Chimera
Weyrling
chimct[M:-380]
:o
Posts: 592
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Post by Chimera on Mar 17, 2013 23:57:52 GMT -5
In the midst of her breakdown, Nora heard a warm voice. It was a dragon's voice, more specifically the voice of Weslieth, Candidatemaster Jasmine's dragon. His calmness spread quickly to Nora, though she was still far more than queasy. "D-don't care, I need ta -" The last of the vomit came out. "-Get out of the - the Sands for now...I'm so sorry for bre...aking the rules 'bout talking!" She ran to the edge of the Sands, breathing slowing down just a bit. Tears still streamed down her face. Nora had had her tantrums before, but never a panic attack like this! She kneeled, covering her face with her hands, trying to calm down. There was a hollowness in her.
Well, obviously after puking her guts out. She felt light now, and actually cleansed even. The thought that she still had a fighting chance at Impression, maybe, comforted Nora as she was taken away from the Sands. Now embarrassment was in her potpourri of emotions as well. She'd made a fool of herself, whether or not Nora could help it. This story would stick to her for Turns, if not the rest of her sharding life.
"Don't let this define who I am!" Nora stated halfheartedly to no one in particular.
She had gotten attention out of this at least. Even if it was...not that good.
Nora liked attention.
((Sorry for the shortpost! EDIT: Made it longer, sorry again for the inconveniences))
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
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Post by Azhdarchid on Mar 18, 2013 0:10:25 GMT -5
All the muscle draped down his spine danced as Wenth touched him, and Halventh bared his fangs, interrupting his hum with a brief, hissing croon. His head and neck dropped along the rim of the dragonsledge with a grunt, and his tailtips twitched to some silent drum.
Well of course not, he purred of the hatchling blue, convinced the newborn would never match him then not by any logical extrapolation of his present stature, but because Wenth thought so. Wenth kept looking back at him, and commenting in his favor, and soon Halventh could not keep his slouch and was pretty much forced to recline his head back in a serpent curve, resting his chin on the lower coil and puffing himself full of air to raise his chest from the rock. His starry chest...yes...
Then Wenth said L'xon's name instead of his, and the blue deflated a little as he wrestled with whether or not he still inherited the compliment. He decided he did, and swelled back up, but just as well: I have more than one hatchling, he announced. I have you know, at least...t...hree? The important part was that it was more than one squirmy little kid! He cocked his head toward Wenth, as if expecting to hear more on her own train of thought, but she did not say anything.
"I am sure Nimara can handle Waroth's reaction," L'xon said, perhaps not grasping the joke. He had recovered not only all of his weight, but most of the fledgling muscle he'd earned from his brief stint as a real dragonrider. The summer had been kind to him, and though he no longer kept his scribbled yellow beard to spite the winter's chill, his face was full, and his eyes clear. His hair was a mess but that had always been a given in the man. And his nose was still a stern statement in the middle of his face, scourged on the bridge by some old break. Lexen had a fairy's sharp nose, and beyond hair color showed little of his father's contribution. Who knew what the Turns would change, but if L'xon had anything to say about it, that nose would stay on course.
He dusted invisible dust from his pale left brow as Aylina made her imaginative suggestion. "I was not supposed to take him for anything. Not to the Weyr." He opened his mouth on something, then shut it out and said instead, "No. Not at all. I wouldn't use you like that. Besides, Eywren won't be able to get here. I don't think washwomen rate a dragon-ride." L'xon actually laughed. "I left a message with the Guard Captain at Western, so that when she comes to report him missing, he'll ease her fears at least. I will just deal with it when I bring him back."
Lexen drifted back to the bench and sat down in L'xon's lap again. L'xon rubbed his small arm. "It's worth it. I wanted him to see one of the non-scary ones." He grinned, his eyes on the pink oozing against her chosen. "Nothing better than a white's, except maybe Wenth's when she has them." The prophecy came absently as a report on the weather. "Pinks are all sweet. Like tans, only pinks are incapable of sleeping." He blinked a little of the excess Halventh out of his head, and continued, "They told us the first iron came from a white, and that was after she'd been Flown by just a brown." The last egg hatched, not an iron, but another giant. Lexen giggled, but L'xon's enthusiasm dwindled. "Oh." He glanced around the Stands. "This is a rare occasion. I wonder how many representatives from the other Weyrs are here." The corner of his lip wrinkled; he was biting it again.
