Teach me to believe in something {Uu'n.}

[glamourie]

It was the middle of the night, when most of the Weyr was sleeping. The average rider, candidate or simple Weyr resident would be sound asleep, dead to the world. Wherhandlers would probably be awake, and a few select who were nocturnal or in charge of night sweeps; regardless, most of the Weyr was down until daybreak. It was a cool night, the air crisp and lacking in humidity for once; likely it would be a dry night as opposed to the typical dampness that came with changes in the weather. It was summer, technically, but the slight chill in the night air hinted at something far cooler; a breeze carried from the sea down to the Weyr, perhaps. A light mist hung over the ground, hardly enough to be classified as thick but noticable nonetheless. The very same mist seemed to carry off onto the horizon for as far as the eye could see, and from above, it blanketed Selenitas Weyr and the surrounding areas with a mottled touch of silvery-gray.

Ciceroth landed on the cliffs of the drum heights soundlessly, his large bronze form unmistakable despite the fog. Spreading his wings to stretch, he glanced around and then lowered himself down enough that Ka'rys was able to climb down, only to lean back against him with his legs crossed. Ka'rys was dressed in full riding gear, which was outright strange for him, though he would claim it was because he left most of his responsibilities until the evening to do. So far no one was any the wiser, and he hadn't been questioned on it. Really the only thing that made his appearance odd was the fact that Ka'rys was wearing shoes as it was a semi-known fact that the bronzerider had a vendetta against boots if he could help it. Foul things, boots. He only wore them when he absolutely had to. Sadly, between was one of those cases - going without shoes there was utterly stupid.

Are they coming?
As soon as we came from between I told Adith that we will be waiting. Do you know why His wants to see you?
Not at all. It's very strange.

That was the truth of it, too. Uu'n had sent word that he wanted to meet with Ka'rys - a fact which puzzled the bronzerider, as in his experience the young bluerider did not usually seek people out. Ka'rys certainly was not someone who was often requested by him. They hadn't even spoken much. If not for the attack from Benden on the Weyrlings, Ka'rys likely also would not have given the young rider a second thought, but he had a begrudging note of respect for him - enough that he was willing to at least talk and find out what he wanted. And he had a professional curiosity that was not so easily sated. So he'd decided to meet with him one night, since night was when the blue was at his best. It seemed a logical choice, though he was growing to regret the decision as he waited, fingers drumming against his wrists as he crossed his arms in front of his chest - more from lingering chills from between than anything else.

[neeuqtar]

Ka'rys didn't have to wait long. Adith fell from the sky like a violet bolt, wings flaring in the thunder of backwinging so that the dragon touched the ground with hardly a dursturbance. The dragon was purely in his element, his violet-blue hide blending with the evening shadows, the leanness power of his frame solid muscle, with nothing left of the awkwardness of the hatchling (though he was not entirely full-grown yet), attesting to the long hours of flight. Adith's body rarely touched the ground at night; the dragon could fly for hours and would likely be fine through an entire Threadfall--if Thread were ever to fall at night. As it was, the two were not able to fly in the day, except for early morning and late evening, and that only with Adith's goggles on, which obstructed his vision enough to be a severe annoyance.

Uu'n dismounted, wearing solid dark-stained riding boots and a heavy riding-jacket, in addition to his usual riding-getup of black pants and a black sleeveless shirt, and his fingerless gloves. Fingernails were painted black in his one vanity, and pale silver-blond hair was french-braided tight to his scalp, a few wisps escaping to curl around his pitch eyes. The only truly unusual addition to his clothing was his knives--since the second attack, Uu'n wore both dirk and dagger everywhere, even taking them with him to bath, eat, and sleep. He had become suspicious of everyone and everything... except Kalierre. Kali, Phremath, and Adith he trusted without question, but he had gained the opinion that Shmee was a fool, and S'rei foolhardy. The pretties might run the Weyr... but the night was his.

The senior weyrling--almost a true rider now, he reminded himself--strode over to the bronzerider and held out his hand to shake Ka'rys'. "Thank you for coming," he said, voice steady, eyes meeting Ka'rys' with no hesitation. "I am Uu'n of blue Adith, night-rider, and we--" he tilted his head to indicate Adith-- "--would like you to teach us how to battle dragons." He was very forthright; reactions were the better to see if one did not couch words in pretty language. Besides, it left more time for training, and Ka'rys, though a bronzerider, was a relative nobody... and Fortian. He would be able to train the pair, and then Uu'n would train the wherhandlers, and perhaps someday there would be a Night's Wing, or a Night's Watch, to fly sweeps at night and perhaps attack Benden (or Fort, he supposed, or High Reaches if they grew troublesome) in the dead of night. As it was, the night held only peace, but Uu'n and Adith still flew sweep several times an evening, keeping watch on the sleeping Weyr and the surroundings.

