Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman 
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Post by Azhdarchid on May 4, 2012 23:45:26 GMT -5
I don't think it's really necessary that we fly there. It's right on the ground-
Nonsense! You know we have to practice. All day. Every day. The wings must be strengthened! The tail must be straightened! The hide must be oiled and then dried with gusts of FREEDOM!
Well if you insist. You shouldn't talk about yourself like you're a sailboat though.
Halventh strode out of the Weyrling Barracks, fangs bared in triumph. L'xon, already strapped in on the blue's neck, ducked uncertainly as the entryway arch dipped lower to his position. Once outside, the dragonet extended his sleek powder-blue wings to either side, unfolding as if he were trying to fill the entire Bowl. L'xon smiled, encouraged by the handsomeness of his young blue in the Rest Day's sun. He rested his hand on the ridge ahead of him. Alright. So let's go through the steps before we-
The dragon beneath him bounded airborne with a bugle. L'xon grabbed at his safety strap and clung to it desperately for the second and a half it took Halventh to flap from the Barracks to the ground weyr less than a quarter of the way across the Bowl. Halventh slammed down all four feet to land and the ground shuddered, but not quite as much trembling occurred in the earth as in the flesh of his rider.
I have arrived! Halventh called in to Ambrith, not the least bit deterred by L'xon's discomfort. In recent months the young man had learned quite a lot about withholding his impulsive fears from reaching his dragon, something that had come in very handy when they'd started manned flights. To some degree the practice had helped L'xon himself, quelling those nervous notions that were just a shade too illogical or impractical.
Mostly, though, his fears of flying came very expectedly from ridiculous maneuvers such as the one Halventh had just executed. The blue could barely be contained on the ground when he woke each morning. Of course not, Halventh murmured in an aside to L'xon as his rider clambered down his flank. If it were up to me, I would never touch ground again! L'xon's hands stopped shaking at these words, and he was able to untie one of the bags he'd attached to Halventh's straps.
This anxiety would pass once he had a little more experience with flying, L'xon knew. He would have to step up his command of Halventh, again, to prevent future surprises. I am the rider, he thought, though only to himself for now. Halventh watched him shoulder the bag and approach the Viridian's lair, eyes subsumed in an admiring green. Halventh of course would remain outside till he was invited in, perfectly respectful...and maximally attractive as he stayed just outside the line of shadow drawn by the Bowl wall, glimmering in the sun as he stretched out his hind legs.
"Day!" the blueweyrling called once he had gotten a few steps in. "I need to speak with you! There's some things-" He stopped as he heard a hard thwock contact the stone immediately under the bag he was carrying. Shimmying aside, he looked down to find a ball of gray pillie lying on her side. After a moment Lexy uncurled and turned her little head toward him. "Were you on the bag the whole time?" L'xon asked.
Lexy rocked over onto her belly and flicked her antennae over the ground. Oh, she was at Starfall's. Well, it was best to present herself to Starfall right away, so as to get the pouncing over with. She balled back up and rolled solemnly into the deeper parts of the weyr. L'xon looked about for signs of movement- aside from pillies.
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Cathaline
Lady Holder
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Post by Cathaline on May 17, 2012 23:03:00 GMT -5
Ambrith was lounging just inside his weyr, and he watched the whole maneuver with a certain grimness. While he and Halventh could have bonded over anxiety-riddled riders, Halventh's impatience left Ambrith full of disgust. Some people didn't think very long over the things they did. Ambrith overthought everything. It was truly the only way to live, safe and non-annoying. Despite occasional hiccups in their relationship, however, for the most part Ambrith had grown to consider the blue a friend.
It is Halventh and L'xon,[/i] he informed Day'ar before turning his attention to the blue. I am willing for you to enter.[/i] His eyes trailed after L'xon as the bluerider passed him. Tell your rider to brace himself.[/i]
It was too late. At the sound of a pillie-like thwap on the ground, there was a rustle from deep in the weyr, and a sleek canine appeared. Cecy threw herself at the rolling ball, immediately attempting to chew on it in affection. Being that this pillie was roughly the same size as Starfall and the same shade of grey, it did not occur to her at once that it might in fact not be Starfall. That realization only hit her puppy brain when Starfall herself scuttled over from the pool Day'ar had built her, trailing drops of water, to launch herself at the duo, hissing. In her mind, Lexy was trying to steal her puppy, and this must not occur; she forcibly separated them and trampled Lexy a little before settling down, allowing Cecy to climb on her with extraordinary patience.
