What's a Weyrwoman to do? [Tag: Open]

[Ariana]

Quarantine: Day 20 (Two weeks after the clutching)

---

Ariana

Over the last few days, Ariana's life went from somewhat busier than she had in High Reaches to extremely busy. The shift in workload from Jr Weyrwoman the 3rd to only Jr Weyrwoman was expected. Add onto that now acting Sr Weyrwoman workload while Valencia was out in recovery, then her Syn clutching, and to top it off the weyr was in a crisis of a massive bout of firehead that wasn't acting like firehead normally did. Being from High Reaches, Ariana never had to deal with firehead. Being an outsider and someone in an important post meant as soon as the sickness swept through, Ariana was put under isolation to protect her. The order had come when she was on the ground, and it just made sense to stay down here where she could reach Syndoreth with ease.

Being Isolated meant she had very little chance for anything fun, but she was far from being without things to do. There was a mountain of hides piled on her desk, the work she had agreed to take on before the plague came in. Being sequestered indoor did hae one benefit. It was getting hot outside. She had come to White Sands in the middle of High Reaches' summer. It was the best time to make the move as it gave them one last chance to look to High Reaches' mountain before leaving all that blasted snow behind. Which meant that Ariana and Syndoreth appeared in the middle of White Sands winter. There had been very little change in the temperature that she could feel then. Syn must have been planning on waiting til that were at the islands to rise. With a day or two at most under her belt at the weyr, the egg timer was set. Past the mid-point of spring, it was only going to get hotter from there.

Leaning back in her chair, she lobbed the least hide into the pile of completed tasks. A groan escaped her lips as she arched her back to pull out the kninks. "Gah, when will they let me out of here? I could use another one of B'rioth's parties..." Her mind wandered to the other fun activities she had been introduced to on these alabasta shores. The memory of salty air and a crisp wind elicited a sigh. Or go back to that beach with Ja'ryns...

[B'rioth]

In a drunken bout, Ariana once confessed to B'rioth that she came to White Sands because she needed a change. The upending life madness over the last sevendays counted, he felt. And he decided that she needed a break. Of course, he meant to be that break. He smoothed his hair back and headed out to make his friend feel better.

B'rioth spent the entire morning playing with a children's game that Master Lyrxias jury-rigged with an upgrade. The collection of colors and shapes went from being a primary teaching tool to a brain teaser for the brown rider. Now his brain hurt, and he knew only one cure for hurting brains.

Sleep? No, no not sleep. Sleep is good too, but it's the middle of the morning. True... The Wingsecond had had enough of brain exercises and so with a small plate of food in one hand and a roll of hides tucked under his other arm, he entered Ariana's office.

"Ah-ha! I had a feeling I'd find you here. You know hiding in your office is counterproductive. The hatching sands is the best place," B'rioth said with a laugh as he slid the plate onto the closest flat object. As long as it could bear the weight of the plate, the brownrider set it down any old where. He tossed a napkin on top of it. "I brought you food because I know gold riders, you lot don't eat. There's some sliced wherry from last night and a couple of slices of redfruit. Some other stuff, you'll see when you pull off the cover."

Now that he had a free hand B'rioth slid it into his pocket and withdrew a small flask that he set down next to Ariana. "And there. That should make work more interesting." He shifted his bundle to the other armpit and leaned an elbow on the wall. "So what are we doing? Is there anything you need help with? I'm bored out of my skull. They won't let us fly today because it's too windy. I already asked. Though you realize I'm going to start charging you for every time I show up to make your life more interesting?" B'rioth laughed again.

[Ja'ryns]

Perhaps around the time that B'rioth set the plate down, another set of footsteps became apparent in the corridor. Lighter footfalls but swift ones as though their owner carried with him an urgent message or concern. So it was that not long after B'rioth leaned against the wall, a certain brown fire-lizard entered the office.

Dusty bulged his announcement that HIS was imminent and all should pay heed. The flying herald swooped low over the food but thwarted by the napkin, perched carefully atop the hide pile on Ariana's desk instead. He announced Ja'ryns arrival again with a loud bulge and then folded his wings looking absolutely proud of himself. Mission accomplished.


