NOTE: This log takes place in several different locations. There is strong language and violence included, reader discretion is advised!
Western Weyr - Jutted Cliffside
Just as Straws had described it the jutted cliffside is a crummy place with a crummy name. On the southern end of the lagoon a piece of rock that makes up a section of the bowl juts out over the sea making a natural hidey hole. The water in this section of the lagoon was too high to allow a ship inside of the large cavern at its base however a collapsed mine on the underside of the jut drained a large section of the water. This exposed rock that leads to a series of caverns that were before filled with water. The grime has been washed away in spots by the trampling of many feet but it still sticks to most of the walls and floor making it a possibly treacherous walk into the caverns. At the entrance to the cavern sits the Ghost Ship neatly docked and rocking with the gentle waves that roll in. There are only two ways in or out of the cavern by ship or by air.
Zi'on has finally managed to get the information out of Straws that he needs. Apparently the Ghost ship is in league with the renegades looking to make a profit off the weyr. While it's not out terrorizing the fisherman and anyone on the shore, the ship hides in the jutted cliffside. The water in this part of the lagoon is much shallower than it was a turn ago, a slow leak from the partial collapse of the mine not too long ago. Now the ship can hide out of view, and a series of caves have been drained in the lower cliffs. Zi'on has organized two rescue efforts. One to save Iris, the other to root out the renegades and collect whatever items they have stashed away. The operation though requires finesse and surprise, which is why everyone is on small dingies instead of being dropped by dragon. The team to rescue Iris is comprised mostly of riders, with a few smaller ladies thrown in, just in case. The team to move into the caverns are made up mainly of Western's guardsman. Since Iris is the priority, the team to rescue her goes in first on a couple of small boats. The easiest way in according to Straws was a ladder made of metal rungs on the port side, so that's where they row out towards. Supposedly Iris is in the bowels of the ship. They may move her from time to time, but she is mostly there in case of the need of a quick getaway. It's night, and therefore quite dark. There's noise from the caverns, but the ship itself looks dark.
DINGIES! Ila'den's public enemy number one: water. It's probably why the former renegade is looking a shade green, even as he tries to make his mind focus on the fact that Iris is near, and in dire need of some saving. It's also probably why he's clinging onto his best friend, V'ric, and trying to look as manly about it as possible. That arm there? He's just steadying the /brownrider/ is all. Don't mind him! It is probably a nice reprieve for everybody around, however, given the fact that Ila'den has been a raving lunatic, prone to screaming at /everybody/ and not above punching a couple faces to get his way. Now the man whose hardly slept a wink is squinting heavily bagged eyes the nearer they get to where they're all supposed to beach, and straightening up just a bit as those grey eyes flicker to the rest of the rescue party around. There is a question in them, of everybody's readiness and usefulness, but his attention turns back on their nearing destination soon enough.
Kayse has finagled herself a spot in the rescue party; though her thumb is still bandaged the girl is a strong swimmer and argued her value in the expedition on that basis. Plus she has the small female aspect going for her. Or something. Anyway, she's on the rescue party, and that's what matters! In a hushed voice, pitched carefully to not carry - they got /that/ lecture early on! - she asks the guard guiding her boat for the third time, "Are we really going to trust that guy to tell us the truth about where Iris is?" The poor man must be so tired of the apprentice by now but has been kind enough to not bite her head off yet, though that may be due to the noise restrictions and not because he is a nice guy.
V'ric is just not in the best of moods. He had been quite vocal before the mission started, protesting the obvious dangers that were posed to the women also now settled in dingies. There's a scowl on his face though, adjusting his hunting bow somewhat. Oh yes, he's fully prepared to have to take anyone down that might get in the way. Granted, he also might be looking a bit annoyed due to the fact that Ila'den is practically hanging on him. "Find your balls, Ila. You're trying to rescue your damn woman." Be a man about it!
It's hard to say exactly how Kaliena wound up with the rescue operation or why she is there at all exactly, but the young girl is among the others on one of the small dingies. Her expression is grim set, but that may be her just trying to quell her nervousness and probably a whole jumble of other emotions. Maybe it's the fact she's small too and has some understanding of the sea. So she sits and waits, hands gripping the side of the dingy far too tightly though she's no stranger to the sea or water. And just her luck, she's in the same dingy as Kayse, so there's one familiar face at least. Turning to face the apprentice, the young girl smirks and grumbles, "It's better then nothing." She tosses as an answer, saving the poor guard from having to reply - for now.
