November 14th 2004
Logged by Donis
Inner Caverns
Ancient caverns unfold in an endless maze of tunnels and stairs, the Weyr's cavities a labyrinth to the uninitiated. Here, trimmed by the last of the stone cutters, arched walls and vaulted ceilings retain the soapy smoothness of well-worn stone, as do the endless tunnel floors kept clear and tidy. Shadows creep and flicker across these glowlit mountain walls, creatures of non-light wending their way east to the main caverns and bowl, or branching out in a web of caves to the Weyr's living spaces.
Marond and Sylara are here.
Donis shuffles out of the candidate barracks, looking fed up. That might be because of the brown firelizard that's sat on his shoulder with its nose in Donis's ear.
Sylara waits for Marond's reply, and while she does, she sighs. "Hello, Donis. What's going on?" She asks, seeming to be frozen in the middle of a step.
"Bloody full of-" Is left lingering in the place previously abandoned by the weyrling as he stalks towards the office. Marond, dark eyes situated briefly on the retreating boy now turns his full attention to Sylara with a contemplative glance. Nails clack together as fingers curl in and around themselves- the hunching Headman pulling himself flat against the wall as he fixes the nanny's knot with a firm stare. "Work with brats, do you? Good, good." Pale lips press together in a moment of indecision before he snaps erratically again and points towards the stairwell. "I need your help with something, Senvara." Name is dually attempted, though no lingering curiosity as to whether it was correct or not… "Do you have any experience with leading any sort of crew?" Before she can answer, black hair nearly crackles on end as he launches from the wall with another unsettling snap. "No, of course not, work with brats… never mind. I'm putting you in charge of the work party current excavating the disused caverns." Right place right time? Something along those lines as Marond points towards the Quiet Corners. "Map is up there, as well as three of the lower caverns workers. I'll meet you there in a moment." And just incase Donis thought he might be getting out of this unscathed, one beady eye rolls towards the candidate with a sniff. "You there, you were told to report to me, yes?" Can't hide that shiny white knot, sonny.
"Lo Sylara. How's things?" Donis replies to the nanny before bothering to answer Marond with raised eyebrows. "If you mean me, I was told to report to you, yes. What is it?"
"My name is Sylara sir." The nanny nods. "I haven't led a crew other than marching brats around the bowl to keep them out of the cave while it was being cleaned." that once in a blue moon affair. "I suppose that counts as a crew, though, doesn't it?" She rambles on. "SIr, if you have a moment, …" She begins, and then decides this is /not/ the time. "Yes, sir. I'll head to the corners immediately." She turns toward the stairs.
Skinny frame is immediately doubled in size as Marond pulls himself up to lean towards Donis. "Watch your tone, candidate." The man's fingers begin rummaging through pockets as he seeks something.. something.. aaaah. A tiny flask is yanked into existence and cracked lips wrap about the nozzle as he takes a long swig. "I've got a chore for you," Marond mutters after his drink is taken. Great chunks of black hair fall listless about his gaunt features as sallow cheeks pucker as he surveys the young man. "You're going to be on the crew helping clean and clear the caverns in the bowels of this Weyr, which means boyo, that Senvara here will be your crew leader, understood?" Though any questions posed by Marond seem to be relatively one-sided as he picks up his conversation without much thought to any particular answer supplied. "Both of you to the quiet corners, I'll be up in a moment, I've business to finish up with that errant bluerider." And with one last swig and point towards the stairwell, he sweeps back towards his office.
"Why are we going to the quiet corners if you want us to clean the back caverns?" Donis queries lightly, glancing towards Sylara to see if she knows. But Marond's already gone… "Idiot," Donis mutters, and heads up the stairs.
Narrow stone steps lead steeply upwards… but not too far.
Quiet Corners
X'ian is here.
Sylara comes up the stairs.
Marond comes up the stairs.
Sylara heads up the stairs, glancing back to see if Marond is following. She looks around, trying to find the specified hides, and when she does, she sits down in a chair, looking at them, figuring out which rooms the Headman means. "I think these back here, right, Donis?" She points to a series of unused caverns. "Don't you think?" In response to the man's question, she shrugs. "Maybe it's a starting place out of the way or something?"
