Roa visits Aivey (again)
Scene: Roa makes good on her deal with Aivey, and comes to visit.
Players: Roa and Aivey
Place: Aivey's cell
Old Empty Storeroom
Small and rather dusty, this room is just what the name implies. It used to be another storage space for the various odds and ends used by folk regularly enough to warrant its own room. Only problem was it was too far away from most of the residential areas, so it was cleaned out and had a few modifications made to it. For instance, there are no shelves, the rugs and any tapestries have all been removed, and the door locks from the outside. A thick metal ring has been embedded in the wall off in one corner so only half of it juts out, a perfect loop for sturdy rope or a chain. There's one glowbasket up on a wall, but it's empty.
There is a change in norm, or whatever the norm for Aivey is now a days. She's settled in a corner, knees tucked tight against her chest, head resting upon them. She is, at first glance, asleep. The small room is filled with the sounds of her rapid breathing and the occasional thud of her elbow as it connects with the wall. The blanket she's used to keep warm is at her side in a crumpled heap, her shoes lay on the opposite side. The cards Roa was kind enough to gift her with are in a scattered pile at her usual post, their order still nonsensical as they lie in every which direction. As for her guards? They're standing at post, looking as bored as can be expected for the unfortunate few who've drawn the duty for the day.
In she slips, the figure of comparable height to the woman huddled in the corner. The Reachian weyrwoman lets the door close behind her before her gaze truly takes in the little scene. Her head tips to the side a little and then, without anything to announce herself, she steps forward to take her usual seat, knees bent, arms draped loosely around them, about five feet in front of Aivey. She has new clothes. Otherwise, Roa looks pretty much the same.
Roa gets a rare glimpse of what not many have seen. Another pinch of Aivey's brow, a deep breath and one last bang fo her elbow against the stone before everything stills and the room is eerily quiet. Whether it's the door opening or the feeling of a presence in the room aside from her own, Aivey's eyes open, dulled at first with disorientation and sleep, but quick to snap into focus. She doesn't say anything, not immediately. Time is taken to judge the weyrwoman before her, from new duds to whatever expression she'll be greeted with.
The weyrwoman carries the expression she is always careful to wear when in Aivey's presence. Neutral. Blank. Her eyes slide down to that banged elbow and then back up to the girl's face. There are, perhaps, many things she could say or ask, but Roa settles for, "You've been getting your desserts?"
"They're delicous. Thank you." Aivey says, her own tone neutral while she composes herself, "I have to admit I look forward to this more. I like the clothes. It must be nice."
"It was awful, actually. I hate clothes shopping." Roa's shoulders lift and fall. "But I suppose when four walls are the extent of your world, anything else seems appealing." She lowers her head so chin can rest on her knees.
"Oh, I can imagine it's something you'd hate. Buying new clothes instead of rummaging around for old ones and fixing them to fit. New everything, for that matter. It must be horrible." Aivey's expression turns sympathetic as she slowly shakes her head from side to side.
Roa mms softly. "You'll forgive me, Aivey, if I cannot stir much sympathy for your plight. Considering a majority of your clothes seem to get ruined while you're in the process of terrorizing my friends." It's all said so calmly. Remarking on the weather or on a new Caucus arrival. "Shall we continue down this bitter little path, or have you anything more interesting to discuss?"
"Bitter," Aivey starts again with an elaborate roll of her eyes, "Was I whining just then? No... I was stating a fact. Have you looked at the lower caverns, lately, at all those people who take care of your clothes and your meal?" She flicks a hand in Roa's direction, "The closest any of them will ever come to something like that is when they wash it. I just think it's interesting is all."
"And I would agree. It is interesting." There is no elaborating as spindly fingers drum a quiet beat against Roa's knee. "Moreso when one considers the persona you chose when going about your days here as a guileless laundress."
"I thought it was fitting, didn't you? Doing everyone's dirty laundry?" Aivey's tone breaks with amusement, and a smile lingers well in place afterwards. "I'm surprised no one commented on that sooner."
"I'm not sure there are many too keen on admiring your cleverness," the weyrwoman considers. "It wasn't a game to most."
"A pitty. It's always so much better when they do admire what I've done." Aivey says with a lift of her shoulders, "Some of them have visited, you know. I imagine the rest will be along sooner or later. I look forward to it, I really do."
"Do you?" Roa queries, tipping her head so she can rest a cheek against her knee. "Why's that?"
