Secrets and Lies
Day 11, month 6, turn 22 of Interval 10: Fort Hold, Fort Area
Jiella visits Fiorella, and is met with both suspicion and secrets. She takes well to neither.
Fort Hold, Fort Area
Fort's first Hold boasts a certain grandeur of scale, imposing from both the height of the massive palisade that houses it and the hold's sheer size. The dual construction of the hold with its massive external quadrangle and large courtyard leading the way to the original cliff-dug shelter only add to the sense of epic proportion, borne out by the dozens of windows that pockmark the palisade.
It's a perfect summer afternoon for a visit to the Hold, so it's maybe not a surprise to spot a weathered brown in the bright blue skies above, arcing down towards the front of it for a landing. Orisoth isn't showy, but always careful and precise and efficient in his landings, so Jiella is able to dismount quickly and begin stripping off her leathers, already complaining quietly to the brown about the heat.
On such a day Jiella's not the only one out and about. Fiorella has made sure to find time to spend outdoors and its for that reason that she happens to spot the brown landing from across the courtyard. She hesitates at first, but in the end she does make her way over to the pair. "Fort's greetings, Rider," she begins with the rather formal greeting.
After she's ditched her jacket in the pouch on Orisoth's side, Jiella turns to find Fiorella and offers her a brilliant smile. Flicking stray blonde locks away from her face, she returns, as formally - though with an edge of humour and amusement bright in brown eyes, "Weyr's greetings to Hold, miss. I hope your day is going well. And I was hoping I might find you!" Less formal on the last, but it's really not her way.
Fiorella almost giggles, a smile touching her lips as the blonde turns and replies with that greeting. "It is thankyou. It's a beautiful day, which certainly helps." Its when she mentions that she was hoping to find her that that smile falls. "You.. were looking for me?" That question that seems to ask why without saying the word.
Just giving up entirely on taming her hair back, Jiella just lets it loose, shaking it out in such a way that a few men passing on the road watch her with undisguised interest as she does. "It's /gorgeous/, and I have some time off, so I thought I would see if I could find you and Jaeyi. I caught her at the Weyr last time, wanted to see the kitchen here this time." With a little nudge for the girl's arm with her elbow, easily, "I just wanted to visit."
Fiorella hmms, narrowing her eyes slightly towards the rider. "I see," she replies, not quite certain of all that. "You're father's been visiting an aweful lot too," she notes. "And I don't know about Jaeyi's schedule really. You could check the kitchen, she might be busy though."
With a blink for the girl's narrowed gaze, Jiella looks bemused, then smirks a touch at the mention of her father. "No doubt," she says, sounding entirely unsurprised. "No time for his family; all the time in the world for business. And I didn't expect you to know... I just figured I'd look for one or the other of you and hopefully find you." A pause. "Like... pretty much every other time I show up."
"Maybe that's where my brother gets that," Fiorella replies. All business pretty well describes Leoren as well after all. "You don't hear from him very much then? Well I suppose being at the weyr changes things too, but.." She's talking more to herself there really, but certainly loud enough that Jiella'd be included in it. "Sorry, I've had alot on my mind lately." And she does look a bit tired. "It is nice to see you though."
"Maybe. And I hear from my family mostly when they want something from me." That doesn't mean some part of Jiella's still not happy about it, but. "My father sends letters on occasion. Last time, he visited me, but I think that had more to do with me not doing what he wanted than anything." With a little roll of her eyes - whatever - the blonde takes a moment to consider someone other than herself, looking a little concerned with Ella. "Are you sleeping okay?"
Fiorella ahs, nodding once as the woman explains. "What .. did he want you do to?" she inquires, curiousity leading her to as the question that might otherwise be left unsaid. As for Jiella's question to her, there's a pause before she shakes her head. "Not lately. No." She'll admit that much. "Just like I said, a lot on my mind. Lessons and all."
Pretty brow marred by her frown, Jiella purses her lips. "Oh, it's always something," she says, trying to make it lighter than it might be. "He wants me to talk to people and listen to people and get position and things like that." Waving it all off with a hand, she smiles at Ella with a little roll of her eyes. "You know, there's always some plans people have for you. And lessons, really? Are you sure that's it?" The blonde seems uncertain, but she doesn't want to press either.
Fiorella nods. "Yeah... I know all about that," she replies glumly. She's young enough to get stuck in the middle of it without much choice. Example: current situation. "Who'd he want you to talk to?" Curious that and green eyes lift toward th blonde to watch her answer as well as listen. A nod is her attempt to assure that yes, lessons are the cause. "Esraval's wanted me to take some lessons at harper and he's been teaching me about Fort."
