Paranoid [tags; Rys]

[glamourie]

"You misunderstand. I'm not telling you not to concern yourself with Kaegan. She's your responsibility. She isn't mine. I was merely explaining why I don't particularly care to inquire about what you intend to do where she is concerned." It almost sounded mocking - but it wasn't. Ka'rys could respect T'rid's position where Kaegan was concerned; he was in the same position with Shmee. He'd detested the woman but he would've died to protect her. He would have still, if he could have, because of her young daughter. Shei didn't deserve to go on motherless. The thought made him wonder how S'rei was doing and whether or not the other bronzerider needed any help. He wouldn't ask, though. S'rei was not his friend. He had people to turn to, people who would help take care of Shei. The little girl would not go motherless, and no doubt Shmee would be made a hero in her child's eyes. As all mothers should have been. Lauranna, if not S'rei, knew he was available if they needed anything. He'd made it painfully clear how fond of children he was. He doubted, though, that the siblings would ever mention anything to him - or ask him for aid. They had friends for that, and Ka'rys was not their friend. Though, the thought made him anxious to ask T'rid if he'd spoken to S'rei. If anyone had. He'd been such a mess before...

He didn't ask. He kept his opinion to himself. Ciceroth sent a wave of reassurance to him that he was grateful for. His concern was noted by the bronze and, surprisingly, approved of; most of the time, Ciss was eager to tell him he was out of line. Evidently worrying over another's emotional well-being was 'good behavior' in the bronze behemoth's eyes. Who knew? Ka'rys closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. His stomach did another flip. Had anyone told Shmee's family...? He wouldn't ask. T'rid had enough on his plate without worrying about that. Instead, Ka'rys decided he'd approach someone else about Shmee: Kaegan. As her prospective-successor and acting Senior Weyrwoman, she needed to handle affairs like that anyway... and he was curious to know.

Letting Kaegan pick her own body guards struck him as a mixed blessing. She was from Benden. She'd know who was capable of defending her. On the flip side, she also was probably afraid, or at least intimidated, by the people most capable of keeping her safe. "You might ask R'non. He seemed fond of Kaegan, and he knows how to defend himself and others. She probably wouldn't pick him... but I'm betting her safety is forefront on his mind already. If you trust him, anyway." Ka'rys shrugged. "I personally would recommend Aliscia of Tanith. Her green is vicious enough for two, and probably more capable of taking out any would-be attackers than most of the Selenitas bronzes, let alone anyone else." Upon realizing the implication of his words, he glanced at T'rid. "I mean no offense, Weyrleader, with that statement, and I hope you recognize that it is not intended as insult." He wasn't speaking about a lack of skill, after all. He spoke of a lack of experience. There was little that could replace blood on one's hands, and he wouldn't ask anyone at the Weyr to acquire said experience.

For similar reasons, he chose not to comment on the healing subject anymore. He gave T'rid a name. Hopefully the other bronzerider would know what to do with it. He didn't know enough about healing to be convincing, he knew, but he was betting that anything the healers said would go over T'rid's head. Technical explanations had a tendency to do that to most people. Even Ka'rys didn't understand the exact way the activated charcoal worked. He just knew it did.

"Grow up," Ka'rys repeated, slightly more insistant. "When you make one comment, it is acceptable. That is a protest. Two comments is being repetitive. Beyond that is whining, and whining is what children and animals do when they're hoping to accomplish something. To continually whine about something that cannot be immediately fixed is a sign of immaturity. You are Weyrleader, and these people look to you for leadership. Our Weyrwoman has died. You are the central leader of this Weyr." There was a bite in his tone that hinted at Ka'rys being irritated. It grew increasingly more obvious as he spoke, his hands bunching up. into fists. "This Weyr needs a leader that acts like an adult, not a child. Do not make me hit you again. Just because you rank me does not mean I will hesitate to shove hold your head under water to prove a point. I am trusting you to make your own decisions, and treating you with respect enough to offer you my opinions unabridged. Know that I do that for few. Stop insulting the gesture by acting more childish than my daughter."

Why Rysmine, I didn't know you cared so much, Ciceroth teased, though he was well-aware of why Ka'rys was irate. It wasn't so much that T'rid was whining, but rather, that Ka'rys did not see much getting done. Which wasn't entirely fair to the other bronzerider. Ciceroth added to Corinth (privately), Greetings, Conrith. I have a favor to ask of you. Will you tell Yours that Rysmine is not intentionally being cruel? He is upset. He worries for Hepaticath's; he worries for yours; he worries for himself. Worry makes him angry, and his Hatchling is very ill. He does not mean it as badly as he sounds.

