Hostages
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Clock Tower
The walls of the tower are the same dark gray stones that make up the outside of the tower. The central portion of the structure is open, so that one may stand in the center of the structure and see the top. Well…almost the top. A ceiling cuts off the view to whatever it is that's at the very top of the tower. Very little light comes in, just tiny beams of light from the arrow-slits in the walls. The floor is of dark hardwood slats, thin enough to have been worked easily but thick enough to provide protection from insects and wildlife that might be trying to get in.
A wooden staircase is built along wall, one that spirals up and up around the inner wall of the structure. It leads a workshop, where along every wall there are…clocks, of course! Clocks of just about every configuration one could think of, and quite a few that are outlandish enough to escape one's consideration at first. While most of these clocks are working, there are more than a few of them that aren't. The gentle ticking sounds fill the space, the clocks almost always perfectly in sync with each otherand with the ticking from the movement of the big clock aboveand the sounds mingling together to form an ordered cacophony of sounds.
Clock parts are strewn across a table in one corner. There are a couple of cabinets with parts in them like the ones downstairs—parts that are significantly smaller than those on the first floor. These are obviously for the smaller clocks that are built here. There are no less than two large grandfather clocks in this workshop, both working.
A thick support threads through a large hole in the center of the floor, extending from below to above. A chain hangs beside it too, anchored high above, and the spiral staircase continues up, past a door on the outside and on to more storage space, dedicated to piles of crates with springs and "little" parts for the clocktower's main movement. Of course, the word "little" may not be the best way to describe it; some of these springs and levers are longer than a man's arm. And some of the gears in these crates a man could actually put his arm through the middle of easily.


It's anyone's guess what Taeli's doing up here, but she's doing it while seated cross-legged at the VERY TOP of the clock-tower, her arms hunkered in and her hands folded demurely in her lap. She's come in straight from the field, knives of various lengths strapped in random locations, and she seems - at least - sober. She looks doop-de-doop around, like she's waiting on something, staring with fascination here and there. While sitting. Like a kid in time out. Right in the middle of the clock tower.

Sylvarin is here to be all /broody/. Not really, but he /is/ here to try and get some solitude so he can brainstorm some new ideas for dessert. The baker is dressed in a pair of shorts and a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbow. His hair is pushed back and held together with what looks suspiciously like a hairband. A notebook and pen are in one hand and the other grazes against the walls as he makes his way to the top. Of course, his dreams of coming up with /masterpieces/ in an area of peace and quiet are immediately shattered because his eyes fall on Taeli. He pauses at the very top of the stairs, eyes narrowing slightly. He doesn't greet her yet though because dude needs to weigh his options: retreat now or retreat after getting thoroughly annoyed???

As for what Rhodelia is doing coming up those steps? Well, it's still questionable even if you can hear her yelling out her objective even before she makes her way up to the top of the staircase. The calls of "Here Mr. MurderMittens!!! I got treats!" And a bit of tongue clicking echo on the stairwell. She doesn't even get all the way into the clocktower proper before coming into a very Sylvarin-Shaped obstacle. "Hey… you're not MurderMittens."

Taeli's head SWIVELS at the calls, catching Sylvarin SUPER CREEPIN' on the front step staring at her. "Oh that's not weird at all, Sylvie," she ACCUSES, "I mean you're just gonna sit there and stare at me? How long have you been standing there? Are you here to kill me? What's Murder… oh wait. Cousin Rhody!" She beams. "Now he can't kill me!" i mean sylvarin would probably have difficulties trying to kill taeli regardless but still. The girl is still sitting cross-legged, like she's in time-out in the middle of the room, her hands in her lap.

"I…am not." Sylvarin turns to glance over his shoulder, an eyebrow raising in Rhodelia's direction before he's moving on up and out of the way. There's a faint snort for Taeli's words followed by a simple roll of the eyes, "I was trying to decide whether I wanted to suffer through your company or not." /Rude/. But still, he's at least somewhat intrigued by everything that's happening. "So…the gremlin is summoning something evil and Rhodelia's looking for something evil that's /already/ been summoned and ran away?" Because that's honestly what it sounds like!

