliff face. She
finally let her carefully bottled up temper flare; she'd kept it
hidden for so long, it almost felt pleasurable to do so. "Are you
crazy, Orifa? What on Pern are you doing here?"

"I was Searched! Mother was going to have me marry Master Weidig in a
month and he's so _old_. His wife died last year and I was going to do
it like she said, but then the Searchrider came and I thought, well,
_you_ were Searched and you found a bronzerider who swept you off of
your feet just like in those Harper tales that mama hates so much..."

"This is not Harper tales!" Ninaine hissed. "Being a rider is
dangerous, Orifa! I can't fly Thread anymore, did Mama tell you that?
Luneth got hurt. I got hurt! Threadfall can _kill_ riders! And do you
know what happens if you Impress a green?"

Orifa's eyes widened. "I didn't know you got hurt. Mama didn't say
anything about that."

"Of course she didn't. She was too concerned about me riding a green!"
Ninaine shot back, ignoring Orifa's wounded look. She pointed to
Orifa's pretty skirt. "Say goodbye to dresses. Say goodbye to those
pretty slippers you like so much! Say goodbye to long pretty hair! And
say goodbye to getting married too! When you're a greenrider and your
green rises to mate, you might have to share a bed with a complete
stranger! You won't have a choice! About anything!"

Orifa's jaw dropped open as Ninaine railed at her, unable to respond.
Her sister had once been so composed, so polite and had never shown
any temper that she'd ever seen! What had happened to her? And what
did she mean about those things? "I thought that coming to the Weyr
meant...I could...you know...be like the riders in the tales..."

"You're not going to be a Torene or a Moreta, Orifa! They rode golds
and there's not a gold egg on the Sands, now is there? The moment you
Impress a green, Mama will tell you that you're a disappointment to
the whole family! You'll be cut off and you won't ever see any of them
again! What were you thinking, Orifa? This isn't the life for you."
Tears suddenly gathered in Ninaine's eyes as her voice raised."They
will force you to change and you will lose _everything_ that you were!
They're going to tell you everything you knew, everything you were
taught, and everything you _think_ is _wrong_. By the time they're
done, you don't even recognize yourself anymore."

"But..." Orifa bit her lower lip, now clearly distressed and uncertain
how to react to Ninaine's sudden tears. "Aren't you happy? I thought
that being a rider...that having a dragon was wonderful."

"Having a dragon is. I wouldn't trade Luneth for anything, Orifa. Not
anything. But I've had to give up so much of myself. I've had to do
things I never thought I would ever agree to or need to do. I've seen
people die and I've seen people get badly hurt. I've had to watch my
own dragon be in pain from injuries." Ninaine gripped Orifa's upper
arms. "Don't do this. Go home. This isn't the place for you."

Orifa looked down, breathing quickly as her own eyes watered.
"Can't...can't I come to where you are? The other Weyr? I could help
with the babies. I could come and live with you!"

"No. I can't take you. You were Searched for _here_. I can't even take
you home because I don't live here anymore. And you can't come and
live with me. My life is...complicated. You wouldn't understand."

"I...I don't want to marry Master Weidig." Orifa said plaintively.
"Ninaine, I want to be special! I want a dragon too!"

Ninaine released her and rubbed her face. "You could die, Orifa."

Orifa paled and spoke softly. "You haven't."

There was a sigh. "No, I haven't. But riders can and do die in Thread
or in accidents. I don't want to see that happen to you. You're my
sister and I love you. I don't want to see you go through what I have,
Orifa."

"Maybe it won't be the same." Orifa sounded hopeful as she looked up
at her sister with large eyes. "It could be different."

**It won't be.** Ninaine looked at her sister somberly. Her sister
wouldn't resist the changes that would be forced on her; she wouldn't
question them. It simply wasn't in her nature. But it would upset her.
She would struggle with understanding them. And after a time, Orifa
wouldn't be the sister that she knew. If she survived. "Please go
home. Tell the Weyrlingmasters you've changed your mind."

Orifa bit her lower lip. "I don't want to."

Ninaine closed her eyes to force back tears. She took a deep breath
and spoke softly. "Then, just be ready to do whatever they tell you
to. Don't fight it. Just accept it, even if it seems and feels wrong.
You'll be made to do it anyway and fighting it just doesn't work. It
_never_ works. And never, ever let your dragon think you don't want
her. Not for a single instant. Not a single thought."

"I won't."

"And don't see Mama after. Don't let her come and visit. Tell the
Weyrlingmasters that you can't see her. Trust me, it'll be better for
you." Ninaine hurriedly wiped her eyes and looked at her little
sister. "I have to go, Orifa. I have my duties."

"Will you come? To the Hatching?" Orifa looked at her sister with pleading eyes.

Ninaine slowly nodded. "Yes. But only if you promise me, if you don't
Impress, you'll go home. If you don't ever do anything else for me,
you promise that you'll go home."

Orifa looked at her with wide eyes. "I ...I promise."

Ninaine exhaled with some measure of relief. "Good." She nodded.
"Good." She bent to kiss Orifa's cheek, hoping firmly that no dragon
found her sister out of either clutch. "I'll see you at the Hatching.
Be good and do what they say. But until the Hatching, don't go off
with some boy or man, okay? If you Impress, you'll have time for that
after. But if you don't, you need to go home untouched. Alright?"

Orifa nodded with wide eyes. "Alright."

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