An Unwelcome Meeting - Calling Treylis

[Shikai]

Aclaryn walked at a brisk pace toward the runnerbeast stables in a Lord Holder’s learned gait, each stride long and certain, conveying a sense of confidence that the candidate himself did not feel at all. His face was neutral, yet his stomach was churning nervously and a sense of apprehension grew stronger with every step. Flying gracefully along beside him, green firelizard Valera cooed reassuringly at him, sensing her bonded’s discomfort. A flicker of a grin crossed his face as he glanced at the creature, and murmured his thanks.

He was quite right to be dreading what was to come, for Treylis had requested that they meet at the runnerbeast stables. As he and his elder brother had not been on friendly terms since they were not but small lads, he knew that what ever reason Treylis could possibly want to talk to him, he likely wouldn’t like it. And he probably wasn’t simply inviting Aclaryn to ride runners. No, definitely not, given how things had gone the last time that had occurred…

Irritation bubbled up within Aclaryn at the memory. Shards, why did Treylis want to talk to him anyway? They had nothing left to fight for, but the words exchanged between them had cut far too deep for their longstanding resentment of each other to be so quickly cast aside. From Faranth knew where, a twinge of guilt and sadness ran through Aclaryn. It was a pity things had turned out the way they had, for wasn’t Treylis Aclaryn’s own brother, his kin? However, Aclaryn quickly buried the feeling; he had no kindness lingering for Treylis, that was certain! Besides, the stupid boy (never mind that Aclaryn was the younger of the two) was so arrogant and full of himself, and acted like he had a stick shoved up some unmentionable place. Every small action of his seemed like a personal attack upon Aclaryn’s own mannerisms and habits! As though he was constantly stating that Aclaryn was immature and lazy, while he had diligence and self-control. Self-control! He had himself so well controlled that there hardly seemed to be a self left! Hmph. It was no way to live, Aclaryn grumbled.

However, his irritated musings were silenced, replaced again by disquiet as Aclaryn realized that he had reached the stables. He stood before the door, hesitantly, pondering just turning and leaving. See what Treylis would say to that, ha! Yet he knew the moment this notion entered his head that he couldn’t do that, and schooled his features with some difficulty into a serious expression, only vaguely touched by the gloom and apprehension he felt. It was an uncharacteristic expression for him, but such was the mood that he found himself in when he was faced with a ‘talk’ with Treylis. Tentatively, he reached for the handle with his hand, but grabbed it and swung the door open with a sure movement. He strode inside, looking around for Treylis, but did not see him. Ah, count on Treylis to be late to his own meeting! Well, actually, that didn’t sound like Treylis at all, and was more likely something Aclaryn himself would do, but he pushed this thought aside. He was likely a minute or two early. He rather hoped Treylis would show up soon, if only to end the nervous speculation about what he wanted to talk about, and get the thing over with. Aclaryn had a bad feeling about this, after all…

[Kitari]

A surreptitious glance over his shoulder reassured Treylis that he had finally shaken that nuisancy kitchen worker. He had been furious when, on his way to meeting his brother, the woman had demanded he sweep the corridor! His hands were already raw (well, not really) from all of the horrid dishwashing and other demeaning, laborious tasks he had been forced to complete. Considering his plans for today, Treylis might have marched off, refusing to suffer yet another menial chore, but he didn't want to raise suspicion.

The Weyr considered him broken, beaten into submission, but Treylis was far from it. The bruise around his eye was gradually fading from purple to yellow, but it still smarted, as did his injured pride. He had snatched the broom from the woman and began to move it woodenly across the floor, performing this chore as awkwardly as he had all of the others, until she, satisfied, had left. Now, he was striding across the Bowl purposefully, ready to be free of this place forever. His light brown eyes flickered upwards to pick out Rukbat's position, and his mouth twisted into a displeased scowl. He was late for the meeting with Aclaryn. He absolutely loathed being late.

Panther, his blue fire lizard, was feeding off of these strong emotions, whirling around Treylis in a dizzying blur, hissing all the while. The young man appreciated this show of support, but he raised his arm and commanded the flitter to settle down. After all, it would hardly do any good to control his outward emotions if the fire lizard revealed them all. Panther reluctantly landed on the proffered arm, digging his front claws loosely into the shoulder of Treylis's tunic. Every once in a while, the blue emitted a small hiss, but his whirling eyes had slowed a great deal.

