Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman 
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
|
Post by Azhdarchid on May 7, 2011 11:53:42 GMT -5
Qosis left the dining hall early enough to prowl the caverns a while before heading to his final destination. He wanted to know who was around. His stomach was full with a scant helping of dark meat, oily vegetables, and a single glass of white Tillek. It was just enough to make him known to the other diners before he towered up from his bench and departed. He took the muttering in his wake as a sign that they expected him off to his more literal nightly exercise, but he did not parse out the specific line of conversation. Just as well, if that was what they thought. No one would miss him.
Nadya would not be along for at least a half-candlemark, so he had time to secure the meeting place. It had occurred to him more than once over the past sevenday that there might not be anything particularly insidious about a Candidate and Wherhandler talking right out in the open, perhaps by the lake where the starlight of the latest clear night could illuminate her wher. It would certainly be a more beautiful picture than what the cold light of a glow could render. But he knew of at least one person that, upon spotting such innocent conversation, would try to follow-up. One person who could not be trusted to keep to their own business.
And he would not jeopardize his remaining time with the compliant, tender-lipped Nadya. Qosis smirked as he stopped in front of the irregularly shaped gap into the storeroom. As predicted for this hour, no one was about. And the cavern itself lay empty, the light of his glow traversing the pebbled walls unimpeded and reflecting off the mineral striations. He half-expected to see the imprints of flour bags on the ground, but someone had scrubbed the floor clean long ago and apparently returned for the subsequent accumulations of dust. There was a task he did not envy; one of his fellow Candidates had probably been involved.
A shiver moved from his upper arms through his shoulders as he stepped across the threshold. He left the room's frontmost glows dark, heading to the back past a few threaded columns of rock. He opened a couple other baskets there and hung his on an empty hook. Fingers of blue-green light flowed out between the gaps in the natural cage's bars. There was a rock deformation that could have served as a bench, but Qosis did not sit. And he did not lean against any of the pillars or the wall.
He waited on his feet. Respectful. Anxious.
|
|
Kila
Sr. Weyrleader
kilact[M:217]
Let's move to a cloud so we're never under the weather
Posts: 1,574
|
Post by Kila on May 7, 2011 14:36:54 GMT -5
Nadya awoke that evening with the sort of eagerness that sleepy young children feel on holiday mornings. She stretched her long limbs and yawned away the residual sleepiness of the day. Rolling over, she cuddled up to Nadysk, who dominated her bed as normal. The Wher, woken by his bonded’s stirring consciousness and movement, gurgled fondly and lazily licked her hair, leaving it with somewhat of a mohawk effect. I get to show Qosis how wonderful you are today, she purred to him, a smile on her lips. The longer she had considered the Candidate’s request, the more she had come to like it. She was excited to let him see her lifemate.
Nadysk was the world to her. The attachments that she had with other people were shallow and flawed, much like her. She had no real friends, just lovers, but that was how she liked it. Real involvement with people was a taxing emotional investment that Nadya avoided. Nadysk, however, had never been a burden to her. The first time he had laid his eyes on her he had understood her more completely than anyone on Pern. He was her moving, breathing conscience and always brought out the best in her- even if other people didn’t get to see it. Nadysk had seen Nadya at her best and at her worst and had stood unwaveringly beside her, ferociously loyal and loving. Letting Qosis meet him, touch him even, would be a much more personal action than any number of rendezvous.
Nadysk had amiably agreed to the scheme, not finding the idea that out of the ordinary. He was interested to scrutinize the man that kept his up all hours of the night. His had many lovers, but the ones she met with frequently were usually the females, so her continued meetings with Qosis were a little out of the ordinary. The big Brown curled around Nadya happily- glad that she was there at that in a while he would get to go with her. Nadysk was a big boy, but he hated it when His was gone from him for too long.
Ready to go? Nadya proposed after they had laid together long to properly wake up. Yes; Nadysk replied, uncurling and freeing her from his cuddly clutches. Nadya dressed with a little care and as much speed as usual- pulling on the first clean clothes she found and slipping into her boots. Passing her dusty looking-glass, she took and extra minute to brush the cowlick out of her hair with her fingers before turning back to Nadysk with a grin, hands placed jauntily on her hips. Let’s hit the trail, handsome!
