Welcome to the Gold Club

Writers: Corrin, Heather, Yvonne
Date Posted: 18th January 2025

Characters: Saibra, Tsaera, Sybana
Description: Saibra and Tsaera welcome Sybana to the exclusive club.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 23 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: L'kayric, Zaphare

Saibra

Sybana

Saibra rarely _felt_ old, mostly because forty wasn't even middle age
yet, but after last night's hatching, the chaos between the Weyrlings,
and the Hatching Feast... She'd needed an extra stiff klah this
morning.

She had allowed Sybana and Galgaith what she hoped was an acceptable
time to get some rest, but Saibra remembered well the rotating cycle
of demanding hunger and complete exhaustion that dragonets went
through, so she doubted Sybana had gotten much sleep.

With all of the previous night's excitement, there had been very
little time to talk to the Weyr's newest goldrider. She reminisced
briefly about the morning after Impressing Chioneth when she had met
with Far Island's Senior and Junior Weyrwomen. It was like joining an
exclusive club.

"Good morning, Tsaera," Saibra said, her voice raspy as her interim
'second joined her in one of the ground-level Weyrling classrooms.

"Good morning. Did you have a good night?" Tsaera seemed much more
chipper than the Weyrwoman.

"I had a _late_ night," Saibra said. "The Weyrlings were in complete
disarray when I'serin and I went to see them in the feeding room." She
shook her head just thinking about it. "Some were never able to make
an appearance at the Hatching Feast after their antics. I don't
begrudge T'lonas the conversation he's bound to have with them today.
Then, of course, me and I'serin had to go and make polite with the
visiting dignitaries."

"Mmm. The one part of a Hatching feast I never much looked forward
to." The goldrider's eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled.
Saibra looked exhausted, and it made Tsaera enjoy the perks of her
retirement all the more. "I'm sure that the Lord of Skyvale Hold was
pleased last night."

"Yes, at least, I hope so. Nearly half of our firestone comes from
Skyvale." Secretly, Saibra had been wagering on the gold dragonet
impressing to a weyrbred girl. She looked forward to seeing how Sybana
progressed. "Sybana and Galgaith should be joining us soon."

As if on cue, the door opened and Galgaith came waddling into the
room, the picture of energy and curiosity. She looked hale and hearty,
with the comically round belly of a dragonet just recently fed. Her
gleaming hide suggested a recent wash and oil as well. All in all, a
flourishing youngster who warbled a happy little greeting to the two
women.

Sybana followed, letting the door close gently behind them. The last
twelve candlemarks had been some of the roughest in her life, and it
showed. Besides the chaos of the hatching and first feeding, she had
been up twice in the night to sate the gold’s hunger, and then up
again at the crack of dawn to learn to butcher and wash and oil. There
were dark shadows under her eyes and a bruise blossoming along the
curve of her cheekbone from the scuffle on the Sands. If she’d had a
moment, she would have tried to cover it with makeup, but there was
just no time. She arrived for her appointment wearing borrowed
clothes, her hair in a messy braid. Only her curtsey was immaculate,
despite her exhaustion, and that was just through sheer force of will.

“Weyrwoman Saibra, Goldrider Tsaera,” she greeted.

}:What happened to her?:{ Galgaith’s nostrils flared as she sniffed
curiously at Saibra. }:My mother’s Sybana. Wasn’t she golden like
me?:{

**That was clothes, not a part of her. Like my skirt you ripped
earlier. She just changed, like I did.**

“Galgaith liked your dress last night,” Sybana said, translating the
dragonet’s disappointment.

Saibra smiled. "Ah yes, I'm afraid this is much less glamorous." She
looked down at the black wherhide pants and the thick, slouchy grey
sweater. The Weyrwoman studied the big chunk of a gold dragonet. The
bright daylight of a new day did not improve Galgaith's appearance,
but it did show her sheer size and the promise of her future power.
"Your hide, however, looks excellently oiled this morning," she said
to Galgaith.

"She does look gorgeous, doesn't she?" Sybana gushed proudly as the
dragonet flared her wings and preened, both blissfully oblivious to
Galgaith's more unfortunate proportions and features. "She napped
through most of the oiling, so that was a bit difficult, but it was so
worth it."

Sybana's obvious pride made it easy to agree with her. Tsaera smiled
at the ugly weyrling. She'd grow into her wings, eventually. And legs.
And maybe head? "Bigger dragons do mean more time spent oiling their
hides. I'm pleased to meet you, Sybana. Congratulations to you and
Galgaith, both."

