kite
New Member
[M:90]
Posts: 36
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Post by kite on Apr 15, 2013 18:28:21 GMT -5
Malta recognized the big Brown who joined her and the Bronze as the dragon who'd given her a ride over, but it didn't exactly seem the right moment to be social. She simply shifted over, giving the beast room to maneuver, only to be forced to move again as a Green settled down to help as well. By that point, she was doing very little good, and a woman she guessed was the Green's Rider had found a man's hand and was pulling him out. Judging from the dragon's behavior, that was his Rider; there was no more reason for her to linger.
Everyone seemed to generally be drifting towards a man who must have been the Lord Holder, and a woman. The woman wore a Goldrider's knots, and Malta guessed she was Rikula, based on the general description she'd gotten before transferring to Trelis. She stood quietly, little more than an additional face in the crowd, but her attention moved often to focus on the area set up for Healers; would she be of most use there? Burns were far from her specialty, but she had plenty of experience. Then again, her days healing humans were Turns behind her; she was much more suited to ministering to dragonhide, and none of the dragons seemed to be injured.
Rikula's orders were obvious enough, and sensible. Malta had no objection to following them, and recognized a taller blonde girl as a Candidate, moving south. She followed, her careful memory of the Candidate Lesson providing her with a name -Laila- and fighting the feeling that she was extraneous. Laila took the initiative, talking to a pair of Holders with a smoke-roughened voice, and Malta simply stood quietly beside her. Two pairs of ears were better than one, and two minds better as well. Even if she felt a bit useless, she was accomplishing something...or so she told herself.
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Zero
New Member
[M:125]
Posts: 49
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Post by Zero on Apr 15, 2013 19:07:18 GMT -5
K’ien groaned under the weight of the wall that crushed him. Unable to feel his arm that lay pinned under a hunk of rock and thus unable to move as the sounds of his would be rescuers grew louder, he remained helpless until the first set of hands grabbed onto his shoulders and hauled him from the rubble. He was probably a pathetic sight; a would be rescuer in need of rescuing himself. No doubt he would get an earful from the Weyrleaders later about rushing blindly into burning Holds.
Coughing, he hacked up a lungful of soot and blood as he cradled his broken and burnt arm to his chest, and waved off any aid until he saw someone pull the boy and the old woman out from the rubble. They weren’t in the best shape, a few bumps and minor burns here and there, but at least they were alive. He could breath a little easier now. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself had those two perished while under his care. A familiar rumble caused the man to look up with a pained smile, squinting through the blood that ran from a gash about his eye. I’m sorry I worried you, Hyorinmarth. I couldn‘t stand around doing nothing.
Gently patting the worried bronzes muzzle, K’ien finally motioned for one of the weyrfolk to help him up and away from the demolished building. With a grunt of pain the bronzerider was hauled to his feet and lead away to where someone would get a chance to set his arm and patch him up. As he was lead to the area where healers and volunteers anxiously bustled about tending to the wounded, K’ien overheard the Lord Holder talking to Rikula and the others and couldn’t help but pip up with his own comments at the end. “If you still need help ferrying people back and forth, Hyorinmarth can help out.” With a grunt, he clenched his jaw against the pain as someone took hold of his uninjured shoulder and finally forced him to sit down. It wouldn’t do him any good to keel over now and crack his head open even more against the ground.
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Thorn
Junior Member
Posts: 74
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Post by Thorn on Apr 16, 2013 14:29:34 GMT -5
Jisene was rushing to help with the injured after she knew Kariss would be all right when she tripped. Her hair, in all its golden splendor, fell into a small patch of fire that hadn't been properly put out, and she cried out when the tip caught fire.
J'lan was nearby, and she didn't hesitate to grab his belt knife and use it to slice the braid off at the base of her neck. She sat there, panting for a moment, and then J'lan was next to her and helping her up.
"Jisene? What happened? Your hair..."
"It caught fire. I'm fine, J'lan. There's others that need your help." She gave him a quick smile, and then she was over with the Healers, helping to hold up an injured woman who was coughing up lungfuls of smoke.
J'lan nodded and looked around to try and make sense of it all. Granzth looked over a collapsed wall at him, his eyes whirling in distress. So much pain, J'lan. What can we do?
"Everything we can, Granzth. Can you fly some of the injured back to the Weyr?"
Of course. Granzth moved around the wall and crouched to allow several people, the ones who were able to move, to climb up onto his back before taking off into the sky.