Day'ar peeked warily out from his bedroom, watching this drama before turning his eyes to L'xon. "Hurry," he whispered. "In here. Don't let it follow you." With that, he vanished again.
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
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Post by Azhdarchid on May 22, 2012 15:07:32 GMT -5
Lexy took the non-survivalist response to the canine intervention in her route, uncurling and lying flat so Cecy could have a good gnaw at her backplates. She was not too concerned, as her armor was very tough. She might get a few scrabbly scratches on the very top, where the pup's affection was applied most vigorously, but that was just her price for being born, she supposed. She chittered a hello to Starfall as the other gray charged, then lay quietly while she was trounced in return. For some reason Starfall let the chewmonster clamber over her after that, and Lexy looked on curiously before turned her wedged, armored head toward the line of water Starfall had left in the wake of her materialization. Drm? She dabbled the tips of her feelers along the slick's surface.
Halventh, sauntering in now that he had been invited, canted his big head toward the pillie's rippling activity. After thinking it over for a moment, he picked her up with his jaws and flipped her into the homemade pool nearby. Drrrrrmdrmmdrmmmmm! The blue dragon roared in response to the insect's squeal, which cut off in a flatter drm when Lexy finally landed on her belly in the shallow pool. Halventh craned closer to inspect her. She was very still for a time, but eventually her legs protruded out from her wide, flattened shell and she bounced in the water a few times, bubbly ripples gushing out from beneath her body. Halventh growled in loud pleasure, then stepped away and sat down next to Ambrith's elegant recline.
The blue lifted his nose toward the ceiling, front paws starting to rise from the ground in his efforts to sniff at the rock. He got in a few good whuffs, vibrated with a single approving sneeze, then drooped back into his seat.
Brace yourself! he finally got around to informing L'xon, sharing the idea of the warning with Ambrith too, just to show that he was following the given instructions. Sort of. L'xon was only confused by the notion, as he had already started to follow Ambrith's rider to the weyr's inner quarters. The canine had not bothered him, and from its shagginess he could even guess its origins. Rennin had not told him anything about this; apparently that was where he stood with her. His features contorted as he passed into the bedroom, his frown not completely absolved by the time he lifted his face to Day'ar.
"The fuzzball?" he inquired, seeking clarification for the "it" the viridianweyrling had referred to. Though Starfall was fearsome, Day no longer referred to her in that manner, if he ever had. He liked pillies more than L'xon did. "I'm sure you'll warm up to it eventually." Halventh was at that moment giving the canine some thorough visual consideration, but he quickly picked up on its human-companion status and abandoned his interest. "The pets thing seems to work well for you." Better than the "people thing," anyway. L'xon smiled, brown eyes searching the room before he lowered his wherhide bag to the floor. He pulled out one of the newer apologies Day'ar had shipped to him. He was wearing others, sensible to the climate but not without royal embellishments. The jacket he had drawn was for deep winter, yet he had only received it a sevenday ago, during a cold patch in the Spring season.
He held out the jacket in front of him, looking over the fur-lined collar and cuffs. He was not about to inform Day'ar that he cared very little for fuzzy outfits, that fuzziness was a hallmark of the presents his wife used to make for him, and of things that she herself preferred to wear. The coat was still leagues ahead of anything he had ever been able to afford. As far as serving for an example, it would do. "I am too simple in origin to really distinguish the highest levels of excellence in Weaver wares," he qualified, to satisfy a brief darkness that invaded his stomach at the thought of being less than humble about the value of his opinions. "But I think you have a good eye. All these things you've passed along have been wonderful." L'xon paused, looking over the ruff of the coat at his friend.
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Cathaline
Lady Holder
cathct[M:50]
Posts: 3,279
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Post by Cathaline on May 22, 2012 15:29:15 GMT -5
Under ordinary circumstances, Starfall would have reacted to Lexy's presence in her private pool with feral outrage, but the most she did this time was offer a hiss of resentment. Ambrith watched the whole affair with no outward evidence of interest, still as a statue but for the swivel of his neck to watch Lexy's arc. He eyed Halventh briefly, then settled back into repose. Late,[/i] he allowed, but there was really no harm done, he supposed. This time. How are you?[/i]
If Rennin had failed to inform L'xon of Cecy's existence, it was likely because Day'ar more or less refused to admit that the pup was fast becoming a permanent fixture. She did not belong to him, but to Starfall, and any progress the boy had made toward becoming less of a terrified recluse had been rapidly undone now that venturing forth from his bedroom meant a run-in with Starfall's new pet. Wringing his hands, he said, "Cecy. I call her Cecy. Properly her name is more like - SsssSSSsss. She's not mine. I don't know what I ever did to deserve this." He paced back and forth in his small, cozy space. "The pillie thing works well for me. That little monster - I can't eat, I can't sleep. She won't go away. She's going to kill me. Starfall is training her. For a moment I thought I was free when Starfall nearly drowned her, but it turned out she just didn't understand that a puppy can't live in a lake, so I had to build that pool for them. Poor Serah barely gets to use it, of course, but at least Starfall is too busy to try to eat her anymore." He paused to give the green pillie a pat, and she preened and cooed at him from her position on the bed.
