Accounting (Required for weyrlings)

[blueaid]

"So." That would be Z'dayi, musing quietly to those nearest, his voice below the general volume of the lecture but just high enough that H'gar could hear it. On purpose? "If we're good and we follow orders, we get to graduate and be wingriders and follow orders. Otherwise, we keep on being weyrlings and... following orders?" He reached a hand, scratched the side of his head dubiously while he made a show of attempting to puzzle through the logic. The chuckle that followed was bemused, the grin was charming, the muttering was foolish. And Tremaith answered with a stern sense of silence, the implication that Z'dayi best shut-up.

And from her cot, oblivious to the bronzerider's mutterings, Anayeli protested with a vehement, "I am not hacking off my hair! And no amount of X-es on charts is going to make me!" At which point she smoothed her hand tidily down her glossy locks, folded her arms stoutly, and stared hard at Ptolemeth while the two of them had some mute exchange about the very idea of being made unpretty for something as silly as convenience and safety.

Two wholly different reactions, yes, but it was apparent that-- despite Ez'ki's concern over loyalty to I'dalyn-- the barracks were not in concord on meek acceptance of H'gar's leadership. Probably it would do the both of them more harm than good, but the passive snickering of Z'dayi and the forthright denial of Anayeli could hardly be the only misgivings in a barracks full of young people who grew daily more and more strained.

[Invisible]

Despite having given Ez’ki the go ahead H’gar was forced to deal with those who interrupted so he held up a hand to the bluerider to wait a moment. Then he looked at Z’dayi. “No, you do as your told and graduate and get to stay here. Otherwise you find yourself shifted off somewhere and stuck there the rest of your natural life. There’s plenty of places that would love to have a rider forced to have to do whatever crap errands they want you to do.” Like the mines, but he wasn’t going to get specific just yet. Best to wait. “You’re a dragonrider now, Z’dayi. And if you weren’t aware of what you were in for when you stood you’re aware now. That means you will shape up or you will suffer the consequences. Now, if you don’t mind Ez’ki did raise his hand.”

Anayeli did not require that long of an answer. She just got a glance and a simple, “You will cut it or I will have it cut for you. It’s not an option and don’t be dumb thinking it is.” H'gar was past caring about what strain the weyrlings were under since none of them were doing what they were supposed to. If being nice didn't work he would be a hard ass and they'd have themselves to blame and no one else.

[Xinnai]

Salina flushed, quickly trying to suppress the ashamed reaction. She had heard what H'gar had said and did not appreciate being made a fool of. They had a month. That was all fien and good, but was there a specific date the horrendous task had to be done by?

Inner turmoil was disrupted by two sources. The goldrider slid a look to Z'dayi, lipss curving in a slightly amused fashion. That was the bronzer for you. He didn't mind looking like a wherryhead. It all seemed to be a show, a deliberate and elaborate one, but a show nonetheless.

The other interruptance reflected the queenrider's thoughts exactly. She wanted to refuse as Anayeli did, but knew that compliance was key here. It meant the difference from graduating with good time and honors, or being stuck as a weyrling with a full-grown dragon. Something the girl definitely did not want to do. And it was just hair. It was silly to be so proccupied over it.

Especially with H'gar practically breathing fire down their necks. He was making it clear that they would listen or, in effect, get kicked out. He wasn't taking their excuses and slacking off now. It was clear. Whatever I'dalyn had done in the early days of their weyrlinghood--the thought was stubborn; I'dalyn had been their weyrlingmaster--H'gar wasn't going to stand for it. He was coming down like an iron fist. And they'd tremble before him. Or break.

[blueaid]

There are times when a woman says nothing but conveys everything, and the look that Anayeli shot to H'gar was one of those moments. Whether or not she believed that he would do the cutting if she refused, she hated him-- hated him down to the core of her vain little being-- and she wanted him to know it for one bitter, confused, angry moment. Usually, Ptolemeth was immune to the whims of her rider's moods, just went happily about her business, but she raised a worried head this time, peered confusedly toward H'gar as if she might ascertain what he could possibly have done to her Ana. "Existed," the girl breathed icily to answer the greenling, her dark eyes heavy with accusation. She was not and had not been a happy camper.

With quietly amused attention, Z'dayi watched that exchange, watched the girl-greenrider get dressed down and offered her the luxury of a charming shrug-and-smile. He was in the same boat, but he didn't react overmuch to the Weyrlingmaster's lecture. Probably, it was no more than he expected to get chided for speaking his mind, even if it wasn't exactly right out in the open. Arms folded, ankles crossed, he leaned against the wall and watched his fellow weyrlings imbibe these new orders with a smirk. He hadn't put his best foot forward so far; chances were high he didn't particularly care what happened after weyrlinghood-- the best Wing, the worst Wing, to graduate with distinction or disappear into obscurity. He was not a model bronzerider, and it didn't really take a big chart for anyone to figure that out.

