From One Weyrlingmaster Third to Another

Writers: Devin, Francesca
Date Posted: 8th March 2024

Characters: J'nic, R'lor
Description: J'nic asks for advice from R'lor on being an effective Weyrlingmaster Third.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 11, day 11 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: K'lvin, K'sedel, R'ayl (not by name), Naradis

J'nic

R'lor

The chill of /between/ quickly gave way to heat, and J'nic removed his
riding jacket as soon as Raileth landed. He was glad it was late
afternoon there, or he would have immediately regretted wearing long
pants. **Can you check with Kularth to see if R'lor is free?**

In a perfect world, he would have asked to meet with the other
Weyrlingmaster Third before even officially starting in his new
position. However, the horrible events of the most recent Hatching at
Dolphin Cove Weyr had made it seem like a terrible time to reach out,
so he had decided to wait for a bit. And then, his own life had
suddenly become very busy, which made it challenging to find a time to
get away.

J'nic had come by two days prior to see if R'lor was busy.
Unsurprisingly, he had been, but had suggested this date. The
greenrider was prepared to wait, or be asked to return again.

}:Yes, mine can see you now,:{ Kularth said. The weyrlings had been
dismissed for dinner and R'lor didn't mind postponing his meal to meet
with J'nic.

J'nic knocked on R'lor's open door once to announce his arrival and
then entered the man's office. "Thanks for meeting with me," he said
with a small smile, taking a seat. "Was today a fairly normal day for
you?"

"As normal as a day with weyrlings can be," R'lor said with a smile.
The events of the Hatching itself had been more than enough to handle,
but things had settled down since then.

Usually, due to his training as a mindhealer, J'nic preferred to ease
into conversations. However, he knew they were short on time, so
decided to dive right in. "Well, as you know, I'm a very new
Weyrlingmaster Third. And, K'lvin has been wonderful onboarding me to
the role, but I thought it would be helpful to talk to others; see
what their experiences have been and if they have advice for me. I
know I can't anticipate everything, but I'd like to be as prepared as
I can be. So, as a start, is there something that surprised you, or
that you didn't expect, when you started in this position?"

R'lor let out a laugh. "Sorry, I . . . the first thing I thought of
was the Hatching, and well . . ." That was something no one would have
ever expected. His first class of Weyrlings as a Third, and he'd been
mostly left to handle all of them while the Weyr was in a panic,
stuffing down his own emotions so he could project a sense of calm.

J'nic winced in sympathy. "Well, I hope none of us ever have to
experience anything like that again. But, it does make me think about
something that's been on my mind the past few sevendays. I'm realizing
I'm trying to figure out what my overall approach to training weyrling
is; I mean, besides training new dragonriders. Is it about being very
supportive or pushing them? Helping them find their individual
strengths or getting them to work well as a team?" He paused for a
moment to gather his thoughts. "I assume it's a bit of everything, and
depends on the situation. But, at this point, everything I do is very
reactive. There's no larger strategy behind it. So if you don't mind
thinking about that awful day, is there anything you learned about
yourself, or your approach to working with weyrlings?" This was the
first time he was trying to articulate something that had been on his
mind for a while, so he wasn't sure how coherent he was being. He
hoped his half-formed thoughts gave R'lor something to respond to.

R'lor thought for a moment. "I'd been on 'staff for a while, so I was
used to teaching and helping, but suddenly I was _responsible_ for all
of them. K'sedel went to catch the woman who'd poisoned the meat, so
it was just me. We had to start the butchering over, and I had to make
sure all the hatchlings got something before they starved . . ." He
sighed. "But I managed it. I leaned on Kularth, and that lovely beast
kept his eye on a whole clutch of dragonets. I learned that I was more
capable than I thought." Then a little smile tugged at his mouth. "And
I learned I could fool a bunch of kids into thinking I had everything
under control."

J'nic nodded, trying to imagine the chaotic and terrifying scene.
"That's really helpful. Be responsible, lean on my lifemate for help,
and fake confidence. I'll try to remember that." He was silent for a
few moments, thinking. "And the weyrlings? Have they settled in ok
after such a horrific start?"

"They seem to be doing well," R'lor said. "The little blue who was
poisoned -- I'm sure you heard about that -- he recovered just fine.
He and his rider, well . . . they're favorites of mine." He didn't
feel too guilty admitting that to a Weyrlingmaster from a different
Weyr. "It's amazing to see all the different personalities, how young
dragons seem to know themselves immediately, to see the ways they
might match their rider's personality, or be almost opposites. I try
to get a feel for all of them and see how they might respond. Some
might need a firm hand, others more gentle encouragement."

