At the Edge of Dawn. {Shmee / S'rei? Maybe?}

[glamourie]

Southern's climate was considerably different from Fort's and was the first thing that Juliya noticed as she and Eriannath came from between high above the Weyr - if it could truly be called that. The lack of stone walls and the lush green jungle surrounding it was enough to make the drills she was taught in Weyrlinghood flash through her mind and she cringed. Even though the South was in less danger than the north, it was still enough to make her want to flail. She'd seen what Thread did to such lush greenery, and she did not envy Selenitas's fighting wings one little bit. That had to be a nightmare to protect. Still, the damp warmth in the air was familiar to her, not all that different from Ista's warm climate, and she was reminded of the home she left behind so many Turns ago. In a way, that made the idea of coming to stay at Selenitas - if their Weyrleaders would let her - a little more bearable. For all its flaws, Fort was home. But home wasn't safe anymore. What would Kamerai think when she found out she was gone? She probably wouldn't even notice, really. Juliya was inconsequential. And she liked it that way.

I like it here, Eriannath decided quite happily as she circled the Weyr before finding a good place to land. Her wings clamped to her sides as she settled down, waiting for her rider to dismount. It's very warm, and they have a waterfall. Lounging by that waterfall is probably very relaxing. We should try it once you check in.

If they decide to let us stay, Juliya replied as she climbed off of Eriannath. Then she removed her riding gear and rubbed her eyes lightly. She looked bright and springy, doubtlessly a morning person, but the dread in her eyes was obvious. What if the Weyrleaders kicked her out? She'd heard about Selenitas through whispers, and the prospect of staying there worried her. Rumour said the Weyrwoman was a mere child, and acted it. The idea didn't impress her too much; she knew what it was like to be led by a Weyrwoman who was ultimately selfish beyond words and the concept worried her immensely. But did she have any choice? Women at Benden were as slaves. Fort was not much better, but there she at least had a place. Selenitas was supposedly the most lenient of all the Weyrs - for the moment. Time would show whether or not it stayed that way, but she had to take a chance. She didn't want to die. More, she did not want Eriannath to go between forever.

Behind Juliya, Eriannath sprawled out, basking in the early morning warmth. The green was perfectly comfortable at Selenitas, as though she belonged there. Juliya had doubts, but Eriannath did not. She trusted Juliya to make the right decision for them both, and Juliya hoped, silently, that she could live up to that trust. If she couldn't, then they would have to go back to Fort and face the Weyrleaders. That was not an idea she welcomed, as she doubted she'd make it out alive. Eventually, they would figure out why she wanted to leave in the first place, and that would end everything.

I will call the Watchdragon to inform them that you are here. You shouldn't risk letting everyone know immediately why you left. They will find out soon enough when they see you, Eriannath stated simply. She crooned once she bespoke him, then turned to look at Juliya. The Weyrwoman and the Weyrleader will be informed immediately of your arrival. Please calm down, Juliyalove. You have nothing to worry about.

I have everything to worry about, Juliya replied, bringing one hand to her braid to toy with it. She wore her hair back strictly, so as to keep any strands from falling in her face during flight. Because if they refuse us, we will both die.

They won't.

[Requiem]

You must wake up, Mine. Eriannath is here. Wha-? Rei peeled open his eyes, wondering at the strange position he found himself in. You fell asleep writing the transcriptions. Right. Right. He had been doing that the night before, hadn't he? S'rei sat up, rubbing at his eyes. Great. There were nice even lines, turning into a lopsided squiggle that kinda just fell down the page, punctuated by what looked suspiciously like drool marks.

Eriannath, Mine. She and Hers wait outside the Main Hall. I don't even know who that is. Salenth's disgust was palpable. Eriannath. From Fort? That was when it clicked. Eriannath and Juliya. They'd been just out of their weyrlinghood all those turns ago. He and Salenth hadn't known them all that well, but they at least weren't hostile faces, and had actually helped the bronzepair on occasion. What were they doing here?

S'rei pushed back from the desk, standing rather shakily. Mornings and the Weyrleader never mixed well. And he was rather stiff, falling asleep sitting up as he had. Somehow, S'rei doubted that the greenpair would be particularly disposed to wait for him to wake up before he spoke with them, though. The man attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in his clothes and get his rat's nest of curls to look semi-presentable, finally giving up. A Weyrleader could look like hell and no one had any right to say anything. Right? Right.

