Xanadu Weyr - Weyrling Barracks
A long and roughly oblong cavern, about a third of the space is open, used for classes or chores as required. The rest of the space is filled with couches of varying sizes, all with plenty of space between them. Some couches are obviously intended for the very young weyrlings while the largest ones at the back are for the older weyrlings.
Its been almost fourty-eight hours since Kilaueth's weyrlings were sent home from their *betweening* lesson, and Lorena went running off to the Weyrleader's office. While the elder weyrlings have yet to resume their lessons - told merely that 'extenuating circumstances' have arisen, Ellamariseth's clutch has been continuing their training, practicing mounted flight and the like, although they have been working with a diminished weyrling staff. This morning, however, the quickly growing Weyrlings recieved a rude awakening, and a notice that the lessons were being cancelled until the afternoon, before the staff disappeared and left them to their own devices. Unfortunately, however, for the Weyrlings, Niva has been left to her own devices as well, and the Senior Weyrwoman has appeared this morning at the Weyrling Barracks, already wearing a scowl on her face, which is showing signs of exhaustion.
Thea is making good use of her time, catching up on some tasks she's not had time to do otherwise. Right now she's getting ready to oil Seryth, but first - a manicure! Well, of sorts. She's checking the young queen's claws for cracks and generally noting the nailbeds' health. Seryth is reclining on her couch, one forearm outstretched so Thea can get to the talons easier. Thea's got one claw in the palm of her hand scrutinizing the thing as the Weyrwoman walk in. She doesn't see Niva since she's looking down, a finger carefully touches the clawtip. "Ooh, those things're sharp." See, she's good at noting the obvious.
Niva pauses on her walkthrough of the barracks, turning to talk to I'ke, brown Ciebaith, one of the young riders who came from that cothold in the hills. The two talk for only a minute, before the boy is shaking his head, and Niva is sighing softly before moving on. Nodding in turn to Joy and E'gin, she comes then to Thea and Seryth, folding her arms over her chest as she stands, watching the youngest of the Weyr's gold pairs. "Weyrling. Seryth." She says firmly, even as her gaze is quickly sweeping over the gold's lines, actually giving Thea an approving nod.
Thea drops the claw; there's a disgruntled whuff from Seryth as she does so, but Thea is spinning 'round to face the voice. She snaps a quick salute, "Weyrwoman, I didn't see you come in." She looks calm, but surprised and not a little curious to see Niva here. She flickers a look towards the door, but there are no other Staff congregating there awaiting orders. Her gaze quickly returns to the woman in front of her and a look of enquiry is in her eyes. For the moment she doesn't ask what is surely on everyone's mind. "How are you Ma'am?"
Saige wasn't in the barracks. Honest. She trails in after Niva does sometime eventually, chattering to Ulaekimajith, who is evidently questioning some of Saige's methods' for… something. "No, honestly Ulae i- will y- …" A long pause, then Ulaekimajith lets out along croon, and Saige looks up, startled. "Oh, we're home."
"At ease, Weyrling.." Niva says formally, with a flick of her wrist, dismissing the salute, and continuing to look over the gold. "I'm fine." At the sound of chattering, Niva's turning to look at Saige, thankfully the turn allows her to conceal the yawn that tries to escape, before she's looking back at Thea. For a moment, it looks like she's going to start to talk, but then she's turning back to Saige, lifting her voice. "Weyrling!" She says firmly, expecting the green and her rider to be at her side on the double, waiting with a tap of her foot.
Thea lowers her arm absently, craning her neck to see who the Weyrwoman is reeling in. She stands on tiptoes and spots Saige, shrugging and shaking her head slightly to let the girl know that she is in the dark about this visit. She eyes suspiciously towards E'gin's couch, but the boy gives her an 'I'm innocent' look. Three lingering bits of seed down float by and Seryth can't resist. The young gold puffs at them, causing them to swirl madly about in a mini-tornado, then croons mightily pleased with herself.