Finally, the entrance to the stables appeared, and Treylis paused to gather himself. Aclaryn may or may not be inside already; after all, he didn't care one bit about being on time. Still, the young Lordling wanted to prepare himself, just in case Aclaryn surprised him. He took a deep, calming breath, and his facial features relaxed somewhat, although they still held a hint of a dark expression. This will soon be over, he reminded himself, seeking composure. Soon, Aclaryn and I will be far away from here. The thought never entered his mind to leave without his brother, although it would secure his inheritance and end the competition he had struggled through his entire life. After all, Treylis was a fair player, and he wanted to win because he was the best.

As prepared as he ever would be, Treylis whipped open the door and strode in. Whenever the Lordling was in a temper such as this, a dark cloud always seemed to enter the room with him, and today was no exception. His eyes were cold and hard, but his face was calm, determined. A dark brow raised slightly in surprise at the realization that Aclaryn was indeed present already, but there was no time for theatrics. "Aclaryn! We finally get to speak. They've kept us as busy as drudges around here for the past sevenday." His tone held all of the scorn and pent-up frustration he had been experiencing during this humiliation.

"But no matter." Treylis shook his head, and a faint smile creased his otherwise stony face. "We'll finally be free, eh, bro?" In a totally uncharacteristic expression of kinship, Treylis clapped his brother on the shoulder, however briefly, before glancing around at the surrounding stalls. "I wanted to give it some time, so they wouldn't be watching us so closely. I swear, that arrogant bluerider who brought us here has been sneering at me every time I turn around." That was the man who had darkened Treylis's eye when the Lordling put up a fight during the Search. At least the fool bore some marks of his own, as Panther had been quite free with the use of his talons! The blue fire lizard hummed in pleasure on Treylis's arm.

"Shall we, then?" he queried, gesturing to the nearest runnerbeasts.

[Shikai]

Aclaryn looked up as the door was suddenly yanked open with such confidence and ferocity toward common appliances that it could only be his brother. The candidate was unable to tell if the chill that swept into his bones was from the draft caused by the sudden, violent opening of the door, or simply that inner coldness that Treylis always seemed to exude, and could infect others with with but a look from his icy visage. Aclaryn watched his brother with an equally cool, unreadable expression. While he had been waiting, although it had been for no more than a few minutes, he had been reclining against one of the sturdy pillars that supported the stable roof, and only reluctantly pulled himself away from it now, dropping his arms to his sides instead of keeping them folded across his chest.

Valera, echoing Aclaryn’s feelings toward the other pair, made no greeting to Panther, sitting in haughty silence in perfect ladylike form upon Aclaryn’s shoulder.

Aclaryn’s eyebrows narrowed just slightly as he saw Treylis’s raise. No doubt his brother was surprised to see him there before he had arrived himself! He always expected Aclaryn to be late, Aclaryn thought bitterly. Well, he was perfectly capable of being on time, thank you very much! Today it was Treylis who was at fault. There was some satisfaction to be taken from that, at least.

However, he cleared these thoughts from mind, at least temporarily, for he had come to hear what Treylis wanted, after all, and ought to listen to it. Despite what Treylis might think, he could deal seriously with business if he wanted to! His head tilted slightly as he took in Treylis’s words, first concerning how busy they had been kept. Aclaryn had been frustrated with the chores as well, having never needed to do such work before. It was harder than one would think, he bemoaned to himself. But Treylis seemed to be worse for the indignation than Aclaryn. It was hardly surprising, as Treylis’s pride and sense of the humiliation of such things was far greater than Aclaryn’s. He had pride too, certainly, but it was more malleable, flexible. It had been broken once before, but like a bone, had come back stronger, more equipped to handle the unavoidable insults of the world.

Aclaryn’s eyebrows rose in an unintentionally dubious, somewhat surprised expression as Treylis grinned, and then surprise surpassed all other lingering emotions on Aclaryn’s face as Treylis walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. Aclaryn struggled within himself for an appropriate response, but found none, for he had no experience to draw upon! They had not been on friendly terms for so many turns! He could only stand there awkwardly, completely unsure of what to do with himself.

