D'son Meets Vivian
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Xanadu Weyr - Weyrleaders' Office

Office and retreat, this is the domain of Xanadu's Weyrleaders. The door is in the eastern wall, quite close to the southern end while the northern wall is dominated by big, expansive windows, framed by sumptuous deep blue drapes edged with a brilliant gold braid and tied back with a thick rope of braided gold and blue cord. In between, the eastern wall is covered floor to ceiling with shelves that house all sorts of records, manuals and supplies that are used on a day-to-day basis. The southern wall has the Weyrleader's desk — plain fellis wood, well polished and masculine. From behind his desk, the Weyrleader can look straight through the windows and out onto the main airspace of Xanadu. The western wall is where the Weyrwoman's desk resides: a lovely piece of furniture made of warm cherry wood. From her seat, a glance sideways gives her an equally good prospect out the window. There are a few other seats, some comfortably arranged around a low round table for small, informal meetings while there also some that can be drawn up to one of the desks.

On the south side of the door, the space is occupied by a low oblong table where refreshments can be set without someone needing to intrude. There is also an 'incoming' tray where incoming correspondence or similar items can be left.


Lunchtime is past and the afternoon is drifting onward and Xanadu's new Weyrleader has come back into the office after a quick meal and a lot of walking around meeting people. D'son's ensconced in the chair behind the desk going through yet another folder of R'sul's meticulously kept notes, one hand swept through his hair and holding back shaggy bangs, while his eyes scan the page attentively, lips moving silently along with the words. Near at hand, a battered looking notebook where Dels makes the odd note of his own. Visible still on the facing page, is an intricate diagram of some kind of machine.

Vivian sashays her way into the office, a pile of folders cradled in her arms. A frown creases her delicate features and her eyes narrow when she sees D'son; it only lasts a few moments though before realization strikes and she breaks into such a pleasant smile as she walks the last few feet to his desk at a slow measured pace.

Absorbed, D'son doesn't notice at first that someone has come in, until Vivian's shadow falls across the desk and he looks up slowly, hand sort of flattening across his eye as he tilts his head upward. A few rapid blinks bring his eyes into focus on Vivian instead of on the notes. "Uh — hi there," he greets her politely enough and drops his hand down away from his face. The notes are set down and he smiles at the young woman, promptly holds out a hand. "I'm D'son. The uh — well the new Weyrleader, but you probably figured that out."

Vivian looks down at him, the pleasant smile still there as she appraises her new task. The smile would be sending warnings signals to anyone that knows her, but this one is fresh meat. "Well I was kinda figuring that." She drawls at him. "You don't look like R'sul so I guessed you must be the new weyrleader." Her eyes sparkle as she continues to appraise him, before she finally puts the files down on a nearby vacant desk (hers) and comes back to perch on the edge of the desk to take his hand. "I'm Vivian, or just Viv if you prefer."

D'son grins lopsidedly as Vivian parses that all out. "Heh, yeah. Sorry, been a little you know, preoccupied," the young man says with a hint of sheepishness in his voice, taps that sheet of notes. He shakes hands firmly, good grip, dry palms. "Vivian. Nice to meet you," Dels answers with a shake of his head to knock his bangs out of the way. "Viv's … your usual nickname?" he asks though, gaze taking her in again. Pretty girl. Young guy. He's not immune. "I uh - yeah, haven't seen R'sul since the flight," he says and nods down at the notes. "So I'm figuring things out from these. So you uh — you help out around the office, is that it?"

Vivian bobs her head by way of reply, her gaze still fixed on him, that sparkle still there. "It's Viv to my friends or Vivi if I really like you." She offers up a mischievous wink to him before continuing. "If you're the new weyrleader, I guess we'll need to get better acquainted I'm your 'personal' Secretary." And there's something ever so slightly disturbing about the way she says personal there, an attempt at sultry perhaps from one who isn't used to talking that way. "So talking about preoccupation." She grins, the gossip coming out. "How does Niva compare to your others? Or is there another reason she doesn't like Istans?"

"Got it," D'son says about the nickname. "Guess I'll stick to Vivian for now then, until you know, Vivi's called for," the weyrleader answers with a little smile. "Wouldn't want to offend you know, by being overly fam—il… iar," that word trails off as she says 'personal' that way and his brows lift just a little. "Uh — well then, I know who to ask if I need something, right?" that last pert question, draws just a faint flush into his cheeks and he regards the girl steadily. "It's rude to kiss and tell. And 'others' wouldn't be a very long list. I'm weyrmated," Dels explains further. "I'm hoping not to disappoint here though, on anything."

