Trouble in the Air (Alyx, Zen)

[Taxx]

The happy, celebratory atmosphere hadn't faded much in the short time since the timers had returned; it had been too infectious to let Vitra hold on to her anger over T'vir's cold remark- or the shame of her impulsive reaction to it. It was a prick each time she saw the pink mark on her brother's cheek, but not strong enough to overwhelm her, not like the joy was. She'd apologized, and had begun to tell them both all the things she'd done in her time back- the Touching, Tucseth's Hatching and Impression, all the most important lessons of flying and betweening and those about learning how to care for her blue- Tucseth, who'd grown bored of the chatter, had wandered away through the crowd, greeting dragons he'd never known before today.

The sun had slid further toward the horizon, but the sky itself was still plenty light enough to see by. Plenty of light to recognize the olive-green bronze that appeared from between with a roar before diving for the Rim. Dasiryth had barely landed when T'vil was off his back and stomping along, his face flushed with fury and already yelling. Dasiryth followed, a low growl in his throat and his eyes whirling a mix of deep red and pale yellow. "A'zael!" T'vil bellowed, pinning each face he passed with a glare, searching for the man who dared call himself a Weyrleader. "Where are you, you gutless excuse of a rider? Where's that blueriding thief you sent to Benden? Where is my daughter? Vitra!" The last word was a command, brown eyes sweeping the crowd of faces for that of his child.

Below, hands clasped to her mouth and eyes squeezed shut, Vitra hid in Aleni's shadow. One of her sister's arms was wrapped around her shoulders, a bit of comfort she was glad for, but nothing would make her feel better until T'vil left. She'd been gone so long- in her mind- that she'd completely forgotten that there might be consequences upon her return. And here they were. Her mother and father were likely furious at her disappearing... but there was a silver lining to it. She had Tucseth. She didn't have to go back- did she? Having Impressed made her a Mavros rider. Unless T'vil knew something she didn't. Either way, there was going to be trouble and she was right at the heart of it.

[Zen]

A'zael

Though it was hard to tear his attention away from Srunae for even a moment, he forced himself to do so anyway. He had wound through the returned riders, both new and old, and the staff and candidates that had not Impressed, and thanked each one of them for taking this risk and making it a success. He was still working his way through when a roar sounded and many eyes turned skyward. The bronze looked vaguely familiar, but A’zael couldn’t quite remember until he landed and his rider’s bellow echoed out over the crowd.

He excused himself and hurried away to intercept the Benden bronzerider, hopefully before he could cause any real trouble beyond interrupting the mood. Gutless excuse of a rider? A’zael couldn’t help but laugh at the insult, too happy at the success of the timing mission to let the sour older man’s insult affect him in the least. He had no idea why T’vil was upset with him, though he had shouted half an explanation. He thought they had stolen his daughter?

“T’vil!” A’zael called as he finally neared the man, unable to keep the cheer out of his tone despite the man’s obvious fury, “I’m afraid I’ve no idea just what you’re accusing me of. Your weyrleaders gave Mavros full permission to Search Benden’s protectorate.” The blueriding thief he had referred to could be one of only a couple riders, and he had some idea who it might be. Rachel was from Benden, after all. It was logical for her to Search there.

No'va :: Brown Alduntulath

No’va didn’t particularly have anyone at Mavros that he was coming back to. It wouldn’t be until tomorrow that he could probably see his family. He had instead been moving to each of his friends that had gone on this incredible adventure with him, celebrating their return, and was on his way toward Vitra when the angry bronzerider appeared. When it was Vitra’s name he called, No’va hurried on toward his friend, coming up beside her to take her hand in instinctive solidarity, where she stood with an older woman’s arm around her. They had a similar look, probably related, but that didn’t matter right now. He gave Vitra’s hand a squeeze. He wasn’t sure just what was happening, but he was here for her. Alduntulath managed to make his way through the crowd to stand near them as well, eyes whirling with hints of orange as he watched the angry man warily.

