Accused (4) (PG-17)

Writers: Emma, Heather
Date Posted: 2nd December 2020
Series: Accused

Characters: K'reyel, Saibra, Ki'ben, Yasmeane
Description: K'reyel and Saibra begin the process of trying to get to the bottom of what happened to Yasmeane
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 2, day 22 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Jadirah, D'kere
Rated PG17 for descriptions of rape.
Rating: PG-17

K'reyel

Saibra

Ki'ben

Yasmeane

Saibra had never dealt with a situation quite like the one that had landed
in her lap the evening before. She'd spoken with riders before when
greenriders had come to her over a mate who was unreasonably rough during a
mating flight, but she had never had a greenrider claim rape on another
dragonrider.

As soon as morning had come the Weyrwoman had gone to K'reyel's office and
filled him in on the situation, and then Chioneth had called the respective
individuals to the Weyrleader's offices, where they now waited in isolated
rooms to be called in for questioning.

"Who do you think we should question first?" Saibra asked as she took her
seat beside of K'reyel, a long table separating them from the chair at the
end, where the one being questioned would sit.

"Let's start with Kaibren," suggested K'reyel. "I want to know if what he
saw bears any relationship to what the healers can tell us about the girl's
physical injuries."

**Send Kaibren in,** Saibra told Chioneth.

Shortly the door opened and the blond teenager entered the room, looking
first to his mother, and then nodding respectfully to the Weyrleader before
taking the only other chair in the room.

"Kaibren, we're going to ask you some questions regarding what you saw last
night. I have already heard what you had to say, but the Weyrleader would
like to ask you some questions now." Saibra said, inclining her head to
K'reyel.

"I understand this isn't going to be easy for you to talk about this,"
K'reyel began. "But I'd like to you tell me what you saw and heard. Take
your time, and remember that this is to help all of us understand what
happened. This isn't about any blame. And most importantly, you need to know
that you are not at fault in any way here."

Kaibren took a deep breath. "I was on my way to D'kere's office to talk
about Standing for the next Hatching. When I got to his door, I was about to
knock but I could hear crying and then shouting." He wracked his brain,
trying to remember what was shouted. "I think she was saying 'how could
you'."

"Did you then go into D'kere's office?" K'reyel asked, as he wrote down
Kaibren's words.

"Yes, I opened the door." Kaibren recounted. "Weyrlingmaser D'kere had
Yasmeane by the shoulders. Her shirt was torn open and her skirts were up."

"When you say 'had her by the shoulders', can you describe it?" K'reyel
didn't want to put words into the boy's mouth. It was possible that he had
misunderstood what he saw.

"His hands were gripping her shoulders." Kaibren said.

"Did it," K'reyel began, "did it look like she wanted him to do that?"

Kaibren hesitated. "I don't know, sir. Her hair was in her face and once I
was in the room she launched herself at me."

"What did D'kere look like? Was he surprised? Shocked? Upset?" There was a
look that another man would understand if they were caught in an illicit
moment with someone that they shouldn't be with. While the accusation had
been made, it was perfectly possible that they had been interrupted in the
rougher games that some people like to indulge in occasionally.

"He looked... irritated? Sort of like... exasperated." Kaibren said. It was
so hard recalling the minute details when everything had seemed to happen so
quickly.

Saibra jotted down something in her ledger. "Irritated at you or at
Yasmeane?"

"Yasmeane."

"Did D'kere say anything? To you or to her," asked K'reyel.

"He said, 'it's not what you think' to me."

That could mean anything at all, thought K'deren. "Anything else?"

"That's it, sir."

Saibra glanced at K'reyel, and then looked back at Kaibren. "You are free to
go, but you may not talk about this to anyone." Faranth knew how rumors
spread around the Weyr and this was the last sort of rumor they needed
running wild.

The Weyrwoman's son acknowledged the command with a nod, inclined his head toward K'reyel again, and then left the room.

"Well," she sighed, "that's one down. Yasmeane next?"

"Yes," said K'reyel. "Although, from what Kaibren said, there's no clear
picture of what happened. For all we know, they could enjoy rough sex
together, some people like that kind of thing."

"Yes, some people do," Saibra would normally have been fighting off a smile
at the mention of it, but today the topic was too serious. "Let's see what
Yasmeane has to say about the situation. Then Jadirah will be able to tell us
if her injuries are consistent with her story."

