Mysterious Things

Writers: Avery, Yvonne
Date Posted: 19th September 2007

Characters: J'nus, Kapera
Description: J'nus and Kapera meet in the dining cavern and discuss mysteries
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 10 of Turn 4

Kapera

It was after dinner, but J'nus decided against retreating to his weyr for a quiet night with a puzzle and a glass of juice and instead sat in the dining cavern with a good book that he wasn't reading, and a mug of klah that he hadn't touched. Idly he licked his finger and turned the page, but the bronzerider found himself more interested in the people around him. Dragonriders, mostly, but also the Crafters and drudges that kept the Weyr running talked, played cards, laughed, and picked at the remains of their dinners. Somehow it was endlessly fascinating, and all together less frustrating than the golden ball and diary that he'd picked up at Cairn Hold. The former stumped him -
it had joints that could open, but he couldn't find the catch. And the latter depressed him.

*CRASH!* J'nus jumped and spun in his seat. The dining cavern had gone still, and it took him a moment to figure out that the Weyrwoman Second, or the man beside her, had dropped a tray. Slowly conversation resumed and J'nus pretended to go back to his book, but instead he watched Kapera. She didn't look pleased. **And she's still a beautiful woman... what _is_ it with goldriders!?**

Kapera couldn't help the scowl that crossed her face as she watched the bluerider pick up the tray and its contents. He'd come to her with an interesting proposition- spend the night with him *and* his weyrmate, who was also a bluerider. The idea was quite tempting, and she'd been set to tell him yes. Riyanth had interrupted quite loudly in her mind, telling her that *blueriders* were not to be slept with.
She'd been startled by that and dropped the tray, causing a crash.
The gold, however, was thoroughly unrepentant.

She apologized to the- rather handsome- man, and told him that tonight was a very bad night. He assured her that they could always reschedule. Kapera thought that appropriate. She would just do it after Riyanth got this *mood* out of her system and stopped disdaining anyone not a bronzerider. The thought earned her another protest from Riyanth, but Kapera tuned it out. The prospect of two men at once was worth the gold's ire. She took her leave of the bluerider, who assured her he understood that her dragon's desires came first right now, but still desired company. She didn't want to go back to her weyr- alone, apparently- just yet.

}:Sit with a bronzerider.:{ Riyanth helpfully suggested.

Kapera knew that that was the only choice she was going to get without more protesting- and possibly an audible objection from Riyanth this time. She scanned the room, looking for company, but she didn't immediately see any likely prospects, and her desire for sex was somewhat tempered now. Just one man might not be as much fun...

There was J'nus, sitting alone. She rather liked J'nus- they'd formed some kind of bond after she'd helped him with Cairn Hold. He seemed to respect her. Well, everyone respected her, she was a goldrider.
But he treated her...different than the rest, somehow. Maybe she was just crazy.

"Can I sit here?" she asked him. "Or are you reading?"

"Not really. Pull up a chair." J'nus set his book aside and folded his hands on the tabletop. He felt slightly embarrassed - she must have caught him watching.

"Thanks." she said gratefully, ignoring Riyanth's approving hum in her mind. "Riyanth thinks she can choose who I sit with. She thought my previous company wasn't auspicious enough." she said archly. "Is Kopth ever picky like that?"

"Oh, entirely. He's not so bad now, but when I was younger..." J'nus trailed off. He'd made a lot of bad choices over the turns but as much as Kopth's nagging drove him mad, it was comforting to have someone to act as your conscious.

"They do seem to think that they know better, don't they?" Kapera smiled. "She only wants me to affiliate with bronzeriders today, completely ruining my plans." she griped.

}:She is proddy,:{ Kopth said suddenly. }:Riyanth will rise soon.:{
**Soon? How soon?** J'nus asked, suddenly nervous. Shards, he was stuck with a proddy goldrider, and Corvera's gold hadn't risen... so much for his relaxing evening. **Not today. Or tomorrow?**

}:No. But soon...:{ The bronzerider picked up his book again so that he had something to fiddle with as he talked. "Ah. Well, it brought you to my table, so I can't complain... even if you might."