Taxx Alyx

[Taxx]

NPC T'vil of bronze Dasiryth
T'vil's gaze locked on to the younger bronzerider as he approached, pausing in his steps and straightening, scowling with barely contained fury at the gall of him and his riders. Find her, he ordered his dragon, whose growl shifted to a short rumble and then died away as he stretched his head up and looked over the crowd, waiting for T'vil to tell him when one of them looked familiar. "Really?" the older snapped back, arms crossing tightly over his chest. "Without the knowledge of their parents? For all we knew she could be lying hurt somewhere in the Hold. If we hadn't found from someone that she'd been seen getting on the back of a Mavros dragon, we'd have no idea where she had gone."


Vitra of blue Tucseth
The touch of another hand to her own startled Vitra and she dropped both hands, the one grasping No'va's as she recognized him. Grateful for his support, she smiled- but it only lasted a moment until she glanced back over to the two bronzeriders. "That's my father," she muttered, and turned her head again toward her brother. "You'd said you hadn't told him."

"I didn't," T'vir replied sullenly, hands in his pockets and hardly looking at her. "Mother must have told him as soon as he visited. I told you you shouldn't have run away."

Stubbornly, Vitra lifted her chin. "Maybe if they'd given me the same chance they'd given you, I wouldn't have had to." Blue eyes flashed toward her, wearing a familiar look of exasperation, as if demanding to know why she couldn't just accept things as she was told. She knew the words. Girls only ride golds. Girls don't ride fighters. Girls mind their mothers and fathers and do as they're told.. Well, not this girl. Squeezing No'va's hand as he'd done, she glanced at him. "It'd be better if I faced him. I'm a rider now, he can't make me do anything I don't want." Or, so she hoped. At the very least, she hoped A'zael would take a stand on one of his riders.

"Come with me?" she asked, taking a step forward and watching as Tucseth trotted back to her side, standing tall behind her, offering his own strength for this ordeal. 

[Alyx]

Rachel and Blue Aslith

"A'zael! Where are you, you gutless excuse of a rider? Where's that blue riding thief you sent to Benden? Where is my daughter? Vitra!" Rachel had just been relaxing too. She was still angry about not being told about this stupidity trip, more so because they had sent people she counted as friends and family back without her being able to say good bye and good luck. But they were home, in one piece and most of them Impressed. Rachel could forgive it… eventually.

And if this day wasn’t any stranger, the voice bellowing over the Bowl like a drunk herdbeast brought an arched eyebrow. She glanced in the voice’s direction, then toward A’zael; she could see him making his way through the landed Bronze. Rachel thought about making herself scarce… but instead, she patted Haella on the shoulder and made her way in Az’s wake.

She shifted her steps toward the left, avoiding being in T’vil’s view, her paces looping around toward Vitra and a few others. Her voice low, she stepped up behind No’va and Vitra. “Thief? I suppose I’ve been called worse.” Rachel kept her voice low, giving the young bluerider a soft smile. “Don’t worry, Vitra. We have your back… “ Rachel winked at the girl. “...Bluerider.”

Rachel swung her attention back to Az and T’vil. As much as she wanted to mouth off and aggravate the already aggravating T’vil, but still… at this moment, she’d stay with the weyrlings.

Melana and Gold Sularenth

The shouting was enough to lure Melana over. She was quite interested in whoever had such ‘high opinions’ of A’zael. Not that she was going to disagree with them, but it was one thing to think it, but a second to scream it at the top of your lungs where everyone could hear you. Arms folded over her chest and across her stomach, she wove her way through the crowd to be nearer to the ruckus.

She didn’t know the Bronzer, but she didn’t really like him at a glance. Something about him was just… off, like a foul-tempered wher. She didn’t stop at the crowd line, instead of following in A’zael’s wake as he greeted the man. T’vil? That sounded familiar, but Melana couldn’t place it. ‘Sula?’ I am here. The Gold was still in a foul mood herself, looming in the bowl with the gathered dragons. She could feel the Gold’s attention swing around, centering on the small group Melana was pacing towards.