However, he was saved from this by something yet worse. Dread was slowly growing in the pit of his stomach as he realized what the purpose of the meeting was. Treylis intended to escape, and he was asking Aclaryn to go with him. For a moment, Aclaryn’s negative feelings toward his brother lifted, as he realized that Treylis was perfectly capable of carrying out his plan without him, and would surely claim the position as their father’s heir if he were to go alone. Perhaps…

But no, the anxiety retook him again. Aclaryn quickly took a step back, distancing himself from his brother as he regarded Treylis with a wary gaze.

“Have you gone insane?!” He hissed, each word weighted emphatically. “Escape? Do you realize what the weyrleaders would do if they discovered us? At least now, we have a chance of gaining equal status with them, if we impress. If we’re caught…What do you even mean to do? You do realize that we’re on a sharding island? What, do you think we can ride straight across the ocean and back to the hold?”

[Kitari]

Aclaryn's reaction was not exactly one Treylis had expected, and it was unequivocably the opposite of the one the Lordling had been hoping for. His brother's initial cool poise, with a hint of disdain, had shifted to surprise at Treylis's warmth and fervour, and had subsequently melted into a pool of shock and condescending disbelief. The way Aclaryn was staring at him was the way one would stare at a madman, and Treylis's back stiffened immediately in response. The eager smile slipped from his face, replaced by a more typical frown, and he, too, stepped back from his kin.

As disappointed as he was in Aclaryn's outward reaction, Treylis was taken aback by his brother's hissed accusation. Insane?! Hardly! He was more rational than he had ever been in this instant. There was one clear thing in his mind, and the thought had crystallized with utter certainty: They must escape! They had been brought to this tyrannical place against their will, and it was their duty to Pern to return to their Holding and take a stand against the dragonmen! Their Father was Lord Holder, and with that power, the brothers could band all of the Holders together and end this dragonrider rule!

With his mouth forming a hard sneer, Treylis cut into his brother's speech, ignoring the last comments at first. "Impress? Are you mad?! What makes you think either of us actually has a chance to Impress? We're not really candidates! The dragonriders have kidnapped us, because we are the only successors of Dawnfire Hold! They mean to undermine the Lord Holders and weaken the conclave to destroy all resistance to their rule!" The outrage over this abduction that he had been witholding until this point came bursting out, and Treylis's fists clenched painfully at his sides as he resisted the urge to strike out.

The thought of Impression had truly never entered the Lordling's mind, for he had never actually considered that he could Impress. Treylis's entire life had been centred around Dawnfire Hold, and he had never considered any other future. Thus, no other future could be possible. He was to be Lord Holder, or, if bested, Minor Holder at least. The arrival of dragons had changed little in his world, for his goals had still been the same. Now that he was uprooted, he sought only to return to the path he had followed for so long. There could be no other life, could there?

Finally, Treylis's anger-muddled thoughts tuned into Aclaryn's last words, and his mouth closed abruptly. He had been so focused on his marvelous plan that he had forgotten that minor detail about the Weyr's location. Quickly, the gears in his mind began to churn, and the Lordling recovered quickly. "We will purchase passage on a ship. In fact, we'll trade them the horses we ride down there. And, we'll offer to send a Lord Holder's bounty in Marks for their silence." The confidence in Treylis's features began to restore itself, and his sneer relaxed into a hint of a triumphant smile again. He was always one for plans and problem-solving, and he had proved it once again.

"Now come on!" Enough of this silly chatter! It was time to depart. Treylis turned abruptly and opened the nearest stall, reaching with knowledgeable hands to calm the bay stallion within. "There, there, fellow," he murmured, grabbing the nearby halter and slipping it over the proud stallion's head. "Hurry up, Aclaryn! Grab that one over there," he gestured randomly at a mare, "and let's go before someone comes in here!"

((Cue Ravyna! lol))

[B'kay]

Ravyna stretched awkwardly, every muscle in her body complaining. The act of riding dragons was not one to be taken lightly. When looking at the pictures in the storybooks as a child, she never realized the skills of muscle and balance that were needed to move with a dragon's flight. She had thought that her skills as a runner rider would aid her and, though they had somewhat, she'd been surprised at how different riding dragonback had turned out to be.

Still, she thought with a smile as she left the weyr, Igrainth soaring lightly overhead, and headed across the bowl, there was great pleasure in both. She hadn't visited Renny, Vision and Shadow in several days, her practice had kept her so busy. Today, chores done, she would enjoy the pleasure of her oldest and dearest friends.

