Special Delivery (Plot)

[Requiem]

(Open to Rii, Lotty, Sari and Neeuq only)

Welcome to Selenitas, Salenth greeted the dragons stirring on the Hatching Sands pleasantly. He was sprawled out along the bank of the river nearby, the large bronze, apparently basking in the sunlight. Benden's 'gift', which of course Selenitas had to come and collect, transport and house on short notice, to the southern Weyr seemed to finally be livening up a touch. Those tranquilizers could really knock a dragon loopy, even if it was through the bonds to their riders and not direct. We apologize that we have nothing more suitable. It is uncommon to receive...guests...here. Prisoners, to be more precise, but Salenth and His were somewhat flexible. As in, they had no real intention of babysitting a handful of dragonpairs so, one way or another, the 'prisoner' status would disappear within a sevenday...before nightfall if they had their way. Whether that was a pleasureable change or not was really up to the dragonpairs.

Unlike many here, S'rei had no qualms about killing dragons. At all. And it was certainly no coincidence that the Weyr proper had no knowledge of what was going on. They'd used as few people as possible, involved as few as possible - the majority of them Ka'rys's wing, to be honest - while the Weyr slept.

The riders themselves had been blindfolded despite the fact that they were completely out of it due to the drugs - just in case. Blindfolded and bound. Hogtied, actually, which would likely leave them sore, but now it was only the wrists. S'rei was seated by the only exit out of the dimly lit cavern. An exit that led out into a maze of other tunnels, should anything queer happen. A death trap, as it were. Not that the bronzerider was too worried; he simply disliked leaving loose ends.

Nodding to his two companions to remove the blindfolds, S'rei remained seated, arms draped loosely around his knees. Mi'rah he'd brought for his mind and his ties to Benden, and also out of respect for the man, truly, that Mi'rah knew what was going on. F'lix...because F'lix was also Benden, one of the few on S'rei's wing who could truly fight, and one of the leaders of his wing. Sel'n would be briefed later. As for Ka'rys...S'rei had always preferred a more civilized approach to things before getting bloody and vicious. That, and a Fort presence didn't suit his purposes right now. The riders still might see Ka'rys, if they proved stubborn.

"Hello." One word given to the riders. He let them make of it what they would. Funny, but he recognized a couple of them. "Thirsty?"

[rii]

Coiling back on his thin haunches, Ekarth took up his position in the middle of the hatching sands where a nice raised mound had been left from the last hatching. King of the hill, was the small blue, posed so much like a regal feline as his slitted eyes watched the only dragon-sized entrance to the hatching grounds. The color a calm blue, blending in with his hide to mislead the information whether or not he was truly awake at that moment. He had been coherent for a good while, merely sitting still as a statue with his tail curled tightly around his body.

It was a slow torture that ate away at him. Only given enough food to sustain life, Ekarth was hungry and the occasional moo from the raised herdbeast beyond the sandy cave tempting him to venture out into the light to pick one of them off. He would promise not to go anywhere. Just sit and gnaw on one of the fatten pieces of meat. Could almost smell them when the chancing breeze swept through the cavern. The bronze bespeaking them all broke off Ekarth's thoughts – along with his statuesque behavior with a faint cocking of his head. What a peculiar bronze greeting them in such a manner. O fair keeper, a morssel if you sseek to make thingss right. A full sstomach hass power to forgive poorly ssuited houssing.

Ba'sun edged himself up on an elbow, and from there eased himself into a crossed legged position – bare feet turned up on his thighs – shortly after having his legs freed. Silently he took mental stock of how many bruises he'd be nursing from being hauled around as cargo. Strange to be thankful he was one of the lighter blokes and didn't take too much effort to move around.. even if he had been playing dead weight for the majority of the last move. Sedatives were nice, but just didn't have quite the effect on him as they had turns ago.

Movement nearing him caused Ba'sun to tense, rounding his shoulder in preparation of an attack that he would be.. fully unable to avoid. Instead the blindfold was remove and Ba'sun blinked out of reflex rather than finding himself blinded by unexpected lighting – of which there was none. Rather dim, in fact, how kind of their keepers. His attention first when to his captured companions, silently taking a head count and concluding that the remainder of their party had made the trip alive. Next he took in the faces of their guards. Huh. Haunted by the ghosts of his memories, it seemed, recognizing all three of the Selenitas riders from their days at Benden.

Mi'rah looked like he had lost weight, imagine that. Ba'sun could help the lop-sided grin from spanning across his face. An almost wary glance was given the dark rider leaning against the stone wall behind them – F'lix, seemed that kid hadn't lightened up. S'rei's voice drew Ba'sun's attention to the last of the three. He gave the weyrleader a good ol' boy smile. "Parched." The rasp on the word spoke enough that his mouth felt like cotton from the drugs forced on them all.

It took the bluerider longer to recognize S'rei. Mi'rah and F'lix had only been gone a turn or two, but S'rei.. that was oh, somewhere around half a decade. Talk about a rush down memory lane there. Ba'sun chuckled, mostly to himself, as he again look between Mi'rah and F'lix. He recognized the situation well enough – all friends here, riiight. Suppose there were pros for taking the approach that required the least amount of effort. The bluerider gave a low whistle, "Turns haven't been too kind to you, eh S'rei? Those are some wicked wings you've got going on there.."

Ba'sun knew well enough his humor was misplaced given the situation, but hey, S'rei had laid down the opening to be somewhat chummy with them all. Ba'sun had already gotten knocked a few times for his mouth – the bruises having faded for the most part during the long ship ride. The gravity of the situation was known to him, perhaps more to him than others. Was fairly sure some of the blood, long dried and crusted over, still clung to his shirt from the kid that had been one of their little rebellion group. He had tried to hold the kid, tell him to just relax and close his eyes.. while silently wishing that people would be a little more neat with their culling.

