It's an announcement that everyone's been waiting for, but the fact that it comes so quickly and finally when it does might be surprising, given uncertainty has been common for so long. At breakfast on day 26 of the 1st month, Brieli makes a few announcements primarily for the benefit of the new candidates coming in, but the last one is for everyone: Taikrin, Glacier's Wingleader, will stand as /her/ Acting Weyrleader until such time as Hraedhyth or Iesaryth rise in a leadership flight.
Unsurprisingly, neither Azaylia nor H'kon are said to be pleased with what seems to be a unilateral announcement, and nor are those who are their supporters, or those who support traditional values. There's some talk about whether having a Weyrleader and a Weyrwoman from each of the clutches is weird, or a brilliant compromise that's a little less brilliant for it being... Taikrin. And some are just glad someone's finally done /something/, even if it's naming a /woman/ as Weyrleader. Maybe everyone can stop arguing?
Not likely, as the wings that have backed H'kon to date don't yet seem willing to back down, nor does K'del... will they continue to cause problems, or bury their issues in favor of a united Weyr?
Living Cavern, High Reaches Weyr
Stalactites hang high above this enormous cavern like a jagged chandelier or an inversion of the Spires themselves, but shadows cling to them instead of light. Below lie great tables arranged in rows, each large enough to serve a fighting wing, while in the nooks and alcoves around the cavern's edge sit more sensibly-sized tables, from six- and eight-seaters down to intimate spots for just a couple of diners. The only really open space is around the kitchen entrance, smelling of food and rarely quiet, and by the nearby serving tables with their long buffet of the day's offerings.
Tapestries on the smooth walls -- some faded and others newly woven -- only slightly mute the sea of sound when a meal is in full swing, but they add cheerfulness augmented by the glowlight from wall sconces and the centerpieces of each table. Still, shadows always creep along the ceiling and into the mouths of the exits -- the myriad small hallways at one end of the cavern and, at the other, the twisting tunnel to the bowl near an array of coathooks and and hatracks -- and late at night, when the glows are allowed to dim, the chamber can seem very dark indeed.
The Weyr has been abuzz all morning, ever since Brieli announced she was taking over, and bringing Taikrin along for the ride. Life hasn't stopped, exactly, but the standing-around-gossiping is far outweighing the getting-work-done business so far. At least the cooks managed to get lunch out more or less on time, even if part of it is burnt and the other part overly soggy-- nobody seems to much mind. Taikrin, though present at the morning's announcement, has since been a scarce presence. Nobody has seen much of her, not until she comes striding in from the bowl as if she owned the place (which maybe she does). Conversation in the growing lunch rush pauses, then swirls into exciting new eddies; is the brownrider posing intentionally, or is she just standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips and chest thrown out to let her eyes adjust to the cavern's dimness?
H'kon did not stay long after Brieli's announcement - not even so long as to eat. He's going to require food, if he's to carry on rationally - all the rations in his weyr having run dry at a rather inopportune moment, it seems. And his wing drills necessitate that the food be acquired at the busy time. It almost goes half-well for him. Of course, there's buzz about him, but an old woman who works in the kitchens has taken pity enough to let him hide and give him a doggy bag. Holding that package, it should only be the buzz he has to brave on his way back. Except it's not. It's Taikrin. With her hands on her hips. His eyebrows drop noticeably.
Maybe she really was just waiting for her eyes to adjust, or listening for the right hushed murmurs, because she's pushing through the crowd and the buzz with intent. Taikrin's got a faint smile to acknowledge the attention she's gained, but her focus is solely on chasing down H'kon. She radiates supreme confidence, from her smile on down, as she calls over the nearby conversations, "H'kon."
If Turnover has proven anything, it's that H'kon -can- disappear into a crowd when so inclined. So either this crowd is not large enough, or he's not willing to simply bolt. But when he hears her call his name, the sound to his answered, "Taikrin," certainly shows little inclination for actually talking to the other brownrider. She is awarded a look square in the face, and he continues on his way, as originally intended, without picking up speed.
A flash of consternation disrupts Taikrin's otherwise picture-perfect confidence. "Hey-- hey!" She pushes after him, then reaches out to grab at his shoulder. "I'm talking to you here. Reckon you're gonna want to hear what I got to say!" Certainly the table they're walking by wants to know: the crafters seated there are all ears.
