Klah and Calamity (Azh/Plot)

[Kila]

Autumn, 6th Turn, 11th Pass

The Lord Weyrleader sat patiently inside the Dining Hall, Rah as ever perched atop his right shoulder. He was early, but that was his custom. A mug of klah sat before him but it was more for show than for drinking. He was waiting for Tussbuul, the man recommended to him by Audren that was both Handler and Masterminer. The Alpha Handler had spoken to him some on his behalf, giving the older man an idea of what it was that D'lios wanted to do. Today he planned on giving Tussbull the finer details and officially securing his help with the expedition. He had sent Rah with a message to the Masterminer, proposing this date and location, and received a note back to confirm them. Holding top that, he was due to arrive any time now.

While he waited, D'lios was subjected to the scrutiny of the weyrfolk. He had anticipated this when he chose a public place for the meeting. Pleasant or ugly, he greeted them all with a crisp but polite smile or nod. Many of the looks he received were less than agreeable, but his body language told them that he was not afraid of their opinions of him. It's good that they see that, he thought. Busy as he was, he knew that he needed to be seen out among them. If he stayed locked in his lofty room he would never be seen as one of the weyrfolk, only an unwelcome usurper.

It was strange that they would brand him so vigorously as an outsider when he had both impressed and gone through Weyrlinghood at Dalibor, and when at Western supported the Weyr in every way. He had felt those sentiments too often from Perbiath to be shocked by such feelings though. And he would protect them all the same- save them from their enemies while they jeered. If not for them then for himself. I will succeed, he vowed, as he had many times before. And maybe one day they will see. And with any luck this Tussbuul would be willing to help.

[Azhdarchid]

Master Tussbuul spent a lot of time plotting routes.

It wasn't just arriving on time that mattered, but presenting with grace. It was a political instinct he had just started to acquire when the accident hit, and hadn't been able to shake it since, even though he would not be climbing to the top of anything anymore.

When he stumped into the dining hall, it was from the tunnel closest to the Weyrleader's stone table. The mild shift of the air from bunched, rocky tunnel breezes to the wide and empty pool of the Hall was enough to trigger a light induction of coughing, and he discretely turned his face down toward his shoulder. He could see the back of D'lios' chair from this angle, and there would be little reason for the Lord of Dalibor to look back. When he thought his lungs were no longer going to betray him, the greenhandler raised the point of his cane and advanced it onto the polished slate of the Hall floor. Tik.

He made an even pace up to the table, and once there organized himself not opposite D'lios but on the same side as the controversial man. He had a firelizard on his shoulder too, and it was the same size and ghastly shade as Rah. Billy tipped his stubby nose toward the other anomaly, both glistening silver eyes fluttering one pair of lids after the other till he could no longer contain himself over the similarity:

"Meep."

Tuss reached up and rubbed a few circles on Billy's head with the point of his finger, and bowed as his seat allowed to his Weyrleader.

"I heard you seek to relieve us of the cure." The handler smiled. "Tusk has never partaken. Herdbeasts are too large and too much of a hassle for her. But it would be nice to see Ausk back to her usual surliness. And the dragons, of course." He was careful not to place the fliers as too much of an afterthought, but he could not say he thought about them too much anymore. His community had changed.

He produced a hide tube and extracted the contents. "If it is caves you find suspect, the Mining Hall will provide." D'lios' mug was nudged up the table a bit to make room for the unfurled hide. "Now, this is from Crescent. I have only surveyed the systems on our island here. Completely different, ah, born from volcanic activity." He bent forward, Billy backing up closer to his neck and hooking one wing-claw into the lowest shoots of his silvery hair. The flit was still ogling his counterpart on the Lord Weyrleader's shoulder.

The map boasted the entire Western Continent, but only the main island was annotated. Blue ink had been spun across the lands of Western and Crescent like a vast intersected net of crawler webs. Most of the major veins were accompanied by tiny paragraphs of hieroglyphic scribble, hatch marks and dots and occasional dramatic slashes. "As you can see, the land has lots of hatching places for tricky sorts. It's not much good to us like this. But they did say this was my copy to keep, and I thought that if we had a particular location, a particular event to start with..." His finger drew an invisible line down the leather for D'lios' eyes to follow, a line that stopped on a white dot: the site of Paget's disappearance, and her wher's death.

The caves surrounding that spot had been circled in red. "The earth is shallow around here. Most of these are onesies- ah, they go down, you turn around and come out. No metal. Nothing of worth. There's a plunger- straight down. And then about seven leagues from that spot, there's a nice tree." Tussbuul tapped the cave, which branched out on the map like a spider. "The code here refers to a main surface-level entry that then dips under and fans out. It is very similar to our handlers' quarters here. The mouth is big enough for wagon traffic. This was one of the first surveyed, and there was some clay and siltrock there at the time, but the Crescent boys have been fixated on elucidating the most valuable systems first. So it hasn't been touched."