[Lotty]

Viaqueth exhaled with a short rolling purr sounding all too comfortable considering the position they had found themselves. He could be found curled in a relatively defensive position; nose tucked in between forelegs as his tail wrapped forward to protect his belly. Not that this would do much should it really come down to it, but it was the only reassurance that could be managed when he was still foggy and dopey from whatever it was his rider had been dosed with. Languished and eyes half lidded he twitched with some sort of vague awareness of his surroundings....hatching sands...Ekarth not far off from himself on a little berm in the center. As for his rider, he wasn't sure, but for now knowing he was near and alive was going to have to do.

The normally vibrant blue - amazing how the slightest tinges of gray on the hide could give away the true condition of his health - barely did so much as opening his eyes wider when Salenth addressed them. Awfully quaint little greeting coming from the bronze now wasn't it? Had there been the usual spark, the typical amount of pep in his mind or spirit he may very well have responded with something bordering on clever or at least in line with his typical sauciness, but as it was there was little to say to the elder dragon, You must forgive me then...I feel hardly chatty... he dug his muzzle deeper into the sands and closed his eyes. Indeed his was hungry much like his comrades, but the blue still felt enough of the drug to be too tired to do anything but stay still.

Hello. The voice struck a chord with the drugged rider and he looked up from the ground, his eyes - looking something like peppermints, all bloodshot - peered out from under curly, kinky, bangs. Initially, two of them were ignored, and attention was granted solely to that freakish giant he recognized vaguely as S'rei. Mystified as he was by the tall Weyrleader, his eyes slowly strayed, living on the brink of sleep gave everything an interesting twist, and all that could be made out in the relative darkness was studied until it came out of the abstract and was identifiable as real. There were others...so it seemed that a handful of them did survive the big ordeal, or at least that last part of it. From here on out though C'zan was counting on some calmer waters, Selenitas after all was renowned for nothing other than taking in every sorry sod that showed up at their door. He was banking on all of his wishful thinking.

Admittedly it was only then, after taking count of his allies, did he notice the other captors. What kind of Benden trifecta did they have all lined up here? There was the fellow bluerider F'lix back there looking oh so joyful and of course the eternal doormat Mi'rah taking up his position as second fiddle. As reassuring as it was to see that F'lix hadn't changed entirely too much, he would have never have bet on seeing Mi'rah not wringing his hands together. This was a very strange place indeed, but maybe...surely there was logic in who got picked to be part of the Selenitas welcome wagon. Now the captive rider just wanted to know when they were going to break out the cake and sing happy turnday songs...because they were a gift right? So this must be a party?

Well, C'zan certainly wasn't going to break out into song anytime soon, though he did unapologetically grin at the sound of Ba'sun's voice. The other captive did not disappoint with his little jab at the man, though not always appreciated, it was somewhat relieving for the other man's brand of humor to interrupt the overbearing tension. That being said, Southerners or not, C'zan did not accept the casual mannerisms of their host as invitation to run with conversation, but that was just how he operated...he didn't talk a lot one way or another and he didn't exactly make exceptions when tied up and thirsty hence the one word reply to the bronzerider's question, "Quite."

[Requiem]

He rumbled softly in response to the words, feeling the stirring of shared memory. Ekarth. A strange situation to find himself in, certainly, but dragons of the earlier times and places kept turning up - if not in so queer a manner as these four. Trussed and shipped up a river. Hm. The feeding grounds are within sight when you exit, Ekarth. Take your fill. All of you...though two at a time, if you don't mind. Poor stupid beasts will have cardiac episodes if all of you were to go at once. True enough, though the main reason had more to do with trying to watch four dragons at once. The second dragon he didn't recognize by his mindvoice. You are forgiven, Salenth returned with a touch of amusement. He actually hadn't expected much of a response from any of them, not that he was complaining.

Not bothering to gather himself from his carefree sprawl on the riverbank, the male drug his claws through the mud contentedly. He nudged mentally at the other two dragons' minds, more to see if they were coming about than anything else. He and His weren't fond of drugs; they could have odd, unexpected results at times. The others, are they stirring? he asked the two blues, his genuine concern touching his words, however lightly. Salenth was, of course, a bronze, and a war-hardened one, but he still valued the lives of dragons. Perhaps more as resources than out of genuine compassion - at least in the cases of these - but it was still something.

S'rei smiled, a genuine enough expression, at Ba'sun. The other bluerider peering at him blearily through bloodshot eyes was vaguely familiar, but not on a personal level. Too young, most like. S'rei remembered most - not all - that he'd led through Threadfall, which suggested the man was one of the fighters instead...too young really to have been in the regular ranks much before Threadfall. The smile at the older bluerider's words from his companion didn't go unnoticed, though the other didn't seem inclined to add to it. Which only made sense; he hadn't had personal contact with S'rei at all. Standing, S'rei moved, drawing his dagger from the sheath at his thigh and crouching to lean around Ba'sun and free his wrists. He offered his hip flask to the man.

"Children and a Weyr to run will turn you grey quicker than anything else," he agreed gamely. Moving on to the other bluerider who had awoken - the other two riders seemed to be completely out of it still - he freed him, too, in the same manner, slipping the blade back into its sheath. "They neglected to tell me your names. Ba'sun I recognize - mouths like that are rare enough - but I don't think I've done more than see you around," he ventured, a brow rising questioningly as he addressed the unknown bluerider.

S'rei moved back a small distance, still in his crouch and rocking lightly onto his toes. "Benden seems very eager for information from you. Ka'rys's name came up when we spoke, which leads me to believe their main purpose has a lot more to do with finding out whatever they want to know and a lot less with doing us any favors. A trend, it would seem." He regarded them curiously. "I'm not especially interested in their list of questions, at least for the moment; I'm rather more curious why they've imprisoned you to begin with. Vague didactic reasons were given. Subversive behavior, etc." A small wave of the hand. "Typical political drivel for 'they're nuisances and we want them out of the way.' Maybe you can make things a little more clear?"

