A Bloody Mess | 75.06.04

[Jay Kitten]

Night-time at the Weyr, and the clouds had rolled in again. A clouded, moonless night. It was chilly, the winds lapped gently along with the waves on the seashore, turning sand away from it's bed and scattering it in tiny amounts up into the brush along the beach. It was dark, but not completely so, and along the white sands strolled two crimson figures, bleeding through the thick blackness to create a sort of dull contrast to the sky. The rain was coming down ever so carefully, here or there a small bit of beach might be struck by a droplet or two. But a dragon felt the effects spread out more than a human, and Zojiroth wasn't one to keep quiet when something was upsetting him. His callous mind-voice kept bursting into Moraiya's head that he was uncomfortable, and she simply had to continue reassuring the hot-headed dragon that he would get to go inside soon. She didn't like getting wet either.

The Candidate Master had only come out here for a good reason, of course. She was tracking a notoriously slippery Candidate, whom she had it on good word from the night watchwher that he had come this way. She kept to speaking in her mind with the Blood by her side, to avoid making noise as they carefully made their way along the sands. It was too dark to see any kind of trail, unfortunately, but the soft sounds of even a dragon's feet were covered by the gentle hissing of long grass and leaves brushing against one another along the greener inland area nearby. And if that wasn't enough, the equal humming of rain on the surface of the ocean combined with the light brush of waves touching the shore certainly drowned out the rest of it. But before she had left her weyr, she had deemed it not worthwhile to wear darker clothing, seeing as her dragon's hide was stand-outish enough, so she opted for her signature longcoat, which was a much kinder touch in this kind of weather.

"Where is that brat," she whispered to herself, giving Zojiroth a mental note to scan along the taller grass inland, due to his height. Moraiya was anything but stupid, she would use all of her resources to catch this one under her bootheel, and hopefully she would get to watch him squirm as he did his chores two-fold. Maybe it would make up for that new boy's lack of work ethic. She had heard a mouthful from a few about slavery in his past, but all she heard was unwilling to do chores, just like any other Candidate with any other reason behind it. It was not like they had not seen their fair share of bad days. Everyone had. But if skipping chores and sneaking out was going to happen, then it wouldn't happen under her watch. Maybe, just maybe, under Ylara's, but not her's. She was much too thorough. Her azure eyes began to dart between the shoreline and the treeline, searching steadily as they made their way up the beach.

[Shoki]

Couldn’t sleep. That was the usual line. Barlow had long since given up on attempting to sleep at such early hours. Even with everything he liked doing, he couldn’t’ sleep. So he was out and about again. Out the back, with his bag and he was out. Tonight it was raining, but fortunately, though his usual clothes were well worn, they were in good repair. He could go anywhere. So he did. Turns of practice had told him where the patrols went, usually anyway. A quiet croon was not so much heard as it was felt along his back, Kit sitting secure between his collar and his neck. It was hard to believe that they had been together for so short of time, the Pink flitter took to his patterns immediately. She still was very much like a feline, and preferred to keep to climbing and jumping if she could help it. Barlow liked that about her.

Sometime later Barlow was hiding. He was good at that. He was tiny, compared to most people, and everything about him he had used to practice being unnoticed. Even his midnight hair helped out. Currently he was contemplating the finer points of Moraiya’s methods. He’d been under her for a long time, so he was familiar with the sort of things that would happen to him if he was caught. The most annoying of which would probably be a method by which he would be forced to abide by curfew. Actually, that was all but guaranteed now, being caught was just going to be icing. He debated the merits of giving it in. Kit remained as she was, apparently unperturbed by Barlow’s predicament. Very much a feline. He scanned from where he was at, right where the jungle met the beach. His dark eyes alighted on the water. He had spotted the Blood, rather quickly, and had immediately deduced mood and reason he was around. Of course he had, Zojiroth was a famous Blood and Barlow had lived at Rainbow Mists Weyr for every day of his life. He knew dragons. So even though it was dark he had seen the annoyance in the dragon’s eyes. He was fairly soaked so he gave a brief glance at the ocean. Feh, entirely out of the question. He’d likely have a cold after this anyway, no need to deal with unpredictable tides. So the question was, would he make a choice now or would he wait until it was made for him?