Enka shouldn't be here. Really, she shouldn't. After all, if the bad guys were unscrupulous enough to abduct the junior weyrwoman, what'd they do if they got their hands on the senior? Except with Miraneith still on the sands, and a junior missing, the goldrider has been putting in overtime in the office. And it's driving her stir crazy. So it can be damned sure that the woman's bagged herself a berth in one of the little boats, as a member of the rescue party. Crouched on a seat towards the stern, behind Kaliena and Kayse, Enka leans forwards, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper as she addresses the two girls. "Mmhmm, it's a start, and we'll find her if we have to tear the ship apart." Dragons might be good for that, perhaps. Enka's got her rider's belt on, with a rather wicked looking knife absconded from the kitchens. Let's just say that cooks are very good at slicing and dicing.
Zi'on is half expecting the ship to be some sort of a trap. Like Straws told them to go up this ladder, but no one else uses the ladder. So when they see people coming up it they'll all become hostages. The weyrleader didn't want too many people, but wanted enough where they would be a force to be reckoned with if they had to fight their way through anyone. There's a soft thud as the first boat hits the side of the ship. Zi'on lifts a glow basket for a moment, only long enough to spot the ladder, and then motions the other boats forward a bit. Once they reach the area with the ladder, he'll let everyone else go up first. Ila probably wants to take the lead. Or maybe not. He might be just as sick on the larger boat as he is the small ones. Zi'on helps everyone up onto the ladder, then ties the boats together so they won't float off while they're busy. Though more than likely once they get Iris out they'll be calling for an air evacuation. "Head towards the cabins once you're up there," he instructs.
For all his efforts to get his best friend to man up, V'ric gets the blackest glare that Ila'den has to offer. It's the only warning the brownrider gets before Ila'den's hand comes down on the back of Vel's head in a slightly-playful-but-totally-serious reprimand. There's a laughter and mirth in the bronzerider's eyes, but nothing that reaches those lips, especially when the gentle bumping to a halt has him flinging arms around his best mate again. There's a moment of silence, where Ila seems to dare Vel to make comment, and then the rider is on his feet. He's leaning down to pick up that gorgeous bow V'ric gave him at graduation, and slinging it around his back as he does, indeed, make first for the ladder. "See you inside," Ila'den murmurs to the weyrleader as he passes, and then disappears with a silence honed from years of hunting. He slinks slowly towards the cabins, however, awaiting the rest of the entourage's arrival. He's certainly not stupid enough to make this a one-man-show, and not rash enough to speed things up and possibly be the end of his pretty little weyrmate.
Kayse sucks in a soft breath as the little boat bumps against the ship, waiting for any reaction from aboard to the sounds. When nothing happens right away she lets her breath out in a sigh of relief and grins to Kaliena, high on adrenaline. "Well, I guess we'll find out soon," she says. Enka's words only fuel her excitement, and the girl is trembling with it as Zi motions them up the ladder. "Now is when it gets interesting," she murmurs to herself, earning her a sharp, quelling look from the guard who hands her onto the ladder. She responds with a rueful smile and clambers up, careful of her still tender thumb. She is quick to get out of the way once on the deck, keeping a look out for anything visibly wrong.
V'ric growls slightly at the whack to his head. Really, did he deserve that? He's /offered/ to teach Ila'den how to swim, after all. But noooo… He steadies himself when the boat is reached, giving Ila'den a slight shove when he moves for the later. Yes, yes. Hurry along. Once on his own feet, he moves as well, heading silently up the ladder once Kayse is on her way up.
Her breath escapes in a soft hiss, Enka freezing at the soft thud of the small boat, in which she rides, against the hull of the much larger vessel. Hunching forward slightly, she waits for the other passengers to clamber up the ladder in front of her before scuttling forwards, hands reaching out to close tight against the metal rungs, and up she goes, hand over hand, before the goldrider hauls herself into the deck, tensing again for any sign that they'd been spotted or not. If it was a trap, it hadn't been sprung yet. Peering back over the rail at the floating boats and then back to the ship about her, the weyrwoman nods in Zi'on's direction. "Cabins, gotcha."
