Azhdarchid
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Post by Azhdarchid on Dec 15, 2011 15:12:32 GMT -5
Q'sis was about the only man in Dalibor that could look over Journeyman L'kie's shoulder. The Healer was at work in the well-lit bowels of the infirmary, while Q'sis was merely a visitor. He was not a patient, if his solid stance and relaxed expression were considered telling. He had on his riding leathers, the dark brown ones that spoke of work rather than leisure. It was the second time he had arrived to retrieve a medic from their duties in the same sevenday, only this time he was not under orders. And this time, rather than approaching after the end of a Fall, Q'sis was slipping in before the start of one.
L'kie should have been prepared for the same, the duty only Senior Weyrlings were good for. Using an adult dragon for firestone ferrying was a needless waste of fully developed Threadfighting resources; using the smallest dragons that could barely fly or carry a rider was pointless, and dangerous. That L'kie was working up to the minute of departure in his normal habitat, though, was no sign of ignorance in that duty. Q'sis was not here to remind him of what he needed to do, though the proximity of the situation to another most similar had him hesitating longer than usual on his greeting.
Unath was outside, strapped up with firestone. Mostly outside: Q'sis forbade her from waddling into the infirmary's main cavern with him, but she tended to creep her long neck around the corner of the entrance and poke her head under the rocky ceiling, blinking numbly at the goings-on inside. Q'sis acquired a likewise blankness as the vision of an infant firelizard swooped into view. It seemed to be interacting with L'kie. It was L'kie's.
"You, too," the Tanrider growled. He pointed his shortened forefinger- wherhide glove disguising the detail -at the winged nuisance. "That is disgusting," he proclaimed, looking to lock eyes with the Healer, his friend, in case his tone was not enough of a warning. Q'sis had set his jaw, but as he contemplated his intent here, shifted it to clench one side of his teeth rather than all of them. With a deep breath he further transformed his disquiet to a smile. "I need your help."
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Chek
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Post by Chek on Dec 15, 2011 18:21:11 GMT -5
L’kie was fully aware of Q’sis hovering presence behind him, and had been from the moment the other man had stepped into the room. L’kie was, fortunately, not the type to be bothered by hovering. Healer Hall had broken him of that early on, and as a result he was able to simply continue on with his last minute duties until Q’sis finally decided to speak up.
He was preparing redwort scrubs for field sanitation, each cloth being soaked with just the perfect amount of astringent, rolled up, and placed within a labeled hard clay vial for ease of use and space conservation. The corks that would seal each vial lay in a pile off to one side, L;kie not bothering to seal them yet – he had an assistant for that.
Speaking of his assistant… Sigyn choose that moment to swoop into the room, settling to one side as L;kie finished up the last of the vials, having just returned from the mission of scratching an itch for Oferrath. The blue was lounging carefully on his ledge, fully equipped – insistent though he was that L’kie gear him up early so the Healer could assist in the infirmary as long as possible, it didn’t stop the sacks from making him itch.
Finally, the tanrider spoke, though not on, L’kie hoped, the topic that had originally brought him here. “You have Ni’on to thank for this,” he noted as he picked the pink up and scrubbed her down with one of the redwort soaked cloths, the pink uncomplaining despite the sting as he made sure to get every inch of her thoroughly sanitized. He set her down, and she, responding to his unspoken command – and with Oferrath guiding her – pranced over to the vials and began carefully sealing each one.
Finally, L’kie turned to look at Q’sis, one eyebrow raised at the sight of the accusatory finger, “She’s obedient and works hard. I’ve worked with apprentices less reliable – if stuck with a pest, I am pleased enough that it is this one.” That was praise as high as L’kie ever gave.
Standing, he shrugged off his clean apron, motioning Q’sis towards the exit, leaving his pink flit to her assigned duty, making sure to pull his riding gear off the hooks by the door as he did so. “Speak while we walk. The lizard has been geared up all morning – I need to make sure everything is still secure.”
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Azhdarchid
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Post by Azhdarchid on Dec 16, 2011 15:16:18 GMT -5
"There is only one person who fed that firelizard," Q'sis rebutted, not about to thank Ni'on for anything. Perhaps the Cyanrider needed a word about mindlessly handing out burdens on his fellow Weyrlings, even if they were momentarily foolish enough to accept them. That was not like L'kie, though. There was nothing he could do about it now, so it was an irritation whose origins could be investigated further on another day. He looked over his shoulder at the Pink as they left the room, but said nothing more on the inappropriateness of her existence.