With their expert knowledge of tunnels and keen night vision, the trip to the designated room was a quick one. Nadya could see a sliver of light from the glows underneath the door and knew that Qosis was already there waiting. Nadysk, wait outside here until I call you in okay? Nadya decided on the spot, reaching out her hand to touch the Wher on the shoulder. Eyes whirring eerily in the dark, Nadysk crooned softly and communicated that he understood. I’ll just go work him up to it a little bit, she explained. You deserve a good intro. Besides, he thinks you’re a female. The floating eyes widened in surprise and Nadya heard laughter in her head. I know. Poor man, not like he knows any better, though.
Knocking softly at the door to announce her presence, Nadya opened it just wide enough to slip in before closing it behind her. ”Hey there,” she said, flashing him a smile unknowingly more complex than normal. While he normally received a sly curve of the lips, this smile reflected mischief, excitement, and secrecy as well. They’d met a decent number of times before, but not often in light, so it was debatable whether he’d notice the difference. Something in his stiff, preoccupied manner indicated that he wouldn’t. He was clearly anxious.
|
|
Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
|
Post by Azhdarchid on May 7, 2011 15:38:37 GMT -5
Eyes of dull olive caught the light of the glows as Qosis turned his head toward the door, surprised by the knock. He should not have been surprised; Nadya did it so that he would not think he had been caught even before she arrived. It was, oddly enough, a courtesy. When she came around the columns of stone to him, his glow-lit gaze searched around her legs from hip level and down, then around the room past the imposing stands of rock that tied floor and ceiling. After a few seconds of investigation, he realized there was no scuttling quadruped silhouette hurrying after Nadya, no glimmer of bottlegreen wing sliding in behind her.
He glanced behind himself once, fitfully, as if the wher was so stealthy as to have made it behind him without so much as a shadow to announce her presence. When Qosis turned his gaze back on Nadya, just Nadya, his eyes were lidded in disinterest and his lips coiled down in distaste.
"Where is she?" he grumbled, releasing all his anticipation on that sour note before he even thought of collecting himself. Then he spotted her smile, and took a slow breath before wrenching his own mouth into a shallow mimic. "Hey," the trader answered belatedly, brows still crinkling up and indicating the enforced quality of his apparent happiness. Another breath and a slow blink on his part, then his face cleared to a more genuine-looking joy, unlined by exasperation.
Qosis closed the distance between them with a single step, wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her against him. His other hand slid behind her, coming up to cradle the back of her head through the clipped layers of pale hair that protected it. "Thank you," he said, and looked into eyes of better green and better cut than his own. It was so strange to see her face. He never really looked at her since the hot noon day their arrangement was first conceived. He knew what she felt like, and that had always been enough.
|
|
Kila
Sr. Weyrleader
kilact[M:217]
Let's move to a cloud so we're never under the weather
Posts: 1,574
|
Post by Kila on May 7, 2011 17:57:14 GMT -5
The irritated look that Nadya received from Qosis was not at all unexpected and proved only to amuse her more. She knew he wasn’t here to see her this time, which didn’t injure her feelings in the least, but he must have known better than to think that he could get one without the other- Nadysk without Nadya. If he had really been bonded to a Wher he would remember quickly. She was also entertained by where he looked to first- a height significantly lower than where Nadysk stood.
Nadya easily forgave the initial disappointment and Qosis’ slow recovery. His words would not be genuine, she knew, until he got what he wanted. Nevertheless, she was pleased when he strode over and took her in his arms despite his unhappiness. Instead of kisses, the two took the moment to look at each other, seeming to rediscover a dimension of reality that had long been dismissed and forgotten. Impulsively Nadya raised a hand and touched his cheek. It was scruffy (to her disliking) as it always was after a long day for the Candidate. For the Handler, so rooted in night, sight seemed so much less convincing than touch.
”You’re welcome,” she replied after a while to his preemptive thanks. Hopefully he would be. Patting his cheek with the hand already on his face that she had been experimenting with, she stepped back and moved towards the door. ”I won’t make you wait any longer, Qosis,” she said mercifully. ”I’m not entirely cruel.” He knew when she was playing games and one of the things she liked about him was that he could both tolerate them and play along when need be. Nadysk, we’re ready for ya, she called as she opened the door, doing so telepathically rather than aloud even though he was right there. It was habit.