Dark brown eyes moved but the rest of him was extremely still. He supposed there was one bonus if he gave it up now. Oh, he would still have to deal with punishment, and likely he would go stir-crazy in his room for a couple nights, but he wouldn’t have to give up any of his good hiding places. He sighed and jumped from the tree, quiet as he could and hopefully without anyone noticing. That done, he took a stick off the ground and practiced making it disappear. Might as well get used to practicing his sleight of hand, he was going to be doing a lot of it while on lock down. He was pretty sure apologies wouldn’t fly with Moraiya. Might as well just wait for the inevitable. Dragging this out would only make her more angry. So he waited behind the tree, waiting for someone to find him.

[mimi]

There was just something about walking along the beach at night that made Dilan feel calmer. There was no one on his back or in his ear. It was just the sound of the surf and the sound of the wind around him. No one else and he was fine with that. Waves churned and crashed upon the shore and in to his path as he walked barefooted upon the upper edge of the tide. He would stop occasionally when he found a good sized stone or interesting piece of shell. He would examine the pieces in between his fingers before throwing it back in to the churning waves. At times, he would stop and stare out across the dark waters and towards the unseen horizon. Thoughts spun through his head as waves lapped at his ankles and pulled at the sand beneath his feet until the waves urged him to move again.

Andilan wished that he could sleep but his new surroundings made it difficult. The Candidate barracks were a stark contrast to the filthy floor of the hull that he had endured for many Turns. The smells, or lack there of, was enough to keep him awake long in to the early hours of morning. It was all so strange for him and that was why he sought comfort on the beach. Despite how he hated the salt water and all that had happened to him....it was familiar. The sounds and smells were familiar. But he was free now....or as free as a bird in a new cage could be.

The offer of room and board for a time was Korina's offer but in exchange, he would have to be a candidate for the Weyr. She promised that he would enjoy it but after several days, he knew it to be a lie. Honestly, he was indifferent to the Weyr. He was ignored for the most part save for when it came to chores or duties that were imposed upon the Candidates. That little bit had not been disclosed when he first arrived, and so as consequence, he made the effort to avoid his duties and ducked out when he could. By doing so, he earned the ire of his fellow Candidates who had to pick up his slack and the Candidate Masters in charge when they finally caught up to him.

A sliver of disdain curled his features as he heaved a larger stone in to the waves where it landed with a great splunk. He went to turn to walk down further along the beach when an outline caught his eye against the darkness of the sky. A dragon and their rider. They had no doubt seen him at this point, his outline obvious against the waves of the ocean and the meager starlight. The mere sight of them stoked Andilan's temper and so he seethed where he stood. There was no point in running when they were no doubt looking for him and he was certainly not going to make their trip shorter by walking to them. If they wanted him then they would have to come and get him. He picked up another stone and heaved it as far as he could as he waited.

[Jay Kitten]

It was of course the much-taller dragon who spotted the further-off outline of Andilan, and he rumbled a menacing growl, his eyes narrowing as he spotted him. It was very much like him to treat even a known target as hostile, just in case that little bit of chance came across where somebody wished to attack Moraiya again. She cautioned him mentally, and asked him kindly to keep walking and pretend like he hadn't spotted anybody yet. Instead, they quickened the pace, though in the dark it wasn't very obvious that they had. It was to her happiness that this little Candidate didn't try to run, she hated it when they ran.

But this wasn't the one she was looking for. It wasn't Barlow, the little punk, instead it was the new-comer who liked to skip chores with his "sad past" excuse. But that wasn't obvious until she was but a dragon's length away from the boy. She jogged over, and frowned, standing near him with her hands on her hips.

"You aren't the one I'm looking for. Granted, you shouldn't be out here, and I should probably punish you for those chores you've missed, but you aren't the one I'm-" she stopped, cut off, and instead turned her head around with a glare on her face as she brought her attention back down the beach to where she had come from. It would seem that Muon had found something.

