Road goes ever onward... [Shock]

[Ruby]

She'd been living in a sand pit.

It wasn't an exaggeration, either - despite Nitrath's repeated assurances that everything was ok, that her claws and Weith's were more than enough to keep they eggs safe, Caden had insisted on staying with the Gold and her newly laid clutch at every possible second. The Junior Weyrwoman had slowly been collecting bits and pieces of useful materials, and had quite a nice nest going. Yes, it was insufferably hot on the hatching sands, but Caden combated this by drinking a ton of water to keep herself hydrated and alert.

Of course, there were consequences to drinking that much water, and the one thing the Hatching Sands were missing was a convenient bathing room. Caden never wasted time on actually bathing, but she did need to relieve herself on occasion. She tended to make a trip of it whenever she did leave the sands (something she did ONLY when no less than Weith, R'men, and both of her flits were there and awake), swinging by her Weyr to change her shirt and the Dining Hall to grab whatever scraps she could before returning to the grounds. She'd gotten the whole trip down to approximately 5 minutes.

Generally, she tried to make her trips during the very early morning, or the middle of the afternoon while everyone was in drills. Today, though, R'men had been tied up all day, and had just appeared right around dinner. Caden had thanked him professionally for appearing, then grumbled her whole way out, running to the bathroom first, then heading for her weyr to put a clean shirt on. There were so many people around! She hadn't been around this many people in ages, it felt like. Certainly not since Nitrath had moved to the hatching grounds. Ugh.

[Aftershock]

M'gnum wended his way through the crowds filling the hall, giving a friendly smile and nod to those who made eye contact with him. He had unbuttoned the top three buttons of his tan linen shirt, allowing the air to pass into the looser garment to fight the heat from the warmer months, especially when so many people were in one place as they were around dinner time. Shekinah was curled up carefully on his shoulder, her body entangled in his riding knots so as to secure herself to Hers, watching all the humans Hers passed by with a pleasant blue swirl in her dainty eyes.

Suddenly, he noticed something odd... a break in the crowd in front of him. Looking over to determine the source, he finally spotted what was causing the gap in the flow of humanity... Caden, the Junior Weyrwoman, who for some reason people seemed to be giving a wide berth. Suddenly curious, as he had not seen the young woman since he had attended Nitrath's clutching on the Hatching Sands following her Flight, he adjusted his path so as to intercept Caden. As he got closer, he suddenly understood the reason behind the gap in the crowd as a smell struck his nostrils... the smell of stale sweat and an unwashed body. Recovering from the initial assault on his senses, he took a closer look at Caden, and was shocked by what he saw... her skin was ruddy, as if she had been standing before a hot forge for hours, and her hair was slick against her skull, as if she had just been in a sauna before walking the halls. Her cheeks were hollow, and she had deep bags under her eyes.

Turning so as to pace the goldrider, M'gnum started, "Caden, m'lady, what has happened to you? You look as death warmed over." Reaching out to grasp her shoulder, he adds, "You appear half-starved and smell as if you haven't bathed in weeks! Come, I shall escort you to the dining hall, where we will feed you properly, and you can tell me what has happened to you to cause such distress." Shekinah, meanwhile, sniffed the air delicately, then sent out in mindvoice like the sweetest of bubbly pie crusts, "Your odor parts the sea of the weyrfolk like a stone in a river. You need clean wafers to rinse stench the away."

[Ruby]

Well, she'd been intending to go to her weyr and change, but whatever the cooks were making for dinner smelled absolutely delicious, and she didn't want to miss out. Eating at odd times of day meant she always got leftovers and the spare ends of things - nothing resembling a hot meal. Overall, it was generally edible and she hadn't made out too badly (Leave it to Caden, of course, to completely miss the fact that some of the drudges had actually started making up plates for her during the meals, and keeping them warm in the oven until she was ready), but a fresh roll sounded like heaven right about now. So: dining hall first.

