Logs:Too Many Sons
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| RL Date: 12 November, 2009 |
| Who: B'tal, K'del |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr, Crom Hold |
| Type: Log |
| What: B'tal overheard something that might be important. K'del seems to think it is. |
| Where: K'del's Weyr, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 12, Month 3, Turn 21 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: P'ax/Mentions, Shad/Mentions |
| To Cadejoth, Jeibeth's presence is subtle at first, a gentle shift of air carrying the smoky scent of incense. She speaks on a calm breath that echoes her presence, not demanding attention in the least but seeking it all the same. « Cadejoth. » There's nothing subtle about Cadejoth's response, the metallic tang that pervades it and the chiming of chain-link against chain-link unquestionably invasionary -- but they mean well. « Jeibeth! » he returns, adding in a sense of the wind and rain outside, and his gleeful enjoyment of such. (Cadejoth to Jeibeth) Amusement pushes that air into a breeze, warmer and more gentle than the weather outside though Jeibeth seems to enjoy the rain just as well. « Are you well, Cadejoth? My B'tal wants me to ask if yours knows about the young smith-- » She pauses. « Shad? » Another pause. « Yes, Shaduriess. » (Jeibeth to Cadejoth) To Jeibeth, Cadejoth seems as happy for his weather to be so contorted, big eyed interest sending a sunbeam through the clouds: a sunshower, then! « I am! I went and splashed in one of the puddles, earlier. The ice snapped, but I guess it's probably all frozen again by now. » It's a sad thing, being too big for the ice. « Are you well? K'del says he does know the Smith, and has talked to him. He wants to know why you're asking... he's very insistent. » To Cadejoth, Jeibeth settles into an easy, comfortable warmth. « I'm very well, thank you, » she says in a friendly tone, though it's not just for the sake of being polite to her sire. « He told mine things, » begins her explanation. « And then B'tal overheard something the other day that he's uncertain about. I said he ought to say so if he thinks it might be important but he can't decide. » So she's saying something anyway. To Jeibeth, Cadejoth projects, « Good! » And it does, genuinely, seem to be something Cadejoth is pleased about; then again, Jeibeth is part of his pack, and that makes her important. They're all important. « Yes, » is his answer to the rest, after a moment of silence in which he must be talking with his rider. « He must say something, if there's something that might need to be said. K'del says so. Can you bring him to us, or shall we come and find you? » There's a slightly longer pause, presumably while Jeibeth discusses this with her rider as well. Then, pleased by whatever is said, « Where precisely would you like me to bring him? » (Jeibeth to Cadejoth) Good. Cadejoth, too, seams pleased, extending the image of his ledge as it must be today: icy, damp and slick, but with plenty of room for the smaller dragon to come straight under cover, further in to the weyr. « We're at home. Bring him there? K'del, » and there's bemused mirth there, « says he doesn't have enough of an arse for the chairs in the council chamber. » (Cadejoth to Jeibeth) To Cadejoth, Jeibeth laughs pleasantly, wind chimes dancing beneath her voice. « We will be there in a few moments. Thank you so very much, Cadejoth. » To Jeibeth, Cadejoth's dancing chains add their notes to her wind chimes - less musical, perhaps, but still toneful somehow. « Thank /you/, Jeibeth, » he says. K'del's Weyr, High Reaches Weyr Rank certainly has its privileges, and among them are amply appointed apartments. The short flight of stairs from the Weyrleader's Complex opens up into the larger of two chambers, formally decorated and clearly designed to cater as much to important guests as the occupant's personal living. Old, but obviously expensive, llama wool rugs dyed blue-and-black cover the stone floor, leading towards the second chamber, the stairs, and the rush-filled dragon couch and ledge beyond it. A formal seating arrangement - a sofa and chairs, all blue-and-black - sits around a large, tiled fireplace, whilst along the other wall, a finely made, if now somewhat antique, desk sits between a bookshelf and a tall cupboard to which tack-hooks have been attached, riding gear arranged neatly inside. Two tapestries hung from the high walls depict overdone splendour for High Reaches Weyr, one a long view of the snow-covered bowl, and the other a hazy impressionist piece of dragons flaming over a springtime countryside. The inner weyr, made up of a sleeping cavern and a private bathing area, is smaller and cosier and distinctly less ostentatious. An oversized wooden sleigh bed fills much of the space, the mattress piled high with overstuffed down pillows and comforter, their covers dyed in varying shades of navy blue, light blue and bronze. There's a nightstand on either side, both with reading lamps, and against one of the other walls, a tall, heavy wardrobe made from a dark wood that matches the bed. The bathing area is part of the same cavern, a folding screen shielding the toilet and slightly raised, double-sized bathtub built into the stone, and a small shelf holding toiletries, shaving equipment, and clean towels. Inside the Weyrleader's Weyr, the fire is burning warmly, and there are enough glows to banish the dark shadows that a miserable day such as this one might easy cast. K'del is lounging on the couch with a pile of reports and an empty mug that he reaches for without thinking as works pretty steadily. Boots off, feet on the cushions, he might as well be reading a novel instead of actually working, which is probably actually the case. Maybe longer than a few moments actually because B'tal isn't quite as certain about all of this as Jeibeth seems to think he should be. She lands with a warbled greeting for Cadejoth and it's probably only her urging that has her rider actually sliding from her neckrides and moving toward inside. "Sir?" B'tal announces himself, still a good distance away when he pauses to