Nessalyn likes the clock tower. It's a great place to 'borrow' cogs from, and with the exception of the people who make their living in the workshop upstairs, it's generally not a high-traffic area. So when the techcrafter passes through the door with a notebook tucked under one arm, she's fully expecting to be able to claim some semi-secluded spot as her own and carry on without interference. NOPE. She's displeased to be sharing her stomping grounds, a fact she makes clear with her sour expression. "How does that cat keep getting into places? Do people think he's furry, moving shrubbery, and for some reason that doesn't disturb them?" Her gaze tilts upward, toward Taeli. "For that matter, who keeps letting Taeli into places?"

THUDDDDNNNNNNNNNNNN (the nnnn is the protest of the building, I swear). THUUDDDDDDNNNNNNNNN. IS THERE AN EARTHQUAKE? It's really hard to tell, but unless Rhodelia wants to be sent to the infirmary again for The Kittening, she should probably avoid Mr. MurderKitten until he's had a chance to not want to terrify-cling to everybody with his claws. OR WHO KNOWS. MAYBE HE IS THE MOST CHILL CAT IN THE WORLD. You know who is not the most chill anything in the world? Leirith. Leirith is probably the least sound anything in the world, and perhaps Xanadu weyr made extra efforts to ensure their clocktower was excessively sound in structure for moments just. like. this. SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW. No, really. That's the sound of one extremely furious sounding queen, and that is probably a giant contradictingly blue-whirling, fauceted eye PEEKING IN FROM ONE OF THOSE SLATS. « SINCE NOBODY HAS TRIED TO KILL YOU IN THE LAST THIRTY SECONDS, MINIONS, I HAVE CAPTURED YOU. NOW YOU MUST FIND A WAY OUT WITHOUT BEING EATEN, AHAHAHA. TAKE YOUR TIME, MINIONS. STANDING ON IMMOBILE PLATFORMS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PAST TIMES, RIGHT BEHIND DANCING AND CRYING. » … Yep. And there's //no Risa to be found. Just kidding, there she is, pressing a shoulder into the wall and crossing her arms over her chest. "Well," she intones, looking from Sylvie, to Rhody, to Taeli. "She's never letting us out. I hope somebody has cards. And food." And booze. A squint, as grey eyes focus in on Nessalyn around a slow coming, mischievous smile. "Or a boot." TO THROW AT LEIRITH, OF COURSE. « AHAHAHAHAHAHA. »

"He didn't run away!" Rhodelia objects almost immediately to that as she worms her way past Sylvarin, a task that is infinitely easier once he's actually out of the way of the top of the stairs. "He's just exploring. Somewhere…" But look, she's got a handful of sardines that are possibly still dripping some of that salty, smelly fish juice all over the place. "And why would he kill you? He's just a cat." The he definitely being Mr. MurderMittens, not the baker, although she does give a bit of a side-eye to the man. "And what brings you up here? I don't think there are any flowers…" And she gives a bit of a sigh for Nessa's question. "Look, cats go where cats want." It's a rule or something. But as soon as the THUDDDNNNNNNing and the SCREEEEEEEKAAAWWWWING happens, like any sane person, She's nervously making her way to grasp at the nearest sturdy wall. Walls are safe, right?

"I have thumbs," Taeli announces to Nessalyn, just in case the girl needs some help in realizing that SHE'S GOT GIANT KNIVES SHE CAN GET IN WHEREVER SHE WANTS but also thumbs 'cause those are significantly important to turning a doorknob; also, "Rude," to Sylvarin, "But I guess I should get used to it," with an arched-eyebrow. Then Taeli is tilting her head at the window, all sorts of confused, STILL NOT MOVING from her cross-legged seat in the middle of the clocktower floor-space. When Risali comes up though she frowns, eyebrows vexed at first the weyrwoman and then the gold. "BUT I'M STUCK HERE, I CAN'T MOVE ANYHOW," she plaintively says, probably towards Leirith more than Risali, but abruptly looking tremendously upset. Did someone glue her ass down to the floor? (i mean it could totally happen)

