The Problem of Getting What you Want (Open)

[lithle]

Myr was awake when the opal called. At Warden's a few weeks, she was still unaccustomed to her new situation. She didn't know how to sleep on such a hard, uncomfortable pallet. She didn't know how to sleep while surrounded by the breaths of so many.

She did not know how to sleep without her things. Her things.

Amaleen and Karow had screamed for her. She remembered that. She held it to her. Her sweetlings, they had screamed for her. They knew where they belonged, who they belonged to.

Her precious things.

So she was awake when the call came, when the lust rolled over her like a wave. It wasn't an emotion that Myr felt, not in this way, not in a way that meant sweat and closeness. Myr's lusts were of an entirely different sort, the desire to keep and possess, the desire to own.

This desire, the desire to share, to be a part, to come together, it was not of her.

That did not make it any easier to fight.

She was new to the prison and she kept to herself. She'd not heard the rumors, didn't know what was to happen.

Still, she managed to stumble outside. Her skin was hot and she needed the air. Summer air. No relief there. It choked her. She leaned against the barracks, her eyes half lidded, barely aware of the chaos, not even questioning why the door was open. She watched in vague, detached puzzlement and tried to put her mind back together.

[Spiffy]

Kailin, like most normal people at that hour, was fast asleep.In fact, she was probably one of the people keeping Myr awake, for she was snoring slightly too. It'd never been much of a problem in the craft, on board a ship, where nigh-on everyone snored - and she was talking man snores, not her paltry woman snores.

She became aware of the feelings before she even woke, turning in her sleep, the odd moan among the snores.

Then she jolted upright at the voice in her head.

"Wazzat? Who said... ooerrrgh." She wasn't exactly the most coherent when freshly woken up, and especially not now when she was coursing with flightlust. When she finally realised that that as what it was. By Faranth, she'd felt it when Semith had run but hooooo this was far more... intense. Her head was swimming with thoughts, dirty ones, of men, sex, even women, and more sex. Bloody hell she wanted it.

Then she looked around at the others. Many had woken. Some were stumbling about as if in a trance. Two even seemed to be making out in a corner. Others seemed... busy. Shortly after, those others headed out, into the corridor.

Hang on, that door was locked at night. It wasn't morning yet, was it?

Then reality dawned on her. Faranth's shiny ass, the breakout! She'd completely forgotten! Suddenly she whirred into action, leaping up from her bed, she made to grab her stuff, only to realise that she didn't really have anything to bring. Prisoner, duh, you don't even own any clothes, she reminded herself, picking at her overalls, before dashing out of the door. Others were doing the same. She recognised someone, saluted to them, was given a knife and a kiss by someone else, who ran on. Part of her thought damn, why'd you go? She wanted more!

Reaching outside she took a deep breath of fresh air, slowing herself, spotted another leaning against the wall not far from her, staring with eyes half lidded at the... at nothing really, from the look of it.

"You alright there?" she asked, voice cracking slightly. She cleared her throat before speaking again. "You coming? Dunno bout you but I'm getting outta this place. Be a shame for you to get left behind."

[lithle]

Myr was beginning to fight through the haze of unfamiliar want. It was difficult, the desire so alien, leaving her addled like a teen new come to the idea of desire. Still, she was woman of control, a woman who valued control. She was capable of clamping down, though it took some fighting. She was beginning to see what was going on before her, turning observations into ideas. Something had happened. And people were getting out.

And someone was talking to her.

The sound of that voice awoke a fresh wave of desire. She reacted with a hiss of irritation as want tried to once again cloud her thinking. She balled her hands into fists, fingernails cutting into flesh. She bit her lip, briefly, finding balance in pain. Yes. There was a young woman speaking to her.

She wanted to ask questions. Wanted to ask, why, how, who? All the usual. But her gaze caught sight of someone fleeing, a brief flash of flesh, and maybe it was only beautiful because of the light of the waning night but the more familiar need to possess hit her. There were questions, yes, and they surely had answers. But there was something beautiful, fleeing into the night. She would follow. She would go where these... ruffians were going. And she would rebuild her life among her things.

"I'm sorry," she said, and her tone was soft, her voice warm and sweet. "I am new. I did not know of this. May I go with you?"

She pushed off the wall, her smile sweet and disarming. But really, Myr was sweet, disarming. She was not one of the wild ones, wielding a blade. Just a woman who knew what she liked.

[Spiffy]

The woman stared blankly back at Kailin for a moment, her gaze wandering a little, even hissed, then seemed to pull herself together enough to speak. Kailin's own mind was too fuzzy and scattered to really notice, but she did make an effort to listen to what the woman was saying.

