Difference between revisions of "Logs:Better Be Ready"

For E'ten, it comes down to the constant search of finding the best place to avoid some riders or the murmurs of Jasper and Sandstone. But, not his own wingriders. Those hold a special place of exception in the bronzerider's circle of acquaintances. For now, however, he's on a break. An honest to goodness break. Jacket slung across the back of one bench, the rider in question is doing the same. Leaning against the back with his eyes closed, it's peaceful and nothing to directly disturb him. With both sleeves of his shirt rolled up to the elbow, there's an unfolded cloth holding what might have been.. quite belatedly - lunch. Only one meatroll remains with a pair of cookies. Next to his feet a closed and well-corked wine skin sits undisturbed.

One advantage to Elaruth claiming various perches around the bowl as /hers/ and remaining there, unmoving, for a good part of the day, is that it's quite easy to spot people, if she's chosen the /right/ perch. Her spot by the waterfall must have been good enough to find E'ten, since Hattie moves with purpose and definitely towards the bronzerider when she slips through from the bowl proper and into the herb garden, pausing not to examine plants or check the state of the pathways. Her approach only falters a little when she takes in the sight of his seeming repose, and though there's a second or so where it looks like she might leave him alone, instead she reaches an abrupt halt a short distance from the bench, having walked straight past it. "E'ten."

It may have been a moment's repose, but the sound of another voice finds E'ten sitting up abruptly with his eyes opening to set onto the speaker with clarity. Uncertain as to whom until blinking once. "Hattie." With a turn to tidy up what's left of lunch, he moves to tie off the cloth with the edges into a secure knot before gesturing beside him and the bundle. "Are you passing through?" Not that she looks willing to sit, given that she must have passed it already.

Hattie tips back on her heels a little and angles a long look through down the pathway, scanning for anyone else lurking at the other benches sat throughout the garden. Maybe it's rude that she does /that/ first, but her attention does swiftly turn back to E'ten. "Not really," she admits. "I was looking for you." A moment passes, then she reluctantly acknowledges that it's not so much in the past tense. "I need to talk to you; to ask you something. And you might not like it, but you should know that, before I do, it's not a reflection on you." Even though the garden appears to be empty, she still keeps her voice low.

Being sought after is one thing. The lowered voice and the obvious glance about the gardens does bear some measure of importance. Leaning forward onto both elbows, E'ten forgets about the offered chair as he pushes himself to standing with a brief nod of his head. "Of course. Usually, I'd expect frowns and other sorts of storm clouds to be brewing." Spoken rather reasonably, he does keep his own voice low as his head tilts slightly to one side. Listening. Waiting.

"It's nice to know I'm that readable," Hattie utters dryly, knotting her arms uneasily across her ribcage. Before E'ten can get to close and she loses her nerve, she tells him, "I want you to keep Adiulth out of Elaruth's next flight, whenever it is. She really doesn't want to leave the Weyr anymore, so it has to be soon. How soon..." To that, she can only give a shrug of one shoulder. "He nearly caught her last time, I think we both know that, even if my understanding of it is second-hand knowledge," she continues, matter of fact. "I don't know if you want to be Weyrleader. If you think you can handle it - and do a better job than N'muir - then it's your decision, but I'm /asking/."

E'ten presses his lips together ruefully and remarks, "It usually finds a dragon or two bespeaking Adiulth too. Still. You're right in that it's soon." And he's unable to judge how soon, given Hattie's demeanor and the fact that there's still distance. Distance that he gives willingly before nodding once. Again. "He did and I don't know if there's ever a time that any rider /wants/ to be Weyrleader, Hattie. I'd watch those, honestly. But," he notes with an observant eye still on the Weyrwoman. "Is it best for the Weyr? I'm still hearing murmurs. Do you think if Bijedth catches again that it'll help matters?"

"You said you had his back," Hattie says slowly, clearly enunciating each word until there's a fire burning behind her last few syllables. "He's not a traitor. He handed them in, for Faranth's sake, and I wouldn't blame him for wanting to run away and live in the sharding hills after the way people have been treating him." She takes a step back, hand lifting for thumb and forefinger to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Will it help things, short-term, if Bijedth wins? Probably not," she admits. "But will Fort be okay in several turns' time, if some kid or someone who just wants the power, or worse, /doesn't/ want any of it, wins?"

"I /do/ have his back," E'ten confirms, lips turning downwards into a glimmer of a frown while both arms lift to settle against his chest in an unconscious near mirror of Hattie's stance. "If there's a choice between someone who wants the power to use in his own way and someone who doesn't want all that comes with it? I'd rather see the latter. They have the chance to adapt where we'd be counting the days until the next time Elaruth rises. But, I'll stay out of this flight and hope that Bijedth catches."

"People who don't want the knot don't have the stomach to do what's necessary," Hattie declares, knotting her arms all the tighter. "T're-" What she might have said, she bites back, but it's easy enough to figure out the name of one of her Weyrleaders from that aborted utterance. "What if it were to be N'rad? The boy can't tie his own bootlaces without supervision. He's not a threat, even if he probably won't have the balls to stop Maldoranth." It's more crass than she might usually put it, though that it's driven by stress is quite plan from her demeanour. She sighs and glances down at her feet, taking a moment before she looks up again and asks, "/Do/ you want the knot, E'ten?"

E'ten counters dryly, "And are you telling N'rad to stay out of the flight by being conveniently away?" While borders may have been defined by where each stands, he does turn to reach for the jacket and bundle each in turn with a pause at the question. "Want? No. Could I make the difficult choices? I don't know. N'muir is doing a good job as Weyrleader. But, what if it isn't N'muir this time," he tosses out into the air between them. "That's my question to you, Hattie. Could /you/ live with that if Elaurth chose differently?"

"I'm expecting N'rad to run away, like he always does." It's unnecessary and somewhere on the line between bitter and angry, but Hattie realises what she's said too late to take it back. "But that's the point, isn't it? N'muir is doing a good job and I haven't made it easy for him. And, no matter what anyone thinks, I've never once tried to influence Elaruth's choice. Maybe I'm being selfish, but I don't think it's wrong to want something for me /and/ my Weyr, just /once/." She begins to turn away, saying, "You do what you can live with, but if you end up with that knot on your shoulder, you better be ready. And so help me if the first thing you let them do is hurt him." And, with that, she walks on through the garden, without looking back.