"You know, that is a question I ask myself anytime I see Taeli /anywhere/." Sylvarin nods his head towards Nessalyn, a hint of a smirk showing on his features. As for Rhodelia's question, "I was /hoping/ for some quiet, but…" Yeah, that isn't happening because so many /sounds/. "What the ever loving fuck…." The baker winces, reaching out to steady himself on a wall. Those green-blue eyes begin to dart around, finally spying the gold's eye and then Risali in turn. "I have a /pen/." Look at those parma-knitted brows. So much furrow! So much frowning! But you know what can ease that furrowed brow? Taeli's misery. He's looking abruptly in her direction and totally moving to stand juuuuust outside of arm's (and knife's) reach. "Why are you stuck?" He's gotta ask. He would /love/ it if she was glued in place. Course this could all be a /ruse/ and /this/ is how Sylv dies.

Anyone can have giant knives, Taeli. JUST WAIT UNTIL NESSALYN GETS HER HANDS ON SOME. "Your cat seems to go a lot of places he shouldn't." Maybe this is all just concern for the cat, because deep down inside, even Ness isn't oblivious to the charms of fuzzy creatures. Or it could just be irritation. "You're going to stab someone, and then we'll all have to listen to you cry about it," she retorts to Taeli. There's probably PLENTY MORE she could say on the matter, but then things start shaking and there are sounds, and she reaches desperately for the nearest solid object. "The fu-" A flash of annoyance overwhelms panic when she realizes the source of the chaos. OF COURSE. Of course. "I'll set anything you want on fire?" She glances toward Risali with this offer, adding, "I left the boot in the tree." Despite the circumstances, she's still all pride as she says it. Only moments later does she realize the words she ignored moments before, blue eyes shifting toward Taeli. "What?"

« EVEN BETTER. » Not better, not at all. Those grey eyes are going dragonwards and then back towards Taeli. Risali is just about to push from the wall to go and inquire just why the huntress has found herself IMMOBILE (massive, clinging-to-the-clock-tower-queen aside) when Sylvarin steps in and both Nessalyn and Nessalyn are asking for clarity at the same time. Leirith is no help, though. She's just more of that bombastically, giddy, « JUST TRY HARDER MINION. IF A LITTLE BIT OF FLESH COMES OFF IN THE PROCESS, IT'S ALRIGHT. YOU WILL JUST LOOK ALL THE MORE BADASS FOR IT, I PROMISE. » Okay, now Risali is stepping forward with a soft, "Ignore her. Are you alright?" AND LOOK AT HER, being BRAVER THAN SYLVARIN and stepping in closer so that she can tilt her head and sink into a crouch for a better look. SHE WILL SAVE YOU, TAELI. MAYBE.

Rhodelia might be cowering against the wall, but she does take a moment to check that she does indeed still have both her thumbs. And since it turns out the danger is coming from all around the walls, she'll take a few steps to sit down right next to Taeli. "Like, more stuck than there's a giant dragon outside that thinks this is the fun new game of the day?" Cause she does sound just a slight bit worried about the possible extent of the stuckness. As for NEssa's accussation about her cat, she shrugs. "Have you met a cat? It's what they do." And a bit belatedly, she does hold out the packet of fish. "These were for the cat, but if we don't get out by dinner time…" Well, wouldn't want to let those tasty, tasty sardines go to waste?

Taeli looks as puzzled with Sylvarin having a pen as Nessalyn thinking she'd cry over stabbing someone. OBVIOUSLY Taeli wouldn't cry. Have you met her? She's a fuckin' gremlin guys, gremlins don't cry about inflicted damage. They cry when blood gets on their donuts. Sadface. Taeli looks EVEN MORE PUZZLED when Risali's crouching down in front of her and Rhody's sitting next to her, but she'll lean over to bump her shoulder affectionately against the runaway barkeep. Rhody is her FAVORITE. Other than Leirith. "No," she tells Risali all-seriousness, "There was a craftmaster up here," so super fucking serious guys, "And he told me if I didn't sit right here and keep my hands to myself he was going to.. to…" Her eyes turn super furtive, glancing left and then right, and her voice drops to a mumbled mutter, "…tell my mom." CAUSE REAL FEARS GUYS, REAL FUCKING FEARS. "So I'm gonna sit here," her chin rises in defiance, "RIGHT HERE and keep my hands to myself." 'Cause someone has finally found an accurate threat for the manifestation of corgi-ness that is Taeli.

