"That was a hell of a rookie mistake, and you know that."

D'nov's almost ever-present smile was nowhere to be found today, and certainly not after hearing that. He'd chosen to take refuge in his weyr for the day, and had even managed to encourage Wrath to go out and get a little sunlight for once, even if she wanted to remain glued to his side after yesterday's debacle. His shoulder still ached, and the cursory application of numbweed he'd gotten long after the fact had only done so much to take the edge off--that, combined with the dull throb of exhaustion in his bones, meant that his good mood had evaporated rather quickly. Wrath's gentle comforts had done plenty to help soothe his nerves, but K'ino--well, it went without saying that D'nov wasn't particularly fond of the angle he was taking right now. There were a few paths he could see this conversation traveling down--several led straight to an argument, and none of the options he could think of off the top of his head sounded like they'd be any help to how he felt right now.

"Lovely to see you, too. Have we moved beyond pleasant greetings these days, K'ino?" he replied, doing his best to get comfortable in his chosen seat only to be rewarded with a stab of pain from his shoulder. "I--was hoping we could just have a nice chat instead, you know."
K'ino's steely gaze didn't betray much, but D'nov knew how to read him well. It didn't take a lot of effort to piece together that he was worked up--there was that subtle line of tension to him, shown more clearly in a clenched jaw tightly set and arms crossed just so over his chest. His brow is furrowed; then again, it's always furrowed, always a telltale sign of those internal workings going round and round. D'nov breathes a quiet sigh, looking up at K'ino with clear consternation. Was this really bound to wind up careening toward another row, or would K'ino relent before it went that far?

"There's something on your mind. You wouldn't be picking a fight with me like this otherwise."
"Of course there is." K'ino's fists balled just a bit tighter, and even D'nov is surprised at the show of emotion in his son's voice--there was a raw edge to his words that gave far more away than he's sure K'ino would have liked, and that's all it takes to put an end to the threat of his own temper starting to rise. He was never one for yelling, anyhow.
"Would you mind...telling me what it is, perhaps? Maybe I can help, who knows."

There's a long minute of silence, and for a few precarious seconds, D'nov wonders if he might have prodded into something he wasn't prepared to handle. Why else would K'ino be so--agitated? Had something happened that he wasn't aware of? He couldn't think of any problems, and surely Shevauth would have passed the information along if there had been any unpleasant developments--
K'ino lets out a breath slowly, forcing himself to relax bit by bit. He doesn't manage to do so completely; D'nov isn't particularly surprised. He'd never been one to unwind so easily, even as a kid, when he'd had all the freedom in the world to do so. He pulls up the other chair, freeing it from its exile against the wall to place it squarely across from his father--D'nov himself is still settled on the edge of his bed, gently worrying the edge of one of his furs with both hands as he watches the brief flurry of movement. He offers a tentative smile as K'ino makes eye contact again, and he can feel the gentle press of Wrath's anxiety on the edge of his mind.

"You slipped up." K'ino began, pausing for a moment to swallow. "Don't think I have to tell you why that's a problem."
Although he found himself already bristling from the criticism, D'nov bites his tongue quite literally--the muted thrill of almost-pain reminds him to be patient. There's more here yet to pry open.
"And yet, here you are, more or less...doing just that. That sort of defeats the purpose of what you just said, doesn't it?"
K'ino wrinkles his nose, his frown only deepening further. He's thinking, and D'nov makes himself hold still, folding his hands over his lap instead of fiddling with the fur for now. Best to keep distractions to a minimum, besides.
"I-- Look. You should know better."
"Oh, absolutely. Between you and Wrath, I don't know if I'll ever hear the end of it." D'nov gives a soft chuckle, hoping to alleviate some of the tension in the room. "I've made a mess of myself, I know. But on the plus side, it wasn't a bad injury! Nothing that will even leave any lasting damage."
"Could've been, though. Loose straps? Really?"

