Scheming Bronze (Bait)

[E]

((Set in the current pass – not another rewind thread, so a turn after Muneo’s destruction.))



E’mion finally dropped the hides he had been looking at on the makeshift table in front of him. A look around the room made the Wingleader want to growl in frustration. It was his weyr, but it was not /his/ weyr. G’llahar, the Helios wingleader knew, held personal joy in giving the wing the last of the weyrs making the argument that an underpopulated wing had no use of better. The weyrs Helios now resided in were the ones never used, slowly deteriorating despite their best effort in attempts to make them livable.

I need out. I can’t think here.
You and me both.

The bronze Malekith hadn’t even bothered trying to fit into their weyr after the first night. It wasn’t theirs and if his rider wasn’t proud of it then he couldn’t stay their either. Instead he had made a wallow in the ground out front – to the dismay of many. But who would argue with a bronze?

Alright. I’m going. After hiding the hides beneath one of the stones that made up a makeshift seat, E’mion left. By Faranth, what he would give to be back at Muneo. Sure it was never as extravagant as what he originally had here as one of the top wings at Lateo, but even in its ruggedness it was home and there wasn’t surveillance.

Not really paying attention to where he was walking, the Wingleader found himself lost in the same thoughts that had been plaguing him as mulled over the hides. His biggest problem was the surveillance. He needed extra people – especially after his losses. L’nuo had pointed out that he couldn’t always use people in Helios, the project had become too big for it. Besides, it wasn’t just E’mion who was being watched, but the entire wing.

Numbers and names running through his head, he absentmindedly found himself walking straight into a smaller figure out in the Weyrbowl.

[charmingwhiteeyes]

I can't stand it when those boys talk about such things. What makes them think I care about who's dating who anyway?

Bait was stomping along focused only on her outrage when she bumped into a solid mass that was well over a foot taller than her. Her "umph" was quickly followed by, "can't you people just leave me be?" which was said with her head still down.

She attempted to walk past the brute using all her 100 pounds to attempt to push his body out of the way, still not even looking up.

Wait! That's the leader of Helios. You may want to talk to him.

Stopping suddenly only half past the Wingleader, Bait finally looked up and blushed profusely when she realized she'd just treated a superior in a most rude manner. Stuttering in fright she said, "OH! My apologies Wingleader. I'm so sorry to be clumsy enough to get in your way and then to behave so . . . ." Concerned by the look on his face she couldn't say another word but only stand there gawking and hoping fervently he'd not be to mad.

[E]

Looking down, at what had face-planted into his chest, he tilted his head to the side momentarily confused at what it was seeing only to top of its head. As it attempted to push him out of the way he frowned. Well it was human and it sounded like a girl – unlike the rest of his wing, he was not fond of women…

Deciding he wasn’t going to move, E’mion did just that, having no problem standing perfectly still despite her attempts to push him out of the way. It was when she looked up and blushed that E’mion silently laughed, though still keeping the frown on his face. That’s a womans place – they should be afraid and apologetic to men.

Stop it.
What? Its just a weyrbrat.
It’s a Rider.
Oh…

At his dragons retort, E’mion eased his frown and shrugged with a rather heavy sigh. She had perfectly knocked his train of thought out of his head.

“Maybe you should stop worrying about people and start worrying about where your walking.” He said – his voice naturally rough, though it was a failing attempt at being at least civil to the girl. There weren’t any young golds, so she had to be a green rider. He wasn’t keen on greens impressing girls, but he couldn’t deny the fact that she was a rider which put her above the simple drudge he had originally taken her for.

[charmingwhiteeyes]

Bait drew in her breath in agitation. This was just not her day it seemed.

To no one in particular Yumoth said, At this rate she'll hate all men forever

She heard a resounding chuckle but didn't place it immediately.

"Well again I'm sorry. I shouldn't allow others to agitate me so. Wingleader. . . E'mion E'mion."

She backed up a bit and started walking around him at a good pace but not too briskly as she didn't want him to see she was actually afraid of him. He had the same hard look her da got whenever he saw her coming.

[E]

She reminds me of someone.
What do you mean?
I bet she’s from Muneo, she reminds me of one of ours.

Curious now, the Wingleaders hard face softened more into a look of curiosity. Watching her start to walk around him once again, he finally gave into his dragon’s mental nudges. After all he had lost his train of thought anyways.

“Your not from Lateo are you?” he asked turning so he could keep watching the girl. She didn’t look very old and she was small – shards she couldn’t be more than freshly graduated if Malekith was right and she was a rider and not a weyrling. Looking at her E’mion would still swear she was a weyrbrat – unimpressed.

[charmingwhiteeyes]

Coming to a halt she grudgingly answered, "Yes, my whole family lived there." and hoped this wingleader wouldn't torture her as so many others had before her. "My father was in Helios." she added hopefully, not realizing this was the Helios leader.

She had no idea that her eyes had become pools of pain combined with caution. It appeared she'd put up a special wall at the mention of Muneo. In truthfulness even though it had been a turn now she still struggled with deep emotions whenever she remembered that time.

Yumoth immediately started sending soothing and calming energy to hers.

