Xanadu Weyr Region - Wooded Clearing
While the trees may not be overly thick the undergrowth certainly is, and there is a large open clearing settled away from the coast and the stream. Trees with large, knotted and in some places split, trunks ring the grassy clearing, large canopies casting everything into shadow. Shrubs grow up around the bottoms of the trees - some with flowers and others with large, leafy fronds. It is these shrubs that give away the presence of a few narrow path cutting back to the coast, as well as one meandering down towards the stream, as the leaves are bent awkwardly halfway up their length.
In the center of the clearing, oddly enough, is a campfire ring, marked out with the smooth, flat rocks from the nearby stream. While its not a perfect circle, it does its job, for settled amidst it is a neatly built fire. What is, perhaps, even odder is that the fire hasn't been lit, despite the circle of large rocks settled around it in a half circle.
It's common knowledge that at a certain age, weyrbrats are to make something of themselves and choose a craft. Either that, or they find some way to be useful around the Weyr. Become messengers. Kitchenmaids. Stablehands. …Something. Idle hands are never a good thing, and so parents and fosters send their little boys and girls off to classes and lessons to learn how to become productive citizens! And they do. Most of the time. But then, there are young citizens like the three youths we presently have. Atreyo, Beatrice, and Mud. All three have outstanding fosters who have secured them places to be during the day. Atreyo is supposedly a woodcraft apprentice. Beatrice, a cavernmaid. And Mud? Well, he's not exactly sure just where his fosters have placed him as he hasn't shown up once. The three of them constantly ditch their responsibilities to partake in activities that are a lot more fun. Sneaking into places they aren't supposed to be. Drinking at the ripe age of thirteen. And, their favorite, lounging around and doing nothing at all, which is on their agendas today. They've snuck away from the Weyr proper and have headed out to their usual hangout within a clearing. Beatrice has brought the booze, which she holds in one hand while the guys crowd around and snickering at something they've found in the high grass.
Meanwhile, Ka'el has led a mini-class on sweeps. Sure there's probably zero chance that Kairo and Innes will be tapped into Galaxy, but the areas of Xanadu are still important to know to every rider. Thus, Ka'el has led the young goldrider and a certain Junior on a sweep. Just to get out. Just to fly because there's a certain joy in being up in the air with your lifemate, and it's a beautiful spring day to fly. And so they flew together for a while before separating to fly over different areas with the instruction to rendezvous in the clearing. Thus, Ka'el is in other parts of the sky upon Kanekith making his way back in no real hurry.
…just because if she doesn't fly now, she may never get the chance? That's not Innes. Well. Not just Innes, though paperwork certainly looms for the gold weyrling. Soriana, though… her riding jacket does fit. At least, the riding jacket she's wearing does. If she's had to change it out because the one she had before no longer closes right over her stomach? Yeah, well, she's certainly not about to comment on that fact! If she ignores it enough it might go away. Probably won't, but might - and even if it doesn't go away, it can at least be pushed aside for long enough to enjoy a ride on Luraoth. The small gold took a sweep over the sea, a dance through clouds and skim down to near enough the waves to feel the occasional bit of spray. A good way to spend the day! And so Soriana's got a grin as Luraoth turns from that sweep of the waves (no suspicious dolphins!) and turns back toward the clearing. There it is, up ahead! Is she the first one back? Well. Then there's no rush to arrive, and Luraoth lets the wind carry her as she glides closer.
Lessons are much better in the miniature, it seems. At least when said mini-class involves flying, Soriana and Ka'el, and… no more trips between to stare at corpses. And this one has all four! Good job, Ka'el. The fresh air is much needed for Innes, who has been largely confined to her weyr when not at lessons. There's so much just… lurking on the horizon, waiting for her. Or at least it used to lurk. Now it seems more like it's advancing upon her swiftly with a black bag in hand, ready to line her up for execution. But hey, it's a beautiful day! So Innes is doing her darndest to ignore everything but the wind on her face and the still-novel sensation of flying (mostly) on her own. Kairoikyriath is rather taken with the outline of shapes on the horizon, but Innes pointedly steers her back toward the clearing. Adventures await another day… for now they'll follow instructions.
