Who

D'wane, Rielle, Devana (NPC, played by Rielle)

What

D'wane and Rielle deal with a plea for help from a hot-tempered wildling healer at the Barrier Hold.

When

It is noon of the sixteenth day of the fifth month of the twelfth turn of the 12th pass.

Where

Main Hall, Southern Barrier Hold

OOC Date 04 Nov 2017 06:00

 

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"Haven't ye been listening, dragonman?"


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Main Hall

Before entering this space, the atrium at the entrance of the hold would seem unable to be topped in magnificence — but the main hall does well to dispel the primacy of the entrance's opulence. Here there is wood instead of stone, and all the same arching space: what's more, here is warmth, steam piped from the springs beyond. A warm and inviting environment, this crossroads of the hold, with tracks well-worn into the polished wood of the floor. There, the dining hall; there, the damp doorway into the hot springs. A tiny door exits westward, while the cold atrium beckons through a curtain of heavy hide.


Most people are probably doing everything they can to avoid Southern Barrier Hold in autumn that's quickly approaching winter. As usual, it's really damn cold out. Snow is coming down. D'wane is not one of most people today. After having successfully wrestled the weyrsecond knot away from Zl'an, the bronzerider has also found piles and piles and piles of files that he needs to catch up on. At least some of them are tucked under his arm as he starts the process of removing some of the many layers required for existing outside in the mountains in winter now that he's somewhere warmish.

There's a murmuration of voices and boot-steps that starts to build from the direction of the dining hall. Bit by bit, the voices sharpen into two distinctly female tones, one an even high alto with notes of Fortian and Ruathan around the edges, the other a quick, light tone that could be Southern, Fortian, or Bitran by turns. Soon enough, two women come into the hall. Rielle, still dressed in full leathers save for her helmet and gloves, is doing most of the listening while a wildling woman clad in furs with long brown hair speaks, her voice quiet but animated and punctuated by some eloquent gesturing here and there. "…not as if it'd cost ye much, but it might cost us everythin'," the woman can be heard saying, just as Rielle glances up to spot D'wane. "Afternoon, Weyrsecond," the Serval wingleader greets with a salute as conversation pauses. The wildling woman glances between the two dragonriders expectantly, but doesn't interrupt for all she looks like she wants to. "I'm glad you just happened to be here!" Rielle goes on with a smile. Nope, the newly minted Weyrsecond isn't getting a moment to himself just yet!

It doesn't take too long for D'wane to get helmet, scarf, gloves and goggles off and tucked into said helmet, although there's a certain amount of juggling with the folder of files. He clearly hasn't invested in a man-bag just yet, but the need for one seems to be growing. The murmurs coming from the direction of the dining hall are mostly ignored as it's the dining hall and a common place for congregation after all. He was just about to start heading down the hallway and towards the Hold's library when suddenly, he's spotted and turns to return Rielle's salute, eyeing both the wingleader and wildling woman suspiciously. Nothing ever good comes out of the statement 'I'm glad you just happened to be here.' That's a well known rule. Unfortunately, it's also a fact that it's really hard to just slip off unnoticed when you're the largest person in the room and have eyes on you, so he's sticking around for at least a little bit. "Afternoon, Wingleader. And ma'am." A polite head tilt towards the wildling woman of unknown rank. "What seems to be the issue?"

Cheer up, D'wane! It might not be so bad. "None, if ye don't get too caught up in your spinner's webs of rules and regulations, Weyrsecond," says the wildling woman, carefully emphasizing the title Rielle has bestowed on the big man even as she gives a civil inclination of her own head. Alright, so this one might not be so easy, though Rielle seems keen to counter the woman's fire with her usual even keel. "Weyrsecond D'wane, this is Devana, a healer from one of the local clans. They'd had a group out in the mountains to hunt and retrieve a certain medicine when an avalanche happened. The hunters made it back, but the way to the higher elevations is closed, and she'd heard Serval is in the business of retrieving materials for Crafters, so thought we might be willing to lend a hand going back and getting the medicine. I said I would see if we could be spared from normal duty for it…" At which point Devana interjects, "It'd be a small matter for dragonfolk to fly up there, aye? Our hunters were injured in the avalanche; we can't afford to try sendin' more, especially with the pass blocked, and we need what's beyond it."

