====October 18, 2013
====Hannah, Lendai
====Fire. The Weyr is on Fire.

Who Hannah, Lendai
What Fire. The Weyr is on Fire.
When There are 0 turns, 11 months and 12 days until the 12th pass.
Where Hatching Sands, Leadership Courtyard, Southern Weyr

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Hatching Sands
The Sands are surprisingly soft to the feet and to the eyes: rich grains of gold commingle with the ground basalt-black that mark the shores of Azov's Sea. The whorls of lighter color pattern into the sands, larger-grained and often settling at the top, as golden driftwood against dark shores. … but the moaning from above sounds like the chorus of the damned, lessening the natural beauty here below.
Type 'help here' for info on how to set/use the sands.
Bronze Vossuth is here.
Lendai is here.
Obvious exits:
Archway


-- On Pern --
It is evening
It is 7:50 PM where you are.
There are 0 turns, 11 months and 12 days until the 12th pass.
It is Summer and 88 degrees. It is heavily overcast.




It's well past the time for the decent, law abiding folk of Southern Weyr to be tucked in their beds. The best time… for shenanigans. And shenanigans there are already in the making. Lendai stands upon the empty hatching grounds sands, recently raked and cleaned from the chaos of the hatching on a few days prior. Her hands on her hips, she begins to move, slowly, around the vile platform that sits so innocently. Unassuming. Always mocking her. A sharp nod of her head, and the Weyrwoman gets to work. Though not without another glance around her to ensure that she is, truly, alone. Quick feet run out of the hatching grounds, materials and supplies lifted and brought in. Two trips are needed. One, to bring in a small sack filled with odds and ends, as well as a hefty looking axe. The second? A rake, which she then drags behind her. Perhaps to cover her trail? No words are needed as the goldrider labors. The axe, much heavier than she has expected, brought down on the well built stairs over and over and over, until a decent amount of kindling has taken root underneath the platform, towards the middle. Lendai moves out from underneath, moves to the sack, and grabs a small container as well as a tiny box. Back under she goes, one last time. The contain emptied, the tiny box opened and a match withdrew. Strike, strike, strike, FWOOSH! The small stick is lit! A moment or two is given to appreciate the flame, before it's tossed onto the kindling and the excellerant takes hold. Lendai hurries out from underneath as the fire takes off, shooting upwards and licking at the middle of the platform. Not a single burn on the Weyrwoman, which elicts a cocky smile from the woman, as the wood begins to start aflame as well. The sounds of a crackling fire begins to roar. More and more of the platform erupting in fire. A wild, eerie cackle leaves the Senior's lips as she claps, all the while jumping up and down! "Yes, yes, yes!" More and more smoke is exuded, drifting up, up, up and out of hatching grounds.

The hot, humid night is still and silent, cloaking the senior Weyrwoman's mysterious happenings with only the cool caress of moonlight to light her path. Hannah, meanwhile, struggles with dreams that plague her, brought from the past into the future. Perhaps, it's a by product of so many time jumps, but enough night terrors visit that it's not at all unusual to find herself awake in the middle of the night. Foreboding soaks into her bones, into her body, like the moonlight the illuminates the pale, white fall of hair that spills down her back, down the skimpy, silky pajamas she happens to be wearing as she comes to stand on her ledge. It is the eerie cackle that draws her attention, quickens her breath. Hastily, she shoves her feet into some slippers and rushes for the Hatching Sands, breath lodged firmly in her throat. As the fire spills outward, lighting up the newly swept sands, she careens to a halt. Horror, fear, and pure confusion flushes the good amount of fair skin that's on display in the silky pajamas that cling. A rough word starts out choked and ends on a scream, "Len…DAI!" Maybe she thinks, at first, that Lendai is getting attacked!

White smoke continues to creep up and out of the hatching grounds, much like a giant chimney of nefariousness. Her laughter doesn't stop just yet, and there might be just a slightly hysterical twinge to it. The woman mad with power, mad with the rush of the fire burning down the one implement that made it hard, almost impossible, to sit in the galleries and watch the hatching of her dearest friend's dragon. Her feet move a little now, the wildness of moment filling her blood, the smoke rushing around her person as Lendai gets just a little too close, the heat radiating in excess as the flames grow larger and larger as more wood catches flame. Soon enough, about half of the large platform has been consumed in the flames. Already it is bowing into itself, pieces of wood snapping as timbers weaken and turn to ash. And Lendai? Lendai dances. Like some kind of witch giving sacrifice to the Moon Goddess herself, her arms above her as she kicks up her feet in what is assumed to be a moment of unwatched freedom. At least, until her name is said, nay screamed, that causes the goldrider to stop in her tracks and turn around. Pigtails undone, hair flying free, but a white night shift on her body, Lendai stares into the face of her junior. Slowly, guilt starts to wash over her face. A wince, before roughened words come from her lips. "H-H-Hannah! Uh… good morning?" A little wave to the younger weyrwoman. The older rider taking a few steps to the right, to better center herself in front of the flames. Maybe Hannah won't notice.

