Chaos, Mostly [Timing It Announcement]

[Zen]

Immediately following Finding Faith

A'zael, B'rax, K'ton, K'rin

A’zael clung to the resolve he had managed to find as though it were a lifeline in a storm. In a way it was, because if he lost hold of it he was certain he would fall back into that storm of doubt and brewing panic waiting just beneath the surface to swallow him whole. He took more deep breaths for calm on his way to the dining cavern, a purposeful stride keeping any still making their own ways to the cavern from trying to stop him for questions about just what in the shell was going on. They would know shortly.

B’rax was already there at the front of the cavern, the crowd still managing to give him a little space despite just how many people were crowding in to hear the news of what had happened. A dull roar filled the cavern as most were discussing possibilities and concerns. Shells, this was going to be fun, wasn’t it? He ran one hand through his hair and made his way inside, where he was immediately assaulted with questions, though at least people made way for him to reach B’rax where he could better make himself heard.

“You’ll all have your questions answered much quicker if you let the Weyrleader through and quiet down so he can speak,” B’rax called above the din, and slowly the cavern grew quiet. Murmurs continued, but for the most part everyone was simply waiting for an answer to the confusion.

As he came to stand at B’rax’s side, he surveyed the crowd briefly. X’ar was near the front, arms crossed with a thin frown on his face. The man had not been entirely supportive of tossing two golds back in time on a dangerous mission, along with both his own wingseconds and two other young bronzeriders besides. Rau attempted an encouraging smile that turned out more nervous and unsure, and would have made A’zael laugh were not so many worried, expectant eyes upon him.

One more deep breath.

“Let me start by reassuring everyone that the dragons that you have been informed are ‘missing’ have not disappeared without warning or knowledge of their whereabouts,” he began, raising his voice to ensure he was heard throughout the cavern, “And let me also ask for your patience while I offer you all a full explanation of just where they went.”

He paused briefly, but not long enough to give much room for interjection, “Together with the rest of Mavros’s Weyr leadership, it was determined that we should attempt a mission that will gain Mavros another Wing’s worth of dragons. If I’m frank with you, our Wings are struggling to keep up with the increased Threadfalls. I’m sure most riders have already noticed and are feeling the strain. All our Wings must fly every Fall when most Weyrs have relief Wings to rotate and take Falls in turn. We cannot sustain this way of fighting Thread much longer.”

Another deep breath. Now came the hard part. How was he supposed to tell the Weyr that the missing group had gone back in time? They were going to think he’d gone mad. Good thing teaching songs and heroic ballads existed, even if most Pernese thought Lessa’s Ride a mere exaggeration of her exploits at this point. He tried to go with the simplest, purely factual information, “Just as dragons can Between places, so too can they Between times, as the Weyrwoman Lessa proved during the last Pass. So our two young golds and their riders, several bronzes, and a small group of riders, staff, and candidates have gone back in time to before Mavros was settled, in order to bring back two clutches worth of dragons to join our ranks. They are to return by dusk today, but it will have been nearly two turns for them.”

The murmuring was already steadily growing louder and A’zael’s jaw clenched as K’ton pushed forward and shouted over them, “And how are we to know they will even be back at all? Betweening times is supposed to be difficult and dangerous at best! How do we know you didn’t just send two gold dragons to their deaths, boy!? Golds Mavros desperately needs!”

K’rin added his own voice to the dissent, “Why the shell are we just finding out about this now? Why wasn’t the Weyr told!?”

And with that, the floodgates were opened.

[tovaana]

Weyrling Cirene :: Blue Imperath

A white muzzle rose from sunset blue paws. His tail whipped behind him as a sudden loss filled him. They were… gone? Gone... Confusion filled his consciousness – not sadness, they were not dead. But where had they gone? He lifted himself from the blankets that Cirene had gathered for him to sleep on, feeling the cool air sweep in around his feet and belly. It was still very early and with whirling nervous eyes, he found his Cirene still slumbering through it all.

He sat there for a moment, listening to dragons that were broadcasting, trying to find a source or answer to his troubling awakening…but there was nothing…

Imperath moved slowly to the bed and sat, staring at Cirene who was sleeping too peacefully. He paused, knowing that she would not be pleased about waking – but wouldn’t she want to know information like this? Information was power… It took a couple of moments of questioning himself and going back and forth on whether to wake her.

Oh mine – He stopped himself after that, as Cirene moved he remembered something vaguely about how Cirene preferred to be called after her name. She had told him that she was not his, but he was hers. Cirene… He began again, and she shifted elegantly in her sleep. Cirene, you must wake. A groan came from the bed.

“Oh, must I?” Came a sarcastic half sleeping voice, the covers of the bed were tugged closer to herself as she struggled to ignore the confusion and energy of her dragon so she could fall back asleep.

Cirene, don’t fall back asleep. Something has happened… I… I’m not sure what’s going on…but… they’re gone. At this Cirene shifted in the bed so she could face the white muzzle that was inches from her face. She looked bleary eyed at the whirling nervous colors of her dragon and closed her eyes. “Who’s gone?” She sighed and groaned, feeling sleep still so close, if her dragon would just go back to sleep.

