Important Meeting (see note) 3.01.3189

[ambigious]

Note: Only high ranking riders (queenriders, wingleaders, bronzeriders) are allowed to attend, but I'm sure everyone will be too focused on the task at hand to notice an eavesdropper or two ;P.

Quickly and with much agitation, Eyrlaina paced the length of her Weyr, grasping a thin sheaf of paper in one fist. The sharding things had been posted on her Weyr door that morning, and she was sure that Kadia had received one as well, so she'd promptly ordered Coreanth to call together an emergency meeting. Although she didn't see a problem with the protocol, Coreanth grudgingly obliged despite Rusith's authority, due to the fact that it was an emergency situation. However, she did extend the invitation first to Rusith, out of courtesy. Good morning, Rusith. Will you please come to mine's Weyr? She wants to discuss the petition someone posted,[/i] and here Coreanth's voice adopted a cynical edge, I've no doubt you've already seen it.[/i] Once that was done, the large gold called out to all of the wingleaders and bronze dragons in the Weyr, commanding them to appear in Eyrlaina's Weyr.

As usual, the Jr. Weyrwoman had ordered klah and fresh fruit to be served in her Weyr, so that those gathered could have a drink or snack to fortify themselves. Personally, she grabbed a ripe fruit and bit into it, making noises of annoyance as the juice dripped down her chin. In all honesty, that morning she'd been planning on giving Coreanth a good bathing and oiling, something she hadn't done in sometime, and since her plans had been ruined by this petition her nerves were on edge. Why did everyone have to get involved in Weyr business? Then again, they were her constituents, and they did have a right to say in what goes on in their home. Still, this?


To the Weyr Council Authority:

It has come to our attention that certain odd mutations who fit no traditional concept of dragon color were recently hatched. We are appalled that these creatures were not culled then, and respectfully request that for the good of all Pern, they be exterminated now before it becomes impossible to purify the Weyr.

~Anonymous[/i]

Although Eyrlaina herself didn't know how to feel about the mutants, she would never even consider killing a hatchling after it had Impressed. After?[/i] Coreanth snorted indignantly, which immediately earned her a glower. You know what I mean, insufferable creature. If a fledgling is wounded or sick, it's only right to[- even then, however, she couldn't finish that train of thought. But the sport dragons were quite healthy, as far as she could see, although she still had qualms about just letting them join a wing without any sort of special training, or without first seeing their abilities. A frown crossed her brow as she continued to pace, waiting for the first rider to arrive.

[Snow]

Some days were meant to be bad, even if they had started off as good. Ol'ver had woken up that morning in a great mood and had gotten some of the chores he had been needing to do, done in record time. "I can't believe that I've finally gotten that paper work done. I thought it would take me all day and it's still morning! So, my dear friend, what would you like to do with the rest of our day? We have drills later, but we've got at least four candlemarks to ourselves." Ol'ver said to his bronze as he walked to the bronze's couch.

Monketh had his head to the side in a position that Ol'ver instantly recognized as 'listening'. "What is it?" He asked quizzically. "I just got word from Coreanth. We are to go to her and her rider's weyr. It must be something important." The bronze answered as he stretched languidly as he got off his couch and walked towards their weyr entrance. Ol'ver trotted to catch up to him. "Did she say exactly what it was?" He asked curiously, not that he minded to go the Weyrwoman's weyr. So far he had enjoyed his conversations with Eyrlaina. "No, but she has called all the bronzerider's, so it must be important."

Ol'ver's brow creased as he pondered what in the world would make the goldrider call all of the bronzes to her weyr. Without another word or question, he vaulted to the back of Monketh's neck and then the bronze launched himself from the ledge. Monketh was not a lazy dragon and had yet to ever just fall from a ledge to go into flight. Sometimes he didn't put as much force into his launches, but he at least made the attempt. Ol'ver hadn't worried with fighting straps since they were just going to across the bowl.

Ol'ver was shocked to see that they were the first to arrive as Monketh announced their arrival. The bronze landed and greeted Coreanth respectfully. There was not the normal amount of flirtation in his greeting this time, he could tell from her summons something important was going on and flirting could wait. Ol'ver entered Eyrlaina's weyr. "Weyrwoman Eyrlaina. Good morning to you." He said, but his voice faltered at the end when he noticed her pacing and frown. His gut instinct told him this was not going to be a happy meeting. Ol'ver still managed to give her a proper bow and then waited until she addressed him or others came.

