Don't Poke Sleeping Dragons

Fort Weyr - Records Room
This windowless room is brightly illuminated with electric lights and glow baskets alike. Shelf upon shelf of books and hides, carefully catalogued, line this room. A few small desks are in the middle of the room, for studying, and the room boasts a pair of computer terminals for electronically archived research as well.


While those not involved or concerned with the incident will consider the blast in the Smithy to be ancient history by now, for the ones who were directly impacted by it, it's as if it happened just yesterday. Which isn't too far from the truth, but at least enough time has passed for recovery and rebuilding efforts to begin. It would seem Thys is working on a sketch of sorts that might fit into the area, as she's certainly not drawing anything jewellery-like at the desk she's occupying in the records room… not unless jewellery suddenly comes in workspace-shape, anyway. Since it's a quiet morning, she's able to spread her work out and take up a whole table in a prime spot.

Yesterday or Turns it doesn't matter. Time is dragging for one bluerider and mostly because she's felt like a guest who has overstayed her visit. Not that Kiena's being "held" against her will but there's been many who have wanted to have words with her. Better to be here than to try and slink back to Xanadu, only to be called back or worse… be visited there. Though she suspects the Leadership in Xanadu will want to talk to her as well. By now, she's probably sick of it. Why she ends up in the records room is simple enough… Th'ero probably sent her there. Offices are occupied and he can't very well keep her in his weyr forever (given the last time she was in there, she got into his liquor — with Kimmila's blessing). What Kiena wasn't expecting was to find Thys there, hard at work and she'll come to a near skidded stop at the door's entrance. "Oh. Uh… sorry. Didn't think it'd be occupied — rather stupid assumption of me." she mutters.

The interruption causes Thys to look up, and she cants her head as she looks at Kiena, tapping her pencil off of her thoughtfully pursed lips. "That's alright, Kiena. Come in. I'm surprised you're still here." There's nothing about her tone to suggest she might be angry; nothing at all, in fact, as she puts pencil to paper once more and continues drawing. After a double-beat of silence, and before Kiena can slip away, if that's what she intended to do, she pipes up with a very conversation, "Did you know that I've been working on my journeyman's project for, oh, the better part of five turns, if you include my weyrlinghood period? Five turns. I can't believe it's been quite that long that I've been trying to become a journeyman Smith. It's quite a long time, isn't it?" Her voice is maybe a little too sing-songy, and she raises her dark eyes to look at the bluerider as she finishes talking.

"So am I." Kiena drawls in a dry tone that is not entirely different from Th'ero's. Yeah, definitely siblings these two. Even her smirk is similar in ways. Probably learned from him! She sighs, "Not that I'd get far if I left. It's either stay here or go home and just have to return or have someone hunt my ass down." Forgive her. She's not as politely spoken as… well, most riders. Even in front of a foreign goldrider. How she ever survived as Weyrsecond… Kiena prefers silence. Thys' sing-song voice has her watching the woman warily, eyes narrowing slightly. "Yeah, I'd say. Been trying just as long as you." Beat. "If you're pissed off, weyrwoman, you may as well get to it." Kiena will even spread her arms in a 'come at me' gesture. She's tired and maybe slightly hungover but the bluerider has never been a meek creature — or she's trying to goad Thys into a political blunder.

Thys raises a brow at that gesture, her lips pursing once more as her expression - while still fixed with a smile - turns decidedly disapproving. "I'm somewhat peeved that somehow, my workspace got blown up, yes. My project was in there, actually. Luckily it was in a safe. Unluckily that safe was next to the blast, and I'm going to have to get the welder out to open it, which means I'm likely going to damage the softer metals inside it. Not to mention the sketches. The notes… you know. All the flammable, delicate things." She sets her pencil down, and drums her fingers off the desk. "So yes, I suppose I am pissed."

Kiena is well accustomed to disapproving looks and she'll kick the door closed with the back of her heel so that it shuts with a decisive click. Thys' continued smile likely puts the bluerider a bit on edge, disapproval obvious or not. "Is it an issue of replacing materials?" Obviously that's the least of it but she has to start somewhere right? Even if it seems like she's admitting she's wholly to blame for the whole incident. For all her roughness and sharp tongue, Kiena's no fool and so the words that follow next, while slightly faltering are genuine. "I'm sorry about your project." Doubtful Thys is the only one who lost her life's work.

A gentle gesture of Thys's hand invites Kiena to sit in the chair opposite her if she wants, while the goldrider rests her elbow on the table and settles her chin into her raised hand, propping it up. "The materials are replacable. Metals, cut gems, the desk, the safe - they're all replacable. It's the hours of work spent shaping the metal and setting the stones that's irreplacable." The apology is met with a smile, and a polite bob of her head. "Thank you. I'm sorry too. Rhenesath is even sorrier, actually. She's been pushing me to get promoted since she realised what it meant." Thys shrugs, sighs, and drums her fingers against her cheek. "So. Tell me, Kiena, what happened. From your perspective. Why were there children playing with blasting powder?"

