Meatrolls, Klah, Hooray for Debate Food! (Raven)

[RhiaBlack]

{desc=Z'dyn and K'var}Z'dyn had heard about enough of it. Baihujinth was begrudged and irritated at him; the Iron didn't agree with being forced to remain grounded, given as a King he was supposed to chase Queens. But Nara wasn't there, and as a result Z'dyn was loathe to be put in that situation with anyone that wasn't familiar to him. Despite the fact that Jyderin was standing by with a Holdwoman for him to lay claim to in one of the spare rooms.

::The last thin' I need's a brat, Bai. Nara b'tweens 'nough I wouldn't have t'worry about it. Holdfolk don't.::
::She is a Queen, Mine. It is my -duty- as a King to chase her.::
::An' with all them others just fallin' outta the sky, yeah, I wanted y'right up smack'n th'middle of it. Shardin'--::
::You may be willing to overlook duty on behalf of self-comfort, Mine, but I am not. We will not be able to ensure the prosperity of this Weyr if you will not let me--::
"ENOUGH."

The vocal and mental snap was a voice to the sheer aggrevation that had been going on between Z'dyn and his Iron ever since they had returned from the Gather. Frustration he had insisted upon venting with a night in Nara's weyr, both voicing his anger at what had gone on, as well as more physical mannerisms of calming himself down. Sometimes, just having her there against him helped, but it had required much more. Knowing she wasn't particularly inclined to anything beyond what Flightlust commanded from Simhath, Z'dyn had explained everything to her.

That had been some days ago, and he had made it a point to linger at night in her weyr, if only to make it easier on his conscience not to make it appear that he had only showed up specifically for that. Admittedly, Z'dyn found a measure of comfort in someone who didn't judge his decisions as harshly as his Iron. The thought, and the prior snap from His, had settled the overbearing King to silence.

::That's yer mother'n th'first place. Wouldn't've been right.::

And in that instance, he was seething all over again. Anger wasn't something Z'dyn handled well, he never had. He did his best to try and not let it get to that point, but the only person who hadn't seemed to pick up on it and pointedly avoid him was Baihujinth. It pissed him off to the point of almost spitting fire that his Iron continued to antagonize him.

He wasn't a Dragonet anymore, and Z'dyn certainly didn't have the mentality to let his King get away with being whiny about anything. As a result, every word from Bai had received just as fierce a response, increasing in vitrol and venom, as the days had progressed. He was being impossible. And though Z'dyn hated it when he acted like this, he knew they would be fine once Bai figured out that His wasn't moving. Z'dyn was a rock when it came to his opinions, and part of him was just as pissed off about Avalle bringing a glowing-hide Callistath to a sharding Gather, knowing she was due to rise soon. It was foolish, it was sharding foolish, and by that rights the commentary against D'lios had all but sent the Ironrider into a fever pitch.

Brooding and irritable, sharding close to near unapproachable, the Western Ironrider settled himself down into a bench seat with a full, piled-up plate of meatrolls, roasted wherry, vegetables, several rolls, two bubbly pies, several pieces of grilled herdbeast, and two mugs of F'dren-sized Klah to wash it all down. He had every intention of not getting back up for refills, and with a napkin stuck under the corner of his plate, the dreadlocked and braid-maned, scar-faced former Drudge tucked in to at least one sharding thing other than Nara that didn't judge him or find itself cause for irritation - his food.

[RavenSong]

K'var strode into the Dining Hall, looking as happy as always. His two greens, one fat and one slim, sat upon his shoulders. Like usual, they were chattering away. They quite suddenly flew away, beelining for Z'dyn. They knew his flit, and Naraevyhn's six, and would sometimes visit Nara's flits thanks to their prior acquaintanceship in Dawn Wing. K'var watched them fly away, noting the Ironrider they landed beside. To their credit, the flits didn't immediately start begging for food. No, they begged for affection. K'var had taught them not to beg others for food, but both Bip and Bit were more than happy to accept any food given to them.