[neeuqtar]

Kesmaroth was completely unconscious. It was obvious the dragon had struggled to remain awake, aware, and fighting, even as his was subdued: his hide was scuffed, and unlike the other dragons, he had been muzzled and hobbled. The dragon lay almost motionless in the sand, his lithe body sprawled across the warm expanses, only the sand eddying from around his nose hinting that he was alive. He breathed shallowly, and painfully. The blue was strange-looking, to say the least; built on a green's lines, with a rudder of a tail and rough tattooing on his body.

The man that came with the blue was lying on his side on the stone cavern, barely attaining consciousness. He'd clearly put up a fight; even now, the remains of a black eye were fading from his face. Isk'hail heard voices, but he was much more interested in focusing on tamping down the roiling nausea he felt. They'd drugged them, shardit, and he was feeling the side affects. Something slipped through his head about subversive behavior, just long enough to take his attention off of not vomiting.

Heaving, Isk'hail flipped over, bracing himself just on his shins as he vomited little but bile and the remains of fellis juice. The Fortian brutes hadn't even given them something to tamp the fellis down, and Isk'hail had never done well with the weed's juice. He spat, trying to clear his mouth, and stay there, breathing heavily as he tried to work out where they were. Rock... and it was dark. Some sort of cave system. Isk'hail nudged Kesmaroth's mind, and the dragon moaned softly, feeling his rider's pain from being hogtied. Shells, but it felt like his shoulders had been dislocated, he was that stiff...

"Don't recognize us?" Isk'hail asked, looking up, a diplomatic smile on his face as he answered S'rei's older question. He shoved himself upright, ignoring the damp spot he'd made, and tried to keep the world from spinning as he glanced around with sharp eyes. There was Ba'sun, and C'zan. Their fourth was still knocked out. Isk'hail had trouble placing the bronzerider, trying to sift through memories of faces on a fellis-woozy mind and stomach in full revolt.

"Isk'hail, of blue Kesmaroth." he said. The blue, feeling the silent reprimand for lying as if dead on the sands, heaved himself upright, his arched neck belying his exhausted and ill-feeling state. "Is this Selenitas, then?" The man sat, trying to place faces in his foggy mind. He recognized some, vaguely -- former Bendenites, to be certain. Traitors, to a man. They'd abandoned Benden in her need, formed alliances with Fortians and Selenitans, and warred with them. But then again, he'd volunteered for this...

"I suppose we should be thankful we got sent here," Isk'hail added after a moment, sounding thoughtful and almost grateful. He smiled again at S'rei, who was clearly heading up the operation here. "Most 'nuisances' at Benden just get... taken care of."

[rii]

Knew his name did he.. S'rei and Salaneth. Ah, right. Ekarth stretched from his position, arching sinuously toward the stone ceiling and flicking out his tail behind him. His request had been a mere jest, but since the bronze was being accommodating, Ekarth would not turn down their host's gracious offer. The sand crushed softly under his steps, the small blue lightly rubbing along Viaqueth in passing. Despite being offered to go two at a time, Ekarth didn't think any of them were capable enough to joining him for an exploratory adventure. Certainly not with Kesmaroth still bound, and Sryoth still out.

They are sshy, Ssalanth, Ekarth mused, letting it touch that he was not worried about the condition of the silent two. He could still hear their breathing and smell their life. They had come too far to die now on the warm sands. As much as he wanted to check on the other two, more due to his rider's genuine concern than his own, Ekarth swung his muzzle back around to the cave opening. Food first. His lithe body followed the motion, slinking over to the edge to poke his head out past the stone to survey the surroundings of the unfamiliar weyr.

It was so very nice to be able to move around on his own will again. Ekarth's tail began to twitch back and forth as he continued to crane his neck this way and that to inspect the outside of the rocky cave mouth to ensure there were no dragons waiting to pounce down from above. The scene outside was actually rather.. serene. A lot more green, and lively, than where they all had been staying since their break off from Benden. As lovely as it would be to sit and soak in the scenery and sun, the gurgle in his shallow abdomen dictated him to do otherwise.

The dark topped blue slipped out, slinking low to the ground and skimming along the rock and tree line to head in the direction of the feeding grounds – feeling too weak to take flight. Periodically he paused, lifting his head up to take stock of his surroundings. Seemed the farmer was out and left the latch to the chicken coop undone. Oh ho ho. Ekarth prowled along the outside of the pen, picking out his target before sinking low in an elongated crotch with his head held above the top rail of the wooden fence. His tail ticked back and forth. Eeny, meeney, miney..

Fun over so soon, Ba'sun commented to himself as the knife was drawn. He tensed, slightly, as S'rei approached, going so far to lean an inch or two away from him. It became clear enough the purpose of the knife, especially after the sudden release of tension on his shoulders. Ba'sun let out a grateful sigh, slowly drawing his arms back forward as the feeling sank back into his muscles. The flask was accepted, sniffed curiously while S'rei was busy freeing C'zan.

"A weyr full of a children, suppose that would do it." Ba'sun nodded agreeable, his tipped back a drink from the flask. He'd take his chances with poison or more drugs. Didn't make sense in his mind to knock them back out, or kill them (yet), if only because S'rei acted like he wanted to talk on a more even level. His gaze keenly followed S'rei, keeping himself from scooting closer to his comrades – C'zan the closest – to check on how they were doing. The last thing he wanted to do was give off the impression of favoring any of them, putting them in danger of being used against him to answer questions. Questions he knew would be demanding answers soon enough.

Chuckling, Ba'sun extended the arm to pressed the flask against C'zan's arm. "Rare to find still full of teeth, that is." He mused to the younger man. It was almost flattering to be remembered despite being just another lowly blue. Although, being remember was not precisely a good thing in this situation. His dark eyes flicked beyond C'zan at the sound of Isk'hail's stirring, then returned appropriately back to the weyrleader when the man began to get to the heart of the whole ordeal. Interceded by Ish'kail's comments, one brow slowly inched upward.

