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Grace very nearly flipped J'car the bird, but managed to hold back some sass and merely glared. She also looked over her shoulder at Ai, and merely rolled her eyes. She didn't have much to snap back at them with, but that was where Kr'stof came in, and as always did so with much... gusto.

"Wound? Next time I'll aim for a fatality. In the mean time, here's a magic trick, Smartass." A quick hand grabbed the green rider's bubblypie while he was preoccupied with the older meatroll. "Taa daa," she sarcastically spat, and then went and found a seat. It sounded like everyone was finally somewhat getting down to business, so perhaps a snack would be helpful in some way. Grace did like bubblypies.

She did not however like stupid remarks.

Bubblypie halfway to her mouth, Grace's hand stopped and the rider looked around for the culprit of such... stupidity (though maybe ignorance.... or naivety would be better words). "Yes, being locked up in sensory deprivation does absolute wonders for the already insane and psychotic. Or maybe you want to test it out yourself? --"

"Sorry I'm late, but I brought bubblypies! -- Awww, s**t, you guys already have them..." came the now depressed tones of Ferris as the usually brassy green rider pushed herself into the 'gathering.' Honestly, the Wing's meetings weren't really..meetings. Or at least never truly felt like them. If Ferris even knew how a meeting was supposed to feel.

"Oh, not you!" Moaned Grace, turning in her chair, bubblypie still held above her lap. She knew Ferris was a part of the Wing, but sweet Faranth, she couldn't stand the girl. It was like having two Cassith's in the room, except one wasn't as vain.

I heard that.

Good, now I won't have to repeat it.

"Yes 'ME.' Cool the dust filters, lacey Gracey. You're getting clogged." Despite there being an abundance of food, Ferris set her basket down with the rest and sat down in the nearest seat. Grace just continued to glare incredulously, and then puff at her cigarette like a chimney.

"Are we sharing things? My sister said there was almost a coup against the Warden and the wher handlers, that day when the Queen died. Don't know anything about the white rooms though."

"....Maybe you should," muttered Grace, though Ferris failed to hear.

Alia shrugged. "Mauled some candidates, wreaked some havoc, nothing new." she said to Ai, putting her head in her hand. "Although I did hear it was.. vicious. One boy was nearly dead, from the sound of it. Still Impressed though, I heard."

Alia was more interested to hear about the opal, that was one she didn't know as much on. To be honest, she rather hoped that it did have the ability to command. That would mean a chromatic (opals counted as chromatics, right? They were certainly colourful enough) would have a power that thus far was held only by the metallic colours. And although she knew it would probably kick up even more of a fuss than it did already, she hoped too, because it might provide some amount of protection to some of her stranger siblings. If opals could command.. If dragons would listen to them..

Once provoked, her mind went wild with possibilities. "That would be something, wouldn't it?" she mused aloud. "I wonder how that would work. Irregulars commanding other irregulars? Just chromatics? Or all of them?" She wouldn't say, 'Or maybe even golds!'

But what she really wanted to know is; was this an isolated incident? Or was there a whole spectrum of colours hiding behind every blue that had never flown a gold?
<Think you could catch Zamanateth?> she asked Melangth, jokingly. After all, it was for science.
<I think you're talking nonsense again.> Was all Melangth had to say on it.

While she enjoyed talking about the new colours, there was very little else here that she didn't dread bringing up. Take your pick; missing riders, dead dragons, ex-riders being used as displays of power.. All of which she very much did not want to think about, but it was why they were here, after all..

A'vin was the first to bring up the Warden. Harsh didn't even begin to describe Alia's feelings towards him. Alia looked around, wondering whether she should speak. She was glad to have J'car as her wingleader, and not just because he sometimes brought them sweetbuns. She felt like he was a lot less uptight than some people and valued honesty, a quality she was about to put to the test. Finally, she sighed.

"Alright, I'm just going to ask this and hope I'm not the only one thinking it, maybe I am; why aren't we questioning him right now?" Even if his treatment of the gold was excusable, even if the death of the grey hatchling could be justified, even if he didn't have anything to do with the Weyrleader's disappearance, all of this still happened on his watch. Maybe she was just young, too young to remember M'onk from the Watch or have any loyalty to him because of it, but it seemed to her that if it was any other case, or any other rider, they'd have enough to warrant talking to him at least.

J’car listed attentively, sipping at his klah or taking a bite of bubbly pie occasionally as the other riders spoke. They’d all gathered quite a bit of information in a short time, and all seemed to have more or less arrived at a similar consensus. He was about to chime in with his own findings when Alia spoke up and asked the question that was on everyone’s minds.

“That’s the thousand mark question, isn’t it?” he asked to no one in particular. Brow furrowed in thought, he ran a hand along the buzzed-short stubble on his scalp that passed for hair, then let both hands drop back into his lap. “Why we’re not questioning M’onk.”

His gaze traveled around the room, looking at each rider in turn. He would speak frankly; he trusted them all enough to assume it wouldn’t come back to bite him. “I’m going to say this – and this is not my orders as a wingleader, this is my advice as a friend. I won’t hold you to it if you feel the need to disobey. But for Faranth’s sake, be careful if you choose to talk to Warden M’onk.”

Many of the riders here (Ai excluded, naturally) were young. Some of them wouldn’t have yet seen the less… savory parts of the Watch. The old boy’s club, the color politics, the friends in high places. “He has a lot of old friends in the Watch. A lot of old friends who won’t like hearing harsh words against him. If any of you confront him, you know that I'll back you up from here until the ends of Pern – but if you accuse him of anything without evidence, I might not be able to help you. And remember, how he treats the prisoners here won’t matter as much to the rest of Pern as how he treats the riders, crafters, and guards under his command. It’s whershit, but it’s true.”

That was a bit of a speech by J’car standards. He didn’t much go in for speeches. Huffing a little sigh, he finished with, “I just don’t want to see anyone ousted from the Watch on trumped-up charges – or worse, conveniently 'disappeared' like the weyrleader.”

"None dead~" Kr'stof waved his hand airily, lips pulled still into a pout. His arm rose a fraction to peer out at the group. "Well..." The greenriders gaze sneaked back over to Ai and that mild smile. It reminded him a bit of M'onk save for the fact that it lacked the 'I'm going to kill you' look to it. "I'm sure the two of you would make a lovely couple, ma'am. It's less likely there would be a mysteriously disappeared Weyrwoman than a Weyrleader. On that note - I volunteer to kidnap the interview with Secondary Warden C'tis. He's the bluerider, isn't he? I saw him at the hatching, huge and handsome, isn't he?"

Thin fingers flicked again and his arm fell, sipping at his klah. "With all due respect though, Weyrwoman, paying attention to the friendly warning of careful is likely still an excellent idea. Is anyone talking to the prisoners, if we're discussing danger and criminal behavior?"

"You can learn plenty from people who aren't in charge."

C'per had been mostly listening up until that point, though his expression had been sharp - particularly as J'car recommended anyone going near M'onk take care. C'per had no interest in tangling with a wher - so to speak. He'd gone toe-to-toe with less-than-sane folks before (which reminded him - he'd need to get records from his contact back at Monaco, see if Wyndam was imprisoned at Warden's or not), and had no interest in that kind of cat-and-mouse game.

"Even if they don't talk, we have plenty to put together. Some of us have friends here. I imagine J'car will be able to get plenty of information from our ex-wingmate I'saak," he remarked cheerfully, grinning at his wingleader. "If he hasn't already."