Stepping out of the way to make room for the big, ugly love of her life, a pair of cautious, illuminated eyes appeared just outside the door. Settling on Qosis and examining him silently, they only blinked when Nadysk lowered his head and entered. The Brown entered slowly but without hesitation, crossing to the other side of His before turning again to the man in the middle of the room. Qosis. Nadysk. He introduced himself with all the politeness of a proper Brown. Nadya only beamed and leaned against the pillar behind her to watch her magnificent creature enter. In the light he looked so dangerous and powerful, though she knew he was not nearly so monstrous. He and Qosis had that in common, so she assumed that they’d get along easily despite the fact that Nadysk was not a “she” as he so constantly assumed.
But we all know what happens when you assume.
Prying her eyes from Nadysk, she looked at Qosis for his approval. She looked almost like another person as her pride for her lifemate shone through, caused by the rare event that she showed something very important and personal to someone who knew how much she valued it. Her coyness, intrigue, and cynicism were magically and momentarily absent in the presence of her unbridled love and the surreal occasion to share it.
|
|
Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
|
Post by Azhdarchid on May 8, 2011 10:38:00 GMT -5
Loyal as a dragon whose eyeridges were being scratched, Qosis pressed his cheek to the hand that touched it. But his eyes remained on Nadya, slightly narrowed as if calculating exactly how much favor this earned him. Or maybe he was just aware of the dislike, and literally rubbing it in. His smile leaned toward a smirk before the pat at his face dissipated the nascent expression, and he turned to follow her progress to the door. He moved out from the cluster of stone pillars so that he had a clear view of the entrance.
When the familiar glowing lamps of eyes appeared-- a little higher up than expected --his cautious bootlicking look broke into a boyish grin. He took another step forward, then stopped and bowed to the wher as if it were a queen presiding over a hidden field of egg. As Nadysk slithered into the light, Qosis was straightening back to his full height, his perception of the wher momentarily distorted. Nadysk looked too--
So surprised was Qosis that he froze before he had completely unbent his back, and had to recoup the last couple inches when he remembered to breathe again. There was a jade cast to the wher's skin, but that was from the glow. Qosis could feel out the Color of the beast by the way of his Green-touched instinct. The voice confirmed it, at a price. The moment the wher reached out to him with a stunted telepathic greeting, Qosis staggered back as if Nadysk had slapped those paired talons into his face. He held his head, though his self-caress eventually pulled back to just his temples, eyes open to glare between his fingers. Not at Nadysk, but at Nadya.
"Tell him not to speak with me," he gasped, still breathing as though under the pains of some invisible mortal wound. He lowered his hands, glancing back at Nadysk and then shutting his eyes against the sight of the big Brown. He settled for regarding Nadya. Qosis looked at her like she had just crawled out of the wall. "None of them have spoken to me since then." It might as well have been a second ago that he last heard his own wher. There was the dragon call he had perceived once, way back in the Summer, but that had spread out over the entire Weyr. Nadysk had spoken directly to him.
Qosis set his jaw as if prepared to lay down a verdict, but ended up looking away from Nadya as well. His gaze flicked back and forth across the floor as if reading a hidden message, eyes widening in growing shock. "I can hear...he likes you a lot," he said in a strangled tone of accusation as he finally forced his attention back on the Wherhandler. Qosis ran the side of his hand under each of his eyes, but the skin was dry. "Where did you get...him? At a Hatching like the one they had here? Did he...choose you, out of everyone else?" Aside from things the wher had done, the ex-Handler offered no comment on him at all.
|
|
Kila
Sr. Weyrleader
kilact[M:217]
Let's move to a cloud so we're never under the weather
Posts: 1,574
|
Post by Kila on May 8, 2011 11:28:33 GMT -5
As soon as Qosis froze Nadya knew something was wrong. Nadya and Nadysk were both surprised when he staggered away as if burned by Nadysk’s greeting. Nadya took a step forward as if to help him, but didn’t follow the motion through. ”Qosis? What is it?” she demanded, her concern coming out sharply. His explanation explained his agony and Nadya put a hand on Nadysk’s head as if to subdue the creature when Qosis pleaded not to be spoken to. Though Nadya was not particularly gifted in the ways of empathy, she was hit with a heavy wave of it. Nadysk was intelligent and incredibly sensitive, and his pity for the man before him transferred seamlessly over to His. Why did he want to see you then? Nadya thought, her heart abnormally heavy on someone else’s behalf.