H'kon grips that little food pack a bit closer as he brushes past someone, a shoulder turned into that bit of contact. Taikrin receives another look, a mere glance this time, as he's got to watch where he's going. Hungry people don't take kindly to being walked into, and he wants as smooth an exit to less crowded quarters as possible. "Am I? I suppose I will want you to speak quickly as well, then."
"I'm trying to-- hey! I'm trying to have a serious discussion with you!" Taikrin is quick on her feet, at least-- she twists and seeks to edge around and get in front of the other brownrider, to physically halt his progress. So much for her confident show of leadership. "The shell's your problem! I been looking for you all morning."
"Yes, and now you've found me," H'kon answers, step going syncopated only insofar as required to turn and keep on making his way around Taikrin. There's a bluerider who gets out of his way, and to whom he gives a nod. "So discuss."
"Oh for fuck's sake," Taikrin mutters under her breath as she ducks past the bluerider and narrowly avoids having someone's roast dumped down the back of her jacket. "H'kon--" finally, a clearing in the crowd allows her to draw up next to the other brownrider. "I'm trying to ask you to be my second. There ain't no reason we can't keep going on working together for the best of the Weyr." The speech must have sounded pretty in her head, but it lacks elegance when it's done at a brisk walk and a half-yell to make sure she's heard over the din.
Oh, it makes a good handful of people in the vicinity stop and look. Just... not H'kon. Taikrin will have to be right near him to see the flattening of his expression, that, in younger days, may even have tempted a roll of his eyes, for all the gesture is absent now. "We were not working together." Another glance. This records keeper does not move for him; he has to go around. "And I will not be your second."
"We could-- look, don't you care about the Weyr? Ain't you willing to put aside all this and work together, for the best?" Taikrin's got her very best public smile on, and her voice is definitely a smidge louder than strictly necessary. "I could use someone like you, what's got a different perspective on things. It'd be nice and round-- you as my second, Azaylia as Brieli's. C'mon, hey-- think about it!"
And all at once, H'kon stops and turns, counting on momentum and the element of surprise to bring Taikrin near enough to hear hushed, quick words. "You would not have me speak to all that is wrong with this in so public a place." Eyebrows that had somehow gone from disapproving to angry in that turn now lift, taking the moral high ground. Of his Face. And then he's turning again, ready to continue on his way as if the pause had never occurred.
Taikrin rears back just in time to avoid a full-on collision with H'kon, though the temporary close contact is probably far more intimate than either ever desired to get. "No," she half-hisses back, "I'd have you do your duty as a rider and do what's right. The Weyrwoman appointed me, and I'm willing to share with you." Though she's trying very hard to keep smiling, there are a lot of teeth, and when he turns to go she reaches out to grab his shoulder to stop him. "I'm making you an offer," she says more loudly. "And I don't know as how I'm gonna offer it again."
There's a tensing of the muscles in arm and shoulder, though H'kon manages to stop himself from ripping it free from her grasp. His eyes are cold, threatening even, when he looks back along her arm to Taikrin. "You will not speak to me of duty and right," has more steely command to it than probably anything he'd done in his capacity as one of two acting weyrleaders. "You have already made your offer. I have refused. This is now twice."
Threat meets threat. It's instinct that has Taikrin going predator-still when she meets H'kon's gaze. There's definitely more teeth in that smile, though she's more rising heat to meet his coldness. "So be it." Her grip, so briefly iron-hard, is withdrawn so that the brownrider can cockily put her hands back on her hips. There's very real anger in her eyes, though she's attempting to mask it with indifference. "Let nobody say I didn't offer it to you, in all fairness and respect." That's loud, and clearly meant for the silent gawkers at the nearby tables.
H'kon's jaw sets in response to that grip, and only slowly straightens his shoulders as means of reclaiming his space. "And when it comes time to look back, likewise, let no one say that I was party to all this." His own righteous anger remains firmly set on his face when he turns and carries on his way.
This time Taikrin won't stop him-- she's too busy looking heroic and statuesque as she stares after his retreating figure with a small, forced smile. It's important to play the crowd!
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