Logs:An Unasked Favor
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| RL Date: 2 August, 2013 |
| Who: Alida, Devaki, Raum |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr, High Reaches Hold |
| Type: Log |
| What: Devaki does an unasked-for favor for Alida, and there's a little bit of revenge for a past life. |
| Where: High Reaches Hold, Pars Hold |
| When: Day 1, Month 6, Turn 32 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Issedi/Mentions |
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| Glacier is often a visitor to High Reaches Hold -- in fact, it's a wing rumored to be specifically allowed by the Lord Holder to visit freely, even if the-then-acting-Weyrwoman Aishani might've declared it otherwise. Earlier that morning there was a request from the Hold for transport -- which isn't unusual -- but what might be moreso was that Alida was specifically requested. It's not just any visitors that are waiting in the shadow of the courtyard, either: it's Lord Devaki, dressed in fine outfit and holding a furred cloak -- far too warm to wear before between -- and his ever-present shadow Raum. They're having a low-voiced conversation as they wait, the former occasionally greeting passing members of the Hold; the latter occasionally scowling. Truth-tell, she was wondering if this day would come, especially after being assigned to Glacier. Alida had many other things taking up her attention over the months since graduating, however, and such thoughts as the Hold and the state of affairs between it and the Weyr were put on a back burner. But now... Ilicaeth breaks out of Between high above, then wheels downward at his own pace, allowing his rider decent time to view the place from the sky for only the second time in her life. The courtyard soon comes into view, and quickly enough at this point, the grey-blue is backwinging, alighting with crisp efficiency...and disgorging his rider to ground with a thunk of boots to cobbles. A warble to the watchdragon on the 'heights is all the rough and ready blue has to say, but be certain that his blue gaze is turned upon the humans moving all about...just as Alida's own greens do the same. Her goggles shucked down to chest, helmet removed to reveal a braided, flattened coronet of palest hair at the back of her head, the once and always guard looks around for who might've summoned her directly. She has her ideas about such, but still... better poilte than assumptive. Haibroth is fairly quick to greet Ilicaeth from the fireheights, clearly glad to see another dragon. The blue, too, receives some looks from folks passing through the courtyard, though they do so with an apparent haste in order to take them out of the way as soon as possible. Devaki's pace is steady, crossing the courtyard at enough of a walk to make himself obvious to the rider, Raum shadowing his path. "Alida," the Lord calls with a warm welcome and a spread of hands as he approaches and slows to a halt. "It is good to see you. I hope you're not put out that I abused the privileges of my station terribly to ask for you -- but I think you'll enjoy our little trip today." A brief slant of a look towards Raum, like he's sharing some quiet joke. Ahh yeah... so it *is* the way she thought. No matter; Alida dons her usual smirk-smile, stepping with militaristic strides towards Devaki to meet him half way. While the dragons silently chat, the blonde woman pulls up before the two men, and offers a crisp salute to the more ranking one, then a firm nod to Raum before noting in her NewYork minute, hard and clipped alto, "So we meet again, my good Lord Devaki." Her words have enough casual, glib humor in them to suit someone with twice her age, while being animated enough to show her relative youth. As for abuses of rank, "Unless ya got the whole Council breathin' down yer neck, they could probably give a crap." Brows raise a bit in silent inquiry at his words of a trip, the woman then murmuring, "If it's a bar, I'm all in. But...a mere wingrider ain't too well situated...so I'm afraid y'll have ta buy." Smirk. "A bar?" That surprises Devaki, to judge by his considering pause and speculative look at the bluerider. Behind him, Raum shifts a little, smirking silently. "Perhaps later. Business first. I trust you two have an image for Pars Hold?" The Lord adjusts his gaze enough to take in Illicaeth with a tip of his head by way of greeting, before his expectant look resettles on Alida. She enjoys making people doubletake or second guess, but Alida's too with the game to smirk back to Raum's expression, though