[Jaeyi] T'rev needs to accept the fact that he can't solve this.
RL Date: 4/16/10
IC Date: 7/1/22
Council Room, Fort Weyr(#839RJs$)
The Weyr's meeting space is a long, oval space with a large stone table placed in the middle. There's seating enough for twelve around the table: plenty of room to welcome most of the Weyrleaders and a good portion of the Lords Holder from the north, though additional seating might be needed if a Pern-wide meeting were to be held here.
A sideboard stands ready to serve, regardless of the occasion and is kept well-stocked with carafes of wine, water and several fine liquors. Fresh flowers, appropriate to the season are changed out regularly in the vase atop the sideboard. Tapestries depicting Fort's illustrious history from founding, to Moreta's role in the Plague to Lessa's arrival to bring the Weyrs forward in time bedeck the walls, leavening the omnipresence of cool, gray stone. Well-lit, the chamber boasts glows in niches around the room, as well as oil lamps hanging from the ceiling.
On account of having a million things to do for midsummer, Jaeyi does some creative schedule juggling and winds up for her obligatory Weyr-visit on a different day this week. Where usually she's trying to ditch Melkyn on account of she wants to get naked with T'rev, today she's trying to escape his clutches for more sobering reasons, though good luck convincing him of that. Finally, after a half-hour spent discussing the lack of cinnamon in the Weyr's storeroom, she trots across the bowl, pops her head briefly into T'rev's weyr, finds it vacant, and-- taking a guess-- winds up in the standing in the council room doorway, looking unusually grave. "I need to talk to you."
Head bent to work, even on mid-summer's day, though gathering is likely in the cards for later, along with a trip to Telgar for his father's wedding, that voice stops T'rev's pen cold. Brown eyes lift swiftly to Jaeyi's face, a flash of hope along with a trace of panic to be caught in his expression. "Jae ..." he starts out and puts the pen down on its holder, pushes to his feet promptly and starts to close the distance between them.
Jaeyi sketches a quick smile to hopefully dismiss that panic, but she's got to get through this and she knows it and T'rev coming over, regardless of anything else between them right now, doesn't lend to that. "Hi. Sit back down, T'rev. This is important. Ella told me something and-- just. Sit down. We'll talk." She'll go on around to the other side of the table to seat herself, looking out-of-place in the council room, no matter how serious her expression stays.
Hello confusion. She smiles. But then she's putting the table between them and T'rev reaches out, one hand curling around the back of a different chair. Blink. "Ella -- ?" Usher in more confusion and now worry too, but the weyrleader does as asked and pulls out that chair, sits in it. His arms fold atop the table and he looks across its width at the baker. "Okay."
With a deep breath, puffed out of her cheeks gustily, Jaeyi begins, "So, you remember when I said that thing about how I hope Esraval doesn't wind up killing Astivan? I was apparently pretty right, 'cause Ella said she and Astivan heard Esraval and Rivellan talking about getting him out of the way so they could take the Hold." She folds her hands resolutely in front of her, exhales again, then looks up from her clasped fingers to meet T'rev's eyes, entirely troubled and not in the 'boohoo, my boyfriend's having a baby with someone else' way. More the 'holy shit, murder and intrigue, help' kind of way. "I don't know-- that is-- I told her I would tell you."
T'rev's gaze is pretty intent. Eyes right on Jaeyi's, probably expecting something totally different and he doesn't bother with poker face given who is sitting across from him, his expression shifting rapidly to very worried and horrified. The Weyrleader leans back in his chair and clears his throat. "Shells," is the first thing he says. The second, he's pushing his chair back from the table, a determined look to him. "I'm going to get her. She's not stayin' down there one more day, and neither are you."
Jaeyi looks at her hands again, a matter of locating the resolve to answer, "Yeah, that's not happening? I mean, I can't speak for Ella, but Astivan's a little boy, and it just feels wrong. To run away when I'm not actually the one in any immediate, uhmn, danger." She looks back at the edge of the table in front of T'rev, like she could will him to sit there calmly, then, frowning, back to T'rev himself once again. "Plus, if the two of us up and leave, Esraval will know /something/ is going on. Also, I'm posted there, so I can't really just leave." She could probably come up with more reasons, but that's plenty? "Just... I wanted to tell you, I wanted you to know, in case-- well, in case there is anything you can do." Which sounds like she knows there aren't so many options open to him, so it's not like she expects him to swoop in and save them.
The rational part of T'rev knows she's right, knows everything she's saying, but it takes a bit for the father and the weyrmate to strap down the kneejerk reactions and let the Weyrleader be the Weyrleader. That means that T'rev is pacing back and forth, hand slid into his hair, tugging there. On one pass back past his chair, he gives it a kick that disrupts the next one over, but doesn't knock either over. "Fuck." He says distinctly and then heads over to the sideboard to pour himself a stiff drink that gets downed in one go. His fingers drum on the surface of the table and then he looks back over his shoulder. "I need to know exactly what Ella heard. Exactly as possible anyway. Did she tell you? Otherwise, we'll need to get it from her and harper scribed, but without letting Esraval know." Pause. "You know that they're talking about making him Lord, right? There's a petition going to Conclave."