Western Weyr - Ghost Ship Deck
The deck of the Ghost Ship is about as dreary up close as it is from far away. Most of the ship has been 'white-washed' by the sea draining the color from the wood and giving it its non-descript gray color. The sails are hardly that at all they are mostly made of torn patches that have been repatched again and again. The color has faded from them but they were once probably a dark black. At the bow of the ship sits what was initially probably supposed to be a mermaid carved from wood. However time has not been kind to her either and she now looks more like a sea-beaten blob. The entrance to the cabins below deck sits back about a third of the way to the stern.
Zi'on is the last to step aboard the ghost ship. There's enough light for them to look around up top. But there's not much to see, and Zi'on doesn't want to risk exposing them with the glow basket. Beneath their feet the ship groans from the waves of the sea and the weight of the people on board. But it doesn't seem to draw anyone out from the caves. The bronzer moves with the rest of the group towards the cabins. "I'll stand post here. In case anyone comes up to surprise us. We'll use a code word for when you guys come up. It's coconut. That's how I'll know it's you," he whispers. Then he draws the knife he's got with his free hand. "Good luck."
Kaliena turns her head and faces forwards, to where Enka is seated when the Weyrwoman whispers to them. "Maybe they'll find her quick." She grumbles again, but her excitement, nervous excitement but all the same, begins to show through as they approach the ship. The young girl is trying to mask any trembling on her part, which may explain why she is gripping the dingy so tightly until Zi'on gives word for everyone to climb up. The ladder is given an apprehensive look and Kaliena would have hesitated if she didn't have guards ushering her forwards. Moving stiffly, she climbs up and lands softly to the deck, quickly scuttling out of the way and right to Kayse's side whether the apprentice wanted company or not. "Don't like how dark it is." Kaliena murmurs, blue eyes narrowing as she glances around, tensed and alert. It doesn't seem like she's armed at all, but you never know. Then Zi'on is stepping on board and the girl falls silent as the orders are given, giving the slightest of nods to show she's understood.
There is a push, and that push does result in a stumble, but Ila'den has little time to spare his best friend any more of his awaiting wrath. He watches with that bow now readied as everybody clambers aboard, pull lose and aim towards the deck to avoid any accidents. When Zi'on is giving them orders, Ila'den's head nods down in a quick jerk before he looks back into the darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust. "One of you smaller ones should go first," the bronzerider murmurs, motioning with his bow. "You'll be less noticable coming around a corner." And arrows require /range/. V'ric will head the back, more than like, just to make sure he can cover any necessary shots that Ila'den might miss. He's pro like that.
Iris, down below on the silent ship, is being held in a dark room, still, naturally, blindfolded. Not that Shadhavarth isn't in her mind, letting her know that rescuers are on their way, to hold tight because they're hoping that they are on the correct ship. Hearing the noise up above, there is some hope, and though the shouts may be muffled to the rescuers, she shouts nonetheless. "Oy! Down here! I'm down here! If it's you, I'm down here!" So on and so forth, she'll shout until there are people opening that door and getting her out.
"Of course it's dark. Dark makes it easier to hide things," Kayse replies to Kaliena as she creeps across the deck toward the cabins. At Ila'den's statement she grimaces, shaking her head, and looks back toward Kaliena again. "That should be you, in case something needs grabbed quickly," she murmurs, nodding toward her bad hand. "I'll be right behind you, though," she is quick to assure the other girl as she moves out of the way, hugging the railing to leave the path clear for Ila'den and V'ric's aiming.
"For the sake of the kidnappers," Enka remarks in a low voice to Kaliena, "they'd better hope we find her quickly." Not that the Weyrwoman is in any way sympathetic. She's been working her tail off here with little relief, she's /pissed/ off that the junior has been kidnapped, not merely because of the added paperwork, but Iris is her friend and colleague, and /nobody/ does anything like that to anyone at Western without paying for it, thank you. "Too dark," the goldrider shakes her head, a slight frown before she glances over her shoulder at Ila'den. "Aye, one of the girls can go, I'll be right behind you," she offers a soft reassuring smile, "and if there's trouble, get down to the deck." Because there's going to be a goldrider with a rather wicked carving knife behind them ready to chop and mince. Don't think she can't do it. Weyrwomen are scary serious business, you see. So between Kayse and Enka, Kaliena ought to be all right, no?
Western Weyr - Ghost Ship Cabins
The inner cabins of the ghost ship are no more cheerful than the outside. The wood here has maintained at least a bit of its color but there is the distinct smell of mold and seawater. There are no doors to any of the rooms most are crammed with bunks and trunks which are bare and empty respectively. The hall connecting the rooms is barely wide enough to squeeze two people through and would hinder any sort of quick escape. Moving past a door leads to the large empty room with the port holes and places for oars though there are none to be found aboard. A door off to the side leads to the lowest level of the ship which is used for storage and more than likely the brig. The door is locked with a padlock and chain.