"I'm a people person, what can I say?" Aivey counters smugly, "Really though, if all I wanted to do was talk about myself, I'd call in that harper. Let's talk about you, Roa. Here's a question for you... what happened with Jensen?" She gives all of a second for interpretation to be made, then makes her own, "Where did I go wrong in thinking you'd become Penny's replacement?"
"Maybe. Maybe, but it leaves a few questions unanswered." Aivey's gaze slides over Roa's features, taking in what she can though remaining unresponsive to it, "Ashwin I can understand. I /like/ Ashwin. Other then him being cute and all, he was loyal. He wouldn't give up on his captain, not even when I came to him with that powder... Vanya, you know, came to me asking about some sort of happy drug. Maybe that's what finally made him crack."
"Came to him with that powder?" Roa wonders as one brow lowers and the other one lifts higher. As to the other bit, the liking, nothing is offered. "Vanya...oh. The klah drug." But then the brows draw down and her head lifts the rightens. "Crack?"
Aivey nods slowly. "White powder in a vial I found in his shirt. I tried my hardest to convince Ashwin it was a drug. He promised me he'd look into it. I knew when I walked away what he meant... he stayed off my radar for the most part because of that. Unfortunately /someone/ had to take a dive, and he was it." Another small shrug, "Whatever its called, it's apparently making the rounds. I heard some about it, but it wasn't any of my business."
"You found a white...powder..." Roa bites her lip but the small snicker, a *snrk* sort of noise, still manages to escape. The weyrwoman clears her throat. "I see. No, I don't imagine you'd have had much luck convincing Ashwin that his Captain was a drug addict." She shakes her head slowly, the smile bemused. "What did you mean, though, 'finally made him crack'?"
"Amusing, isn't it?" Aivey asks Roa, smiling to match her snicker, "Not so amusing when you ask what its for. There was more in it at one point... the glass phial had a powder mark. I'm really interested to know what it was for. I wish I could've asked him before he disappeared." To Roa's last, Aivey tilts her head back against the wall, "You didn't see it, toward the end?" Her gaze drops again, "Just how badly did I judge things, Roa?"
There is a slow inhalation, slow exhalation, as Roa considers the question. "Badly," she says softly. "You misjudged us, as a whole, I think. How resilient we could be. You misjudged how quick others would be willing to believe what you'd set out for us to believe. And you misjudged, I think, what I'm capable of doing, once you set a fire under my feet."
Aivey looks almost content as she continues to regard Roa, "I think time will tell just how badly I misjudged this situation, Roa. I, for one, am fairly happy with how things turned out. Granted I'm not so happy with my end of the deal but I knew the risk when I started." She pauses for a moment, "Tell me though, since I don't think I'll be around to see it... just what are you capable of doing, Roa? Could you kill for a cause you loved? In someone's name? Or do you sit and watch from afar, waiting for other people to do your work for you so you can pounce when the time is right?"
"Hmm. No." Roa shakes her head slowly, a tiny smile creeping to the corner of her lips. "I think I'd rather leave you wondering. And speculating on just what it is you're going to miss."
"Should I tell you a secret, Roa, or let you wonder?" Aivey counters after an approving nod of her head to the goldrider.
"I'd like to know your secrets, Aivey, but I can't very well force you to tell me. Especially since I'm considerably less willing to share mine." Still, the rider watches the other girl with her dark blue eyes. They are bright, guarded, curious.
Aivey leans forward, resting her elbows on the insides of her knees. Her own study of the goldrider is intent, but with an ever present glimmer of amusement. "Everything I claimed I did, I've done and when the rest of Pern hears how one girl, one single girl managed to terrorize an entire Weyr they'll realize their mistake," She takes all of a heart beat to continue, "Exiling the people they exiled, praising the traitors like Jensen who put them on that island? They'll realize that was a mistake. But the best part?" Her lips curve into a malicious smile and she leans a fraction closer, "The best part is what's happening right now."
Roa sighs softly. "Oh, Aivey," she murmurs, her tone pitying, "people don't think nearly so hard as you'd like them to. When they hear one girl did all of this, they'll only shake their head, mutter what a good it was she was caught, add some comment on what -they- should like to do with her if the could, and then move on with their day. The threat is over. We are quick to move on."
The irritation that surfaces is minor. Quick to show, quick to fade. "Those who matter won't forget. But I do wonder... I wonder what you will all have become at the end of this." Aivey straightens from her lean toward Roa, slumping back against the wall with both arms folded over her chest.