Coughing, Hannah holds her arm over her nose and mouth, staring in horror first at the platform and then at Lendai. As the flames rage, her feet cook (she didn't put on BOOTS here), she dashes towards Lendai. Dropping her arm from her nose and mouth, she grasps Lendai's upper arms. "Lendai!" If Lendai doesn't put up a fight, she gives her friend (not senior) a shake, green eyes filled with worry as her face tilts up towards the woman. "What are you doing?!" Smoke fills the caverns quickly, wood beams snapping and popping like a giant bonfire. A piece of splintered wood expodes outwards causing a shower of sparks and embers. Quickly, Hannah tries to lace her fingers through Lendai's, "WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE." You know, where the smoke won't KILL them. A deep cough comes, as the junior tries to lead Lendai away from the torture device that's now getting consumed in the rage of fire. "Please, Lendai." Barest whisper, threaded with worry. "Before Q'fex catches us." Even now, she's thinking about how to save… face. The platform — thank goodness, Th'seus already moved her screen and chair — is given another, pained look but a beam snapping in another shower of sparks has the junior jerking back again.

Huh. It is getting a tad bit smokier in here. Lendai tosses a look around, noting the caverns filling more with the sooty smoke as almost the entire platform is now up in flames. Her glee at seeing the most hated offensive object burn is shocked, however, as her body is shaken by the other goldrider. She steadies herself quickly, taking a step away from Hannah's shaken hands, though allows it when fingers intertwine with her own. An eyebrow is raised, a few coughs given from the older of the two, and words follow. "Burning down the platform. One would think it was obvious!" Dark humor dances on Lendai's tongue. At least until the platform starts to crumble all around itself and Hannah begins to lead her away. The goldrider goes with it, following like an obedient puppy, hand in hand, after the junior. "I hated it, Hannah!" Because that's a good enough reason in Lendai's mind to start a bonfire in the Hatching Caverns. "I hated it so much! I never, ever want another platform in here again! I hate them!" As the pair flee away from the burning pile of wood that is quickly becoming cinders. Now Lendai is picking up her feet, now she's actually running. Laughing like a crazy person the entire time, but Hannah's urgency has rang clear in the woman's head and desperate not to be caught in the act of a crime is a priority. Suddenly, however, the goldrider stop, jerks her hand from the younger goldrider's, and runs back back towards the inferno. In time to grab the rake and DRAG it deep into the sand to wipe free their foot falls. Back to Hannah, all the while dragging her rake. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

A deep concern etches Hannah's features, sooty and smokey as they are now with all that burning wood, smoke, and the splattering embers. When Lendai runs back, she almost yells to stop her, but the senior's thought processes at least cover their tracks. "Lendai, we have to get out of here." Is it too late to save this? To save Lendai? To save the weyr knowing that… The questions tumble across her expression, green eyes as plain as day what her thoughts are, but as they flee the Hatching Sands, to the Leadership Courtyard where their ledges are, she stops. Putting her hands to her knees, she gulps in sweet, clean, humid air which only fuels the coughing of her lungs. "You — I. You could have killed yourself!" Is that a tear that slips down the curve of her cheek, making a clean track in the soot that covers her face. "I — you can't — " Worry clashes with the desire for clean breath as she turns on the balls of her feet, looking helplessly around. "I know you hated it, I know you did, and I wish that it — I wish that everything had been different…" All attempts to keep silent is ends on a near-wail of fear, "BUT YOU COULD HAVE DIED!" Not loud enough to be a scream, it's more of a tortured sound that's yanked from Hannah's husky voice. Not to mention, there's a slight askance look at Lendai's half-crazed demeanor. "What are we going to do? You can't let Q'fex think you did that. He will crush you."

