Logs:Back-Scratching
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| RL Date: 18 April, 2013 |
| Who: Jo, Sabella, Taikrin as Grathon |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Jo gets a visit from one of the Greenfields bosses. She brings Sabella along to introduce her into the 'family' business. |
| Where: Bowl, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 16, Month 7, Turn 31 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Aishani/Mentions, Taikrin/Mentions |
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| There's something to be said about the sudden blare of horns in a mind. Tacuseth is suddenly a presence, and the hum of a crowd is apparent in his brassy voice. « Yers is needed, pup! » is his summons, the shadows and the winds all being a taste of Him. There's also an image of the storerooms, likely relayed from his lady. (To Ghislaith from Tacuseth) There's not a lot of notice between when the blue firelizard appears bearing a message for Jo and when the tithe train rolls into the Weyr. The directive is brief: a friend is accompanying the train in order to check on his nieces and nephews, and could Jo please spare a few minutes to help him out? Sure enough, the train shows up with none other than Grathon himself shepherding a collection of kegs bearing Greenfield's stamp. He's jovially making himself a lot of friends as he oversees their unloading, full of stories of beer and good times at the bar and brewery he runs. When the blue firelizard appears, Jo and her bronze one is there at the tithe trains in no time. With Tacuseth nowhere to be found, the bluerider is easy in her gait as she approaches where Grathon can be seen with hands in her pockets. And, if he's busy telling some tale while the unloading's going on, she tilts her head a bit and cuts in with a wry, "If there isn' a pretty girl featurin' in any of his stories, then it's all a lie." The smile is for him, jerking her chin in greeting to him as she gives a fond, "Uncle." The blare of horns? Oh hell no. The windows get slammed shut and the door is locked. But the sway of the weather worn house tells that the message has at least been passed on. Even if she really resents all of the noise. (To Tacuseth from Ghislaith) When the blue firelizard appears, Jo and her bronze one is there at the tithe trains in no time. With Tacuseth nowhere to be found, the bluerider is easy in her gait as she approaches where Grathon can be seen with hands in her pockets. And, if he's busy telling some tale while the unloading's going on, she tilts her head a bit and cuts in with a wry, "If there isn' a pretty girl featurin' in any of his stories, then it's all a lie." The smile is for him, jerking her chin in greeting to him as she gives a fond, "Uncle." The flow of the crowd's voices suggest ample laughter and amusement from Tacuseth, all clawing at the windows and the locked door. Nothing gets down his parade, but he at least lets his touch fade once the summons has been sent. (To Ghislaith from Tacuseth) It takes some time for Sabella to make it from the feeding pens over to where the tithe trains roll in, but she does arrive. Smoothing the front of her shirt down and pushing some of her now shortened curls out of her face, she's soon by where Jo is. Her gaze sweeps across the people that are there, quickly arriving onto Grathon. There's something close to a fond smile from her and she lifts one of her hands to wiggle her fingers at him in greeting. Though she largely keeps her mouth shut while the bluerider makes the initial contact. "Jo!" Grathon responds joyously, beaming broadly from over the pony keg he's hefting. He passes it off to a helper, then hurries his bulky figure over so that he can wrap her up in a hug. "How's my girl doing? Staying out of trouble, I hope?" As he spots Sabella over the bluerider's shoulder, he exclaims, "And Sabella! Just my luck-- the two prettiest girls in the Weyr." "Grathon." Jo lets herself get taken up into the hug, her arms tightening briefly about him before she leans back to see Grathon's face. "Ya know me," is her response to that, lips quirked at him. "I ain' yer girl if I'm not into some kind of trouble worthy of talkin' about over a beer." Then, glancing over her shoulder and finding Sabella arriving, "And I thought ya'd want to meet one of our weyrlings," she adds now, releasing him and stepping back with a gesture for Sabella to come forward. "Good ya remember her. I'm her mentor." The green weyrling is happy to see him, this link to her past life before becoming a part of the weyr. "I was worried that you'd not remember me amongst all the new faces you must have up by you now." There's a quick moment where she forgets herself, quickly stepping forward so she can swing her arms around his neck. It's not a long embrace, she's pulling back soon enough and standing there beside the bluerider. Regaining some composure. "She is. I couldn't have asked for a better one, really." So there's just a hint of pride there. Just