Maze Rush (Open)

[Ivy]

Couples only.

The woman could not be serious, could she? This was important - her niece had just disappeared inside the maze with some older rider who she couldn't quite get a good look at. They were not a couple! Obviously Cairenn had been forced inside against her will, and now this woman was telling her that she couldn't enter to go save the girl??

"If you wait just a moment, I am sure there will be a single young gentleman willing to go in with you. As I said though, it is couples only so I cannot allow you in alone. Safety issues." The woman said with a bit too much twinkle in her eye and too large of a smile on her face for Roselle's liking. However the greenrider took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, if only slightly. Pushing the woman over would just cause a scene - and as she didn't yet hear screams coming from the maze she assumed Cairenn was alright.

Despite the fact Cairenn had grown and blossomed into a young woman over the past few turns, Roselle still thought of her as a little girl. She did her best not to treat her as one, but she was fiercely protective of her niece - especially when it came to men. To the best of her knowledge Cairenn had never been kissed, let alone anything else - and Roselle felt her job was to ensure it stayed that way. Even if that was an unrealistic goal, considering her niece was a dragonrider.

Tapping her boot clad foot Roselle glanced around impatiently. Sure, there would be a man here in just a moment. Someone would just materialize and want to enter the maze with her. Doubtful. She stepped aside as a couple - a real couple, not a forced together couple, entered the maze all smiles and giggles holding hands. A pang of jealousy flared up for a moment and anyone watching her facial features would have noticed it, but then it was quickly hidden. Like she really needed more man trouble in her life. T'ri had been enough of a pain before the weyrs split - now she was grateful to not have to see him all that often.

Shifting slightly she tugged the sleeves of her wherry hide jacket down more, not wanting the chill to get between her jacket and gloves to her wrists. She hated when her wrists were cold. She looked rather plain, her wherry jacket was a pale brown - not dyed any fancy colors or embroidered like some others. Sure she had some nicer ones back at her weyr but this one was her favorite, as one could tell by the overall well-worn look it had to it. It went down to her waist and from there on she was clad in thick black pants that tucked into black wherry hide boots. Her hands were kept warm by knitted black gloves, and a knitted black hat was tugged onto her head down to hide her ears from the cold. Her face was not fully covered, just partially so by a light green knitted scarf - Cairenn had given it to her. It was mostly there to keep her neck warm, and her dark hair spilled out over it from beneath her hat.

Finally she saw someone that looked like he might be alone and waited to see if he truly was so she could hurry up and get into the maze.

[Aftershock]

M'gnum scrunched his shoulders as he walked through the darkening Gather, the crowds beginning to disperse as the sun went down and the heat from the daylight began to retreat from the frosty winter air. His grey wherhide gloves, which matched his boots in color and material, were inserted into the pockets of his light blue cotton jacket, the buttons neatly done up until they reached his neck, which was surrounded by a navy blue scarf. The off-white of his cotton pants nearly blended in with the snow that surrounded him as his blue-green eyes scanned the sparse crowd.

Suddenly, he saw something... what appeared to be a young woman in distress near the Ice Maze. He wasn't sure what was wrong, but she looked bothered, like she was looking for someone to rescue her from... whatever it is that was bothering her. Unable to resist a lady in peril, M'gnum turned to head towards the woman, noting as he approached that another young lady was standing nearby, an "official" Gather representative if her manner of dress said anything.

As he approached closer, he noticed the Gather representative was speaking to the young woman in the pale brown jacket, though all he caught as he got within earshot was, "...can go in with him." He also noticed the Gather representative was gesturing in his direction as she spoke. Finally reaching the pair, he smiled as he said to Roselle, "Greetings, m'lady. I couldn't help but notice you seem to be in some sort of distress... is there anything I could assist you with?"

[Ivy]

"He'll do." She said as the woman guarding the maze motioned someone over. At first glance she noted two things: he was taller than she was, and older. Neither of these things mattered much and when he spoke she ignored him, grabbing his arm she practically flung him into the maze ahead of her. "Come on!"

Once inside the maze she took the lead, walking ahead of him without touching him or looking back. If he fell behind so be it, she only needed him to get in didn't she? Her hips swayed with each step until suddenly she halted when the ice hallway turned into a T. Looking one way then the other she closed her eyes and did her best to listen. With as much time as she'd lost waiting for someone to join her, no doubt Cairenn and her captor were far ahead of them.