And for once, it seemed like everyone knew who she was, and was giving her the respect accorded to the Junior Weyrwoman. They were getting out of her way, thank Faranth, and leaving her alone. For this, you can clutch whenever you want, she mentioned to Nitrath, who laughed. I am not sure it is new found respect that keeps them away, girl. It has been some time since you bathed. I think I am lucky Dragons do not have a particularly good sense of smell. Caden just humphed, bearing teeth in something between a smile and a grimace when a Weyrbrat looked at her like she'd grown wings. Ok, maybe it has been a bit-

Crap. Bronzerider. The only one she tolerated these days was R'men - those who had wanted to see the clutching had been allowed, but Caden hadn't exactly been paying much in the way of attention to any of them. Blossom appeared out of nowhere, the oddly colored green (even skinnier than usual) taking up a place draped across Caden's shoulders, faking a fainting fit as Caden looked for exit routes. There was nothing wrong with M'gnum - seriously, she wasn't avoiding him, she was just avoiding company - but she wanted to eat and get back to Nitrath, smell be damned.

No such luck. The Rider had her by the shoulder before she could dodge him, and even her most sour look didn't get him to let go. Technically, she could command him to leave off and he'd better, but Caden kind of hated having the rank she did, so she generally tried to avoid using it whenever possible. "Nothing happened to me, 've got a clutch to watch," she grumbled, picking up her pace as she directed herself towards the kitchen. "Stones don't part rivers, stupid analogy," she added in his green's direction. Blossom trilled an absent greeting - salamandyrs were less interesting than other flits - and stretched coyly, flicking a tail at M'gnum in greeting.

[Aftershock]

M'gnum continued to follow Caden, though he released his hand from her shoulder when given a sour look by the young woman. "My apologies if I'm too bold, Lady Caden," he began, "but is not Nitrath watching her clutch? With our Weyr hidden, and the largest dragon in the Weyr watching over the eggs, I do not believe your presence is really required to the extent you've obviously dedicated." The burnt-looking skin, the smell, the soaking of sweat... the fact the girl had been staying at the Hatching Sands so long would explain all of that, to be certain.

Worried from her expression that his words might not have the proper effect, M'gnum continued, "Remember, m'lady, that a rider is innately connected to their dragon. The Hatching Sands are designed for the health of baby dragons, not humans. It's obvious you have neglected your own well-being to stay on the Sands for far too long... if your health suffers, so too does Nitrath's. I really must insist you come with me, have a full, proper meal and a bath." Continuing to pace the smaller woman, M'gnum noticed she was still heading in the general direction of the Dining Hall, so he hoped that even if his words now had no effect, he could continue to try to convince her as she ate... hopefully more than the pittance she had been eating as of late, if her hollow cheeks were any indicator.

Shekinah, hearing Caden's response to her words, perked up, her frill extending aggressively as her eyes swirled to red in anger. "M'gnumlove, called words the girl my smelly stupid. Punishment insulting for your Shekinahlove be should her as sprinter as a swift," the green sent to Hers, her anger at Caden's insulting tone causing her grammar to devolve into near incomprehensibility. M'gnum, for his part, grit his teeth and did his best to ignore his spoiled salamandyr's commanded retribution for the perceived slight against her.

[Ruby]

Caden wasn't totally sure what to do with the titles and politeness... so she ignored it. Orders and straight talk had always been more her style. "Don't matter," she answered his question, tone military and clipped. "Nitrath's not near worried enough. There're still traitors in our Weyr," and here she shot a look at M'gnum - she knew he was from Fort, although so far he'd done enough to take the edge off her irrational dislike of Fortians (and Bendeners, and Wastelanders, and... well, the list went on). "And no one's doing shit about it. She thinks I'm being silly; I think I'm being safe. Don't mind looking silly if she's safe, and her babies're safe." And that was that. Any personal torment was worth that. It wasn't totally selfless, either - Caden was fully aware that she'd cheated death, and losing Nitrath absolutely meant losing her own life. Not that she'd want to live without Nitrath, of course.

His suggestion that her own health was deteriorating was met with a shrug as Caden continued briskly on her way. "Nitrath's healthy 'nough, believe me. She'd toss me off the sands faster than you could sneeze if she thought I was doing permanent damage to her or her eggs. Or me. Well, she'd try, anyway." Come to think of it, Nitrath had tried, but Caden had refused to obey. Ah, well. M'gnum didn't need to know that particular tidbit. For her part, Caden ignored the salamandyr - it was an important survival skill for life at Selenitas - but Blossom did not. Slinking down Caden's shoulder, she hopped gracefully over to M'gnum's, twittering at Shekinah. Was the salamandyr annoyed? Oh, what horror!