"South might be warm, Isk, but I strongly doubt it's softened up these any." He half muttered to the man before making a pointed look at their three keepers. All Benden here, as far as he was concerned. Wherever they were it was out of the way – separated from the rest of the weyr (which, given the impression from Ekarth Ba'sun was assuming the masses were blissfully unaware of what might be going on). Add in what he remembered of S'rei, and the other two, he would bet that it wouldn't take a second thought before deciding to get rid of them.

Lifting a hand, Ba'sun rubbed at his aching shoulder. "Why not just off us though? I don't know S'rei, that's more of your territory. Could just be Fort's habit of excessive need of information that isn't there, some means of finding the nesting source of pests, or.. a poor attempt to excuse themselves. I've a curious question for you, since we're being level, why does it take all of Benden to take care of this little renegade pack – there were six of us – that was scouting? Not even attacking. All of Benden, apparently, to deal with little us when I've come to hear you had much bigger problems with Fort. I don't think we were that distracting, and you know, being here at your hands, I feel like their damn scape goat."

Babbling, perhaps, he was tired and bruised. Clear by the slow way he began to lean forward, posturing sinking without him taking notice. "As for everything else. You have their list of questions, I would assume you already know what they want from us."

Ekarth licked a splash of blood off his muzzle as he dropped the half-eaten herdbeast on the hatching sands. He had returned to offer it to those that were too weak from the drugs, or.. hobbled. Laying down in front of Kesmaroth, Ekarth set about carefully using his claws and teeth to try and eat away the muzzle preventing the branded dragon from eating.

[raii]

K'ryn was relieved when the blindfold was removed from his eyes. He rubbed the edge of his eyes with his shoulder, barely managing only because of his boney, lean build. He glanced up at the bronzerider--he vaguely recognized him--through his thick hair. The older man greeted them, asking only if they were thirsty. K'ryn lowered his head so that the man couldn't see his glare through his brown waves. A smirk crawled onto his face at Ba'sun's comment.

C'zan seemed disoriented. No doubt from the drugs. With a speedy metabolism, the drugs had affected him almost immediately and worn off rather fast. His mind fought the sluggish heaviness crawling onto his head. A headache caused his forehead to wrinkle slightly. Isk'hail and Ba'sun seemed all right, but C'zan seemed to be a bit worse for the wear. He took a mental check of himself. He had all his limbs, but the drugs had left him with a painful headache. The three blueriders seemed to be well, and that was all he could focus on for now. Although he could consider the safety of himself and the others, his mind couldn't properly assess the situation. He longed to escape this imprisonment.

Such was the way of K'ryn. Not that many people enjoyed being confined to one place, however. He stayed silent for a moment. How are you? Any injuries? He knew there were none, but he needed to ask Sryoth anyways. Never been better. K'ryn smiled softly. He tuned into the conversation, turning to the familiar riders...S'rei of Salenth. Weyrleader of Selenitas. You should really pay more attention to what's going on around you.[/color] Yeah, he remembered S'rei a bit. Vaguely. Didn't bother remembering every bronzerider's name. The rider--S'rei--asked for their names, hmm?

"K'ryn, rider of brown Sryoth," he said simply, returning to his role as an observer.

The first step was to observe. The first step was always to observe. He noticed the riders around--not his friends, the Selenitas riders. There was tall S'rei. Weyrleader now, apparently. He was no longer an ignorable figure. His mind ran over the words that the man had spoken--slowly, almost painstakingly slow, thanks to the aftereffects of the sedatives. Children. He was a father. This was possibly useful knowledge, possibly worthless. He tucked it into his mind. He seemed not to have much respect for Benden, as it showed from his comments about the political aspects of Benden.

He blinked a few times, until his eyes were glassy and red, a skill he had taught himself to avoid chores long ago. He looked up at S'rei. Oh, he may have come to his senses some time ago, but he didn't want him to know that--at least not until he had a better view on the situation. Best to let the enemy underestimate your abilities. He had tensed when S'rei had come closer to Ba'sun, ready to dizzily scramble to his feet (somehow), but Ba'sun was only freed to receive water.

His mind returned to analyzing his surroundings. Selenitas Weyr, his dragon had said. He couldn't recall much about it, but they were allied with Benden...right? Weyrs were so fickle. Perhaps to distract his mind from over thinking, Sryoth addressed Salenth coldly but politely. May I feed now?[/color] It wouldn't do to antagonize them. Showing his anger might damper his chances of completely filling his belly.

[Lotty]

Decisions. Viaqueth was never one to just eat, to just simply get a bite and go. These kinds of things were a total ritual all in itself. What fun was it to just kill a herdbeast when one could play around with it a little first? It was how things had always been done as far as the blue was concerned. However, he wasn't sure he had a shred of strength to get the job done just the way he liked it. A horrible paradox he seemed to be stuck in, he didn't have the strength to go out and eat his meal, but he can't start feeling any better unless he ate something. Hmmmf. Life was so unfair wasn't it?

He felt Ekarth's brief touch and opened his eyes again to look out towards the exit and watched the other blue make the first daring steps out there...after spending so much time in the dark the dragon was almost afraid to step out and feel what bright light looked and felt like so yes, someone else could go out there before he did. All that was left now was to wait, and as soon as Ekarth returned - he forgot to ask how the sun felt in his excitement - he took that as his cue to head out. It was a nice gesture of his wingmate to offer food, but he would understand why it was so undesirable to him right? Thank you, but I crave to catch my own kill. Surely Sryoth would be soon to follow, but company did not matter to the dragon as long as he got his fill.

