A Poor Drill

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 17th February 2019

Characters: Erivana, Saibra
Description: Erivana is chastised by her Wingleader.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 22 of Turn 9

Saibra

Erivana was not feeling well at all. Maybe she'd had too much to eat
at lunch. She'd heard the Queen's Wing used to have morning drills. It
would be nice to have those now. Sure, afternoon was the warmest part
of the day here, and it meant shivered a little less as she bundled up
to fly on Seryth's back. But she thought maybe flying on a full
stomach was a bad idea.

Then again maybe early morning wouldn't have been better. She'd
skipped breakfast because she'd been feeling a little off, but then
been ravenous by lunchtime. Could she have flown any better when
starving? She certainly wasn't flying very well now. They were getting
by, keeping the right approximate place in the formation, but Seryth
was doing all of the work for them, and she knew it. She was having a
hard time keeping herself steady adragonback. And when Erivana was
looking the wrong direction and Seryth hadn't seen Saibra's hand
motions, it was notable that they were late in a change of maneuver.

After the drill was done, when they were all landing for the final
review, Erivana was feeling embarrassed. She knew Saibra was going to
call them out. And she absolutely deserved it. Seryth crooned at her
rider to try to reassure her.

"Allright everyone I won't hold you any longer, we're all freezing our
asses off out here," Saibra said as she looked around at her gathered
Wing. "Remember to keep a tight formation when we switch from the
trios to the nines, that gives those of us with flamethrowers a chance
to reload with coverage. Now go inside and get warmed up," her blue
eyes searched the wingriders and zeroed in on one in particular,
"Erivana, meet me in my office."

Tight formation. Right. The thing she hadn't done, being out of place
during the switch. "Yes'm," the greenrider said. She patted Seryth's
side and thought that she'd be up at their weyr as soon as she could.

She meant to book it to Saibra's office immediately, but she stopped
on the way there at a washroom in order to take care of something so
she didn't have to pee the entire time she was talking to her
Wingleader and feel even more nervous. Her stomach was churning badly
enough already without adding more discomfort in. So it was a few
minutes later that she knocked on the Weyrwoman's office door.

Saibra still had her scarf around her neck and her cheeks and nose
were tinged red from the time spent out in the wind and cold. "Have a
seat Erivana," she said, hands wrapped around a cup of warm klah to
heat them. "I've got more hot klah in the pitcher if you'd like some."
Her eyes studied the greenrider's pallor, which was tinged in a
slightly greenish hue.

It was cold and maybe she'd warm up if she took some. "Thank you,
Weyrwoman," she said, fidgeting as she sat down. She pulled her
shoulders in and hunched in anticipation fo the scolding to come.

As usual, Saibra cut straight to the chase, "Your flying is off,
Erivana. You don't look like the rider I watched when you were a
Weyrling, nor the one I inducted into the Wing." She didn't raise her
voice, but simply stated the facts. "Your pallor is poor. Are you
taking care of yourself? Do you feel sick?"

Well, that was a blunt assessment of how badly she'd done, wasn't it?
She was embarrassed by how right Saibra was. "I feel kind of
nauseated, ma'am. Maybe I should have sat out of drills, but I thought
we were all right."

"It's never good to fly sick, you put yourself and others at risk."
Saibra scolded. "How long have you been feeling poorly?"

"A couple of days. I thought it was just bad lunch." She said trying
to downplay it.

Seryth felt what her rider was saying but she knew it had been worse.
}:mine has not wanted to hunt for some days,:{ she told Chioneth.

The gold relayed the message to her rider who considered the
information. Saibra looked down at the calendar on her desk and then
back up at Erivana, "Have you been to the healers?"

The greenrider shook her head. "No, ma'am. Not yet." She hadn't
thought it was that important... "I assume you'll be expecting them to
check me out before you think of me as fit to fly?"

"I would like for you to go by," Saibra agreed, her tone softening,
"to make sure that you're not sick and to verify that there's nothing
else going on with you." The Weyrwoman would withhold her own thoughts
until Erivana went to the healers.

She nodded, scuffing her foot along the floor. "I'll do that. And in
the future, if I'm very nauseated or otherwise feeling ill before
drills, what's the best way of handling it?"

"When you've been ill and nauseated for two days, then yes, that is
definitely the way to handle it. I'll expect you to use your best
judgement." Saibra knew the greenrider felt chastised but there was
never a place for a mistake when it came to flying in the Wing.

"I'll keep that in mind for next time." She had been trying to impress
Saibra, and now she'd done the opposite. "Is there anything else I
should know?"

"Only that I hope you feel better and try to get some rest. I found
crackers particularly helpful when nauseated. Don't eat them quickly,
let them practically dissolve in your mouth to get all of the salt."
Saibra's lips quirked into a bit of a smile. "Keep me posted."

"Let them dissolve?" the greenrider repeated, a little puzzled. "I'll
do that," she added, quickly, figuring she was dismissed.

Saibra watched the greenrider go, thinking that the poor girl was in for
quite a shock.

Last updated on the March 3rd 2019

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A Poor Drill