Tuss was grinning, despite the content of his revelation, and the use of murder-kidnapping as a starting point. "I happen to have the map of that particular system as well if you like. There was only one other exit at the time this survey was done, and it requires climbing, and admits only one fugitive at a time. It also happens to exit into an open field."

He glanced at D'lios, returned his attention to the map, then glanced again. "Maybe in my fascination I am going too fast. Maybe I should slow down? Cover the basics? Greetings Weyrleader I am Master Tussbuul, of green Tusk. I was sent to help you, not just entertain you with my colorful records. What do you need?"

[Kila]

The coughing fit was nothing remarkable, as the autumn weather
had people coughing and sneezing all over the Hall, but the distinct tap
of a cane on the stone floor progressing towards him made the Lord
Weyrleader glance backwards. The man approaching was undoubtedly
Tussbuul. D'lios had looked up his transfer papers and pressed C'lis for
information on the Handler before their meeting. Though aged and
diminished, he had the look of a miner; his broad shoulders and big
battered hands betrayed him from a dragonlength away. He was a bit
shabbier than he had expected, and his injury and reliance on the cane
were largely apparent, but he carefully reserved his judgment. It was
Tussbuul's mind that needed to be sharp- not his appearance.

D'lios lifted an eyebrow when Tussbuul settled into the seat next to him
instead of across the table, masking his surprise. As a man of
importance with no wife and few friends, his immediate space was rarely
intruded. Nevertheless, he nodded to the man when he gave him an
awkward, in-seat bow and launched promptly into a detailed description
of the caves he had previously mapped on the continent. D'lios gave a
tight-lipped smiled when Tussbuul joked of "relieving them of the cure"
and listened politely when he prattled about his Green and Audren's
infamous Red. Rah meanwhile was regarding Billy with a mixture of
curiosity and disdain. It was very rare to see another creature of his
color, but the little white firelizard liked being unique. This
White, however rare, was exceedingly strange. Rah edged farther away
when he moved closer, head hunched down defensively. If it had been a
'lizard of any other color he would have ignored it, but as it was a
carbon copy of himself he was equally unable to look away.

D'lios dropped the forced smile and leaned over the map that Tussbuul
produced when he began to point of specific caves. Bits of the
explanation were lost on him since he had never had any experience in
mining or caving, but he listened carefully and followed the Miner's
finger across the map. His brow furrowed with concentration as Tussbuul
spoke and he gave shallow but serious nods each time an important point
was made. When the virtual tour stopped abruptly D'lios looked up and
had to refocus on the world around, having been so deeply engrossed in
the descriptions. "I like a man who gets straight to the point of
business," he said, this time with a genuine smile on his lips.
"Introductions do seem to be the customary starting point, even if
they are unnecessary." Two men clearly knew who the other was,
though they had never met. Still, for the sake of tradition D'lios
returned the salutation. "Lord D'lios, of Western and Dalibor, Rider
of Brown Perbiath." His full title was generally more resplendently
put, but there was no need to impress here.

"Thank you for coming. Audren does not disappoint; you seem to be the
perfect man for the job." His injury was the only thing that
hampered his qualifications, but if he thought that he was capable of
the responsibility then D'lios would give it to him. "It looks like
you already know what I need. I suspect that the people responsible for
the poisonings and for Paget's disappearance, whether they be one party
or two, are taking shelter in the caves of the continent- the only place
they could safely avoid threadfall. The antidote that my people created
was only meant to be used temporarily until such a time as those
responsible could be apprehended. It has been circulated for over a turn
now and several unforeseeable side effects have appeared. Negative side
effects. I am sure you are aware of them. Now that the Weyrleadership is
mine and I am responsible for the Weyr however, I cannot in any good
conscience let this continue." He paused to let Tussbull process his
words, leaving out much of what he had said on the matter to the other
Weyrleaders and giving him only the essentials.

"I want you to lead a team to go explore the caves and hopefully
discover the culprits," he said seriously, fixing his eyes on
Tussbuul. "Dalibor deserves its justice. When there is no longer a
threat there will be no more need of an antidote and the Weyr will be
able to recover. I apologize for putting you on the spot, but will you
accept?" The Lord Weyrleader regarded him with a perfectly fixed
expression that made avoiding an answer impossible. "If not as the
head of the group, then as a participant? I need men with mining
experience and Handlers whose Whers will be able to accompany the team
and defend them again whatever they might find. You have both. Your Weyr
has need of you."

