Responsibilities (Yashma)

[kayla]

Neory was dressed well but clearly ready to work when she showed up at Yashma's office. The Headwoman should have been expecting the soon to be fully Junior Weyrwoman of Telgar Weyr. However, Neory had somehow managed to show up about three minutes early. While Neory tended to like to be early for meetings, with duties and Sheluth and final lessons, it tended to be quite difficult for her to be early. On time was even difficult, though she worked hard at it.

Had she been the Senior Weyrwoman, knocking would have been a courtesy only. However, Neory would not be fully Junior until Sheluth's flight, and even then, her authority was not the same as Elisha's and this was Neory's first meeting with Yashma without the Senior Weyrwoman.

The young woman waited for the Headwoman to invite her into her office. She would show the right amount of respect to the other woman, but she would also not be a pushover - she hoped. She had the list of issues and concerns from her last meeting with the weyrleaders, and considered herself well prepared for this meeting.

For her part, Sheluth was sunning on a ledge. She reminded her Rider that she was completely confident in her abilities. You are mine. I would not have chosen you if you were not the best.

Neory grinned. I know lovely, but Yashma did not reach this position by being a pushover either. And as the Headwoman, she could be a very important ally. No, it would be best to defer to her where appropriate, but also not to come over as pliable myself. But thank you for your confidence in me.

[thedreamerlady]

Yashma was finishing up the last of her notations when the knock on the door came. She thought she had a few more minutes before the weyrling Queenrider arrived, but she was getting older, and time was less and less precise every turn.

"Enter!" She called, putting the hide down, and shaking out her hand. With her left hand, she tucked her braid back behind her head, as it had ended up in front of her shoulder.

Her clothing was as drab as it always was, and there was more gray in her thick braid than in years past. The whole changing of Weyrwomen, and the disappearance of her grandchildren, and other such children had weighed on her heavily.

Age spotted hands rested on her desk, as she peered at the doorway to see who wanted her time.

[kayla]

Neory entered, smiling warmly to the older woman. "Good day, Headwoman Yashma. I'm here for our meeting. How are you doing today?"

The young woman was respectful, but she also did not hesitate to take a seat. However, she was sincerely interested in how the woman was doing. She knew just how important a good Headwoman was to the Weyr, and how important she was to the Weyrwomen. Therefore, her concern was partially professional, but it was also personal - the woman might be strong headed and set in her ways, but Yashma was also a good woman.

[thedreamerlady]

There was a slight pause as Yashma tried to think of a proper term for Neory. They weren't quite equals, nor would they ever be. And Neory wasn't quite a junior Weyrwoman, so what was her title?

"Queenrider Neory, I'm glad you are here." The woman said pleasantly. Her gaze took in everything about the rider in front of her, including the list in her hands. Well, that at least meant she wasn't going to have to find the list that she undoubtedly had somewhere. One worry of her mind.

"So, which topics are you here to discuss?" The words were (almost) friendly, and Yashma continued to look at Neory, instead of going to work on something on her desk: a habit she had with people she didn’t consider important enough to pay complete attention too.

[kayla]

Neory resisted sighing at the avoidance of her question. She knew from previous meetings that Yashma tended to be rather serious and focused, but she had hoped to be able to draw the woman out at least a little bit. Well, she pushed that aside for now.

"I assume that you've heard about the Red Star." Things do not remain quiet in a Weyr for long. "Hopefully, more than hopefully, our number will continue to increase, even more and quickly soon. Which means that we'll need to be asking for a better tithe from the Holds beholden to us. However, I'm sure that you know, that they will be reluctant to meet those demands until they see Thread for themselves." It was very hard for Neory to not think poorly of the Holds for that!

"We need to know how many people we can sustain if Tithe amounts do not increase, and what our emergency stores stand at."

[thedreamerlady]

Yashma nodded when Neory mentioned the Red Star. One did not prosper as a Headwoman without knowing everything that happened in her Weyr. And something that was sweeping through the Lower Caverns Gossips was hardly hard to hear. However, she hadn't gotten to thinking about the large clutches it would spark. Her brown eyes widened almost imperceptibly when she realized that if Sheluth took after her mother, there might not be enough meat for the humans in the Weyr.

She tapped her desk twice with her right hand, before digging out the records of the last two tithes from Crom and Telgar. Studying them for half a second to jog her memory, Yashma started to speak, hardly bothering to refer to the tallies.

"When Telgar stopped allowing open Searches, they started sending much better tithes. Crom hasn't changed, and we hardly get enough candidates out of Crom for it to be a good exchange." Yashma paused for breath, but not long enough to really allow Neory to say anything. "For the humans, we're fine, even if the birth rate is going up- and is has, a little. For the dragons, well, it will depend on how you and Elisha's clutch. If you take after Elisha, then not long at all, before we have to turn to trading for meat."

[kayla]

Neory sighed. Though she'd been surprised to hear that tithe had increased from Telgar since they were all limiting in Searches. "Sheluth hasn't risen yet, so clutching is obviously not for some time. I need a breeding plan and a suggestion of what we can trade for more beasts for the dragons. Will a Sevenday suffice for that?" She hoped to be able to take a recommendation to Elisha and W'lam rather than just a report of a major problem.

