[Log] I'm Not Going Anywhere
Who: Donavon (NPC), E'sere, L'ret (NPC), Luskian (NPC)
When: Day 5, Month 5, Turn 2, 7th Pass
Where: Lower Caverns, High Reaches Weyr
What: E'sere has demands, but Donavon has none of it. Business is discussed.
As always, E'sere waited until it was late, past the Weyr's bedtime, before he went after them. L'ret met him in the lower caverns, and together they drifted depper, further into the passageways lining the Weyr to that familiar door. This time, it was Donavon who was missing, and E'sere, seeing this, stopped in the doorway to observe Luskian.
"Where is he?" he demanded.
L'ret, halfway to his seat, paused and turned to look at the bronzerider; Luskian stared at the table.
"Late," he answered after a moment, simply.
"He'll be here," L'ret added reassuringly, sliding into his seat and picking up the cards. He shuffled mechanically, nervously, as E'sere, scowling, took the third seat. Ten minutes later, Donavon sauntered in like nothing in the world was wrong. He stopped when he noted the three stares fixed upon him: Luskian and L'ret bore identical warning looks; E'sere's was unreadable.
"Hey," the dark-haired man offered in wary greeting, glancing between them. L'ret, after sharing a look with Luskian, made quickly as if to deal, a motion that E'sere stopped with a raised hand, the bronzerider still watching the man in the doorway.
"You have to leave," E'sere said abruptly, staring hard at Donavon before flicking a brief glance to Luskian, then back.
"What?" demanded Donavon, taking a step forward, hands balling.
"You have to leave. Now," repeated E'sere. "You're becoming too visible; people are starting to ask uncomfortable questions. The guards--"
"I'm not scared of the guards!"
"Donavon," L'ret began, his tone placating. The bearded man glowered, but the wingsecond didn't let himself be deterred. "Donavon, somebody mentioned your name. They asked about you. They got that from somwhere. And Luskian--" he glanced at the silent man then "--yours, too. People are--"
"I don't care!" Donavon protested hotly. "If they say anything else, we'll take care of them."
"No," E'sere said flatly.
Donavon started to reply, but this time, Luskian cut him off with a quiet question: "What would we do, where would we go, E'sere?"
Still glaring at Donavon, the bronzerider was silent. Finally: "Tonight. Tonight M'korr will be on watch duty. He'll take you as far as Tillek; from there, you'll need to find a man there, a dock worker named Aristin. Tell him I need my favor, and he'll take you to a hold in the mountains off the coast, Black Gorge. You can't find it otherwise, but you'll be safe there. The holders will take care of you until I can bring you back."
"No." This time, Donavon's turn as he advanced a threatening step forward. In that same moment, E'sere rose, knocking his chair back as he stood to meet the other man.
"You're just going to pawn an unwilling person off on people he doesn't care about when his home needs him the most. Hmm, where have I heard that before?" Donavon said snidely, upper lip curling in a snarl.
"Don't talk to me about that! This is--this is different. This is for your own good!"
"Mine, or yours?" retorted Donavon. L'ret, looking worried, quickly inserted himself into the small space between them, pushing Donavon back.
"Okay, okay. Calm down. We can talk about this like reasonable people," he insisted. "Let's just sit down, play a few hands, and--"
"Oh, shut up already." Uncharacteristically, it was E'sere who snapped, rounding on his wingsecond; L'ret looked stunned. "This is not open for discussion. Luskian, Donavon. You're leaving, and that's it."
"I'm not going anywhere," Donavon insisted in a low voice, glaring around L'ret. Caught in the middle, the brownrider looked helplessly between the two, then at Luskian.
"I'll go," the latter finally said, frowning. He forced a small, sad smile and repeated, "I'll go."
E'sere and Donavon deflated at once, both fixing Luskian with a look. Finally, glancing back to his friend, E'sere asked, "Donavon?"
"No," came the answer. "I won't. I'll--I'll lay low, keep my head down, see what I can do to disguise myself--but I'm not going anywhere."
