Right for the Job (Attn: Any Rider)

Ashrah took the initiative whenever she could. She hadn't on that one day but ever since, in no small part because of what had occured, she took control of any situation touching her power. With the weyrlings now into their third month of life, all in the pink of health, she was up to her ears in lessons and exercises. She needed an extra pair of hands or two for various tasks needful to produce fine young dragonriders who were safe and deadly proficient in the fight with Thread.

It was this dominating feeling that had the Weyrling Master in the Mess Hall at it's busiest hour. She posted the notice at the entrance to the Mess Hall. Ashrah did one better by placing the exact same notice facing the other direction, to catch those leaving as well as arriving.

Attention, All Full Riders of White Lightning Weyr

As Weyrling Master, I have decided to open up two positions regarding the weyrlings and candidates of our Weyr. I am looking for mature, knowledgeable and willing riders to fill the following ranks of.

*Candidate Master
* Assistant Weyrling Master

Any full dragon rider, New or Old Guard, is encouraged to speak with me.

-Ashrah of Scarlet Hesriath

Ashrah then went to the sidebar and got herself a few fresh meatrolls. She would have a bite and then see who among this lot cared enough to invest in their future.

Brielody and Sh'lor were part of a pretty tight knit, err small, group of people who were not fans of the new regime. They had their reasons, each of them different, for not particularly liking the mutated dragons. It didn't keep both the green and brownrider from pausing at the entrance of the Mess Hall, to read the sign there.

They looked at eachother but said nothing, instead, they walked in and began to plate their food. When they finally sat down, across from one another. They spoke quietly so that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation.

Sh'lor started, "We need some of our kind in positions. They can't have them all." His usual irritation at other people having things he wanted coming to the surface. Gray eyes stared down at his food, so no one could even read his lips. "I'm not..."

"You really should push for Wingsecond like you want. You'll be stuck with training kids otherwise."

Sh'lor almost snorted in disgust. He'd rather not. Brielody kept her mouth shut, she was waiting for him to say it. He knew she was. Their father would never have supported it though. Women on dragons, they had their place but it wasn't in positions of rank unless a Queenrider.

"We need our kind to apply. You should at least see if they'd be interested in you." He muttered, trying not to sound too supportive. Not only did he want to keep her from getting her hopes up but he also doubted that they'd be interested in old guard despite what the sign had said. And they knew how Sh'lor felt about the mutations, even if Brielody didn't openly oppose anything, she was known to support her brother and formerly her father.

The greenrider nibbled on some of the vegetables on her plate, Brielody tended to eat more like a bird. A little at a time. "I suppose we won't know what will happen unless we try." She said, softly before scanning the room. Ashrah was there but she wasn't sure now was the appropriate time.

Ashrah watched the comings and goings for a while. E'ret had passed through her sphere and she had flagged him down. After a brief chat, E'ret had walked off. Ashrah resisted the urge to shake her head. E'ret was mature, intelligent and honorable. Unfortunately, completely uninterested in managing a bunch of teenagers.

Some time passed and Ashrah ate her meal in silence. When V'tayn swept in with a purpose in his spirited eyes, Ashrah grit her teeth and told herself she would at least hear him out. When he was done telling how much he had grown (albeit only physically) and how he could connect to the minds of young people (oh, their 'minds' hrm?) and that what he lacked in experience, he would make up for in fervor. Ashrah tapped the table impatiently.

"Wingrider V'tayn. Your passion, while appreciated, is not the sum total of what is needful in an assistant weyrling master or candidate master. You are young, as is your dragon. Frankly, I have little confidence in your capacity to behave yourself in the presence of impressionable young people. " Ashrah said, firmly.

"Why Weyrling Master, I'm wounded." V'tayn said, slapping his right hand over his heart. Ashrah suddenly leaned over the table to swat at him. V'tayn jerked back and her fingerstips grazed his cheek.

"You will be, if you do not get your act together. Life is not a game, V'tayn. Until you lean how to control your impulses, you can expect to be a wingrider for a long time. Perhaps the rest of your life. Pity too, Anarath is a fine beast. She would make a good Wingsecond's dragon if her rider had a care in his head. Enough. I have business. Find someone else to mock and play with." Ashrah said.

'Isn't there anyone with any drive?' Ashrah thought to herself. Surely, someone.

Sh'lor was a fairly quick eater and with Brieody not eating a huge meal generally, they did not take long to finish. Brielody's eyes scanned back toward Ashrah, as she watched how playfully V'tayn interacted with her. Ugh, please tell her that they weren't going to consider people like him. She couldn't imagine any one of Kyabree's friends being mature enough for a position of any power. Least wise, Kyabree herself.

Brielody had been the oldest child and therefore used to helping keep the others in check. The only disappointment being that she wasn't a male child. At the very least she had Impressed a normal dragon. Regardless though, she didn't want to just be a wingrider forever. Forever in her brother's shadow. This would be something she would be able to do for herself and Aurayath that he would have no control over.

Since their father's death, Sh'lor had taken it upon himself to be in charge of the family. It grated on her more than she would let on out loud. She could really use something to set her apart. Something that gave her some authority perhaps, not over Sh'lor but somehow making her equally as respectable in the rest of the family's eyes.