The young greenrider was pleasantly surprised at the lightness of her gait and the way her muscles had already started to tone. She wondered as she trotted across the ground whether her runner balance would actually be improved due to her dragon riding practice. With such thoughts preoccupying her, she almost missed the sound of the whinny.

Renegade's whinny. And he sounded ... alarmed. What could cause him concern? He knew everyone who had reason to be in the stables. He was more secure, happier, than he had been in turns during their sojourns across the southern continent of Pern.

Ravyna stopped short for a second, and then burst forth in a dead run toward the stables. The door was ajar, and she sensed movement inside. Sensing her rider's concern, Igrainth's eyes, high above, began to whirl orange. Although the dragon didn't totally understand her rider's fondness for the beasts, nor why they were not considered food items, she would protect them if necessary -- for she loved the rider who loved the runners.

Ravyna was still more curious than worried as she approached the stables, but her emotions shifted to indignation when she reached the point that she could discern the shadows within. Two men, messing with the runners. HER runners!

"Ho, there! In the stables!" she shouted, breathless, as she ran. She could feel Igrainth descending, sense that she was ready to aid her rider if necessary. "Who are you and what are you doing with my beasts!?"

[Shikai]

Aclaryn refolded his arms over his chest, eyebrows furrowed in an expression somewhere between a frown and a glare, and his posture, back straight, boots planted, squarely facing his brother, clearly indicated that he had no intention of budging from his position. He wasn’t often so stubborn, but how could Treylis possibly expect him to go along with such lunacy? The Weyrleaders would have both their hides if they were discovered! Surely Treylis’s mind must have been addled by the unexpected uprooting of his life and complete change of setting and behavioral codes, for as much as he seemed to grate on Aclaryn’s nerves, Aclaryn knew it was not like his brother to try to rush out with such a wherry-brained plan.

Aclaryn’s eyes took on a cynical look as Treylis began to lecture him on their state of candidacy, or rather, un-candidacy, as Treylis thought it. Well, obviously they had been taken for that reason! Yet they still slept in the candidates’ barracks, did they not? Were expected at lessons, and taught about dragons? They were no mere kitchen workers, at least they had that! Rightfully (and willingly) Searched or not, Aclaryn felt that he was capable of impressing a dragon, and intended to at the next hatching. With a dragon, he could travel wherever he wanted, and would, of course, be free from menial labor. Considering the circumstances of their Searching, it was not a bad deal indeed. Was it right of the riders to take them? Certainly not! Aclaryn felt only resentment toward the Weyrleaders and that deadglow of a Searchrider. But they were quite stuck now, and Aclaryn intended to make the best of it. It was unfortunate that Treylis was not so adaptable!

Aclaryn felt a twinge of satisfaction as Treylis’s babbling ceased, as the idiot finally seemed to have realized that regardless of how justified and noble his purpose might be, his plan had serious flaws. Finally, Treylis saw reason! Aclaryn relaxed his posture ever so slightly, ready to head back to the weyr, now that Treylis had given up on the foolish idea, but no! The stubborn dimglow insisted upon acting like a sun-crazed wherry! Aclaryn’s eyebrows raised in a dubious expression as Treylis relayed his new plan, gesturing to a mare for Aclaryn to ride.

“Let me get this straight, then. We’ll ride two stolen runners to a port who knows where, find a ship that is conveniently anchored there at this very moment which in all likelihood doesn’t exist, trade the horses to the theoretical sailors in exchange for passage and hope to Faranth they accept and don’t simply hand us back to the Weyrleaders, who they’re probably quite inclined to listen to given that they’re likely doing business with them, or else they wouldn’t be here at all, and then we’ll be back at the hold in no time?” Aclaryn reiterated, his voice nearly deadpan, save for the undercurrents of emotion. “Am I the only one who sees a problem with this?!” He exclaimed, spreading his palms upward in a gesture to match the exasperation in his voice.

Aclaryn’s eyes widened as Treylis moved for a bay stallion, slipping a nearby halter over the runner’s head. “Treylis!” He hissed. “You can’t do this! If someone sees you…”

And then his worst fears were confirmed as he heard a distant shout of alarm.

