Reky
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Post by Reky on Nov 19, 2011 18:33:32 GMT -5
The day after the hatching of Naireth's six eggs was a celebratory and relaxed one for all but the new weyrlings. While the Firefinders were busy beginning their studies with the capable Catori, the Junior Weyrleader's duties had been done since he had stepped off of the breakfast feast's podium. He conversed with the various inhabitants of Dalibor and took the time to congratulate the Firefinder six personally, but after the pleasantries were over, he seemed to disappear.
In truth, he was on a mission. Thread and administration had been keeping him far too busy lately. Nimara, likewise, had been caught up in her duties as Candidatemaster. Though she would likely need to console heartbroken candidates that had been left standing, R'len was sure she could find a candlemark or two out of her day to spend with him, so he worked. The first step had been to find a basket large enough to hold a lunch for his bottomless stomach and Nimara's dainty one.
Then he went buzzing about the kitchens, slowly amassing a carefully-prepared collection of picnic foods between chatting with the cooks. "Who's it for, mister R'len, sir?" pressed one of the drudge's sons. Though R'len had to be at least thrice his age, the boy knew far more about proper spice combinations than R'len could ever hope to. "Is it the junior weyrwoman Avalle?"
"No," R'len chuckled, folding cloth around two spiced meat-and-cheese sandwiches. "It's the lady candidatemaster," he explained. The boy's eyes widened and he leaned closer.
"Missus Nimara?" he said. "Oh, do you love her, R'len, sir?" The boy's eyes widened and he blushed at the weyrleader's expense. Love was a curious thing to the preteen. He had never experienced it in a romantic way, but he had set his mind to find a pretty girl and marry her and be great parents like his mother and father. Marriage, he knew, was something that dragonriders did not partake in.
R'len chewed on that. "Well, yes. I suppose I do," he said, smiling smugly. The boy grinned.
"Oh, that's so nice! One day, I want to have a pretty lady, too, R'len, sir. Except... not with a red dragon."
R'len chuckled. The boy's mother appeared then, tutting and waving her rolling pin. "You get back to work, Travston, and leave the poor weyrleader R'len alone." With a smile goodbye, Travston hopped to, dodging his mother's culinary weapon with practiced ease. R'len finished packing the basket in silence.
It was early that summer afternoon that he sought out Nimara, the basket and blanket tucked under his arm. Kaezeth duly provided her whereabouts, sensing Waroth's mind without bothering her, and R'len set out for her weyr. Their meetings had been few as of late, the both of them having picked up quite an involved occupation, but he was familiar enough to be able to bow respectfully to the red and sneak into Nimara's room. He saw her at her desk and grinned.
"Hello, pretty Nim," he said, laughing at his own boldness. The man lounged against the doorframe, immensely pleased with himself. He looked quite dapper with his beard and hair newly trimmed, a tooled leather belt about his waist, and of course, as always, his eyes dancing as he looked upon the redrider, full of youthful playfulness in defiance of his age. "It's too sunny outside for you to be doing paperwork, so I'm kidnapping you. Get over here." [/blockquote] |
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Lan
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Post by Lan on Nov 19, 2011 21:02:09 GMT -5
Another successful hatching, and the first clutch of a tan at that! Nimara had had the joy of watching more candidates be taken off the sands and paired off with their lifemates, and now she was undertaking the less cheerful responsibilities of her job. She had given her usual debriefing speech to the candidates that had been left standing, promising them that with a larger clutch they would likely find their partners and that the perfect little dragonet was out there waiting for them somewhere in the future. Still, it broke her heart every time when she could see the sadness in their eyes as the last dragonet left the sands. After they had gotten some sleep, Nim was sure, they would be in better spirits. That was the problem with late night hatchings: those that were left over had to go to bed with such sour moods.
The morning feast had been a pleasant one. Nimara had attended out of courtesy and listened to R'len's congratulatory speech, but she had quickly left after she had eaten and congratulated the new weyrlings. While she didn't mind paperwork her job required, it generally took her a long time with her slow and methodical way of doing things and so she had decided to give herself plenty of time to write up the records of what candidates were left after the hatching and the like. This, of course, made Waroth unhappy. The red queen seemed to hate paperwork the most out of the pair... and she didn't even have to do it!