Watching him through all this, making a sympathetic face at the poor chair that takes the brunt of it, only moving her head when he's paced too far for her to track him with her eyes alone, Jaeyi agrees with that profane summary of the situation, a mild, "That's pretty much what I was thinking, yeah," and a bland smile. Clearing her throat, she shakes her head to his question, explaining, "She was just scared and wanted to talk to someone, and I didn't think it would do much good to make her relive the whole thing right then and there, since I could't do much but cuddle and tell her it'd be okay." As to the petition before the Conclave-- well, she doesn't say anything, just looks squarely at T'rev without so much as a glimmer of surprise; she is sorta fucking the would-be Lord, presumably this is not news to her.
"Right," T'rev says, jaw set and pours some more drink. "I'd offer you some, but I know you don't like it," he notes of the alcohol, takes just a swallow this time and approaches the table, sets the glass down and rests his hands on the table's surface, staring at it sightlessly. "If it's all a set up, I dunno if we'll be able to stop it. It's Ella's word against theirs." Breath out and he looks up at her again, something vaguely pained in his expression. "I don't s'pose you found anything other than those letters? They talk about movin' stuff around but we're not sure what, yet."
Jaeyi's suggestion; "Just maybe don't tell her that? Her word against theirs, I mean. She's pretty scared, and putting it like that..." She trails off, his pain reflected back at him for the implication in that request, though she takes a breath, shakes her head, and plugs along afterward like it's a perfectly natural thing to discuss. "No, I haven't been back in his office since then. I have to, mmn, invent clever reasons to be there?" Nice way of saying 'tell lies.' "And I don't want him to start, like, getting suspicious. I will, though, especially now that I know I'm not just being paranoid about nothing."
"Hell no. Just sayin' that here and now. So you understand the position we're all in," T'rev says heavily. "Ella ... it'll be a different talk altogether. And I'm gonna have a hard time just leavin' her there. At least I have the excuse about my father gettin' married. I can go get her to bring her along tonight and not bring her back for a few days. Family business and what all," he says vaguely and lets out a breath, scrubs at the side of his face with one hand. "You don't have to Jae," the Weyrleader says quietly. "It's just that you're in a pretty plum spot to be able to find out things no one else can." Breath out. "Do you think Isobel and Lady Astrella are in on it?" There's that look to him again and he reaches for his glass, takes a swig from it.
Nodding slowly to the first, briefly trying to imagine how that talk will go with the girl in question, which ends over a sympathetic smile for T'rev's part. "I hope she'll go with you. She's awfully young for all this, and she's scared, and it'd be good for her to get away for a little bit." Jaeyi watches him again, the same way she did for all the pacing and the drinking, while he scrubs his face and all, answers calmly, "I know I don't have to. --And no. I don't think Isobel is... that kind of person? She may be a good-little-wife, but she doesn't seem like she'd condone Esravals' actions, regardless of how docile she is. And Astrella, well. Astivan is her son, T'rev. Can I have that glass, please?"
"Don't think she'll say no, she sounded excited about it the last time I talked about going to the caravan," T'rev answers with a faint smile, hand still curled around his glass. "If you think you can trust her ... she might be willin' to help," the Weyrleader says slowly, though his voice comes out a little rough. "I don't think Esraval would do anything to his pregnant wife." It's a cold thing to say and it's obvious that he knows it and it's just cost him a lot to say it on the personal front. Silently, the Weyrleader makes his way around the table to hand Jaeyi the glass. "I know. But she's got three other ones and she might be ... easy to manipulate?"
"Thank you," for the glass, which she proceeds to hold between both hands, otherwise ignored. Jaeyi's nod about Ella's excitement is absent, her mind clearly clearly elsewhere, such as-- "I don't think he would either, but I haven't quite got up the nerve yet to tell Isobel that I think her husband might be a terrible person. It's not quite what I'd want to hear when I was, mmn, in her condition." Sensitive subject at the moment, considering background, personal issues and all. "She might be easy to manipulate, but Astrella's already lost her husband. I don't think she's keen on helping Esraval oust her son. Or worse."
"Yeah. I wouldn't either," T'rev says with a quiet sigh and looks down at the floor for a moment. His hand drops to rest atop the table, though he hasn't sat down again yet. He's not calling Jaeyi on the taking and not drinking with the glass either. Probably too focused on whatever is running through his head. "Sorry, every suspicious thing I've been taught in the past few turns is making me wonder if Astrella could actually have been part of what happened to Savilan now. Who knows, maybe all that flutterin' about is a really good act." His expression turns sour and he shakes his head. "Rather believe not though. So. Esraval and Rivellan and Ella knows, but other than a couple of letters, we've got nothin' to call them on it with. I can't march into that Conclave or get someone else to with so little."
