Logs:Home to Fort
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| RL Date: 15 September, 2015 |
| Who: Dee, Hattie, Elaruth, Taeliyth |
| Involves: Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: A seven after the weyrling gold pair's accidental jump to Southern, Elaruth and Hattie serve as personal escort to ensure nothing goes wrong when Dee and Taeliyth return home (that's Fort, btw). |
| Where: Southern Weyr and Fort Weyr |
| When: Day 1, Month 11, Turn 38 (Interval 10) |
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| As the seven allotted to alleviate Dee's mental and physical fatigue wore on, any dragon (and particularly transparent to Elaruth) touching Taeliyth's mind would be aware of her rising and ebbing fits of temper and annoyance. Dee may be more relaxed, more balanced and centered than ever she was since her Impression, but Taeliyth can't wait for the week to be over; thoughts that she might try coming sooner than a full seven come from the young gold alone, the one who yearns for her familiar Fort, who eschews the sun and sand of Southern on principle. It might be easier for Taeliyth to bear if she felt free to return home but she'll not leave Dee and Dee will not disobey the instructions given her. Still, when it comes time to go 'home', Dee is bright-eyed and willing. Something about her rider's lack of reticence eases Taeliyth as she reaches for the escorting and guiding Elaruth now that all the niceties of straps and buckles and so on are taken care of, « We're ready. » More than ready, eager, but the eagerness is tempered with more caution than her initial jump; they'll get it right this time (she hopes). Any sense or suggestion of travel sooner than has been agreed over those few days is firmly - if gently - redirected however Elaruth can manage, usually with distraction, some problem or another to take apart and work on, the glimmer of her persuasive ability as a queen only there when it is a last resort, when fear of any rash decisions made loom large in her mind or her rider's. « Good. » She's pleased, any worries well-concealed, for now, presence calm and bright from what brief socialising she's managed to do with her Southern daughter and granddaughter. Hattie's the steadier of them, as she usually is, and, also as per usual, the more analytical about the whole process ahead of them. "We ought to use whatever word you associate with the Weyr to pair with the image," she supposes, leaning against one of her lifemate's forearms. "So? Just 'Fort'?" Frequently, all it takes to temporarily derail Taeliyth's desire is enough accounting of home that she can imagine she's there, even if the trade off is a little added frustration that she's not. She likes to know all the details of the Weyr, those professionally relevant and those more private items that might come in handy to her sometime (if she remembers). The breath Dee takes before answering is a steady one. "Fort is probably safest," she admits as safety is paramount. "Even as 'Southern' would work just as well for here." There's the sense that it's more a personal sharing to Hattie when Dee adds, "I don't think we'll have the same confusion again, ma'am. A lot of questions have been answered," once that needed answers. "I'm ready to go home," the word is infused with quiet strength. "Face what's before us." Not that she hadn't been doing that, but there's a new resolve, a new depth to it, to her. "If it's any consolation, it took me turns to get out of the habit of referring to Ruatha River as my home," Hattie offers, lifting one shoulder in a shallow shrug. "It became easier when I had a family of my own, not that I suggest you rush into that. It was more simple then: my family's home is Fort; my siblings' family remains at the Hold." She stops leaning against Elaruth and straightens, tugging her jacket into smoother lines. "Once you've made this jump," not if, "I'd like you to try it a couple more times tomorrow before catching up on any other journeys your class has been making. I'll discuss it with the Weyrlingmaster - making the time to do that - unless you'd rather Elaruth and I did so with you." The way Dee's cheeks color suggests something of the matter of family of her own and not rushing into it but the embarrassment is gulped down as she ducks her head for a moment. "Yes, ma'am," then, "I mean, no, ma'am," and finally, more clearly, "I mean, I won't, ma'am. No plans for family for twenty turns or more," just so she's extra clear on that score. It might be laughable, even in these serious moments. "Yes, ma'am, we'll practice and be careful. I expect Taeliyth would prefer to stay close to home for a time once we've returned." Once, not if, Dee will play into this confidence even if there's still caution in her eyes, if not true doubt. "I'd like to sit in on your meetings tomorrow afternoon, if I may, ma'am, get caught up." Not that Dee sits in on everything as she's still a weyrling with weyrling duties to attend to, too, but it might speak well of her that she seems ready and eager to put nose back to grindstone so immediately. There are only the subtlest of changes to Hattie's expression as she takes in the yes-no-won't-yes, and though it takes her a moment to process, she eventually drawls, "...You might want to get started on it sooner than twenty turns," in such a tone as is difficult to discern whether she's joking or not. "But yes, if you like. There are copies of most of the minutes of what you've missed waiting for you