After all, it only took one in the night to poison the Weyr's water, and perhaps next time it would not be so benign as a sedative. Uu'n intended for there to be no next time.

[glamourie]

Nicely soundless, that landing, Ka'rys thought with a hint of approval. Only someone whose ears were trained to the brush of wind would have heard Adith's approach, and even then only if they were paying attention. Ka'rys was, but Ka'rys was paranoia incarnate. He listened for sounds of anything that could be taken as an attack, particularly when his nerves were on end. While he had no reason to believe Uu'n knew him as anything but a Selenitas rider, a nagging little voice (the same one that had saved his life on more than one occasion) said not to trust the boy's request - that the young bluerider may have been trying to single him out in order to blackmail him or even attack. It would be foolish on Uu'n's part, as Ka'rys had a lot more experience than he did, but Selenitas riders did not seem to recognize that most of the time. For reasons he could not fully comprehend, Shmee and S'rei seemed to see fit to leave their riders incapable of defending themselves. He understood the logic of not teaching offensive maneuvers as Selenitas seemed determined to stay out of the war, but defensive seemed... logical. Weyrling training at Fort had consisted of teaching the Weyrlings about their dragons and also about how to recognize weights and shapes in clothing as blades, basic hand-to-hand combat, and how to hide weapons on one's person at all times. He'd been taught young exactly how to break someone's arm so that it would not be easy to repair. "Make your enemies fear you and all will let you be." One person alone as an example could send a message to impact all of Pern. He'd learned the lesson well.

Taking Uu'n's hand, Ka'rys nodded politely. He did not introduce himself nor Ciceroth, who curled his head around to look at Adith before crooning; a quiet greeting, nothing more. His tail did, however, twist around to curl about Ka'rys's legs, since his rider had stepped away a few paces to talk to Uu'n. The bronze liked to be touching his rider at all times. In a way it was a comfort to Ka'rys when none were needed; he did not let anyone touch him except for Ciceroth. Physical contact was limited to handshakes and even that he didn't like. Fortunately it wasn't skin-to-skin, as both of them were wearing gloves. How he hated the feeling of human flesh against his own.

Did he just say ---
He did. What will you tell him?

Others might have looked appalled at the bluerider's questions. Others still, embarrassed. Ka'rys's total reaction was hidden beneath the surface, emotions taken and shoved down into the pit of his stomach where they were neatly out of the way. His head tilted, an inquisitive look on his face, as if in interest. In a way he was looking at Uu'n for the first time, and it showed, but the look was also measuring. To an untrained eye he might have merely been regarding the bluerider with contempt but those schooled in expressions would know he was comparing and contrasting. Uu'n was taller than him but height could be detrimental in dragonfighting; it made someone an easier target. Granted, a large bronze was a pretty hard target to miss... His gaze flicked over to Adith. The blue was small. Blues and greens typically made the best fighters in the air because of their size and mobility... Hnn...

"Why do you want to learn?" he asked, though Ka'rys suspected he already knew the answer. Uu'n was one of the Weyrlings who was attacked, although soon the title of Weyrling would no longer apply. Full-fledged rider, and already endured so much. Attacks that killed many of his peers. Yes, Ka'rys suspected he knew the reason Uu'n asked, though he had to ask. Another part of him, though, was most curious: why him? He was a relative nobody. True, S'rei was gone, but he would have been an ideal choice for teaching about dragon-versus-dragon combat, having been at both Fort and Benden (the traitor). R'non too would have been a decent choice. There were plenty of people who were refugees from Fort and Benden alike. Why him? -- Did he suspect something? Or was it because his 'reasons' for coming to Selenitas, as believed, were very different from most? After all, he claimed he was transferred ... not that he'd fled. And he'd never made any effort to hide that he was a former Fort rider. It was an interesting question... so he decided to ask it. If the bluerider was so anxious to learn, he would answer to Ka'rys's satisfaction or find someone else. "And why ask me?"