Vivian rolls her eyes at his not kiss and tell option. "Well that's no fun is it." She replies with a laugh, "Enquiring minds want to know." She continues unperturbed. "If there's anything you need done, you just need to ask and I'll see that it gets done." Course her hands from the handshake earlier are way to soft to be used to anything strenuous so it's doubtful she does any of it. "Are you bringing your mate over here?" She asks, "I don't know how Niva will react to that."

"Sorry, I do know who you are," D'son reveals after a second, mouth quirking up at the corner and holds up R'sul's notes with a meaningful waggle. "I'm not telling the Weyrwoman's daughter what her mother is like in the sack." He winks good-naturedly though and sets the notes back down. "But I'll definitely ask if I need anything. Right now, I'm just trying to kind of get settled with the basics. Maybe you can help me put names and faces together? And I'm going to need to set up time with all the wingleaders. Scheduled meetings," he continues, ticking things off on his fingers. That last though gives him pause and for a moment his gaze drops. "No," he says quietly. "She's got duties at Ista. Weyrlings."

Vivian gives a big mock sigh and reaches over to place a hand on his shoulder. "It was worth a shot, wasn't it?" She tells him with that same pleasant smile on her face. "I'll book all your appointments for that, how much time do you want to spend with each of them?" She asks him as she slides off his desk and heads over to her own desk, all talk of the partner forgotten about for now.

"Yeahh, guess so," D'son can't help but laugh at that look and the hand to his shoulder. "An hour, please, if you don't mind. And thanks a bunch for the help. I know Ista really well, but I've barely ever been over here, just a few times. A flight here and there, some duties." He's looking back down at the notes and squinting at a sentence. "So um, what's the deal with the headwoman, do you know? The Weyrwoman mentioned her going on vacation and or quitting and some deal R'sul was working on with her."

Vivian selects a pen from her desk and comes back to his, picking up a diary style book at the side of it. "All of your appointments will be in here." She tells him, her own neat script is evident already in there and goes back to the start. "Any meetings at all will be noted and where they are, I'll even put in expected durations to allow you to gauge how long it should take to work out the best deals with people if that's' what it calls for. If you're really luck I'll let you know what all those shorthand codes mean as well." She points toa few notations of what appear to be random symbols. "The headwoman?" She gives another of those sighs as she perches one bum cheek on the edge of the desk again, his diary going to rest on her thigh, her hands folding over the top of it as she looks at him with those eyes again. "You've got a lot of work to do here, Mother isn't the easiest of people to get on with, the headwoman quit because she's had enough of her, and as for you, well I'll do my best to help you out when I can."

Diary. Girl back on the edge of the desk. D'son brings his gaze upward though to Vivian's face. "All meetings in there, got it. Shorthand … huh, let me see?" he asks, hand held out for the diary, apparently interested in this shorthand stuff. He makes a little face at the explanation about the Weyrwoman and the Headwoman. "Okay, so that needs smoothing out, got it. Huh — why do I get the feeling that I'm going to wind up doing a lot of smoothing over for your mother?" he says with a wry look. "And yeah, guess so on the work. I was thinking that the Weyrleader just you know, took care of the wings and some diplomatic stuff." He chews on his lip a little, clearly revising his opinion of what's going to be asked of him.

"Smoothing over, yep, Charm I hope is a skill you possess in buckets, especially if you want to get our headwoman back." Replies Viv with a mirthful smile. "You'll be doing it an awful lot, I'd suggest that you dive into your diplomatic duties and that'll give you a place to start." She tells him. "Most of R'sul's appointments will still stand, I'll contact the ones who I'll need to cancel seeing as he seems to have dumped you in it and flown off with that Harper floosie of his, but most should be unaffected."

"Charm … not … really," D'son says slowly, though some people of his acquaintance might object to that. He's friendly enough after all. "Inimeth's really the uh … charmer," he notes about his dragon. "And … great. Diplomatic. You know, I dodged the diplomatic wing at Ista. Might've been a mistake." He ponders for a second then nods down at the diary. "Okay …so those aren't initials …" he does figure that much out about those little notes in the margins. "Maybe … put me down for some time with a harper. Harpers are usually good with diplomacy," he grasps at straws a little. "Shells, yeah, I'll need a little time to get up to speed on some of those so I don't embarrass the Weyr or something." He shoots her an amused look though. "He … has a floozy?"

