July 27, 2004
R'hyn takes Kiora to task for her absense from the meeting, and they work out a kind of plan.

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Dragon> Siramyth senses that Arisvath nudges your mind softly, warm and soothing. << R'hyn needs to see yours. He... >> He sounds reluctant. << Says it needs to be now. In the Council Chambers. >>

Kiora enters from the anteroom.

R'hyn has been here for a while, by the look of things - there's a basket of slightly stale looking pastries in front of him, and a number of papers. The meeting was supposed to be this morning. He doesn't seem to have moved since.

Kiora slinks in from the weyrleader's complex, attempting to flatten the wrinkles out of her clothing; she's just this side of presentable, looking as if she rushed despite her close proximity to the council room. "R'hyn?" It's just loud enough so that she can claim she tried in the event she decides to try and sneak out. "Siramyth said you wanted to speak to me."

"I do," agrees R'hyn, indicating the seat across from him, without actually looking up. He doesn't sound very pleased. "Do you know what today is, Kiora?"

"Day four," Kiora offers weakly, moving closer but not taking her seat. "Second month. It's still winter," she adds, as if talking about the weather will distract him. "I got a sweater."

R'hyn looks up, finally. The distinct displeasure on his face is a little out of place; he's not really the type to get angry, most of the time. "It may well be. But I was referring to the schedule for the day, and the meeting that you failed to show up for. Sit."

Kiora's shoulders sag, and she perches on the edge of the chair, her eyes on her lap. "I wasn't feeling good this morning. I didn't -- I wasn't /going/ to miss it. I didn't think I was."

"Not feeling well how?" R'hyn wants to know. "Because unless it was life-threatening, or you simply could not get out of bed, you should have been there - and in future, I will rouse you there myself. You are the Senior Weyrwoman of Fort, Kiora, and I need you to start acting like it."

"I felt /sick/," Kiora replies irritably, frowning up at him briefly. "I didn't feel good last night, either. Ask that healer, Finola. She gave me stuff for headaches. And then she told me how I had to find out about the tithe trains for her, because she's almost out of supplies, and she ran out of fellis treating people who had more than headaches so she was sorry I couldn't have any of that."

R'hyn shrugs his shoulders. "I don't care. Look, Kiora, I don't want to be mean, but I need you to start acting like an adult. Geraine says you've been running away from her. And then this. They're willing to work with us, but it means we /all/ have to take responsibility. I don't want to have to lie for you."

"I haven't been running away!" Kiora huffs indignantly, apparently hurt by this most of all. "So what if I don't want people frowning at me all the time, or pretending to be nice because they feel bad and then telling folks how stupid I am once I'm gone. Nobody has to lie for me. If somebody wants my responsibility, they can take it." She goes to take her knot from her shoulder, struggling slightly. "It was all an accident anyway. Siramyth'll lay her eggs and I'll go home, and you three can pick whoever you want to replace me and I can feel sick as much as I want."

"I don't like it either," says R'hyn, quietly - and with less displeasure in his voice. "But you're going to have to get used to it. Because it may have been an accident, but it did happen, and it isn't going to go away. Your responsibility - to Siramyth, to me, and to Fort - is to be as good a Weyrwoman as you can be. Prove to them, that you're not stupid. That you're capable, and that we're going to make Fort better than ever. I'll help."

Kiora snickers faintly. "People won't stop thinking I'm stupid. It'd be too much to ask." She finally gets the knot off, setting it on the table and pushing it towards him. "You pick somebody. Pick Geraine. Ask for somebody else. You've done this before. Pick somebody new, and let them pick a new Weyrleader, and we can all just go home." She rubs her nose, looking at her lap again. "I didn't ask for any of this, ever. I love Siramyth, but now we've forced you into this, too, and even though it's okay when I mess up little stuff ... leading a Weyr's not something where I just get fussed at and sent off to copy some stuff."

R'hyn shoves the knot back with a swipe of his hand, sending it scuttling across the table. "No."

Kiora doesn't move to take it again. "Then I'll just go," she insists. "Siramyth and me. People can say what they want, but everything'll be better in the end. You know I'm not supposed to do this," she adds, looking back up at him with pleading eyes. "Why can't we just let Fortians figure things out the way they want?"

