Post by Zen on Jul 22, 2017 17:29:01 GMT -5
10th Pass, 5th Turn, 11th Month
Treyjen, A'zael
He'd sent Karosh up to the Weyr to set up meetings for him with the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader, and Jusikar to set up with the Holder Elect. Leaning against the deckwall, he scowled slightly, sure that Nalyra would complain about not being chosen to speak to the Mavros leadership on his behalf. Diplomacy wasn't her strong point, however, and he wasn't about to risk offending anyone important just to save his sister's pride. Anyway, he hadn't even seen her since she'd inserted herself into his meeting with Srunae about the mystery eggs, and that was two days ago.
Karosh had informed him earlier that day that the Weyrleader could see him during midday meal if he was so inclined, but that the Weyrwoman would be busy until sevenday's end, and Jusikar told him the Holder Elect would be able to see him in a few days' time. He supposed he ought to start making his way up to the Weyr if he wanted to make his meeting with A'zael. He wanted to keep up a friendly relationship with the Weyrleader, even though he mostly did business with his Weyrwoman, as it was mostly part of her duties to secure the necessary supplies for the Weyr. It never hurt to have friends in high places, and A'zael wasn't your typical bronzerider, which he very much appreciated. Much like himself, A'zael had a disdain for the formalities and politics of his position.
The walk up was a long one, the winding tunnels leaving Treyjen feeling more than a little claustrophobic. He hated being ashore. At last he made it to the Weyrleader's weyr and rapped his knuckles against the door. He wasn't entirely certain if it was within the Weyrleader's power to do him the favor he wanted to ask, but if not he could at least talk to his Weyrwoman, plead his case for him.
A'zael opened the door and grinned when he saw him, “Treyjen! Welcome back to Mavros. Come in.” He stepped aside and ushered Treyjen into the meeting-room-slash-office just inside his weyr. Treyjen had a moment to catch sight of his Bronze lounging on his stone couch, eyes whirling with interest at him, before they disappeared inside the smaller room where food was already waiting. The Weyrleader turned to clasp hands with him, “Good to see you're doing well.”
“Aye, you as well. And your Bronze caught the Gold again... lucky you,” Treyjen smirked, knowing very well that the younger man wasn't entirely happy in his position. A'zael grimaced briefly, only confirming what he already knew. Treyjen laughed, “Your Weyrwoman isn't too bad to look at, you know, what's not to like?”
A'zael shook his head, “Karredy is hardly the problem. Come, sit and eat. I trust you've been... enjoying your time here so far?” The bronzerider cast him an amused look.
He laughed once more, taking a seat, “Aye, sure have. Ah, almost forgot.” He pulled a bottle from one of the deeper pockets inside his coat and set it on the table, “A fine bottle of Benden Red, just for you, mate.” He had one set aside for the Weyrwoman and Holder Elect as well, after all a nice gift never hurt a friendship.
A'zael laughed and took his own seat, “Benden Red...? Well, you were fortunate in your... trading this time around, I see.” He danced around the fact that the wine was very likely not obtained through friendly means. He preferred not think about it. While the gift was a luxury item they didn't need, Treyjen's crew, and others like them, were half the reason Mavros was able to get by, bringing in plenty of things they DID need. Desperate times and all.
Treyjen grinned darkly at that, “Aye. Aggressive negotiations generally yield well.”
“Aggressive...,” A'zael ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. He had to laugh at the phrasing, but he didn't really want to dwell on it. “So, you and your crew have been well then, I take it.” He paused, gaze narrowing slightly as he couldn't resist, “And your sister?”
Treyjen eyed the younger man, to which the slightest of smirks quirked A'zael's lips. Upon his very first meeting with A'zael, after the man had first been installed as Weyrleader, he had brought his sister along to meet him. She had been rather eager to meet the new Weyrleader and wasn't about to take no for an answer. A'zael's gaze had constantly wandered to Nalyra the entire time, and the two had flirted mercilessly, no matter that he was standing right there to witness it all. He didn't care who his sister slept with, she was her own woman and was free to make those decisions, but she could at least have had the decency to wait until he was gone before throwing herself at the man.
It had become something that the two of them just loved to hint at just to annoy him, though neither of them ever confirmed or denied that they had ever done anything beyond flirting. He wouldn't put it past either of them, but he couldn't be sure, and as much he didn't want to know, he also did. He leaned forward slightly, “You know, a good brother would just beat the truth outta you, A'zael... and I like to think of myself as a good brother.”
A'zael laughed, sitting back and grinning as though he hadn't just been threatened, “I can't imagine what you're talking about, Treyjen.” As much as the man may truly want to follow through with his words, he was very aware that he wouldn't. Attacking the Weyrleader would have serious consequences, after all.
Treyjen scowled at him, “Mhm, right. The both of you can just shove Between.” He eyed him, “You know I'm not feeling quite as charitable anymore. Maybe I'll just enjoy this Benden Red myself.”
A'zael laughed again and decided to have mercy on the man, “Suit yourself. So, is this a business visit, or did you just come to enjoy my fantastic company?” He didn't often deal with Treyjen himself, leaving that to Karredy, or whoever she deigned to assign to the task. After all, she was the one that kept up with the records of what they had and what they needed, what they could trade or spend. He didn't have much of an idea on such matters himself, it was his job to oversee the military side of things, not so much the upkeep of the Weyr. Treyjen knew this, so unless the man was trying to sneak around Karredy for some reason, he wasn't entirely sure what the purpose of this visit might be, other than trying to keep up friendly relations with him.
The pirate snorted derisively at that. Fantastic company, more like a right pain in the arse. He sat back, raising an eyebrow over at the younger man, “Well, now that you've had your fun at my expense, perhaps you wouldn't mind doing me a favor.”
