Those We Lost {WW, S'vrin, Ar'rex, Open?}

[Zirin]

{{Takes place after the Nightsingers Betweening lesson (which will be up within a day or two)}}

J'degar leaned forward on his char to rest his elbows on the large, round table in front of him. His expression was cold and stern and his posture seemed to say that he was preparing to do a task he didn't exactly want to do. A close observer may have noticed the slump in his shoulders that told just how heavy a burden his task was. He could hear men and women walking past the entrance to the council room, though he paid them no mind. His attention was focused solely on the list in front of him, his eyes raking over the names and information written there. He spent a few moments on each, recalling faces and personalities, though he found they were already fading from memory.

Deaths were expected in his line of work; it was something all dragonriders learned to accept early on, especially now that Thread was stealing loved ones every time it fell. Yet... falling in battle was one thing. The names on this list had never even seen battle. In fact, they had never even seen the proper destination for their first jump between, and that was why he was here today. The betweening lesson was always a hard one on the weyrlingmasters. There was almost always one or two brave young men and women who never returned from their ill-fated jump; however, the numbers of lost weyrlings this time was larger then J'degar cared to admit. Should the blame be laid on him? Was the fact that he wasn't in the air with the weyrlings the cause of the deaths? Or was his class simply that ill-suited to the task? Do not beat yourself up, J'degar. These things happen. We have mourned for them, it is time to move on.. J'degar sighed deeply, knowing his brown was right, but the tension in his posture didn't lesson. There was more to this then just a list of weyrlings.

You told them, didn't you? He silently asked his dragon. The brown had called Izanycorth, Kayath and the Weyrwomen earlier that day for a meeting. As a Weyrlingmaster it was J'degar's duty to pass on the list of dead weyrlings to the leaders of the Weyr... normally the Weyrleader himself or the Junior would be the ones getting this report but... Trelis seemed to be lacking in that department, so it was Iirla and J'dol that he had called. However... the knowledge that Weyrlings had betweened forever was exactly private news; the keening of the dragons had seen to that and it was common knowledge that a meeting like this would occur afterwards. There was a possibility that the wingleaders and 'seconds could show up as well; They liked to keep tabs on the young pairs that could end up in their wings. What were the chances that Ar'rex or S'vrin would end up here as well... Faranth knows they had found a way to butt into everything else. Whoever was coming would likely arrive soon.

At the sound of footsteps entering the room, J'degar finally looked away from the list to watch the entrance. To watch, and to wait.

[Wish]

S'vrin, how do you deal with her? Honestly?

The Bronze snorted as his rider leaned over the tiny candidate that was currently applying a salve to the King's hide. His scratches from the battle were almost healed now, but this was a new concotion that Miyaka had formed to get rid of scarred tissue. To be honest S'vrin only somewhat followed the conversation, yawning tiredly whenever the white haired girl was turned away.

I ask myself that a lot too. He folded his arms, leaning against a table as the healer candidate checked the bandages before nodding her head. "That should be it." She pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, fidgeting with it as it refused to stay in place.

Finally just leaving it to hang there, Miyaka shuffled back to her work station. She too had had little sleep with all the injuries and deaths in the Weyrling and Wing practices. Not to mention the riders injured by Thread were always a bother.

Youre wanted. The Bronze dipped his head down to receive a brief pet from his rider before the man nodded and walked out. He noticed, grudgingly, that Miyaka followed him. "Why in Faranth's name are you coming girl? Did I ask for you to?" She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Would it have made a difference if you had said you didn't want me along?"

Sighing, S'vrin agreed with that. The meeting was most likely on the recent string of injuries and casualties which meant she could come in handy anyway. It was an added plus that the girl was generally feared by some of his closer followers. You didn't mess with someone who could kill you without even touching you after all. "Thinking about how to justify me being there?"

S'vrin ignored the on target remark and went off in another direction as he turned the corner. "More like how to strangle some of those Wingleaders and Weyrling Assistants. They shouldn't be missing so many riders!" She laughed, a funny sound for someone who was so grim and quite honestly chaotic most of the time. "You do know that they're probably not dead, right? You'd be an idiot to think they were."

S'vrin pursed his lips, unhappy that he had to have the explanation pointed out to him. However, if the missing riders did indeed go to the rebellion, then there had to be spies among them. Surely the ones he had under watch would not be among those that were helping the riders to escape. "Could you form a truth potion of sorts?"

Miyaka simply looked at him as if he had sprouted another head. Then, she formed a cruel smile as she walked into the meeting chamber behind him. "No, but there are other ways to get the truth out of people....even if you want to use my special concoctions. I'm sure one that induced pain or visions would surely scare someone into slipping intel."