Melana stopped just a few paces behind Az and listened, frowning at the angry visiting Bronzer. ‘He reminds me of K’ton.’ In all the worse ways. Again, it was always worse when they started thinking along the same lines….

Zen Taxx

[Zen]

A’zael

A’zael’s brow furrowed in some confusion as T’vil explained further. Without the knowledge of their parents? His first instinct was to tell the man he honestly had no idea what he was talking about, because he certainly didn’t, and he nearly opened his mouth to do just that, before he thought better of it. If he admitted to knowing nothing about it, he would be effectively throwing one of his Searchers Between without hearing their side to this story. He tried instead for diplomacy, stalling because he didn’t know for sure the rider in question was Rachel, despite his suspicions about it, and until he had heard from the Searchrider in question he didn’t want to reveal anything about his knowledge or involvement in this supposed ‘kidnapping’. His job, first and foremost, was to protect his Weyr and everyone in it.

“I think there must have been some sort of misunderstanding,” he began, not specifying just where the misunderstanding came into play just yet. Shells, but the last thing they needed was T’vil going back to Benden and spreading word that Mavros kidnapped candidates. Would Piara believe him? Would H’dor? He couldn’t say what sort of reputation the man might have in his home Weyr.

No’va

No’va hmm’d softly as Vitra told him that the angry bronzerider was her father. Shells. What was he angry about? He recalled some of the things Vitra had said over the course of their shared adventure, how much she had never been able to do, and figured the man’s anger had something to do with traditional nonsense. The other boy’s comment that she shouldn’t have run away was another clue. Oh. Tucseth returned, and an older woman had suddenly appeared as well, winking at Vitra and offering her support, No’va had no idea at all what their relationship might be, but the more support the better, he thought. He nodded, “Of course I’ll come with you. Like you said, you’re a rider now. Nobody can take that away from you.”

Taxx Alyx

[Taxx]

With Rachel and No'va's support, with a glance back at Aleni to see her nod, Vitra felt better about the outcome of the conflict she knew was going to happen. She weaved her way through the crowd, approaching the two bronzeriders and pausing just behind A'zael. She watched T'vil's eyes flick toward her before looking away- and then turning back, eyes suddenly wide with surprise and confusion. She knew why- she didn't look anything like the person who'd left Benden Hold just yesterday in this time. She was older by almost two Turns, taller than he would expect, with a face and body less rounded by youth and softness.

Momentarily he was speechless, staring at her before finding his voice again. "Is this some kind of trick? How..."

"I can explain," Vitra replied, and there was still the flood of happiness and joy that she couldn't shake, that made her nervousness seem silly. This was a time to celebrate, to laugh and feel pride in the fact that this whole plan had worked out just fine after all.

"Do you think this is funny?" T'vil demanded, and Vitra realized she was smiling, momentarily swept up in the strange rush of emotion; she dropped it, shook her head, and opened her mouth to deny it. Her father took one step closer, moving around A'zael and then he had her arm in a vice grip- Vitra stared up at him and clung harder to No'va's hand, her heart suddenly pounding. No, she couldn't go. Didn't want to.

Tucseth's anger spilled over and he was snarling, an ugly noise she'd never heard from the normally cheerful blue. His eyes were blood red and his head darted forward, fangs gleaming. Not to bite, though if he could then Vitra knew he certainly would have. Just to snap at the man who dared grab his rider. To make him let go.

Down. An answering growl came from Dasiryth, the single word layered with command that made Vitra's legs tremble and dropped Tucseth where he stood, flat on the ground and briefly motionless, eyes whirling. Still red, and his fury unchecked, but unable to protect Vitra as he'd tried to. His claws clutched at the ground, a steady growl rolling in his throat.

"Stop it!" Vitra yelled at the bronze, suddenly furious at him for what he was doing to her blue. "Leave him alone! Let me go!" She turned her last demand on T'vil, wrenching at her arm to try to pull away, to go to Tucseth.