"It's one of the reasons I like being with Trey so much. He gets all that." Jiella is quiet for a beat before snapping out of her reverie and back to life, offering Fiorella a sympathetic smile. "Some plans aren't so awful, honestly. And well. I don't know if T'rev even mentioned, but he sent me to talk to T'rev, at first. I was supposed to go - getting searched was just helpful." Wrinkling her nose a little for that now, she sighs. "Anyway. If he's giving you too much work, you ought to just say something. Or not do it. That's always an option. I do that a lot."
Fiorella ohs, nodding a bit. But then, "I never said anything was awful," so is Jiella heading towards something with that comment? "And.. no, he didn't." Then again it wasn't exactly any of her business either. "As for just not doing it I don't think that'll help." Maybe because that's not really the only thing, but she's not saying otherwise so there's only so much information to work with. "Who does he want you to talk to now anyway?"
A little bemused, "You just sounded so..." Jiella trails off to consider before just settling on, "Down. And you never know, but anyway." The blonde shrugs, a little confused - but that's hardly new, so she just regards Fiorella for a moment or two before, "Well, I doubt Astrella would want you losing sleep because you've got too much work with lessons. You're still growing and whatever, you need rest." Light brows arching at her last question, "He really doesn't have much right to ask me to do anything anymore, honestly."
"I told you," Fiorella retorts, "I've just had alot on my mind." And there are times where that's enough to not let you sleep all so well. "And I suppose she wouldn't," the girl continues, turning a glance back beyond Jiella and then over her own shoulder. "You didn't answer my question though.." she points out as she turns back. Not that she has any authority to demand one either, but she did ask. "Sorry," she quickly adds with a shake of her head.
"And I don't believe that you 'have a lot on your mind' or your bullshit about Esraval's lessons, Ella. So you can accuse me of whatever you want to accuse me of you think I'm doing with my father, you can decide to tell me what's actually wrong with you, you can put all that away and have a pleasant visit with me, or I can go home and spend my time lying in the sun." Jiella's patience has worn thin by her tone; there's only so much time she can spend being concerned with someone else /and/ getting grief for it before she loses it entirely. She's selfish. "I came to be /nice/ and visit people. I don't need to get attitude for it."
accuse me of that you think I'm doing with...
Fiorella huffs. "I said I was sorry," she points out. Not that it was exactly clear on what she was saying sorry for. "Did you want to go for a walk? The garden is especially nice this time of year.. And sunny." There's even a smile to go with that suggestion. "I really do like your visits." Its also an area that's quieter than the courtyard. Fewer people.
Jiella can forgive and forget - or something like that. She offers Fiorella a bright smile and a nod, agreeing easily enough, "Sure, I can go for a walk." As if the moment before never happened. "And I do like visiting. I miss Holds, too. I miss windows." The last is said a bit wistfully.
"I didn't miss them so much when I was there," Fiorella starts as she steps off in the direction of the gardens. 'There' of course being the weyr. "I did't have oe at Four Sons though. Not in my room I mean. So maybe I would have if I did. But I spent alot of time outside when the weather was nice too, so maybe that helped?" A thought nonetheless. Of course as they enter into the plants and the sound of those in the courtyard fade there's more to talk about.
Eyes widening for the thought of a room without windows, "All of us have more than one window at Fort Sea. More than one room." Jiella is still astounded that other people live in less luxury, shaking her head as she walks along into the garden. "And it might have helped, but I guess you just maybe don't miss what you don't have?"
Fiorella nods, "I suppose," she agrees easily enough. She's quiet for a minute then, eyes dropping towards the path for the time. "Jiella," she starts, turning her hea to look back up at the blonde beside her, "Can you keep a secret?" All seriousness there.
Blinking at the girl for a moment, the blonde is unable to judge the seriousness, so looks around for any others on the paths or in the garden before she looks back down. Jiella's as sober as she knows how to be, which is always tempered by mild confusion - as if she never gets what's so serious. "I can, if you need me to, Ella. Is there something /wrong/?"
"Yes." Beat. "No. I mean.., I don't know." Fiorella replies, flustered at the very least. "Something's going on. I'm just not sure what exactly, or how or why or when or anything like that," she goes on, turning to pace a few steps away as she talks and then pausing to turn back to the blonde. "But you can't tell anyone. Promise."