Ja'ryns entered the office. The events of the Weyr showed on the lines on his face. Small crags that hinted at crow's feet older in life edged his blue eyes, evidence of poor sleep or not much of it. His generally disheveled appearance suggested he'd been resting or possibly even sleeping when Zayreth summoned him on Syndoreth's behest. He had his shirt loose exposing a portion of his chest. His red hair tousled all over the place on one side and partially flat on the other, and his vision still blurred as he rubbed one eye, Ja'ryns half yawned his words.

"Zaayreth said you needed somethin- " And he stopped mid-sentence as he opened his eyes completedly and noticed the brownrider's presence too. "Oh. Good morning, B'rioth." Unconcerned by the other rider's presence, Ja'ryns inquired: "Am I interrupting? I can wait outside or come back. Zay made it seem urg -"

It is urgent, your mate needs you. The bronze stated matter-of-factly. They could be in a starcrafter meeting or just a conversation, Zay. We need to be polite. Ja'ryns sighed. "Zayreth is sure it's urgent."

[Ariana]

On the outside of the Jr Weyrwoman's office the healer had tacked a notice to the door. Informing those who entered to only enter if it was an urgent matter (that could not be delivered via fire-lizard) and to keep their distance from her. Her office had been rearranged to have an extra table setup near the door for someone entering with hides (or food) to have a place to set it without the need to go near her. While these measure were all done in-order to keep her safe, it did little to improve her mood. It reminded her too much of the normal life at High Reaches, she had limited freedoms there and little to no fun. The first three months being at White Sands had been full of fun. There was work to be done, but almost every day after the work was finished, someone had something fun going on and always invited her.

Hearing the door open broke Ariana out of her day dreaming, B'rioth would catch sight of her draped over the back of the chair right as he entered. "Oh! B'rioth come in." By the time he had set the plate down, the Weyrwoman had pulled herself to sit up right again. She smiled at him, though her demeanor was still drained. She chuckled at his jest. "Thank you for the food. I am sure someone would have brought me a plate or another basket at some point." She gestured to the almost empty basket that was at the end of the table. "And I was just getting used to eating more after coming here. More like I was getting used to always going to one of your parties." As if on cue he produced the flask.

One hand went to take the flask, while the other went to grab the next hide. There was her project that she had been working on with the miners and metalsmiths before everything was put on lockdown.. As it was a person project, she could jesticfy leaving her office to see how that was going. The Weyr healer had been very clear in what she should and should not do during this time. She hadn't heard from the healer in a while. There was a report due from him a three days ago. Perhaps Or'west handled it."If you d-" She was cut off by the bulge of Dusty.

Bane had been sleeping on a shelf nearby, the loud call of the other fire-lizard caused him to wake with a start. Ariana had very little time to react when three things happened almost all at the same time. Ja'ryns entered saying Zayreth told something was urgent, the popping sound of Bane jumping between from the shelf to flop on top of her head, and the overwhelming urge to sneeze that she couldn't suppress. She turned away from B'rioth and her desk as quickly as she could. It was one of those sneezes that knock the thoughts right out of your head, and if you weren't careful, or knock your head on the desk in front of you. It sent Bane sailing off of her head and onto the pile of completed tasks hides. Ariana had to take a moment to feel like she could breath out of her nose again. "Gugh." A few sharp inhales to steady herself, she rubbed the top of her nose with the back of her finger. "Ah, Ja'ryns. What was it you said?"

[B'rioth]

((I have no idea what Pernese say when someone sneezes. The Dragonlady didn't give specifics. If there is something and I missed it, please assume B'rioth's polite enough to say it.))

B'rioth shrugged. "I had to tone the parties down because of the quarantine and all. No one would have shown up." The brownrider managed to sound both disappointed and amused simultaneously. Upon the sudden arrival of a fire-lizard, B'rioth instinctively reached for the nearest pile of hides. Two hands, two piles he held in an attempt to protect Ariana's precious stacks. "Whoa... easy there..." he muttered.

"Good morning to you, how's Zayreth?" When Dusty managed to land and settle without destroying a stack, B'rioth casually switched his attention to the one the brown had landed on. Just in case. He held it with both hands to keep it steady. "I have no doubt there will be more of my parties in your future, Ariana - ah!" There was always the last bulge and it caught B'rioth by surprise. His yelp wound up being so well-timed with the end of the weyrwoman's name that B'rioth couldn't help but laugh. Hapless to protect his hearing from the trumpeting brown, B'rioth turned his head away as he laughed and protested. "Du- Dusty! Sto - " This time Ariana's sneeze cut him off. He added with a chuckle and a head cant to Ariana, "Dusty - well, Dust - got to you too. I've a kerchief in my pocket if you need one."