This time it was S'vrin's turn to stare. What an odd girl. Splendidly, wonderfully, maliciously, odd girl. Coziryth couldn't agree more.

[Zero]

Why do these children choose to make life so hard? It was a rhetorical question but nonetheless Ar’rex threw a sideways glance to the bulky form of his dozing dragon, naturally expecting some sort of response. There was none. Biting his tongue the brownrider drummed his fingers on the record strewn table and quickly cast an eye over the many bits of parchment. Deaths were to be expected but to have so many and all at once, well, that was something different altogether. One had to be a dimglow not to make the connection.

They are meeting. The sudden inject of his companions voice was enough to snap the rider out of his current thoughts. With a groan he pushed his chair back with a soft scrape and got to his feet. “Let’s see what excuses these Weyrling Masters and Assistants have…” Muttering to himself he glanced over the records once more, mainly to keep the names and numbers fresh in his memory, before snatching up his mug of klah and heading out into the hall.

Sipping away at the now lukewarm beverage, Ar’rex slowly made his way to the council chambers. Slowly because he was keeping an ear out to the bits of conversation from passing riders and weyrfolk. If there were spies among them, and it was beginning to look that way, then there was definitely going to be a tighter watch. If a dragon so much as yawned he wanted to know about it. Turning a corner he rubbed his temple, already feeling the onsets of what was bound to be a horrible headache, and sighed.

Up ahead the council, or meeting, chamber was beginning to come into sight and Ar’rex made note of the bodies passing through the open doorway. No one of interest had bothered to show yet. “Typical,” he scoffed with a shake of his head. Ah but there was S’vrin. Good. Of course the bronzerider would show face. Rex nodded briefly in greeting in the other mans direction before cocking a questioning eyebrow at the young healer. Shaking his head he swallowed his question, obviously he had his reasons for bringing her around. Ar’rex new better then to question, especially when the young candidate could easily poison his beloved drink and make it look like natural causes. Oh yes, he had heard the stories.

So for the moment he stayed quiet and moved further into the room and quietly drank from his mug, just waiting for this show to start.

[/font]

[Bellatora]

Iirla walked in with her fair in toe. Her sub-queen and two blues. Trivol and Ama were as overbearing as always. And Praesent was sitting curled around her neck as always. Iirla was quiet as she entered, hides in hands as she walked. She had little time for anything besides what she needed to do already. She had to look after the entirety of the Weyr after all.... But well... This was extremely important as well.

She took a seat and looked at each one there, giving pointed glares to S'vrin and Ar'rex. "You two again. I can't seem to get rid of you." She crossed her arms. She was not in a good mood. For multiple reasons. "J'degar, report. S'vrin, Ar'rex. Keep quiet. I don't want to hear a single word out of you throughout this meeting."

Thormyth... Send yours. Immediately. I feel there may be trouble. And mine may need your support.

The gold dragoness gave a low angry hiss. She was ready to sink her teeth into something again. She stretched her wings slightly and resettled them irritably. Her eyes were swirling with agitation.

Iirla was agitated for more reasons than one. Though only one of those reasons was particularly known. Iirla didn't want Ar'rex or S'vrin there. se didn't want them getting his information. Though she hoped more than anything that they were still alive. But the thing with that was... J'degar couldn't tell her in front of them if he knew or not. They all would have to be assumed dead. She gave him a meaningful look. Call S'val and Solarith... and T'rian and Stallorth, darling. I think that this meeting may go better if they are here.

The dragoness gave a mental nod and proceeded to do just that.

[Akira]

T’rian was in one of his moods again that day, and really didn’t want to be messed with, and when Stallorth told him that Iirla wanted him at the meeting, well…it just made him wish he had never gotten out of bed. Things were going a little better with Inali, but they were still not as good as they used to be, so his temper was something to try and avoid. Either way he knew better than to ignore the summons of a queen rider. So he made his way to the meeting room. He walked into the room, and his expression soured when he say Ar’rex and S’vrin. Easy Mine, do not do anything irrational. You are still needed here after all. Stallorth’s voice was a stern warning in his rider’s mind, a warning that was silently heeded. He knew he had to tread carefully, especially now.

T’rian silently gazed around the room, and all that were there. He knew some of them could be trusted, and some of them couldn’t be. But that didn’t matter, he wasn’t here to talk politics, he was here to make sure things didn’t get out of hand. He was there at the command of his Weyrwoman, and it was her that he needed to keep safe from these intruders. Even though he kept his mouth shut, it was as if his anger and frustration was radiating off of him in giant waves. So it wouldn’t surprise him if no one wanted to be near him as he leaned against one of the walls. He wasn’t exactly inclined to sit at the table just yet, and would most likely not even think of it unless he was told to by Iirla. He just wanted this entire thing to be over so he could go back to his lonely musings.