The bronzerider didn't bother with Salenth's riding harness, though perhaps he should have, given how many times he nearly slipped off as the bronze powered up above the falls and made his stately way toward the Main Hall. Eriannath. We meet again, Salenth stated, friendly without being less than formal as he settled down near the sprawled green. S'rei peered down at Eriannath's rider, before sliding off Salenth rather gracelessly. He ran his hand through the stubble on his chin and blinked at the woman.

"I have a Fort greenrider at my Weyr," the man uttered, rather needlessly, though his tone sounded almost disbelieving. Ah. Sleepy S'rei. It was always an interesting phenomenon. If you didn't know him, you might think he was a bit drunk. The bronzerider leaned back against Salenth's foreleg, as much to keep his feet as ought else. "Juliya and Eriannath. Shards, woman, I wouldn't have thought I'd see you again. So you've managed to survive the wars so far. What trick does our beloved Kamerai have up her sleeve, sending you here to me?" Sarcasm if ever there was such a thing.

Juliya didn't look all that much different. A few more turns. Some more wisdom behind the gaze. He himself had put on nearly half a foot in height since he saw her last, and wasn't at all the same person he'd been. Yet it never occured to him that she might not know him. That could, of course, be due to his sleepiness.

[glamourie]

Hello, Salenth, Eriannath greeted without moving much from her sprawled position. It was too early for her to do much besides lounge, and leaping to attention would be more than awkward. She did not think that Salenth would demand formality from her besides a greeting; she did not remember him, but just the sight of the bronze comforted her rider, and that was good enough for Eria. She wasn't hard to please.

Her rider on the other hand, though delighted to see Salenth, was actually confused. Eriannath had said the Weyr--- oh goodness. She let the surprise that she felt dance across her features for a moment before she shook her head, slow and steady, to clear her thoughts. Her hands settled at her sides and she cast a casual glance to her green before turning back to S'rei. Rather formally, the greenrider bowed, her eyes remaining on S'rei the entire time, like someone might bow if they were expecting to be attacked when their eyes were cast away. It wasn't meant as disrespectful but she knew few bronzeriders who were anything short of cruel; in fact, she'd always considered them the most dangerous people at Fort following the Senior Weyrwoman. That distrust had mirrored itself in Eriannath's flights - no bronze had ever caught her and few browns had tried as well.

"I apologize for waking you, Weyrleader," Juliya said quietly. Yes, she noticed that S'rei looked disheveled, and yes, she recognized that he'd known who she was immediately, but she did not comment on it aloud. It wasn't like they were friends. Juliya's only friend was dead - dead for a secret she'd told, a secret Juliya shared. Not exactly the most reassuring news. Some part of her wanted to comment that it was more surprising that S'rei was alive; after all, he'd fought, she hadn't. But it wasn't her place or her business, and she knew better than most the virtues of holding her tongue. She also didn't want to risk saying something that might be offensive, true or not. She'd learned well that one false statement could be extremely dangerous, especially in the presence of men in power. The south was supposed to be a lot more lenient on that sort of thing than the north and she'd heard few tales of beatings from Selenitas Weyr, but better safe than sorry.

Glancing at Salenth, the dark-haired woman smiled, though the expression was fleeting. They both looked much, much better than when she'd last seen them. That was good, at least. Her gaze returned to his rider as he mentioned Kamerai's name and Juliya resisted the urge to visibly twitch. "I... am not here on official business from Weyrwoman Kamerai. Were she sending someone to address Selenitas Weyr, I am certain it would be someone in far more intimate standings with her than a greenrider who by twist of fortune has managed to fly in her Wing for several turns. Your position merits nothing less than a bronzerider to grant you messages, and I do not think that she would deliberately insult you unless she felt she had something to gain by doing so." For Juliya, it was actually a speech, one she was sure that S'rei likely knew already. Still, she decided to answer, almost carefully, her voice guarded, "I come requesting permission to transfer here from Fort Weyr." Without the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader's permission, no doubt, but that did not need to be stated. If she didn't come right out and say it, then S'rei would never have to lie. If D'loro and Kamerai noticed her missing and cared (unlikely), S'rei could simply state that he never knew she had no permission to be there. She was trying, in a twisted way, to prevent any additional conflict. She also was sure he guessed that on his own.

It is extremely good to see you again, Salenth, and in such good health. You look very well. Those 'words' were meant only for the bronze. She'd spoken to him before, so he no doubt knew what she could do. If S'rei was Weyrleader, he probably already knew she was able to talk to all dragons. If he didn't, she wasn't going to tell him unless it became a necessity. But Salenth was familiar, and despite her hesitation with trusting bronzes, he was one she liked.