"Ewwwww...that lady spit up," Lexen observed from quite a different page. "Mum said that you had to wear a towel on your shoulder a lot because I spit up."
L'xon cringed.
***
"What are you talking about?" Q'sis snapped, his face a mask of disappointment from the child's first word, so that no one point could be taken as its source. He looked out at the red wher, his lips tightening back from his teeth. Then he bent forward so far he and Shino were within a dream of being eye-to-eye. His were green like dark olives, but the pupils constricted in their centers, and the lids open wide but the space beneath tinged with some chronic weariness. His dark hair hung forward against his cheeks, melding with his beard in the shadows.
And against his own forecast of anger, the tanrider smiled. "Did no one tell you that your mother killed her own sisters? That she tore open your new sister's best friend, foolish as she was to have such a weak person in her life? And now Damali lets an innocent mingle with the sort of beast that I have heard, only just recently, cannot be controlled at all when she's at brood. Sounds like foul Hatching conduct to me." He sat back, teeth gnashing at a grin. "Good thing I'm not an insidious person who would intrude on other people's affairs like that." Q'sis, for all his other charms, did have a very loud, clear, and warm laugh: he exercised it now, while his eyes narrowed at Shino. "Go to your murderous mother then. I'm sure that's fair, that because she is kind to you, you believe she is worthwhile to hold right here." He tapped his heart. "
He crossed his leg, holding out his arm to take up another glass of wine that had been brought to him. The offerer had come some time ago, but held back on the realization that Q'sis was...occupied, with the girl. The lad left with a pale face. Q'sis turned his eyes pointedly to the Hatching proper. Just in time to see Nora's failure. "Seems the Candidatemasters have improved greatly since their last endeavor." The pink and the black caught a little more of his interest, but the only conclusion was a sigh.
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Nia
Sr. Weyrwoman
niact[M:-790]
Posts: 991
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Post by Nia on Mar 18, 2013 0:17:58 GMT -5
Alarm bells began to sound in Avalle's head after the very large Green with a nasty temper decided to step on that one girl's toes. Avalle gave a sigh, although it did prove something. No matter how much the Candidatemasters tried to warn the Candidates about speaking out, or moving, or doing anything sudden to upset the dragons, that there would still be Candidates who disobeyed. Avalle was certain they had gone over this in the last lesson. At least it proved that the problem was in the Candidates themselves, and not the Candidatemasters. That was a comforting thought. Well, it shouldn't have been, considering how it meant that the Candidates would be forever misbehaving....
She felt herself tense more when the girl nearby the one who had been mauled began to freak out and even vomit all over the Sands. Avalle felt her own panic rise. Relax, Callistath said in her own calming way, though it was more stern than anything, They have it covered, [/i] the Gold continued, sending an image of Yuri to Avalle's mind, as if the Weyrwoman herself couldn't see it. Still, she felt herself relax somewhat. They were on top of it, and she didn't have to get involved herself. It wasn't like last time. I know, thanks, she muttered inside their shared mind, with the word "thanks" as a barely understandable thought. Callistath was somewhat amused by it, but didn't really comment. They watched the Hatching continue to unfold, and Avalle mostly just wished it was over. A Candidate freaking out wasn't entirely out of the norm, she was just nervous about anything due to the past disaster. She gave a sigh and leaned forward on her hands again, eyeing the dragonets with curiosity and aprehension. What did it mean, those dragons being so large? That sharding Pink was the size of a small sub-king! She supposed it didn't really matter, not to the dragons themselves, at least. They seemed healthy, and it wasn't like they were going to be as big as the Golds or Coppers. Dalibor could handle a giant hot-pink dragon. What was the worst that could happen? ---- The dragonets were kind of scary, in a way. Joni wasn't scared, because she wasn't scared of anything. But she guessed she could see why one of the girls nearby was kind of freaking out. Joni herself really didn't know what to do when Nora began to hyperventilate, and it almost seemed like a contagious thing for a second. Joni felt her heart rate increase as she watched, in what felt like slow motion, Nora lean over and puke her guts out all over the Sands. Gross.... she thought, and had the quick decency to not say it outloud. That was probably the last thing this girl wanted to hear. She didn't really know what to do, so Joni just sort of pretended it didn't happen. She kept her eyes forward and her mouth shut, as they'd so lovingly been taught, though