Puzzling Over Politics
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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.


Yesterday morning there were firelizards hatching in the living cavern and Niva dressed D'son down in public about fireworks safety. Today, the Weyrleader can be found in the spot that's getting to be a regular habit: the office, behind what used to be R'sul's desk with the former Weyrlader's notes and the computer that Vivian set up for him. Dels is still a two fingered typist, but he's starting to get quicker at it, the more he practices and the rattle of keys would welcome those coming down the hallway as the door's been left open.

"I'm really not sure, Kav…" Thea's voice comes from the hallway as she pauses just outside the Weyrleader's office. There's the gentle rapping of knuckles on wood, then the weyrwoman peeks her head into the office, clearing her throat. She's all business this morning, hair is twisted and wrapped round her head in a coronet and she's wearing one of her better outfits -a midcalf skirt and blouse of deep claret. "Sir?" She's peeking to see over the screen of that computer, but from the doorway, it's not so easy. "Vivian sent me a memo to see you?"

"If you get a memo you do what it says, right?" Enkavir's tone is dry but laced with amusement. He is less hesitant, lightly laying a hand on Thea's back to guide her in, and stepping around her and into the room. He is also far less put-together, hair in disarray as usual and typical sweater and slacks, with the former shoved up above his elbows. He takes a moment to eye the finger pecking dubiously, then hastily clears his face to careful neutrality. He just nods agreement with Thea's words, then waits for the man's response with only a, "Sir," as greeting,

Tappaty tappty, pause. D'son looks up from the screen, blinking a little and his eyes widen. "Oh shells, is it that time already? I'm sorry," he gets to his feet and gestures to the chairs just in front of the desk. "Uh — please have a seat. And yes. I asked Vivian to set up appointments so I could get to know everyone. You must be Thea, gold Seryth's, and you — we met in the caverns the other day right? Enkavir?" Dels leans across the desk hand held out, expression frank and open.

Thea strides forward, a little more confidently as D'son speaks, reaching out a hand to shake the new Weyrleader's firmly, ice green ice somber as she gives him a measured look. There's a brief, faint smile, "Yes Sir, I am. You are… D'son then." It is said quietly, as she releases his hand. She gracefully sinks into one of the indicated chairs, crosses her legs, twitches the skirt and rests her notepad on her lap. A glance flickers towards Enkavir, then back to D'son, but she keeps silent for now.

Enkavir waits for Thea, but when it is his turn he takes D'son's hand firmly and gives it a shake. His eyes are as keen as Thea's if not keener, openly assessing the young man with the brand new fancy knot. "Enkavir, that's correct. I'm surprised you remember anything after that choatic scene," he allows. Then it's into his own chair, with less ceremony than Thea but his own sort of languid grace. He stretches his legs out in front of him, folds his arms across his stomach. "How are you settling in, then?"

D'son's own handshake for each of the pair is firm and he meets eyes turned his way straight on, steady. "D'son, and Inimeth's my bronze. From Ista, both of us. Born and raised except for a couple of turns at the Smithcraft." He waits until they've seated themselves, then sits himself. "I've got a lot to catch up on," he says frankly, "Vivian was kind enough to set me up with this," he pats the computer, "and that's helping a lot to get through some things, but Niva'd suggested also seeing to some things in records to help me get up to speed. So uh — I guess you could say it's been busy, the settling in."

Thea has none of the skepticism in her expression that so many seem to project towards the new Weyrleader. In her eyes there is only a grave, and perhaps wary, beleaguered look mingled with a quiet resignation. After Enkavir speaks, she nods, "Welcome to Xanadu, Sir." There's a breath of a pause before she adds sincerely with a touch of uncertainty, "Congratulations." There's a hint of a question at the end of the word, but her eyes are flickering over that computer he's patting and the machine gets a blank look. Technology, not her forte, it would appear. Niva's mentioned and the man has her full attention.

Enkavir inclines his head, though it doesn't stop him from watching the man across the desk. "Well met as I said before, and welcome." His words are politely spoken but almost void of emotion - he's giving the man a blank slate it seems. "Niva… yes. Well there isn't really a records room per se. The current records are a bit scattered about so if you are looking for something specific I can try to help you find it." A hand rakes through his disheveled hair, a hint of frustration but nothing more. "Welcome to Xanadu." This holds an air of amusement.

"Thanks, Thea," D'son says sincerely for both the welcome and the congratulations. Might even seem relieved. His focus shifts to Enkavir and D'son nods a few times. "That's kind of what she was saying. That there's a project to organize things. I ah — mostly I just need to understand where the Weyr is at, you know. Political situations. All that."