It's sunny. We should go for a flight. The scarlet Waroth herself on her ledge in such a way to portray the most irritation possible. Nimara sighed.
I'd love that, dear... but I have work to do.
You always have work to do. The only time we fly together is when we're killing Thread. The red gave an unattractive snort and all but glared out at the herdbeasts. She had already eaten, but at the moment she was so vexed that she was debating slaughtering one just for the fun of it. The tiny ones are boring, too. The "tiny ones", of course, were referring to the candidates.
You could go out flying by yourself... meet some of the new transfer oranges and red you've been wondering about. Nimara retraced her thoughts, having stopped mid-line after forgetting what it was she was writing. Just as she was about to pick up again, however, Waroth's mind came back and she forgot again.
They're stupid. All of them. Like talking to whers. Nimara laughed softly. She highly doubted Waroth had actually talked to either of the new oranges or the new red. She hadn't talked to any of their riders either, she noted with some disappointment. When she had heard of the transfers she had wanted to at least pop by to say hello, but with the coming of thread and with her Candidatemaster duties she had not managed to do so. She'd have to remedy that someday...
Waroth, meanwhile, had found other things to entertain her bored mind. Kaezeth's human, R'len, had come into her weyr and she stared at him as he passed. His bow was not noted. His arrival was not announced. As much as she hated sharing her time with her precious Nim, she had grown at least tolerant of his presence. Sometimes, perhaps, she even appreciated it as far as how it brightened Nimara's emotional state. But, of course, the adult red would never admit this to anyone--not even herself.
"Hello, pretty Nim." Nimara paused, at first taken aback. Waroth having given no warning, she had continued working at her desk and had not even noticed someone had come in until they had spoken. However, as she realized it was R'len, she turned about in her chair to face him and smiled. Something told her that she wouldn't be getting the work done this afternoon she had initially set out to do.
"Kidnapping me?" She chuckled, having caught on to his own addictive laughter. It was hard not to have her mood brightened with R'len was clearly so cheerful and active. "Well, for once, I think Waroth might agree with you... she's been bothering me about that very thing ever since I first sat down to work." She turned back, organizing the papers on her desk and setting a stone atop them to protect against some unruly breeze. That done, she stood and dusted herself off before crossing the room to meet her visitor.
Nimara couldn't help but note that R'len looked very dashing today. He was all washed and trimmed and pleased with himself. She was no longer as formal as she had been earlier that day. She had changed from her simple dress and Candidatemaster knots in favor of breeches and a clean, plain blouse. Paperwork, after all, did not require that one be in a skirt. However, she was still bright and kind-faced and congenial. She looked from the basket R'len carried to his face and felt her cheeks grow a bit warm. "What's all this?" She asked sheepishly.
Oh, so you'll go out for him. Waroth growled from her weyr. Nimara pushed pass R'len to give her bonded a firm, knowing look.
"Yes, I am." She placed a hand on her hip and added, "You should go out yourself. Go get some sun while it's here. Just... don't kill anything." Waroth snorted at the last comment. Well, there went her plan to decimate the herdbeasts for sport. Still, it wasn't fair! Nimara should have gone out with HER! But, maybe she'd just follow them to wherever it was they were going... Yes! She quieted down her complaints and concocted a plan. If Nimara noticed her dragon's brooding, she spoke nothing of it.
"What did you have in mind, now that you're kidnapping me? Or do I not get to know?" While the words spoke of playfulness, her tone was completely sweet and earnest. She smiled at R'len kindly and wrapped her arm lightly around his free arm. |
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Reky
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Post by Reky on Nov 29, 2011 9:49:56 GMT -5
"I thought the basket was a dead giveaway," R'len grinned. He shifted his arm so that it sat better in the crook of his elbow. "Anyway, I was thinking, and have been for a while, that there's a very nice patch of grass in the bowl right by the lake. It'd be great for a picnic, but there's only one way to truly find out." He desired her fingers rather than just her arm, and with his free hand found hers and gently led her to the back stairs of her weyr.
