Logs:Favor.
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| RL Date: 14 April, 2013 |
| Who: Aishani, E'sren |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Aishani needs a pair of eyes and ears at the Tillek wedding to see what's up. E'sren's down, but has a few words. |
| Where: Records room, HRW |
| When: Day 4, Month 7, Turn 31 (Interval 10) |
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| Records Room, High Reaches Weyr Books. Scrolls. Bound hides. Maps. If it's a record pertaining to the Weyr, it's likely to be in this roughly oval room with its floor-to-ceiling cherrywood shelves, its multitude of slots for scrolls, and its wide drawers for materials that shouldn't be rolled up or folded. A scribe is usually on duty at the tall desk up front with its good view of the room, and is able to help visitors find what they're looking for via the big bound index on its rotating stand. Past the desk, several tables stand in neat rows for note-taking, each stocked with glowbaskets, scrap hide, paper and pencils. Additional lighting is provided by a many-armed wrought-iron light fixture, its glows gleaming through luxurious glass containers in fluted shapes instead of baskets. To one side of the room, a gap between two sets of shelves outlines where another set once stood, now replaced by a tapestry-covered aperture. Peeking behind the tapestry reveals another cavern, this one likewise full of shelves, but occupied by only a few boxes of older records and a somewhat musty air of disuse. As well, two narrow but solid doors are locked when the room is unattended and a discreet staircase provides direct access from the Weyrleaders' weyrs.
Ahruth is not sleeping, and responds to those familiar bubbles with a surge of happy pink and a rush of joy for the visit. Her request is met of course and promptly, and when he has his lifemate's compliance and confirmation he sends that along back through the stream. Here he comes! Aishani doesn't have very long to wait, either E'sren was close or, more likely, he's come here so often he knows how to get there quickly. Since she's so near the door he stops there, a little short because he wasn't expecting it, and grins. "Hi." It turns a little quizzical when he looks at the brownies, he lifts an eyebrow. Iesaryth, as always, is polite and grateful for the message passed on and sending his along; while she's there, she might check in for a little while, since Ahruth is so close to flying, and that's fascinating and exciting to her, finally. As for her rider, Aishani is clearly expecting E'sren, as she looks up immediately when he comes in, offering her own brief, bright smile. "I'm sorry about the time," she starts, seeming sincere enough about that. "I've been caught... I wasn't paying attention to something, and I'm hoping you can help me correct that." The eyebrow lift gets a bemused glance, but then she looks to the plate and is enlightened. "Oh. It's been a long day. Do you want one?" "Okay," is E'sren's easy acceptance of that, as easy as Ahruth's was a moment ago. He sits, folds his arms atop the table, and looks down at the sweets in front of him as if staring into the abyss. His face is unreadable in that moment, and he lifts a glance to give her a flat look, then reaches over to take a brownie. "Is me helping you going to be getting fat? I'll need more brownies. Goodbye all of today's hard work." He takes a bite and settles back, using one hand underneath to catch any crumbs. Around his mouthful, "What can I do for you?" Ahruth is of course only too happy to fill his mother in on all of the things, from hunting to swimming to flying soon. Tilting her head to one side as the weyrling stares at the brownies, blinking once at that look, Aishani is momentarily taken aback, but just gives a little laugh. "No. I'm not sure if that's even possible at this point in your life, anyway." Crossing long legs, boot set to swinging, she regards E'sren for a moment, perhaps considering her words, before admitting, "I didn't pay enough attention to Tillek after the hatching, or send anyone that way, until today. I went, and it turns out Lady Tillek is marrying off her step-daughter. Tomorrow. Somehow, word failed to travel." A smirk. "I was hoping that someone in your family might be willing to do a favor for the Weyr." And for her, likely. Brownies are hard to eat if you don't have anything to drink, so hopefully she'll forgive him for not answering right away. Eventually he can, and he also puts the treat down on the table so he won't be tempted to take another bite, brushes his palms off on his pants to rid them of crumbs. "Tomorrow. That's soon. Forgive me my ignorance, I'm not all that hip on politics, we haven't covered it a lot yet and there's only so much I can get from books. I know who N'gan is, is Tillek marrying her step-daughter off in his place or something?" He pauses again to consider but that, too, doesn't take very long, his mind proving to be a quick thing. "The Weyr's been good to us in the past. And to me, lately." Blue dragon, silver thread. "But is this just for them, or are we helping our own a little bit too if we do this?" Read: Aishani Vijay. Shani's not impatient. She takes enough time in speaking herself, so she can wait, though when E'sren brushes his hands off on his pants, dark eyes flicker to the stone floor below, lips quirking. Someone's going to hear from hyperventilating scribes or harpers in the morning. "It is soon," she says, almost apologetically. "And... I think it's my ignorance that partially put us in this situation." She's reluctant to admit that, but she has to, really, to continue, "My knowledge is more or less limited to two turns at Crom. And... I'm not sure it's in his place. But it concerns me