The excursion to Tillek broken up the building anticipation G'ny felt about the eggs, the remaining half of Saleneth's eggs' five weeks passed quickly. Soon, the Hatching Sands were once more filled with the humming of dragons and cheering spectators from Weyr and Hold alike. Although it was a smaller procession of Candidates than usual, the possibility of a queen and the irregularity of a green-speckled mother had everyone excited. Indeed, the small gaggle of girls that had been Searched had not gathered in vain. Out of the egg Mirith had first noted came a dainty, pale yellow snout – a newborn queen, with none of her mother's characteristic verdant streaks. The Candidate she rushed to was a dark haired young woman named Nallene, one of the older girls of the group. Like G'ny, she was Holder bred, from the heavily-populated and esteemed High Reaches Hold. As such, she was sensible and as cosmopolitan as a person on Pern could be.
Nallene announced, with a grace and clarity that commanded the attention of the entire gathering, that the newest queen was called Babreth. There was something in her that inspired a particular calming confidence in G'ny. Perhaps after suffering the immaturity of Allika, it was relief that a young queen rider could rise to the responsibility of her rank that flooded G'ny. Competent leadership of the Weyr would not rest solely on her shoulders. Besides, with this batch, it seemed like quality would indeed rule out over quantity. Like Nallene, the boys who Impressed were also Holder bred, and from families respected in their respective communities. More than ever, G'ny was involved with engaging the new riders and their families. At each table, she found two proud, smiling parents and often a supportive sibling or two. Unsurprising at such a ceremonial event, she found Tillek's acting Lord Holder, Jonderan, in attendance. He caught G'ny's eye and stood up to greet her, pulling her into a warm embrace. Then he beckoned to a young man next to him.
"My youngest brother, now bluerider L'leran," Jonderan announced with pride. G'ny peeked over to see a small blue bundle curled up on the lap of the youthful man next to him. "I know you'll take good care of him. And Tillek will certainly be sending its fair share so that he won't forget the taste of home! You never know, I might need to venture up here more. Those were your Saleneth's eggs on the Sands, you were just in Tillek! At any rate, I appreciated making your acquaintance when I did." G'ny smiled graciously at Jonderan's excitement. Indeed, dragonrider ties to prominent Holder families was good for the cohesion of the two societies. G'ny wondered if Moura had sent her on the journey with a suspicion of the impending connection. After all, M'tou was experienced in Searches, was well acquainted with Tillek, and was in privity with the Weyrwoman.
It was a small, but joyous occasion. G'ny was still too in awe that her dragon had laid eggs, and a queen one at that, to be bothered that it was only seven new dragonriders that joined the Weyr that day. Unlike the previous hatching in the Weyr for which she had been present, in which she was hidden away behind a curtain of drudgery, this was her Hatching to shine. The fanfare of being at the center of it all was entirely foreign to G'ny, as she had not been raised with the imperative that her role in the Weyr was to propagate the draconic species. Many of the visitors who were new to the Weyr shared in her wonder at the situation. M'tou was particularly adept at deflecting the inquiries of prying Holders to keep G'ny's spirits unburdened by unimportant questions.
Enough time had passed since Saleneth's Hatching that Lawana had properly organized, accounted for, and replenished any supplies her staff would need and the rest of the Weyr had settled into a normal routine after all the excitement, but it had been recent enough that the patterns of how to host were still easy to recall. Soon enough, it was Azirith's turn to be the matriarch upon the Sands. Twenty three new dragonets were hers to proudly bring into the world. This was the High Reaches' largest clutch since before G'ny had been inducted into Weyrlife. In fact, the past six months had heralded the largest influx of new dragons that G'ny had ever seen. G'ny was happy to see the reinvigoration of the Weyr. With all the new blood and ordained riders, the sting of the Oldies' loss that had pervaded they Weyr was finally fading away. Although it contained no queen, Azirith's clutch was heavily stacked, with three bronzes and six browns, two of which were already quite large coming out of their shells. Not that the Weyr was in dire need of another queen. Despite the small clutch sizes, there were now effectively three rising queens, with a fourth on the way. With regular flights and Hatchings, the Weyr was sure to remain in good spirits. G'ny was heartened that little Babreth would have her share of doting bronzes. With these new recruits, the Weyr would need a seasoned Weyrlingmaster. No one was as qualified as the recently retired Weyrleader, T'tor. He was absolutely the most experienced dragonrider in the Weyr. The role gave new purpose which obscured his operative demotion and brought a smile to his face every day.
It was comforting to again hear commotion from the area of the Weyrling barracks. It went from the most to the least likely place to unexpectedly encounter a tunnelsnake. Even if G'ny has not known L'leran for having been singled out by his older brother, she, and the rest of the Weyr quickly became aware of his persona. Although he rode a blue, a color less known for being bold and commanding attention, the small size of the class meant each rider stood out in his own way. L'leran's way was to be both the biggest clown and advocate for his fellow Weyrlings. He was the first to crack a joke as well as the first to notice and settle misunderstandings on the rare occasion they arose. Largely because of his presence and their small cohort number, the elder batch of Weyrlings was a very well-behaved and close group. G'ny also wondered if having a younger class so closely below them added a pressure to be role models and not be upstaged by their younger counterparts, as she sensed an elevated maturity among the group as well. The added complexity of Weyrling classes at two different stages of development led T'tor to enlist the help of the two senior wing leaders. While T'tor would primarily plan the lessons and alternate mornings and afternoons with each class, L'can and C'lin would alternate the days on which they supplemented T'tor's instruction. As always, they were balances to each other: where C'lin was bold, risky, and drilled on repetition, L'can was patient and supportive of his charges, honing in on technique.
