MURDER: sqwuaking avians (S'koin, then open)

[dotta]

"Hey, did you see that?"

"B'toc's dragon's withdrawing already?"

"But he's just started..."

Other conversations such as this ignited as the crowd continued to spectate. Though their conversations differed, the question which still remained was why? This question was soon answered when a pair of dragon riders barged through the orgy of people in an uproar.

"MOVE!"

"We need healers! B'toc is hurt!"

Almost immediately this crowd erupting excitedly. B'toc was injured? How did this come about? Could the leader have gotten into a confrontation? Or perhaps it was something more serious...But no one would go as far as harming B'toc...would they?

The usually nonchalant firelizard stood erect on Kathal's shoulders. His gaze was intense as he peered at the diving bronze dragon. He didn't know anymore than these people did. But his heart was indeed heavy. Not on his own accord, of course. The distressed bronze dragon's projected emotions were so intense even he could feel them.

Crabby turned his attention to Kathal then and chirped loudly. He wanted to see! He wanted to see! Kathal frowned at the firelizard.

"What? No, it's none of our business."

This was not an answer Crabby would accept, however, and proceeded to shriek loudly. And if that didn't work, between his cries, Crabby nipped and tugged at Kathal's cheek, hair and ear.

"Stop! St-okay! We'll, go! Jeez..."

Excited Crabby pawed the boy's shoulder with his tiny claws and Kathal began making his way to the front of the crowd.

[phlysolo]

Brownrider S'koin's own little...'investigation' had turned up nothing. He'd scoured the area around the Weyrwoman's quarters looking for a harper, any harper. They, surely, would be dressed all in blue like B'toc said, but he'd found no one matching that description skulking around near Yselka's room. Shard it! But WAIT! The scene of the crime! They always returned to the scene of the crime! Right? He was certain he'd seen old records that indicated as much. Then again...those could have all been interesting fabrications created just to entertain...

But still! He would use the knowledge that someone else obviously had and would return to where B'toc had been brutally stabbed. There was a dense crowd of people standing around where the Weyrleader-or former Weyrleader now that he and Kylth were officially out of the Flight-lay. Healers had surrounded the man, trying to staunch his bloodflow and prepare to move him.

Excited conversation from the crowd was erratic and, frankly, idiotic. Without barely even knowing what was going on, they were making up wildly imaginative stories about what they 'saw,' who they had thought had done this. Had anyone seen what had happened to the bronzerider? Surely someone might have! After all, he'd been stabbed right out here. If this crowd could converge on B'toc so quickly then maybe one of them had seen...

"You there! Boy!" S'koin roared, pointing directly at a shirtless young man with a brown firelizard perched on his shoulder..."What have you seen here?!"

His tone was demanding and sharp, any Candidate who daaared to ignore it would be foolish. Despite his lack of height, he looked commanding and powerful, even more so now when Bonooru appeared out of /between/ flanning and flapping his bronze-blue swirled wings wide. If this lad hadn't actually witnessed the wrong doings, then perhaps he could assist the man in his quest to find out what had happened to B'toc.

And somewhere along the very edge of the Weyrbowl, a blue dragon was depositing a man garbed completely in blue from head toe onto the ground. The blue, who was well aware of the Flight, had kept the decent to the ground well away from the chasing bronzes, browns and the golden Lyeth.

"Good luck to you, young harper," Said the dragonrider, patting Henerik on the shoulder and tossing his pack down to him.

"Cheers. Safe flight!" Henerik responded with a smile, deftly catching the satchle of clothing and equipment he'd brought with him to Ista Weyr.

As the dragon took off and flicked /between/ barely ten meters off the ground, Henerik made his way towards Ista Weyr propper, shadows of chasing dragons looming overhead, completely oblivious to the plight of B'toc and the assumptions of a certain brownrider...

[dotta]

Ahead of the crowd, Kathal stood waiting as Crabby peered around frantically. Up, down, left, right; there was no direction this small brown lizard did not perform to locate the bronze. It seemed the bronze had already vanished though. Still there was a flight to be watched and those who were easily amused returned their attention to the spectacle.

Kathal would have liked to be one of those easily entertained people, but he still had a curious pest on his shoulders. Crabby nudged Kathal's harshly in an attempt to get the boy's feet moving. And like a faithful perch, he complied.

He began making he way through the sea of bodies, when his attention was caught by a loud thunderous voice. Turning toward the sound, Kathal had expected to see a large burly man deserving of his attention. Instead, his eyes met a man barely taller than himself...Was he even taller than Kathal? Well, from the distance, he couldn't dechiper. Either way, he didn't think the man was worthy, so he began to retreat. His movements immediately halted when a large-no, gigantic brown manifested before him.