[Administrator]

"What's going on?" a sleepy voice interjected. Shmee, with a giggly Miguel held against her chest, wandered up to the pair, looking from S'rei to Juliya with a look of tired confusion. She hadn't taken the care S'rei had to look presentable; she still wore her (or S'rei's, rather) nightshirt, that was thankfully long (the need for pants had escaped her). Shmee had been awoken early after a night of fitful sleep by a crying Miguel. So she had gotten up, changed his soiled cloths, tried to go back to sleep, found the feat impossible, and so she had been cuddling with Miguel when the watchdragon bespoke Aslath. Her gaze lingered on S'rei for a moment, as if this was all his fault that someone had arrived at the crack of dawn. She was, actually, mildly annoyed that he hadn't slept in their bed that night. She always slept better with him around. Yet she had been tired the night prior, and didn't think that S'rei would fall asleep over his work. So Shmee got a night of uncomfortable sleep out of it.

Who is the rider?[/color] Aslath inquired curiously. I do not know the dragon.[/color] This question was directed at Salenth and Shmee, but could be heard by Juliya if she listened to it, though Aslath was unaware of it. Moving over to Salenth, Aslath settled beside him almost possessively. Giving Eriannath a stern look across at Eriannath, she twined her tail with Salenth.

I'll find out, she reassured her gold as she suppressed a yawn. Bringing all her attention back to Juliya, she tried smiling. "Welcome to... to..." The yawn that she had attempted to suppress finally burst from her, and she only just barely managed to cover it with one of the hands still very much attached to Miguel, bringing her dark-haired head close to his. Miguel, planning to take advantage of this situation, squealed happily, grabbed her short hair, and yanked. Shmee groaned, reaching one hand to his baby-hand, carefully undoing it. "No, sweetie, you can't have this," she told him firmly, trying to sound stern, yet still loving. Untangling his fingers, the babe started wailing.

Sighing, clearly frustrated that this meeting wasn't going as planned, she rubbed his back. "Shh," she murmured soothingly, stroking back his dark locks. "Sorry," she apologized awkwardly to Juliya, not seeming to realize that this was the least of her problems, the biggest being her lack of pants. How could someone not realize she wasn't wearing pants in public? Obviously Shmee could. Clearing her throat, she started again. "Welcome to Selenitas!" she told her with a sleepy half-smile. "I'm Shmee." Pausing, she looked the woman over. Determined to not think about the fact that she was obviously older than herself, she went on. "I'm sorry, but what's your name? I didn't have any notice that we'd be getting a transfer... I could've prepared more." Smiling sheepishly and apologetically, she patted Miguel's back rhythmically, wishing his bawling would stop. The one time she had forgotten a toy or a teething ring of something, the one time he had to have a fit.

He does not mean to. He is only a hatchling,[/color] Aslath reassured her lovingly. Shmee sighed.

I know, she replied. It would probably have been better to leave him with Laurie for welcoming a transfer, but I don't know if she's awake, and it's such short notice.[/color]

I can tell. You never leave the weyr without pants on,[/color] Aslath pointed out. Shmee froze, realizing that the clear air around her legs was definitely from lack of pants. Turning visibly scarlet, but not saying anything, she panicked. She needed pants! She should go, and maybe hide in the weyr for a few weeks... Shard it! What would this woman think of her? Squeezing her thighs together casually, she tried not to focus on this... at least S'rei's nightshirt was long enough to cover it. Yeah, maybe this woman thought she was wearing shorts or something... Resuming the comforting of Miguel with renewed vigor she looked expectantly at Juliya with a still-flushed face, trying to act natural.[/size]

[Requiem]

He actually found her surprise amusing. S'rei wouldn't have thought he'd be standing here as Weyrleader of Selenitas, either. That amusement quickly vanished, however, as she bowed to him. His normally schooled face was pretty expressive in the morning, and his displeasure was fairly obvious. Never one for formality, he was even less tolerant of it when half-awake, especially from someone he'd known turns past. It didn't really make much of a difference that this particular woman had never been a close friend of his. He just didn't like the way things had been run in the north, and had always been careful to earn respect, rather than demand it.

