Knock, Knock! (Warden)

[giftwrapped]

Nobody had told her there would be Dragon Guard at Warden's.

Admittedly, as Lanakirene had quickly found out, nobody had told the Dragon Guard that there would be a Master Dragonhealer at Warden's, either. Otherwise they wouldn't have brought their own. But the confusion that had resulted in Lanakirene and Kytek staring awkwardly at each other until Kith had gently reminded Lanakirene that Lanakirene, love, we have a meeting with the Warden in a quarter-candlemark, it had become quite apparent that there would be a conflict or two between the interests of Hall-appointed and Guard-appointed Master Dragonhealers.

It wasn't that La hated Kytek by any means, a fellow dragonhealer was to be respected, even if La personally felt that he, along with every other Master Dragonhealer the Hall had produced, was an old codger and not the sort of fellow you wanted to sit down for klah with. It was just that, well.

She was supposed to be the Master Dragonhealer in charge of Warden's Weyr, only to arrive and find out that she was sharing the spotlight with another.

It irked her. Not to the point of anger; it was difficult at the worst of times to irritate Lanakirene to anger, and she was still too wrapped in excitement and curiosity as to what the prison weyr would hold to lose it over a simple matter of having to share the spotlight. But still, in the short time between her arrival at Warden's and her actual meeting with the Warden, she had already come to the conclusion that the Watch floating around was going to be a bigger pain in the tailfork than anything else.

Which was why her steps were somewhat clipped as she strolled to the Warden's office and rapped smartly on the door with the head of her cane. The Warden met all newcomers as soon as possible, she had been told. And she was a special case because she was a Master Dragonhealer, so she got met the day she came in.

She couldn't hear him, but judging by the noise in her head, Kith had found the Warden's bronze and was cheerfully rearranging himself, already chattering up a storm. And Trouble was...

Missing.

But La was sure she'd turn up. In the meantime, she had a meeting to attend.

[nozomi]

For once, Warden's day did not absolutely suck. Despite the Watch roaming around his prison like malicious bits of thread, even with the fact he had odd-colored dragons old enough to fly, and with that emotionally-in-turmoil Wherleader, Warden woke up that morning without any aches in his joints. Yusuth didn't complain about anything, he had no prisoners to speak to that day. Even the crazy prisoners, the ones always trying to report something, they kept their damned mouths shut.

Such a good morning meant that Warden did not add any extra fellis to his wine, just the usual pinch of the drug, and, luckily for a certain Dragonhealer, he did not meet her while in a black mood. In fact, La had that heavy door opened for her and met face-to-face with a short, worn, graying Bronzerider of a Warden. No matter how well he slept or how little he'd been harassed that day, Warden still wore the crows feet dancing along his hooded eyes with quiet resolution, his chin cocked up to meet the womans eyes.

It lasted only a second, the study; Warden took a step back to give her a brief look over, his gaze lingering on her cane. "Ah," he said, low voice mild, and void of any real curiousity. "Master Dragonhealer Lanakirene. Thank you for coming."

They'd needed a competent healer, after all, one for the babies. Warden took another step back and opened the door entirely. He swung his arm out to usher her in, and once the door clicked shut behind the woman, Warden settled right back behind his desk. Two chairs sat before his own desk, one off to the side, a bare wooden thing. The second one, fuller, fluffier, made for guests, and situated right in front of his desk. Warden waved his hand to the latter, his eyes still on the dragonhealer.

"How much have you seen of my prison thus far?"

He ignored, for the most part, Yusuth's lazy amusement towards the healers cheerful dragon; while not the most sociable of creatures, Yusuth was hardly the type to go turning someone away. That was his riders job.

[giftwrapped]

"It's a pleasure to be here, Warden V'tya. I've tried for turns to get them to allow me to come, and here I am. I trust you are well?"

Lanakirene's voice was light and cheerful as she gave the bronzerider a short, respectful bow and followed him into the office. There was no doubt plenty to say, but for a moment she allowed her attention to wander, taking in the office with a healer's eye for detail before her gaze returned to Warden's face. She had done her research about the man; not much older than her, with a bronze who was a mite unusual among dragons, but perfectly healthy (and enormous, she had noticed when she and Kith touched down. Even for a bronze, he was a behemoth).

