Watch That Last Step (Ruliana, Selectively-Open)

[Ember]

Jazheera had heard that the south was very different from the north but she was still amazed anyways. They were all so carefree! She could get used to such an atmosphere. Although...something had to be done about the temperature. It was far too hot to be comfortable. She pulled the too-big short sleeves unto her shoulders in a small attempt to avoid unnecessary heat. She watched the people mingling about at the Gather from a short distance away. She was eager to dive straight into the Gather and find a way to get to Selenitas weyr - with so many dragonriders about it ought to be easy to hitch a ride there - but she'd promised to wait for her friend.

She'd met Ruliana on the ship that had brought them to Southern Hold. She usually didn't make girl friends since she generally got along better with men but she and the younger girl had bonded over a similar mission of sorts. They were both in search of some long lost brother. Jazz had been bemused to learn how her friend acquired passage south. While she had snuck aboard and evnetually become a cabin boy, Ruliana had the gift of a wonderful voice and had become a replacement for someone else of talent. She didn't resent her friend for that but she did wish she'd thought of something similar.

They'd arrived half a sevenday before the Gather and in order to get food and lodging (the ship captain had refused to help a stowaway) Jazheera had helped with the preparations for what would be an absolutely huge Gather. She glanced at where her friend ought to be coming from and smiled when she saw the unmistakeable figure of her friend. "About time, Aleta!" She still used her friend's false name. She was promise-bound to do so until Ruliana felt comfortable using her real name.

Jazheera started moving towards the Gather, deliberately shortening her usually long stride so that her friend would be able to catch up. She'd gotten used to the fact that Ruliana cared about her appearance a lot more than she did. She simply threw on some working clothes and she was pretty much ready. The only extra preparation she'd taken today was to braid the foremost strands of her waist length black hair so that it wouldn't get in the way. When her friend finally caught up she smiled and said, "If I knew you would take so long I would have slept in."

[Rei]

Ruliana started slightly as her ‘name’ was called and she raised a hand in greeting to her friend. Slowly she made her way to the shorter female, smiling softly. Her choice of dress was practical today. A short sleeved shirt in a soft blue combined with a just past knee length skirt of a dark brown with some white embroidery around the bottom. Soft leather sandals completed the put together look and she had charmed one of the men into braiding three blue and brown beads into her short hair. It irked her that it wasn’t long enough to pull back into a pony tail, or even really braid, with much success. The woman wished she would have thought about that before she decided to lop it all off. No hope for it now.

She smiled down at her friend. It was hard to remember that Jazheera was actually older than herself. Sometimes she didn’t act like it. She was actually surprised to find the girl on her trip. She certainly hadn’t expected to make a friend. Especially not one as colorful as Jazz was. Straightening her skirt the woman pursed her lips. “You could have slept in if you wanted to. I had to make sure I had some time before our first performance. It seems as if I am good until tonight.” Irritably she pushed her hair back, which did nothing to prevent it from falling forward again. She should really have pinned it with a hair pin. No use worrying about it now. Blue eyes scanned the early going shoppers. It wasn’t too horribly crowded yet.

“So what do you want to do?” Here eyes scanned he stalls lingering on the ones she liked. To bad she hadn’t brought any marks. Ruliana hadn’t the time to gather spending money. Really she hadn’t planned much more than getting to Southern. Now she wasn’t sure what to do. She had an obligation to perform with the harpers who paid for her passage, but beyond that she hadn’t a clue what to do or where to go. Jazheera seemed to think getting to the weyr was best but well, Ruliana wasn’t so sure. Shuffling her feet in the dirt and tsking at it she returned her attention to her friend as she waited for a answer.

