Fort Weyr - Southern Boll Hold - Underground Tavern Back Rooms


Follows on from Not As Planned.

The sound of the growing brawl behind them echos as Ha'ze pulls Thys through a backdoorway and into a cramped hallway. A few door are on each side and Ha'ze nods to one side. " Try those and see if any of them work. It's one thing for us to get a drop on Ustrr, but with Lyreh here that's not going to happen."

Thys is flushed with the adrenaline pumping through her, leaning up against the wall beside Ha'ze when they're through the door and seemingly safe. "Faranth's unmentionables," she exhales, stepping across the corridor to gently try opening the first door. Though the handle turns it doesn't budge, and she looks over her shoulder to shake her head at Ha'ze, before padding softly on to the next one. "You don't think they'll come through here, do you?"

"I know Lyreh saw me." Ha'ze's voice is a bit tight. Now that he doesn't have to act some of the native worry can swing forth. "Damn it, I should have known better than to come openly. Kimmila too. They f*king know us." All a whole pile of mutters as Ha'ze berates himself for stupid. No matter that he's grown up quite a bit from the kid that he was last time they met… He's turned all the knobs on his side of the hallway, a look over his shoulder, did Thys get something?

Every door Thys has tried so far has been locked, and she looks back at Ha'ze with a shake of her head. Not that they're done yet, though; there's still a few left to try. "Who's Lyreh, Ha'ze? I've not heard that name before. And why did you and Kimm come as you are?" Unlike dockhand Thys, who made the effort to disguise herself a bit.

"We didn't think she was here." and Ha'ze would go into more detail if Th'ero or Nyalle was here to pass a question by, but… handwaving details here! "If that last door doesn't work we're going to have to go back there." A jerk of his head to where the fighting sounds are growing louder.

"And she was the one blocking the doorway?" Thys saw that much, and she watches Ha'ze to try and pick up some sort of tell from his expression. Once she reaches the last door, she tries it carefully… and it, too, is locked. But she crouches down to peer into the keyhole, waving her clutchmate over to her. "There's no key in the lock… I can't see anyone inside. Want me to open it?"

"No, but if she wasn't the one what raised the alarm I'll eat Kainaesyth's straps." Ha'ze brings his fist down in frustration against one of the walls when Thys waves him over. "What?"

Thys snorts in quiet amusement. "You'll eat his straps? I've never heard that one before." She remains crouching down, though turns to look at him when he thumps the wall, her finger pressed to her lips. "Ssssh, Ha'ze - you don't know who might be in any of these." She's soothing in her shushing, using her finger to beckon him over while she fiddles in her pocket with her other hand. What she pulls out looks like a long hairpin. "I said, do you want me to open it?" The two ends of the pin are slipped into the lock, so he can see exactly what she means.

"At this point, I'm thinkin' it don't really matter." Sorry, he's a bit of a fatalist. "If you can be gettin' it open, be quick about it." He turns his back on her after glancing down to see those pins, and pulls out his knife. Better to be prepared JUST IN CASE.

The wrigging about of the pins in the keyhole takes a little time, but with some concentration Thys finally manages to achieve the *clunk* that says the lock's been turned. Looking up at Ha'ze and nodding to let him know what she's doing, she slowly reaches for the handle, turning it even more slowly, before easing it gently open and giving it a push, so it swings wide, revealing the dark on the other side. Is there anyone there? She's too nervous to move and find out, reaching behind her to just gently touch the toe of the bronzer's boot.

The wrigging about of the pins in the keyhole takes a little time, but with some concentration Thys finally manages to achieve the *clunk* that says the lock's been turned. Looking up at Ha'ze and nodding to let him know what she's doing, she slowly reaches for the handle, turning it even more slowly, before easing it gently open and giving it a push, so it swings wide, revealing the dark on the other side. Is there anyone there? She's too nervous to move and find out, reaching behind her to just gently touch the toe of the bronzer's boot.

The noise of the brawl over yonder is enough to makes it so that Ha'ze doesn't hear the quiet swing of that doorway. But he does feel when Thys touches his boot. Glancing back he sees the doorway. "In," and he'll back into the room. There are probably people inside. Which is just too bad. The second they're both in Ha'ze shuts the door firmly and relocks it. Fight, outside. They'll deal with an empty… or occupied room. "Be lookin' for a window."

"How in shards am I supposed to see?" Thys squints in the darkness, her fingers light on Ha'ze's arm as much so that she knows where he is as he knows where she is; she saw that knife of his! If he doesn't feel her stretch out her leg, he'll probably hear the gentle tapping of her toe as she feels the ground around her, before taking a small step from her clutchsibling's side. "I'm sorry for kissing you," she whispers into the darkness as she takes another hesitant step. "I thought it would be a better move than slapping you. Kimm looked like she got you good." She keeps moving as she speaks, hands out in front of her, toes feeling their way across the floor.

