Chielyth, spy
It is an early autumn afternoon of day 2, month 11, turn 20 of Interval 10
It's far too early for one little green to be awake, especially with the late nights she's been keeping. That's probably why her cheer's been muted into petulance and grump. << Elaruth? Kai woke me up. >> That's probably not what he wanted her to say, but that's what Elaruth gets to hear. (Chielyth to Elaruth)
Distracted, tired - exhausted even - Elaruth responds with a heat unusual for her dawning sun. << Chielyth. Why did he wake you? >> Patience for petulance, despite her not being in the perkiest of moods herself. (Elaruth to Chielyth)
Chielyth answers quickly, perhaps recognizing that she's mighty close to Elaruth's last nerve, << He says there are men. This is hard! He says there are men and there are boats and the mean man sends them on boats and there are boxes. >> Slowly she draws a little movie: here's a building labeled Fort Sea, and a stick figure on top with RIVELLAN --> pointing to him. Then Rivellan points and a whole bunch of little men jump into a boat and the boat sails away over W-shaped waves until they get to another building. Then the little men hop out of the boat, scamper away and return to the boat with their arms laden with boxes, and the boat sails back across the Ws to Fort Sea and Rivellan.
Chielyth adds sulkily, << Kai says /words/ but words are -hard-, Elaruth. >>
It takes a while, longer than it usually would, for Elaruth to process all of her sister's pictures and the few words that came before. She's slow in replying too, though her touch doesn't fade and there's no great intensity behind the heat that lingers whilst her voice isn't there to cool it. << Hattie says that is the Holder's name. After the men have returned, do the boxes remain at the Hold, or are they sent on? >> Maybe to try and coax from sulking, maybe to explain her distraction, the queen gently nudges an image the little green's way - sand, yet more sand, but that's not important. What /is/ important is the egg, its black shell with its purple, white and red. (Elaruth to Chielyth)
Chielyth projects, << Kai says he doesn't know. Kai says maybe those boxes are the same boxes as the other boxes from the boat. Kai says the boat-men invited him to come on their boat and get boxes to give to the Rivellan-man. --Oh! Elaruth, is that an /egg/? Is that your egg? I told Kai! >> All thoughts of sulky are swept away in this new excitement. << Can I come see it? >>
Boxes, boxes, boxes. The information is likely repeated almost word for word, passed along to her rider. << Did your Kai go with them? Will he go? >> is asked after another few moments of silence. Faint maternal pride at the thought of the egg, like Elaruth might be unsure whether she's allowed this sort of pride, others being mostly foreign to her. << Yes. It is. There are others, too. >> Quick flashes of its companions, their patterned shells, how they sit at present. << You may come and see them when they are all here. From up high. >> The ledges, she must mean, for even dear Chielyth is not an exception to the protective instinct of a mother. (Elaruth to Chielyth)
Chielyth stre-et-ches and shakes out her wings, all ready to come look... but not now, poo, and sits back down. << Kai says boat-man said he could come, but Kai said No Not Now. >> She withdraws a little, probably to get further clarification from He of the Words. Slowly then, careful to get it right: << Kai says boat-man takes men on the boat and they go along the coast where Rivellan-man tells them. Kai says he -thinks- they beat people up, >> she colors that with distinct disapproval, << but he does not know. Kai thinks the boat-men are bad. Rivellan-man too. >>
Heat and mist are gone entirely for the space of at least a few minutes, Elaruth vaguely apologetic when her mind reaches out again. << Hattie thinks that getting on the boat is a bad idea. She says it could make things very complicated. >> Another day, there might have been some elaboration on that, but that doesn't seem to be something the gold is capable of at the present moment. << She asks Kai to listen... She says that men frequently gloat if they have done such a thing as hurting another. She will tell the Weyrleader when she is able. Or I will tell Mecaith. >> (Elaruth to Chielyth)
Chielyth has to stop for a moment to think about that. << OK, >> she finally allows, though she's still unhappy about it. << Elaruth, I don't want Kai to be gone anymore. I want to come look at your eggs and I want to see Kai and I told him not to get on the boat and he says he won't unless he has to. >>
Elaruth lifts a phantom wing and cuddles her sister close. << He will not be gone for much longer. He will be back soon and as proud of you as we are, more even. You are very brave. You must tell if he gets on the boat, alright? >> The image drifted over is of another egg, deep blue like a pool. << You can see them as soon as they are all here and settled, I promise. I do not think it will be much longer. >> She hopes.
