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[jack]

The doors to the main entry of the Weaver Hall were flung open with inhuman force, one door nearly ripped from its hinges as the forearms of a massive creature lingered in the way for a long moment, slamming to the ground with an earthshaking thud. Graceful, smooth motions moved the creature back away from the doorway, and a heavy skull was thrust through it, a single oddly-lazy looking blue-green eye shining on the dragon's metallic head.

With a roar Sjueth crouched low on the ground, withdrawing his head to loom like a great iron backdrop, a shockingly more frightening human storming in in his stead. "What by Faranth has been going on here?!" Eyes wild and shoulders back, his hands curled into fists, T'el looked downright rabid as he stomped into the building, throwing his riding helmet to the ground with a resounding boom. "Where is she?! Where is my daughter?!" Furiously he lunged at the first person to come into his path, lifting the poor individual off his feet and slamming him into the wall. There were few things quite as strong as a renegade used to hefting things his own weight and carrying them around.

"I have received letters from her weekly! But they stopped months ago!" Almost foaming at the mouth in his anger he shook the man, getting far too close for comfort to nearly bite at the man's throat, "And when I sent a message by firelizard to check on her, I got no response!" Blue eyes narrowed to near slits, he flung the man to the side, Sjueth giving another roar outside.

T'el, muscles tense and eyes practically whirling, wheeled again on the poor bystander, stomping over but not touching him this time. Nostrils flared, he loomed over the man instead, looking him over angrily. With his flight jacket on for the first time in years--his knots plainly shown once again--he cocked his head to the side, and suddenly moved to straddle the man, an odd calmness sliding onto his expression. Easily he reached down, pulling the other up by his collar, and in a sickly sweet voice, spoke. "I want you to find the Masterweaver. No, I don't care what time of night it is. No, I don't care if he's away. You are to find him and bring him here..." He stood slowly, gently pulling the other up, and gave a smooth little smile before all at once, his expression changed to absolute fury again, "Now!" Again he flung him, stomping after for a moment as though he would chase him away, "And tell him if he doesn't bring my daughter with him, he'll find out just how scary a rider can get! Understand me?!"

[4horseshowgirl4]

It was rather strange, being back at the Weaverhall after so many months of absence. T'el had taken her off that one wintry day and, well, neither of them had ever felt the urge to return until now. But, since they had left with such little fanfare, they had to cause as much chaos as possible upon their return. Naturally, she was not going to miss the big scene. The twelve-Turn-old was hidden behind one of the many intricately woven tapestries hanging in the main hall, having sneaked in earlier. She'd learned to be sneaky in her educational season with her father. He'd been right-- he had taught her more than this stupid Weaverhall could, but having as many skills as possible could only help her. Besides, being able to make and decorate clothing for people might garner her a bit of spending money when she was a broke Candidate (because Faranth forbid she be stuck as a Weaver for the rest of her life!)

Psat was one of the less talented Journeymen at the Hall, and while the others were busy teaching classes or working on items to ship out to the nearby Holds and the Weyr, he was simply loitering around the entrance, taking a break from his own work, blissfully ignorant of the Apprentice hiding behind the tapestries or the inevitable disaster. He was a scrawny, unimpressive fellow who had obviously never had to break much of a sweat in his life. Then, the door suddenly crashed open, and Psat jumped. Upon spotting the Iron hide, he backpedalled so fast that he tripped over a rug and nearly fell on his arse in his haste to get away from the gigantic creature. Sure, he'd seen dragons before (who hadn't?), but Kings were rare, and this one was massive. And, look at all those scars! He was scary looking!

Psat was so alarmed by the dragon that he didn't notice its 'Rider until he was slammed forcefully against the wall, giving a high-pitched squeak of fear. He opened and closed his mouth several times like a fish out of water, words failing him. Who was this guy? Psat had no spark of rebellion in him, and the second T'el let him go, he gave one sidelong look at the 'Rider's knots before dashing off as T'el stomped, without saying a word. He ran until he was out of the Ironrider's sight before stopping to think. He hadn't even thought to get the Ironrider's name, much less his daughter's... how was he supposed to know who she was? And, well, as for getting the Masterweaver himself... that was a laughable prospect! Maybe the Dragonrider had forgotten that most people of Pern couldn't travel anywhere on the planet in the time it took to cough thrice, but the Masterweaver hardly ever stopped by this little Hall in the underpopulated Western Continent, preferring to spend most of his time in the bigger and more important Halls of the North and even the South.