green eyes do dance a little. Shaking her head a little - as if to silently tell Devaki that she's giving him shit - the woman then nods crisply. "One uv' the first non-standard coordinates I learned on purpose." A look over her shoulder to the craggy blue soon has him stepping up towards the humans, then halting about twenty feet away, his coppery talons flexing, tail twitching as he chuffs his own polite greeting back to the Lord. Back to the pair of men, "Should I assume y'd both rather be behind me than havin' my arms wrapped around one uv' ya like a nanny?" Ilicaeth's already dipping his body, shoulder to the ground as far as he can to make it easier on the non-riders, his gaze wheeling in spritely fashion. "You can wrap any part of yourself around me anyt--" Raum says his first words, halted by the look on Devaki's face, which turns the redhead's expression into a more of a smirk. "Thank you," Devaki's murmuring, whether to dragon or Raum or rider is anyone's guess -- he's climbing with enough deftness to suggest he's used to riding dragons, taking up a position that'll put him behind Alida, which forces Raum behind him. "Have you been back since you left?" "Does that include my fist around yer teeth?" the blonde notes in almost chipper fashion to Raum, thought there's a small rattle of warning behind her eyes, the small smile on her mouth not reaching them. With a rolling little rumble of his baritone 'voice,' Ilicaeth turns his neck and head to watch his passengers mount up, Alida then shimmeying up straps herself, where she finally hands the boys their d-ringed snap-straps, and lets them attend themselves. While they ready themselves, she answers back, "Yes. Picked up a couple'a things I had ta leave behind." A certain thinness in her voice might subtly speak it wasn't necessarily a happy trip. "Whatever you're willing to give," Raum responds quickly enough, a deeper grin flashing for a moment. The tone with which Devaki says, "She's a rider," just about makes it equate to off-limits, if one has a keen enough ear for tone. While he makes sure he's securely strapped in, the former exile adds, "Well, I hope today's is happier then. I'm sure it will be." He sounds so certain. "I'll remember that the next time I'm pissed off. The livin' are much more interestin' punching bags," Alida notes just as chipperly back to Raum, then letting it all slide when Devaki gets more business-like. There's some suspicion in the blonde's eyes with the Lord's certainty, but she has duty to attend to first, the guard doing so in sound fashion by rechecking her 'guests' straps, then her own. Helmet re-donned, affixed, then goggles pulled down, checked, she gives obvious arm signals to Ilicaeth for the mens' benefit, the blue hurling himself upward with a powerful spring and downsweep of wings. Up and up they go, giving a proper amount of clearance before the woman barks back to Devaki and Raum, "Between on five!" Her raised hand's fingers count off that mark point as they firm the coordinates in their minds, Ilicaeth then transfering them into that void. In just as proper fashion, they're soon emerging from that place's horrible cold into damp Spring air, Pars far below them. Down, down the blue with the 'eye' markings on his wings circles - the woman's back becoming stiffer as they near the minor holding - until he's landing them in the courtyard, and again warbling his hello to the watchdragon here. Perhaps one of the other advantages of sitting behind the rider is the ability to hide one's reaction -- either to the words or the actions of the rider in question. Certainly, during the flight, both passengers are silent, though Devaki, pressed up against Alida, murmurs something that sounds like, 'easy', as he senses her stiffening posture. Perhaps, though, it's just the wind: he's already busying himself unbuckling as Ilicaeth lands. They are not, notably, alone in the courtyard, and apparently they are expected. There's the Holder, standing next to the Captain and that Lieutenant, an array of his favored 'friends' behind them, waiting stony-faced. If she hears Devaki's real or imagined words, the woman gives no sign. Ilicaeth can feel his rider's simmering emotions all too well, though, and by the time the blue's folding his wings to his sides, he's lidded his eyes near-completely to hide the small red points dotting their blue. Like rider, like dragon, apparently. Alida looks as stony faced as the men they're meeting, her posture ramrod stiff and her moves crisp and efficient as she gets her passengers and herself down from