Brows draw up in suprise, Kathal turned back to face the older gentleman. Ah, so he was dragon rider-a brown one at that. He may not have been a bronze, but any rider was deserving of his respect (maybe even green and blues).

But what he'd seen... What had he seen? Kathal's brows creased together as he stared at his feet in contemplation. The boy's fingers vigorously rub the back of his head in a scratching motion.

"Well, old man...Prolly nothing more than any one else here." He roughly stated.

However, he did arrive to the flight late. Late enough to have almost missed B'toc's mighty bronze's antic. During the flights any male rider participating would be anxious and running to bed the Weyrwoman. However, as Kathal made his trek here, he saw a figure in the distance. This figure clad in a blue shirt was retreating in the opposite direction of the Weyrwoman's lair. Kathal couldn't make out the man's appearance too well, but the man was well older than he.

The boy had almost forgotten such information. He didn't think it would be of any use to him before he had met this brown rider.

"Ah, I guess I did see somethin'. A man in blue...Probably even older than you, old man."

[phlysolo]

Old man? Old man?! S'koin thought, surprised and annoyed by the young man's comment's about his age. Did he honestly look that old? Sure, he could have fathered a child or two, but he didn't think he could possibly be more than ten to fifteen Turns older than this little punk! He glared at the young man and was very unhappy to see that the boy was just about as tall as S'koin himself! Oh, the life's cruelties! While he didn't know for sure, he was probably talking to some brat Candidate that was going to Impress some brat dragonet and he was going to have to train him. Ugh!

And, as he thought, this boy was practically worthless. He hadn't seen anything. Didn't know anything. Wouldn't know anything. Him and his little brown flit could kiss his wherhide clad as-

"Wait, what? A man, indeed, in blue, you say?" S'koin asked, striding the distance between the two and grabbing the young man by the arm, attempting to shake him as though the information would come falling out of him like marks. "Where when? Could you take me to where you last saw him?"

[dotta]

The man made quick strides to close the distance between them. It was then, when the two stood probably a little too close together, Kathal saw the height difference. It seemed this old dragon rider was in fact taller then him; not by much. The rider probably already ceased growing, while Kathal had room to exceed the man in stature.

Speaking of too close for comfort, this man had taken hold of Kathal's large arms in his excitement. His form shook back in forth as this man wrung him as if he were a doll. Crabby didn't like the sudden movement and at that point began to cry. This was when Kathal broke the man's hold of him. Rubbing his left arm, the boy looked on sternly at the man.

"Jeez, old man. Calm down. You're scaring my lizard here. And yeah, I can take you. Don't see what good it would do. From where I was standing I could barely see him."

[phlysolo]

You're such a jerk, S'koin. Give the boy a break. He's probably too young to take any of this seriously. Came a calm brown reprimand in his head. S'koin's eyes momentarily became unfocused as he tilted his head back to look at Kirith's massive bulk behind him. The dragon's eyes were whirling idly blue and his gaze was drifting slowly back and forth between his rider and the boy.

I-well, this is important! S'koin replied at a feeble attempt to explain himself. The brown shook his head, calmly regarding His.

There is strength in this boy. Give his youth the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure someday he'll mature out of this insolent state. Kirith told the rider. He blinked slowly then pulled himself to his feet to settle down again much closer to the two human males. He lowered his great head and peered directly into Kathal's face.

What is your name, boy? Any help you could give us would be beneficial. Kirith asked the lad. The transaction did not pass in unawares to S'koin and, in spite of himself, he folded his arms across his cheat and nodded.

"Indeed it will. I'm sorry for the jostle I gave you and your firelizard, but this is important," He said, his eyes burning coals over the young man, sizing him up. "B'toc was stabbed and perhaps the only reason was to get him out of the flight to...turn the tables in favor of...well, we don't know. But that's why any help you could give is so vital to catching who ever did this."

[Kisha-Ra]

((dah dah dahhh... it's a thread invader!))

D’ya wandered back out into the weyrbowl, dazed by the light and clutching her ruined shirt in one hand. She had been chased off by the healers as soon as B’toc was safely in the infirmary where they could surround him like a hive of insects. Frankly D’ya was glad to be dismissed, she preferred her patients to bleed green, she was sure she knew what do with them, but humans, that was a different story altogether. Apparently everything had gotten a bit more active around here since she left. A fair few people had emerged and were chattering like silly wherries, it was disorientating after the clear efficency of the healers. Ysarith? She questioned, seeking her dragon’s support almost instinctively.

Here, where you left me, silly D’ya. I have Magpie too. We watch together.[/color] The green replied, surprised that her rider would be so dazed. Her tail snaked anxiously across the ground. We’re as close to the weyrwoman’s quarters as I wish to get.[/color] Ysarith added to get Her’s moving.