With the soap opera recap thus discharged, Day'ar fully turned to his friend, prepared to deal with whatever L'xon had brought him. His brow wrinkled at the sight of the jacket; he remembered buying that, of course, but what he didn't understand was why it was here. Really, it ought to be packed away now. Winter would return soon enough. "A good eye?" he asked with a bit of a blush. "I suppose - I mean, I don't really - it just seemed like something you would like. Goes with the mittens." Day'ar lifted his eyes to his friend's, his face anxious and open. "You do like it, don't you? You looked cold, and I know you don't have many jackets. Um, anymore." Which wasn't true. L'xon now had several.
Meanwhile, Why surfaced in the pool and meandered over to Lexy, bumping against her and rumbling to himself. He had a vague idea that she was new, and thus interesting.
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
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Post by Azhdarchid on May 22, 2012 22:11:15 GMT -5
Well, Lexy had an idea that Why was related to Starfall in some fashion, so she reacted accordingly. With a whine of defeat, she attempted to roll over and present her stomach for Why's stamping pleasure. As it turned out she was far too flat to complete the rollover by now, and after rocking way up on her side, she fell back prone with a little splash. Oh, so she couldn't even surrender properly. Typical. Drmdrm, she apologized to Why, gently bumping her head back against his.
Fantastic, Halventh clucked in reply to a far more sensible creature. He cocked his head this way and that, then brushed his paws over the stone floor, flinging rocky dust around his sides before he laid down with his forearms primly arranged before him. This is a very...lurky sort of place, isn't it? But I suppose it is better than the barracks. Halventh had actually seen the interior of this weyr before, through one misadventure or another, but he had since forgotten. Very low too. I mean of course it has to be low... His head tilted briefly toward the weyr's bedroom. But it's very ground-level, you know?
"I think Starfall would be very disappointed if her training went awry in such a manner." L'xon had given up providing any verbal resistance to Day'ar's fits of fancy. In fact it was somewhat entertaining to try and coaxe his own rigid mind into conjuring soothing answers that were still logical on Day's terms. Certainly such opportunities for creativity could not do him harm, though he had not always thought as much. "She seems too fierce a teacher to fail, and presumably she is only learning the pup on the killing of other people. She likes you." Or at least Day'ar didn't have any bits of him, or his boots.
L'xon's eyes narrowed slightly at the other weyrling's outfit assembly logic, but his smile remained. "I do. Before you, I had exactly one jacket of my own, and it did not fare the Winters well enough. I was lucky enough to have a cheap dye in one of my shirts, but over time it faded and I grew just a little too tall for it." He folded the jacket over one arm, considering the dark blue sleeve of his current tunic.
I have just had the most amazing idea. Halventh popped back up onto his feet as he spoke. This will be great. Watch this. Watch me. He trotted back outside, then pirouetted around and settled his neck back in a muscular S-curve. And so now, you come out- out here, in the sun, where everything is shiny. With a mantling of his wings, he shook himself and then bucked his head in Ambrith's direction to beckon the viridian. We can have a wing about the Weyr and you can tell me which one of these I should choose. We can bring L'xon! Oh, and... The hesitation was very brief. Halventh respected the viridian, and so did him the courtesy of generally keeping his tiny partner identified. And Day'ar. Yes. When they're done. Yesssss. He bugled.
"But that's enough, Day. Your generosity has overstayed, so I'm kicking you out." L'xon chuckled. "Please understand, it's out of gratitude. I rather like that you destroyed my room. Do you think you could stop now, for me, and not feel bad about it?" The blond inclined his head slightly to the viridianweyrling. "Or maybe controlling how you feel is asking too much. Sort of against the definition." He grinned, but quickly retracted the excess mirth back to a smile. "I think it's alright to stop apologizing, that's all."