The exchange of ideas currently bouncing around the Headman's office can be heard anywhere in the immediate vicinity, and an occasional "Blasted.. Uppity.." and ever redundant "Says Who?!" Drifts up to filter among the ears of those listening and those not. Yet, after a time, the voices halt, and the sound of approaching steps signify the Headman's eminent approach. * Two burly looking men reside in one corner, talking quietly amongst themselves as Sylara and Donis appear. Both are relatively well known, though Donis gets a respectful nod from each. As Sylara sits in front of the sketches, the men stand and make their way over with a curious clearing of the throat. "You're going to be leading the crew?" Asks one with a hopeful air as he addresses Donis. Sylara is ignored for the moment, as the two men apparently find more in common with Donis then the nanny. *
X'ian is stretched out fairly cat-like across one of the corners' couches…A very large, bored cat in riding leathers, anyway, watching the goings on around him without a whole lot of interest - though he does lift his head at the vaguely familiar sound of Marond's voice, his eyes narrowed slightly as he finally makes an attempt to piece various bits of conversation together into something that makes sense.
Donis does not look happy to be following someone else's orders, and sits down next to Sylara with a scowl and a complete lack of interest in anyone else in the room. The two big men can't be ignored though, and he shakes his head. "Not me. Sylara's in charge." He at least sounds like he has some confidence in her.
Sylara nods. "I'm Sylara, and…" She pauses, sizing the two men up. "I can see we won't have any trouble moving the furniture around, if we need to," she says, slipping into nanny-mode nearly subconsciously. "Ok. What are your names, gentlemen?" She asks. The better to order you around with, my dear. "We're supposed to clean these rooms." She points to the aforementioned rooms on the map. If they aren't the ones, they'll find out soon enough.
The two men, despite Donis's apparent approval of Sylara's leadership, eye the diminutive young woman with open disbelief. The darker of the two turns to his companion, mutters something, and then squares Sylara with a look. "I'm Jeapard, this is Tine…" A pause falls heavily over the small crew, before Tine turns his eyes to Donis briefly and responds. "Sylara, yeah, alright." The two move behind the young woman with a few quiet sniffs and knuckle cracks before Jeapard points towards one section of the prints. "The Headman noted that there would be one of two options. We're not required to clean out both, he said that the crew leader would decide which." Silence once again befalls the party as Tine clears his throat- "Which one's it going to be, boss?" The title, tacked on at the end causes both men to smile faintly before pulling away to assess the small, and docile-appearing female. The upward progression of boot-on-stone has paused, though Marond is no where to be seen- a faint trickle of liquor-dusted scent has started to seep into the small room- he's certainly not far off.
"We're not doing that one, are we?" Donis says, pointing to one area on the map and sounding rather troubled. "Only, well, never mind. But that's a bit close to…" He's frantically trying to catch Sylara's eye - she's been a Candidate, she should know what he's trying to say.
Sylara catches his drift, and nods. "Uh-huh." She says, thinking about where each place is on the map. "Yeah, you're right. We'll do this other one." She removes the apron from her dress, and lays it across one of the chairs. She'll run it into the dorms on the way out or something. "Ready?"
Marond takes the last step into the corners with a mild clearing of the throat. "You heard her, get on." Jeapard and Tine shoot Marond a quick half-bow before nodding faintly. "Yes, well, we'll start down, you coming Donis?" Yes, the surly candidate is known by name, though Sylara merely gets a nod from the two as they brush past the Headman. X'ian gets a brief glance as Marond takes a few steps towards the nanny and eyes Donis. "Well?" Yes, that's right, move. "Sylara, I expect that cavern to have substantial headway in the clean direction by the time I check on you this evening. Your meals will be supplied down there, and Donis-" Yes, he's not done with you yet. "This chore supercedes any chore you have previously scheduled today, save classes."
Donis gives Marond a rather scornful look. "I'm a bit old for classes. Good thing it's not a day when I'm needed for groundcrew, eh?" He seems to be speaking to the room in general rather than to Marond in particular, and with a shrug heads down the stairs. "Dunno why he sent us up here… useless…" His words are fortunately lost to distance, although Sylara might hear and be embarrassed.
Sylara nods, and turns toward the Headman for a moment. "Yes sir." She thinks quickly, looking down and then glancing back up at him. "Maybe when you check on us, I might have a moment of your time?" She asks. "Desba suggested I come talk to you." She shrugs. "If you don't mind." She gathers up her apron, and heads back down the stairs. Sylara does hear Donis' words, and is slightly embarrased, but she tries hard to conceal the light blush that creeps into her cheeks. She starts down the stairs to put her nanny apron away, and head to the caverns in good time.
