But now she’s somehow more broken. (Iskierka)

[Rei]

Silence in the abandoned weyrbowl. The snow drifted and piled where it was dropped with nobody around to clear it daily. The ice cold wind whistled around the unoccupied ledges, causing the occasional eerie scream to pierce the thick silence. Benden. A relic of the past. Nothing but an empty shell full of ghosts and memories.

There was nobody to greet, no dragon to warn as Onyth appeared from between and slowly circled above the abandoned weyrbowl. A few seconds later a blue joined her and she banked into one more final slow turn. The action was meant to give her rider time to take in the place from above and settle her mind before the dragon dropped into a glide for a ledge. Elysia pulled her fur lined hood off her head so she could take in the sight of her old home better. A shiver, not at all brought on by the cold, passed through her body. It had been so long since she had last been in this place. Not since she had last opened communications with Benden by paying a visit to J’lorin turns ago. She had avoided it since then. Been perversely glad to learn that the place would be abandoned. And now the greenrider was back… For a reason she was not sure she was one hundred percent comfortable with.

Her dragon was not comfortable as well. She could feel it even if Onyth would not show it. The female back winged to land on one of the ledges, the air from her wings pushing the snow off the ledge in an explosive cloud of glittering crystals. She settled there, her wings still half mantled, as her head turned to regard Ioth. Waiting for the blue to land as well. I wish you would have told them where we were going. The dragon commented to her rider, the slightest thread of anxiety present in her tone. He feels a bit anxious. Elysia tugged her fur lined gloves tighter onto her hands and then stroked the green’s neck soothingly. No doubt feeding off of you my love. You are anxious as well. Onyth turned her head slightly so that she could regard her rider with one bright whirling eye. Salenth’s would not like this…Not at all. The rider snorted and looked up as the wind from Ioth’s wings buffeted her hair. That would be why I did not tell him. She stated simply before she slipped down Onyth’s side, the dragon giving a displeased rumble.

To be honest that wasn’t the only reason that Elysia had not told S’rei. The other reason would be that she would have had to explain. The greenrider had accidentally stumbled across one of Iskierka’s kills a couple days ago. And the sight had frankly disturbed her. The other woman had become something of a close friend over the turns. (As close as one could get to Iskerika anyway she supposed.) They had fought together at Benden and far beyond. If there was anyone on Legatus that Elysia trusted more then anything it was Iskerika. The obvious distance and signs of mental trouble the other seemed to be showing more and more bothered Elysia. She was worried that the woman was on the verge of mental collapse. Violent mental collapse.

The greenrider had no desire to let S’rei or E’rro know this for fear of what they would do. So Elysia had kept her discovery of the blood soaked Iskierka near the overly mutilated feline silent. Had said nothing about the blank quality to the other’s gaze when she had finally noticed Elysia standing there. Nothing about the twitch to draw a weapon. A weapon she was still sure that Iskerika might have drawn if not for the fact that Elysia herself refused to back down or avert her gaze. If she had shown any amount of weakness or similarity to prey? She was still convinced that Iskerika would have attacked her with intent to kill.

That was part of the reason she was here today. Why they were here of all places. No one knew where they were. Nobody was here but them. There would be no interruptions. Nobody to stop what needed to happen. Elysia was determined to find out if something could be done about her friend. If anything was left to save. And if nothing could be done and the woman was too damaged? Then…they would cross that bridge when they came to it. Onyth shifted in response to her rider’s thought, her head turning towards Ioth as she crooned softly in greeting to him. I do not remember this place so well. She remarked quietly to the blue. But when mine thinks of this place. It invokes thoughts of both beginnings and endings.

Elysia’s dark eyes flicked to Iskierka as she stepped away from Onyth and over the snow covered ledge. She paused near the edge of the rocky outcropping, her head only then turning from the other woman to look out across the abandoned weyrbowl. “Even in it’s silence this place speaks to me. It’s eerily alive. Wouldn’t you agree?”

[Ember]

Iskierka and Ioth weren't dumb. They had always known something would happen to them if Iskierka was caught by one of her feline hunts. Edginess from the lack of a war to fight in and the death of just one too many important people had without a doubt driven the bluerider to the brink of insanity. What they hadn't expected was the person to find her to be Elysia nor had they expected her to bring them to Benden Weyr, of all places. The blue emerged from between high above the dead weyr to give His time to recover from the shock of their destination. He didn't recognize the place but when Onyth had given him the image His had reacted...interestingly.

The bluerider's dark gaze was flicking from one part of the weyr to another so rapidly one might think she was having some sort of attack. Her eyes alighted on the old hatching ground that she had Impressed Ioth at so long ago before transferring to where she knew the weyrling barracks to have been. From there they backtracked to the candidate barracks area and then made the jump to what she thought was her old weyr. A bit hard to tell after so long, the weather having long since worn at the rock surfaces of the ledges so that they didn't have quite the same shape as before.

The blue landed after a while though it seemed only moments to Iskierka. The feather-light landing startled her enough and she unintentionally dug nails into the thick hide of Ioth's neck briefly. A brief flare of guilt lit behind her eyes even though she had done no damage, or even any pain. Didn't mean to hurt you, never meant to hurt you, she thought only to herself, not letting her dragon sense that thought. Dragons forgot all too easily - the blue no longer remembered why their bond was truncated the way it was. It just was and it was improving even as Iskierka kept deteriorating.

Ioth couldn't sense her individual thoughts for she was shielding them but he could feel the turmoil, the bitter rage and sadness and he did what he could. He craned his head around to watch His dismount before glancing back at Onyth. He shifted uneasily and for multiple reasons. This...was not a place people commonly came any more. While not outright banned, going to either Benden or Fort Weyr almost seemed like a taboo. It just wasn't done. Hard to tell if the green was worried about that, something else...or the potential threat posed to His. Iskierka had considered that a lot before agreeing to go along.