Dragons, lots of them… just gone… Cirene opened one eye, her dragon still there. “So, can’t we find out what happened later?” she said, closing the eye and pulling the blankets up to her chin. Imperath nosed Cirene until she opened one eye once more.

I want to know now. ‘That’s too bad.’ She thought back, sighing out loud and closing her eyes. Imperath stayed sitting there, shifting even closer so that his breath moved her blonde hair when he breathed. It is too bad that they are gone, and I’m going to go find out. But, you'll end up left in the dark, if I don't tell you. How silly would you look if it was something important? I thought you said knowing is power.

Cirene tensed in bed, anger bubbling and waking her up – wiping all sleep from her mind. Without getting up she tossed the bedding off of her, furious at her dragon and his curiosity. “This better be worth it.” She hissed, pushing his muzzle out of the way so that she could get up properly. Imperath only snorted and watched as Cirene took her time making her bed and getting dressed.

Must you fix your hair? “Well, what kind of dragon rider would I look like? Being pulled out of bed, desperate for answers? We may as well look prepared and collected while ambling about looking for answers.” She said as she finished putting her long hair in a braid. Her eyes glanced down at her blue, who didn’t look like he needed an oiling – but she made sure of that. “Which, I think today we should shine you up a bit.” Imperath sulked at this, walking by his rider’s side toward the dining hall as far as he could go before having to turn and leave to outside where he could find other dragons to converse with.

As she followed the few riders toward the hall, she ended up a tad early, but early for what? She stuck toward the back, so that she could get a better view of everyone there and their reactions to what was happening. Cirene was trying to ignore the smug satisfaction that she could feel from her dragon, because he had been right about the odd situation. She was careful to hold herself emotionless, but listening to those murmur around her. After many long moments, B’rax hushed the cavern and her eyes drew to the attractive weyr leader who seemed prepared to say something… which he then delivered.

So, dragons had gone ‘missing,’ as Imperath had said. Do you not trust me? She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, as her dragon was not present to roll her eyes at. ‘Your message just wasn’t clear. It didn’t make sense.’ Her dragon huffed mentally at this and she refocused on the words that the Weyrleader was delivering. All information was important, but her attention peaked as started talking about dragon abilities. She blinked in surprise at this announcement and felt slight resentment – she guessed it was because she agreed with the last call from a rider who asked ‘Why wasn’t the Weyr told!?’ Her lips pursed slightly, but she did not join the rioting and angry riders with her own voice, but listened instead.

If I was older, we could have gone maybe. Cirene had been relaying the imagery and information to Imperath as it came to her. ‘Don’t worry about that now, just listen for now – listen to dragons who may be speaking… I want to know more.’ If there was more to know… The idea of betweening times sounded vaguely familiar, but from what others were protesting, it sounded like a great risk sending two golds back.

[Deleted]

Karredy

Karredy! Zalmaranth woke the Weyrwoman up, as she often did--but the difference today was that the bulky, irritable gold was alarmed. The dragons are gone!

"What?!" She fumbled out of bed. "What are you talking about? Did they die?" But Zalmaranth would have started up the mourning keen if they had, and there hadn't been any serious injuries or illnesses from the last Threadfall. (Then again, she'd almost died from a deceptive winter illness, pointed out a small, oft-ignored voice in the back of her head.)

I don't know, they're gone! They went between somewhere, and I don't know where they are! Zalmaranth's eyes were quickly turning orange.

Ohhhhh, this was strange. Even as she wrestled her hair into a braid and slipped on her nearest dress, the sudden absence that her gold was talking of crept into her head: What felt like a whole wing of dragons had suddenly gone missing--and most worrying of all was that the two young golds were among them.

FATH! Zalmaranth bellowed for the Weyrleader's bronze. THE DRAGONS ARE GONE! WE NEED TO FIND THEM!

"Zal, don't yell at him!" Of course the point was moot, since Karredy herself was now bolting for the dining caverns, and a good number of riders had sensed their fellows’ disappearance as well, crowding around (and yelling at) A’zael at the front of the cavern. "A'zael! Zalmaranth said a whole wing of dragons went missing, and two of the golds are gone, too! They’re not dead, but she keeps saying she can’t find them! What on earth is--"

But then: Apparently the Weyrleader was responsible for the disappearance, as he explained with remarkable calm.

”You sent them BACK IN TIME?!” Karredy didn’t know whether she was mad he hadn’t told her (she would have appreciated a HINT that he'd been planning something), or flat-out afraid at this point (she had been told that going between times was dangerous, as the goldriders and bronzeriders were), but it was safe bet that there was a mix of both. “And what if they DON’T get back by dinner?!”

[Hiko]

Talera had been sitting in the dining cavern, trying to enjoy the first in what was bound to be a long day of klah. The announcement was to go off any time now, and even if A’zael was loathe to begin the discussion, the wings of dragons that would soon evaporate would force everyone’s hand.

And then, without any word, Weyrfolk began flooding into the caverns. The dragons had disappeared, taking candidates with them.

She noticed B’rax’s entry first, and sighed. She downed the rest of her mug and made her way toward the cavern entrance. The men would, no doubt, need the support of their unified decision, even if Talera had privately wondered at the audacity of even attempting such a mission. But it hadn’t been her choice, and despite her misgivings, she couldn’t fault the Weyrleader for his decision, nor could she ignore the sheer mad bravery of Srunae and Melana for their parts.