[neopanther]

Ez'ki couldnt help it, he snickered at what Z'dayi said, whispering his returns, "Sounds like a dictatorship to me, Z'dayi," He smirked, trying to resist the chuckles that threatened to escape. He listened as Ana refused at virtually point blank to cut her hair.

"Sorry, H'gar, I'll take my time to speak now," He quelled the laughter that sought to usurp his poised demeanor, "I'll be bold and assume that what you seek to prevent us doing is being distracted by long hair in our efforts of flying, however, if those of us who do not wish to cut our hair, for example the girls, and obviously myself," He was fairly proud of his head of long red hair, "tie it back, virtually binding it to our heads, I do not see how this will be of any disadvantage to us. Simply put, I think having my hair short, blowing about in the wind - without any form of constraint might be more distracting. Sir." Ez's words were well said, conveyed with logic, slightly toned bias, "I am not trying to deliberately evade this, just, I think if handled in the right way, we might all be justly served." Justice. What a fantastic word for making a point. It was one word, that rarely ever failed to convey a point, it made a person stop, think and most importantly re-assess.

He winked over to Anayeli, trying to make her calm a little, he could almost feel the vivid colours of her hatred seething towards the weyrlingmaster. "Also, sir, I believe you said it was next month when we start flying when both the effective uniform, and regimented hair cuts would be enforced." Ez'ki was already a few steps ahead, in his mind, he would cut his hair sooner rather than later if he must, that way it would grow back quicker.

[Invisible]

The childish displays from some of the weyrlings was not lost on H’gar. It certainly did not leave him disposed to be nicer to anyone. This was the problem right here and he was going to deal with it. But for now he had to deal with Ez’ki. If the bluerider thought his word choice would change H’gar’s mind he had not been paying attention. Which was, admittedly, one of the problems with the weyrling class. “Bold and wrong on several accounts,” he told the bluerider.

“Men will have their hair cut so it is no longer than two inches. Women will have theirs cut so it is no less than two inches above their shoulders.” He looks around at the class giving the troublemakers more of his attention than those who seem to be taking this quietly for now. “And, should even one of you not have done this by the time the first of you takes flight? You’ll all be sitting down to get your heads shaved clean off. Every last one of you. It’s about sharding time you realized what is going on around here and stopped being so selfish.”

He straightened up and took in the class again with a sweep of his eyes. “You’re a group. You’re a wing. You will all be looking out for each and every one of you. Not just your little friends.” He looked at no one in particular as he said that. “And to hammer that point home from now on every time one of you breaks a rule you will all be punished. Every bad mark on that board will signify a punishment for every one of you. You are supposed to be doing your best not just for yourselves, but for your wingmates.”


He folded his hands behind his back and then gestured for the door. "Since Z'dayi and Ez'ki wanted to talk through what I said all of you can go run five laps around the bowl now. You have half an hour to return for lessons."

[blueaid]

"C'we just make it ten?" Z'dayi. Again. He gave an apologetic look around the barracks. It probably wasn't going to earn him any friends in the long run, but at least the veneer of natural charm might take off the worst of the sting. "'Cause I can already tell we're gonna be running a lotta laps on my account."

Right at the words little-friends, he'd shot a look around to those who would probably fall into that category-- no need to name names, it was pretty obvious where his fancies lay. What he earned for his honesty, for his forthright request, was a hateful look from Anayeli among others; the greenrider spared a threadbare smile for Ez'ki's wink, for his attempt to spare them all from being balded, and she would have just gone out to run laps without another interlude.

The bronze weyrling continued, talking with his hands, rolling his fingers around each other; "Also, I think a coupla those girls are gonna faint if you keep running 'em like it's race day. Just as a note, sir." He tapped his fingers to his forehead like a salute and leaned to get his momentum headed toward the bowl. Someone was going to have to be the whipping boy; might as well be the one that didn't mind a whipping.

[dragon]

T'rad listened quietly to the exchange between some of the weyrlings and the weyrlingmaster. During such observations, T'rad realized that more and more he preferred the other brownrider weyrlingmaster. H'gar seemed so harsh compared to I'dalyn and he always seemed to focus on the bad more than the good. Wasn't encouragement and understanding necessary for growth? Well, perhaps H'gar showed both, but for now it was lost on T'rad. Though, he didn't have much resistance to cutting his hair. It wasn't very managable and hard to groom. The best he could do is keep it out of his eyes and make it look semi-decent. He'd probably be glad to cut it.

The bluerider weyrling said nothing as he left to run his laps, only giving a glance at both Ez'ki and Z'dayi as he made his exit.