The Weyrlingmaster got his own food and migrated over to Z'dyn's seat, mentally summoning his stubborn greens as he moved. They resisted, insisting on staying by Z'dyn to beg affection.

"I apologize for their presence, Z'dyn," he said, remembering the Ironrider from back when he Searched him. "Bip, Bit, come here." He paused a moment, then flashed that warm grin of his, parking himself across from the man. If he was going to get angry at his former Candidatemaster, let him.

"You know," he said, offering some meat to both his flits, "It just occurred to me... I haven't talked to you in Turns! Since before you left for Fort. Glad you're back, by the way, you're a good one. You and Baihujinth both. How has life been for you? Judging by your expression, something's on your mind. Would you care to discuss it?"

The Weyrlingmaster knew the tumult of opinion that came with D'lios' ascension. He also remembered that Z'dyn and his weyrmate had been Searched from Western. He wondered idly if that was what was on the Ironrider's mind, or if it was the fact he'd missed a shot at being Weyrleader. Not all Kingriders cared about such a prestigious position, but he figured Z'dyn and Baihujinth especially would be concerned with Queenflights.

"If you don't want to discuss it," he continued, "that's fine. We can talk about other things, such as how annoying a certain stubborn pair of greens who insist they're constantly starving are." Bip creeled piteously at him, falling over on her side dramatically. She was still fat, so there was no way she was starving. "Stupid thing, soon you'll be too fat to fly. Stop begging, that's your dinner. You ate earlier. So did you, Bit, don't even." A calloused finger was pointed at the smaller green.

[RhiaBlack]

The sudden appearance of the Greens barely drew notice from the Ironrider, though he did acknowledge them with a piece of roast wherry per Flit set before either of them. His pinky rubbed against Bip's eye ridges, before he washed down a mouthful of food with a subsequent mouthful of Klah; his gaze lifted towards K'var. It took getting used to, not seeing the man as large of a superior as he had been when Z'dyn was still Zykeidyn, Dragon Candidate.

"Glad t'be back. Fort was....interestin'. Stuff happened, ended up fittin' in more here'n anywhere else."

So it appeared his father wasn't the only one capable of catching Z'dyn's more aggressive mood swings. Elbows on the table - something his father would have disdained from him profusely - Z'dyn oops-ed a few more shreds of wherry towards the pair of Flits. Keeidra, not fond of being left out, blinked into existence on Her's shoulder, before she crawled down to wind herself around Bip and Bit fondly, crooning to the pair before snatching a piece of herdbeast right off Her's plate. Z'dyn pointedly slammed his fork down for the plate, and Kee cackled as she skittered across to sit with the pair of Greens. Z'dyn pointed his fork at her, and she swayed to and fro, meat stuffed in her teeth.

"All I been hearin' since that shardin' shellin' Gather's how it's not right D'lios an' Perbiath caught Callistath. How a Lord Holder shouldn't be Weyrleader. How it's all his fault, how he cheated, how this an' that an' shardin' everythin' else. So sick'a it. It's that shardin' dimglow's fault, Avalle shouldn't've brought a damn glow-hide Gold to a shardin' Gather, KNOWIN' she was gonna rise soon. Y'don't want t'end up wi' mutt-pups, don't turn yer prize-bred shellin' canine inta wild territory."

Z'dyn growled inwardly, and stuffed another piece of wherry past his lips. It was chewed fiercely, his jaw popping with the force of his teeth into the meat, before he washed it down with another mouthful of Klah.

"Y'tell me, K'var, how th'shards did the man cheat? Perbiath took the same shardin' antidote's everybody else, but no. People're sayin' th'man cheated. Was clear's day t'me, Perbiath was fallin' all over hisself too. Wasn' just Dalibor dragons fallin' outta chase. Weren't a single one'a them boys, weren't weak from that. His included. People're just shardin' pissed off that it's not theirs that caught 'er, an' cause he ain't Dalibor, people're lettin' their tongues wag 'bout how it's not right. Ain't nothin' wrong with't. An' now, I gotta deal with't from Bai, too, 'cause he's pissed off I didn't let 'im chase his Momma. Let 'lone the fact Nara wasn't there, ain't about t'let m'self pop off inta some Holdbred ain't got no way'a betweenin' an' not makin' me a father."