As the group heads down into the cabin area, there's some stirring from one of the cabins. There's the soft noise of a glowbasket being opened as someone sits up in a bed. "Eh? Yameron, is that you?" A figure moves to the doorway of the cabin where the light is on. It's a scruffy-looking pirate guy, dressed in… well, nothing but his skivvies since he was asleep. As he rubs the sleep out of his eyes, he notices at least someone out of place. "What the-!?"
Ila'den's smile to Enka is brief, but speaks entirely of his gratitude. "Aye, better you stay at my back, Enka. V'ric can give you the extra coverage." Not that he doubts the woman's ability, but there is the very real potential for a trap, and while he needs Iris back as a /man/ more than anything, he needs Enka as a weyrsecond, just as much as he needs Zi. Their protection is just as important in his mind. It's when they move, when that scruffy looking pirate peeks in, that two bows are suddenly raised and trained with deadly accuracy on him. "I wouldn't," Ila'den hisses low, ready to let fly just as much as V'ric at his back should things take a turn for the worse. "The woman, where is she?" Because having a guide might prove useful, and it's worth a shot, anyway.
Why her? That seems to be easily read on Kaliena's expression — if she could be seen clearly in the dark that is. "Fine," the girl whispers gruffly back to Kayse, though really it does make sense in the end. With the apprentice's assurances then added to by Enka's words and the smile, Kaliena only shakes her head. "I'll do it." And then she's slipping off as silently as she can across the deck, moving slow partially from caution and also because the ship is entirely unfamiliar. Wouldn't do if she blundered into something… or worse. Eventually she reaches the cabins and begins to descend below deck, pausing now and again to be sure the coast is clear. Cocking her head a bit to the side, Kaliena picks up what sounds like someone calling, though she can't quite make out all the words. But it helps the girl zero in. "Over that way. Hear it?" she hisses in a harsh whisper over her shoulder to the others behind her to pass on, coming to a stop out of the way and her back pressed to the wall and pointing to the direction of the doors further down. Then there's movement and Kaliena goes silent, freezing where she is, save for her eyes which dart for /any/ sort of hiding spot to bolt to.
Kayse is good at following orders; she creeps after Kaliena, cautious and quiet and still trembling with excitement and nervous energy as she eases her way along the deck. When they reach the stairs she flattens herself opposite against the opposite wall, leaving the center clear while staying close enough to offer at least moral support. At Kali's question she nods, turning her head to pass on the news: "Someone below is calling out. Can't tell who yet, but there's someone down there." It is while her back is turned that the man appears, so she reacts to Ila'den's movements and words more than the actual arrival of the renegade. As instructed she drops flat, pressing herself against the stairs with a muffled grunt when she puts excessive weight on her bad hand.
But … but, couldn't she be in the front with the girls? No, because she's going to have to stay behind V'ric and Ila'den. Too valuable to lose, after all. Enka hasn't exactly learned that lesson of life — it's better to guard the VIPs, even if they insist on rushing into danger, heedless. At the sound of stirring, the goldrider's hand darts towards the knife at her belt, pulling it free of the sheath, and as she crouches against the hull, she can hear the sound of a voice from the cabin. "Hssst," she hisses out at Kaliena, "get down, get back." That way if someone started shooting arrows at the pirate, the girl wouldn't get hit. "You'd better tell us," Enka turns her gaze on the scruffy pirate-guy, coldness in the tone of her voice — the same sort of tone and expression she's used dealing with stubborn holders. "We 'aint waitin' all night for answers."
"Fuck you, buddy! You'll get the cunt when we get our marks!" He yells, then lunges forward, trying to make a grab for Kaliena, to use her as a shield. Another pirate emerges from a dark cabin, this one is carrying something shiny, and actually has a pair of pants on. The shiny thing is a knife. Of course he may not get far, but he's going straight for Ila'den's throat with it.
"Wrong answer." Ila'den is quick to let that first arrow fly, and if it should find its mark true, then the man after Kaliena will be falling to the floor and suddenly void of any life. If nothing else, hopefully the shaft can find a shoulder to protrude from, and hinder the pirate's movement. It's the second man that's coming too quick, and while Ila'den's movements are still fast enough to get his bow slung back around his shoulders and pull a dagger free from a sheath at his side, he's not fast enough. There's a backwards scrambling, and the thrum of something flying past his ear as V'ric takes aim for a spot right betwixt the assailant's eyes. That doesn't mean that he hits his mark, but hopefully both men have made enough time for the women to get clear again if they haven't taken out their targets entirely.