[Requiem]

The brown dragon bugled as he came out of Between, circling above the waves and stalls a couple times. Good morning, Southern! Please be careful. I don’t want to squish anyone into human pancakes, came the cheerful broadcast of the small brown. It was immediately obvious that this dragon was familiar to Southern Hold. A few of the children jumped in place, some waving, and even a few calling Behruth’s name in greeting. A few adults paused in what they were doing to wave as well. Behruth settled into a clear space near where the stage had been set up, and then a small throng gathered around him, mostly of the waist-high variety. Despite the coolness that Southern Hold traditionally held for dragonriders and dragons, Savitri’s Impression of Hepaticath and Behruth’s seven-day long stay and subsequent visits had warmed the holders, at least to this particular brownpair.

M’ta grinned as he caught up a little girl who flung herself at him, spinning her and placing her on a hip while he finished peeling off his gloves and attaching them to Behruth’s straps. “Hi Dryvinia.” He waved at the girl’s mother, before taking the hand of the quiet boy who pressed up against his side. Behruth crooned at the rest of the throng, happily allowing the children to play around him. Ruth seemed to be a child magnet wherever he went, and M’ta didn’t mind so much. The children were adorable. “What are you doing today, M’ta? Rings?” The girl giggled, even as the boy tightened his grip and watched the brownrider curiously. “Not today. I have to talk to Cadmus again.” Dryvinia’s voice lowered conspiratorially. “Does he know that you’re joining a boy?” M’ta smiled, lowering his voice. “No, it’s still our little secret. That we can never ever tell, right, Vadnyrr?” Dryvinia’s younger brother nodded solemnly, and M’ta squeezed his hand.

“They’ll be so surprised! We can still be in the ceremony, right?” When M’ta nodded, she gave off a happy little squeak an clapped her hands. Vadnyrr, not to be outdone, snaked his little arm around M’ta’s leg, and the brown rider halted, amused. He let go of the boy’s hand and ruffled his hair, going down on one knee. “What would I do without my favorite future dragonriders, mm? Who would I tell all my secrets to?”

[Ember]

Jazz looked over her friend briefly before deciding that Ruliana had picked her outfit well for the day. If she had any say in their plans (which she did) they'd be busy searching the Gather for some way to get to Selenitas weyr. The person she was looking for was almost certainly at the weyr, and she was still convinced that 'Mutasim' was her brother. Ruliana's brother however...it was a mystery where he might be. Gathers tended to attract all kinds of folks though. If fate were smiling on them, maybe Ruliana's brother would be amongst the Gatherers.

Jazheera smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "Naw, even if I wanted to sleep in I couldn't. 'M used to early mornings and I was just so excited I could barely sleep at all. I mean, I'm finally here ya know?" She looked up at her friend to see her expression. The small young woman crossed her arms as she walked, her eyes scanning the faces of people before she looked at the stalls. She wasn't entirely sure how she'd recognize her brother if she saw him but it didn't matter. Somehow she would. That was good enough for her. Ruliana brought Jazz back to herself and she frowned slightly. She knew the other girl wouldn't want to leave the Gather right away and Telgar girl had to admit there was plenty to do in the meantime. Besides, the dragonriders would only go back to their weyr once they'd had their fill of the Gather.

"I guess we could look around..." Jazheera trailed off when a brown dragon appeared in the sky and broadcast to all present. The reactions of some of the people she'd seen around Southern Hold surprised her. Waving and cheering...she had heard ennough grumbles about dragonriders during her short stay at the Hold that they weren't fond of them normally. Curiosity piqued, Jazheera started to head towards the surrounded brown dragon. She belatedly realized she might have left Ruliana hanging and turned to walk backwards so she could say, "Come on! I wanna see what all the fuss is about." Nevermind that the fussers were children.

[Rei]

Ruliana smile openly at her friends as she shoved aside her apology. It never ceased to surprise her now open and bouncy Jazheera was. She smiled as she walked beside her taking in the sights and sounds of the coastal hold herself. It was so much like Nerat and then different as well. She nodded politely to a few stall keepers and kept on her way. Unlike Jazz she didn’t have a face to look for so she settled for being a companion. With no name and no leads it was possible that her half siblings where still all behind in Nerat. All rather than Rusahre who no doubt had either impressed at Benden or died there. Sobering thought that. At least she could be there to support Jazheera well at least until she found what she was looking for. The what would happen she wasn’t sure.