[Alyx]

Rachel and Blue Aslith

Rachel drifted with a Vitra’s side, letting her choose the pace and path. It was her fight, not Rachel’s. Rachel would fight it for her if the girl had asked, but it wouldn’t have solved anything in the long run. While Rachel had Searched her, she hadn’t insisted the girl tell her parents; in fact, Rachel had let the girl make what was probably her first adult decision, and her first OWN choice, but choosing to either tell them or go without telling. She had told the girl there would probably be things she would have to face later by not telling them, but Rachel was more than willing to right this chaos out with her. Vitra was Rider now, a Mavros Bluerider, and there wasn’t a damn thing her puffed up father could do about it.

Rachel couldn’t fault the confused look in the man’s eyes as they closed the distance; she’d been doing that at almost everyone that had come back from the risky jump through time. Two turns brought a lot of changes in people, especially the young ones. He recovered quickly enough though, and Rachel rolled her eyes gently as the man snapped at the girl. Tossing A’zael as look, she shrugged a shoulder. She’d have to talk to him later, she supposed. She saw the movement out of the corner of her eye and turned on a heel, hand dropping to the knife that rested on her hip.

T’vil reached out, and either Vitra didn’t move fast enough or didn’t move at all. His fingers closed around the girl’s arm, and Rachel was already stepping sideways, trying to put a bit of herself in the way. “I thought bronzers were supposed to be civilized. Hands off, before I take it off for you.” Her voice was a low growl, and nearby Aslith echoed it. Another sound, she assumed was Vitra’s dragon, and then the tarnished bronze. Vitra started to panic, screaming something and trying to escape T’vil’s grip, and Rachel started to pull the blade.

Brace. ‘What?’ Rachel paused, only a moment, and felt Aslith’s whole being wrap around her, pulling her into his protective aura mentally as if to shield her.

Melana and Gold Sularenth

Down. Melana probably would have been content to just let Az burn in this, but the moment the stranger moved, the option was quickly out of her hands. Tucseth moved, and then froze, dropping flat on the ground where he stood. Mel felt the rage, her fingers snapping into fists a moment before she realized the anger wasn’t only hers.

Mine. The vocals were deep, primal, and very, very angry. Sularenth hissed, her jaws open like a tunnelsnake's as she advanced on the group, her red-edged eyes focused on the foreign Bronze. MINE. She didn’t bother to temper the volume, stepping up and over to plant her body partly over the downed Blue. Mine. You Have No Right To Command Mine. Ever. She was silent for a moment, then tilted her head slightly. DOWN. She ordered the Bronze, putting the weight behind it to make him lay like he had the Blue.

“Sula, stop. No, don’t.” Melana’s voice was flat, it very clear as she stepped up next to their Weyrleader she was in no way attempting to control or check her Gold. The Dragon rumbled, shifting her attention; snaking her neck like a hunting thing, her gaze dropped to T’vil and she hissed, jaws open. Let. Go. ‘Please don’t eat him.’ Sularenth rumbled but didn’t respond to her rider.

Zen Taxx  (yes, Sula is full on broadcasting. Everyone can hear her. Enjoy I suppose?)

[Zen]

A'zael

Unaware that the subject of the current conflict had approached behind him until T’vil addressed her, A’zael turned toward the girl as well, unprepared for the man’s advance in the distraction. Everything happened rather fast after that. Rachel reached for her knife, the girl’s young blue tried to protect his rider, T’vil’s bronze ordered him back, and suddenly Sularenth was making her way through a crowd parting as quickly as possible for the giant gold who was very clearly angry. T’vil’s bronze would have no luck ordering Sularenth to back down, and she seemed to be turning the order back on him. Her final order was for T’vil.

For once he was thankful for Sularenth’s presence.