Jaeyi says nothing more about Astrella, her thoughts on the woman's innocence perfectly clear. Granted, she's not proven herself to be the most awesome judge of nefarious characters, but she sticks to that opinion anyway. "For what it's worth," she begins apologetically, "I didn't think there was anything you could do, I didn't really expect you to be able to, like, solve it all here right now today. But we will find something. Esraval is confident, and when the Conclave votes him in?" Not if. "He'll be smug, cocky even. People make mistakes when they start to get too sure of themselves, and we'll catch him for it. In the meantime." She shrugs, what can you do?
T'rev is silent, eyes on Jaeyi's face and he nods a few times, slowly, then finally reaches down to actually touch her, even if it's just a brush of fingers to her wrist. "In the meantime, I'll tell Cirse and Hattie and we'll pull some riders together to be on watch and ready to help get you and Ella /out/ if we have to," the Weyrleader says low and earnest. "I'm not letting them hurt my family."
Whether it's just an automatic response or an intentional one, Jaeyi covers T'rev's fingers at her wrist with the other palm, holds them there long enough to apply a brief squeeze. The breath she takes seems likely to argue about his master plan there, but she lets it out instead, her expression smoothing from a frown back to something more placid, worried but not argumentative. "Do you think Jiella knows that her father's plotting with Esraval?" she asks abruptly.
That squeeze sees T'rev's fingers tightening in turn and his hand starts to slide up her arm, stops on her next question. "It's hard to tell. She probably knows more'n she ever lets on, but I don't think she's totally in on it." Pause. Throat cleared. "I think ... he did mean to use her against me somehow, back when she was a candidate, based on some things she said. But it didn't work. It's worth keepin' an eye on her though."
The answer actually surprises Jaeyi, and she looks over at T'rev, blinking rapidly. "I meant-- I was expecting you to say no." See? With the total naivete, blanket trust. "So you don't think I should tell her that I heard through the grapevine that her daddy has secret meetings with Lord Fort?" A title that has her crinkling her nose for a second, but she may as well get used to it. "I mean, do you think-- hmmn. If she did know anything, do you think she'd tell? Like, maybe wants an opportunity to tell?"
"Actually, might be interestin' to see what happens if you do," T'rev answers, hand still lightly curled around her forearm. "Because she doesn't ... hm." The Weyrleader blows out a long breath. "She might be a spoilt brat but she ain't a bad person. And I'm not just sayin' that because we tangled up sheets together." And then he's nodding slowly. "Could be yeah, could be if she got an opening, she might ... decide something. I dunno. I've seen here at Fort Sea, with her father. There's ... some weird tension there."
Is there anyone at Fort without some kind of daddy-issue? Really? --Jaeyi listens through all of that, the crease in her forehead deepening, her expression turning comically bemused by the time he gets to 'weird tension.' But she nods, takes a breath, and decides, "I'll talk to her. I'll just leave Ella's name out of it. If worse comes to worst and she, like, rats me out to Rivellan, well." There's a one-shouldered shrug, lifting the arm that's not playing host to T'rev's palm at the moment.
"Okay, just ... keep Sugar around if you do? Just in case?" T'rev advises, which is probably comically bad advice. Her last words though send his hand up her arm to her elbow, grip tightening there. "If anything happens, I /will/ come for you." And that's not really the weyrleader talking of course. He's silent for a moment then he clears his throat. "Can you ... come to the wedding tonight? It's over towards Telgar so it'll be at sunset about an hour back from sunset here."
Jaeyi confesses, eyes moving left... right... then back up to T'rev, "I'm not actually sure where he is. I think he has a little girlfriend or something." His resolve, the tightening fingers-- she sighs, eyes softening a little while they stay on his. "If anything happens. At this point. T'rev, he's about to be officially named the Lord of Fort. I'm his mistress, and I'm spying on him. If I get caught, if he even suspects... At some point-- and I know this is hard for you-- you're gonna have to let go and let me deal with the consequences on my own." Which doesn't lead into talking about the pending nuptials real well, so she'll answer that one in a minute or two.
"Lucky Sugar," T'rev says in rather a thick voice and shakes his head a few times. Stubborn. "And what if he hurts you. Or worse. I can't let that happen. Won't." Which pretty much scuttles talking about weddings, yeah.
In a tone far too light for the subject, Jaeyi begins, "First, I may not even get caught, so don't get yourself all worked up about things that may never even happen." Sliding his glass across the table to her side, putting it away, she turns in her chair to catch both his hands with both of hers, looking very serious and direct and calm. "Second, I'm not a little girl. I understand that the consequences are pretty damn big if I do get caught. And I'm ready to deal with that if I have to. It'd help to know that you're ready to deal with it, too." Quietly, bending her head over his hands to press lips to knuckles, she adds, "You can't save me, T'rev."