“Oh, now you’ve done it…” He muttered to his idiot brother, frantically trying to collect himself, racking his mind for any possible excuse. In truth, Aclaryn hadn’t so much as laid a hand on one of the runners, but the thought did not occur to him to make no effort to cover up for his brother. Aclaryn composed himself to the best of his ability, which was fairly convincing, turning his expression to one of innocent, unfearful surprise as he turned to face the young woman who now burst into the stables, her face flushed with anger and her running.

“Oh, is he your runner? A fine beast indeed!” Aclaryn asked innocently, locking eyes with the girl and gesturing toward the beast Treylis had tried to steal. “I’m very sorry! My brother and I were just going to go for a ride. We weren’t aware that these belonged to anyone in particular! Figured they were the weyr’s, or something. We used to ride back at the hold quite often, you see, and we finally had a bit of time, so…” He glanced about the stables demonstratively. “But clearly we should have asked about the runners here first! I’m very, very sorry!” He said emphatically, his face taking on a sincere expression.

He sighed. “Ah…I’m afraid I’m still a bit shaken by all this. We’ve scarcely been at the weyr a sevenday yet! It is a great deal to get used to.” He exclaimed, smiling sheepishly. “Oh yes, I haven’t yet introduced myself, have I? My name is Aclaryn, I’m a candidate here.” As well conveyed the emotions he wished to, Aclaryn was left to mentally squirm as he waited to see how the woman would respond. Not to mention Treylis! Oh, if his stupid brother spoke up and ruined all his efforts...well, hopefully he'd have the sense to let Aclaryn do the talking, or play along. But Aclaryn was never quick to credit Treylis with any virtues, and couldn't help but think snidely that sense did not seem to be something Treylis had at the time. He was left to fervently hope that the young woman would accept his excuse. If she did, she’d likely think him an idiot, but better an idiot than a thief.

From Aclaryn's shoulder, Valera chirped happily in greeting, aiding her bonded, spreading her wings gracefully and dipping her head in a strange draconic curtsy she had taken to doing when greeting others.

[B'kay]

Ravyna deliberately left the stable door open wide as she halted, braced her feet, and folded her arms across her chest. Her eyes blared fury as she faced the two in the stables. She quickly veiled any expression of surprise when she saw she was not facing a pair of weyrbrats on a dare, as she'd half expected. No, this was something much more devious.

Hearing her rider's mental beckon, Igrainth settled lightly into the bowl, several dragonlengths outside the stables, and in full view of the open door. She stretched as she landed, leaving her wings fully extended in a graceful V that made her appear larger than she was. Her eyes flickered orange sparks, echoing the suspicion in Ravyna's mind.

Ravyna eyed the two men, swiftly squelching her notice of the fact that both were handsome and fit. These were not minor holdlings grabbed from the fields. The Weyrleaders had obviously orchestrated the search of a pair of powerful Holders' sons. Mixed emotions shifted through her mind, and she fought to focus on the ones that would best serve her at the moment ... anger and righteous indignation.

She listened to this Aclaryn's explanation, only half buying it, and chose her words carefully, to let them know that she was savvy enough to recognize their status. She allowed her tone to convey the fact that the man's words were only half believed.

"And when a guest to your Hold, my lord, helps himself to the finest runners ... and your breeding stallion no less," she shot Treylis a sharp glare, "Without permission, what would your usual reaction be?"

She shifted, raising her chin proudly as she again fixed Treylis's face with her glare. "Besides," and one corner of her mouth raised in an almost imperceptible smirk, "THAT one would have most likely bucked you right to the nearest moon as soon as you were out of the stable door. He won't even let the Beastmaster ride him ... I'm the only one who's ever been on his back. His name isn't Renegade for naught."

Igrainth, behind her, grumbled her support just loudly enough for the humans to hear.

[M'kel]

Treylis gritted his teeth in frustration at the sight of his brother planting himself where he stood. Aclaryn had crossed his arms, and the expression on his face declared that he had no intention of following Treylis's direction. That boy could be as stubborn as the most troublesome beast! Despite all of Treylis's reassurances and his supremely logical plan, Aclaryn was not convinced. The Lordling couldn't begin to comprehend this stand; was Aclaryn truly willing to lie down and accept the injustice that had been done to them? They were heirs to a Major Hold! That was where they belonged.

