Wayne

For there were certain places that the Tree Wardens and their reputation could not venture. One glimpse of their black and green hooded heads would make all the pirates and swindlers and black marketeers run for the hills. They'd never get the evidence they needed to make arrests but on the other hand, could not be seen consorting with spies and snitches either. The Tree Wardens were all about honour and honesty and family and brushing your teeth and insert whatever wholesome adjective you wanted here. It was in their code (that Wayne had never bothered paying attention to by the way) and they needed him and his deceptive ways. While he was sure that he wasn't the only shadow tree(?) secret sapling(?) sleeping seed(?), he had never paid attention to what his job was called either, Wayne had never been moved to contact any of the others. His ilk worked best alone as evidenced by the mark in front of him.

So sloppy, Wayne thought as he couched being the trunk of a great tree. He had loitered around this hut for weeks on end on the buffoon of a dragon had not bothered to chase him away. I'm blind, not deaf you idiot, he thought as the rather loud conversation carried on from inside the hut. The Guardian's raspy tones was intercut by the lower hiss of his Sethis companion, and Wayne leisurely made note where all the barrels of exploding powder was kept. To think that you would betray your own kind for a fistful of gold coins, but Wayne was not a judge the Guardian would be meeting one of those soon. At some point, the conversation stopped, and the Guardian slipped outside for a breather not even flinching when he saw Wayne hobbling about.

"On your way home elder?"

"Yes...yes...I might have lost my way...."

"The Darry River is straight on to your-Let me show you the way."

Strange that this odd kindness could come from someone intending to blow up an entire enclave of dragons. Wayne, of course, accepted and he was quick to meet with his Tree Warden liaison as soon as the Guardian had started back to his hut. The briefing had been swift, and to the surprise of the liaison, Wayne requested to be there as well.

"He is a fool but strangely well-meaning. I'd like him to look at the reason why he's being put away for a long time. He deserves that kindness at least."

When they kicked down the door of the hut, the Guardian had gibbered excuses. All of which had been overturned.

"I'm blind, and I can see right through your stupid alibi." Wayne had said when they had tried to claim that their Sethis conspirator was a Familiar. The Guardian had cursed him while being lead away and Wayne had shrugged when told that they would probably be rehabilitated. "It sounded as if he was raised by Sethis. It could be that they have found a way to hatch stolen eggs."

"Do you want the case, Wayne?"

"No. I hate it when I have to deal with hatchlings. Give the job to someone else. I've been too long away from home."

He was warned that Thereos had been asking the land office permission to clear more space which meant that the Tundra was worried about space again which meant that he'd return to a sulky Clan leader. Wayne wasn't too worried about it. He knew how to handle Thereos, and had been trying to convince the Tundra to build upwards for a while. Job done, he followed the Tree Wardens back to their headquarters and from there returned home with Gretna. They talk about what had changed, she always had such amusing anecdotes, and he was always fascinated to hear about what his clanmates had been up to. It was odd to think about how they had just been a small fledgeling Clan all those years ago.

He remembered when they had been poor and overrun with hatchlings that they had not been able to afford to keep. Had Thereos not made the decision to expel all younglings from the Clan when they came of age, Wayne suspected that they might just have suffered losing their own eggs to the Sethis or assorted beastclan. Even though the decision had not been popular then, it had almost caused a schism between the leaders all, Wayne decided that it had all been for the best. Kaletia had come around to the idea, compromise had been made and-

"I don't care if she wants to bring her cousin to see the Behemoth. It's the Behemoth. She can see it from the Starwood Strand if she squints!"

And Thereos was still obsessed about space.

Reaching out, Wayne moved to tap the Tundra on the shoulder. Waving away questions of when he had returned from his latest assignment. "We build up. Consiee won't care if she gets she gets the highest platform. You need to relax and think...higher."