Once he straightened up, though, something about the way he spoke sat wrong with Nadya. Nadysk silently chided her for the feeling, but his tone and his continued pain seemed off. At the insistence of her bonded she did not completely abandon her sympathy. ”Of course he does,” she replied, though his statement seemed unnecessarily obvious. ”And I impressed him in a hatching, yes; just like the ones they have here. He chose me without a moment’s hesitation. Why do you ask?” she asked, becoming slightly defensive. ”I know you were expecting a ‘she’ but why do you sound so surprised?”
Mine! Be nice; Nadysk reproached her, turning his head and bumping her lightly in the thigh. Nadya said nothing but crossed her arms and waited, staring at Qosis with harrowing intensity.
|
|
Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
|
Post by Azhdarchid on May 8, 2011 12:54:31 GMT -5
"Then he's not a proper Brown," Qosis replied. "And you are not a proper woman." He scowled as Nadysk nudged at his lifemate, but the fleeting look gave way to his cold eye-to-eye with the Handler. "When they told us at lessons that there are Browns Impressing to women, I thought it was a joke. But then they said there were some right here at Dalibor. They delivered the characteristics of such women to us as an afterthought, as if it was not vital information. Weyrs! All too indulgent, but this one is probably the worst."
He had lost the telepathy-stricken posture, and now strode out toward her and her beast, keen on delivering his every word face-to-face. "So then I thought it could only have been among the dragons. Whers are supposed to be dependable." Finally he spared a disgusted glance at Nadysk. "And I thought..." Qosis grinned. "I thought that at the very least I could always keep myself distanced. I can't break the bond. That's too bad...or maybe for the best. I am not sure any man deserves a freak like that for a mate."
His fingers clenched in toward his weathered palms, then relaxed outward with a cracking of knucklebones. Qosis tilted his head at the Handler, making a show of his continued attempts to reason the whole affair out. "So, what, you thought you would skip out on being a woman, trick some poor beast into bonding with you with you, for life, and then...what? What was your plan? In this past Hatching-- some of the fighter males chose women." Qosis still had a little smile on his lips that did not echo in the green of his eye. "Fighters are always free spirits. They choose who they will. It's better just to keep the women away from them altogether. But you'd never catch a Bronze in such a state. So why the Browns..."
Qosis shrugged. Browns would never be Bronzes. Had he been paying more attention at the Hatching, he would have seen some precedent for the current betrayal in the appearance of Keely's lifemate. "How could you do this to me?" he wondered, voice softening to a hiss of agony. "I know where your interests lie. So why me? Why not say something the very first time I saw you? Why not...when I asked to see her? You wanted this to happen?" His shoulders stiffened at what was, to him, a very real possibility. "Is that the fun of it for you? I trusted-- no, it's not trust is it? Just what happens when you are beside a person for so long. It's comfortable. I've never stayed in one place long enough to be comfortable."
The trader, rarely so talkative in the first place, now had a manner of speaking that did not even sound native to him. It was someone else's words and ideas, dutifully repeated and firmly ingrained. Absolute truths from a microcosm of logic that had never been touched by Weyr permissibility. "You are not a woman," he concluded, rocking his weight from foot to foot under consideration of his new allowances in that case. "Though you speak so pleasurably of your 'Brown,' and his voice...is so warm for you. Does he get a few extra Runs in with you for a partner, Nadya? Ones where he doesn't even have to chase?"
|
|
Kila
Sr. Weyrleader
kilact[M:217]
Let's move to a cloud so we're never under the weather
Posts: 1,574
|
Post by Kila on May 8, 2011 18:46:54 GMT -5
Qosis’ first words plunged like a knife into Nadya’s heart and soul. Regardless of if he was trying to or not, the simple accusation both injured and outraged her more than anything else that could have been said. The second bit aroused the same sentiments in Nadysk, who let out a low, dangerous growl. Qosis might have well have plunged his fingers into her chest and ripped out her heart because from the very beginning of his ignorant tirade it ceased to exist. Her eyes narrowed and her face emptied of any and all emotion and she stood rigidly in the same position she had been before- arms crossed next to Nadysk.
