Post by ricci on Sept 8, 2011 19:54:00 GMT -5
Name: S'rus
Age: 32
S'rus; 32 turns; Candidate Master and Rider of Bronze Finanth
Black and White
Temptation,
Frustration,
So bad it makes him cry...
Long Image
Name: S'rus (Previously Sederus)
Pronunciation: suh-ROOS (SEH-deh-ROOS)
Nicknames: Sed (Seddie by those who have known him since childhood)
Status: Fighting Fit
Age: 32 (Winter birth)
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Family Ties:
Mother: Marausa (60)
Father: Keden (62)
Son with Renli: Renlus (11)
Daughter with Hamira: Samidera (7)
Sibling(s): Madera (45) + Eanid (48), Maken (28), Andes (26), Uskemen (25), Candidate Lukas (19)
Nieces by Madera and husband Eanid: Medea (22) + Ardim (23), Dameni (19) of Blue Skolonth (3) + Weyrmate Aryna (18) of Red Shashushth (4)
Great Nephew by Medea and husband Ardim: Almardi (1)
Nephew by Maken and wife Rim: Mikir (5)
Niece by Lukas + deceased girlfriend Imina: Kaskimi
Appearance
S'rus is a pretty big guy, bulky and strong. He stands at a not-to-lofty, but certainly none-to-short 6'1", and has strong Rider-toned muscles, certainly a difference from his gangly and awkward youth. He looks broad, and is broad, being both muscular and plagued with bodyfat that clings to his skin like some sort of protective glove -- a chronic embarassment. He has learned to appreciate this layer of fat, however. He might not look the greatest without his shirt (considering he also has coarse black hair covering his chest, back, and even his belly - he's like a werewolf, man), but it does not hinder him really, and hey. Even if it looks bad, it keeps him warm, right? He is built proportionally enough, though his torso is a tad long, his legs a bit short, and he has enormous feet. It is, perhaps, a good thing that S'rus' craft as a youth was Tanning, as Tanners did generally know how to make their own boots, and the man doesn't want to bug the crap out of other tanners by making them try to make boots that fit him.
S'rus has a great mop of rather thin black hair. He keeps it long, often braiding it into dozens of "little braids," giving it a thicker, heavier appearance. Braided, his hair touches his shoulders and is swept back behind his ears with carefully done "haircrafting" as he likes to call it. It frames his pale olive skin strangely well, and gives a stark contrast to his surpring greeny-hazel eyes. It is not an especially common style, these corn-row-like braids, but he makes it work. Or maybe he's just worn his hair that way for enough turns that nobody thinks twice about it anymore. He has large features, big round eyes and a big yet aquiline nose with a wide, smiling mouth. His cheeks are hard and his forehead high. Along the edges of his hair is evidence of a long struggle with acne, bright red round scars apearing haphazardly along his hairline, whether or not he popped them as an adolescent. He still gets the occasional pimple -- fantastic things, too. Some swear that they can see his pimples a dragonlength away! Once upon a time, S'rus was extremely nervous about his acne, but he has come into his own, and no longer fears judgment.
All in all, S'rus isn't an especially striking person. Save for his interesting hair style and his large, bright gold-hazel eyes, there's nothing special about him. He's bulky, he's hairy (bearded and covered in arm hair, leg hair, back hair, chest hair, belly hair... you get the point), and he's a nice looking guy. He isn't bad looking, sitting firmly in the realm of attractiveness. He likes it that way. He's clean, too, by the way. He keeps good care of himself, and tends to smell very nice. In fact, S'rus is almost never dirty. He doesn't suffer from OCD, but some speculate, because S'rus bathes two to three times in a day, often forgoing meals or sleep to keep himself groomed.
In dress, S'rus can generally be found wearing clean-cut clothes, rarely leather aside from boots and sandals. Even his casual wear has an air of formality to it, though his clothes are always made so that he can function well in them. He has all the appearance of a high-born gentleman with a fondness for the outdoors, even though he is certainly not a high-born gentleman. His clothes are generally colored so that they compliment a complexion, something that he struggled with in his youth. Befriending as many ladies as he has in his life, however, has certainly helped him choose a more suitable color-palette and style. His clothes help make his legs appear longer with their cuts, and his waist seems somewhat slimmer, which is good for his self-confidence. He is glad to have had as many helpful lady-friends throughout his turns at the Weyr.