His younger brother began picking apart Treylis's newest suggestions, pointing out ridiculous flaws that made no sense to the frenzied, unwilling candidate. Marks were all that mattered to anyone! Everyone had a price, even shiphands trading with the Weyrleaders themselves! Pern couldn't be so awed by the majesty of dragons returned from a long dead past that they would choose loyalty to these new rulers over Marks. It was completely illogical.

Then, Treylis wondered, why was Aclaryn resisting so? If his arguments were nonsensical, there must be another reason. The young man began to wonder if his brother actually wanted to stay. It was a ludicrous idea, but he had often found many of his sibling's conclusions ludicrous. Aclaryn seemed to agree that they had been brought here on a purely political basis, yet he actually fancied that he might Impress. It was a soul crushing defeat...his brother had already been brainwashed. Treylis hadn't acted quickly enough.

Sorrow touched his gaze now as the Lordling paused momentarily, unsure how to proceed. Nothing he said would change Aclaryn's mind, so there was no option left for him except to depart alone. Treylis opened his mouth hesitantly to speak one final farewell, ignoring the whinnying stallion beside him who didn't appear to like the presence of a human in his stall, when suddenly his worst fear came to pass: they had been discovered.

An indignant cry came from outside of the Stables, and Treylis closed his eyes, desperation flooding through him. He had hoped to slip away without having to fight his way through...now, he desperately wished that the intruder was merely Weyrfolk and not a dragonrider. When he opened his eyes again, Treylis was surprised at the young woman who had stopped in the doorway, a barrier against his escape. Her dark eyes flashed with anger, her face framed by a flowing black mane, and the young man couldn't help but admire her slender and fit form. As frustrated as he was, he also found it admirable that she would stand up to two large young men without a trace of fear or hesitation.

The reason for this became clear quite shortly, though. As Aclaryn prattled on with some lame excuse about going for a ride and Treylis fought to keep his mouth pinned shut, waiting to see if that approach would work, a green dragon settled down not far from the entrance to the Stables. That was it, then. He might have been able to get past a single woman in his path, but a dragon was another matter entirely. His fingers twitched as he slowly exited the stall, the defeat creeping through him like ice flowing into his veins. Panther let out a low, mournful croon, cowering down on the Lordling's shoulder in response to the green dragon's emanating challenge.

Despite the ache in his soul, Treylis held himself proud and erect, squarely facing the embodiment of the Weyrleaders' dictatorial rule. Even if he was trapped here for another day, he would not allow them the satisfaction of seeing how it tortured him. It was easy enough to resume the collected mask he displayed in all Hold dealings, for this was simply another business matter to him. He wanted to escape this encounter with his pride as intact as possible.

"I would have him fed to the wild felines, of course," Treylis replied to Ravyna's accusatory question before Aclaryn could. A hint of a smile touched his lips to indicate that it was a joke, and he chose to ignore her statement about the stallion. He could have ridden the runner if he had wanted to. "He is a handsome beast. I can understand your upset entirely and apologize for causing such grief. I humbly request your forgiveness..." He inclined his head slightly, though certainly not enough for a candidate's submission to a dragonrider; it was much more on the lines of an equal's address.

"I am Treylis, first son of Lord Telryn of Dawnfire Hold. My brother and I are currently guests...at your charming Weyr." His words were respectful, but his gaze belied his sarcasm. The young man was curious if this woman was quick enough to catch on to his emphasis on the word 'guests'.

((Wow, that was way too long. I was just enjoying it too much to end it! Sorry guys!))

[B'kay]

Ravyna was braced for a fight. The lordling in Renny's stall certainly had the look of pride (and, she thought oddly, a little bit of panic) about him that indicated there would be ... resistance. When he straightened himself and stepped calmly from the stall, however, it took the young greenrider by total surprise.

She blinked twice, in perfect rhythm with Renegade's indignant snorts, allowing just a touch of that surprise to show through before she caught it and brought it back into submission. The young man's words about feeding runner thieves to the wild felines brought the spark of a smile to her eyes, which she schooled carefully to keep it from going soft.

Noble blood, good looking ... and intelligent, too.

I like them, too, the innocent familiar voice touched her thoughts as she felt Igrainth move several steps forward. The dragon's breath warmed her back as whirling eyes tried to peer around her.

Quickly, Ravyna quelled the stirrings of those emotions, and swallowed the concern over that near slip. They were about to steal my runners, dear one, she replied, her face softening its focus as she spoke to her dragon.