X'ian returns Marond's glance without much feeling, a brow arched as he pushes himself up into a lazy sitting position - his arms folded across his chest and his legs sprawled out before him. "Looks like Donis has an attitude problem. Nothing a good night spent scrubbing out the containment cells in the ground weyrs wouldn't fix."
"Too old for classes? I've got a few things I could teach that smarmy little…" But whatever Marond was going to say is lost as he shoots a knowing grimace at X'ian - which, for the record, is a rather startling affair. All sharp angles, sallow pits, and feral teeth. - and turns his attention to Sylara. "Yes, of course, of course child." Approval seems to seep from the Headman as he watches her slip out before he turns towards X'ian with a brittle silence… followed immediately by an explosion. "How the shards do you put up with these bloody candidates? I've half a mind to send Donis to Crom for some character building mining… upstart." Exasperated, he makes his way towards the feline-secured rider and slumps into a chair, fingers seeking out his flask. "Can't you drop him off between or something? I really loathe useless candidates." Someone's chipper today. "Though that Sylara, not bad, eh? I've deigned to move her out of nannyship if she's any good at this task."
Sylara heads back down the inner stairs.
** Travel spam **
Catacombs
Some ancient volcanic forces has shredded the Weyr's intestines, leaving behind these innards of blind corners, dead ends, and forgotten rooms. Ocassionally heavy doors block the way, and sometimes the roof itself has fallen in. The only way through, if one does not get lost, is up the seemingly endless flight of stairs; step after step, ledge after ledge, steep and slick they go forever upwards.
Sylara is here.
Quiet Corners> Some missing poses…
Quiet Corners> X'ian chuckles mildly at Marond's outburst, making no effort to disguise the smirk that arises as soon as he's finished. "If I could without being thrown out of the Weyr for it, I would. Not to mention, such an action would severely damage my odds of ever getting his mother into bed with me again. If you'd really like to teach him a lesson, I suggest you have guards confiscate his knives. They're completely unecessary for the sort of work he's doing now, and really rather intimidating. Not the sort of image we want our candidates giving off."
Donis kicks pointlessly at a cobweb as he drags a broom and bucket through the rusty grate and into the caverns. "Someone really should oil that," he grumbles. "And someone should tell that Marond that he's not the absolute ruler of the Weyr."
Quiet Corners> Long fingers pop and crack as they slap together in self-appreciating applause. "Yes, well, consider his knives mine. When I head down there I'll make sure they're cleaned out." Marond eases into his chair, legs drawing beneath himself as he rubs a temple with a snort. "In the mood?" His flask is shaken briefly in X'ian's direction as he peers towards the rider's companion. "That yours?" Marond has never quite forgiven the pet population of the Weyr for the flea infestation that put him in the position in the first place.
Sylara carries some cleaning supplies down with her. "Hmm how shall we split this up…" She muses out loud. She hears Donis' words, and frowns slightly. "He does get stuff done, you know." She hands Tine some scrubbing stuff and Jeapard a mop. She keeps some rags for herself, and begins scrubbing in one corner. "If you start over here and we can work our way that way." She suggests.
"Brushing first is a good idea," Donis points out mildly to Sylara. "Though sprinkling with water will keep down the dust…" He's definitely done this before, as he matches actions to words. "Marond might get stuff but he does it by being a small-minded bully," Donis declares, ignoring what the rest of the work crew might think. "Sure, I have a white knot, and he can boss me round. But he doesn't need to be rude with it. People work better when they're handled well." Although Donis seems to be working hard - working off his frustration with Marond, probably.
Quiet Corners> X'ian glances down at the companion in question. "Nah. I'm not much for animals myself." Particularly when they're canines - not that there's any reason at all to admit a weak point to /Marond/, of all people. "As for being in the mood…" his glare trails along the outline of the flask, "I believe I've already had enough - at least until tonight."
Sylara nods, glancing at the two other men. "Maybe if we sprinkle it first, and then dust it down, and then sweep it up…" She turns to Donis. "Does that sound good to you?" She starts a slight sprinkling around the corner where she was going to start, and dusts it, trying her best not to stir up the dust around. Tine shrugs, frowning at Sylara. "Suppose it'll work." He growls.