"And I suppose you will be left wondering," Roa notes as one foot shifts slightly, boot scraping quietly against the floor. "Perhaps in the end, in spite of your wishes, you'll have simply made us all stronger." She pauses a moment and then adds, "People don't bow to terror. Not in the end. Your father learned that lesson turns ago."
"For your sakes, I hope I have. I do like a good fight." Aivey quietly relays, "I get it from my father, I'm told." She pauses for a moment, considering of a space just beyond Roa's head, "I do wonder how you know about my father. Would you care to share or are you still going to not play nice?"
"He did a great many terrible things. His name is not unknown," is the weyrwoman's only reply. Which, really, isn't much of one. "Perhaps, once the trial is over, I'll say more." A small pause. "Perhaps."
There's a proud smile, "What you call terrible differs from what I call terrible." To the last, Aivey says, "You'll understand if I don't hold my breath, Roa."
"And you'll understand if I hold to my own definition of the word 'terrible'." Roa arches slightly forward, stretching her back. "Our hour is nearly up. Anything else this time, before I go?"
"One other thing." Aivey says, "I want you to speak for me at my trial. I'm sure someone will be trying their hardest to form a good defense for me... I want you to tell them something for me, Roa. I want you to tell them how cooperative I've been, I want you to tell them that I could have killed you and I didn't. I want you to think of something good to say about me and say it. Consider it a test, Roa, a test to see if you truly are what you see and hate in me."
The weyrwoman has already half-stood by the time Aivey speaks again and Roa freezes, between crouching and standing, her body half-curled and awkward. She stares at the other a long moment before fully straightening. "First off, I think stooping to play your games at all would make me something I dislike. Second, how would my speaking for you prove that I wasn't what I see you to be?"
"Those are my requests. They're yours to meet or decline as you will." Aivey explains, "And I would think that your decision will be your answer. You're a smart girl, goldrider. I'm sure you'll figure it out."
Roa stands in silence for a moment longer, simply studying the other girl. "The same eyes," she murmurs quietly. "Different colors, but still the same." Her head tips into a little nod. "Good evening, Aivey." Then she is turning and knocking once on the door. It's cracked open and the weyrwoman slips out and into the brighter light of the hallway.
Players: Roa and Aivey
Place: Aivey's cell
Old Empty Storeroom
Small and rather dusty, this room is just what the name implies. It used to be another storage space for the various odds and ends used by folk regularly enough to warrant its own room. Only problem was it was too far away from most of the residential areas, so it was cleaned out and had a few modifications made to it. For instance, there are no shelves, the rugs and any tapestries have all been removed, and the door locks from the outside. A thick metal ring has been embedded in the wall off in one corner so only half of it juts out, a perfect loop for sturdy rope or a chain. There's one glowbasket up on a wall, but it's empty.
There is a change in norm, or whatever the norm for Aivey is now a days. She's settled in a corner, knees tucked tight against her chest, head resting upon them. She is, at first glance, asleep. The small room is filled with the sounds of her rapid breathing and the occasional thud of her elbow as it connects with the wall. The blanket she's used to keep warm is at her side in a crumpled heap, her shoes lay on the opposite side. The cards Roa was kind enough to gift her with are in a scattered pile at her usual post, their order still nonsensical as they lie in every which direction. As for her guards? They're standing at post, looking as bored as can be expected for the unfortunate few who've drawn the duty for the day.
In she slips, the figure of comparable height to the woman huddled in the corner. The Reachian weyrwoman lets the door close behind her before her gaze truly takes in the little scene. Her head tips to the side a little and then, without anything to announce herself, she steps forward to take her usual seat, knees bent, arms draped loosely around them, about five feet in front of Aivey. She has new clothes. Otherwise, Roa looks pretty much the same.
Roa gets a rare glimpse of what not many have seen. Another pinch of Aivey's brow, a deep breath and one last bang fo her elbow against the stone before everything stills and the room is eerily quiet. Whether it's the door opening or the feeling of a presence in the room aside from her own, Aivey's eyes open, dulled at first with disorientation and sleep, but quick to snap into focus. She doesn't say anything, not immediately. Time is taken to judge the weyrwoman before her, from new duds to whatever expression she'll be greeted with.
The weyrwoman carries the expression she is always careful to wear when in Aivey's presence. Neutral. Blank. Her eyes slide down to that banged elbow and then back up to the girl's face. There are, perhaps, many things she could say or ask, but Roa settles for, "You've been getting your desserts?"