Sylvarin has about /zero/ concern on his features when it comes to Taeli and he's more than happy to let the other women step in while he stays a 'safe' distance away. He'll wait patiently for the answer and…then there's the answer. "You've got to be kidding me…all we have to do to calm you down is threaten to tell your /mother/?" The baker lets out a groan, hand moving to run down his face as he lets out a deep sigh. Yeah, that's all his hopes and dreams shattered and now he's moving /back/ to one of the walls to lean against. Notably, it's the wall that's as far away from a clinging Leirith and her watchful eye as possible. Dude is just going to /frown/ at all the people and /frown/ some more.

Nessalyn does move closer, not out of concern for Taeli, mind, but because she doesn't want to miss anything embarrassing, like the huntress ripping her pants in an effort to get them unstuck. Or a fear that someone is going to tell her mother what she's doing. "I somehow doubt this is a new game," she asides to Rhodelia, clearly less concerned with the prospect of being trapped up here. "You do realize that he'll probably be more inclined to tell your mother if he comes back over here and finds that you're still sticking around, right? Maybe that's what he's doing right now…" Let's just fan the flames! Helpful, Nessalyn is not. But given that her strategy for escape probably involves an uncontrolled burn, no one can really be surprised. Now that it's apparent that Taeli won't be ripping her pants any time soon, Nessalyn wanders away, moving to join Sylvarin in leaning against the wall.

Rhodelia gratefully leans into the cousin-shoulder bump and after the mom-fession, reachs out to pat the hunter's shoulder. "I mean, as long as you're not touching anything, I don't think he meant to be so literal. You were going to have to move at some point to get out of here, right?" Although that some point has been delayed unless Leirith sees something else to distract her from playing HOSTAGE. And there's a bit of a glare towards Nessa, along with a muttered "Not helping!" And Sylvarin gets some of that glare action to. "Mothers can be scary. I seem to remember someone else hiding from her mother at Monaco…"

Taeli throws Sylvie a real mature look. It probably involves a tongue-sticking-out. "I mean, she wouldn't care if you told her something," she says, "'Cause you're just a dumb baker." And then the panic comes flooding back to her face, at least low-key: "But a crafts-master? That's a real respectable person!" She lifts her hand as if to gesture, and then realizes her mistake and shoves them hands back into her lap. But she'll smile weakly at Rhody, her most favourite person IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, especially when locked in a room with Sylvie the baker who doesn't taste his own food, Loch Nessalyn Monster and… Risali over there arguing with Leirith, most-like, holding them all hostage. :( "I mean, maybe. But I'm not going to take the chance. He told me to stay right here and I believe that he meant it when he said it, you know? So Leirith could go ahead and rip off the top of this and kill me but I'm not moving, 'cause that wouldn't be what I said I would do, and then this guy would tell my mom and Faranth only knows what she would do when I went home and I can't handle that, I mean I just can't, have you met my mom?!" MAMA GREMLIN IS MAMA GREMLIN guys.

"Honestly, it's better for everyone if she just sits there," Sylvarin offers this in Rhodelia's direction, unperturbed by the glare. "Just a dumb baker?" The man's eyes narrow slightly at Taeli and he pauses slightly before continuing, "What if you were forcibly removed from the spot? Would he /still/ tell your mom?" And honestly he probably /doesn't/ want to meet her mother because what in the world kind of person could Mama Gremlin be if /this/ is her spawn. For now he's going to stay /way/ over here with Nessalyn and snort under his breath, "How long do you think she can even keep this up? I mean she's determined now but…" Won't she have to go to the /bathroom/?!? These are the important questions. Hopefully that is not a question that actually needs to be answered because ugh!

Who do we blame for the pale flash of silver gold suddenly appearing in the Xanadu skies? Probably the same creature responsible for the greeting of starbursts given to the native dragons as the Half Moon Queen wings down to land in the area near the clocktower, spying the Xanadu Senior. Tanit dismounts while Chauth inspects. « That looks like fun. What are you doing? » Tanit raises a hand in greeting, taking in the scene quietly.

