The Semblance of a Plan
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Halyonix, Sia
Date Posted: 15th May 2026
Characters: Q'vettan, H'stre
Description: Q'vettan and H'stre discuss the latest batch of weyrlings and formulate a plan
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 21 of Turn 12
“I love Hatchings,” H’stre said as he strode into Q’vettan’s office the next morning. He took a seat, limbs relaxing, a grin on his face. “I can’t wait to hear what rumors and wild tales you heard last night during your rounds because I got a few of them to tell myself.”
Q'vettan looked at H'stre over his too-sweet mug of klah. "And what kind of gossip did you manage to find in your cups, old man? My night was rather boring, circling through overtired holders. We might as well have served warm milk instead of wine."
“Well, I did get…propositioned by a lovely Holder lady, a bit too old for my personal tastes, but still. She went on and on about how she’s heard _so much_ about the…vitality of bronzeriders and was there any chance she could have some firsthand experience with that before she returned to her Hold.” H’stre’s grin turned roguish. “Rest assured, dear Q’vettan, I behaved myself. Would do us no good to start a diplomatic incident. Unlike what happened at the last Dragonsfall Hatching where that bluerider threw a drink at a Holder who was badmouthing dragonriders.”
"I saw that Lady Holder." Q'vettan said mildly, "And I appreciate the rare show of restraint. I'd rather our tithes get ruined by our Lower Caverns instead of by the holders themselves." He made a face as he took another sip of klah. Perhaps requesting less sweetener rations would stop the madness. Or perhaps they'd find something worse.
Q'vettan did raise an eyebrow at the Dragonsfall gossip. "How deep in the cups were you at Dragonsfall to witness that piece of dramatics? It's the kind of local gossip my mother likes to tell me when I visit."
H’stre made a moue of being insulted. “Me? In my cups? Never!” His beaming grin returned. “No, I was definitely somewhere else when that little incident happened. I only heard about it secondhand from Holder Gabalon as I was ferrying him back. Apparently he saw the whole thing. Can’t imagine the headache that caused for them the next day.”
H’stre stretched his limbs and folded his hands behind his head. “I could send my little curious lady Holder your way if you’re looking for some excitement. I’m sure she’d be happy to accommodate a Weyrleader.” The Weyrsecond winked.
Q'vettan's lips curled into a thin, knowing smile. Some things never changed, after all these turns, and that included the Weyrleader's weakness for blondes. "I assure you I can find excitement without borrowing yours. However, on the topic of Dragonsfall-- what do you know of our two newest bronzeriders?"
Some of the joviality left H’stre’s expression. “Think they were some of the Holdless ones, weren’t they? One of them was apprenticing in something though. Harper?” he answered, scratching his chin idly. “I think that was it. He seemed real eager to be of use.”
Q'vettan made a disapproving noise. "Don't know what Dragonsfall was thinking. That boy's too old to apprentice, if he even knew his letters and ballads in the first place. 'Eager' can perhaps be molded into something, however. What about the other one?"
More of that joviality left H’stre’s expression. “There’s something to him that says ‘trouble’,” he answered. “The kind that’ll get you killed. I’m hoping that him Impressing a dragon will temper that but from what I saw beforehand, he was like a feline ready to strike. He seems like the type of guy to want the world and not settle for ‘no’.”
Q'vettan made a 'hrmph'-ing noise in the back of his throat. "I don't think a bronze will calm that behaviour in the slightest. Ambitious children are the worst kind of bronzerider."
“Now, now,” H’stre chided, his joking tone returning, “that’s my friend and Weyrleader we’re talking about. You shouldn’t disparage him so.” He let the joke linger for a moment and then went back to the topic at hand. “I’ll keep an eye on our two newcomers. And the other one we got from Dolphin Cove. To a blue, no less. Those dragons really are keeping the trend of choosing women for a blue or two lately. I wonder how the northern Weyrs are handling it.”
The look Q'vettan gave his Weyrsecond was sharp, but the joke calmed the tension already creeping into his shoulders. "Two from Dragonsfall territory, two from Dolphin Cove, was it?" He asked, "Fair, I suppose, with the Weyr so new. I'll need to see if Thiseta has seen a need to call for other protectorate's candidates. Do we not have enough weyrchildren, or are we not doing enough Searching in our own area?"
The final question gave Q'vettan pause. "Have the Northern Weyrs had any women Impressing blue? There were none at Igen last I heard."
H’stre shrugged one shoulder. “No idea but I can send out some feelers. Daith still chats with some of the greens from Igen and I think one from High Reaches? Little flirt. But I think doing a good sweep of our protectorate for fresh Candidates would be a good injection of new blood, some that are at least familiar with the Charter and how Pernese society works.”
Q'vettan tapped one finger lightly against the side of his mug, considering that. "Do that. Quietly," he added, giving H'stre a look. If the North is seeing the same shifts, then it's a pattern. If not…there's something unique about our Weyrs, whether we mean it or not."
He did, however, frown a little at the thought of increasing Search when there were already still so many holder-born Impressing from the last of the labourers. "Perhaps I can encourage Thiseta to ask the other Weyrs if they'd allow transferring some of their older weyrbrats. Just knowing Charter rights is setting the bar too low for our fighting force."
“I’m sure we could convince some of those poor folks stuck in High Reaches to come to a balmy place like this,” H’stre suggested. “Can’t imagine _why_ we made a Weyr up there but I guess the founding riders had their reasons.”
"If not us, I'm sure Aydhan can." Q'vettan said, "We needed High Reaches back to cover the mountains through to Tillek and Nabol. But we as a whole aren't so desperate for candidates as we were right at the start of the Pass. Candidates might be more willing to try their luck somewhere new after meeting multiple disappointments at home."
“Way to play the broken heart card,” his Weyrsecond teased with a wink. He got up from his chair. “Okay, I’ll get to work. If I get propositioned again by a lovely lady, I’ll be sure to send her your way.”
Q'vettan laughed, "Keep your spoils, friend. I have plenty."
Last updated on the June 1st 2026