But he looked...tired. His face was the face of a man who had seen everything. Sinking down in the chair opposite Warden, she rested both hands on her cane and leaned forward, expression eager and curious as he spoke to her. "Not...a great deal yet, I'm afraid. Kith and I circled a few times, but I've only just arrived. Most of the time since we landed was taken up by the Dragon Guard."

And there her face fell slightly, not quite becoming a frown but losing some of its bright sparkle. She held no grudge against the Guard itself, but nonetheless. Kytek.

Hmph.

[nozomi]

"Just Warden, please. Otherwise the rest may start to think I have an actual name and did not spring unbidden from the dragons egg with Yusuth. I feed on their fear and intimidation." Warden popped the top on his wine skin and took a slow sip of the fellis and alcohol mixture. His sides hurt.

La studied his office, his face, and warden returned the favor. He'd expected someone far from this woman - perhaps younger, a bit more - absent, in the brain. Oh, the healer had the same excited look as many of them did when first visiting the hellhole, but maybe she wouldn't be disappointed, as she'd come for the dragons, not the company.

Then - she had to bring up the 'Watch, didn't she? Warden's face clouded over with distaste, thin lips pursed. (He took another drink, even.)

"Ah. The Guard." Dislike practically dripped from the words. Warden leaned back in his chair, drink tucked away in his desk somewhere, and crossed his arms. "Yes. They've brought their own darling forces, unasked by myself, but they did. Feel free to say what you'd like to them, it matters little to me, and you have permission to go anywhere in the prison our guards are. If there is anywhere else you need to go, speak with me, assistance will be provided. We don't have things to hide at my prison."

Of course they did, but lies benefited all. Warden cleared his throat, and continued.

"As I'm sure you know, you are here because our Gold clutched with a blue dragon, and successfully hatched a clutch of seemingly healthy eggs. There were three greens, two blues, and a brown. One of the blues betweened, though he claimed he found His." Warden shook his head, lips once more tightening. Then he sighed, the back of his head meeting his chair - even the Warden looked up to the ceiling, voice dry. "And then there were three miniature grey dragons, a bright pink one, a yellow one, and a very shiny, very multicolored one that appeared traumatized straight from the shell.

"A delightful hatching." Warden waved one of his hands, letting out a slow breath. "I want you to look at them, and see what you can find out - especially the oddities. The normal colors may have something off with them as well, who knows. And - whers. We had a wher clutch. One of the blues is - not entirely blue. One of the greens has odd legs and tail. And there is a white wher." Warden looked at La again, then, his eyes narrowed and wary. He promised Z he'd find a way, after all. Bring in a healer. "White, wingless, partially crippled. I've promised Zalman I would request you look at her, and see what could be done to help her. Neither of us are inclined to cull her, especially not since bonded."

[giftwrapped]

The first comment earned a hearty chuckle, and Lanakirene nodded her understanding. "Warden, then," she said. "I'll keep your real name a secret; they'll never know of your secret identity as an actual human."

Was she joking with the man? Perhaps. La wasn't exactly the most inclined to traditional behaviour, and she was the sort of person who made herself comfortable with a situation, regardless of whether or not it was an easy one to get used to. But the lighthearted air went a bit more somber as Warden reacted to her mention of the Guard. So he was just as upset as Lanakirene. Probably moreso. The dragonhealer filed that information away for later, right along with Warden's grant of freedom of speech. That would prove interesting. But for now, she had raw nerves to soothe.

"I'm not here to pry into prison life, Warden," she remarked smoothly. "I'm here to make certain your dragons aren't overworking themselves, poor dears, and see to this clutch that's got the oldtimers at Fort all in a tizzy." Anything else she would have said was lost as Warden began discussing exactly the thing she had just mentioned, and that glimmer of cheer returned. "I had heard about Semith, yes," she said, smiling. "It's a bit of a buzz in the mainland, at least among those of us in the business." And she spared a cheeky grin for Warden before briefly putting on a marginally more serious face. "It is an honor to work with your dragonets, Warden."