The woman opened her mouth to speak to her companion and then stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widening in surprise. The voice that ran through her mind was well surprising. Blinking away the stupor Ruliana pivoted and shielded her eyes to get a good look at the beast angling down to the west. Dragon? She hadn’t really ever seen one close up before. When Benden ran search she had been holed away by her parents for fear that she would be chosen. So the brown angling down was pretty unfamiliar. Oh she had seen dragons in paintings and the like but never the real life thing. He looked well, so big. Even from a distance she could tell he was much bigger than any runner she had ever seen. Oh she knew dragons where larger than runners but seeing one in person it really hit home.

Daring to take her eyes from the beast she looked down at Jazheera only to realize that her friend was no longer there. Blinking in confusion she looked up just in time to see her friend bouncing off toward the crowd and the dragon. Oh dear. “I’m coming!” Ruliana called after her and hastened towards the grouping as well. As they approached the woman began to feel decidedly out of place. Did she have to be the tallest thing here besides the dragon? She felt like she was a giant, which was just a tad awkward.

[Requiem]

Setting down the little girl, he hugged both children. "Your mom's calling you." The child pouted. "But you just got here." He nodded. "I'll be here all day, and R'wign should be here later. Then you can meet him, too. How bout that?" The girl brightened right back up, snatched her brother by the hand and scampered off. Taking off his riding jacket, he flipped it over his shoulder and slipped his free hand into his pocket, stepping around a couple of youngsters playing tag and using Behruth as a barrier. The young man had cut off the sleeves of a light, off-white tunic, leaving the laces undone, and it definitely looked a bit roguish for a someone who made a dragonrider's pay but M'ta really just cared that it keep him cooler. (He always wore things to the brink of extinction before replacing them.)

Flipping the long dark braid over his shoulder, he started toward the main part of the hold, glancing up briefly and then pausing mid-stride. His head cocked to one side as he regarded the two girls, a small frown touching his face. Then, apparently making his decision, the brownrider pivoted and headed straight for them. The closest one, a woman - a very small woman who almost looked like a child - was bypassed for the second, though he still offered her a polite smile and nod of greeting. It was the taller girl he was interested in. The one he had to look up at - like usual.

He eyed her for a moment. "You look...remarkably similar...to my roommate when Behruth was a weyrling," he commented. "Related similar. I'm sorry that's a weird way to start a conversation; I'm M'ta of brown Behruth. You wouldn't happen to have a...brother or a half-brother from Nerat, would you? About six foot tall, green eyes, dark curly hair...your faces are almost identical, really." His eyes flicked back to the other girl, a flicker of interest behind his gaze. "Where did you two come from? You're not southern," he added, no question in the statement. The coloring wasn't right. Southerners tended to be fair...or if they were darker in the hair and eyes, their facial features were different, not usually as delicate.

[Ember]

One person broke off from the group of children surrounding the brown dragon. He was taller than the children, though he certainly was short for a guy. Jazheera figured he was the dragon's rider though she couldn't be completely sure. At first he seemed like he was headed towards the Hold but he changed direction towards...well, towards her and Ruliana. She glanced back at her friend with a quizical expression on her face. What would a random stranger want with them?

When he got closer she paid more attention to his face than the fact that it was a random guy. She froze and he easily passed by her to get to Ruliana. He was the spitting image of her father just...younger. She backtracked slightly to her friend after a moment, taking up a position next to her. She couldn't help but stare up at the rider. The resemblance was just too much. For once Jazheera was shocked silence. This man wasn't her father which meant the only other person he could be was her older brother. She hadn't envisioned their reunion like this though...

