Who

Rocio, Ginger

What

Rocio checks up on Ginger.

When

It is before dawn of the sixteenth day of the eleventh month of the fourteenth turn of the 12th pass.

Where

Training Grounds, Southern Weyr

OOC Date 30 Aug 2018 23:00

 

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Training Grounds

A broad and sheltered swoop of bowl lies bare for the talons and tread of countless weyrlings that-will-be, encased by stone scoured and scarred by those-that-were. Dirt lies as neatly as dirt can lie, swept and raked daily, at the mouth of the caverns that must indubitably be the weyrling barracks. Devoid of decoration, the place stands strangely absent of pressence when empty, the everpresent wind of Southern giving strange acoustics to those under the shelter of the towering bowl-wall.


Early morning PT for the senior weyrlings isn't quite as daunting at this point in their dragonriding careers — or is it? Rocio is currently dressed in her running gear consisting of a pair of shorts, a tank top, and appropriate footwear as she jogs back into the training grounds with a group of weyrlings behind her. "Alright! Hit the baths, y'all. Formation drills in one candlemark." After the group is dismissed, the Weyrlingmaster begins to stretch her muscles to avoid any tightness.

Ginger isn't at the front of the pack, but she's respectably close: she was one of the fortunate ones who was relatively fit to start off with, and weyrlinghood has got her into decent shape. When the class is dismissed, she trots away a little distance towards Shokravanth, who is waiting in the drill ground with some of the other dragons, and starts her own cool-down routine. She's learned her lesson about not stretching! Shokravanth warbles a greeting as his rider approaches. The remains of a wooden chair are on the ground beside him.

Niamyth is more than likely fluttering around the bowl as a second group of weyrlings are currently finishing up their formation drills and gearing up for a run. Rocio likes balance and the groups provide just that. When the greenrider catches sight of Ginger, she finishes up her stretches and makes her way over to the wingleader and her bond. "Mornin' Shokravanth. How're things?" She might squint a little at the brown's hide just to see how well oiled it is (yes, she's a critic) before directing her gaze toward Ginger. "And you? That knot ain't weighin' ya down much, is it?" A jest, that. And a half grin to follow.

Ginger throws up a salute. "He says he's well-oiled and feeling fit, thank you ma'am, and he's hoping to catch a wherry or two later on." Shokravanth's eyes whirl greenly at the thought, in fact. "The knot… I'm still trying to get my head round exactly what I need to be doing. I've been trying to keep in touch with everyone, keep my eyes and ears open for any problems. So's he. It's harder now we're not in barracks any more. And I've been doing revision on all those hand signals."

Rocio returns the salute after she's finished squinty-eyeing Shokravanth's hide, nodding with approval shortly afterward. "Yep. He looks good and you're doin' a great job stayin' attentive to it. The joints are the most difficult to maintain and keep from chafin'." Somewhere Niamyth's glowbugs flare in agreement. Folding her arms across her chest, Rocio regards Ginger when she voices concern about knowing what to do as a ranking weyrling. "Well, that's exactly what you should be doin'. While y'ain't responsible for an entire wing on your own yet, it's good to get the basics down. Stayin' connected, receivin' feedback, makin' improvements when necessary. Findin' balance is learned through experience, lemme tell ya."

"Right. Thank you." Shokravanth shares a glimmer of distant stars with Niamyth as his condition is praised. "Feedback - yes." That seems to reassure Ginger, who relaxes slightly. "How do you think we're doing in our formations? I mean, is there anything I ought to be working on?" She's entirely confident that Rocio will tell them what they're doing wrong in drill, but this is a slightly different question.

Ever vocal during drills, PT, formations, in the sky, on the ground, and everywhere in between, Rocio gives a nod when Ginger asks how everyone is progressing with formations. She looks thoughtful for a moment while considering the inquiry. "Well, how do ya think y'all are doin'?" Yes, she's flipping the question around and directing it to the wingleader on purpose. "Y'ain't required to fill out reports, but if you land a rankin' knot after graduation you'll be required to prepare and submit 'em to the Weyrleader himself." Light colored eyes fix upon the brownling and Ro folds her arms across her middle. "Maybe I'll have ya start practicin' now if'n ya want the extra challenge."

"I think…" Ginger says, and proceeds to do just that. There's a short pause while she gathers her imprsessions. "I think we're getting the idea of transferring the foundations that we've done on the ground to the air, but not everyone's thinking in three dimensions yet. We had some moments last drill when vertical spacing got - well, there was too much of it, seeing as we weren't supposed to be stepped at the time." Another moment's pause while she shifts her weight to the other foot, then she admits, "And I'd kind of dread having to keep an eye on things from the front of a V if there's Thread falling."

"That's why you've got wingseconds." Rocio states as a matter-of-fact. "You'll be at the helm as a wingleader, but your seconds can also act as your eyes when needed. That, and you build confidence in your wing through drills." She then tosses her chin toward Shokravanth standing a short distance away and then returns her focus to Ginger. "And him. Use him to feel your wing. He can tell ya in a moment's notice if a pair in your formation is havin' difficulty, or if they're doin' something good! Shokravanth's role is just as important as yours." Niamyth glitters again for emphasis, sharing her sentiments with the brown after Rocio breathes them to life with words. "Y'all are a team. You, Shokravanth, your seconds, and the wing as a whole. Trust in yourself and trust in your wing." A beat, "And trust that I'mma keep pushin' ya. So for today's aerial formation, we're gonna practice that V so you can see what I'm talkin' about."

Ginger takes all this in with a thoughtful frown on her face, and finally grins, realising she asked for that last bit. "That sounds useful…. About the 'seconds, though: do they always have to be in the position we learned, or do wings vary where they go? If they're right behind me, they're not going to see much more than I can without having to turn." Shokravanth rumbles his appreciation of the Weyrlingmaster's words. « Yes! » he tells Niamyth, as his stars resolve into a spiral galaxy. « We are a team, her and me and the others. We can do this! »

Rocio practically twinkles at the idea of practicing the V formation later in the day. See? She listens to feedback and concerns! Another grin follows and she lowers her arms from their criss-cross over her middle. "Your seconds can be wherever you want 'em to be to fit your wing's needs. We'll practice that today, too. You can pick where Talya and Evka should be positioned so you can get some practical experience makin' improvements." Niamyth's fireflies sparkle with bright iridescence when Shokravanth chimes in. « Yup! Ain't a doubt in my mind neither! »

"Thanks, ma'am. I'll have a think about that while I'm getting clean." Ginger still needs to hit the baths after that run they were on, and in fact, the thought of getting clean sets her nose a-wrinkling. "Which I kind of need to do," she adds with some distaste. Southern heat combined with a total lack of deodorants makes baths a very necessary thing!

"You're welcome." Rocio says (maybe in her best D'wane voice) with a grin. "You're doin' great, Ginger, all across the board." Which is more than likely why she's sporting that fancy knot on her shoulder. "Ya got heart and drive, both qualities I think will take ya far in this life. Don't think that the current wingleaders ain't been noticin' that, too. They'll be fightin' for ya to join their wings before long." Which means that graduation is looming upon the horizon. And when the baths are mentioned, Ro might share that same nose wrinkling and agree wholeheartedly about getting herself clean, too. "You think about it and I'll see ya in a bit." Now to the baths!

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