she stole glances towards the girl every now and again. She was part of Joni's firelizard team, so she felt kind of bad for the poor girl, whose name she finally remembered was Nora. She shifted awkwardly and looked around, hoping maybe someone else would come by so she wouldn't have to offer Nora words of comfort, because she was so terrible at it. She knew she'd just end up making it worse. So instead she just looked around awkwardly until one of the Candidatemasters, the one with the Weyr and the only guy so it was easy to remember who it was, came by to gently take the girl away. That must be kind of sad, she thought. Being taken off the Sands like that before Impressing. But maybe she still had a chance! Dalibor had a lot of Stands Impressions before, Joni was pretty sure. As the Candidatemaster left she turned her eyes forward back to the sparkly dragons. A Green (maybe) and a Black. Two dragonets left for a bunch of Candidates. Joni didn't want to calculate the math in her head, because her odds were very small. But they were still odds, and she wasn't going to give up hope. Not yet, at least. Not until the battle had been won! Or lost. She would have pumped her fist into the air to give herself motivation, but she refrained from doing it. Probably not a good idea, all things considered. So she just fist-pumped herself in her mind and watched the two remaining dragonets, her heart pounding so hard she felt like it was going to explode out of her chest.[/blockquote][/size]
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Maggie
Pridesecond
magct[M:-95]
Posts: 555
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Post by Maggie on Mar 18, 2013 8:39:43 GMT -5
G'lin laughed and playfully grabbed D'nari into a friendly, jubilant hug. "I know! I can't believe it, even if I can believe it because it feels so right and perfect and beautiful..." He turned again towards anablimyth who was giving him a long-suffering look. He reached out to scratch the blue's eyeridges and give him more meat. The blue was slowing down, although he was still staring at food with interest, trying to capture the perfect image.
"I'm named for both my moms, I'll have you know," he laughed at D'nari. "Talin and W'lin. Seems like my father has a type: small, angry and two-syllable name ending in 'lin'. So that way I always feel surrounded." He paused. "I have to bring Ana to meet Gennesk and Chyu. Do you think Chyu is too scary for him? He's so tiny."
Yes, things will look very beautiful, under the dawn light, Anablimyth agreed with his sister. We will join you, it will be interesting. He was starting to feel tired and followed his sister,s example, crawling into his rider's lap and curling up to nap a bit.
He looked up as he heard a strange voice talk to him. He placed K'var fairly quickly. The smile was telling and he knew that Varkyr's father was a bluerider, so the knots almost confirmed his suspicion. "Yes sir, a blue and a cyan! This is Anablimyth. He sparkles on the inside," he felt it was important to add in defense of the only matte dragonet of the clutch. You're Varkyr's father, aren't you? I hope he Impresses this clutch, he's a good friend." At the mention of the word friend, Anablimyth looked up in interest. "My father's over there in the stands." He motioned to where he could see Genner staring and waved, feeling a little shy and worried that Genner hadn't come to talk to him yet.. Still, he could see no anger or disappointment on his father's face and he seemed to be celebrating, so that was probably good.
He glanced at K'var again, concerned. "Do you think that I can bring Ana to meet Gennesk and Chyurath? Chyu's kind of big and terrifying. And Gennesk... Well he's a wher." He stroked Ana's head gently. The blue lifted his head, leaning his chin on his rider's shoulder and dozing off in what looked like a very uncomfortable position.
He grinned as he saw that the huge pink had Impressed. They would be a very, very interesting class. He barely noticed Nora, still too caught up in the joy that was the blue cuddled inhis lap.
**
Kaydian however, was very aware of Nora and her nerves. He shivered a bit, trying to control himself. The hatching was going well. It was orderly. Very orderly, he told himself. And there was a huge Pretty. Well, a dragon, not a flitt, but still. He concentrated on that. He even smiled a little when she Impressed, even though he was highly alarmed at her rushing towards the boys. She seemed to be a little like pretty, wanting to take care of things and sweet... No hatchlings were injuring people, so that was good. He took a deep breath, starting to count the egg shell fragments to give his mind something to concentrate on other than his own nerves. He could hear Pretty's pleased Trilling as the huge pink Impressed and her soft creeling. he was going to be ok. He was surrounded by dragons. No one was going to yell at him if he just stayed very, very still and didn't call attention to himself. That would work. He continued counting egg fragments, trying very hard to make himself as small as possible.