"Guys…this is seriously like…the dumbest thing ever," sighs Beatrice who flops down on one of those large rocks that circles the forgotten campfire ring. "C'mon, I swiped this from the fosters for us," she lifts the amber bottle and gives it a wiggle. "or are you gunna spend all your stupid time lookin' at that stupid thing?" Her greasy brown hair could definitely stand for a wash. Or maybe that's the look she's going for. Grunge!
One of the boys, Atreyo, who has blonde hair that's been buzz-cut to his head, snickers over his shoulder. "Ain't like we're in a rush or nothin'.." he guffaws. "We got all day. C'mere and lookit this. We already done got it half out its shell. Cracked it myself with this." He proudly holds up a stick, pointed at the end. His grand accomplishment! Beatrice looks less than impressed, but she does get up and drags herself closer, bottle still in hand.
The third miscreant, the boy named Mud who has shaggy hair a color that matches his name and covers a majority of his eyes, says a whole lot of nothing but stares up while the others look down. There are dragons up there. … Purdy. Two of them. He can't tell the color of them but they're bound to merely fly over, right?
Yeah, Soriana knows all about things lurking. They loom as a distant dread and then before you know it they come up and eat you whole! …or do other unpleasant things. Today is a day for ignoring those things! It's a day for flying, and as Luraoth's glide takes her to the clearing, the gold begins to cup the air with her wings to prepare for landing. All seat backs and tray tables should be in their upright and fully locked positions! Because Luraoth is coming in for a touchdown and… huh. There are people down there, and Soriana's pretty sure it's not Ka'el and Innes back early, because she'd have a hard time missing one of their dragons. "…wonder who…" she murmurs to herself, words lost over the sound of wings as Luraoth continues with that landing. It's probably nothing! Certainly not renegades or something else that would require actual worrying about…
Somewhere, at some point in the lessons, it's a fair bet that Innes and Kairoikyriath were taught to watch where they were landing. All in the interest of avoiding sharp things, general danger, and… squishing unsuspecting people. Supposedly, that's bad. But as Kairoikyriath slows her descent with an easy shift in the angle of her wings and (gracefully!) lands in the clearing, Innes is really only paying attention to Soriana and Luraoth, and not those… funny moving blobs she half noticed from the sky. But look! They didn't squish any of them, so that makes it all okay, right?
Not renegades, no. It's worse…. Teenagers! "Uh…" says Mud who has watched the descent of the gold dragons. Oh yes, he can see their colors now! As for the color of his own eyes…if one can get behind the hair, they'd be seen as a rather pretty hazel color. And those hazels are on Kairo and Luraoth because they're hard things to disregard. Unless you're too busy poking at a hatchling, which his cohorts seem engrossed with.
Hey, no one said teens are the brightest creatures on Pern. And these three definitely aren't the cream of the crop in the terms of intelligence, or even observance for that matter! "Heh, look I bet this wasn' even ready to come out yet. Y'ever seen a half-ready firelizard?" cackles Atreyo who crouches lower in the grass, an arm leaned on his knee while the other, stick-wielding one, pokes at the blob who is still encased in the bottom half of its shell. It sure looks blobby. And wet. And… *chiiirp!* "Ha! There it goes. Thought it was dead." Beatrice snickers amusedly, showing an ounce of interest now that some activity is seen. And the breeze is picking up! She lifts an arm to shield herself from the blockade of wind, turning her head to glare at… "Uh oh." Dragons. Gold ones! No wonder there was a gust. "Hey… Hey Trey, we got company," said as she 'hides' that bottle behind her back.
Not squishing people is… usually… good. There may be exemptions sometimes! Certain cases where maybe, actually, it'd be better for all involved if certain people were squished into oblivion. Not that Soriana ever makes lists like that. Not her! She glances to Innes as Kairoikyriath lands, lifting an arm in a wave to the younger goldrider. A wave, and then… a point! Lookit this. They've got company! Soriana's gaze takes in the three rogue teens, and then she swings off her dragon to approach. Time for a closer look!