The man merely grunted at her apology. It was a dismissive sound, rather neutral in nature, as if to say it wasn't worth worrying about. He stared at her blankly for a long moment as she replied. What the hell? "You're a bit wherry-brained if you estimate yourself lower than a bronzerider due to Eriannath, there," he stated rather tactlessly, smiling at the green. "She's worth more than three of most of the northern bronzes I know." Rubbing at his face again, he considered. There really was no answer but one to her request. There was no possible way that Juliya had Kamerai's permission, which meant that his denying her entrance to Selenitas was the same as a death sentence. They may never have been close, but she was kind enough, when kindness was hard to find. And S'rei couldn't really bring himself to condemn anyone to death on mere suspicion.

"I don't see any reason why not -"

Salenth preened at Juliya's voice in his mind. He remembered this woman. One of a few who could hear all the dragons, and who most dragons liked to speak to. Thank you. The turns have been kind to you and Eriannath, as well. You both are all right? There was a trace of concern there, as something must have sparked their departure from Fort, and Salenth knew what S'rei didn't. Juliya had helped the two communicate when their bond was all but severed, and that was something that, dragon or no, Salenth would never forget.

The Weyrleader found his conversation with the Fort greenrider interrupted by a tousled and obviously somewhat absentmind Shmee, his nephew cradled in her arms. Was she really wearing no pants? Despite himself, he found that rather cute, and her glare only caused the somewhat lusty smirk to deepen. Mad at him, was she? He didn't mind, so long as he got to tease her later about not being the only one who wasn't a morning person.

This is Eriannath, and her rider, Juliya. They wish to transfer from Fort, Salenth responded simply. We knew them for a time when we were at Fort. They would make a good addition. S'rei had already decided to allow it, and if Salenth could color Aslath, and therefore Shmee, favorably, then it would save some potential stress. He did not, however, appreciate the way Aslath immediately pressed against him so possessively. It seemed to say that she didn't trust him, and therefore wanted to make it obvious to everyone that he was her mate so that they'd keep their distance. A part of Salenth wanted to respond by flirting with Eriannath, but he was not one to engage in such frivolous activities for the mere sake of vengeance.

Instead, Salenth settled for not returning the pressure in her tail. It was something the others wouldn't notice, but should convey his displeasure well enough. S'rei glanced up at Salenth curiously, but was too tired to pursue it overmuch. The bronzerider deferred the rest of the conversation to the Weyrwoman as naturally as breathing. When the wings were in the air, he dominated. Otherwise, he was content to allow her to deal with the headaches, though she was certain to get an earful if she showed any intention of denying Juliya and Eriannath their request.

It wouldn't surprise him if Shmee didn't realize the full implications. She didn't know the north like those who had spent a good portion of their lives there.

[glamourie]

A hint of amusement danced somewhere behind Juliya's guarded eyes. She didn't think herself less than a bronzerider, or anything else. She didn't think Eriannath was any less, either. She'd spent most of her Turns simply placating the egos of others and just because she'd met S'rei before didn't mean she was about to stop. Besides, the point was irrelevant. She didn't think that the Weyrleaders of Fort would send a mere greenrider they barely knew (and thus could hardly begin to trust) to Selenitas if they had something important they wanted from the trip. That wasn't self-depreciation, simple realism. She knew for a fact that sending someone like her probably would have been the best choice, because she wasn't a threat in any way, and she usually treated everyone she met with respect, regardless of status, but that wasn't how others would see it at all. Sending a greenrider with a message to a Weyrleader could be construed as an insult. Especially if said message contained a request. Odds were, if she were sent, it would have been an insult, too. Subtle games of deceit and treachery...

She was just about to reply to the compliments to Eriannath, which did elicit a smile from her, when someone else came walking up. S'rei's words, too, seemed to cut off, and Juliya didn't need knots to know that she must be the Senior Weyrwoman. The Senior Weyrwoman with absolutely no pants on. How... odd? She wasn't sure how she felt about that, though she did offer her a slight smile. The dark-haired woman's eyes, though, fell on the baby. They had a child? So much did she miss. Bearing children so young, too - not unlike most Holdbred women, but Juliya did not envy her that at all. She liked babies. She just... didn't enjoy the concept of having her own.

The gold's behavior made Juliya blink, though. Why in the world was she being so possessive? Did she think Eriannath wanted Salenth? ... Did it truly matter if she did? Most golds wouldn't care, because no green would dare challenge their claim to any dragon let alone a bronze. Eriannath was no exception. She'd never dare insult a queen that way. It spoke volumes of Selenitas's Senior Queen that she seemed to be that insecure, and it made Juliya wonder if her decision to leave Fort was the right one. She did not say as much, instead turning to bow her head lightly to the gold laying near by. She didn't know her, so she didn't speak to her. Salenth she knew of old; Salenth she was comfortable with.

