Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone in this fanfiction.
A/N—Okay, Tris the weatherwitch, you don't have to burn me up with your braids. This was sort of random (yup, more random than Chapter 1!), so forgive me. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
When Briar arrived back at Discipline, the rest of Discipline's inhabitants were sitting down to lunch. The snobby boy and his annoying sister were there too, and the boy who had come from Crane. The latter surprised Briar, for whenever any messenger had come from Crane, they were literally chased out of the cottage—never once had one been invited to dine with them.
He slid into the remaining seat, in between Sandry and the messenger boy. Grabbing a muffin, he reached for the jam, while trying to juggle the fruit juice and the oatmeal at the same time. Lark laughed, and took them from him.
When he had finally gotten everything he wanted, Sandry asked him where he had gone. He shrugged, glancing at Rosethorn. She gave him a questioning look, and he nodded ever so slightly, a small smile creeping up his face. Rosethorn gave a nod of satisfaction, and got up, heading towards her workshop.
But the little girl had noticed the silent interchange. "What happened?" she demanded. Briar glanced at her, and returned his attention to his oatmeal. "What was that?" she asked again. Briar ignored her.
"Briar, answer the question," sighed Lark. "Be polite." He scowled, looking towards Rosethorn's workshop. She was standing in the doorway, a smile playing at her lips.
"I'd prefer if he didn't answer the question," she said, "but if it's any help to you, he did it on my orders."
Briar, his mouth full of muffin, nodded.
"So, will you answer now?" inquires Niko.
"Sukth thane," replied Briar, his mouth still full of muffin.
"What's that?" chorused Tris and Daja.
Briar swallowed. "Gave Crane Rosethorn's answer."
"Which was?" pushed Frostpine.
"A scroll." Briar grinned into his oatmeal, purposely shoving too much into his mouth.
"What's so funny about that, Briar?" growled Niko. "And what does 'Sukth thane' mean in Imperial?"
Briar got up. "It means 'socked Crane'," he laughed, and went out.
"'Socked Crane?' What does that mean?" bellowed Niko. But Briar was gone. "Well, what does it mean, girls?" he asked Tris, Daja, and Sandry, who were giggling into their napkins.
"Nothing," they chorused.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," called Lark. The door opened, revealing a dedicate from Air Temple. He stomped in.
"Where's Briar Moss?" he growled.
"He just went out. Why?"
"Because he just injured one of the most important dedicates in Winding Circle!"
"How?" inquired Niko. The girls giggled again. He glared at them.
"He ran in, gave him a scroll, and punched him in the stomach, causing him to walk into a shelf, which collapsed on him!"
"What was on the shelf?" inquired Lark.
"Scrolls. The heavy kind," replied the dedicate.
"Tell me," came a voice from the workshop. Rosethorn had been listening. "What is this dedicate's name?"
"Dedicate Crane."
Rosethorn disappeared into her workshop. Her mirth was too great to suppress.
"Rosethorn, do you know anything about this?" Lark called in a menacing tone.
"Maybe," came the reply.
Just then there was another knock on the door. The dedicate opened the door to reveal Crane, with a bloody nose and breathing heavily. He looked extremely angry.
"Rosethorn!" he bellowed, pushing away two novices who were trying to help him. "Rosethorn! Get out here!"
Rosethorn appeared again at the door of her workshop. She took one look at the furious, mussed up Crane, and collapsed in laughter.
"It isn't funny," yelled Crane. But too late. Sandry, who had been chuckling into her handkerchief, broke out in fits of laughter, along with Daja and Tris. Niko was not amused, but the corners of Lark's mouth were turned up. Frostpine looked like he was about to explode with suppressed mirth.
"What happened, Crane? I didn't touch your face—only your stomach," Briar taunted. He had obviously circled around, and was now standing in the back door. He was laughing, too. Crane, seething, grabbed a pebble and threw it at Briar, but he was so angry he couldn't even aim.
"What's this," inquired a soft commanding voice from the front door. "What is the cause for this violence within our temple?" Everyone stopped laughing as Honored Dedicate Moonstream entered the cottage, her eyes glinting in anger.