"Oh," he added as they went about carefully descending, "And let Waroth know if she wants you back at all, I guess I'll let you go." Not that he wanted to. He'd have liked to have Nim out in the sun with him until the both of them were just short of heat sickness and all the food he brought was gone. He brought her out of the back tunnels and into the summer daylight, squinting and smiling at the sudden shock of brightness. When his view of the world had returned to its normal saturation, he confidently strutted onward to his picnic place of choice. It was a good one, to be sure, for it gave a full view of all the dragons bathing in the lake, and in the right wind, a fine mist from the waterfall came over to cool them off.
"Alrighty," R'len said, setting down his basket and grabbing the blanket. He flicked it out and floated it down to the ground then fixed the corners. "Here we are!" The tall man flopped onto the ground and popped the basket between the redrider and himself. He started unpacking.
He liked to think that it was his charm and not the boring fact of his rank that had landed him some of the imported Southern summer fruits. The head cook had been reluctant to hand them out to anyone else who passed, insisting they were to be saved for a salad for the dinner's dessert. There they were, though, bright oranges and refreshing greens, cut into bite-sized pieces and dusted with sugar. There was also a skin each of redfruit juice and wine, far too many pastries for a man to eat on his own, and two neatly-wrapped sandwiches. R'len inspected them briefly and decided that the messiest of the two had better be his, and handed the one with more care put into it to Nimara. He plunged his hand in and found the cheese and cold meats at the bottom. He was worried he had forgotten them.
As if the scent of food had carried out past the weyrbowl to reach him, the blue firelizard Chicken blinked out of between and alighted on his master's shoulder. He puffed out his chest and chirped a quick tale of his latest damsel saved, and then dipped his head to the pretty Nimara. She was a fine human lady, he supposed. R'len was quite a hero to save her so often from the big scary red!
"So." The weyrleader stretched his legs out and freed his sandwich from its cloth wrapping. "How's candidatemaster-ing going lately? I really don't get to hear much. When I'm somehow not busy, you are!" R'len smirked. Chicken burbled in his ear and he fed the first corner of bread to the mooch. "Did you expect the Impressees last night? They look like a good bunch." [/blockquote] |
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Lan
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Post by Lan on Dec 17, 2011 4:55:33 GMT -5
"Oh, Waroth can handle a day without me, I'm sure." Nimara smiled and allowed R'len to lead her carefully by the hand as they descended the stairs and out into the open sunlight. It took her eyes a moment to adjust, but once everything was right again she was glad for the bright and cheerful scenery. Truthfully, nearly any sort of scenery was better than looking at records all day, but that sort of privilege was one that Nimara rarely took advantage of with her work-driven mind. So it was excellent, then, that R'len had planned such a day for them. As much as she sometimes fretted about losing time to do work, she savored every minute of her time with the ironrider--Junior Weyrleader, even. Of course. She was so focused on duty that sometimes she forgot that her closest friend (or even boyfriend?) was one of the weyrleaders of Dalibor. It was funny how times changed and how things ended up the way they were.
Nimara stood back and allowed R'len to lay out his blanket and his feast. She had made a move to help smooth out the corners that had folded under during the initial unrolling, but R'len was too quick for her and he seemed so intent on his work that she thought it better to let him be a gentleman. When he was finished she sat down on her knees on blanket, although perhaps the move was not quite as graceful as she intended. It didn't matter, though. R'len was her friend, first and foremost, and she felt comfortable around him even though at times she could be clumsy or less-than-elegant. He offered her a sandwich, and she took it with a bright grin. She couldn't remember how long ago it had been since the feast had brought her food and, admittedly, she was rather hungry. "Thank you, it looks wonderful," she offered as she began to unwrap the tasty-looking sandwich that had been so neatly folded up with care.
Waroth, meanwhile, stared on impishly from her perch. Yes, she could just glide on by and not be noticed... of this she was sure! In truth, she overestimated her own stealth, but that wasn't the point! The point was she would spy on Nim from a close distance! That way if anything happened she could instantly snap HerNim away and carry her to safety or kill anything that she deemed threatening. And everything was threatening, when it came to HerNim! However, right before she could rear back on her haunches to leap out into her glide a blur of green flurried in front of her vision. She paused, rearing her head back like a confused snake as she tried to spot what it was that was attacking her. It wasn't very big, whatever it was, but it was certainly a nuisance! A little trumpeted battle-cry came from a camo-green flit as she took a second dive-bomb at the crimson red's head, just missing being snapped up in gnashing jaws. It was Enyo, of course--the bane of Waroth's existence ever since she had hatched.