the dipping blue's neck to the ground quite securely. For some moments, she's torn between old propriety and old anger, but her blue silently reminds his rider that this is Holder business, not personal...and so the blonde gives a bare, stiff little nod to her former bosses, and then waits by her dragon's head, merely watching the interplay taking place. Devaki takes his sweet time getting down and getting adjusted, shrugging out of his fur coat and laying it over one arm. It's Alida he's watching, not the grouping of people waiting for him. "Walk beside me." It's the tone of a man used to speaking an order and being obeyed, and yet his gaze makes it a request of the bluerider. Raum, meanwhile, walks ahead of his Lord, headed directly for the other Captain. There's words, but they're too low for the pair near the dragon to hear, and Raum's leading the Captain off to one side, to the apparent discomfort of his Lieutenant. She rubbernecks her head to Devaki, green eyes shed of their goggles looking deeply into his blues as her quills prickle some. Another stiff nod for him has her bootheels in motion, nearly striking sparks from the flagstones with the force of their hammering. She waiting for some sort of shit to come down, and - since the blonde doesn't know how she fits into this scenario - she's a pegged out as a guitar string, inside. Behind them, Ilicaeth's eyes gain some flecks of orange and yellow beneath his 'lids, the blue now less than half of what it was before. Flex-flex goe those wicked scythes of claws. Once she reaches Devaki's side, the woman snaps into an automatic parade-rest...and waits in stony silence while not really looking into any eyes across from her. He waits with what might seem an infinite amount of patience for her to join him, blue eyes calm. When she does, he finally walks towards the grouping, though under his breath he murmurs: "You aren't the guard under their anymore. You're a rider of High Reaches. You're Ilicaeth's." It may be Devaki that murmurs those words of support, but it's the Lord Holder who finally comes to a halt in front of the grouping. "Holder Kriul. Good to see you again. Do you know Alida, Ilicaeth's rider? She was kind enough to bring us down. And Lieutenant..." an apologetic shake of head, like he's forgotten the man's name. The former exile doesn't look at Raum, nor the other Captain -- the latter looks to be arguing, which seems a futile action against scowling redhead's look. Tightly, very tensely and quietly to Devaki - with a bare minimum of lip movement - Alida notes, "Once a guard, always a guard..." though she does bob her head deeply to his words of her being Weyrfolk, and Ilicaeth's rider. If circumstances would've had her born on far away Earth, she likely would have been a Marine. Maintaining a mask of neutrality in this den of vipers is rough, but the bluerider manages it with effort, her posture slowly unstiffening from it's old, habitual stance until she's affecting a more civilian-like stand. The hint of pink spots at her pale cheeks might be from the chill, of course, but who's to know. Her lips are paled in their pressed-together, thin line, greens as hard and cold as 'Reaches granite, but otherwise, her face is dead flat as she finally stares into her former lord's eyes. She just cannot bring herself to nod, though. Holder Kriul greets Devaki with a, "Lord Devaki, please, be welcome." He looks nervous, as much for Devaki's presence, as Raum's discussion with his own Captain, and, perhaps, Alida's presence as well. "Lieutenant Calav," he supplies, nodding to the man. It's the latter -- the Lieutenant -- that has Devaki's gaze, with a frown. "I'm instituting a policy of rotation amongst the officers. My Guard Captain, Raum, is advising Captain Calav of this, now. The Lieutenant will be given his new orders shortly, and you'll receive a replacement." The Lieutenant in question goes red, narrowing eyes momentarily at Alida as if this might somehow be her fault. "The Captain won't let--" "QUIET!" that bark is Raum, returning to the group with Calav in tow. "You will address your Lord by his rightful title, when you are given leave to speak." Is that noise a faint snort of amusement from Devaki? Surely not. That would be completely inappropriate for the Lord Holder to actually be enjoying this whole thing. Blink. That's the first reaction from Alida at the words of rotation from Devaki, the woman surprised, but fighting the repercussions of such down. When the Lieutenant blurts that out, the woman narrows her eyes at him, honestly taken aback by his