And sure enough, the little flitter did. She had been searching the trees, crawling and slinking along them like a little wooden snake, until one she had perched on had suddenly moved and fallen in a large, dark ball. The action was enough for her to squawk in surprise, fluttering off of the tree and into the leaves, making a fair bit of noise as she did so. It was more than enough to alert Moraiya where this boy was, and it was obviously going to tell Barlow he had been found out.

"Zojiroth, stay," she barked to the Blood in her signature commanding voice, and the dragon was more than happy to oblige. She moved passed his left wing, and ran down the beach. But he was more interested in Andilan. He leaned closer, his eyes narrowed, and opened his maw, showing his teeth. Oh, he wouldn't be running. No, not with him here... Such a tasty looking one. Moraiya rolled her eyes as she sensed the humor pouring through her Bond. Always thought it was funny to intimidate somebody... What a big bully... But Zojiroth was good at his job.

I see you there... So small, and probably enjoying that fact. The Blood snorted, his hot breath likely blowing Andilan's hair about gently. His mouth closed, and he positioned his head so one swirling, deep yellow eye held Andilan directly in the center of its gaze. It is not I you should be scared of. I can tell why you are here. You do not see who I am, but I clearly can see you. See your heart. All that blood...

A ways up the beach, Moraiya finally came to the spot where Barlow was hiding, and to her surprise, she found him waiting. And more to her surprise, was the conversation that Zojiroth was having. He was antisocial, for him to speak this much to a boy, it was unheard of. But, when her questioning feelings reached him, he simply shot back with the reason. Her eyebrow quirked even as she leaned around the tree to see Barlow, and then she smirked, her blond hair catching a breeze and drifting around her neck in its tied-back array. "Gotcha, you brat. Now you're in for it big! You know exactly what's coming next." This was the part she enjoyed. He wouldn't run, he couldn't get away. Now it was time for a punishment. But for a second, she forgot all that to wonder why Zojiroth had picked now to speak. She warned him he might want to wait until later to tell the boy what he knew, but of course he only slightly listened.

Zojiroth's tone changed. His mind-voice became deeper, more foreboding. You... Are like her. Like my Love, my Moraiya.[/color] His neck leaned closer, his head turning, and he took a large sniff of the air right in front of Andilan's chest. Yessss... I can almost taste it. The anger, the hate. It is there, deep within. A Dark Rider you could have been, but a Dark Rider you cannot be. Don't. Move.[/color] With that, he shot back up straight, standing at attention, his menacing gaze cast downward. It seemed that that was all he felt like saying. His teeth bared on one side, and he growled fiercely.

"What have you got to say for yourself this time, Barlow?" Moraiya finally asked, as soon as her eavesdropping was finished. darn that Zojiroth, he really shouldn't go around telling anybody about Dark Riders or their respective dragons. They both knew that prejudice was against them. darn him. She would berate him later, likely as she berated these two children.

[Shoki]

Barlow’s eyes rose to the sound of a firelizard tumbling through the trees. Must be one of Moriya’s. Barlow made the stick disappear once more into his sleeve before merely waiting. Kit poked her head out to get a look at the other firelizard, before retreating back and pressing her head against the back of Barlow’s neck and crooning. His little feline loved to steal his heat. So Barlow waited until Moraiya inevitably arrived. Neither he nor Kit looked particularly perturbed at the moment, and he merely watched the Blood Rider with dark eyes, observing her mood. She spoke, but her mind quickly went elsewhere. That did have him notice that Zojiroth was not present. Odd, he had seen the Blood out. What was keeping him?

This small mystery had his attention more than Moraiya’s comment about what came next. Of course he knew what came next. He lived everyday knowing the sort of things that could happen to him if he was caught. And he did it anyway. It wasn’t like others who would disobey or do such things because they did not think. Barlow thought his actions out. He had been sneaking out just that late since he was a young child. Still, sleep had not become any better at finding him then it did back then. So he kept sneaking out, and when it came to the situation now, he knew how he would take it.

Moraiya’s mind came back to the present situation he could see and she spoke again, with a question that had Barlow inwardly sighing. What on Pern did she expect him to say right now? She KNEW he’d been sneaking out. Incredibly regularly in fact. Maybe lie and say he regretted doing it? Pretend he was like some other candidate and just say what he would to save his own skin? It didn’t matter that much, if he got more chores, he would just do them, if it was something else, he would accept it until it was done. Then he would likely sneak out again until he got caught again. He was not so wry as to say ‘I look forward to being caught again’ like some imagined rebel of the system. Shards, he wasn’t trying for any of that. He just didn’t want to waste time doing nothing. He looked up at Moraiya, looking to be at his full height, which was painfully short for most people’s estimations.

