From Hallowed Halls (Attn: Any)

There had been no dragon healthy enough to provide transport. For days she had traveled by wagon from Eastern Hold until they had reached the river. Then a mark for man who offered the use of his boat and had ported her and her belongings, such as they were, to White Lightning Weyr. It seemed so empty at first, rock full of shadows as the evening spent its way down.

'Its so quiet.' May thought. At one time the air would have been full of dragon musk and calls but now there were so few. Firelizards had been fewer still, the little darlings.

"Here we be, ma'am. Let me help you with your things."

"That is very kind of you, sir." May demurred, pushing her red hair back from her speckled face.

Melieste looked up at the new arrival, and pasted a smile on her face. Truth be told, she was so bored that she could scarcely think. The shadow queen was soon to lay her eggs, but until that time, it was just endless, mind-numbing chores. And to make matters worse, no one seemed interested in letting her have anything to do with the bookkeeping or inventory... Or anything! It was the strangest thing, and at the end of the day, Melieste could only attribute it to the criminal activity that was a constant blight on this place.

But now! Someone new! Someone... Female, it seemed. And looking maybe a little wistful? Well, Melieste could certainly understand that reaction. I mean, it wasn't as if this was a proper Weyr at all. It had certainly made her wistful to see the level to which Pern's Dragons had been reduced.

"Greetings!" She called out in her most cheerful voice. She stepped carefully across the uneven rocks toward the young woman and smiled. "Welcome to White Lightning Weyr, such as it is. I am Melieste, Queen candidate here. May I help you find... Something?"

"Well met and thank you, Queen's candidate." May said softly. She had heard of lovely, young women being chosen to Impress to queens, favored among the riders. She had certainly seen such at Eastern Weyr.

"My name is May. Dragon healer, journeyman's class. It is a pleasure to meet you." May added. Her pale teal eyes gazed up at the darkening stone of the Weyr. She could hear the dragons now and a trace of their musk came warm and spicy on the wind to her nose. That made her hear beat a little softer, calmed her rolling stomach. She couldn't stand any more dragon death, though she knew there would be more thought out her career.

'It comes with the territory.' she thought, her old Master's words coming back to her. She stilled her heart. She would push through this. She had to.

"Melieste, I know you must be very busy but if you could please show me were the Weyrleader's office might be, I would be most thankful." May asked gently.

"Of course, Journeyman May," Melieste said with a smile. She'd grown up in a craft hall, and knew well the amount of work and dedication it took to reach Journey rank. And in such a small, select craft as dragon healing! Clearly, May was someone respectable.

Finally.

"Weyrleader Sidran's office is just there, in the far wall. I'll walk you over, since the stairs can be a bit treacherous. Ordinarily, I'd introduce you to the Headwoman as well, except that we don't have one of those," she said with a bit of a disdainful sniff. "Only the old criminal who used to run this place before the exiled dragons arrived. He's a cold one, and make no mistake. His name is Avidian, and I'd advise you to have as little as possible to do with him. His eyes make my blood run to ice."

The smile filed May with relief. It was good to have a woman to talk to; speaking with men could be so....vexing at times. She had only begun to address the male apprentices with a measure of authority, encouraged handily by her Master Dragonhealer. It had been a learning process, that was to be certain.

"Sidran?" May asked with gentle surprise. "The Weyrleader is a woman?"

Her red eyebrows lifted in surprise. She knew that the senior queen's rider was male. Riders and crafters alike whispered about the sole Titanium rider of all of Pern. He was something of an infamous individual. A female Weyrleader in addition. Men on queens.

'All of Pern has turned on its head, after a fashion. The future makes of us what it will. How the Ancients would have gaped and wondered.' May thought to herself. A stand of her hair lay across her right shoulder and her right hand came up to tuck it back behind her ear.

"Avidian." May said, testing the name in her mouth. "I'll keep that in mind and thank you for your council, Melieste. No Headwoman? By the stars, how does anything get done? What of the old Headwoman of Eastern Weyr?"

If May was surprised by a female Weyrleader, she was shocked by the lack of a Headwoman. How else did a Weyr functions in its part independent of the dragonriders. Who counted the barley, noted the need for fish and eggs, milk and klah if not the Headwoman.

"I apologize." May said suddenly. "That was rude. Of course, the Weyrleaders must have things in hand."

Melieste snorted again and gave May a significant look, but did not speak aloud of her doubt that anyone had anyone had anything well in hand at this so-called Weyr.

"I don't know what happened to her," she said instead, speaking of the old Headwoman at Eastern. "She was still there when I left with Wingleader Jah'vi's group. He's quirky, but an honorable bronzerider and, if you ask me, the best choice for our next Weyrleader. It's been a Turn since Yllaveth rose, so it could be anytime now," she said with some anticipation. "And Shadow Aliseth recently took her maiden flight, so there will be eggs very soon. I shall have to stand, of course, for there is no way to tell which eggs hold queens and which do not, anymore. Have you heard of the Shadows?" Melieste asked, with some vivacity. She always enjoyed this type of goss... ER... Exchange.