"They're delicous. Thank you." Aivey says, her own tone neutral while she composes herself, "I have to admit I look forward to this more. I like the clothes. It must be nice."
"It was awful, actually. I hate clothes shopping." Roa's shoulders lift and fall. "But I suppose when four walls are the extent of your world, anything else seems appealing." She lowers her head so chin can rest on her knees.
"Oh, I can imagine it's something you'd hate. Buying new clothes instead of rummaging around for old ones and fixing them to fit. New everything, for that matter. It must be horrible." Aivey's expression turns sympathetic as she slowly shakes her head from side to side.
Roa mms softly. "You'll forgive me, Aivey, if I cannot stir much sympathy for your plight. Considering a majority of your clothes seem to get ruined while you're in the process of terrorizing my friends." It's all said so calmly. Remarking on the weather or on a new Caucus arrival. "Shall we continue down this bitter little path, or have you anything more interesting to discuss?"
"Bitter," Aivey starts again with an elaborate roll of her eyes, "Was I whining just then? No... I was stating a fact. Have you looked at the lower caverns, lately, at all those people who take care of your clothes and your meal?" She flicks a hand in Roa's direction, "The closest any of them will ever come to something like that is when they wash it. I just think it's interesting is all."
"And I would agree. It is interesting." There is no elaborating as spindly fingers drum a quiet beat against Roa's knee. "Moreso when one considers the persona you chose when going about your days here as a guileless laundress."
"I thought it was fitting, didn't you? Doing everyone's dirty laundry?" Aivey's tone breaks with amusement, and a smile lingers well in place afterwards. "I'm surprised no one commented on that sooner."
"I'm not sure there are many too keen on admiring your cleverness," the weyrwoman considers. "It wasn't a game to most."
"A pitty. It's always so much better when they do admire what I've done." Aivey says with a lift of her shoulders, "Some of them have visited, you know. I imagine the rest will be along sooner or later. I look forward to it, I really do."
"Do you?" Roa queries, tipping her head so she can rest a cheek against her knee. "Why's that?"
"I'm a people person, what can I say?" Aivey counters smugly, "Really though, if all I wanted to do was talk about myself, I'd call in that harper. Let's talk about you, Roa. Here's a question for you... what happened with Jensen?" She gives all of a second for interpretation to be made, then makes her own, "Where did I go wrong in thinking you'd become Penny's replacement?"
"Maybe. Maybe, but it leaves a few questions unanswered." Aivey's gaze slides over Roa's features, taking in what she can though remaining unresponsive to it, "Ashwin I can understand. I /like/ Ashwin. Other then him being cute and all, he was loyal. He wouldn't give up on his captain, not even when I came to him with that powder... Vanya, you know, came to me asking about some sort of happy drug. Maybe that's what finally made him crack."
"Came to him with that powder?" Roa wonders as one brow lowers and the other one lifts higher. As to the other bit, the liking, nothing is offered. "Vanya...oh. The klah drug." But then the brows draw down and her head lifts the rightens. "Crack?"
Aivey nods slowly. "White powder in a vial I found in his shirt. I tried my hardest to convince Ashwin it was a drug. He promised me he'd look into it. I knew when I walked away what he meant... he stayed off my radar for the most part because of that. Unfortunately /someone/ had to take a dive, and he was it." Another small shrug, "Whatever its called, it's apparently making the rounds. I heard some about it, but it wasn't any of my business."
"You found a white...powder..." Roa bites her lip but the small snicker, a *snrk* sort of noise, still manages to escape. The weyrwoman clears her throat. "I see. No, I don't imagine you'd have had much luck convincing Ashwin that his Captain was a drug addict." She shakes her head slowly, the smile bemused. "What did you mean, though, 'finally made him crack'?"
"Amusing, isn't it?" Aivey asks Roa, smiling to match her snicker, "Not so amusing when you ask what its for. There was more in it at one point... the glass phial had a powder mark. I'm really interested to know what it was for. I wish I could've asked him before he disappeared." To Roa's last, Aivey tilts her head back against the wall, "You didn't see it, toward the end?" Her gaze drops again, "Just how badly did I judge things, Roa?"
There is a slow inhalation, slow exhalation, as Roa considers the question. "Badly," she says softly. "You misjudged us, as a whole, I think. How resilient we could be. You misjudged how quick others would be willing to believe what you'd set out for us to believe. And you misjudged, I think, what I'm capable of doing, once you set a fire under my feet."
