Ista Weyr - Prison Cell (This is part of an Istan TP)
Separated by a stone wall from the barracks, way at the back, with only a narrow archway as the exit in and out, is the prison cells of Ista Weyr. The cavern can be clammy when it gets really crowded or cool on otherwise empty days with its location deep in the mountain. The prisons are all made of thick metal bars fitted deep into the natural rock of the Weyr, deep and impossible to remove, and then separated by more bars in between to make for individual cells. Each cell is then decorated with a half-filled straw mattress on a low wooden pallet for a cot and a chamber pot hidden under it for the occupant's use.
It is very early morning of the second day of the arrest made in the small cothold in Ista. In the cells below Ista Weyr, many are still sleeping. Thea is awake, sitting quietly on her cot holding a small bag and a white card in her hand. She is not going through the bag however; it is not what holds her attention. It small card with the messy writing is in her hand as her fingers trace the writing there. Her head is bent forward, her hair providing a dark curtain about her face. The only movement she makes is to sneak a hand up under her hair and wipe at her eyes.
Quiet footsteps sound in the halls, preceding an arrival. The fellow has the knot of an Istan bluerider on his shoulder, and a badge denoting him as part of Ista's Ocean Sapphire wing. It's a muscular, auburn-haired man. No longer is he the boy that Impressed at Xanadu. A'dar is a man now, despite his age, the light of youth and shades of naivety gone from his countenance. He enters the area where the prisoners are being kept, and then pauses. He looks uncertain, as if he really doesn't know if he should be there or not….
It seems that finally, Sigam has surrendered to sleep. The dark bags under his eyes are slowly healing, and even though his left hand is twitching in a manner similar to a canine's when dreaming of chasing caprines, his sleep appears to be deep. Except, you know, he's snarling quietly in the back of his throat. Luckily for him, perhaps, Thea is occupied, but the newcomer might well be wary of this development. Or not. There's nothing really all that threatening about a twenty-something curled up on a straw mat whimpering intermittently, is there?
Thea's head lifts at the sound of steps, catches a glimpse of that auburn hair and the tall frame. She glances towards the other cells - still quiet, her eyes pause on Sigam and she smiles wee bit. She slips off her pallet and pads to the cell door in bare feet with that card in her hand. "A'dar." It's a whispered call to keep from awakening the others.
A'dar pauses as Sigam's snoring/snarling registered. He raises an eyebrow. But Sigam doesn't seem to be threatening, no. He's in a cell, so that makes him much less threatening. He looks up at the sound of his name, and looks to Thea. Again he pauses as if he's thinking about fleeing. But then he approaches the cell, so both he and Thea can speak without having to raise his voice too much. Though he doesn't actually say anything….
Well, we can't go having all this quietness and silence, can we? Nope. Sigam's subconscious agrees, and with a twitch and a 'yipe!!,' the Dragonhealer's body spasms all at once. Off the cot he tumbles, into a stunned and stupidly blinking pile of Sig on the floor. "Sharding… outside the… owwwww." A goose egg is appearing slowly on his forehead, and the man reaches up to clutch it with both hands, rolling onto his side. "Shardsss," he whines, crawling back onto his matress. "I wanted the cookie." With a muffled harrumph, he stares over in the general direction of Thea's cell, but doesn't seem as if he's going to comment or even say hello. Eyes eventually droop shut, though whether he's sleeping again or not is anyone's guess.
K'nan is startled awake by Sigam, or well what seems to be waking as she sits bolt upright, though she's not exactly aware of anything around her as she gives a sudden scream and flings something, though there seems to be absolutely nothing and she yells something incoherant and then there's "I've watched you! You're trying to kill me and the child!" Then there's silence and K'nan is blinking as she looks around actually and then yawns "Is it morning?"
Thea waits until A'dar is her cell door before speaking. She looks up, trying to catch his eyes. "A'dar. Thank you." She says it softly. Then tentatively reaches one hand through the bars to touch his hand if he will let her. "Why did you come?" That thud gets her attention and if that didn't the exclamation the dragonhealer makes certainly would. "You ok, Sigam?" Doubtful of receiving an answer, she turns back to A'dar with the question still in her eyes. K'nan's scream doesn't really get much of a response by now other than a quick flick of her eyes and back to her visitor.
A'dar frowns a little. "…I still remember," he notes. "We've all changed, Thea. Even you've changed. But I remember the people we used to be. Maybe I was…hoping to see a little of the person you used to be. Maybe I was hoping to find a tiny piece of the person I used to be…." He does look to both Sigam and K'nan, but doesn't give them much thought. They're in cells, they can't hurt him.