out-of-line delivery to his superior. Even *she* - a thorn in many sides - can understand and implement protocol. But when Calav gives her that 'this is YOUR fault' look... Behind them, Ilicaeth growls low, his youthful lack of experience telling as he expresses his rider's instant wish to throttle the other guard. Instantly, her gaze hoods, going a little distant as she deals with her lifemate, then quickly returning to the humans, as flat as ever. She notes the tail end of Devaki's soft snort, and tries not to glance over at him. Is that, too, the faint brush of fingers briefly at her elbow, not enough to be invasive, but a subtle warning from the man at her side? Devaki doesn't look at Alida, either, though he'd probably be very interested to. "Captain Calav will be spending some time under Captain Raum at the Hold. One can always benefit from new training, and my Captain has... extensive experience." Raum is very good at smiling -- it's just that it's in no way reassuring. Holder Kriul still looks nervous and unsettled by all of this, but he's well aware of his position enough to murmur, "Of course, Lord Devaki. What a wise idea. I... I trust you'll not leave us unprotected?" Devaki's smiling reassuringly. "No, but of course not. Captain Calav won't be traveling back with us. Alida's time is far too valuable, and we can't waste it for the time for him to pack. We'd expect you at the Hold within, what...?" He looks at Raum, who grunts, "Two days." It will be a hard, hard ride to make that, and it shows in Calav's expression. There's stiffening from her at that ghost touch from someone who not been allowed to do so, but for propriety's sake, Alida suffers it, though she stiffens when Devaki's fingers press fabric enough to indent upon her skin. Yes-yes, she's in control...mostly. The old anger is still there, under the surface, but at least it's no longer almost boiling over. The only indication of any emotion by the woman when Calav is told he'll be spending time under Raum's kind tutelage is a savage widening of her eyes for a moment, word of his upcoming, hard ride then producing a flare of her nostrils. Fitting...especially given that he sent her off to the Weyr in the middle of the Winter. Perhaps Calav was hoping she'd become yet another casualty of the forbidding climate...but fortune can be quite fickle. And yet, thoughts of that brutal ride have the blonde turning her head aside just enough so that she can once again whisper - sans much lip movement - to Devaki, "That kind'a ride c'n kill the best runner. If y'd...please have another pair stationed along the way." Even now, she's thinking of lives...animal ones. "Very good. It's all settled then." Devaki has the air of someone who believes a job is well done; pleased and approving. "I'd take advantage of your hospitality, Holder Kriul, but Alida's been accommodating enough to wait for us--" the words, and the gesture towards the bluerider give him an excuse to take in Alida's measure for a moment. Surprise suffuses his expression briefly at her whisper -- the faint tip of head acknowledgement of her suggestion. "Shall we, Alida?" a gesture inviting her to proceed him back to Ilicaeth's side, which is completely against protocol, and likely completely deliberate on his part. She appears just a little gruff at Devaki's expression of surprise - the look of a cat who falls ingracefully: nothing to see here - Alida then appearing rather edgy about being asked to precede the Lord. Not wanting to look as if she's 'disobeying,' the bluerider at first does so, but she lags, quickly enough drawing alongside of her superior. Once they're far enough away, the blonde notes with a soft sigh, "I suppose I should thank ya'... But somethin' tells me this'll likely require...payment back." She's not trying to sound insulting, the pragmatic guard simply telling it like it is. Still, she's wincing a little at her own temerity. "No payment," Devaki is quick to dissuade her guess, and his tone is oddly cheerful, too, as he draws alongside her, walking easily. "You have a good gut instinct, and I trust that. That den needed some sweeping. Besides, it gives Raum a new toy to occupy him for a time." Speaking of, the redhead's crept up silently behind them at some point, close enough to hear. "He'll be fun," the other says. She still looks unconvinced, but all Alida can do is take Devaki at his word, the bluie then quickly looking down at her hands, and realizing that she's dug her short nails into the leather of her pants deep enough to put solid indentations into them. Retracting