Not When I wanted to be (2/2)

Writers: Emma, Jane
Date Posted: 29th March 2008

Characters: Teseada, R'haran
Description: Teseada accidentally 'times it' on her way home to DFW
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr, Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 9, day 15 of Turn 4
Notes: Timing is only taught to bronze and goldriders. The one exception to
this is R'haran as explained by Triad History.

Teseada

The young technician was rather nice, or so she thought as she settled herself onto her dragon.

}:You thought he was 'cute',:{ commented Onnyth as her rider checked and tightened the straps.

**Well he is, and he's not like any of the men at home,** she replied.
**And he seemed to want to get to know me for me, not just because of you.**

The dragon seemed to almost pause for thought as she considered that, }:Maybe so, but there are some nice ones there.:{
**We'll see,** was Teseada's reply. **But right now we need to get back home. Can you take us up and then we'll get ready to go /between/.**

The day really was gorgeous. It was hot and sunny, well hot in comparison to the Weyr and she could feel it with her riding gear on.
In fact, if only it was like that back at Dragonsfall. No, she couldn't let her mind drift like that she thought as she told Onnyth to take them back.

It was into bright sunshine that she emerged scant seconds later. The sun had been out when she'd left Dragonsfall, but it had been cold, and snow from falls in the previous sevenday had been on the ground. That snow seemed to be gone. And below her in the weyrbowl she could see drills going on, and the Weyrlingmaster, but the weyrling dragons seemed to be a lot older and bigger....

"No!" she called out. "It's not right here."

Onnyth sensed her distress, sending soothing, calming thoughts. }:We need to go back,:{ and before Teseada could argue, the gold had gone /between/ one more time.

The second time they were where they intended to be. And Teseada could feel it, still, she felt somewhat shaken by the experience. **Somehow, we must have timed it, it must have been me, thinking about warm weather.** She stayed a dragonback for a few moments, trying to gather herself together.

}:Onnyth's rider ...:{
**Yes, I saw them arrive,** R'haran said, trying to understand the unspoken unease Evielenth was feeling. "Is there something wrong? Does she need help?" he asked aloud, already heading along the path toward the young weyrwoman and her dragon.

}:They have done what we must not,:{ Evie said finally, not entirely sure what exactly that was, any more, but certain her rider would know.

"Ahh." R'haran approached the gold dragon and nodded a greeting to her before addressing her rider. "Teseada? Are you all right?"

"What?" she said rather impolitely before she looked down to see exactly who was there. "Oh, R'haran I'm sorry, I just, _we_ just feel a little unsettled."

R'haran glanced around. "Are you in the right time?" he asked bluntly, certain they could not be overheard. If they weren't, then the sooner they went on their way the better. He told her the date and the time of day, though she should be able to tell the latter from the daylight cues.

"We are now," she said, relief evident in her voice. She unfastened her straps, and with Onnyth's aid got down from her seat. "I, I don't know how it happened, we were at the Technicians Hall, and then it wasn't right, it was summer. Onnyth, she brought us home."

"It was an accident, then?" Somehow that was worse, though less of a discipline issue. Accidents could lead to the loss of any dragon and rider pair, but to lose a young gold who had not yet risen for the first time ... Dragonsfall Weyr was not so well endowed with golds that it could afford to lose the breeding potential that Onnyth embodied.

"I didn't intend to do anything like that, I just thought that it would be nice when summer came, and there we were," it sounded like the wail of a child, but the young goldrider had been scared by it. "I guess I got a little distracted."

R'haran patted her shoulder. "I know, I know. It can be a bit of a shock. Do you have something to drink in your weyr? Shall we go in out of this cold and you can sit down for a while?"

"I've got some ale," she said.

"Come on, then," the Weyrharper said, linking his arm in the young woman's. "Nothing bad has come of it, so don't fret too much."

"It was just a shock, that's all."

"So I've heard." He thought a little distraction would help, and added:
"Of course, when I did it, Evie and I getting scored was even more of a shock."

"I can imagine, at least it was a warm sunny day and not the middle of a fall that we ended up in."

R'haran smiled, thinking her tone sounded better. "That's right.
Though, when I come to think of it, the fact that Thread was _real_ was probably more of a shock than even the pain of the scoring. And now it's nearly impossible to remember that there was a time before Thread."

"I know," she said. "When I think back to how it was when I was growing up... And now, now I need to be here to do this."

"You _do_. And we - this Weyr and Pern - just can't afford to lose you."

"I don't want to lose this place either. I think that's what scared us the most."

"Where's this drink?" R'haran asked as they reached her weyr. "And what are you going to do to make sure it doesn't happen again?" There were rules against timing it and he wondered sometimes if they were too strict. Not his decision to make, though, since even if they were free to make use of the natural draconic ability, he and Evielenth wouldn't.
Rational thought might tell him that it wasn't the jump in time that caused their scoring, just Threadfall, but the two things were forever linked in his mind.

She pointed to a covered jug on a shelf, with some mugs next to it. "I'm going to try to make sure that I don't get distracted by a good looking man who flatters me again," she said blushing.

"Oh? That's probably a very good idea, anyway." The greenrider handed the goldrider a mug of ale. "Was he nice, though?"

"Very," the blush spread a little further as she took the drink. "And he maybe wanted to get a posting here."

"Ohh. And a technician, too, like you?"

She nodded as she took a sip of the ale, feeling it help her become more grounded in the here and now. "A Journeyman, ready for a posting."

"Then I suppose the most important thing is that you're here when he gets here - if he gets here - and not some_when_ else."

"Exactly."

R'haran hesitated, and then said: "Do you think you should mention this to your Wingleader?" The use of the senior Weyrwoman's title as a Wingleader was deliberate, and he hoped it underscored that he would be making the suggestion to any wingrider who experienced such an incident.

"Perhaps I should speak to her, she'd understand, or at least I hope she will."

"I think that would be a good idea. Are you feeling better now?" He thought she looked and sounded less shaken.

"Yes, but I think I'll just get some dinner sent up tonight and go to bed early."

"I'll leave you to it. Shall I give that message to the kitchen staff?"

"Please R'haran," and she looked up at him. "Thank you for being here and understanding."

"You're welcome," he said simply, smiling at her and hoping that today's incident was a aberration in what would go on to be a long and uneventful life.

Last updated on the March 29th 2008

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Not When I wanted to be (2/2)