that it was hidden, and that High Reaches is there. Something is happening." A beat. "It'd be helping your own in the sense that... I'm really angry with myself and feel like I messed up. And I don't want anything terrible to happen because I was too worried about external threats and internal mutiny." She seems sincere enough about that, with a wry little twist of her mouth, too tight to be a smile. For that there's sympathy, not pity, E'sren's sure not to miscommunicate with his eyes. The sympathy is for someone young who messed up and needs a little help to fix it, not for a Weyrwoman or even someone who comes from his like. It's an easy thing to identify with, and he nods finally when he receives that tight-lipped something. "Okay, so we need to help you fix it, without making a big deal out of it?" he guesses. "What do you need done? And I'll tell you who to send." Because there are several of them to choose from. Appreciative. Aishani seems appreciative and not a little relieved, though there wasn't likely much reason to think E'sren would say no... and frankly, despite the fact that she could just order him to ask. But that doesn't tend to go over as well. There's a little wrinkle of her nose, girlish, as she notes, "I don't know that there's fixing it. I'm working on repairing the relationship. But information is always useful. Another guest at the wedding, or another performer - one that's easy to talk to and a good listener, perhaps? - wouldn't raise any alarm. Nor any suspicion, given your family has few known ties to the Weyr. No one who will be there has been anywhere near here in months." "Sounds easy enough. My brother, Seamus, he's younger than I am but he's next in line for taking over, he has a good head. I taught him a few tricks and he can juggle, so he could easily pose as just another one of those guys, and he's the one who usually runs the stalls now that I'm not there. He's used to talking to people, and we have to be good at reeling them in and keeping them. He's your guy." There's no concern about this decision, this is just minimum fly on the wall work. E'sren's not worried. "It'll be good too that he's just one, he can pretend to be a part of whatever group is already there. I can go talk to him about it now." But not now, because she hasn't dismissed him. "It's not difficult, no. And shouldn't be dangerous, but... well. Just let him know to watch his back. If the High Reaches entourage is there, about half this Weyr believes at least one of them is a murderer. There's only circumstantial evidence, but it's damning enough." Aishani seems to hesitate at that, dark eyes briefly concerned, but she shakes it off, perhaps trying to convince herself more than E'sren when she says, "No one there would have any idea, I'd think, anyway." She stares at the plate for a moment, then pushes it across to him. "Take those over too. And my thanks. If he agrees - and your mother--" Because the goldrider's not stupid. "Have Ahruth tell Iesaryth and we'll arrange for someone to drop him there tomorrow, as quietly as we can manage." Watch his back? Not expecting that, E'sren lifts his eyebrows and then they furrow. There's a new look in his eyes when he regards her across the table, not totally unreadable but perhaps very difficult to read. Whatever he has going on inside he doesn't express, but when he nods his understanding it's not with the same ease as before. "I'll let him know." He looks down at the plate, back to Aishani, then rises from his seat without it. Standing now, E'sren thinks about his next words carefully before saying them, but when he does it's with quiet confidence, and it's far from unkind. "I know nothing bad is gonna happen. But if something does, and my brother gets caught up in this for more than what we just agreed on, no matter how much I owe this place, I will protect my family." And only now, with that said, does he accept that plate of treats with utmost dignity. "I just--" Aishani, for once, begins to speak before she thinks, perhaps a little unnerved by how E'sren is looking at her, but it passes into neutrality quickly enough... though there is something apologetic around dark eyes. She doesn't like this; it's not really all that fun for her, being in this position. When she starts again, it's evenly. "I wouldn't have anyone go into a situation blind. He doesn't have to." The way she says it, it could as easily be you don't have to, despite the words. With a nod, "I understand. I won't ask after this, if there's... If they're involved." A pause. "I do appreciate it, E'sren. Taikrin will. We'll remember." "That's the thing, Shani. You asked. And maybe," maybe, "I didn't have to say yes, but... you asked." E'sren only gently emphasises that, everything so far has been gentle, he isn't the type to drive something home too hard. And maybe it's because he realizes this isn't easy. "I'll make sure he knows about High Reaches. Who knows, maybe they know more than I do." People do talk. He turns to go, but stops and half-turns back. "You can still ask, in the future. And I'll probably still say yes." And whether that's supposed to be a comfort, or a caution, it's all he's going to leave her with as he turns again to leave. Luckily it's not too far to go. He left his brownie behind half-eaten. Quietly, "Thank you, E'sren. My regards to your mother." Aishani's already sent hers to Ahruth through Iesaryth... and again, she's not stupid. She knows who makes the decisions, and knows who she'll have to deal with for sending a child - young man or no - into a maybe-dangerous situation. She lets him go without anything more, but she might sit there for awhile after. She doesn't leave the brownie behind, though. |
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