[Avu]

Great. Ka'rys wasn't making his mood any better -- and, for that matter, T'rid wasn't looking forward to looking after Kaegan either. He didn't actively dislike her, but he'd much rather look after someone he did like, though that number was extremely small, and could probably be counted on one hand. Corinth had made it very clear that he was duty-bound to do it, but the bronzerider viewed taking care of the Weyrwoman much as a Weyrbrat might a particularly annoying, ridiculously difficult, but absolutely necessary chore that had been assigned to him out of spite. Necessary, Corinth echoed his thoughts firmly, and T'rid hissed slightly. He didn't want to say that they'd queens to spare, since any queen's death was devastating, but when you looked at it from a strictly numerical point of view...they did. Aslath had passed; they still had one clutching queen and a queen that had just graduated from Weyrlinghood. So it wasn't as bad as if Aslath had been their only queen, or one out of two queens. But if Kaegan and Millieth died, then they'd have only one queen left. Which meant that yes, she did need to be taken care of. Even if it meant handing her knives and demonstrating, she'd have to be protected.

Fun!

He sighed, rubbing the side of his face vaguely. "Do R'non and Kaegan get along?" T'rid asked, eyebrow arching in surprise. He'd only seen together...once, was it? Yes, he thought that was right. Once, and they hadn't exactly been friendly then. "I'm not averse to making him take care of her, but if she orders him away, or gets Millieth to -- he can't exactly disobey, especially if Millieth inhibits him -- can she do that?" he added, wondering that the question had never occured to him before. "She's...kind of Senior queen, isn't she? We could use that, if she can inhibit them..." It wasn't an extremely useful thing to have, but it could be used. No dragon could disobey Senior queen; if they could get Millieth to broadcast a demand for any dragon who knew the identity of the poisoner to speak, they could find the person, assuming it was a dragonrider. Or at least, eliminate the dragonriders from their potential poisoners list. Either one was good, though the former was undoubtedly the preferred.

"A woman is probably the safer," he added after a pause, propping his elbows against the table and lacing his fingers together to rest his chin on his hands. His logic wasn't exactly sound, but from what he'd heard and gathered, the North was far from a lovely place for any person -- women especially -- which meant that a woman would be less likely than a bronzerider to play the traitor. "And Kaegan'd probably prefer a woman, too. I'll ask." T'rid had been using those last two words a lot, and he realized with an unpleasant half-scowl that it meant he'd have to physically stalk them down and grill them. Fun times, that. Just what he wanted to spend his time doing: Drifting around the Weyr hoping Faranth would smile upon him and deliver him right into the person he was looking for.

He doubted he would. Faranth rarely showed him favor.

Lecture! (Which Corinth informed him that he had completely deserved, and he agreed with.) Was he going to get punched, though? T'rid didn't really think he wanted to walk around with a black eye, and he scooted his chair back cautiously until he thought he was just out of easy reach for the other bronzerider. "Dragonrider reflexes" or not, he didn't want to depend on being able to get out of the way in time. If Ka'rys wanted to punch him that badly, he'd have to get out of his chair first, which would give him time to move. In theory. (Things rarely worked out exactly as he'd planned them. T'rid had gotten used to it.) But he didn't really want to have to dodge a flying fist to begin with, so he just shrugged. "Fine. Is that all you wanted, or was there something else that you've been saving as a grand finale sort of thing?"

Corinth snorted softly as Ciceroth bespoke him, the bronze shifting on his weyrledge and then responding after a pause, I will tell him -- though there's no need for it, really. I think he deserved it and he agrees with me. The dragon passed the message to His nonetheless, and recieved a sarcastic reply that made Corinth huff again, tailtip twitching against the stone in mild agitation. Stupid T'ridHis...

((I'M SORRY IT SUCKS.))