Turning a sharp eye on the man who had joined her she gave a gruff, "Roselle."

Then she was looking left and right again, before deciding to go left. "Keep up!" Then it turned right and she followed it, glancing back slightly to make sure he was still with her. "Your name?"

[Aftershock]

M'gnum was a bit taken aback by the woman's take-charge attitude, and followed in stunned silence as he was shoved into the maze before the brunette woman, then nearly left behind as she charged past him into the maze proper. As she finally turned and brusquely introduced herself, M'gnum automatically replied, "M'gnum, of bronze Higginth," then paused (mentally, at least, lest he be left behind) as the name rung a bell... as a Wingleader, he did his best to keep track of the names of all the riders in his Weyr, even if he did not know them personally. Finally matching a name to a dragon, he added, "Roselle of green Tserieth, correct?"

After her reply, whatever it may be, he decided to finally ask, "Excuse me, Lady Roselle, but... what is going on? You seem like you're searching for something."

[Ivy]

"You can knock off the 'lady' crap, it doesn't work on me. I'm not hear to make out with you, to get felt up, or whatever it is you intended to do when you walked in here with me. My neice came in a bit ago with some rider, and given as she doesn't exactly favor men I must assume she was brought in against her will." She spoke quickly, almost to the point that her words ran together. When he knew her dragon's name though she did a double take at the man, just noticing his knots for the first time. Shards, a bronzerider. As if she didn't have enough to deal with.

"Yes, Roselle of Green Tserieth. Inverness I take it, bronzer?" There was little by ways of remorse or apology in her voice as she spoke to him, instead she was quick to turn away and lead them to the left again - had she not been in such a rush she may have taken note of how gorgeous the ice walls, lit from the inside by well placed glows, truly were. But she was and she didn't.

Taking the next turn, a right this time, she went too quickly. Hitting a patch of ice on the ground she slipped and fell, hitting her head on one of the ice walls and possibly twisting her ankle. "Shards and shells!!"

[Aftershock]

M'gnum was taken aback even worse as Roselle spoke at him, accusing him of being some sort of molester or sexual deviant, and he sputtered, "I... er... it's simply a term of respect, m'lady, and I came not to molest you or anything of the sort! I merely noticed you seemed in distress, and..."

He was soon cut off by Roselle's harsh confirmation of her name and dragon's name, and he replied, "Yes, I'm a Wingleader at Inverness, I try to remember all the names of the riders I might lea..." before she turned and began to rush into the maze yet again. M'gnum was quickly beginning to regret approaching this wild woman, to be sure.

Suddenly, Roselle hit a patch of ice, and despite her dislike of the term, M'gnum reflexively called out, "M'lady!" as he rushed forward to help Roselle up. No matter her apparent instant dislike of him, a lady in need was a lady in need, and M'gnum would not leave her to suffer. "Are you hurt, m'lady? Should I fetch a Healer, or do you require me to carry you?" he asked as he bent down to carefully attempt to ascertain Roselle's status and help her to her feet, if she was able to even begin to stand.

[Ivy]

Roselle lay there on the cold ice cringing as a hand went to her head - her leg coming up and bending at the knee so she could hold her throbbing ankle. M'gnum came around the corner then and she saw the bewilderment in his eyes as he looked down at her, "Shards!"

Taking a deep breath Roselle closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them. Slowly counting inside her head to five she let out the breath she'd been holding and then looked up at him. "Do you really think you could fetch a healer and bring him or her back to me here in the maze before I freeze to death?" There was less of a bite to her words when she spoke to him, but still there was enough there to let him know what a dumb suggestion she thought that was.

Looking down at her ankle and then pulling her hand from her head she looked over her fingers, no blood. That was at least a good sign, right? "If you call me m'lady one more time, I will bring you down to the ice with me and we can sit here injured together and freeze to death. I am not a lady, nor have I ever been."

Another deep breath as she did her best to calm her nerves and fight off the pain shooting from her ankle. Holding her hand up she gripped his knee (or whatever other body part might be close enough for her to hold onto) and pulled herself up slowly. Sitting first then up to her feet, though her ankle immediately began to give so she released him and held onto the wall instead. Unable to put pressure on her injured ankle she sighed and looked at him.