Ila puts an arrow through the first man's eye, and he tumbles to the ground before he can get to Kali. The second man gets a little further, he actually is able to shove Kali aside and maybe even steps onto Kayse. But he doesn't get much further. V'ric's arrow is aimed slightly too low, and there's a horrible gurgling noise as it goes through his throat, followed by a thump as he hits the ground as well. Hopefully someone puts him out of his misery, or they're going to hear that horrible noise of the man trying to get air into his lungs for a while.
Enka's lips tighten into a darkly grim smile. You know, the one where she's about to drop some dire foreboding ultimatum on recalcitrant holders — such as arranging to have riders avoid their holding, or be extra slow in delivering goods. "Oh I think he was hoping you'd say that," Enka's laugh is rather snide, the goldrider scrambling a bit to move clear of both V'ric and Ila'den as they fire their arrows at the two pirates, before she's lunging forwards again, protected by the taller men, but still armed with that sharp kitchen knife, guarding Ila'den's back, just in case the pirate with the knife gets in a little too close quarters. Luckily, for her, she doesn't have to worry. Problems solved. "Someone ought to take care of that." the Weyrwoman motions at the gurgling pirate. "And we'd better move. Someone might have heard all the racket."
Enka's hissed reminder and then seeing Kayse do the same from the corner of her eye snaps some sense back into Kaliena and the young girl drops to the deck - or starts to. She ends up half way into a crouch when the strange man is suddenly spitting curses at the riders and lunging. And lunging for her. Not wanting to be a human shield, the renegade may have chosen the wrong girl to try. She may not be armed with knife or bow, but that doesn't keep her from preparing to lash out with all she has. But Ila'den's arrow puts a stop to that and as the renegade falls dead by her, Kaliena can only stare at the now lifeless body. Stunned, she's roughly shoved aside by the second renegade and that shakes her out of it. Fueled now by adrenaline and perhaps a healthy dose of fear, Kaliena drops low and makes a bolt for the first clear spot she can find that's out of the way of the worst of the skirmish, heading deeper into the lower cabins.
Kayse isn't sure what to do once the men start charging and arrows go flying, so she stays still in the hopes that nothing bad will happen to her. She isn't entirely successful, since one of the renegades tramples her foot in his haste up the stairs, but she'll emerge with nothing more than a bruise. The sight of the arrows sticking out of the men, however, has a much more significant impact on her. Maybe if the throat shot had been a clean kill she wouldn't be so rattled, but the sound of the man struggling to breathe is just enough to push her over the edge. The apprentice gags and loses the contents of her stomach, coating one side of the stairs and leaving her, at least for the moment, incapacitated.
There doesn't seem to be anyone else on board currently. At least no one that's heard the racket. Zi'on though opens up the door above. "What was that? Is everyone alright? You guys better hurry, I think I saw someone come out of the caverns." Zi'on isn't going to move from his post though, unless someone needs help. Maybe Kayse wants to come up for fresh air? Also to get away from dying pirates.
And oh, take care of it Ila'den does. The former renegade moves to plant his foot on the side of the pirate's neck as he hunkers down with a sneer on those lips. "Lucky for you I found civilization. Still, you're not worth wasting another arrow on." Fingers wrap around the shaft of the arrow in the man's neck and jerk it free as he simultaneously replaces his dagger. It comes with little struggle, but stays in tact so that Ila'den can string it again and aim from point blank range. THRUM. He marks the man where V'ric meant to get him before, right between the eyes, and as V'ric moves past him to check the other man and assure he's really passed on, there's a grim look exchanged between best friends. Ila'den's eyes go to Enka though, as he inquires softly, "Okay there, weyrwoman?" but the man is moving to Kayse, whom he's hunkering down next to even as she spills the contents of her stomachs and offering an arm. "Take time to be horrified later, little one. There's still work to do. Come on." And Ila'den will wait, or drag her himself if Kayse should allow—at least that was the plan until Zi's little head popped back up. Now he's on the move again, hopefully with Enka and V'ric once more at his back.