Slowly he rose to his feet, still mostly hunkered down to the ground in his typical stalker like movement, and creeped his way through the exit. It wasn't as if he was sneaking exactly, Salenth had said himself that he could eat if needed so, the dragon just knew no other way than to be silent in every step and with this quiet he peeked his way out to see the Southern Continent once more. This part of the South had a much better view, but just as expected, Rukbat shined way too hot, way too bright. Death would come much quicker to the herdbeasts than usual when at the hands - erm claws - of Viaqueth.

Losing the binds around his hands - thanks only to S'rei's knife - was step one in feeling better C'zan noted as he immediately pulled his hands forward and rubbed at the spots around his wrists where the rope pulled and burned his skin. He attended to this first, even as the Weyrleader asked his name. Tempting it was to lie, or to just not answer, but that would be a horrible move considering how well everything had fallen into place for the four of them. It would be unfair to run away with the plans on account of some stubbornness. His lips twitched with the proper answer, but the others had woken up and again his eyes peeled away and onto them before he refocused his attentions, "C'zan," was his sole reply at first since after all, it was his name that was asked for and not the dragon's, but finally giving in the the implication that the blue was part of the package deal, he gave up his dragon's identity in a simple answer oozing with Igenese accent, "Viaqueth."

He felt the press of the flask against his arm and took it readily, sneaking out a subtle grin and comment to Ba'sun before taking a drink of it himself, "Teeth...I'm surprised they let you keep your tongue..." the words sort of slithered out onto something just about a whisper and he then passed the flask along to his side, this time the water making its trip over to Isk'hail. With his mouth wetted he was able to focus that much better on the situation at hand. Was he still thirsty? Yes, very, but it would suffice, and a certain 6th sense if you will comforted and let him know that at very least Viaqueth had his empty stomach filled to the brink at that very moment and stirring with an extra bit of vitality. Lucky dragon.

Really at this point, C'zan was leery of saying even another word, and his face grew stoic. Ba'sun seemed to have this handled rather well. Yes, he knew the lines to parrot, the questions to answer should it come time, but if it isn't broke don't fix it, if S'rei didn't speak to him then the bluerider was bound to return the favor. Instead, the man took it upon himself to keep a close watch on the Weyrleader's little posse. They were being awfully quiet too weren't they?

[Requiem]

Ah. He might have bothered to elaborate more, or keep up the chatter with the dragons, but Salenth wasn't much for that sort of thing. Friendliness and fishing were two different things. He'd leave the more delicate sneaky work to His. Salenth didn't stir when first Ekarth, then Viaqueth ventured out into the open air to hunt. The brown's cold manner of address was greeted with a stretch, his head turning slightly toward the Hatching Grounds. I have not rescinded permission, he stated lightly, making it hard to determine if he was amused or annoyed or - indifferent.

Vomitting. Some were more sensitive to fellis than others. He didn't comment on it, his eyes flicking briefly to K'ryn, who hadn't said a word in response to him. Not exactly surprising, especially from a brownrider. A pup of a man, though...definitely not anyone S'rei recognized, by name or by face. One of C'leon's generation, then, for sure. Joy. Ba'sun was listened to, and S'rei did notice that he chose to drink. But he was paying more attention to the two who hadn't yet spoken, and Isk'hail's voice drew his eyes. He hadn't been talking to that bluerider at all. Hm. A wry smile took his face as he intercepted the water being passed by C'zan, clicking his tongue softly. "Bit of a walk to get more...don't waste it by handing it to a bound man, C'zan of Viaqueth. Salenth says your blue seems healthy enough..." The drugs were still lingering, clearly, something S'rei planned on taking advantage of.

"I remember you well enough, Lemosan," he added in a soft murmur to Isk'hail. "Your tattooed dragon in particular. Sometimes it's best not to draw such attention to yourself." Truthfully, he remembered little personally of Isk'hail...their paths hadn't crossed often. But Salenth was ever so good at rooting whenever something seemed familiar, resulting in what amounted to a collection of rumors and sightings and impressions several turns old. It was a system that meant S'rei rarely went into any encounter unprepared. He freed Isk'hail briskly now that he was up and moving, handing him the water. "You'll be wanting to get rid of the taste." Then slid over to free the pup as well, backing up and crouching over his heels.

"To answer the question...no. Technically this is not Selenitas." He said no further on the subject, gaze remaining frankly on Isk'hail as the man attempted that line on him, before flicking over to center on Ba'sun's face. "Questions without context leave too much guesswork," he commented neutrally. "Scouts, as part of a bigger nest...interesting. Some of your members seem odd for a scouting party." He let his gaze rest on Isk'hail for an extra moment as it swept the group. S'rei had little interest in discussing Benden's reliablitiy for the time being. The bronzerider had his own opinions on that weyr, but these didn't need to know what those were.

"Benden apparently didn't feel we needed to know how you were caught. Or perhaps they were just in a hurry to be out of the southern heat. If you were scouting...they must have realized you'd left. Seems risky. I would have used someone who planned on leaving and told them to hang tight for a bit instead. A little...short-sighted." He traced a finger lightly through the thin layer of sand on the stones. "What do you think, Mi'rah? A group of scouts?" S'rei flicked a stone, sending it rolling into K'ryn. "Another purpose, I think."

[neeuqtar]

Isk'hail's lips twitched at Ba'sun's muttered warning, though he said nothing in response, merely letting his lips flick upwards at the corners for a moment, more an acknowledgment than a smile. No doubt every man in the room could hear every word, which was just as well. Isk'hail's style was to be pleasant at all times, no matter what he was saying or doing. He was Lemosan, after all, a fact which the leader of the group remembered. And then the name came to him, as the man cut his bonds and passed him water. The bluerider paused for a moment before taking it, pouring a little into his mouth without letting the rim touch his lips, then swirling the cool water in his mouth for a moment. He spat the mouthful on the ground near his.. mess.. before taking an actual swig of water to drink.