[Xinnai]

Salina almost groaned in frustration as Z'dayi and Ez'ki mouthed back; albeit with sufficient charm, to be sure. Defiance wasn't going to get them far at all. The best they could do for now was listen to H'gar and then figure things out at some later date. Defiance and smart-assed remarks wasn't going to do anything.

Salina stood silently, greacefully pale as she looked down at her "little friends." They should go now, go and get it done with. With that, she walked out, keeping to a light jog as she passed from the room. She would go and be done with. Hopefully, the rest would follow suite.

[Invisible]

“Well, perhaps you’ll get your fool-ass mouth in line then, Z’dayi,” is H’gar’s answer in reply to the faux concern about the girls in the class. “But we’ll stick with five. Then you’re back here for class. Then we’ll be doing exercise all day. And then I’ll have the drudges bring bread and water for dinner. You can all thank Z’dayi for that as well.” Did he care that the weyrlings would hate him? It didn’t seem likely. If they wouldn’t get in line with him being nice he would just have to do the opposite. “We’ll be up early tomorrow so I suggest you get to bed early.” With any luck they’d wise up and peer pressure would kick in. Or a beat down. It wouldn’t be the first time for that either.

[blueaid]

Z'dayi, on his way out, offered a cheerful, "Y'all can thank me later. Care packages left on my pillow, please."

Anayeli's wasn't the only murderous look he earned.

They both departed to start jogging mindlessly. It gave time to plot H'gar's demise. Jog jog hate jog jog kill jog jog hope he gets hit by a rock in the face and dies jog jog jog.

[neopanther]

Ez'ki frowned at what the Weyrlingmaster next said, he had just totally contradicted himself, in one breath saying that the boys must have their hair no longer than two inches, the girls permitted to have two inches above their shoulders (which in Ez'ki's opinion was the exact sentiment for his idea of hair being more distracting.) Then the next breath that followed the brown rider announced that they were a group and a wing.

"Sorry, H'gar, firstly you might note I am trying to do the best my by wingmates with this discussion along with myself, and if I was wrong, or bold, do not hesitate where, so I will learn, but - you just told us we are a wing, we are a group, so one would imagine that the same standards that apply to the boys, apply to the girls. It is hardly fair that you are more lenient towards the girls, I believe equality would be best, if one gender is allowed to have their hair longer, then so should the other. Why should the boys be impugned so harshly, simply because it is convention for girls to have longer hair." Ez'ki was getting riled now. He had given total amiability towards H'gar, polite, and perfect. However, despite this, H'gar was not willing to let the blue rider turn a new leaf? Which was what H'gar seemingly wanted.

Why then should Ez'ki turn a new leaf?

As to laps? Ez could think of what he'd like to do with the laps, preferably take H'gar on a long run over a very sheer, high cliff. "Actually, Sir I would hasten to point out what was said between us was said whilst you did not speak. At this rate you will turn us to Runner beasts as opposed to riders." Ez'ki shook his head and made to follow the rest of the class towards the weyrbowl. Shards but H'gar was a wretched man.

He could see that H'gar was trying to get the others to hold him and Z'dayi down. But, lets face it, Z'dayi was the oldest of the weyrlings. He was sturdy, he was strong, and he was a lazy man. But even the lazy can be riled, and Ez'ki had an ominous feeling that Z'dayi's temper (if flared) would compare only to the blazing inferno of the Rukbat. So there was little any of them could do to quell him.
As for himself? One or two of them might get to him. Not overly though. As for physical violence - he abhorred it. He'd use any skills he'd obtained from running all these laps there.

Ez'ki joined the run, having left the room without waiting for H'gars response to his confrontational words. He had no intentions of taking the whole half an hour to do five laps. He'd be back prompt, but he planned a swift diversion. Water and bread wouldn't serve for his dinner. Not after having to skip lunch to clean Xyruth. Shards but H'gar would have them all waste away before they became riders.

[Invisible]

The no less oldest of the weyrlings K’mar was one of the first to leave so he missed Ez’ki’s trying to get the last word. It’s not as if the bluerider would say anything at all that wasn’t just meant to draw attention to himself. The brownrider knew they were going to go down in history as the worst weyrling class ever. He wondered if H’gar would even want to keep his knot after dealing with the children in this class. Poor Tremaith he told Volsteath as he started his laps. He must be shaken in the brain to have been stuck impressing to that waste of breath. Volsteath considered his rider’s words as he followed out into the bowl to watch the laps being run. That kind is too dumb to be worrisome once we graduate, K’mar. Even with the little weyrwoman trying to defend him he’ll get what is his due. We shall enjoy that, K’mar.[/color] A smirk rolled up on K’mar’s face as he thought of the trouble some of the weyrlings would be in when they graduated. It stayed with him for the next two laps.