Innes has a list like that. It's long, and detailed, and chiefly involves the name Praela over and over again. But really, who's going to argue with her about that? It's not until Soriana's gesture toward the wayward youths that Innes bothers to pay them any heed. Now that they're safely on the ground, though, Kairoikyriath has taken an interest in their unexpected company. Are they from Xanadu? Aren't they supposed to be doing… things? (She's still a little unclear on what those less important people do.) As Innes dismounts and falls into step beside Soriana, Kairoikyriath begins an approach and inspection of her own. Are these miscreants from her Weyr? Who's letting them get away with this?
"Come on you stupid lil'…Get outta there.." Atreyo jabs his stick to the bottom of the firelizard's egg, crumbling it, causing the slimy baby to roll. "Heh-heh. This is a fat one, lookit it." This is a wonderful find! There's nothing like tormenting baby wild firelizards to pass the time, right? He couldn't possibly be doing anything constructive with his time, right? *FWAP!* "OW! Hey!" He's suddenly slapped against the back of his head, and he presses a hand to the back of his head while glaring up at Beatrice. "Wut'ya do that for?" he sneers, only to follow her gaze to.. Oh. That. Dragons with riders coming their way! "Grabbit," he mutters to Mud before he too rises and brushes himself off to fix the two women with a defensive glare. They're obviously here to spoil their fun, as all adults tend to do when they come across them! He and Beatrice fix themselves to stand in front of the slightly smaller Mud, who has obediently grabbed the firelizard by the tail. (Again, not the wisest bunch of the Weyr, here) *waaail!* goes baby lizard, who really has had a rather rude introduction to the world. Ignoring the tell-tale cries for help behind him, Atreyo lightly juts his chin up. "What?"
At a distance, Kanekith can be seen finally making an appearance. Here comes Ka'el to meet up at the rendezvous point! He's still a little ways off, but the spot of him can be seen.
The answer to who's to blame is probably a complicated one. Some people like to blame the parents. Others, the teachers! Still others, society at large. At the moment… Soriana's expression starts out as one of curiosity and mild disapproval. Only mild, because… heh, she's not all that far from days spent sneaking out to have fun. From a certain point of view, she's doing that right now! …but only from a certain point of view. The once-mild disapproval deepens into more of a frown as Soriana hears the squalling of that firelizard. What. "You tell me," she informs Atreyo. "And put that down." She may not be able to see what Mud has, but she can hear that someone has something what's not happy about the being had.
Between the two of them, Soriana is the future mother, here, so she should be the one to deal with troublemaking teens, right? It's practice! It also spares the teens from Innes, who's still working on mastering that whole "diplomatic approach" to this (or any) sort of situation. She stands beside her fellow goldrider with an impassive expression, letting the other woman do the talking. It'll involve fewer cuffs on the ear for the wayward trio, in the end. Kairoikyriath, on the other hand, leans her head down over the teens, sniffing at Atreyo for a moment before snorting in digust. He even smells like trouble. Or maybe that's just unwashed youth. Either way, the gold is highly suspicious. It's the crying that finally gets to Innes, as she says calmly, "I'd listen to Soriana, or we could always get a dragon to carry you about until you start making that sound."
"We aren't doin' nothin'," snorts Beatrice, who keeps both hands concealed behind her back in an impressive display of innocence. United they stand! It's three against two anyway. Nevermind the fact that the two of them are Weyrwomen. That's obvious by their golds. Innes' weyrling state doesn't quiet register, but she's a goldrider all the same. And plus, it's her dragon that's sniffing about! So obviously, she's the one to keep an eye on, right? "Pfbt!" Atreyo flails his arms and backsteps away from the big nostrils that sniff at him. Lucky him, that could've been dragon teeth instead! "You can't do nothin' to us," he retorts, taking her threat as an empty one. "B'sides, that lizard is mine. I can do whatever I want with it," he says impetuously. Mud peeks out from behind his two friends, the plump firelizard's tail still within his grasp. He's fallen back into his usual silence, the wheels of his brain slowly creaking as he tries to figure out just what he's supposed to be doing. Let it go like the gold ladies say? Keep it, like Trey says? So. Confused.
