[CHARTERS] Futures We Choose

[Arcane]

Hard to believe we only have one more month in this place. It feels like just yesterday we first heard Moggeth demand feesh.

Have you decided which squad you're going to yet? What does the future look like for you?

[nineofswords]

Future? S'ra could've scoffed. What future was there for her, if she couldn't fight thread? What was even the point? She was no protector of Pern. She was a joke, a child with an overinflated sense of importance with a partner who was just a glorified housecat. Nothing in her life forsking mattered, it didn't mean anything, so she might as well just volunteer herself and Moggeth to Lamentoso squad now and get it over with.

But Faranth forbid she say any of that, because people would be concerned about it, or worse, try to cheer her up. And there was no being cheer up. Moggeth couldn't be trusted in threadfall, couldn't be trusted around his fellow dragons in a fight, so she'd been told to pick another wing. Like it was the same as picking the color of a shirt and not the end of everything she'd ever worked for. She was not okay, and she was not hiding it well, but she would be damned if she let anyone try to talk to her about it.

She turned to her soon to be former classmates, a forced smile on her face. "I'm sure you'll all be wonderful threadfighters," she assured them. It didn't even occur to her that they wouldn't want to be that if they had the option. That was what dragonriders were FOR after all. "I'll be following all of your careers very closely."

Moggeth was napping. She'd been tuning him out as much as possible since their disastrous training sessions that had resulted in everyone realizing he couldn't be a fighting dragon, not that he seemed to notice or care. He was absolutely unbothered by this, and was frankly delighted that he was allowed to be something other than a fighter. If she hadn't felt the way all of his reason seemed to leave him in the heat of battle, she would've accused him of faking to get out of work, but of course she couldn't be that lucky.

For the first time, she was actually starting to regret becoming a candidate. At least if she'd never impressed, she could support dragonriders as a member of the Weyrfolk instead of being a useless drain on precious resources. She could feel tears starting to prickle at the corners of her eyes, so she quickly stood. "Sorry, this conversation reminded me that I still haven't turned in my wing paperwork yet, I'm going to go take care of that quickly." She turned her back on her classmates and made a beeline for the door, trying to get out of the room before anyone saw her break down in tears of rage, frustration, and impotence.

[Arcane]

Athan had spent the passed three sevendays trying to convince Liraeth to tell him what he wanted to do. Did he want to fight thread? Fight monsters? Hide from thread AND monsters?

Liraeth had plenty to say about all he had learned about different wings and their duties. Much of which was quite interesting. Liraeth had always been good at finding things out.

But just because Liraeth knew a lot about different wings didn't mean he had an opinion on which wing he wanted to be in beyond "trusting Athan to make the right decision."

Especially when it was so hard to picture himself being in a wing.

Semaca Weyr had taken care of him, since the day he'd washed up on their shores. Now he was supposed to do his part to take care of Semaca, even though Semaca was full of riders stronger and smarter and braver than Athan. The sort of riders who could fight a monster and win and who'd never nearly let their little starve because they weren't good enough at hunting.

And also make Liraeth happy, when Liraeth didn't know what he wanted, any more than Athan did, except that he didn't like rules and did like exploring...

And avoid disappointing his sister, his mom, his sister's brother, Molly, his teachers...

Which all felt like a lot of pressure. And to think every holder had to choose a job at some point. How did they do it?

I've hear many follow in their parents' footsteps, Liraeth shared, because he always paid attention, when people talked or to Athan's memories of people talking, Or pursue a particular talent, if they discover one early enough.

I don't really have any special talents. Maybe I should be a hunter then? Like my dad? Athan chewed his lip, I can't be a bandit. There aren't enough people down here to rob.

But would his dad have been a hunter and a bandit if he'd been a dragonrider? Athan wished again he was still around to ask.

His train of thought was interrupted, by S'ra, who seemed to think he should be a threadfighter. She knew more about the weyr than he did so if she thought that was what he should do maybe that was the answer?

But she didn't quite sound like her usual self. S'ra was always so...confident. And helpful. And nice.

Maybe this decision was hard for her too and she didn't like being at a loss.

"It's okay if you're still deciding," Athan called after her, as she rushed to leave, "We still have a couple of days. I haven't made my mind up yet either. You don't have to rush if you need more time."