Taking Care of Business (Sidran & Casriel)

Sidran was that moment moving around various tokens she'd scavenged to represent the relative handful of dragons they had, and still unhappy with the various combinations. For the most part, the twenty-eight other riders were solid, and certainly the bulk of them had committed to making their new life work, but ten of them were barely graduated, and...

She sighed, ran a hand through her hair, and put on a pleasantly inquiring expression. "Come in, Wingleader." By all means.

Gaveth's response was wordless, but, for Gaveth, nearly pleasant.

With Maraxith settling down in the back of her mind, Casriel opened the door, entered and shut it behind her. Her turquoise eyes flicked to the table and she nodded appreciatively. Sidran seemed to be considering the matter even as it had come to Casriel it merited discussion.

'She has her head toward business.' Casriel thought and sat herself across from her Weyrleader.

"A crisp and well thought out diagram." she said.

"I take it the matter has been on your mind for sometime. Who have you placed where according to this map?" she asked. Casriel leaned in, obviously interested from the outset. When the matter did not entail some crumb of emotional relevance, Casriel seemed quite professional. She looked on with a calm, attentive and thoughtful expression and her body language spoke of interest.

She nodded her thanks for the complimentary observation, her focus back on the hide and various tokens across it. "I've moved them back and forth. Ashrah will need a 'second before long, at least to serve as candidatemaster, and these eighteen are barely out of candidatehood themselves. Maraxith did himself proud, of course, they're fine riders, but..."

She pointed to three other markers - hers, Casriel's, and Br'son's. "We can put some of the younger riders with Br'son for seasoning, but really it needs to be you and me. So I tried it this way, with each of us forming smaller clusters in the wings where D'kan and H'den can help train, though that's still hardly ideal." They had minimal Falls to fly, which was the only reason they even had the luxury to figure this out. "Do you see another option here?" A genuine question, though she didn't look up to gauge the other cobaltrider's reaction to being asked.

"But they are practically children." Casriel finished for her and she nodded her agreement. They had been cleared from Weyrlinghood on the opinion that valuable time could not be wasted on mutations. Still wet behind the wings and rife with dangerous probabilities.

"If Ashrah had an assistant I would suggest remedial classes for both classes of Maraxith and Parazath. But we do not have a person yet who can take the position. This seems a doable way to proceed." Casriel said, nodding.

"Indeed, I would like to train some of the young people personally. If they ride me wing, they will need to know how to accord themselves properly. No horseplay. No daredevil antics. " she added. Casriel would not risk losing even a single quartz dragon from any clutch Maraxith sired. She could not bring back Garrah and Parazath but she could keep the dragons of her blood line alive and well.

"Tell me, Sidran. Is there any news from Eastern. Any of the traditional riders willing to defect?" Casriel asked.

"They day scarlet Hesriath rose to mate, blue Thortoth of Weyrsinger T'kal and bronze Nolinth of Wingleader Jah'vi were in White Lightning territory. Could they be thinking of leaving Eastern and if so, would they have fellows who would follow them?"

At that, Sidran looked up, eyes narrowing slightly. Clearly not for Casriel or her question, but the situation as a whole. "Nothing from Eastern, but the riders know where we are. Unless the queens are restricting them, there's nothing stopping someone from joining us." She paused a moment, thoughtfully. "And I bet they are. A few of our clutchmates fought against this relocation, and I'd like to think at least some would be willing to join us..." Even if it meant choosing exile? She liked to think so. "But they didn't send us here to survive, so maybe they all think we're doomed."

Sidran's smile then was basically a baring of teeth. "More's the pity for them, when they find out we're thriving." Or near enough to. "Br'son may be in touch with Firene, but I've been cautious about sending anything to anyone - I don't want to remind them we had eggs hatch, and have them coming round to try and claim what isn't theirs. Maybe it will be easier now that you have Victory." A gold fire lizard wouldn't go unnoticed, of course, but no one at Eastern would know to connect one to Casriel, and messages went in and out of the Weyr all the time.

Casriel had to ponder that for a moment. None of the Easterners knew she had a gold firelizard, a female that would prove to be very intelligent as she grew. She would need to be trained to accept coordinates, how to accept images from Casriel's mind about who to take a message to. Then there was the matter of allies.

'T'kal is still very much in love with Asteriel. A possible ally. I wish I could trust Castera but she is very much under S'riels thumb. Then there was Latia.