Quiet Corners> "So you sleep with that brat's mother? I hate to say it, X'ian, because I have nothing but respect for you." Ha, haha, hahaha. "But anyone that helped create Donis seems like someone I would unquestionably avoid. And as for sleeping with her…" He'll just let that comment speak for it's self. As the flask is waved away, Marond cocks it back and takes another extended swig. With his flask returned firmly to his pocket, Reaches' Headman surveys his company with a contrived expression of nonchalance. "Have you seen Wyn, lately?"
Jeapard starts to sprinkle water with a bad grace, until Donis thwacks his leg with his broomhandle. "It's the best way to do it - do what Sylara tells you," Donis urges, sweeping away diligently - even reaching upwards to sweep down the cobwebs. Not too successfully, actually, since he's a bit short.
Sylara continues cleaning, turning every once in awhile to see what the guys are doing. Satisfied, she keeps going, until an idea strikes her. "Tine, you're a bit taller than Donis. It might work to borrow his broom to get those cobwebs down for him. He's not able to reach them." Grudgingly, the man walks toward Donis, still scrubbing on the wall as he goes. "Ya mind?" He asks, a little gruffly.
Quiet Corners> X'ian shakes his head, both brows lifted at the implication that he does /anything/ with Donis mum on a regular basis. "I've only slept with the woman once or twice, and the last time I saw her we argued. Initially, I was only in it to disturb /him/, but she is rather nice in bed." Nudging the feline off the couch and out of his space with his elbow, X'ian leans back against an armrest, his own gaze fairly calculating once Marond's question has had time to sink in. "Within the last sevenday. Why?"
Donis hands over the broom cheerfully enough, taking Tine's scrubbing brushes. "Just why are we cleaning down here anyway, 'Lara? Doesn't make sense. It's not like the Weyr's overcrowded and needs the space or anything…" Down on his knees, he starts scrubbing the floor while Jeapard sweeps around him.
Quiet Corners> Marond grins, expression truly appalling as he chuckles. "Well, if she's good in bed…" The grin is eased out of place by an expression of detachment. "Just wondering, have some business with her and all that." Eyes dart towards the feline a moment as a change in conversation is nudged into place. "Care to come down and see the drama Donis will be supplying when I explain why his knives are a detriment to the happiness and harmony of his candidacy?"
Sylara doesn't know either. "I don't know. I guess there's some sort of archive or something down here?" She wonders aloud. "I guess X'ian and Jessica have been cleaning it up. Maybe they're getting ready to show it off or something." Or maybe Marond had to chase someone down here and saw how dirty it was. Sylara purses her lips and thinks for a while as she scrubs. Meanwhile, Tine reaches up, swishing cobwebs off the ceiling, nearly bonking the nanny on the head with the broom. "Careful." She chides, ducking just in time.
Quiet Corners> Missing poses…
Jessica arrives from the ground weyrs, closing the heavy grate behind them.
Sylara doesn't know either. "I don't know. I guess there's some sort of archive or something down here?" She wonders aloud. "I guess X'ian and Jessica have been cleaning it up. Maybe they're getting ready to show it off or something." Or maybe Marond had to chase someone down here and saw how dirty it was. Sylara purses her lips and thinks for a while as she scrubs. Meanwhile, Tine reaches up, swishing cobwebs off the ceiling, nearly bonking the nanny on the head with the broom. "Careful." She chides, ducking just in time.
X'ian slips in from one of the many passageways.
"Mind it!" Donis calls out to Tine - the candidate was obviously watching Sylara even while he was scrubbing away at the floor. "X'ian? And Jessica? Working together? Hmmm."
Jessica trundles in, just in time to catch her name. "Just trying to make it a bit more workable." She supplies, dumping a pail of water with a soaked rag inside on the floor, and leaning onto her own broom. "What are /you/ guys doing down here?"
"Yeah, it's interesting." Sylara notes as she sees Jessica enter the room. "Hi Jess." She says, eyeing her cleaning supplies. "Come to help us?" She shrugs. "Marond asked us to clean down here." She continues her scrubbing. "Thanks, Tine, I think you got them all." She looks up, just as he snags the last one she can see. "No, I think there's another one just - over - here." The man replies, reaching into another corner. "This one's got a spinner still on it." And Lara's flits are nowhere to be seen.
Marond arrives.
