[[ Morning after the trial (now being called day one) ]]

"I knew he'd get off," Norin boasted to those sitting at the table with her.
"Hell the Warrenlady wouldn't have let the verdict come out any other way
even if they did rig it so T'rell was up there acting like the judge."

"T'rell's a fair man," Jason spoke up in defense of the man. By now he would
have spoken up for anyone if Norin had voted against them. He hated the girl
and wonder how long she was going to stay with them here at the table trying
to bring them all down. "He voted the way he should have with the evidence
that was presented."

"Yeah right," the girl snorted. "He wouldn't have ruled any other way. Not
with Jayleigh looking over her shoulder at him. If she hadn't been his lover
then Tair'n would never have gotten off... Not that I think he really did it
mind you... He may like to play a few games now and then while having sex...
But he's not the type to do it to little boys... But I'm sort of surprised
that she got him off after the way she threw him out. I would have thought
she'd have been glad to see the last of him."

"Well that just goes to prove how wrong you are about the Warrenlady. She's
not a vindictive little bitch like you are my dear." Someone else said.

"No..." Norin's lips curved up in a knowing grin of satisfaction. "That's
not the way I remember it when she threw him out... Poor dear was pretty
vindictive that day I assure you. Maybe she got him off this time to save
face. I mean she already has to live down that fact that one of her kids
father was a murder... How would it look if the father of her other brat was
a convicted sex fiend?"

She really didn't believe Tair'n had done such a nasty thing to his own kid,
but any chance she had to cut down that bitch Jayleigh she took. The bitch
had not only turned her own father against her, but had made her life
miserable since finding out Tair'n had slept with her... something Norin had
dreamed of doing again... and soon. The man was possessively the best stud
in bed she had even had and she wanted him to do again the things he had
done to her. Even now her body began to heat up at the thought...

It was all Jayleigh's fault that there hadn't been a repeat. Something Norin
wanted badly, if just to throw it back in her face again.

"Norin... why don't you go back and crawl into the hole you climbed out of,"
Jason finally said, unable or willing to keep it in any longer. "None of us
here care a damn for your opinion so why don't you take it and go find some
poor slob who cares what you think."

She just grinned on the outside, though she was seething on the inside.
Stupid fool... did he think his words could hurt her? If he only knew. He'd
made an enemy and she always repaid those who showed her the kind of
disrespect he had. A word or two to a friend of her fathers and this little
jerk will be wishing he'd been nice to her.

She got up slowly with the grin still plastered to her face and laughed
slightly as she walked away.

Damn she was bored. Bating the others had been fun for a while but now that
she was away from them, she was bored again. Why had she thought being a
dragonrider was going to be exciting? 

Not... that she would give up her dragon for anything. Her dragon was the
only thing keeping her here in this drab place.

What she needed was some kind of amusement. Something to take her mind off
the dreariness of this place. If only Tair'n..... No he'd be with that brat
of his right now laying the good daddy.

Maybe she's just head into town and see what trouble she could cause. Maybe
she could even find someone who could help easy the fire inside her.

<Forget about town my rider,> a voice entered her head. <We've a patrol to
fly this morning and I think you'd better start making your way to me if we
don't want to be late again.>

<<Can't we just forget it for today... it's not like anyone would notice
right now.>> she pouted, not feeling at all like spending hours on her
dragons back watching for anything that might be thought of as hostile. Like
anything would happen!

<No we can't forget it,> her dragon commented dryly. <Now come on or you
really will be late.>

She turned, frowning as she did so, and made her way to where her dragon
landed close by. Maybe after a while she could convince the beast to go for
a swim instead of wasting all their time flying around.

And she did convince the beast to swim, and not long into their patrol,
which they started out on alone since her *partner* had called in sick.
They'd offered her someone else, but she had told them she could do it on
her own. Why get stuck with some creep who would want to fly the whole damn
patrol?

Alone she wouldn't have anyone watching her or who could report the small
swim she planned on taking.

What she didn't know is that her swim had been witnessed by someone who
could cause her trouble. Someone's who word meant something around the
Warren. Someone who took being a rider of a dragon as seriously as the air
they breathed. 

Someone who even now was reporting her little side trip back in the Warren
to the one who could do the most good.

"Mind if I have a word with you?" Ja'ks stood in the door way of Tair'n's
office eyeing the man as he sat behind his desk. "It's good to see you back
there where you belong," Ja'ks commented as he was waved inside.

"What can I do for you?" Tair'n asked.

"It's about one of your riders," the Beta Wingleader told him. "D'Altar and
I were out on patrol this morning to the south of here and spotted a dragon
and a rider in the surf over by Shasta Lake... Sprarroe told me it was Norin
and her dragon. Now I'm sure I saw her on the list for the morning patrol,
so I thought I'd better ask you about it. And let you know it's not the
first time I've heard of her slacking in her duties to this Warren... I just
thought since she's one of your wing, you should know about it in case you
wanted to do something before Leigh found out about it."

[[Tag Lynn... think he can convince her to behave?]]

****Submitted by: *****

Norin & Brisha
Daere Warren

Aka
Barbara