The red dragoness gave an irritated howl and tried to snap again at the little flit with her jaws, but Enyo evaded. The proceedings continued until Waroth gave up with a grumpy snort and flew off to a place where she could sunbathe and still keep an eye on her precious Nim. It was farther away than she would have liked, but perhaps that had been Enyo's plan all along. Whatever the case was, the green flit ceased her bothering and Waroth was able to, finally, relax in the sun while still keeping her eye on her rider.
As if on cue, Enyo appeared from between at the picnic and sat herself at the edge of the blanket. She sat up straight and proud, as if she had just returned from some clever and super-important mission that she had carried out flawlessly. Nimara cooed at her and offered a piece of the bread from her sandwich, which Enyo received graciously before continuing her scrutinizing of the surroundings. The green's eyes fell upon Chicken and her attentions followed him with some suspicion before she considered him not a threat and started patrolling the perimeter of the blanket.
"It goes as well as could be expected, I suppose," she turned her attentions to R'len again, "All the kids are good kids, really. I haven't had too many problems. I couldn't say that I expected everything that happened last night, but Aylina and T'von seemed perfectly matched." Aylina and T'von, in particular, had been good kids. They had pleasant temperaments and their friendly natures made Nim smile to be around them. Of course, they were still good kids; they were just someone else's kids now. "How goes weyrleader-ing? Any of the newly graduated riders giving you trouble or making you proud?" Of course, it had been a while since the Skystalkers had graduated, but she had yet to ask him about it so it would be news to her. As she waited for his answer she took a bite out of the sandwich she had been given and hummed with delight. It was quite good and made all the better because it was freshly made and being eaten outside in the bright sun with good company. |
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Reky
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Post by Reky on Dec 17, 2011 13:31:48 GMT -5
He ate at his own handiwork while his lady spoke. He felt almost like he needed to set the food aside and simply watch her, eyes wide with interest and adoration, but he was not one for obsessive behavior. Or, at least, he hadn't been in any recent memory. Perhaps when he was younger and far more boisterous, he had taken to a girl like flies to honey and driven her crazy. The life of a Candidatemaster or a Wingleader or Weyrleader had not left much time for fancying, however. He had never found a woman, but as though he had been a romantic in a past life, he felt like he ought to. It had just taken forty-one Turns of life and twenty-one of dragonriding for it to happen.
So he ate to cover the sticky sweet butterflies that inhabited his stomach and mind. Nimara looked so lovely in the sun. She looked lovely in any light, of course, but to have her out of her hole full of paperwork was a treat of a sight. And he envied her - her and her job. He had been a Candidatemaster once. He had seen countless kids grow up under him, consoled them when the were left Standing, cried tears of joy with them when the weren't. He stroked Chicken's chin with a rough finger; the boy who had given him the blue's egg had Impressed to a mild-mannered and motherly pink, but still his entire extended family was ecstatic. "I just made sure he did his chores," R'len had told them. "He's the one who got the girl." Still they thanked him.
He surfaced from his nostalgia. "Mmm," he said, nodding and swallowing his mouthful of sandwich. "Oh, L'ryn, F'bee and Mayalene are doing great. They graduated for a reason." R'len smirked. "Shells, I remember their Hatching. I feel so old when I do that. I remember when L'am had just graduated, even, and now he's the other Jr. Weyrleader." He rubbed at his laugh-lined eyes. "Times flies." He had known Nimara for some Turns now, too.
"Other than that, it's just a lot of recordkeeping I do." A shrug fell off his shoulders. "Copying out every detail about every detail of the Weyr. And sometimes I get to give tithing spiels to the smaller holds. It doesn't sound like a lot to do when I really think about it, but somehow it eats time like it's got the belly of a dragon." No doubt she knew what he meant. There was also Threafall taking their energy and hours away two or three times a sevenday, but no one really needed to talk about Thread. Everyone knew.