I would not let them do that, Igrainth said, Even if I do not understand why you like those beasts as much as you do.

Ravyna chuckled softly, and then her gaze sharpened again as she returned her attentions to Treylis.

"Guests, you say," she lifted a dark, shapely brow as she let the tone of the man's words register. She was well aware that most of the influx of "guests" in recent days were candidates in training. "Pardon me, then, for my rather sharp ... welcome, noble guests."

As she spoke, she had edged around Treylis and was opening the door to the stallion's stall. At the touch of her hand, Renegade quieted nicely. Igrainth stepped back at a silent request, and the bay stallion stepped lightly from his stall as Ravyna led him out by the halter the man had been using.

"You appreciate a fine runner, then? Let me introduce you to him properly," she said, tossing the words lightly over her shoulder. Her intentions were as much to get the two men out into better light as to let them look over her runner, of course.

Renegade tossed his head high, his jet black mane glowing blue in the breeze. His nostrils flared as he drank in the scents around him, not at all perturbed by the proximity of the green dragon. He stood firm, confident, and slashed his tail once impatiently when his two admirers didn't respond right away.

Ravyna laughed and stroked the muscular neck.

[Shikai]

Aclaryn suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as Treylis interjected and introduced himself. Treylis, first son of Lord Telryn of Dawnfire Hold. How typical of his brother. It seemed to exude arrogance! Treylis and his pride. This wouldn’t have happened in the first place if Treylis had not thought to escape, and with so reckless a plan, no doubt! Now, that was not typical of his brother, come to think of it. Despite his acquired distaste for Treylis, Aclaryn had to begrudgingly acknowledge that it was strange for Treylis to so poorly plan his escape. Perhaps weyr life was disagreeing with him more than he let on? Ah, what was this, worry? Aclaryn irritably squashed the concern for his brother that had momentarily overtaken him. What did he care if Treylis’s foolish pride was causing him his well-being? It had to happen sooner or later anyway. Besides, Aclaryn was mad at him right now. Treylis got them into this mess!

At least, however, the tension had subsided a bit. That was a relief. And, now that he no longer had cause for panic, he could take a moment to look more closely at the young woman who owned the runners. She wasn’t bad looking, actually – far from it. But, he thought quickly, she was likely a weyrling. Everyone he was interested in was a weyrling, it seemed.

He tried to put any such thoughts about her from his mind. But a moment ago she had spelled certain disaster for him! Well, that only made her more appealing, in a way. With a light of his head to clear such thoughts, which could easily be construed as an attempt to clear his vision from stray strands of his hair, Aclaryn watched as Ravyna walked the runner out of his stall, supposedly to let them admire him.

He couldn’t help but wonder if she had an ulterior motive, for, as much as he hoped otherwise, it seemed too simple that they would be forgiven so easily. His story hadn’t been spectacular by any means, but given that they (or Treylis, at least) had been caught red-handed, he doubted if there were any story that could assuage all doubt. Anger bubbled up in him as he glanced toward Treylis, as confident and stubborn as ever. His idiot brother had cost him any chance with the young woman in the future for sure! Never mind that she was a weyrling, for she wouldn’t always be. But there was nothing as could be done now, he supposed.

Nothing but admire her runner, that was. Fortunately, Renegade proved to be the perfect distraction Aclaryn wanted from the situation. He had seen numerous beasts of good breeding before (and ridden several himself), and had passed many a day at the hold out with his friends, all with their runners. His expression turned to one of mild awe as he looked over the runner, and a smile spread across his face.

“My, he is a fine runner! It must be good blood that runs in those veins.” He remarked. Nostalgia and wistfulness crept over him for a moment as he thought of his own runner at the hold. In all likelihood he would never see the creature again. He hadn’t been riding since his arrival at the weyr, and the loss hit him at once. How many freedoms he had lost! He could understand Treylis’s desire to escape, even if he could not partake in the plan.

Aclaryn’s hand rose slightly, but he paused before running a hand over the beast’s neck. They had done enough damage for one day, and he wasn’t about to risk touching her clearly beloved runner without permission. He looked to Ravyna, eyes questioning. “If I may…?”

((Erg, sorry this is kind of bad. D= I’m really tired and out of it. xD ))