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Leadership Courtyard
Nigh palatial, this gorgeous sweep of cultivated bowl: a courtyard proper, a fountain bubbles in the middle of a grove of orange-trees, next to a stone bench that has weathered many a turn. Rare metal stands out at the sweep of steps upwards to the landings of queens'-weyrs and other administrative personnel; handrails to prevent… mishaps, and sparse doors of spiraled cast-iron to lock out any vagrants.
It is Summer and 88 degrees. It is heavily overcast.
To the southwest, you see three dragons and one runner.
On the perch is Princess.
Obvious exits:
Small Door Upper Bowl Ledges



Lendai only agrees, fleeing with her friend out of the hatching caverns and towards the safety of the Leadership Courtyard. Mimicing Hannah, Lendai also draws in gulps of fresh air, softly coughing out any lingering soot in her lungs. A few giggles of mirth escape her, though funny is not exactly what this situation might be called. "It's fine, it's fine!" Lendai attempts to reassure the goldrider, her hands going up and waving in front of her. "I knew what I was doing," which truly only makes it worse. "I didn't get a single burn, see?" Those same hands are held out. There's a slight redness to her skin, hands, face, arms, but it's simply from the exertion and some of the heat. It'll be gone by morning's light. "You weren't supposed to be there, you weren't supposed to know. It just. Happened. Someone made it happen. Let the rumors fly. Let Q'fex say it's me or not. He can… he can…" An inhale, a pang of the heart that's all feeling. "He won't even speak to me. I haven't seen him in sevendays, Hannah. He won't come for me. He's too… too something of me. Scared. Irritated. I don't know. But even if he thinks I did it, he'll do nothing about it. I'll make a decree. No more platforms. Other. They are bad luck. The sands will be cleaned again and ready for whenever Bailey's gold goes up and clutches. It was a flawless plan!" Minus the crazy, selfish intentions behind it. "I'm sorry, I am, for scaring you. But I'm fine! See? Perfectly fine!" Pause. "That wood went up super fast, didn't it?" AHAHAHA. Too soon?

Hannah stares at Lendai, frozen in time with her mouth open and her face dirty. The silky pajamas stink like woodsmoke and no longer have the same lustre to the fabric as when she started. "Lendai…" Her voice is twisted with worry, panged with regret and in this moment, on the heels of a truly heinous night terror, finding her friend like this — she throws herself at Lendai's mid-section, arms around the older woman as what can only be a shudder wracks her slight frame. "Don't take such a risk again. Remember how you felt with the feline." As the depth of fear finally eases, however, a dry, macabre humor touches on the words. A tease? Too soon? "Q'fex will own you if he finds out. He's just biding his time." Pulling away, she dashes the tears from her cheeks, the rise of smoke curling upwards as the blaze sends an eerie red glow coming out of the Hatching Sands entrance. Calmly — almost too calm — Hannah comments, "There goes the pillows." You know the ones, the ones that Lord and Lady Holder asses just sat on.

"I won't, I won't." Lendai says, as she gets manhandled around the middle. A pet to Hannah's hair, as well as a kiss to the top of her head. All of the woman's maternal instincts not used on her own child, but instead on her most wonderful of juniors. "It's just fire. Errr. You're going to want to burn or wash your clothes and bathe right away, so no smoke smell lingers. It's pretty… fragrant in your hair." She gives a cheek grin, before grabbing ahold of her own locks and bringing it to her nose. "Ugh! Mine's even worse! I'll be throwing this shift into the fireplace, that's for sure. No evidence!" Such a perfect plan. Her eyes glance towards the entrance, her object of interest. "It'll have collapsed by now. Look! The smoke isn't as great." She points up, near the top of the hatching grounds, where dragons usually fly in and out. The white smoke does appear less. "The sands are probably helping quell the flames. I didn't think to take anything off the platform first." Shoulders are shrugged. "Ah well. I also burned all the supplies I had with me. Tossed them in the beginning fire." A deep sigh. In and out. Her eyes glance to the sky, where the stares are twinkling on this humid late night. "Q'fex is doing nothing of the sort. He's got a Weyr full of terrible dragonriders to fix before Thread falls. He'll be concerned with their ineptness, not a tiny fire and a burned platform." Totally convinced, Lendai is. "…you have to admit. That was pretty awesome."

"I…" Hannah just shakes her head, wrinkling her nose when she lets go of Lendai. "You just watch yourself, Lendai. This Pern is not like our Pern." Concern is there, reflected in the planes of her face illuminated by the moon's light, though shadows linger still. A foreboding comes with that statement, though her eyes are also turning to the stars as well, but it's not to admire their beauty. As the cloud of woodsmoke clings to the pair of them, the junior murmurs, "We won't be ready." Is it for Lendai, though? Or for herself? It's hard to tell. "I would have been prettier," she admonishes gently, "if you hadn't burned the work of the people that love you." A soft rebuke, given with a gentle heart and yet there's a thread of feral steel that lies beneath that statement: a reminder to the senior to remember her people. "Let's use your bath. Mine is…" Her voice trails off, but surely it almost sounds like 'occupied.' Into the shadows of the night, the pair of them disappear to wash away the grime and grit, perhaps hoping to hide what Lendai's done. That is… until morning comes. Or possibly before — fire, it brings a lot of attention.

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