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's early early in Ista when there're some raised voices just outside, some sounding gruff and another determined. And then suddenly F'yr's pushing her way in glaring over her shoulder, giving the guard there a huff. She stops just inside, though, eyes adjusting to the gloomier inside as she takes in her surroundings, blinking a few times. And then her head turns this way and that, actually focusing on the cells.
K'nan is sleeping like a babe, all quiet and everything. There isn't even any snoring coming from her let alone screams from night terrors. She shifts a little as she turns over, pulling the blanket with her and her holey socks peeking out from under the covers.
It's only been a few days, but apparently D'son is reverting back to Istan time because he's still sacked out too. And snoring. One arm is slung across his face and he's starting to look a bit more 'I'm a dirty prisoner' than he was formerly. His cellmate, Sigam is likewise asleep and not snoring.
Thea's asleep also. Might as well take advantage of the silence while you can, right? She's sleeping with her back to the wall, curled up on her side facing the cell door, a habit she's developed while in here. Her face cannot be seen, her hair providing a convenient curtain, is tumbled over it in her very own little makeshift tent.
F'yr sort of rocks on her feet as she takes in the quiet cells. Sleeping prisoners… not what she had expected really. For a moment it looks like she's going to turn around, but then moves on instead, peeking into each cell. "How can you sleep?" she mutters down to Thea, very softly, and then wincing at the way her voice travels in the quiet place. Moving on… she even starts passing the snoring Weyrleader before stopping, turning around and leaning into the bars to get a good look at him. "Dels?" she hisses/whispers, trying to keep as low as possible.
Snore. Snerk. And D'son's eyes flutter open, the weyrleader blinking a few times, then rolling over. "Fy?" he answers and blinks some more, then pushes hastily to his feet and crosses to the brownrider. "Hey …" he says to her with a smile and reaches through the bars for her hands.
K'nan shifts a little in her sleep and then stretches and curls back up again as the talking begins. But, it doesn't rouse her of yet. Nope, she's still nice and out of it and likely thankfully silent.
Thea doesn't awaken at either the mutter to her or the one to D'son. She's gotten used to some noise while here, thanks to K'nan over there. Even used to the snoring from D'son and yipping from Sigam has finally eroded her subconscious ear. That snerk though is the final knock upon the door of her dreams. Her hand reaches out, pats and then stills. She sighs but doesn't move right away. Awake though and likely noticeable as her breathing has changed.
F'yr isn't smiling, but there's some relief on her face in seeing D'son… alive? unhurt? awake? "You snore," she points out by way of greeting, apparently at a loss for most other words. She gives a side-look towards the other occupants in the prison as her hands meet his, giving them a squeeze. "Didn't mean to wake you if you ain't getting much sleep at all here." She turns her chin up, studying him with a frown.
"Yeah? Huh. You know, neither you nor Ais has either said that before," D'son says chipperly enough and threads his fingers through Fy's. "Actually, I'm sleeping great," the Weyrleader claims with a sheepish laugh. "If it weren't you know, all prison like this would /almost/ be a vacation," he notes wryly. "How'd you get here though? Is Zaru better?"
Thea shifts on her mattress, the murmurs of voices relaxes her rather than waking her further. Anything beats snoring, singing, rattling mugs on the wall and crazy-babble. She seems to doze, but it is fitful, likely fraught by dreams for the absolute stillness her form had is marred by tiny twitches now and then.
"Neither of us had to see you snoring in prison 'fore, since we're usually /both/ asleep…" F'yr is depressed enough for both of them, though his chipper attitude seems to make her slump her shoulders more. She stares at their hands for a moment before untangling one of them to give him a poke. "Hah. How 'bout a /real/ vacation sometime. And I thought I would've taught you good 'nough not to get caught like this. 'Least you wouldn't've if I was there." At least she sounds confident enough about that. She tilts her head again to look at Thea and then at Sigam, each one getting a pitying look in turn. "Doesn't look like they're getting good sleep." His question makes her shake her head slowly. "He's asleep in Xanadu. Mom brought me."