He was so panicked running that he nearly mowed over an older woman, one of the newest Masters who was cocky and eager to prove her new rank (she had been rushing towards the source of the great boom Sjueth had made breaking down the door). "What the shells are you doing, Psat?!" the Master Weaver, Affili, barked and grabbed Psat's arm. "There's an Ironrider out there who nearly clawed my eyes out because his daughter's not writing him back and he demanded I bring him the Masterweaver!" Psat moaned, trying to squirm out of her grasp. "Eh? You get his name or his daughter's name?" Affili asked, and Psat gave a short shake of his head. "Well, there was that one Apprentice who ran off a few months ago... but we weren't even aware she had a father! Her mom just dropped her off on some Black, but she didn't have knots, we suspected she was part of that sharding renegade group... I'll deal with him," she assured Psat, shoving past him.

"Yes?" she said a few moments later, striding up to the person who had to be the Ironrider to which Psat had been referring. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at T'el. "If you want something, it might help not breaking down our door!" she said bossily. Xela, who had cut slits in the valuable tapestry (this place was full of people who could fix it, after all), stifled laughter. This lady was asking for it. "And if your daughter is Xela, I can't help you. She left months ago!" Affili decided not to mention that 'escaped' was probably a better word than 'left,' since the girl had disappeared without a word and, while talented enough, had never shown any interest in sitting through most of lessons and doing her chores.

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[jack]

The moment Psat scurried off--after the blackette took a moment to decide he reminded him distinctly of a small rodent and therefore was not anywhere near a potential prospect--T'el gave a short snort, his lips curling into a small smirk. It was fun to scare weavers! He might have to make it a regular method of entertainment. Outside, Sjueth gave a low rumble of disapproval, but didn't argue entirely, the amused whirl to his eye clearly giving away his own opinion.

You're a hypocrite.
Not entirely, T'elMine.

T'el snickered and fell back into his angry mode, the sound of footsteps attracting his attention full-force. But while Sjueth craned his head to peer into the room with his blind eye facing the scene. It was an intimidating sight, that scarred maw with that creamy-white eyeball staring so intently in, but the opposite side of his head was such a relaxed alternative, that even he was aware he'd give away their whole scheme in one instant if it was seen. As he waited, he reached out and touched Te'l's mind--watching through His's eyes before his mind gently proded Xela's presence, making certain she was still and safe. Deciding all was well, he gave a low rumble that sounded like a growl and lifted his head from the doorway, T'el already frowning at the newcomer.

The woman opened her mouth and had to speak, the blackette instantly bristling at her words. Looking a bit like a wherry who'd stumbled upon the scene of its snack being stolen, he stiffened, muscles clenching as his hands curled into tight fists. Eyes narrowed, he stared at her for a long moment, before all at once, he laughed.
"Well! If you wanted your doors to stay where they're supposed to be," Sjueth gave an impressively loud roar outside, his claws appearing on the undamaged door to leave four deep lines in the wood, "Perhaps you should have responded to the firelizard when I sent him. Or maybe, you should have payed attention and noticed when some of my letters became addressed the the Hall, asking the health of my child!" Furiously he swung an arm out to the side, Sjueth's tail following the line and cracking against an outside wall.

Angrily, the rider stomped closer to Affili, sliding into her personal space as effortlessly as a tunnelsnake would slide from one room to another. His eyes narrowed further as he glared right back, clearly about as intimidated by the woman as his dragon would have been by a particularly angry fish. "Months ago." He repeated, licking his lips and glancing away with the tightening of the jaw that made him appear to be holding in what was left of his temper...only to fail miserably. "Months ago! She left months ago, and it didn't occur to you wherryheaded rats, to find her?! She's twelve! TWELVE." He stomped even closer, intending to scare the other into backing away, but not seeming to concerned if she didn't, "A twelve turn old isn't going to just up and leave for no reason! And WHY, for that matter, did you not contact anyone?! For Faranth's sake, even her worthless mother would have been worth telling!"