Personality:
Friendly, A Little Awkward, Restrained, Unintentionally a Creeper At Heart, Good-Willed, Firm
S'rus is a friendly guy, if a little bit awkward around the edges. He is most comfortable around women for some inexplicable reason, flirting with them and becoming friends with them. Though, he isn't adverse to speaking with men. He's just more comfortable with women than men. The reason is unclear, there is nothing in his past that should have caused this, but it simply is. He takes advice well, and shares only things he knows has worked for him or folks he trusts -- probably a good trait, considering that he has held the position of Candidate Master for several turns now. But being a Candidate Master has brought along a few unexpected demons from out from under his bed. You see, as much as S'rus would never act on these impulses (it would, at the very least, take a lot of effort on the Candidate's part), S'rus finds himself attracted to innocence. The fact is, S'rus finds himself attracted to the young women in his classes. That isn't to say he's quite a "pedophile," never even thinking about touching a girl who has not yet hit puberty, but those 14 turn old girls fresh from the Hold, or even those youths that S'rus helped raise up from 12 turns of age, once they hit a certain age, S'rus cannot help but begin to... obsess somewhat over them. It is good that S'rus has a strong enough set of morals, however, to never persue these young ladies. However, the fact is, if one ever pushed at him hard enough, the man might not be able to press her back.
Some people speculate that he may have been a better brown-rider, considering his great respect for those of higher rank than he has and his lack of true arrogance. He's a gentle soul for the most part, but he is not afraid to take charge when he must. He does strive for rank, however, though he ultimately steppeddown from a Wingsecond position to take on Candidate Mastery. He does admittedly hope for Finranth to ultimately win the Weyrqueen and to give him a shot at Weyrleadeship. Though not painfully arrogant, he does think he could do a better job than many of the Weyrleaders he's seen over the turns. All things considered, that is not entirely unlikely. It seems that Weyrleaders have a tendency of not necessarily being the best, even if S'rus isn't that much better.
S'rus is a logical person, highly diplomatic with a calm, easygoing manner. He is articulate, and hopes to one day work with other Weyrs and the Holds, traveling too and from for various other things. He is anything but a jerk, though he can be assertive. He knows how to say "No," and he knows how to tell people what needs to be done (whether he was the one who came up with it, or from a higher-up). He's firm, but in a way that makes people want to follow his directions.
A little bit self-conscious, S'rus has an almost obsessive desire to keep himself clean and without too much smell. He's an extremely hard-worker, so he bathes on a twice daily basis, often three or four times. He will skip meals and sleep in order to make sure he gets his cleaning-time in. Finranth doesn't even like to be bathed that much!
History:
Born in the Hold, Sederus was the oldest of five boys, with one older sister. Being the eldest (his older sister was so much older that she'd left and married before Sederus was eight turns old), Sederus was expected from a young age to take up a Craft that would earn money for his family. His father, a Craftless man who did odd jobs around the Hold, pushed Sederus for a better life.
Throughout his childhood, Sederus was always changing diapers. From the age of five or six on, it seemed somebody always needed to be changed. If he wasn't changing baby boys, he was chasing after them through a pile of mud, or simply cleaning out the rags that were tied to their rear ends. He had siblings who he hadn't had to change, but only because he'd been in swaddling clothes himself. When he was 12, his father's cousin, Jascint, came in to the Hold from the Tannery to sell some hides. He did this regularly, but this time Sederus was old enough to take up a proper Apprenticeship. Sederus' father liked the idea of Jascint taking Seddie on as an Apprentice. That was how his nose went from suffering "bad" to "Tannery-Awful."
For the next two and a half turns, he spent his time in his "Uncle's" Cothold-turned-Tannery somewhere in between Weyr and Hold. After he became a Sr. Apprentice (Apprentice III), he was allowed to go to the Hold or Weyr to sell tanned skins, or give the Weyr their tithe. His parents gave him a gift for his 'promotion,' having saved up for it for turns and waiting for a good excuse. They purchased a male puppy who he named Del.
Sometime over the next turn, as he trained hard to try and walk to the Tables for Journeyman status, he went to the Weyr to give a Tithe. Upon arrival, a blue dragon swept down from the Heights to accept them into the Weyr. The blue Searched him right then and there. Surprise surprise! The same blue and rider were a pair who often went out on Searches. Jascint wasn't exactly happy about it, and neither was his family for that matter, but by now two other sons of his family were in Crafts. They wouldn't starve if he went off and persued the typical teenage boy's dream of dragonriding. Nevermind the escape of the Tannery.