Kanekith glides closer. Ka'el can see the two queens, and he nods to himself. They beat him! The bronze circles once before he settles on the ground, wings folding. Neatly behind him. Hmmm, what's going on over there?
…or maybe - since Soriana will have to deal with troublemaking teens of her own someday - Innes should handle these ones! It's only fair to spread around the burden. Besides. Surely any kids of Soriana's won't be nearly this much trouble! They'll be just as well behaved as… Soriana and Kale… uh… well the point is, they'll be well-behaved. Unlike Beatrice, whose comment is either a double negative (and admission of guilt) or else evidence of their slacking, which is part of the problem. Unlike Atreyo, who seems to have skipped the harper lessons on who can do what to whom around the Weyr. Unlike Mud, who… has very poor taste in friends. Soriana takes a moment to survey this united (and confused - hi Mud!) front. Is that how this is going to be? "Okay," she says, and smiles. "Kairoikyriath?" Not that she says what she expects from the gold. Not that Luraoth does, either as she hangs back and watches. That's okay, because really, it's just a distraction as Soriana reaches for a pair of collars. Atreyo! Beatrice! So nice to meet you. "I can see your firelizard is important to you." Uh… whose firelizard? "So, let's give you a chance to focus on it."
No, it should definitely be Soriana dealing with these ones. Except… Innes is now involving herself, too, because some innocent creature is in trouble… and one of those teenagers just dared to tell her what she couldn't do. "Do you think anyone here is going to stop me?" she questions, looking rather too smug about it all. Even if Soriana did disapprove, there'd be no good way to demote her, other than forcing her to keep her weyrling knot. All those looming future things considered, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea. At the sound of her name, Kairoikyriath opens her mouth, allowing the threesome the honor of a front row view of all her stunning teeth. See these? Yes? Good. Innes' brows arch, and she doesn't quite manage to stifle a laugh as Soriana grabs the two by the collar. "What else've you got there?" she asks suddenly, peering around Beatrice's back. There's a bottle! Oh, this keeps getting better and better. And all the while, Kairoikyriath just… looms.
Huh? Kairo-who-what-eth? Atreyo's glare falters a little. Are they really going to 'snarling' sic that gold on them? On him? "Y-you can't…" he begins, looking very troubled indeed as he glances to his friends, who are suddenly grabbed. "Hey!" protests Beatrice, who scowls and tries to pull away. But she's truly losing some of her nerve now. They could be in real trouble, after all. These are Weyrwomen! And nevermind the stupid firelizard, she has stolen contraband behind her back! Contraband that unfortunately doesn't go forgotten by Innes, and her sudden interest in what she has behind her back startles Beatrice enough that her grip on the bottle slips and the bottle falls to the ground. Oops. There goes the booze. "Uh oh.." grunts Mud, who doesn't look very concerned that he's grabbed, even though he's the one with the wiggly, crying firelizard in his hand, held upside down by the tail. Lemme go lemme go gimme food lemme go! *charrrrp!* Atreyo scowls and frowns at everyone. This has just gotten from bad to worse. "Whatya want me to do? Call it over?… Easy," he says, setting his jaw. "An' when it comes, you…you'd better let'm go," he says, gesturing to his captured friends. Ka'el is arriving right on time, isn't he? And what does he see? A toothy Kairo, an alcohol bottle rolling, a wailing firelizard with shell-bits still stuck to it, and Soriana with two youngsters by the collar. Well! This seems like…an occasion for him to look stern, right? Even though he has no clue why he's looking stern. He pauses near Innes…looking stern. Grr.
This is - clearly - a case of rampant corruption and the dragonriders keeping the weyrfolk down. They're even using their dragons for the intimidation factor! So unjust. So… not letting them go. Which is really the problem here. Soriana's not letting go, just like Mud is… not letting go of that firelizard. She gives the smaller boy a bit of a shake. "Let it go." Him go? She's not sure, though it is - under the glisten of egg-wet - kinda shiny. Bright! Unlike Mud, who will maybe follow Beatrice's example in this and actually release the poor critter. "If it comes," Soriana says to Atreyo, "I'll be taking you three for a course in firelizard care before I put you in the cells." Lesson one: don't dangle them by the tail. Soriana glances over to Ka'el as he arrives - ooh, good stern look - then back to Mud. Well?
