A Little Misfortune

Writers: Devin, Estelle
Date Posted: 1st May 2022

Characters: Cosani, Iskara
Description: Cosani makes an alliance with a troublesome new wingrider
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 11 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Alina, J'ackt, Dessa

Cosani

Drills had just finished and Cosani was pulling the riding straps off
Shalith. She found herself near Hylith and Iskara, the new transfer.
"Well, you and Alina seem to get along like two felines in a sack."

"Oh, dear. Is it so obvious?" Iskara asked with an ironic twist of her
mouth. She'd not been too subtle about her needling of the holdbred
greenrider, but no-one had mentioned it until now. She lifted the straps
over Hylith's head and shook them to loosen any tangles.

"I'm not even trying to pay attention, but I've noticed Alina is
somehow always in earshot when you go on about weyrmating and holders
and all that." Cosani should probably stay away from someone who was
obviously stirring up trouble in the Wing, but she found herself
intrigued by Iskara.

Iskara shouldered the straps and pulled off her riding helmet, shaking
out her dark hair. "It's my opinion, and I don't care who hears it. This
is the Weyr, not some rustic cothold in the back of beyond where they
marry their cousins and pop out babies for the next twenty Turns." She
thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Besides, she's annoying."

Cosani snorted at the marrying cousins comment. "She is, a little."

"Right. I used to have a wingmate like her back at Windswept Islands.
She thought she was so virtuous, and looked down on all the weyrbred
riders. Never came right out and said it, but you could tell. And she
whinged and moaned about her green's rising like it was an affront to
her purity, every single time." Iskara rolled her eyes. "Holders could
at least make an effort to fit in."

"It's not even about fitting in, it's about . . . how do you come to
the Weyr and not realize how wonderful it is?" Cosani said.

"I don't know. I could never live _there_. In a Hold. With a husband.
Stuck with the same man, for life." The greenrider wrinkled her nose.
"Oh, and speaking of men, I noticed how Alina managed to bring up her
bronzerider weyrmate less than five minutes after we first met."

Cosani rolled her eyes. "She thinks she owns him, like they're married
holders. And he bends over backwards to please her." She almost
mentioned how upset Alina was that J'ackt made an exception for
Cosani, but she was sure Iskara would say something to Alina, and
Alina would get all huffy and complain to J'ackt, and then Cosani
might lose her favorite playmate.

"Wait until his bronze catches a gold. Then he'll change his tune."
Iskara started back towards the Weyr, leaving her green to head for the
lake. "Santhiath, maybe. Her rider doesn't have a weyrmate, does she?"

"No." Cosani didn't know Dessa well but the idea of her weyrmating
with J'ackt was hilarious. "Zith could catch, but I don't think
anything would come of it. I hear she prefers blueriders."

"Good for her." Iskara smirked. "I'll bet that causes some grumbling
among the bronze ranks."

"I've definitely heard some whining." It was amusing when the bronze
boys got all pouty Dessa wasn't paying enough attention to them.

"Perhaps they should spend a little less time polishing their egos and a
little more studying how to please a woman. If they're anything like the
bronzeriders back at my old Weyr." Iskara raised an eyebrow. "They could
take some lessons from the blueriders."

Cosani laughed. "I'm sure the blueriders would _love_that."

"I'd certainly like to listen in." A wicked glint flashed in Iskara's
eye. "Alina can sit in her weyr if she likes, clinging to her
bronzerider like a vine. That's not for me."

"Me either. Limiting yourself to one man would be so _boring_."

"Wouldn't it? And unlike some greenriders in the Wing," Iskara said,
pausing to make it clear exactly who she meant. "I'm not boring. Seems
you aren't, either."

"Definitely not. I like variety, and I like the freedom to spend time
with whoever I want." And Cosani avoided men who might try to get
possessive.

"Variety does add a little...spice to life." It was so shocking to
holders, too, and that was half the fun. She glanced at Cosani. "You're
from here, right? I expect you know who else likes to enjoy the freedoms
of the Weyr."

"I'm uh, holdbred actually," Cosani said. She quickly added, "But that
just means I know how awful things are there and I appreciate weyr
life even more."

"Oh." Iskara's mouth turned down for an instant, as if she was just the
slightest bit disappointed in her new acquaintance, but then she smiled.
"Well, it doesn't show at all. I would never have guessed."

"That's good. I've done my best to leave all that behind me." Cosani
certainly didn't want to seem like a holder. "But I was raised in that
life, and it was awful." She gently reached out to Shalith, feeling
the security of their bond that meant she would never, ever have to go
back.

"It must have been," Iskara said with obvious sympathy. "How did you get
out of it? Were you Searched?"

"I ran away."

"You did?" The other greenrider raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like an
interesting story. Were they going to marry you off to someone?"

Cosani's face twisted and she nodded. "My tunnelsnake of a grandda
started talking about finding me a husband, and I knew it was gonna be
some awful old wherry, so I left." While she now recognized it had
been impulsive and dangerous to run off on her own -- during a Pass no
less-- she still couldn't regret her decision.

"Ugh." Iskara pulled a disgusted face. "You did the right thing. If it
were me, I'd want to go back and flame that hold to the ground."

"It _is_ tempting, but my--the Weyrleader would hear about it, and
then I'd be grounded," Cosani said. "And they're not worth it."

"I suppose." She paused, then turned a mischievous grin on the other
greenrider. "Not even just a little scorching?"

Shards, how Cosani would love to make them pay. "Scorching would be
too obvious... but holds sometimes have bad luck, don't they?"

"Ooh, 'bad luck'. I like it." Iskara's eyes sparkled with malicious
excitement. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Crops fail, animals get loose, tunnelsnakes invade the storehouses .
. . so many things can go wrong." Thinking about it made Cosani smile.

"And it's so much easier when the bad luck can get away on dragonback
and be back at the Weyr in minutes." The more she thought about it, the
more she liked this idea. It would certainly liven up a dull posting.
"If you want any help - or an alibi..."

Cosani chuckled. "It might be nice to have an extra pair of hands to
cause a little more misfortune."

"Then I'm in." Iskara glanced around as they approached the Lower
Caverns. Too many people who might overhear. "I'm going to bathe, but
how about we get together in my weyr for a little planning session
before dinner?"

Cosani's face broke into a wide grin. "That sounds great."

Last updated on the July 15th 2022

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A Little Misfortune