Kiena doesn't take the offer up to sit not out of spite or anger but simply because she's done enough of that. Instead she slowly paces the room, pretending to be interested in the records but truthfully she is restless. Not that it's like she's trapped! If there's guilt for Thys' sharing of her loss and the setback to her promotion, Kiena shows it briefly by looking over her shoulder at the goldrider. When the questions start, she'll turn her back to the woman and not as a sign of disrespect. "Shards if I know? And I'll tell you what I've told Kimmila and everyone else… I specifically asked Kyzen to stay by me and not touch anything while I did business with Journeyman Aaron. Had I known that the boy could not follow such a simple order I'd never have brought him in but I had figured my own nephew knew how to behave." Ouch. She's got a point, granted and she made sure Kimmila heard her opinion first but she's not going to sweeten her view. "I think the question you're looking for is not why the kids were playing with blasting powder but WHY was it out in the open and unsecured to begin with. Blame me for Kyzen — I'm accepting that much. The rest? Not my fault." Now Kiena turns back to Thys, her expression difficult to read but her posture certainly tense.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm absolutely blaming Aaron for irresponsible treatment of such a volatile material, which, in my opinion, has no place in a Weyr." Thys watches Kiena pace, still pretty easy-going in terms of her own body language; she's relaxed, and her shrug, as she leans back against her chair, is a loose one. "I'm going to petition for a no children rule in the Smithy when it's rebuilt. And it might be in the best interest of the Weyr if commissions for dangerous goods are routed through the leaders before orders are placed. How do you think you brother will take that?"

Kiena frowns, "I wouldn't lay all the blame on Aaron either. He can't be the only Journeyman responsible for the Smithy." It's not exactly phrased as a question but one does linger there. She's not entirely familiar with Fort's Smithcrafters and further in the dark about who worked at the smithy and in what capacity. Idly she brushes a few of her fingers across one shelf and examines them and the faint amount of dust stuck to her skin before flicking it away. Thys is given another sidelong look and now her expression has hardened. "My brother and I aren't exactly on speaking terms right now. Why do you care what he thinks? He's your Weyrleader but even Craft matters are out of his control and power. Trades and goods are a goldrider's territory," she points out and rather bluntly at that as she turns and leans back against the sturdier wall, arms crossed over her chest. "But if you really want to know? I doubt he'd argue. Get a Crafter to back up your decisions and what can he do?"

Thys seems confused for a moment there, and she taps her fingers on the desk as she thinks. "Do you mean the blasting powder wasn't ordered by Aaron? Because I've been assuming it was, which was probably wrong of me to do." The way Kiena reacts to the question about her brother is unexpected. "It was only a question, Kiena. You never know when a sibling might have a little insider info that anyone else mightn't know." She gives a soft shrug of her shoulders. "I was a Crafter before I was a goldrider. Perhaps I'd be enough to back myself up." Picking up her pencil, she tucks it behind her ear before rolling up the paper her sketch is on. "Anyway, if there's something good that's come out of this, it's that I'm going to design my own workspace to replace the damaged one. And I need to get my design to the woodcrafters for our appointment." Up she gets, the rolled paper held under her arm. As she comes around the desk, nearer to the Xanadian, she smiles softly. "I'm not angry with you in particular, you know. It was a bad set of circumstances. If anything, I think it's the children to blame - they ought to listen better. But I can't exactly say that to their parents, can I?"

Kiena shakes her head, "I only come here for materials, Thys. I'm Apprentice level in the Craft just like you. I wouldn't know who's in charge of what here. I get my orders from my superiors in Xanadu…" She waves a hand dismissively. "The only insider information I have on Th'ero is not relevant to this conversation," she points out again. "We're not as close as you think we are." Snorting she also dismisses that with a shrug of her shoulders. "You'll get what you want out of him. He won't want to alienate the Crafts any further about him. Surely you know he's a man of honour and reputation…" Not that the Weyrleader hides it. Kiena smirks at that relavation though before chuckling gruffly and dryly. "Yeah, I think you'll be fine on your own." Must be nice? As Thys stands, Kiena pushes away from the wall and moves slowly towards the door. She doesn't exactly smile back but some of that tension ebbs from her posture. "Figured you're not by the lack of yelling or finger pointing. We're all to blame in this, in some way and we're all going to pay for it in someway." Another pause and she grimaces. "I'd try not to point that out to them. I tried." Didn't go well, obviously. She opens the door, gesturing for Thys to step through but she doesn't follow. "Don't let me take up anymore of your time."

"Oh, trust me, I know better than to tickle sleeping dragons." Thys winks at Kiena, her grin growing by a notch. Nope, she won't be going complaining to the kids' parents, even if she'd like to. "You're not taking up my time. Perhaps we can have a drink or something, before you go home? If you're free, whenever. We can talk promotions, and things. Or whatever." A friendly shrug of one shoulder leaves it open, before she takes a step towards the door. "Up to you, of course. I'll see you later, perhaps?" And, following a smart little salute, she opens the door and slips through.


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