Difference between revisions of "Logs:Rippling Repercussions"

Garden Patio Ledge, High Reaches Weyr

Partly sheltered by the curving stone overhang, partly exposed to the weather, the wide stone patio serves as a balcony for socializing or just plain drinking on a sizable scale. The repurposed ledge might once have let two large dragons land, but now there's too much furniture for that: two rustic tables with attendant chairs, plus a couple more in particularly good weather, and a wrought iron bench situated to make the most of the view of the western bowl and the lake beyond.

Other changes include rough little niches carved out of the stone walls to hold glows in colored bottles at night, the climbing plant that's being trained to grow up along the overhang, and the blue ceramic pots of flowers that dot the edge of the ledge as a colorful reminder not to fall off.

An archway leads to the Snowasis itself, housed in the ledge's former weyr, while a few wide steps descend along the wall to the bowl.

Warm sunshine and cloudless skies make for a beautiful day and pleasantly warm evening. A breeze tempers the heat with no humidity lingering in the air.

Summer at High Reaches can be beautiful, and today is one of the nicest: too nice for hanging out inside, no matter how much work you have to do. Afternoon finds K'del spread out at one of the corner tables on the patio ledge, valiantly ignoring less work-minded folk at the other tables; he seems deep in his work, though there's exhaustion around his eyes. On the plus side? He's drunk all of whatever it was that was in his glass, so he's not ignoring everything around him.

You know every once in a while, it is nice to run into one of those rare people who actually seem to enjoy working themselves to death despite the weather, and while Edyis is inherently pleased to find the Weyrleader so hard at work, she cannot help but shake her head when she spots him doing paperwork on such a perfect day. A murmur to the barkeep and a few minutes later a tray with various yummy goodies and a decanter of cold juice with two empty glasses is in her arms. "Well since you seem quite determined to work your way into an early grave - do you mind if I join you for a moment and ask for your advice?" She may actually sneak up on him for this, that or she's learned that if not coaxed he may not actually eat. It's a suspicion which remains unconfirmed.

"Wha--?" K'del is, indeed, well and truly lost in his work, though the sound of Edyis' voice certainly does break him out of his reverie; he glances up. "Oh. Edyis. Hello." In actual answer to her request, he reaches out to begin piling up papers, clearing the way for her tray, and adds, "Won't say no. Probably time for a break, anyway. Not actually my intention to die at this, promise."

She just smiles, "Good, I brought food." She settles the tray into the emptied spot, eyes scanning the documents closest to her for a curious moment. "Well that is good to know since I was actually getting used to you being in the council chambers all the time. Besides people might get the impression that paperwork is actually dangerous if you were to keel over." Pouring a fresh glass for both K'del and herself.

K'del waves a hand towards the sunny afternoon and says, "It's far too nice to be stuck indoors all day, don't you think? And people will fuss over me if I stay too pale through the summer." That hand now gets extended towards the glasses of juice, a sage nod obviously intended as thanks. "Now. Sit down and tell me what kind of advice you were after. Presumably it's not 'how to live a balanced life.'"

Edyis shakes her head, nope no lessons in balance from this bronze rider. "You have to promise first to withhold your anger until you hear everything I have to say." Perfectly serious. She's not sure he will be angry, but the things that are bothering her have to be explained in context. "I wondered if you ever felt guilty over the decisions you made." Loaded question much?

K'del pauses, that glass halfway to his mouth; his brows knit. Clearly, this is not how he'd expected the conversation to go - not with that requested promise, and not with the question that follows it. "What's this about, then?" he wonders, quietly. And: "I'll try, anyway. Rather not get angry about things, though I admit, you've made me feel kind of... nervous. I-- yes, of course I've felt guilty. Almost a better question to ask what I haven't felt guilty about. Spent most of my adult life as Weyrleader, and that's full of difficult decisions."

The young woman's own brows furrow, and she almost feels bad, but he's one of the few people she knows will give her an answer that is both honest and best. "It's about the consequences of the planting program, well namely where the seed actually came from." She admits, half draining her own glass. "You could say I hadn't quite anticipated the width of the reach it would have." She studies him when he speaks on regret, biting her lower lip. Then again there is something tense in her bearing, which does not quite get unknotted by the summer sun.

This, too, surprises K'del, who hesitates before answering. "It's true that not all of the wings are happy about the work we've put them to," he says, making assumptions. His brow is knitted, but he seems calm enough. "But the point is that we're getting the work done, so there'll be tithes in autumn, and food to feed us over the winter. Seems to me like it was a good thing to do - the right thing to do." It's only now, finally, that he takes a careful sip from his own glass.

"And what about Ienavi who sold her hand to Aughan for the seed - Or more aptly why exactly was High Reaches Weyr supporting her?" She speaks these two things in a very quiet tone, though some have probably already put those pieces together. "When I proposed the planting, I had assumed it was a natural step, and something someone else would have thought of, but I did not anticipate one woman losing her freedom as well as her claim, and I certainly hadn't questioned at that point who was behind the wholesale support of her here in the weyr."