"Peachy," comes Sigam's reply, but it's slurred with oncoming sleep. The continuation of quiet voices serves to annoy him enough to roll over on his other side, arm pressing against one ear, but even that cannot keep the sound of K'nan's own rude awakening at bay. "Shh." The noise is short, pointed, and very angry, one eye opening to glare at the rider before it slides back shut. The muffled whispers slowly lull him back into fitful sleep, but at least he's shut up for the time being.
K'nan blinks almost owlishly at Sigam as she watches him go back to sleep. "Sorry." she murmurs and then her attention goes to the others. Her eyes curiously on A'dar curious as to who he might be, but then she seems to ignore him. She starts picking at the threads again on the pallets mattress, seeming content to occupy herself that way.
Thea listens, tilting her head up to see A'dar's eyes. "Yes." The tone is one of acceptance, if not happiness. "I'm sad about a lot of things, now. Mostly about the people I love." She reaches her hand further, "Adar, I think I already saw a part of the old you." She smiles a smile just for him, "Thanks for the sweets. May I share them with the others?" Sigam's mutter has her peeking over her shoulder, but the man seems to be asleep. She peeks around A'dar to smile with a twinkle at K'nan, putting a finger to her lips. She peers back to A'dar. "I'll be alright."
A'dar looks to Sigam again as he speaks, but does not reply. He doesn't want to disturb the other man. He's aware that K'nan's awake, and as she looks at him, she may note that he too is studying her for just a moment. Apparently he finds nothing about her particularly odd, as he looks back to Thea as she speaks. When Thea tilts her head to see his eyes…she will find little of the warmth that used to be there. He says nothing until she mentions the sweets in the bag. "If you'd like," he notes. "Whatever makes you happy; they're yours."
K'nan's apology earns a soft grunt from Sigam, but as sleep overtakes him, images start to reappear in his mind's eye. A hand shakes before seizing around the mattress. A leg jerks. Breathing becomes shallow and fitful. Little things that our whisperers may ignore, but that hints at the return of his dreams, whatever they are. Oh, just wait until he starts yipping!
K'nan isn't particularily odd. Nope, not her. However, she is no longer watching A'dar and is instead watching Sigam. She frowns a little and shakes her head somewhat. And him without someone to wake his mind from such things. She reaches out towards him, then remembers all the space that seperate thems and actually starts crooning a soft little lullaby that one would typically use on a young child.
Thea nods, "It would, yes. It makes me happy that you thought to bring them." She glances down at that card before asking, "Do you still work on clocks? I still have the watch you gave me as for Weyrling graduation." The rustling of that straw mattress caused by Sigam's movements draw another peep over the wyerwoman's shoulder. She gives the man a long stare. "Must talk to him about that." There's a tiny grin on her lips as K'nan stars singing. She doesn't shush her though. Who knows what that song will do in the subconscious mind of the dragonhealer? She turns back to A'dar. "How is Zeituth?" All her words are as softly spoken as she can make them.
"…He is good," A'dar replies, of Thea's question over Zeituth's well being. "We're keeping occupied in the Ocean Sapphire wing. It helps both of us…." He looks to the other prisoners. then he leans towards Thea's cell a little. "…I'll see if I can make sure you Xanaduians are well-treated." Notably, he does not say 'fellow' Xanaduians — clearly he doesn't feel that's his home anymore.
K'nan continues her soft crooning, moving from one lullabye to the next. She half closes her eyes and seems to be stroking her bundled blanket, much like one would a child. There's a tender smile on her face, as she now seems to be singing more to it than to Sigam.
Thea doesn't comment on where A'dar's home is now, instead she reaches to give one of his hands a small squeeze if he will let her. There's a sad curve to her lips, she's noticing he isn't mentioning clocks. "Thanks A'dar. That means a lot to me. They've been fine so far." Well, she's glossing over some things, but what is a prison but a different sort of learning experience? Hope colors her next words, "Can you see if they can get us some fresh fruits and vegetables? The bread and water is very good, but a little protein would be a good thing too." K'nan's singing has her smiling one of those kind of smiles one does for ancient aunties who are in there 'barely there' Turns. At the sound of louder voices approaching from the corridor, Thea pulls her hand back inside the bars, stepping back from the cell door. "Be well, friend."
A'dar frowns a little as Thea squeezes his hand. It looks like he's a bit sad for just a brief moment, until he composes himself. At Thea's request, he nods. "…I'll see what I can do," he promises. Pause. "I…am still working on clocks, yes…" he finally admits. "I don't have a lot of time…but yes." He gives a half-smile, one that just doesn't reach his eyes. He nods as the voices alert him, and draws back from Thea's cell. His explanation if he's questioned? Simple — he was checking on the prisoners. He /is/ S&R, after all….