Brawl in the Barracks

Writers: AL, Devin, Cali, Francesca
Date Posted: 9th July 2009

Characters: Cosani, Meledei, Ri'len, G'len, T'kob, Salubri
Description: Salubri has an unpleasant surprise for Cosani.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 4 of Turn 5

Cosani

Salubri glanced around the barracks and only crept forward when she was absolutely certain no one was around. Technically, she was supposed to be doing her chores, but she could steal a few moments for this. She moved to the bunk where Cosani slept, bucket of fish oil in her hand. A friend had brought it and snuck it around the back outside the barracks where it sat, waiting until Salubri had retrieved it.

The greenrider set down the bucket then carefully peeled back the covers. Her hands were covered in gloves just in case. She didn't want to wind up smelling like fish oil herself! Salubri took the large ladle that had been left with the bucket and used it to help pour and spread the oil all over the bed. Once she was finished, she remade the bed so that it looked nice and neat. Tiptoeing from the room, she snickered to herself. Her friend would come back to pick up the bucket and no one would be the wiser.

~ ~ ~

Cosani was exhausted, part of it coming from her sleepy lifemate. All she wanted to do was collapse on her bed and hope the other girls didn't keep her awake. Shalith yawned and Cosani patted her. "I know." The green curled up on her couch and Cosani sat down to pull off her boots. She didn't notice anything at first, but when she stood up and pulled back the covers, the smell hit her.

Who would ... Confusion quickly turned to anger, and she was now wide awake. "Shard it!" She balled her hands into fists. **Shalith, ask Salubri's dragon if she did this.** Dragons couldn't lie.

Calleth was jerked awake by Shalith's request. }:Shalith wants to know if you covered her lifemate's bed with oil.:{

**I did, but you'd better not tell _her_ that!** Salubri had been certain to do the deed while her lifemate was asleep, but she still hadn't quite learned how to hide certain thoughts from her dragon like she had heard others could do.

}:I don't understand. Why did you do this?:{

**Because the girl deserves it. She's so high and mighty, acts like she's better than anyone.** The greenrider sniffed in disdain, never thinking that she could be guilty of the same.

}:What should I say?:{ Calleth couldn't lie and was troubled by her rider's act and attitude.

**That I didn't do it of course!**

Calleth was silent another long minute, uncertain, conflicted. Finally she formed what she thought was a truthful reply. }:I can not say.:{

Shalith passed it on to her rider, and that was proof enough for Cosani. She stormed over to Salubri's bed. "You sharding pile of wherry dung! How _dare_ you!"

Salubri glanced up, eyebrows arched as her eyes roamed up and down Cosani's form. "Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb with me! You _ruined_ my bed!" Her anger burned hotter and hotter.

"Oh really?" Salubri stood up and placed her hands upon her hips. "Why do you say that? Did you see me destroying your bed?"

"I didn't have to see! Your dragon couldn't give a straight answer!"

Shalith's small voice did it's best impression of a bugle. Her eyes whirled with concern and anger.

"You couldn't leave it alone!" Cosani screamed. "You had to start it all over again!" Her body thrummed with the need to lash out. She reached over and seized Salubri's covers, yanking them off the bed. Salubri had ruined her bed, so she was going to ruin _hers_.

"What are you doing!" Salubri screeched and she grabbed at Cosani and pushed at her violently. "Get away from my bed!"

Cosani shoved the girl aside and reached forward to pull the sheets from the bed, throwing them to the floor.

Salubri jumped at Cosani and grappled her, then shoved the girl with all of her might.

Cosani fell against the bed, one knee thudding against the floor. She barely felt the pain. She got back to her feet, turned, and socked Salubri in the mouth.

Salubri staggered back, shocked. Her hand reached up to tenderly run over where Cosani's fist had struck her. Then she launched herself at the other girl, growling, spitting, and clawing. "Bitch! Wherry dung!"