Still seemingly confused, "Something's going on. Alright." Jiella doesn't seem altogether shocked or surprised but this - in fact, it helps clear some of that puzzled expression. However, at Ella's last, she hesitates. She's gotten burned by that before. Trying to sound responsible, "I can't promise that, not if someone might get hurt or there's someone in danger. There might be a way to stop that, and if there is, you know - you have to, right? Like with Vanissa."
Fiorella blinks, somewhat confused herself by the rider's reaction. "I know, but..." she tries to make sense as she turns around and back a few times, uncertain of herself. "I don't know for sure. I don't know enough." Enough apparently to cause her to loose sleep over, to make her like this. "Just promise me Jiella. You won't say anything."
Jiella is quiet again, pretty brow again wrinkled with a furrow - she'll get them if it stays that way! - she eventually agrees slowly and heavily, "Okay. I promise I won't say anything." She doesn't like it, and doesn't like that Fiorella doesn't understand what she's explained - but. "You know enough that you're all - freaked out over it. That sounds like something to me."
"I just.." She's trying here. Really she is. "You don't just accuse someone of something, and somehow I think it might be worse for me if they knew I knew anythig and... I'm scared Jiella," Fiorella finally admits after all that. "I don't know what to do and I shouldn't even be talking about it to .you. of all people."
"First, no one needs to know you know anything. And people accuse people of things all the time. At least, in my family, they do. And... if you're scared, you're probably right to be. And right to be careful." Jiella purses full lips as she glances down, blonde hair falling over her face briefly. Tucking the stray locks back, she glances over to Ella with a little smile. "No one ever knows what to do, really. And I guess it has to do with one of my relatives, then - no surprise that, is it?" Her last is wry, a little sad.
"I didn't say that," Fiorella retorts, quickly shaking her head. She didn't say anything about it being anyone related to the brownrider. Then again, its not so far a stretch to guess given other comments, not to mention her reaction to the thought. "I'm sorry Jiella. You'll still visit though. Won't you? And if you hear anything...?"
Now completely confused, Jiella can only look at Fiorella for a long moment, brown eyes narrowing in thought. With a purse of full lips at the girl's words, she just shakes her head. "I guess I'm dismissed then? And yes, if I hear anything, I'll be sure to run /right/ over, though you can't trust me to do much but take me aside to hem and haw at me. Tell me or don't, miss. Don't waste both our time. We could've talked about clothes." And with that, the blonde tosses her hair, and heads out of the garden and to Orisoth.
Jiella visits Fiorella, and is met with both suspicion and secrets. She takes well to neither.
Fort Hold, Fort Area
Fort's first Hold boasts a certain grandeur of scale, imposing from both the height of the massive palisade that houses it and the hold's sheer size. The dual construction of the hold with its massive external quadrangle and large courtyard leading the way to the original cliff-dug shelter only add to the sense of epic proportion, borne out by the dozens of windows that pockmark the palisade.
It's a perfect summer afternoon for a visit to the Hold, so it's maybe not a surprise to spot a weathered brown in the bright blue skies above, arcing down towards the front of it for a landing. Orisoth isn't showy, but always careful and precise and efficient in his landings, so Jiella is able to dismount quickly and begin stripping off her leathers, already complaining quietly to the brown about the heat.
On such a day Jiella's not the only one out and about. Fiorella has made sure to find time to spend outdoors and its for that reason that she happens to spot the brown landing from across the courtyard. She hesitates at first, but in the end she does make her way over to the pair. "Fort's greetings, Rider," she begins with the rather formal greeting.
After she's ditched her jacket in the pouch on Orisoth's side, Jiella turns to find Fiorella and offers her a brilliant smile. Flicking stray blonde locks away from her face, she returns, as formally - though with an edge of humour and amusement bright in brown eyes, "Weyr's greetings to Hold, miss. I hope your day is going well. And I was hoping I might find you!" Less formal on the last, but it's really not her way.
Fiorella almost giggles, a smile touching her lips as the blonde turns and replies with that greeting. "It is thankyou. It's a beautiful day, which certainly helps." Its when she mentions that she was hoping to find her that that smile falls. "You.. were looking for me?" That question that seems to ask why without saying the word.
Just giving up entirely on taming her hair back, Jiella just lets it loose, shaking it out in such a way that a few men passing on the road watch her with undisguised interest as she does. "It's /gorgeous/, and I have some time off, so I thought I would see if I could find you and Jaeyi. I caught her at the Weyr last time, wanted to see the kitchen here this time." With a little nudge for the girl's arm with her elbow, easily, "I just wanted to visit."