Phantom cuddles are /not/ the same as real ones, but Chielyth'll make the best of it, returning sunshine to her sister. << OK. Maybe I'll see if Corvinth can fly with me. He's very good. I'll see you later, Elaruth. And your eggs! >> Yay! (Chielyth to Elaruth)
It's far too early for one little green to be awake, especially with the late nights she's been keeping. That's probably why her cheer's been muted into petulance and grump. << Elaruth? Kai woke me up. >> That's probably not what he wanted her to say, but that's what Elaruth gets to hear. (Chielyth to Elaruth)
Distracted, tired - exhausted even - Elaruth responds with a heat unusual for her dawning sun. << Chielyth. Why did he wake you? >> Patience for petulance, despite her not being in the perkiest of moods herself. (Elaruth to Chielyth)
Chielyth answers quickly, perhaps recognizing that she's mighty close to Elaruth's last nerve, << He says there are men. This is hard! He says there are men and there are boats and the mean man sends them on boats and there are boxes. >> Slowly she draws a little movie: here's a building labeled Fort Sea, and a stick figure on top with RIVELLAN --> pointing to him. Then Rivellan points and a whole bunch of little men jump into a boat and the boat sails away over W-shaped waves until they get to another building. Then the little men hop out of the boat, scamper away and return to the boat with their arms laden with boxes, and the boat sails back across the Ws to Fort Sea and Rivellan.
Chielyth adds sulkily, << Kai says /words/ but words are -hard-, Elaruth. >>
It takes a while, longer than it usually would, for Elaruth to process all of her sister's pictures and the few words that came before. She's slow in replying too, though her touch doesn't fade and there's no great intensity behind the heat that lingers whilst her voice isn't there to cool it. << Hattie says that is the Holder's name. After the men have returned, do the boxes remain at the Hold, or are they sent on? >> Maybe to try and coax from sulking, maybe to explain her distraction, the queen gently nudges an image the little green's way - sand, yet more sand, but that's not important. What /is/ important is the egg, its black shell with its purple, white and red. (Elaruth to Chielyth)
Chielyth projects, << Kai says he doesn't know. Kai says maybe those boxes are the same boxes as the other boxes from the boat. Kai says the boat-men invited him to come on their boat and get boxes to give to the Rivellan-man. --Oh! Elaruth, is that an /egg/? Is that your egg? I told Kai! >> All thoughts of sulky are swept away in this new excitement. << Can I come see it? >>
Boxes, boxes, boxes. The information is likely repeated almost word for word, passed along to her rider. << Did your Kai go with them? Will he go? >> is asked after another few moments of silence. Faint maternal pride at the thought of the egg, like Elaruth might be unsure whether she's allowed this sort of pride, others being mostly foreign to her. << Yes. It is. There are others, too. >> Quick flashes of its companions, their patterned shells, how they sit at present. << You may come and see them when they are all here. From up high. >> The ledges, she must mean, for even dear Chielyth is not an exception to the protective instinct of a mother. (Elaruth to Chielyth)
Chielyth stre-et-ches and shakes out her wings, all ready to come look... but not now, poo, and sits back down. << Kai says boat-man said he could come, but Kai said No Not Now. >> She withdraws a little, probably to get further clarification from He of the Words. Slowly then, careful to get it right: << Kai says boat-man takes men on the boat and they go along the coast where Rivellan-man tells them. Kai says he -thinks- they beat people up, >> she colors that with distinct disapproval, << but he does not know. Kai thinks the boat-men are bad. Rivellan-man too. >>
Heat and mist are gone entirely for the space of at least a few minutes, Elaruth vaguely apologetic when her mind reaches out again. << Hattie thinks that getting on the boat is a bad idea. She says it could make things very complicated. >> Another day, there might have been some elaboration on that, but that doesn't seem to be something the gold is capable of at the present moment. << She asks Kai to listen... She says that men frequently gloat if they have done such a thing as hurting another. She will tell the Weyrleader when she is able. Or I will tell Mecaith. >> (Elaruth to Chielyth)
Chielyth has to stop for a moment to think about that. << OK, >> she finally allows, though she's still unhappy about it. << Elaruth, I don't want Kai to be gone anymore. I want to come look at your eggs and I want to see Kai and I told him not to get on the boat and he says he won't unless he has to. >>
Elaruth lifts a phantom wing and cuddles her sister close. << He will not be gone for much longer. He will be back soon and as proud of you as we are, more even. You are very brave. You must tell if he gets on the boat, alright? >> The image drifted over is of another egg, deep blue like a pool. << You can see them as soon as they are all here and settled, I promise. I do not think it will be much longer. >> She hopes.
Phantom cuddles are /not/ the same as real ones, but Chielyth'll make the best of it, returning sunshine to her sister. << OK. Maybe I'll see if Corvinth can fly with me. He's very good. I'll see you later, Elaruth. And your eggs! >> Yay! (Chielyth to Elaruth)