[glamourie]

[ SHUT UP IT DOES NOT ]

Did R'non and Kaegan get along? ... Did R'non get along with anyone? For that matter, could anyone really stand his presence for extended periods of time? Ka'rys thoughtfully cocked his head to the side. He didn't dislike the other bronzerider. At least, no more than he did the average person. However, Ka'rys was betting that most of the Weyr thought very little of him. To be totally truthful, R'non and Kaegan actually topped the list of Ka'rys's suspects for Shmee's murder, though he had no intentions of voicing that thought to anyone. Kaegan because she was a Benden goldrider, and she was smart enough, cunning enough, to escape. Which meant she had some level of intelligence most people were overlooking. She also stood to gain the most from Shmee's death, since her queen would likely rise next, and it was a remarkable coincidence that the wine was probably Benden white. Too much of a coincidence, in his opinion. R'non was only on the list because he, like Ka'rys himself, absolutely hated Shmee and made no secret of it. However, given previous behavior, Ka'rys did not think R'non intelligent enough to pull off a poisoning with any level of efficiency. Maybe that was arrogance but he didn't exactly respect the former Benden rider. Anyone stupid enough to blurt out their allegiances in front of the entire Weyr was worthy of being smacked around a bit.

Was Kaegan intelligent enough to assassinate Shmee? Was she foolish enough? Hmm. It depended on views. Either way, he didn't know whether or not she and R'non got along and really, he didn't care. "I don't pry into their business," he admitted in explanation, and a scathing reply from Ciceroth made him flinch. "Ciceroth believes Kaegan may not like R'non very much because of what happened at Millieth's first hatching. You remember." It was not a question. Anyone with sense in their head knew what happened at Millieth's first hatching, and a lot of people blamed R'non. Ka'rys didn't. Ka'rys didn't care enough to pass around blame. It was in the past and dwelling wouldn't help anybody.

As for Millieth being senior queen, Ka'rys gave an indignant snort. "Not yet, she's not," he corrected with no small amount of malice in his voice. Evidently a nerve had been touched. Just because Shmee was dead didn't mean it was right to replace her immediately and he would not treat Kaegan as Senior Weyrwoman until the title was rightfully hers. Until then, it was only right to pay Shmee the respect she deserved in death. Suddenly wiping out all that she was -- that was disrespectful, to say the least. "She's a queen, but until she Rises, she's not Senior Queen. She and Hepaticath are equals until one of them goes up. Nevertheless, Millieth probably could order Rath away with ease. Doesn't mean R'non would leave if he wanted to stay." Personally, he'd have been more comfortable with R'non than Aliscia. Aliscia's Tanith was vicious... and probably would offend Ciceroth if they were around each other for very long. Ka'rys had a feeling she was the type of dragon that his Ciss would want to squash like a bug to prove a point.

Fortunately it had never come to that. Nor had he been forced to beat T'rid black and blue to make his point. Good. Weyrleader abuse wasn't his cup of tea. He watched the younger man edge away and was filled with a grim sense of satisfaction. That one movement was telling; it meant T'rid knew he was out of line for lingering on that topic and was most likely (at least subconsciously) intimidated. Good. He needed to learn when to hold his tongue and when not to, and if respect for anyone was something the other bronzerider couldn't grasp, perhaps fear of pain would be more efficient. His eyebrows raised and he shook his head. "No. I didn't come to lecture you. I didn't even come to discuss this. I truly just came to ask what you intended to do where Savitri is concerned, so that I don't get in your way." It almost sounded bored, even to him.

Corinth's response did not earn words from Ciceroth. Though he'd explained to the other bronze that His did not mean it, that did not mean Ciceroth was eager to make friends. He was polite enough -- but friendly? Never. He didn't like other ranking dragons, and though he couldn't remember why anymore, Ciceroth knew he did not like Corinth. Therefore, he let the conversation die. It wasn't as if he had anything to add anyway.

[Avu]

Again with the exceptional helpfulness!

In Ka'rys's favor, he actually seemed to have thought about it for a bit (which was more than T'rid would have done), but...the answer still didn't help. He didn't expect Ka'rys to "pry" into their business, but surely the other bronzerider had formed some sort of opinion about the relationship between goldrider and bronzerider? /You/ don't have much of an opinion, Corinth pointed out mildly. I've more of one than Ka'rys does, T'rid responded defensively, which Corinth didn't reply to. Ka'rys's reference to Millieth's Hatching made T'rid shrug, his face unreadable. Millieth's first Hatching was little more than a vague recollection. He remembered what had happened, but the finer details were lost. (Ah, the benefits of having such a miserable, selective memory!)