We are... She smiled casually to Shmee. "My name is Juliya. She's Eriannath. We're from Fort..." She didn't flat out say she wasn't there with permission, but she let the words hang in the air for it seemed plainly obvious to her. But it's not safe at Fort anymore. A girl was killed there ... for doing what I can do.[/i] She left it open for Salenth to interpret what she meant, but she was sure he could pick up on it; subtlety was something she appreciated more than most. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Weyrwoman Shmee. And to see you again, S'rei." Her eyes fell on the baby and she smiled. "Oh, he's precious, absolutely precious. Your son?"

Eriannath turned to croon to Aslath, but otherwise did not respond to the queen's behavior. Unlike her analytical rider, the green did not delve into wondering about the queen's motives. She had no reason to. Instead, Eriannath stretched out further, speaking casually to them both, You have a very lovely Weyr. It is beautiful here. Ignoring her rider's amusement, Eriannath continued to stretch. It really was so much prettier with all the plantlife and the rich river. Why couldn't Fort be so beautiful?

"I'm sorry," Juliya added, realizing she'd gone off on a tangent, though she masked her words with, "for disturbing you so early. I would have given you more warning of a transfer if I'd thought of it." She did not begin to claim that she had permission, though. She was a lot smarter than to lie. She'd just be discreet. "It was not my intention to be a disturbance at all..." Though could she truly have come without creating one? Probably not.

[Administrator]

Even though Shmee was mildly irritated with S'rei and her own foolishness of pantslessness, his smirk amused her. A small smile forcing itself out a little, she resisted the urge to nestle up beside him. Somehow, he could manage to entertain her even when she was most worried about this sort of thing. Giving him a stern you-behave-yourself sort of look, she firmly stood her ground and bounced Miguel lightly. Unfortunately, she needed to maintain some kind of level of professionalism when in these kind of situations, so being too affectionate with S'rei right now wouldn't be good. Of course, she had botched up her professionalism spectacularly so far... Well, at least this woman hadn't noticed this so far. She had a feeling that if the woman had noticed, she probably would treat her like a child. Sometimes, older transfers had come and thought looks alone was enough to lose appearance in their Weyrwoman. This was frustrating sometimes, especially seeing as this woman seemed to be an old friend of S'rei's. Right now, she felt as though she were being scrutinized twice as hard. Trying not to fidget, she straightened herself unnecessarily, hoping that S'rei wouldn't mention or the woman wouldn't notice her pants... or lack thereof.

Of course, Aslath wasn't thinking her actions. To her, a green who Salenth knew was competition. Her past was unknown to her. How was she to know if Salenth had ever flown her or not? All she knew was that they knew each other before Aslath knew him. This was enough to make her anxious. You knew her for a time?[/color] she repeated, doubly worried. Catching herself, she quickly amended, I mean, you two knew them?[/color] He wouldn't catch onto her suspicions, right? It wasn't any help, either, that he didn't return the squeeze on her tail. She was right! He was going to leave her for this green! Mine, he's leaving me![/color] Aslath wailed to Shmee. The woman frowned, looking over at them.

He doesn't look like it, she replied sleepily.

He likes this green more! He knew her back at Fort![/color] she told Shmee, distressed. Shmee sighed, regretting coming up to greet Juliya now. It was all just ending in disaster! Bouncing Miguel in a desperate attempt to take her mind off everything, she found it didn't work. Irrationally worried, she looked over at S'rei, trying to hide her panic but simultaneously attempting to drop the hint that she wasn't having fun at all.

Thank you,[/color] Aslath replied stiffly to Eriannath, still worried and still suspicious. Looking nervously over at Salenth, some of her anxiety switched over to Shmee. The Weyrwoman was now fighting down mild hysteria, a mixture of worry of how S'rei's old friend was thinking of her, her lack of pants, Aslath's jealousy...

At least talk of Miguel could calm her slightly. "Thank you," she said, smiling a little. "We're fostering him," she added, watching in amusement as Miguel, as though sensing they were talking about him, turned to Juliya and screeched a happy noise. Shmee flinched, hoping he wasn't waking up the residents... "Shh, sweetie, we need to be quiet, okay?" she told him, using her babying voice. He let out a bubbly peal of laughter, and Shmee felt herself calming more. He was so sweet.