They'd reached the kitchens, now and Caden headed immediately for the back, where excess food was usually waiting. A few of the drudges bobbed heads and scurried out of the way (likely afraid of the terrifying specter before them, and wanting to get away from the smell), but nothing was waiting - the meal was still in full swing. With a hmph, Caden snagged a roll off a passing tray, filled her empty hand with uncooked vegetables, and made a precise turn, stuffing the roll in her mouth as she headed for the door again.

[Aftershock]

M'gnum paced Caden as she walked, politely listening to the young woman without comment... though his eyebrow most definitely raised at her glare to him following her comment regarding traitors in the Weyr. He bit his tongue, however, and let her finish before responding, "Lady Caden, I understand your concern, and also realize that from what I've heard of your past, you have reason to think the way you do about those you might consider traitors to the Weyr." He was attempting to be diplomatic about the young woman's rampant paranoia, knowing of what happened at the hatching where she Impressed Nitrath. "However," he continued, "the Wasteland threat is over. Even if those few remaining had any loyalties beyond the Weyr, any attempt with their numbers so low would be destroyed in short order by loyal Selenitasians."

M'gnum sighed as Caden continued speaking, and replied, "Lady Caden, I believe you are blinding yourself to the threat posed by the North with your personal feelings on a certain subset of riders inside the walls of the Weyr that do not have nearly the power they did when they first put themselves in your sights." As she grabbed her single roll and handful of vegetables, M'gnum finally reached out to grab her shoulder once again, his grip firm this time as he stopped the younger woman's forward progress and turned her to face him. "M'lady, I do not wish to do this, but I believe you are making misinformed decisions regarding your own health that will be a detriment to the Weyr. Now, I realize that as the Junior Weyrwoman, you may command me to release you and I cannot question your orders, so I only ask that you hear me out and allow us to perhaps come to a compromise that will ease your worries, while still easing the worries of myself, as well as I'm sure others in the Weyr who might not currently be aware of your self-imposed state."

Placing his other hand on Caden's other shoulder, he looked the goldrider directly in the eyes as he concluded, "One proper meal, for you, while I outline plans for the security of Nitrath's eggs that will allow you to take care of yourself properly until they are hatched... do you agree to this, at least?" Meanwhile, bristling a bit as Blossom moved to Her's other shoulder, Shekinah responded to the firelizard, "I am glad the horror of an insult to one such as I is clear to you as a stream of meltwater," not a hint of sarcasm or irony in her mindvoice. "Soon Mine shall prunish her is befitting as."

[Ruby]

"And what've you heard, exactly?" Caden grumped, trying at least a little bit not to be too snappish. Nitrath liked to tell her off for that, after all. She was notoriously quiet about her past, but rumors had been going around. You couldn't escape it when you had a shiny hide attached, apparently. M'gnum, of course, would know more than enough about Nitrath's hatching and the attempted egg thefts in the past, but Caden wasn't thinking about those - she was thinking about the secret parts, the blue dragon, the slavery, the flight from Fort. "Don't care if the threat is over. As long as they're here there's a chance they're being sneaky. 's not as hard as you might think to kill dragons, after all, in or out of the egg. All you need's two people to get rid of clutch mother and father if they're not paying attention. Then 's easy to take care of riders and eggs. Do it at night, no one'll know."

She wasn't quite sure where he was going with the rest of it, so she just shrugged and added, "North's a threat too. They've tried to steal eggs before; almost managed it, too. Weyrwoman Kaegan knows all about it. She doesn't think I'm being silly." Which wasn't precisely true - Kaegan agreed with Caden that touchings were unnecessary, and that measures needed to be taken to protect the clutch. Caden, of course, hadn't bothered to run her one-woman security system by the Weyrwoman.