"So in this scenario, your mother would rather you sit there and die than get off your ass and save yourself, possibly disobeying a craftmaster in the process?" The skepticism is real. Nessalyn can't help rolling her eyes, because not helping is pretty much her bread and butter, and besides, TAELI IS BEING RIDICULOUS. "It's not better for everyone," she mutters to Sylvarin, glancing his way. "Because whenever he comes back, whoever he is, he's going to be annoyed that she's still here, and we'll get more Taeli sulking. And I wasn't hiding from my mother, I was trying to avoid having to talk to her. There's a difference." This last is turned toward Rhodelia. It's not so much fear of her mother as a general dislike for awkward family conversations. Or any family conversations. "I'm sure she can keep it up most of the night." Especially now that there's BACKUP. "Come on."

"Hey, bakers aren't so bad. At least, most of them…" Rhody might have a little soft spot for bakers, but who doesn't love cookies? It's undetermined if Sylvarin falls in with the bad bakers or the not-so-bad ones. "I don't think Leirith is actually going to rip the top of the tower off. Isn't there a workshop up there or something?" She looks over to Nessa for confirmation since the tech-crafter must have come from somewhere. But then, there's a YOOOOOWL from somewhere below. "Mr. MurderMittens!" And just like that, Rhodelia and her packet of smelly fish are off in search of the fluffiest feline alive.

Sylvarin is about to reply but suddenly Rhodelia is zooming off after the cat, "I think her moral support is taking a break." The baker smirks a little bit but makes no move to leave his wall. Nessalyn might be all for getting her to move, but he's perfectly fine dealing with a sulking Taeli (mostly because he has no idea how she is when she's sulky and he thinks it can only be better than a normal Taeli). It's about now that a whooshing from outside comes the the baker's ears and he moves to one of the arrow slits /not/ occupied by Leirith's eyes to see what might be going on outside. Oh /hello/ new gold dragon and goldrider. "Don't suppose you're here to help?" Can Tanit even hear him? Probably not. But he'll yell out anyways!

"You know what I mean," Taeli says to Sylvarin, sticking her tongue out again at him. 'Cause she can. She also hunkers in a little more than she has before, elbows hugging her side. Her blue eyes fall upon the recent addition and she tilts her head, curious but not about to call out to a stranger. "Hey — " she starts to say to Rhody, who's off after her cat, leaving her just sitting here. "You obviously don't have a mother who loves you," she says to Nessalyn, straight-up savage in her matter-of-fact tone. Because Taeli's mom WHO LOVES HER would rather her die in a dragon attack than get up and protect herself. For sure. It's a thing, guys. "Wait, did you hide from your mom somewhere?" she gawps briefly at Ness, 'cause them sharing ANY likeliness is effin' weird y'all.

Is Chauth here to help? Or is she here to make things worse? The sleek gold moves to inspect the tower and the Senior queen with tail twitching back and forth with feline intensity. As for Tanit? She eyes the gold and the tower and attempts to hide a smirk, "Define Help? Who all is in there?" The former Dolphineer's voice lifting to carry over while Chauth just studies her 'larger' companion, tail swishing back and forth, back and forth. Anyone who might see the gold should recognize the pose as that of a feline preparing to pounce.

Nessalyn is about to offer Rhodelia that confirmation she so desires, but NOPE. Off goes the bartender after the phantom cat, and Ness is left blinking in mild bemusement. Good luck with that. "No, my mother doesn't have a daughter who loves her," she returns, equally blunt and entirely undisturbed by Taeli's analysis. "And I didn't hide from her, I just avoided her when we were setting Monaco on fire." It's SO DIFFERENT. Following Sylvarin's lead, she peers out the window, frowning when she recognizes Tanit. "She's not here to help us, she's just as bad as Risali." NO OFFENSE, RISA. Then, louder, "People who'd just like to get on with their days!"

Listen, Taeli hates to agree with Nessalyn but she's sitting here agreeing with Nessalyn, FINALLY lifting a hand to gesture a little, then after squinting around as if thinking this craftmaster is about to pop out in front of her and yell GOTCHA!, which, y'know, could totally be a thing. "Is there another gold out there?" she questions plaintively, to Ness or to Sylvie one or the other, her brow furrowing.

