A Bucket of Painted Rocks (2/2)

Writers: Aaron, Devin
Date Posted: 26th November 2025

Characters: N'vanik, Ç'pier
Description: N'vanik, C'pier, and the holders try to figure out who's to blame for the fake firelizard eggs.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 11 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Saedyna, Cyradis, R'lor, Iskara and Cosani (under fake names)
Notes: Follow up to "The Great Firelizard Egg Swindle"

N'vanik

Ç'pier

}:Tell your rider to report to the Weyrleader's office immediately,:{ Loseth told Yuliuth.

**Yeah? What for?** asked Ç'pier.

}:He did not say,:{ Yuliuth answered.

**Well, how did he sound?**

}:Not happy.:{

What in the world could he possibly want him for? Ç'pier wasted no time, though, in reporting. He was not about to add any insult to whatever injury the Weyrleader thought he had inflicted.

"Yes, sir?"

N'vanik gestured to rock with flaking gold paint on his desk. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Was this a joke? A test? Ç'pier was genuinely baffled, and he made no effort to hide it from his expression. He looked back and forth between the rock and the Weyrleader a few times, struggling to discern what he was expected to say. He had certainly never seen the rock before.

"I'm not sure what you mean, sir."

Was C'pier that good at acting? Had he somehow forgotten about this? "Did you really think the holders wouldn't complain when you had them pay fourteen marks for a pail full of _rocks_?" N'vanik asked.

Ç'pier raised an eyebrow. Fourteen marks for a rock!? If he had known he could make that kind of money and get away with it, he might have done it. It would have gone a long way toward paying off his erstwhile debt. But there was no way he would ever have thought he would not be found out.

"Sir, I've never misrepresented any merchandise, let alone... what's that supposed to be, a firelizard egg?" He tilted his head. He supposed if the paint were still fresh, it might have been more convincing.

"We didn't typically deal in firelizards, but damaging the caravan's reputation is a one-way trip to getting blacklisted, and..."

But he had left.

If someone still among the traders had impersonated him, they could claim he had perpetrated the scam after he was Searched but before reaching the Weyr. After all, both he and B'lyse would no longer be with the caravan by the time they returned to wherever it was this had come from.

Still, it had been far too long. They would have noticed the thing had not hatched and discovered the truth about what it was ages ago.

"But it couldn't possibly take firelizard eggs that long to hatch. There've been at least two dragon clutches laid since I left the caravan."

"It wasn't a caravan. Two dragonriders visited a hold and passed off a bucket full of painted rocks as firelizard eggs." N'vanik glared at the brownrider. "And one of them was you. Trying to get a few marks on the side that you don't have to pay to Saedyna, was that it?"

"One of them was me?" When would Ç'pier have ever had time to do that? He hardly went anywhere without someone minding him-- especially not outside the Weyr. "If I _were_ to do this, why in the world would I tell them my real name?"

N'vanik drummed his fingers on the desk. "That . . . is a good point." He'd been so eager to yell at C'pier he hadn't thought things through.

"I get that there's no reason to trust me. I wouldn't trust me. But..." Ç'pier sighed. "Yuli found something good in me. And I'm not going to betray that. Betray him. I know I'm never going to be a proper good person no matter how hard I try. But if you think I did something crooked, have Loseth ask him. Have Panitath ask him. Even if he could lie for me, he wouldn't."

The Weyrleader sighed. "I'll bring the holders in and see if we can figure this out." He sent a message through Loseth to have C'nal escort them back to his office.

The men soon arrived, the steward in the lead and his followers still bearing the sand-filled basket with the remaining rocks. The wait hadn't improved his aggravated manner, but his brows lowered in a frown when he saw Ç'pier.

"C'pier is insisting he had nothing to do with this," N'vanik said.

The holder glanced around to check if there was anyone else in the office, but there was no one there. His gaze fell on the other rider again. "But this isn't Ç'pier."

It really did feel nice to be so vindicated, but Ç'pier held it together and refrained from smirking at N'vanik. He certainly did not need that kind of heat in his life. Instead, he kept still, silent, and expressionless, standing at the formal position of attention R'lor and the others had taught him.

"This _is_ C'pier," N'vanik said. "He's done reprehensible things, which everyone at the Weyr knows. And that makes him a convenient person to blame if someone else was looking to pull a scam like this." He nodded toward the bucket of rocks. "Isn't it a little odd that these dragonriders told you who they were when they had to know you'd realize these weren't firelizard eggs?"

The man's brow creased. Evidently, having been fooled by a painted rock passed off as a firelizard egg, he wasn't over-endowed with brains, and it took a moment for him to get the point. "You mean he gave us a false name? But they _were_ dragonriders. We saw their dragons."

"What color were their dragons?" N'vanik asked.

"Greens, both of them. And I can't say his manner towards me was entirely proper." The holder wrinkled his nose.

"C'pier rides brown," the Weyrleader said. He turned to C'pier. "Know any greenriders that want to make your reputation even worse than it is?"

"No, sir." Almost every greenrider wished him ill; there was hardly any way to narrow it down. But even if he could have, he was not sure he would. He was not going to change anyone's opinion of him being a snitch.

An idea occurred to N'vanik and he rubbed his mouth to hide the flicker of a smile. "Then your job is to find out who these greenriders were."

Job? Was he going to get paid? He doubted it. Well, Ç'pier had plenty of experience with pretending to work.

"Yes, sir."

The holder eyed Ç'pier doubtfully. "That's all very well, but what about my fourteen marks? Plus travel expenses," he reminded them.

"The Weyr will compensate you," N'vanik assured them. "And once we find those responsible, they'll be making an apology as well." He considered making C'pier pay until he could find the guilty riders, but N'vanik really couldn't punish him when the holders were claiming both riders who'd cheated them rode green.

"Good," the man replied, anticipating their suffering with satisfaction. "Once I have my marks, we'll return to our hold. They can find us there."

"We'll provide you transport back," the Weyrleader told them. There was a brief glint in his eyes. "C'pier can take you."

"Whenever you're ready, sir." A quick ferry job was nothing for Ç'pier. And if nothing else, it might give him the chance to ask the poor swindled holdfolk what these alleged false Ç'piers looked like.

The holder gave him a doubtful look, perhaps remembering what the Weyrleader had said about Ç'pier's past behavior, but decided to let it pass. "Thank you. Ah - and what about these?" He gestured towards the basket with the other 'eggs'.

"Uh . . . you can keep those," N'vanik said.

The visitors looked at each other, none of them keen to keep hold of a reminder of how they'd been fooled. Eventually, their leader gestured towards Ç'pier. "Give it to him. If he's going to be investigating, he'll need the evidence."

Ç'pier very nearly rolled his eyes. Well. It would not be the first time someone expected him to take out their garbage. He nodded to the holders.

The Weyrleader looked down at his desk for a moment, fighting a laugh. "Write me a list of your expenses, including the eggs, and I'll go get your marks."

"We have one prepared," the man said quickly, producing a roll of hide that looked long enough to cover every conceivable cost down to the wear and tear on their boots. Meanwhile, the servants deposited the heavy basket of rocks on Ç'pier with evident relief.

Taking the hide, N'vanik managed not to roll his eyes. "Alright. I'll get your money and you can be on your way."

Last updated on the December 30th 2025

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A Bucket of Painted Rocks (2/2)