E'sere closed his eyes, taking and releasing a breath, before looking again to Donavon. Finally, he nodded once and brushed past L'ret and Donavon, disappearing again into the dark hallway.
-=-
As soon as he'd left, L'ret sagged against a chair, Donavon sliding heavily into another. Elbows on the table, he rubbed at his temples and glared dully at the wood.
"What's wrong with him? How long has this been going on?" he asked.
L'ret looked uncomfortable. "A... while. Couple of weeks. It's just getting worse, though," he answered after a moment. "We've been covering, but... People are starting to talk, anyway, and you know how he is. Doesn't want to see a healer. Paranoid. You've just been too busy to notice it happening."
"Of course I have," Donavon echoed bitterly, shaking his head. He straightened, leaning back, rapping his knuckles on the table's surface as he studied the two remaining men. "What now? You're just going to run away, abandon him?"
Luskian looked aggrieved, sheepish. "Donavon, it's sense. We are getting too well-known. If we just..."
"You go if you want to; I won't," Donavon retorted coldly. Luskian, looking hurt, nodded and stood.
"... I should go, then. It's late, and I have to--pack. You'll... You'll watch out for Keski for me, won't you?" he asked earnestly. Donavon cracked a humorless half-smile.
"Haven't I always?" he asked in return. Luskian, with a trace of his usual smile, nodded again and slipped out into the night. L'ret and Donavon watched him go in silence, a silence that stretched several minutes after he had left.
"I've got some clothes I can give you," L'ret finally said, quiet. "Nicer things. We'll cut your hair and dress you up, and--get rid of that thing--" he rubs at his chin, a gesture Donavon imitated, pulling at his scraggly dark beard with a scowl "--and nobody will expect you to look respectable. You can stay out of the Weyr as much as possible, too. Your hold, it's not far, right?"
"Half a day on runner," Donavon answered with a shrug, drumming his fingers again and not looking at the rider.
"Good. You can stay there some, too. We'll make this work," L'ret said, nodding slowly as he convinced himself as much as Donavon. "And there's... one other thing," he began delicately after a moment's pause. Donavon looked up at once, brows knitting.
"He kind of told R'vain we'd look into this Sian business for him. ... Providing that wasn't actually us?" L'ret frowned briefly, eyeing the other man.
"Nah. Wasn't me. The stairs guy, now. That was me," Donavon admitted flippantly, trying hard to hide his pride. "Though don't you dare tell him that. It was an--accident."
"Right." L'ret didn't sound convinced, but let it slide. Donavon glanced back at the table, tapping his fingers again. "Anyway, the Sian business," continued L'ret after a second. "The only thing I've got to give you now is a name--Aivey."
That got Donavon's attention. He straightened, breaking off his rhythmic tapping to stare at L'ret.
"Aivey?" he repeated. L'ret frowned.
"Yes."
"Aivey. I know her. She's the one that's been hanging around him lately. I've been watching--she brings him dinner sometimes, that sort of thing. Real helpful. Came to that party a while back with him," Donavon said tensely, leaning forward. "She had something to do with Sian?"
L'ret hesitated. "I'm not sure," he answered slowly. "But there's some that say she was there, helping or hindering I don't know."
Donavon nodded grimly. "Right," he agreed. "I'll look into it. I've got to talk to Katric about--something, too, and then pay another visit to Leyron in the next couple of days--the guy's getting some ideas I don't like, even after me and that kid talked to him the first time. By the way, keep an eye on him--Kierom, I think it was. Kierom and that other guy, N'ka--the one we had the girls spreading the rumors about? I don't trust him."
"I'll let everyone know," L'ret said, with a quick nod. "You just worry about this Aivey business." Donavon was already getting to his feet, but L'ret caught him by the sleeve before he could go.
"Donavon, be careful," he said, staring up at the other man. At Donavon's bored expression, he added, "Donavon, I'm serious. I don't want to be the one who has to tell him you went and got yourself killed."
Grimly, Donavon answered, "I don't want you to be, either."