her 'claws,' then slowly working out stiff fingers, the blonde can't help but nodding firmly at the Holder's words, her head then turning as they walk back to the once-more blue-eyed Ilicaeth to let her see just where Raum is. It's habit...and - given the faint creepiness vibe she gets from the Captain of Devaki's guard - likely self-preservation. In a sudden burst of hatred for her former Lieutenant, the woman notes aside to Raum in brisk tones, "He's got a tendency ta' feint left before comin' in low. Watch out fer a knife switch, though 'e's primarily a righty. Don't go fer 'is nuggets unless ya' c'n get in a rapid three kicks; y'll need 'em all." Devaki's certainly not unaware of Alida's doubt, but he's nice enough not to draw attention to it. Instead, he says, "Shall we go home? You're welcome to eat with us in the Hold, if you wish, Alida. I'm sure Haibroth would love the company for a time." There's a smirk, but Raum's never been one to turn down a tip, and Alida's words are answered with a nod as they reach Ilicaeth. For a moment, she's heavily leaning towards saying 'no' to his offer, given how poorly the rest of her compatriots at the Weyr are eating, given the little incident with two short-sighted bronzers. But today is something of a celebration for the woman, and fuckitall, she's going to have a truly decent meal to remember it by... "Thanks fer offerin'. Ilicaeth like chattin' it up..." Indeed, the blue's tail is wriggling again, given how rarely he gets to speak to his brethren outside the Weyr, and when he dips down to provide easier access to his straps for everyone, there's a hint of eagerness in his motions and in the swirl of eyes that someone used to noting dragon tics could pick up on. And, while they're all getting situated atop the blue's thicker neck, Alida can't help but add around a hint of a chill smirk to Raum, "By the way, I'm the one who broke 'is nose fer the first time. He's really testy about havin' 'is pretty boy face outta' alignment." Hoo man, she has it *in* for the bastard. "Good, good. You should meet my wife, Issedi -- I don't know that the two of you got a chance to meet at the Weyr?" Devaki seems pleased by her acceptance, stepping towards the blue and making to climb up. It really can't be said that Devaki's a reader of dragons -- of people, yes -- but dragons remain a mystery to the former exile. Meanwhile, Raum's smirking at that bit of information. "You could visit, help teach him a lesson, girl." There's a note in the other's voice that is, oddly, full of lust, and it draws his Lord's gaze around for a long moment. "Best not," Devaki intervenes, "Given everything. Rest assured, he'll be well taken care of, Alida." "Saw 'er in passin', that's about it," Alida notes of Issedi to her husband, Alida taking her time checking everyone's straps, and her own gear. Wouldn't do to lose her passengers to a sudden fall. "As long as she c'n deal with another woman who doesn't get off on talk about children 'n knitting, we're likely good." Yes; when needed, Alida can manage to play nice. She's glancing back again at Raum when that note of lust creeps into his voice - something in her green eyes expressing some recognition of it for a moment - and soon noting to him (after Devaki makes his wishes known), "I'm certain that he'll not learn 'is lesson well enough, 'n someday I'll need ta break somethin' else uv 'is again... boy." Tit for tat. A sigh is offered up to the Lord's last words before they ascend, her murmur of, "I hope at least the other people, gals uv lower rank in Pars' barracks'll have a more even chance than I did," reaching Devaki's ears only. And then, quickly enough, they're being tossed skyward again, and back in a minute plus three heartbeats above High Reaches Hold, where real food, a little socializing, and perhaps some honest conversation are to be had. "Uhh, well--" the long pause that follows from Devaki might well suggest the bluerider's just mentioned the two favorite topics of his wife. "Perhaps I'll seat you next to someone who'll be a more suitable conversationalist." Raum might be clearing his throat, but his Lord knows him too well and is pointedly ignoring him. It might be lost on the wind, it might not, but as the blue launches skyward, the former exile assures the rider: "You have my word." True to his word, he seats Alida next to a grizzly older guard -- there's certainly plenty to talk about there, and the man's far less lecherous than the other, who no doubt watches despite his Lord's warning. |
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