(Should Eavan show up at this meeting?)

[Sher]

((Since she is a newly-Impressed goldweyrling, her position is a bit ambivalent. She does need exposure to the workings of a Weyr, but I don't think they'd ask her to come due to the nature of the meeting. Remember, eavesdroppers are welcome to try.))

It had been, at the very least, an interesting week. With one thing and another happening, Kadia had yet to greet the weyrling goldpair; in that she was remiss, and she had planned to barge right into the weyrling barracks. Appropriating Eavan and Irieth from their duties weighed heavily in her mind as she put on another outfit, growling irritably at the way her weak arm pretended to misinterpret the signals her brain sent it. Shirts and trousers littered her bed and the floor around it; she didn't usually spend so much time on what she wore, but just now she was almost in tears. She was conscious, painfully so, of the minutes ticking away her day.

Rusith was watching all this, her head thrust as far into the unsuited weyrwoman's quarters as it could fit- which was not far- and keeping her own counsel after her advice on simply wearing yesterday's gear had been rejected. Why did you let me sleep so late? Kadia asked Rusith woefully, finally seeing the mess she'd made. She felt like going back to bed and pretending that the day never began.

That was an unfair statement, one Rusith couldn't allow to stand unchallenged. You asked me to let you wake naturally. The dragon snorted heavily, the little gust sending a cotton undershirt billowing a few feet away from its original landing spot. Irieth's chosen probably wouldn't care if you were naked. You should see them. Today.

I know. But nothing looks right. A new freshet of tears streamed down her face when Kadia felt Hers turning her attention elsewhere; the woman didn't immediately understand.

Thank you for the invitation, the older gold bespoke Coreanth gravely. To Kadia, her mindvoice was softer, comforting, but with a queer undertone of concern. Apparently your, ah, indisposition was noted this morning, and... well...

Kadia's mouth gaped open as she stared at Rusith. In all their Turns together, the gold had only been at a loss for words a handful of times. She reached cautiously across their bond, trying to get a feel for what was amiss. The last tear trembled on her chin as her eyes flew wide open, but instead of falling, it rolled down her substantial neck and into obscurity. "I see," she said, after a long and uncomfortable pause.

It was one thing to want Eyrlaina to help take responsibility for the Weyr, but to have her be first to see a petition drove a spike of guilt into Kadia. A self-absorbed morning of trying on and discarding clothes was... shameful. The woman hardly even saw the clothes she tugged on (she might've had a fit again), or the way they fit so poorly across her expanding girth. Menopause was not kind these days.

Good to see you're ready to go, Rusith murmured, withdrawing her head from the bedroom. She was full of curiosity about the petition; they hadn't seen such a thing, oddly enough. What's that paper by the door?

The goldrider bent to retrieve a copy of the document Coreanth had mentioned; she took a bare moment to scan it, shook her head in disbelief, and hurried toward Eyrlaina's weyr. Her limp was more pronounced than usual. It must have been stuck on the outside of the door, Kadia thought, and fell off when I let you poke your head in.

Possibly. Rusith was upset by the contents of that petition; it had inflamed her; she wanted to rend and tear something. Since they didn't know who this Anonymous was, the gold would settle for something more edible.

Kadia gave a cursory knock on the doorjamb, then entered Eyrlaina and Coreanth's weyr without pausing to be acknowledged. There was no hint of self-effacement or humor on her face as she regarded the wingleader - Ol'ver, if memory served, of bronze Monketh - already present and Eyrlaina pacing back and forth. "Eyrlaina," Kadia said, inclining her head deeply in formal respect. "Wingleader. What a way to start the day. I trust the full Council has been called?" She didn't excuse away the fact that her copy of the 'petition' had been laying on the floor for the last two hours. It was a moot point, like how she'd ended up wearing just what Rusith had suggested in the first place. At least it wasn't visibly dirty.

After a moment's consideration, the goldrider directed Hers to inform Eavan of the petition, in a general sense. Irieth, Rusith addressed Brinleth's daughter, Mine would like you to tell Eavan that there has been a petition to- remove Ronith and Lycath from the Weyr. Please tell Yours to be on the watch for folks behaving strangely; if further action needs to be taken, we'll inform you after the meeting at Coreanth's weyr. The dragon's wings pumped as she flew toward the herds on the plains, her roiling fury thinly veiled behind a facade of calm.