"Good to see you, too, S'rei," the Lemosan said evenly, finally remembering the man's name and refusing to rise to the intended jibe about Kesmaroth. Making the blue unmistakable had been a twofold decision. Not only did the blue become easy to pick out in battle -- a fact that helped his wingmates find him at all times, as well as possibly helping cultivate a reputation -- but everyone remembered the tattooed blue, and not as much the rather unimpressive man who rode him. Isk'hail was quite happy to have memories dwell on the steed rather than the rider. Being the brunt of attention at Benden was always... uncomfortable. And if Kesmaroth's unusual decorations were the worst S'rei could come up with, well, Isk'hail would take it. There were far worse things that could be remembered about the bluepair... but then again, that was the entire point.

"It's a little difficult to keep in contact with any... naysayers... in the North," Isk'hail said, taking another drink of water before inspecting his nails. Blood blisters. Delightful. "Getting close enough to contact means risking sweep overflights. We go in teams... for safety, you see." The bluerider held out the water towards S'rei and K'ryn. He didn't really care who took it, if either chose to. "And the contacts aren't always alive when we arrive... or even safe to contact," he continued, shrugging. "But what use is information if it stays where it isn't needed?'

Methanks, Ekarth, Kesmaroth said softly to the other blue dragon. His words slurred together; a trait the dragon had long had and which Isk'hail encouraged. The more difficult it was for eavesdroppers to listen and understand, the better. He canted his head to the side for better access, letting Ekarth's teeth slice through the rope. The blue shifted, hooking hind talons into the rope binding his forefeet. He paused, shaking his head to loose the rope on his muzzle, then kicked against the rope on his feet, snapping it with undue force. Snarling as the rope came free, Kesmaroth rolled to his feet and half-reared, flinging out his wings and pawing at the ground for a moment to snap his body back into action.

Easy, love, came Isk'hail's reassurance. We're... safe. Ish. Don't eat too much, though. The blue settled down, eyes pinning yellow as he regarded the other dragons nearby. Everything around him bespoke danger. He didn't like being away from Isk'hail-His. He didn't know what to do.

Cann eat? Kesmaroth asked of Ekarth, settling his wings back along his sides, his powerful tail flicking side to side near the tips, rather like an irate feline. The tattooed blue regarded the half-eaten herdbeast -- he would only eat a little. Not too much to weigh him heavily in flight or fight. But he needed Isk'hail for that..

[rii]

Can't as well answer questions without a tongue, now could he. Ba'sun smiled devilishly at the C'zan with the jest in his expression but not making it past his lips. Didn't want to disrupt S'rei's setting too much and end up drawing more attention then he could handle. A queer stage at that. Free them, offer them water, feed their dragons – the angle was suspicious. The question odd, now that Ba'sun reflected on it. Why were they imprisoned. He thought the answer was bright and obvious, they were captured to be questioned on the were abouts of the rest of the rebellion. That had been the entire purpose of their questioning up north; where were the others, who was supplying them information – where this, where that, who is your puppet master.

"Don't exactly get the pick of the litter, if ya'know what I mean." Make due with what they had at hand. Though, having six of them caught didn't exactly bode well on managing their limited resources. Unfortunate, but necessary in the grand scheme of things. Ba'sun eyelids drooped, his chin tucking in toward his chest as he half-listened to the words being batted around. Interesting that despite being knocked flat by sedatives for the majority of his time spent in captivity, he was still incredibly tired. With Ekarth's stomach full of warm meat, Ba'sun was beginning to feel even more sluggish. The stone floor didn't look too hard..

Why did it matter how they were caught? Ba'sun furrowed his brow, trying to get his mind to work through the haze – and why were they not bound again? The bluerider blinked down at his upturned palms, dirty and calloused. Absently he rubbed his thumb over the nub that was his right pinky. "It would be.. strange ..if they didn't realize we had left. It's been some time now," Old news to them, really. "And a reported head count doesn't included us, unlike some." His dark eyes lifted to look pointedly at Mi'rah, passing back to F'lix for further emphasis.

So many dragonpairs going unaccounted for had to have gone somewhere. None of them were willing to give up that piece of information. Hm – what was that? Ba'sun turned his head back toward S'rei. "Would you of now." He rubbed at his free wrist. A wry twist on his lips. "Suppose it was a bit foolish. Maybe you could give us some pointers here on out."

Ekarth rumbled in acknowledgment of Kesmaroth's words, still eating away at the muzzle until it was loose enough to be slipped off. The smaller blue moved back to allow the other room, meeting the branded blue's snarl with a parting of his maw. Flashing his teeth in a silent warning. There was too much at risk. He would not allow the younger dragon to make a mess out of things. A foreclaw shot up, hooking around the back of Kesmaroth's neck to pull the other blue's head back down toward the sand.

Contrasting to his violent action, Ekarth licked tenderly at Kesmaroth's eyeridge. Ssuch sspirit, Kessma. Neither the place nor the time. Only thosse that play nicce are allowed to eat. Rumbling deep in his narrow chest, Ekarth regarded Kesmaroth through calm, crescented eyes before slipping away to allow the tattoo'd blue to remove the remainder of the bindings and finish off the herdbeast. He curled back up on the raised, center mound and draped his tail over his bloody muzzle as he resumed his watch on the entrance.

[raii]

S'rei decided to free Isk'hail, moving to free K'ryn as well. What was the point of transporting hogtied prisoners to a Weyr where they would be untied for questioning? Of course, escape was impossible; no doubt even the feeding dragons would be watched by trusted riders. Still, with his wrists freed the brownrider felt more capable. Of course, there were three Selenitas Riders and four of them but force would not be the way to go. They couldn't fight. Although he could think clearly, his senses and reflexes were slow and clouded. Even worse, his body was heavy and groggy still. Even if by some miracle they could overpower the riders, there were still the dragons. As soon as they made a move, their dragons could call other dragons for reinforcements. No, there was no way to sneak away and no way to fight their way out.