wait for acknowledgement. Cadejoth's greeting in return is an enthusiastic rumble: company! Inside, K'del looks up as B'tal announces himself, swinging his legs off of the couch and drawing himself to his feet as, for a silent few seconds, he considers the greenrider. "B'tal, hey," he says, still utterly casual, as he beckons him in with a wave of his hand. "Cadejoth says you've something to report, maybe? Want to sit?" A few more steps are taken and B'tal takes the knitted hat off of his head to stuff in one of the pockets of his jacket. The rusty red scarf stays loosely wrapped around his neck and the greenrider glances at the seating arrangements uncertainly before just looking back at K'del and continuing with the talking. "Um. Maybe," he agrees. "You know about... what Shad has been talking about? Um." There's a nervous moment where he seems to be second guessing his next choices in words, then finally decides simply on, "Browden?" "I didn't know that more people knew about... that," says K'del, making a face. Again, he gestures to invite B'tal to come forward, and takes the lead by settling himself down in one of the chairs by the hearth: it's safe! "But yes. I know. What do /you/ know, B'tal? Because if it's anything new, then Jeibeth's absolutely right that I ought to hear it." After K'del is settled, B'tal starts moving again, careful steps toward another chair. He sits down on the edge of the seat and rubs his hands together in a manner that's more fidgety than warming. "Me. P'ax. I'm not sure if there's anyone else." He clears his throat and continues on awkwardly, "Anyway, we were out to have a couple drinks. And I heard that name. Browden. I remember Shad saying that he shouldn't have been able to afford equipment and one of the guys said he'd come into some money." He pauses there like he's waiting for the hammer to fall. K'del is silent, staring at the hearth rather than B'tal, as the greenrider sits himself down. "Appreciate it if you didn't mention it to anyone else," he notes, but it's a side comment, because there's no denying the unhappy interest that flares in K'del's expression, hands clasped together, at the rest of what gets said. "Come into some money?" he repeats, carefully, testing out each word, one by one. "Any more than that? What else got said?" "Yes, sir," is murmured quickly to K'del's first comment. "I, uh..." B'tal continues, trying to think back or at least think of how to put his words now. "Sounded like he'd made an offer on a girl for one of his sons, sir." And he can't quite decide if that's important, but the next has his hands fidgeting a bit again. "And, uh... land. Said he might come into more land next turn, too." K'del's hands still, the knuckles turning white, as B'tal relates this. "I see," he says, very slowly, his voice quiet enough to almost be lost amidst the sounds already present in the weyr: the crackling of the fire, for example, and rain and wind out on the ledge. "That's..." He breaks off, shakes his head. His smile is rueful. "Nothing more than that? No actual details? It's all kind of circumstantial... not good, but not quite damning, really." The last seems more to be a musing comment than aimed at B'tal himself. B'tal glances from the Weyrleader to the fire, one of his legs bouncing quietly from the ball of his foot in an extension of his fidgeting. "No, sir. I'm sorry." The greenrider starts to look a little uncomfortable, probably figuring he was right and none of it really was important enough to repeat. "Just seemed-- even the other guy seemed curious how he expected to support her. Didn't really catch any names. Kel something. I didn't mean to overhear them." "Don't be sorry," corrects K'del with a firm shake of his head, evidently interrupting himself from his own thoughts to turn his attention back on the greenrider. "It's information I didn't have before, right? And it's all building up a picture. Was already planning a trip over there to talk to him; this just... helps." It's kind of a lame ending, but K'del continues as though he hasn't notice. "Browden has too many sons, not enough land. Doesn't make sense for him to add too many more people to the hold... no, this is interesting, very interesting." Beat. "Appreciate it, B'tal. That you did come forward." "That's what one of them said," B'tal murmurs before echoing, "Too many sons." But then he's rising carefully back onto his feet. "Of course, sir." And waiting to be dismissed now that he's said what he had to say. K'del rises, too, nodding along to what B'tal has to say. Instead of instantly dismissing the greenrider, though, he hesitates, and then: "Keep your ears open, B'tal? There may be more going on we've no idea of. More we know the better, I think. Really do appreciate knowing this much." B'tal pulls himself a little straighter, not quite to attention in this somewhat casual environment but definitely respectful and not quite so uncertain. "I will, sir. And I'll, uh, let you know if I hear anything else." Without the hesitation even maybe. "Would appreciate that a lot," says K'del, plainly. "More we know, better our position is." If he's repeating himself - which he is - he's not apparently aware of it: he must just be too deep into that headspace. "I'll let you get back to your day, then, B'tal. I--" Beat. "Hope things are going well for you." That's probably not an invitation to stay and talk; it's probably more a throwaway 'i say this and I feel less like a tool for putting you in a wing like I did'. It's... not much better than nothing. The greenrider will gladly take that as his dismissal. And seeing as how B'tal spends a good chunk of his free time with an expert on saying things that don't mean a whole lot, all he does is nod his head and say, "Thank you, sir," before snapping off a salute and turning back toward the ledge where Jeibeth is waiting for him. K'del seems pleased enough with himself for the gesture; go figure. He waits until B'tal is gone, then takes himself back to that couch, the empty mug, the reports. Contentment reigns. Except for that pesky Browden stuff. |
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