Really? Well, yes--he was careful, but sometimes things slipped through the cracks at just the worst time, and it made plenty of sense that it would be something he'd done so many times before to the point where it was second nature. He'd been too lax, and he'd paid the price for it. But what--
Ah. Hold on.
That was it.
In an instant, it connected all at once, hitting him like a splash of water. K'ino was worried--that much had been clear, but the specifics of why hadn't quite clicked into place. Wrath had probably only told him so much in the brief moment she'd had to relay the news that they'd had to be grounded for just long enough to get medical attention, and D'nov wasn't sure what all had been passed along. Was that it? That...seemed reasonable. Had he worked himself up this whole time, thinking it had been a much more serious injury before he'd found anything out?
He'd opened his mouth to respond as soon as the revelation had hit, but K'ino cut him off, shaking his head.
"No, hold on. That's not it."
Well, s**t.
"I'm worried, yeah, but there's a bit more to it. It's--dangerous, what we do. We both know that. And you're already sort of retired, y'know? I don't want something big to retire you, just because you're holding out for too long."

D'nov stops, blinking. Was this something K'ino had been debating for a while, or had it just come up because of one mistake? Even if it came from a place of concern, it stung all the same--he'd known full well what he was getting into when he'd gone into fighting Thread instead of simply retiring, and he hadn't once balked at the task. It was what riders were meant to do, after all. But was he really such a relic that he was starting to slip up, enough to be noticed? He hadn't thought he was doing that poorly, even if he was inexperienced; but then again, they all were. None of them had the lifelong careers of fighting Thread that their predecessors so long ago could brag of, and they were having to relearn the ropes all over again. Was he so out of place in all that?
He's jostled out of his line of thought suddenly--K'ino's placed a hand delicately on his uninjured shoulder, doing his best not to move him in the process and potentially tweak anything that was already sore and angry.
"I know I'm...rough with this sort of thing. Doesn't come easy." He pauses, biting his lip as he searches for the right words to say. "I don't mean to come in here and tell you you're incompetent or anything like that. I just-- You're my dad. We're supposed to be prepared to lose people in Threadfall, but I don't want that to happen to you. Especially not because of s**t like that." He inclines his head toward D'nov's other shoulder, fixing him with a pointed look. To his credit, D'nov himself at least knows that that's the appropriate time to look sheepish, even if the strangeness of the situation had knocked him off guard a bit. Wasn't he the one that was supposed to be in charge of these kinds of discussions instead of being on the receiving end? Of course, it had been many, many years since K'ino had really needed a stern talking-to, so...maybe things had changed without him realizing.

"I'll just have to be more careful, then." Truly, he should have already been, but--to live was to make mistakes. He hadn't anticipated such a response to what he'd thought was a small stumble, something to deal with and move on from without lingering too long. "But I--I'll keep what you said in mind, too."
He musters up a braver smile, still more than a bit taken aback. K'ino doesn't seem terribly convinced, but he knows better than to push too hard all at once; D'nov had already dealt with enough today, and it wouldn't do either of them any favors to keep going when they both had raw nerves. After another beat of silence, K'ino stands up, lifting the chair up after him to place it back where he'd gotten it from.

"Take it easy for a few days." K'ino rumbles, hesitating for a moment before awkwardly doing his best to straighten out the assortment of knickknacks he'd spotted on the dresser beside him. "Maybe--well, I know you're not gonna organize this stuff, so I won't bother. Just...relax some, alright?"
"I'll do my best. Can't really see myself going on any high-flying adventures at the moment, anyway--you've got to be in the right mood for it, and I'm more interested in a nap right now."
K'ino snorts, letting his hands fall back to his sides now that the display is at least somewhat sensible. D'nov is sure that won't last very long.
There's another uncomfortable beat of silence between them before K'ino ducks his head in a wordless goodbye, turning to leave. D'nov wants to stop him, but thinks better of it--he's tired, and he doesn't doubt that K'ino is, too. Better for the both of them to recoup on their own time.

When he's alone, D'nov lays back onto his bed carefully, sighing once more; Wrath gives him a soft mental nudge, and after a minute, she shows up in person, landing on her ledge outside before slipping in as quietly as possible. She rests her head on top of him as she settles down, rumbling softly as D'nov moves his hand to cup as much of her cheek as he can.
He'd do better. He had to.