With a snarl he stalked to the side, running his hands through his hair before--noticing a small table was in reach--his arm slammed out, sending it flying to crash against the floor several yards away. Furiously, he wheeled on Affili again, and Sjueth roared again, looking quite as though he would very much like to squeeze his way through the building to get at the woman--or, as his claws raked at the floor--maybe just tear it apart. Not seeming to care if she were important or worthless, the man reached out as though to grab her collar, his fingers curling in an almost twitching manner right before her face as his nostrils flared and he decided he'd hold off. "I'm going to put this as...simply and with as few words as possible." He hissed, baring his teeth, "Because I have a feeling, if I don't, you'll probably be too stupid to figure it out. So here's what you're going to do." Licking his lips, he stalked around the woman, moving very much like a predator as a deathly calm took him.

"You are going to find my daughter." He hissed, "Or I will happily go renegade, and watch my dragon tear you and the rest of this Hall to itsy-bitsy pieces."

[4horseshowgirl4]

Xela felt Sjueth's gentle touch on her mind, and she gave a soft mental affirmation in return. Yes, she was here, she was fine, and she was quite enjoying this. T'el was a good actor. She was even starting to get worried about her own whereabouts! That thought would have normally made her giggle, but, even with all the noise T'el was making, she couldn't count on that not being heard, so she remained silent, allowing herself a small smile only. However, she tensed slightly, shifting carefully to the side, doing her absolute best not to stir the tapestry. The time was nearing when she would make her own dramatic entrance, but, obviously, bursting out from behind the tapestry rather ruined the effect. If only she could get to the corner...

Affili backed away hurriedly from T'el, the brashness and bravado quickly draining out of her. T'el was scarier and more intimidating than anyone in the Weaverhall, and the fact that he had a massive, battle-scarred Iron trying to claw its way into the Hall didn't help. T'el came still closer, and Affili backed away still more, liking her personal space very much, thank you. She'd expected and been prepared for rudeness, even pushiness, but a complete and total loss of temper by a madman? Yeah, right.

She muttered something almost inaudible, along the lines of, "Spawn of a renegade didn't seem so helpless to us... no way to find out where that mother of hers was..." before she hands reached out to snatch her collar. Affili flinched and sucked backwards still more to avoid the hands, but T'el had decided against the move at the last minute, and Affili gave a little sigh of relief. "I am not stupid," she protested impatiently and, well, stupidly. She opened her mouth to say more, but with T'el circling her like predator before pouncing on its prey, she decided against it. Her eyes flicked nervously between T'el and Sjueth, the latter of whom seemed intent to claw and smash his way into the Hall.

"I-- I--" was all she managed to stutter out at his last request. "D--Didn't I just tell you she's missing? W--what... you th--think we didn't look for her?" she said at T'el's last request, managing a bit of a jeer, though, in truth, aside from scanning the grounds around the Hall a few times and asking the people of Crescent Hold and the surrounding Halls if they'd seen Xela, they hadn't tried very hard to locate her. She was more trouble than she was worth, as a young apprentice whose aptitude for the craft was good but not great. She broke eye contact with T'el and backed several more paces before turning to flee, as Psat had done, and perhaps fetch a superior and make them deal with this guy. However, just as she was wheeling around, she was knocked over by a small, swiftly-moving figure.

"Daddy!"

[/i] the figure half-shouted, half-squealed, flying forward and wrapping T'el into the strongest bear hug she could manage. "And Sju!" she squealed again, waving cheerfully to the dragon, using every bit of childlike innocence and cuteness she had at her disposal, though she and T'el knew better. Affili picked herself off of the floor and scrambled backwards before recognizing Xela, a bit dirtier and scragglier than she'd been months ago but still quite recognizable. "W--What?!" she sputtered, taking a hesitant step towards T'el and Xela. "No one's seen hide nor hair of you for months! Where have you been, young lady?!" Poor Affili, ever the disciplinarian, was still quite overwhelmed by what had just happened.