Oh hello, contraband. Innes wears a triumphant smile as she watches the bottle go rolling. She may not be able to confirm the contents with a glance (although it's not exactly hard to guess), but the 'hidden' factor makes it seem deviant either way. "Easy?" she repeats with a derisive snort. She hasn't gotten a good view of the thing yet, but the glimpses have told her that the poor thing probably doesn't know up from down, let alone how to come when it's called. "I'd be happy to take them back myself." Her tone is light, but she makes a point of glancing up at Kairoikyriath as she speaks. Yes, children, that is a threat. Ka'el's arrival at her side receives a glance, and the slight quirk of a smile. Hey look, it's the Weyrleader! Now it's a real party.
Let it go. Yes sure he can do that! Mud's fisted hand suddenly unfists, and the dangling rolly-polly lizard falls to the ground with a *screech!* .. Well. She didn't say let it go gently? Luckily, baby lizards tend to be hardy things, and this one is no different. It lands on the grass and tumbles head over tail, collecting grass and dirt on the way. Just what color is the little guy? Brown or bronze, possibly, though that'll be easier to tell once it's all cleaned up. And undizzied. And omgosh why is life so hard? "Cells?!" shrieks Beatrice, staring wide-eyed at the Weyrwomen and … gasp, the Weyrleader too? "I told you dummies to leave that stupid firelizard alone!" she says, writhing a bit in Soriana's grasp. Because you see, the firelizard is the problem. Not the alcohol…nope. Atreyo's eyes go as big as saucers at the mentioning of cell-time. He doesn't want to go to jail! "J-just wait and see. Come here Lizard! C'mere.." He snaps his fingers and whistles and clicks his tongue. Here lizard, lizard, lizard! The hatchling, who has finally found his feet, can only look at the giants with eyes that swirl a color of fright. He doesn't like it here! Not even a little. He doesn't like you, Atreyo! Or you, Beatrice! Or you, Mud! Or you, Weyrwomen! Or yo-… Oh wait. There's something about that one over there that he does like, indeed. He's found a safe place, he knows it! And so, with a yippish chirp, he scurry-waddles his plump little self right over to .. Ka'el? Heeeelp meee!
"Oh, good," Soriana says, smiling to Innes as the weyrling offers to give rides. So convenient! Innes will probably even clean up the evidence if she decides to push them off mid-flight instead of actually returning to the Weyr with them in tow… which would mean less paperwork! Win-win. Except for… well. Except for the troublesome teens themselves, who would probably rather survive to be thrown in the cells. "Best place to keep you," Soriana says serenely to those protests. "At least until somebody comes looking." Which… they'll probably do whenever she tells them, but there's nothing like an hour of terror to prepare someone for a lecture they won't soon forget. Soriana winces as the firelizard is dumped, but at least he starts scampering promptly, so he's probably doing okay. Run, little firelizard! Run free and… uh… okay, so she wasn't expecting him to go for Atreyo. She… also wasn't expecting him to go for Ka'el, but… he does. Soriana raises an eyebrow, lifting gaze from bronze firelizard to bronze rider, and smirks slightly before looking back to the kids. "So."
Innes the Helpful, that's what they should call her. Always volunteering to assist others… at least when said volunteering involves traumatizing a bunch of teenage firelizard terrorizers. The young woman cants her head, smiling rather serenely as Soriana details what's to become of them. "Of course, I don't know why they'd come looking, because I'm sure they'll all assume you're hard at work at whatever you're meant to be doing." Because if they're sneaking around with booze, chances are they're not Xanadu's most dedicated workers. She hisses quietly when the poor firelizard hits the ground, her gaze narrowing on Mud. But the thing is alive, in spite of whatever sort of brain-scrambling treatment it might have received. And it likes Ka'el? "They must've shaken it too hard."