[Ja'ryns]

Between B'rioth's laughter so close to the fire-lizard's head and Ariana resounding sneeze, it was enough to startle Dusty. He took off with a surprised squeal, leaving swirling air in his wake. Fortunately, due to B'rioth's careful attention, it was highly probable that the hide pile upon which Dusty perched remained safe. He followed Bane to the bronze'e high ledge and sought a perch there.

Those three things that happened all at once ensured the pleasantries of idle conversation had to wait until Ja'ryns secured Dusty. Though the general chaos of Ariana's organized mess had some kind of order to it at the moment if Bane's movements startled the brown it'd turn the chamber into a total calamity and they'd spend the afternoon helping her clean it all up. I was right. About what? This is urgent. The dragon replied with an amused rumble. Ja'ryns chuckled too.

He approached the desk and stood across from Ariana. "Ok Dusty, that was great. Thank - " Ariana sneezed. His words no doubt overlapped B'rioth's offer. "Oh here Ariana, let me get something for you." Had he been properly dressed, Ja'ryns would have had something to offer Ariana to capture the sneeze. Since he didn't and he had no desire to reach into the brownrider's pocket as he came around toward her, Ja'ryns grabbed one of the wadded hides and offered it to her. "Here... Zayreth woke me up and said you needed me. Said it was important. He thinks that sneeze proved his point." Their close proximity made it easier to see the worn, wrinkled skin of a Threadscore scar that peered out from under his open shirt.

[Ariana]

Poor Bane was launched off his person's head by the sneeze. Quickly recovering to between and retreat up to his perch. He allowed Dusty to take refuge up there with him away from the loud sneeze in case it might happen again. It was large enough for both of them to sit comfortable up there and watch the people below.

"Ah.." Ariana rubbed her nose again before Ja'ryn's was able to hand her the hide, she smiled at the both of them while taking the offered hide. "Thank you. Both of you." Her eyes did dart to Ja'ryn's scarred chest for a moment, flashes of memories from seeing more of them came to mind. She covered her nose, the edges of another sneeze threatened to make itself known to the others. "It's just a sneeze. I'm not sure it was that urgent." Now that they were both closer to the weyrwoman, they could see the slight redness in her eyes as well as the effects of the lack of restful sleep she had been getting as of late. She wore she shirt loose and partly open, the keen of sight may catch the bead of sweat that rolled down the back of her neck.

"Syn must have told Zayreth to wake you. I'm sure it is not the firehead that is going around. I haven't been in contact with anyone that has come down with it and I have the mixture the healer made." She gestured over to the container sitting on one of the other tables. From all the reports she had heard of firehead, she brushed the sneezes off. She didn't feel feverish, it was just bloody hot on the island. At least that was what she told herself, the worry that came with the other way of thinking wasn't good. And poor Syndoreth was stressed out with her clutch as it was. "Dusty and Bane must have kicked up some dust or sand." She rubbed her nose again as she chuckled to herself. "You two must have heard me thinking of you."

[B'rioth]

B'rioth half-turned his body to avoid being hit by Bane. If Ariana had chosen to take his kerchief offer, she'd have had a good angle at it with the twist. But of course no impact forthcoming because the little bronze disappeared between. That was fine. Now to secure the piles of hides by convincing Dusty to get off. It didn't take any work at all. Not a heartbeat later, the brown went up and away as well.

Not involved in why Zayreth summoned Ja'ryns or why Syndoreth told Zayreth to do it in the first place, B'rioth only listened with half an ear, his attention more on the piles and fire-lizards. Satisfied they'd both settled on the ledge above he carefully removed the supporting hands from Ariana's precious piles and withdrew to lean against the wall.

In the meantime, he had an excellent view down Ariana's shirt and his laughter petered off into silence as he subtly admired the view. "Sure, sure. It is just a sneeze. All this dust and - yes, exactly. Dust and grit from troublesome fire-lizards and all the work you've put into this- ehem!" B'rioth cleared his throat in a dramatic fashion and tapped his chest with the side of his fist. "Eh - hem! Important missives."