"It's nice to have a day like this," he smiled, and happily gazed out at the lake and its colourful draconic swimmers. A rainbow shimmered in the mist at the foot of the waterfall. The unearthly shriek of a penned wherry made into a dragon's dinner rang out as a commonplace note of their curious lifestyle. Herdbeasts lowed nervously in the shadow of the feeding green and all was bright and normal for a Weyr. Eventually he had swallowed the last of his sandwich and brought out the skins of wine and juice to share and put a Southern fruit to his lips. He savoured the sweet bite and pondered the woman beside him.
R'len hadn't really meant for the picnic to be so momentous, and definitely not so soon, but he was feeling so peaceful and sentimental that it just felt right. He swallowed and sat up a little straighter, turning to face Nimara.
"Nim," he said quietly, his eyes searching hers. "Will you... Well. Will you be my weyrmate? I mean, not that we can really share a weyr, what with Waroth and Kaezeth, but," A lopsided and goofy grin wormed softly onto his face. "I love you, Nim. I really do." [/blockquote] |
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Lan
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Post by Lan on Dec 20, 2011 0:45:26 GMT -5
Belly of a dragon. Nimara understood that. Before she had acquired the position she hadn't done much work with reading and writing at all. She could, of course, but her proficiency wasn't as good as perhaps it ought to have been. Therefore, during much of the beginning of her position she took a long time to handle records and paperwork that would have taken other people many candlemarks less. Now she was in better practice and more proficient and fluent, but she still felt like it all took her much longer than she needed to take. It didn't help much that the very thing she had pondered anxiously had finally arrived to make her nightmare a reality... Thread fell from the sky. While none she loved had died, dragonriders at Dalibor and all across Pern had in meeting it. It was a physical stress and an emotional stress every time they rose to meet it. You could never be sure when the ones you loved might disappear between. Training helped, but they were still in the early hours of battle with their ancient foe... a foe that none alive had met before the dawn of this new turn. While she tried to remain optimistic, she knew realistically that nothing was certain.
"It is a very nice day," Nim agreed, smiling up at the bright and sunny sky before her gaze followed R'len's out to the swimming dragons. She longed to see Waroth have fun like that sometime instead of brooding eternally. Alas, not everything or everyone was capable of change. Enyo had stopped her patrol of the picnic blanket near Nimara's knee and climbed up to position herself in her human's lap. The redhead instinctively reached down to scratch the green flit as she continued her survey of the scenery. She finished her sandwich, feeding the last little bit to Enyo before removing the flit from her lap, and after R'len she reached into the basket to bring out a Southern fruit as well. She rotated the fruit in her hand to inspect its beautiful color before she took a bite. A little of the sweet juice trickled from the corner of her mouth and down her chin. With a soft giggle at her assuredly childish appearance, the redrider wiped it away with the back of her free hand.
"Nim."
She turned at the sound of R'len's voice, lowering the fruit from her mouth and meeting his eyes with hers. His voice had been so solemn, she almost expected something somber to be his next topic of conversation. But, as she listened on, she found she was happily mistaken. Her heartbeat was palpable in her chest as the meaning of his words soaked into her mind. Weyrmate? She had heard the word in respect to other people and their lovers, but never had she thought it to be applied to herself. With R'len saying it, though, it had a different feeling. It seemed so much more familiar. It seemed so... safe. Her cheeks grew as red as Waroth as she tried to gain the breath to make a reply. The air seemed thin and she felt delightfully light-headed.
"I Love you too, R'len." She smiled wider than she could remember in her adult life until the muscles near her ears felt sore. The color in her face, she thought, was probably brighter than her hair by this point, but it didn't matter. Her voice suddenly felt stuck in her throat and she swallowed hard to try to clear the lump that swelled there.
It didn't matter that Waroth and Kaezeth didn't always see eye-to-eye. It didn't matter that their jobs kept them busy and kept time short. If even some nights she could see his face just before she went to sleep, it would make the chaos of their world seem less crazy and it would give her the strength to take each day as it came. She wanted to say all of these things, but she was physically incapable. It didn't need to be said anyway. The whole world had seemed to be put on pause and that moment was all that existed. Nimara scooted around the basket so that she was on R'len's side of the blanket and she placed her unladen hand on R'len's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I would be so happy to be your weyrmate." |
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