"HEY! Y'stupid shardi-.." Atreyo's holler gets cut right there, for he seems to have forgotten that he is already in trouble. A dragon ride by Ms. Snarly Dragon over there is not what he wants. Nope. He just wants to…go. Yup. That's the same thing that Beatrice wants. And little Mud too. And Ka'el? Well, he didn't really want a fat firelizard climbing up his trouser leg, digging its claws into the fabric and ripping little holes into it. "Ack, hey! Hey…watch it!" Those claws are getting awful close to delicate areas, and thus he bends down to help the little guy up, carrying him in his arms. *chirrrrup!* Nestlenestle! He knew it'd be good here. Let him just get a look at those eyes…and.. Impression! <3! "…Wait, what?" That stern look has been replaced by a bewildered look. .. What just happened? Blue eyes sweep over to Innes at her quip, and he "ha ha's" sarcastically before smirking at her. "Very. Funny." He looks to Soriana,a bit sheepishly, but..ahem! Stern face is back! "Weyrwomen, what do you think ought to happen to these three?" Yeah weyrbrats are your territory, not his!
"Jus' let us go home! We promise we ain't gonna do it again!" cries Atreyo. "We swear!"
Awwww, the love of an impressee for bondmate! The love that Atreyo is SO not showing. The love that Ka'el… well, picking up the poor maltreated little lizard is a start. Holding it and… yes, there it is, the very special moment when a firelizard decides, with or without the consent of a human, that it has made a New Best Friend. "Too late now," she says to… Ka'el? Innes's comment about how this proves the critter's brains are scrambled? Who knows! There are other unknown things, like… why anyone would come looking for these kids. Soriana hmms to Innes, as if she hadn't thought of that at all, and nods. "True," she says, and asks Beatrice casually, "When's your curfew?" …also, how often does she skip out on it? But never mind that, Soriana (being the most senior weyrwoman here, even if she's still (technically) the most junior one who's not still a weyrling) has to assign these three their fates. Thus, she nods to Ka'el, then returns her attention to… Atreyo! "What aren't you going to do again?" she asks sweetly. Go on. Tell her! Before it's too late for you.
Innes is the portrait of innocence for a few spare seconds as she glances at Ka'el, before her expression morphs into a sly grin. With a shrug, she states, "I thought it was hilarious." The little firelizard is safe now, so her inappropriately timed humor is… slightly more appropriate? At least no one is suffering while she gets a laugh. Except the teenagers. She turns her gaze back to them, carefully fixing a blank expression on her face. Or at least, she attempts to do so, but she's having a difficult time hiding the way her eyes want to crinkle around the edges and her lips want to curl into a smile. "Well, you know what I'd like to do with them." Sadism is alive and well at Xanadu? It's a good thing she just has the illusion of authority for the moment, and not the actual power. Kairoikyriath has (for the moment) retreated, leaving Innes to smirk… threateningly at Soriana's side. Yes, Atreyo! Answer that question. She'll just be the Bad Weyrwoman to Soriana's… Sort of Good Weyrwoman.
“Curfew?” Beatrice says the word as if she’s never heard it before, her look once again surly. No one can keep her in if she doesn’t want to be in! … Not that she’ll say that out loud. Maybe someone does have a little common sense! At times. Though that’s not going to help her foster parents when they get filled in on the events of today. Mud cringes at Innes’ reply. “Eat us..” he mumbles beneath his breath…though he’s probably speaking towards what Kairo would do, not Innes herself. Unless he believes Innes to be a cannibal … which she might be! She’s scary. Atreyo’s left in the spotlight now, the voice for them all. That’s what he gets for being the ‘leader’ of this motley crew. He ducks his head down, shouldering lifting enough that they nearly graze the bottom of his red ears. Stupid stupid Weyrwomen.. “We won’t..skip out again,” he murmurs. “An’ not..mess with firelizard eggs.” He peers at them with a frowned look. Is that good enough?%r”And no drinkin’!” pipes up Mud, who for a moment, beams. Look, he helped! … Oh right. HE forgot. They’re in trouble. His beaming grin disappears and he hides back behind his hair.