"Picked the wrong place to set down is all," D'son says with a shrug about how they got caught and incarcerated. "Well if I really snore that badly, that could be why," the weyrleader says sheepishly. "Maybe I should put a pin on my nose? Only I don't have one." His forehead dips down towards hers, could touch maybe almost, through the bars. "Ahhh. Gotcha. Well tell Rupa thanks?"
F'yr makes a face but doesn't say anything else about it, instead turning to regard the sleepers. "Sigam there hasn't tried to kill you yet if you're keeping him up, so maybe it ain't all that bad." Seeing that there wasn't much audience, the young brownrider leans forward and— thunk. Even her small head can't squeeze through the bars, but at least their foreheads looked like they were touching. "If you need anything… well, Chu's smart 'nough to bring it, if I can get her to. And… I'll tell Mom." She doesn't sound like she really will.
"Nope, no attempted murder yet on any counts," D'son says with a shake of his head. Okay so foreheads can only just barely touch, but if Dels puckers up … yep, can kiss her forehead! "Well we're being fed. But you know, burgers are always better than meatrolls and bread and cheese and water?" the Weyrleader says hopefully, then reaches up to touch Fy's cheek gently. "It won't be forever. Just need to get things sorted out. Talk to the Weyrwoman. You know."
F'yr's eyes close briefly and she sighs, but it's not one of those happy sighs. "Chu can manage to carry a burger. And if you eat it fast 'nough after she drops it off…" her voice does lower, and her eyes flicker briefly around the other cells. "They can't make you cough it up. 'Cept Sigam might fight you for it." She leans her head a bit at the touch, still frowning. "Has Ais been able to get by yet?" She pulls away at the mumble, looking into Thea's cell. "Morning, ma'am."
"Heh, yeah. I don't think anyone's trying to /starve/ us to be honest, Fy. I mean really, we didn't do anything wrong," the Weyrleader says slowly. "Just maybe a little stupid," he has to concede. "Mm. She's been coming by," he says with a touch of reserve about his weyrmate. And there's Thea waking. "Hey, Thea."
"Probably not, but they ain't giving you burgers and bubblies here I bet," says F'yr, running her thumb over his hand. "You ain't stupid. Just… not sneaky 'nough." Because he got caught. Her forehead wrinkles up about the comment on his weyrmate but she doesn't say anything more, turning to study the goldrider instead now that someone else was awake and alive at least.
Ma'am. Now there's a word Thea hasn't heard in a few days. She lifts her head to blink at F'yr, blinking sleep from her eyes. She doesn't seem to recognize the Rider, but the knot is of Xanadu. She shakes her head, lifts a finger to her lips, then adds a wry, "Welcome to paradise." D'son's morning is returned, "Morning." She waits a beat before asking him, "Niva hasn't paid the ransom yet? Or are they still trying to scrape together the marks to spring us?" She adds a slight smirk to that.
"Nope, no burgers or bubblies," D'son says simply and moves one of his hands to cover hers, squeezes gently. "Ransom?" he looks at Thea confusedly.
It's early morning that F'yr came down visit. She bobs her head, apparently having made a decision. "I'll see what we can get away with… convince Chu." She gives a little smirk to Thea's greeting, shaking her head slowly before she mirrors D'son's confusion. "Ransom?" She seems to have fallen for it. The prison is given another look over and she leans towards D'son again, but still whispers loud enough. "If you need someone to help you make an escape… Got anything to explode left here or in Xanadu?" There's that twinkle in her eyes. Chaos, explosions… well, it makes her happy.
Thea scoots on her mattress to lean her back against the rock wall behind her, draws her legs up, folding her arms loosely on top of her knees, "Was being facetious, actually." She tells the pair, obviously disappointed neither of them saw that and rejoined with anything other than an echo. Cue look over at the sleeping Sigam. Wake up Mr Funny-man, someone's getting desperate. She half-laughs at F'yr's explosions comment, "Just don't bring Kire."