"Here's hopin' not," T'rev starts, stops as she takes his hands and his fingers curl around hers. What she says and the kisses to his knuckles squeeze his eyes shut for a moment or two of deep breaths and then he's trying to pull her up into his arms. "If it comes to, I can deal, Jae. But you can't ask me not to try if there's the slightest chance ... the slightest chance I can get you out."
Jaeyi doesn't fight the pull, letting it get her to her feet and bring her against T'rev, letting it unclasp hands so she can fold her arms around him at rib-height. "I'm not asking you not to try. I'm just--" With her head bowed so her forehead rests below his throat for a second, it's hard to see what exactly plays across her face, to know more than that she exhales through her nose. "If he catches me, it'll be treason I've committed. There's no doubt in my mind he can paint me as the most treacherous slut on the planet if he decides to. You can't just rush in and liberate me, not if I've committed a crime. I get that now." As opposed to the last time she was in this very same room with him, failing to comprehend why he didn't just wave his hand and pardon her daddy, see.
"I know," T'rev finally says quietly, voice ten kinds of rough and his head bows, cheek resting atop her head. "But if there's a way, I'll find it," he continues, still stubborn. His arms tighten around her further and T'rev doesn't say anything else for a little while, just holds her close.
There's a laugh, a very little one, and Jaeyi lets him hold her for quite a while even after it stills to silence. Eventually, with a nuzzle of her nose to the end of his chin, she notes, "Just once, I wish you'd say, 'you're so right, Jae, I will so totally do what you want this one time.'" But she's not expecting it, says the tolerant, affectionate smile up at him. Deep breath; "I'm going to try to come to the wedding. I haven't, uhmn, asked for the night off or anything, 'cause I think that's pretty much the surest way to not get it, but I'm thinking I'll just... go."
The laughter that follows that pronouncement is weak, but T'rev does loosen his arm enough to move his hand up to brush at her hair gently. "Feline can't change his stripes?" he offers up the attempt at a quip. "And someday I will be sayin' that. Just not about this, Jaeyi." His hand shifts again, thumb aiming to brush against the curve of that smile. Of the wedding: "He'll be busy with the gather," the weyrleader points out. "Probably have to entertain until waaay late. Right? Plus politicking with those holders ..." Hopeful. And a nod. "I can have someone standin' by to take you?"
Jaeyi, eyes brightening for the first time in a while now, "Mmhmn. I'll believe it when I hear it, dimples." Answering his gesture, she curls her fingers around his cheek, the pad of her thumb intentionally covering one of those dimples, then pat-pats it with good-little-boy affection. "Have a little faith. If I wanna ride, I can get a ride." Especially if she turns on the eyelashes the way she does just then, head tilted, very clearly not talking about the kinda ride that involves actually /getting/ anywhere. "Sooooo, theoretically, I'll see you there, hmn?"
Finally, T'rev actually smiles for real which deepens that dimple she's got her thumb over. "I got plenty of faith. Just it's gonna be a busy night. Though easy enough to find a rider to bat those gorgeous lashes at out in the crowd, for a ride," he agrees. Look! Agreeing! And the twinkle that creeps back into his eyes says he got the double-meaning there. It could also be why he bends to kiss her. "Yeah. Ain't missin' this," he confirms of his own presence at the shindig in question. "I'll be comin' down for Ella around four if you want to piggyback. Be down on the meadow."
However obvious it should have been, Jaeyi is at first surprised that he's kissing her, but she doesn't slap him or shove him off or anything. Actually, afterward, she leans her nose alongside his, presses his lips with hers one more time, and answers, "You and Ella go by yourselves. You could use some time just for the two of you, anyways." With new resolution, sliding her arms from around him so her hands hang off his hips in preparation for stepping away; "I'll be there."
That second kiss earns a light response and then he's looking down into her face, expression open still, a little vulnerability, but something like quiet resignation too. He smiles, nods about Ella. "All right. Then I'll see you later. Come ready to dance," he warns with a touch of more customary merriment. "You know how the Terrivs like to party." His hands curl around her elbows gently for a moment longer, then let go.
Jaeyi answers his look, answers it with apology but also resolve. "We're gonna be okay, T'rev. We are. I just need a little time, just till it doesn't sting, hmn?" That's serious, certain, said just before she draws her hands away from him and turns, headed out, favoring him another lashly look back over her shoulder. "I know exactly how they like to party." Her hand lifts, fingers curled in farewell, and she slips out to hurry through her day and try not to think about... well, just try not to think in general.
It helps, it does, that she says that and T'rev nods just once. "I'm not pushin'," he answers quietly, smiles again one more time then laughs outright at the look and the parting comment. "Clear skies, love," are his parting words, waiting until she's out of sight before he reaches for the glass she stole from him and drinks it down. Sober-faced he returns to the abandoned paperwork, twitches the edges of the sheets, then drops a paperweight on them and heads out in search of the weyrwomen.
