Logs:Know Your People
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| RL Date: 14 December, 2015 |
| Who: Jocelyn, Leova |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Jocelyn and Leova discuss the application of gold influence in recent history. |
| Where: Dragon Infirmary, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 17, Month 7, Turn 39 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Farideh/Mentions, Iolene/Mentions, Irianke/Mentions, K'del/Mentions, Satiet/Mentions, Tiriana/Mentions |
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| Summer. "If it weren't for measurements, reckon we could have done this in the Bowl," Leova says as she steps back with her now filled-out slate. "That and the distractions. How are you getting on, Jocelyn? Got any other questions, as Aidavanth's not putting us to work?" The heavy hangings are drawn back to admit air through the admittedly winding tunnel, the large clean cavern fresher than in wintertime. "It doesn't help that she can be distracting, " notes Jocelyn with wry amusement, eyes more blue than gray giving her terribly bright (in more ways than one) dragon a quick, affectionate glance. "According to the harpers, I can now waltz without inducing blunt force trauma, " all of those immersive meetings among healers have seen a few terms work their way into her conversation, if with some hesitation, "but if you know a shortcut to squeeze through a quadrille set ... " Aidavanth, meanwhile, takes a step away from the measurement markings to sit tall with folded wings; she's very nearly as large as Vrianth, and her growth is certainly far from complete. "I find our lessons relaxing in a way that the political ones aren't, " the weyrling says frankly, folding her arms across her chest. "I enjoy reading the case studies and trying to understand how to solve them." Is it at all surprising that she views the patients as puzzles? "But none of them really mention what role she would play along the way, " with a brief tilt of her head toward the orange-gold. "Besides learning as much as I can about how to treat and differentiate types of injuries and common conditions, how are we to apply ourselves? Together." "Haven't kept up on my quad, haven't lost any sleep," said with a lilt to Leova's smoky voice. "Been twenty-plus Turns since that silver thread in my knot, and needed it, hm. Twice? Thrice? No, there was that wedding." No help there. "Suppose they catch on to the 'great need to talk to someone else' after the tenth time or so, hm?" After that exaggeration, she lets her one-cornered smile escape. "Anyhow, glad you like this. Useful. Applying yourself: calmly. You've seen how that sort of thing spreads. How'd she carry herself the last time she had a bump, a scrape?" Jocelyn makes a face, however briefly. "It's a pity that I can't send someone to fulfill any and all dance requests that I'm told will eventually come my way. One set is - sufficient for me." The redhead's lips purse for the other's question, pale gaze flicking from Leova to her lifemate, then back again. "Fairly calmly, once the surprise of the initial pain faded. When she was much younger, her reactions were so much more about the - shock and how to make it stop right here, right now, rather than trying to push through it." More thoughtfully, "We're in a period of time where we shouldn't have to worry about calming a Threadscored dragon, but - I imagine that's something one - both, even - can't just push through or breathe through." "Aye." Though Leova eyes her. "Nobody been talking you up about 'birthing your share,' have they? 'Not getting any younger'? What with the pushing and breathing through, and all." "The pushing and - " Oh. Oh. Jocelyn's jaw works in its best goldfish impression for a moment, the set of her shoulders stiffening a fraction. "Faranth, no." It's almost horrified. "You've seen me around children, Leova. And there's - " The method by which one tends to end up with a baby, says the funny twist of her features before she rejoins with, "That's one duty I won't be fulfilling any time soon, I can assure you." "Beware of men, then," the most-days-happily-weyrmated greenrider says in sententious tones. But the humor eases, the relief fades, for work. "And Comet Passes, yes. But. A lot of what will help her, long haul, is knowing her people. Who needs a light touch, who really does take that push. Got to be careful: a lot don't take it lightly, even to help, even this far after Ysavaeth." "They don't exactly flock to me in droves, " Jocelyn shrugs, sounding rather pleased that they don't. "I hope to steer clear until I have to - " And gray eyes slide again to Aidavanth, uncomfortable. But that's a discussion that isn't here or there for now, her expression sobering as she considers the greenrider's words that follow. "No more of those until the next proper Pass, I hope." Comet Passes apparently, and not Ysavaeths, even as her forehead pinches into a little frown. "What was she like? I stood for her clutch when - my first time. I was almost fourteen and mostly remember that she was, " a twitch at the corners of her mouth, "large and shiny. Intimidating up close, although everything felt that way out there after a while." "Mm. Strong-minded, of course. Looked a bit like Roszadyth, only her wings were ruddier, and nothing like as gentle. Cadejoth had such a liking for her. Pleased. Proud. Didn't know we weren't breathing freely until she died." Leova's tone verges on bleak, and somehow subtly surprised, even now. "Do you remember talk of Iolene, of her ideas?" "Not breathing freely, " and Jocelyn repeats that slowly, hands dropping back to her sides to curl briefly into loose fists. "Living under that