a hint. "Now you know I try to keep track of any friends of yours this pretty, right Jo?" He steps back from Jo only to wrap an arm in friendly fashion around Sabella as he accepts her hug. "I never forget a face, don't you worry none. Us smallholders have to stick together, am I right?" He glances over his shoulder at the remaining barrels, which are nearly finished being rolled away into the depths of the caverns. "I'm glad you two are taking care of each other! I'd love to hear more about it, if you can spare some time for your old uncle? We're about done here, and not scheduled to head back until tomorrow." Jo has an eye on those barrels being taken off with interested, but Grathon's first draws her gaze back to him and Sabella. "Because I keep track of them myself?" she quips right back, easy in her fond banter with him. "So yeah, we got each other. Pleasant surprise, findin' ya in my neck of the woods. Must've gotten my notes?" and a brow lifts at that towards him before she tacks on with an incline of her head, "Got plenty of time for ya, uncle. Of course. The Snowasis got beer if ya wanna go there...unless ya prefer more privacy." She looks about them even now, noting the openness of the area and those milling around in it that wasn't them. She glances as Sabella then before she asks, "I didn' pull ya from somethin' vital, did I? Ghislaith will be cool?" "I'll come visit you when I can start to leave this place again." Sabella notes, glancing around and over at the tithe train. "Just to make sure your memory of my face doesn't fade or anything." That last is said with some teasing as she drops silent again. Her attention shifts to the items being taken away and the other weyr people that are passing through their space. She's alert to the odd look or two. "No, Ghislaith was just feeding out by the pens. She's still there now, won't cause any trouble. She knows better." "We did get your notes, back at home. Too bad I couldn't make it for the hatching, but I thought to myself-- it's been turns and turns since I was last in a Weyr, and I'm sure it's been too long since my Jo has had any of my special brew, so... here I am." Grathon spreads his arms wide, as if to encompass the entire Weyr. "I'd love to meet her as well, later, if you've got the time. But first-- come, let's talk." He glances over his shoulder, then heads so deliberately towards a sheltered nook off to the side that he surely must have planned it. "I'm interested in hearing about all of your doings. The Weyr treats you well?" "Good," Jo states on the weyrling's green, looking pleased as she reaches out to clap a hand to Sabella's shoulder to grip her. And, for her particularly, "Soon we should meet up. We'll go to that sheltered place by the lake and pretend we're fishin' or somethin'. Been awhile since I've caught up with ya." There's a lopsided grin for her with a squeeze to her shoulder before she turns toward Grathon and gives a light snort to the first, the bluerider stating in good nature, "A girl can think yer bringin' that special brew here as straight up flirtin'. Warms the heart, though. Been thinkin' of stoppin' over to see ya anyway." She watches him head towards sheltered nook first before she glances Sabella's way and releases her hold on her shoulder so they both can follow along. Arriving sometime behind him, "The Weyr treats, at least," is her sardonic answer to the question, taking up leaning. "Things haven' gotten any better since the hatchin', as ya know." If there's any qualms on her part in speaking about business in front of Sabella, it's not registering on her face. "Of course. However she's not the friendliest of dragons, you might be disappointed." Sabella replies, not seeming put off by this account of her own lifemate. To her mentor, "It has been awhile." She plucks on the new silver thread through her knot. "Things have happened." The greenrider smiles quickly and falls into step with Jo as they make their own way into the nook. Sliding close to the inner wall, she keeps herself largely out of sight of anyone that might happen to notice a weyrling with the bluerider and Grathon. It's not really her place to tell anything about the business of the Weyr and its impact on their dealings. So she slips into an appropirate level of silence, though her attention certainly remains active. With the air of one used to managing a busy bar, Grathon manages to settle against the far wall of the nook and keep one eye on the people passing by and the other on his riders without looking as if he's neglecting them in his attentions. "Sad to hear things aren't much better. But at least we've got our Sabella now to help you out, right?" His smile is warm, welcoming. "Are you helping Jo keep an eye on everything? It must be hard to keep track of all the doings in a place this big, and with dragons flitting off every which way. It's important to stick together with your family, especially in a place like this, I've found." Jo's eyes widen a fraction when she really