The brownrider looked around the room with a few pointed head turns. "So now that the sneezing is over - " He spared a glance at Ariana before going back to surveying the organized chaos of her office. " - what else do you need help with 'cause Faranth's shells, I need something else to do. Preferably something that doesn't involve paperwork." Of the three dragonriders, B'rioth appeared the most rested which was in truth most likely since Wingseconds didn't have much to do outside meetings and drills and of course, Threadfall. So B'rioth had plenty of time to do other things.

[Ja'ryns]

"That's probably what happened, it is too erratic to be anything else." As soon as she took the hide, Ja'ryns' body decided he needed to yawn. "Now that I'm awwaake - " her weyrmate said with an additional yawn that he stifled and then cleared his throat. All elbows and wrists, he watched the precarious fire-lizard wrangling from the floor not far from Ariana. Ja'ryns nodded and rubbed the sleep from his eye with the back of his hand.

"Yes, the salve." He drew one of the other chairs toward her desk and sat down kitty-corner to her. It'd not interfere with the hide piles if he happened to flail due to an unexpected fire-lizard or gesture while he spoke.

"I need to ask you about it. Lyxias... Lyxias had some follow-up questions that he wanted asked of each recipient. You said you're still feeling fine? Did you apply it already? How long ago was that? Have you noticed any side effects?" Ja'ryns inhaled a long breath and yawned again before he could prevent himself. Fortunately, he managed to cover his mouth and turn to the side. "I know we live together but I never see you and if you're awake, I'm usually asleep." He added with a soft chuckle. "B'rioth, I know you've been issued some of the salve so same questions - "

And in the same breath, Ja'ryns returned his attention back to the goldrider. "- as for being careful about the quarantine and interactions, you're not so isolated you believe, weyrwoman." A sidelong glance toward B'rioth heralded a smirk. "You may have not had contact with others but your visitors are all over the Weyr, including both of us." A half-tilted head included the brownrider in Ja'ryns' commentary.

[Ariana]

While Ja'ryns was yawning, B'rioth request for something to do gave the gold rider the chance to forward a project. "No paperwork, unless you want to write down what you find. Go talk to Redel, we have been working on restoring the roof of the observator. The old one might have fallen down the mountain side." Bane crooned from above. He wanted to sit on the tall stone that his girl wanted to see.

The thought of not being there if they did managed to find the strange roof caused Ariana to pause. She would have liked to be the one to find it, or whatever was left of it. However with everything she was doing as the Jr Weyrwowamn for a Weyr under quarantine meant she had little time for much else. "If you can find the missing section or the trail it left, that would help us- the restorations project greatly." There was her other personal project, but wasn't sure about sharing it just yet. If she didn't have a working prototype then it wouldn't make much sense to others. It was also something that wasn't high on the list to get done.

Her gaze turned towards Ja'ryns as he sat down. She watched his face for any signs that would give away if something was wrong. A habit she picked up from High Reaches, spotting those cues before the news hit helped her to brace for issues. "I used it right after I woke up this morning. That was two... three candle marks ago. Besides feelings like I am sitting in an oven all day in here and the random sneezes."

She paused for a while to consider what else she had been feeling like the past few days. She rubbed the space just above her nose and brow. It was true, they rarely slept at the same time. They had been weyrmates for less than four months and Ariana was enjoying Syndoreth's choice. "I feel like I have been tried more."

The thought that she might have been infected came back to the forefront at Ja'ryns remark about how others could have been bring it to her. Ariana went through the mental list of who she knew had come inside her office recently. Moving outwards to whom they would interact with. This caused her to sigh. The fingers that had been pressing circles onto her brow moved to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Almost seems pointless to remain in here if I think of everyone that could have been 'visiting' me."

[Ja'ryns]

Ja'ryns nodded in time with B'rioth and Ariana's answers. "Good, good," he murmured as he added their reactions to his mental list. None of them screamed 'side effects' to him. At least not potentially dangerous ones. Still, it was good to note anything out of the ordinary. "No rashes or discolorations anywhere?" With Lyxias gone, it fell to anyone with healer experience to assist in getting the salve distributed and watching for any untoward side effects. That meant Ja'ryns was in charge of it all now. He wondered how Rokai fared on her task but knew they wouldn't hear from her for a few hours yet since she had to make it down the mountain and find the dragonriders first, as well as visit the Lord Holder.