He put himself between Rachel and T’vil, because escalating this incident with a stabbing wasn’t going to help anything. All the details were starting to fall into place in his mind. Clearly he’d been right about Rachel being the Searchrider in question, and this girl was apparently the daughter T’vil had been looking for. Unfortunately for him she had Impressed, and that meant she belonged to Mavros now, not to him. He didn’t imagine T’vil was about to get any happier, but there was no changing Impression. His own hand was at T’vil’s wrist, echoing Sularenth’s order, and Rachel’s for that matter, “Take your hands off her. She is a Mavros rider, and if you aren’t going to celebrate her Impression with us then you are free to return to Benden.”

The time for explanations had passed. It no longer mattered just how Vitra had come to be at Mavros. All that mattered was that she had Impressed, she was a weyrling under his charge, and there was no way her father was getting her back now.

No'va :: Brown Alduntulath

No’va still clung to Vitra’s other hand, refusing to let go, and nearly stepped forward to throw a punch with his free hand before Sularenth appeared and stepped in. He normally wasn’t a violent sort, he’d never really been in any fights outside of some basic dueling practice, but he didn’t like how upset this was making Vitra, he didn’t like the thought that she might get taken away. She didn’t want to go and she was his friend. So when the Weyrleader called her a Mavros rider and suggested the other bronzerider return to Benden, he couldn’t help but grin in agreement and satisfaction. Behind the group, Alduntulath watched with whirling red eyes and a snarl on his muzzle, but he had not advanced after Tucseth had been ordered down, and remained watching as Sularenth joined the fray. The brown was tense, waiting and ready for any further threat.

Taxx Alyx

[Taxx]

There'd never be words enough to describe Vitra's relief toward those who stepped up for her. T'vil was a forceful presence, used to giving orders and rarely bothering to hold back his opinions among those of Benden Weyr. But this wasn't Benden, and among Mavros riders he had no power. He leveled a glare at the woman who stepped forward first, but it was the gold who quickly took his attention and his gaze pinned on her, hesitating in the face of her fury. Dasiryth, at his side, let loose a keening noise as he bent to the gold's command just as he'd forced the blue to do a moment ago, his body collapsing to the ground as he whined apology. He hadn't meant any harm- he'd only been worried for his rider.

Tucseth's eyes had rolled upward as Sularenth had approached, taking comfort in her protection even as he quivered a bit at the sense of command in her voice. It wasn't directed at him, which he was grateful for, but it was still a strange mix of intimidating and pleasing. Freed from the bronze's order, he reared back to his paws and turned toward Vitra, delicately taking her arm in his mouth and tugging her away from the angry man, whose glare had shifted to Fath's as he too had grabbed the bronzerider's wrist. The moment the Benden rider released her, Vitra moved away, putting more distance between herself and T'vil. She was happy to let the older riders take it from here: they had to be better at dealing with... well, maybe not situations like this. But hopefully they could handle it all the same.

"Celebrate?" T'vil hissed, sneering at A'zael before flashing a look over the man's shoulder at the girl and her blue who'd paused next to a brown dragon, his gaze passing over the boy standing with her. "For Impressing that? Of course you'd all cheer, you and this ragtag bunch, poor excuses for riders." He ripped his arm from A'zael's grasp and took a step back toward Dasiryth, who was still flat on the ground and moaning. "Yeah, I'll go. But you'd better believe this isn't over, Mavrosi." His gaze pinned on Sularenth then as he continued: "Let him up, Zalmaranth!"

[Alyx]

Rachel and Blue Aslith

Rachel was beyond grateful that Aslith had sensed, or seen, what was coming. Even with the Blue’s buffer, the sheer power of the raging Gold’s sending almost knocked Rachel on her butt. She wasn’t an empath or even HAD, but all the same, that rattled around in her head like firestone in a tin bucket. When Az moved, she stepped back out of reflecting, her free hand coming up to plant a palm against the Weyrleader’s lower back to steading both of them – but mostly herself. Aslith helped steady her mentally, but Rachel could almost feel the echo still.