Every word he said was processed. M'ta...It wasn't too hard to see how Mutashamin or Mutasim could be shortened to that. What he said about a half-brother to Rulaina made her look at the girl. Half brother? From Nerat? That could very well be Ruliana's brother. She answered the question in place of her friend, having finally regained some of her composure. "I'm from Telgar. Aleta and I came over on a ship out of Nerat....Are you by any chance Mutashamin?" There was little doubt in her mind that he was.

[Rei]

Ruliana tried to keep from fidgeting nervously as she stood there trying not to look nosy. It just wasn’t polite to stare after all. She noticed as the brownrider took note of them and then pivoted the head in their direction. As he bypassed Jazheera to stand in front of her she actually took a half step back. Then the man was speaking and her eyebrows raised. What? Impolite start to the conversation aside, it was decidedly odd that he just started going on about his roommate? And he looked remarkably similar to her? From Nerat? Ok, ok she needed a minute. Thankfully she got that minute when the man turned to Jazheera.

As the woman scrambled to get her thoughts in order she was further saved by Jazz who seemed to taken I upon herself to answer for them. Subtly Ruliana moved a step back so it would be Jazheera and not her in front. It was a unconscious desire for protection although had she thought of it she would have felt horribly silly about trying to hide behind her smaller friend. As soon as the smaller woman had finished speaking she spoke up.

“Yes in fact I do hail from Nerat.” She also had quite a few half siblings probably. At least one that she knew for sure. There was bound to more. Her father had slept with many women. She had a list of names so it wouldn’t be too hard to find out if his roommate’s mother was someone who had ‘met’ her father. “I am afraid I am an only child but yes I do have a half brother. Possibly more than one in fact. Your roommate, what is his name?” Before she could go on something in Jazheera’s voice made her look down.

Ruliana’s eyes flicked to her friend noting the way she stared at this young man. Her mouth almost feel open in surprise as her eyes went back and forth between the two, noting the resemblance. This couldn’t be her brother already could it? He certainly resembled Jazz enough. Oh how wonderful! Faranth be praised. Sometimes fate worked in strange ways. A polite smile flitted across her face and she raised her eyes to meet M’ta’s again. “It is nice to meet you M’ta.” She outstretched her hand towards the rider. Jazheera had already introduced them but that was no reason not to offer her own greeting.

[Requiem]

Okay, so he clearly didn't have the best social skills. At least he had enough of an idea to recognize it, though, and he took a step back as the girl shied away, toeing at the ground. Children were far easier to associate with. It occurred to him that he really didn't talk to much of anyone who hadn't already known him as the taciturn scary knife boy, which made socially awkward look like gold in comparison. (Although, to be fair, he didn't often see someone who resembled R'wign so much, and if there was a R'ahre...siblings fascinated M'ta for the simple reason that he had none of his own. Come to think of it, the healer would likely smack him upside the head if he found out his weyrmate was wandering up to random strangers asking such things. Awwwkward.)

Rubbing the side of his neck, the collar dislodged just enough for the edge of the rather obvious scar there to show, and he looked more than just a little uncomfortable. "Roommate...isn't entirely accurate. R'wign and I are weyrmates now. R'wign...Rawign before he Impressed. Look, I'm sorry to bother you, just being silly. You know, see a pretty girl and of course she has to be related to my weyrmate." He flashed a smile in an attempt to salvage the situation. "Like there's only one bloodline that turns out -"

Telgar. A flicker of something in his eyes, a brow lifting. Telgar...oh, right, the smiths from the weapon stall. Maybe they'd come with those two. Mutashamin? "What, has Savitri been blabbing about me around here? Tch. She should know better than that." She should. Paranoid as he was, why would she be spreading his name around a hold that served as the major seaport for the southern continent? Oh, they'd be having words later. M'ta was one thing, but the two girls standing in front of him right at this very moment were proof enough that it would be all too easy for word to travel, and he'd had enough of tangling with Bitrans. At least the name had been distorted. "But you're mispronouncing it. Mutasim. Haven't gone by that for turns, though. Even the people who forget call me Muta instead." He cocked his head, eyeing her curiously. Savitri must have said something interesting if his name was still going around after four turns. (Yes, Behruth was nearly four...he could hardly believe it!) "What did the goldrider blab that was so interesting the rumors are still circulating?"