"Political situations." Thea says it flatly, her eyes dubious as she regards D'son. There's a side-glance towards Enkavir at his tone and a tiny wry upturn to the corner of one side of her mouth. There's not one ounce of humor in her eyes, however. Back to D'son, respectfully, "Ah, did you mean in-weyr or cross-weyr?" She genuinely wants to know as she continues, "This might take awhile…" Her pen taps on her clipboard, she looks down and stills it.

Enkavir clears his throat lightly, and his eyes dart sideways at the same time as Thea's catching them. He listens to her politely, then nods. "She does have a point. Unfortunately, I'm just a lowly record keeper and I can rattle off figures all day but to let you know the whos and whys behind the numbers?" He shakes his head, spreading his hands palm up - he's got nothing for D'son. "I'm really not sure when it comes to all that."

"Well see, that stuff is recorded though right? Not just R'sul's notes," which D'son gestures to. "But other um — records. Right?" His brows lift a little as he asks the question and he shoots Thea a sheepish look. "All of it. Cross-weyr. Intra-weyr. Though I'm supposed to help deal with Fort too, so um, that could be a place to start?"

Thea darts a sharp glance at Enkavir's use of the word lowly, but she doesn't comment to that. She inhales at D'son's choice of topic, drops her head, unconsciously raises a hand to rub her temples for a moment. Her lips press together to form a straight, unhappy line. It's probably evident she's going through some sort of internal struggle. She lifts her head, sitting straight in her chair and looks D'son directly in the eye, "I'm… afraid I can't help you with that, Sir. Not that I won't. I… simply cannot." There's a shuttered distress in her eyes as her knuckles turn white on that pen she's holding.

Enkavir flicks fingers at that sharp glance, waving it away with a roll of one shoulder. Just trying to keep the mood light, apparently without any success. He lightly wets his lips, raises his eyes back to the newly arrived Weyrleader. "Political ties are rarely recorded as such, other than in a Weyrleader's private notes or journals which may or may not be at your disposal. The Weyrwoman is likely the best person to speak to about the situation, as anyone else may very well feel they are outstepping their boundaries, or speaking of things they don't really have the full picture on." He shoots Thea a look that's half apologetic, putting words in her mouth as he is. "As for Fort, that's up to you to fix, is it?" He shakes his head, scrubbing at the back of his neck but that's all he says about /that/.

That reaction surprises D'son visibly and his brows lift, gaze troubled on the goldrider before it shifts over to Enkavir. "Really? Rarely? Huh. Doesn't seem to make much sense. You'd think it'd all get written down. You know. For posterity," Dels says and takes a breath, lets it out. "Okay. There's other things I think I probably ought to know about Xanadu though. Historical stuff. Could you help me with that? And uh — well, yeah. Fort's Weyrleader, he's my weyrmate's brother. And well, Ista, the Weyrleader and I were clutchmates." Wry smile there. "Connections, right?"

"If I may Sir?" Thea's recovered a bit, although the strained look is still there and she flashes a bit of a grateful look towards Enkavir, "Since you have ties with both of those Weyrs, perhaps they could help you with that as well?" She exhales that breath she didn't know she was holding, "Might I suggest starting with current weyr… situations and going to history another time?" Practical if not wordy, her look is perhaps unreadable, but it's obvious she's torn between two options, neither of which she finds pleasant.

Enkavir's fingers twitch where the rest in his lap, the sort of motion a person makes when reaching for a pencil. But there's no pencil there, no pad, and so he has to make do with mental notes instead. "Connections indeed." His eyes slide to Thea as she speaks, then back as he nods. "I'm no political mastermind but it does seem prudent to deal with the more urgent matters first. Xanadu's past doesn't necessarily have to dictate her future." He quiets, drumming fingertips on his knee with a thoughtful expression. "Did the Weyrwoman give you… free reign to do as you will? Or did she just request your advice? If I may be so bold as to ask."

"Another time?" D'son looks confused briefly then blinks. "Oh I didn't mean, you know, right away this minute, today. I mean, history's going to you know, take a little while," he says with a laugh and one hand going to rub at the back of his neck. "Ongoing, kind of. I mean, it's going to be a while before Kilaueth rises again. So — I just …" he trails off takes a breath. "Look, I'll be frank, I just don't know Xanadu that well and I need to. I can go around and meet current people, but like, I need /context/ for things, right?" looking between the two of them. Another breath and he scratches at the back of his neck. "Go deal with Kessa," about sums it up. "Which, other than going over there and saying hello, doesn't give me a real good start."