"Exactly, just people hoping to keep on trucking in their lives. There's no /reason/ to keep us locked in here." Sylvarin chimes in, still trying to get a good view of who all is out there. There's a slight frown pulling at his lips when he's informed that this /isn't/ a rescue mission. "Are there /any/ reasonable golds out there? Because of the two I've encountered now…."

Tanit isn’t much for disembodied voices but sure. This seems like fun. “Define Reasonable, and define Rescue. What’s going on?” Because the Half Moon Jr. Is completely out of the loop.

"Just get up and get out of here, girl," Nessalyn snaps, eyes narrowed as she stares Taeli down. "He doesn't even know your mother." It's the oldest trick in the book, COME ON NOW. "Yeah, it's…" She doesn't remember Tanit's name, or her gold's, so she just comes up with, "That gold. The one who's out there." As for any reasonable golds, she merely shrugs. Don't ask her.

One thing should be evident as the sunrise and the sunset and everything that goes on between them in either direction: Taeli's spirit animal is mulish in some aspects, and this girl's gonna be sitting here with her butt to the floor until this dude who probably isn't even a master comes back and frees her from whatever reason she's sitting here. There's probably more to the story than Tae's letting on, but for now she's staying put, though staying silent, watching after wherever-the-hell Rhody ran off to trying to find that damn cat. :(

"Reasonable as in we have normal daily duties to attend to and don't plan on maiming anyone, so it'd be safe to let us out." Sylvarin is at least responding to part of the question, though…the more he talks the more his brows are knitting together. "Why do I feel like our chances of escape are decreasing with each passing second?" This last bit is murmured over to Nessalyn as he lets out a little sigh. "We've honestly done nothing to deserve this." Despite anything that anyone might say!
That tail swishes – back and forth, back and forth, The Half-Moon Junior Paired with her making her way closer to the clocktower. “Has anyone talked to Risali yet? This seems like the sort of thing she should be able to fix. Like missing chairs and glitterbombs.” Because these are all the duties of a senior of a weyr. Right? “Though in my experience, typically if you’ve pissed off a queen, apologizing is usually a good way to start to change her mind.”

"Oh, we haven't pissed her off," Nessalyn calls back, rolling her eyes as she explains it. "She just thinks it's funny. It's a game." Sort of like those Saw movies, where someone will have to cut off someone else's leg to escape. NOT IT. She turns her head to give Taeli another baleful stare for the girl's refusal to move. But she brushes it away with a little shake of her head, determined to ignore it. "Escape won't be hard," she assures Sylvarin, glancing out the window again. "I'll start a fire, she'll let us out to see it."

"I think she's….trying to get us out?" Honestly Risali could be talking about /anything/ to Leirith, but the baker's hoping that this is the topic of discussion. "Like she said, we didn't /do/ anything." They were just here minding their own business. There's a deep sigh from Sylvarin as he leans against the wall now. "But she can technically see inside the arrow slits, so if we start a fire in here we'd just be stuck with it." A pause. "Unless that's your bribe for her…let us out and you set something on fire outside?" Because this is an idea he can get behind, only so that escape is possible!

“You mean you all live in a weyr and still haven’t figured out how to deal with dragons?” It’s more of a tease than a complaint as Tanit moves out of the way. Chauth quiet, huddling down on all fours, muscle tensing. “Wait. Risa’s in there with you?”

"Of course we know how to deal with dragons. And the best way to deal with Leirith is to wait her out." Nessalyn seems absolutely certain about this, even as she's simultaneously plotting to bring the entire tower down around their ears. Chances are Leirith would enjoy it, right? She offers Sylvarin a shrug to indicate that th finer details of her plan aren't quite solidified yet. "She can't get a very good view from out there. And she can't help. But honestly, I think fire and destruction are our best bets."

"Yeah, she's in here too…" Sylvarin sighs deeply, running a hand over his face once more as he leans on one of the walls again. "Fire and destruction…" They are /definitely/ not his style. He likes the subtler arts of chaos (food poisoning). "What are the chances we get out of here alive if you /do/ set fire to something?" Because in his mind there's a significant likelihood that maiming might occur.