She'd stuffed roll into her mouth by the time M'gnum grabbed her shoulders, so her vaguely haughty response was kind of ruined by being muffled. "Yurright, mm werwomn." Pausing to chew and swallow, she stared the taller man down, muddy eyes flashing out from under her choppy bangs. "You're right. I am the Jr. Weyrowman. And what I say goes." But Caden was Caden, and better at taking orders than giving them. "Fine. 'm not wasting time on stupidity though. I'mma go dunk myself, drudges don't seem to want me in their kitchen. If there is a plate waiting when I get back, I'll eat it, and you can talk at me while I do. Then I'm going back." Nitrath? I'll be late. I'm sorry! Tell R'men he'd better stay. Everything will be fine, my love. Take care of yourself, would you?

Without responding to Nitrath or waiting for M'gnum to agree or disagree, Caden turned on her heel, wrenching her shoulders out of his grip if need be, and stalked off towards the bathing rooms. And if she swung by the hatching sands first, who was to know? She reappeared in less than 15 minutes, hair sopping wet and slicked back, and smelling drastically cleaner. A whistle summoned Blossom to her shoulder (the green had opted to stay with M'gnum and chatter soothingly at Shekinah), and Caden found the Bronzerider in the crowd, crossing her arms impatiently. "So?"

[Aftershock]

In response to Caden's first question, M'gnum responded, "I heard about what happened at Nitrath's own hatching, the horrors that Wastelanders inflicted upon many of her clutchsiblings... I wish I had been there, to punish the fiends, but it was not to be, as I had already escaped to Burimyu by that time." M'gnum's face twisted into a scowl, and he said, "You can rest assured, m'lady, that I do not take what happened that day lightly, and I still keep a close watch on those Wastelanders still extant, observing for any sign of wavering loyalties to the Weyr."

As Caden agreed to come back, M'gnum released her so she could take care of her bathing. While she was gone, he quickly went into the kitchens and prepared a light, but filling meal for the young Jr. Weyrwoman, knowing that something too heavy might cause distress if Caden had been starving herself as much as she appeared to have been. When the goldrider had returned, M'gnum had a plate of steamed vegetables and a few pieces of light bread waiting for her, and he sat down across from where he put the plate on a long table, prepared to speak to Caden as she ate.

"Careful, now, you don't want to eat too quickly after eating so little for so long," he warned, before he began describing the plans he had thought up in the short time she had been gone. "First, considering we have more than enough riders currently to deal with our Threadfall responsibilities, I believe we can spare enough riders to have a rider and his dragon watching over both the ground entrance to the Hatching Sands, as well as the dragon entrance," M'gnum began, using a butterknife to trace the Hatching Sands in the air and point out where each guard would be placed. "They will work in shifts, so as to be alert and healthy as possible, and each one will be personally approved by both yourself and Nitrath before being assigned." Tapping the blade on his temple in thought, he added, "We might even be able to get the wherhandlers involved for night shifts, if you would prefer."

As he spoke, M'gnum sent a mental message to Higginth, requesting he pass on his plans for approval to Nitrath where she lie on the Sands with her clutch. Higginth, reaching out to the young gold, sent, "Nitrath, Mine is speaking to Yours. He has plans for protecting your newest clutch, so that Yours may be better able to take care of herself, and wishes to make sure you are informed of the ideas he presents to Yours." He then began sending the ideas to Nitrath as M'gnum outlined them to Caden.

Pointing now at Caden, he continued, "As for yourself, the Candidate Barracks are, by design, directly adjacent to the Hatching Sands, so I am sure we can arrange for you to move into the Candidate Barracks for the duration, so you can be close to the Sands while still having the proper amenities to maintain your own health. Anyone attempting to enter the Sands will be required to approved by Nitrath, and in addition by yourself, if you both feel it necessary." Sitting up from his hunched-forward position, M'gnum stated matter-of-factly, "The future of the Weyr sits on those Sands... without eggs, we have no dragons, and without dragons, we cannot protect the people against the depredations of Thread. I understand your worries, but it is the responsibility of the entire Weyr, not just yourself, to keep those eggs safe until they are hatched and Impressed to Selenitas Candidates. I believe it is time to let the rest of the Weyr take some of that weight off your shoulders, m'lady."