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Chimera
Weyrling
chimct[M:-380]
:o
Posts: 592
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Post by Chimera on Mar 18, 2013 10:50:51 GMT -5
Nora put her hand gently on the wher's head to calm down as she went away from the Sands, getting farther away from the trills and gurgles and curious croons of the dragonets and flitters that were there. She couldn't really speak straight without incoherent blubbering. She listened to the sturdy wherhandler, Yuri, and tried to follow his lead as she sat down on the stool. It felt much nicer, especially in her warm layers of clothes underneath the white robes, to be out of the hot sands. She put her red face down on her knees, breathing still shaky. One, two, three... Nora started to be a little calmer. "S-sorry, I broke rules..." She could kind of speak now. Kind of. "..Can I s-still...Impress?"
She was desperately hoping yes once she calmed down, but what if she wouldn't be able to Stand because of this? "N-never happened...before..." She put her face in her palms and sighed. What had triggered it? Nora couldn't even remember. She didn't really want to...Luckily the calm from Yusk and her handler spread to Nora. "Thanks for...n-not kicking me out. I m-must have ruined the hatching." She began a short burst of sobs that ended as quickly as it started.
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Chek
Weyrlingmaster
chekct[M:-15]
I'm so magical I vomit rainbows
Posts: 1,091
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Post by Chek on Mar 18, 2013 13:35:14 GMT -5
Seconds after Q’sis had sat back after his verbal assault on Shino, Damali surfaced over the edge of the barrier between Sands and Stands, mouth a thin line of displeasure, “I hardly think you’re one to be commenting on foul hatching practices, Q’sis. And this may come as a surprise, but some whers and dragons mature and change as they age; not everyone renders their bondmate little more than a glorified handpuppet. Shino, this hatching is almost over, you can come down to me and Damask now.”
She held out an arm to lift her fosterling down, “And Q’sis, you’re lucky that Damask, is, in fact, very easy for me to control. You would not have liked it if I’d let her come over in my stead – you are harassing one of her eggs, after all. Puppeting your dragon or not, she’s quite convinced she could kill you before you got Unath’s mouth on her.” Damask was, in fact, on her feet, eyes blazing visibly crimson behind her goggles and growling loud enough to hear over the resonating hum of the dragons still fully engaged by the hatching, mouthful of jagged teeth fully exposed.
With little prodding, she passed along a message, Kalesk and Kalesk’s. Man near egg, harass. Remove before kill. Please. Yes, Damask was the very image of self-restraint – for a red.
* * *
When the big pink started for the girls with such enthusiasm, Millinmir thought that was it; he’d keep an eye out for her Impression – he wasn’t joking about going and talking with whoever Impressed her – he instead turned his attention to the greenish and the last egg. The greenish one which was expressing her displeasure with one of the talkative Candidates – ouch.
Well, they were warned…
He missed seeing the pink run straight over her sister as she turned towards the boys, distracted as he was by the dramatic hatching of the final egg – the black made him squinch down his brow in thought. Ticking the colors off on one hand as he thoughtfully mouthed them, he glanced down at his fingers to confirm; huh, a full set of fighter colors. A winning hand in a couple newer card games. Neat! What was that squealing sound?
That squealing sound was the pink, winding her way through the boys in order to bump her head into his chest. She didn’t even have to try, she was so tall. KJASDKASJD I FOUND YOU. I DID IT. OHH MI'MIR MY FEELS. I CAN'T EVEN. O-oh! I am so happy! You give me so many feels. Oh. Ohhh like hungry feels. Mi'mir! Oh, I'm Kinnisoth. I love you! Wow!
Oh. Ooooooh. His hands dropped to her jaw and neck automatically as he choked up, realizing what was happening, “I’m having some pretty serious feels myself right now, Kinnisoth you lovely thing you.” The sensation of her very enthusiastic mind slotting into his own was a little overwhelming – but at the same time it felt like coming home, like a puzzle piece that he hadn’t noticed missing was suddenly in place, though in this case it was more…he was a puzzle, and she was a puzzle, and he’d never realized that the two puzzles were one giant puzzle and wow this simile was getting away from him, wasn’t it?