Kadia thought about inviting Eavan to attend, but rejected the idea. She would rather protect her from knowing the more disturbing details of the petition until it couldn't be avoided. The weyrling goldpair had only just started their training, after all. There would be plenty of chances to bring her into meetings and introduce her to her future responsibilities.

What really bothered Kadia was that anyone would think two fit dragonets- even strangely colored ones- could pose any sort of risk to the Weyr as a whole. Sure, they were strange, but they were dragons nonetheless, and their mindmates would surely learn to keep them in line when necessary.

[Snow]

Eavan had been up for awhile already. Her morning so far had comprised of feeding, cleaning, and oiling Irieth. Karthik had even gotten a good scrubbing. The cowardly little bronze was becoming more and more use to the larger gold weyrling, but every once and awhile he still jumped at something Irieth did. Eavan wasn't sure if she was ever going to make Karthik braver, but she loved him none the less. Irieth was a marvel with the scared bronze, managing to calm him and coax him during some of his worst cases of fear.

The three of them were in the barracks, Eavan with the help of Karthik was helping to buff Irieth's hide. The gold was growing at a good pace, but she would always be a small sized gold. "There you are my beauty, you're as shiny as can be." Eavan said lovingly, then she noticed Irieth's eyes started whirling faster and a touch of red colored the normal green-blue. "What is it, Irieth?" She asked concerned.

"Rusith just bespoke me to tell you that a petition has been raised to rid the weyr of Ronith and Lycath. She says she will inform us on what is to be done about this...insult when their meeting is over." Irieth's normally calm, friendly voice was very angry and she flicked her tail in irritation.

"What do you mean? Rid the weyr of Ronith and Lycath?" Eavan asked concerned.

"She says we are to watch out for people acting strangely. Eavan, I do not like this. I feel we should be at this meeting." Irieth said as she began pacing in the barracks.

Eavan had to agree with her gold, but if Rusith said they would be informed after the meeting then that probably meant they were not to come. "I understand, Irieth, but we should wait here until they contact us. If Eyrlaina and Kadia are having a meeting, then they'll know what to do. We can trust them." She said, though she still really wanted to be at that meeting, but she wasn't going to disobey the Weyrwomen.

Irieth's eyes slowed down a bit. She felt that it was her place to be there, but she knew she was young and since she had a lot of respect for Coreanth she would wait. "Fine, but I want to go check on Ronith and Lycath. They shall not leave my sight for awhile, whether they like it or not." Irieth stated as she moved to go to her clutchmates. Eavan understandingly followed. She hoped the meeting wouldn't take long and they would know more of what was going on with this ludicrous petition.

[Rust]

N'rak was awake a little early; it took a while to be ready for the weyrlings. With his age and awful sleeping habits, he preferred having some time to get himself ready for dealing with a bunch of young people and baby dragons. He made his way down to the living caverns, hoping that someone had already made some klah, and if not... at least he took a walk. He was never sure; occasionally he woke up at hours where nobody was awake and didn't notice.

Now, unsurprisingly, N'rak didn't get the message. He was a bluerider, and being weyrlingmaster didn't change that. Neither did his poking about the day of the hatching. Not enough for that memo, anyway. However, there was one left in the living caverns. Curiosity brought him to the wrinkled paper. Paper wasn't exactly something that should be left around, and, well. It wasn't surprising in content so much as the forwardness.

Someone wants to exterminate the... unusual dragons. Yes. They're a bit upsetting. They left a message. Oh. Would you like me to contact Rusith? Please.

Keth, who was still in their quarters, stretched briefly. Rusith? My rider found a message about the... new dragons.

[azure]

Pr'er had also seen the message in the Dining Caverns. Breakfast forgotten and feeling sick to his stomach he went looking for Ophelia. She had to know as soon as possible and they had to figure out how to protect their hatchlings.

"Lycath, where is Ronith and his rider? I need to talk to them as soon as possible." Pr'er was still whispering words to his dragon, forming them completely in his head was still difficult for him. Feelings and images he could do, but holding a conversation without moving his lips was still tough.

This was as bad as his worst nightmares. To have it happen so soon was a shock. J'im claimed this Weyr was the least hidebound, would they have already been killed in the others?

