When J'ray left the kitchen, he passed several members of his wing entering the dining area. B'fit was entertaining some of the younger riders with a tale of how he had once fallen off Merth while flying over the Southern Sea when he decided to fly with only one set of straps instead of the proper gear. "Fortunately, we were over water. Also fortunately, I'm a pretty good swimmer. But most fortunately, Merth got to me quickly because I was too far out to swim all the way back to shore. Merth snatched me out of the water and went between with me back to the Weyr. He arrived right in front of the Weyrwoman and Retti and put me down as gently as he could in front of them. They got me inside quickly, but I still caught a chill from being wet while between that kept me laid up for the rest of the season."
"So, the lesson to be learned is never fly over water?" joked one of the blueriders.
"No, the lesson is: don't be a wherry-brain," said J'ray, stopping to frown at the bluerider. "It's also to wear your straps so that you don't fall out of the sky." As he snapped these words, he saw S'per approach from the other end of the hall.
"Good morning, B'fit, K'ber, H'gon, P'nel," S'per greeted his wingmates.
J'ray raised his eyebrows at the omission of his own name. "Good morning, S'per," he said, evenly. He hoped that if he conveyed his own ease about what had happened the previous day, S'per would follow suit.
"Oh, good morning, Wingleader. I didn't see you behind K'ber," S'per replied, not making eye contact. Since J'ray stood stood at least a hand higher than K'ber, he felt that was unlikely, but chose not to make the moment more awkward for S'per than it was. Instead, J'ray settled for an icy glare in B'fit's direction, since his wingsecond was starting to shake with the effort of holding in his laughter.
Oeth, I love you, but you made things sharding difficult by catching one of our own wingmates, J'ray thought, knowing his dragon was asleep.
What? a sleepy Oeth responded, in his mind.
Nothing. Go back to sleep. I was just thinking too loudly.
I am not sleepy anymore, but I AM dirty and itchy, Oeth complained.
I am coming out to bathe and oil you right now, J'ray promised.
A short time later, J'ray was up to his armpits in the bay, the majority of his clothing was safely out of the reach of the lapping waves, and he was scrubbing Oeth while the dragon splashed playfully. The morning was warm, but not uncomfortably hot as it would be in summer, and J'ray was content to focus on nothing but his dragon's health and happiness at that moment. In fact, he had fallen into such a meditative state that he failed to notice the great golden dragon joining the pair until she broke the surface of the water with such a force that J'ray lost his balance and went under momentarily.
When he found his footing again, he stood up to see the Weyrwoman grinning at him. "Really, now, J'ray, is that all the more alert you train your wing to be?"
"Oeth didn't warn me!"
Rowath told me not to, his dragon replied, matter-of-factly.
Although she was about fifteen Turns older than J'ray, Weyrwoman Sakora was still a striking woman, and J'ray admired the way she kept the Weyr—and the Weyrleader, N'mon, in line. While N'mon enjoyed the physical health that most older dragonriders possessed, he was becoming less active with every passing year, and J'ray suspected that Rowath's next flight would bring about a new Weyrleader. He considered himself one of three or four frontrunners and hoped Oeth would bring him the honor.
Oeth, knowing that J'ray was thinking about him, looked inquiringly in his rider's direction. You would like me to fly Rowath when she rises, the dragon said.
Yes, I would. Would you like that? J'ray asked.
Of course. She is the senior queen, and I am big enough and old enough now to catch her, Oeth boasted. I have caught plenty of greens!
"Rowath says to stop mooning over her and help scrub if you are done with Oeth," Sakora called out, chuckling. J'ray blushed, but he swam in the gold pair's direction as Oeth took flight so that he could dry off on the beach. Sakora began scrubbing Rowath's right side, as J'ray approached the golden dragon's left. Rowath rolled an eye in his direction as he nodded a greeting to her before he stretched up to help clean her.
The two worked in silence for some time, J'ray feeling unsure if he should attempt small talk with Sakora or not. At last, Sakora laughed, apparently at something Rowath had said to her.
"Rowath wants to go to sleep now," Sakora explained, "but she asked me to thank you for helping because you are good at cleaning dragons, Bronzerider."
"Well, Oeth gives me plenty of practice," J'ray said, dryly, but with a deep bow in Rowath's direction.
It didn't take the two dragons or their riders long to dry as the sun rose higher in the morning sky. They quickly put their riding gear back on and flew back to the Weyr bowl, with Sakora throwing J'ray a quick good-bye wave as she headed for the senior queen's weyr. He found himself wondering how the Weyrwoman passed the time while her queen slept. Besides caring for her dragon, like all riders, she also had her administrative duties, J'ray mused. He knew she spent a lot of time instructing Loya, the junior queenrider, in the running of the Weyr, also.
It was almost time for the noon meal, which J'ray always ate with his wing. Entering the dining room, he sat down beside B'fit. "Ready for this evening?" J'ray asked his wingsecond.
"I suppose. Evening training is a little cooler than morning training, I suppose." B'fit held the eye of one of the women carrying a pot of klah. She hurried over and filled his mug, blushing and smiling at the brownrider. To J'ray's amusement, she then wandered off without filling his own mug. Another of the women rushed over to do so.
"Blech!" J'ray said, spitting his first mouthful back into the mug and disgustedly pushing it across the table.
"It's not that bad," B'fit said in a toneless voice, his eyes following the woman who had smiled at him.
"Your taste buds have been burnt off by all that cheap quickal that you've been drinking," J'ray scoffed. "Or else you're projecting your feelings for the woman that served it into the klah. Because I assure you, my friend, what you're drinking is rank mud water."
B'fit finished his klah and set the mug down, grinning at J'ray. "You know, there's nothing as unmanly as a picky eater."
"I ride a bronze," J'ray retorted.
"And it's a good thing for the Weyr that he isn't as fussy an eater as you are."
"I'm not a fussy eater. I'll eat almost anything if I'm hungry enough. I just don't pretend it's good when it's not."
B'fit laughed and let his wingleader have the last word as the servers approached them with bowls of fish chowder and cracklings.
"Mmm," J'ray sighed, after swallowing the first mouthful. "No one makes chowder like Retti."
"Well, no. How could they? No one else has her recipes," said one of the blueriders, sitting down across from B'fit.
"Surely, someone does." F'sal, a greenrider, and his weyrmate, M'len, joined the group. "I mean, Retti isn't going to live forever, so why wouldn't she pass her secrets on to her successor? Maybe the Weyrwoman has all the good ones written down somewhere."
M'len snorted. "They're just recipes, not the Teaching Ballads. If Retti's die with her, the next headwoman will have the cooks make whatever they know how."
J'ray found himself becoming irrationally annoyed by the turn of the conversation. He didn't like thinking of a time when Retti wouldn't be available for good advice and good bread.
You are angry, said Oeth, in his mind. His dragon was upset.
J'ray remembered that dragons generally lived in the present moment and pulled his thoughts back to the immediate future—evening training for fighting Thread.
I am fine now, he reassured Oeth.
You were angry with M'len, Oeth persisted. Do you want me to bespeak Vieth?
No, I was just... irritated, and I am fine now, J'ray repeated.
J'ray felt Oeth's relief. Are we going to practice flaming again? the bronze asked.
Yes, we will all go out when we are done eating, J'ray answered, amused.
Oh, good! I like to flame! came his dragon's happy response.
Remember, this is not a game, J'ray cautioned his dragon. We are preparing for Thread.
Oeth made a determined noise. We must flame Thread, his dragon said in agreement.