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Cathaline
Lady Holder
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Post by Cathaline on Jun 16, 2012 18:13:59 GMT -5
The whole process of attempted surrender and apology was lost on Why. he was a simple-minded little brown, and he took the gentle headbutt as a sign that the newcomer wanted to play. He nudged her back and started for the other side of the pool in his winding way.
Far be it from Ambrith to deride Day'ar's choices - well, okay, he was very vocal with the boy when he thought things were wrong, but he did not usually speak to others about it, feeling it was none of their business. However, at Halventh's words, he did allow, It is far more natural to me to be higher up, but Day'ar prefers to be close to the infirmary, and the pillies must come and go. Were it not for the green one, I would have insisted on the other option.[/i] But where he would've been quite happy to lock Starfall out of their quarters by such a simple mechanism, Serah meant a great deal to Day'ar, annoying as she was. So here they were, lurky and all.
Really, Halventh's idea was unsurprising; it was how he went about it that set Ambrith's back up. He followed the blue's progress with eyes and neck, but he did not shift to remove himself into the sunlight. It would not be proper, and the preening young dragon earned himself a snort for his pose. I suppose this is an acceptable way to pass the time,[/i] he said. When their riders came to them, and not a moment before. Flying on their own would be frivolous.
Day'ar sighed at his friend's words. "I don't know what Starfall is teaching her," he said darkly. "I just know that one day, the time will come when I will seriously regret not tossing that thing off a cliff when I had the chance." Quite contrary to these predictions of her nature, Cecy was now running in a circle, yapping her head off as she tried to catch a vtol. Day'ar peeked anxiously out at her, but she didn't appear to be trying to squeeze into the bedroom.
His head snapped around at L'xon's words, and he regarded his friend with mounting dismay. "But I - I haven't even replaced the - " He flailed a hand desperately at L'xon. Truth be told, he'd discharged what guilt he'd felt long ago, but he'd then discovered that giving his friend things made him happy. Only wasn't it horribly selfish to make L'xon feel put upon just to satisfy his own desire to buy people stuff? Rennin wouldn't like being bought stuff. Maybe he could buy G'dan stuff. Yes. He would do that.
That still left him, however, with the painful knowledge that he had discomforted L'xon, and it was all he could do not to fall at the man's feet in distress. "But I'm sorry."
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
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Post by Azhdarchid on Jun 19, 2012 15:01:43 GMT -5
Rmmmmdr. Lexy raised her head out of the water to track Why's abandonment of her. Her antennae wriggled as she contemplated his behavior, then drooped down before she raised herself a hair's breadth off the ground and creeped after the brown, following his path exactly.
Halventh did not miss that Ambrith failed to agree with every aspect of his scheme. Well, he would just have to make the sunlight more enticing. He whistled at the lurking lunk, then swung himself around in a soundless circle-dance, wagging his hips and gyrating his wings at his sides.
So warm and wonderful, he pronounced the sunlight. Shocking and magical! He cracked his tail against the air like a cloudy blue whip. Ooh-ah so amazing! Halventh reared up and clawed the sky with his forepaws, roaring jubilation before he crashed back down on all-fours and looked sharply to Ambrith.
"I...um...." L'xon was getting pulled away from words he really should have been focusing on, thanks to his dragon's commotion. Through the crack in the door he could see Cecy spinning her way to happiness, and Halventh's feet doing much the same beyond. It was the accented apology that pulled him back to the reality of Day'ar with a blink, then a soft smile. "Your devotion means a lot. Do you think..." But he stopped, because he was accustomed to Day'ar finding a way to answer all questions in a manner that was negative and somehow Day'ar's own fault for being so.
But at the same time, the blueweyrling was not very good at escaping diplomacy for the greater good. "Some of the things, like some of the extra mirrors... I thought we-" He carefully dropped in the term so as to broadcast his intent without commanding it. "-could take them over to Western for the Autumn Gather. It's the last one before Turn's End, I think." L'xon raised up and waved his hands, bearing a faint resemblance both to his show-off dragon and to a bird trying to fly away. Why this was flustering him he couldn't figure. Day was definitely contagious. "We could trade them for stuff. We need stuff. Right?" He looked around Day'ar's weyr, then back at the viridianweyrling with a hopeful rise of his eyebrows. "You'll be a wingrider then so I think we could swing it with Catori. And Halventh will be a good flier by then, though I could just ride the ferry over if that's what she wants..." An offended squawk from the weyr entrance indicated that not all parties were on board with marching to whatever restrictions the Weyrlingmaster might place.
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