He could feel Lycath picking up on his worry and upset, but how could he keep it from her? He started running for the Weyrling barracks, running through plans and alternatives as he went. He wouldn't go anywhere without his belt knife again, or go anywhere alone. Killing him would send Lycath between. He really needed to talk to Ophelia!

Lycath crouched defensively, her eyes whirling red and yellow. She didn't understand all of what was wrong but she understood enough to be ready to run away or toward hers. No one would hurt hers if she could do anything about it. Ronith, mine wants to talk to yours. Would you tell her?The multicolor male was a bit scary as far as Luycath was concerned, but this was important.

[weetia]

Walking back from breakfast, P'tal saw Pr'er run past her, apparently very upset, and she picked up her pace. Whatever had him upset was probably very worrying to her, and she spoke immediately to Drinath, hoping he wasn't sleeping deeply. Are you awake? she asked him, trotting behind Pr'er, though she wasn't quite trying to catch up.

The young brown woke quickly at P'tal's mental touch, but was confused at first, lifting his head and looking around the barracks for her. Mine, what is wrong? he asked, before he noticed the agitated silver dragonet on the couch next to him. Why is Lycath upset? he added, starting to be anxious himself. Is there a problem? Is hers hurt?

Immediately, P'tal sent calming thoughts at the brown as she got closer to the weyrling barracks. She was trying not to look panicked, just hurried as she would be if Drinath had awakened hungry while she away. I just saw Pr'er. He's fine, just worried, She soothed. I just want you to stay awake until he gets there, and watch Lycath. Don't let anyone upset her more, she said, and felt the brown's pride at being trusted with an important job.

I will stay awake, he promised. Nothing will upset her.


-----------------------------------------------------------

We are needed in the queen's weyr Portenth's voice penetrated J'lin's bleary mind. The wingsecond rubbed a hand down his face, a little too tired to process that at the moment. He was still recovering from the previous night's greenflight, which had left Portenth disappointed, and him comforting the frustrated bronze. Portenth had really thought the fickle green would choose him.

What do you mean we are needed in the queen's weyr? he asked, already pulling clothes on, though he glanced down at the sleeping flitter on his pillow. She could just stay asleep, he had a feeling he didn't need her distracting him. He and Portenth headed straight to Coreanth's weyr, before he realized he hadn't asked his bronze which queen they were supposed to meet. The growing gathering of dragons outside was making it pretty obvious, though.

J'lin strode in, after telling Portenth to return to his own ledge. Seeing the pacing Weyrwoman, and the two visitors she already had, he approached the group. "Weyrwoman Eyrlaina, Portenth said we were summoned," he trailed off, making the statement more of a question. "What can I help you with?" he asked, worried. Anything that had a goldrider this obviously upset did not bode well for the Weyr as a whole.

[ambigious]

A copy of the parchment that held the petition was currently crumpled into an angry fist at Ophelia's side, the woman's expression blank, which of course only boded worse for anyone who crossed her path. The moment she'd seen the note, red hot fury had shot through her at the thought of anyone daring to touch her Ronith. Of course, this spike of fury had instantly alerted the multi-hued brute, who had been sleeping in his Weyrling cot, his stomach bulging with the contents of his last meal. Despite his wariness, the dragonets curdling red eyes gazed around the room, mildly disoriented.

What's wrong? You woke me up.[/i] The fledgling didn't sound concerned in the slightest, a note of aggravation in his commanding tone. I'm on my way there, Ophelia responded simply, too angry to respond. Rather than reply, Ronith merely felt along their bond, utterly enthralled by the fury that radiated from Ophelia. She stalked back towards the barracks, her hazel eyes snapping angrily. Anyone who saw her immediately scurried out of her path, even the older dragonriders casting her worried glances; doubltess they'd already seen the petitions, despite the work that drudges were already doing to remove the insulting pieces of parchment. At that moment Ronith felt Lycath's summons, and irritably turned his attention back to the silver, begrudged that he was distracted from studying his.