"Been better," Enka answers Ila'den matter-of-factly. "But it's nothin' new." One can really get used to being cold and distanced when trying to run a Weyr at times — or at least, appear to be so. And the goldrider has dealt with dead people, if not necessarily deliberately killed people, but dead bodies, sure. Remember the mudslide? Or the river flood? Dead people. "You all right?" Enka will move then, creeping along the wall to Kayse's side, fingers going into the pouch dangling from her belt, and producing a handkerchief for the girl to wipe her face with. "Kaliena, you ok?" Leave it to the Weyrwoman to make sure the girls were all right. "Let's move though," she looks over her shoulder at Zi'on. "Just some inconvenient pirates. They're conveniently dead now. Did you need anyone to help you? The girls could." That at least is an offer, in case Kayse or Kaliena wanted to stay topside.
Kayse is shaking with horror and distress now instead of excitement, all the cheer gone out of her. When the weyrsecond and weyrwoman stop by her she nods weakly, accepting the kerchief gratefully and cleaning herself up somewhat. "Thank you," she squeaks out as she wipes at her face, waving them along past her as she pulls herself back together. It takes her a few long moments, keeping her eyes firmly off the corpses in the corridor, but eventually Kayse does regain enough of her composure to get back on her feet. "I'll go fill the weyrleader in," she manages to croak out before stumbling hurriedly up the stairs and away from the pervasive presence of death.
Kaliena remains crouched and almost huddled where she finally comes to rest, back against the wall again but turned to face the stairs. It'd be hard to see from this distance, but the girl is shaking now, though she's doing her best to hide it by clenching her hands into tight little fists. Hearing her name, she lifts her head up to where Enka is standing by Kayse's side. "I'm fine." Kaliena answers, obviously lying. Slowly, she shuffles back towards the riders, eyes darting from side to side in case anyone else comes hurtling out from somewhere. The young girl skirts around the conveniently dead pirates as well and pointedly keeps from looking at them, less she join Kayse in purging her stomach's contents. An offer to go topside seems to appeal to Kaliena as she pauses by the base of the stairs. "I heard a voice before they jumped us. Towards the back, where there seems to be doors." she says, grimacing. "Couldn't see much else. Sorry." Then she's darting up the stairs, unless she's stopped and likely not far behind Kayse.
"No. I'll be fine." The weyrleader says. "Just get to Iris. We're not leaving without her, even if I have to fight off a hundred pirates." Hopefully Zi'on calls the dragons if there's that many pirates. Of course continuing might be a bit difficult. Especially with the lock and chain on the door leading below deck. Was that the right door? Hopefully Iris still has strength enough to yell. Zi'on blinks as Kayse and Kali bolt up the stairs. He'll keep them company while they finish up below.
Ila'den seems to mind little the fact that they've lost two of their party in the prescence of death. The bronzerider turns a questioning look over his shoulder, and then glares /daggers/ at the fact that there is LOCK AND CHAIN on a door. Is this /really/ happening? There's a string of curses that tumble from Ila'den's lips as grey eyes go from Enka to V'ric. "Any ideas on how to get this open without making our prescence known to everybody?" he murmurs under his breath. Picking locks was never a skill he'd acquired, and he's certainly in no rush to bring on an onslaught of pirates given the fact that they're down to /three/.
Enka's reply to Kali and Kayse is a curt nod, the Weyrwoman regarding them carefully for a moment. It was a harsher reality to see people get killed in front of you, one that thankfully didn't involve the residents of Western very often. "Go ahead, and get off the ship if you absolutely have to. Can't have you gettin' hurt." Worse, she might have said, but leaves it at that. "We're goin'. Zi'on." Enka turns back a little to look at him. "Stay safe." And don't fight off all those pirates. Enka turns towards the locked door. "Do we kick it down, or find out if one of them," her thumb jerks towards the dead bodies, "has the key?"
Zi'on settles in against the side of the ship, the bronzer oddly enough is keeping Kaliena close to him with an arm about her shoulders. He's peering out over at the caverns. "I've seen at least one person come out of the caves. By now all the guard boats should be in position, so hopefully they caught whoever it was quietly." He glances to Kayse. "You alright?" Probably not, Zi'on, since she just saw two people get killed. Or maybe she's just seasick?
