Slow Down (Phoenyx/Nyx)

[Kaya]

| 79.01.12 | evening | entrance to the barracks | PhoenyxStar |

How L'ras had roped him into this Kh'sol still wasn't sure. He tilted back on the legs of the chair he was in, rocking precariously over the stone floor of the cavern. He watched as sleepy dragonets wandered in with their Riders in tow, thoroughly worn out from another trying day of lessons. He crossed his arms over the back of the chair and kept tally, to make sure all his charges returned for the evening. Fortunately they had been kept very busy and that made his assignment of keeping an eye on them quite simple. He had been turning over ideas to deflect any queries about their work. He'd made it through the lessons once, he didn't want to do it again.

[PhoenyxStar]

Phoenyx groaned as her and her bonded walked from the kitchens to the barracks. Previously after seeing the death of a guard she was on edge and jumpy her eyes always glancing around her.  "no where feels safe any more my darling Toriath.." her fingers ran along her dragons soft hide as her mind drifted to things that could make them safer.. First she needed to know why it had happened and why it felt like noone was doing anything about it. 

"Mine there's no worry nothing has happened since." the grey purred reassuringly into her bonded mind whiling nuzzling into the girls' legs with green eyes tinted orange with worry rubbing off from hers.


Nyx walked to the entrance and stopped next to the weyrling master and glanced at him "Can we talk.. Privately" She said softly as she looked at the ground as she dragged her feet against the dirt. She stoll herself as she went to look in his eyes wondering if he would actually do it or not. Afraid that he might deny the request made her chew on her lip.

[Kaya]

He had nodded a little and when he heard footsteps all he saw was dark hair. His feet scuffled against the stone floor to avoid tipping the chair over. His pulse beating a little faster, Kh'sol shook his eyesight clear and saw the little Grey dragonet and her petite Rider. Good, only a few more due back from dinner then, and with them in for the night the wher handlers would come to their posts and relieve him to some much needed rest.

Kh'sol tried not to frown when instead of heading to her soft and warm bed this weyrling wanted to talk to him instead. She didn't look at him, mumbling into the ground in a barely audible voice. With any luck she'd grow out of that.

"Hm? What's that? Talk? Seems we're doing that already," Kh'sol said. He looked right at her, waiting to see if she'd make eye contact. He couldn't leave this post, he had to verify that the other weyrlings came in for the night. "Why don't you pull up a chair?"

[PhoenyxStar]

Phoenyx bite her lower lip and shook her head no. "Sorry sir but there is no way I'm going to be talking about what I have to say in front of those that have yet to witness such distressing.." She clutched her chest reminded of the void. "They probably are gratefully only to know the lose of one of ours but not to see it..." She looked him in the eye as her dragon pushed into her leg with a hum. "Please by the shells I need answers.." She barely breathed to him as a weyrling passed behind her for bed. She glanced behind her to watch the girl's movements towards the bed. Her face looked weary from lack of sleep with bags under her eyes.

[Kaya]

Kh'sol watched her fidget uncomfortably in the low light. He spared an eye to identify the weyrling heading into the barracks and off through the halls to rest. Just a couple more to arrive, and a little longer until his replacement would be here. He rocked the chair from the front two legs to the back ones, stretching his arms.

"Well then we're stuck. I can't go." Kh'sol set the chair square on the stone floor. He reached one arm behind his head, elbow up to continue his post-dinner stretches and dissipate this weyrling's anxiety from his muscles. "As you know these are uncertain times. It's my job to watch the barrack's entrance this evening. Can't be going nowhere. But if you change your mind and want to sit here, I'll listen," he looked her in the eye. "No promises about answers though."

[PhoenyxStar]

"Yes well so much for protection in these uncertain times" She murmured darkly as she trembled. She stayed standing as she looked at his posture almost annoyed by how he was acting. "Would a soldier keep sitting if there was another attack? You seemed to be to relaxed for these times" She drew out tightly.

"Why were we attacked in the first place? Why were we not informed before the hatching that we might be attacked?" she looked down at her grey as she rubbed the tiny muzzle trying to comfort her even though the eyes were whirling a slight orangeish-green as the mood was reflecting her riders. The grey twirled in between the girls legs like a cat in hopes to calm Phoenyx. The girl tried to calm down as she rocked on her heels.

[Kaya]

Kh'sol looked at her with a level expression, keeping his relaxed posture well away from her turbulent one. To her questions he slowly dawned a curious expression, bordering on disbelief. He was from the land of slow times and seldom news, the grazing locations cycling where they might hear from next. Yet even he knew the sensible explanations for these things. Did a herdsman beat himself to wakefulness at all hours, for fear that something bad might happen? Of course not. He examined the weyrling again. She hadn't seemed to draw attention from the weyrling master and his assistants. So she'd like as not settle down again, given time.

"Such accusing there," Kh'sol commented, considering where to start. "Every Pernese knews dragon riding is a dangerous business. Threat of Thread, of accidents. And everyone learns the harper songs. For those dangers dragon braved," he quoted. "We been in a war four Turns now. And there was one something like sixty Turns before that. You knew. If ya didn't have the stomach for Riding you ought to 've said so. But there's nothing you can do about that now 'cept find some bravery. Danger has found you."

Kh'sol pushed his hair out of his eyes again and kept a lock to think on. Probably should get it cut soon... He leaned the chair legs the other way, eyes considering the ceiling. "Also your asking about what if there were another attack, there's not. Being all stirred up like you are doesn't get this job done any better."

[PhoenyxStar]

Nyx stood there sternly now with a hand on her hip "Oh aye I know that we face threadfall but human threat? No there were talks of peace only recently so what happened to cause this?" She murmured as her blood turned with the thought of the death of the dragons that died that night "We shouldn't have lost anyone that night." She murmured weakly at the pain that flashed in her mind from the memories.


Her grey keened and hissed at the assault of feelings from her rider and bared her teeth at the male rider. The tiny grey that would have blended into the ground had it not been for her noises or her green to red eyes. Toriath pushed against the blonde girl trying to calm her some to not cause them notice by the other weyrlings and their bonded.

[Kaya]

"Ah, well. It's never that simple," Kh'sol replied. He had lived first hand through the result of humans and their ideas of how things should be, how they actually played out and the mess that made of everything. His childhood, moving homes, that whole mess with K'rad. He hoped for peace as much as the next man, but he wasn't going to sit around reveling in it before it happened. From listening to the Weyrling Master, to the bits and pieces of news from the leadership, it was likely they didn't have the whole story either. And were reserving outrage and hearsay in hopes of preserving said peace that Nyx was demanding so easily. But she was right about one thing. None should have died that day. Or the one before. Or the one before that. But death found its way in the world all the same. Best learn to navigate it rather than let it sneak up on you.

But when Toriath started hissing he frowned at her and tsked. "None of that," he scolded.