By the time A’zael had finished his initial explanation, Talera had quietly joined him at his side. K’ton’s voice rose above the clamor, and her irritation grew. Weyrlingmaster or not, stand by your leadership, she thought. From her ledge, Aerroth made herself heard, bugling in not alarm like Zalmaranth, but in reassurance to the Weyr. If K’ton and K’rin’s interrogations had irked her, Karredy’s utter idiocy snapped what reserve Talera still had.
This time, Aerroth roared a demand for quiet.

“Every gold rider and wingleader was informed of this decision, and every gold rider and wingleader agreed to the merits of this, despite the danger. We cannot lay all of these concerns on our Weyrleader’s shoulders, as we approved and carried out this choice as a whole. Now, certainly, K’ton, K’rin, there are dangers to be considered. We did not send the most senior golds for this same reason. You can’t,” and Talera offered a soft laugh, “have expected our poor Weyrwoman to go on such a venture, I hope? No, we sent those who were capable and willing, and no more than we absolutely needed to. It will be a tense day, but we will manage no matter the outcome.”

Talera offered a reassuring grip at A’zael’s shoulder, then turned toward Karredy.
She pulled at the girl’s arm, forcing her away from the immediate gaze of the crowd.
“Are you an idiot,” she hissed privately to the gold rider, “Or so forgetful that you cannot keep yourself together when your Weyr needs you the most?”

[Alyx]

Rachel and Blue Aslith, K'var, E'rik

Aslith had been awake, lingering in that light fade between sleep and awake. Mastro had touched his thoughts, the bronze sending a confusing message for the Blue to relay – moments before he, his rider, and half the dragons around him, vanished. Vanished... The Blue’s head came up, a soft groan escaping his jaws. Rachel…

‘Hm..’ Rachel! The woman sat bolt upright in her furs, eyes snapping in the direction of the searchdragon. “What?” Gone… they are gone. ‘Who’s gone?’ Aslith turned in his bed, eyes spinning yellow and faded white. So many. Mastromideth, Tsulocanth, Sabanth, Zenoth…. He fell quiet as Rachel tossed the covers away and scrambled out of bed. Danovelith and Sularenth are gone too.

The list was not a long one, but it was enough. “Gone?! What do you mean gone!?” Aslith groaned again, knowing his rider’s anger wasn’t directed at him but felt it all the same. Not Dead. Just… gone. Well, not dead is good at least. Rachel shoved her boots on, grabbing at her night coat to stave off the chill. She was going to hunt A’zael down and choke him –

We’ve been told to tell everyone to go to the dining cavern. The answers will be there. Rachel stopped, looking at Asilth for the first time since she’d left the covers. The Blue lay there, his head on the stones, his eyes riveted on her. She gave a soft smile, crossing to him to run her hands gently over his head; fingers grazed over his eye ridges as she tried to comfort him. ‘Hey… it’s okay. It’s probably just a drill we didn’t know about. I’ll go find out, okay? You rest your wing.’

What if it isn’t? ‘Don’t worry yet.’ She ran her hand over the dragon’s nose one more time, then left to get answers. The trip wasn’t a long one, and she wasn’t the only one making it; she rounded the corner to find a groggy, confused group of weyrlings – she smiled and ushered them along with her. She didn’t think about much more than getting them into the dining hall. Food and answers, it seemed, was what everyone needed this morning.

K’var nodded his thanks, following young E’rik’s white-crowned head into the crowded dining hall and away from the Bluerider. Rachel watched them go, then pushed her away into the riders. She elbowed someone, she wasn’t sure who, and pushed into the front as B’rax tried to control the crowd. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at the man, unhappy that this was needed at all. What had happened and why was this a secret?!

Then A’zael took the front stage, so to speak. Rachel blinked at him, almost not willing to believe what she was hearing. “You did WHAT?!” Her words were barely out over her lips before other voices rose over hers. She darted a glance at K’ton as he shoved forward, but for once she couldn’t fault him. Betweening back in time? What made anyone think this had been a good thought!?

Then it hit her; Mastromideth, Tsulocanth… her stomach flipped, then dropped into her feet. G’rett and Haella… Rachel’s throat tightened. Gone. And the reason she hadn’t seen the candidates with the weyrlings… they weren’t HERE. Muze, her brother … little Vitra. Vitra… who’s father was a Bronzerider… and Aleni’s father. Rachel closed her eyes and groaned, then shot Az a glare as Talera rose to his defense. She took a measured step forward, her dark eyes angry as she kept her gaze on the Weyrleader.

“We should have been told.” Her voice was even, edged with rage. The Dragonriders knew risk, they flew it every time they entered a Fall. But Rachel took it personally… the candidates, HER candidates, that she’s brought her, that had trusted her… the Weyr leadership had NO right to throw their lives away on something this… this… stupid! She didn’t say anything else, but just…. stared at A’zael for a long moment, before pivoting on a heel and putting her back to him, stepping back a bit into the crowd as others voiced their opinion.