She's on her way now. If yours is here, they will talk,[/i] he responded, gazing over at Lycath with swimming red eyes. A second later and Ophelia entered the barracks, immediately shredding the parchment into pieces. What is it.[/i] The words were more of a command than a question as Ronith rose from his cot and stalked forward to greet Ophelia, the slightest shade of satisfaction curling around the edges of his burning infernoes. "The Weyr doesn't like you," Ophelia said simply, waiting for Pr'er to arrive. The bismuth stood stock still for a moment, then lashed his tail angrily. You roused me for that? Why should I care what the puny mortals think of me,[/i] Ronith snapped angrily, whirling around to stalk back to his cot. "Because," Ophelia responded angrily, still simmering, "it affects our future." That produced a snort from Ronith. If they don't appreciate us, then we will go where we are appreciated.[/i] At least they were of the same mind in that sense.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Given the circumstances, for the first time since their meeting Eyrlaina wasn't immediately thrown off guard by Ol'ver's wicked grin. Instead, when the bronzerider gave his greeting, Eyrlaina merely nodded and continued pacing, too wrapped up in her own thoughts to really respond. Coreanth, however, offered a rumble of greeting to the other bronze, her tail lashing playfully. Good afternoon, bronze.[/i] But then her tone became dutiful once more, as she adopted the role of the leader in this situation. As first Kadia then J'lin arrived in her Weyr, along with a few other riders she hadn't yet met in person, Eyrlaina nodded at each of them in turn, offering Kadia a wan smile in apology. Once they are all gathered, she paused in her pacing and turned towards J'lin, acknowledging his greeting.

"Indeed there is something you can do for me," she responded brusquely, her tone carrying throughout the Weyr, "but it is not a task for you along. We all need to work together on this." With that, Eyrlaina lifted the petition for inspection. "I trust you all have seen these. In cast you haven't, they basically threaten the safety of two of our dragonets. Whether or not they will stay at the Weyr remains to be seen," she added blithely, as whether or not the dragons would even survive was a mystery to all of them, "but at the moment no dragon shall be harmed while I-" Or Kadia,[/i] Coreanth added firmly, mentally interrupting Eyrlaina's tirade,[/color][/i] "-am Jr. Weyrwoman here. And I'm sure Kadia agrees with me." The woman inclined her head towards Kadia respectfully, causing her blonde braid to slip over her shoulder.

"Now," she said as she took a seat and gestured for the others to do the same, "I have already asked the Headwoman to send out as many drudges as she can to remove these petitions so that the Weyrlings or weyrfolk don't cause a stir. But we need to figure out who gave this threat, and what we want to do about it. Are there any suggestions?" With a delicately arched brow, Eyrlaina gazed around the room, green eyes searching. Of course she had multiple plans in mind as back-up ideas, but she wanted to hear what everyone else came up with first.

[azure]

Pr'er came into the barracks with an armload of supplies. He hadn't been sure what to get but was not feeling in a trusting mood. He was going to be very careful with what he ate or used from now on.

He had meat rolls and dried fruit, extra rags and sweetsand. From now on every trip would bring in more supplies that he knew were clean. Who knew what people who wanted to kill hatchlings were capable of? For now the extra supplies went on his bed as he moved into Lycath's reach. The silver hatchling curled around her rider giving and getting comfort.

Shy as she was for herself, Lycath was stronger for her rider. Pr'er's distress had her head up and watchful as her body and tail curled around him. Together they were strong. It was comforting and warm. Pr'er relaxed a little as he started to think again. She was such an amazing dragon, how could anyone not love her?

The bits of paper on the floor and Ophelia's expression were clear indications that she had already found a note. "I found one in the Living Caverns." he said quietly. "I didn't expect them to be so open or for it to happen so quickly. Even if this is just one crazy person writing these, it could still bring things to a head, right? Can you think of anything to do? I thought being careful about what we eat and being sure what we use on our hatchlings was not contaminated was a start."

[weetia]

P'tal was a few steps behind Pr'er coming back to the barracks, and she saw him approach Ophelia. Her eyes widened at what he said about being careful what they ate, and she walked closer to the two, clearing her throat to make sure they realized she was there. "What exactly does it say?" she asked Pr'er. "When I saw you running, I asked Drinath to make sure Lycath was okay,"

She nodded, a little hesitantly to Ophelia. "I haven't really had a chance to talk to you, like I did to Pr'er," In all honesty, P'tal hadn't made the time, still a little uncomfortable with the other girl for reasons that had nothing to do with Ronith's unique coloring. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come up, but I want you to know that I am on your side." She pulled up a strained grin, trying to joke for a moment. "If you and I have any problems, it will be when Ronith and Drinath chase the same female, not because Ronith is different."

