Kereth senses that Hesketh coughs politely, contact hesitant at first until the touch is acknowledged. « Forgive the intrusion. Mine would like to request that your lady attend him in his office at her earliest convenience. »
Hesketh senses that Kereth sends a melodic response, like windchimes in a breeze «We have just landed, mine will be there shortly.»
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.
Even at such an early time of day the Weyrleaders' office always seems to have some sort of activity going on. At the moment it appears to be filing, though perhaps a rearrangement of stacks would be a better description. R'sul sorts through things carefully, pausing now and then to tie off a bundle that has been sorted to his satisfaction.
Laera arrives a few minutes later, indeed dressed from flight. Yet even this is not the norm for flight wear. Fitted leather pants in dark blue, and a quilted leather top that reaches the hip, well fitted to the waist and flaring out at the hips in a periwinkle blue. Very much like her lifemate. Her normally loose hair is pulled back into a thick curly runner's tail. "Your summoned sir?" She asks formally as she steps through the doorway.
R'sul barely glances up, working on fixing a tie onto another stack of papers. "How good's your memory?" He glances up and does a definite double take at her outfit, though his expression is not disapproving. He goes back to sorting, stacking, and tying as he waits for a reply, glancing back over his shoulder at her from time to time.
Laera blinks at the question. Not exactly the one she was expecting. "Um…I reckon its pretty good I suppose…better since imaging training…we practiced lots at committing something…someplace to memory.." There may have been complaints of the pair. Laera's casual dress standards, Kereth disdain of hunting. But imaging…and flying..would not be among them. The blue took to flying like a dolphin to swimming, almost making up for his lack of decent hunting skill. "Why you ask sir, want me to memorize these files so you don't have to file them?" She asks with a touch of amusement.
R'sul laughs, running a hand through his already messy hair and only succeeding in making it worse. "You'd be taking Vivian's job away from her if you did, and I know how much she loves filing things." It's lame as jokes go, but the intent is clear. "Lord Holder of Fort is?" He pauses for a second for the answer, then, "Lord of BlackRock? Current Masterhealer?"
At the questions she gets a thoughtful look on her face, "Well as to Fort, it is Lady Tresa that holds leadership, not any lord. She used to have a crush on my Uncle many turns ago from what Ma told me…and then Blackrock is that cowboy Toban…odd man he is and his lady too…but one of my friends swears he has the best mutton in the southern hemisphere." She laughs before answering the latter, "Now that is far too easy and not even a test, Uncle Kris is the MasterHealer." She responds all quite easily.
R'sul doesn't quite manage to hide the grin that comes from her last comment, it takes a moment or two for him to hide it again - very much giving away the fact that he's up to something. "So… you would know how to find at least one of them then?" His lips twitch, another badly masked grin, "And High Reaches? Weyrwoman Ro?"
"Well reckon I could find most of em, Fort Hold is within a short jog of Healer Hall and Blackrock is just right across the sea over there…" Laera replies evenly though her curiosity is clear in her gaze. At the last question she nods, "Well yes of course I reckon Weyrwoman Ro would likely be at High Reaches most of the time unless she is at conclave…" She folds her arms across her chest finally, "You testing my training or me sir?"
R'sul lets the grin out fully this time. "You. Mostly you." Picking up a pen he carefully writes a name onto the top of one of the stacks of paperwork. "I suppose an even bigger test would be to check if you can actually read my writing or not." He offers the stack over, the name 'Weyrwoman Ro, High Reaches Weyr.' written carefully on the top.
Laera just shakes her head with a giggle, some of the curls pulling free of their binding to fall over her face. "Don't reckon it could be as bad as my Ma's , I reckon her dolphin could probably right better if she put her mind to it." She uncrosses her arms and steps forward to take the stack from him, "Oh pah, your handwriting at bad at all sir. Plain as day, Weyrwoman Ro, High Reaches Weyr."
R'sul nods, "Good. Okay. You take that one. And you'll need this one too, though it's not for the Werwoman as you'll see." Another stack is added on top of her current one. "And when you're done with those two if you could take these as well then I'd be very grateful." The 'these' are another four stacks of papers, each addressed to a different person.
As the stacks are added she reads over the names and destinations, nodding to each of them. "Now sir or in the morning…High reaches is pretty late at the moment, though not as late as us and well ain't any of these at a respectable hour right now cept this one here for Western.." Laera declares as she looks back up at the Weyrleader.
"In the morning is fine." R'sul replies, moving round his desk and beginning to rummage round in teh drawers for something else. "You'll need to report to your wingleader first, of course, let her know where you're going and why. And then…. ah, here it is." He heads back around the desk once more, "You'll need this as well." On top of the stack she's holding he drops a Comet wing patch.
"Ok sir I will make sure I am up bright and early to get these stacks where they need to be.." Laera says looking up from the stacks then up at the Weyrleader curiously, "My Wingleader?" She asks before she notices the patch on the stack. She looks at it oddly for a moment before she looks up to the Weyrleader, "This mean I ain't a weyrling anymore?" She asks with a little smile on her lips, but an odd look in her gaze. Hopeful but hesitant as well. Always good to take that next step, but sometimes hard to move away from the familiar.
R'sul nods, "Time to take your place with the proper riders. Congratulations, Laera." There's a brief pause, then he adds, "You'll be in the transport wing for a while, if you like it you can stay I just though that considering your age it might be better to break you in gently."
Laera looks down at the patch for a moment, contemplating his words for a moment before she looks up and there is a broader smile on her lips, "Then sir I am honoured to be a rider in your weyr…and I could think of no other wing I would want to be in right now. I reckon search and rescue one day…but…right now…this is perfect. Getting to fly around and meet people in good times instead of when you are fishing them out of the water." Yeah no need to put a 15 turn old into fetching possibly dead bodies from ship reckons or fallen houses…not yet.
R'sul looks a little relieved that she's taken it so well, the age thing having been a worry of his. "Maybe one day, search and rescue is… not something you want to go into on a whim, or when you're not quite ready mentally. Back in the day you used to be just thrown straight into fighting thread an then hope you didn't get scored or worse, now we can actually take time and get people where they're happiest." And fewer deaths too, though he doesn't mention that part. "Come back in the morning once you've reported to Senkyou? I'll have the rest of these finished by then."
"After Ma's accident…I want to follow her footsteps…someday…but I ain't reckon I am ready yet…I don't reckon she is ready yet either.." At least she ain't shuffling paper, just delivering it. "This is respectable work sir, don't you think you are holding me back. I would have chosen it myself I reckon." She says but the words are punctuated by a yawn. It has been a long day for her. "I will see you in the morning…am I dismissed sir? I reckon I could use a few hours kip before I deliver these."
R'sul flushes as he realises how tired she is, "Of course, of course, I'm sorry. Go and rest, you've another long day ahead of you tomorrow. First of many, but night runs will be few and far between." he pauses a moment, then adds with a grin, "Sleep well, wingrider Laera."