"Hm, I don't think being tired is a side effect of the salve though it is possible. The sneezing might be? I'll have to check my list." In the last few days, he'd taken to carrying a list of both the ingredients and the side effects that Lyxias observed but due to his current state of undress, he didn't have a pocket let alone any of his usual gear. "As a professional healer, I diagnose your fatigue due to being because you transferred in time to take on Valencia's responsibilities as well as deal with a brooding Syndoreth. You managed to choose what turned into a busy and historic time for White Sands."

Ja'ryns reached across her desk and offered a light touch on her forearm. He squeezed it and added a smile. "No this isn't the best place for you to isolate. A true quarantine should have started at the beginning of this mess... maybe using one of the unused caverns off the Hatching Sands? But, it's too late for all that now. I'm optimistic we're on the back end of this blight and things will settle down again at the Weyr in short order."

[B'rioth]

"Nah, nothing here. I smeared it all over my body last night as instructed and I'm feeling great as usual. No sneezing or itching at all." The brownrider spared time enough to look at Ja'ryns when he replied to the dragonhealer's questions. Once Ja'ryns seemed satisfied, B'rioth turned back to Ariana.

"Rydel? Sure, I'll go talk to him." B'rioth repeated back with a curious head tilt. He sounded disappointed as though he'd anticipated assisting Ariana in some other manner. "I'm happy to lend a hand with the obser- Oh, about the roof? Well, sure we can search. Though I'll tell you, Rydel thought of that already. Soon as he realized it'd be felled, he recruited people to search. They searched for the remnants of it and were able to find pieces of it but not the entire thing. I couldn't join in at that time." He tapped his head to silently acknowledge the injury that had grounded him for more than a Turn. "What they found is already stacked up near the observatory. It's all those parts and pieces in a heap not far from the Rim itself. Do you want me to renew the search? I'm sure I can round up some of the Weyrlings to assist me." He pushed off the wall and took a step out of the room but turned again as he laughed. "Wait, you were here because you wanted to isolate yourself? Hahaha - yeeeah, Ja'ryns is right, this was a bad choice."

[Or'west]

Or'west finished his journey across the Weyrbowl. Among the various noises outside were the footfalls that a keen-eared tracker associated with Or’west. Now from the corridor without came the Weyrleader’s baritone words as those boots and the man within them approached her office’s closed door. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. “Ariana? Are you here? We need to discuss something...”

[C'zar]

Not long after Or'west arrives at the Weyr offices, a silent figure enters the room. The Weyrleader called us, Torvaneth reminds him, and that's enough boldness for C'zar to clear his throat as he enters. He nods in deference to Ariana first. "Weyrwoman, greetings," he says, then nods to the Weyrleader. "Weyrleader Or'west, you asked to see me?"

He has a feeling it's about the clutch on the Sands. The Weyrbrats would certainly Stand, but there were always Candidates to Search. And he would do his best to find the best and brightest for the Weyr. Even the littlest green deserved a rider made of the bright iron that makes a dragonman (or dragonwoman) strong.

[Or'west]

Upon being asked the question, the Weyrleader’s dark gaze drifted across the features of the blue rider. Both his expectant countenance and slight hesitation gave evidence that he waited for something. Yet what he desired was not forthcoming so he grunted and relayed the news he wanted to C’zar. “I have good news for you. You’re not stuck in the Weyr anymore. Here, take it.” he offered the other man a small jar. “This salve is something that masterhealer Lyxias created. You may have heard rumors of it by now. Use it on yourself, be sure to rub all over thoroughly. It should, by his admission, be a preventative for the plague. Afterwards, you’re given leave to start Searching again. G’age is already on Essal so I recommend Searching on a different island.” Or’west gave a one-shouldered shrug, a careless gesture. “Though you may want to coordinate with your fellow Searchrider too. I’ll leave the specifics up to you the two of you."

He waited until the C’zar took the jar. Then, turned away from the Searchrider and cast his attention onto the Weyrwoman and the other two dragonriders. “You’re dismissed, Wingsecond." He said in a flat tone to B'rioth. "If you have business with the Weyrwoman, wait in the hallway until the meeting’s concluded.” Without waiting for the brownrider to take his words to heart, Or’west walked further into the room so he stood close to Ja’ryns.