There's a loud whuffle from the entrance where Ellamariseth cranes her neck in, looking as if she was about to follow her lifemate in. "Out! Out with ya, Ella. There're more than enough golds in here," Ysa tells her, giving her a soft pat on the snout before turning back to face the barracks. Her soft tone to her golden dragon isn't reflected on her face, though. She looks stressed and a no-nonesense sort of look as she narrows her eyes, giving the weyrlings and barracks a once over before they finally rest on the Weyrwoman. And even then her eyes get a harder look and she nods her head towards Thea and the others. "Weyrlings," she calls over, taking a few steps and looking as if she belonged there. Why not.
Saige blinks at Thea for half a second before she steps forward with Ulaekimajith and then takes a step backwards suddenly at the sound of Ysa's voice, checks herself, thne Ulaekimajith does a two-tone bugle for each goldrider, and Saige turns herself so she gives a salute to both at the same time. "Weyrwoman, weyrwoman," Etc, etc.
Once again, it looks like Niva is ready to say something, but then Ysa is intruding, and the Senior Weyrwoman is pausing, giving her junior an exasperated look, waiting for her to settle down. Finally, though, she's looking to both Saige and Thea, each in turn. "Weyrlings.. I realize that Kate and her Lusiath were a few months older than you and your own lifemates, but would you consider yourselves close with her?" The Weyrwoman looks to each in turn, trying to be very calm as she asks about the gold weyrling from Kilaueth's clutch.
Thea is even more confused, by the look on her face, at the arrival of Ysa. She salutes again, this time remembering to lower her arm and not leave it frozen there. Saige's same-time salute has her coughing into her hand suddenly and fighting a smile. She manages to keep a straight face, and it's certainly easier to do with another glance at the weyrwomen's faces. At Niva's question, Thea shakes her head, "No, not at all. She seems to keep to herself. We've not had more than a passing good morning or two." Curious, yes, but she waits for the weyrwomen to say whatever it is.
Ysa presses her lips tightly together as if to stop herself from saying something right back to Niva's look. Nope, quiet… "No need for that," she calls over at the salutes, giving her head the slightest of shakes. "Least for me." She finds herself a spot to lean up against, the end of someone's cot with her body facing mostly the Weyrwoman of Xanadu Weyr. At her words, there's immediately a snort from the younger woman and then a roll of her eyes, clearly the name itself doesn't seem to make the woman happy. But she'll stay silent for now, besides the mumble or two.
Saige drops her salute, gives Thea her Most Confused Look of All Time, shrugs one shoulder, slightly, even as Ulaekimajith shakes her camaflouge green head idly, and then Saige shakes her head. "I didn't really ever talk to her, t'be honest, ma'am. I was either too busy or … well, was talking to the people I did know." She admits, quirking an eyebrow.
"No?" Niva looks at Thea, a frown appearing on her face, one that shows itself on her forehead as well. Saige's response only causes it to deepen, before she's turning to look at Ysa. "Get that look off your face." She snaps to the younger goldrider, before she's looking back and forth between the girls. "Did either of your lifemates ever talk to hers?" Niva presses a bit more, clearly hoping for a different response, though the frown remains on her face shows that she's not truely expecting it.
Thea just smiles briefly at Saige's look and shrugs, what else can she do? Ysa's nodded to, "At least I didn't call ya Ma'am." She quips, obviously hoping to cheer the weyrwoman. At Niva's question, she turns slightly, looks at Seryth for a long moment, then relays the young gold's comment, "She says Luciath is a quiet dragon." Thea is silent for a moment,
communicating with the gold once more, "She says Luciath often talked to other dragons when they were hurt or upset, but Seryth hadn't engaged her attention directly."
"What look?" Ysa says in what might sound dripping with sarcasm, though now there's a bit of a smug look to her face. She stares at Niva for a long moment before looking to the weyrlings to listen to their answers. Thea gets herself a wink and her lips do twitch up a moment. "You're a fast learner." But then the grin fades and it's back to a frown as she shifts
uncomfortably on her feet at the answers. Add another slight shake of her head and she quiets for Niva to continue.