"Sure, if she's up for it," D'son says about the firelizard and shakes his head a little. "Nah, it's all right," he says simply, though he does grin. "Mm. Still some stuff in my and Aisling's weyr. But … no. Don't need it."
Call it ESP. Call it a sense of comedic timing. Call it DESTINY. Call it… Okay, okay, I'm done. "Y'r gonna make it 'splode?" Stretching greatly, Sigam rolls to one side, peering blearily over at the nearest figures. "Time's it?," he mumbles, then frowns, as if the presence of F'yr is finally taken into account. "How're you here?" As if realizing his bluntness, he groans and tries again. "I mean hi. Nice to see ya." Charming, isn't he?
F'yr's face falls at D'son when he refuses her help. "Well… offer's still up if you change your mind." She tilts her head back to Thea curiously. "Kire?" she has to question. "I can get you all out myself, yup. Just me and a little bit of supplies. The can't stop me." Sigam's awake and she tries to peer around D'son towards the other young man, raising one brow at him at that. "Maybe I ain't here. Maybe you're still sleeping." Which would probably then make her start feeling weird, instead, so she just goes with a: "Morning." Sums everything up.
"That wouldn't really be good for relations between Ista and Xanadu, Fy," D'son says quietly and lifts a hand briefly to her cheek. "But thanks for the thought. We'll be okay. Just need to get it worked out."
K'nan was asleep, but now she's laying there awake. Yup. Eyes open and staring out through the bars of her cell. Days and nights of being in the same clothes is starting to show. And people wonder why prisons stink. Course there's the bit of a couple of unwashed even if well licked bowls. She sits up and then slides off the bed and unmindful of anyone else around, she relieves her full bladder. Just how often do they empty those anyways? Hmm.
Thea flaps a hand at F'yr, "Kire like to explode things. And he's not so good at containing the result." Let's just put it that way. Sigam's moving and talking, but Thea's learned that means not one thing. She waits to say anything to him for the time being. K'nan's familiar *scrreeeet* of that moving chamber pot has her tuning her head away from the woman once again. Strange the habits one must form living so close.
A few more moments of quiet conversation sees D'son's focus returning to the wider area. "Sorry Thea, I think my sense of humor is a little broken," Dels says with a shake of his head. "Morning K'nan," is offered other to the other female prisoner once she's done with her business. For Sigam there's a: "Sorry about the snoring man," then D'son sits with his back leaning against the wall, in quiet communion with Inimeth for a bit.
Kadan enters the prison area and steps up to the bars. Oh, shells, where to begin? "Uh…good morning, folks. How is everyone so far? You all holding up pretty well?"
K'nan is silent as she starts to wander aimlessly around the small cell. Not even a good morning to the others. Least not at first. "So lonely." she sighs a little and then peers out through the barst the sound of Kadan. "Mornin'" is murmured to everyone and then she peers at Kadan "I know you." She hmms a little and then she ohs "The Harper!" she sounds quite gleeful at that and then she looks at him forlornly "They took the ribbons. Very sad."
One of D'son's eyes cracks open and he eyeballs 'the Harper' curiously. "Sure. Just … waiting for a chance to explain and clear this up," the young Xanadu Weyrleader says, rallying energy and spirits both. "If you're the Weyr's new harper … got any news on that?"
Kadan comes closer to the bars and grasps onto them when he catches sight of K'nan and hears her voice. "Yes, yes, Kadan. I'm from Harper Hall. I came to see if I could help you. I recognize one person here. Who are the rest of you?" He looks around at all the people and tries to identify knots.
"That's okay too," Sigam says towards F'yr on the subject of her being a big ol' figment of his imagination. "Wouldn't be the weirdest dream ever." Swinging to his feet, the Dragonhealer sets about straightening his clothes, blinking rapidly and trying to arrange his thoughts. "Morning, huh? Suppose it doesn't matter. I've lost track of days." Apparently, someone doesn't tick them off on the wall with a mysteriously convenient piece of stone. "Don't worry about it, D'son. I bark apparently." The last bit is aimed at Thea, eyes squinting in a 'what happens in prison, stays in prison' sort of way. "K'nan," is his only greeting for the woman, and when Kadan appears, he is greeted with raised eyebrows. "THE Harper. Shards." No name is offered - apparently K'nan's babbling about the man has made him rather cautious, Harper or no.