[Deleted]

Karredy:
In the chaos of the Weyr, Karredy dimly felt someone tugging her off to the side, saying something about—about forgetting? What was Talera—

Oh. Oh yes, she HAD KNOWN about this plan, she recalled with chagrin.

She just hadn’t expected the feeling of sheer absence when the plan actually happened.

“I’m sorry.” She tried to get her face to look something close to composed, but with the sinking feeling that accompanied so much of her time as Weyrwoman now—was she only going to be good at hide work? She felt much more of a sting of why bother?, and her face went—for all intents and purposes—blank.

As long as she wasn’t panicking ANYMORE, she doubted anyone would catch anything amiss.

Zalmaranth was recalling too, of course she had, though unlike Karredy, she merely shook out her wings and sent a ripple of “never mind” to Fath.

[Hiko]

Talera could hardly contain her derisive thoughts. As soon as the child had been told off, her face had become like that of a doll’s: emotionless, without any thought. Talera’s grip hardened on the girl’s arm, and she had to stop herself from letting nails dig into flesh.
Instead, she shook her. A short, albeit rough shake, but hopefully enough to snap the girl back to being for the moment.

“You need to pull yourself together, Weyrwoman. Don’t apologize, act your rank. You just called out the Weyrleader as a part of a panicking crowd, completely forgetting vital information, and all you can say is that you’re sorry? Do you know how that must have looked to anyone who could hear you? Do you understand what Zalmaranth’s anger might mean to those upset that they weren’t in the know? I’ll tell you: It looks like our Weyrleader - and I as your Second - are lying to the Weyr. It undermines A’zael’s power, and it feeds the contempt K’ton brought into a mob. Think before you speak, Karredy!”

Talera let out a sigh and released the Weyrwoman from her grip.
“We have to act as a unified front,” she said, softly. “We all must bear the burden if this fails. You need to be the Weyrwoman now, not a glorified recordkeeper. You should have been the one at A’zael’s side, calming your people. Not your Second.”

@kiba
---

Daltilith had gone from slumber to panic while Mollin had been in the middle of a bite of scrambled egg.
Hawedith is gone!
“Mfuh?” Mollin had asked aloud, mouth full. Even as the blue attempted a response, she could see the surprise and worry spread throughout the morning cavern.
It wasn’t just Hawedith, was it? She asked the blue, a sinking pit forming in her stomach.
Tsulocanth! Fealaketh! Dawinith! Sleeduth!
Just greens?
Hiyacraith! Nadornith! Zenoth! Mastromideth!

Mollin spat out her eggs and cursed.
-
The chaos of the morning continued, and Mollin was quick to learn that all of the candidates had also gone along on A’zael’s homicide mission. Her thoughts were running over the situation again and again, hoping to find some way he might not be telling the truth.

The Weyrqueen bellowed. The Second roared.
And all Mollin could think while she stood there, dumbly listening to the back and forth between Weyrfolk and leadership was the success of her first Search. She’d brought Caryssin here, for what? A way out of her home, surely, but to what? Probably death?
Mastromideth and G’rett, gone, too.
Too many of her former classmates to count.

“What,” she began. She’d been walking toward A’zael and B’rax, weaving through the crowd. Before she could stop herself, she had A’zael’s shirt in her grip. “What have you done?”

Zen

[Taxx]

Zi'lor | Brown Asriath

The room was crowded and echoing with the vague buzz of confused commentary when Zi'lor first entered, hair a mess and tunic slightly skewed from how hastily he'd dressed, but Asriath had pushed him to hurry- even as he sounded incredibly peeved about the upset to their scheduled day- and run to hear what the Weyrleader had to say about the disappearance of so many dragons. He'd arrived not long before A'zael, merging into the crowd and pausing a couple times to see if anyone had any idea what was going on, only to find that they were just as lost- the Weyrwoman included, it seemed.

The noise died at the Weyrleader's entrance and a moment later A'zael's voice rose, giving them the explanation they were looking for. The hint of interest at the mention of going between times was swept away as he grasped the rest of what was said, and realized what it meant. Asriath! His head turned almost instinctively to look at the brown, who was of course not present. Can you sense them? Arci and Rikia?

The answer, partly expected, still wasn't the one he'd have liked, and he had taken steps forward to add his voice to the rest; the bass roar of a dragon rang over the weyr, and in the silence that followed one of the goldriders spoke up. What she said- along with what A'zael had said- made sense. He knew when he'd transferred that Mavros was low on numbers for their share of Falls, but it didn't help his worry for his daughters. What if... 

Asriath brushed assurance across his mind, but he was fuming. Quietly fuming, to be sure, but in no way about to forget this in a hurry. Especially if one, or Faranth forbid, both girls never returned. Flashing a last glance at the bronzerider, Zi'lor turned away. He didn't leave the room, merely turned to prop himself against the outer wall, arms folded as he stewed.


Aleni | Gold Riyobith

Riyo wasn't upset- she was confused and concerned, but all the dragons she really knew were still here, and while she was worried for the safety of the other ones, they just didn't mean as much to her. She worried for what her rider worried most about: Vitra. It had been just the day before that the younger girl had arrived, and Aleni had been looking forward to learning more about her- spending more time with her. Now she might never get the chance, because Vitra had gone with the group- and who knew if she'd return?