Nodding solemnly, she went on in the most level voice she could manage. "I assure you, I'll pay special attention to all of the clutch and ensure that any who need help get it. You've been blessed with what could very well be the future of Pern, and we'll make certain they grow properly." And then he brought up whers and La frowned slightly. Whers weren't her area of expertise, but she was familiar enough with the species to offer appropriate medical care when it was necessary. The mention of the strange whers, and above all the white one, deepened the expression.

"Wingless and crippled," she repeated quietly. "I'll take a look. And do whatever I can. Anything that has Impressed will be cared for," she said lightly. "Everything in my power, I will do. Dragons are dragons, and even if the rest of Pern has given up on this place, Warden, not all of us feel the same."

[nozomi]

Not here to pry into prison ongoings? Ever suspicious, the term full of wherrie dung sang through Warden's head like so many Harper's strings. The look he gave the Dragonhealer was bland, just before it faded into his usual expression of not-quite-disdain. He liked the Healer, no matter what part of him railed that A. people were crazy and could not be trusted and B. bitch was here as a part of an investigation into his prison, and his dragons - never mind the fact he was the one in charge of the request for a new resident Dragonhealer.

"With all due respect, yes, Master Dragonhealer, you are here to pry into the prison life. The shifts of our guard are a cornerstone in the behaviors and health of the dragons. Not many wanted to transfer here, and while the donor clutch provided more, we still don't have many." The steeple of his fingers flexed, but Warden didn't look away from the Healer, let her talk about Semith because, really, that's what people wanted. Semith, and Semith's children.

Future of Pern. The corners of Warden's lips twitched. Blessed. Of course. "You have an interesting way of stating that we're driving the oldtimer's crazy with the different colored infants. All have their wings, toes, all of that. They are just - well. You'll see." Warden opened his mouth to speak again but - the whers. La frowned, and it made his mouth close, and that wary gaze returned. He'd promised Zalman an attempt to keep the babies whole and well, after all. They weren't friends but --

The man had enough grief and loss in his life, after Zalsk.

"She's bonded. The effects of losing a Wher bondmate may not be as pronounced as losing a dragon bondmate, but- it would be regretful to cull her. We are trying to avoid that. It would be-" Another pause, and his eyebrows went up, lips thinned out with that gaze. "I would be appreciative if you put forth the same sort of effort to assisting Lucisk, as you say you will."

"The rest of Pern gave up on themselves a long time ago, Dragonhealer Lanakirene. It is why my prison is even here." He smiled anyway, the thin sort of smile not usually seen. Warden, never overly enthusiastic when it came to emotions, gave La what he could. "Do you have any questions for me, Master Dragonhealer? About the prison, the dragons, names? Anything?"

[giftwrapped]

Driving the oldtimers crazy? "Pah! When aren't the Oldtimers crazy about something?" La flapped a hand dismissively, but she was not so quick to glibly dismiss Warden's other comment. Pern had given up on themselves...she didn't like the way it sounded. But she had to admit, the bronzerider had a point. There had never been a need before AIVAS, before the end of Thread, before Dust, for a Weyr such as Warden's. It was a sobering thought, and the healer's cheery smile dimmed somewhat, though not going out like it did before. The expression only faded further when he again brought up culling whers.

"Like I said, Warden, everything that has Impressed will be cared for. She sounds like she'll need a great deal of special treatment, but that's all right. It's what I'm here for, after all." Slowly, like a flower unfolding, the smile returned, and La nodded. "Lucisk, you said? She'll be looked after. As will the rest of the whers, and your peculiar new dragonets. And the rest of your Weyr, riders included." Pern had no such concept as 'holistic,' but if it had, La would have launched into some sort of babble about the well-being of the whole organism, and in this case, the whole organism consisted of dragon and human.

Or wher and human, in some cases. She supposed she'd have to re-think how she worked with the big uglies. But for now, the Warden had offered her an opening to ask questions. "Names would be excellent, actually," she answered cheerily. "I know yours, even if I'm not allowed to say it, and Weyrwoman Leshta's. I suppose it would behoove me to know your queenhandler's name, as well as the handler of the white...are there any others I should know about?"