Before she could answer, however, he apparently remembered his manners somewhat belatedly, taking Aleta's hand in a firm grip. "You haven't told me your name yet," he added to the small girl, a mischievous grin reaching his eyes. "I promise I'm not wicked - too wicked. There's no need to be shy." And yes, she did seem a touch shy to him, considering her friend was doing more of the talking.

[Ember]

Jazheera was nothing if not loyal. Her friend's discomfort did not escape her. Ruliana hadn't been so great with the guys on the ship, why would that suddenly change? She shifted one foot slightly so that she seemed even more in front of her friend than before. It wasn't really necessary since he stepped back too but it didn't hurt to show she was defensive of her friend. Her eyes flicked briefly over to Ruliana to make sure she was doing fine. As her friend spoke up the short girl was relieved to see that she seemed alright. She turned her attention back to M'ta.

He seemed to be trying to dig himself out of the little situation he caused, much to Jazz's amusement. Her brother (this could be no one else) was an interesting person. Although...weyrmate. For some reason she didn't like the idea of him having a weyrmate. What would her parents say if they found it was a guy! Jazz personally didn't mind - it was a choice, like al lthings in life were - but she was willing to bet her father would be against it. Not that their opinion really mattered.

The girl smiled as M'ta didn't deny he was Mutashamin, though he did try and tell her that she was mispronouncing it. He went on before she could respond, though she did intend on getting her say. Silly Mutashamin. Didn't he know he was supposed to wait for answers when he asked questions? He mentioned her name and blinked. Oh, she had forgotten to introduce herself, hadn't she? "I'm Jazheera. Can't say as I know any Savitri's. I'm afraid its also you who've been pronouncing your own name wrong. I guess I can see how Mutashamin could be shortened to Mutasim. You're a legend in Bitra, y'know? I certainly have an interesting brother," she added, turning to smiled at Ruliana at the end.

She couldn't believe she'd actually found her brother so quick. He was quite different from what she expected but she wasn't all that disappointed. He had his own dragon too! She glanced over at the brown surrounded by playful children. That was just too cool.

[Rei]

Ruliana watched M’ta quietly, taking in the nervous posture and the slight pause in the man’s words. So he was nervous to? That made her feel a tad bit better. At least she wasn’t the only one acting socially awkward. Roommate wasn’t accurate? Weyrmate? What was that? Confusion registered across her face. Surely roommate and weyrmate where similar. Or wait…maybe this R’wign was involved with him. Oh.... Really Ruliana wasn’t sure how she felt about that. How should she feel? Being totally holdbred she was raised to look down on homosexuality but M’ta seemed really nice. Before she could further comment on this Rawign, the rider was speaking again. He was apologizing. For bothering them? “Oh you aren’t…” before Ruliana could get out more than that he was speaking again and she fidgeted .

Savitri? Who was that? This was all just getting more confusing. The girl was glad when M’ta finally took her hand. It gave her something to focus on other than her quickly growing confusion with things. It also gave her brain much needed time to process. Rawign. Ruahnorne. Not really to similar. She was brought back to the present as M’ta spoke again and she actually gave a small laugh. “Jazz shy? I certainly can’t picture it.” She commented lightly putting her other hand on her friends shoulder, grateful for her protective presence. Juliana just listened quietly as her friends went on to gently correct her brother. At the end she exchanged a small smile with her friend.

“She has been looking for you for quite some time M’ta.” She commented quietly blue eyes seeking his. She was happy for Jazheera, truly was. But she was also scared. What would happen to her now? Jazheera would no doubt want to follow her brother to the weyr and she could not go back to Nerat. The harpers would return to Nerat after the gather so she couldn't stay with them. Maybe she could get lucky and happen upon a traveling caravan?