Maybe she is okay, Riyo tried to soothe her, gently rubbing her nose against her rider's shoulder. Maybe she will Impress, and come back on her own dragon.

I hope so. At the very least, if it happened, she knew Vitra would be thrilled. She wished she knew her sister better, but she'd heard loud and clear that Vitra had strong hopes to Impress a dragon, a partner of her own, and Aleni knew she wouldn't have passed up the chance to go if she'd been told that the golds were going. Back this evening, if they were lucky. Draping her head over Aleni's shoulder, Riyo offered a hum. She knew only Vitra's presence would ease the worry and that all the assurances meant nothing, but she still tried- if only to ease her rider's apprehension.

[Deleted]

Karredy, Gisellaine
Karredy didn’t mind the brief, rough shake that Talera gave, and indeed she agreed with the logic; the main trouble she had, as things so often were, was feeling it. Not literally, of course... but processing it?

She nodded to Talera, scanning the room: She should go find A’zael and--

“Karredy?” Gisellaine had wound her way through the crowd. "Is something wrong?"

Focus, she told herself. Focus. “I apologize for my outburst,” she said. “I--I panicked after the dragons went between. It was unseemly.” The words didn’t fit coming from her mouth, and she didn’t expect them to; but at least her panic had faded into her regular, comforting numbness.

She didn’t expect Gisellaine to say the next part, though.

“It’s like... you grew backwards,” the greenrider told her, though she was already starting to fidget with discomfort. She wasn’t one to question a higher-ranking rider in (relative) public, especially not when an uproar was already happening, but something felt strange about her sister now. “Even when you Impressed, you weren’t so... so...”

“Gisellaine, why are you talking about that?” Karredy wondered. “All right, the Weyr will be fine. The dragons will be fine, at least come dusk. They will come back. I forgot myself, but now--I--am--fine."

And with that, she drifted back towards A’zael. While her stride wasn’t weak, the pit of her chest felt like a worn-out tunic; patched or threadbare, the seams all showing, and wrung out too many times in the wash. She didn't mind that as long as it didn’t show, at least not enough for others to pick up on it. She'd like to go back to her weyr soon.

---
Back where she and Talera had been left, Gisellaine twisted the ends of her rider’s knots. “I wasn’t talking about the dragons.” She moved onto the hem of her sleeve. “Talera, has Karredy spoken to you about something wrong? She wasn’t so… unsteady, when we were growing up.”

That was the best word she could find right now. Karredy’s emotions swung about like someone several Turns younger, and her goldrider training seemed to fall through her fingers like scattered grain, to leave her scrambling to pick it back up. Growing backwards, had she said?

“You don't have to answer right now, not with the Weyr in such a state, but... I just thought to ask.” Gisellaine glanced back at Karredy, filtering through the Weyrfolk. She wasn't panicking anymore, and perhaps that was enough reassurance for those who weren't looking too closely. But she seemed less "calm" and more "brittle" or "tired." Hadn’t she just gotten here? “Did you all really know about this, Talera? Going back in time?”

[Zen]

A’zael, B’rax

With Talera on one side and B’rax on the other, A’zael was grateful for the support of both during the onslaught of anger and alarm that rained down following his explanation. He couldn’t help but be grateful, also, that Srunae was NOT here, for he imagined the intensity of everyone’s emotions just might overwhelm her. But when Karredy’s voice also called out to him, sounding confused and, more than that, utterly baffled, he could only stare blankly at her for a moment. What was she doing? Had she secretly not agreed with the entire plan and this was her way of getting back at him for it? Was she afraid of the anger of the Weyr and trying to play it off like she hadn’t been a part of it? Or was her mind just far more gone than he thought?

Fortunately Talera spoke up while he was entirely at a loss for words over his Weyrwoman’s behavior, assuring the Weyr that this was not some plot behind Karredy’s back, as well as touching on another point he wished he had thought to mention initially. Only the willing had gone. No one had been forced to undertake this mission. The woman’s grip on his shoulder had him turning slightly to offer her a look of gratitude, and he felt it even more so when she moved to pull Karredy aside. As if he didn’t have enough to deal with right now without trying to figure out just what the shell was going on with her.

Rachel’s voice drew his attention and he wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. He considered the woman a friend, and he didn’t enjoy at all that this was they way anyone was finding out what they had planned, but… he had been so sure it had been necessary. If the wrong people found out about it, who knew if there would be a sabotage attempt that could have killed everyone that went. For the several months leading up to this day, that’s all he had worried about: someone finding out that was so strongly against it they would do anything to stop it, or cause its failure simply to use against him somehow. It was a level of paranoia he had never felt before in his life, but every time he had started to doubt the need for secrecy the fear crept back in.

And while he was trying to figure out just what to say to Rachel, Mollin had found her way through the crowd, “Mollin-” She grabbed onto his shirt and it occurred to him for the first time that nearly the entire class she had Impressed with had gone back in time. If she had been able to graduate with them, she likely would have been asked to go as well. He reached up to rest his hands over hers, a gesture meant to comfort as he clung once more to the resolve he had found in his weyr, to his faith in Srunae and the plan she had set in motion. “They’ll come back,” he told her, holding her gaze, beating back all the doubts that kept trying to claw their way up onto his face, because that’s what she needed, that’s what everyone needed. They needed him to believe, so they could believe too. He gave her hands a light squeeze and was grateful again for B’rax, as the man took up explaining.