}:Chioneth's says you may go into the room now.:{ Isaroth told Yasmeane, the
green's voice trembling at the entire situation. She was so confused as to
what was going on.

Yasmeane, who had cleaned up from the night before, but had worn short
sleeves to deliberately show the bruises on her arms, left the solitary room
she had been sitting in and slipped into the Weyrleaders' conference room.

"Sir, ma'am," she said dipping a hasty curtsy before sitting.

"Yasmeane, why don't you tell us what happened and then the Weyrleader may
have some questions for you." Saibra instruncted.

Yasmeane exhaled a slow, unsteady breath. "Well, I went to Weyrlingmaster
D'kere's office after my flight, to confront him. He had said, a few days
before, that he might..." she flapped her hand, "help me out since I was a
virgin going into my mating flight. Then suddenly he took back his word and
said I was on my own. Isaroth rose yesterday evening and afterward I went to
his office to tell him thanks for nothing. When I did he got angry and..."
her voice hitched, "... and he said...." Tears pressed against her eyes.

Saibra offered a handkerchief across the table, which Yasmeane took and
dabbed at the corners of her eyes. "He said he would show me now. He hooked
his fingers into the front of my shirt and ripped it open," her hands went
to her chest as her eyes stared off into the distance, as if she were
reliving something, "and then he pushed me down on his desk.... I was
wearing a skirt and... well... It was easy for him to just lift my skirt...
and...." her hand flapped rapidly again, as if she were having a hard time
saying what happened next.

"Take your time greenrider," K'reyel said as he made some notes. What she
was describing could still be a game between adults gone wrong. "We need to
know what happened next."

"He was," she lowered the handkerchief, "grabbing my thighs, that's why
they're bruised. Holding them apart." A shudder slid down her spine as
splotches of memories flashed before her mind's eye. "Then he... you
know..." she flapped her hand again.

"You'll have to be specific, Yasmeane. I know it's difficult, but we must
know the details." Saibra encouraged.

"He penetrated me." Yasmene finished in a whisper.

"Did you give him any indication that you wanted him to do that?" K'reyel
asked her, "Think carefully, was there anything that you said or did that
could have had a double meaning?"

"No, I didn't." She really couldn't remember saying much of anything.

"Now this is important." K'reyel's tone was more serious than it had been.
"At any point, did you ask him to stop, or tell him you didn't want to have
sex with him."

Yasmene closed her eyes as she could hear her own voice echoing in her ears.
"I said 'no' and 'stop'."

"What happened after that?" K'reyel was trying to figure out a pattern of
events, and the order in which they could have occurred in his head.

Her eyes remained closed. Why was it so hard to remember? "I..." memories
flashed before her again. "When he was... finished, I slapped him, and
scratched him to try and get away .... It all happened so fast. The next
thing I remember is the door opening and a boy standing there."

"Did the boy say or do anything? And can you describe him." She must mean
Kaibren, thought K'reyel. But there was no harm in making sure that was who
she meant.

Yasmeane's eyes flashed to Saibra. "It was ... um... your son. Kaibren. He
said we should go to the Weyrwoman's office and she would sort everything
out."

"One last question. What did D'kere say or do when this happened."

The greenrider sifted through her foggy memories. "After he said 'it's not
what you think' he didn't say anything else. I don't think he said anything
while we walked to the Weyrwoman's office."

K'reyel looked to Saibra, "Do you have any more questions for Yasmene?"

"No," Saibra had taken careful notes while the girl talked. "You may go
Yasmene, back to your weyr, we will be in contact with you." She gave the
greenrider the same command that she'd given Kaibren - not to talk to anyone
about the situation.

The Weyrwoman sighed once the greenrider left and rubbed her temples.
"D'kere next?"

"I think so," K'reyel reached out to pour himself a drink of water from the
jug on the table. "This really isn't easy."

"No, it isn't." Saibra agreed. Yasmeane's interview hadn't seemed forced, she
had seemed sincere, and the tremor in her voice wasn't one that could be
faked. But if Yasmeane was telling the truth - what did that mean for D'kere?

Last updated on the December 7th 2020

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Accused (4) (PG-17)