Cosani's hands came up to protect herself and she tried to grab the other girl's arms. Cosani kicked, hitting Salubri in the shin, and pulled her leg back for another.Their dragons were starting to panic.

"Stop!" Meledei barked the command though she had a feeling neither of the girls were going to listen to it. Elleth had told her about the fight and she had grabbed Ri'len, pulled away from Z'ku and Sorsha, then ran inside the barracks as quickly as she could. **Calm down Calleth and Shalith!** Meledei told Elleth.

Ri'len stepped ahead of Meledei as they approached the girl. He immediately grabbed Salubri and peeled the greenrider off of Cosani while Meledei linked her arms around Cosani's from behind. "_Stop_." She shouted again.

"Cosani! Salubri!" "See to your dragons, _now_!" G'len called sharply. He had sprinted across the Weyr Bowl as soon as Tobereth had heard Shalith and then Calleth's anger and confusion. All he knew were the dragons and riders involved. Besides that, there had been no time to find out anything else from his green.

G'len's fists clenched as he controlled his emotions. It was one thing for young weyrlings to joke around, or disobey curfew, but fighting and endangering their dragons was stupid, careless, and stupid again. }:Embereth's and his rider are away but I tell them:{ Tobereth told him, also doing her best to remain calm. }:They will be here as soon as I can. I will help Shalith and Calleth settle down.:{

Cosani shook off Meledei and went straight to her dragon. She was still fuming, but Shalith's worry was more important. **I'm fine, Shalith. It's okay.**

}:Why were you hurting each other?:{ the green cried plaintively. She was angry, but didn't understand the anger, only that it came from her rider.

Meledei let Cosani go and glanced over at Ri'len who also released the girl he had restrained. Salubri made straight for her lifemate, threw her arms around the green and held on tight. Ri'len shook his head when Meledei looked at him and the gold weyrling sighed. She knew Salubri and Cosani hadn't gotten along, but she didn't think things would have gone _that_ far!"

As it became apparent that no one was hurt and the dragonets would not go /between/ G'len relaxed a bit. "Salubri, why were you and Cosani fighting and scaring your lifemates? And, remember to remain calm so Calleth knows she doesn't need to worry." **Let Shalith know that Cosani will be able to tell her story in a moment.**

"She punched me!" Salubri hissed though she kept a tight hold upon her lifemate. The green almost groaned and Salubri whispered something soothing to her.

"She ruined my bed!" Cosani struggled to keep her anger in check. Only Shalith's distress kept her somewhat under control.

Sometimes weyrlings acted like toddlers having a temper tantrum. "Does any action justify risking your dragons' lives?" G'len made eye contact with Salubri and then Cosani. "I don't care if you don't like each other. What you need to realize though is that you are part of a team." He paused to let that sink in while trying to think of a good way to make them understand how important it was, not only to protect their dragonets, but to be able to work together when necessary.

Cosani clenched her jaw and looked at the floor, even angrier. Salubri had started it, and put _Shalith_ at risk!

Shalith spread her wings wide, her eyes whirling in anger. Cosani forced herself to calm, stroking the dragon's head reassuringly.
**It's ok. She can't hurt either of us. Sharding wherry.**

Salubri didn't say a word but sniffed quite audibly. Cosani was a spoiled, selfish, wherry of a child who didn't deserve the green. There must have been something wrong with that dragon to have chosen that _girl_. She looked down at her own, perfect lifemate and refused to look over at the stupid Weyrleader's daughter.

}:Both dragonets are feeling much better:{ Tobereth told her rider. }:The girls need to learn to work as partners, so this does not happen again.:{

**Yes.** A plan began forming in the Weyrlingmaster Third's mind. "You two have to learn to work together," he said slowly, letting them absorb each word. "So, for the next two sevendays, you are going to be partners during classes and drills. When it is time to split into groups, or pair up, you will always be together. However, outside of training, I advise that you stay apart." He held up a hand so neither girl would start complaining. "If you are placed in the same fighting wing, you will need to be able to trust each other with your lives. So, starting tomorrow morning, you will begin developing a good working relationship."