“As stated, Betweening times is indeed risky. While keeping the matter secret from the Weyr at large never sat well with any of us, it was done for the protection of those who chose to partake in this mission, to give them the best chance of success. There are those that would see Mavros fail, those audacious enough to poison two of our queenriders some turns ago. This would have been a perfect opportunity for such individuals to use to their advantage, to sabotage in their quest to see Mavros brought low. I hope you can all understand it was not out of lack of trust for the majority, only that the wrong few would use the knowledge against us,” the man’s voice rose above the crowd, calm and steady.

S’fin :: Green Rusath

S’fin roused from his bed by the sudden flash of alarm from Rusath. The stolid green was rarely ever the source of such strong emotion and it had her rider waking in an instant, looking around as if expecting some sort of danger to come prowling from the shadows cast by the dawn light. Rusy? He reached for her, groggy and confused.

She gave a low moan of distress, which further served to clear S’fin’s mind as he climbed out of bed to quickly dress himself. They are gone. I do not know where they went.

Who?

Sularenth. Danovelith. Zenoth. Doriath. Many others.

Doriath? S’fin didn’t have time to wonder why the bronze and his rider seemed suddenly more important to him than, say, Danovelith and Srunae. Wait what… what do you mean, you don’t know where they went? What’s going on?

I do not know. They were here and now they are not. They have gone far away somewhere.

This wasn’t making any sense. They’re alive, right?

Yes. But they are gone.

What did that mean? S’fin finished tugging on his clothes, fully awake now, and moved out into the shared space of the weyr to find Rau and Pallath, but neither of them were there.

We are informed that everyone should gather in the dining cavern.

We? but S’fin didn’t waste time standing around, hurrying out quickly to hopefully find some answers to Rusath’s confusing news.

What A’zael announced to the Weyr, he had hardly expected. Numbly he watched his brother, as angry calls were hurled at him and Talera and B’rax both took up further explaining. Mollin was up there with him, not any less upset than anyone else in the cavern. He felt… hurt that his brother hadn’t trusted him with this. He’d been there for him, A’zael often bounced ideas off him or asked him for advice. Maybe it was selfish to feel that way, that just because they were brothers, because they were close, he ought to be privy to such things. But he couldn’t help feeling it anyway. A’zael could use his support now… but he couldn’t quite bring himself to offer it, and that only made him feel worse. Besides, it’s not as if the support of his brother the greenrider would sway anyone.

Rusath touched his mind with gentle comfort as he settled himself near the back of the crowd, not really wanting to be here anymore, but not able to bring himself to abandon his brother anymore than he could bring himself to offer any substantial support. Not dead, but gone. It made sense now. And there was a chance they might not ever come back.

[Hiko]

Talera was still internally fuming over the lapse in Karredy’s judgement, that she almost missed Gisellaine’s inquiry. Her eyes darted from the Weyrwoman’s fading figure to the greenrider sister. At least, Talera thought darkly, not all of their blood seemed so addled. She let out a breath, and, having better composed her anger, answered the girl.

“We were all informed of Srunae’s idea. She was the one that pushed for the jump between times, but we agreed to it, all of us. Your sister…” How to put it delicately? Was there even enough left in Karredy to care about gentle wording? She wondered.

But appearances needed to be maintained, regardless. In a low, private tone, she addressed Gisellaine.
“The Weyrwoman is trying, that much can be said. We must be her support, or otherwise see her - and the Weyr - fail.” That much was true, at least, though not for the first time did Talera wonder if it might not be better to force the girl to abdicate her title. It was becoming more and more clear that she simply wasn’t mentally suited to the stresses of the job. Well, one thing at a time. They needed Danovelith and Sularenth to return before making any sort of attempt at restructuring the power in the Weyr.
--

Mollin’s grip on A’zael’s shirt tightened at his words, but her hands shook. What if they didn’t come back? What if they’d all left her behind - forever? She refused the tears that threatened to fall. They had been her class, Caryssin her Search. She understood not being able to go - just one more reminder of the poor decisions of her past. But to not even be told? Had the candidates known beforehand? Had G’rett? Liesol? The thought that she could have been left so fully in the dark by those she trusted the most cut her deeply. The fear that they might not return for her to rail against cut deeper.

Mollin felt A’zael’s hands on hers, and her grasp of the fabric softened. He was dealing with all these same fears - he had to be, she realized. It was no secret that he and Srunae were close, and if she didn’t return, how far down into that pit of misery would he fall? She let out a shaky breath and met the man’s gaze, letting go of the shirt.
“No. You - you’re right. They’ll make it back. We’d know if they died. Wouldn’t we?”

[Deleted]

Karredy
The walk back to the Weyrleader was finished; as short as it was, she didn't feel any less tired, though she was glad her numb stillness kept her from shaking or fidgeting.

“A’zael,” Karredy told him, and by extension whoever was listening. “Forgive my outburst, and Zalmaranth’s. It was unseemly--we panicked after the dragons went between, and we forgot ourselves.” She scraped up what felt like reassurance, steady and not ill-fitting even if it lacked personality, though she didn’t have enough energy to think of something besides what she'd just said to Gisellaine and Talera. She wished she could at least try for it--A'zael was her Weyrleader, and shouldn't she feel some sort of relationship with him?

