[Meeting] Future Imperfect (L'vey/Senar)

[lithle]

When the Weyrlings had been young, they had slept in the great stone barracks built for that express purpose. And L'vey, wanting to be close to them, had slept there too. In the end, it hadn't been enough. It hadn't been nearly enough. But now, he sat at the table he'd set up in his 'section' of the barracks, looking at a list of names on a sheet of hide.

It was morning, the sun had barely risen. But L'vey was never much for sleeping. These days, it seemed no one was much for sleeping. And if it was unfortunate to be waking someone else up this early, well, if they wanted to be a candidate, that was a weight they'd have to bear.

Faeth, my love, could you have the guards bring Senar to me? he asked.

You will wear yourself out doing meetings this way. Faeth scolded.

It is the right way. L'vey wasn't stubborn. Simply truthful. They had to do better this time. Don't you want me to do the right thing.

And for once, Faeth's answer wasn't instant and adamant. Yes, mine. I suppose I do. She was silent a moment, as she asked the guardmaster to have one of his people find Senar and escort him to the weyrling barracks.

Empty. They were empty now and they felt empty. Such a great room to have only L'vey to fill it. A new class soon, to be protected and contained by those doors. He watched the westward one, waiting for Senar to arrive with his escort.

((It is up to you whether this is before or after the touching, but please indicate which in your post.))

[firebird]

((Before, preferably.))

Senar had been asleep. He had liked being asleep, especially after the long hours he had spent mixing dyes the previous day. Really, it was amazing how much clothing they had that needed to be dyed that particular shade of red. Or orange, given that it was very likely that they'd have prisoner Weyrlings after the hatching. He'd been mostly working with the red dyes, though, and the stains on his hands and arms were proof of that.

He did not appreciate being woken up at the crack of dawn and told that L'vey was expecting him. The walk over to the Weyrling barracks woke him up a bit, but the quickly rising sun woke him up the rest of the way. Gah, why was it so bright here? Senar was tempted to cover his eyes and let the guard guide him, but he preferred not to stumble over his own feet on the uneven ground.

He didn't complain out loud, though. Senar stayed perfectly quiet while he was ushered in to see L'vey. He wasn't entirely sure why he was there, so he would let the other man start speaking first. Maybe he would find out why he had been woken up so early.

[lithle]

The barracks were only dimly lit. There were baskets of glows along one wall, and another small basket beside L'vey's desk. The windows were only slits, allowing in slivers of light. Overall, the effect was shadowy and a bit dour. The lighting had been better when the barracks were occupied. But for now, well, there were other places that needed the glows more.

"Senar, please, if you'll join me." He gestured to the chair across from him. There was also a steaming mug of klah, if the man wanted it. If not, well, there was still a steaming mug of klah. It'd just get cold if he chose not to drink it.

He also had a mug for the guard who'd brought the prisoner-candidate over. "Please, if you'll wait outside, I'll return Senar to you soon."

That taken care of, he settled into his seat, his fingers resting lightly on the desk. "I'm sorry to summon you so early, but I'm afraid my time is a bit limited. You intend to stand for the eggs, correct? I thought we might talk a bit about that. I'm L'vey, I take care of the Weyrlings. You'll be in my charge, should you impress."

Alright, where to begin? Well, at the start, he supposed. "Do you have any questions?"

[firebird]

Senar was grateful both for the dim lighting and for the mug of klah. Maybe the latter would stop him from falling back into the haze of sleepiness that threatened to take him over again. After taking the seat (not very gracefully, mind) he immediately took up L'vey's offer. Wonderful, hot, steaming klah... If the drink itself didn't keep him awake, the heat certainly would. Ow.

The guard likewise took a mug of his own, and nodded in thanks before leaving the room. Senar took a moment to compose his thoughts. Questions, questions... Well, there were rumors he'd like to ask about, but they were probably nonsense. There was no way any of the riders at Warden's would let anyone drive all the odd colors between at hatching. Actually, most of the rumors were about the odd colors. Fancy that.

Well, actually... "Are there enough candidates, or enough of a variety, for all of the eggs to Impress?" He had heard about clutches where hatchlings betweened. He knew it sometimes happened even if there were plenty of choices for the hatchlings, but at a place like Warden's where most of the candidates were either guards' children or prisoners? He didn't want to see dragons disappear.

[lithle]

What a surprising question. Charming, almost, to find the boy's first concern wasn't his own chance of impression or what'd happen to him after. Instead, he asked after the potential of the clutch to survive. If he were the type to smile, he might have. As it was, he simply inclined his head slightly in acknowledge the query.

It was a sweet question. It wasn't, however, particularly productive to the conversation they needed to have.

"There's never an answer to that question, I'm afraid." The concern was less now than it had been before the theft. That was hardly a comfort. "But we have enough candidates that the chances of losing a hatchling are no greater than normal."

It wasn't the most comforting of responses but it was the best he could do.

"Now, I do have some questions for you." He'd make it all clear this time. Somehow, he'd avoid all the confusion and hurt that had sprung up after the last hatching. "Have you considered the potential consequences of impressing? After five turns with us, the Dragon Watch might free you." L'vey could say nothing of how likely it might be, as no one had yet been eligible for parole. But it needed mentioning. "If you impress you'll earn your freedom after you graduate from training. But I can not promise you'll ever manage to transfer from Warden's. The other Weyr's are shy of us, especially with the new colors."

[firebird]

Oh. There was always the chance of the dragons betweening, was there? That was depressing. Senar knew that dragons could not survive without a rider, but sometimes he wondered why that was. Humans could survive without a dragon (though usually not ones who had a dragon and then lost it), so why not dragons without a human?

There was no time to think, however; there were questions to answer. He hadn't thought about life after the prison. He certainly couldn't return to Harper Hall, not after running away like that. He wouldn't want to be anywhere near Fort Hold, or the Dust smuggling ring might find him again. Returning to Warden's Weyr after a second arrest was something he wanted to avoid above all else.

"I don't have anywhere to go if I get the chance to leave," Senar said. "I can't just live with my mother; I'll have to do something with my life. The crafthalls probably wouldn't accept a former prisoner." Really, Impressing a dragon would be the best thing that could happen. He would have a means of earning his living, and a much better one than becoming a drudge somewhere far from where he was arrested.

"I wouldn't mind staying at Warden's if I had to. It's not like I could ever become a Starsmith, anyway."