Inquiring Minds [open]

[Ruby]

A stylus clacked sharply against the too-smooth stone wall, clattering to the floor. Across the hallway, a certain disgraced Weyrling slumped against the cool surface, sliding down so he crouched, arms around his knees, staring at the corner to his left. Around that corner was Faranth's first egg, the answer to the Question Song, all the fabled miracles the Harpers had ever heard of. A library of such scope and age the general populace was forbidden to enter. It was an Archivist's dream, not to mention a Mastery waiting to happen, for whatever Harper got their hands on it first. T'mund of Jagjith, the great Master Rider, All-Knowing Ruler of North and South. Not bad, and he certainly would never reach Mastery without a project of this scope, and where else would he find something like the Burimyu library that he could take a dragon?

And he wasn't allowed in.

He'd tried to petition the Council, but that sharding, lovely Meira had been prettier than he remembered, and he'd found his tongue tied and his mouth spewing nonsense. Not to mention that he was fairly sure that idiot M'kai had mentioned the little debacle around the evacuation, blowing it out of proportion no doubt. No matter, it all amounted to the council maintaining the bar on his library access. For the love of little green dragons, did no one know who he was?

Jagjith had recommended a written petition, but T'mund thought that looked desperate. He'd do it if he had to, but not yet. With a sigh, the Weyrling heaved himself to his feet, stooping to retrieve the stylus he'd thrown. Tucking it into the ever-present leather satchel at his side, he set off toward the corner again, a surprisingly bloodthirsty look on his face. Maybe he could bribe the guard, or stage a break-in if things got really desperate. He would literally do anything to get his hands on those records.

[Rowana]

Nabrik was bored! At least at Selenitas he'd had classes and Path. Even the other candidates weren't all that bad. Here, he was even aloud outside by himself. He had no one his own age and nothing but tedious chores to occupy his time. He did them only because he didn't want them to have an excuse to send him away. No way was he going to live in a Hold. He was staying right here where Jingth and her clutches were going to be! At least, that was how it looked. Besides, Alph hardly looked like a fire lizard so hiding out in a Hold would only last so long.

So, the boy had taken to exploring his new home as much as possible. It was a lot bigger than he'd expected, and even with much of it closed off to him, there was still a lot to see. Hands shoved in his pockets, Nabrik trudged around the halls with Alph watching from his shoulder. The sound of something clattering caught his attention. At last, something was going on! He jogged up and around a bend to see only one of the weyrlings. Nabrik made no attempt to hide his disappointment. Still, the older boy looked maybe as bored as he was.

As T'mund headed to one of the "do not enter" areas, Nabrik trotted up to keep pace with him. "What'cha doing?" he asked curiously. Normally he didn't bother talking to older kids as they tended to pick on him, but today even that would be better than nothing. Alph raised his head and bobbed it in greeting. Pleased to meet, he told T'mund, far more polite than Nabrik's bored question.

[Ruby]

T'mund was so busy debating how he'd get into the room, he didn't notice the Candidate at his side at first. Generally, T'mund considered it his duty to ignore candidates on general principle, but right now, he was distracted from his usual disdain, so Nabrik's appearance didn't get the sneer it usually would. Instead, T'mund found himself answering without thinking. "I desperately need to enter the library, but the Council will not allow it. And it is nice to meet you, too."

The Weyrling took a few more steps before he realized that last part hadn't been spoken aloud. Stopping so he could peer around the corner (not suspicious at all, T'mund), he also took a look at his companion - and the salamandyr on his shoulder. Of course. The words were just so sensible, T'mund had taken them for human speech. All the Salamandyrs he'd ever run across made next to no sense, even when they only had simple ideas to communicate. "Who are you?" he asked, looking first at the salamandyr then shifting his gaze a little to take in the boy, too. Of course it was the boy he was talking to, not the pet. Of course.

The door to the library was guarded, and locked, he was sure. A quick peek around the corner revealed a guard that was neither a Weyrling nor M'kai, which meant T'mund had never met them before. Who knew if the guard had the key (honestly, that seemed pretty silly), but getting them out of the way was the first priority, and that would be easier with an accomplice. "Are you... working on anything at the moment? I need help with something."

[Rowana]

Nabrik frowned and shrugged. Libraries sounded dull to him, so what did it matter if you could get in or not? Seemed to him it was just one less place they made him clean. Getting into some place you weren't supposed to, though, that sounded interesting. "Why would yah want to get in there?" he asked skeptically. T'mund certainly looked determined, that was clear.

Despite addressing Nabrik, it was Alph who answered the weyrling's question. Is Alph, he said reasonably. His spiked frill waggled in greeting as he curled around to perch on Nabrik's head. Here he could see the taller boy more clearly. This Alph's Nabrik, he explain, apologetically. His little human may have no manners, but Alph still loved him as much as the first time they had met eyes.

Nabrik leaned around the corner too, spotting the older rider standing guard. "No," he admitted slowly. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. He was apposed to helping necessarily. But he wasn't just going to let this older kid use him as a distraction. Skipping chores was one thing, but getting caught here could mean real trouble! "Why? Think I'll help?"

