Tres Chicas Chatting
Date: Sometime before thread started
Place: Patio and Garden at Benden Weyr
Time: The witching hours


It's late and cold. And when I say cold, I mean cold. Not too far above freezing, in fact. But for some, sleep does not come easily -- or at all. Despite the fact that it's only a few hours after supper, most have retired to their beds, leaving few awake to brave the frigid night. Though it's not raining or snowing, the moons are not clear in the clouded sky, so a glow-lit patio is the brightest area in the bowl. This is where a girl sits quietly on the stone wall of the structure, watching the clouds overhead with a thoughtful expression. Fear doesn't make an appearance on her face at the moment, as it's set in a resolute mask of contemplation, but that might have something to do with the young Green lurking not far below, who's apparently run out of ways to trick her girl into going back to bed.

Felisa slips out, bundled up as if for *between*, and still shivering somewhat. Her arms are crossed and each hand gripping the other arm in an attempt to warm herself somewhat. She looks surprised to see Raliah, but manages a friendly "Hello."

Further across the bowl, a butterball of a figure emerges from the caverns, saying a raucous goodnight to other late-night lingerers. While they disperse, mostly mounting dragons and heading for home, she - Geneve, for there are few others it could be, given her size, and, well, the presence of Pendarith to whom she murmurs a quiet word - pulls her coat tighter, and begins to walk, quickly, but unpurposefully, across the bowl.

Raliah isn't /quite/ startled to death by the appearance of another, but she does jump a little at Felisa's voice. A sheepish expression crosses her face as she lifts leather-gloved fingers in a little wave. "Hey," A faint, friendly smile crosses her face. "Lovely night, isn't it?" Geneve is noted, and, yes, noticed, and a slightly more obvious wave is tossed her way. Beryth opens one bright eye and warbles a soft greeting to the brownrider, before closing it and resuming what must be a fitful sleep.

Felisa is not smiling as usual, despite the friendly tone of her voice. In fact, she looks rather grim as she looks to the sky, and the baleful red star which even clouds can't cover fully. In reply to Raliah, she says "Bracing, but beautiful, yes."

Geneve, though wandering in the right kind of direction for the patio, apparently had not noticed its occupants - not until Raliah's wave, and Beryth's soft warble. The green is given one low bob of her head, then the brownrider alters her course to head straight for the patio, coming close just in time to hear Felisa's words. "'Bracing' doesn't even begin to describe it. Though for the first time in my life, I wish it'd stay colder." Also: hi.

Raliah snorts softly, turning her eyes back to the sky -- yes, it seems that star's what she's been contemplating so thoroughly. "I'd say 'terrifying' if Beryth wouldn't give me another sevenday-long rant on it..." The girl attempts at humor, but, failing even worse is her amused-face isn't much more than a grimace twisted the wrong way. "I'll second that I'd rather it stay awfully cold, sure." A long suffering sigh is offered up at the entirely-too-close Red Star. Bah!

Felisa says, "I couldn't agree more. Although I wish if sleep wasn't going to come, it would wait until a more pleasant night not to do so. How are you four doing?"

Geneve admits, after a moment more, "Actually, in some ways, it'd probably be better to just get it over with. The first time, as it were. But." She shrugs. "Not that easy. We're well, as it goes. Thank you. How are you?" She's mellow, despite her words, and her cheeks are flushed. There's alcohol on her breath, too, but she's clearly not actually drunk.

Raliah snickers softly, wrinkling her nose and sighing. "I dunno. I wish it weren't so sharding cold right now, but being real hot isn't all that exciting." She laughs, despite the fact that there's not too much humor in her voice. "Beryth and I are well enough, as well." There's a brief pause for consideration, as the girl pulls her knees up to her chin and ponders. "I guess you're right, I sure don't like this waiting thing."

Felisa says, perhaps more sharply than usual, "Waiting is far better than the alternative at this point." She is immediately apologetic, saying "Although I guess I'm not a rider, so I can't say from your perspective." In reply to Geneve's polite inquiry she answers honestly, "Tense. And hating some people."

Geneve's gaze flicks to Felisa, this time to linger in interest. Then: "Ah. No, I see your point. /We/ face thread, and at least we have a little control. Either we're skilled enough to handle it, or we aren't - but that's up to us. You... don't."