Seeing as how the most of D'wane's riding career has been spent at High Reaches, rules and regulations are kinda second nature at this point and so he gives Rielle a look complete with raised eyebrow as he's probably questioning just what mess it is she's dragging him into. "An avalanche? But all the people made it back, right?" He's going to look between the two women to just double check on that fact. "Flying up there is one thing. It's the landing I'm concerned about. If the area is already unstable, a dragon landing could just make things worst. Just what was the medicine?" There's questions and also some real big red flags flying in his thought process already.

"Aye," for the return of all those in the avalanche, "and ye wouldn't be landin' where it happened." Impatience edges Devana's tone as she folds her arms upon her fur-swathed chest. "There's an alpine lake we were tryin' to reach above the pass. Deep snow right now, but flat and safe enough. We go up there for a moss that doesn't grow anywhere else. Redrime, it's called. There's nothin' stronger for treatin' conditions of the lungs, and we get a lot of 'em in the winter." Rielle takes the opportunity to add, "It's something I'd like to see myself, not having heard of the like. If it's as effective as she says-" Devana turns a sharp eye on the brownrider. "Ye're welcome to take some back to your Weyr. Once. But it works, and you'll be findin' your own scrapes of it hereafter." Evidently there's little enough of it to be protective about.

That lady can get as impatient as she wants, D'wane's not hurrying up his decision process any as he crosses his own arms and thinks about this more. "Someone should definitely do a sweep of the area, including where the avalanche was." He'll concede to that much at least before turning attention to the wingleader. "Rielle, you got any riders that are from the mountains? Or miner backgrounds? Folks that would know what to look for about possible signs of avalanches?" He's still hung up on the whole possibility of death from falling ice and snow.

Rielle gives a nod at mention of sweeps, silently citing her own wing as up to the task. "I have a few, aye," she says of the backgrounds of some of her riders. "M'noq and I have also been talking about doing some joint training with Lynx and Serval to deal with situations like this, and I know he has some as well. This would be a good opportunity for us, combining skills." Devana's arms drop, her hands settling on her hips. "And you'd be takin' me along." It more a definitive statement than an offer. "I don't fear your beasts, I know the area as well as any of our trackers, and I know what to look for. I'm not askin' to put your people in harm's way any more than mine already are, or for longer than necessary," she tells D'wane earnestly. "I have people who need the redrime, and the only ones who can get at it before they're beyond helpin' now is you lot."

Even if Rielle wasn't going to sign Serval up for it, D'wane totally was assigning them considering this is 100% her fault that he got dragged into this. It's only fair, but he'll nod along with Rielle saying that she has both experienced riders and it's something that her and Lynx had been planning on anyway. Devana's next comment though proves that D'wane's eyebrows are going to get quite the exercise today. "No. We'll do what we can and sweeps are something that we have to do anyway, but I'm not putting any more folks in the area than necessary." And there's still the possibility that said lake isn't really as safe as he claimed and maybe nobody is going to be landing.

Naturally, Devana isn't at all pleased by D'wane's denial of her assertion. Before Rielle can stop her, the wildling woman - of a height with the brownrider and therefore nearly a foot shorter than the big Weyrsecond - steps closer to the man, her chin jutting defiantly as eyes the color of sun-dappled pine snap irritably up at him. "Haven't ye been listening, dragonman? Ye think us soft? We know that lake better than the likes of ye ever will no matter what the season. Won't a thing fall on ye there unless you're stupid, and not even your healer-wingleader here'll be able to know the redrime when she sees it without one o' us." An assertion that has Rielle eying the wildling somewhat irritably…but she hasn't gone hunting for medicine in the snow before. "I'm askin' for your help, and ye'll either give it or no. Do, and ye'll have our gratitude and knowledge of a new medicine granted ye by the wildlings ye claim no ill will toward. Don't, and keep our ire and share some responsibility for the deaths that'll happen. But ye'll not be keepin' us from what we need. We'll find a way." Rielle sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Devana, please have some faith that-" The wildling woman rounds on her, eyes narrowing. "I already had some, tryin' to approach dragonriders for help. Seems it was misplaced."

"If" And D'wane holds up one large finger between him and Devana, "On our sweeps, riders are able to confirm that the area is safe for landing, then we can talk about taking you out to search for this moss. I will not and cannot commit to anything until that is done. If we can help, we will." But that's going to depend on the initial survey done by the sweepriders, but he does turn back towards Rielle. "Make sure Keelie's one of the ones assigned with this project." Hopefully the wildling wingsecond can be a bit more diplomatic with the wildling clans than he is, even if Devana isn't from her clan.

