A Call to Council

[Tyr]

Tyr sat at the desk in his private quarters with a mug of coffee in hand. Though the drink's aroma awakened his soul, his mind still refused to function. He had been sleepless the night before, his heart heavy with the accusations and terror of some of the Weyr's denizens. Most of the civilians who lived there, people who have served and preserved the ways of the dragons for generations, expressed worry about their Weyrleader bringing a potential death bomb into their home. Some angrily protested the child's presence, while others were suspicious. After all, the dragons had many enemies, so their protectors were determined to keep them safe. There were bounty hunters who would lop the head off a young dragon to earn millions in cash, while exotic traders would steal eggs in hopes to make a fortune out of them in some distant land. While it was true that these feats were very difficult because of the intelligence and ferocity of the dragons, humans tend to have a way with innovation. Dragons that were younger than two years were susceptible to human weapons, and powerful magic would be able to slay them if they were caught before their twentieth year. Even the greatest of beasts have their weaknesses, and it was the job of the people who revere and respect them to keep their numbers from dwindling further.

The Weyrleader looked at the unconscious child on his office's couch. The white-haired girl looked so vulnerable while she slept that Tyr regretted having struck her. How old was this girl? Ten? Twelve? She had been frightened, guilty even, making him wonder about her history. Alas, he had his responsibilities. His people trusted him, but only because they had faith that he would respect the laws. That was his pledge, his promise to his dragon and the kin she belonged to. He could not break that trust. He mustn't.

The dragons' reaction to the girl was an odd dichotomy of anger and placidity. Some, like Orlith, expressed displeasure and held onto the opinion that anything that could endanger their home must be chased out, punished, or worse. The Red Dragons have been the hardest to settle. Being the most violent and defensive of the dragons, they wanted to immediately kill the girl even without knowing what had happened. Others, like the Blues and the Greens were surprisingly at ease, as if the girl was no threat at all. Their opinions mattered little to the Golden Queens of the weyr, however. Ramoth and her daughters were the prime breeding females in this family, and if there was anyone who would be overprotective their lair, it was them. Fortunately, the old Queen was as curious as she was wary. She was certainly powerful enough to defend Mt. Rei against armies if need be, so it was to Tyr's great surprise that the Gold Dragon left judgment to him, alluding to the fact that the simplest way a dragon could resolve the issue was to consume the girl.

She trusted Orlith, Ramoth told him, and if Tyr got the Silver's confidence in whatever decision he comes to, the Weyr would observe and obey it as well.

Of course, this did not make Tyr's job any easier. He didn't want to convict the girl, for she looked far too young to be killed, but at the same time, he knew very little about her and her possible motives. Because of this, he intended to make her tell him her story. Refusing this order might decide her fate for her, so just to be on the safe side, the Weyrleader summoned the journeymen dragonriders that lingered in the Domain.

He sipped his coffee as he looked outside his window. Zephel had always been an honest man. No doubt he would share his sincere opinions about this issue, while Kieru might provide a careful insight. Tyr knew that there were things that even he did not know, in spite of the wisdom that Orlith had shared with him. He hoped that his friend and the woman he had entrusted a dragon egg to would help him out.

[Tag: Zephel, Kieru, and Lilith]

[Zephel]

In response to the calling, Zephel had set off with Orphion immediately towards Mt. Rei. The news he had received troubles him greatly not only as a rider, but also because in the depths of his stomach, he has a hunch that he might just know this 'child'. After mounting off Orphion, he made his way by foot to reach Tyr's quarters. His strides are quick, passing the dwellers of the Weyr. Some eyed him warily, some vocally protested of this trial and some only stared at him in silent hope.

It was quite nerve-wracking, and he almost wanted to leap into a run. The uneasiness seems to heighten the closer he is into reaching Tyr's doors, that the moment he opened it, his frightened eyes might be the most noticeable aspect of his features at the moment. When he saw Tyr in his desk, much like how he'd always has in Zeph's memory, Zephel gave him the faintest nod of recognition before closing the doors behind him.

"Tyr. I'm sorry our meetings are always during dire consequences," he lowered down his head slightly in apology. It truly has been a while he saw the Weyrleader, and Zeph has to admit, seeing a familiar face has at least calmed him down some. "..Who was it?" Was his first question, concern dripping in his almost voiceless tone.