New, eh? She probably hadn't had any idea that there was a beakout planned then. No wonder she looked so shellshocked. Well, the whole fardling Weyr was shellshocked right now, but at least most of them seemed to have a purpose - even if that purpose was to screw the living daylight out of the nearest breathing person. She fought down the urge that rose with the thought, swallowing as she gained control of the hand that had begun to snake toward Myr, balling it into a fist instead. It was then she remembered that she was clutching a knife in her other hand.

Kailin had been told of the breakout, had it whispered to her one mealtime by a fellow prisoner. She had been one of the later ones to be told, though. Although she was listed as a violent offender, she hadn't really done anything much to anger the guards, and so to many her sentence was supposedly light. But someone had eventually taken it into consideration that Kailin said, nay insisted that her crime wasn't a crime but an accident. When you looked at it in that light, a long spell in Warden's took on a whole darker light. Someone had took pity on the girl and told her of the plan, knowing that she'd take any chance she could get to get her ass outta there.

Pity, she did not want, but if it were a way out she was all to willing to listen.

She did her best to smile back just as sweetly, but in reality it came out as more of a grimace, fighting for control as she was. I. Do. Not. Want. To. Screw. This. Woman.

"In that case, we'd better hurry, or we'll be left behind. Better to go with the crowd. I dunno about you, but I'd rather leave the guard-gutting to someone else," she said, holding up the knife disgustedly, but with a familiarity that came from gutting fish, not fellow humans.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to go, sprinting after the other prisoners. She turned to look back at Myr once. If she was following, great! She be asked: "So, what's your name?" If not then, well, too bad: Kailin had wasted enough time chatting as it was.

[lithle]

The young woman was moving at a brisk pace and Myr was not in the habit of running. She followed, had no choice but to follow, but she found herself looking around as she did. Everywhere, chaos. Blood, in some places. Bodies, of prisoners and guards alike. It was disgusting. Whoever had arranged this thing should have done a better job, should have made it more orderly. This sort of mess only made it worse.

But she wanted out. Oh, she wanted other things too. In the haze of flightlust, want was the light by which all else was illuminated. Everything seemed to be cast at a slant, colored by desire. Even the idea of escape seemed to come with the promise of more, the promise of warm hand and yielding lips.

She pushed it away. It was hard enough running without her mind wandering in such a way. And anyway, the one she followed was talking. She needed an ally and the girl seemed nice enough. Not likely to stab her, at least. There was nothing of the ideal about her, nothing that Myr needed to possess in the most literal of senses. She simply seemed nice. And that was enough.

"Oh, I've no intention of gutting anyone." She actually wrinkled her nose at the comment, as she dodged around the body of someone who seemed to have experienced such an act in the most literal of senses. Her stomach heaved at the sight and had she not already been caught in so many other emotions, she might have thrown up. Such sights were not for her. "Blood-- blood makes me woozy," she managed to add, when the nausea passed.

"I'm called Myr." She'd usually accompany such a statement with a bow or something like it. Instead, she kept moving with the crowd. "You are?"

And then, after a moment, hesitant and hopeful, "Where are we going?"

[Spiffy]

"Good, because neither have I. Just hope to Faranth that it doesn't come to me having to," she said in reply to the other woman. She was a cheerful person, she didn't like hurting people. But if it came to it, Kailin was as likely to fight for her life as any other, and even more likely to fight if it was for protection of another. Like Myr, for example. Kailin hadn't known her long, perhaps not even a minute, but she seemed a nice enough person, and that was good enough for Kailin. She wouldn't let Myr get hurt, even if it meant taking a blow herself.

Hmm, if blood made her woozy, then perhaps it was better than she didn't fight anyone off. She'd rather not have Myr slow her down, or get left behind because she'd fainted or something.

"Kailin," she said simply. "Uh, nice to meet you. Shame about the circumstances," she added, as an after thought and an after-after thought.

She turned her head to look at Myr when she asked her last question, before turning to lok forwards again quickly in case she ran into or tripped on something, or Faranth forbid someone.

"You don't know?" she asked, rather rhetorically. Obviously she didn't. She probably hadn't been told about the breakout, she realised, being new and all.

"Stables, I think. I heard something about getting out on runners. Though we're gonna have to hurry if we're gonna get one, with all these people also heading thataway." She puffed along for another minute or so, unspeaking, before something occurred to her.

"Uhh, you can ride runners, right?" she asked Myr hopefully.

[lithle]

Myr's mouth turned downward into a look of disgust as they passed another body and the expression lingered there when Kailin mentioned the stables. She didn't mind runner in theory, they were beautiful animals. But their stables always stunk of uncleanliness and animal sweat. She'd always had someone prepare her runner for her and never gone near the place if she could help it.

"I ride well enough," she said, keeping her words short and to the point. It was taking most of her focus just to control her breathing. This was already further than she'd run in, well, probably her entire life. Why would she be running about like some untrained child? There was no class to it. Wherries ran. People walked.