A'zael returned the expression, raising a brow of his own, “... What sort of favor?”
“The kinda favor that pays off in the end,” he responded, rather cryptically at first, but then started to explain himself, “See I've gotten my hands on some mystery eggs, and though your lovely little Goldrider wasn't able to identify them-”
“Goldrider?” A'zael could put two and two together. If there was some sort of mystery creature involved, the only Goldrider that Treyjen was likely referring to was Srunae.
Treyjen sat back, studying the suddenly guarded expression on A'zael's face. Well, well. A smirk pulled at his lips, and he pretended to look thoughtful for a moment, “Ah, yes... what was her name.... Pretty thing, flows off the tongue well... Srunae?” He watched A'zael expression closely. The bronzerider's eyes widened slightly, then he glanced away briefly, and Treyjen didn't miss how... uncomfortable he seemed.
With a light cough, trying to regain his composure, A'zael turned back to Treyjen and his tone had gone taut, “Ah, you've met one of our Weyrling Goldriders then. I imagine you... conducted yourself properly, then.” What was this weird feeling? The idea of Srunae spending time with Treyjen of all men had him distinctly uncomfortable. He was just worried about her safety... that had to be all it was. Treyjen was a pirate, after all... he may seem friendly enough, but there was no telling just what sort of man he was beneath the surface.
A dark grin spread across Treyjen's face, “Conducted myself properly? Just what are you afraid happened, Weyrleader?”
A'zael seemed to stiffen, “Afraid?” He forced a laugh that was not entirely convincing, “I... I just wanted to make sure you afforded our young Goldrider the respect she deserves, is all.”
As if Treyjen believed that for even a heartbeat. A'zael was no more caught up on formalities than he was. He leaned forward once more, latching on to this chance to pay him back for all the little jabs about Nalyra, “Oh, I respected her in all the right ways, don't you worry, A'zael.”
“All the...,” he cleared his throat in another cough. He was just having a go at him, that was all. Srunae wouldn't have... she... would she? It was Treyjen, after all. He had that whole sort of exotic, tall, dark and handsome thing going for him. No, Srunae wasn't like that. She... right?
Treyjen sat back and watched the Weyrleader's mind work. The man was far too genuine for his own good; his emotions flitted over his face, as easy to read as an open book. Discomfort, worry, uncertainty, confusion. He was making this far too easy. “As I was saying. I enlisted her help to identify some eggs, but as she was unable we... entered into negotiations and... came to an agreement together.” Yes, he was insinuating pretty hard, but he was quite certain A'zael would fill in his own innuendo even when the reality of it was, there was none.
Frustration and impatience flitted over A'zael's features and he waved his hand, “What does this have to do with your favor, Treyjen?” He didn't want to hear anymore about their supposed... negotiations.
Treyjen did his best not to laugh outright, rubbing his hand over his mouth to hide most of his amusement. He'd never seen the Weyrleader quite so... flustered. “Well these eggs have made me think... exotic pets are worth quite a few marks.” He paused and A'zael stared at him, clearly too preoccupied with thoughts of him and Srunae to quite grasp where this was going just yet, “These new beasties you have here at Mavros... Gemgliders... there are plenty of wealthy buyers out there that would pay out the arse for something new and exciting. So I was thinking, if you or perhaps your Weyrwoman, whoever... would be willing to procure a few eggs for me to disperse amongst my crew, perhaps we could breed a few now and again and sell them for the benefit of Mavros, hm?”
On the one hand A'zael was quite glad to be moving on to a different subject, on the other he still wasn't quite sure what he believed about Treyjen's insinuations and would really like them clarified... but wait no, no he didn't. And it wasn't any of his business anyway. If Srunae wanted to... to.... He shook his head, trying to focus on what Treyjen was saying, was asking of him, instead of the tumultuous thoughts in his head and the very unwanted imagery that kept trying to play in his mind's eye. “Ah... Gemgliders?” He blinked a few times. What had he asked? He wanted a gift of them... that's essentially what he was asking for, right?
He scratched his chin, “Yeah.... I suppose. I mean.” He shook his head again, “Hold on.” He ran his hand through his hair with a sigh, too distracted to notice Treyjen's smirk. He sifted through the man's request, trying to figure out if it was one he could fulfill. Srunae had a Green.... No. He closed his eyes, he wasn't about to bring Srunae into this. Rau! Rau had gotten the Gold of the clutch. Surely his friend would be willing to part with a few eggs to help Mavros out when she clutched. He would of course have to check first, but he was pretty confident Rau wouldn't mind at all. He nodded then, looking over at Treyjen where he was waiting patiently, taking a few bites of the food in front of him during the lull in conversation. “I should be able to do that, though I can't exactly tell you when.... I don't know how often Gemgliders mate....”
Treyjen waved his hand as if that was no matter, “Ah well, I'm sure I can ask Srunae next time we meet.” Implying there would be a next time, that they were even perhaps planning a next time.
A'zael stiffened, his fingers tapping on the table in front of him with anxious energy, “... Right.” The urge to tell Treyjen to just stay away from her nearly overcame him, and he was again baffled by these feelings. What was wrong with him? Srunae could spend her time with whoever she liked. They weren't weyrmated, they weren't even... anything. Friends, they were friends. They were... something. What were they?
Treyjen stood, tearing A'zael out of his head for a moment to look up at him, “Well, I thank you for the meal, A'zael, and look forward to hearing from you about any eggs you might be able to get for me. I'm sure it will be a good investment. I'll be sure to ask Srunae just how best to care for the little beasties. See you around, Weyrleader.” A'zael wasn't even quite able to form words to tell him goodbye before he was walking away, waving absently in Fath's direction as he headed for the door with a wide grin on his lips.