At that point, he had noticed Tyr's eyes drifted over to the couch. Slowly, Zephel followed his gaze and paused to see a familiar unconscious child on the couch. "Oh god," he immediately closed his eyes when he recognized her, placing a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in fraught. "Lilith..." he whispered, taking his time to just stand there and breathe.

After a moment, he turned his attention back to Tyr, now seeming to have taken a hold of himself. "I know her." And after going through her memory transfer, he can pretty much tell what did she do to got herself in this trouble. Then again, he wondered what could have happened to have distressed her so much to that point...

[Tyr]

"Oh you do, huh?" Tyr placed his cup on his table as he watched the white-haired man go towards the girl on the couch. He stood up and walked around the table, crossing his arms as he leaned against its edge. "Orlith alluded that you'd have knowledge about her when we took her back here, but I didn't think you'd actually know her personally."

A dragon's bellow reverberated in the weyr as the Weyrleader paused to carefully think of his next words. He didn't want to affect Zephel's judgment or biases as much as he could. "Orlith has shared the gist of what happened in the lower cliffs of Mt. Rei." He began casually, as if he was merely telling a simple everyday story. "We went to look for them, a few riders and I, then I bumped into her. She seemed to have a fascination with dragons, the thought of them lit up her eyes like a candy does to other girls her age. Then..."

Tyr couldn't find the words to explain the blinding light that followed, the unadulterated and uncontrollable fear and hatred that had almost blown off the face of the mountain. He couldn't explain it. He couldn't understand it either. All he knew was that his people and the dragons were in danger if they do not learn more about the girl and how to handle her.

"Let's just say that she nearly killed me and Orlith. Ramoth and her daughters were, of course, not pleased when they learned about it and told my dragon to provide a quick end to the threat. It took the better part of the evening to convince the Bronzes not to eat her, truth be told." The Weyrleader sighed as he glanced at the sleeping girl.

"I do not kill children." His tone took on a more serious note, showing the seriousness of his words. "So I sincerely hope that you can provide me with vital information about this girl."

[Zephel]

Zephel slowly made his way to the couch, leaning close onto Lilith's unconscious body to inspect if there are bruises or burn marks anywhere. Having threatened a dragon, Orlith more so, Zeph is astounded to see her virtually unharmed, at least as far as his eyes can see. He pulled himself back and turned his head over his shoulder to show Tyr he's listening.

Inwardly, Zeph winced when he was told of Lilith's fascination of dragons here. He wondered for a brief moment whether he is the cause of all this, to be priding Orphion in front of her and captivating her of the wonders of Mount Rei. Despite it being a home of the legendary dragons of the Domain, it's a treacherous mountain in itself, unfit for a little girl to climb, especially when said little girl isn't particularly strong physically.

The silver-haired heaved out a breath of concern as he ran his hand over his hair, now assuming whether she got tired somewhat during the climb and lost control of her composure. He glanced to Tyr, reminding himself that she doesn't particularly do well amongst the presence of humans. "...Yeah. I think I can see what happened exactly.... It's not like it hasn't happened before..." Zeph mumbled, darting his eyes all over the floor when he recalls the last time she exploded.

Unconsciously, his hand patted over a particular pocket of his jacket, making sure the music box she gave him is still there. He turned his body completely to face Tyr once he's ready to tell the man about what he knows regarding the girl. He kept it short though, to fill the Weyrleader in on the necessary information, "Her name is Lilith Archlight. She's 11 and she's blind. Emotionally quite unstable around humans, will most likely burst forth a powerful light energy when tipped over the scale."

Zephel stuffed his hands inside the pockets his jacket to hold the music box there tightly as he explained more, "She has only exploded like that once before, after being emotionally triggered. Fatigue and stress might be the reason, but I have to know, Tyr. Did you touched her in any way?" If so, then add that to the list of triggers...

Any way he looks at it, Zeph feels that this is his mistake. He was supposed to keep a watchful eye over her and warned her of the dangers in these mountains. His head dropped along with his shoulders at the thought, to be causing Tyr the trouble of persuading the dragons to keep her alive just enough to hold a trial of sorts, he really does owe the Weyrleader for this. "..I'm sorry. I will take full responsibility of this issue."