much control ... I don't know that I could have managed it, had Aidavanth been shelled then." Her expression darkens a fraction. "Faintly. People whispered a lot, in the corridors. Unhappily, uncertain. Some wanted to know what could happen, I guess, since not everyone seemed wholly displeased. I didn't know enough then to really know what it all meant." There's disapproval writ in the way her mouth thins to a line, however; in her studies of local history as an adult, she clearly has an opinion now. "Likely you wouldn't have known. Might've been used to it." Then, Might be that knowing, after, made it worse." Leova's amber gaze rests on the younger woman, on that disapproval. "The ideas, though. Do you want to know now? She had ideals, too. But it's not exactly what you came in for." There's silence for a few beats before it's broken by Jocelyn's decided, "Yes. It's part of our history now, whether we like it or not. You know a side that didn't quite make it into the records, I suspect." And she has faith that the greenrider won't sugarcoat anything, says that expectant look which follows. The greenrider stands square, her scarred hand holding the slate at her side, her other behind her back. For all that, it's not a stiff pose, bearing the comfort of long habit. "Iolene... might help to keep in mind that she was Blooded, and had that way with her, never mind that we rescued her from an island with fish and seaweed and nothing. But. What she wanted to change up was, she didn't want it to be the Weyrwoman and the Weyrleader. An council of people as who got elected, she was thinking they would be the best and not who just was good at getting talked up. Or a headman 'stead of a headwoman. Not handed down this way, but not like a Hold does either." Jocelyn listens with a frown, brow puckered and jaw set. "Not everyone in such an elected group would have necessarily had the skills or the training, " she says at some length. "What would have stopped someone from amassing a majority of votes because they were well-liked and ending up with the power to have input on decisions without understanding them?" Her head gives a quick, little shake. "We've always had headwomen, Weyrwomen, Weyrleaders. And suppose no queenriders ended up on that hypothetical council. There'd be no one able to use that influence for safety if something like this plague had happened." A breath. "It sounds - like it would have had very great potential for equally great problems." "Aye," Leova gives that potential a moment. "Not that," she's got that one-cornered smile, "being on a council or not being on a council would stop a queenrider from using her influence, her queen's influence, if it came to that. Would it? Would it stop you?" "Of course not. It - " And Jocelyn pauses, nodding quickly. "Council or no council, no dragon would go against a queen's direct order since that's built in to their functioning. That system would stand regardless of what happened in our council chambers." All of which leads her to, "Ysavaeth would have had her control even if Iolene had been successful." "At least, of the dragons. Of the riders..." the tip of Leova's chin is equivocal. "Certainly not of the people who prepare and serve our food. And drink. Tradtion aside, weight that it is. If a council ruled, the council would share the weight of executions. Of exiles, not that she wanted that, not so many as her family. Share the praise," there's a brief laugh, "and share the blame." Jocelyn's look turns considering. "People seem less willing to share praise than blame - and the latter is what they're often quickest to give away." Arms folding across her chest again, the goldrider-in-training is thoughtful for a time. Eventually, "You've given examples of helpful and potentially dangerous uses of gold influence. I'd ask how to know when it's the right moment to apply it to others, but I'm starting to get the picture that the determination will come with time and experience. And that erring on the side of caution is - advisable." "Caution, aye. A clear head. It gets back to knowing your people," not just Aidavanth's. Leova's gaze is thoughtful. "I think part of it, with Iolene, may have been... not trusting dragons. Got to speculate. Don't imagine when she talked with me, that she had it all figured out yet. But a weyrwoman who seeks out knowledge, practical knowledge, to benefit her Weyr and yet who doesn't get stalled in overthinking, that's one thing. Satiet ran a tight ship. Irianke does also. I think Iolene wanted to set a structure in place for the purely dissolute, the uncaring, the too-rigid." She glances towards the tunnels, then, towards the other weyrling waiting. "Mm. We'll speak more on topic next time, hm? But if you see a good opportunity, now that matters are more normal, you might ask K'del. Ask what he'd like you to learn from how it was with Tiriana." Tiriana, for all that they had spoken so much of Iolene. "How can one have this bond with a dragon and not trust them?" But she's overstayed her allotted time for their exam, so Jocelyn follows Leova's glance toward the waiting weyrling, giving an apologetic grimace before turning back to Vrianth's. "Tiriana. I'll remember to ask him. Thanks, Leova." A hand lifts in amiable enough farewell before the pair heads for the bowl to let the brownrider behind them take his turn. "There's trusting them, and trusting them to be themselves." Leova's voice is quiet. Then, "Welcome." For goldrider. For brownrider. Back to work. |
Comments
Alida (19:25, 16 December 2015 (PST)) said...
I enjoyed seeing this snippet from the past and what these two long-time Weyr residents thought about it.
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