Ruliana pushed such thoughts aside for the moment and her eyes drifted back to the brown dragon.

[Requiem]

Diarrhea of the mouth. Why was he having so much trouble today? There was a needling at the back of his mind, a small voice whispering to him that something was off, something right outside his grasp that he was simply...missing. Did it feel dangerous? No, not quite. More like a little wariness at something vaguely familiar. He should be stepping more carefully with these two, but the nervousness seemed to make words just fall from his mouth with no stopper. Mentally forcing the flow to a halt, he determined to let the girls actually answer him before plowing on recklessly.

He froze when Jazheera spoke again, visibly froze, a coldness coming into his dark eyes, hand still clasping Ruliana's. "Bitra," he hissed, the word barely audible. What did she know of Bitra? (He ignored the comment about his name, given a complete stranger could hardly know how it was pronounced. It just added to the suspicion that knifed through him.) M'ta knew that he didn't speak with anything resembling a Bitran accent. He was very deliberate about his diction for a reason, making sure everything was enunciated, not swallowed. In some ways he probably over pronounced his t's and r's as a result, but that shouldn't be enough to give it away. If they knew his name, though, were speaking of Bitra and knew nothing of Savitri, that meant at least one of them was from Bitra. Jazheera. He'd been left alone for turns. If he was going to return to harry the Lordholder - to carry out the justice that the man deserved - he would have done so already. What was she, some sort of an assassin? Or someone meant to draw him out...so others could take care of it? It had been a long, long time since M'ta's paranoia had fully kicked in, but the Lordholder had reason to want him dead. Ample. Not the least of which being a messily slaughtered handler on the top floor of a gambling house. Maybe word had reached him that M'ta had Impressed and was now capable of arriving in Bitra at any time should he choose. That could explain the renewed interest. Ruliana's words were met with a dry, "I'm sure she has."

Behruth's head came up, a low growl starting up in his throat. Though in response to what it wasn't immediately clear. Girls, he began anxiously, but M'ta was already moving. Ruliana was jerked toward him by the wrist, a strong arm snaking across her shoulders and pulling her firmly against him in a swift, violent jerk. The point of a dirk hovered unwaveringly less than a finger's breadth from Jazheera's throat, dark eyes regarding her narrowly. Please...don't provoke him. What a mess. The brown extracted himself from the children, needing direct contact with His so as not to startle him into anything brash. Checkoth...Mine is...can you just tell Yours to come to the central pit on the beach please?

"Did Raluran send you?" he growled low, ignoring any watching. They wouldn't touch him; Southern Hold had no one willing to take on a dragonrider, he was sure. Especially not with the dragon right there. Besides, it wasn't like him, and they knew that by now. "I wan uh know how many, and you'd beda hope they haven't touched anythin of mine, uh I'll take it from youh hide," he snarled, quietly enough that no one but the two girls could hear him. The Bitran was slipping out, but that was partly intentional. Anyone from the hold would note the particular flavor of the accent was the street Bitran, which wasn't quite the same as the more refined version of the Lordholder or even the lower middle class.

Ruth's tail snaked around his leg, then, though M'ta's eyes never left Jazheera's. It would be most upsetting if you killed your clutchsister in a fit of paranoia, MutaMine, Behruth stated softly. M'ta blinked, feeling his dragon's mind rooting as they'd promised each other not to do, and a series of images assaulted him. Exhaling sharply, he pushed Ruliana away - not terribly forcefully - his arm dropping and the dirk pointing toward the ground. Mutashamin. Meet Jazheera, your clutchsister, he stated cheerfully as he offered his neck for M'ta to lean on, including the girl in his statement. He crooned softly to her. M'ta simply stared, looking nothing if not confused and a touch lost. The dirk fell from limp fingers.