Ka’el has a handful of shivering hatchling to deal with, and thus he’s glad the two goldriders are here to deal with the kids.. Yeesh. Are teenagers usually like..this?
"Oh," Soriana says to the lack of curfew, and glances to Innes. "I suppose nobody'd miss them until morning, then." She starts to look back to the kids, then pauses. "Well, at least morning." It could be days! Sevens, stuck in the slammer! Mud gets a smile from Soriana for his helpful contribution, followed by a glance off in the direction to which Kairoikyriath receded. That's right, Sori is the nice one here. So good luck? …yeah, this bunch will need it. Atreyo! Explain things. Ideally to Soriana's satisfaction, but just between you and her, she doesn't have high hopes. Not skipping out? Her nod is encouraging. Not messing with firelizard eggs? Also good, have another bit of nod. And…? Mud, so obliging! "Those are all good things not to do," Soriana agrees. "So that's our plan. You're going to show up for work, be kind to animals, and not drink, and in return, I'm not going to put you in jail." She's so benevolent! "I'm sure you'll remember that, but just in case I forget, you're going to go back to the Weyr now and write it down for me." Soriana smiles. "Innes, would you mind following them? I bet Kairoikyriath'd be good at pursuit, I've seen her hunting." These things are not actually related.
Innes would never eat these teenager, if only because they'd probably taste terrible. They're bad stock, after all, and they look stringy on top of that. Not that… Innes is contemplating how their captives would taste. "At least the morning," she agrees with as much solemnity as she can muster. The look she levels upon the three troublemakers suggests that she expects it to be much longer. Who's going to go looking for children like them when they can be kept safely under lock and key? Atreyo's explanation is hardly enough for the young goldrider (although Mud's contribution does get a quirk of a grin), but… Soriana is in charge. And seeing as Sori's semi-benevolent side once got her out of a great deal of trouble, well, she can't really argue with it. However, she does have a suggestion of her own. "Maybe if they don't live up to those promises, we can drop them off at Mire instead. You can carry your own weight or die alone in the swamps." Such fond memories! Her head turns to meet Kairoikyriath's gaze, and their silent consultation takes only moments. She turns back to the group with a toothy grin. "We'd love to hunt… uh, follow them."
"Wait! I mean, we have a curfew!" pipes up Beatrice, hurriedly. Oh how quickly she changes her tune! "Yeah…yeah sure, like…uh…if I'm not home before the dinner rush, they'll worry!" Since, you know, she's supposed to work the kitchens during breakfast and lunch times. Supposed to. She turns worried eyes to Atreyo. They're bluffing right? They…wouldn't really lock them up like common criminals! … Right? Atreyo's looking less punkish and more…like a worried thirteen turn old who is on his way to juvie. Maybe this will be a wakeup call for him. Soriana and Innes, straightening up the youth of Xanadu one scare tactic at a time! And now, they're going to be hunted by the snarly gold? And they have to write something? This is just getting worse and worse! It might've been less troublesome for them to just … go to work like they were supposed to. Three pairs of eyes swing to Innes at the mention of Mire and swamps. Mire? And the backwards folk that scuttle in the water? "We'll write, we'll write!" says Atreyo, who quickly picks up that bottle that was dropped, likely to hand it over once they're back in the Weyr proper. He shoves at his friends, pushing them along. "C'mon, let's go. We're going, see! Straight back.." A nervous look is given to Kairo as they hustle along. "…This blows…" muttered.
Ka'el, with his new plump Bestie in his arms, looks from the trio to the Weyrwomen. "..Not exactly how I imagined sweeps ending, but… It's good to be prepared for everything, right?" He grins. Ah, teachable moments! Thanks teens.