IC Date: 7/1/22
Council Room, Fort Weyr(#839RJs$)
The Weyr's meeting space is a long, oval space with a large stone table placed in the middle. There's seating enough for twelve around the table: plenty of room to welcome most of the Weyrleaders and a good portion of the Lords Holder from the north, though additional seating might be needed if a Pern-wide meeting were to be held here.
A sideboard stands ready to serve, regardless of the occasion and is kept well-stocked with carafes of wine, water and several fine liquors. Fresh flowers, appropriate to the season are changed out regularly in the vase atop the sideboard. Tapestries depicting Fort's illustrious history from founding, to Moreta's role in the Plague to Lessa's arrival to bring the Weyrs forward in time bedeck the walls, leavening the omnipresence of cool, gray stone. Well-lit, the chamber boasts glows in niches around the room, as well as oil lamps hanging from the ceiling.
On account of having a million things to do for midsummer, Jaeyi does some creative schedule juggling and winds up for her obligatory Weyr-visit on a different day this week. Where usually she's trying to ditch Melkyn on account of she wants to get naked with T'rev, today she's trying to escape his clutches for more sobering reasons, though good luck convincing him of that. Finally, after a half-hour spent discussing the lack of cinnamon in the Weyr's storeroom, she trots across the bowl, pops her head briefly into T'rev's weyr, finds it vacant, and-- taking a guess-- winds up in the standing in the council room doorway, looking unusually grave. "I need to talk to you."
Head bent to work, even on mid-summer's day, though gathering is likely in the cards for later, along with a trip to Telgar for his father's wedding, that voice stops T'rev's pen cold. Brown eyes lift swiftly to Jaeyi's face, a flash of hope along with a trace of panic to be caught in his expression. "Jae ..." he starts out and puts the pen down on its holder, pushes to his feet promptly and starts to close the distance between them.
Jaeyi sketches a quick smile to hopefully dismiss that panic, but she's got to get through this and she knows it and T'rev coming over, regardless of anything else between them right now, doesn't lend to that. "Hi. Sit back down, T'rev. This is important. Ella told me something and-- just. Sit down. We'll talk." She'll go on around to the other side of the table to seat herself, looking out-of-place in the council room, no matter how serious her expression stays.
Hello confusion. She smiles. But then she's putting the table between them and T'rev reaches out, one hand curling around the back of a different chair. Blink. "Ella -- ?" Usher in more confusion and now worry too, but the weyrleader does as asked and pulls out that chair, sits in it. His arms fold atop the table and he looks across its width at the baker. "Okay."
With a deep breath, puffed out of her cheeks gustily, Jaeyi begins, "So, you remember when I said that thing about how I hope Esraval doesn't wind up killing Astivan? I was apparently pretty right, 'cause Ella said she and Astivan heard Esraval and Rivellan talking about getting him out of the way so they could take the Hold." She folds her hands resolutely in front of her, exhales again, then looks up from her clasped fingers to meet T'rev's eyes, entirely troubled and not in the 'boohoo, my boyfriend's having a baby with someone else' way. More the 'holy shit, murder and intrigue, help' kind of way. "I don't know-- that is-- I told her I would tell you."
T'rev's gaze is pretty intent. Eyes right on Jaeyi's, probably expecting something totally different and he doesn't bother with poker face given who is sitting across from him, his expression shifting rapidly to very worried and horrified. The Weyrleader leans back in his chair and clears his throat. "Shells," is the first thing he says. The second, he's pushing his chair back from the table, a determined look to him. "I'm going to get her. She's not stayin' down there one more day, and neither are you."
Jaeyi looks at her hands again, a matter of locating the resolve to answer, "Yeah, that's not happening? I mean, I can't speak for Ella, but Astivan's a little boy, and it just feels wrong. To run away when I'm not actually the one in any immediate, uhmn, danger." She looks back at the edge of the table in front of T'rev, like she could will him to sit there calmly, then, frowning, back to T'rev himself once again. "Plus, if the two of us up and leave, Esraval will know /something/ is going on. Also, I'm posted there, so I can't really just leave." She could probably come up with more reasons, but that's plenty? "Just... I wanted to tell you, I wanted you to know, in case-- well, in case there is anything you can do." Which sounds like she knows there aren't so many options open to him, so it's not like she expects him to swoop in and save them.
The rational part of T'rev knows she's right, knows everything she's saying, but it takes a bit for the father and the weyrmate to strap down the kneejerk reactions and let the Weyrleader be the Weyrleader. That means that T'rev is pacing back and forth, hand slid into his hair, tugging there. On one pass back past his chair, he gives it a kick that disrupts the next one over, but doesn't knock either over. "Fuck." He says distinctly and then heads over to the sideboard to pour himself a stiff drink that gets downed in one go. His fingers drum on the surface of the table and then he looks back over his shoulder. "I need to know exactly what Ella heard. Exactly as possible anyway. Did she tell you? Otherwise, we'll need to get it from her and harper scribed, but without letting Esraval know." Pause. "You know that they're talking about making him Lord, right? There's a petition going to Conclave."