[Snow]

Eavan and Irieth came into the meeting just as P'tal was trying to make light of the situation. Apparently, the 'anonymous' persons hadn't just left them for the Weyrwoman to find. "I wouldn't think you would, P'tal. The color of hide makes no difference in the performance of a dragon." Eavan's hands were clenched in anger at her side, though she managed to smile friendly to all those there. She figured the other weyrlings would make their way there eventually. As far as she knew they were all on Ronith's and Lycath's side. "I see you all have seen the ridiculous petitions that were distributed throughout the weyr." Her voice betrayed what she thought of the people who did the distributing.

This is ridiculous, really. Whoever is trying to cause this trouble have less brains than wherries. We will remain on guard until these people are found, and realize their mistakes and see reason...or are made to see reason. Irieth stated, her eyes still whirling fast and red. She looked directly at Lycath and Ronith, As dragons, there really isn't much they can do to harm you two, even if they tried. I, Coreanth, and Rusith would have all the dragons of this weyr ready to end them if they tried anything at all. It was a bit shocking to hear such a young dragon speaking about attacking people, something that had never ever happened before, but Irieth would do anything to protect her own.

"For now, until we find out who these people are, we need to keep our guards up. Our dragons can keep their ears open for anything other dragons could be saying. As much as I don't want to admit it, there is a possibility that these people could be riders. Holders aren't the only ones prone to being hidebound and ignorant." She said with a said smile. "Right now, Weyrwoman Eyrlaina is holding a meeting with Kadia and the wingleaders. Rusith informed Irieth of it and said she would tell us what conclusions they've come to after it is over. I hope to Faranth the meeting doesn't take too long. Have any of you noticed any unusual people around the weyr since the hatching? I don't think I have."

Ronith, you are strong, that will be to your advantage. Lycath, you are quick and agile. I don't like suggesting it, but if one of these dissenters tries to harm you while you are alone, do not be afraid to do what you must. Lycath, I know this will be harder for you, but I promise I will do my best to make sure neither of you are alone. Her eyes slowed a little and lost a bit of their red color only to be replaced by the sad color of gray. Why some insist on violence and ignorance, I will never understand. I do not wish for violence, but sometimes that is the only way the ignorant will learn. Still, I hope it does not come to that, but if it does at least we will be prepared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ol'ver waited patiently as more people came in. He bowed respectfully to Kadia and gave J'lin a friendly slap on the back as he entered. Eyrlaina then began the meeting, his interest and the sick feeling he had in his stomach instantly went up. "Petition?" He'd been immured in his weyr all day and hadn’t circulated to any of the areas where the papers were dropped. As soon as he heard what they were about though, his eyes almost went as red as Monketh's did. The bronze trumpeted angrily from the ledge outside.

"This is ludicrous! Do they really think they could get away with hurting dragons in their own weyr?!" Ol'ver was livid, but managed to keep a civil tone in his voice. The gall some people had. Sure the two mutants were an oddity, but as far as he or anyone else could tell they were just like the other normal colored dragons. How they were going to fit in with the weyr was a bit harder to say, but a dragon belonged at a weyr. As long as they lived, he felt, they belonged at Sunset.

"I think it's a good idea to keep a closer eye on our two mutants. Being in a weyr they're never too far from help, but watching them closer isn't going to hurt anything. That's the obvious plan, of course. It may also be a good idea to screen the visitors coming into the weyr closer. Make sure they legitimately have business here, perhaps even go so far as to make sure guests have an escort that we can trust and won't let them out of their sight." He paused a moment and put hand on his chin while thinking. "Has there been any visitors to the weyr today? When could they have distributed these messages without someone noticing? Or maybe someone did notice. We could ask the drudges." They had to get to the bottom of this, Ol'ver did not agree with senseless violence and this was almost as senseless as it could get.

[azure]

"I think we should stick together." J'im said quietly, Vizioth right beside him. "A weyrling group trains together and lives together normally, we'll just be even more like that. We'll eat in two shifts maybe, with half of us staying with the dragons and half of us eating. We keep the dragons together and maybe we start teaching them to run, dodge and even fight in addition to the normal lessons."

Vizioth was standing square, his wings mantling a bit and his eyes whirling almost all the colors at once. Red was there, but so were other colors. The young bronze was listening and thinking as best he could. We are strong together he agreeed. Stronger then we are apart. I want to fly with Ronith and chase Lycath someday.