looks at Sabella - or, rather, looks at the silver thread on her shoulderknot. "I see they have," she finally gives in the pause as they move, meeting her gaze with a mixture of light surprise and satisfaction. "We've got a lot to talk about for sure." Not now, of course, since their 'uncle' was present, but she still makes the fact that she was pleased with her mentee very evident anyway. Taking a lean herself to watch those passing by with idle interest along with them both, "Sad for the Weyr," she seems to agree with what Grathon says while doing so, before her gaze lands on him. "Not so sad for us. Taikrin's still in charge, in as much of the word can mean." Brow lifting at him, "She could use some help, darlin'. The sort where she's makin' deals. About us scratchin' her back and then she'll scratch ours." She glances to Sabella then with a grin in place for his question to her as she answers it with a wry, "Gotta lot ridin' on her, betcher ass on that. Sybile and Canie are useful, too, but I'd like to think Sabs is mine. Kind of like a sister. We're all from the same place, in the end." "Trying to at least. It's hard when we're all still chained down to the barracks. The dragons aren't up to flying just yet, not with us on them anyway." Sabella responds with a quick smile, securing her spot against that wall. She sinks back into it and glances over towards Jo, catching that look. Her smile turns a touch smirky, smug even. "Later." She agrees before turning her attention back to Grathon and in turn, the bluerider's response to him. On mention of Taikrin, her eyes dart over to the man to catch on what his reaction might before smoothing out the pleased expression on her face into something that's much more carefully neutral. Grathon sighs, an uncle's fond disappointment in one of his wayward charges. "You don't make deals with your family, do we girls? Well, I suppose we'll have to make allowances. I'm sure there's a great deal of pressure on her. We'll do our best to take it off of her, right? See if we can't give her a few less things to worry about? I'm sure even our little dragon-friends can help with that. I like that you've got Sabella, though. Are Kaitlin and M'ron doing their part with our other friends?" People are still bustling by with supplies outside the nook, but they're both out of earshot and appear completely uninterested in the goings-on. "Did the weyrlingmasters tell ya how much longer till they think yer dragons can try flyin'?" Jo's asking Sabella now with a piqued interest. Then, to Grathon, there's a half shrug on Taikrin before she answers, "Her back's against the wall, darlin'. There's folks here tryin' to get her out. I know Lanvec wants to keep her in, but to do that, we're goin' to have to reach a hand out." Nodding, "Lanvec mentioned alterin' the sweeps and she seems willin', for a trade." Sliding a glance Sabella's way then for something said, "We can use all the help we can get, even." Beat. "Kait and M'ron's doin' their part," she continues to say now, her eyes back on the people walking by. "Canie hasn' gotten in trouble for her light fingers yet, as far as I know..." and she looks to the green weyrling to back her up, "...and Sybile's been keepin' her ears to the ground for us. She's anxious, though. Thinks there's somethin' she and Miroth can do for us. Somethin'...active." Is that a rhetorical question that she's not supposed to actually answer? Because it looks like she might answer it. But then Sabs keeps her mouth shut on that particular front instead. She once again looks between the two of them as the conversation proceeds, her mouth pursing together briefly before she's called on to respond to something asked. "Another month, approximately. They're doing short flights around the bowl now, but they're still working on their strength to actually carry us." Glancing away from the two she's with, her eyes fixate on a couple that passes slowly by. "Canie hasn't gotten into any trouble. Neither of us has lifted anything in a long time, we've been good." As for Sybile there's a snort, but no comment. "Good." For once, Grathon actually looks a little stern. "Lifting things has no place somewhere like this, where there's more than enough for everyone. The last thing we need is our girls getting the wrong sort of attention." But otherwise he listens thoughtfully, and his further responses are measured. "What is Sybile interested in doing, exactly? I don't want you all getting hurt or in trouble on our account, now. Your most important job is helping your dragons grow up right-- the rest, well, we all do what we can." Jo seems to be mulling something over in her head from Sabella's answer on the dragons and flying, but she's not looking to be saying what aloud. She just nods to her answer on Canie with a grunt, then when there's the snort on Sybile, there's a wry look sliding Sabella's way. "She thinks she could help out in some way with Taikrin's hold, or in improvin' our lot here. She's the logical, clever