Welcome to Gaia! ::

There were not many dragons who would cuddle Nicoth with impunity. There were not many dragons who would either want or dare to try. But only a few syncopated heartbeats after Nicoth sent the image, a sharding enormous bronze popped out of between above I’saak’s weyr, then circled in to land with a heavy groundshaking thump.

(Tauvolanth’s landings had never been the best. He was an awful lot of bronze, and when he wasn’t carrying a passenger important enough to merit a delicate landing, he tended to just let gravity work in his favor.)

And as soon as he hit the ground, he moved over to the green and the greenrider, crooning a deep bass note so low that it practically vibrated the air, and he nuzzled Nicoth’s side without any apparent concern that she would turn and maul him. Even if she did, he honestly would likely take it in stride. This was Tauvolanth, after all. He tended to deal with problems by sitting on them until they ceased to be problems. (Like that snappy brown from before. It worked, didn’t it?) I’saak in particular got a remarkably delicate touch with the tip of the bronze’s nose, and a hot blast of dragon breath blown on his hair.

Glad to see you’re doing okay. J’car’s finishing up with the Warden and the Weyrwoman, but he’ll be over as soon as he can.

Tauvolanth snorted at Nicoth before unceremoniously flopping himself down in her wallow; he sprawled out so that he wasn’t touching the green, precisely, but his muzzle was still close enough that I’saak could reach out and touch him as he pleased. We missed you. He’s coming as quick as he can.

It had taken longer than he liked to help settle in the weyrlings, run damage control with the Weyrlingmaster, greet the Warden properly, and do his duty as the Weyrwoman’s honor guard. He hadn’t been expecting to see Warden’s in such miserable conditions as it was. But even if the layout of Warden’s was unfamiliar, J’car had a sense of which way his dragon had slouched off to, and it was hardly difficult to find I’saak’s weyr.

J’car hooked a hand around one of Tauvolanth’s headknobs, and used it as a handhold to hoist himself over the coils of green that surrounded I’saak like a wall of dragon. Then the younger bronzerider settled himself in next to I’saak, leaning his shoulder against the greenrider’s. As if nothing had ever changed between them. As if the past few months had never happened at all.

“Hey. Come here.” And he held out an arm to pull I’saak into a rough hug.

J’car wore a puzzled expression, perhaps surprised by the intensity of I’saak’s greeting. But he wrapped one arm around his former wingrider soothingly, patting I’saak’s shoulder and speaking in a soft, low, steady voice. “Yeah. It’s me. I’m really here.”

Rider and dragon exchanged a brief look of concern. Things here at the prison weyr had gotten completely out of hand. He was going to be writing a very long, very angry letter to Watchleader T’aku once he was done here. If the discontent and misery he’d observed thus far was any indication – and not just from prisoners, but from guards – there were some drastic changes necessary, and as soon as possible.

“What happened, I’saak?”

Faranth, poor I’saak. The greenrider had always been sensitive, a surprisingly delicate man under the big sturdy smith exterior. The Watch hardened some people, in time, but I’saak had never been one of them. He tightened his grip as Tauvolanth kept up that deep gentle crooning, as if they could communicate without words it’s all right, it’s all right, you’re safe with us. J’car wasn’t the kind of man who was good with displays of emotion, but if I’saak needed to let it out, better to do it here in the company of those who would comfort him, rather than in front of someone who would use it as a weapon against him.

“I know,” J’car admitted softly. He hadn’t been in favor of the transfer. He had, in fact, fought against it viciously. But the healers were adamant that I’saak was no longer suitable for Watch-work, that pushing him so soon after the accident would break him permanently. And shards, J’car wasn’t a healer, so he’d believed them. All he could do for I’saak was write him the kindest transfer papers he could (and strenuous instructions about where I’saak’s talents would be most suitable) and hope for the best for him.

But they couldn’t ignore evidence of this level of abuse. “I want to take you home. I’m going to talk to Watchleader T’aku. Either we’re going to be making some drastic changes here, or when I leave you’re coming with me. I’ll make it work.”

J’car glanced over at Tauvolanth uneasily, a little bit hesitant. But he’d never been one to care much about appearances of fraternization – if Tau caught a green, then he caught a green, and it didn’t mean anything except that J’car was friendly and chronically polyamorous. And while he did have a weyrmate and son back home, Damara was perfectly aware that sometimes her wayward bronzerider took up with handsome greenriders and it didn’t bother her. (She’d approved of I’saak, actually.) Still…

“I have quarters of my own, officially. The Warden was kind enough to offer us hospitality befitting our status as Watchriders,” he remarked ironically, deliberately using the fancy phrasing that he usually scorned. All this politics and courtesy, as far as J’car was concerned you could stuff it. He didn’t want people to use polysyllabic words at him just because his dragon was big and male. “But I don’t mind staying here for a while.”

But there were official matters to attend to as well. “Can you give me more specifics on what happened here? I know it’s painful to revisit, but… I need to be as specific as possible in my report to the Watch. There’s a lot of higher-ups who remember M’onk’s name, and it would take damning evidence to get them to hear anything against him.”