A Meeting of the Minds

Writers: Rochelle, Chelle
Date Posted: 24th July 2010

Characters: Rhosyn, Ariau
Description: Ariau and Rhosyn have dinner together.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 9, day 3 of Turn 5

Rhosyn was seated at the high table in the dining cavern. Not paying attention to much else around her, she began to rip her bread into pieces so she could dip it into the sauce from the rice. Popping a piece into her mouth, she thought she heard someone else sit down and she closed her mouth, looking up.

Ariau settled reluctantly into the seat across from the older woman. She hated sitting here, and only did so when she had no other options. It was too exposed, too much of a display for her goldrider status when she didn't feel like being a weyrwoman. Then again, she wasn't alone here for once. The other woman was wearing goldrider knots, and although they hadn't been formally introduced yet, there were few enough goldriders in the Weyr that Ariau knew who the other weyrwoman was. "Do you mind if I...?" She trailed off, not entirely sure how to finish the sentence but knowing that it probably didn't matter.

Rhosyn gestured simply to the empty seat. Her mouth was full, so she didn't speak. Once she had managed to swallow her food, she decided it was a good time to make introductions. "Hi. I'm the new arrival. Acting Weyrwoman for now till we see what happens eh? My name is Rhosyn and you are Ariau I expect." She smiled, since she genuinely wanted to make the younger rider comfortable. She knew how it felt to be beneath tyrannical women and she didn't want to be that way to anyone else.

Ariau nodded as she cautiously settled her plate. She wasn't sure how to approach Rhosyn. This was the third new Weyrwoman since she'd joined the wings, and she wasn't entirely certain she was ready to figure out another new command style. "Yes, that's right Weyrwoman."

"When it's just us, you can call me Rhosyn. We have a lot to talk about...." Despite saying that, she continued to eat steadily. Rhosyn believed in the energy one gained from food. She never overate, but she never let herself go hungry either.

"Rhosyn." Ariau repeated, studying her plate. She picked up a roll, and bit into it resignedly. The new Weyrwoman wanted to talk to her. Probably about the never ending bane of her existence -goldrider paperwork. "How are you settling in?" she asked politely.

"I think it's going pretty good so far." K'sedel seemed like a stand-up fellow. "I'm just hoping I don't end up lost one of these days, but that is what it is." After demolishing a roll, she swallowed. "Ariau, which duties do you have now? I mean..who does tithes, foster assignments, visiting invalids..?"

Ariau blinked, and swallowed. "Um. I mostly assist the Headwoman with stuff. Tithes, scheduling, supply orders and such. And the occasional diplomatic thing with some of the smaller holds. I help with disputes sometimes, but since I'm so new I have to have someone else present or no one takes me seriously."

Rhosyn didn't like the sound of that, but she could only change things a little at a time. "Mmm..do you think that's enough for you to do or might your talents be better used elsewhere?" She didn't want anyone unhappy with their duties if she could help it. Happy people were more productive. And Ariau, as a young rider, had a lot to learn about running a Weyr so she could maybe run her own someday.

"For right now, yes." Ariau admitted. Faranth, did Rhosyn think she really wanted _more_ work? "I have harper training, so the domestic stuff is annoying but I'm pretty good at most of it. And I usually do the stuff at the holds with one of the older brownriders, so there's not a problem. I like that the best anyway. I like seeing new places -I grew up on the road, traveling with my grandmother to her commissions in the North. She's a composer."

"Ohh.." Not really used to female crafters herself, Rhosyn didn't understand what that would be like. "Well harper training works for the mediation and if you want to help the Headwoman, that's fine. I'll be running the Wing till we see what happens with the next flight. I can handle the fostering, firelizard distribution, and some of the other things. Lenala will be able to step in if need be and she'll be visiting the invalids and seeing to their progress with the healers."

Rhosyn paused to drink, washing down her food. "One thing I wanted to ask, though, since you brought up your harper training...If Lenala helped out with the scheduling, do you think you could work with the harpers to keep the Weyr records up? I'm pretty sure they keep things up-to-date, but traditionally we're supposed to do the ones for clutches, hatchings, and that sort of thing."

"I suppose." Ariau said slowly, a little confused. Didn't they do that already? She hadn't needed to do anything for her Alabieth yet, although she knew that was probably coming sooner rather than later, but she'd been required to help with the record keeping for the last few hatchings and such to make sure she knew how. "But what do you mean by keeping the records up?"

"We just make sure entries go in for the important things-like Hatchings, clutchings, births, deaths. The Weyrhealer will send you a list of the births and deaths, you just make sure it gets put into the Records. The Weyrleader does the stuff for Falls." Rhosyn twirled her dessert, thinking the pudding looked tasty.

"Oh. That stuff." Ariau shrugged. She did some of that already with the Headwoman's assistant, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for her to do it herself. Although she wondered why Rhosyn was rearranging the goldrider chores... No, she wasn't going to ask. She wasn't particularly interested in upsetting the senior rider or ending up with still more hidework when she spent the majority of her days working with it anyway. "Sure."

"Lovely.. Do they serve this pudding often? Tastes good.." Her mind was already going down a different track. "Wing meetings will be once a sevenday unless something crops up, but drills will stay the same."

Ariau cocked her head thoughtfully, studying the older rider. "Do we really need to have a wing meeting every sevenday? We already do one every other sevenday, and it seems to be working out okay."

"For now, aye..since not only will I be learning how things work, but you're also going to both have to learn how I work. I think seeing each other more for awhile will help that process along. And I need you to be there to bounce ideas off of." Finished with her meal, she grabbed a small pastry and began to tear it apart.

"Okay..." It made sense at least, although Ariau wasn't really sure how much help she would be for the ideas part. What would a Weyrwoman need to bounce off of _her_?

"Well I have to get on if I'm ever going to sleep tonight, but you know which weyr I'm in if you ever need anything." Rhosyn got up, making sure she hadn't left a carisak behind.

"Of course." Araiu answered automatically as she watched the older woman stand to go. "Have a good evening, wey...Rhosyn. My regards to Orlaith."

Last updated on the August 14th 2010

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A Meeting of the Minds