"Here, of course! Where else would I go?" Xela quipped from her happy position clamped around T'el's waist. "I just have better things to do than do chores and go to lessons about things I don't care about! I go faster on my own. Look!" she said, fiddling with something tied around her waist before pulling it off and revealing the brightly colored scarf emblazoned with the silhouettes of flying dragons on it, which she had made during her hiatus with yarn she'd snitched from one of the supply rooms before leaving. "Good, huh? But you can't have it!" she said, wagging a finger accusingly at Affili. "I'm giving it to Daddy!" Xela was nearly about to throw up with her sickeningly ditzy performance, but she'd decided that the dumber she acted, the less anyone would suspect that T'el and she had masterminded this whole thing. She smiled up at T'el, giving him a small wink. She would have to commend him on his own frightening acting later! [/right][/font]

[jack]

Through all of his stomping--seeming to slip from outright anger to distraught worry...while still remaining angry--he paused, turning with eyes as narrow as a sleepy feline's as he cocked his head to the side sharply. "What was that?" He hissed, low and dangerous as he began to slowly stalk the other, looking somehow even more angry than before, "Did you just say 'spawn'? Did you just call my daughter spawn?!" Furious and quite ready to rip her head off--perhaps just a bit of that being real, as an insult to his girl was an insult to his genes--he was just about to really grab her, only to have her weasel away like a spooked herdbeast.

But while he was already moving into pursuit--she wasn't about to get away after those comments--he paused at the happy-squeal of a child, and his face immediately lit up. "There's my girl!" He yipped happily, grabbing her underneath her arms and hefting her up easily, swinging her around before bringing her close for a hug as well. Clearly relieved to have his child running about, he set her down reluctantly, keeping a hand on her head as though worried she'd up and leave before setting his sights on Affili.

"You were here?" He replied curtly, although the annoyance was clearly directed at the woman, "Why didn't you respond to my letters? I even set your uncle's--non-existent uncle, mind--firelizard to come find you. It came back empty-clawed." Serious as frostbite he narrowed his eyes, glaring at Affili before a snide little smile slid onto his lips, "Looked for her, did you? Clearly not." Annoyed, he let loose the girl, inspecting her handiwork like a proud father would--even though he'd seen the thing a thousand times as she made it--before giving her a pat on the head as he crouched before her and gestured towards the Iron now calmly laid out on the ground, his head stuck through the doorway and eye whirling a lazy blue, "Why don't you go say hello to Sjueth, my love? I have some things...to discuss with your..." He lifted his eyes, staring at Affili, "...teacher."

Calmly he rose and gave her a gentle push on her shoulders, sending her towards the Iron who gave a soft rumble of greeting. T'el, meanwhile, turned on Affili, "She was here." He snarled, keeping his voice low and quiet so that Xela "wouldn't hear" while making quite sure Affili could hear him, "I don't know what happened to the letters I sent. I don't know why the message that brown was carrying didn't come back home, if you didn't get it. And to be honest, as long as she's safe, I don't care. However!" He stepped easily into her space and grabbed her collar, yanking her forwards dangerously. A dagger flashed in his grip--hidden completely from Xela--and he pressed it just under the woman's chin, the tip touching the flesh just barely. "If something like this ever happens again, or I should visit to find her in this condition, looking like she's been rolling around in thistles!" He pressed the blade closer, eyes narrowing further, "You will find out personally how a dragon's digestive system works."

The blade seemed to disappear as he gave a sickly sweet smile, patting the woman on the shoulder before wheeling around to Xela. "Alright kiddo! Guess what I brought you?" With an easy sashay--that looked partly from happiness and partly from 'ha lookit me I'm scarier than youu'--he made his way to the girl and slid past her, grabbing something from a pouch on Sjueth's shoulders. It was a flight jacket of sorts, perfectly sized for her. They had found it on their gallivanting, but Affili certainly wouldn't know that.