In My Blood

Writers: Francesca, Iluva
Date Posted: 10th August 2024

Characters: A'radess, J'nic
Description: Avradess has his Candidate interview with J'nic.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 10, day 9 of Turn 11

A'radess

J'nic

J'nic finished breakfast, then headed up the stairs to the space he used for Candidate interviews. When he reached the third floor, slightly out of breath, he saw there was someone already there. "Hello, I'm J'nic," he said with a smile. "Are you Avradess?"

"Yes, sir. That's me." He replied with a smile of his own, noting J'nic's knots with relief.

"I'm starting to get my bearings and this is the first time someone hasn't had to spin me around and point me in another direction." Avradess chuckled. "I hope I'm not too early? Another candidate said you might want to speak with me."

"You're right on time," J'nic said reassuringly, ushering Avradess into the office and taking a seat at the small round table. The young man seemed a bit nervous, but that was normal. "Yes, I meet with each of the Candidates. This isn't an interrogation. Just a chance to get to know you a bit; and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. I know you arrived at the beginning of the month. How are you settling in?"

Avradess took the seat opposite, crossing an ankle over a knee. "Settling in well. The first few days were a bit of a blur. This is an unusual place, especially compared to Vista Point, which has a proper Weyrbowl and you can't just walk out onto a boat from the dining cavern." He grinned. "Mostly though it's exciting. They say a change is as good as rest." And there was plenty of change here.

"Yes, it does take some getting used to. I came from Dragonsfall Weyr about a Turn ago and am still sometimes surprised by differences." The Weyrhold did now feel like home though, which had been a welcome shift. "I see you're a harper. Are you planning on continuing with your studies here?"

"Absolutely." Avradess nodded. "Music's a big part of my family. And my father's a Journeyman." There was little doubt that if a dragon didn't claim him, the Harpercraft eventually would. It was as much a part of his family as anything else, woven in so tightly it was practically the entire fabric. Besides, he was too old to start over in another craft and had too little interest to try.

"I have a similar story. My father was a healer, so I never really considered a different craft. I'm sure the harpers here are glad to have you. So," J'nic asked, "why are you hoping to become a dragonrider?"

"Oh so you know all about it." He grinned, though that loaded question had his mouth falling into a rather serious line. Standing was nothing but a promise of something, and it seemed like no one _knew_ what that really was until that something revealed itself as the answer. The grittier aspects of the job were apparent, but what lay just on the other side of that impenetrable wall was not. From the outside looking in it certainly looked worth the suspense.

"It feels like where I'm supposed to be." It surprised him how easily the truth flowed. "My parents didn't get to be riders, even though they really wanted to, even though everyone else in the family is. I really can't imagine doing anything else. Or wanting anything else." Avradess smiled a little. It might've been a little selfish, when he really thought about it, but there was something about destiny, about being meant for something, that he craved.

"It's in my blood." Avradess said finally, "and I think I could be great at it."

J'nic listened closely as Avradess spoke. Not everyone in dragonriding families Impressed; his own sister came to mind. Older Candidates, especially weyrbred ones, sometimes became bitter or desperate. He didn't notice that though in Avradess. Instead, he had a calm confidence. "Well, it sounds like you already know what being a dragonrider entails. Is there anything I can help with, or should know?"

"I really wish I knew more, sir." A spark of pride came seemingly out of nowhere at the rider's assessment, though Avradess paused to fully consider J'nic's question, "Well, now that you've been on both sides of Weyrling training, I wouldn't mind hearing your perspective on it all, sir."

"I've asked friends and cousins who've Impressed, but is there anything that surprised _you_ when you Impressed? Either about her-" he could only imagine what another mind brought with it and was really starting to annoy himself with it, "Or being a rider?"

This wasn't the first time J'nic had been asked this question, but he took a few moments to think before responding. "Well, Impression is, of course, amazing. But, I don't know if dragonriders talk much about how disconcerting it can be to suddenly have a voice in your head. Suddenly, your mind isn't your own, and there are certain thoughts you need to avoid or be careful about, especially when your dragonet is young. Everyone gets used to it eventually but, for some, it can take awhile."

"Let's see," he thought some more. "I suppose the other thing that comes to mind is Threadfall. While a rider's job during Threadfall is, of course, important, the main thing to learn is surrendering control to your dragon. Dragons were born to fight Thread and instinctively know where to go and what to do. When we started
training, Raileth and I kept butting heads because I thought she should do one thing and she wanted to do something else. But when I realized she needed to be in charge, and my job is to support her, everything clicked into place."

Avradess nodded as he listened. It was nice to have it put in such a way that emphasized the bond, the balance of two voices in one mind. He wasn't about to tell J'nic that he was actually terrified, and, more recently, prone to fits of anger he didn't quite recognize. Perhaps J'nic already knew, and felt the undercurrent of nervousness-- the readiness that was always there.

In a few Turns, he'd age out. There was no way he'd want anything else with the intensity that had been building as he waited for a dragon.

But sometimes, when listening to something new like J'nic, he was reminded of how he didn't even know _who_ he was waiting for, what
they would be like. And the whole thing seemed ludicrous until that dragon was actually here.

"Sir, one other thing-- does Raileth ever talk to people directly? Your family, I mean."

Another thoughtful question. J'nic liked how reflected Avradess seemed to be. "Very rarely. My weyrmate and I have been together for fifteen Turns now and she spoke to him for the first time after maybe two Turns, and that's only because I had an urgent message I needed to pass to him. Since then, she'll only rarely say something to him. They do have a good relationship though, even if they don't have long conversations. And then, with our daughter, Raileth has spoken to her
maybe a handful of times. The first time was to stop her from launching herself off our weyrledge as a young child. My understanding is that this varies by dragon though. Some are chattier. Why do you ask?"

"Few Turns back my father got firehead and, uh," Avradess' face went hot, suddenly feeling like he was exposing his innermost self to a man he just met. His heart raced. Still, J'nic had an open, refreshing manner about him that made it easier to simply continue, "he lost his hearing. Completely. There were plenty of dragons at Vista Point that talked to him, primarily my grandmother's, but Raileth sounds like most," he paused, "a little more discerning. I just wonder how likely my dragon could be as well."

"I see. That must have been hard for him; and you. Thank you for sharing." Although tempting, this was not the time to turn this meeting into a mindhealing appointment. "There are no guarantees, of course, but your dragon would be able to see how close you are to your father, which would make it more likely for them to talk to him."

J'nic paused, deciding between asking another question and ending the meeting. "I don't want to keep you any longer, unless you have anything else you want to talk about. My door is always open."

J'nic's answer was reassuring in its own way. His bond with his father shaped so much of his life and it wasn't one he was eager to be at war with when it came to a dragon. Of course there was no way to imagine certain things ever being the same again, no use in continually lamenting what the past could (or should) have been. Not now.

That was why the future bore such weight-- it was the only thing left malleable in a world carved in stone. And as tempting as it was to keep asking, Avradess resolutely shook his head to the Weyrlingmaster Third. "No, but thank you, sir. I'm talked out."

Last updated on the August 18th 2024

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In My Blood