"So, she doesn't like him. Don't blame her." He didn't really care why Kaegan didn't like R'non -- but she didn't, and that was that. He didn't like R'non either, for no other reason than the fact that the bronzerider had seen fit to make fun of him after Calistoth's Flight. (Thanks, R'non. Thanks a lot.) It really wasn't much to hate him for, but T'rid had managed to hate people for less -- it really was amazing that he still liked Corinth. "Well..." He always seemed to come back around to asking Kaegan. "I'll suggest both of them to her, but she'll probably hate me -- which might be a good idea -- if I set her up with a bodyguard she doesn't like." And just how is this a /good/ idea? Well...rider's choice affects the dragons a bit, right? So...if she hates me, we won't be Weyrleaders when Millieth Rises...hopefully...

-- ooh.

Had he hit a nerve? He hadn't even meant to, asking that; it had been a question completely lacking in any kind of intended taunt. One eyebrow went up as he leaned back, folding his hands across his stomach. "Apologies, then," T'rid commented dryly, "I wasn't intending to upset you." Which was, for once, true. T'rid didn't even see why Ka'rys was so suddenly upset, unless it was for Savitri, and that didn't even particularly make sense; she'd still be Junior Weyrwoman and rank basically everyone anyway, even if Hepaticath wouldn't be able to inhibit dragons. The idea that it was for Shmee didn't occur to him -- mostly because he'd convinced himself that he was over that (and didn't respect her much to begin with).

"You've asked, then -- and more." T'rid shrugged again. "In case you need a recap -- I haven't planned anything as far as Savitri goes, so if you want to set up some elaborate scheme -- that's fine. Get back to me on it, and I'll do what I can. Good enough for you? And if that's all..." He gestured with one hand towards the exit. "...I'll be taking your advice and locking myself in my office now."

[glamourie]

"Don't blame her." Hmm. What had transpired between T'rid and R'non so as to make the Weyrleader speak out against him so openly? Something must have but - alas, Ka'rys hadn't a clue what it could have been. He wasn't exactly up on the latest gossip, though, and thinking about it for a moment, Ka'rys decided he really didn't care. T'rid's personal and professional life didn't concern him unless it directly related to his rank and position. Considering that T'rid had never come to him to discuss anything as far as leadership of the Weyr, he was betting that the other bronzerider didn't want him involved anyway. (Since Ka'rys tended to prefer being left alone, he preferred it that way -- let T'rid bother other people for advice or whatever he needed. Ka'rys couldn't care less. Helpfulness wasn't his strong suit and neither was getting along with other people, especially other bronzeriders.)

"I said Ciceroth believes that. I didn't say it was fact," Ka'rys corrected smoothly, though he suspected it was. Ciceroth, for all of his flaws, was rarely wrong. There was something about people that captured the dragon's fascination and, as a result, he managed to understand human beings better than most of his kind -- and considerably better than Ka'rys, except when he bothered to focus. Call him self-absorbed, but ever since Kamerai and D'loro's deaths, Ka'rys hadn't paid attention to anything going on at Selenitas aside from official business (when it was his job) and that which related to him. He found himself sinking more and more into a reclusive pattern of behavior and had absolutely no desire to change it. The Weyr wasn't the kind of place he fit in at. He was more alert and attentive to safety than most of the Southerners he met, considerably more practical, ridiculously blunt, and he cared more about traditions than they seemed to. While he was willing to throw them aside for a good reason, it took a lot to fall under that category for him. Ciceroth was more... understanding, because Ciceroth tried. Ka'rys made no effort to try with most people.

T'rid puzzled him. Ka'rys cocked his head to the side and wondered how having the prospective future Weyrwoman as an enemy could be beneficial to anyone. Not being friends was understandable -- Ka'rys had no desire to be her friend. However, he also had no desire to inspire hatred in the woman. If she did turn out to be Senior Weyrwoman (as was expected), he was going to have to deal with her from time to time, and he didn't want that to be uncomfortable. He'd already been hated by one Weyrwoman. He didn't feel like reliving it. That thought made his stomach turn over and he looked away from T'rid before bowing his head. While it was almost nice to not have to live in concern that he'd be sent away for looking at the spiteful woman wrong, he didn't like ... how it had come about. It occurred to him that he felt somewhat responsible, as if he could have prevented it -- if he'd tried harder to convince her to be careful or something. Not that Shmee listened to him at all. She usually did the exact opposite of what he suggested, but... weren't they getting a little better...? A little?

Wait, what? Upset?

