Punished

Writers: Chelle, Jane
Date Posted: 2nd September 2009

Characters: E'rae, Tey
Description: Tey tells E'rae about her punishment.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 4, day 18 of Turn 5
Notes: Mentioned: Weyrleader, Jh'slaen

"'Evening, E'rae," Tey said when the bluerider appeared in the seat
opposite her with his meal. "Killed any good animals lately?"

Looking up from his food, he recognized Tey and finished sitting,
setting out his food. "Actually..brought down a wherry not too long
ago." Tearing his roll, he began to spread butter on it. "How are you then?"

"Pretty good. You know Jh'slaen's still traumatized by that hunting trip
with you," she teased. "For a Hold-bred boy he's taken to the comforts
of Weyrlife like he was born to them."

"Oh? Well then he's a disgrace to the rest of us." Popping the bit of
roll into his mouth, he grinned before chewing and swallowing. "What
does pretty good mean?"

"Pretty good means that we're hide-whole for the most part and enjoying
life. _Glad_ to have escaped weyrlinghood, enjoying the fighting wings,
happy to be a dragonrider, even in a Pass. And you? How are you?"

"Mmm same as usual. Far as I know, I don't have any more children." He
shrugged. One never knew about those sorts of things. "And the
Weyrleader isn't in a bad mood lately, so we're good on that front."

"I've been keeping out of his and the Wingleader's way, lately," Tey
admitted ruefully. "I think I'm still in disgrace."

"Disgrace? Do tell." The bluerider wasn't a gossip, but it seemed like
Tey needed to talk. Finishing off one meatroll, he moved on to the next.

"You hadn't heard?" Tey glanced around to make sure they weren't likely
to be overheard. "I whacked one of my wingmates and spent a sevenday on
extra watch duty and sweeps."

"Oohh...tough one. Why'd you do it?" E'rae was pretty sure she had a
good reason. Even so, one had to tow the line. "All in all, that's not
too bad though."

"I _know_. I was lucky." Her whole dragonriding family kept telling her
how lucky she had been, never mind all the wingmates who suddenly had
opinions on the subject. "His dragon flamed Isleth's wingtip." She could
still feel her own anger at the injury - not so much the burn, which was
minor and from which her green had completely recovered, but the
bluerider's casual dismissal of his own carelessness.

"Well surely it wasn't on purpose." E'rae chewed slowly, mulling over
what she was saying, trying to make sense of it. He'd been scored badly
himself, but he didn't blame anyone.

"He flies badly and he just doesn't take enough _care_" she said darkly.

E'rae listened to what she said and nodded, shaking his head slightly.
"Aye sure, but it's your Wingleader's responsibility to call him to task
for it, not yours certainly."

"He didn't flame the Wingleader's lifemate - he flamed _mine_."

"That's what we have leaders for. In a Hold, if two farmers have a
dispute, the Lord Holder makes the decision. In the Weyr, the
Wingleaders and the Weyrleader are responsible for it. If we didn't
leave it to them, we'd be constantly fighting amongst ourselves. My
sense of fairness is going to be different from yours aye? So you need
an impartial judge that has no part in it." He was not a harper, but
E'rae understood Pernese government.

"Has your Leith ever been flamed by another dragon?"

"As a matter of fact yes, during weyrlinghood." E'rae wondered if she'd
continue to justify what she did or admit her wrong as well.

"And what did you do about it?" Tey asked, rather put out at the other
wingrider's attitude toward her (very reasonable, in her opinion)
reaction to the injuring of Isleth.

"We went to the dragonhealers and the Weyrlingmaster cut my clutchmate a
new one." E'rae remembered he'd been more worried about Leith than
anything else, unable to even think about retaliating.

"What?" She had no idea what he was talking about.

"Basically..he was punished until he couldn't be..anymore." E'rae
couldn't exactly paint a picture for her. Obviously her leadership had
been a little different.

"Cut your clutchmate a new _what_?" Tey asked.

He didn't feel as embarrassed as he would be, since she was only eight
turns younger. Still, he'd been raised as a holder and there were things
you didn't say to women.

**Can you tell Isleth for me please?**

}:Yes mine, but I'd like to look through your eyes to see her face when
she tells her:{ Leith mentally chuckled.

**Fine** E'rae replied, slightly irritated at his dragon's mirth.

}:Isleth, mine is talking about a human rectum. Please tell yours:{
Leith passed on, thinking he had said it rather plainly.

"What sort of thing is that to say?" Tey grumbled, never having heard
the phrase before and quite distracted from her annoyance about E'rae's
lack of support for her reaction to Isleth's injury.

He put his hands up. "Look, I am a man. We talk like that."

Tey's expression suggested that she found that excuse inadequate. "Well
I'm glad I'm not, so I don't have to."

E'rae finished the food he'd been eating and washed it down with some
ale. "Is your punishment over then?"

"Yes." Tey brightened. "And I now realize how precious my free time is.
Not that I want to go hunting, or anything," she added hurriedly,
knowing where the other dragonrider's interests lay.

"Well good for you. Speaking of time, I better get on or I'll be late."
E'rae stood up and brushed off his tunic. "Be well if I don't see you."

"Thanks. See you later, E'rae."

Last updated on the September 21st 2009

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Punished