If There's Anything Left

Writers: Aaron, Devin
Date Posted: 15th April 2024

Characters: Ç'pier, N'vanik
Description: Ç'pier makes his required apology to the Weyrleader for the attack and the lies.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 9 of Turn 11
Notes: Follows "The Gig is Up"

Ç'pier

N'vanik

Ç'pier had Yuliuth make the same explanation to Loseth that he had
given to R'lor and Kularth. No point in doing all that waiting just to
repeat himself yet again. But he told the Weyrleader's bronze that he
would be waiting for him outside his office, and there he waited until
N'vanik saw fit to get on with it.

A few minutes passed as N'vanik got clarifying information from
Yuliuth through Loseth, his anger growing hotter and hotter. Then he
got up and stomped across the office, slamming the door open. "Get in
here you lying pile of crackdust!"

Ç'pier entered. He stood at attention as he was taught and saluted as
he was taught. R'lor had told him to wait, so he waited. He had never
had someone he wanted to follow before. Only people he had to submit
to. Before. But now? Well. He had really let before destroy now.

"Sir."

N'vanik knew he couldn't lay hands on a weyrling, especially a junior.
But Faranth he was sorely tempted. "You tried to _murder_ a Candidate.
In _my_ Weyr! You lied to my face and had me running around looking
for a made up threat like a sharding fool." He clenched his fists, his
hands shaking. He'd felt like a failure for not keeping his people
safe and the whole time the villain was right under his nose. How had
he not seen it?

"Hm. No. I blamed a true threat that wasn't at fault for this single
crime," said Ç'pier. "Otherwise, yes. What you say is true. I lied to
you. But you aren't a fool for what you did. _I_ betrayed your trust,
I took advantage of your good nature, and I don't deserve any
sympathy. But _your_ good nature was never foolish."

Nobody liked to believe they had been fooled, and Dolphin Cove would
not be better for N'vanik becoming less trustworthy. And if Dolphin
Cove were worse off, Blue would be worse off.

N'vanik studied him for a moment, mouth pressed into a thin line.
"You're sharding lucky you Impressed."

"I'm aware, sir." Not that Ç'pier would be sniveling and begging for
his life if he had not, but he knew just how much of a shield Yuliuth
was for him. He had already saved him in a very real sense.

"This friend of yours, did he know anything about this?" He was still
a Candidate and therefore had no protection . . . _if_ he was involved
in this scheme.

"I kept everything from him," said Ç'pier. "Never told him I was in
debt to this man. I thought when we came here, I would be safe and so
would he. I was wrong."

A flicker of sadness made its way past N'vanik's anger. "You _would_
have been safe if you'd gone to the Headwoman, or the Weyrlingmasters,
or _me_." He thought of the Candidate who'd nearly died, of how
helpless he'd felt. "But now you have to pay."

"I understand, sir. If I wasn't willing to pay, I never would have
gone down this road to begin with," said Ç'pier. "I understand it may
be a lot to ask, but if... If you need me to die... is there any way
you could do it some way Yuliuth doesn't have to notice? Maybe he
could just fall asleep?"

N'vanik let out an exasperated snort . "I can't _kill_ you, you
wherry-brained little shit. I can't even send you to the mines because
that would punish your dragon."

Ç'pier let out a small sigh of relief.

"Dying was a lot less scary before I knew how it would make him
feel..." he said softly. "He says he's not afraid. But it's easy to
say."

Since Loseth was watching the young weyrling and he hadn't said
anything, that was probably true. "You're going to apologize to that
poor girl." That wasn't enough but there wasn't much N'vanik could do
to C'pier, but he had to do _something_. "Once you're able to, you're
going to work -- transport duty, message delivery, everything you can.
And you're going to give every single thirty-second mark to Saedyna."

Ç'pier almost scoffed, but it was not a sound of derision or
dismissal, but rather of surprise. This was probably the best news he
ever could have hoped for. He was still not sure what either of these
men thought an apology was going to do for Saedyna - especially a
coerced one - but he was not going to argue. They would get what they
wanted from him.

"I really am lucky," he said. He wondered how many marks attempted
murder was worth to N'vanik, but he had a feeling this was not the
best time to ask.

N'vanik's eyes narrowed. "And you won't be getting free time or rest
days. You'll be working. When you aren't earning marks, you'll be
cleaning the dragon infirmary or helping in the kitchens when they
make numbweed. And tomorrow, during your first class, you're going to
get up and tell all your fellow weyrlings what you did."

**Do you think it might be easier if we did just go to sleep?** Ç'pier
doubted they would make it easy for him to do it. But they could
always go between together.

}:No.:{

**How long can we do what they're demanding before we'll be tired
enough for it?**

}:We're not doing that.:{

**Hm.** When it came time to learn how to between, all it would take
would be simply refusing to do it properly, and then they would go
away together into the dark forever.

}:And then I will refuse to do it at all. You aren't getting out of
this the easy way:{

"Yes, sir."

While he couldn't physically hurt him or send him away, N'vanik hoped
he could find enough other ways to make this lying tunnelsnake suffer.
"I'll have to talk to the Weyrlingmaster about what else to do with
you."

"I have a feeling I'll be right where you left me when the two of you
come to a consensus, sir," said Ç'pier.

}:I'm not going to let you give up.:{

**Yuli, nobody else agrees with you about saving me. And as much as
you want to, do you really think you can do it all by yourself?**

}:I'll do it, no matter what it takes.:{

"You go apologize to Saedyna while I talk to the Weyrlingmaster."
N'vanik yanked open the door and pointed for C'pier to go first.

Ç'pier left as instructed, but he was more than a little surprised at
how both he and R'lor seemed to believe he was trustworthy enough to
just... casually go talk to this woman he had tried to murder, who
already believed he had meant to assault her, and tell her the truth
about what he had done.

As much as he had been willing to do what he was being paid to do, he
did not bear her any ill will. There would have to be a more delicate
way to take care of this task, and he had the perfect idea of who
could help.

Well. As perfect as this situation could get.

Last updated on the April 18th 2024

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

If There's Anything Left