"I'm not upset," the other bronzerider replied, but his tone implied that yes, yes he was. Almost on impulse, he added, "Not about you, at any rate. I just don't approve of replacing Shmee at the first available opportunity, as if her death was meaningless, and that is less you, and more the Weyr as a whole." Why he felt inclined to tell T'rid that was nothing he could explain. It wasn't as though the younger man could remotely understand the concept of erasing a life. He was betting T'rid knew nothing about pain. "I find it disrespectful to her memory. It will happen, yes; her position will be replaced when one of the queens rise. But sooner is -- too soon. Without Shmee, this Weyr wouldn't be what it is today, and while some aspects of it are mind-shatteringly foolish, I knew Sera... and most of Shmee's policies were a lot better. It is my opinion that she deserves a proper period of mourning; she and the family that she left behind. If you repeat that to anyone, though, I will cut your tongue out." No one was allowed to know he remotely cared about Shmee. He didn't, really... it was more misplaced aggression.

His eyes followed T'rid as he gestured and Ka'rys waved a hand dismissively, without further explanation. Let him run off if it suited him. Ka'rys had nothing else to add to the conversation... and, surprisingly, he was getting hungry...

[Avu]

What Ciceroth said was good enough for him, being one of the only references he had to work with. He was fairly certain that Corinth had gotten the distinct impression that Millieth was not fond of Rath, but that didn't necessarily have to hold true for the Riders, though from what he could remember, Kaegan wasn't nearly as disapproving -- at least, not as openly -- of R'non as her queen was of Rath. (But again, as he'd said aloud, he didn't blame her if she didn't like him. T'rid didn't like R'non at all, though Corinth didn't seem to dislike Rath.) I do not /know/ Rath, Corinth pointed out reasonably. I don't judge what I don't know if it can be helped. Which left T'rid thinking, -- if there was ever a peaceful bronze, it would have to be Corinth. The bronze dragon's sensibility was almost unnerving sometimes -- as was his initiative. If he didn't know better, T'rid would have accused Corinth of being too human for his own good. As it was, T'rid's own good pretty much depended on Corinth.

The bronzerider pressed his mouth thoughtlessly against his hands, eyeing Ka'rys contemplatively for a moment. It was a second before he realized that the other had his head cocked to one side. Puzzled? By what? His desired enemity with Kaegan? -- well, no, perhaps saying her hatred would be beneficial hadn't been entirely accurate. It wouldn't be beneficial, not really. Not to his nonexistant fanclub, for one thing, but he didn't care about that, and as for his chances at Weyrleadership, the way T'rid saw it, they dropped severely if he managed to make Kaegan irritated with him -- hate, maybe, wasn't what he wanted -- anger, though. Anger would serve his purposes just fine. Nevertheless, he didn't explain to Ka'rys -- no competitive, ambitious bronzerider would understand and he didn't know how, exactly, to classify Ka'rys -- and merely shrugged, glancing away.

His eyes returned though, his own head tilting slightly at the conflict between tone and words. Not upset, hmm? T'rid smirked slightly, wondering if he ought to point out how very obvious it was that yes, Ka'rys was upset, but before he could decide whether or not he was going to, the other bronzerider was already explaining. His eyes widened slightly in thought as Ka'rys spoke, and he propped his cheek against one curled fist, elbow against the table. Proper period of mourning, she deserved, did she? T'rid bit his lip to keep from commenting, though it was his opinion that, first, Corinth had mourned enough for the both of them and Stupid and Mir besides; and second of all, he hadn't liked her -- would that be taken as mocking, if he did mourn? He consciously go out of his way to disrespect the goldrider's memory, but...but...mourning was all well and good, but it was already done, and deaths occurred every day. The bronzerider merely shook his head at the threat. "I won't tell," he responded, eyebrow arching slightly. Truth be told, he didn't know who he'd tell, and didn't know why he'd tell in any case.

At the dismissive wave, T'rid would have contemplated being offended -- to him, the gesture was one a superior might use to one they considered inferior, a Drudge perhaps -- but in the end, it wasn't worth it and he'd been "granted" the "right" to leave, which was what he'd wanted. He shrugged, pushing his chair back with an audible scrape, and then turned, heading out of the Main Hall. You're not going to pick me up, are you? No. It would only distract you, and you don't want me there anyway. Go to the beach or to the River. I'll be waiting for you. What d'you mean, I don't want you here? You want to think. Ciceroth's has given you much to think about. It's better that you think without my distracting you.

If there was ever a time that he hated how easily Corinth could read him...

And endthread. =3 <33