"So as I was saying, this candidate last time around started mouthing off, apparently he got completely kicked out of Ista, and remains in exile to this day. Can you imagine? All I'm saying is -that- Headwoman put up with a lot more then I would to kick him-" Oh look, it's Donis. "How're we doing down here?" Marond appears in the company of X'ian, eyes slipping towards Sylara and Tine while patiently ignoring the candidate in question for a moment.
Jeapard carries on sweeping away at the dampened dust, pushing it into a pan and dumping it into a bucket. He clearly doesn't want to get on Marond's bad side. Donis just cranes his neck towards the web and spinner, ignoring Marond. See? If Marond wants to ignore Donis, it doesn't matter because Donis is ignoring /him/ anyway. "Just shoo it out the way, Tine," he suggests about the spinner.
"It isn't much of a stretch, but in retrospect, if standards were that high here I probably would not have been allowed to stay long enough to impress." X'ian mutters back to Marond - falling silent when the Headman does to stand quietly a few steps back - his arms folded firmly across his chest.
Sylara turns around when she hears the Headman's voice, and shakes her head slightly at the company he's keeping. Interesting. "Well, sir, we've made a good start of it. Other than Tine nearly whacking me in the head with the broom trying to dislodge spinner webs, I'd say we're doing very well." She surveys the progress made, and continues scrubbing. Tine scowls at Sylara and lowers the broom, shooing the spinner away. "I missed, didn't I?" He asks, sourly. "Yes, you did." Sylara notes, in his favor.
Marond turns a smile towards Donis and Jeapard, his movements slow and deliberate- savoring something soon to come. "So, Donis, X'ian and I were discussing the ins and outs of candidacy, something I'm sure you're used to. You did stand once before?" And failed. Ahem. "And I wonder, did they let you keep your weapons the first time around? I mean, let's be honest, how often do they come in handy when you're cleaning latrines and scrubbing caverns?" This is turning out to be a very, very good day. "Sylara, make sure you sift through that debris, there's still some useful artifacts tucked away in some of these caverns."
Jessica shudders slightly as Tine mentions spinners… creepy crawlies just aren't her thing, yeah? "Hey Sy… I guess I have come to help, though I didn't really expect anyone else to be down here. The more the…" She pauses for a signature 'slow' moment, searching for the right word. "Funner?" No. Doesn't matter, anyway. She bends over to swirl the cloth around in her pail, eyes widening at the sound of Marond's voice. Still as scary as ever, apparently. She elects to remain silent for the moment, lest she be stuck with sweeping duties again.
Donis decides that if he's being spoken to, he'll get off his knees. Standing up casually enough, he raises his eyebrows at Marond's words. "I did Stand before," he acknowledges. "But my weapons, if you mean my knives, stayed in the guard barracks. As they have this time. Well, apart from this one." And he pulls out a common eating knife from its sheath on his belt, displaying it flat on his palm before neatly slipping it away. "I'm not stupid enough to leave my knives lying around in a room full of children."
Sylara peruses some of the debris she's wiping out of the way. "I don't see much of anything so far. Not even a usable scrap of hide. But I'll keep looking." She adds helpfully, in a tone that suggests she's not sure there'd be much to find down here. "Oh, were you discussing the time X'ian got put in the lockup?" She asks the two newcomers. And, she supplies Jessica with the word she was looking for "More the merrier, I think it goes, Jess."
"Perhaps we should go and remove them to avoid the temptation brought upon by their continued existance in a place that's easily accessable. After all, you have shown nothing but disrespect for your Headman up to this point, and candidacy can be a stressful period for anyone." X'ian presses, still hanging back in the shadows behind Marond, though his voice is strong and clear enough - as is his glare, which gets turned pointedly onto Sylara.
"They're locked up in the cupboard in the barracks," Donis replies patiently. "Oddly enough, there's one of your knives in there that you've never bothered reclaiming, X'ian. It's probably started rusting by now." He gives Sylara a quick 'shut up and don't make things worse' look, though she might not see it. Dim down here, even with the glows.
Jessica straightens, tilting her head to one side in a dazed sort of fashion. Like, totally duh, Jessi?! "Right. I knew that." She replies to Sylara, her casual tone invading the somewhat thick air… sounding rather noticeably -not- sharp. The cloth in her hand is now dripping onto the floor, but she just stands like a stunned beast, still wide-eyed.