In the wide corridor he could walk even with L'kie, which he preferred rather than trudging behind or marching ahead. "It concerns a mutual acquaintance of ours...another of the Cyanweyrlings, in fact. Perhaps you have met him personally." The Tideturner's eyes narrowed as they glanced at his red-bearded peer. "Xiro'el. He is tradebred." But not like Q'sis. Q'sis' family did not produce such terrible failures of men, nor creatures like Xiro's sister. Q'sis had once thought her escaped from her family's bad blood, but then she chose to steal a Black from the Hatching. Like L'kie's firelizard, there was nothing to be done about it. He could only judge what it said of Fel's character.
If L'kie had spoken to Xiro for any time already, there might be lies that needed clearing. He expected the Journeyman would bring them up for clarification as needed. "He is also a useless, noisy braggart who has informed me more than once of his intentions to depart the Weyr the moment Dalibor's resources for educating him have been used up- that is, at our graduation, or soon after. He does not intend to pay the debts of his dragon's raising. He does not intend to be a man. But I will not tolerate his disobedience."
As they neared the exit of the infirmary, Unath grew visibly giddy, shifting her front paws and peeping her jaws open and shut to cheep little greetings at Q'sis. When he was just getting into touching range her folded wings waggled on her back. He patted her nose as he went past and she froze, then whistled and padded after the pair of them. Her body had a pair of white stripes painted on each side, including her back and her stomach. Each stripe had the width of Q'sis' hand, and would stay stuck on her even in rain. Since firestone ferriers were not integrated to any of the main wings, they could show up anywhere, and the paint provided an easy means of identifying the Tan and her purpose.
Not that any of the upper wings expected a Tan among them anyway.
Q'sis looked up to the ledge of L'kie's weyr. He could see Oferrath reclined there, though L'kie would probably summon him down at any moment. The Blue was unvaried, clear, vibrant in color. Dependable. The essence of his breed. "Have you ever watched Xiro's Cyan, that Tigreath? She turns on her tail."
Tigreath? Where?
"She is the most agile of them," Q'sis continued, unphased by his dragon's question. "She is also flashy, erratic and inefficient. That is Xiro's fault. He thinks that I have let my guard down because he has been behaving the past Turn. He and I drill the dragons together sometimes."
I want Tigreath.
Later. Unath did not reply quickly, but he could feel her small mind going through its limited mechanisms of comprehension at a furious pace, trying to grasp this notion of "later."
...okay. She would forget about it by the end of Threadfall.
Q'sis sighed, unaware that he did so. "Oferrath is decent too. I expect O'sho would likewise be displeased if one of his fighters tried to betray the Weyr in cowardice. But my report could be dismissed. J'en may believe I have some sort of grudge against Xiro'el." Q'sis pressed his lips together in the most even possible line, as if to disprove said grudge through present serenity. "I thought of having you speak to him in my stead, but these 'authorities' will not take any mere rider's word it seems." He took a moment to spit aside at the ground for the future insult. "They demand evidence, and they will only have that when Tigreath disappears at graduation."
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Chek
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chekct[M:-15]
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Post by Chek on Dec 19, 2011 17:01:55 GMT -5
L’kie let the criticism of his young firelizard pass without comment. Despite the involuntary nature of her Impression, she made herself useful enough – as long as his fellow weyrling didn’t get too excessively strident in his objections to the pink, L’kie was content to let him complain.
That brought them to their current topic, though, “I am…acquainted with Xiro’el, yes,” L’kie’s lips twisted in a frown, “Tolerable company, I suppose, but with a tendency to corner individuals that are unable to remove themselves from his presence – and a habit of encouraging a certain redhandler’s antics. I believe, at some point, you’ve told me in passing that you object to some of his behavior. I see that hasn’t changed.”
Nearing the exit to the infirmary, L’kie shook his head as Q’sis continued, “Why anyone would tell someone they planned to go renegade… there is something wrong in that boy’s head,” the bluerider rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. On the rest of Q’sis commentary on the cyanrider’s character, L;kie said nothing, just listened. He wasn’t quite sure where Q’sis was going with this yet, but he was starting to suspect.
Outside, L’kie briefly examined Unath, noting the straps and the white painted stripes in approval even as he soundlessly called for his blue. Oferrath was up and dropping off his ledge in a heartbeat, coming in to land neatly a few paces from his rider, sending L’kie’s clothes billowing around him as the blue sat and folded his wings neatly back.
Now on the ground, it was obvious that L’kie ascribed to a similar method of marking his dragon as a firestone carrier – bright yellow bands of paint crossed the blue’s face, neck and torso, clearly and blindingly standing out against his rich blue hide.
