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.
Windblown and a little pink-cheeked, D'son strides along the hallway towards the office with his laptop case banging against his hip and an armload of files under one arm. Busy Weyrleader, being busy! He approaches the office, turns the knob to stride on in.
Thea approaches D'son from the direction of the Junior Weyrwoman's office, looking somewhat worn and pale. Serious is the expression in her eyes today, as it has been of late if seen around and about the Weyr. She has nothing in her arms, no files, no papers. Instead of her normal office wear, she's dressed in riding leathers and boots, a slightly dusty Healer's knot flutters on her shoulder in place of her normal one. "D'son." It's a low-voiced call, "Have a minute?"
Turning to look over his shoulder, Thea might note similar signs of fatigue on the usually cheery young Weyrleader's face. "Sure Thea," he says nonetheless, "c'mon in," he invites and swings the door open all the way, steps inside, gesturing to a seat. The laptop case and files are set down on the desk and D'son moves towards the sidetable where klah and tea and stuff are kept. "Warm drink?" he offers and shoots that healer's knot a look. "Been at Ista?" comes next as he pours himself a steaming mug of klah.
Thea follows D'son on into the office, sliding into the chair indicated with a sigh. "Yes, please!" There's an appreciative nod added to that, "Could really use some klah." His question about Ista comes just as she's rising to head towards that klah pot. She pauses, sinks back into that chair with a bit of a guilty look on her face answers, "Yes, a few times. Mostly to Healer Hall, though." She looks towards him, fully willing to meet his eyes, "I'm sorry if it was wrong. I just couldn't not help."
D'son pours a second mug of klah and looks up again. "Sweetener?" he queries, reaching for the bowl of the stuff already. Hazel eyes meet Thea's steadily and he shakes his head. "It's not wrong. I feel the same way. I've been over there every time I can manage to sneak in. It's getting tougher though. More guards and Inimeth … he's hard to hide. I've been hitching rides over other ways," Dels notes with a sheepish look and rubs a hand to the back of his neck. "Can't not help," he agrees in the end.
Thea shakes her head to the sweetener, "Just klah, thanks, but you shouldn't be waiting on me." Now she's looking a little sheepish herself and she starts to rise. "I haven't been caught by them…yet." The pale green of her eyes are troubled and a query tumbles out before she can stop it, "Does Niva know we’re helping?"
D'son drops a spoonful of sweetener into his own mug, stirs and turns back to offer the unsweetened one to Thea. "Why not? Just because my knot's bigger and fancier I can't pour you a mug of klah?" Dels says, looking dubious and he shakes his head. "I believe in all of us helping each other, Thea. I'm not going to make you serve me like a drudge would, just because I'm weyrleader and you're a junior. Sit down." Breath and then a little nod. "For all the history, none of us want to see Ista suffering."
Thea ducks her head a little with a chagrined smile as she lowers herself back into her chair, "Old habits." She reaches for that mug with both hands and a murmured, "Thanks." She's nodding with obvious relief about Ista and Xanadu helping, then raises the mug to sip, closing her eyes for a moment as she does so. When she lowers that mug, opens her eyes they are wistful, "I wish there was a way to fix it. The history." She shakes her head, "I did go to visit Ysa some time back…"
D'son sets his mug down on the desk, reaches over to rest his hand briefly on Thea's shoulder then sits, not across from her behind his desk, but alongside in the other empty chair there. "Mm. I'd been talking to K'ael," Dels says slowly. "Working things out that way, but not directly to Ysa," he says with a little rueful look. "I wish there was too. I mean, it's pretty … well it's stupid. And — shells, I mean, she's from here. How could she think that I, born and raised there, my father, my mother, both Istan riders, other family there, how could anyone think that I couldn't or wouldn't help?" Frustration.
Thea flashes a surprised look at D'son when his hand touches her shoulder, then smiles, relaxing visibly as she listens. "K'ael." She nods understanding about that choice, then agrees emphatically, "It's insane!" In a calmer tone she adds, "Ysa was from here. K'ael probably filled you in on what happened then." Her lips form an unhappy line, "I went to see her as soon as Seryth was off the Sands, but…" She lifts a hand palm-up, "She blames Zevi and I for not arguing with Niva, for not standing up to her." There's a small twist to her lips, "As if Niva would have listened to us anyway." Oh, she understands that frustration!
"Yeah. Clutchmates, K'ael and me," D'son explains with a quick-flashed grin and leans back in his chair, klah taken up again and he drinks long. "Yeah. I know how Niva can be," understanding there in his voice. "I don't realy know Ysa at all. She'd barely taken things on at Ista before Inimeth won here. Kind of … swapped places, you know?" His free hand lifts to pinch at the bridge of his nose. Tired. Frustrated. Stressed.
Thea can't help but smile back at that grin, "So good friends then. I'm glad." She says simply. "I've only met him the once when he came to visit F'yr." She hesitates for a moment, then just says it, "I confess, I don't understand my Weyrwoman at all. I disagree with the way she gets on with the other Wyers. And the way she sent Ysa off? Not right." There's a small shake of her head then, "But she's my Senior, and she has my loyalty. Ysa wasn't perfect by a long shot. A drunk. Shirked her duties. But never tried to set us against the Weyrwoman as Niva accused her of." She eyes that gesture he makes, "It is all rather a mess." She pauses to take a breath, her eyes questioning, "I'd like to help, but I'm not sure how."