[Zirin]

It’s about time we were told of a meeting! I was beginning to think these idiots had forgotten who was in charge around here! Kayath snorted from where she circled above the Weyrbowl, still annoyed that those idiot mutanthaters had been working behind her back. Hush, or I won’t let you listen in, Kayath. J’dol replied as he stepped into the room. He wasn’t too happy about being among the last to arrive, but it couldn’t be helped; he had other duties to attend to as well.

He gave a tired nod of greeting to Iirla, and smiled at everyone else involved, though it was quite obviously forced. “Sorry for the delay.” He didn’t like the collection of people that this meeting had gathered, not one bit. Iirla didn’t seem to like it either, though J’dol wished she was at least trying to be a little more friendly with them… sure, they may have been horrible, irritating people, but at least friendliness couldn’t be faulted. He nodded to J’degar to continue, hoping that anyone else coming would arrive soon.

---

“S’vrin.” J’degar said curtly as the first person to arrive stepped into the room, followed by some girl J’degar didn’t recognize. What he did know was that she didn’t exactly belong here, and the look he gave S’vrin clearly said so. There was no rule saying this was a provate meeting however, so he couldn’t exactly kick her out. “Ar’rex…” He couldn’t quite bring his gaze to meet the other brownrider… the one he had betrayed that day. He gave each member, including the two Weyrwoman, the proper salutes and greetings for their rank, once again missing the days he had been a wingthird. Weyrlingmaster wasn’t exactly his goal in life.

He cleared his throat, letting those in the room know he was ready to start his report. “I thank you all for making time in your busy schedules to make it here.” He began, straightening the papers on the desk. “For those this may concern, I have compiled a list of the Nightsinger weyrlings that were lost between in the lesson the other day. The numbers were shockingly high, no doubt those young riders thought themselves above their teacher.” He grumbled and glanced down at the list. “Among those lost were a few green and blue riders. As well as a brown and one or two of those mutant colours.” He stopped then to pointedly look at Ar’rex.

“I’m sure you’ll be pleased to note, Ar’rex, that your mutant-riding son made it through unscathed like any normal rider.” The rest of his report he wasn’t entirely happy about having to say in front of the gathered group. He was one of the men stuck in the middle of this war, unable to take sides. “I… can’t deny there is a possibility that some of the weyrlings on this list may still be alive… Faranth knows riders are somehow finding their way to the rebellion.. there’s no guaranteeing some of these weyrlings didn’t do the same… though how they managed it on their first betweening lesson I don’t know.”

[Wish]

If they thought that S'vrin gave two dragon ends about what they thought, they were wrong. The man simply took a chair, twisted it around so that he was facing the back and sat down placing his arms criss-crossed across the top. Miyaka floated nearby, eying the other riders curiously and tilting her head. It was all so interesting, how they grouped together in little pods as if that could protect them.

At the arrival of the "Weyrleader" Miyaka smirked. Someone certainly wasn't happy, and that went for the Weyrwomen as well. At the outburst from Iirla however, Miyaka's eye-brows shot up and a quick hand fluttered to S'vrin's shoulder. The bronzerider glanced at the fragile thing, tense for only a moment before settling down again. "I will talk when I wish Weyrwoman. I am a Wingleader here, and I will have you not forget that a good three-fourths of this room is on my side, not yours. We were the ones who came to your defense after all when Noita planned to destroy this Weyr for her own devices."

He kept silent after that, listening to J'degar's words. Instead of saying something though, S'vrin looked up at the healer candidate who was giggling in a high, chime-like voice. "Oh you're too funny brownrider. You think there may be spies? I know for a fact that there are. There have been too many disappearances followed by arrivals once again, but with injuries to not have something going on. I'd say that one of the weyrlings or even an assistant or master is on the rebellion's side." She rocked on her heels, patiently waiting for S'vrin to continue from there.

When the bronzerider simply sighed heavily and massaged his temples though, she frowned and narrowed her eyes. "You know I could find out..." Her voice was a low sound for only him to hear but in such close quarters, and especially if it were quiet, there could have been others to hear it as well. At the subtle shake of S'vrin's head, Miyaka hissed through her teeth and looked away. Why does he have to be so rude to me now?

Instead of an answer, S'vrin finally looked up a the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader. Playing on the card of, we are only here to help protect you, he cut off all eye contact with Miyaka. "What would you two presume?" His voice was tired though, not attentive to what was to be said at all. In reality he wanted nothing more than to just sleep right now. It had been a long night, and a certain greenrider had tried to escape....again.