Thea extends her pen and clipboard towards Enkavir, mutely offering him the use of the still-blank paper upon it. His question to the Weyrleader has her lifting a brow in surprise and she's quick to turn towards D'son to see how he responds, her gaze flickering over the man's facial features as if she would read him, test his mettle. There's part sympathy, part approval of his response and she winces before speaking, "Weyrleader." It's part rueful reminder part plea, "Niva doesn't…" Her lips press together again as she says in a tone totally devoid of emotion or censure, "The Weyrwoman plays her cards closely. She simply does not share those things with anyone. In fact, she does not communicate much at all." She finishes dryly, and by the look on her face, the necessity to make this admission goes against her sense of loyalty and what is right.

Enkavir offers a faintly grateful smile and takes Thea's clipboard and pen. Official records or not. it seems Enkavir has some notes of his own. He jots a few things, then glances back up at D'son. His pale eyes narrow a bit, the glance shadowed as his head is still inclined. "That's… less that informative isn't it? I don't have all that much experience with the Weyrwoman myself but… well." He settles back in the chair, crossing his arms again. "If you're asking for advice, and I'm not sure you are, at least from me- well, you can either assume that's permission and go ahead and do as you see fit, or you can ask for more information." He gestures toward Thea with the pen, nodding. "But it might not get you too far."

D'son looks back and forth between the goldrider and the recordskeeper and maybe looks just a little bit overwhelmed himself. "Right." Deep breath. "Well, can't hurt to test the waters and pay Ma'kai a friendly visit … off the record," he says slowly. "But, yeah. Need more information and if Niva's the one who has it, since I can't pump R'sul, seeing as he's uhh — on vacation," much throat clearing there, "have to start there." His brows draw together for a few minutes of concentration and he looks back up across the way. "Well, if there /is/ anything that you think would be useful for me to get up to speed on, information, whatever, please let me know. On this matter, I guess it's Niva first and then the rest. So, thank you. For your um — well for being honest."

Thea nods a silent, welcome to Enkavir. She nods once graciously to D'son, "Thankyou, it wasn't much help. May I suggest you speak with C'ian? He may be able to get answers out of Niva that she…isn't inclined to give others." Tactfully, carefully, "Might drop in on R'sul's spot to fish for an afternoon while you're out." A tiny smile tugs at her lips as a spark of silent laughter twinkles in the pale green of her eyes. She continues, "If you wish, I can help with Hisolda. I was her Assistant before being Searched." There's a brief pause, she ticks off the next few things on her fingers, "Can help with who does what inside the Weyr, give you a heads up on a few problem people, give you some names of those you can rely on to follow through…" She could go on, but stops there, perhaps she doesn't want to overwhelm the man.

Enkavir's eyes slowly widen just a touch, and the flicker of motion is brief as Thea ticks off points. It's rare that he gets to see her so efficient, in professional mode as it were. He nods his agreement, then lets his gaze slide back to the younger man opposite. "I can help track down specific records once you know what you want to look for. And I am working on organizing what we do have, so if you have preferences about the way that's going to turn out feel free to let me know."

"Mm. A little awkward that, but … yeah," D'son agrees about C'ian then scratches at the end of his nose. "Thea … does Seryth actually /know/ where R'sul is? Because … I don't," he says with another sheepish look and a slight flush in his cheeks. He listens to the rest, brows furrowed a little again, though not in distress, just really focusing hard. "Yeah, that's something else Niva asked me to deal with. The headwoman, so if you've got any ideas there, since you know her, shells that'd be great. If I just blunder on over, it'll go badly, I'll bet." More nodding as Thea ticks things off on her fingers. "Maybe that first part first, who does what. That'd be good to have /right now/," Dels says emphatically. "And then we can talk about the rest?" To Enkavir. "Mostly, just if it's organized and makes sense, that's good enough for me. Records at Ista were a mess. Stuff just … stuck in willy nilly. Any order as long as it makes sense, you know."

Thea nods to D'son. "I will have her bespeak Hesketh." She stands, "Excuse me, Sir will you?" She pats Enkavir's shoulder as she steps past him, on her way to the door, "I'll just get my lists from my office and be right back." She peeks over her shoulder at him to be sure he doesn't mind, then steps on out.

Enkavir nods and stands. "I have lists of the more minor positions and who fills those as well. I'll drop them off." He inclines his head to D'son, then follows Thea out.

D'son nods with all the energy of the young and goes back to typing things up while Thea's out.

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