At the same Hatching he was innitially Searched for, he Impressed Finranth. Most people were a little surprised that the quiet 15 turn old boy had Impressed a bronze, but as they got to know him, it became clear that he possessed the leadership qualities bronzes seemed attracted to.
His Weyrling-turns went by quickly. When the first green of the Clutch Rose, Finranth gave chase and won. That had been somewhat awkward, as he ended up in bed with a male greenrider. Which wasn't a big deal. Just awkward. Finranth has caught a handful of greens in his time, and once even caught a Jr. Queen, though the next time she Rose, he failed to Catch her. Honestly, most of the... results had seemed awkward. He's a bit of an "I like relationships" sort of guy. Well, that and young teenagers. But we'll get back to that later.
Some time in there, he did impregnate a kitchen-hand during a Flight which Finranth had not succeeded in. It was the turn before when he'd been promoted to Wingsecond, so he was far too busy to raise the child. The kitchen-hand, Renli, forgave him, and still named their child in the traditional dragonrider way, naming the infant boy Renlus. He was born when S'rus was was 21. Though he has not been able to help raise Ren as he would have liked, but he has developed a rather good relationship with the boy... for all that the boy is kind of... creepy and awkward and... creepy. His son is a total recluse, but S'rus attributes that to just general shyness in the same way that S'rus was once a shy, quiet youth. But no. Renlus will always be creepy. By a different woman named Hamila, a girl, really, a sixteen turn old Greenrider at the time, S'rus, then 25, fathered a girl named Samidera. He struggles with his relationship with Sami, and in fact feels it is very much hopeless. The girl is, unfortunately, mentally retarded, and S'rus struggles with communicating with the child, though Hamila has taken a permanent leave from many of her duties in order to care for the child. It was the same turn that his daughter was born that his canine died at the age of 11 turns. Perhaps this, too, effected his ability to act as a father to Sami, as he was devastated by the loss... Or maybe it was Sami's birth that made it so had to lose his dog.
The next few turns were busy, working as Wingsecond and also striving to convince the higher-ups that he should be allowed to travel to Southern Weyr and try to talk some sense into them. You see, while Sed understands the differences between Southern and Solace, he doesn't think they need to be there. For three turns, from the age of 21 to 24, he tried desperately to convince enough people to back him. Unfortunately, then Maai and Grenth stepped up to Sr. Weyrwoman. It was at this point that S'rus realized it would be best to set this goal of his aside. Not particularly fond of Maai's especially harsh decisions, S'rus found himself backing down from his position as Wing Second, as opposed to accepting the possible promotion to Wing Leader. He took over at the age of 26 the position of Candidate Master from a retiring rider, and has been quietly inserting his less extreme ideals into his lessons. And by quietly, I mean, only Candidates who specifically look for it will see it.
Of course, this brought in a new trouble. You see, S'rus had always known that he preferred younger partners, generally bedding women a minimum of three turns his junior, though he would never touch a girl much younger than he was beyond that. As a Wing Second, he often saw young Weyrlings come and join the Wing, and he encouraged Finranth to give Chase to these young women's dragons, though he did not realize it was their age that attracted him. More than age, it is their innocence. As Candidate Master, S'rus suddenly found himself giving lessons to girls aged 12 to 20, and it didn't take long for him to realize that his eyes had begun to hungrily follow fourteen turn old youths around the room, puberty just reaching its peak. Worse even, his attraction to the girls even younger than that, so long as puberty has taken its hold. Those girls, especially the ones he has taught since they were 12 and prepubescent, make S'rus almost sick to his stomach. Especially when he remembers that he has not only a son nearing the age of Candidacy, but also a daughter, several turns younger than Renlus, who one day will be that very same age that makes S'rus sweat.
He refuses to ever act on these impulses.
It has been several turns as Candidate Master now, and S'rus thinks he has a firm hold on his less than savory urges. He still hopes to one day be able to begin diplomatic talks with Southern Weyr, though he waits for Maai to finally relax her grip, or to step down, whichever comes first. Extremism is the cause of the worst corruption, S'rus finds, and he hopes that as a society, they can find the middle ground.