"Kimmila enjoyed slappin' me a bit too much." Ha'ze reaches up to touch his cheek. No humor there, just a statement. They're not out of trouble just yet. "Stop movin for a sec," his voice is a whisper as he's LISTENING. Is that the faint sound of breathing over there? How could people SLEEP through that?

When she's asked to stop, Thys freezes - even down to holding her breath. And she'll stay as such for as long as she can, before drawing in the tiniest breath. She's still got to breathe, after all! Rhenesath, meanwhile, reaches out to Kainaesyth; the middledragons in the situation. « Mine asks if yours hears something? »

Ha'ze holds still long enough to pinpoint that yes, there are people in the room. Reaching out in the darkness he fumbles for Thys's hand. Hopefully he doesn't brush andything she would object to in the process. Silently he tugs towards the opposite side of the room where the faintest line of color is shows a window exists.

Kainaesyth's warm breeze smooths over Rhensath's mind. « There are those who slumber. Do not worry sweet Rhenesath.»

Rhenesath has thunder rumbling over her hills - or is it the clang of a hammer against an anvil? It echoes darkly, regardless, a sign that she's not happy with the situation. « She will come back. »

Luckily for Ha'ze, Thys is nearly the same height as him - and so he gets her hand with only a little brush of finger against her thigh. Not too bad, considering how dark it is! The goldrider steps gently alongside him, as close to his side as possible to minimize the area they cover.

Rhenesath adds, with a hint of anxiousness and some of her own rider's curiosity: « Mine asks why are they sleeping in a room locked without a key? »

Ha'ze squeezes Thy's hand reassuringly as he pulls her step by quiet step over to the window. A low whisper, "Be keepin' an eye over there, there be people sleepin' and might be wakin' up when the light is floodin' in." One last squeeze before he drops her hand to throw back the curtain.s Time for the window to OPEN.

Life infuses Kainaesyth's voice, his clear flutelike melody a sharp contrast to the worry in Rhensath's. « A hint of mystery makes the story more enjoyable. Do not worry. »

Thys nods in response to Ha'ze, remaining silent. She turns her back to the window, standing tensely, watching as best she can through the dark - and then suddenly, light! A sidelong glance is all she gives to Ha'ze before looking back at the sleeping figures… to notice one starting to stir. "Haaaa'ze…" She draws it out in a whispered hiss, hopefully enough urgency in the syllable to draw his attention.

Ha'ze's head jerks around to plant on the people "Shit." Well, the quiet try to figure out how to open the window is just going to have to not happen. Instead Ha'ze simply HITS the window, causing it to break. apart and flutter open. "You first." Becuase that's what bronzeriders are suppose to do right? Get the goldriders out? Ha'ze cups his hand for her to step into if Thys needs the boost.

The boost is welcome, and Thys lifts herself up and through with ease. Broken glass? No problem. She leans back in to offer a hand down to Ha'ze to help him up, her expression anxiously urgent - that broken window's woken them all up, now. "C'mon!" Lucky for them the window's pretty low on the other side, so she's got plenty of foothold, and there's no big drop, either.

Ha'ze clambers up after Thys, pushing her slightly to hurry her along in that jump. Behind them a growled, "What're you doing?!" echos out after them as the sound of people scrambling out of bed is heard, the lower tone of a man and the quiet wimpers of a scared female behind the angry voice. "Go, go, go!"

All the running practice certainly pays off as Thys bolts once she knows Ha'ze is behind her. She only looks back over her shoulder once to be sure he's there, and then doesn't slow until they've put a good distance between them and there's an alley to duck into. She leans over, hands on knees, trying to slow her breathing. "Faranth's shit, Ha'ze, what the shards… what?! What do we do now?!"

Ha'ze keeps pace with Thys, long practice keeping him from getting too winded. His eyes are dark with emotion he is doing his best to shove down, the violence he would like to do to those left behind. "We meet up with the others. Back to square one for now." He's angry, so so angry. "Come on." And he'll begin to lead the way back to where they left the dragons.

Thys falls in beside Ha'ze, frowning at him as she picks up what she interprets as the troubled look in his eyes. "Calm down. Yes, tonight was a bust, but it's not the only chance we'll have. So breathe, relax - it's not the end of Pern, Ha'ze." She tries to smile at him, though it comes out a little weak. "I'm looking forward to a good drink and a good night's sleep when we get home."

"Too many f*king times he has escaped us." Ha'ze's voice is a growl as he stalks away. Thys' reassurances are not taken well. "If he murders more between now and then…" He trails off. There's guilt there. Abruptly, "I'll be buyin." And he'll fall silent again, not to speak again till the soothing winds of his calm lifemate can brush some of the sharp edges from his anger.

All Thys can add to that is a brief squeeze of the bronzerider's shoulder. She'll happily just walk alongside him from then, silent in conversation with Rhenesath, until they're reunited. "See you at home, Ha'ze," she says quietly while standing poised, ready to climb Rhen's straps. "And it's not your fault. Whatever happens between now and whenever, you aren't the reason for it." Then up she shimmies, settling herself in on her dragon's broad back and getting ready to leave Southern Boll behind.