The usual Weyrling shenanigans brought rounds of laughter and smiles to the Great Hall - a gangling gait that results in a stubbed nose, a overly odorous stall to muck, an intended shoulder knot or riding strap that bore little resemblance to the deliverable envisioned, instead resulting in a tangled mess. One young lad failed to exercise enough care in handling a numbweed vat, turning an otherwise healthy Weyrling into a temporary invalid when he spilled it all along his left side, making walking difficult for a period of hours. They were all mishaps that time and experience would erase, none which would permanently damage a Weyrling, save for a storied scar here and there. The Weyrlings very smartly soon committed to memory T'tor's distinct klah preferences, down to additional strength at which he enjoyed it brewed and the timing and frequency at which he liked it each day.
The more senior riders of the Weyr felt just as much added responsibility at the influx of newcomers as did the newcomers who were adjusting to the brunt of chores. The burden was on these more senior members, who had to step up in the vacuum left by the more wizened Oldies before them, to not only teach the Weyrlings correct techniques, but to do so in a way that inspired loyalty to and pride in the Weyr. Sure, the likes of C'lin, T'tor, M'tou, and L'can had experience and authority, but G'ny remembered the relief of being approached by and able to confide in a kind older rider who was beyond the pressure of advancement and could level with a struggling Weyrling.
G'ny was kept busy in the newfound bustle as well. With Saleneth's eggs having become Weyrlings, Moura decided to have the pair resume messenger duty, routing G'ny and Saleneth occasionally to the Holds they initially served, but also adding new destinations to their rounds. G'ny suspected Moura this was all part of Moura's plan: to ease G'ny into the diplomatic relations a Weyrwoman's duties entailed, continuing to build her popularity beyond the Weyr's walls. All of this preparation predicated on the timing of Saleneth's fertility. It was a gamble in which G'ny could not quite share Moura's confidence, although she did her best to follow the older woman's lead. The well-being and support of beholden Holders was essential to a Weyr's success. Although most Weyrs were primarily self-sufficient during Interval within their territories, there were occasions on which they would consult each other. Indeed, twice a turn, the Weyrleaders and Weyr Harpers convened to discuss the possibility of Thread. Still, after just over two hundred years without the lethal substance, all reports indicated that all Star Stones registered negative towards any impending Thread. At the very least, it was important that enough riders traveled regularly enough to keep the reference points of each Weyr fresh for use at any moment. Equally, if not more important in this era were Weyr-Hold relations, so G'ny could expect an assignment to either or a variety of both when she checked in with Moura.
"G'ny, good to see you back. You know, I was going to meet with you tomorrow morning about your upcoming schedule, but since we're both here, do you think we could do it now? Over a bubbly pie perhaps?" Moura addressed her subordinate rider, casting an eye towards the still-warm pies. G'ny nodded with a smile in response to her Weyrwoman.
"As usual, you seem to have charmed those around you. Correspondence from Lord Olleran indicates you would be very welcome as a dispatch rider to Tillek. Although, given T'mosen's latest reports, I suspect the sentiment comes from a certain son, Jonderan? Any interest?"
"I'm happy to be wherever the Weyr needs me," G'ny replied. Although the overwhelming smell of fish had been jarring, G'ny found her time at the Hold to be quite pleasant overall. She had faith she could handle Jonderan's polite advances. She replied delicately, "On his part, sure I suspect there is."
"Well, we seem to need you all over the place, so I'll only be putting you on a secondary rotation - I'm sure Olleran and Jonderan will understand. For now, I need to ask a special favor of you. At the last convention of Weyrleaders, the Fort Weyrwoman and I got to comparing recent clutch sizes, noting that numbers really seem to be down. I told her I wanted to follow up later since neither of us had our records with us. Would you bring our records and meet with her on this matter? Ideally, you should include all of the active Weyrs. I would help you cover the territory, but there's just so much to do here, especially with two classes of Weyrlings - the second on the heels of the first." G'ny heartily assented to this request, even as she feared the results she might find through it. She was one of the most well-traveled dragonriders in the Weyr, and her dragon's unexpected clutching exploits gave her a greater understanding of the feminine nature of the task. Adjusting to new situations, managing the emotions of the stakeholders involved, and synthesizing investigations were skills G'ny had long honed, reaching back to her Holder days. Beginning with her exile to Igen, G'ny had been effectively relieved of her Wingsecond duties, and the rapid string of events since then had made return to them impractical. Rather, since Moura's return to leadership, G'ny had become the effective junior weyrwoman, who therefore had the luxury to pursue non-Wing related activities for extended periods of time. She was relieved too, with all that had happened with L'can. She resolved that her mindset towards the new experience would be one of positive determination.
"Depending on your findings, perhaps it might be in the best interest of Pern to recruit an otherwise idle Weyrlingmaster given the difficulty in balancing their staggered development, keep an eye out for anyone who might match that description." Moura strategized.