It might have even been the reason for going. Iskierka knew she was a danger to herself and others, had been hoping someone might find out about her when she could say nothing about it. No one would notice a rider dying at Benden Weyr with only one other pair around for quite some time. Sena and Legatus were the only ones that would notice at all and even then she figured it would take a while for them to actually look for her. And if anyone was deserving to kill her out of action it would be Elysia. The other woman had been something of a partner for the ex-Bendenite for a long time and while she didn't want to force it on the greenrider...yeah, she would be most comfortable with that.

Ioth settled as best he could on the ledge given the situation. Even then he was more half-crouched than truly laying down and his tail was busy sweeping away any residual snow on the ledge. Neither do I, Ioth admitted to the green after she spoke. Mine...does not think of it often but when she does it is almost all darkness. It does seem to be a very dreary place...not that there's anyone else here to brighten it up besides ourselves.

Iskierka hesitated near Ioth, thumb running over the hilt of her blade as she watched Elysia turn her back. She should know better than that, should keep a hand on her weapon knowing what Iskierka could do, should stay away from that ledge when all it would take is a simple push...Perhaps it was the show of trust - or simple stupidity, but she doubted that - that let Iskierka force her hands away from her weapons and cross her arms over her chest. She moved to the other woman's side, gaze drifting over the weyrbowl. She could almost see the memories of thousands of riders and dragons superimposed over the snowy backdrop of her old home. "Yes, very alive. Why are we here, Elysia?"

[Rei]

Her head moving slightly so it was in a position to better regard the riders, Onyth briefly considered the blue’s words before she spoke. Yes this is very much true. It is much too quiet. Besides us the wind is all you can hear. With those words the green finally completely folded her wings. No she didn’t exactly want to do so but it was more for Ioth’s benefit then her own. The female desperately wished that there was some way to do this without upsetting Ioth too much. But there really was no helping that even if the wish was there. The least, Onyth decided, she could do was not make him any more nervous then he already was. They had been partners in battle long enough to be able to read each other fairly well and if she acted overly nervous it stood to reason that the blue would be more on edge as well. Thus the green started to let herself relax a little more her tail curling near her haunches and her stance shifting to something slightly more restful. She kept the majority of her attention on Ioth though she of course spared the riders some as well. It bothered her that Elysia turned her back to Iskierka so. There was a razor thin edge between trust and stupidity and hers was flirting with it quite dangerously in Onyth’s opinion.

Yes Elysia was well aware of the danger her show of trust put her in but she found it necessary. Hoped really that it would soothe Iskerika just a little. Even if it just took the edge of the woman’s nervousness. He greenrider wasn’t stupid. She knew her friend probably already had a clue as to what this was about. Why she had brought her here of all places as well. Elysia wasn’t in the business of selling people short. Had she been it was doubtful she’d have survived this long and she would have probably not made it through Benden for as long as she had either. A sort of bittersweet smile crossed her face when Iskierka spoke. “I think you probably have an idea. I wish I could tell you that it was only to take a look at the scenery and reminisce.” The greenrider turned to the other woman her expression now more under control and calm. “But we both know that if I did claim that, I’d be lying to your face. I’ve tried to make it an effort not to lie to you.” With that Elysia took a step away from the edge of the ledge and closer to her friend, though she didn’t move close enough to make the other woman uncomfortable or make a sudden strike too difficult to avoid.

“We need to talk Iskierka. And I think you know exactly what we need to talk about.” Elysia’s voice dropped in tone and became more serious. “I want you to explain to me just what the hell is going on and don’t you dare try and pussyfoot around the issue either. It wasn’t the place or time before, but now?” And with that the woman spread her arms slowly in a gesture meant to encompass the entire abandoned weyr. “There is no one here but us. No people, no flits or dragons to overhear, no one who even knows where we are.” The greenrider’s tone changed again into something softer. “Please Iskierka. I just want to know what’s going on.” And if there was anything she could do about it in the end. Because if there wasn’t. If the woman was too far gone to save… Well then Elysia knew her path was clear if not at all easy.

It was safer. Better for Iskierka in the end if she was taken out before she could break further. Before she killed someone who didn’t deserve it. The greenrider wished she could change it. Fix it. Wanted to try if Iskierka thought she could help herself. And if not? Well Elysia wasn’t stupid. If Iskierka knew she was too far gone as well, she was expecting a violent reaction. She was expecting a fight where there would be no choice but to defend herself. The greenrider knew what kind of choice she would be faced with. Fight and kill. Or die. It would be Iskierka’s attempt to take some of the decision out of Elysia’s own hands. So that the woman couldn’t regret her decision. It would be fight to live for S’rei and Elias and kill Iskierka, or die here in Benden and leave them to go on without her. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair. It also wasn’t simple and clean. The last thing she wanted was for it to come down to that. So Elysia desperately hoped that it would not. But in the end if it did she was prepared. As was Onyth.

The green turned her head towards Ioth her gaze calm, her body holding the smallest bit of tension as she waited. Onyth did not want to fight her partner. But she knew that he would not just stand idly by and let his own rider die. She knew this because she herself wouldn’t ever stand by and let them kill Elysia either. No matter what her bonded had wrought. The green would defend against Ioth if it came down to it but she didn’t want it too. He was a good and kind male. Experienced and strong. He didn’t deserve to die. But he couldn’t just choose to abandon his bonded and Onyth knew that she would have no choice. No matter how much it saddened her.