This Ma'am Stuff

Writers: Aaron, Suzee
Date Posted: 31st October 2017

Characters: Cyradis, K'don
Description: Cyradis gets to the bottom of Kedon's sudden formality.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 19 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: K'deren, K'sedel, K'reyel, L'pin

Cyradis

K'don

Cyradis was sitting sideways with her feet up on the couch in their
Weyr going through a report from the dragonhealer. K'deren hadn't
shown up yet from his wing meeting and the younger kids were with
their foster mothers tonight.

With Panitath on the sands and her need to have almost constant
monitoring the hide work was piling up and having babies on her desk.
She rubbed her eyes and squeezed her toes then blew out a breath when
she heard someone at the door.

"Oh," said Kedon, his voice cracking as he paused in the doorway.
"Hello," he greeted Cyradis, blushing. Kedon had become unusually
formal with Cyradis since the eggs had been laid. As a rule, Kedon was
very keenly concerned with fairness, and in his mind, his relationship
with Cyradis through his father might seem like a bit of an unfair
advantage. He had some idea that Cyradis really could not influence
the hatchlings' choices, but knowing that on an intellectual level
could not shake his feeling that he was doing something wrong by being
close to the Weyrwoman.

"I was looking for my father, but I guess he's not home yet." Kedon
blushed and stared at his feet. "How are you today, ma'am?" he asked,
feeling it would be rude to simply leave without exchanging greetings
and pleasantries.

"He should be home soon," she smiled. Then she swung her feet down and
patted the couch next to her. Her brows twitched together. "What is
this ma'am stuff all of a sudden?" She tilted her head. "You know you
don't have to do that here at home."

Kedon sat down obligingly. He even had to stop himself from sitting
close enough to lean in for a hug as he might otherwise have done. He
could not bear to refuse Cyradis's invitation to sit, even had he
wanted to, for concern that it might hurt her feelings.

"It's just," he said, pausing to look up at her, "you know, there's
Panitath's eggs on the Sands and all..." He trailed off and looked
back down. From his tone, it was clear he expected that should be a
very satisfying explanation.

"Yes, of course," she nodded. Then she smiled. "You want things to be
fair for everyone," having partially raised him she knew his character
fairly well. "You do know I can't influence the dragon's to choose you
right? Let alone the color."

Kedon nodded, not at all surprised that Cyradis knew his mind. Many
times, she seemed to know him better than she knew himself.

"I guess," he said, now looking a bit ashamed. Perhaps he had been too
quick to make up his mind. He wanted what was fair, what was right,
but the way Cyradis was talking, it seemed more likely that he had
simply been neglecting his stepmother for no good reason at all.

"I didn't mean to make you sad," he said quickly, turning to regard
her again. "I just... I thought... Well, you know. I didn't want
anyone to think I was trying to cut ahead."

"Don't worry about me at all," she reached out and squeezed his
shoulder. "Besides, Just think of all the riders you have on your side
besides me." She lifted a brow. "Your grandfather K'sedel, your uncle
K'reyel to name a couple of Weyrleaders. Your da, who is a great
Wingsecond. You're weyrbred from the very best dragonriders on the
southern continent. I think you'll do just fine all on your own and
your whole family will come and shake your hand in congratulations
when you Impress."

Kedon leaned in closer to hug Cyradis. Well. When she put it that way,
it almost made him nervous. That was a lot of history behind his
blood, his name, and his upbringing. A lot to live up to. "Shells," he
said softly. Then he blushed and said, "Er. Sorry." No good to swear
in front of your mother, and Cyradis was as good as his mother after
all.

"If I don't get a brown or a bronze, they won't be sad, will they?" It
was an awful lot of pressure, was it not? And to think, he had never
once yet considered that he had all that to think about! "Will you?"

"Of course not," she said as she hugged him back. "Blues and greens
are the foundation of the Weyr. Our best searchers are often blue or
green. You could even end up a Wingthird or work with the weyrlings
like L'pin. Are you drawn to a particular color?"

Kedon smiled, relieved again. "I never thought much about wanting one
color or the other. Whatever little dragon wants me, that's the dragon
I want. Or even the dragon that nobody else would want, I'd be that
dragon's rider. Everyone needs someone to love them." It was nice to
know that whatever color the dragon who needed him was, there would be
something he could do to make his family proud, even if it was not
leading a wing or a weyr.

Last updated on the November 2nd 2017

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This Ma'am Stuff