Fiorella hmms, narrowing her eyes slightly towards the rider. "I see," she replies, not quite certain of all that. "You're father's been visiting an aweful lot too," she notes. "And I don't know about Jaeyi's schedule really. You could check the kitchen, she might be busy though."
With a blink for the girl's narrowed gaze, Jiella looks bemused, then smirks a touch at the mention of her father. "No doubt," she says, sounding entirely unsurprised. "No time for his family; all the time in the world for business. And I didn't expect you to know... I just figured I'd look for one or the other of you and hopefully find you." A pause. "Like... pretty much every other time I show up."
"Maybe that's where my brother gets that," Fiorella replies. All business pretty well describes Leoren as well after all. "You don't hear from him very much then? Well I suppose being at the weyr changes things too, but.." She's talking more to herself there really, but certainly loud enough that Jiella'd be included in it. "Sorry, I've had alot on my mind lately." And she does look a bit tired. "It is nice to see you though."
"Maybe. And I hear from my family mostly when they want something from me." That doesn't mean some part of Jiella's still not happy about it, but. "My father sends letters on occasion. Last time, he visited me, but I think that had more to do with me not doing what he wanted than anything." With a little roll of her eyes - whatever - the blonde takes a moment to consider someone other than herself, looking a little concerned with Ella. "Are you sleeping okay?"
Fiorella ahs, nodding once as the woman explains. "What .. did he want you do to?" she inquires, curiousity leading her to as the question that might otherwise be left unsaid. As for Jiella's question to her, there's a pause before she shakes her head. "Not lately. No." She'll admit that much. "Just like I said, a lot on my mind. Lessons and all."
Pretty brow marred by her frown, Jiella purses her lips. "Oh, it's always something," she says, trying to make it lighter than it might be. "He wants me to talk to people and listen to people and get position and things like that." Waving it all off with a hand, she smiles at Ella with a little roll of her eyes. "You know, there's always some plans people have for you. And lessons, really? Are you sure that's it?" The blonde seems uncertain, but she doesn't want to press either.
Fiorella nods. "Yeah... I know all about that," she replies glumly. She's young enough to get stuck in the middle of it without much choice. Example: current situation. "Who'd he want you to talk to?" Curious that and green eyes lift toward th blonde to watch her answer as well as listen. A nod is her attempt to assure that yes, lessons are the cause. "Esraval's wanted me to take some lessons at harper and he's been teaching me about Fort."
"It's one of the reasons I like being with Trey so much. He gets all that." Jiella is quiet for a beat before snapping out of her reverie and back to life, offering Fiorella a sympathetic smile. "Some plans aren't so awful, honestly. And well. I don't know if T'rev even mentioned, but he sent me to talk to T'rev, at first. I was supposed to go - getting searched was just helpful." Wrinkling her nose a little for that now, she sighs. "Anyway. If he's giving you too much work, you ought to just say something. Or not do it. That's always an option. I do that a lot."
Fiorella ohs, nodding a bit. But then, "I never said anything was awful," so is Jiella heading towards something with that comment? "And.. no, he didn't." Then again it wasn't exactly any of her business either. "As for just not doing it I don't think that'll help." Maybe because that's not really the only thing, but she's not saying otherwise so there's only so much information to work with. "Who does he want you to talk to now anyway?"
A little bemused, "You just sounded so..." Jiella trails off to consider before just settling on, "Down. And you never know, but anyway." The blonde shrugs, a little confused - but that's hardly new, so she just regards Fiorella for a moment or two before, "Well, I doubt Astrella would want you losing sleep because you've got too much work with lessons. You're still growing and whatever, you need rest." Light brows arching at her last question, "He really doesn't have much right to ask me to do anything anymore, honestly."
"I told you," Fiorella retorts, "I've just had alot on my mind." And there are times where that's enough to not let you sleep all so well. "And I suppose she wouldn't," the girl continues, turning a glance back beyond Jiella and then over her own shoulder. "You didn't answer my question though.." she points out as she turns back. Not that she has any authority to demand one either, but she did ask. "Sorry," she quickly adds with a shake of her head.
"And I don't believe that you 'have a lot on your mind' or your bullshit about Esraval's lessons, Ella. So you can accuse me of whatever you want to accuse me of you think I'm doing with my father, you can decide to tell me what's actually wrong with you, you can put all that away and have a pleasant visit with me, or I can go home and spend my time lying in the sun." Jiella's patience has worn thin by her tone; there's only so much time she can spend being concerned with someone else /and/ getting grief for it before she loses it entirely. She's selfish. "I came to be /nice/ and visit people. I don't need to get attitude for it."
accuse me of that you think I'm doing with...