"Could have fooled me," is muttered in a faint aside to X'ian as Marond smiles faintly at each interjection the rider makes. "You know, I think that's a sound idea. Donis, if the temptation really is absent, you wont mind if I move them to my office, and if the temptation remains, well, what better place to keep them for the duration of you candidacy." Slipping towards Sylara, Marond motions the girl aside with a light nod. Jessica gets a mild stare, before Marond /leeeeans/ towards the nanny and begins muttering.
You overhear Marond mutter, "… … … … you … and … … … to not … … go … to … … child. You're doing very … … … … … … Tine … … easily swayed … female … … … a … … control over Donis, … … … you knew him … he … a candidate now, … … … … … of … crew, … … understand? … … else. … … … … to … … … … … … …" to Sylara.
"Actually, I believe you are still in possession of the entire set that you originally took, unless you've damaged or lost them. And - forgive me for doubting your guardly sincerety - but I somehow doubt you would have simply allowed me to 'reclaim' them at any point in time." Even while he speaks to Donis, X'ian watches Marond, arching a brow at the muttering between him and Sylara.
Donis blinks at Marond, his expression incredulous. "So, putting my knives in your office makes them somehow less accessible to me than when they're locked in a cupboard to which I don't have a key, in a barracks that have at least a couple of guards in all the time?" He shakes his head, rather amused by this. "I can't see the captain letting you have some dangerous weapons to put in an unsecured place, to be honest. Not that even if I was carrying my knives, you'd have grounds for confiscating, Headman or no. I haven't threatened anyone with them, or done any damage." He looks pointedly at X'ian. "And at least one of your knives, X'ian, has been in that cupboard since your arrest, waiting for you to reclaim it from the captain. I'll admit that I did keep the one you tried to stab me with."
Sylara's eyes widen as she hears Marond's words. "Well, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." She says, quietly, but loud enough to be overheard by the rest of the group.
You overhear Sylara mutter, "… … that's what … wanted … … … … … … … about … jobs, and Desba … … work … …" to Marond.
Jessica wrinkles her brow, finally realising that she's dripping water everywhere once a small pool forms at her feet, enough to wet them slighty. "Ew." She mutters, switching her gaze over to Sylara and Marond's mutterings, not bothering to hide her interest. Well, she does /bother/… she shifts her feet a little, and kicks her pail softly, stirring the water inside up so that a little splashes over the sides. Now she's interested… what exactly /is/ going on here?
Marond pulls up sharply from his discussion with Sylara when the word 'stab' comes into play. X'ian has a bit of a spotty past but Marond hasn't exactly kept tabs on those he converses with on occasion. An attempted stabbing of Donis is news to him, and though the Headman is not particularly fond of the candidate, his surprise is not in X'ian's favor. "We'll discuss your knives in detail later, Donis. If you can keep your tongue and remember your place, I wont see much of a need to do anything with your- collection. " X'ian gets one last glance, brows creasing before he turns back to Sylara with a nod.
You overhear Marond mutter, "… this … out … your favor then. I've had … … … you a while, and … … I … … … … two … … … previous … this. … … willing … accept … on, … … … assistant, though understand … this … … a … … … … … … … keep … … … … Weyr, … its internal workings, … might … … permanent …" to Sylara.
Donis shrugs, both hands in the air. "Headman, if you want to ask the captain if you can look after my knives, feel free. Like I said, I doubt he'd give them to you, but he's done stranger things." He can't resist giving X'ian a sweet smile before he turns his back and starts scrubbing away at a wall.
Sylara nods, and scrubs a little harder. "Yes sir, that makes sense, after all, I want to see if I can keep up with you too." She says, not really having anything too secret to say. Besides, she's scrubbing. She forgets totally that she made an unhelpful remark earlier, and returns to her work. "Jessica, hon, that's not doing much good, except making a wet spot on the floor. Want to start scrubbing over here where I've already gotten the bulk of the dirt off?" She gestures to the corner. "There are no spinners there, thank you, Tine," She nods to the man. "Oh, and if you see something interesting in the dirt, don't throw it out." Might be useful, of course.
"Mmm. It's part of an interesting story, Marond. We'll have to sit down over mugs of klah and discuss it some time. Fortunately, it has been a number of turns since I've attempted murder - of course, were you in such close contact with Donis for such a prolonged period of time, it's difficult for me to imagine you not being /tempted/ at the very least." Smirking right back at Donis' smile, if X'ian is put off, he doesn't show it.