"Because that isn't the way things work. Where are you going to go? Ista doesn't want you back. You said so yourself." R'hyn only pauses for a fraction of a moment, then continues, "No. I'm sorry, Kiora, but you ARE staying here, and you ARE the Senior Weyrwoman. And you need to grow up, right now, and accept that."

"I don't want to." Kiora keeps her eyes on him, but rubs her nose again. "How am I supposed to handle all this? I had to take lessons just to be able to copy the records neatly. I can't just get lessons for this."

R'hyn shrugs, pushing away his long-empty mug. "So? Neither do I. We don't always get what we want. In fact, we often don't. How are you going to handle all this? You're going to learn. From Alyssa, from Geraine, from me. I am /going/ to lead you through this. However I can."

Kiora keeps quiet for a few minutes, dropping her eyes to her lap once more. "I'm really sorry," she offers eventually, quiet again. "For making you do this. In general, I guess, weyrleading and ... this, and all. It's just in the past couple of days, everybody keeps telling me what's wrong and what to do, or doesn't tell me anything because they're mad, and nobody's ever done anything like that before. I'm just supposed to be the one nobody pays attention to. E'van and Ainsley were always in charge, at home, so I just sat around and gave folks a good laugh, and ... I liked it that way."

"The Weyrleadership is not your fault, Kiora," murmurs R'hyn, picking up a pastry from the basket, and slowly shredding it to pieces. "All right. So you're feeling like you're drowning in it. Here's what we'll do: you'll make a list, of all the things that need to get done. And every morning, you and I will sit down and work through them, and figure out what to do. And we'll delegate - to Alyssa, and to Geraine. You'll need to organise regular meetings with them, too. Use their experience. Stick it out, Ki. In a couple of turns, when Siramyth's clutch is all grown up, and maybe the next one after it, we can step down, and let the Fortians take over again. But right now, they need us."

Kiora toys with the hem of her sweater, nodding. "I guess I can do that. Make a list, that is. Sometimes I had to do that anyway ..." She trails off, shakes her head as if to clear it, and continues. "For a couple of turns. I guess I could do that. You promise you'll help me?" She looks up again, nervous. "That harper, Willa, keeps talking about people wanting to take advantage of me. You promise you'll help make sure nobody does?"

R'hyn gives Kiora a half smile. "Sometimes, I have to do it, too. There's too much to keep track of. Just for a couple of turns. And, you know, you may find you like it, eventually." R'hyn doesn't so too sure for his own part, but he smiles encouragingly. "I promise. That's why I'm here. Willa - well. She may be right. Be careful. Don't trust anyone trying to be /too/ helpful, and keep running things past me. We're a team, we work together."

Kiora manages a mild smile of her own. "I'll do my best. S'all I can ever do, I guess." She reaches for her knot, toying with it nervously. "Do you think I should see if T'ren and Geraine want to talk to me? Maybe I should apologize to them, too. They can't think too much of me right now."

R'hyn shakes his head, lips parting into a brief smile. "No - we're continuing the meeting. Tomorrow morning? I'll let them know, and I'll pick you up on the way there." It's not, his voice suggests, that he doesn't trust her, just... "We'll fix it. It'll work out."

Kiora bobs her head, looking relieved. "Tomorrow morning's fine. Just let Siramyth know, first." She straightens a few more wrinkles on her skirt. "Thanks for ... um, being so ... so something." She frowns thoughtfully. "I don't know. But thanks. I'm real sorry for not coming this morning. I know it couldn't have looked real good for you, and I promise I'll try harder to be more responsible." She rubs her nose. "Bet Ainsley'd come yell at me if I made her look any worse, anyway."

"I will," says R'hyn, nodding quickly. "You're welcome. It's okay - I understand. We'll get there, eventually." He laughs, quietly. "I bet she would. I'm sure that would make things look just great. Thanks, Kiora. Pop that knot back on, and get back to whatever you were doing. I'm always here if you need me, though. Just have Siramyth nudge Arisvath."

Kiora slips her knot back on, straightening it carefully. "A'raz brought me my sweater," Ki offers, beaming. "His mom made it for me. I should say thanks before he has to go, I guess, so he can let her know." She stands, curtseying politely. "Siramyth'll probably bother Arisvath anyway. Have a nice evening, R'hyn ... see you in the morning, I guess." A mild beam and another curtsey, and then she makes her way out.

Kiora heads out the tunnel to the anteroom.

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