And that would have been it, but for a sudden niggling reminder that made La start out of her chair for a moment. "Oh, one other thing actually! It seems like I'm going to have my hands full here, and I've a few apprentices back on the mainland that I was considering bringing. I'd like to have at least one, but they're all...young." She paused. Not exceedingly young, but the gentleman she had in mind was far from grown, regardless of the age he tended to act. "Late teens, mostly. I don't know how dangerous this place is on a day-to-day basis, and if you don't think it's appropriate for a young man..." she trailed off with a shrug.

[nozomi]

"Names?" Actual surprise peppered the Warden's voice, his eyebrows even arched up. The names of the young, oddly colored dragons, they never even occured to him to offer up to this Healer. Oh, he had them memorized, and eventually just assumed everyone did as well. Warden shrugged, and reached into one of his drawers to pull out a bit of parchment. A quick tap of his pen (idefk) was all it took for Warden to start scratching out names. "Zalman is the Goldhandler. He prefers to be called 'Z', unless you wish to be yelled at. Lucine handles Lucisk. The other two - ah - odd Whers belong to Siata and Annette, a Smithcrafter and guard respectively. Romethia has the Pink dragonet, Kuriel the yellow. J'thir, Gwynell, and T'ron have the grays, and Sheraz - He has the opal. She has a sheen, and is female, but is very small."

He shook his head, narrowed eyes studying the paper. Then, as an afterthought, the older man added two more names: "T'di, rider of the blue that fathered the clutch. And L'vey - he is the one that advocated for the prisoners to stand, and the weyrlingmaster." L'vey, also the one to cripple any of the dragons that attempted to escape. Warden would pity him, if it were not his own fault.

Warden handed her the paper, watching the scrap as it passed hands. "And on the topic of my name, Master DragonHealer, if you used it, few would know it." Leshta liked to, the uppity Goldrider. That, Warden could handle. She was fine. She was the Goldrider. Best keep her placated. When La took the bit of paper, Warden leaned back, frowned at the area of his desk where it had been.

"Appropriate for a young man how? The dangerous ones are kept either locked in solitary, or guarded constantly. Perhaps the worst place to take them would be where the new prisoners are detoxing from Dust addiction. The screaming can be difficult for one to handle. He will not be allowed weapons near them but he should never be alone with even a single theif as well." Warden eyed the woman, and those eyebrows went right back up on his forehead. "Unless you were thinking another manner of inappropriate."

[giftwrapped]

La accepted the parchment gladly, rolling it up and pushing it into the satchel with a courteous nod. She'd keep a close eye on that little cheat-sheet, and would certainly be using it to track down future victims - and go to people for advice if need be, she supposed. But the most precious of the riders, the Candidates who had been selected by the atypical dragons, she was already trying to commit those names to memory. She knew about T'di, though not his name until Warden spoke it to her, and would have found out about L'vey soon enough, but it was nice that the bronzerider saw fit to give them to her and save her time. "Thank you for that," she said, and meant it.

The mention of the detoxification process brought the concerned frown back to La's face. It wasn't that she was surprised that it existed; it would only stand to reason that prisoners would need to be cut off from the substance that caused so many problems to begin with. It was just that the apprentice she was thinking of inviting with her was...not always good with the Dusters. Well. She'd think on that. Everything else...it did concern the dragonhealer, but she kept her expression as neutral as possible. At least she wouldn't have to worry about the boy she was thinking of bringing weapons around anyone. She'd be more worried about him hurting himself than prisoners hurting him.

It wasn't until the phrase 'another manner of inappropriate' was dropped that La's expression went from thoughtfully concerned to sharply intent. She fixed Warden with a long, hard look. And then she shook her head. "I don't intend for him to come in contact with Warden's worst, if I can avoid it, and the hazards of Weyr life for a young man can't vary altogether too much, regardless of what sort of place the Weyr is. That sort of thing doesn't concern me in the slightest. Unless you think there's some prevalent, physical danger to...ah, romantic encounters...here?"

