It had been a long, long time since Igraine had been as far inside the northern continent as Igen Weyr. She had been happy these last years traveling from clan to clan, offering her services, and doing as she pleased. Being a free agent had been wonderful, so much so that it feels odd to travel towards stability and with the idea of settling her feet, in a weyr, no less. The trek across the desert had been no piece of cake either, lending to the sense of growing ennui forming in Igraine’s chest. However, the excitement welling at the thought of seeing S’ayde and Ggharrahd and Dhoren again outweighs that sense of unease.

Igraine leans over to pat at the neck of her gelding, who is black as night and looks like he was built for cooler weather.”Ready for the last run of the trip my love? It shall be the last good run we have for a bit, I think….” The tone in her voice piques the gelding’s interest and his ears flick with excitement as he snorts and dances a bit. “Well, let’s go then, heeyah!” Igraine gives the gelding a slight kick to the sides and he takes off, whinnying his joys to the skies and all around. Igraine gives the runner his reign until they are only a couple of leagues from the weyr. Here, she dismounts and walks her runner for awhile.

Some hours later, Igraine is just outside Igen Weyr, walking beside her runner and sticking to the shadows. Habit sees her muffling her gelding’s feet with burlap and sneaking into the weyr with none the wiser. She considers the map she’d been given and with almost too much ease, soon has her runner settled amongst the other Zingari beasts with only a half conscious teen any the wiser, and with all the new arrivals the young herder boy isn’t surprised to see a new face. She spends the night cloaked, watching the comings and goings of the camp, learning it’s vibrations. When all closes down for the night, none are wise to the fact that Igraine is among them, and she slips into a supply wagon for the night.

Igraine spends two days watching thus, and makes keen observations. Griggs, the guard captain of the Zingari, was a blooming talent, not yet grown into his britches. With proper training, he would be very good at his job. Igraine first takes note of this when Griggs seems confused at the addition of her gelding to the mix of Zingari Runners. “Has that one been here? I don’t remember seeing him before….” No one could tell the poor man just how long the midnight gelding had been there.

Igraine shakes her head, poor Griggs, asking all the right questions and getting all the wrong answers. If Igraine did not want to reveal herself first to S’ayde, she would walk up and explain to the perplexed youth. However, she wants a meeting with her old classmate. She slips off to wait until dark, which is when she’s noticed S’ayde shows up, watching his own guards for what she can tell, which confuses Igraine, considering one of those guards seems to be Javid, a man S’ayde mentioned in passing a lot through his writings and dealings.

Tonight is no different. Just as Rukbat’s last rays melt from the sky to make way for the moons, she catches sight of S’ayde slipping, not into the Zingari camp as expected, but into the camp next door. He’d done this the previous night as well. Following him as she had before, Igraine moves silently through the grounds, peering with curiosity when S’ayde finally parks himself, near a wagon with lights in the window. He seems to be watching over the place, but so are the two other of S’ayde’s men Igraine had spotted coming in.

Her curiosity gets the better of her and Igraine sneaks ever so carefully up behind S’ayde, not even a whisper of sound denoting her passage. One of the men watching the outskirts of the camp is someone Igraine knows, and when he makes to wave and make a noise, Igraine hastily shakes her head and brings her index finger to her lips.

SILENCE!!

We’re hunting S’aydes!!!!!

Meanwhile….

S’ayde is indeed standing a short distance away from Onari’s wagon. Even though he knows Javid is on the case, and that Javid has good helpers, it still makes S’ayde feel better to do some of the watching himself. Even though it’s not really his obligation anymore, Onari’s safety is one of his top priorities, even though he knows that with his training, Onari could take care of herself.

Since the Reika camp is quiet, S’ayde’s mind wanders to other things, espionage things. The fact that he has been unable to catch the culprit in the pit beatings is a thorn in his side. He passes that up in his thought track, to tangled a web to try and unweave just now. HIs uncle and cousin had arrived this morning, and the rest of the cavalry should be arriving soon enough.

Something medicinal smelling wafts across the grounds, bringing with it the scent of earth and life, with an underlying scent of decay and death…

S’ayde rubs at his nose, the scent drifting through the air stinging his sensitive nostrils. Was that one of Tallel’s concoctions?

The medicinal scent may be bizarre, but the sweet note it ends on is even more so….

The second that sweet note hits S’ayde’s nostrils, he knows exactly who it belongs to and from which direction she is coming, though outwardly, he shows no signs of knowing…

Igraine passes the man who almost gave her away and tosses him a subtle wink. Thanks for catching on guy! Igraine has no clue her apothecary like scent has given her away, so excited is she to prank her friend that she’s forgotten a basic skill: staying downwind.

Igraine is quiet as a mouse as she sneaks up behind S’ayde, deft fingers quick to unsheath one of her many knives. Ha! She’s got him! For once!!!

S’ayde smiles as she gets closer and closer and just as she might be getting close enough to make her move, S’ayde drops, sticks a leg out and spins, sweeping his leg around and knocking Igraine’s legs out from under her. “Hello Igri…” He says, smiling mischievously and offering her a hand up.

Igraine is elated that she’s got the drop on S’ayde, is ever so careful in her approach as she raises her knife, intending to ‘scare’ her old ‘mate by using the old sneak’n’stick method. And then, all of a sudden, Igraine’s world goes askew and she’s landing on her butt. She lands with a grunt and sends a mock glare S’ayde’s way. “Oh Dinsayde, must we drag out that old number of a name? We were children then you know.” Igraine chuckles and accepts the hand up, busying herself with dusting off her rear after. “You really were born under the red star, you know?” Igraine teases, tossing S’ayde a wink as she puts her hands on her hips.

S’ayde laughs loudly. “Oh and who’s dragging out ‘old’ names now? eh?” S’ayde grins. “It’s S’ayde now.” The greenrider gives a very stately bow. “Rider of Green Kataskiath.” S’ayde grins. “Oh, was I now?” S’ayde shakes his head. “You know you don’t mean that Igri, you love me!”

“Well, excuse me Mr. rider man, I did not mean to offend your sensitivities, but in all fairness, you started it! It’s just Igraine, now, by the by.” Igraine runs a hand through her hair and looks around, swatting at S’ayde for his last bit of oration. “Oh you’re full of it S’ayde!” Soon enough she’s grinning widely, punching S’ayde in the shoulder. “So, you gonna show me around and introduce me to your leader or what? I’m sick of watching, been here for a couple of days now.”

“Is that your gelding that’s been causing Griggs so much consternation?” S’ayde laughs. “Poor man thought he was going crazy and had just not noticed one of the caravan runners before.” S’ayde shakes his head. “Leave it to you Igraine.” S’ayde rolls his eyes when Igraine tells him he’s full of it and nods, waving towards camp. Onari is in good hands for now. S’ayde stalks off and walks into camp, regaling Igraine with stories of the last few turns.

Igraine follows S’ayde, listening intently to his tales and smiling widely. It was good to be amongst old friends. She receives her orders, Teach and Recruit and is sent on her way for the night. She spends the night setting up her yurt and supplies, eager to begin her work, and glad she doesn’t have to stay in the weyr proper to do so.