Not only that, these teens might be pickled, and the only one here with an excuse to have strange cravings for pickles is Soriana. Mmm, pickles. Maybe she'll go by those kitchens and see if Beatrice is there! ..uh, that, is, go by the kitchens for a snack and just happen to notice Beatrice (or not) in passing. Really, though, she'll probably forget all about this by tomorrow. That written note is so that when someone else has to deal with these three in the future, they'll know that they're repeat offenders and should have the book thrown at them! Possibly literally? (That might depend on if Innes is working then.) Soriana looks back to Innes and grins - actually grins - for a moment. "Oh, that would be much more convenient. We have to actually feed people in the cells." Or at least… she thinks they do, but she's the Nice Weyrwoman. Others may not agree! Soriana releases the teens to flee their way back to the Weyr and promise to definitely do better next time. Or else! Soriana looks back to Innes. "Never promise anything you're not willing to deliver." Or make any threats you're not willing to carry through. "But always be prepared to back down." Or, to put it another way, don't go into negotiations with your final offer. Haggle a bit! That's her sage advice for dealing with wayward teens. Maybe she won't entirely crash and burn at parenthood?
And victory goes to the Weyrwomen! As if there was ever really any doubt. Innes bites back a laugh but doesn't bother hiding her smile as the teenagers repent and agree to do their time. Or… write a note. Either way, punishment has been served and the youth of Xanadu will (hopefully) abide. Or else! "You earn your food in the cells," she corrects with a little wave of her hand. Through absolute silence and good behavior. Basically, these three would starve. She wiggles her fingers in a little farewell as the troublemakers take off, with Kairoikyriath taking a few steps after them for good measure… just in case they thought this would be over as soon as they turned their backs. "Oh, I was willing to deliver on all of that," she answers Soriana confidently (or alarmingly?). But still, Sori's advice is noted with a quick bob of her head. "So, hit 'em hard and take it from there." The hitting hard part isn't difficult. It's the backing down she'll need some practice with. And hey, parenting shouldn't be too hard. All Soriana has to do is survive that part before they have reasoning skills and can understand consequences. It's only a few turns, really. "I think I'm going to make good on that promise to follow them home," she announces with a grin and a glance to her waiting gold. Are they planning to fly lower than necessary and terrify the youngsters once or twice? Maybe. It's all in a day's work.
Ka'el doesn't miss those teenage turns of life at all .. but he wasn't that much trouble, was he? "Sage advice," he snickers to Soriana as he looks from one goldrider to the next, eventually laughing. "Shards, Xanadu has nothin' to worry about with the two of you in charge. We'll be the Weyr with the most obedient weyrbrats Pern has ever known." And obedient kids grow into law-abiding citizens, right? "Don't scare'm too much," he says to Innes, making no move to discourage her from shadowing them. They probably need it, anyway. As for him, he has his new little friend to take care of. Baby lizards need food! And this one, poked and prodded as he's been, probably deserves a little extra. "Gotta get this little guy home and get some food in him. Get him calmed down." And the best way to do that is to bring him to a weyr that's already filled with firelizards and tunnelcats, right? Sure! The terrible teenage trio will get back with no further issues, thanks to their very big and very gold chaperone. And Ka'el, Sori, and their dragons will make it back with no further hiccups either, not counting those that emit from their new little housemate. Pft. And who said sweeps were boring?
"Well, yes," Soriana admits of those cells and feeding-time. Though really, someone would probably toss them a sop before they starved - while skeletons are handy for terrorizing the next set of prisoners, the smell of dead bodies is aw-ful. Not that Xanadu's prisons actually have much experience with that. Really, it's kind of an overstatement to call them prisons. Xanadu's few cells that mostly serve as a drunk tank. Details! The point is, these kids don't want to go there, just like they don't want to be dangled from Kairoikyriath's jaws until they squeak like baby firelizards. Soriana nods to Innes's assurances that she was willing to carry through on that. "Good." …yeah, 'Nice Weyrwoman' is kinda relative here. But now, this problem has been averted, and that means it's time for the next problems! Soriana nods to Innes, giving her a lazy might-be-a-salute and a grin. "You do that." Maybe she'll hear the screams when Kairoikyriath dives. Maybe she won't, because she'll be heading back with Ka'el to a weyr that's now up to three baby animals… not counting the one still in her belly. Maybe they're practicing?