[Azhdarchid]

Tussbuul's smile wrinkled at the corners as D'lios spoke. He had more sources of information than just the Weyrleader's version: his Alpha, for example, who was as loyal to her subjects as they were to her. Now that the Weyrleadership is mine...I cannot in any good conscience let this continue. He chuckled in counterpoint to the younger man's grave address- it helped disguise his hesitation at the offer. Or maybe not the offer, but that it was made to him. How much did D'lios know about what had happened the last time Tussbuul had led men into a cave?

But it was not really him at stake, was it? It was Audren's word. The Alphahandler would benefit if he did well, and suffer D'lios' disregard if he failed.

Besides, you would not me decline, would you my lovely?

Correct. Tusk had remained outside the dining hall, and was holding up one of her back feet for a good grooming between her sharp toes while she waited. She laid it down so she could focus on speaking, though. You good this task. Best. All other baby. All other ignor. Ant. Ignorant.

You are a baby too. An egg, really.

Can still bite mans.

"My wher is anxious to meet the responsible parties," Tuss said upon realizing he had drifted too far into his other conversation. "Of course my lord, I am willing to lead the merry band. We will be ready to leave in a few days. A dragon would be useful: they make for wonderful wher-haulers." He recalled Tusk's last air trip had necessitated her being shoved into a hide sack for the duration, and she was considered among the calmest of her species. Well, D'lios could pick a someone who had really earned the courier privilege. "It should not take more than a night, but Audren may ask you to keep a couple extra riders on Watch duty as well, to approximate our absent guards."

The old Master tried not to settle back into authority too quickly while the Weyrleader was in the room. But his voice had already changed, cleared of humors. "I did not know Paget well. Is there some reason they might have taken her in particular, as opposed to the possibility that we just never found the body? I have already discussed with Audren that anyone broken by their lifemate's loss would be an apt target for inquisition, but perhaps your resources have discovered something further? These people must know we are not made of stone: Audren will change up the patrols, and the usefulness of any information they could get from Paget would be limited in that regard."

[Kila]

D'lios waited patiently while Tuss considered, losing himself in
his thoughts for a few moments. Do you think he will say
yes? Perbiath asked, listening in. The medicine was a huge point
of contention at the Weyr, and since he was primarily there he was
forced to eat the herdbeasts that had been injected with it. He hated
the feeling of lethargy as much as he had before and he had high hopes
that the other dragons would be less abrasive when it was out of use.
Yes, D'lios said simply. He knew about Tussbuul's accident and
why he would have reservations because of it, but there was more at
stake here than just him and he knew it.

The Weyrleader smiled when the other man agreed, as he had expected.
"With any luck those responsible will be meeting your Wher very
shortly. I thank you for accepting, Tussbuul; your knowledge and
leadership gives me high hopes for our success. My father is sending a
Journeyman Miner that he has used many times to aid in the
investigation, but other than that I leave the compilation of the team
up to you. Any of the weyrfolk or holdfolk from Western are yours to
utilize. Don't worry about slack in your absence- this mission is
priority and I will see that the duties of any people you need are
covered."

It was more reassuring than anything when Tussbuul donned his authority
with haste. The Master Miner had a good sense of humor but was serious
when it got down to it. His faith in the Master Miner grew with each
minute that passed. Reliability was a thing he greatly valued and he
believed he had found it. "I'm afraid that I know as little about
Paget's disappearance as anyone else. My past investigations were small
in scale and turned up nothing. I don't believe my people were looking
in the right places, though. It seems ludicrous for me to contradict you
when I sought you out specifically for your expertise, but I don't
believe that the poisoners or kidnappers are hiding anywhere close to
the Holds. The caves that you pointed out to me are often viewed and it
would have been exceedingly difficult to go unnoticed in them for as
long as this has been going."

"There is one former Renegade Rider remaining who may potentially be
of use to you: Y'nis of Purple Yusriyath. His people lived in the wilds
of the Western Continent for several turns, and if there is anyone who
might know of hidden caves or other out of the way forms of shelter it
would be them. He is very... unusual, however, and not always
cooperative. I also suggest that you press the formerly holdless for any
such knowledge that they might have of the Continent. It is our
ignorance of the land that the criminals are using against us and the
way in which they continue to evade us."

D'lios stopped there. He was a smart man and had many theories and
opinions on the matter, but he had just passed the responsibility to
Tussbuul and would not offend him by stepping on his toes. Effective
delegation required letting go, and he did just that. "If you think
of anything that you need just send me a message and it will be yours.
There will be no mistaking which messages are ours." He looked at
Rah with a close-lipped smile. His firelizard was still staring at Billy
quizzically. "It is rare to see another White. And almost as rare to
find another man both capable and easy to work with." His praise was
also rare, though Tuss might not know it. "In seriousness though, let
me know of your needs and keep me updated. Much will ride on this
venture so we will both have to do all that we can."