He arrived in time to answer for his rider, L’kie marking himself immediately busy checking over straps, Tigreath is quite agile, indeed. Some of the things she does makes my wings ache. The blue shifted a bit, watching Unath with interest – he was always interested in Unath’s behavior – after a moment adding, Hello Unath.
“Hush, Lizard, and stop shifting around. Let me work.” Obediently, the blue stilled, letting L’kie check his straps one by one, securing one that had loosened as he went. “You would know more of that, drilling with them, than I would.” He finally said.
“Have you gone to the Weyrleader? To J’en? It really is their responsibility to act in these types of situations, perceived grudge or not – a renegade is a very dangerous thing.” The fact that it was especially true to Dalibor went unspoken – it was before either of them had been Searched, but L’kie had no doubt Q’sis was just as aware of Dalibor’s history with renegades as he was.
“It’s not like Xiro’el would be able to hide – not with Tigreath and the way the both of them are. What you need, if you can’t obtain evidence enough, is someone who can… sympathize with his viewpoint, and convince him of a better alternative. That is purely advice from a Healer.” L’kie looked pained at his own suggestion, “And maybe a little reminder of the fate of the last renegades – I think we may have some in the Weyr. I’m sure they are still discontent, but they are still here. Speaking to one may be eye opening to him, if you can arrange it.”
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
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Post by Azhdarchid on Dec 22, 2011 22:51:43 GMT -5
"It is still worth reiterating: he is a liar, a thief, a cheat, a traitor to his own family...and a dragonrider. Your word for it is good, but I think it presents meanings in Dalibor that are not valid where Xiro is concerned." Q'sis followed Oferrath's descent, but he was looking over more than just paint and straps. By the time the Blue landed, the judge was smiling. But, back to the matter at hand: "As I understand it, those other traitors had..." Here his comprehension was limited. Q'sis had enough trouble fathoming ordinary abandonment of one's home and family, which the Weyr was once one bonded with its primary denizens. "...their reasons. Xiro is simply your typical selfish coward. He does not intend malice."
He watched L'kie attend the Blue from the corner of his eye, turning his own hands on Unath as she crept up beside him. The healer's diligent fingers had always been fascinating, and of course Q'sis noticed every time someone made use of their forefinger and thumb together. His own techniques had always been modified to account for a lack in that area, but L'kie was still the best model to work from. "But he will surely become dangerous anyway, as you say." Q'sis did not leap to address whether or not he had addressed the official avenues for the situation. He had not. L'kie was his first stop besides his personal scheming. It was intrafamilial difficulty: the trader had no experience in situations where he had to go to anyone for anything.
Hello, Unath replied. She adjusted her head to fix one blue eye on Q'sis, who had ascended her shoulder and was pulling on the upper straps lined between her neckridges. After watching him a moment, she looked back around at the other dragon. Oferrath, she said, to complete the greeting. Her neck and head descended to lay flat on the stone of the Bowl, stretched toward the Blue. Like so many of the other Weyrlings' dragons, he was small next to her, but if she put her head down like this, she could look up at him.
Q'sis pulled on the firestone sacks. They could not simply hang from the straps: they had to be secured in place. While Unath's strength seemed to endure any number of the weighty bags, and Q'sis' arms well-equipped to deliver them, they could still pull and twist and tear the leather that bore them between dragon and man. An unbalanced side of firestone could rip the entire harness in half if the dragon wheeled far enough on her side to set less secure bags dangling. "If he is sighted by another Weyr, it could be construed as an unwanted intrusion by Dalibor. It would become political."
The Tanrider snorted. He was confident Xiro'el would not go to the territory of a Weyr that would be particularly interested in such intrusions, like Fort. But he would be unwelcome wherever he chose to descend, and Dalibor would be unable to exile him to the foreign Weyr, as who would accept such a disreputable brat? "My chief concern was that because he does not know and respect the pattern of Thread, he may emerge somewhere where it is Falling on the day of his escape. Xiro had a fantasy of living freely even without a dragon, willfully forgetting that all Pernese are prisoners till the end of the Pass. As riders, we at least have our wings to ourselves some of the time. But he does not even respect that much kindness."
Just now he had pulled a strap far too tight. Unath never complained, but he could not even get a single digit between the wherhide and her skin. Since cinching the harness up was always easier than loosening it, he had to squat there for a moment to clean up his error. "His dragon would be threatened by his ignorance. So would his pursuers." Q'sis looked up at the Bluerider from across their dragons' backs. "I refuse to put him with anyone like him. That is not the answer."