The feeling was worse, of course, because she had had so far to fall. To open up and share her personal life, to be vulnerable like that had been idiotic. The experience would be scarring and only serve to set her back and made her more distant and less willing to trust people than before. Her convictions about men and other people in general proved true by Qosis’ actions, her faith in humanity dropped to a new low.
The words that followed the introduction seemed almost unimportant, but with each jibe, insult, and accusation Nadya’s anger grew. If her outward appearance had reflected her emotions she would have been deformed beyond recognition, but somehow she contained them through the whole speech as they screamed and broiled inside her. Each glare, each grimace escalated the situation until, in her stillness, she could barely see beyond the bitter hatred that weighing her down.
When Qosis seemed like he was done, Nadya let his residual blasphemy linger in the air for a moment before stepping forward and closing the distance between them. Raising her hand, Nadya smacked Qosis with every bit of force she could muster which, in her current state, was a lot. The blow was enough to turn his head and leave a livid mark on his cheek. When he recovered and looked back she was already upon him. Kicking him viciously in the shins in hopes of bringing him down, Nadya’s hands sought his throat.
”How dare you?” she hissed, squeezing his disgusting, hairy neck. Despite her initial success, Qosis’ colossal advantage of size and strength allowed him to catch himself relatively quickly and regain dominance of the situation. Grabbing her wrist, he wrenched her away from his neck and threw her away from him. While it seemed then like the victory and rights to proceed were his, there was still an even bigger player in the room.
Enraged by Qosis’ slander and abuse of his lifemate, Nadysk let out a ferocious roar and charged the offensive party. Rearing up on his hind legs just before the man, he brought his foreclaws down on Qosis’ shoulders and pinned him to the ground with a crash. Qosis’ body hit the ground hard and Nadysk’s claws dug unforgiving into his skin. Kill him, Nadysk, he doesn’t deserve to live, Nadya said, picking herself up off the ground. Crush his demented little skull. Despite his bonded’s encouragement, Nadysk’s jaws remained just in front of Qosis’ face, teeth bared and glistening with saliva. His eyes whirred a violent red.
Sensing that Nadysk would of course not complete the task, she cursed under her breath and approached them. ”I feel disgusting even being near you,” she spat, looking down at him on the floor. ”What makes you think you have the right to say such things? What backwards, horrible caravan did you come from?” She squatted down and leaned towards him. ”You are warped,” she hissed in his ear. ”I’m astounded that I didn’t know the extent of it earlier. I would have never come around you, you…. Child. And I would never have let you near Nadysk either. I should have corrected you when you so confidently assumed ‘she’ and spared him your sharding presence! You think I wanted this to happen?” To keep from sinking her fingernails into his face she ground her teeth together. ”I didn’t know that ‘she’ was so important to you- that there was only a certain type of Wher that was acceptable for me to bring along!”
Balling up her hand into a fist of rage, she punched the ground beside his head just to have release the overwhelming amount of negative feelings that were polluting her body. There was no way she could address all of the inane comments she had made at and that point was struggling to her words out coherently. ”I don’t give a wherry’s ass what you think about me,” she managed, ”But how dare you even speak about my Wher? You know nothing.” Her words dripped like venom from her tongue, all the while as she fixed with a stare of incalculable loathing. ”You shouldn’t be allowed to be bonded to anything. If you cannot see magnificent, beautiful creature for it’s worth…” The proper words and consequences escaped her and she trailed off, unable to express herself.
”Don’t ever come down here again,” she concluded. ”Don’t ever speak to me. You don’t deserve to walk in this Weyr, but since you will I hope that you find nothing but unhappiness.” Such merciful, rational responses as “grow up” or “I hope you change” did not occur to her, nor did she feel merciful or rational in any way. Standing up and glowering down at him one last time, Nadya spat in his face. Turning sharply, she stormed out of the room.
