On This Side of Graduation

Writers: Halyonix, Shawna
Date Posted: 21st October 2025

Characters: Zariah, Katora
Description: Katora meets her new Wingmate Zariah
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 27 of Turn 12

Notes:
Mentioned: K'mai
~*~

Katora showed up to Wing practice on her first with a determined set to her shoulders and a critical but bright look to her eyes. According to her notes, she was taking up a position in one of the trios with another greenrider, Zariah. }: Her, :{ Saoirth supplied helpfully. With her dragon calmly at her back, Katora went to introduce herself.

"Good morning," she said in a straightforward tone with her chin lifted. Katora was nervous but only because this was something new. Once she mastered it, she knew she would feel at ease again. Her Trader life had given her a fair degree of resilience. She would lean into that until she was comfortable again.

Zariah looked up, confused for a moment before she remembered the shift in their trio, "Oh, yeah, Katora. How are you this morning?" She was leaning casually against Relsath's shoulder while they waited for the rest of the wing to gather. "Welcome to the wing."

Katora bobbed her head. "Thank you. I'm eager to be here," she answered. Her dark eyes looked up at the cloudless sky. "A fine day for flying," she remarked, then looked at Zariah to see if the elder rider agreed. "Am I free to ask you questions about practice or should I ask the Wingleader instead?" She didn't want the Wingleader to think that she was inept if she brought forward a line of questions.

"Oh, just wait and see how you feel about flying in this after your nose freezes," Zariah sounded more amused than annoyed, though, "at least it's not snowing, though." Shrugging, she said, "Sure, you can ask me. If it's not something I can answer, I'll probably know who to send you to, at least. You won't find L'val too hard to work for. He's always been good to Cya- er, Alpine."

The newly minted greenrider continued bobbing her head as she took in this information. "All of the Wings used to have blue names," she noted. "And now they have mountainous names. That seems more fitting, given the natural topography. Do you like the new names?"

"No," Zariah said bluntly, "I think they're bad. Wing names shouldn't be something you might say in the middle of Threadfall by accident. Can you imagine? "Alpine wing, go left around the Summit" and the next thing you know we're crashing into each other again because someone thought the Weyrleader meant the wing not the mountain," the older greenrider shook her head, "But I try not to get worked up about things I can't control." Her spicy tone implied she 'tried' more than she 'succeeded'.

This was something Katora had not considered! "That...seems like a lack of foresight on the Weyrleader's part," she remarked quietly as she mulled it over.

"Or he thought of it and doesn't think it's a problem for some reason or another," Zariah shrugged. "It makes me glad I'm a greenrider. If I make a mistake, it's most likely just me I get hurt."

"That...does make it simpler. Leadership comes with a lot of responsibilities," Katora agreed. But she wasn't a leader, she was learning, so now was the time to focus on that. "So what should I know about our Wing? And our trio formation? Saoirth shows promise as a stabilizer. She isn't prone to heroics -- she does her maneuvers with precision." There was a note of pride in Katora's voice as she spoke about her dragon's strengths.

"The wing's solid. We're the 'party' wing, but a lot of that is K'mai and his wild parties. It's not all fun and games; we train hard. The trio formation is new, so," Zariah shrugged one shoulder, "we'll all be learning together. There's been a lot of shuffling lately."

Katora wasn't much for partying so she liked that it was just contained to one rider mostly. She nodded at the mention of training hard. "I come from a Trader background. We aren't ones to shirk duties or be afraid of getting dirty." Her hand went to the feline claw on its string around her neck. "What do you suggest I focus on first outside of trio formations?"

"Work on getting to know the Weyr's territory. I'm sure your training gave you all the big landmarks, but it's good to be able to pop in and check on the smaller holds. And transport work is a good way to make extra marks in your free time," Zariah said. "Pro tip? Things complain less than people."

The young greenrider tilted her head as she pondered the meaning of the last sentence. And then, when it dawned on her, her eyes widened, and she asked, "Would it be possible then for me to transport goods for my Trader family then? If something was time-sensitive?" She knew their routes well, knew which holdings they frequented, and could easily act upon Zariah's advice to check in on smaller places.

"Sure. Outside of your duties, your time is yours to do with what you want. As long as you aren't causing trouble, no one really cares. Some riders have crafts they like to study. I prefer to do transport work," the older greenrider added proudly, "Relsath and I have been working with the Printer Hall a lot."

Those dark eyes were mulling over what all of that meant. "Are you a printer then?" Katora asked.

"No, like I said, I prefer transport work," Zariah said. "I would expect a Trader to have more appreciation," she said in a teasing tone.

Katora paused for a moment, tasting those words against the tone until Saoirth said, }: A joke, Katora love. :{

The young girl straightened slightly. "I think...I could do transport work. That seems right up my skills as a Trader too," she agreed. "Do I need to speak with someone to start that or do I...just offer my services?"

"You can just offer your services. Just make sure you remember timezones. Showing up late to practice because you lost track of home time is a good way to wind up on extra sweeps." Zariah considered for a moment before saying, "If you already have contacts, that would work, but if I were you, I'd try making myself known at the new Healer Hall. I'm sure they'll have a lot of transport work. Healers are the most impatient people I've ever met."

This brought a brightness to those dark critical eyes. A chance to be of use in helping others! }: I like this idea! :{ Saoirth said, latching on to her rider's hope.

"I will look into that! Saoirth likes that idea too. We could be of use, not just to Traders." She would have to remember the advice about timezones for sure. It wouldn't do her any good to be late while she was trying to make a good impression with her new team.

There was a bassy roar, indicating that it was time to start drills.

Katora began to strap on her helmet. "Thank you, Zariah. I appreciate all you've told me. Saoirth and I won't leave your flank undefended, I promise." Katora would work the hardest she ever had to make certain of that.

Zariah smiled and gave the other greenrider a nod before moving to mount Relsath and take their place in the formation.

Last updated on the November 2nd 2025

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On This Side of Graduation