Contractual Obligations (2/2)

Writers: Suzee, Miriah
Date Posted: 16th November 2020

Characters: J'ackt, Cyradis
Description: J'ackt and Cyradis come to an agreement, a contract, and mutual obligations.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 6, day 15 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Saidrene, Alina, K'ran, Kapera, Timassa, Urlene, K'yne, N'vanik

Part 2 of 2

J'ackt

Cyradis

"Am I?" She asked, tilting her head. "Thank you for letting me know
what I'm going to do." Subtlety was wasted on this one and she was
tired of smacking his wrongheaded ideas with a plank. 'but actually,
I was thinking more along the lines of asking you to wait a while.
Allow the Weyr to capture your bloodline and don't worry. Nature vs
Nurture remember? You will not be asked to participate in any child's
life."

He snorted again. "I apologize for the assumption." He leaned back,
rubbing his thumb over his knuckles slowly as he fell silent and
actually took some time to think. He didn't want to wait or delay it,
but arguing against it would do little but anger them both and Cyradis
had more power than he. He couldn't keep Zith from all of the
greenflights that took place; he'd been trying and the dragon would
only obey or resist a few times before he shook past J'ackt's control;
J'ackt couldn't leave the Weyr for every single greenflight Zith could
participate in. He'd never be in the Weyr at all. He could avoid
moths, which would please Alina at least. That he did control and
could control. So, there was some limitations he could at least put
into place. Many greenriders regularly /betweened/ so there was a
strong chance that his blood would actually never come to fruition.
That was a thought that calmed him. There wasn't a high chance of it,
_if_ he avoided moths. He could do that; he had that much control and
no one would force him to take a moth to his bed after a flight. Not
even Cyradis. "How long is a while?"

"Well that depends on you. If you drag your heels it will take longer
to capture your bloodline. If you go back to your pre-weyrmating
habits it could be over in a matter of months." She shrugged.

"That's not going to happen." He replied simply. "Alina would pull my
balls over my head and I'm not going to hurt her like that again.." He
kept rubbing his knuckles and eyed her. "How about a turn?"

She looked at him for a moment then nodded. "That works for me. Then
in the meantime you don't avoid flights or moths and I agree to keep
any potential mothers away from you after their flights. Agreed?"

**Shaffit it all and feck Faranth. Not avoid moths?** "Alina prefers
that I don't use moths." It was a very convenient truth and he'd use
it if it lessened his chances of actually getting a woman with child.

"I'd be happy to discuss it with her and lay out my reasons if you'd
like." She didn't smile but one corner of her mouth twitched.

He bit the inside of his cheek hard. Alina would be mortified by that
discussion, if he suggested her going to Cyradis. **Feck. Feck feck.
She's going to hate this. Shaffit!** "If you want to save my balls,
you might have to. She's going to hate this and she's going to blame
me. I'll have to deal with that. Thanks." He exhaled through his nose,
rubbing his eyes as he thought quickly. If he asked her about how many
children she was wanting out of him, then when she informed him that
he was done, he'd know it had been successful. He didn't want to know.
He didn't want to know a fecking thing. Between her and N'vanik, he was fecking cornered and he
hated it. But perhaps he could get something out of this besides what he didn't want.

"Fine," he bit out. "But not before you do something for me." He
opened his eyes and his jaw set. "I want to be able to see my aunt at
Barrier Lake. I know
Panitath restricted Zith from going there. But I want you to talk to
Kapera and make sure Saidrene and K'ran never approach me and never
attempt to communicate with me while I'm there. About anything. And if
they come here, the same rule applies. I don't want anything to do
with them or that baby. If she wants to see Alina, she can't go to my
weyr. I don't want to even see her."

She nodded firmly. "I'll arrange all of that. You may visit Timassa at
any time you wish. I'd suggest you warn Kapera of your intent to visit
and receive her response prior to visiting, so she can handle her end
in advance. Any messages that might be required will be filtered by
the Weyrwomen of the respective Weyrs in both directions. Even
Saidrene's visits to Alina must go through me. Will that work for
you?"

Slowly, J'ackt nodded." Yes. That'll work." He wasn't entirely
satisfied, but it was the best he could arrange. "And after my turn,
no matter if any children are...conceived, I'm done. I can have the
surgery with no argument or delay. Agreed?"

"Not quite, the point is the blood. I'll call in a Harper to record
the contract we've discussed. I will agree not to volunteer the
information about _how_ you've accomplished the contract when it is
complete. You won't need to know about any issue so what I will agree
to is another meeting at the end of the year and if I am satisfied
either by your efforts or your success, I will release you to have
your surgery. If you agree I'll have the contract drawn up and we'll
sign it."