“There is nothing to be said. I submit to whatever punishment you feel is worthy of this offense.” His voice was extremely neutral as he spoke, and his body language was oddly neutral as well. He wasn’t tense, but neither was he relaxed. Everything about him was full of purpose. That’s how he was. He waited to either get chewed out now, or get dragged inside for the chewing out. Kit just snuggled up a little more. The Pink flitter really didn’t see anything aggravating about the situation. Barlow certainly wasn’t, so why would she be? Well, even if Barlow was, she’d think for a while before getting upset.

[mimi]

Andilan had just picked up another large stone to throw when the Candidate Master stalked over with her lifepartner. The large dragon towered over him and even in the darkness the young man could see the red tint of his hide. Of course his Candidate Master would have a Blood dragon. He already thought her as a slave driver and especially so since she was hunting them down in the dark. If left to his own devices, Andilan would have ventured back to his barrack within the candlemark when he grew bored on the beach. Oh no, instead he now had a woman huffing at him. She was the same height as he was and so her attempts of being intimidating were failing miserably.

"You aren't the one I'm looking for. Granted, you shouldn't be out here, and I should probably punish you for those chores you've missed, but you aren't the one I'm-" she stopped, cut off, and instead turned her head around with a glare on her face as she brought her attention back down the beach to where she had come from.

His eyes rolled as his lips curled in to a sarcastic sneer. "I tremble with fear." Andilan growled out, the words rolling between his teeth as his arms crossed in front of his chest and rolled the stone within his hand, choosing it not to throw it quite yet. He narrowed his eyes at the Blood Dragon, Zojiroth, as the creature lowered his head lower to bear his teeth at him. Andilan's expression soured in response but did not feel all that much intimidated even with those white dagger like swords that filled his maw. The air was filled with the scent of Dragon and oil but it was saturated by the dragon's breath. The Dragon would not harm him unless he attacked his Rider. Andilan had a temper but he wasn't that stupid....but he was unprepared for the mental voice that broke in to his own. He visibly flinched but his body went rigid, his jaw clenched tightly as his nostrils flared as he drew an angry breath in. Why couldn't these sharding dragons stay out of his head!?

The Dragon's words oozed and dripped hotly in his mind as his breath washed over Andilan's face before he shifted and stared at the man with a single golden orb. He, like the Green that Searched him, could see straight through him but he was not nearly as nice about it. His words...his words haunted him and Andilan could only glare at the Dragon who dared to intrude his mind and peer through him as if he was nothing. And yet the Blood continued....Andilan did not dare move as the Blood took in his scent as if he was partaking of some sweet smell, like a decedant food...

Yessss... I can almost taste it. The anger, the hate. It is there, deep within. A Dark Rider you could have been, but a Dark Rider you cannot be. Don't. Move.

Andilan could feel his stomach tighten as the Blood confessed to him that he could have been a Dark Rider. It meant little to him but apart of him feared the underlying message beneath the Blood's words. It meant that some dragon, not yet convinced or hatched, would find him desirable. The sheer thought of it soured in his mouth and he sneered again when the Blood ordered him to remain still until his Rider returned. This night royally sucked.

[Jay Kitten]

Her face curled into a frown as Barlow spoke, he seemed so depressing. He was like a weepy Gray, only in child form. She knew all about his sleepless nights, though, and a part of her heart flinched a little at his words. It was her job to punish him. But maybe instead of punish, it was a better idea, this time, to take action? To be honest, she was sick of having to come out and find him every so often. And while she had gotten okay at it by now, it was still a huge pain and a waste of time and good sleep for her as well. Why did he insist on sneaking out so often?

With a heaving sigh, she reached out and gripped the back of his collar, tugging him out of the grass even as Muon fluttered to her shoulder, and wrapped her tail around Moraiya's neck. With a chirp, she regarded Barlow, and then shook her head slowly. Poor kid was caught yet again. But even the fire-lizard knew that her Bonded was having second thoughts about yet another punishment.