Thea nods her head to D'son, sympathy on her face, "I think we're all having our sense of humors tweaked lately." Ain't that the truth! Footsteps don't really draw her attention as there are people coming and going at all times in here, but the greeting does. Her eyes move to his knot right away. "Harper." She greets him with a nod, her voice reserved, wary. She doesn't give her name. Instead she sends a look D'son with a raised brow, "Make things a lot worse if Ysa knows I'm here." Her Healer's knot is still on her shoulder. Sigam receives a small smirk, her spoon is lifted and she makes a mark on the wall with it. There's one.
"But it'll get you out faster," mumbles F'yr, obviously not dropping that idea of a prison break. She thumps her head against the bars, leaning against them as she watches D'son for a moment. But something Thea says seems to catch her attention and she turns that way. "And I haven't met this Kire yet? Sounds like a lot of fun." She seems to step away a little bit at Kadan's entrance, just sort of hovering around Sigam and D'son's cell. "You bark? As in… /bark/?" Fy heard it. She didn't have to keep it secret. "That dog of yours been alright while you've been here, Sigam?"
Given that Dels isn't wearing one because he left the big fancy Xanadu Weyrleader knot at home, that'd be tough. His Ista knot is a wingleader's knot and getting a little bedraggled on his jacket which is currently folded up for a pillow. He gets to his feet again though, pushing away from the wall and comes over to hold a hand out through the bars to Kadan. "D'son. Bronze Inimeth's. Xanadu Weyrleader." He blinks over at Sigam for a moment. "Haven't heard any barking and —" he takes a breath, shrugs at Thea. "I think that honesty's a good idea."
K'nan starts to introduce people. Sorta. She points to Thea "She shares her food." A point to D'son "He snores." A point to Sigam "He's feisty. He's gonna where a kilt too." A glance towards the sleeping' K'avu "And he's gonna burst something." Yup. Gotta love identifying chracteristics and then a look towards F'yr "Her, I don't know." Then she looks back at Kadan and sighs "Help me get Phaili? I miss Phaili. Phaili needs me."
At the greeting from Xanadu's WeyrLeader, Kadan's jaw drops. "WHAT?! What in SHARDS….?!" He takes D'son's hand with a warm grip. "I am so sorry! This is insane. Why isn't your whole Weyr here demanding your release?" Visions of a horrible war errupt in Kadan's mind. "How did this happen?" He looks at K'nan and can maybe understand her, but the rest? He looks at each of them. His heart goes out to K'nan. "I'll do what I can for you. Yes, you need to be with your Phaili." Whya ren't the dragon's using tooth and claw to tear down the walls? He looks back to D'son. "Sir, I need to get a statement from everyone here, one at a time, but for right now I'd like for you to tell me what happened, sir."
"There's been more than just a tweaking of senses of humors, here," Sigam mutters, hands shifting around to tuck his shirt into his pants for a change of… well, anything, at this point. "This has to be worse than weyrlinghood." If only because of the whole chamberpot thing. "Bark as in bark, yes. Ask her." A thumb is jerked at Thea, along with a smirk to match hers for her mark on the wall. "You're going to keep that spoon, aren't you?," he questions, amused, brown eyes flickering over to K'nan as she 'names' them all. "Fiesty. I think I won that round of introductions." The last thing he straightens is his Ista Hold knot, which is old, but just as dirty as anyone else's at this point. The only people that would know better would be the ones from Xanadu themselves. Kadan's outburst makes the Dragonhealer stare for a long moment before his head slowly shakes. "Statements. Awesome." He reclines against the bars separating he and D'son from Thea and watches on with mild interest.