Aivey looks almost content as she continues to regard Roa, "I think time will tell just how badly I misjudged this situation, Roa. I, for one, am fairly happy with how things turned out. Granted I'm not so happy with my end of the deal but I knew the risk when I started." She pauses for a moment, "Tell me though, since I don't think I'll be around to see it... just what are you capable of doing, Roa? Could you kill for a cause you loved? In someone's name? Or do you sit and watch from afar, waiting for other people to do your work for you so you can pounce when the time is right?"
"Hmm. No." Roa shakes her head slowly, a tiny smile creeping to the corner of her lips. "I think I'd rather leave you wondering. And speculating on just what it is you're going to miss."
"Should I tell you a secret, Roa, or let you wonder?" Aivey counters after an approving nod of her head to the goldrider.
"I'd like to know your secrets, Aivey, but I can't very well force you to tell me. Especially since I'm considerably less willing to share mine." Still, the rider watches the other girl with her dark blue eyes. They are bright, guarded, curious.
Aivey leans forward, resting her elbows on the insides of her knees. Her own study of the goldrider is intent, but with an ever present glimmer of amusement. "Everything I claimed I did, I've done and when the rest of Pern hears how one girl, one single girl managed to terrorize an entire Weyr they'll realize their mistake," She takes all of a heart beat to continue, "Exiling the people they exiled, praising the traitors like Jensen who put them on that island? They'll realize that was a mistake. But the best part?" Her lips curve into a malicious smile and she leans a fraction closer, "The best part is what's happening right now."
Roa sighs softly. "Oh, Aivey," she murmurs, her tone pitying, "people don't think nearly so hard as you'd like them to. When they hear one girl did all of this, they'll only shake their head, mutter what a good it was she was caught, add some comment on what -they- should like to do with her if the could, and then move on with their day. The threat is over. We are quick to move on."
The irritation that surfaces is minor. Quick to show, quick to fade. "Those who matter won't forget. But I do wonder... I wonder what you will all have become at the end of this." Aivey straightens from her lean toward Roa, slumping back against the wall with both arms folded over her chest.
"And I suppose you will be left wondering," Roa notes as one foot shifts slightly, boot scraping quietly against the floor. "Perhaps in the end, in spite of your wishes, you'll have simply made us all stronger." She pauses a moment and then adds, "People don't bow to terror. Not in the end. Your father learned that lesson turns ago."
"For your sakes, I hope I have. I do like a good fight." Aivey quietly relays, "I get it from my father, I'm told." She pauses for a moment, considering of a space just beyond Roa's head, "I do wonder how you know about my father. Would you care to share or are you still going to not play nice?"
"He did a great many terrible things. His name is not unknown," is the weyrwoman's only reply. Which, really, isn't much of one. "Perhaps, once the trial is over, I'll say more." A small pause. "Perhaps."
There's a proud smile, "What you call terrible differs from what I call terrible." To the last, Aivey says, "You'll understand if I don't hold my breath, Roa."
"And you'll understand if I hold to my own definition of the word 'terrible'." Roa arches slightly forward, stretching her back. "Our hour is nearly up. Anything else this time, before I go?"
"One other thing." Aivey says, "I want you to speak for me at my trial. I'm sure someone will be trying their hardest to form a good defense for me... I want you to tell them something for me, Roa. I want you to tell them how cooperative I've been, I want you to tell them that I could have killed you and I didn't. I want you to think of something good to say about me and say it. Consider it a test, Roa, a test to see if you truly are what you see and hate in me."
The weyrwoman has already half-stood by the time Aivey speaks again and Roa freezes, between crouching and standing, her body half-curled and awkward. She stares at the other a long moment before fully straightening. "First off, I think stooping to play your games at all would make me something I dislike. Second, how would my speaking for you prove that I wasn't what I see you to be?"
"Those are my requests. They're yours to meet or decline as you will." Aivey explains, "And I would think that your decision will be your answer. You're a smart girl, goldrider. I'm sure you'll figure it out."
Roa stands in silence for a moment longer, simply studying the other girl. "The same eyes," she murmurs quietly. "Different colors, but still the same." Her head tips into a little nod. "Good evening, Aivey." Then she is turning and knocking once on the door. It's cracked open and the weyrwoman slips out and into the brighter light of the hallway.