"Ysa." Niva says curtly, turning to give the other woman a look of, 'I'll explain later', before she's looking back at the youngest of the goldriders, nodding slowly. "Can you have Seryth try to touch her mind?" Niva ventures after a moment, though her voice drops to ensure that its not audible outside of their litle group. "We… We haven't been able to sense her." The Weyrwoman admits in a surprisingly vulnerable tone, looking over her shoulder at the rest of the barracks, and then back to the Weyrling pair.
Thea blinks as surprise is chased by a touch of enlightenment across her face. She nods uncertainly, "Well, we could try…" Her voice trails off as she sits on the edge of Seryth's couch. Unconsciously her fingers stroke the young queen's hide as she makes her request. "Seryth says she will try, but before she does, she has a suggestion." She pauses with a 'children
will say the darndest things' look on her face, then lifts her chin and gives voice to it, although clearly she isn't certain she should, "She thinks you need a very sad dragon who can cry very loudly. Do you have one of those?"
Ysa gives the slightest of headshakes to Niva, frowning deeper at the woman before turning to regard the weyrlings at her request. Her eyes are focused on their dragons, but she remains quiet as she crosses her arms angrily against herself and continues shifting on her feet.
At Seryth and Thea's suggestion, Niva shakes her head slightly. "She has ignored us all. We asked her boyfriend N'tor, his blue got nothing, and.. we were told they were the closest." Straightening up, she sighs softly. "I.. I was hoping that if she's frightened, or if someone had threatened her.. She wouldn't think of you as a threat. Perhaps not know who you were." Her gaze flicks to Ysa again for a second, this time its a slightly less angry look, as if hoping the other woman will be patient, before she's looking at Thea. "She.. She took her siblings with her, too. We don't think she wants to be found."
Saige shakes her head, quietly, and glances back at Ulaekimajith. "We don't think we can do anything… " She says, very very quietly.
Thea's hand comes to rest on Seryth's foreleg as Niva is talking. The gold, relaxed though she is, curiously watches the group. "Try, Seryth. Maybe you could casually ask her if there's any… fat-looking herdbeasts there, as if she's at the paddock…" Thea looks concerned now that she's aware of what's happened. "Snuck out in the fog, likely…" After a few moments, she shakes her head, "All she got was deliberate silence." Adding softly, "I'm sorry, I'll have her keep trying."
"And it's likely she won't answer any of us, especially if she hasn't answered her Senior," Ysa says, just a bit too casually for the dire situation of their missing goldling. She regards Seryth a moment and then turns to roll her eyes at Niva. "Saw that one coming," she mumbles, this time a bit louder. Obviously this goldrider was never a fan of Kate.
"Not too often. I don't want to scare her more." Niva says after a moment, turning to look at Saige, and then back at Thea. "Please, if either of you hear any of the other Weyrlings talking about her, about anywhere she liked to visit, please let me, or Weyrleader R'sul know. Or, even Weyrharper Fiara." A soft sigh, and then she's looking to Ysa, motioning for the other weyrwoman to join her, before looking back to the Weyrlings. "Enjoy the rest of your morning off." After another moment, it seems she has nothing else to add, for she's turning to head back the way she came, waiting impatiently for the return of those out looking.
Thea glances at Ysa but doesn't comment; obviously nothing much she can say about the elusive Kate. She eyes Saige, then nods a reply to Niva's cautioning, following that up with a "Yes, Ma'am." Morning off? One hand is already reaching for the oil bucket and brush. Seryth, watching that bucket, is rumbling in anticipation.
"Scare her. As if," Ysa's voice says louder, giving another one of those shakes of her head as she stands back up away from the cot. "I'll catch ya 'round sometime, girls," she says to Thea and Saige with a bob of her head and a half-wave before she's stalking off after the Weyrwoman.