Jessica blinks a few times, taking a moment to let the fact that she's been spoken to again set in. She shakes her head a little, and finally nods at Sylara. Laying her broom down in favour of the pail of water, she sidles up next to Donis and proceeds to scrub, muttering something of her own under her breath. She finally dares to shoot a glance at Marond, though only breifly.
Marond turns away from Sylara to size X'ian up a moment. "Got time?" He'd like to hear the story, sooner rather than later. "Sylara, until further notice, consider yourself under my tutelage, I understand if you need to tie some lose ends with your previous position, but as soon as you are able, I'd like to have you report to me exclusively." Jessica is the unwitting recipient of a tweaked brow and a thoughtful look before he returns to his position beside X'ian- and not even a parting barb for Donis.
"Of course, X'ian's story will be an accurate reflection of events," Donis murmurs, apparently to his scrubbing brush, before he bends down for some damp rags.
"Are you serious?" Jessica mumbles back to Donis, pressing as hard as she can on the wall with her cloth. Which isn't very hard.
"You forget that I care little for my reputation, or for the justification of my actions. Otherwise I would have contacted a Harper to get me out of the lock up before my precious time was up, dick head." X'ian growls after nodding to Marond, finally allowing Donis' to get the better of him. One cleared throat later, he glances back at Marond, scowling. "Shall we?"
Marond shoots a warning look to Donis as he steps past X'ian and leads the way out of the mounting tension.
Marond opts for heading through the large, corrugated, rusty door.
Sylara nods. "Yes, sir. " She stops scrubbing for a moment, and then resumes, as if filing something away. "Well, if he wants to tell it, and have someone listen to him…" She shrugs. "I suppose that's his perrogative." One-sided though it may be. She glances over at Jessica cleaning, and gives the girl a smile. "You're doing a good job, Jessica." She frowns at the argument, and focuses on her scrubbing.
Quiet Corners> Marond comes up the stairs.
X'ian wanders off down one of the passageways.
Donis gives Jessica an incredulous look and a very terse 'no', before turning to Sylara with his eyebrows raised. He's been doing a lot of that today, but this time it's with interest rather than disbelief. "You changing your job and working for Marond, 'Lara?"
Quiet Corners> X'ian comes up the stairs.
Jessica almost beams at the compliment, after a quick blush from Donis' reply. She pauses for a moment to turn her head around and peer at Sylara, adding her own questions. "Yeah… what was all that about, Sy? Are you giving up on Nannying or something?"
Quiet Corners> "You tried to /stab/ him, X'ian?" Marond turns towards the rider a moment after they've arrived back in the secluded nook. "I know he can be an overwhelming prat but they still let you stand after that? Blood and bloody ashes." His gaze is calculating, though there's nothing in it other then shrewd observation. Marond isn't exactly 'friends' with anyone, but there are a few people he can tolerate more than others, and X'ian happens to be on that list.
Sylara nods, looking at Donis, continuing to scrub. "Yeah, I've been doing some really hard thinking about what I want to do with my life. I'm good with kids, but I don't want to spend my whole life in the brat cave, no offense to Auryn and the others." She says the last phrase quickly. "Desba heard my musings, and suggested I work for Marond, and it sounded good." She grins. "It will give me a chance to help the people I care about, and see that they're taken care of." She doesn't mention that she can also boss people around. "I'll give it a try at least. If I'm good at it, it probably will be a good fit." She nods, moving down the wall to a dirtier spot.
Quiet Corners> "There is a reason I never associated myself with you directly when you began to rise up out of the lower caverns as a potential leader, Marond." X'ian replies evenly, unbothered by the question. "He was trying to arrest me, and I was trying to escape. The accident occurred well before I was searched, and I served my time in the lock up for it."
Quiet Corners> "I can't see why not, I would have. When you see someone on the fast track to power, X'ian, people like you and I instinctively latch on for the ride." Shrugging irritably, he begins rummaging through his pockets for his flask- again. "If it's considerably over and done with, a logical person would ask whatinthell that spray of testosterone was down there. I'm not saying I'm fond of the kid, X'ian, but he's a candidate, man. He's lower then a drudge right now, why you let him goad you…"
"If you can manage to survive the way he treats people, you'll do well," Donis comments, and then shrugs. "Well, to be fair to the man, much as I hate to - honestly, trying to take my knives away when I don't even have them, I blame X'ian - he seems to think you can do a good job. And I'm sure you will."