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Post by Lark on Apr 17, 2013 22:32:37 GMT -5
NPC MAN AND WOMAN TO MALTA AND LAILA
The pair were still stricken when the pair of candidates walked up to them. Looking at them blankly, the man blinked a few times, mouth trying to form words as his brain started to pick up thoughts and piece them together. Hugging his wife, the drudge finally swallowed against a dry throat and nodded weakly. "There were strange noises coming from the kitchen..." His wife cut him off however and shook her head. "No that could have been the night cooks for the handlers. That stranger who came by the other day, I told you it was real and not my imagination."
Ask more or investigate the kitchen?
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kite
New Member
[M:90]
Posts: 36
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Post by kite on Apr 18, 2013 21:09:47 GMT -5
Malta wasn't heartened by the blank stare the man turned to herself and Laila. She quickly doubted that he'd be of any use at all, and the woman even less so, but after a moment or two, he began speaking. Strange noises in the kitchen, it seemed, but the woman had a reasonable explanation. Her mention of a stranger immediately piqued her interest.
"Do you mind telling us more about this stranger? Mention anything you think might be helpful. Their gender, what they were doing, if you saw them talking to anyone, where they were," she suggested, stepping slightly forward and keeping her voice as soothing as she could manage. Would it be possible to find the culprit so easily? Likely not. However, a stranger was a good lead, and even knowing the person's gender could go a long way towards finding them.
Malta glanced briefly at Laila, toying with the idea of looking through the kitchens. "I know you're a Holder; any chance you're from here?" she asked in an undertone. It seemed likely enough; she was sure Candidates were frequently Searched from Apolla and Sollace. For her part, she doubted she'd be useful searching a kitchen. They weren't the sort of places she spent much time, and she'd never been to Apolla before, well, now. If something were out of place or missing, she'd be unlikely to see it, unless it was glaringly obvious. As much as she preferred the idea of looking around to asking people questions, she was aware of her limitations in this area.
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Post by Kitsuneko on Apr 19, 2013 13:18:28 GMT -5
Laila hadn't immediately noticed that Malta had decided to follow her, but she had by the time she found the drudge couple. She sort of gave a mental shrug; a second pair of eyes and ears were surely helpful. Perhaps they could learn something together. The couple didn't give them a whole lot to go on--some strange noises from the kitchens and a visit from a stranger--but at least it was something.
The noise from the kitchen could have been nothing, but then again, if the man was a drudge, he should have been used to the typical sounds that came even during the night, and shouldn't have noticed anything. On the other hand, what the wife was saying about a mysterious stranger was very interesting. That could easily have been the arsonist, or at least someone involved. Laila was still mulling over the things she'd heard when Malta spoke up, asking for more information on the stranger, and Laila gave a nod of agreement.
She spoke up to answer Malta's question, blinking in surprise. "Yes, actually, I am, although fortunately, my family, from what I can tell, should be safe. Ah," she added, when she realized where Malta was likely going with it. Laila's lips curved into a smile. "I know a bit about how the kitchens work; I might be able to tell if something's off." She turned to the man, who had mentioned it in the first place. "Can you tell me exactly what made the noises strange, other than the time of night? Maybe you can show me the area of the kitchens that the noises came from?"
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Post by Lark on Apr 21, 2013 18:19:03 GMT -5
To Malta
The woman nodded to the girl that stayed near them, her eyes flickering briefly to the one who moved away to talk to her husband. Smart girls, nice girls. Breaking from her thoughts, the old woman coughed from the ache in her lungs before thinking over just what she had seen.
"Well, we get plenty of people coming and going. There was a beast though! I tell you, a beast! My husband thinks it was just a wild animal, but it didn't look like that. There were two people not far off, talking. I couldn't make out what they said, and they were cloaked, and it was at night. One of them seemed to call for the beast, and it just walked over and followed them into the forest!"
To Laila
The man nodded to Laila, she was the smarter of the two, listening to him instead of his wife's silly story. It was just a tall tail to tell children with! Beasts didn't just come out of no where and follow people like that, honestly. Snorting as he listened to the old woman speak, the old man finally turned to Laila.
"I don't know exactly, there was singing though, a male voice, but higher in pitch. A second voice, kinda lower, muttered something that was all angry and short. I didn't hear the singing after that, and there was other sounds too. I haven't been in there yet though, I wonder if it was just some drud...."
Suddenly a young boy ran over to the couple and candidates, out of breath and coughing.
"Sir, the food I was supposed'ta take to the Lord, it's not there...and, and the Lord, he says 'is flitter ate from it...and it's dead!."
Do you question the Lord Holder, look in the kitchens, or look around outside?