Age: 32
S'rus; 32 turns; Candidate Master and Rider of Bronze Finanth
Black and White
Temptation,
Frustration,
So bad it makes him cry...
Long Image
Name: S'rus (Previously Sederus)
Pronunciation: suh-ROOS (SEH-deh-ROOS)
Nicknames: Sed (Seddie by those who have known him since childhood)
Status: Fighting Fit
Age: 32 (Winter birth)
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Family Ties:
Mother: Marausa (60)
Father: Keden (62)
Son with Renli: Renlus (11)
Daughter with Hamira: Samidera (7)
Sibling(s): Madera (45) + Eanid (48), Maken (28), Andes (26), Uskemen (25), Candidate Lukas (19)
Nieces by Madera and husband Eanid: Medea (22) + Ardim (23), Dameni (19) of Blue Skolonth (3) + Weyrmate Aryna (18) of Red Shashushth (4)
Great Nephew by Medea and husband Ardim: Almardi (1)
Nephew by Maken and wife Rim: Mikir (5)
Niece by Lukas + deceased girlfriend Imina: Kaskimi
Appearance
S'rus is a pretty big guy, bulky and strong. He stands at a not-to-lofty, but certainly none-to-short 6'1", and has strong Rider-toned muscles, certainly a difference from his gangly and awkward youth. He looks broad, and is broad, being both muscular and plagued with bodyfat that clings to his skin like some sort of protective glove -- a chronic embarassment. He has learned to appreciate this layer of fat, however. He might not look the greatest without his shirt (considering he also has coarse black hair covering his chest, back, and even his belly - he's like a werewolf, man), but it does not hinder him really, and hey. Even if it looks bad, it keeps him warm, right? He is built proportionally enough, though his torso is a tad long, his legs a bit short, and he has enormous feet. It is, perhaps, a good thing that S'rus' craft as a youth was Tanning, as Tanners did generally know how to make their own boots, and the man doesn't want to bug the crap out of other tanners by making them try to make boots that fit him.
S'rus has a great mop of rather thin black hair. He keeps it long, often braiding it into dozens of "little braids," giving it a thicker, heavier appearance. Braided, his hair touches his shoulders and is swept back behind his ears with carefully done "haircrafting" as he likes to call it. It frames his pale olive skin strangely well, and gives a stark contrast to his surpring greeny-hazel eyes. It is not an especially common style, these corn-row-like braids, but he makes it work. Or maybe he's just worn his hair that way for enough turns that nobody thinks twice about it anymore. He has large features, big round eyes and a big yet aquiline nose with a wide, smiling mouth. His cheeks are hard and his forehead high. Along the edges of his hair is evidence of a long struggle with acne, bright red round scars apearing haphazardly along his hairline, whether or not he popped them as an adolescent. He still gets the occasional pimple -- fantastic things, too. Some swear that they can see his pimples a dragonlength away! Once upon a time, S'rus was extremely nervous about his acne, but he has come into his own, and no longer fears judgment.
All in all, S'rus isn't an especially striking person. Save for his interesting hair style and his large, bright gold-hazel eyes, there's nothing special about him. He's bulky, he's hairy (bearded and covered in arm hair, leg hair, back hair, chest hair, belly hair... you get the point), and he's a nice looking guy. He isn't bad looking, sitting firmly in the realm of attractiveness. He likes it that way. He's clean, too, by the way. He keeps good care of himself, and tends to smell very nice. In fact, S'rus is almost never dirty. He doesn't suffer from OCD, but some speculate, because S'rus bathes two to three times in a day, often forgoing meals or sleep to keep himself groomed.
In dress, S'rus can generally be found wearing clean-cut clothes, rarely leather aside from boots and sandals. Even his casual wear has an air of formality to it, though his clothes are always made so that he can function well in them. He has all the appearance of a high-born gentleman with a fondness for the outdoors, even though he is certainly not a high-born gentleman. His clothes are generally colored so that they compliment a complexion, something that he struggled with in his youth. Befriending as many ladies as he has in his life, however, has certainly helped him choose a more suitable color-palette and style. His clothes help make his legs appear longer with their cuts, and his waist seems somewhat slimmer, which is good for his self-confidence. He is glad to have had as many helpful lady-friends throughout his turns at the Weyr.