[E]

E’mion would have been blind to not see the obvious change in the girl as she answered him. At the mention of her father, he instantly realized why his bronze had recognized the girl – her father was that blue rider… what was his name… Dink? No, that couldn’t have been all of it, but that was defiantly what he had been called.

Forcing his voice to be softer – and silently asking Malekith to help since he knew he sucked at being ‘soft’ – the Helios wingleader put on his rare, half smile.

“Helios huh? Now that you mention it you look like a particular blue rider of mine, I’m sorry for the loss…” Realizing he was probably going to end up making matter worse, he bit his tongue searching for something else to talk about to fix his own mistake.

“Malekith mentioned you being a rider… There were only two surviving weyrlings from Muneo, and the other is in Sodalis. Which wing did they end up putting you in here?”

[charmingwhiteeyes]

The pain visibly receded as the wall came down and Bait stood a little straighter with pride as she allowed herself to be distracted.

As she said, "I'm with the Queens wing." Her green's bugle was heard throughout the bowl.

Yes you're an exceptional Green to be flying in the Queens wing.

As Bait puffed up her knot became more visible to show she was not only a rider but an apprentice in the art of Dragonhealing.

"And you're the Wingleader of . . . . HeliosHelios, right?" she said with a smile that she hoped would appear flattering.

[E]

“The Queens Wing?” It was obvious that it was the last wing E’mion had been expecting, his mind jumping to the image of a particular queen rider even as it raced to the question of why she would be in that wing riding a green. It was when he seen the knots on his shoulder that he slowly regained his composure looking at Bait very differently, thoughtfully.

Nodding at her words, what he was originally thinking of came back to mind with another nudge from his bronze. Numbers – He needed numbers smudged in the Healers storage rooms. Names – He needed to know how much people knew. He needed to know how much Kyparla knew… The queens wing – a dragon healer – would her father being from Helios be enough to find loyalty?

“Ya, Helios.” He said, giving her another half smile in return for hers. She was young… but he had used weyrlings before – they had always been up for a challenge, though they were always boys. But then again Kyparla knew the way he felt about women, maybe she wouldn’t suspect…

“What was your name again, Rider of the Queens Wing? You may actually be just the person I was looking for."

[charmingwhiteeyes]

By Faranth maybe this would be her lucky day after all. To be noticed by a Wingleader and even possibly needed. Her ego knew no bounds in that moment as she stated matter-of-factly, "Bait. I'm called Bait."

In that moment she felt rather important and realized she wanted to be very important in her Weyr. She looked up at the large Wingleader and smiled with such force it could be said she glowed. Anyone looking might have thought she'd just developed a huge crush on the man, however those thoughts couldn't have been further from her mind.

"I'll be happy help you and your wing however I can." Bait stated. Not realizing just how open she was leaving herself.

Yumoth roared in the background while yelling at Bait. Be careful what you say, girl. That's the group known to have LOTS of uses for girls.

[E]

E’mion recognized the look on the girls face and relaxed a little, maybe this would be easier than he thought. Nodding to the girl he pointed toward the currently empty feeding pens. Nobody around was always a good thing – better if he could get the dragons here to make it look less suspicious.

A snack Malekith?
Doesn’t sound bad.

“I’m glad to hear that Bait, actually, I’ve got an important request – but first, Malekith is hungry. Would you like to talk over there?” Even as he spoke, he heard a roar off in the distance.

I would appreciate it if you didn’t bring attention to yourself or your rider, Green Yumoth. The bronze sent, just as aware as E’mion about people watching. If you worry about your rider, come rest your mind by being with her, not by raising a fuss.

[charmingwhiteeyes]

I'm really not worried about all THAT. I don't even look womanly yet, no ones going to bother me right now. Besides I have beautiful you to protect me. Are you a little hungry?

I could use a little food. Just stay close to me while you jabber at this guy.

Bait was sure this would go down as the happiest day of her life. Here she was having a conversation she was sure was important with a Wingleader and she had only barely graduated from being a Weyrling. Following E'mion as she was already calling him in her mind she smiled and nodded. "I'd be happy to help any way I can E'mion, I mean Wingleader."

[E]

Malekith wasted little time in accompanying his rider, leaving his wallow to circle the feeding pens twice – casting his shadow over the pair below before dropping down. The bronze, rivaled in size by only one other and quite possibly the largest in Lateo, was a darkly colored dragon, almost copper in his shine. His hide left many in longing – until he turned his head, showing three long white scars going from a handspan below his eye down to his jawbone. The mark only turned his beautiful, majestic appearance deadly.

E’mion stopped at the fence of the feeding pens and watched for a moment as the bronze he was tied to pick his choice buck out of the herd and ate it without bothering to move. Thoughtful for a moment, he turned and looked down at the young girl next to him.

“Your ride in the queens wing, so you know Kyparla, Corra and Weyrwoman Mariska.” It didn’t dawn on him that he should address all as weyrwomen, not just the one from Muneo – or maybe it did as he tried as often as possible to pretend Kyparla meant nothing to him.

“You should become friends with them, or at least listen to them more closely than is needed to fly in their wing. I need to know their opinions on matters without them knowing I know… Do you understand what I mean?”