It was over in the bat of an eye; T’vil’s Bronze was on his stomach, whining like a kicked canine pup, and Vitra’s Blue was on his feet, tucking his rider back away from the small crowd. As T’vil let go, finally, and the girl retreated, Rachel took just a bit more of a step to the side; not to draw the blade as she had been, but to cut off the path that might have let T’vil take another shot at the girl. As it was, the words he flung over them at Vitra had enough sting. Rachel growled at the man, deep in her throat, but held her tongue. Anything she would say would only make it worse.

Melana and Gold Sularenth

Melana glanced over as the Bronze dropped to the ground, then back to her Gold. The stranger didn’t have much self-preservation; at least not form her point of view. As A'zael stepped into the man, Sula shifted her head just slightly as to not collide with the Weyrleader, but continued to focus her angry energy at T’vil. She couldn’t help the slight smile, at the edge of her lips, as her dragon helped turn the tide and put the bully in his place. She hated bullies… he was just like K’ton.

Worse. Was the only word Sularenth echoed, ignoring the Bronze’s whining in favor of looming at his rider. When the man finally agreed to leave, pulling back from A'zael, and all but tried to order Sula to release his dragon, Melana laughed. She took one step, just enough to bring her alongside A'zael. “That is not Zalmaranth. And she isn’t going to listen to you.”

Melana focused on the man a moment longer, making it very clear that any orders she gave her dragon were Hers, and not his. She never thought she could find someone in all of Pern she liked less then A’zael or Karredy. She was wrong; she had found a new level. She glanced at A’zael for a moment for a signal to comply with the man's uncivil order, then sighed and turned to her Gold after. “Sularenth, let him go.” The Gold hissed loudly, her head weaving back and forward as she glared at the man. “Sula… enough.”

No. Not enough. ‘Sula… let him go.’ The Gold rumbled softly and then drew back from the forms around her. Swinging her head over A’zael and Melana, she focused on the quivering Bronze. Very Well. Stand, Bronze. Remember this for as long as you are able. You are a visitor when you are here, do not cross that line again. ‘Very diplomatic.’ Well, you said I could not eat his rider. Melana looked up to meet the dragon’s gaze. ‘He would have gotten stuck in your teeth.’

The Gold made a sound much like a laugh, continuing to watch the stranger to make sure he left.

Taxx Zen (Bolded Sula everyone can here :P Italiced sarcasm is just for Mel)

[Zen]

A'zael

As T’vil tore away from his grasp, A’zael didn’t try to hang on. All that mattered was that he let Vitra go. His insults meant little. The opinions of a man like T’vil would never mean much to A’zael, as they clearly had opposing values. For a few heartbeats he tried to imagine what could ever possess him to treat Azora or Zaelin the way this man treated his daughter and could find no reasoning behind it. Well, there was many a reason the creche existed. Some riders clearly weren’t meant to be parents.

The only thing that concerned A’zael was that T’vil claimed this wasn’t over. He had no idea what that might mean, what T’vil could do upon his return to Benden. But what was done was done and there was no changing it now. He would deal with whatever problems came when they came. Afterall, T’vil’s threat could amount to nothing in the end. As he demanded Sularenth release his bronze, calling her by the wrong name, Melana stepped forward to correct him. He glanced over at the young woman, wondering for a moment just how long she was planning to let Sularenth keep T’vil’s dragon grounded there. He wanted nothing more than to see the Benden bronzerider leave.

She looked at him and he nodded toward the bronze, “Let them leave.” So we can be done with this already. It took her a moment to get Sularenth to comply, and he was honestly shocked at the gold’s words. He wasn’t aware Sularenth could sound so eloquent. She was still intimidating, yes, but there was also finesse in her wording, and he’d taken the big gold to be much more blunt. Perhaps she’d matured some in their venture back in time?

With Sularenth keeping an eye on the Benden pair, he turned and set his attention on Vitra instead, standing beside one of the other new weyrlings. “Are you and your dragon alright?” His gaze flicked to the blue. He would have to start learning all their names. He cast a glance back at Rachel as well. And it seemed they needed to have a chat too.

Taxx Alyx