"I was planning on it, aye," Rielle says of taking Keelie, watching Devana carefully as the wildling woman's jaw clenches and her eyes blaze. "Ye really don't know how to trust anyone but yourselves," she growls, turning smartly on her heel and striding back the way she and Rielle had come. "Devana…" The woman holds up a hand to warn Rielle off as she storms out, leaving the brownrider sighing in her wake. "She…has a lot of bark and fire to her," Rielle notes. "But she's afraid, as most Healers are when they don't have something they need and time is crucial." Looking back toward where the wildling woman disappeared, she shakes her head. "And she's not ready to let 'Weyr medicine' near her people any more than we're apparently ready to listen to what they say about where they need to go."

D'wane watches Devana's exit with a face that would be perfect for dragonpoker. Only once she's actually passed out of sight does he let out a small sigh of relief. "She may be afraid, but we can't send riders in to possible avalanche area. If it does turn out we can land safely, good. Like you said, the medicine might also be of interest to our own healers, yeah?" A brief pause for confirmation now that they don't have the wildling woman right there. "But I've dug enough folks out from avalanches before. And some that we just had to wait until spring thaw. Can't risk a rider to that." There's a headshake to try and brush off some of those morbid memories. "But if it really comes down to it, would she really let her folks die instead of try 'Weyr medicine' if that was all that's available?"

Rielle's expression is conflicted for a few reasons, gently-angled brows furrowed over troubled teal eyes. "It's hard to say," she murmurs in answer. "She can't expect us to trust her word if she isn't willing to trust ours, so I'd assume she'd have to be willing to try if it really came down to it. But…they're tenacious about sticking to what works for them, especially with us here." After a moment more of thought, she settles a hand on her hip, glancing back up to D'wane. "I think she'd do what's best in the end, but it's not something I can say with full certainty." She starts to fasten her jacket again, slowly. "The lake she's talking about…it's above the avalanche area. Broad, flat basin, with the steepest walls over the water - or ice, now. It's the cold and the depth of the snow that makes it most dangerous, if you ask me." Which he didn't, but she's putting it out there anyway.

D'wane raises a hand to rub his head as Rielle confirms the rather prickly nature of the wildlings and there's a muttered string of curses as perhaps the magnitude of the political quagmires that D'wane's apparently volunteered himself for stepping into by accepting his new position. "We'll do what we can. But we have to make sure it's safe for the dragons. And that might not be something she'd understand if we got there, but had to turn around." Which was why he was so firm on Devana not joining those sweeps. And he'll nod again at Rielle's comments on what to look out for. "Yeah… but we fly sweeps up here anyway, so the cold should be less of a problem. Definitely just choose riders you know can be trusted to weigh all the possible dangers."

Rielle doesn't begrudge D'wane his muttered litany of bad language over this particular matter. "Aye. That's the big thing they can't understand so easily," she says of the dragons. "Or won't." There's a fine line there. The brownrider nods when he restates the importance of who to choose for the sweep. "I will. I'll go call a wing meeting right now, in fact. Unless," she says, gesturing at the stack of files under the Weyrsecond's arm, "you need me for anything, since I just pulled you headfirst into a little situation." Turnabout is fair play, as they say.

Cursing is one of the pleasures D'wane has to distract himself from the problems he has inherited or will receive. If Rielle or anyone else did begrudge him for that, there would probably just be more cursing. But since that's not an issue, he's just going to nod along as Rielle agrees about the importance of placing dragon (and rider) safety first. There's a little laugh at the pointing out of the files. "Nah. Just some reading to catch up on. Thought this would be remote enough I wouldn't have many folks coming up with issues for me." But from that tone, he's definitely rethinking that stance. Maybe he'll just find some random beach to do his reading. Or High Reaches… or just accept the fact that he'll never be able to get something done again without interruptions.

"I'm willing to bet the bigger the knot, the more issues will find you no matter where you go," Rielle notes with rueful amusement, though her smile at D'wane is sympathetic. "I just stopped by for some klah, after all." And in that brief span, Devana still found her. "Anyway, off to a meeting it is. I'll keep you posted." With a quick salute, Rielle is bound back outside and then homeward. Time to take care of some business.

The snort that follows that statement is all that is needed to say just how much D'wane agrees with it, right? But he'll give a nod and return Rielle's salute. "Good luck with the meeting." And speaking of klah, since D'wane's already here, he's going to make his way on up to the Klah Bark and hope that he doesn't get ambushed by some more wildlings with more problems to be solved. That's probably a vain hope, but off he goes to hope it anyways!

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