[Ruby]

"Why?" T'mund repeated, sounding totally bewildered. "Certainly it is obvious? There are books in that library, and books contain knowledge, and knowledge is power. Who knows what secrets the Council are keeping from us?" he asked, still fixing Nabrik with the sort of look that said 'who ARE you?' Shaking his head a little in obvious despair, he peeked around the corner again, trying to figure out exactly who was guarding the door. Not a Rider he recognized, but that didn't narrow it down much. T'mund hardly even knew his own Weyrling class.

The salamandyr's voice pulled T'mund back from the corner, and provoked the appearance of another creature, as well. Something that looked very much like a worm with wings appeared in the air in front of T'mund's face, swirling around Nabrik and Alph before settling around the Weyrling's neck with a slight hiss. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Alph, Nabrik," T'mund replied absentmindedly, shushing Carenath and extracting the very thin stylus he'd brought from the bronze's tail. Once he had it in hand, he added, "Oh, that's right. I am Brownweyrling and Journeyman Archivist T'mund of Jagjith, and this is Carenath. He might not like you very much, so please keep your fingers away from his mouth."

Nabrik's interest in what was going on around the corner caught T'mund's attention, so the Weyrling let him look at it in peace - until Nabrik spoke, anyway. "I think you have to," T'mund replied, crossing his arms and pouting like a petulant child. "I am a Weyrling, after all, and you are just a Candidate. I could have Jagjith eat you if you don't help," he added, ignoring the Brown's mental scoff. T'mund wasn't above coercion, and having been a small boy himself fairly recently, he knew that fear worked well. Very, very well. As an afterthought, he tacked on, "In addition, we might find something interesting. You never know. If it is really just books, why lock and guard it?"

[Rowana]

Nabrik didn't think he'd heard anything sillier in his short life. "Books?!" he scoffed, almost laughing. "Books are boring! Who cares if they lock them up?" What was all that talk about "knowledge" and "power" anyway. Dragons were the most amazing things around in his opinion and lucky T'mund already had one, as his unnecessarily long introduction proved. If that was true, than what was he complaining about? Alph was more interested in Carenath, offering him a little chirp of greeting. Please to meet! Fire lizards were much better than his kin, after all.

Nabrik scowled darkly as the older boy continued. Who did he think he was? True, anything that the Council didn't want them to see did spark some interest. Nothing like disobeying adults to brighten his mood. The way this weyrling treated him though was really getting on his nerves. "Dragons don't eat people," he snapped back, in a voice that said he wasn't entirely sure about that. "And I don't have to do anything you say if I don't want to!" Nabrik crossed his own arms stubbornly. He hadn't come this far just to be bossed around by this boy, no matter who he said he was.

[Ruby]

"Who - who cares?" T'mund spluttered, then realized he had to keep his voice down if he was going to make any attempt not to alert the guard of their presence. Changing to a venomous hiss, the Weyrling went on, "Me, for one. Who raised you, after all? Wherries? Everyone knows that books are hugely worthwhile. That is why we save them in archives, so they will be available to future generations. Do not tell me you did not think of that?" Towards the end of his monologue his tone changed again, this time to his usual condescension that made it clear that if Nabrik admitted he HADN'T thought about that, T'mund would be the first to call him an idiot.

Luckily, Carenath was a little more civilized than his human. A little. The bronze stopped hissing, and instead tilted his head at Alph, a clearly puzzled expression on his miniature face. He hated salamandyrs. They were awful, all of them. Except this one seemed... polite? With a huff, Carenath inclined his nose to Alph, deigning to recognize his existence. That was about 100% better than salamandyrs usually got from Carenath, so hopefully he would appreciate it.

Nabrik's scowl wasn't a good sign, but T'mund wasn't in the mood to care. Instead, he simply crossed his arms, staring into the middle distance past Nabrik's shoulder. "You have not yet acquired one, so how would you know? Jagjith would be happy to bite if I asked. And you do have to help me if I order you to, but even the weakest leader knows that their followers respond better to free will." Surely at least some of that was over the boy's head - that was T'mund's intention. "So," he added, shifting his eyes to the door then back to Nabrik. "Will you help?"

[Rowana]

Nabrik was getting pretty angry now. This boy wasn't that much older than his was! What gave him the right to act so superior just because he had dragon. Good thing not all the weyrlings acting like this one, or it might have affected Nabrik's opinion of them. "My mother was a great woman!" he hissed back without thinking. How dare this boy insult his parents! "And father..." He stopped, turning red with frustration. He'd nearly forgotten he hated his father. At least, he thought he did. Nabrik shook his head. No sense in getting homesick now of all times.