"Carry me. And don't you dare head towards the entry again, we will not back track."

[Aftershock]

"Well, we have not gone that far into the maze, and you are dressed appropriately for the weather, I'm sure I could find my way ou..." M'gnum began to reply, before Roselle's withering expression caused him to trail off and clear his throat as he bent down to be available if the young woman wanted his assistance as more than leverage to stand.

Letting her grab his hand if she so chose as she pulled herself to her feet, he winced in sympathy pain as he saw her attempt, and fail, to put pressure on one of her ankles. As she asked him to carry her, he replied, "Of course, m'l... ahem, er, Roselle," quickly correcting himself before his automatic response got him into further trouble with the fiery young lady he had the misfortune to enter the maze with.

Bending his knees, he scooped one arm beneath her knees, putting the other behind her back as he slipped one shoulder beneath her arm, his well-trained-and-toned body easily taking her weight as he lifted her up carefully and straightened his back. "Point the way, and I shall be your transportation," he said, giving a smile in an attempt to chip at the massive walls of icy scorn the woman had erected around herself.

[Ivy]

He moved over her and picked her up with ease, lifting her as if she weighed nothing. She eyed the man as he held her against him and then looked down the hallway. "That way." She pointed then added, "Carefully please. If we both fall and get hurt it will be a long night."

Some of the ice had thawed from her voice, though not much. They travelled in silence then, Roselle just pointing the way rather than speaking. The only sound heard was that of M'gnum's steps on the snow and ice as they moved. Left. Another left. Then a right. Straight for awhile. Another right.

Finally she broke the silence, "I am... sorry. I should have shown you more respect from the get go. I am just worried about Cairenn. She is the only family I hold dear - she is blood to me. If anything happens to her I will never forgive myself."

A nearly 180 from her earlier harshness, perhaps the slip on the ice and knock to the head had knocked a bit of sense into her? Or maybe she thought sucking up would help her get what she wanted. It was kind of up in the air at this point.

[Aftershock]

To Roselle's words, M'gnum smoothly replied in his deep, rich voice, "I am always careful when it comes to caring for la... women." The restriction on using the term was obviously still difficult for the man, though he caught himself quickly. He followed Roselle's pointed directions without word or response, his muscular body easily bearing the young woman's weight without stumbling or slipping, each step measured and purposeful, and they made good time (as long as Roselle's directions were accurate for the maze's solution).

Finally, Roselle broke the silence, and M'gnum nodded solemnly. "I understand... Roselle," he began, purposefully pausing to make sure his automatic addition was left out of the sentence, "I have no close family anymore, since leaving to become a dragonrider... my time at Telgar almost seems like a dream, so much has happened since that time long ago." Shaking his head a bit to clear it, he continued, "But I understand completely the desire to protect those you care about... those that depend on you. It's part of my very code, in fact, a code I made myself and do my best to live up to every day."

Squaring his shoulders a bit more, though considering his normal straight-backed posture it was a very slight adjustment at best, he cleared his throat before stating, "I swear to you, that if your niece is in danger, I shall do what is necessary to rescue her from her plight. It is my oath to you, m'la... Roselle." In the spur of his oath-taking, he had nearly slipped once again, and he watched her expression carefully, hoping he had caught it fast enough to avoid re-igniting her just-cooled wrath.

[Ivy]

His attempts to not use the offending terms 'lady' or 'm'lady' were noted and appreciated, though she very much doubted he understood her on any level. Code. What code? Great, she would get stuck with some stuck-up delusional bronzer deep in a 'lover's maze' wouldn't she? Still she had little to do as he carried her about besides look at him and the icy halls, which were all beginning to look very much the same.

"You choose the next couple of paths, I fear I'm far from getting us to where we need to be." She said softly and sighed. She was disappointed in herself for getting injured. Disappointed because at this point she doubted she'd find her neice. From the lack of screaming she heard she doubted her neice really had been taken by force into the maze like she'd imagined at the beginning.

Looking up at him the last of her hostile walls fell away and she allowed herself to really look at the man who was carrying her. "Its funny, I didn't think I'd end up inside a romantic maze today. Much less with a stranger. Was this how you'd planned your day? Intent on sweeping some lady off her feet?"

Hopefully they found a healer soon, as it seemed that Roselle was now the one becoming delusional.

