[Nine] Presaged by a Dying Sun

[Jabberwoky]

A pop.

A rush of wind.

The bronze appeared over the weyrbowl, fanning his wings out to glide his way down. His rider narrowed his eyes behind his flight goggles, looking down at High Reaches. It was pathetic, seeing such a Weyr fall into such an absolute state. Overcrowded with filth. Run by dregs and unqualified trash. They were all beneath him, and would remain beneath him. It was why he was here, really. The once proud High Reaches Weyr was sinking and needed a proper leader to helm it, none of this useless 'Council' nonsense.

Order needed to be properly maintained.

Velenuth landed as gracefully as a bronze his size could, crouching down for W'lod to dismount. There was supposed to be someone to greet him, though he did not have a lot of confidence.

[nineofswords]

Normally, Diamond didn't have time to personally welcome every single new transfer into the Weyr - or to say goodbye to every rider leaving - but she did tend to enjoy getting to be the welcoming wagon when she could as her position as Flightleader. Unfortunately, this was not one of those occasions. This was an occasion where she was there to hopefully difuse an incoming bomb before it blew up in everyone's faces. Diamond had few hopes she'd actually succeed, but it was sort of her duty to try.

Diamond was not really the sort of person to try and impress this guy with her authority, and she wasn't about to start now simply because he was a bronzerider from Benden. She was not in her riding leathers, she was leaning casually against her dragon's flank, and honestly the only thing confirming her identity as Flightleader were her knots. Which was frankly how she preferred it.

She gave him an almost lazy wave as his bronze settled in the Weyrbowl. Our greetings to you both, Velenuth and W'lod, Hyliath called to them both, trying to keep her town welcoming. She would be a good hostess and welcome these two properly, whatever her rider's misgivings. I trust that your journey was uneventful?

Diamond would greet the human, but she'd wait until she didn't have to shout to be heard. Shouting during threadfall was one thing. Shouting across the Weyrbowl? No thanks. And certainly not for someone who could very likely turn into a massive headache for her if he wanted to be.

[Jabberwoky]

Ew. It is speaking to me.

I'm aware.

The back and forth was quick. W'lod scanned the creature. Garish, weak thing. His eyes, cold with the light gone from them - like a doll's eyes - looked over Diamond next, spotting the knots. This useless thing was supposedly his superior here? Pathetic. This weyr was clearly in dire straights if this weak pair was in charge.

That said, he did open his satchel as they approached. He offered the hides, his transfer papers, to ensure everything was on the level.

"Uneventful, as trips Between are." His voice was as cold as his eyes.

[nineofswords]

Diamond was not a master at reading people by any means, but working with sailors all her life, and knowing more than a few who'd associated with pirates, she knew to trust her instincts, knew to trust when she got a bad feeling about someone. Her eyes narrowed at the look the man leveled at first Hyliath, then at Diamond herself. But he answered Hyliath's question, so he was at least pretending to play nice.

Diamond gave Hyliath a pat on her flank as she straightened up. 'I don't think he's interested in small talk, girl. So just hang back and let me chat with the rider and then we can go do something relaxing, alright?'

Hyliath picked up on Diamond's odd mood. You're being too suspicious, Diamond. They are new to the Weyr, and I am sure they are simply shy. They need kind words, not antagonism.

'I won't antagonize them. But let's hold off on being buddy buddy for the moment.' Hyliath wanted to argue, but Diamond wasn't usually cautious in this way and the bronzerider had not really seemed very interested in small talk, so she held back as the human had suggested.

She sauntered closer to W'lod. "So, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that High Reaches is a little different than Benden," she said, taking the offered papers and scanning them. "But it's one thing to have someone tell you that and another to come here and see it. We've had more than a few Bendenites experience a pretty drastic culture shock, and it'll be worse for you with a bronze. Golre's reign wasn't that long ago, after all." Yes, more than a decade, but there were still plenty of riders who remembered what it had been like, who held onto their grudges against the metallics, although there weren't as many who were vehement about it these days.

She gave W'lod a long, scrutinizing look. "All I'm saying...if you have a problem, maybe it'd be a good idea to go to me or your wingleader before trying to handle it yourself." She double checked which wing he was transfering into. Shards. His wingleader was a woman brownrider. "Or your wingsecond, for that matter." T'lery was a man and a bronzerider, so if W'lod was Benden Benden, he'd at least listen to him. Mostly, she just didn't want W'lod to go around getting into fights. She had enough on her plate without a Bendenite bronzerider getting into it with High Reaches riders, whether he was the one to blame for them or no.