"Yeah, good buddies," D'son says as his hand drops and a smile back at Thea that slowly fades in the wake of what she says about Niva. "I guess that happens sometimes. I mean — well I've had my disagreements with Niva too. Overall she's very strong, competent. But then she'll just let some things go and I don't get it." He takes another healthy swig from his mug, swallows. "Mm. Help me with Hisolda maybe and building the lower caverns staff back up? As for the Weyr-to-Weyr stuff, I'm a little at a loss, but maybe you can come with me when I try to visit Fort?"
Thea listens, with a nod of understanding or perhaps it is shared bafflement, "Niva is competent. And confusing, but we get on well." A tiny frown forms, "Used to get on well with Ysa too." She lifts her shoulders in a shrug, as if letting that one go. "Hisolda, yes, I can do that. Have been some." Her hands cradle her mug, she stops it halfway to her lips, "Fort." She considers this. "I'd be pleased to go." She sips, lowers her mug. "D'son. Healer Hall wants to take a another shipment to Ista. It's valuable medicine and they want some powerful backup. Much of what we've taken has been left deliberately left in the rain to rot."
"Yeah, we do too, mostly. When she you know, stops thinking about me as being the same age as Vivian for two minutes," D'son says with a flicker of humor on his face. "Mm. Like I said, didn't really get to know her." One foot lifts, crosses over to rest by the ankle on his knee. "Great, I think if we just really get it all together with her, a plan of attack, then we can probably get the headwoman situation sorted out," Dels says and nods. "Let's run that by Niva, but it'd be good to have some support, because I don't know Kessa at all and Ma'kai I know, but his little sister is my weyrmate and that can kind of be both a good thing, or a bad thing," Dels notes with a quirky expression on his face. That last sees a long breath drawn in and he shakes his head. "Shells … that's just not /right/. Yeah, I'll see what I can do, see if I can reach out to some of my friends at Ista to make sure that things get taken care of. There's places that stuff could go."
Thea forgets about her klah as she listens, merely nods trying not to look confused and fails when it comes to Ma'kai and his sister and D'son's weyrmate. One hand lifts to rub her face, "Why is it all so complicated?" Her hand drops to her lap, "I'll just wait for your lead on Fort, if that's all right. At least I have the advantage of having no ties there." Her lips form a wry smirk at that. A strange sort of upside. The supplies to Ista has her all business once more, "The healers there will take it, the harpers will help also, but on the sly. I think the Healer contact in Ista is Will." For a moment she studies her klah intently, visibly struggling with something before simply coming out with it, "You mentioned Vivian." She raises troubled eyes meeting his.
"Search me," D'son says honestly about it all being complicated and shakes his head. "All right then, I'll keep you posted on that." Breath out. "Okay, just let me know if we need rider back up for that, or to find a spot for stuff," Dels says with a slight turning of his mug atop his knee. Hazel eyes lift to Thea's and he nods. "Yeah. I can't imagine that she's - well you know. She was so sure about gold."
"The drop-off is arranged. They want some Riders, yes. Big dragons, strong riders. In case of trouble." Thea draws a breath in, nodding about Vivian, her voice laced with genuine concern, "Everyone knew what she expected. I went down there to visit the Weyrlings." She bends her head, sloshes the klah in her mug, "She's…. it's as if she's not there." She raises her head, a wrinkle in her forehead forms as she struggles to phrase it, "The old Vivian was sometimes difficult, yeah? But this new Vivian… it's unreal. Nothing sets her off, nothing comforts her. She has no spark, no…spirit."
"Mmm. All right, I'll see what I can put together for that. Mostly we've been going with low profile, blues, greens, because they go in and out a bit more easily," D'son says then quiets to listen about Vivi. What Thea says clearly affects him and Dels looks away, brow crinkling right up in dismay. "Ah shells … I've been down, trying to see her, haven't managed yet."
Thea breathes a sigh in relief, "I will convey that to Healer when I make my next run then. They may need to re-think the dragon colors." Thea rises, "I need to get some rest, unless there's anything?" As he speaks about Vivian, a look of relief washes over her tired face. "That’d be good. I Haven't been able to find Niva to see her." She walks to the klah pot, places her mug there, then turns to face D'son, her next words hesitantly spoken, "I think… I think you might be the only one to get though to her." She flushes just a bit, "She seemed to care…" She flaps a hand awkwardly, "Not that I'd know much, but I just think she'd respond to you."
"All right then," D'son says agreeably about the Healer angle. "Big browns could work too. I'm happy to go myself, bring Inimeth, but he's pretty recognizable, I've been careful about when I go and how." His own klah is lifted for a few more swallows and D'son nods about Niva, looking all the more concerned. The mug is set down and Dels' gaze is lost in the middle distance again for a bit, then a wry smile crosses his face. "Yeah. We're — close. Though maybe not in the way that some people might think," the Weyrleader says slowly and gets to his feet. "I care about her. As just herself. Not Niva's daughter. So. That — seems to make a difference." He hesitates for a moment then clears his throat and leans forward to offer the junior a one-armed hug. "Go get some sleep Thea. I'll see you tomorrow."
Thea allows that brief hug, trying not to look embarrassed, winding up looking both sheepish and grateful. Sudden tears blur her eyes at that, and she's grinding a fist in one of them, "Got to do one more sweep over towards Black Stone Hold first. Haven't found Enkavir yet." She steps away, keeping her face averted, "Glad you can see Vivian and help her. No one should have to live…lost…like that. And… and thanks D'son." And then she is striding out the door.
Blinking in surprise at those tears, D'son's arm starts to tighten a little around the junior then she's moving away. "Thea — if you need any help …" he trails off and he nods. "I'll try. Hang in there, Thea." And he watches her go, then slumps a little, looking very young and lost himself all of a sudden.