Ila'den breaks out in an absolutely giddy grin at his Weyrwoman's brilliance, and whispers, "I could kiss you, Enka, but there are pressing matters." At least he has enough wit about him to tease. V'ric is on the man closest to them without a word, as Ila'den steps around them to find the one further back. Fingers push along fabric, but to no avail. It's V'ric who comes up victorious with the key, and waggles it above his head with a gruff whisper of, "Got it, Ila." Like a unit, the two move in sync back to Enka, and while V'ric tests the lock with key, Ila'den draws his bow again at the ready, careful to keep Enka in front of him, but to leave enough space between the goldrider and his best friend should trouble arise. V'ric finds the right key, and turns a look over his shoulder with a nod to affirm the other two are ready. Ila'den nods in response, and the chains are pulling loose as V'ric gives push to the door and immediately draws his bow back up after. He takes the lead, moving like a wraith further into the confines of the ship.
Yes, yes. The Weyrwoman is absolutely fiendishly brilliant. This is what comes of growing up a Weyrbrat. "Well, I think we can save that for another time. Just don't let Iris catch you doin' it." Enka flashes Ila'den a very teasing little smirk, some levity in the midst of all the tension and death and whatnot. No doubt, the pirate with the pants has the key, unless the guy wearing skivves had them hid there… ewww. Door unlocked, Enka's ready to follow bronzerider and brownrider into the bowels of the dark ship. "Let's go find her."
Western Weyr - Storage Deck
First of all it's dark down here. Really dark. If someone doesn't have a glow basket or some means of making fire you're all destined to dance in the dark. If you CAN see though to the left as one comes down the stairs is a set of double doors also locked with a chain and a padlock. There's a faint smell of food both rotting and not rotting coming from the double doors. To the right there is a series of small cabins where the wall and the doorways have been replaced with rusting metal bars. This is the brig of course. They were at least nice enough to provide Iris with a mattress and a bucket but there's not much else by way of comfort. There's a bowl of slop that has been tossed through the bars on the floor of her 'cabin'. There's also a canteen and several mugs full of what might pass for juice if it was a month earlier.
It is probably a good thing that Kayse isn't in a position to hear talk of searching the dead for the key. As it is she's isn't looking very good as she stands on the deck, looking anywhere but at the cabin door. "Quiet is good," she murmurs in reply to Zi's statement about the guards and the shore, only half listening. "Huh? Me? Uhm, not really," she adds, rubbing the heel of her good hand against her eyes. "It's better up here, at least." Kali's position beside Zi exists without comment, as Kayse remains deeply distracted by what happened below.
As V'ric moves, Ila follows, though he's mindful to keep Enka sandwiched between them. It's when the brownrider pauses and whispers back that he can't see that Ila'den is turning eyes onto Enka and leaning forward to whisper. "You didn't bring a glow, did you?" Because Ila'den certainly didn't. He wasn't thinking /that/ far ahead.
Zi'on looks over at Kayse again, frowning. "That Straws guy assured me no one would be aboard the ship at this time. So… either he lied to me, or they've gotten a little more careful since his capture." Or both. "But it doesn't matter, as long as everyone makes it out. Iris included." Hopefully she was still aboard. Zi'on has a glowbasket! Of course he didn't think to give it to anyone on their way in, though. "They killed those two men in there, didn't they?"
"Might have somethin'." Enka's hand is dipping back into her belt pouch. Sure enough, there's a glow, not much of a glow, but maybe more than enough to at least help keep things from being total darkness. Bracketed by the two men, Enka lifts her hand, trying to displace the darkness around them enough to see what's ahead of her. "Can you hear anythin'?" Maybe if they heard Iris moving around or making noise, there would be a general idea where to go.
Iris had quieted down when she ran out of moisture in her throat… but it's rebuilt itself enough by now for her to call out again. The noises outside the brig make her a little nervous but hopeful at the same time. "Who's out there? What's happened?" Maybe it's just the guard again. but maybe it's someone else?
"Really might have to consider that kiss," Ila'den says in good humor, yet again amazed at Enka's ability to be so /brilliant/. "I can see a little, but not very much. Still going to be slow going." With the weak light provided, the movements will start again with another abrupt pause at the sound of Iris' voice. Grey hues sweep the place, and then in a hush, Ila'den murmurs low, "Keep talking, baby. We can't see you." Might be that it disturbs a pirate or two, but the sooner they can locate which hole in the wall they've got Iris trapped in (and a way to get her out), the sooner they can leave. What's another couple of bodies in their wake?