one. Not much on the physical, see. Dunno what she could do in her current position, but, told her I'd talk to ya about it for her anyway. I seem to be the one gettin' propositioned these days anyway, so speakin' of," and she pauses, arms comin' to a fold across her black leathered chest as she levels a long look Grathon's way. "There's the matter of the other letter I sent. About Aishani and the Vijays." She regards him still with light amusement as is usual with her. "Her family, joinin' us. She wants a meet." "Understood." Sabella answers before dropping her teeth down onto her lower lip, worrying at it. At Grathon's question on Sybile she can't seem to stop herself from slipping out a quiet mutter, "Getting her nose into places it doesn't belong and can't handle." Cough. Did she say that outloud? Nevermind the brief display of catty behavior. As far as Jo being the one getting propositioned there's a smile that comes to life on the greenrider's face, a joke or a tease that just hangs there for now. It remains unspoken by it's so there. The news of Aishani and her family has her looking sharply to the bluerider, interested. "That's why you're our dearest niece; we'd have been lost without you holding things together for us, Jo. If only all of our family could be as helpful." Grathon is certainly quick enough with his praise; he doesn't seem at all bothered by this news about Aishani. "You know me, I'm always up to making new friends. And how does our Taikrin feel about this? Our families, joining together-- would it under their rule, now? What's your reading on our young weyrwoman? Is she the sort you'd like to have in our family?" "Ain' gotta like her, darlin'," Jo gives in Sabella's direction, having heard the quip on her fellow clutchmate. "Sure as shit got folks I don' like nor like me back home. But." Dark eyes find those green ones then. "But when shit hits the fan. Ya gotta have each other's back, or we all go down." She even catches the sharp look from the weyrling on the matter of the Weyrwoman, meeting her gaze hard before she says to Grathon, "I do what I do, darlin'. Always will. Ya saved me." It's as simple as that. "Ya don' need all of our family. Ya got me, and those with me. Taikrin doesn't know," she adds now on the deal made with Aishani as she turns to regard Grathon once more. "This is somethin'....personal. I didn' want to get anyone involved yet, and Shani doesn' know the details of who I work for, just in case this falls through. Watchin' my ass, in other words," and there's a small smirk for that. As for her read on the Weyrwoman, "She's like us," she answers on Aishani. "Knows what it's like to have nothin', to fight for somethin'. She's been keepin' an eye on Sabs here, and Canie and Sybile, too. She's willin' to turn a blind eye to anythin' we need to take care of. She's sympathetic to us, and I do things for her. Her family needs help, and they're our sorts. I think the addition wouldn' hurt us. Plus, havin' a Weyrwoman affiliated with us might come with benefits Lanvec would appreciate, doncha think?" Her words and smile? Enticing. "I see a win-win with this." There's some adolescent eye rolling for the speech on sticking together as a family. But perhaps wisely, Sabella clamps her mouth shut on whatever words of disagreement that she might have just then. At least in Grathon's prescence. She follows along the explanation of Aishani's involvement and Taikrin's non-involvement all without interruption and accompanied with the carefully neutral expression. Now and again her attention shifts to the people that pass their little nook, all still out of earshot. There's the brief uplift of one eyebrow at the news that the Weyrwoman is keeping an eye on her and the other two weyrlings. Maybe she was unaware of that. "Hmmmm." Grathon quietly absorbs the information, then makes several thoughtful noises in the back of his throat. His gaze drifts from Jo to Sabella, and then idly back out to watch the comings and goings of the cavern. It's a good several moments before he responds. "I'm glad I came out here, then. This is an interesting proposition-- you did good, going directly to her instead of trying to work through Taikrin. I'll have to think on this. Does she usually go out? Mingle? I'd like to see if I can catch a bit of her before we go and do formal introductions. I trust your gut, girl, but I'd like to give mine a bit of a feel too." He slaps his round beer gut for emphasis, and offers a warm smile. "Might be we've been backing the wrong runner all this time, if it's the weyrwoman sympathetic to us. Well. We'll see. So tell me-- what else should I be looking for while I'm here?" Jo watches from Grathon to Sabella and back, her gaze almost heavy-lidded. She remains silent to let him think it over, and when he breaks his silence she inclines her head to him for his praise. "Doesn't hurt to have more friends, additions to the family," she agrees, her smile dark. "She goes out, checks on the weyrlings and can sometimes be