Vivian smiles down at him as she hands the diary over. "We'll need to work on that one then, you can take me for a drink one night next week and see how you're getting on." She tells him as she slides off the desk and round behind him so she can lean over his shoulder to check the notes. "Nope not initials, character traits, I'll explain another time, it helps me to remember who everyone is." She tells him as she stands up straight again. "I'll book the Harper in as well, just a different one to R'suls. She's not a real floozy, she's actually quite nice, even I liked her." She shrugs her shoulders, "But she did keep him distracted from his duties."

"A drink …" D'son looks up at Vivian for a moment, searching her face. Finally. "Okay." And then she's leaning over behind him like that and she might not see it, but there's a distinct look of 'oh boy' on his face. He's in trouble and he knows it. "Character traits. Huh. Interesting," is what he decides about that and sets the diary down, looks back over his shoulder a little. "You think so? Do you think that's why … he didn't win again?"

Vivian nods her head as she moves back to her own desk. "A drink, it'll be good practice for you." She states. "Can't have you letting everyone down can we." She says it sincerely enough, a smile for him. "It might be part of it, but given the way mom can be, there's a possibility that Hesketh just didn't want to keep putting his lifemate through it all. So we got you instead." She positively beams at him for that thought, "But we'll make do and keep this place running as smoothly as we can."

"Good practice learning to uhhh resist gorgeous women or am I supposed to cave and charm your socks off?" D'son says just a little dubiously then looks down at the desk for a moment nodding. "Yeah well, don't want to let anyone down, that's for sure." Up come thoughtful hazel eyes again and he nods once. "Mm. Guess it's on me to see if I can manage any better. Any ahhh … hints there? About the Weyrwoman?"

Vivian grins at that. "No just trying to be charming and diffusing situations, I can probably point people out easier in a setting like that as well and it's more unobtrusive. You did say you wanted to match names to faces didn't you?" She asks him pointedly, nope she's not playing games, not at all. "As for better managing mom, I don't know, you wouldn't kiss and tell." She leans back in her chair, arms crossing over her chest as she gives him a look.

Actually looks relieved by that answer and smiles a wide, genuine smile that lights up his face. "Yes, I do and that makes a lot of sense. People more relaxed, that kind of thing." That rejoinder though leaves him with a grimace on his face. "Should've known," he says with a low snort and regards her for a long moment. "Guess I'll just have to figure it out myself. And hopefully it won't mean you know, the Weyr falling down around our heads."

Vivian is probably at it mind you but he's going along with the plan so far. "I'd say ask dad." She replies with a laugh as she unfolds her arms again, leaning on the desk and pulling the top file from her stack. "But it's probably some strange sexual technique he uses to keep her in line, and you don't seem interested in trying that with Mom so we'll bypass that and wait and see how you get on." And hopefully she's just teasing there.

"Mm. Have to sit down and have a talk with him anyway. You know, to keep things uhhh smooth, there." D'son fidgets with his pencil and looks up at her, slightly bemused a faint hint of color in his cheeks. "There's a difference between being you know, physically interested and uhhh — knowing when something isn't a good idea, or the right thing to do. I'm not out to steal your mother from your father, not like I'd have half a chance at that anyway." He eyes her for a moment then then puffs his cheeks out, asks bluntly: "Why all the interest in sex stuff though?"

Vivian shakes her head at his suggestion. "I wouldn't bother, Mom's been had by lots of other guys thanks to her being a rider, Dad's a rider as well and as far as I'm aware, has never won one of her flights." She does laugh a touch at him. "I'm teasing you know and well it's a bit icky anyway, you must be younger than me and you've slept with my mom." She replies before canting her head at him with his last question. "I'm a young woman, I'm allowed to ask these questions yeah, that and it's my mom."

"Wasn't really thinking about it," D'son replies with another little shake of his head and color in his ears. "I do have a weyrmate of my own, even if it's … an open-ish thing," Dels says slowly and eyes her speculatively. "I'm nineteen. Been wingleader for about a turn. And to be honest, I don't really think about it much. My bronze caught a friend's mother's green a while back, it's easy enough to just … let it fade into the flight haze." His shoulders lift, drop again. "Not that you're not allowed, but it might make a man wonder about what you have and haven't done yet."