Kayse mutters, "Straws was wrong. There were so very much people down there. And they /attacked/ us." The girl shudders, grabbing the ship's rail with her good hand and hugging herself with her other arm. "One of them went after the weyrsecond with a knife, and the other was headed up the stairs - I think he was going after the weyrwoman. Ila'den and V'ric shot them." Her voice is hollow with the horror of it; she hadn't understood before what real violence is, and now it was too late to decide to not be here.
There's a whole lot of no one down below! Apparently the two 'guards' were taken out up above. Really the only guard was probably the guy with the sword and the key. Which is probably good. Zi'on frowns at Kayse. "Sorry. I guess it wasn't as smash and grab as I thought." It's actually really good that there's no one else below. Because there's an unfamiliar head poking up over the starboard side of the ship, and Zi'on catches it out of the corner of his eye. "Look out!" He calls to Kayse, making a run for the head. There's a second one over the port side, and a hand grabbing the railing close to Kayse's feet.
She's brilliant brilliant brilliant! The motto of a Weyrbrat is: be prepared! Or is that of a Weyr troublemaker (same difference?) This is why Enka rides gold, see. She's prepared. "Well, anytime you wanna stop by my office," Enka flashes Ila'den another teasing grin, hoisting the glow up a little higher. "Hear that?" No doubt yes, they can hear that because Ila'den is addressing Iris. "We're comin'." The goldrider does her best to sound reassuring.
"Guys?!" Iris calls out. There's disbelief in her voice. It's not the guards? Shadhavarth rumbles in her mind to keep talking even though her voice is raspy and weak by now. "Ila?! I'm here! I'm /here/!" What else can she say, after all?
AND THERE IS MUCH SHUFFLING UNTIL…! ALAS! There is an Iris! V'ric is fumbling with the keys stolen before to see if one can free the junior, and Ila'den is crouching down to reach his hands through the bars for his weyrmate, fairly trembling at their find. He doesn't have /words/ for the beauty, but V'ric does have the solution to getting her out, and with a click, Iris is granted her freedom as Ila pulls back to keep her escape from being hindered any longer. "Let's get back to the top, quickly." Never know! There might be TROUBLE on the deck!
"It's not your fault, sir," Kayse replies to Zi'on's apology, shaking her head to reinforce her words. "You couldn't have known it would be like… that." Which is when the head pokes up on one end, and a hand beside her, and the girl lets out a totally not-quiet shriek of fear. She scrambles back from the railing, plastering herself against the side of the cabin and looking around frantically for something to throw at the head that goes with the hand.
Every rider can probably hear it for miles around. Suldith calling out that his rider is in trouble. He also sends word to the riders below to get Iris out as fast as they can. Though the two golds were probably already announcing that Iris had been found. Zi'on manages to land a punch square to a pirate's face, knocking him back into the water. But quickly they'll be overwhelmed. Until the dragons show up of course. Then the pirates are heading back for the water. And down to where the guards are waiting for them on the boats. The boat rocks quite a bit as some of the smaller dragons land on the deck to help with the evacuation. Zi'on will have to suffer a ride on a green or a blue, something he hasn't done since before he impressed.
Safe! Free! Or at least no longer confined. Whether or not Iris and the rescuers would be free-free, now that's a different story. "Let's go," Enka continues to hold the glow in her hand, at least until they're back out in the corridor and the cabins outside, whereby she nips into the cabin where that skivvy-clad pirate had been sleeping to steal his light. He's dead, he don't need it. "Hurry, hurry." At least they have a better light now, right? By now, the entire Weyr knows that the junior Weyrwoman has been found, and that riders on the boat are in trouble. There's a loud bellowing roar that can probably be heard from the boat, even if it is as far away as the Weyr, the calls of the senior queen rousing the Weyr to assist in protecting her rider as well as Suldith's, and Shadhavarth and Teimyrth's, and everyone else who's on the boat and is not a pirate. Enka emerges from below decks, brandishing her knife, protecting Iris and Ila'den with back up from V'ric, no doubt. There'd be a lot of dragons around, hopefully rounding up pirates and putting the ship on lockdown.
Indeed, Ila'den has been rendered useless for a fight as that bow is slung back over his shoulders and Iris is hefted up into his arms for the sake of quicker movement. He gets the instructions to return from all around, and moves only slow enough to assure that he doesn't got stepping over Enka. Once they emerge, the weyrsecond is taking long steps to find a dragon for Iris immediately, even as V'ric picks off a few unlucky pirates that didn't get the hint to retreat when all the colors started to arrive. HOME FREEEEEE!