Even if Xiro'el were unable to find the opportunity in such an organization, Q'sis would not have allowed too great a gathering of traitors. The fact that they could not all be shipped off to exile or slain where they stood- on account of their most gracious dragon partners -already put him on edge. A dragonrider could never see Pern's greatest punishments, which meant a dragonrider could do most anything he liked. "So it is to the authorities only, then," he conceded. "And if they do not listen, then to my own resources." He was still eyeing L'kie, but he had to bring his focus down eventually to finish adjusting the strap.
Unath rose under his impetus, and rocked her forebody from side to side while Q'sis simply stood where he normally would sit to ride her. He held on to one of the restraining lines, and rocked his weight to oppose hers with each twitch of draconic muscle. "Still, this may not be up to the Weyrleader's grade," he mused. "Perhaps one of the Juniors. They seem to get only Records and ornery mates to contend with otherwise."
He got into place, having his leathers already on unlike L'kie. Hooking the restraints onto the belt and legs of the uniform, he motioned Unath forward so that she stood alongside Oferrath, albeit facing the opposite direction. Unath cocked her head after the movements of the other dragon's tail, but had nothing to say to him. He was small. That was all. That was the only opinion of hers that Q'sis picked up on too. It distracted him momentarily from his constructive outrage.
Eventually, when Unath concentrated on Oferrath a while, she also decided that his coloration was very confusing for a Blue. "Isn't it strange, going to J'en now?" Q'sis chuckled. "We are the first class whose final exams happen with every Fall. He is no more a master of Thread than we are." Of course the woman Tasakhori would not be entering into this conversation in any capacity if the Tanrider could help it. "There are no traditions for these beasts like Unath either. Everyone is fumbling for the right way to fight." He pressed his lips together, running his gloved hand over the soft hide wedged around the ridge in front of him, watching it depress under his fingertips.
He glanced back at the Bluerider. "Unlike Xiro'el, I have means of accessing the Thread charts. I can discover where and when it will be on the days surrounding the graduation." Q'sis smiled. "When the authorities reject me, you must follow when I need you. You and one other would do, the last to serve as a spotter should Xiro run straight to a Threaded area."
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Chek
Weyrlingmaster
chekct[M:-15]
I'm so magical I vomit rainbows
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Post by Chek on Jan 17, 2012 17:45:40 GMT -5
L’kie sighed as he ran his hands over his dragon’s straps, “Selfish coward or not, planning to flee the Weyr or not – there is little that you can do but chase him down when the time comes, if one of the Weyrleaders ends up doing nothing. Try the Weyrwoman, perhaps? Tigreath may bow to the command of Kalith where she might not to you and Unath.”
He patted the straps with a sense of finality, and started doffing his Healer gear in favor of the heavy wherhide riding gear that he’d carried along. Conveniently, Sigyn appeared and fluttered to land on Oferrath, waiting patiently as L’kie piled his unneeded clothing beside her. “There is more than just the abandonment of… family duties at play here. Xiro’el cannot flee the Weyr – even if he does in fact do so. Dalibor’s political situation is… delicate, as you well know. Especially in regards to Fort Weyr.” L’kie would know, having come from the Fort area himself – in the Healer Hall, you heard a lot from disgruntled and drugged dragonriders.
“I take it you’d like to eliminate the possibility of him being…silenced, for political reasons? After all, a renegade fighter, on their own – knowing those two, a pair that would fight Thread alone if needed – could very easily have an accident. Probably wouldn’t even be a planned one – dodging Thread is hard enough when you have a wing watching your back, but alone?” L’kie shook his head as he slipped his jacket on, Sigyn disappearing with his discarded gloves and overshirt, taking them back to his weyr, reappearing seconds later with heavy riding gloves and L’kie’s goggles.
“Even if his presence is not taken as an intrusion by Dalibor, the mere fact that we have a renegade out that we aren’t dealing with will give so much leverage for complaints against us…” L’kie murmured quietly, almost to himself. Oferrath hummed quietly to his rider, glancing over at Unath as she rearranged herself, reaching out with his muzzle to touch her lightly, affectionately, on the back, before withdrawing once more.
L’kie climbed up on Oferrath’s offered forearm, settling on top of his straps in a low crouch, grabbing on and leaning first to one side, then the other, smiling thinly in pleasure when the straps didn’t shift more than they should. He sat, strapping himself down with quick, easy movements.
“Are you honestly telling me that he’s…foolish enough,” it was obvious L’kie was fighting the urge to use a stronger word, “to undertake this idiot exercise without the benefit of any planning whatsoever? If so, I retract my suggestion to have him meet with the ex-renegades. Something like that would just encourage the boy. Ridiculous.”