By now, Barlow's heels were surely dragging trails in the sand as her pace was quick and relentless on the smaller boy's stride, but she dragged him all the way up to her Blood and deposited him near his left flank. Poking her head from around the leg of the large beast, she took a look to see if Andilan was still there. Sure enough, he was, and so she cleared her throat, causing Zojiroth's gaze to waver from that spot and move down toward her.

"Now then. What to do with the two of you?" She frowned once more, and the Blood rumbled into her head his thoughts on the matter.

Maybe this one should be eaten? he questioned, motioning to Andilan, and she made a face akin to one of somebody who's rump had just been bitten by a canine. With a furious shake of her head, she pointed straight up to the dragon's nose. "I'll have none of that, you bloody wherry!" Moraiya berated, wagging her finger in discontent. Her gaze first fell to Andilan, and she rubbed her mouth with one hand as she thought slowly.

"You. Zojiroth told you, huh? Better watch yourself around Darks, the more involved you get with them the harder it's going to be to make your sweet little cheeks rosy. I can tell you're not goin' to have an easy time at this Weyr... It doesn't like people like us." Her eyes narrowed as she finished her sentence, and she looked him up and looked him down. Oh, she knew the look of somebody willing to kill. It wasn't hard to see, not for somebody like her. But that meant two things. She would likely be his best ally, and his worst friend. She could already tell he was going to hate her by the end of his Candidacy, because she knew that letting up on him was a terrible idea.

"It's chores, for you. Lots and lots of chores. I'm sure you'll hate them, and I'm sure you're going to want to do anything but chores when you're through with even the first chore, but chores it is. Zojiroth here is going to personally oversee your sentence. And if you ever sneak out like this again, it's going to be the Weyrwoman who comes to get you, not me. So hope to yourself that you don't anger Rilora, because I can tell you now that a Queen isn't nearly as small as Zojiroth here, and even he isn't small." She put a thumb to her nose, and wiped it, gave a sniff, then looked to Barlow.

"Now... For you." Her words dripped with disdain; a breeze floated in that caused her to shiver, the light rain having peppered her jacket enough that she could feel water on her flesh. Zojiroth shifted uncomfortably with the silence that followed, even he knew when Moraiya was being serious.

"This is the last time you will be sneaking out. And if I have any sort of say about it, hopefully, it will be the last time you feel the need to. You and I both know that chores isn't a punishment anymore. Your punishment will have to be something else, won't it?" Rubbing her chin, the Candidate Master's icy eyes looked to her shoulder where her little fire-lizard was sitting, and she rubbed the Wood's neck ridges gently. "What'dya think, Muon? Boiling hot water on the toes, or maybe ten lashes to the behind?" She couldn't help but giggle at the thought, but physical punishments were for much more serious offenses.

"Honestly, I'm contemplating knocking you out every night with a swift boot to the head. That way, you sleep, and I feel like I've exacted punishment through physical beatings. What do you think?" Her eyes glowed with a morbid humor, and even Zojiroth wasn't sure if she was serious about that one, but her comment was directed straight at Barlow, so he didn't say anything else about it.

The rain picked up then, drops darkening the sand noticeably around their feet. The breeze picked up as well, just for a moment, blowing their hair about wildly before it settled down. It was getting colder, and later...

[Shoki]

Barlow didn’t particularly like getting dragged along, but he supposed it was more efficient with his short legs. He did try to keep up as well as he could, but he wasn’t built for speed, so much as to be quiet. Kit merely adjusted herself as they moved, finally settling her head on Barlow’s shoulder to get a better look out. It was still night, lovely and dark, with the rain falling. She spotted the Blood as they got closer and retreated again to get more comfortable. Barlow didn’t particularly notice. He was more concerned with the situation he found himself in. The reason for Zojiroth’s absence was now clear, he was looking after a fellow candidate. He recognized Andilan, but only just. Then of course the lecturing started.