"Oh fun, yeah. Ask the kitchen staff how fun he is", Thea replies to F'yr with a small laugh. Kitchens. Explosions. Never a good mix. Sigam's sleeping habits are being discussed. It seems too good an opportunity to miss. But right now doesn't seem the proper time. She nods at D'son, slips off her pallet and walks to the bars. As she extends her hand to Kanan, she says simply, "Thea, Junior Weyrwoman, Xanadu. And if I might add?" She points to K'nan, "I think it's cruel that she's locked up in here." Sigam's pointing at her to verify his barking, okay. She nods. She doesn't reply to Sigam, merely gives him a smirky look and shoves that spoon into her jacket pocket.
Kadan takes Thea's hand with his free one. "Thea…Jr. WeyrWoman. Ma'am." He nods his head to show her respect and , still holding onto the WeyrLeader's hands he asks softly but with insistance, "Why are /you/ in here? What is going on?"
D'son shakes Kadan's hand firmly. "Because technically we shouldn't have been where we were," the Weyrleader says candidly and nods across the way to the other riders who were part of the party, now on their feet and leaning against cell bars too. "We came to escort a supply delivery because there's been problems. Noticed an area where we thought we could help and well — we shouldn't have been there, so the relief party brought us in. If it can be arranged, I'd like to speak with the Weyrleaders, make an apology and try to get this sorted out," Dels says earnestly. "We really didn't mean any harm. It's just that most of us," he nods around at the group, have a connection to Ista or just couldn't sit idle with the island in so much trouble." He shoots a brief smile over at F'yr where she stands a little out of the way. "I Impressed with F'yr, here at Ista, along with some others and well, born and raised too for that matter so it just — I couldn't not try," he finishes lamely.
Kadan asks the WeyrLeader, "Who was it who brought you in? How long have you been in here? I take it you came with supplies, right?"
F'yr clears her throat a little and looks sheepish at Thea's answer. "Well… kitchens here in Ista don't like it much, either." She actually gives a nervous little giggle and side-glances towards D'son. "'Course, I'm not allowed to explode anything indoors in Xanadu." Anymore. She looks between Sigam and Thea and then nods her head slowly, as if she'll believe it. She falls silent for now, blue eyes turning from one to the other as she listens, smiling briefly back to D'son with her shoulder lifting up helplessly. "Tough not to when it's what you did here in Ista, too."
The question from F'yr about Sabhrilline is treated with a sober look from Sigam. "Rhas's taking care of her, for now, along with my flit. How's Chu?" His dark gaze slides to Kadan for a moment, considering, before he adds, "Sigam, Dragonhealer, currently posted to Xanadu's Annex." The words coming from D'son are nodded to, as if Sigam was agreeing and couldn't put it any better himself. Seeing that the Harper was a bit intent on questioning the Weyrleader for a moment, Sig slides down the bars to come to a rest, eyes staring off into the distance somewhere.
"Ph'lip, my uh— replacement in Ocean Sapphire actually," D'son says with a sheepish look to him and a hand lifted to the back of his neck. "The supplies were already delivered, dropped off at a little place up the coast from where we got picked up, so those should be fine," D'son explains. "We've been here three days so far," he continues. "Mostly, I'd just like to clear it all up. Set things right."
K'nan leans against the bars and starts to tap lightly on them with the spoon that she has in hand. "Explode? Explosions indoors, very painful. Not good. We won't be in here when it explodes." Soon the tapping starts to take on a bit of a beat, nothing elaborate just a very simple one.
Thea grins at F'yr just a bit as she withdraws her hand from the Harper's, "Hmm, but Kire had fun though." She reaches up and removes that smudged Healer's knot she's wearing and shoves it into her pocket to rest beside that spoon. She waits quietly as D'son explains adding softly, "I came partly for my friend's sake, although she doesn't claim me as one, I claim her." She doesn't mention the friend's name, but her voice rings true. She lifts her head, raising her eyes to meet the Harper's, her chin tilts just a bit as she adds, "I also came for Ista's and for Pern's sake. We couldn't sit idle." It's an affirmation of her Weyrleader's statement.