"No." It was there that he balked. "I can't help women's fertility,
Cyradis. I'll put in the effort but there's no guarantee of success.
Even I know that. I don't want it left open like that. I don't know
what your satisfaction means and I don't trust that you won't leave me
hanging at the end of the turn or try to make me wait another just
cause you want more out of me. One turn. You agreed to that. Don't
change it now."

"You don't trust me? Really? That is a very big issue then J'ackt. But
then again it's fair, I suppose, because I don't trust you either.
You say one thing and do another all the time." She wasn't angry, just
tired of his endless shenanigans. "You act like a giant child and if
you don't get your own way, you throw a temper tantrum." Her eyes
darkened and she lifted her chin. "The point of a contract is that you
get something you want, and I get something I want. As far as I can
tell from the progress we've made so far, you get at least three
somethings and you're trying to sabotage my something. That is
completely unfair."

His eyes narrowed; he wasn't throwing a tantrum and resented being
referred to as a child. "I am being pretty fecking calm about this
whole mess." His words were curt. "You've been the one insulting me
and making sure I feel like whershit. I said I'd do it. I just think
that by the end of the turn, no matter what happens, you'll shaft me.
Shells you could get fifty flight brats out of me and decide it's not
enough or that you're not satisfied." He exhaled, feeling his
irritation rise again. "I don't trust you but I'll sign your fecking
contract. I don't have much of a choice if I want that surgery. You'll
get your flight brats out of me."

She leaned on her elbows and rested her chin on her knuckles. "I have
never gone back on my word to you J'ackt. Though you have repeatedly
thrown my words back in my face when you wanted something. And yet
you're the one swearing. I am trying to balance your wish not to know
about any brats with the need for there to be some. For the _Weyr's_
sake. You yourself have acknowledged that my first priority is Dolphin
Cove. I could instead stipulate a certain number of brats but then
when I released you from the contract you would know about them. Can
you see another way to accomplish both of those things? One you can
accept without having to trust me? If so... I'm all ears."

He glowered at her, hating to acknowledge that she was right. He
didn't apologize for his swearing, but his fists did unclench as he
took a deep breath. "No I can't." But he couldn't bring himself to
entirely trust her. Her priority was the Weyr, as she said. It wasn't
his interests she was looking out for. If she decided that the Weyr
needed more of his blood, she'd do her best to wring it out of him and
he'd be able to do nothing. Would it be better just to get it over
with, do that one turn without searching for any loopholes or face
turns of trying to keep Zith from flights, trying to avoid flight
moths, being frustrated, and losing his temper because of it? Faranth,
it wasn't anything he wasn't doing already before Saidrene's stunt. He
could do a turn and then be free of all of it. He tapped his thumb
over his knuckles for a moment. "Fine. Agreed. No loopholes, no
tricks. I'll hold up my end. If you don't hold up yours, it's on you."

"I'm fine with that." She nodded and stacked the reports on her desk.
She knew her own integrity was sound and she'd not try to trick him at
all. This suspicion grew out of his nurture. "If you decide to give
one of them to your Weyrmate that would count toward completion. Do
you wish to inform Alina, or should I speak to her regarding the
reasons for this agreement?"

That caused an immediate reaction and he sat up straight. "No. I'll
talk to her. We agreed before we weyrmated that we wouldn't have
children. That won't be happening. At least she respects how I feel
about it." Even if she was angry, he'd handle the talk, not Cyradis.
He didn't want that mentioned to her at all. He knew that if Alina
ever did get with child by him, she'd want more from him than just
fathering a child on her. Even if she had to give the child over to
the creche after it was born. She'd want him to be a Da if he got her
with child , and he wasn't willing. Thankfully, she was consistent
with her teas and she went /between/ often enough that it had never
been a concern.

"Then we're done here," she said. "I'll let you know when the contract
is ready to be signed and so inform Master Urlene. Once you 've
signed I will contact Kapera regarding the terms of our agreement that
apply to her Weyr and lift the ban from Zith going to Barrier Lake.
Not that I don't trust you but... I don't."

"Same here. When does this start, when the contract is signed?"

"Yes," she said. "I will reach out to Kapera now though, to let her
know what's coming."

He nodded. "Fine. " He made to get up, then paused. It would do
little good to irritate her now. He'd have to be careful not to give
her a reason to be unsatisfied with him or his "performance"; he
didn't want to chance anything. "May I be excused, then?"

"Yes," she nodded. "You're free to go."

Last updated on the November 26th 2020

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Contractual Obligations (2/2)