2024-07-19 - [7.6] Have you tried switching it off and on again?

Liorenth pokes at the exhausted Shayled briefly, reminded of what he saw in one of the candidates. He knows mother's bonded well enough now to recognise that this is not her usual mindset. Knows also without thinking that she will feel brighter after she has slept - he doesn't know how he knows this, it just feels obvious.

He is briefly pleased that he understands "the future." Sleep now, later (IN FUTURE) will feel better.

He also can recognise that her word thought patterns are distorted. Why? Why would she think she is not able to do this ... thing that she has already been doing. Meetings? Being very very very tired changes how people think, maybe.

He does vaguely now remember Gwillanth's thoughts about how Igith (bright Igith!) was pushed into a role before she had time to prepare. Is that true for Shayled too. Sleep - he sends to her again although she won't hear.

It is a largely selfish impulse because the dark exhaustion is starting to weigh on him also and he would like Shayled to make it go away soon. She is able to calm her own distress a bit by thinking about the things that help her in the role. Liorenth is also intrigued by the gold rider's ideas about the legendary goldriders. Legendary -- that would be a good thing...

Why though? What does it mean to be legendary? Are legendary gold riders really good at going to meetings?

It has been a strange week for learning about the world -- many people/dragons in the weyr are unhappy. The earthquake distressed them. Then others are upset because their role does not fit or they want it to fit and it doesn't -- this part is just confusing.

Not Yuakajth, who took joy from his role. Not Pertemarth. They aren't upset. Or at least, not in themselves. Not the green dragon and her followers.

And then there was Ertineth who hated himself and everyone else. Best if he is not asked to eggsit. He might hate the eggs for not being his.

After Shayled reminds herself that she needs to sleep and that will help -- YES! -- he briefly touches on the idea of being forced into a role. But he doesn't understand. In truth, his idea of a role is more of a mixture of what he has learned from Pertemarth about fighting dragons and having a weyrmate and from the brief contacts with his sire -- but maybe, just maybe, it will help to have a bonded person who will not hate that.

Shayled's 'what if' thoughts are too complex for him. If mother was a blue dragon then everything in his whole world would be different.

He too drifts off to sleep. Are there legendary dragons too? He likes this idea...