"I am looking forward to getting to know each of my weyrlings as
individuals." While J'nic was starting to develop relationships with
the current weyrlings, he was looking forward to the next Hatching,
when he could work with them from the start of their time as
dragonriders. "Did you meet most of them when they were Candidates?
Did any of them surprise you with their adjustment to weyrlinghood, by
either adjusting more easily than you expected or struggling a lot?"

R'lor nodded. "I met with all the Candidates to get a sense for them.
There are always surprises in any clutch, though. There's an older boy
who was all swagger and confidence, but he's struggling to control his
dragon." The bluerider shook his head, but his expression was slightly
amused. "And then there's a shy, younger boy -- the one bonded to the
blue who was poisoned -- he's got a bit of a determined streak to him,
and despite such a traumatic start, both he and Delorth are doing
well."

J'nic made a mental note to check with K'lvin about setting up
meetings with Candidates. It would be helpful to have some sense of
who would Impress at the next Hatching and already be aware of
potential challenges. "It's interesting how Impression can upend some
elements of our personality and strengthen others. Glad to hear the
poisoning didn't have any long-term physical effects."

He took a moment to think through the mental list of questions he had
come up with in preparation for this meeting. "Is there anything in
particular you do to support holdbred weyrlings? My assumption is that
they, in general, will struggle more with some aspects of being a
dragonrider. But, maybe that's wrong; or their struggles aren't
universal enough to do anything useful with all of them together."

"I like to ask the holdbred Candidates who've been here a while to
speak with them and try to help them adjust, on an informal basis. I
also make it clear that my door is always open if they need to talk."
While he was weyrbred himself, R'lor did his best to sympathize and
help the hold and hallbred Candidates understand that living in the
Weyr, and especially becoming dragonriders, required them to adjust
their mindset and behaviors.

"You're reminding me that the Weyrlingstaff doesn't have to do
everything. There are plenty of others at the Weyr who aren't on the
Weyrlingstaff but can help out. I already knew this, but have been
focusing so much on preparing myself, I haven't been thinking of the
bigger picture. Thanks for that." While it was exhilarating taking on
a new role, in a new Weyr, J'nic was looking forward to feeling the
same confidence working with weyrlings he had felt when fighting
Thread. He imagined that would not happen for a Turn or two; maybe
longer. "I don't want to take up a lot of your time, but is there
anything else you want to share? Any advice for me?"

R'lor thought for a moment. "What made you choose this in the first
place? To work with the Weyrlings, to accept a position as 'Third?"

This was something J'nic had been thinking about a lot, so he did not
need any time to organize his thoughts. "Well, I'm trained as a
mindhealer, and for Turns I've helped Candidates and weyrlings on a
one-on-one basis. They've mostly been holdbred, struggling with their
transition to weyrlife, but also weyrlings preparing to fight Thread
or grieving after losing a friend. Conversations I'm sure you've had
with your weyrlings. I've been more and more convinced over the Turns
of how important it is for all dragonriders to be strong mentally, not
just physically. And I want to be part of the team making that happen
from the start."

"Ah." R'lor smiled. "I considered going into mindhealing myself. My
mother is a mindhealer and I have great respect for the Craft. So my
advice to you is to use that as your Star Stones. Remember why you
chose this responsibility, and what your strengths as a teacher are."

R'lor's words echoed what J'nic had told others on multiple occasions,
but it hit differently when he was the recipient. "You would make a
good mindhealer," he said with a small smile. "I've been focusing so
much on learning everything I can, it's helpful to have a reminder of
why I'm doing this work."

"I have to remind myself once in a while too," R'lor said. "And I'm
still very new to this, still adjusting to the difference between
being a Third and regular 'Staff." He'd had a month to settle in, and
then with the Hatching he felt like he'd been thrown into deep water.
And the incident with Naradis . . . Sometimes he found comfort, even
joy, in his work. Other times he felt like he was desperately paddling
to keep his head above water.

"Well, I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. This has been
great." J'nic would not have minded spending more time with the
bluerider trading stories, but knew they were both busy. "If you don't
mind, I might reach out again in the future. And, if there's anything
I can ever do, please let me know. It's nice to talk to someone else
in this role but working with different weyrlings."

R'lor rose. "It was a pleasure, J'nic. I'd be happy to speak with you
any time." He offered his hand.

J'nic shook the offered hand warmly. "We'll be in touch."

Last updated on the March 9th 2024

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