They'd passed through the open gate of the prison and Myr took a moment to inhale deeply, as if the air outside, the air beyond those enclosing walls, might somehow be fresher, cleaner. It was rather disappointing to discover it held the same stench of fear and death and blood that had filled the air of the prison.

The smells, the nausea, it all should have served to kill her lust. Yet, no, there it was, rising again, clinging to her skin like the light sheen of sweat there. Her gaze went to Kailin again, running a few steps ahead of her. Just as quickly, it jumped away. She could ride this out. She could control it.

"We have some destination from there?" she asked, needing the distraction. "Somewhere we're riding to?"

[Spiffy]

Kailin hardly noticed when they went through the gates. Myr may have seen that as freedom, but Kailin, even subconsciously, realised that they were not out of the woods yet - or into the woods, if you were talking literally not figuratively. They were still easy pickings for any dragon who's rider was sane enough to guide them until they reached cover. And even then, they had to get to their destination, which she'd been told was several day's walk from here. They had a long way to go yet before they tasted anything like 'freedom'.

"Good," she said, getting a little breathless now. Warden's had got her out practice. Myr was struggling, she noticed. Having to keep a tight control on her mind wasn't helping the situation, seemingly tiring her prematurely - every time she caught a glimpse of a good looking prisoner even vaguely good looking, it threatened to rise again, forcing her to clamp down on it again. "I can catch a ride with you then," she said, giving Myr a wink that the other woman would probably miss. She'd never ridden a runner in her life. Rising a storm was another matter - she could only hope that a sailor's good balance would help her out a bit.

"Yeah," she said shortly to Myr's question. Kailin had been told the first meeting place, vaguely. She hadn't been told exactly, by the time she'd heard it from the grapevine it had become rather diluted with speculation and forgetfulness. She just hoped that she could follow someone else who knew a little more than she, or else that what she'd been told was actually fairly accurate.

[lithle]

Well, then. They were going somewhere. And that seemed to be all that was going to be said about the matter. The stables were nearly in sight now. Soon, they'd be free and the nightmare that had started months ago would finally be over. Maybe she'd even be able to grow her hair back.

But now, she'd been running too far. Too long. There was a sharp, biting pain in her side and no amount of even breathing was helping it. She had to stop, or she'd die before she reached the stables. She just knew it.

So she took a few more hurried steps and halted outside the stream of runners, taking short little gasping breaths. Hopefully, Kailin would wait for her. If not, well, she knew where they were going now. That was good enough.

And then she heard the sound. A soft, sound, weak and pathetic. A whimpering noise coming from a small tear streaked face. Hair like a moonless night, eyes bright with perfect sorrow. Tiny hands clenched in desperate fists and the child was clinging to the body of a dead man. So lovely. More fine than anything a jewelsmith could make. She imagined the girl had a pretty smile.

Myr didn't even hesitate. She forgot the pain in her side, made it over to the child's side in a few short strides. "Poor love. Poor little kitling."

The child needed comfort, any comfort. And there was something about Myr's open arms that little ones had always found appealing. She threw herself into Myr's welcoming hug and began to sob there, pathetically. Myr smiled like a sunrise. So, she'd need a runner that could carry her new precious. That was fine. At least, she wasn't too heavy, as Myr picked her up, cradling her in protective arms.

"Shh. Poor kitling. Myr's here. Myr will always be here. Myr will take care of you."

She moved back toward the chaotic group headed toward the stables, scanning for her companion. Had she lost her? Did she care now?

Oh, everything was going to be so very nice, now.

[Spiffy]

The stables were finally in sight! Kailin, her laboured breathing beginning to get the better of her, found her second wind. Relief flooded her when she saw that people were still getting out, runners still being lead out from the building. That meant that there must be some left for the taking!

She didn't notice Myr slowing, or even stopping, she was too focussed on getting into the stables and securing herself and Myr a runner to ride. Runners could cary two people, right? She'd have to try and get a bigger one, just in case. She shouldered her way in through the doors, elbowing aside a few taller people and deftly avoiding any lusty grabs or punches thrown her way. Mind, she had to concentrate not to lust back herself, as it was. She took a quick look around, noting that here were, in fact, not all that many runners left. She ran to the end, where there were a few more than in the middle where everyone got to first. The first stable she looked in contained a sickly looking thing, so she passed that one over in favour of the next.

And then opportunity sailed (ok, was lead) right past her. A largish (or so it appeared to Kailin, she wasn't to know that 15.1hh wasn't all that big) gelding was being lead past by a scrawny duster who she recognised from the prison. He wasn't having a whole lot of success, the gelding dragging him back almost as hard as he was tugging on the bridle, but at least the thing was already tacked up, the bridle at least - Kailin wouldn't have known where to start with the saddle, let alone the bridle. Striding up to the man, she gave him a deft swing to the temple, felling him without a fight. You learn to do that when you spend your teen years aboard a ship full of rowdy sailors.