Watching him through all this, making a sympathetic face at the poor chair that takes the brunt of it, only moving her head when he's paced too far for her to track him with her eyes alone, Jaeyi agrees with that profane summary of the situation, a mild, "That's pretty much what I was thinking, yeah," and a bland smile. Clearing her throat, she shakes her head to his question, explaining, "She was just scared and wanted to talk to someone, and I didn't think it would do much good to make her relive the whole thing right then and there, since I could't do much but cuddle and tell her it'd be okay." As to the petition before the Conclave-- well, she doesn't say anything, just looks squarely at T'rev without so much as a glimmer of surprise; she is sorta fucking the would-be Lord, presumably this is not news to her.
"Right," T'rev says, jaw set and pours some more drink. "I'd offer you some, but I know you don't like it," he notes of the alcohol, takes just a swallow this time and approaches the table, sets the glass down and rests his hands on the table's surface, staring at it sightlessly. "If it's all a set up, I dunno if we'll be able to stop it. It's Ella's word against theirs." Breath out and he looks up at her again, something vaguely pained in his expression. "I don't s'pose you found anything other than those letters? They talk about movin' stuff around but we're not sure what, yet."
Jaeyi's suggestion; "Just maybe don't tell her that? Her word against theirs, I mean. She's pretty scared, and putting it like that..." She trails off, his pain reflected back at him for the implication in that request, though she takes a breath, shakes her head, and plugs along afterward like it's a perfectly natural thing to discuss. "No, I haven't been back in his office since then. I have to, mmn, invent clever reasons to be there?" Nice way of saying 'tell lies.' "And I don't want him to start, like, getting suspicious. I will, though, especially now that I know I'm not just being paranoid about nothing."
"Hell no. Just sayin' that here and now. So you understand the position we're all in," T'rev says heavily. "Ella ... it'll be a different talk altogether. And I'm gonna have a hard time just leavin' her there. At least I have the excuse about my father gettin' married. I can go get her to bring her along tonight and not bring her back for a few days. Family business and what all," he says vaguely and lets out a breath, scrubs at the side of his face with one hand. "You don't have to Jae," the Weyrleader says quietly. "It's just that you're in a pretty plum spot to be able to find out things no one else can." Breath out. "Do you think Isobel and Lady Astrella are in on it?" There's that look to him again and he reaches for his glass, takes a swig from it.
Nodding slowly to the first, briefly trying to imagine how that talk will go with the girl in question, which ends over a sympathetic smile for T'rev's part. "I hope she'll go with you. She's awfully young for all this, and she's scared, and it'd be good for her to get away for a little bit." Jaeyi watches him again, the same way she did for all the pacing and the drinking, while he scrubs his face and all, answers calmly, "I know I don't have to. --And no. I don't think Isobel is... that kind of person? She may be a good-little-wife, but she doesn't seem like she'd condone Esravals' actions, regardless of how docile she is. And Astrella, well. Astivan is her son, T'rev. Can I have that glass, please?"
"Don't think she'll say no, she sounded excited about it the last time I talked about going to the caravan," T'rev answers with a faint smile, hand still curled around his glass. "If you think you can trust her ... she might be willin' to help," the Weyrleader says slowly, though his voice comes out a little rough. "I don't think Esraval would do anything to his pregnant wife." It's a cold thing to say and it's obvious that he knows it and it's just cost him a lot to say it on the personal front. Silently, the Weyrleader makes his way around the table to hand Jaeyi the glass. "I know. But she's got three other ones and she might be ... easy to manipulate?"
"Thank you," for the glass, which she proceeds to hold between both hands, otherwise ignored. Jaeyi's nod about Ella's excitement is absent, her mind clearly clearly elsewhere, such as-- "I don't think he would either, but I haven't quite got up the nerve yet to tell Isobel that I think her husband might be a terrible person. It's not quite what I'd want to hear when I was, mmn, in her condition." Sensitive subject at the moment, considering background, personal issues and all. "She might be easy to manipulate, but Astrella's already lost her husband. I don't think she's keen on helping Esraval oust her son. Or worse."
"Yeah. I wouldn't either," T'rev says with a quiet sigh and looks down at the floor for a moment. His hand drops to rest atop the table, though he hasn't sat down again yet. He's not calling Jaeyi on the taking and not drinking with the glass either. Probably too focused on whatever is running through his head. "Sorry, every suspicious thing I've been taught in the past few turns is making me wonder if Astrella could actually have been part of what happened to Savilan now. Who knows, maybe all that flutterin' about is a really good act." His expression turns sour and he shakes his head. "Rather believe not though. So. Esraval and Rivellan and Ella knows, but other than a couple of letters, we've got nothin' to call them on it with. I can't march into that Conclave or get someone else to with so little."