Nadysk remained, glaring at Qosis with eyes still tinted red. Though his pinning him to the ground was hardly friendly, Nadysk’s good reason and good heart were the only reason that Qosis was bleeding and not dead. Lowering her head so that his fangs almost touched the Candidate’s face, he growled. Leave.. Climbing off of him, Nadysk turned and disappeared fluidly after his Handler, leaving Qosis alone.
|
|
Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
|
Post by Azhdarchid on May 8, 2011 22:35:57 GMT -5
What a lady-like reaction.
Qosis made no movement to return the favor, despite his earlier preparations. There was a stopper against his retaliation that was hard to shake. He knew what his actions did to other people. That was why he liked words so much-- the other party got a fighting chance. Nadya worked fast though. His left leg crumbled beneath him, and he was down on one knee and the Handler's hands were on his throat. Her grip was surprisingly strong, and his arms were delayed in coming up and heaving her off. He had not exaggerated the movement, but she still hit the floor. That was a good enough reminder of what he could do, he thought, as he straightened out his left leg and got to his feet. Still, there she was. If she was a man-- she was not either, really, just a monstrosity crawling in the dark.
The Brown expansion of smokey wing and saber claw filled his senses. One of his hands briefly clenched around the wher's foreleg, but broke off as he hit ground. The impact crushed the air from his lungs, and came close to splitting his head on the stone floor. The gashes rent into both shoulders seemed an afterthought, though as Nadysk clenched his claws deeper Qosis emitted a raspy cough of pain.
What followed was a return on his tirade that he at times could only partially make sense of. His upper body burned, and even the darts at his leg would grant bruises in time. He became aware of the salivating jaws an inch from his face, and the whorls of crimson that stirred his imagination to picture churning wheels of gore.
Same to you, he mouthed, having no breath for the actual words, flinching as the final wet insult painted itself across his face. He turned his head to one side, able to hear her walking away now. You belong in the dark.
But the wher did not leave. Qosis felt muscle start to stiffen down his body in preparations for one final defense of his life, but when his head turned back Nadysk's teeth were already there to greet him. The Brown just did not have the decency to bite in. Qosis watched the knotted face of the would-be killer, failing to understand the hesitation. Then the single word touched him, and he opened his mouth to a silent cry of response that turned audible as the wher's claws ripped clear from him.
His shivering had less to do with the various wounds than an outside observer might have gathered. When he finally went to get to his feet, he tried sitting up directly, only to collapse back under a black wave of nausea. The second time he propped himself on his left arm and rose in stages. The right sleeve of his jacket slipped away as he ascended. Qosis started to reach after it but found his right arm limp and unresponsive. Looking down at his hand, he tried clenching his fingers.
They twitched, but a pang in his shoulder prevented him from completing the motion. When he took a moment to actually look at the twin injuries, he found the wherhide torn and the underlying flesh soaking both his arms red. It was on the rock too, a smudged stain that had formed beneath his back. Little stars of blood marked where Nadysk had moved off after his master, but they faded by the doorway. Qosis turned to let his left arm pick up the fallen sleeve, since it still seemed operational, though trying to lift it or turn it too much brought him great pain. There was no chance he could stitch himself in this condition. But he needed...discretion...
Qosis leaned against the nearest column, trying to catch his breath and sensing only the faintest of returns, traces of stabbing pain traversing his ribs. Why did it still feel like Nadya had her fingers around his neck? He could not lift his hand to feel the area, but like various other places it was probably swollen. The trader reached his left arm across his chest, biting his lip and then groaning at the agony earned for flexibility, then pulled his right arm in so it could not dribble freely on the floor. He would have to come back and clean this room soon, Nadya be shelled. He approached the glowbaskets, but he could not reach his hand to it so he turned an uninjured part of his shoulder to each one and nudged it closed.
He had to come up with an excuse too. An excuse involving whers. Well maybe he could corner an apprentice at the infirmary and bully them into simply doing their job. He surely made a threatening sight, with his tall, swollen, bleeding body. The trader took comfort that his mind was still able to switch off to this mode of self-preservation despite the disgust burning into his thoughts. Limping off to the surface, he tried to keep his blood dripping to a minimum. There was no time for anything else.
|
|