Genet fingered her hair trying to decide how much she’d have to cut off. Not much since it seemed at some point she’d cut it short anyway. Hair was, no matter how much men might lie, not what they were after in a woman and she was old enough to know this so didn’t care about cutting it further. It must have been, well, after the other time she remembered. It was easier to not think too hard on that time. Dwelling on it would just make her more confused and might upset Anquilith and that was the last thing she wanted to do. On her way out she shoved one of the other greenriders who was heading out with one of the blueriders. “Come on,” she told them shoving between them. “We’ll race. Loser has to make the other’s cots for three days.” At least with a race it won’t be so dull she told Anquilith with an internal sigh. I hate laps. Tell me about the star again while you run the green asked since she barely remembered the story once more. Thankfully it was a story Genet was always happy to recount. She raced ahead of the other two boys, but stayed close enough to get to hear their grumblings about the bronzerider and she wondered what would happen to him.

As the weyrlings left the classroom H’gar sent Baristath out with them to make sure they did as they were told. He had other things to attend to, but the brown would report anyone who did not do their five laps and return. Ez’ki’s diversion would give him the honor of cleaning the muck pit the dragonets used by himself the next day. The weyrlingmaster was considering putting a stop to wasting his time with the worst of them. Bury them in chores, teach them exactly what they needed to know, shove them out to be someone else’s problem. Pelegaoth’s were never so bad before he told Baristath as the brown watched laps. Do you suppose it’s Jordeth’s contribution that made them choose so poorly? In the bowl Baristath considered the ones running laps. They are not all so bad he told his rider. It is just the ones who are make it difficult to see those who are not. Perhaps we should be rewarding those who- He stopped and rather than speak showed H’gar the brief scuffle between Genet and one of the boys she raced. Started when she tripped him up to get ahead. The weyrlingmaster let out a sigh. That one he told the brown who continued to watch. I wish I’d have gotten her brother and not her. Tell Anquilith to let her rider know she has to run two more laps after her five and still be back on time. When the message was passed from dragon to dragon to rider anyone near the greenrider would hear her groan.

[Xinnai]

As Salina had said, the boys would never learn. She ran her laps, not thinking about the ground that was being eaten up by her feet, but about the confrontational manner that Ez'ki and Z'dayi were taking to the whole matter.

They seemed to be taking this new weyrlingmaster as a personal insult. She didn't like H'gar much either at the moment, but there was a time and a place. There always was a time and a place. Openly flouting the rules and disrespecting the man to his face was not the way to go about things. Obviously.

Muscles were beginning to burn lightly as the queenrider began another lap, still absorbed in her thoughts. While she didn't like H'gar, she could see where he was coming from. Vaguely, at least. The direspect, the smart remarks. They may have been satisfying for a few moments, but they did little over all. The man wanted them to shape up. He thought they were slacking. Perhaps they were, perhaps they weren't. Salina had no idea. But...she could see where a man like him could take all of that as his own insult.

It reflected upon him and ultimately all of the weyr.

Thinking upon this, the girl touched upon her gold, who sat watching the running weyrlings with mild interest. Love, do you think you could contact Tremaith and Xyruth?
What for?
I want to tell Ez'ki and Z'dayi to cool it. We can figure this all out later. But right now, mouthing back isn't helping matters.

With a happy little burble to be doing something productive, Deoneth reached out to the bronze and blue, mind linking with theirs, her brassy voice slipping into their own minds, light with the reprimand that Salina had carried over to her. Mine asks that Yours stop trying to one up Baristath's. She says it does nothing for all of us now and that to listen is better. She thinks we can dislike Baristath's, but not to his face.

[neopanther]

Being half a lap or more away from Salina (for he really did intend on going to finish these laps with a record time), he had no choice but to communicate through Xyruth, who relayed the information to his bonded with a note of disdain and distaste at having to relay messages like some description of messenger.
But you are far more handsome and powerful than any messenger I have met Xyruth, though I do note - I was never a messenger He smirked as he ran, feet beating on the ground almost perfectly in time with his heart, long stride covering quite a distance.

Perhaps you weren't, but what is your response.
Just say to hers that I was merely commenting, not besting. I do think he is being far less than generous about this. Even with these enforced rules, he seems unwilling to give those of us who he sees as 'problem cases' a second chance. Which to me is not right.

Very well, I think - if I were you, I'd just hit him with my tail and bite his arm.[/i] Xyruth silently relayed the message of his bonded.
Ha! Very good Xyruth, but how would you cope with Baristath? And, you forget, if you were me, you would neither have a tail nor canines of a pure carnivore. Humans are omnivorous, and our teeth reflect it. Ez'ki informed his dragon, laughter subsiding to a heaved breath as he passed the mark signifying the middle of his fourth lap.