[Ember]

Jazheera watched with something akin to fascination as M'ta's demeanor changed. Quite suddenly he wasn't the friendly brownrider that had approached him. She was afraid of him. He took Ruliana hostage - there was no other word for it - and held her at knife point. The dragon's mind invaded on her own and she was surprised not to hear anger. Then again, she had little experience with dragons talking to her so it was hard to tell with the entirely alien mindvoice. The girl was caught between complete surrender and making sure she could defend herself if she really must.

In the end she raised her empty hands slowly, away from her belt knife and the knife hidden in her boot. She didn't want to fight her brother and she owed it to Ruliana not to put her in danger. Poor Ruliana. She must be frightened. Jazheera's expression was pained as she glanced at her friend. She'd have to find a way to make it up to her when she found a way to calm down M'ta. She looked back at M'ta when he spoke.

"Raluran? The Bitran Lord Holder?" Realization dawned on her. Of course! Way to speak before thinking, Jazz. "No, no, no. I -" He cut her off midsentence and she noticed the accent. Most definitely Bitran, though it was different from what she was used to. While she was busy placing the exact accent the brown dragon was working on his rider. Jazheera couldn't be sure what the dragon told M'ta but it must have convinced them that they were not from Raluran. She reached out for Ruliana to steady her if she needed her help once she was released. She gave her friend an apologetic hug.

Behruth included in his next words to her benefit. She wasn't sure how much she liked something in her head but she supposed she owed the dragon for his assistance. How he knew her when M'ta himself didn't seem to recognize her she wasn't sure but...whatever works? Jazheera sighed as she approached M'ta, bending to pick up the dirk he'd dropped. She held it out to him hilt first and made a weak attempt at humour, "I saw this moment going down differently in my head."

She wanted nothing more than to hug her brother and rejoice in having found him but it seemed that it wouldn't go over so well. "As Aleta said, I've been searching for you for quite some time. Including three turns in Bitra," she said by way of explanation. "I knew you wouldn't know what I looked like but I had hoped you might remember you had a sister. Kinda silly I suppose." It hurt that he'd totally forgotten her but there was nothing she could do about that. Suddenly the turns spent searching for him seemed like a foolish girl's fantasy.

[glamourie]

R’wignmine, something bad is happening with ShortyYours—

Way to interrupt a perfectly good meal, Checkoth. R’wign blinked twice and actually leapt to his feet before taking off from the table he’d been sitting at. His bowl of berries and fried dough was left in place – forgotten. The speed that R’wign moved would likely have alarmed most people – he actually bolted across the Hold, through the Gather stalls. His mind brushed Checkoth’s for where M’ta was, and his mind raced with what could be going on. Was he hurt? Southern didn’t seem to be under attack but that didn’t mean M’ta hadn’t gotten himself hurt somehow – maybe one of those northerners from the Weapons stall got angry with him for something, or – he didn’t want to think about it. (And had it been anyone but M’ta, his mind would’ve undoubtedly been in healer mode – he likely would’ve grabbed supplies just in case – but it was M’ta and that meant he had to get to him immediately. Fortunately, he wasn’t very far – the platform for the stage was just across the Eatery and the Gather wasn’t that crowded, since it was early morning. Fate did have a sense of mercy after all. He didn’t have to wait long or for an answer from Check – Behruth came into sight and that was answer in and of itself. Not good. Not gooood.

Half-scrambling toward the dragon, R’wign’s firelizard (only Grouch was willing to brave the heat) preceded him by arriving directly between M’ta and Jazheera with a loud scold that clearly indicated his displeasure. Daintily, the blue flew over and landed on his stolen-brownling’s shoulder, his head tilting to look at M’ta with eyes that did not fully belie his worry. His was very concerned and it mirrored, in minor, on Grouch. The blue was determined to get there before His, so that he didn’t startled his mate by accident. Very jumpy, the small human was.