"Please, help yourself to some breakfast," Saibra said, gesturing to a
seat at the table as well as the fruit, pastries, and juice.

"Thank you, weyrwoman." The response was automatic, but as she sat and
reached for the food, Sybana hesitated. The pastries looked
delightfully flaky, the fruit bright and inviting, but the idea of
eating felt oddly distant and unappealing. Still, she forced herself
to make a plate. "It feels like I just ate, but it's Galgi who's full.
I didn't even have much at the hatching feast..."

She hoped that was unobjectionable small talk, not an admission of
weakness. She'd only had a few lessons before the Hatching. The weyr
and its ways were still quite new to her.

"Then don't be shy and fill your plate," Tsaera told her, reaching for
a plate of her own. Holdbred manners usually meant that elders and
those of a higher social standing ate first, so she took a pastry and
some fruit for herself to help Sybana feel more at ease. "You'll need
the energy for the day ahead of you. The first week of weyrling
classes is always an adjustment. I hope you've had a chance to meet
your classmates?"

Sybana did feel better as Tsaera joined her and did her best to follow
her advice, taking a little more fruit. "We were all formally
introduced this morning, though I can't say I really got to know any
of them better yet, everyone was pretty sleep deprived and occupied
with their dragons."

}:As they should be!:{

"As they should be," Sybana echoed. "A couple of them are friends from
before the hatching though, so it's nice we Impressed together."
Friend might be a bit of a strong term considering she'd only known
Lakayric and Zaphare for a few sevendays, but it felt fitting.

"Impressing with friends is always nice," Saibra agreed, tearing into
her own breakfast pastry. She had impressed with a friend from
Candidacy, who she still kept up with via letters. "We're fortunate
that Tsaera agreed to come to Dragonsfall while we look for a new
Weyrwoman's Second. She was a River Bluff Weyrwoman, and she's going
to be overseeing your training. You'll have regular Weyrling classes
with the rest of the Weyrlings, of course, but then there will be some
lessons specific just to you that Tsaera will be in charge of."

“What sort of lessons?”

"Politics, leading a Wing in Threadfall and without, records keeping,
that sort of thing. I realize that you are well versed in some of
these already, but they are from a Hold's perspective. You are
beholden to the Weyr now. There aren't many gold dragons and therefore
there aren't many women who ride gold here on Pern. Our position is
unique, as is the power we wield. The wellbeing of the Weyr is your
first and primary responsibility, while the good of the planet is
second and just as important. " Tsaera said gently. Sybana's home
would come a distant third now, if she was to be a successful
goldrider-- impartiality would be key given the Hold she came from.
"But we can discuss that later. This is your first day as one of us
and I think that celebration is more important than lessons."

"I look forward to learning all I can," Sybana said earnestly, and she
meant it in the moment. She truly did want to do her best for her new
position and people, though she'd yet to really understand what that
would mean and how much her world had changed. "I want to be worthy of
Galgaith and to do my part for Pern."

"You'll do fine. We'll be here to support you at every step. I hope
you won't mind a little bit of extra... _security_, as well." The
Weyrwoman's lips pursed a little. "Ever since the attack on Weyrwoman
Kapera, we've been putting an extra guard or escort on all of the
goldriders here at Dragonsfall. You'll have one as well. They'll
mostly stay out of your way."

"And a few extra self defense lessons," Tsaera added. She had a
security guard as well, although she pitied anyone who came at her
with a knife. Unlike the other two she was strong enough to pitch a
would-be attacker off a ledge herself, no assistance from bronzeriders
needed.

"Really?" Sybana's eyes widened slightly. "Is it-- are we in danger
too? I've only heard the vaguest rumors about what happened at Barrier
Lake."

Tsaera shook her head. "There was a... an incident at Barrier Lake
Weyr. A man did attack Weyrwoman Kapera. But Barrier Lake is far from
here and you and Galgaith are the safest pair on Pern. The whole Weyr
is looking out for you." She glanced at Saibra. "We can talk more
about that later, if you wish. Right now we need you to focus on
caring for Galgaith and strengthening your bond with her."

"Absolutely," Saibra agreed with the retired River Bluff Weyrwoman.
"Focus on your training and your bond with Galgaith, and we'll focus
on keeping everyone safe."

Last updated on the January 25th 2025

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Welcome to the Gold Club