Z'dyn laid his fork down, and rubbed his anger-flushed face. Baihujinth was silent on the other end of his thoughts, but he could feel his Iron's attempts to calm him down. Kee crept over towards Hers, wiped her paws on Z'dyn's napkin, and then sat to tug gently at Hers' shirt sleeve. Z'dyn looked down at her, and she cheeped at him so softly, it was almost silent. He tugged her tail gently.

"Don' worry, Kee. Not angry't you."

She trilled at him quietly, and he handed her a piece of roll, which she carried over to Bip and Bit, tearing it into equal portions and giving them each a piece.

There was a raw fury in Z'dyn's demeanor. Something most had never seen prior, and it was warranted in his mind. People were treating a man who he had helped build a prosperous Hold - along with so many others - unfairly. D'lios had saved countless dragons, not only at Dalibor but probably at other Holds who could potentially experience the same issue, from Smokeweed poisoning. Perbiath was a Brown, he was a male, and it was only fair that when confronted with a Rising Gold, that he did what came natural to all males in the same situation - do his best to father the clutch.

To hold the natural progress of a male and female dragon against the man who was bonded to him was crackdusted, and that's how he saw it. That's how he'd always see it. Z'dyn didn't think D'lios could do no wrong, but at the same time, it wasn't fair to him to hold something against the Lord Holder that wasn't his fault to begin with.

"Sorry. Get t'ramblin', somethin' irks me this shardin' bad."

[RavenSong]

"Well, keep in mind one simple fact," K'var said neutrally once Z'dyn finished, shrugging. "Weyr and Hold are supposed to be -separate-. That's probably where a lot of the ire is coming from. Also consider the fact that a lot of people have seen D'lios'... less-than-kind side. D'lios and Perbiath are Renegades, and Dalibor had a very difficult time with that clutch. Quite a few feel he never should've Impressed anyway." He shrugged. "As for how he cheated... I'm honestly not sure. I wasn't there. I was here, tending to some necessary work given the upcoming graduation of my Sparkstarters. Baihujinth will get over it. Argotath never gives me any backtalk when I won't let him Chase a female, and he's a Blue. But he knows there are good reasons behind my refusal."

Bip and Bit chirped at Kee when she appeared, greeting her warmly. They liked the bright Pink quite a bit. They watched her tend Hers intently, both of them tilting their heads the same way. It was clear they were dam and offspring with that one gesture. When she shared the food with them, they cheered at her. Bip promptly stuffed it in her gullet, which she then choked on as it got stuck on its way into her throat, at the back of her mouth. Shaking his head, K'var picked her up and pulled it out of her mouth.

"Dimglow Bip," he chided, tearing it into smaller pieces. "Don't inhale it. Chew it." He let the Green go with a pat on the head. "There's no need to apologize, Z'dyn. Faranth knows I get going when I'm irate too. I don't like the man, I'll be honest with you there, but it's not going to stop me from doing my job and I'll be Chased myself if I let my Weyrlings know my feelings. It's when the opinion becomes unprofessional, in my opinion, that you should get upset about it. There are a lot of people back at Ista that don't like me. Usually because I punched them or their buddy in the mouth for mistreating a woman. I don't stand for that, you know?

"Rider or not, though, a Lord Holder shouldn't ever be a Weyrleader, regardless of who he is. He could be the best Lord Holder Pern has ever seen... and he still shouldn't be a Weyrleader." K'var shrugged and took a sip of his klah. "It's not just because it's traditional, either. Splitting one's focus like that will get people -hurt- in one place or the other. Maybe both." The thought sobered K'var. "Just because a man's good at leading people in a Hold doesn't mean he can do it in a Weyr. The climate is far too different between the two." He brightened up, grinning impishly.