"I don't mind sitting here, though." she said. "I'd rather you than some other bronzerider- they've been giving me these _looks_ lately."

"Ah." If she didn't know why, then it wasn't his place to tell her.
"Well then, I'm happy to share with you. I haven't seen you around much of late - what have you been up to?"

"Mostly hidework. Although, I talked to T'mahl and I might get to talk to the Candidates. Lecture them. You know, do something useful."
She smiled, still liking that idea. "What about you?"

"Oh, not much. A little of this, a little of that. Some hidework for my Wing, and a little bit of problem solving. Can you keep a secret?"
She probably couldn't, but it wasn't that big a secret anyway.

"Sure, I can." she said, wondering if the secret was related to the problem solving. Kapera was excellent at keeping secrets when they were her own. With others, well...that depended on whether or not she could use their secrets to her advantage by keeping them or by sharing them.

J'nus pulled a brassy, gold-toned ball about the size of his fist from his jacket pocket and handed it to the goldrider. It was engraved in an abstract pattern and had little geometric lines running across its surface, as if the ball might come apart. "I found it at Cairn Hold as well, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is."

Kapera took it and turned it around. "It reminds me of Riyanth's egg.
In color, anyways." she said softly. She stroked the lines with a finger. She couldn't make heads or tails of the carvings. "It looks like it could open, but why? Maybe it's a child's toy, or just a piece of art from a Smith?"

J'nus leaned in close and lowered his voice. "Here's the part that needs to be a secret. I found it on a dead man. Long dead; probably when the Hold was abandoned. But he'd been stabbed through the eye."

"Murder? In a small abandoned Hold like that?" Kapera wondered. "Do you think the murderer wanted this?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe. All I know is that I have it now, and I'd rather not give it up until I figure out what it does."

"That makes sense. Maybe it's important... it's certainly mysterious.
I can think of a few other mysterious things, though." Kapera looked over the bronzerider.

"Oh?"

"People who I don't know much about." she answered. "Where'd you Impress?" she inquired.

"Dolphin Cove Weyr. They have lovely weather, when it's not storming."

"Tropical and warm. I'd love to go there." Kapera mused aloud. "I love the sea and swimming. I wish..." She left the rest unspoken. She was assigned to Dragonsfall, it was improper for a goldrider to wish to be somewhere else. "Do you ever go back to visit?" Maybe if he did she could go with him. Warm sand and sun and sea and maybe she'd see him in swimclothes...

"No. I haven't been back in turns." Truth be told, he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to go back.

"Do you ever go to any other Weyrs, then?" If he went to Cairn Hold, well, he seemed to enjoy visiting locations, and he was a former trader... It would provide her insight.

"Not often. Only when I have to, or when there's Gathers. What about you? Do you travel on your restdays?"

"I'd like to," she admitted, "but I..." She couldn't admit she was afraid to travel- that she stayed at the Weyr so she could flirt with the men and try to sink herself into a state where nothing mattered but the moment. She liked seeing new places, but never alone, then she'd think. "A goldrider should really stay at home and not spend her restdays about, in case she's needed." she temporized.

J'nus smiled - Kapera was rather transparent. "Well, the next time I go to a Gather maybe I'll ask if you want to go around. If the Weyr doesn't need you for a couple of candlemarks, that is."

"We'll see how it is then." she said, although inwardly she felt some excitement at the idea. She really hadn't left Dragonsfall for recreational purposes since she came here more than twice- she should go out more. And with someone, she could forget.

}:I like Kopth's.:{ Riyanth suddenly said. }:You should go with him.:{ "Riyanth approves." the goldrider said with a slight smile.

The bronzerider smiled again, feeling quite flattered since the complement had come from pretty young woman and a _proddy_ gold. He was too old to get complements like that every day. "In that case, you'd better save those marks!"

Last updated on the September 23rd 2007

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Mysterious Things