already." Her half-grimace is more jest than true pain when she says, "I've even muddled up some of the tithe for you to sort out. The storeskeepers and some of Erinta's assistants do not like me right now, but they'll live. Though, first... let's get getting home out of the way." And so she turns to Elaruth, to begin clambering up straps. "Mayhaps," is noncommittal, "I feel like I'll need twenty turns before my head can properly focus on anything but the Weyr," Dee's smile is a little wan for that. It is a daunting thing for one so young (or of any age, really). Still there's brisk, business-like nods for the matters of minutes and she smothers a laugh behind pressed lips at the mention of Erinta's assistants. Some things are wisest not to respond to in words. Once Hattie's words direct her to focus at the task at hand, she does, turning to climb up into Taeliyth's straps, working over the buckles carefully to secure herself in place before pulling helmet from where it's clipped and goggles and tugging them on along with gloves from her pockets. It may be hot now with all that leather, but the cold of between will soon solve that, if all goes right. Elaruth is patient as Hattie sorts out her own straps and buckles and other kit, and only once she's sure that all is secure does her posture shift to one more suited to preparing for flight, her broad, shadow-brushed wings unfurled the tiniest bit. « There is no rush, » she reminds Taeliyth, sunshine-laced voice soft. « Show me your image? We will be right behind you when you go. » Just in-case, not that she injects any doubt into matters by suggesting so. « I know, » is with a sigh. She knows, but Taeliyth also longs to be home. At least she seems to know enough to know that that longing can be dangerous to their aim of carefulness with this jump and is guarding against it as she asks Dee for the memorized image and shares it to her granddam. She's ready, at Elaruth's signal, to rise up into the sky, not bothering with farewells that have probably already been given to the Weyr that kindly hosted her for the seven, but fully focused on the task. They will fly up, they will give Elaruth the image again, and this time, they will hold it to between home. Elaruth has never been the kind of queen who throws her weight around to get or achieve what she wants or needs, nor is she apt to be intrusive of her own volition, yet today she hovers (in more ways than one), prepared to adjust and fix that image if it becomes necessary at the very last half-moment. Only once Taeliyth and Dee have disappeared and she's nearly all the way certain - in that way that maybe no-one can ever be absolutely certain about anything regarding Between - that they're going to reappear in the right place does she make the journey herself, her jump more instinctive habit than conscious process. When they arrive at Fort, it's above the star stones, until she finds a current on which to coast down across the bowl. Though some certainly will not note the reappearance of Taeliyth in sky above the bowl, other minds might ease as the young queen's earthy smells of foliage and the whisper of wind through leaves that increasingly become part of the backdrop of the Weyr's mindscape has returned to the physical here, not longer the distant there. Taeliyth takes a turn about the bowl, needing for that moment to drink in the sight of home, to let it feed the strength of her roots that run so deep and have been so starved and embrittled by the Southern sun. That surge of joy and rightness can be felt by any dragon listening. Home. It makes Dee's lips pull to a beaming smile, one still present by the time they've landed and dismounted. One that might even last the next seven if Taeliyth's buoyant mood hold. Though there are surely a million and one tasks that Hattie could - or should - be getting on with and setting her mind to, given just how many hours per day she's been working of late, neither she nor Elaruth rush to excuse themselves once they've landed in the southern end of the bowl. The Weyrwoman is never exactly effusive with praise, and today is no different, not when it concerns a required skill, but she takes the time to make it clear that she's glad that Dee and Taeliyth are back (and alive) before she seeks to place them back in the Weyrlingmaster's care. For the afternoon, at least, Elaruth means to keep a distant eye on them both, but for Hattie? There's tithe and hidework and all manner of delightful things in the same vein... >---< Gossip: Two Golds Returned >-------------------------------------------<
On day 1, month 11, turn 38, a seven after Taeliyth's accidental jump to
Southern Weyr, Elaruth and her rider went personally to collect them and
see them safely home. The return went without incident, though shortly
followed by a Southern greenrider (quickly established as 'Dee's mother')
with a load of goods strapped to her dragon.
Though Dee was quickly put back to work, getting caught up on goldrider
and weyrling training alike, she did solicit volunteer hands to help get
the Southern green's small haul unloaded into Dee's weyr before getting
down to business. With both golds back 'home,' Fort Weyr may rest easier
than in the past seven, though surely some will be watching Taeliyth's
(henceforth uneventful) betweening practice with special interest lest
another mistake be made.
>------------------------------< Day 2, Month 11, Turn 38 of Interval 10 >---<
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