Anything happen while I was gone? And you know I mean anything important. D’ya discarded her shirt into a heap by the wall, it wasn’t good enough for anyone to steal now, probably not even good as a rag, and walked around the edge of the bowl keeping an eye on everyone around. That brownrider is throwing his weight around. A blue dropped someone off and left again with his rider.[/color] Ysarith reported the only things of interest as yet. And Magpie has found a shiny nail somewhere.[/color] she added. D’ya considered these things, the brownrider would be easiest to deal with, assuming she could find him…

[dotta]

The brown rider grew silent then, only the subtle change of expression revealing his thoughts. Kathal looked between the rider and his dragon with a dumbfounded curiosity. He had turned to Crabby to ask what the two was doing only to find the blasted lizard in his own world.

Kathal's attention was quickly returned to the duo when the massive winged monster's head approached him. He was tempted to take a few paces away from the dragon. What did the brown want? He wasn't going to eat Kathal from not answer his rider was, he? He certainly hoped so.

As the brown's head got even closer, Kathal did take a step or two back. The movement brought Crabby to reality and he let out a small chirp.

What is your name, boy? Any help you could give us would be beneficial.

Immediately Kathal looked to Crabby. The brown lizard only stared blankly at him in response. When could firelizard's speak? No, no...Even if they could, Crabby was much too stupid. Kathal's gaze then ventured to the brown rider. Humans certainly couldn't speak telepathically. That only left the brown dragon, which would explain why his head was so close.

Ah! But to have a dragon speak to another human was a great honor. Kathal wasn't sure if he should bow or kiss his large fore claw. Then he decided it would be best to just answer him.

"Uh," The boy's voice was barely audible then but he soon found his courage. "Kathal! And I'll take you to that place, mighty dragon!"

[phlysolo]

The dragon's interest in the boy were waning and once he got what he wanted, the brown felt his usefulness in the situation had come to its end. Now that this Kathal would probably be in S'koin's allegiance, Kirith didn't see the point of him lingering any longer at the Weyr's Bowl. Indeed as soon as the young man understood that it was Kirith who was interested in him, and thus would be his rider, the boy had thrown himself to attention and was quite eager to do whatever it was S'koin would want.

I retire, S'koinMine. I shall be on my ledge if you need me. Kirith asked his rider as he heaved himself to his feet.

Against the backdrop of the great, S'koin looked both insignifigant and majestic. After all, it was he who Impressed the collosol might that was Kirith. Indeed the man was smirking as the brown's shadow effectively covered him from the sunlight, momentarily obscuring S'koin's face as the brown backed up several paces to be a safe distance away from the crowd to lift off the ground.

"Glad that my Kirith has brought you around, Kathal," S'koin said calmly, clearly stating that the transaction between Candidate and dragon had not gone unnoticed.

"Kirith will be our eyes from above, so to speak. Lead the way and he'll do his best to help us from our weyr," The rider continued, nodding at the brown's flying girth. Already he was nearly at their weyr's ledge.

You got that, Kirith? Keep an eye out for anything that this boy describes. It'll help. S'koin asked. Kirith responded with only a soft mental stimulus in form of his reply.

As the rider gave a brief nod to Kathal and began to turn away, his eyes caught on the form of a woman...a green rider he'd seen before...She was several lengths away from himself, but S'koin recognized her all the same: She had been the first on the scene with B'toc...

[dotta]

Kathal watched in awe as the great beast retreated. The winds which were produced from wings furiously tossed about his brown mane. Crabby let out a small screech and hid behind Kathal's neck to withstand the tossing currents. But now this glorious dragon was gone and Kathal was left with...the old man once more.

After the man turned away, Kathal quickly took the lead. A few maneuvering here, a few maneuvering there. During one point, Kathal even had to gentle move a person from his path. But after, a few moments of walking, Kathal returned to the place that he saw the blue being.

"Well," Kathal placed both hands on his hips and looked back at the brown rider.

"Here it is, Old man."

[Kisha-Ra]

D’ya scanned the crowds through squinted eyes, pity that sharding brownrider wasn’t taller, that’d give her an easier time looking for him anyway. Wait, wasn’t that his dragon just leaving? Well there weren’t too many browns that big around. Since she certainly had no better idea D’ya moved off through the crowds in that direction slipping between knots of babbling weyrfolk and applying her elbows viciously to the nearest part of those in her way.

By the time she arrived at that spot the brownrider was gone but she spotted him moving away with… actually she didn’t know, some weyr lad or another, a candidate perhaps. In any case she followed them, curious to see what the lad was leading to. Therefore the annoucment that this spot near the edge of the bowl was ‘it’ was quite annoying. ‘What is here, exactly?’ She asked, stepping forward, if she hadn’t been seen by now though these two were not exactly bright, she hadn’t been subtle in her movements.