Raliah's frown is worried. "Oh." Is all she says for a long moment, eyebrows knitting. "You're right." A nod goes to Geneve for her greater grasp of words -- Rezzi's not eloquent on the best of days, never mind nights. To her credit, she doesn't spew something about wanting to go hide in a deep dark hole somewhere. "But I've got to be /calm/ when we -- fight. I'm not getting too much calmer with all this thinking." A faint grin brightens her face for a moment. "Hate? Why?"

Felisa glares in the direction of Benden Hold. "More importantly, those on the ground can't do anything. And hating because someone is breaking the trust which is supposed to bind everyone when we have a common enemy."

"You'll be calm," Geneve says, suddenly in a low, quiet tone. "It just happens, I think. When you need to be. When there's no room for panic." Rumour has it that she would know. She was, after all, there when the last Weyrleader was murdered. To Felisa, she says, rather than asks: "Benden. Ah. Yes. Bastard."

"Well --" Raliah starts, and then sighs, wrinkling her nose. "Yeah." Nod-nod she goes. Her eyebrows furrow at the cryptic remark about trust, but before she can contemplate the meaning of it, Geneve is speaking again. The girl listens raptly, expression wistful. "Really?" Perhaps it shows for a moment just how young she is, with a wholly trusting expression -- but it's quickly covered by consternation. "Oh, I do hope so..." But then her eyes go flat and she scowls at mention of /that/ problem. "Oh."

Felisa just hugs herself more tightly, her eyes suspiciously bright. "That's as good a summary as any. And I'm sure you will all do fine -- you've been training for this so much I imagine you dream the formations."

Geneve nods, encouragingly, towards Raliah. "Believe it. I'm not saying it isn't going to be unpleasant, and probably disasterous - we really don't have the numbers. But I'll eat Pendarith's tack if we don't all do the best we damn well can." On a roll, now, she continues, her gaze sweeping back in Felisa's direction, "It all makes my blood boil. Everyone has the same rights - /must/ have the same rights. And we're supposed to just abandon people? Pathetic. This is why we need more women in positions of power. Women, at least, seem to care about other people. Pathetic!"

Raliah's scowl doesn't diminish for some time, but slowly her expression grows excited -- not happy-excited though. "Dream, yes. All the time." She agrees. "I know we'll probably fail horribly. But -- well, yeah. We've gotta do /more/ than our best. I'm sure we'll..." But she can't seem to find a good ending for that, and so just looks faintly irritated for a moment. And well, more than irritated in the next moment. "So sad." She sighs. "I wish I could do something."

Felisa seems almost relieved as Geneve mentions abandoning people, the relief of someone who has had to keep a secret for too long. "He's just going to let them die. He might as well stake them out himself. Even if he doesn't believe, they have a right to know that it's possible." She's sobbing uncontrollably now, unashamedly.

Geneve looks slightly uncomfortable at Felisa's tears, but not because she's not feeling the pain. Anything further she intended to say to to Raliah gets put aside. "Bastard," she says again, shaking her head, her voice ringing in anger. "We should stake him out."

Raliah's expression is pained and somewhat sad as she watches Felisa for a moment before turning her eyes back out to the weyr and the lands beyond. "People like that shouldn't be allowed to lead." She mutters with a sigh. "Even if they're okay at other things. Pern doesn't need people whose eggs cracked wrong to mess things up right now."

Usually cheerful, usually calm, usually the first to try to smooth over a fight -- Felisa nods uncharacteristically, and even more notably, vehemently at Geneve's pronouncement. She isn't about to try to speak at the moment, though, still choking out sobs even as she tries to control them.

Geneve turns her head from Felisa, still slightly uncomfortable with the girl's tears, and remarks, as her attention focuses on Raliah again, "At least in Weyrs we have some... well, you don't just get born to leadership. Not as good as Crafts, we're it's sort of democratic, I guess. But better. Don't worry, Felisa - we'll be doing everything we can. Damn it. Even if it means rescuing them all and bringing them here."

Raliah nods slowly. "It's a really stupid way to pick a leader," She huffs. "And if we end up with a complete idiot, well, we can do lots of things about it, can't we? About all they can do with that old wherry is find somewhere high to --" And here she claps her mouth /shut/ with an audible snap and looks slightly sheepish, glaring out at the star-stones. "Bringing them all here? Could we /do/ that?"

Felisa nods, finding her voice. "S'dric mentioned that as a possibility. It's good to know that at least those they've found will be safe. I'm also glad Adria found us, because they might not have known about the Distants if I wasn't here."