"I'm thinking we should do a few things earlier then they are set in training, like watch the herdbeasts get slaughtered and butcher it ourselves. Only we handle our dragons food. I hope that is unnecessaary, but is it worth chancing it?"

J'im would rather be too careful, what was the downside to being too careful? They'd get a little less sleep? How could they tell the difference, they were all up in the night dealing with itches and dragon dreams anyway.

[Sher]

Copies of the note are apparently spread all over the Weyr, Rusith told Keth heavily. There was a pause in her transmission of thought as she tucked her wings and swooped down on a fat herdbeast. Please have the Weyrlingmaster report to Coreanth's weyr, people are talking about Ronith and Lycath there. There was a sense of ferocity behind the words, of ripping meat in a spray of blood, but the gold quickly masked it.

In other circumstances, Kadia would have been delighted at the way J'lin reported straight to Eyrlaina when he joined them. She couldn't seem to regain any pleasure in the day - or what was, to her, a natural shift of power. Sunset deserved the best woman for the job; she had said all along that she wasn't cut out for leadership, and by Faranth she'd meant it. She nodded to her fellow goldrider's courtesy. "They Impressed," was all she said at that moment, which - to her - had settled the matter in the first place.

"There were scattered individuals in the Hatching crowd that expressed negative sentiments," she pointed out. "The Stands weren't exactly full, there wasn't enough warning to fetch people from Holds or Halls far away." Ol'ver's outburst was reassuring, and she managed a grim little smile at the bronzerider. "I like your suggestions. But let's not forget that it could very well be an inside job. Not all the crafters assigned here are open-minded, for one."

About then, wingleader Sa'kor strode right in and regarded everyone belligerently. "Good morning." He made it sound anything but; the words all but dripping with sarcasm. "I read that petition, and I'm ready to vote." He smiled thinly, rolling his heavy shoulders with an audible grinding sound.

Our duties to you and Yours, Morgaith bespoke Coreanth diplomatically. His mindvoice rumbled deeply; from his perch on the rim of the Weyrbowl, he was looking down with half-lidded eyes toward the gold's weyr. What Sa'kor was there to say would probably not be pleasing to the golds or their riders; females that clutched tended to be easily disturbed at the thought of culling the unfit dragonets. They never hesitated to snap the backs of weak herdbeasts, though, oddly enough.

[ambigious]

For a split second mild disdain flickered across Ophelia's face as she noticed how Lycath instantly wrapped herself around Pr'er, and the young lad seemed just as content to draw comfort from her. They each needed to be strong on their own, in her opinion, in order to be able to handle whatever would happen. Oddly enough, Ronith regarded the pair with no more amount of red in his eyes than was normally present. Privately, to Ophelia, he said, If this is how they must be strong, then so be it.[/i] Practically stunned by her dragonet, Ophelia glanced over at Ronith quickly, then schooled her features to calm and glanced back at Pr'er, listening intently to his words.

"I'd rather it be out in the open than whispered in secret," she responded ruefully, as she strode over to take a seat on her cot. This wasn't going to be a short, simple meeting. Watching her movements with veiled eyes, Ronith snorted and glanced back at the others, weighing the situation. At that moment Ophelia belatedly heard P'tal and glanced at the young woman as she bespoke her from her perch on the bed. It hadn't escaped her that the other woman had chosen to take the dragonrider honorific, despite the fact that she was a woman. Before she could get a word in edgewise, however, Ronith flared his wings at that moment and lifted his wedged head high. The issue will arise when Drinath fails to catch the female I choose,[/i] the small bismuth said as he gazed over at the brown. Oddly enough, there was no sense of arrogance or cockiness in his tone; he was stating it as if it were fact. With a light shake of her head Ophelia chuckled. "We'll deal with that when it comes. For the time being..." and the young woman flashed one of her trademark, sickly sweet smiles. "I appreciate the support. I'd hate to have to do something about you." From those words she made it very obviously known that whoever was against Ronith was her personal enemy.

Intrigued once again by this logic, the multi-hued fledgling glanced over at his rider, an odd mixture of reproof and wonder evident in their bond. At that moment Eavan joined the conversation, as well as J'in, and for the first time since she'd found the note Ophelia felt overwhelmed. She knew how to fend for herself quite well, but to add others into the mix? She'd never admit it, but she was at a loss. Thus, she merely remained silent as everyone suggested their comments, mulling over her own thoughts. If someone accosts me, they will pay dearly,[/i] the bismuth responded irritably to Irieth's tirade, a quick lash of his tail suggesting his mood. However, Ophelia remained silent and merely stared down at her hands, studying the creases in her palm.