Usually if Barlow was in trouble with someone else, he wouldn’t have to pay too much attention to what as being said for the other person. However, the conversation here was interesting to him. Dark dragons? What had ben Zojiroth been talking about to Andilan? The way she was talking she was lumping him in with her which seemed odd. He didn’t have much time to think though, Moraiya was back on him after assigning extra chores. He got the feeling it wasn’t going to be that simple for him. He very attentively looked up, and he apparently paid his soaking wet hair no mind.

Barlow didn’t seem more then, well curious about the first two physical punishments. Interesting choice for the first one, more standard but usually effective for the second he supposed. With the last (probably joking, mind) suggestion he spoke up dryly.

“Losing consciousness and sleeping are entirely different. Being knocked out for a length of time does not work as rest and can have long term effects on the brain and if continued long enough can result in death. I would entirely prefer you did not employ that particular method of dissuasion. I like living.” Probably not the best thing he could have said. However, he wasn’t a big fan of misinformation so he said it. He appended quickly though. “But of course it is entirely up to you.” If it was any other kid, this might have been sarcasm. Barlow wasn’t sarcastic.

[mimi]

It was only a moment or two that Moraiya was gone thus leaving the Blood dragon with Andilan. The young man did his best to ignore the girth of living flesh that bore down upon him like a barely restrained jail keeper. The young man drew his arm back and chunked his last stone in to the rushing sea which had begun to churn and froth as the storm began to come closer. He had long since felt the change in the air but he could feel the hair upon the back of his neck began to rise as the air grew heavier. He heard their approach even across the soft sands but Zojiroth's girth prevented him from seeing them even if he was making a point, or attempt, to ignore all of those around him. Even Moraiya clearing her throat did not draw his gaze to her and he left her talking to his back instead. He missed the surprised expression that flashed across her face at the unheard sound of her Dragon's suggestion.

He turned his head to the side to cast a hardened gaze at Moraiya as she spoke. He smirked darkly at her words because honestly, she knew nothing of what she spoke of. He did not want to become involved with any Dragon, Dark or Traditional, and he didn't care if people liked him or disliked him. Living six Turns upon a boat where your life was worth no more then a dog's had changed his value of other people's opinions. Being betrayed by his father had changed everything....A rude snort passed through him as Moraiya reassured him that he would do his chores and that she would no doubt add more for him to do. He rolled his eyes and turned his face once more to the surf when she reassured him that her Blood Dragon would be his overseer to ensure that he would do his work. He was not afraid of the Dragon and he smirked at the thought of the Weyrwoman chasing after him in the night. He was not worth the trouble. They would probably send her out again to get him. Andilan was her charge...and he was damned if he did not do his part to make her earn her keep as Candidate Master.

It was not the physical labor of doing the chores that he hated. No. He could handle the physical labor. He was used to pouring out his sweat and the rock-hard callouses of his hands told of the countless hours that he rowed the pirate's boat, taking over those who were not strong enough to pull their weight or who were too sick to deal with the physical labor. The manacles had cut visible scars upon his wrists and he rubbed them absently with a scowl upon his features. No, the thing he hated the most...was being ordered to do the chores. Without the pain of the whip to keep him from arguing, he stretched out with his newly found freedom and did what he want, whether it made others happy or not. No one lived or died because he did not do his work.

The wind came upon them and Andilan turned his head against the onslaught of raindrops against his face. With a sly ear he listened to the tortures that Moraiya threatened upon the second Candidate within their mists and he could not help but notice that both she and her mount were wholly distracted as the storm advanced. A dark but playful smirk danced upon his features as he slipped away and began the task of walking back to the Weyr whether they decided to follow him or not. His steps ate up the distance along the beach as the rain began to steadily drum along the stretch of sand as he wrapped his arms tightly around his chest as he walked against the wind. He did not look back to see if they had noticed his disappearance...Moraiya's scream of outrage would surely signal their notice.

[Jay Kitten]

Candidate Mastery was of course not an easy task, and right now was the kind of moment that she felt it was her own version of chores to have to bestow punishment. It wasn't that she reveled in punishing her subjects, rather, that she enjoyed the outcome when they were particularly well-punished. And so deciding their fates wasn't exactly a convenient measure by any accord. The ex-slave, that was easy. He needed to get used to life outside of bondage, being forced to do things one didn't want to was the best way of building character. Did it mean he wasn't free? Well, no. When he was done with his chores, he would be allowed to do anything he wanted, as long as he didn't pass curfew like tonight.