"You make a very promising proposition. I will need to train Victory extensively but she could be taught to carry messages. T'kal could prove an ally...he was a vocal sympathizer. He is Weyrsinger but one has to wonder how much influence a bluerider can push in Eastern. I wouldn't bet on much." Casriel said.

"A brown, maybe. A bronze, for sure. A blue?" she added. She knew Eastern Weyr kept the colors in a strict line. She couldn't see a bluerider making much difference.

"A Weyrsinger has reason to talk to all sorts of people though, when it comes to gauging potential interest," Sidran said thoughtfully. Her mother, the Headwoman, had stayed firmly out of dragonrider politics all her life, but perhaps now, with the reality of it sunk in, she could be persuaded to do something.

"I know it can't be right away, but I appreciate your thinking about it." Again, genuine, if lightly spoken. "In the meantime, shall we split the younglings? Kalabria and R'fariel for you, V'tayn and L'thyr for me?"

"Yes, I think Kyabree and R'fariel will do well and worry not. I will go hard, if not more so, on my cousin. No nepotism on my part." Casriel said. No, she would not have it said she went softly on any one of her Wingriders. They all would be strong soldiers, her own loyal troops if she had her say.

"L'thyr is a good boy, though I feel he is holding back. V'tayn....he is a self indulgent little harlot but not without passion. He has the drive, if not the discipline." Casriel chuckled.

She lifted a shoulder. "They all have potential, and I know you wouldn't go easy on anyone." Sidran shook her head and looked back at the chart. "Would you prefer a scarlet for your other 'second? I though I might do a scarlet and a quartz, for mine." Gaveth would work better that way, for one.

"Yes, in fact I formally request H'den. Nimath is a strong and capable Scarlet. I have seen her in the air and I approve of her skill. H'den will make a good Wingsecond." Casriel said with a nod of her head. Then she looked up at Sidran with curious eyes.

"Whom have your chosen from the quartz rider?" she asked.

Sidran nodded firmly. "I had thought of him for you as well. Good, yes, let's call that settled. I'm considering both E'ret and Siona for the quartz 'second - I don't know that Siona wants to be a second, but she certainly has the ability."

((ooc - I'm thinking the scarlet might be the other one from their class, but as he/she doesn't exist in the game yet, just gonna leave that vague...))

Casriel was pleased with that and nodded her head about the pair of Quartz riders.

"Siona's dragon has a keen Search ability. Always a nice talent in a dragon, I think. E'ret is a solid man, responsible and honorable. A little holdbound but with a solid work ethic. " Casriel said, rubbing her chin with her right hand.

"Would that we had more riders, Sidran. Normally, I wouldn't suggest non-riders in these positions but we could recruit one of the canyoners for assistant weyrling master and assistant candidate master. We just don't have enough people to keep our Weyrling Master and her dragon on the ground. I see Hesriath out there training alongside her weyrlings and Ashrah drills herself hard. We can't afford to keep her Scarlet on the ground come Threadfall. Just so for whomever is elevated to Candidate Master. Dragons have to fly, when Thread is in the sky."

There was nothing preachy or snide in Casriel's voice, just a moderate tone for the harsh facts before them.

"I know," Sidran grumbled, running her hands through her hair. "And no matter how much I move the tokens around it doesn't change. But having a nonrider isn't going to help either Ashrah or candidates. We have some time - Yllaveth likely won't rise right away again," that a bit dry, "and we have time before those little shadows are ready. Ashrah can handle thirteen, and to your point, someone in the canyon can be in charge of the chores and Thread duties for candidates and weyrlings respectively..." she mused for a moment, hands still holding her hair back.

"That will work. Not candidatemaster or assistant Weyrlingmaster, but a point person for the in between times...I'll talk with Avidian, and get his recommendations. Glad you stopped by, Casriel. It really is nice to work with you, for once." A little dry there, as well, but genuine all the same.

Casriel nodded. They needed to have the support of the canyon folk. Best way to do that was to put them in places were they could contribute and feel appreciated for their efforts.

"The feeling is mutual, Sidran." Casriel said and she rose. "I have nothing more at this time but should you need me, I will be available."

~Itchy. Hungry!! Itchy!~

The message came in more feelings that actual words but Casriel smiled to feel how strongly the sensation came to her.

"Victory is hungry again. I bid you a good day, Weyrleader." Casriel said and then moved to leave.

"Enjoy, wingleader." She waved, but was already looking back down at her diagram.

Gaveth settled comfortably in the back of her head, less alert with the other cobaltrider leaving.

Work to do, and it was nice to have an equal to bounce off of - no matter how fleeting that might be.