"Tell me about Telgar. If you know. Would they be open to requests in their tithing? Why do they tithe well if they barely let us Search?" And because of them and other holds, dear friends of hers were gone and aging far too quickly... though she kept the bitterness out of her tone.

[thedreamerlady]

"A sevenday is more than sufficient." Yashma responded, with only a trace of approval in her slightly raspy voice. If the girl had demanded it in a shorter time frame, when it wasn't urgent right then, Yashma could have complied, but it would not have been a good opening to their professional relationship.

"As for Telgar." A pause again, giving Yashma a chance to sort out her own knowledge. "The Lady is the sister of Igen's former Senior Queen. She's also of the Benden line. The former Lord Delach was not enamored of the Weyrs, but so immersed tradition to even consider not Tithing, or stirring up trouble. With both of them tempering Lord Enald's decisions, it's easy to see why he tithes. And while he doesn't allow open Searches, he has reason to deny it. His population was one of the most devastated by the sickness. He did the best he could to support both Weyr and Hold. From what I've heard, he's an honorable man."

Yashma opened her eyes, which at some point during her information drop had closed. "That's most of what I know, and the rest is hardly relevant. Also, you might want to request extra Beastcrafters." Yashma didn't elaborate on that statement. If no one else knew that they'd been getting sub-par Beastcrafters for all of the time Marisol had been Weyrwoman, that was their problem.

[kayla]

Neory nodded. She would make sure to either talk to Elisha about it or make the request herself regarding Beastcrafters. She was not sure her word would carry in the Craftholds prior to Sheluth's flight and her fully taking her place. Silly politics. "I'll pass that on."

She sat for a moment "digesting" the details about Telgar that Yashma had provided her. A Benden raised lady definitely worked in their favor, and if Yashma's understanding of the situation was correct, then Lord Enald should be one that they could work with well also. "I'll pass the information about Telgar on to Elisha if she does not already know it. Perhaps pressure from Telgar will force Crom into tithing better. And perhaps we can work out an arrangement for Telgar that will work for both us and them."

Neory smiled, "The other thing is that, as you know, we are having a shortage of Candidates. I'm wondering if you have young men that have perhaps just recently been determined too old to stand?"

[thedreamerlady]

"We might be able to work that out. Ah, I'm sure you know about the Crom and Telgar Rivalries. Send a delegation with someone who can be trusted to be rude and mention how much better tithe Telgar sends. In the hearing of the Lord of Crom. We'd still have to trade for food however, but the worked metals that Crom sends are worth more."

Tap, tap from her right hand again. "You might want to include yourself in that delegation, looking as pretty as possible." Again, no elaboration. Yashma opened her mouth, and then closed it, obviously deciding the information wasn't that important, and then she changed the subject.

"As for male candidates, with the twenty eight eggs, we should have enough candidates. And if you're thinking of raising the age of candidacy, the eighteen to twenty year olds are thin, but their are," Eyes closed again as Yashma calculated who'd come to her to announce they were leaving the Candidate Barracks and training for their new life. It was unfortunate, the Headwoman thought, that the Weyrwoman didn't allow women. It would make this problem slightly less troubling.

"I suppose it's close to twenty of them. Some are about old enough to pass even the age of twenty however. I'd appeal to a Weyr that doesn't produce large clutches for a candidate sharing in exchange for a few Weyrlings."

[kayla]

Neory nodded. She imagined that being told you could stand again would probably feel like some kind of cruel trick. Of course, she also believed that those secreted away would be back in time for Sheluth's eventual clutch hatching, so perhaps the problem would be only a limited problem, anyway.

Also, perhaps with the Red Star, the Holds would find it easier to allow Searching again. Though, Neory also hoped that when the time came she could convince Elisha to allow her to allow women to stand.

"Thank you, Yashma. You're help has been most appreciated. I will pass on your suggestions and recommendations." Though adding delegation work that involved going to Holds before she graduated was not at all something that young woman was interested in, mostly because she was not yet stretched too thin, but she knew how easily she could be if much more was added to her plate before training was taken off her plate.

There was one more thing that the young woman needed to take care of. "Do you have any concerns that need to be addressed? You may be behind the scenes in some ways, Yashma, but you are a very important part of the leadership of the weyr, and if there is anything that needs to be taken care of, I'd like to know. If its not something I can address, I can pass it on to Elisha."

[thedreamerlady]

"You are indeed welcome." Yashma said formally, smiling a rare smile at the young Queenrider, and was about to offer formal words of dismissal in the form of words to allow all to leave peaceably. However, Sheluth's rider had a different idea.

Yashma raised an eyebrow at Neory's words, carefully weighing them, looking for a deeper meaning, if there was one. Not seeing any reason for the Queenrider to be asking her that question unless she honestly meant it, Yashma relaxed. Complaining about something she couldn't deal with was rarely a good idea, but if the girl wasn't trying to get her to retire, she could be polite.

"Nothing I can currently think of, but if I think of something, I will let you know. I'll send the plan to you within the sevenday; shall I have it delivered to your rooms?"