Had she spoken to him about something besides their shared duties, after she'd been grounded from Threadfall and he'd offered to listen to her? But what would she even have said to him? "Hello, A'zael, I'm still not feeling much of anything, besides fear or panic or things that Weyrwomen shouldn't show in public."

"There is nothing to worry about," she finished, and was grateful to feel remorse coloring it--though it wasn't quite for the reason people might think. This was a stinging, secondhand regret for her Weyr and Weyrleader alike, stuck with what felt like leftovers of Karredy rather than the whole person. If she was going to be ill-suited as Weyrwoman, shouldn't she have enough personality to be a proper failure, someone bad enough for everyone to agree to hide away except for mating flights or a token Gather appearance?

Everything will be fine at dusk, Karredy told herself, waiting patiently for... for whatever would happen next.

---
Gisellaine
Well, it made sense what Talera was saying--Karredy was trying to be a Weyrwoman, after all, even if she seemed to drop her training like so much scattered grain, always scrambling to pick one thing or the other back up.

"I try to check up on her, when both of us have time, but... well, she doesn't talk back," Gisellaine admitted. "Not about herself, at least. Usually about the Weyr, or whatever Zalmaranth lost her temper at. She doesn't tell me how she feels."

It took her a moment to realize that the goldrider hadn't quite answered her real question--about if Karredy had told Talera if anything was wrong--and suddenly Gisellaine didn't want her to remember. Not too soon, at least; she, and probably everyone else, would prefer to have the other wing of dragons back first.

Maybe tomorrow, Gisellaine thought with a sinking feeling.

[kevna]

Tak'ril - Bronze Agureyth

Tak’ril reached for his leg, his sitting position not the most comfortable on the ground of his and Agureyth’s sleeping area. He hated stretching, but found it helped on his runs, and kept him from injury. Agureyth was avidly watching with curiosity and was that slight amusement? He almost made a sarcastic comment when the whirring green eyes turned yellow, and a wave of confusion rammed into his mind.

“What, what is it Agureyth?” He choked out, trying to keep his mind wall firmly in place as he jumped to his feet.

I-I am not sure. I cannot feel many of my siblings. They have faded. Not gone, but.. Gone. The bronze slowly gained his feet, as if dazed, and started moving towards the door.

“What do you mean faded?” Following dumbly behind the dragon.

I cannot feel them, I cannot hear them, they are not here, nor anywhere.

"Like dead?"

No, just gone.

Tak’ril blinked trying to fathom what this could mean. How could his dragon not feel the strong psychic link between many of his siblings? He noticed quickly his dragon’s direction, and took step beside him, keeping his stride long and quick to keep up with the large bronze. When they made it to the hall, but the bronze turned off to join other dragons, and Tak’ril stepped inside. There were many already present, and A’zael was making it to the front of the room.

The Weyrleader quickly explained what was happening, and thanks to the lessons that the young weyrling had been taking, he somewhat understood the concept of timing it. Somewhat. He also understood the dangers of it. He felt his lips go numb first when the Werleader explained who had gone back. The candidates? All of them? He wanted to shout out this question, but just felt numb, blindly looking around as if he would be able to see the small woman he was looking for in the large crowd. Surly she wouldn’t have left? She wouldn’t have left, at least not without saying goodbye, or or something??

He felt dizzy and took a chair, barely recognizing the drama unfolding with the Weyrwoman and other leaders. Only faintly hearing the anger, the shouts, the fear the rumbled beside him.

Hey buddy, do you feel her? Do you feel Joia? Agureyth seemed to have a connection, or at least a strong like for the woman, and he hoped beyond hope, that maybe Agureyth could still feel her. That she had stayed behind where it was safe.

I do not feel her mine… I am not sure if I could feel her if she were here though. I do not know…

The uncertainty in the voice plagued him. Suddenly, he got back up, and tried to make it to the front.

“Sir, A’zael, did all the candidates go? All of them?” He wasn’t sure if the Weyrleader heard him, for B’rax spoke up just then to further explain the secrecy behind their actions, and his frustration built. He wanted to shout, wanted to cry out with the rest. He could care less about their reasonings. He wanted to know if Joia was gone. Were his new friends Vavithan and Muze gone? Had they decided the benefits outweighed the risks? How likely were they to return?

A woman clung to A’zael’s shirt, and he realized his question didn’t matter. Not really. His fear didn’t matter. Everyone was afraid too. He stood numbly, and listened as Karredy spoke up and apologized for her outburst.

“Did they all go? All the candidates?” He had to ask, just one more time, it was quiet, and this time he directed it more toward B’rax, but the question was open, to all that stood near enough to answer. A desperate plea for knowledge.

Zen

[Alyx]

Rachel and Blue Aslith

Rachel’s temper was barely in check, the chaos of voices around her not helping calm her. Karredy’s voice joined those in disbelief, which surprised the Bluerider. How had she not known? Had they held the Senior out of the loop on purpose? She shot Az a darker look as Mollin shot past her at grabbed at him; Rachel hoped the younger Bluerider was strong enough to shake the man till his teeth rattled. Talera moved quickly to take the confused Karredy in hand and, after a few moments, their Senior Weyrwoman sputtered out something that would have been at least a reasonable apology any other time.