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Almost immediately Coreanth could sense Morgaith's mood; it was as if the large brown was biding his time and waiting for something opportune. Rather than alert her rider to this feeling, the large gold merely waited, perched upon her weyrledge like a large, protective statue, her body completely still except for the darting of her whirling eyes. As for inside the Weyr itself, Eyrlaina had seated herself at a table, but moved her hands continuously. She shuffled the papers on her desk, she smoothed her hair behind her ears, then fiddled with some dirt between some of her fingerails. It was probably apparent to everyone in the room that she couldn't sit still, but she didn't care in that moment. She listened intently as first one then another rider spoke, and if she noticed that the riders addressed her respectfully instead of Kadia, she gave no outward notion of it.

As Kadia offered her comment, Eyrlaina inclined her head respectfully, glad that they had the same thoughts. When Ol'ver burst out, however, the Jr. Weyrwoman pursed her lips in disdain and raised one palm to capture everyone's attention. "As much as I appreciate your dedication to the hatchlings," Eyrlaina said intently with a delicate smile, "I think such drastic measures would be unwise. To assign such security to the dragonets would arouse suspicion, and probably cause traveling harpers and craft folk to question whether or not we're capable of protecting our own. We don't need the ignorant to question the Weyr's strength," she said firmly, implicitly acknowledging how weak the wings were in number. Somehow the lack of dragons didn't pose such a threat as it did in that moment. "At this time, we need to present a strong, unified front. We can't let whoever did this know that we are rattled. Everything must go on as it normally has, especially for the sake of the Weyrlings."

Once she had finished speaking, Eyrlaina rested back in her chair, tapping her lips with one restless forefinger. "I agree with questioning the drudges," she murmured in agreement with Ol'ver, then glanced over at Kadia. "Yes, it seems we need to gather more intel on the situation-" as Eyrlaina's mind quickly began turning over multiple different possibilities, she was aware of Coreanth abruptly in her mind. Prepare yourself,[/i] the gold said sternly, which startled Eyrlaina out of her thoughts. Thus, she lifted her head and met Sa'kor's gaze as he strode into the room, his shoulders tilted and head held high. Silence answered his comment, until the Jr. Weyrwoman arched a single brow and gazed around the room, forbidding anyone else to speak. "Vote?" she queried, her voice intentionally confused.

[Snow]

Eavan smiled kindly at J'im. She figured the bronzerider would be on their side. "It's always better to be safe than sorry. It doesn't seem to me that these people plan on acting on their own...yet. The note stated that they wish the weyr to do something about it. Once they realize that the weyr isn't going to do as they wish, that's when we're really going to have to be careful."

Irieth was full of impatience, waiting to hear from Rusith or Coreanth. I wish they wouldn't take so long. Some information on how the meeting is going would put my mind at ease. The gold was moving from a crouching position to sitting on her hind legs.
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Ol'ver smiled politely at Kadia. He had tried to not think about that possibility, though he knew that could indeed be the case. "I'm sincerely hoping that is not the case, Weyrwoman." Then, Sa'kor strode in, sarcasm almost dripping from his mouth. Ol'ver couldn't help but think he was only going to bring trouble to this meeting. He realized that was unfair to assume right away, but he knew the brownrider's mannerisms.

Ol'ver couldn't say he completely agreed with Eyrlaina. He knew what she was meaning, but he couldn't see how increasing their defenses would make it look like the weyr wasn't capable of protecting their own. In fact he thought it might deter whoever it was that wanted them to 'cull' the mutants. Perhaps nothing so drastic, but there was nothing wrong or suspicious for them to keep a closer eye on the weyrlings. He couldn't help but think note or no note they would have watched the two new one's closer than normal anyway.

"I agree with you, Weyrwoman Eyrlaina. A unified front is important. However, if this does come from inside the weyr..." He trailed off, hoping that everyone would realize that if it was an inside job, then just appearing to be unified wouldn't be good enough. "We should at least tell the weyrlings to report anything suspicious to the Weyrlingmaster." At Sa'kor's comment though, all attention was given to him. Relax, Ol'ver, the man isn't going to kill someone. Sorry, he just always makes me tense. Ol'ver replied as he relaxed the grip on his chair.