Advice on Considering Options

Writers: Devin, Shawna
Date Posted: 2nd December 2025

Characters: Cirina, R'lor
Description: R'lor tries to talk to Cirina about the future. She doesn't want to listen
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 10 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Sybana

R'lor

The tap at R'lor's office door was quiet. Too quiet. As if Cirina were secretly hoping he wouldn't hear her and she could retreat back to the barracks with an innocent 'I knocked, he didn't answer'. She only did it twice, then waited quietly outside. Whatever the weyrlingmaster wanted, there weren't eggs on the sands, so Cirina assumed it would be neither good for her, nor fun.

Digger, ever helpful, gave a much louder questioning chirp, and she quickly shushed the little brown.

"Cirina? Is that you?"

Digger whistled at his owner's name.

"Traitor," Cirina muttered as she pushed open the door. "Yessir. You wanted to see me?"

"Come have a seat," the Weyrlingmaster said. "You're not in trouble, I just want to talk."

It felt like she was probably in trouble, but Cirina sat down across from him and gave her best 'why would I ever be in trouble' smile. "Ooookay. About what?"

"Your craft. You don't seem to be very interested in it," R'lor said. "I know switching crafts would be difficult at your age, but you might want to consider finding something you can be more engaged in."

Cirina sighed, "I already have something I'm more engaged in. I'm going to be a dragon rider. I'm going to be really good at that!"

Her nose wrinkled as she tried to explain, "I'm not good at my craft. Not good enough to be useful to the Weyr. And I'm not leaving. I had to move once already, when Riverbluff... You know. I like it here. It's my home. I don't want to go to the Halls or worse any of the Holds- you know how they feel about women crafters." She actually didn't know, but she'd heard enough stories from the holdbred candidates to be wary. "I'm going to get my dragon. She just hasn't hatched yet. Or he! That blue liked me." Not enough, unfortunately.

"Crafting doesn't have to be your first choice, but you should at least _like_ it. You can study any number of crafts right here." He didn't need to point out that she only had a few Turns left to Stand.

"Sure, I can study them here, but I'm too old to start over as an apprentice, so I'm stuck with the Harpering, and eventually they'd want to send me on circuit or something if I got my journeyman knots. I can't study forever. I'd rather peel tubers in the kitchens then go teach at some middle of no where Hold. It's not going to come to that," she insisted. "And if it does, that's a me problem, not your problem."

"Why did you choose Harpering?" R'lor asked.

"Mum's a Harper. My brother too. Thought I'd be good at it. Dad's a dragonhealer, but that wouldn't have been a better pick since you have to have a dragon for that- which is silly, if you ask me." She eyed R'lor, then muttered, "Not that anyone asked me. I might have liked that more, but they'd have probably booted me to beast craft by now and runners are scary."

"My mother is a mindhealer, and I seriously considered apprenticing. I was very interested in that craft, but I realized I would have to go through all the regular apprentice healer training, and that didn't appeal to me. So instead I chose another craft that _did_ appeal to me. I still love working in the forge when I can." R'lor would have been happy as a smithcrafter. "I'm sorry if no one discussed your options with you when you were younger."

"I knew my options," Cirina protested, "I just didn't LIKE my options. Harpering was fine until it wasn't; I didn't know I'd hate the music lessons. I'm going to be a dragon rider."

She started ticking things off on her fingers, "I'll fight Thread and run sweeps and if I'm really lucky I'll get a dragon who's good at Searching. I won't need my journeyman knots. I have plenty of hatchings left and plenty of ideas to get a dragon to pick me. Dragons like me. One will pick me," there was a slightly nervous tone to the insistence now.

I ideas to get . . . "Cirina, you can't _make_ a dragon choose you."

She couldn't help it, she rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to do anything to the dragons, just make myself look more appealing. I think I should have talked more when I was spending time with the eggs. I didn't want to bother Nidre or Th'reyos and get booted, but what's the point in spending extra time with the eggs if they aren't going to recognize me when they hatch? And I definitely should have said something to that blue, not just stood there like a big stunned dummy. Maybe if I'd done that..." Cirina shook her head. "Next time. And maybe I can make myself smell nicer to them...."

"_Smell_ nicer?" R'lor made an exasperated noise. "What are you going on about?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't talked to any dragons about it yet. Did you know Sybana snuck a sausage onto the Sands? She said that was a terrible idea because Galgaith thought it smelled bad, but maybe there's something there. Maybe they don't like the smell of my shampoo or something. I could do something to make myself more appealing. I probably don't want to smell tasty," from the tone of her voice, she'd considered it, 'but maybe I also don't want to smell like flowers."

R'lor rubbed his head. "Hatchlings don't care what you smell like. If you show up to the Hatching reeking of some awful perfume, I'm going to send you to the baths."

"Both things can't be true," Cirina pointed out with a hint of 'gotcha' in her voice. "Either they don't care, OR I'd need to wash it off. Besides, I'm saying maybe they DON'T like perfume. Or my perfume at least."

"_I_ care if you douse yourself in perfume, just like I'd care if you wore a green robe instead of white." R'lor sighed. "Cirina, if there was some way, some trick, I'd tell you. I want you to Impress. But the only things I know are the ones I tell the class: touching the eggs and speaking to them might make a difference, thinking welcoming, happy thoughts at the Hatching certainly increase your chances. And we know now that blues can Impress to girls. Maybe you're meant for a blue dragon and enough of them need to be open to female riders for you to find the right match."

"It IS weird that the robes are white. No one looks their best in a white bedsheet. I mean, I'm not going to dye mine or anything, but it's weird." There was a mischievous glint in her eye when she said, "Or maybe a brown. Browns love me. Just ask Aeoluth or Digger," as per tradition, the firelizard chirped at his name. To fend off any anger, she quickly added, "I'm joking. I'd be perfectly happy with a blue, or a green. Or a purple dragon with orange spots. As long as it can fly and flame."

"No gold for you, then?" he teased.

Cirina's expression soured, "Never a gold. I don't want a dragon that doesn't have the sense to protect itself just because there are eggs on the Sands. I'm from Riverbluff," she reminded him. "I'm not going to die trapped in a collapsing Weyr because my dragon cares more about eggs they can't possibly protect than themself or me."

R'lor drew in a breath. "I'm sorry for bringing up painful memories." So many weyrfolk were carrying around trauma. Not just the huge losses of life caused by the Pass, but disasters that had destroyed entire Weyrs -- River Bluff, Thayan Peak.

"It's fine," Cirina lied. "It was a long time ago and this is my home now. BUT it's why I don't ever want to leave again. So, was there anything else you wanted, Weyrlingmaster?"

"Just . . . think about it. You _do_ have options. You're not trapped. And want to help you in any way I can, okay?" R'lor said. "That's all for now. You're dismissed."

Last updated on the December 30th 2025

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Advice on Considering Options