And eventually, she would be out from under his thumb entirely. Aurayath though, wasn't the brightest glow in the basket and would probably make for a poor Weyrling Master's Assistant dragon. However, Candidate Master was something that made sense. She was Weyrbred but she was also a professional and organized person. She was mature and most of the Candidates would be old enough not to bother her in the way that small children did.

So as Sh'lor went to leave, she said, "See you at the family meeting later." And she made her way over to Ashrah, who was now finished with V'tayn.

"Weyrling Master Ashrah." She said by way of greeting, "I trust Hesriath and yourself are well today? I'm Wingrider Brielody of Green Aurayath." She wanted to be sure that the woman knew who she was, though there were not all that many riders left. It was simple courtesy on her part to give her name and rank. Brielody waited for a reply before going on to address why she was there.

"I saw the notice in the entryway." Pausing for the briefest of moments, "Are you still looking to fill the position of Candidate Master?" And would they even consider a younger green and her rider? Greens weren't exactly dragons that were put into positions of power. Aurayath huffed, I am good at being social. I'd be great with Candidates! And you know you have like...three...or four...siblings who are Candidates. I don't remember the number but still most the Candidates are like related to us.

Not quite that many dearest. And you would be a very good dragon to introduce new people to. Besides the fact that the green was friendly, she was also an old guard color and that was something she wanted to expose people to in case they had some preconceived notion about old guard colors.

Ashrah looked up at Brielody and have her a nod. She did her best to conceal her surprise at the greenrider's approach; she wouldn't have thought to her from her given Sh'lors presence. Yet, when he had gone...she had come over. Ashrah patted the seat before her with the flat of her hand, inviting Brielody to sit.

"Please, join me." the Weyrling Master said. "Hesriath and I are well. Duty to your green Aurayath, Wingrider. As to the position stated, yes. I am still looking to fill the rank of Candidate Master of White Lightning."

Ashrah leaned forward and laced her fingers together, evaluating the green rider before her.

"I take it that you are looking toward your future, given your question. Are you interested in becoming Candidate Master, Brielody?" Ashrah asked, weighing the words carefully. "Naturally, you must understand that this is no simple undertaking. The Candidate Master fills one of the most vital roles in the Weyr infrastructure. The training of our young people to be presented to the newborn dragons is crucial to the very survival of this Weyr. This Weyr which, without being sensational, might in truth be the last Weyr in Pern's existance. We cannot afford to be lax or indulgent. We cannot afford to be hasty or arrogant. We must set side many personal things for the needs of our students; romantic pursuits and time with our children. It is a very demanding profession that requires us to be at the top of our game, knowledgeable and ambitious to produce the best candidates and weyrlings we can." Ashrah said and she reached for her klah, taking a sip to wet her mouth.

"Tell me, Brielody, what qualifies you for the position of Candidate Master?Tell what I need to know about you and your dragon, not what you think I want to hear." Ashrah said, matter of fact.

Brielody understood the gravity of the position. She had been a Candidate herself, for multiple clutches. She had watched friends and family as well as enemies Impress. She of all her family knew what it was like to put things aside that she wanted for herself. She'd grown to resent her siblings for having a childhood where she had not been allowed to have one. She had to grow up and be responsible for others well before her time. At any rate, she had no romantic interests. She had no children and her family would understand her being busy and dedicated to something as important as Candidate Master.

Bri took the seat as it was offered and listened. Ashrah was right, this was quite serious.

"Yes, Weyrlingmaster, I understand." She truly wouldn't have approached if she thought for one second it would be something she couldn't handle.

Almost unsure of what to say because she thought that she would have been told pretty quickly that a female greenrider was the last thing they wanted in a Candidate Master. Especially a green that was a known air-head but not all dragons were like their riders to that extreme. Brielody certainly didn't consider herself dim.

"This might sound a bit like a rambling of my traits, I apologize but I thought it best to approach you unrehearsed and sooner than later. I'll start by saying I would give you references from past Wingleaders and such but they've all died. Honeslty, I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I like to be prepared and organized for practically anything."She paused, because her family might actually be something that would count against her in this instance but decided to go along with it, "I'm Weyrbred and have many generations of dragonriding in my past, therefore adding to my knowledge of dragons and the process of Impression from a young age. I'm weyr-educated which might mean I'm no better or worse than anyone else when it comes to knowledge. Tradition has always been important to me but I'd certainly accommodate any new things that the Weyrleadership wanted to have implemented."

Clearing her throat a moment, because she felt she had been rambling, "There isn't anything I wouldn't do for the Weyr or for Pern. I'm a dragonrider first and anyone who knows me can tell you, I put my duty before anything else. As for Aurayath, she's only two Turns younger than your own Hesriath. She's got some difficulty remembering things for a long while but she is a very kind and social green. Easy to get along with. She treats all dragons and riders the same." As for the most part did Bri. She might not like the mutated dragons and a small part of her might blame them for the outbreak even knowing none of them died from it. She might not be a dragon healer but she found the mutations and the illness to be one and the same, timing wise. Would there have been an illness without them? She wasn't sure. She also wasn't fond of not knowing what to expect from the newer colors. Even some of the older mutations troubled her but in no way would she ever allow her personal bias to affect her work.

"I take this very seriously. I would never let my own opinions come to light while around the Candidates. And as my darling green has pointed out to me, I do have a three siblings who are Candidates and one who will be most likely in a couple Turns." She helped raise them too so, their accomplishments would feel like hers as well regardless of whether she got this position.

"I know I can do this, if given the chance."