What They Deserve

Writers: Devin, Estelle
Date Posted: 15th January 2025

Characters: Iskara, Cosani
Description: Iskara and Cosani plan more mischief at a hold
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 4, day 10 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Ç'pier, Saedyna

Cosani

Iskara slid into a seat across from Cosani. "Good, you're early." She
was glad to see that none of their wingmates had yet arrived for dinner,
so there was little chance of being overheard. Her eyes glinted with the
anticipation of mischief. "I've got an idea."

Cosani knew that look. She leaned closer and asked, "What is it?"

"So, I was chatting with another rider about searching for firelizard
eggs, and he said that holders pay good marks for them, for hunting and
killing snakes. It got me thinking." Iskara tilted her head to one side,
as if in thought. "How many farm holders do you think are actually smart
enough to know a real firelizard egg when they see one?"

"Fake firelizard eggs?" Cosani's eyebrow arched with interest.

"Rocks might do, if we can find some egg-shaped ones and paint them. Or
maybe tubers?" Iskara smiled slyly. "We 'find' the clutch on some hold's
land and offer it to them for a small reward, like good, trusting little
dragonriders. Then all that's left is to bet on how long they'll wait
for their eggs to hatch."

"Tricking holders _and_ making money?" Cosani grinned. "I'm in! Ooh we
should have a 'gold' egg in there."

"Good idea! Have you ever seen one?" Iskara asked. "I heard it isn't as
obvious as with dragon eggs - although the holders wouldn't either,
would they?" She smirked. "We could paint it bright gold with sparkles
for all they'd know about it."

Cosani laughed. "Sell it big, make them think they're ripping _us_ off
by getting a clutch with a gold egg so cheap."

"Perfect. That way, they should be too embarrassed to complain to the
Weyr. And even if they do..." The other greenrider's smile turned
decidedly devious. "I've got an idea about how to dress to put them on
the wrong trail."

"Don't leave me in suspense!"

"Ah, but you'll have to wait and see," she teased. "Just wear your
normal riding gear. We'll need to prepare the eggs first, though - how
about I look for egg-shaped objects, if you bring the paint?"

The harpers' workroom would have plenty, and barring that Cosani could
raid the children's classrooms. "Sure!"

"Meet you in my weyr, tomorrow morning after drills?" Iskara saw some
other Cyclone riders heading their way with trays of food, and raised
her voice innocently. "Then I can show you my outfit."

"Okay." Cosani couldn't wait to see what else Iskara had cooked up. It
had to be good. "You really won't tell me now? Come on."

Iskara shook her head. "It has to be seen to be fully appreciated."

~*~

Jars clattered as Cosani awkwardly shuffled in, her arms full of paints.
"Ok, I found gold! I also grabbed cream for the other eggs, plus brown
and blue if we get ambitious and want to put speckles and swirls on them."

"Great! I've got some possible eggs on the table over there. The rocks
are on the heavy side but they've got a better texture." Iskara was
standing in front of the small mirror in her sleeping area with her back
to the entrance, peering closely at her face. She seemed to be wearing
ordinary dragonrider's leathers. "And there's a basket to put them in.
Once they're covered with sand it'll be hard to tell the difference."

She turned around, revealing her disguise. Her usual fitted tunic had
been replaced by a loose shirt, her riding jacket was a size too large,
hiding her shape, and she'd applied a faint shadow to her upper lip,
matching her short dark hair. To the unsuspecting glance, the young
woman had been replaced by a boy in his late teens.

Cosani laughed. "A male rider, hmm?" She set the paints down on the
table and started pulling brushes out of her pocket. "Are we blaming
someone in particular?"

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that! It was just to throw them off the scent,
so they aren't looking for two female greenriders, but..." Iskara
considered the various male riders who'd annoyed her recently. "There's
that idiot N'mon, or..." She snapped her fingers. "Ç'pier! I can't
believe they put that murdering snake in our Wing."

"C'pier! Oh that would be perfect. Everyone knows he's a lying,
woman-beating piece of shit." Cosani liked bad boys, but not the kind
who beat Candidates half to death.

"Ç'pier it is." Iskara bowed, then took a seat at the table and selected
a rock to paint. "Of course, they may also mention he's a greenrider,
but hopefully that will just add to the confusion."

Cosani joined her. "I heard he has to pay Saedyna all the marks he
earns." She opened the jar of cream paint. "If the holders complain, we
could spread rumors that he's trying to get some money for himself."

"And best of all," Iskara said, "no one will believe him if he says it
wasn't him." She picked up a brush, dipped it into the paint and drew it
across the surface of her rock, then contemplated the effect as
critically as if it was a harper's work. "Particularly if a few empty
paint pots are found in his weyr."

Cosani laughed as she looked over the rocks. "So this is the queen egg?"
she asked as she lifted the largest one.

"Yes! Let's make it nice and shiny." Iskara winked. "That way the
holders will think they're getting a bargain from two sweet, naive
greenriders."

"I tried to pick a good one, but we'll see." Cosani dipped her brush in
the gold paint and put a few strokes on the 'egg'. "It's not exactly
glittery, but there's a shine to it."

"Perfect. We don't want it to look too obvious." The other greenrider
considered her own egg, then picked up a different brush and began
adding some artistic brown swirls. "I was thinking one of the little sea
holds west of Topaz. It's got to be near a beach or a sandy lake where
we 'found' the eggs. Not so big or close to the Weyr that they won't be
fooled, but not in Emerald Falls where they might murder us."

Cosani snorted a laugh. "Definitely not where they might murder us. That
wouldn't be any fun at all." She kept painting the fake queen egg,
wondering if it would be enough to fool ignorant holders.

"We're looking for hidebound, but not murderously hidebound." Iskara
carefully placed the first egg on a scrap of hide to dry and picked up
another. "L'mell told me there were a few fishing holds that were a bit
sniffy about Search when he visited last month. That old 'Thread drowns
in the sea, why do we need dragonriders' argument."

"Let's see how they'd like it falling on their _heads_," Cosani muttered
as she put the finishing touches on the gold-painted rock.

"Right, or maybe they'd like to do without grain or cotton from the
fields we fly over." She paused in her painting to admire the 'gold
egg'. "Very pretty. They'll hardly be able to keep their greedy hands
off it."

Cosani set it aside to dry and reached for another rock. "If it's in a
bucket of sand surrounded by other eggs they won't look at it too
closely either. At least not until we're gone."

"I wish we could see their faces when they figure it out." Iskara gave
her brush a flick to create a speckled pattern on her egg. "If they
figure it out, and don't go on patiently waiting for rocks to hatch for
months on end."

"How dare C'pier do something like this," Cosani said as she painted a
rock cream.

"Who do you think his accomplice should be?" Iskara asked. "It's not
like he has a lot of friends."

Cosani rubbed her chin. "I could be Karlyn again." She'd used the other
greenrider's name when they teased holder men at that Gather.

"Sounds good." Iskara placed another egg into their growing 'clutch'.
"It's perfect. Everyone - the holders, Ç'pier, and most of all, us -
ends up getting what they deserve."

"You have the _best_ ideas."

Last updated on the January 27th 2025

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What They Deserve