*There are two more pieces of information to be found, two of these choices have info, one does not.*
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kite
New Member
[M:90]
Posts: 36
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Post by kite on Apr 21, 2013 20:21:49 GMT -5
Malta frowned, wondering if the woman's story was indeed a tall tale. Her dark brows drew together above her eyes as she considered. Could it have been a wher? Wouldn't the woman have known to call a wher a wher?
Laila confirmed she was a Holder, and assured Malta her family was safe. Briefly, the Candidate was puzzled -had she expressed concern for the girl's family?- but her companion caught on quickly. When Laila smiled, Malta echoed the expression, approving of the girl's quick wits. If she'd had to explain...ugh.
She was tempted to ask more of the woman, but as she opened her mouth, a boy ran over, breathing hard. His rushed announcement that someone had poisoned the Lord Holder's food was shocking. Malta looked to Laila, her eyes flickering briefly to where she'd last seen the Lord Holder. "If you think you know them well enough, I think the kitchens sound promising," she said, not considering the girl might take her words as condescending. That was not at all how she meant it; Malta was simply sharing her opinion. It just didn't occur to her to wonder how that opinion would sound to another.
"I think I'm going to ask the Lord Holder a couple of questions," she added, turning in that direction, "Any you can think of you want me to ask?" She had a few in mind herself, but the other Candidate had proven she was capable of thought, and she'd heard different information from the man than Malta had heard from the woman. Perhaps she'd have a clue Malta didn't, or something that would make sense together.
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Post by Kitsuneko on Apr 21, 2013 22:49:14 GMT -5
Laila nodded as she listened to the man speak. She tried to keep an encouraging expression on her face, but inside she began to despair as the man went on. Someone singing? That just sounded like one of the cooks was bored or something. She didn't think the activity in the kitchens sounded very suspicious after that. She was about to turn away, see if Malta had learned anything useful, but they were interrupted by a boy yelling in panic at the man she'd just been talking to.
Laila's hand moved to her mouth as she gasped in surprise. That was a shocking piece of information. That poor fire lizard...though it did seem to confirm the idea that the fire was a distraction and not just an accident. Malta spoke up, suggesting she check out the kitchens, and Laila suppressed a frown. Instead, she nodded. Ah well, perhaps she would find out she was wrong after all; it didn't seem to be something worth making a fuss about, anyway. Aside from questioning the Lord Holder, she didn't have any other plans, and Malta already seemed to have that part taken care of.
She shrugged. "I suppose I'll do that, then. Good idea, asking the Lord Holder." Laila's eyes swept over the boy before turning back to her fellow candidate. "If this one didn't end up taking the food to the Lord Holder, ask Nior if he knows who did deliver it. They might have been the ones to slip the poison in, or at least seen who had." With that piece of advice passed on, Laila went to check out the kitchens.
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kite
New Member
[M:90]
Posts: 36
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Post by kite on Apr 22, 2013 10:20:16 GMT -5
Malta nodded acceptance to Laila's suggested question. It was true that the Lord Holder should know the ones bringing him food; if he hadn't recognized the deliverer this time, perhaps he would have noticed details about him or her. "I'll ask," she promised, and then belatedly added, "Good point." The compliment felt clumsy in her mouth, but she supposed it was important to tell Laila that her suggestions were good ones. She appreciated the girl agreeing that asking Noir was a good idea, after all, even if the idea seemed rather obvious. This whole social thing...sometimes it was simply too complex for Malta's taste.
Setting off, just as Laila moved away to the kitchens, Malta had no trouble locating the Lord Holder, who hadn't moved much from where she'd seen him last. She hoped he had recovered somewhat; while it was understandable to be shocked by this turn of events, he wouldn't be much use to her if he couldn't answer her questions.
"Lord Holder, would you answer some questions I have?" she asked, keeping her tone polite. She was very aware that her rank hardly made it appropriate for her to simply walk up and accost the Lord Holder, but then, she was not only a Candidate. "My name is Malta; I'm a Journeyman Dragonhealer, and a Candidate for Majoriith's Clutch. I've been listening to some of your people tell their stories, and a boy mentioned your firelizard was poisoned." She gave him a heartbeat or two of respectful pause. Losing Shale, she knew, would have hurt her deeper than all the burned buildings in the world.
"Did you recognize the person who brought your food to you?" she asked, keeping her tones measured, "And did you have any wherhandlers coming to the Hold for any reason, or notice any who shouldn't have been there?" That would do for now. Once she had more answers, she could go from there.
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