Had K'del put all of this information together? The look on his face suggests not, though it could just be that litany of ideas, one after another, that leaves him so whey-faced and stiff. He seems to struggle with answering for some seconds, and when he does, it may not be a wholly satisfying one. "You believe all of that is connected?"

"That is the part you may be angry with me over, I know it is." She lets that hang in the air, nervous, adding juice to the glasses. Dark brown eyes meet blue unflinchingly.

Silence, for several seconds. K'del regards Edyis carefully, his fair brows raised just slightly. "You'd better tell me, then," he suggests, quietly.

The drink and the breath she takes are both deep, leaning in so as to be cautious about being over heard. "I snuck in to the Conclave at Keroon hold, and while I couldn't get into the meeting itself, Lord Keroon's second daughter and I overheard Lord Aughan and Lady Ienavi talking. Lord Aughan wasn't surprised at all by Lady Tevrane taking the Hold." She finally glances down at the table, "Listening to the talk, Ienavi never so much stood a chance. Hence my wondering why the weyr was supporting her in the first place." When Edyis falls silent, she just sits there awaiting whatever reaction would accompany the information.

K'del exhales through his teeth, letting the breath whistle past them. For a long, long time, he's silent; he's even turned his attention away from Edyis, and towards some distant point across the bowl. "Until the conclave actually happened, the lady Ienavi was the only visible candidate left," he points out, finally. "She requested our support. If there were plots afoot, we knew none of it." Now he turns back to look at her. "Did you think we knew?"

Edyis chooses her next words carefully. "Having learned more in my study of High Reaches from a historical perspective, I would be surprised if absolutely no one knew, but I certainly don't think You or the Weyrwoman would have strung the poor thing along like that. I do however think that given the two political climates I've seen - someone may be out to make the Weyr look the fool. And someone would have had to campaign very hard in that room to make an almost invisible candidate like Lady Tevrane be chosen over Lady Ienavi, don't you?"

This time, K'del reaches for his glass, circling it in his hand before he finally lifts it to sip. "The Holds..." he begins, and then stops. "They're complicated. Mind you, so are the Weyrs, when it comes to conclave. It wouldn't surprise me if there were all kinds of negotiations going on behind the scenes. But... what can we do about that? So far, Lady Tevrane's been straightforward in her dealings with us, so if it was intended to hurt us, it hasn't, much. Yet." Yet.

"It isn't so much Lady Tevrane I'm worried about as much as those complicated holds. If Tevrane presents acceptable tithes, acceptable meaning a balance between supporting the weyr and the people I would think there is nothing to worry about. The situation itself is what sets the alarms off in my head. I could very easily be over reading the situation."

K'del opens his mouth, and then stops, closing it again. "No," he says, in the end. "No, you may not be. It's-- knowing the history of High Reaches, it's always better to be cautious. Do you think Lord Aughan was involved? Beyond the obvious, I mean."

The question is considered for some time before she answers. "Lala told me that her father considers him a man that sometimes forgets people are people. I think he's an opportunist and he certainly makes my skin crawl in a way few people can manage. It's hard to say at such a brief inspection, Infiltrating a hold for a longer span of time than a few hours isn't something im prepared for either. I got lucky with the Keroon Gather, and got a pen pal for my troubles." There's a fond smile with the last. "I can't say definitively."

K'del shakes his head abruptly at the very mention of infiltration, but it's not until Edyis has finished speaking that he actually says: "No infiltration, do you hear me? No matter how tempting it is to try and find out more. That way leads to danger, and-- Lord Aughan, in particular, is not a man to be toyed with. No, no, don't feel you need to answer that question." He exhales. "We'll just have to keep an eye on it, okay? Holds will be Holds, but you're right: we should be paying attention to what they do. And especially, what they do next."

"Not to worry I wouldn't want to go near Lord Aughan with a twenty-foot pole and your Cadejoth's weight in marks." Firmly. Besides, Keroon was - a matter of the heart more than head. "I still feel horribly guilty knowing that marrying him was the price of the seed to feed Nabol. On the other hand, the same thing may have happened regardless of my actions or not. There's precedence for dragonfarmers. Lady Ienavi may well have been a social climber willing to marry for position." She doesn't quite seem convinced of her own guiltlessness.

K'del, however, does. "It was not your fault. If you'll remember, I was the one who thought to ask her to find the seed for us, and even then... she made her decision. She wasn't obligated; she chose." He sets down his glass, pressing both hands to the surface of the table. "Leave the rest to me. You had a good idea, an idea that helped your people, and I for one do not regret it."

Dark eyes study him thoughtfully, pushing the plate of food over. "Even so, I have to respect you for what you do here and the burdens you must carry as a result." Expression melting from somber to warm, she smiles, "Now I've been horrible and made you work on your break, so now you eat. At least one sweetroll and adorable baby story or some light hearted news."

K'del's face breaks, abruptly, into a dimpled smile; "Only one?" He teases. And, indeed, chances are he's got more than one he's happy to share... you'd think his Iska was the first baby to ever do anything, the way he talks! Which is, at least, a positive end to the conversation.