Kadan says to Thea discreetly, "And for that you get this." He takes a breath and releases the WeyrLeader's hand. "All right, this sounds totally nuts. How many people are with your group, sir? How which of these people came with you?"
F'yr bobs her head at Sigam's answer. "She's around," she says vaguely about her own firelizard, looking none too happy about that fact. But it's back to studying the others and listening, shoulders slumping more and more as she listens to them. "I should go," she says suddenly. She gives D'son a last long look, hesitating a long moment as if she couldn't bare to leave him there. But she does, swiftly turning on her heels and making a hasty exit the way she came, probably finding a ride to head back to Xanadu instead of sticking around any longer.
Thea nods at Kadan, answering simply, "Yes." In her voice is nothing but acceptance, her face is peaceful as one who has found something, perhaps an answer long sought-for and found. "It was a risk I was willing to take. To make amends for some stupid mistakes I made when new and unsure of myself." She reaches through the bars for Kadan's hand, "Take a message to the Weyrwoman for me?" The clear green of her eyes shine with moisture, "Tell Ysa that Thea says, "I was wrong and I'm sorry." She pauses, her eyes going hazy, remembering the words of one Xanadu weyr recordskeeper as she adds, "And tell her I understand her choices."
Kadan nods. "All right. I'll go tell her now. I can't imagine that you people have been here for three days and your Weyr has not sent out a Search party. Or that your dragons would not have been talking to each other to get all this cleared up…should have been done in half an hour. I will be back as fast as I can!" he promises and with a deep bow to the WeyrLeaders and all the occupants of the cell, turns to leave.
"You might want to know why there isn't a war and why there will not be one." Thea smiles, "We told our dragons, to remain at ease." She flickers a look at D'son, "I told Seryth I was with friends." Which is true for the immediate surroundings, but her gesture indicates Ista at large.
Kadan says "Buuuuut…..You're still in here. Ma'am, if there is a particular problem, er, situation that you are facing, is it something that would entail your WeyrLeader being in here also?"
K'nan shakes her head some herself, "No one look for. No one knows. Just me and Phaili. And no little treasure. All alone. More alone no. So lost." She glances over at Kadan "Things are done as things need done. Phaili waits. I hope Phaili doesn't cause trouble. He's good at trouble. Digging holes everywhere. Hil fell in one. Poor Hil."
F'yr's departure earns a return look from D'son, though all he says is a quick: "Clear skies." Before the harper heads off, he numbers the people in the party, which doesn't include K'nan unfortunately. "Inimeth has been speaking with Kilaueth. I wanted to handle this as diplomatically as possible. But um, given the relationship between Xanadu and Ista I'm uh — well I'm not sure how that would've gone down," he says honestly. "Anyway, thank you, harper. Please convey my regards to the Weyrwoman and a polite request for an audience, I guess?"
Thea shakes her head, "Do not misunderstand. We need to resolve this present situation, but not by force. and I'm fairly sure she doesn't even know I am here. I never gave my name." She adds, "If my apology would better things between our Wyers, I would be very glad. If it would restore a friendship, I would be overjoyed. If nothing else I hope it would bring a bit of peace to the mind of someone I never stopped caring about." She lifts her hands, it's no longer up to her.
Kadan nods. "I need to find WeyrWoman Ysa and tell her that you are here. If she does not know, someone has failed in their duty. I will fix this as quickly as I can. I give you my word as a Harper. And K'nan?" he calls to her as he comes back to the bars. "I'll get you lots of treasures, all right? Lots of ribbons and whatever else you need. You just be patient and don't worry, all right?"
K'nan looks at Kadan and she smiles "My thanks dear Harper." she murmurs and looks very pleased with that and wanders over to her pallet singing softly to herself. Soon a spoon can be heard tapping on a bowl lightly in time.
Kadan points a finger up and with small motions moves it in time with the tapping. "Ri-i-i-ight," he drawls slowly then hurries out!