A/N—Okay, Tris the weatherwitch, you don't have to burn me up with your braids. This was sort of random (yup, more random than Chapter 1!), so forgive me. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
When Briar arrived back at Discipline, the rest of Discipline's inhabitants were sitting down to lunch. The snobby boy and his annoying sister were there too, and the boy who had come from Crane. The latter surprised Briar, for whenever any messenger had come from Crane, they were literally chased out of the cottage—never once had one been invited to dine with them.
He slid into the remaining seat, in between Sandry and the messenger boy. Grabbing a muffin, he reached for the jam, while trying to juggle the fruit juice and the oatmeal at the same time. Lark laughed, and took them from him.
When he had finally gotten everything he wanted, Sandry asked him where he had gone. He shrugged, glancing at Rosethorn. She gave him a questioning look, and he nodded ever so slightly, a small smile creeping up his face. Rosethorn gave a nod of satisfaction, and got up, heading towards her workshop.
But the little girl had noticed the silent interchange. "What happened?" she demanded. Briar glanced at her, and returned his attention to his oatmeal. "What was that?" she asked again. Briar ignored her.
"Briar, answer the question," sighed Lark. "Be polite." He scowled, looking towards Rosethorn's workshop. She was standing in the doorway, a smile playing at her lips.
"I'd prefer if he didn't answer the question," she said, "but if it's any help to you, he did it on my orders."
Briar, his mouth full of muffin, nodded.
"So, will you answer now?" inquires Niko.
"Sukth thane," replied Briar, his mouth still full of muffin.
"What's that?" chorused Tris and Daja.
Briar swallowed. "Gave Crane Rosethorn's answer."
"Which was?" pushed Frostpine.
"A scroll." Briar grinned into his oatmeal, purposely shoving too much into his mouth.
"What's so funny about that, Briar?" growled Niko. "And what does 'Sukth thane' mean in Imperial?"
Briar got up. "It means 'socked Crane'," he laughed, and went out.
"'Socked Crane?' What does that mean?" bellowed Niko. But Briar was gone. "Well, what does it mean, girls?" he asked Tris, Daja, and Sandry, who were giggling into their napkins.
"Nothing," they chorused.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," called Lark. The door opened, revealing a dedicate from Air Temple. He stomped in.
"Where's Briar Moss?" he growled.
"He just went out. Why?"
"Because he just injured one of the most important dedicates in Winding Circle!"
"How?" inquired Niko. The girls giggled again. He glared at them.
"He ran in, gave him a scroll, and punched him in the stomach, causing him to walk into a shelf, which collapsed on him!"
"What was on the shelf?" inquired Lark.
"Scrolls. The heavy kind," replied the dedicate.
"Tell me," came a voice from the workshop. Rosethorn had been listening. "What is this dedicate's name?"
"Dedicate Crane."
Rosethorn disappeared into her workshop. Her mirth was too great to suppress.
"Rosethorn, do you know anything about this?" Lark called in a menacing tone.
"Maybe," came the reply.
Just then there was another knock on the door. The dedicate opened the door to reveal Crane, with a bloody nose and breathing heavily. He looked extremely angry.
"Rosethorn!" he bellowed, pushing away two novices who were trying to help him. "Rosethorn! Get out here!"
Rosethorn appeared again at the door of her workshop. She took one look at the furious, mussed up Crane, and collapsed in laughter.
"It isn't funny," yelled Crane. But too late. Sandry, who had been chuckling into her handkerchief, broke out in fits of laughter, along with Daja and Tris. Niko was not amused, but the corners of Lark's mouth were turned up. Frostpine looked like he was about to explode with suppressed mirth.
"What happened, Crane? I didn't touch your face—only your stomach," Briar taunted. He had obviously circled around, and was now standing in the back door. He was laughing, too. Crane, seething, grabbed a pebble and threw it at Briar, but he was so angry he couldn't even aim.
"What's this," inquired a soft commanding voice from the front door. "What is the cause for this violence within our temple?" Everyone stopped laughing as Honored Dedicate Moonstream entered the cottage, her eyes glinting in anger.