As usual, J'ray awoke well before sunrise the next morning. He knew that breakfast would not be ready yet, but he went to the kitchen anyway, knowing that Retti, the little old headwoman, would be supervising the bakers and that he could always talk her into a thick slice of the first loaf of bread. He didn't bother eating bread any other time of the day; as far as J'ray was concerned, bread that hadn't just come out of the oven wasn't worth eating, and in the Weyr one could afford to be a little bit choosy, especially if one happened to be a bronzerider and a wingleader.
White-haired Retti, who claimed to be into her eighth decade, did not move as fast as she used to, but she still managed the Lower Caverns with the help of her staff and did more than her fair share of the harder work herself. Although the red-headed Weyrwoman Sakora had offered several times to let the still-feisty headwoman retire comfortably anywhere on Pern, Retti cheerfully refused, claiming that she wanted to work right up until the day she fell over. Sakora had quietly told the other goldriders that it was a relief that Retti wanted to continue working, since the Lower Caverns always fell into chaos those few times each Turn when Retti fell ill or went to visit her extended family for a couple of days.
"Good morning, beautiful," J'ray said, as he strode into the kitchen, bending to kiss the headwoman on the cheek. As usual, she was in the middle of firing off a string of directions to the women working around her while keeping a practiced eye on the drudges, as well.
"Good morning, nuisance," she replied, but she gave him a mischievous smile that made J'ray think to himself once again that if he had only been born into his grandfather's generation, Retti could have been his ideal woman. "That small loaf there is just out of the oven, and since it's far too small to serve, we may as well just split it. Jebbi, get Wingleader J'ray some fresh butter, please, and bring us two mugs of klah."
As the other woman scurried to do the headwoman's bidding, J'ray found himself seated across from Retti at a small table with the best view of the kitchen. After Jebbi had brought them the klah and butter and Retti had sent her off to the storerooms for another task, the headwoman fixed her keen eyes on J'ray and asked, "So, how did yesterday's practice go?"
J'ray snorted. "I'm sure word has gotten around by now."
"If you mean that Oeth caught Fisith, yes, it has," Retti said. "But I've lived in the Weyr for over sixty years now, so I'm relatively confident that I know how that went."
"Well, then, to answer your question, practice was going quite well until it was cut short." J'ray frowned when he realized what he had just admitted. "That stays between us, though, right? I don't want the wing getting cocky..."
"If anyone has the audacity to ask me, I will tell them that you said they look like the back end of a half-eaten runnerbeast," Retti said, chuckling. She patted the Wingleader's hand in a motherly fashion.
"Thank you," J'ray said, flashing a rare grin.
"So, do you think Oeth was practicing for Rowath's next flight?" Retti asked.
"The thought occurred to me," the Wingleader admitted. "But, well... I've never heard of dragons doing that. It's generally understood that dragons do not have a great deal of foresight."
Retti snorted. "Lots of things are generally understood and still not always true. When Allth used to talk to me, I was often surprised at his intelligence and understanding because I had been told the same as you, growing up."
"Allth used to talk to you?" Although Retti's long-time lover, L'kar, had been a bronzerider, J'ray had never met him or his dragon, as the pair had died before J'ray's arrival at Ista Weyr.
"Yes," Retti said, fondly. "We had a special bond, L'kar, Allth, and me. Toward the end, Allth often spoke to both of us at the same time. I think he wanted to save L'kar the trouble of having to repeat his words to me."
"Did you ever hear other dragons?" J'ray asked, curious. He had always wondered how Retti had never impressed a gold.
"No," Retti said, adding with a sly smile, "and I had a few lovers in the Weyr before I took up with L'kar, so I was very aware of how special it was for Allth to speak to me." Retti lowered her voice to a whisper that would not be overheard by the kitchen workers and turned quite serious. "Speaking of dragons, I have a special request to ask of you and Oeth."
J'ray said nothing, but looked at her questioningly.
She reached over for his hand again, this time clasping it in hers. "Now, I don't mean to worry you or anyone else because I'm feeling as well as ever, but one must be prepared at my age. When my times comes—and, mind you, not a second before—I was hoping you would take my body between on Oeth. That is where L'kar and Allth went, of course, and it would give me great comfort to know that my final resting place will be the same as theirs."
J'ray was touched. "Of course, Retti. Just don't go taking my agreement as permission to go dying on us, now."
With another smile, Retti released his hand. "I assure you that I am not planning my death. I'm just planning for it. As long as there are things to be done, I plan to be doing them. Speaking of which, I should be getting back to work. The other riders will be wanting their breakfasts soon."
J'ray stood up and gave Retti a hand to help her to her feet, which she graciously accepted. "Lazy as a just-fed dragon, every last one of them," he said, referring to the other still-sleeping riders.
"No, my dear. They are all perfectly normal, and you are the exception to the rule," the headwoman said, in parting.