Personality:
Friendly, A Little Awkward, Restrained, Unintentionally a Creeper At Heart, Good-Willed, Firm
S'rus is a friendly guy, if a little bit awkward around the edges. He is most comfortable around women for some inexplicable reason, flirting with them and becoming friends with them. Though, he isn't adverse to speaking with men. He's just more comfortable with women than men. The reason is unclear, there is nothing in his past that should have caused this, but it simply is. He takes advice well, and shares only things he knows has worked for him or folks he trusts -- probably a good trait, considering that he has held the position of Candidate Master for several turns now. But being a Candidate Master has brought along a few unexpected demons from out from under his bed. You see, as much as S'rus would never act on these impulses (it would, at the very least, take a lot of effort on the Candidate's part), S'rus finds himself attracted to innocence. The fact is, S'rus finds himself attracted to the young women in his classes. That isn't to say he's quite a "pedophile," never even thinking about touching a girl who has not yet hit puberty, but those 14 turn old girls fresh from the Hold, or even those youths that S'rus helped raise up from 12 turns of age, once they hit a certain age, S'rus cannot help but begin to... obsess somewhat over them. It is good that S'rus has a strong enough set of morals, however, to never persue these young ladies. However, the fact is, if one ever pushed at him hard enough, the man might not be able to press her back.
Some people speculate that he may have been a better brown-rider, considering his great respect for those of higher rank than he has and his lack of true arrogance. He's a gentle soul for the most part, but he is not afraid to take charge when he must. He does strive for rank, however, though he ultimately steppeddown from a Wingsecond position to take on Candidate Mastery. He does admittedly hope for Finranth to ultimately win the Weyrqueen and to give him a shot at Weyrleadeship. Though not painfully arrogant, he does think he could do a better job than many of the Weyrleaders he's seen over the turns. All things considered, that is not entirely unlikely. It seems that Weyrleaders have a tendency of not necessarily being the best, even if S'rus isn't that much better.
S'rus is a logical person, highly diplomatic with a calm, easygoing manner. He is articulate, and hopes to one day work with other Weyrs and the Holds, traveling too and from for various other things. He is anything but a jerk, though he can be assertive. He knows how to say "No," and he knows how to tell people what needs to be done (whether he was the one who came up with it, or from a higher-up). He's firm, but in a way that makes people want to follow his directions.
A little bit self-conscious, S'rus has an almost obsessive desire to keep himself clean and without too much smell. He's an extremely hard-worker, so he bathes on a twice daily basis, often three or four times. He will skip meals and sleep in order to make sure he gets his cleaning-time in. Finranth doesn't even like to be bathed that much!
History:
Born in the Hold, Sederus was the oldest of five boys, with one older sister. Being the eldest (his older sister was so much older that she'd left and married before Sederus was eight turns old), Sederus was expected from a young age to take up a Craft that would earn money for his family. His father, a Craftless man who did odd jobs around the Hold, pushed Sederus for a better life.
Throughout his childhood, Sederus was always changing diapers. From the age of five or six on, it seemed somebody always needed to be changed. If he wasn't changing baby boys, he was chasing after them through a pile of mud, or simply cleaning out the rags that were tied to their rear ends. He had siblings who he hadn't had to change, but only because he'd been in swaddling clothes himself. When he was 12, his father's cousin, Jascint, came in to the Hold from the Tannery to sell some hides. He did this regularly, but this time Sederus was old enough to take up a proper Apprenticeship. Sederus' father liked the idea of Jascint taking Seddie on as an Apprentice. That was how his nose went from suffering "bad" to "Tannery-Awful."
For the next two and a half turns, he spent his time in his "Uncle's" Cothold-turned-Tannery somewhere in between Weyr and Hold. After he became a Sr. Apprentice (Apprentice III), he was allowed to go to the Hold or Weyr to sell tanned skins, or give the Weyr their tithe. His parents gave him a gift for his 'promotion,' having saved up for it for turns and waiting for a good excuse. They purchased a male puppy who he named Del.
Sometime over the next turn, as he trained hard to try and walk to the Tables for Journeyman status, he went to the Weyr to give a Tithe. Upon arrival, a blue dragon swept down from the Heights to accept them into the Weyr. The blue Searched him right then and there. Surprise surprise! The same blue and rider were a pair who often went out on Searches. Jascint wasn't exactly happy about it, and neither was his family for that matter, but by now two other sons of his family were in Crafts. They wouldn't starve if he went off and persued the typical teenage boy's dream of dragonriding. Nevermind the escape of the Tannery.