Vivian laughs when his ears colour, more amused than mocking. "Very true I suppose, but I don't intend on letting on what I have or haven't already discovered, that's something to leave for sometime more intimate." She tells him, her gaze fixing on his properly. "You never know." She looks like she's about to add more but thinks better of it. "Another day perhaps." She adds softly before opening the file in front of her. "For now though, I'll let you get back to reading unless you have anything specific to ask? And I'll start filling your diary with dates and times for meetings."

"Ahhh … riiiight," D'son says, color seeping into his cheeks now too. "Let's just … get back to work," he agrees, and pulls those notes over to dive right back in. "Though um … you're used to R'sul's handwriting, right?"

Vivian opens the file and starts flicking through the sheets until she finds the schedules for the following sevenday. "I am, I have to type up all of his notes onto the computer. He's allergic to technology, it's what comes of being a record keeper." She tells him with a grin, "Having a problem with something?" She asks as she gets up and takes the few steps to allow her to collect the diary. "Are you afraid of them?" She asks.

"Computer …" D'son looks up and grins suddenly. "Will you show me how to use one?" But he's sliding the notes over too, to tap at a spot. "Is that a 'u' or a 'v'?"

Placing one hand on the diary she leans over to check the words. "That'll be a U, see how he's tailed it off." She says pointing one painted fingernail at the way it curls away and then points out a few others to prove the point. "Computers, yeah we have them and they're great for paperless records." She explains, "You just need to be able to type on the keyboard and you're sorted." She tells him, pointing at the machine on her own desk. "If you want to learn, I'll get the Weyrleaders one back out of storage where he hid it away."

Technology. D'son's eyes just light right up like electric bulbs. "Definitely, please, that'd be really great," the very young Weyrleader says with boyish enthusiasm that doesn't help with the whole youthful thing. "And uh — thanks, a U. Because of the tail off. Got it."

Vivian nods her head with a smile for his enthusiasm. "It makes paperwork an awful lot easier and it'll make organising your life an awful lot easier for me as well." She explains with a grin, calendar appointments and reminders are soo much easier than on paper, not quite as mobile granted but easier to update." She's doing that leaning over thing still, not having gotten round to standing up properly yet.

"Yeah? Well then you know, bring it on," D'son says happily. "I hate writing up wing reports," he confesses and ducks his head sheepishly.

Vivian grins and pats him on the shoulder. "Once we get the computer out, I'll show you everything you need to know." She tells him. "And don't worry too much about the reports, I'll show you how to access them on the computer." She explains to him and waves a hand towards her own desk. "Come over and see." She tells him as she walks back and sits down, taking his diary with her.

D'son leaves the notes behind on the desk again and bounces to his feet, following after Vivian, one hand dropping to the back of her chair as he leans over her shoulder eagerly. It's all about that piece of tech sitting on her desk though, nothing flirty about it.

Vivian can work on that with a few accidental bumps as she shows the computer off. "Have you ever seen one of these before?" She asks him as she wakes it up, tilting her head back towards him, hair brushing over his hand in the process.

"Not really, I mean, here and there. I went to the Smithcraft for a while, but I was more interested in you know, gears and explosives. Ista doesn't really have much tech at all. Pretty traditional that way." He's either doing a good job of ignoring all the little body bumps, or he's just that into the computer.

Unfortunately for Viv's plans it's more likely the later. "The keyboard is how you enter all the information." She explains, pulling it towards her. "The letters are arranged in a way so that when you put your fingers down, the most used letters are easier to get to." She demonstrates. "It takes a bit of getting used to." She tells him, "But, once you're used to it, you'll be fine." She uses the mouse and points to the little curser on the screen. "Move this and it moves that."

"So you push the buttons and it makes words … wow," D'son grins widely and reaches forward towards one of those keys. "Oh! Hey it is moving! Can I do that?"

Vivian shakes her head with amusement, it's all so natural to her given her station in society here since birth, always afforded the best. "Just don't press the buttons on it." She tells him before she removes her hand from the mouse. "Move it around a bit, then move over this icon here." She points something out on screen. "Once it's there click the button and it'll open it up." She explains.