It did bother her, of course, but not in a way that La was going to say out loud.

[nozomi]

Warden found the Detox area to be the worst part of the entire prison; the prisoners screamed, would claw at themselves if they could manage it. Some cried, begged for death or Dust or both. He tried to quit twice in his life, and found the physical pain from the tight, withered scars almost as painful as the withdraw itself. The pounding in his head, the flashes of colors, the vomiting, the excruciating ability to feel every inch of his scars - never again. The Detoxification Rooms horrified him. Of course, Warden made himself go through them each and every day, noting the prisoners, who was a Dust user, who was not, as he would be meeting all of them soon enough.

His expression did not change with La's 'delicate' insinuation of her apprentice and his honor came into play. The Warden shook his head slowly, eyes on the master Dragonhealer. "Master Dragonhealer, I doubt there are any romantic emotions behind the sort of encounters we are insinuating. To be quite frank, yes, we've had prisoners attempt to rape or kill our guards, or other prisoners, or anyone they can get near. It's why they're here, they're criminals."

Shards, he hated pussyfooting around things like this. Warden scowled in thought and rubbed lightly at his chin, eyes distant. "As for your apprentice, if you are worried about his safety, I can assign him a guard. I doubt any person in the infirmary or with a dragon will attempt to take advantage of your apprentice but there are always dangers. Even I have received verbal threats from prisoners of that nature." Oh, and was his voice ever dry. Several prisoners had made lewd comments directed at the Warden. On a completely unrelated note, most ended up in solitary for a very long time.

"Of course, if your apprentice develops any feelings for a prisoner, issues will arise. Some aren't horrid people, and even a few of the insane are charming. Keep him to the dragons, the whers, and the injured that are strapped to a cot, Master Dragonhealer."

[giftwrapped]

She had expected to hear as much, and nothing Warden said changed her expression any. His words simply earned a nod, the short sort that, when coupled with a firm stare, indicated that she understood full-well what he said, even if she didn't like it. "I'm not worried overmuch about him," she answered with a glimmer of a smile. "He's a clever boy, even if he's not particularly imposing. I'm sure whatever else happens, we'll work something out."

"And anyways, I should have no trouble keeping him away from the prisoners. He doesn't much like people anyways. Not quite following in my footsteps, in that respect." And there, the brilliant smile returned. Nothing could keep Lanakirene down for long, at the moment. She was in a new place, full of interesting new things, and if there was trouble, either she would be able to handle it or she could call for help. When she returned for her things, she would bring back Ralvyn. That was decided. He was the most responsible of her apprentices, and the least likely to do something mindblowingly stupid.

"I think I'll do the same, myself, though. Stick to the dragons and dragonfolk. And your whers, of course. I don't work with whers much; it'll be a learning experience that I look forward to!" Grinning, she inclined her head and stood up. "If there's anything else, Warden, anything I can do for you, perhaps...?" she asked, maintaining a pleasant smile while the question hung in the air. She was there to help.

[nozomi]

Warden made his decision: he did not mind the company of Master Dragonhealer Lanakirene so much. Maybe, perhaps, she would end up being one of the more tolerable ranking persons in the blasted place. Yes, she smiled a bit too much, and would undoubtedly end up charmed or something by Zalman (or, worse, Leshta or T'di), but never the less, for the moment she did not come off entirely unpleasant. That in itself a bit of a miracle, Warden's mouth convulsed into what could, by some, be assumed to be a second-long half-smile!

Faranath was coming back, or something equally as tweaky. It didn't keep Warden from responding, voice as steady as ever, even if not quite so short. "You may call them a 'learning experience'. It's a very polite way of saying it. Keep that phrase in mind when you meet the dominant gold - Zalmask. We call her Mama. She tends to - ah." There it was again, that brief twitch of his cheek. "Mama is very dominating."

Warden shook his head, and stood, hands on the desk. "No, Master Dragonhealer. If I have any questions, I will look you up. Eyes and ears are everywhere, after all." He offered his hand to her, a shake, and gave one brief nod. "A pleasure meeting you, Lanakirene. Welcome to Warden's Weyr."