Geneve looks, if anything, amused at Raliah's vehemence - and approving. "S'dric won't let them just die," she promises, obviously firm in her belief of this. "I know him. He wouldn't. Adria--" she nods, firmly. She speaks the name with almost reverence. Definitely approval. "I'm glad she did. It would haunt us, I think, if we'd not known."

Raliah shudders all over for a moment, expression horrified. "How -- how..." She shivers again. "That...yes. I'm glad she did." The girl frowns worriedly, settling her chin on her knees. "Well, I'd sure share my weyr if I needed to. You could probably fit a few cots in there..." Yes, she's quite serious. Bless her heart.

Felisa seems to take immense relief in Geneve's confidence, then muses "Who knows if you would ever have known? I wonder if... he... would even notice until our tithes failed to arrive." Now she's angry again, "And he doesn't give the Weyr any of our tithe. I just don't understand."

Geneve huffs out a long, cold breath, wrapping her arms about herself more tightly. "That's sweet, Raliah, but probably unncessary. There's heaps of room in the lower caverns we haven't needed yet. The bigger problem will be feeding people." To Felisa, she shakes her head. "Exactly right. He wouldn't notice. Except that he wants to keep your produce for himself, while we scavenge and starve. He makes me sick."

Raliah shakes her head wearily. "I'm sorry, Felisa." She murmurs, snorting. "It's sad that lots of people have to live by what that wherrybrain says." When in doubt, fall back on childish ways of describing things! Then Raliah realizes that her suggestion was silly, and winces a bit, grinning sheepishly. "Oh -- right. Of course." She looks lost in thought for a moment, before, "Do you think we could do anything about his attitude without hurting lots of holders?"

Felisa manages a giggle at the "wherrybrain" comment, and this seems to be what she needs to recover her composure. "The idea of letting them share your weyr was wonderful. I could just see some of them trying to sleep with a dragon so nearby." Then, lowering her voice, she says "Kesida is hoping to get me there to visit them again before thread starts. I'm thinking of warning them when I go. It's going behind his back, but..." She shrugs.

Geneve, firmly, "Good for you, Felisa. I approve." To Raliah, she notes, voice sharp, "I don't care if we 'hurt' anything, so long as the people are kept safe. Because this... this is just pathetic." She shuffles her feet, stamping to avoid the cold.

Raliah tosses a terribly sheepish grin at Felisa. "Oh my. They'd just love that, I bet. She snores, too. You do!" This is directed below, where Beryth rumbles softly, half-amused. "You should, though. If he wants to complain about it, dragons have awful big teeth an' I bet he doesn't believe that they won't use them." Her grin is terrible for a moment before it slacks into a frown. "Oh, no -- I just mean...I don't want to do anything that'd get them in more of a problem than they're in now." She pauses. "Is he old?"

Felisa seems to be buoyed by Geneve's approval. She smiles at the mention of snoring and, more importantly, dragon teeth and a certain Lord Holder. When Raliah asks her question, however, Felisa stops to think. "You know, I don't know. He's never graced our cot with his presence, at least as long as I've been around."

Geneve admits, after Felisa speaks, "I know nothing about the guy, either, except for the rumours about this - well, facts, now. But his son is probably just as bad. Indoctrinated. Pfeh." She spits on the ground, then stamps at it without really looking. Rubbing at her cheeks with gloved hands, she adds, "I have early sweeps; I need to get some sleep. But... good luck in getting down there, Felisa. And good night, both of you."

Raliah frowns. "Hmm." She mutters, sighing. "You're probably right. Ugh." A shake of her head is woeful, and then as Geneve states her intention to sleep, the girl winces. "Oh my." The girl grins at Felisa. "I'll probably have to get up early too -- but I can stay up longer if you want some company?" She waves off the brownrider with a faint smile.

Felisa shakes her head. "I think I needed that cry. I feel like I could get to sleep now. Thank you for the offer, though."

Raliah nods. "Sometimes that's all it takes." She says with a little nosewrinkle. "Well, if you ever wanna come visit or anything, ask the nearest rider -- they'll know where my weyr is, even though it's kinda hard to explain how to get to it."

Felisa grins. "I imagine it is, especially since I can't just flap my arms and get to it. Rest well, Raliah."

"Well," The girl squints. "Nah, I think there're stairs to it...I seem to...remember seeing some.." 'liah grins sheepishly. "I can't even remember what my weyr looks like. Oh my." She shakes her head and turns around jumping down from her perch and smiling. "You too." And with an obvious come-hither sound from Beryth, the girl offers an apologetic look and trots off at a pace that won't brain her on the stairs but is surely 'quick enough'.