L’kie shook his head, content for the moment to let Q’sis continue his dialogue – it seemed half to himself rather than a true conversation at times, as if L’kie was a wall to bounce his thoughts off of – but, in the end, nodded. “You would, have access, wouldn’t you? Good.” He shook his head once again, Oferrath rising and shaking himself at an unspoken signal, “If it comes to it – if he runs and you need to go after him yourself – I will ride with you.”
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
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Post by Azhdarchid on Jan 19, 2012 16:55:55 GMT -5
"I'll try one of the bosses," Q'sis snapped at that suggestion, narrowing his eyes at the Bluerider's lack of judgement. But his own lacks started showing through as L'kie made a more indelicate suggestion, and the Tanrider replied, "Murder a dragonrider?" As if he had not broken the bones of such an agent in his very first Turn at Dalibor. Furthermore, the sort of political considerations L'kie referred to were the spats solely between riders; holders could be coerced into whatever relationship was necessary when Thread was Falling. So, such an "accident," would also necessarily be perpetrated by one rider against another. "That would kill the dragon," he insisted at L'kie, as if the Journeyman had overlooked such a detail.
Unath started to warble beneath him and he silenced her, but continued to turn over dragon against dragon in his head. He went from scarcely being able to fathom it, to at last making the same cold acknowledgment that L'kie could from the start: there were people capable of such a horror. He might not understand how they could ever find that conclusion, for any reason, but they existed no matter what he wanted. Just like Thread. "Yes," he responded properly at last, tone cooling. "Xiro will remain a useless burden on our resources all his life. But he retains enough sense to help Tigreath do what she was born to, and at the end of the trail that is all a rider needs to warrant his life." So many in Dalibor, and across Pern, got away with being the worst sorts of people otherwise.
His Tan got up after Oferrath, tilting her head at the Blue and offering a few contented rumbles to him. At Q'sis' prompt she reached out and seized the bottom of Oferrath's lowest firestone bag, giving it a tug with a fraction of her strength, just enough to simulate the yank of a high wind. The bag did not slip free of its cords, and both Tan and man grinned at the fighter and his rider. "Good. I knew I could count on you." The wings began to mass beyond the jagged lip of the Rim, the Weyrlings low and the queens lower still. Q'sis did not motion Unath toward their limbo regiment just yet. "We may need one more, a spotter, in the event that he does jump first to a Threaded area."
Q'sis' gaze turned on the patient Pink attending L'kie, only for a moment, to confirm she was not simply pestering the healer. He shut his eyes for a moment and more, then carefully looked back on his Bluerider friend. "Tell your flit to become friendly with Tigreath, enough that she doesn't notice it roosting on her. If it can ride along with her between, it could show you the image of wherever they arrive...if it's smart enough." The premature disappointment in his voice signaled that he was starting at the assumption she was not.
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Chek
Weyrlingmaster
chekct[M:-15]
I'm so magical I vomit rainbows
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Post by Chek on Jan 27, 2012 21:15:50 GMT -5
L’kie said nothing as Q’sis rolled over his comments in his mind, the other man slowly coming to his own conclusions – he did not begrudge him the initial reaction to the words, knowing well by now Q’sis’s views on dragons, their riders, and the place of both in the world. He only added, quietly, “And imagine what sort of target a lone rider would present to those with the audacity to invade a Weyr to slaughter the inhabitants?”
His lip quirked a touch with inappropriate humor at Q’sis declaration of Xiro’el’s eternal status as a worthless burden, but once again he had no further comments to add, besides the unspoken acknowledgement of its potential truth.
Q’sis’s makeshift test of his firestone sacks got a incredulous, raised eyebrow – did Q’sis really think he’d be anything less than absolutely meticulous in securing his straps and gear? Either way, he re-checked the bindings, making sure the shaking hadn’t loosened anything while Oferrath regained his balance from the actions of the much larger dragon, rumbling with amused patience.
The blue sidestepped and stretched his wings, preparing to take flight to join the other firestone ferriers, forcing L’kie to speak just a touch loader to make himself heard to his fellow weyrling, “A good plan, regardless of whether or not there is a danger of Thread. Xiro’el is… sly. A third whom he didn’t know about laying in wait may tip the balance. Do you have someone in mind?”
The Healer absently ran gloved fingers over the spine of his patient flitter, little Sigyn arching under his hand like an attention-starved feline as he listened to Q’sis’s plans for his little miss. Sigyn caught her claws in his glove and rode his hand as he twisted it away from her, ending with her perched primly on his wrist.
“Oferrath, show her Tigreath. Sigyn – go be disgustingly sociable until the Wings take flight,” he backed his orders with a firm mental outline of what he wanted her to do, lifting his hand and tossing her in the air once he was sure her duties were firm in her mind. “Now we wait and see what comes of it.”
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