Patina

Patina took more after her mother than her sire, though both lived and worked in Dragonhope. Her mother - Virin, the Weyr healer, and her father, J'ir the rider of a fine bronze. She was dark skinned, darker than her mother - in fact, it could be said that she harkened back to her grandparents more greatly than either of her parents in appearance and demeanor. S'xon's height and deep skintone, his and Kira's two-toned hair, black as J'ir's and with eyes as green as Virin's.

She was born of their joining as J'ir's dragon competed in a mating flight. He didn't win, but most of the riders enjoyed the company of some woman that day, and J'ir happened to have been with the lovely and normally unapproachable Virin. Virin, like others in her family, expected much from a partner. J'ir gave her that, but admitted to her that it might have been easier if she'd been a rider. So attuned to the thoughts of dragons was he, that he just knew that should Akitoth his bronze pair up with a proper gold... that night would be the best of his life.

Virin waved it off, she knew that riders were distracted sorts. Just look at her parents, was what she said about that!

It seemed unlikely that the Weyrhealer would allow herself to become pregnant at random, though she would hardly admit that it was random at all. Perhaps she just wanted to raise a child, or give her parents grandchildren - though they already had at least one from her elder brother and his master smith wife.

Perhaps... what Virin wanted to give her parents, was this shining child who would become a rider some day. It was in her blood from both sides, it was a sure bet. Opal her aunt Searched Patina when she was an infant, S'vax when she was a toddler, and by S'xon's bronze when she was old enough to stand. As if Patina hadn't been aware that she'd been searched the first time. She had.

She was quite aware - more aware than even her parents let on. Like her father, she could hear dragons minds in hers, from the start. But unlike him... she also heard human minds.

Patina was a beautiful girl, with that rich mop of dark hair streaked from birth with brilliant white, and eyes that never needed the glasses she donned. She thought they made her look more elegant, as if she needed help there. It was ridiculous to think that this young woman could be anything other than perfect. By the time she was in her fourteenth year, there had been three Lordlings, two craft Journeymen, and at least half a dozen riders from Dragonhope and other weyrs who had asked for her hand in marriage.

The little snorting laugh she gave when she spoke of these things to her mother was well justified. They were not just 'not good enough' for her - they were entirely inappropriate gestures. She would be a rider. Whether it was a green, blue or queen - she belonged on a dragon, not sitting in some Hall sewing or whatnot.

She'd been trained by her mother in the infirmary, but that wasn't where Patina's attention stayed. She learned to ride early on as well, and had a good grasp of the lay of the land by the age of ten - from dragonback. Her grandfather, uncles, and the rest of the riders in her family most certainly spoiled her rotten in that regard. And the dragons... kept her secrets - others knew that she could speak to them, that was a good gift to have. But they knew where the humans did not, of her ability to sense motives and emotions in humans.

Patina was adept at reading and writing, keeping track of numbers and stock - she helped her mother more with the supplies and ordering, than with healing patients. Somewhat unlike her mother, and far more her sire's influence, Patina sensed the emotions around her and responded directly. If a patient was worried, laying in bed with a sickness, Patina made sure to speak loudly enough about his sure recovery that the worry vanished. She was subtle about these things. Not so much when it came to knowing the general needs of the infirmary, she wrote orders for supplies and left them in her mother's desk - to be sent out as-is with only Virin's signature needed.

Even though these things all seemed to want to make Patina somewhat difficult to manage, she was headstrong but not bullying, prideful but not boastful. That was more to protect herself from close scrutiny perhaps, than any desire to appear more humble. In fact in personality traits... she greatly resembled her grandmother Kira. She could be forceful, she could be brash - but only when needed.

Patina almost envied her grandmother - and though she was past sixty, could only hope and pray that her own looks and health continued as well as Kira's! Now... of course, whether Kira would ever relinquish the status of Weyrwoman, and her husband as Leader... that was something else entirely!

And it only came into question when Patina was sixteen. She'd been sent with numerous "reds" - visitors to the infirmary last year and now gathered by their sire - to Talis Weyr. There, several very odd clutches and some more traditional ones lay on their sands - in an all but empty Weyr. They desperately needed candidates, and Patina's turn finally came to justify those multiple Searches earlier in her life.

There was no sense in wondering why the brilliantly yellow-gold came to her. Of course she would be chosen by a gold. What other dragon could seriously handle this young woman? And with the stream of praise that came from Patina's mind and flowed into Breaundath's, came an echo of the same toward her perfect rider.

And thus... when they came home a little more than a year later, the Queen's wing gained a new member. The junior Weyrwomen and more senior queens wondered - some aloud - whether this meant that the Weyr would not have a new Weyrwoman in Milonna after all?

But their worries were alleviated, when they all met in a large group.

"This Weyr has a bounty of golds, queens older than mine and far more experienced," Patina said. "And I know that it would look bad if the daughter of the Weyrwoman was chosen above any of you," she looked toward the grouping of Ulejen, Tyu, Aniz, and the rest. "I will remain here at this Weyr and do duties appropriate to a queen rider - but I will not challenge your right to replace my mother when the time comes."

"She just doesn't want the responsibility," Kira jibed, but Patina shook her head.

"Grandmother, Weyrwoman, you know that I enjoy responsibility. In fact I would be happy to take on the paperwork if you two don't feel you want to do it," she looked at the Junior Weyrwomen who both smiled and nodded eagerly. "I'm sure that we will be of use and value in dealing with the Healer's hall, as well."

"Then that is settled," Kira said, "though if your dragon decides otherwise..."

"We'll honor that too," Milonna said, "besides... I know that I'm your second and all, but there are still plenty of Weyrs who would balk at my queen's coloration."

"Well they're idiots to do so," Aulda rolled her eyes, joined by others. This session of the queens of the Weyr was decidedly over when Kira summoned a servant with a case of Ablan's best wine to celebrate!

*** 5.27.15 - participating in a flight at Aneris Weyr