It was only then that she looked around for Myr, to ask her what the hell to do now that she had the runner, only to find her nowhere in sight. That was odd, she'd been right behind her a minute ago. Kailin's first instinct was to leave her behind, but then her stubborn protective side kicked in. She'd been with Myr this far, why abandon her now? Besides, Myr was the only one who knew how to ride this flaming thing.

But she doubted shed be able to lead the runner all the way through the stables without someone felling her like she'd felled the duster. She looked up at the runner. To her, it looked huge, the task like that of climbing a mountain - it wasn't going to happen. Quickly she pulled the runner over to a closed stable door, used the hinge to boost herself up onto the top of the door, and from there jumped (or rather stepped) highly ungracefully onto the runner's back, nearly falling straight back off the other side. Thankfully the gelding was a dozy old thing and didn't balk at the unusual action.

Thus not-so-firmly planted onto it's back, Kailin did her best to urge it forward, kicking her legs into it's side as she had seen other riders doing. The runner obediently, if not enthusiastically, started up into a trot, making Kailin fling her arms around its neck, abandoning all hope of doing his the proper way. She just clung on, letting the bulky runner shoulder his way through the crowd and out the other side, thankfully without anyone making a grab to pull Kailin off, not that you could have broken her grip if you'd tried - she was half surprised that she wasn't throttling the poor thing.

Finally into the open air, she fumbled for the rein, pulling hard to make the runner turn while still clinging on for dear life. "This way dumbass. Left, left!" she said as she did so, as if that would help matters. She looked around as the runner, thankfully, turned back to the prison and where she'd last seen Myr. She spotted her off to the side, clutching a child, whom she ignored for the time being. Fardles, what was her name again. "Myr!" she called, somehow turning the runner in her general direction. "Myr! Take control of this thing!" she called, coming in at a slow trot that may as well have been a gallop for how well Kailin was sitting it.

When the sharding thing had stopped, Kailin finally noticed the five turn old. "Myr, what the shells? She's not coming with us, is she? She can't! This... this place is gonna be full of psychopaths, killers, bad people!" she said, not including herself among the 'bad people'. She wasn't really, there was no reason for her to be there, shardit!

[lithle]

"Look kitling, a runner." The motion careful and kind, Myr set the child down and the little girl immediately clung to her leg, tiny fists gathering up bunches of red fabric with desperate attachment. Reaching up, she touched the beasts neck, murmuring friendly words. Runners weren't something that Myr knew a lot about, but the same manner that attracted small children to her worked on most animals.

"I'm afraid the three of us won't be able to make the trip, to wherever we're going, on one runner," she said, her tone mild. "Though, lovely job, securing a beast."

There was something different about her now. She seemed to have found some ease, some level of relaxation and confidence that hadn't been there before. Maybe she was finally finding a good way to fight the flightlust. But, perhaps it was something else. Her eyes were bright and shining with something that just might be called joy.

"And yes, I am bringing her with me. She needs someone to look after her. What sort of person would I be if I just left her here?" Probably, the answer to that was 'a sane one'. But Myr wasn't sane. At least, not entirely. Not on certain subjects.

She scooped the girl back into her arms, making gentle shushing sounds. "I'm going to the stables, to saddle up a runner. I believe I still remember how." She smiled, a peaceful expression though her pupils were still dilated with desire. "You've been a doll, Kailin, but I don't want to slow you down. We'll meet when when we get there. I am in you're debt. I'll remember that."

((We can wrap it here, if you like.))

[Spiffy]

((ok, if you like ;) ))

Kailin stared down at Myr in disbelief. She'd gone through all that to get a runner big enough for the two of them, and for what? So that she'd have further to fall when she tried to ride it all the way to the trees? She huffed.

"So what the shells are we going to do now then?" she said. It hardly occurred to her any more to leave them behind and, much though she would never admit it to Myr, she wasn't going to leave a child to these psychopath's either. At least it if came with them there'd be the two of them to protect the little bugger from what psychopath's made it out.

She fixed Myr with a questioning stare, which quickly changed to one of inspection as she noted the change in Myr's manner. She seemed... happier. More relaxed. What the? What on Pern was there for her to be happy about, if not escaping? She doubted somehow that that was the cause. She didn't answer Myr's rhetorical question. She knew the answer well enough, as did Myr.

She scowled when Myr suggested her going without them. "If you think I'm leaving you now, lady, the you've got another thing coming. I've got you too far to give up now," she stated resolutely from her high, but precarious, position on the runner. At least the sharding thing wasn't moving any more. "And besides, I'll need your help directing this sharding thing to the forest."

"And I'm not a doll," she added for good measure, before settling to waiting for Myr to get back from saddling her own runner.