Nabrik was so put off, that he ignored most of the rest of what T'mund said completely. He was beyond caring now. Secrets were for wherry brains like him, and Nabrik was sure he could find better things to do. Alph crooned sadly at the thought. Just when Carenath had started being polite too! No fight, he begged, frilling in distress. Be friends? Nabrik scowled again, kicking at the stone of the passage. Alph had been as lonely as him since coming here. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to stay, but if anything went wrong, he was definitely telling on T'mund. "What's your plan anyway?" he asked reluctantly and without enthusiasm. It was probably a stupid plan, coming from this jerk. "Chase the guard off and knock on the door?"

[Ruby]

T'mund was caught off guard by the boy's defense of his parents - he really hadn't put much thought into what he said, and lacking true parents of his own, he hadn't realized it would be a problem. Backtracking quickly, especially when Alph started frilling, the Weryling held his hands out, palm down, in a clear 'quiet!' gesture. No need to alert the guard ahead of time, after all. "Sorry, sorry," he hissed, sounding far more annoyed than apologetic. Realizing this (with a small intervention from Jagjith), he tried again, sounding far more sincere this time. "Sorry. I did not mean it against your parents, I simply wondered how one could grow up without any knowledge of the wonder of books... can you even read?" It would have been rude if he had said it a minute ago, but now T'mund just sounded confused, maybe curious.

Talk of the plan was much less fraught with peril, something T'mund appreciated. At least here he could show his intelligence without offending someone. "To begin, yes," he admitted, although it sounded really stupid phrased like that. "Or create a diversion, most likely by having Carenath drop something just out of sight. Or... perhaps Alph could assist Carenath?" Maybe it was a stretch, but Alph seemed to like him far more than Nabrik did, and T'mund was happy to capitalize on that.

Glancing down the hall, he leaned against the wall again, crossing his arms in front of him. "Then we may try the door, to see if it is truly locked. If not, we are in. If so... well, it may involve drugging the guard," he said ominously, patting his ever-present satchel (which really only had styluses, ink, and books in it ever).

[Rowana]

Nabrik rolled his eyes. "I read," he answered in a bored tone. Really, what kind of questions was that. Everyone learned when they were young, didn't they? Nabrik didn't much enjoy reading and he was amazingly good at it, but he could piece letters together well enough. "Don't make books any fun." Besides, no sane person ever let him near a an actually book. He'd learned on tablets and the closest he'd ever been to anything more was the records in Emoyan's office, which he was allowed to look at.

The boy sighed. For someone who claimed to be smart, T'mund had lousy plans. "That'll never work. Or did you think they were stupid?" Drugging had a bit more possibility, but it was also much more invasive than Nabrik liked. Alph was equally disagreeable, though for different reasons. Not nice, He shook his little head emphatically. Ask nice? Yes, the scary little brown was much more in favor of a pleasant, non prank way of dealing with the guard. He would do pranks, if Nabrik ask, but not for T'mund. Nabrik made a face, trying to think. He wasn't used to dealing with other people or having a reason to do things. This might be harder than he thought.

[Ruby]

"You never know until you try," T'mund replied, clearly quoting some figure of wisdom. "Anyway, there is no way the two of us will be able to take down a guard by ourselves, and I refuse to trust any of my Weyrling class farther than I can throw them. I would say we should try at night, when they will be drowsy, but if they have any brains, they would expect an attack then. Sometimes," and here his voice took on that quoting tone again, "The simplest plans are the most effective, for little can go wrong."

Still, Nabrik was right, and T'mund knew it. Well, not about the never working, but about the intelligence level of their enemies. Something so simple might be worth a try, but it would also tip their hand early. Hm. Furrowing his brow, he continued brainstorming, until he came up with the idea of simply asking about the same time Alph did. Still, though, he made a face. "I have attempted that method already," he said, addressing the brown, "But I spoke with the Council, not this particular rider. Perhaps... if the council asked us to fetch something for them? Even if the Rider goes in to get it themself, we will know if there is a key, and where they keep it if it exists. That will certainly make it easier if we are to attempt to steal it, or pick the lock while the Rider is indisposed in some way?

[Rowana]

Nabrik rolled his eyes. This weyrling certainly liked to talk. It was no wonder he couldn't get anyone else to go along with his schemes. For all T'mund's confidence, they were still more likely to fail than succeed. Still, tricking the guard was still more interesting that asking. In his experience, asking rarely got one anything more than "no" for an answer. The boy sighed. This was getting boring. It was starting to look like doing anything would at least be more fun that doing nothing, even if they did get in trouble.

"Or," Nabrik said in a bored tone. "You could talk to the guard, and I'll steal the key." If the guard did open the door to get something, he could always sneak in after him. Either way, if something didn't happen soon, he was probably going to leave to find something more interesting to do.

[Ruby]

"That is..." T'mund, about to call Nabrik's plan stupid, paused for a moment. "Actually, that is a fairly interesting idea. It just may work. Perhaps... perhaps I could spill ink on the rider, and you could lift the keys while I help clean him up? We could also offer to watch the door while he goes to change his clothing," the Weyrling mused. "That would allow us unsupervised time to enter the room."

((I think we need a rider now... I'll see if we can get cbox volunteers <3))