"As for -children-... haha, you're going to hate me for this. You'd be damned surprised at how they can turn out. I wouldn't trade my V'kyr or Aria for anything on Pern. They're as dear to me as my Argotath, and my line's a bit different in that we actually had a hand in raising our kids. Probably helped that Mom is a kitchen lady back at Ista. Kyria, my kids' mother, was a greenrider. Their uncle's F'reki of blue Girieth. You know those two? Weyrlingmaster pair for the Blizzardbaiters. V'kyr rides Green Acreth. One of the proudest days of my life was the day he Impressed. If they're not for you, they're not for you, but don't stick to the hidebound Holder ways concerning that."

[RhiaBlack]

Z'dyn rubbed his face again, chewing thoughtfully over the last of the wherry on his plate with a heavy sigh through flared nostrils. Polite in as many regards as he could manage for being a former Drudge, he took another mouthful of Klah and leaned on his elbows.

"Point'a th'matter, K'var, 's that he never would'a been Weyrleader if she'd had any sort'a wit about bringin' a soon-to-Rise Gold to a Gather. Where she -knew- there was a Lord Holder who had a Brown. I'm sorry, I can't put th' full blame'a none'a this on him. Wasn't his fault. Sure, he could'a kept Perbiath grounded, but y'know, people know th'guy's got that sorta mentality. They knew could've been a chance, an' they did it anyway."

Kee coiled herself up with Bip and Bit, content to socialize with the pair of Greens while Hers did the same with Theirs. Z'dyn regarded her briefly to make sure she wasn't into anything, before he speared a piece of herdbeast with his fork.

"It's like stickin' a tunnelsnake inna room full'a rats an' expectin't not t'kill'r eat anythin'. Pretty soon, y'gotta start wonderin' where people's heads're at, if that's how they're actin'. I'm not th'world's smartest person, an' even I know that's shardin' foolish. Y'don't want a Brown fatherin' yer Gold's clutch, don't take yer shardin' Gold where he can get at 'er. Can't hold't against Bai fer bein' mad't me, he's just mirrorin' what I feel. Tryin' t'be the voice'a reason, as usual. Seems so shardin' foolish people're pickin' Avalle's side just because she's Weyrwoman an' they're inclined t'choose her side because he's Lord Holder."

He stuffed another mouthful past his lips, pointing the handle - not the prongs - of his fork at K'var.

"Now, I agree, should'a stepped down from 'is post, so t'speak, either there'r here. No reason t'lead both, askin' fer trouble. But if she's Weyrwoman, she's got rights t'make 'im pick. Might be tradition'n all that, but if y'ask me? This's never happened b'fore. She's got every right t'do somethin' unpre...unseen b'fore, an' handle this. Hopefully soon, b'fore the whole shardin' Weyr's split clean down th'middle. She wants respect from people ain't me - pissed as I am 'bout this whole crackdusted situation - she needs t'handle this soon. True leaders know they're needed where they belong. D'lios's not stupid. He'll stay 'til she kicks him out, might make a fuss 'bout it, but in the end, man doesn't run Western for no reason. That Hold's prosperous 'cause of lots, not just him, but he's a big reason for it."

Kee crooned at her two newfound companions, before stealing another piece of roll off Hers' plate. Z'dyn snatched the other end of the bread and hoisted her upwards to eye-level. Kee cheeped, and Z'dyn narrowed his eyes at her. Someone hadn't asked, and Hers wasn't happy with that. She slithered up to Z'dyn's wrist, and sat prim and proper on the back of his hand, looking towards the roll before looking back at him. Z'dyn waited a minute, and pried a piece off for her. Kee promptly took it, hopped down to the table, and shared the much smaller than previous piece with Bip and Bit.

"Twinin' tails wi' Golds' temporary. Leadin' a Hold's gonna last a lot longer'n that. Somethin' he better get t'realizin'. Truth told, just sick'a hearin' so many people sayin' he cheated, just 'cause they don't like the guy. I'll be th'first to admit, his personality's not akin t'what most like here, an' he might be a little one-sided sometimes, but the man knows how t'handle a Hold. Avalle's smart, she'll ship 'im back there an' get him outta here b'fore it turns inta bigger issues."