The wind picked up again, and her tied-back hair momentarily blew into her face, causing her to idly brush it away. She was a combatant, a warrior, awareness of her surroundings was something she always held as being of the utmost importance. And so when the boy turned to walk away, it was like a tingling on the back of her neck. She sighed, and mentally nudged her Blood, who's head turned slowly to stare at the back of Andilan's neck. Sure enough, she had been correct. The Blood moved, but not quickly, instead he walked on his two hind feet, carefully shifting the sand to create almost no noise as he followed the Candidate. Why alert him to this fact? He would need to be detained and brought back to the Barracks, for obvious reasons.

But the look on Moraiya's face certainly changed at the other boy's words, Barlow's "attitude" made her face twist in rage at his back-talking. But she calmed herself, and her eyes instead held fury for a moment as she stared at him.

"You know, if I wasn't used to that kind of sass from you, I'd have backhanded you ten times over by now. Chores won't work, but I know what will... A nice, big dose of felis juice crammed right down yo-" she coughed as her Blood cautioned her, cutting herself off. "What I meant to say was, you'll have to be dealt with in a more... Special way." She gave a menacing grin, then laughed, rather evilly, before she stopped herself by coughing into her fist again. Then her face changed, now to a more... Oddly enough, gentle one.

"Barlow, darling... You know you can't keep doing this. There is a reason we have a curfew for Candidates, you don't have the protection a weyrling or dragon provides you with, and the jungles are very dangerous at night. But you don't have to take my word for it. From now on, if you're sleepless, you will be serving the Whers by assisting the watch at night. You will do whatever they ask of you, no matter how much you might dislike it. Unless you'd rather be chained to your bed?" That evil grin was back, her fantasies sometimes got the better of her. Oh, but wouldn't that be just so much better if all of her annoying brats could be chained somewhere at night? Ah, it would make things so much more peaceful.

Down the beach, however, Zojiroth was quickly growing annoyed with the distance they were putting on with his pursuit. Instead, he opted for the easier option, and revealed himself by noisily loping his way up behind the Candidate, and coiling one long tail in his way. That's far enough... You surely are trouble if you keep acting like this.[/color] His eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked down at Andilan.

[Shoki]

Barlow quietly observed Andilan. Unlike Barlow he seemed to be up to try and make trouble for Moraiya. Well, no, that wasn’t quite true, but maybe he was just willing to get into if he was here anyway. He watched him walk away, just walking back toward the Weyr. He didn’t have to say anything. Moraiya was on top of it. The Blood silently followed, perhaps starting a conversation he could not hear. He was going to have his attention diverted though, the Candidate Master wanted to have a word with him. Well, that was putting it mildly.

The hair on the back of Barlow’s neck rose up when she metioned pumping him full of drugs to get him to sleep at night. Shards no. Like he needed to be drugged up every night. Who knows what that could do to him? He’d take Moraiya personally standing outside his door before dealing with that. Shards, he’d make sure he threw up the lot of it directly after in that scenario. Lucky for him, that didn’t look like that was what she had settled on. It was something entirely different.

Barlow stared at Moraiya as her demeanor changed to something way out of left field for him. Gentle? Something was very wrong here. It was weirding him out. As she spoke, he became more and more suspicious. That actually sounded like something he would LIKE. Reason enough to be out at night, being generally useful, and not wasting time? Shards he wanted to jump on that in a heartbeat. But it seemed…too easy somehow. She had the evil grin back on, and his demeanor calmed. Well, one way or the other, it looked like it was settled, and he didn’t have a problem with it. If things went south, well, it looked like the chains would be on, but he’d manage. Didn’t matter, as long as he had something he felt was productive.

“I understand.” Two words. That’s all. That’s all that needed to be said. He didn’t seem to complain, just sounded like he was accepting. Since, after all, he was still reasonably sure there was going to be trouble, he just didn’t quite get it yet. Oh well. At least he wouldn’t go stir crazy in his room any more. Right?