Jessica isn't so readily accepting as Donis… her face falls slightly. "Are you… serious?" She repeats, though this time directed at Sylara. "That's… as bad as working for X'ian, Sy. You know that, don't you? Marond's not… nice." Because, see, Jessi is the only one capable of working with not-so-fluffy bosses. At least, in her opinion, she seems to be the authority on the subject. "It's you life, but…"
Quiet Corners> "Because, Marond - you could not afford to have my reputation associated with you if you wanted to gain the favor of this Weyr's leadership and lower caverns. Trust is not a word often associated with my name, and I've always thought that shady dealings are best left /shady/." Pacing a little furthur into the room, X'ian shrugs a shoulder, rolling his head back so that his neck cracks noisily. "As for Donis…His own self image is too powerful to knock him off his pedestal by putting him down."
Sylara nods. She just cleans some, and then turns to Jessica. "He's seemed nice to me so far. Apparently, he's brusque in getting things done, but that's okay. I can tolerate that." She turns to Donis. "He told me to control you better. I guess he heard some of your comments earlier." She reddens slightly. "I know he's rough, but he /is/ the Headman." She scrubs, and motions to Tine. "I think this part can be swept now, Tine." He lumbers over and sweeps the area she vacates.
"Control me better?" Donis sounds very very amused. "In what way, exactly? I think I did a good job of keeping my temper, actually. I don't appreciate being treated like I'm twelve Turns old." He shakes his head and scrubs away at another bit of wall. "Hmmmph. I'll stop making disparaging remarks about him in front of you then, Sylara."
Quiet Corners> Marond snorts, pacing slightly as he eyes X'ian over his flask. "This Weyr does not trust me, X'ian. They trust me more then they trust /you/, though that's not particularly saying much, but they needed someone to fill a position. That's all this was, I wasn't gunning for this, I was going to get into a place of power regardless- eventually. We both know that people of our candor can't remain in the shadows for long, and this Headman thing just happened to come along at a particularly opportune time." Another swig and he snorts, looking for a place to sit. "Alright, I digress, the point is, my dealings remain in a place of begrudging respect. I hold nearly the same position you do, the only difference is that I have a little knot that says I have access to the Weyr's internal corruption- whether to sweep it out or buy into it. You are in the same position, you're just forced to be more clever about it. I would have gotten here eventually, X'ian, but I appreciate you refraining from marring my record until I was good and comfy at the strings."
"Sy… come on. He's more than brusque." Because Jessica knows what that means, doesn't she?! Though she is doing a relatively good job of hiding it. "Anyway, you can work for who you want to, I guess." She turns back to the wall, starting to scrub again… but curiosity gets the better of her, and she doesn't stay silent for long. "What just went on?"
Quiet Corners> "Given Pyrene's opinion of me, I believe she might have thought twice before putting you in a position to be elevated if she knew I was in close contact with you. It's best to be cautious, Marond - particularly in a world where one ranking individual can pull that knot out from underneath you if she believes you might be up to something…And Pyrene /is/ a suspicious woman." Turning to head back towards the central bowl stairs, X'ian yawns. "I'm sure you've been around long enough to know to be careful on your own."
Quiet Corners> Marond cracks a smile as X'ian begins leaving. "Now X'ian, don't think for a second you're the only person I keep close contact with. I have plenty of shiny, highly minted names on my associations list, and Pyrene, despite her loathing hatred for you, can't deny that I am thoroughly ingrained in the hierarchy now." He nods in farewell to the rider before gently screwing the top back onto his flask. "Have a good night, X'ian."
Sylara nods. "Thanks. You might be right about some of the way he does things, but it keeps me out of trouble." She appears really relieved. "We've been at this awhile." She frowns. "I wonder when they'll send down that promised meal." She looks over at Jessica. "Went on where? You mean between Donis and Ax… X'ian?" She slips again. "They don't like each other very much." She just states the barest facts of the matter. "I guess your boss and mine are buddies. That is a little weird." She shrugs.
Quiet Corners> "I can't even begin to imagine who else you might have tied into your nest, Marond - but to be entirely honest, I'm not that interested in knowing. Good night." And with that, off X'ian goes.
"I don't like X'ian. I don't like Marond. They don't like me either?" Donis suggests to Jessica and tosses his scrubbing brush into a pail of water. "I'll go and find out if they'll bring us something to drink, at least, Sylara. I need the necessary too." And off he trots.