[Aftershock]

M'gnum nodded as Roselle asked him to start choosing the paths, trying to remember where they were so far and attempting to figure out where they might be compared to where the other side of the maze would likely be. Quite difficult, considering he had no idea if the outside walls of the maze were perfectly square or not, nor what wall the exit would be on, but he did not wish to simply randomly start choosing directions, since Roselle had made it his mission to direct them better than she herself imagined she was directing them.

Soon, Roselle spoke, and her non-icy tone gave M'gnum pause... enough pause that it took him a moment to actually register what the words carried by that voice had just said. Slowly they began to filter into his brain, and he began responding confusedly, "Romantic maze?" At that point, his eyes had begun scanning his surroundings for the first time, his attention before now being on Roselle and her directions, and the romantic statuary... as well as the less-romantic-more-risque statuary... became obvious as he passed them one after another. His cheeks coloring a bit despite himself, he sputtered a bit, and replied, "I... I had no idea this was such a maze! I was simply coming to assist you, I swear!" This new knowledge certainly helped explain her thoughts on him at first, however, he thought to himself as he once again attempted to regain his mental footing.

Finally recovering after a moment, both noting Roselle's lack of icy aggression and not wanting to cause offense by the possible insinuation he would not wish to be in such a maze with her, M'gnum carefully cleared his throat and smoothly added, "Not that, were I aware from the start, I would not wish to sweep such a lovely young lady such as yourself off her feet, of course." Not exactly the smoothest recovery in the world, but M'gnum hoped it would do the trick until he had a chance to regain full control over his side of the conversational battlefield.

[Ivy]

He was without words, at least for the moment - and that amused Roselle. He apparently hadn't noticed the theme of the maze, and as she watched his eyes take in the scenery she caught his blush and the way he nearly lost his footing. So amused by the realization he truly had no clue prior to her bringing it up, she forgave him his faulty footing since he kept them from falling and did not bring it up. "Yes, it was meant to be for couples only. That's why I had to wait for some unlucky soul to be paired with me."

She turned her head to look at the statues - which she honestly hadn't given a second glance to since they entered. Some nearly made her blush but not quite. Looking back up at him she gave a soft chuckle but then went quiet. Hearing laughter she nodded down the right hallway. "That way, it sounds like we're getting close to the center of the maze."

[Aftershock]

M'gnum, having finally had enough time to regain his composure, replied to Roselle's statement with a full smile and, "I would not call it 'unlucky', myself... I did end up with a beautiful woman in my arms, did I not? I did not know this was a romantic maze, and you did not know you would slip on that patch of ice, but I find the end result quite pleasant, myself."

Nodding and cocking an ear as she spoke about hearing voices, he followed the sounds as best he could, sometimes backtracking when the sounds got quieter instead of louder. Finally, they approached an opening which was obviously either an exit, or the entrance to a wide central area within the maze containing a number of chattering people. Pausing before he entered the area, he asked Roselle, "Would you like me to set you down and help you hobble inside, or are you comfortable with the image we portray by you being carried in my arms?" His expression was an earnest one, no joking or sarcasm in his manner or tone.

[Ivy]

She mused over his words for a long, quiet moment. Pleasant. Well surely he found it to be pleasant. After all a man his age probably did not get the chance to carry around many attractive young women, did they? She was just guessing at his age really, though it was apparent to her at this close proximity that he was probably close to a decade or so older than she was. Not that it detracted from his looks much, Roselle always had a soft spot for older men (see: Sel'n).

Still she found him strange. All that earlier non-sense of calling her 'lady' or 'm'lady' as if she were some lord holder's daughter to be set upon a pedastool and daunted upon. She was as far opposite from that as she could be - though even she had to admit she kind of liked being carried around and helped. She let him lead the way through the maze, watching him as he paid close attention to the noise coming from deeper inside the maze. When he paused she looked up to him with a raised brow and chuckled a bit.

"Do you honestly think I am concerned with my 'image'? Though as a bronzer I suppose you do worry about it. Especially as a Wingleader you said? If you'd rather set me down so I can hobble and attempt not to get injured further that's fine. I can manage." Yes, he was quite strange. She was just a greenrider - who knew very few people at the Gather. What could him carrying her into the group on the other side of the wall really do for her 'image'?