"It's all right," Shmee replied to Juliya, trying to smile. "We understand sometimes people are put into... positions, in the Northern Weyrs." Though she didn't know she hadn't been given permission to transfer, it wasn't uncommon for people to come here hastily. Sometimes, with Benden in particular, they had begged transfer papers and came to Selenitas at a moment's notice out of some sort of danger. Then again, runaways were also not unheard of. "Well, there are many weyrs open... We have a formal listing up in one of the offices in the Hall, so you can look at that, or you can just search out weyrs that look empty." She shrugged, shifting anxiously. Her odd nervousness hadn't been completely quelled. Maybe she could convince someone else to show her around... She needed pants. She needed them especially before Juliya noticed.[/size]

[Requiem]

Shaking himself mentally, S'rei attempted to wake up for about the sixth time that morning. What was it with people demanding his attention so early? Honestly! Even as a Wingleader at Benden, he'd rarely had to show people his sleepy side. Yet here, it was coming out more and more. Pragmatically speaking, such a weakness becoming common knowledge in times like these wasn't good. Who knew? Shmee. Laurie. Kali. All the sharding junior weyrlings. Now Juliya - though she might think he was always like this...Heh, that would change soon enough. Stop worrying, Mine. As far as weaknesses go, taking a few extra minutes to wake up is not so bad. He had a point there. S'rei allowed himself to relax, only half-listening to the conversation between the two women.

Amused, as ever, by the sleepy thoughts of His, Salenth's amusement vanished at the response of Eriannath's. They'd killed another one of the people who could hear dragons? Why? It had been too long since Fort for the bronze to remember much of what it was like there. I'm sorry, he stated softly. You are welcome here, though. There is a dragonhealer who can do as you do. Not everyone knows this, but she doesn't really hide it. We would not do something like that.

If he meant to say anything further, Aslath interrupted him. Salenth was tempted to tell her that this woman could hear everything she was saying. He knew what she was thinking, and it annoyed him. Even if he had flown Eriannath some ten turns ago - which he most certainly had not - why should it make any difference now? Was she so insecure? Did she trust him so little? Yes, he'd voiced his doubts in the past. A monogamous gold? Practically unheard of. But that didn't change his nature, nor that of His. He could feel S'rei's eyes upon him. Even half-asleep, the man was more than aware that there were a lot of things going on that he was missing. Sending His a wave of reassurance, Salenth tried to thrust his annoyance aside. Though why he should comfort this doubting queen was beyond him. She was acting like a hatchling.

Yes. We knew them. When Mine and I couldn't speak to one another, they tried to help us. It was a long time ago. Maybe that would help allay the suspicions? He honestly didn't care. If she wanted to believe that this green he hardly knew or remembered was of interest to him, let her. He shouldn't have to defend himself. It is, Salenth replied absently to Eriannath's statement. And you will get to help defend it. Yes, that was mildly patronizing, but he was thinking about how childish Aslath was acting, and the statement from the green seemed quite young. It was completely subconscious, and if it was offensive, he didn't mean it that way.

The Weyrleader glanced from person to person. He was missing something important. He just knew it. With a sigh, the man straightened, leaving Salenth to Aslath. Though S'rei had caught Shmee's earlier look, and likely would have done something in response on most occasions, he didn't trust himself to flirt with her right now without taking it past an acceptable level. Well, it seemed that Shmee was willing to let Juliya and Eriannath into the weyr without a fight. He rather doubted she realized they were here without Kamerai's permission. Or, rather, D'loro's, but it amounted to the same thing. Not that it really mattered. Juliya was right. Whether he agreed or not, the northern mentality was that bronzeriders were the most important. They wouldn't send anyone after a greenpair.

"He's actually my sister's," S'rei commented, of Miguel. Smiling at Shmee, still rather sleepily, the man added, "I'm sure you've got some things to take care of. I can show Juliya around - or find someone else who can. Speaking of Laurie, she knows this weyr better than most everyone else. Been here since she was born."

"You make me sound old," the greenrider commented, laughing at her brother's surprised expression. Unlike Shmee and S'rei, Lauranna was very much a morning person. The woman swept up to the newcomer, smiling up at her. "Hello there -" Glancing at S'rei, who supplied the name, Lauranna grinned broader. " - Juliya. Hold on a tic, and I'll show you about. These two are quite useless right now." Flouncing up, she reached out her arms for Miguel, who wriggled about, giggling happily. His three favorite people were here! Lauranna took the babe into her arms. "Go and wake up, you two. Coming out here without any pants. I can hardly imagine! Get on, child. You, too, brother." Turning to Juliya, she added, "Now, where were we?"

S'rei thought about being annoyed for a moment, but it took too much effort. This was just Lauranna. In all her glory.