For now, they were stuck, but there was always a way. This wasn't an optimistic thought; however, it did make K'ryn feel better. No, he knew there was always a way out of situations. Thinking, however, wasn't his strength at the moment. He had trouble focusing. It was only enhanced by the water being passed around. Isk'hail handed him the water, which the brownrider took. Although his movements were slow and his face apathetic, almost as if he didn't care, his eyes thanked Isk'hail. He longed to drink greedily, but he couldn't. He didn't want to let the Selenitas riders know they had more of an upper hand than they did.

He took a large gulp, letting the water cool his gums and mouth for a moment. He allowed a bit of water to flow down his throat at a time, until his first mouthful of water was gone. He should have done as Isk'hail did, and cleanse his mouth before drinking, but he was so thirsty. He took several smaller sips. Small was an understatement. Each sip barely moistened his mouth. His lips were still dry and cracked. His mouth still craved water. Still, he wasn't about to pass out from dehydration. He didn't need to be comfortable, he needed to be free. He looked up at Sryoth, who was waiting patiently to know that K'ryn would be all right if he went to eat. Of course. You're making me hungry too, you brown lard. The slight teasing assured Sryoth that his rider was okay, so he followed the other dragons out of the Hatching Grounds.

Why, exactly, were the riders so worried about what was clearly Benden's business. Was Benden bribing them to figure it out? Was it a favor? A debt? S'rei flicked a stone in his direction, snapping the brownrider out of his thoughts. His eyes were confused for a moment, mostly concerning what had come towards him and why, but quickly turned stoic as he realized what it was. His eyes narrowed slightly, barely noticeable but there nonetheless. The way S'rei spoke to them irked K'ryn. In a perfectly level tone, K'ryn commented. It was the first time speaking since his introduction. "Forgive me for my obvious lack of intelligence, but why is it exactly that you care how we choose to do our scouting?"

Those who knew K'ryn at all knew this to be both sarcastic and insulting. Others, however, didn't know for sure. He could be completely respectful to his elders and simply be phrasing the question the only way he knew how. His tone gave nothing away, but given the circumstances, the option of respect was rather dubious. He looked up now, his eyes meeting the Weyrleader's. Although they were expressionless, they showed that the brownrider didn't back down. His eyes didn't move away, his head cocked to the side. Sryoth may have issues with antagonizing them, but K'ryn wasn't the type to hold back.

Calm down. Think about this logically. No matter his response, don't get mad,[/i] Sryoth warned. K'ryn acknowledged this and reluctantly agreed. He focused on Sryoth for a moment, wondering how his dragon was faring, before turning back. It seemed Sryoth was faring just fine. The brown was, in fact, admiring the colors of the outside. K'ryn felt a pang of guilt. Sryoth had missed the freedom of outside. The large brown spread his wings, knowing he couldn't take off. The wind against the membrane felt so nice. The brown noticed the three blues, greeting them. Hello.

[Lotty]

"Oh? Healthy enough for what?" Good to know that the Weyrleader's dragon was so concerned about the health of his own bonded. Not that it didn't make sense for the blue to be monitored, it was merely the comment that drew a sort of surprised, or no, intrigued expression; the rider canting his head ever so slightly and appearing to peer up and out once more from behind the black mane that crowned his head. Any positive comment on the shape and fitness of their dragons alluded to the continuation of stay here on Pern, or at least to C'zan. In his reasoning health would be irrelevant if their execution was around the corner. With this sense of safety a few more words slipped out, "Been a while. Can't imagine him too blue...gray if anything," but it was all relative really. Anything less than a brilliant shade of turquoise was off to the man, but elaborations such as this was beyond him. He slipped back into silence.

Everyone else needed to take their turns after all, and the bluerider thought he was playing rather nice all things considered. Of course, tinges of the drug in his system didn't help him any. At least it wasn't as sickening for him as it was for some others...just a little mind numbing is all...which wasn't always such a horrible thing. Some of his fellow Bendenites were such squares, being completely aware of everything all the time made life just a little less fun. Not that anyone would guess that C'zan knew of such a thing on first glance. Better that way he supposed.

Swift subject change however, and attention was drawn back to their capture. Everyone in the same camp as him had he same thoughts running through their heads. Not that he was a mind reader, but he couldn't help but also wonder why their so called "short-sightedness" would be of any surprise to S'rei. He wasn't too familiar with the man past a name and the basics, but if he spent any time at Benden he would know that long term planing was not exactly hammered into weyrling training at the northern weyr. Even one of the Southern man's posse was more than willing to point out this fact, this stereotype when asked for his input in the matter.

Mi'rah smiled vaguely at S'rei. Unintentional of course...such shit eating grins didn't seem very appropriate even in the soft light of the glows. This something of a interrogation and not a round of drinks in the evening correct? Regardless, the bronzerider was humored by the question and replied rather quickly with his odd sort of wit, "Stupidity and short sighted planning is not surprising coming out of Benden...." the words came rather drolly, intentionally aiming to insult a few of the riders in the process despite the fact that he was probably an unlikely ally to have in the room even if he didn't even know it...after all, he left Benden after the Siege...not before. Regardless, getting a rise out of one or two of them wouldn't hurt. Emotions tended lead people along the wrong path time to time.

Viaqueth slunk back into the hatching cavern with red covering his feet, legs, and maw and with little intention of licking away the bloody mess right away. No, he had every intention of saving the metallic taste as a snack should meals be farther and fewer apart in the future. If the past days had taught anyone anything it was that the blue was a survivor....C'zan too, as were many and most of the Northerners. A quick message was relayed between the too of them...Don't look too spry. They are taking notes and have their eyes on you. Worry about me do they? It was then that the dragon watched Kesmaroth rear back in defiance of his straps...and it was his health they had tabs on...