Rachel rolled her eyes. This only would add to the increasing rumors of their lack of leadership in their Weyr from their Senior Weyrwoman; and, with that, make Rachel’s life harder when she worked. IF she returned to work after this – she felt the oil boil up in her stomach again, wanting to spit fire at the Bronzers explaining this idiot maneuver. B’rax seemed to be trying to calm the currents of rage in the room, while Az was trying not to get choked to death by Mollin. What a mess.

Catching bits and snippets of the conversation, her frown deepened. “How can you KNOW they'll it back?” Her voice cracked a bit at the edge, fueling her anger. She hated showing that bit of unsteady, of weakness. She prided herself on being as tough as they come – when she was picked by Aslith, women on Blues were far less common then they were now. She fought for be where she was, to have the respect she had, even if it was faulted against someone with a higher colored dragon.

Deep down? It hurt that she hadn’t been told, more than that they had tried this idiocy. Children she’d brought into this weyr, to stand on the sands… more often than not, parents had trusted her words their younger were safer here, had futures here. And then people she counted as ‘friends’ didn’t even have the decency to let her know they were going to risk their lives by tossing them back into the past like ash-dust in the winds after a Fall. She shot the pair of Bronzers a sharp look, then closed her eyes and turned her back to them.

Pushing away threw the crowd, she put distance between Az, B’rax, and herself. She was feeling an overwhelming urge to stab one or both of them, and that wouldn’t exactly help right now. If Dusk came, and this didn’t have a Harper’s tale ending, then she might take a shot at them. Right now, she wanted away from them – once the rage tempered, the damage would still be here. The not being trusted enough to be told…

That, Rachel seethed, would be the lasting damage that she hated the most. She trusted them but clearly was not trusted enough in return. She passed S’fin as she moved back, the Greenrider’s face saying it all. She wasn’t the only one that felt betrayed. That helped…. But only a little.

[Zen]

A'zael

A’zael managed a soft smile for Mollin, a small nod of confirmation, “They’re not dead, Molls. We know they made it. Srunae left us a sign. Twenty eight eggs, the two of them laid. Come dusk… come dusk, we’ll have twenty eight new weyrlings.” If there’d been no Betweens at their hatchings, if none of them got lost during lessons, if-.... No use dwelling on that right now. “The dragons would have keened if they hadn’t made it. We just have to find it in ourselves to be patient until dusk. They’ll be back.” Of course it was the return that was the most concerning thing. How could they return to a time that hadn’t happened yet? But then, to those in the past, they hadn’t happened yet, but they still existed, so it had to be possible right? He couldn’t think about it too much or it just made his head hurt.

Karredy’s voice drew his attention and he felt a flare of irritation over her display. This day was set to be difficult enough without her adding fuel to the fire as she had. An apology hardly fixed anything, though she at least seemed to have come to her senses. He had half a mind to tell her to go back to her weyr where she couldn’t do anymore damage, but sending her away now would probably send the wrong message, like maybe she indeed hadn’t known and he was just acting behind her back, not to mention any number of other things that people might infer from the Weyrwoman running away to hide in her weyr at a time like this. Hopefully she wouldn’t cause any more damage by staying than she would by leaving.

There were a myriad of things he could have said to her, but he trusted that Talera had already said them, and he had an entire Weyr’s worth of people to worry about besides, so he bit back any remarks that tried to leap to his tongue and simply nodded to acknowledge he’d heard her. If they were going to talk about this, it wasn’t going to be a public display in front of the entire Weyr. Rachel’s familiar voice spat a question at him and he flinched at the venom aimed his way, coming from a friend. He couldn’t answer her question. He didn’t know. He just had to believe it, he didn’t have any other choice. And then she was stalking away. “Rachel-”

“Did they all go? All the candidates?”

The question reached him in a brief lull in the overall raucous noise of the cavern. There were other questions still being shouted. Some seemed to have calmed at least a little since they had all begun their explanations, but there were plenty who were still angry over the secrecy, concerned that the venture had been a mistake and that they would lose everyone that had gone. He shook his head, not entirely sure just who had asked the question, his gaze flitting in the general direction of where it had come from, “Most of the candidates went, but not all of them. They were given a choice, but few chose to stay.” He was sure the voice in question was asking after a particular candidate, and they did have a list of everyone that had gone, information just in case… in case they didn’t return. Relatives could be told. Some had left behind letters. He didn’t want to think about that either.

Rachel was too far away to speak to now, and honestly, that was probably for the best. He didn’t think it would be wise to try to speak with her until after everyone was home safe. Maybe then some of the venom might have drained away, and he might survive the encounter unscathed. And he couldn’t ignore everyone else clamoring for their own answers just for her either. He caught his brother’s eye at the back of the crowd, before S’fin glanced away, and he felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Was S’fin mad at him too? Shells, this was going great, wasn’t it? His doubts about the wisdom of keeping it all secret from the Weyr rose again, but protecting the mission, and those undertaking it, was worth it. It had to be worth it.