Jaeyi says nothing more about Astrella, her thoughts on the woman's innocence perfectly clear. Granted, she's not proven herself to be the most awesome judge of nefarious characters, but she sticks to that opinion anyway. "For what it's worth," she begins apologetically, "I didn't think there was anything you could do, I didn't really expect you to be able to, like, solve it all here right now today. But we will find something. Esraval is confident, and when the Conclave votes him in?" Not if. "He'll be smug, cocky even. People make mistakes when they start to get too sure of themselves, and we'll catch him for it. In the meantime." She shrugs, what can you do?
T'rev is silent, eyes on Jaeyi's face and he nods a few times, slowly, then finally reaches down to actually touch her, even if it's just a brush of fingers to her wrist. "In the meantime, I'll tell Cirse and Hattie and we'll pull some riders together to be on watch and ready to help get you and Ella /out/ if we have to," the Weyrleader says low and earnest. "I'm not letting them hurt my family."
Whether it's just an automatic response or an intentional one, Jaeyi covers T'rev's fingers at her wrist with the other palm, holds them there long enough to apply a brief squeeze. The breath she takes seems likely to argue about his master plan there, but she lets it out instead, her expression smoothing from a frown back to something more placid, worried but not argumentative. "Do you think Jiella knows that her father's plotting with Esraval?" she asks abruptly.
That squeeze sees T'rev's fingers tightening in turn and his hand starts to slide up her arm, stops on her next question. "It's hard to tell. She probably knows more'n she ever lets on, but I don't think she's totally in on it." Pause. Throat cleared. "I think ... he did mean to use her against me somehow, back when she was a candidate, based on some things she said. But it didn't work. It's worth keepin' an eye on her though."
The answer actually surprises Jaeyi, and she looks over at T'rev, blinking rapidly. "I meant-- I was expecting you to say no." See? With the total naivete, blanket trust. "So you don't think I should tell her that I heard through the grapevine that her daddy has secret meetings with Lord Fort?" A title that has her crinkling her nose for a second, but she may as well get used to it. "I mean, do you think-- hmmn. If she did know anything, do you think she'd tell? Like, maybe wants an opportunity to tell?"
"Actually, might be interestin' to see what happens if you do," T'rev answers, hand still lightly curled around her forearm. "Because she doesn't ... hm." The Weyrleader blows out a long breath. "She might be a spoilt brat but she ain't a bad person. And I'm not just sayin' that because we tangled up sheets together." And then he's nodding slowly. "Could be yeah, could be if she got an opening, she might ... decide something. I dunno. I've seen here at Fort Sea, with her father. There's ... some weird tension there."
Is there anyone at Fort without some kind of daddy-issue? Really? --Jaeyi listens through all of that, the crease in her forehead deepening, her expression turning comically bemused by the time he gets to 'weird tension.' But she nods, takes a breath, and decides, "I'll talk to her. I'll just leave Ella's name out of it. If worse comes to worst and she, like, rats me out to Rivellan, well." There's a one-shouldered shrug, lifting the arm that's not playing host to T'rev's palm at the moment.
"Okay, just ... keep Sugar around if you do? Just in case?" T'rev advises, which is probably comically bad advice. Her last words though send his hand up her arm to her elbow, grip tightening there. "If anything happens, I /will/ come for you." And that's not really the weyrleader talking of course. He's silent for a moment then he clears his throat. "Can you ... come to the wedding tonight? It's over towards Telgar so it'll be at sunset about an hour back from sunset here."
Jaeyi confesses, eyes moving left... right... then back up to T'rev, "I'm not actually sure where he is. I think he has a little girlfriend or something." His resolve, the tightening fingers-- she sighs, eyes softening a little while they stay on his. "If anything happens. At this point. T'rev, he's about to be officially named the Lord of Fort. I'm his mistress, and I'm spying on him. If I get caught, if he even suspects... At some point-- and I know this is hard for you-- you're gonna have to let go and let me deal with the consequences on my own." Which doesn't lead into talking about the pending nuptials real well, so she'll answer that one in a minute or two.
"Lucky Sugar," T'rev says in rather a thick voice and shakes his head a few times. Stubborn. "And what if he hurts you. Or worse. I can't let that happen. Won't." Which pretty much scuttles talking about weddings, yeah.
In a tone far too light for the subject, Jaeyi begins, "First, I may not even get caught, so don't get yourself all worked up about things that may never even happen." Sliding his glass across the table to her side, putting it away, she turns in her chair to catch both his hands with both of hers, looking very serious and direct and calm. "Second, I'm not a little girl. I understand that the consequences are pretty damn big if I do get caught. And I'm ready to deal with that if I have to. It'd help to know that you're ready to deal with it, too." Quietly, bending her head over his hands to press lips to knuckles, she adds, "You can't save me, T'rev."
