A Shame to Lose You

Writers: Aaron, Devin
Date Posted: 21st March 2021

Characters: T'ner, Z'ku
Description: T'ner has one last meeting with his nine leader, Z'ku, and remembers when they first met.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 2 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Ayressa, F'aen, K'sedel, Meledei, M'gan, Pierka

Z'ku

T'ner walked slowly. Or maybe it just felt like time was creeping by.
He could not tell. He still felt like a chunk of himself had been
hollowed out. He was not sure whom to ask, really, but it seemed it
made the most sense to go to his nineleader first. If nothing else,
Z'ku could steer him in the right direction. After all. If he did not
go to Z'ku first about what was bugging him, how else would he learn?

This felt like it could be a last meeting. Nothing at all like his
first time meeting Z'ku. It had not been all that long ago, but now it
felt like a lifetime away.

***

As the riders and dragons were assembling for drills, Z'ku walked over
to the newly-graduated weyrling. "T'ner, I'm Z'ku of bronze Xemroth.
Welcome to Cyclone Wing."

"Thank you, sir!" said T'ner, bright-eyed and excited. Fighting Thread
in a real wing had seemed so far away for so long, but now. Here it
was, real. And he was meeting his wingmates for the first time. "Fair
skies, and my duty to Xemroth," he added, hoping he was not being
insufficiently polite in his giddiness.

So eager. Z'ku's lips twitched as he held back a smile. "Wingleader
M'gan has assigned you to my nine, and he also asked me to help
integrate you into our Wing as a whole. Although the Weyrlingmasters
do an excellent job with training, the shift into a fighting Wing can
be challenging."

"Of course, sir," T'ner agreed. "I'm more than happy to do anything
you need from me!" he assured his new leader. "I won't let you down."

"Thank you, T'ner. But I'm also here for you. You can always go to
M'gan, of course, but it might be easier to speak to me about any
minor issues or questions you may have."

"Yes, sir, we learned about the chain of command," T'ner assured him.
"I won't go over your head – I promise."

"Leading a nine isn't formal rank." Z'ku chuckled. "If you'd rather go
to M'gan, that's fine. But he thought you might be more comfortable
with someone who's closer to a peer."

"You're a leader, aren't you?" T'ner asked. He clapped Z'ku on the
shoulder. "This is like training for being a wingthird. If I don't
give you a chance to take care of what's bugging me first, then how
else will you learn how?" He grinned, hoping Z'ku would not think he
was being too informal.

Z'ku couldn't help smiling at that. "And I want _you_ to learn as
well. If you become a successful wingrider, then it makes _me_ look
good."

"Then I'll just have to be the best rider in your nine." T'ner struck
a dramatic pose. "Lehystrath loves to show off in the air, and he's
actually pretty good at it. But I'll do my best to make sure he's a
team flier." He grinned.

"Xemroth likes to show off too. I sometimes need a firm hand to keep
him under control," Z'ku said. "I hope you'll be able to manage
Lehystrath."

"He doesn't usually fight me. Well, beyond making snide comments in my
head the whole time, anyway," T'ner chuckled. "I don't know where he
got the wit. It wasn't from me."

}: You're hardly my sire. It will be your Hatchling who grows up
taking after you. Or didn't you attend your Harper lessons about the
wherries and the worms? :{

**Hush, you.**

"That's good." Time would tell if that was going to be a problem. "Has
someone given you a copy of our flight patterns yet?"

"Not yet!" said T'ner. "If you've got one, I'll put it at the top of
my reading list." He did not have a reading list.

"Hmm." Z'ku made a mental note. "I'll make sure you get one by the end
of the day. Before we get started, do you have any questions?"

"None yet!" said T'ner. Perhaps that would change, but for the time
being, nothing unexpected had crept up on him.

"Well then, mount up and join us." Z'ku nodded to where the other
riders and dragons of their nine were waiting.

***

"Z'ku?" T'ner approached his nine leader looking quite a bit more dour
than usual. "I'm sorry to bother you, but... do you have a minute to
talk?"

"Of course, wingrider." Z'ku frowned a little when he saw T'ner's
expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, it's, uh..." T'ner tried to chuckle, but it sounded forced. "I
guess I owe K'sedel an... Well, not really an apology..." He sighed
and shrugged.

"I guess I'll just cut right to the point. My... son's mother has
decided she wants another man for her mate. And they are moving to
Barrier Lake Weyr. I need to go, too, so that I can be near Resser,"
he explained. "Could you... recommend approving my transfer request to
M'gan? Please?" The corners of his eyes grew tighter.

"Oh." Z'ku couldn't help feeling a bit of disappointment. T'ner had
been doing well in Cyclone. "Of course I'd recommend it. I certainly
understand wanting to be near your son." If Pierka ever moved Z'ku
would certainly do everything he could to follow her.

"Thank you. I'm going to miss y'all," said T'ner, unable to lift his
eyes for a long moment. "But, um... Well, nowhere is going to be home
without Resser. I'm glad you understand."

Z'ku nodded. "It's a shame we're losing you, but I'm sure you'll do
well at Barrier Lake." He'd need to find a good replacement in their
nine.

"It seems like another one of ours is going over there every day,
so... I'm sure there will be a few more good Dolphin Cove transplants
there for me to fly with." He offered a smile. And then it grew when
he said the next bit.

"F'aen is coming with me."

Z'ku might not know him apart from perhaps having seen T'ner with him,
but at the very least, he would know T'ner had some guaranteed support
at Barrier Lake.

"Is that the, uh . . . the greenrider you've been spending time with?"
Z'ku asked.

"Y-yeah, I think..." T'ner sighed. Was his professional relationship
with Z'ku close enough to be open with him about his personal
problems? Well, one way or another, he might never see him again, so
there was little room for awkwardness over it.

"I think maybe Ayressa always meant to scrape me off on him. Or
someone like him, anyway. Ever since I Impressed blue." It was
probably an exaggeration to say always, but it had to have been
somewhere in her calculus when she decided to tell T'ner she could
share him.

"Oh." Z'ku frowned. "Was she disappointed in your dragon's color?"
They were both holdbred so he could see where that might have caused
problems.

"I thought we were past it. I thought we had worked it all out." T'ner
concentrated on regulating his breathing. He was not going to cry in
front of Z'ku. "Everything seemed so perfect. But... I guess not for
her."

"I'm very sorry to hear that. Sometimes things don't work out the way
we want." Z'ku thought of Meledei and how much he'd pined for her. "I
hope you can be happy with your greenrider friend, or with someone
else."

"Figuring out happy again is going to be a lot easier with him," T'ner
admitted. "Thanks. Fair skies, Z'ku, and thanks for everything."

"Fair skies, T'ner." Z'ku offered his arm. "Good luck." T'ner was a
promising rider and Z'ku hoped he did well at Barrier Lake, in his
Wing as well as in his personal life.

T'ner clasped Z'ku's arm and mustered a smile. It was another goodbye.
But perhaps after they arrived up at Barrier Lake, they would be done
with farewell for a while.

Last updated on the July 21st 2021

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A Shame to Lose You