[Requiem]

"Healthy enough to feed...messily. Your dragons have been better maintained than you." An observation, nothing more.

Ah, so less scouting, and more meeting up with informants. Numbers for safety was odd. One, maybe two was far more likely to go unnoticed, and that close to the weyr...not much difference between two and eight. Or two and a dozen. "Seems the system has some kinks still," S'rei mused quietly, if only to acknowledge that Isk'hail had spoken at all. A turn ago. Even factoring in transport...these had been prisoners of Benden for months. The situation was nowhere close to the same now as they were describing, but it was still more than he'd known just minutes ago.

Eyes focused on Ba'sun for a long, lingering moment. And another voice filled in that gap. Not that K'ryn's words were any more useful. "Yes, Mi'rah. But it only takes one." He preferred to assume enemies had brains as opposed to the other way around. It was just smarter that way. S'rei had been looking for...a thought. But he had plenty of time to discuss that with Mi'rah later. These weren't going anywhere any time soon. Glancing to K'ryn, he smiled slightly. "The better question is what do you lose by answering it? It's been a turn since your capture; no doubt the flaws of the system have been worked out since then. In fact, they must have been, if you four are all Benden has for us. Which is just another point in favor of the people behind this little rebellion not being complete imbeciles; it hasn't been squashed yet. Were there any more questions, child?"

If there were, S'rei wasn't terribly interested in hearing them, as evidenced by his returning his attention to the more useful of the blueriders. The older ones...what do you know. "I don't find the questions they gave me of an validity. Where are you rebels holing up? Well, obviously, that could have changed in a turn. Someone might have told you of the change, but I wouldn't bet on it. Who is leading? Again, probably changed. And a big assumption, anyway. What rebellion would send six people scouting with their dragons within range of being captured as well, and expect you not to be noticed? Or taken? They're not going to let you know anything too high up the chain. In short, their questions are worthless to me, and to them. I gain much more by listening to your exact situation. To see discrepancies with what I've been told, to find patterns of behavior. What I'm most interested in? Your purpose."

He brushed his finger along the stone again, rubbing the dirt off against his thumb. "The fact of the matter is Benden had us backed into a corner to begin with. We're weaker. We can't stand against a full-on attack...it's not even worth hiding. Everyone knows it. There was no grounds for us to deny their alliance. On the off-chance that they proved reliable, it might have benefitted us. Your point, Ba'sun, was a valid one. They've already proven their unreliability. In short, we're stuck. I'm not fond of that. I'm trying to determine if your...rebellion...might be of some use to us. You can cooperate by sating my curiosity, or I can go about my business, getting useless information to appease the Bendenites for a few more months. Until Fort attacks again and they decide not to bother. Or decide it's more convenient to occupy Selenitas themselves. Either way, though, Selenitas does not take prisoners. There are only two endings here."

[rii]

Ba'sun made the effort to straighten his posture from the hunkered angle he was slipping into more and more as the weighing conversation continued. Vaguely he wondered how their keepers would react if he tried to stand. Although at the moment Ba'sun wasn't sure if he could gather up enough energy to stand let alone walk. A turn, had it really been that long since they had become prisoners? Ba'sun's head swam with the thought, clearly confused. It didn't feel that long. Certainly had been some good chunk of time because he had lost all the weight he had gained in the south, and then some. In fact Ba'sun felt vaguely like a stick-man at times. But a turn?

Dark eyes wandered over to Mi'rah. Odd choice of words. They were all Benden (with exceptions of S'rei) here, prisoners and keepers alike. That comment insulted everyone – personally Ba'sun was just fine with playing to Mi'rah's estimation of their skills – or lack thereof. All the while holding back the urge to address the man: T-t-that s-s-so? In the end Ba'sun saw no purpose in prodding back at the bronze rider. In fact, in the time it took his sluggish mind to toy around with the thought the conversation had already moved on.

"If you look hard enough.. you'll find whatever you are looking for, S'rei. Whether it's there or not." Ba'sun commented tiredly. It was proving difficult to follow every bit of the conversation when in the back of his mind Ekarth was curling up to sleep. The weyrleader sounded as if he was going off with vague hints at some elaborate tale of crafty – or not so – subterfuge. Ba'sun's eyes fluttered as his mind swayed with temptation to sync with his dragon. Ekarth..

Scraping talons through the sand, Ekarth pulled himself into a standing position and prowled along the hatching grounds to comb the sands for anything of interest. A shell fragment, a rock, it didn't really matter at this point as long as he kept himself awake so that his rider could remain the same. Coiling back on his haunches, Ekarth wiggled in preparation as he.. pounced on the egg shard. A throw of sand outward marked his landing, but the blue didn't linger, tossing the fragment aside.. only to stalk up on it once again.

"I don't think the actual number is relevant," Ba'sun ventured. The playful feeling from Ekarth was better than the pulling darkness of sleep. "Smaller than here, naturally, but as far as our experience and capabilities go in regards to this war we have your weyr beat hands down." As much as Ba'sun despised the suggestion that S'rei would be using them, he doubted that the head figure on their side of the rebellion would see it any different – that they would be using Selenitas. "The purpose strikes differently man to man, but if you're looking for a general goal: Benden is ours, and we're taking it back. J'lorin is a smart man, but fool if he thinks to re-create his Fort on our grounds, of our people."

Would have to cull the masses and start from babes if J'lorin hoped to achieve that feat. Something the man can't accomplish amidst the endless throws of war. Ba'sun unfolded his legs, stretching out one knee with a faint wince to his expression. "Suppose his control here lasts as long as you stay under his thumb. I don't know what you did to attract Fort's eye, but not even knowing the circumstances, can't imagine it bodes well for your lot in the future. You.. could likely aid us in achieving our goal faster. And we might as well be your only hopes of saving what you have here.

"But–" Ba'sun gave a gallant shrug. "What do I know."