“Speaking from personal experience destruction should be your last option, though Leirith is the sort to enjoy that sort of Wanton behavior. Pot. Kettle. Meh. “You guys may want to cover your ears.” Why? Because it’s at that moment Chauth chooses to Launch at the other gold in an almost kittenish pounce by way of greeting. Whether or not she impacts the gold a very solid stone shaking thump rocks the tower, as a roar of playful challenge escapes the feline gold. Helping? Or Hindering. WHO KNOWS. Tanit just winces. “Easy Chauth. This isn’t our weyr, I really don’t want Risa billing me for damages.”

"Well that's exactly why I'm suggesting destruction, because she'll hopefully want to be able to better appreciate it," Nessalyn returns as though this ought to be the most natural thing in the world. When it comes to their chances, she gives them a solid shrug. "I guess we'll see, right?" Clearly, she has no concern for her personal welfare, given that she already managed to light herself on fire once. She misses Tanit's warning, unfortunately, and so the sudden shaking of the tower draws a surprised yelp from her. "THIS IS RIDICULOUS."

Is this a literal torture chamber? Because it /definitely/ feels like it. Sylvarin lets out a grunt as the tower begins shaking again and this time he is carefully sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. "Is this some sort of requirement? All golds have to be crazy as shit and threaten physical harm to unsuspecting bystanders?" Grumble grumble grumble! Yeah, this is Mr. Broodyface being all upset. "I don't suppose you could magically fashion a bow and flaming arrow to distract them with?" Maybe Taeli would have been handy for that if she would /move/.

WAH-POW! CUE THE INSANE CACKLE OF ONE POUNCED QUEEN. Yeah, Leirith's all bombastic, giddy JOY when Chauth makes her move; there's no anger to be found in that thrum of bass and drums, nothing remotely dignified and queenly about her as Leirith appreciates that inner badass and shifts away from the tower to roll the slightly smaller gold. « MY CHAUTH. » Delight. Pure, unadulterated delight. AND THEN YEP, THERE GOES RISA, BACK FROM WHATEVER HEADSPACE SHE ESCAPED TO, stepping around Sylv and Ness and whowhats and whathaves with booted steps that are TOO CONFIDENT as she issues, "Excuse me,"s like they're going out of style and then PULLS HERSELF UP INTO ONE OF THOSE WINDOWS. "TANIT, IF THIS TOWER BREAKS I AM BILLING YOUR ASS FOR IT." It's playful, but listen. "AND THEN YOU CAN TELL D'LEI WHY XANADU DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS ANYMORE." And then she gets down, hands going to hips, grey eyes going from Nessa, to Sylv before she clears her throat. "Right, then. If anybody asks, I was never here." AND NEITHER WAS HER DRAGON. ALL TANIT, ALL CHAUTH. LOOK AT HER FLEE.

Nessalyn may be engaged to Sylvarin, but that doesn't mean she's going to spend one moment waiting for him once Leirith is distracted. EVERY WOMAN FOR HERSELF. (And man.) "I'm not waiting to see who's to blame for the collapse of the tower." Hopefully the rest of the captives have the sense to make their exits as well, before everything comes crashing down around their ears. "RISALI, I'M BLAMING YOU," she shouts after the goldrider, before she's OUTTA THERE.

"NOBODY WILL BELIEVE YOU," comes back, but from very far away because SHE GONE.
"And you think /I'm/ just going to sit here and wait? Fuck no." Sylvarin is up on his feet /very/ quickly as soon as they're released from captivity. This probably won't be the last time he goes to the clock tower looking for peace and quiet, but…he's probably going to avoid it for a while. His precious notebook and not-so-precious pen go with him as he moves to depart. There's one last look at the Taeli, a slight snort, and then he's disappearing into the abyss (aka down the stairs).

“SAYS THE WOMAN LOCKED IN A TOWER BY HER OWN DRAGON.” Tanit calls, wiggling fingers as she watches the escapees escape. Naturally she trails after Risali. Chauth content to play with someone who can rough house without too much risk of damage.


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