At the same Hatching he was innitially Searched for, he Impressed Finranth. Most people were a little surprised that the quiet 15 turn old boy had Impressed a bronze, but as they got to know him, it became clear that he possessed the leadership qualities bronzes seemed attracted to.
His Weyrling-turns went by quickly. When the first green of the Clutch Rose, Finranth gave chase and won. That had been somewhat awkward, as he ended up in bed with a male greenrider. Which wasn't a big deal. Just awkward. Finranth has caught a handful of greens in his time, and once even caught a Jr. Queen, though the next time she Rose, he failed to Catch her. Honestly, most of the... results had seemed awkward. He's a bit of an "I like relationships" sort of guy. Well, that and young teenagers. But we'll get back to that later.
Some time in there, he did impregnate a kitchen-hand during a Flight which Finranth had not succeeded in. It was the turn before when he'd been promoted to Wingsecond, so he was far too busy to raise the child. The kitchen-hand, Renli, forgave him, and still named their child in the traditional dragonrider way, naming the infant boy Renlus. He was born when S'rus was was 21. Though he has not been able to help raise Ren as he would have liked, but he has developed a rather good relationship with the boy... for all that the boy is kind of... creepy and awkward and... creepy. His son is a total recluse, but S'rus attributes that to just general shyness in the same way that S'rus was once a shy, quiet youth. But no. Renlus will always be creepy. By a different woman named Hamila, a girl, really, a sixteen turn old Greenrider at the time, S'rus, then 25, fathered a girl named Samidera. He struggles with his relationship with Sami, and in fact feels it is very much hopeless. The girl is, unfortunately, mentally retarded, and S'rus struggles with communicating with the child, though Hamila has taken a permanent leave from many of her duties in order to care for the child. It was the same turn that his daughter was born that his canine died at the age of 11 turns. Perhaps this, too, effected his ability to act as a father to Sami, as he was devastated by the loss... Or maybe it was Sami's birth that made it so had to lose his dog.
The next few turns were busy, working as Wingsecond and also striving to convince the higher-ups that he should be allowed to travel to Southern Weyr and try to talk some sense into them. You see, while Sed understands the differences between Southern and Solace, he doesn't think they need to be there. For three turns, from the age of 21 to 24, he tried desperately to convince enough people to back him. Unfortunately, then Maai and Grenth stepped up to Sr. Weyrwoman. It was at this point that S'rus realized it would be best to set this goal of his aside. Not particularly fond of Maai's especially harsh decisions, S'rus found himself backing down from his position as Wing Second, as opposed to accepting the possible promotion to Wing Leader. He took over at the age of 26 the position of Candidate Master from a retiring rider, and has been quietly inserting his less extreme ideals into his lessons. And by quietly, I mean, only Candidates who specifically look for it will see it.
Of course, this brought in a new trouble. You see, S'rus had always known that he preferred younger partners, generally bedding women a minimum of three turns his junior, though he would never touch a girl much younger than he was beyond that. As a Wing Second, he often saw young Weyrlings come and join the Wing, and he encouraged Finranth to give Chase to these young women's dragons, though he did not realize it was their age that attracted him. More than age, it is their innocence. As Candidate Master, S'rus suddenly found himself giving lessons to girls aged 12 to 20, and it didn't take long for him to realize that his eyes had begun to hungrily follow fourteen turn old youths around the room, puberty just reaching its peak. Worse even, his attraction to the girls even younger than that, so long as puberty has taken its hold. Those girls, especially the ones he has taught since they were 12 and prepubescent, make S'rus almost sick to his stomach. Especially when he remembers that he has not only a son nearing the age of Candidacy, but also a daughter, several turns younger than Renlus, who one day will be that very same age that makes S'rus sweat.
He refuses to ever act on these impulses.
It has been several turns as Candidate Master now, and S'rus thinks he has a firm hold on his less than savory urges. He still hopes to one day be able to begin diplomatic talks with Southern Weyr, though he waits for Maai to finally relax her grip, or to step down, whichever comes first. Extremism is the cause of the worst corruption, S'rus finds, and he hopes that as a society, they can find the middle ground.