Coming Home

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Title: Coming Home

Rating: PG

Tenth Pass, 28.03.01

Soneth banked and slowly circled over StarRise. Z'leena watched the familiar contours move below her and smiled. She'd never thought to return here, but her sojourn to Sable had put so very many things into perspective. Her ghosts weren't gone, but now they were memories that gentled her grief and didn't turn it into a knife that made her bleed.

That, and StarRise was a shell of a lot more sane than Sable ever could be. She didn't know how that Weyr stayed functioning with the antics some of it's supposedly 'respected' rider instigated. Z'leena had pitied Weyrwoman Zahlenka, and Z'leena didn't pity many people.

[[It is good to be home again,]] Soneth noted, finally allowing his altitude to decrease as he went to land. [[This is where we belong.]]

"It is," Z'leena agreed, unfastening her harness once Soneth was settled. "We have our weyr back."

[[I will take the cats there. Venjyth's rider waits.]] Soneth jumped, his wings opening with a sharp snap to catch the air and in mere seconds, he wheeled smartly to land on their old weyrledge.

D'ven stepped forward as Z'leena headed for the stairs that led to his office. The Weyrleader had a wide grin on his face, an uncommon enough sight. "Brownrider, it is good to have you home!" he exclaimed, dropping the formality that Z'leena usually incited and pulling her into a bear hug. "StarRise just isn't StarRise without you."

"Weyrleader," Z'leena gasped, dangling from his hold. Her hand only twitched towards her knife before she controlled it.

"D'ven! Put her down!" Vinalli laughed, punching at D'ven's arms with her fists. "She's turning blue!"

"Oops," D'ven said unrepentantly, setting Z'leena back on her feet.

"Welcome home, Z'leena," Vinalli said, refraining from giving the younger woman the kiss on the cheek she would have given anyone else. "We've made sure your cat pans were fresh and full and it has once more been added to the weyrling and candidate punishment list."

Z'leena nodded, a slight quirk of her lips the only sign of her amusement. "My wing?"

"All yours," D'ven grinned, "and welcome to them. We never did manage to get a permanent replacement for you. That's a tough group of wingriders you trained up there. They intimidated the shell out of every bronze or brownrider we put over them."

Z'leena's quirked lip, for the briefest second, become a full-blown grin. Then it vanished completely. "I have good riders," she said.

Vinalli rolled her eyes and jabbed at D'ven with an elbow. "Give it to her."

D'ven sighed, then held out his hand. Clearskies' wingleader badge rested on his broad palm, fresh, bright and new. "Welcome home, Wingleader Z'leena. StarRise is glad to have you back!"

"Thank you, Wingleader D'ven. Weyrwoman Vinalli," Z'leena answered formally. "It's good to be home again."

Vinalli cleared her throat delicately and tilted her head towards the infirmary. "We didn't really tell anyone you were coming," she admitted with a grin. "But I know there's a healer on shift right now who'd really like to know."

Z'leena held still for a second, then smiled slowly. "Thank you." Tucking the wingbadge into the waistband of her belt, she headed straight for the infirmary.

End.