"Here's hopin' not," T'rev starts, stops as she takes his hands and his fingers curl around hers. What she says and the kisses to his knuckles squeeze his eyes shut for a moment or two of deep breaths and then he's trying to pull her up into his arms. "If it comes to, I can deal, Jae. But you can't ask me not to try if there's the slightest chance ... the slightest chance I can get you out."
Jaeyi doesn't fight the pull, letting it get her to her feet and bring her against T'rev, letting it unclasp hands so she can fold her arms around him at rib-height. "I'm not asking you not to try. I'm just--" With her head bowed so her forehead rests below his throat for a second, it's hard to see what exactly plays across her face, to know more than that she exhales through her nose. "If he catches me, it'll be treason I've committed. There's no doubt in my mind he can paint me as the most treacherous slut on the planet if he decides to. You can't just rush in and liberate me, not if I've committed a crime. I get that now." As opposed to the last time she was in this very same room with him, failing to comprehend why he didn't just wave his hand and pardon her daddy, see.
"I know," T'rev finally says quietly, voice ten kinds of rough and his head bows, cheek resting atop her head. "But if there's a way, I'll find it," he continues, still stubborn. His arms tighten around her further and T'rev doesn't say anything else for a little while, just holds her close.
There's a laugh, a very little one, and Jaeyi lets him hold her for quite a while even after it stills to silence. Eventually, with a nuzzle of her nose to the end of his chin, she notes, "Just once, I wish you'd say, 'you're so right, Jae, I will so totally do what you want this one time.'" But she's not expecting it, says the tolerant, affectionate smile up at him. Deep breath; "I'm going to try to come to the wedding. I haven't, uhmn, asked for the night off or anything, 'cause I think that's pretty much the surest way to not get it, but I'm thinking I'll just... go."
The laughter that follows that pronouncement is weak, but T'rev does loosen his arm enough to move his hand up to brush at her hair gently. "Feline can't change his stripes?" he offers up the attempt at a quip. "And someday I will be sayin' that. Just not about this, Jaeyi." His hand shifts again, thumb aiming to brush against the curve of that smile. Of the wedding: "He'll be busy with the gather," the weyrleader points out. "Probably have to entertain until waaay late. Right? Plus politicking with those holders ..." Hopeful. And a nod. "I can have someone standin' by to take you?"
Jaeyi, eyes brightening for the first time in a while now, "Mmhmn. I'll believe it when I hear it, dimples." Answering his gesture, she curls her fingers around his cheek, the pad of her thumb intentionally covering one of those dimples, then pat-pats it with good-little-boy affection. "Have a little faith. If I wanna ride, I can get a ride." Especially if she turns on the eyelashes the way she does just then, head tilted, very clearly not talking about the kinda ride that involves actually /getting/ anywhere. "Sooooo, theoretically, I'll see you there, hmn?"
Finally, T'rev actually smiles for real which deepens that dimple she's got her thumb over. "I got plenty of faith. Just it's gonna be a busy night. Though easy enough to find a rider to bat those gorgeous lashes at out in the crowd, for a ride," he agrees. Look! Agreeing! And the twinkle that creeps back into his eyes says he got the double-meaning there. It could also be why he bends to kiss her. "Yeah. Ain't missin' this," he confirms of his own presence at the shindig in question. "I'll be comin' down for Ella around four if you want to piggyback. Be down on the meadow."
However obvious it should have been, Jaeyi is at first surprised that he's kissing her, but she doesn't slap him or shove him off or anything. Actually, afterward, she leans her nose alongside his, presses his lips with hers one more time, and answers, "You and Ella go by yourselves. You could use some time just for the two of you, anyways." With new resolution, sliding her arms from around him so her hands hang off his hips in preparation for stepping away; "I'll be there."
That second kiss earns a light response and then he's looking down into her face, expression open still, a little vulnerability, but something like quiet resignation too. He smiles, nods about Ella. "All right. Then I'll see you later. Come ready to dance," he warns with a touch of more customary merriment. "You know how the Terrivs like to party." His hands curl around her elbows gently for a moment longer, then let go.
Jaeyi answers his look, answers it with apology but also resolve. "We're gonna be okay, T'rev. We are. I just need a little time, just till it doesn't sting, hmn?" That's serious, certain, said just before she draws her hands away from him and turns, headed out, favoring him another lashly look back over her shoulder. "I know exactly how they like to party." Her hand lifts, fingers curled in farewell, and she slips out to hurry through her day and try not to think about... well, just try not to think in general.
It helps, it does, that she says that and T'rev nods just once. "I'm not pushin'," he answers quietly, smiles again one more time then laughs outright at the look and the parting comment. "Clear skies, love," are his parting words, waiting until she's out of sight before he reaches for the glass she stole from him and drinks it down. Sober-faced he returns to the abandoned paperwork, twitches the edges of the sheets, then drops a paperweight on them and heads out in search of the weyrwomen.