Following instructions, D'son seems to be pretty quick on the uptake with this stuff, dropping his hand to the mouse, the edge of his tongue sticking out as he steers the thing around and click! Hey presto! Stuff! Opening! "Ohhhh /cool/!!" the new Weyrleader exclaims. Good thing Niva's not here right now?'

If nothing else because the new weyrleader seems to be getting along perfectly well with her spoiled brat of a daughter. "Once you've got this open you can type stuff in." Vivian explains as her fingers start to fly over the keyboard, the words appearing on screen in response to her command. Typing out. 'D'son is the new weyrleader at Xanadu Weyr' It carries on for a bit longer before she stops. "Like it? Click on there and I'll show you a calendar " She asks pointing to a small icon that minimises the screen at his command then on to a scheduling program of some kind.

Hazel eyes watch the screen intently and Dels reaches over and slowly single-finger plucks out: "And Vivian is the Weyrwoman's pretty daughter." Grinning he moves the mouse again and clicky clicky. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. And you can make this into paper to pass around? Whatsit, printing, right?"

Vivian turns her head to look at his profile as he concentrates on typing. "You think so?" She murmurs softly near to his ear before he's skipping happily onwards. "Yep, we can print it onto a hard copy, it comes out over there." She says pointing at the printer. "Just click on the little icon up there." Again the pointing.

Clicky clicky, printy, printy. "Yeah," he confirms simply with only a brief look her way. He's got stuff! To print! (Poor Vivian) And off he goes to see it come out of the printer. "Is it coming yet?" bending this way and that to see how that happens.

Vivian simply leans back in her chair, all further attempts of flirting drained from her by his enthusiasm. "It'll be there in a moment." She tells him as the printer comes to life, pulling in a sheet if paper and pulling through with a whirring noise.

"Ohhh! Hey do you know how it grabs the paper?" D'son is squinting in at the little parts, the turning wheels and in a second the sheet comes out with the two sentences they typed. Beaming he holds it up and points to it. "Look! I wrote that and there it is!" Another one of those bright grins of his as he returns to her. "What else can you do with a computer?" His hand is back on the back of her chair and his grin undiminished.

Vivian tilts her head up towards him a faint smile there. "Just about anything you can do with paper can be replicated on here with the minimum of hassle and whole lot less space being taken up." She tells him. "As for how it all works, I don't know, I just know how to use it all." She explains.

"Really. That … is really, really great," D'son says animatedly and pushes the mouse around some more then laughs suddenly. "I should … read the rest of those notes. I uh — like I said. Smithcraft. I like machines. Thinking them up, building them." His mouth pulls to the side in a little sheepish grin.

Vivian gets to the point of minor irritation that she actually reaches out and puts her hand down on his, applying enough of a forceful pressure to convince him to stop. "That's enough, you'll wear the poor thing out with all that movement." She tells him with a smile. "Yes, you go back to your notes and I'll get you your own one to play with. You're on your own for learning how they get made, I'd suggest taking a trip to landing for that one."

"Sorry," D'son apologies about the mouse but doesn't pull his hand away, looking down at her with another airy grin. "I'll owe you one," he says about getting his own computer. Xanadu's new Weyrleader, bought with a desktop PC. "Landing. Yeah. I'll get over there. After I get through … all that." A look back over a the notes and he nods, starts to pull away to get back to it.

Vivian takes the chance and curls her own hand around his while it's there and looks up at him with that pleasant smile on her face. "You've got a lot to go through, R'sul refused to use the computers so it's all on paper, I've got all of the official stuff typed up and I'll let you see it later and how to access it, but the rest of his notes are all over there." She points her other hand back towards his desk, she does release the pressure from her hand, but only once she's finished speaking, yet still leaves her hand resting so that he will actually have to tug away.

D'son draws his hand out from beneath hers gently after a moment, suddenly pinking a little in the cheeks again. "Right. Better … get to it. Though maybe I can … learn to type by putting his stuff in the system," the Weyrleader says thoughtfully and with another little smile for the Weyrwoman's daughter, retreats to the safety of his new desk and piles of paperwork.

Vivian continues to smile up at him. "You'd best yes." She replies simply before opening his diary on the desk next to her and opens up the schedule again to check over when she can book all the wing leaders in for a meeting. She doesn't look back at him while she's working, copying times and dates into the diary, keep him hanging with all his paperwork.

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