Picking Up The Pieces

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 5th March 2024
Series: The Disaster at Dragonsfall

Characters: L'val, Saibra
Description: Returning from her meeting with Cyradis, Saibra calls L'val to her office to get his account of the 'incident' and makes a decision about visitors to the Weyr going forward.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 25 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Cyradis, Naradis
part of the "Everything You Say to Me" series, directly follows "Won't Be Long Til Everybody Knows"

Saibra

}:My rider would like to see you in her office.:{ Chioneth said
directly to L'val.

For just a moment, Saibra sat down behind her desk and then bent
forward, pressing her forehead against the smooth wooden surface. The
coolness was refreshing and made her headache feel better for a few
seconds.

This was how L'val found her when he arrived.

He knocked on her door and entered. "Weyrwoman Saibra, I - " He
paused, taking notice of her on the desk. "Do you need me to bring you
something cool?"

Saibra raised up. "Do you think you could just," she gestured to her
face, "bring me a whole new head? I think that's the only solution at
this point." She gifted him with a wry smile as she rocked back in her
chair and gestured for him to sit.

"Sometimes I wish I could have one," he admitted as he sat down. "How
did it go?"

"It was... exhausting. Cyradis was rightfully mortified by Naradis'
behavior, and A'kades wanted a piece of flesh. All of which I can
absolutely empathize with, of course." She turned and pulled a fine
bottle of dark brandy from her shelf along with two glasses. "How is
Kadira?" Saibra asked as she poured them drinks. Chioneth had already
assured her of Ishath's stability.

"If someone had harmed a newly-Impressed Yvase like that, I would have
punched in their face. Can't blame A'kades at all." He took the brandy
and tapped their glasses before taking a small sip.

"Kyverth has been keeping a gentle touch on him and actually just
brought him food. I'm keeping an ear out as well. Ishath settled down
as soon as Setoth's rider was there. Kadira seems comfortable with
your son."

Saibra studied the handsome Wingleader for a moment. "How does it
work? Your ability to hear? Would it be possible for you to keep an
open link to Ishath while not opening the floodgates to _all_ the
dragons in the Weyr?"

"Think of it like trying to hear voices in a crowd, like anyone with
hearing does. When I was young, I heard and talked to dragons as they
flew over. At the Weyr originally, it was like standing in the middle
of the crowded Dining Cavern during a Turn's End celebration, all of
the time. I learned to put up some filters about it, like how you can
tune out noise around you with a little effort. Impressing Kyverth
helped, since he was the main voice in my mind, he could become a
buffer. Except _nothing_ blocks out the sounds of golds. Rising
greens, also somewhat hard."

L'val traced aimless circles on the desk with his finger. "Now I can
set down my blocks to listen broadly, or I can strain my ear to hear
for someone in particular. Listening for Ishath would be like... well,
like how a parent can recognize their daughter's voice anywhere in a
room." He knew they both were parents. "You hear there's general room
noise, but you hear one voice better than others."

His comments about golds interested her. "I suppose then when your
Kyverth chases a gold you're getting quite a different perspective
than most of the other participants, then."

L'val made a very strange facial expression. "It's very unusual at the
start. When a gold starts calling her challenge, I hear her even more
clearly than my own lifemate, that's how strong a gold's voice is.
Then I start hearing all the bronzes who chase as well as Kyverth, a
full cacophony. Once they're out of the Weyr and in the air, I go back
to hearing him the strongest, given how the merge is. You know."

He expected the follow-up people usually asked, and said, "Greens
don't blast over him in my mind, fortunately. But I can still hear
them challenge and go up, hear the chasers express interest...and if
there's multiple in a day, even if Kyverth doesn't chase, it's like
being in a classroom full of excited toddlers screaming."

"Oh my, that sounds like a lot to deal with." Saibra toasted him with
her glass. "I don't want to add more to your plate by asking you to
listen out for Ishath, too."

"We have been. I've been terrified something like what happened at
Dolphin Cove might happen to them."

He'd _hoped_ that it was only the holds and halls which might be
stupid enough to think about it, but that weyrfolk, who saw how the
dragons shaped the weyr society, would be safer.

"She should have been safe here," he said softly.

"That would be my fault," Saibra said, equally as soft. "I should have
had stricter security measures in place for her, but... I wanted her
to have as normal a Weyrlinghood as possible. So much for that." There
was a glint in her blue eyes. "It won't happen again."

**Tell all dragons that work watch duty that every visiting dragon
must clear their visitors and their purpose for visiting through one
of the queens, Erdenth, or Kyverth before landing. I want to know the
name of each passenger on every dragon. Tell the Weyrlingstaff that
their dragons need to be on duty with the dragonets at all times. Only
pre-approved family members may visit with the Weyrlings from now
until graduation. **

}:Done,:{ Chioneth reported after a pregnant pause.

"It's not your fault you wanted to make things normal for her." He had
the urge suddenly to reach for her hand, but it would be inappropriate
- maybe acceptable between bronzerider and goldrider, but not to
comfort a weyrmated woman that way, he thought.

L'val winced as he heard Chioneth's tone and the murmurs of dragon
response. "I wonder how well _this_ is going to be taken."

"It'd better be taken with a hearty 'aye' and a smile," Saibra
smirked. "Every dragonrider should empathize with the feeling of
possibly losing their lifemate. If they cannot empathize with Kadira
in any other way, surely that will be familiar to them."

"I certainly hope so. The weyrfolk should care as well. And any new
hold-or-hallbred residents will soon have it impressed on them." He
shook his head.

"Did you need me to report more details of the actual incident?" he
asked, thinking that setting rules likely wasn't why he was called.

"What can you tell me that you witnessed firsthand before I arrived?"
Saibra planned on visiting with Kadira next to get the blue Weyrling's
side of the story.

L'val briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath, reconstructing
the moment in his head.

"I heard young Ishath crying out in rage and distress, and I responded
to it by alerting Kyverth and Chioneth. I heard him cry for the
hurt-er to be taken away and to get his rider safe. When I arrived, I
saw that weyrling Kadira was clearly arguing with candidate Naradis. I
overheard the candidate say that Kadira was a coward and selfish and
that she didn't deserve to have Impressed a dragon. That's what I
heard directly."

He traced a finger along the desk. "You heard what the candidate said
near the end - that weyrling Kadira had apparently said things to the
candidate to cause her to respond with an attack. But I hadn't been there
for that part."

"I can't imagine anything that could be said that would justify the
disregard for a dragon's life," Saibra admitted, making notations in
her ledger of L'val's account. "But, at least it is settled for
now.... As much as it can be."

He blew out a heavy breath. "How did it go at Dolphin Cove?"

"Well, Cyradis and I parted on good terms, at least. I wasn't sure how
it would be, talking with her about her daughter. Sometimes people in
leadership have difficulties when it comes to their own children. I
shouldn't have worried, though. Cyradis was a professional, as
always."

"That's good. I know if Yvase was involved in something, I'd have to
have taken some very deep breaths beforehand. Will there be anything
between the Weyrs after this? Besides the young brownrider's ban for
now?"

"I don't think so. Other than tightening up who is let into
Dragonsfall unannounced, I think we're going to treat this like a
one-time 'incident' for now." Closing her ledger and tucking it into
her desk drawer with a sharp snap, Saibra rocked back in her chair.

**It had _better_ be a one-time thing.**

Last updated on the March 9th 2024

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Picking Up The Pieces