There were a whole lot of things Cosani wanted to say. She started with, "What about my bed? She ruined it. Where am I supposed to sleep?"

"You just accused me of that, you have no proof!" Salubri turned her nose up and then leaned into her lifemate. Cosani got less than she deserved.

**Please ask both dragonets to tell their sides of the stories,** G'len asked his green. Hopefully they would be more honest than their riders were being. "I'll make sure you get new bedding, and a cot if necessary," he let Cosani know.

}:Mine found her bed covered in fish smell stuff and she asked me to ask Calleth if her rider did it,:{ Shalith told Tobereth.

}:And what did Calleth say?:{ Tobereth prompted gently.

}:I can't say.:{ Calleth repeated, unwilling to outright lie, yet uncertain because she didn't want to defy her rider. She wished her lifemate hadn't gone and done the deed, then the dispute wouldn't have happened and no one would be unhappy.

Tobereth relayed the information to her rider and did her best to keep both greens calm. "Salubri, you are forcing your lifemate to lie for you," G'len said. "That will put a strain on your bond." Although they had no concrete evidence, Calleth's behavior and the fight between the weyrlings made Salubri at least appear guilty.

Salubri didn't say a word but simply focused on her lifemate. The green crooned softly, encouraging her lifemate to simply tell them or to let her tell them, but Salubri refused to budge.

"This isn't the first time she's done something to me. Her and her friends tricked me into swimming with them so they could steal my clothes." Cosani was a little calmer now that it looked like G'len might believe her, but she wanted him to know how awful Salubri was.

"And you put a tunnelsnake in my trunk _and_ in the trunk of three other girls!" Salubri hissed back, her eyes shooting daggers at the other green weyrling.

"I didn't do a _sharding_ thing to you until you stole my clothes!"

G'len was beginning to wonder if a better punishment, at least for the Weyrlingstaff, would have been to force the two to separate. "That's enough," he said sharply. "It's obvious we aren't getting anywhere with this." He wished L'pin were available. His harper training might have helped mediate between the girls, whose every conversation seemed to end in an argument. "For now, I'll make sure the bedding is changed, and the cot as well if necessary. I'll set up private meetings with each of you later to figure out what is going on,"
**without any yelling**. "Anything else?" he asked, hoping there wouldn't be. He wished there was time to go to the Tavern for a quick drink.

Cosani looked at the floor, sulking. She'd make sure G'len heard all about it in their 'private meeting'.

Salubri opened her mouth to protest, then shut it, teeth gritting together. Stupid wherry of a girl who didn't deserve a dragon. Well, Salubri would show her!

T'kob entered into a scene that was much less bloody than what he'd imagined. Embereth had informed him of a fight in the barracks while he had been playing with his nieces at Far Island, so he'd rushed them back to his brother and made his way back as soon as he could. Knowing everything was okay before they'd even lifted off was reassuring, but still... it made him less inclined to leave the Weyr in the future. "G'len! I should have known you'd have everything in order."

"Weyrlingmaster," G'len said, relieved T'kob had arrived. He made sure Tobereth relayed all of the necessary information to Embereth. "Is there anything else these weyrlings should do?" He could think of several unpleasant tasks.

He didn't know if having the two work together would accomplish anything, but he would defer to G'len's longer experience with weyrlings in this case. "We can discuss it at a later time. Meledei, get your second calmed down. Go down to the dock for a spell. Z'ku!" he'd seen the groupleader waiting outside the barracks with Sorsha when he'd come in. "Take Salubri down to the beach for a while until she calms down as well. I don't want you two to so much as _look_ at each other until tomorrow."

Meledei nodded and gently took Cosani's arm. She glanced back to see Sorsha and motioned for the girl to follow, since they couldn't really be separated. It was not a good situation and she really hoped the two would come to some sort of understanding - fighting like this wasn't going to be good when Thread came to call.

Last updated on the July 14th 2009

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Brawl in the Barracks