Forty-Five Turns

Writers: Cali, Jane
Date Posted: 31st May 2009

Characters: T'kob, O'rian
Description: The Weyrlingmaster and Senior Weyrling chat after Threadfall.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 24 of Turn 5

"You did good today, O'rian." T'kob said with approval as he walked up to the senior weyrling. With threadfall over, they'd all taken the dragons for baths and the boy was now putting on the needed layer of oil to keep the hide smooth and crack free. "How do you feel?"

"Tired now, sir," O'rian admitted with a smile for the new Weyrlingmaster. "But this is a great way to ..." The dark-haired young man searched for a word, finally settling on one that was more of a summary than an explanation. "Relax." Moving down from the heightened senses and thumping heart of being in the thick of Threadfall to normality wasn't as easy as just dismounting his dragon, the weyrling had found, but the routine of getting Taoth to regurgitate the remains of the firestone, then washing and oiling him - that all gave his mind and body a chance to ease back into ordinariness.

T'kob nodded understanding exactly what he was trying to say. "I know what you mean, it's a good pattern to get into, by the end of it you'll have learned to release all that stress that's built up. It makes it easier to deal with it all in a way."

"And familiarity helps, I'm guessing," O'rian offered somewhat tentatively. "I hope so, since I'll have forty-five Turns of fighting Thread if I'm spared to do so."

"Somewhat." T'kob agreed, "Though you can never let it become _too_ familiar, if you do, you'll make mistakes. I've got the scars to give example to that," he added with a grin.

"Ahh, well. I have that to look forward to," the younger bronzerider said dryly.

T'kob made a show of looking over the bronze and his rider, "You look to have stayed unmarred so far, that's a good sign. Perhaps you'll be one of the lucky ones."

"Not for forty-five Turns, I don't suppose." O'rian shrugged. "But yes, I've been lucky thus far, but that's only a couple of 'Falls." He scrubbed the back of his hand over his temple having learned the hard way that his palms would always be oily regardless of how careful he was while taking care of his dragon. "Statistically it can't always be like that."

"True." T'kob hid his little smile by looking around at the other weyrlings performing similar tasks. "You can't dodge them all, but you can have your wits about you when it happens and learn from your experiences."

"Mmm," O'rian said, thinking of his father and wondering if everybody had the potential to learn from their mistakes. "As long as they're small, survivable mistakes."

T'kob gave a little chuckle, "Well, if they're not survivable, you don't have to worry about it too much do you?"

"Good point, sir." It was more likely that he would worry; it was in his nature, he supposed, and a reaction to his father's apparent lack of worry that had resulted in the loss of so many lives.

He looked over the bronze dragon one more time and gave his hide a friendly pat before taking a step away from the two. "Get some rest O'rian. You've got the rest of the evening free, but we've got drills first thing. I'm going to go check on some of your slower clutchmates."

O'rian's head shot up. "Nobody got scored did they?" That was often what was meant by being 'slow' in the air. **Taoth?**

"Just a wingtip and a char burn." T'kob assured him, very much relieved nothing worse had happened. He didn't know this group very well as he'd only been here a sevenday, but they were his responsibility and he knew that eventually one of them would blink /between/.

"Good. We might all live to graduate, then," the young man said with a wry smile.

T'kob nodded and smiled back though he didn't feel it. He knew if they all lived it would be unusual for a class, and with several injuries already, it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if a death came in the next fall. Still, it wasn't good to dwell on such things and he knew he had to keep a positive outlook if he was to survive as a Weyrlingmaster. "I look forward to that day."

Last updated on the May 31st 2009

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Forty-Five Turns