Fiorella huffs. "I said I was sorry," she points out. Not that it was exactly clear on what she was saying sorry for. "Did you want to go for a walk? The garden is especially nice this time of year.. And sunny." There's even a smile to go with that suggestion. "I really do like your visits." Its also an area that's quieter than the courtyard. Fewer people.
Jiella can forgive and forget - or something like that. She offers Fiorella a bright smile and a nod, agreeing easily enough, "Sure, I can go for a walk." As if the moment before never happened. "And I do like visiting. I miss Holds, too. I miss windows." The last is said a bit wistfully.
"I didn't miss them so much when I was there," Fiorella starts as she steps off in the direction of the gardens. 'There' of course being the weyr. "I did't have oe at Four Sons though. Not in my room I mean. So maybe I would have if I did. But I spent alot of time outside when the weather was nice too, so maybe that helped?" A thought nonetheless. Of course as they enter into the plants and the sound of those in the courtyard fade there's more to talk about.
Eyes widening for the thought of a room without windows, "All of us have more than one window at Fort Sea. More than one room." Jiella is still astounded that other people live in less luxury, shaking her head as she walks along into the garden. "And it might have helped, but I guess you just maybe don't miss what you don't have?"
Fiorella nods, "I suppose," she agrees easily enough. She's quiet for a minute then, eyes dropping towards the path for the time. "Jiella," she starts, turning her hea to look back up at the blonde beside her, "Can you keep a secret?" All seriousness there.
Blinking at the girl for a moment, the blonde is unable to judge the seriousness, so looks around for any others on the paths or in the garden before she looks back down. Jiella's as sober as she knows how to be, which is always tempered by mild confusion - as if she never gets what's so serious. "I can, if you need me to, Ella. Is there something /wrong/?"
"Yes." Beat. "No. I mean.., I don't know." Fiorella replies, flustered at the very least. "Something's going on. I'm just not sure what exactly, or how or why or when or anything like that," she goes on, turning to pace a few steps away as she talks and then pausing to turn back to the blonde. "But you can't tell anyone. Promise."
Still seemingly confused, "Something's going on. Alright." Jiella doesn't seem altogether shocked or surprised but this - in fact, it helps clear some of that puzzled expression. However, at Ella's last, she hesitates. She's gotten burned by that before. Trying to sound responsible, "I can't promise that, not if someone might get hurt or there's someone in danger. There might be a way to stop that, and if there is, you know - you have to, right? Like with Vanissa."
Fiorella blinks, somewhat confused herself by the rider's reaction. "I know, but..." she tries to make sense as she turns around and back a few times, uncertain of herself. "I don't know for sure. I don't know enough." Enough apparently to cause her to loose sleep over, to make her like this. "Just promise me Jiella. You won't say anything."
Jiella is quiet again, pretty brow again wrinkled with a furrow - she'll get them if it stays that way! - she eventually agrees slowly and heavily, "Okay. I promise I won't say anything." She doesn't like it, and doesn't like that Fiorella doesn't understand what she's explained - but. "You know enough that you're all - freaked out over it. That sounds like something to me."
"I just.." She's trying here. Really she is. "You don't just accuse someone of something, and somehow I think it might be worse for me if they knew I knew anythig and... I'm scared Jiella," Fiorella finally admits after all that. "I don't know what to do and I shouldn't even be talking about it to .you. of all people."
"First, no one needs to know you know anything. And people accuse people of things all the time. At least, in my family, they do. And... if you're scared, you're probably right to be. And right to be careful." Jiella purses full lips as she glances down, blonde hair falling over her face briefly. Tucking the stray locks back, she glances over to Ella with a little smile. "No one ever knows what to do, really. And I guess it has to do with one of my relatives, then - no surprise that, is it?" Her last is wry, a little sad.
"I didn't say that," Fiorella retorts, quickly shaking her head. She didn't say anything about it being anyone related to the brownrider. Then again, its not so far a stretch to guess given other comments, not to mention her reaction to the thought. "I'm sorry Jiella. You'll still visit though. Won't you? And if you hear anything...?"
Now completely confused, Jiella can only look at Fiorella for a long moment, brown eyes narrowing in thought. With a purse of full lips at the girl's words, she just shakes her head. "I guess I'm dismissed then? And yes, if I hear anything, I'll be sure to run /right/ over, though you can't trust me to do much but take me aside to hem and haw at me. Tell me or don't, miss. Don't waste both our time. We could've talked about clothes." And with that, the blonde tosses her hair, and heads out of the garden and to Orisoth.