The healer’s arrival was half-disguised by Behruth’s presence and he lifted one hand to stroke the dragon’s flank in greeting before circling around. The cold feeling of dread had mostly passed; Behruth wouldn’t be that calm if something incredibly bad was happening, but he was still pretty anxious. Checkoth (and by proxy, Ruth, likely) wouldn’t have disturbed him from his breakfast if it wasn’t a big deal. R’wign circled the dragon and (perhaps fortunately), failed to notice the two girls that were present. His hand immediately came out to M’ta’s shoulder from the side and he tugged his weyrmate around to face him, pulling him close – probably not the wisest idea, but he trusted M’ta so completely that it never dawned on him that sneaking up (however unintentional) was probably not the best of ideas.

“What’s going on, lover?” he asked softly, hair ruffled by the movement of wings. From behind him, Checkoth had arrived, evidenced by the shadow that the larger brown cast, and the two-tailed dragon leaned his head over to sniff anxiously at the two girls. He was obviously more distracted by them than by his clutchbrother and His, though his whirling gaze turned quickly onto Ruliana. Carefully, he leaned over, putting his head only inches from her body, and thus painfully close to the two brownriders – though they were completely ignored. R’wign was most assuredly distracted by M’ta, even though he could feel the budding curiosity from his mindmate. “Checkoth said something was wrong?”

Hello, little human-girl. You look very familiar to me. My name is Checkoth. Many dragons would realize that walking up and sniffing at a perfect stranger was probably going to startle them – at least, most Holders were not used to dragon interaction. But Checkoth wasn’t most dragons. Checkoth was Checkoth and it never, for even a second, dawned on him that he could be frightening. He was Checkoth. Who was scared of him? Are you a friend of Ahth’s? You look like Ahth’s, are you his clutchsister, little humanling? I didn’t know he had a clutchsister. We think he may be a lost clutchsibling of R’wignmine – or maybe R’wignmine is the one that got lost… Who is your friend? She looks like ShortyRuthMine’s…

[Rei]

Ruliana noted the swift change in M’ta’s demeanor and inwardly she tensed warning bells sounding in her head. Before she could snatch her hand back however she was jerked roughly forward by the wrist. That would probably bruise later. She bruised all too easily.

Next thing she knew she was being practically held hostage. Her eyes widened and her breathing became fast and uneven, panic quickly taking over. Trying her best to comply with the dragon’s warning the woman tried to calm herself but she couldn’t quite still her trembling. Hopefully her trembling wouldn’t provoke him? She just wasn’t used to rough handling or situations like this at all. Sheltered Ruliana was. Hostage situations she had not been trained for. Panicked her eyes desperately sought Jazheera. Do something please?

The brownrider’s rough speech only further sent the woman into near panic. Please don’t stab her. Please. She had no desire to see Jazheera wounded. Then the dragon was closer tail wrapping around his rider’s leg. This seemed to effect M’ta and she was thrust forward by her captor. Stumbling it took an effort for Ruliana to keep her balance. She was beyond grateful for the stability her smaller friend provided.

It took a supreme effort of will not to cry in relief as her friend hugged her. Instead as she was released Ruliana moved to stand completely behind the other woman. Her protection didn’t last long though, for Jazheera was moving again toward her brother. Trembling in fear the woman had to bite her tongue to keep from crying out. Perhaps her friend knew what she was doing, but Ruliana was scared for her. Instead of saying anything the woman backed up in a unconscious desire to distance herself.

She had gone no more than a few steps when another man arrived. This one looked a bit familiar but his arrival was overshadowed by a different arrival. His dragon. This one was much bigger than the first. Oh Faranth. Ruliana suddenly felt a bit lightheaded as the dragon’s massive head came her way. He was so close that she would only have to raise her hand to touch him. His voice in her mind was a further shock and she literally flinched in response, not used to having anything invade the sanctity of her mind.

“Checkoth?” She repeated softly, suddenly overcome by a spell of dizziness. “You’ll have to excuse me Checkoth. I need to sit down.” Ruliana said, ever the polite one, as her eyes rolled back and she slumped bonelessly to the ground.