found at the bar here, too. See her for yerself. I think a meet would do us good." She grins all the more when he slaps his beer gut, the short chuckle heard as she runs a hand through her hair. "I wouldn' rule Taikrin out, now," she drawls, her brow lifting. "There's somethin' calculatin' about Shani that I like, but Taikrin can aggressively change things with the right guidance, I think. Who knows how long they both have in their positions, really...the way certain folks 'round here tell it." Gesturing towards him then, "Give Lanvec the deal with Taikrin. Have him mull it over. Ain' much else I can do for her, or tell her, without playin' dirty, and she doesn' want me to play dirty. It'll make her position worse." Dark eyes now turn towards the silent Sabella, prompting with a sweeping gesture, "Ya heard it all. Yer thoughts on all of it?" Weyrling or no, she was included in such business now. "I heard we're not supposed to be calling deals with family deals. It's making allowances." Sabella quips back with a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth, crooked. But then she's crossing her arms over chest. "Taikrin still seems to have her hands full taking over the wings, it sounds like she only really has firm control over half. So it'd probably be better go the path of Aishani. It's not like she has anything standing directly in her way right now and adding a family of traders to our family couldn't do anything other than help us." At least that's her take on it, from the vantage point of someone who's mostly just been listening in until right around now. "Here's what we're going to do," he lays out for the girls while clapping his hands together. "If you haven't already, Jo, I need you to write out for me exactly what Taikrin is looking for. Lay it out without opinion, then write me what you think she's really trying to do after. Later tonight, I'm going to go and see if I can get a good look at what this Vijay of ours is like-- I don't want either of you spoiling our surprise now, though. Okay?" He looks between the two of them with a fond smile. "And you're right. We don't make deals with our family, and our Taikrin is family. I think I'll pay her a visit today, too, just to make sure she remembers. Now. Jo and Sabella, my girls. I'm a simple man. All I want to do is make my brews and enjoy a drink with some pretty girls now and then. Why don't we-- oh! I nearly forgot." Hastily, Grathon digs into a pocket on the inside of his vest, and presents a folded letter to Jo. "Just a little favor Lanvec thought you could do for him, when you've some spare time." That Sabella caught that, Jo's laughing. "Well, ya know what I mean," she turns a smirk the weyrling's way, mischievous. "I'll call it...back-scratchin' allowances, hm?" She quiets to hear Sabella out, to hear her opinion on the matter and is nodding on certain points made. Then Grathon's laying out the proverbial cards and she's nodding on what's expected of her. "I'm good for it," is her confirmation on her task. "And I won' spoil yer surprise. I think it best ya meet her without me present, actually." With business seeming to be concluded, she pushes off from the wall until he turns and gives over a folded letter. She takes it up immediately and looks his way, nodding to that firmly and stating, "Consider it done. Ya know what it's about?" There's a pause before she turns to include Sabella as she says, "Right, drinks and pretty girls. Ain' gonna deny ya further on that. Think that covered all I needed to discuss, unless ya got somethin' to add, too?" That was for Sabella, idly running a finger over the edge of the letter she holds. "I wouldn't dream of ruining the surprise for you either." Sabs shoots back with a smile and roll of her shoulders before she begins to push herself off of the wall. "Unfortunately I'll have to pass up on the drinks- I have to have dinner every night with the rest of the class. So." She inclines her head towards the exit, meaning to depart from their trio once they begin to get moving again. "I don't have anything. Other than it was really great to see you again, you should come ride the tithe train more often, Grathon." She passes the older man a quick wink before she begins to slip her way out of the nook that they all share. With all likelihood she separates from them early on, disappearing into some crowd or other of people, melting away. |
Comments
Azaylia (Dragonshy (talk)) left a comment on Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:13:31 GMT.
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Iiiiiinteresting~
Eliv (Eliv (talk)) left a comment on Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:07:05 GMT.
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Well, let's just start a mafia. The Families~
Aishani (Brieli (talk)) left a comment on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 01:23:19 GMT.
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Awesome~
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