I think it was perfect! Those are EXACTLY what my feels are like except for the hunger ones but those can be quiet right now! You are so gooooood at this we are so perfect. We are the perfect pairing and I knew it when I saw you and I HAD TO MAKE IT TRUE and now you and I are my first true pairing, the only one so far but the bessssst! Ooooh! I CAN’T EVEN WORDS! here her mental voice broke off and she began with the incoherent squealing again, Millin…Mi’mir now, riding the waves of her enthusiasm with a smile.
“Let’s handle that hunger thing before you get too carried away, darlin’,” Gently, he caught her by the back of the head and tugged forward; obediently, she bounced forward and Mi’mir took a moment to shoot Raxeris a bemused, exalted look – which Kinnisoth caught and squealed over, Oooooh! Are you a pairing toooo? All this is amazing!
“Uhh, no, we’re just friends. He’s…helping me. With a thing.” He shrugged and prompted her to move again, heading towards her Impressed siblings and their new Weyrlingmaster.
That had her pausing for a moment, Mi’mir witness to the concept rolling over in her mind, … people pair up in multiple ways?
“Well…technically yes?”
YOU MUST EXPLAIN ALL THE WAYS TO ME. I WILL USE THEM ALL. IT WILL BE GLORIOUS! She pranced around him in a circle before darting forward again; Mi’mir trotting along in her wake. Once over by his new classmates, Mi’mir was able to calm his lady a little bit, enough to feed chunks of meat into her hungry maw between her comments.
He missed Nora’s incident out on the sands, but caught the back end of Candidatemaster Yuri escorting her off them; he frowned a little, concerned, and Kinnisoth had her own comments, Ooooh, look how gentle he’s being! I will have to rearrange my pairing chart to accommodate this new development!
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Reky
Alphahandler
rekyct[M:-999]
SO PRO
Posts: 1,554
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Post by Reky on Mar 18, 2013 16:31:09 GMT -5
Nora's anxiety, beyond the mess and her subsequent withdrawal, also brought about the turning of the black. He felt the panic in the mass of minds he was listening into. Intrigued, he finally got to his feet and stepped out of his shell, waving his eggwet wings to dry them. His sparkling head lifted and he watched from afar as Nora was lead away by Yuri. The crests of his eyeridges caught the waning light as he tilted his head to the side. It interested him. The vomit, the worry that soon swelled from Nora's mind, the reactions of those around her. It was a darker side of things. He liked that.
The green, in contrast, was made childishly disgusted by it. She narrowed her eyes and backed away further. Sand stuck to her claws where Astrielle's blood from the puncture wounds was still wet. Her black brother, who stood a little shorter but sturdier than she, had padded calmly up to her side. He gave her a knowing sort of look - he was smart and wise, but took no excess pride in it. His brain would not make him a slave to the system, he decided - whatever that meant. The green, though, caught his eye.
Surprisingly, she was not unkind to him. She had no quarrel with him at all. Granted, it could come on quickly - she was sensitive and with the great ability to turn any stray movement into insult - but the black had done nothing so far to bother her. She was pleased to have a seemingly sensible clutchmate. Her back was turned to the male candidates, though, and as she remembered that, she developed a slight irritation against the black. He was a male, too - the oppressive gender, stealing all the Impressions so far. She wrinkled her nose and nodded at the female candidates sternly. It was a little passive aggressive; a warning to pick a girl, or so help him. The green herself picked up on something satisfactory in the girls, though, and raised her head. She snorted to the black and left.
As she approached the line of girls, now missing one of its previous members, she felt herself swelling with pride at the imminence of her Impression. Someone had liked her judicial actions. The green had been quite pleased with her lenient yet damaging treatment of Astrielle. The girl had needed to learn. Somewhere, in the sort of nebulous conglomerate blob of candidate consciousnesses she was sifting through, someone agreed with her. Someone believed in education. Someone believed in justice. Brimming with confidence, the green singled out the mind she wanted to forever be loyal to.
Hiolair, the dragonet said. A multitude of colors washed gaily through her eyes. I am Kemarahath, and I am a green dragon, though I prefer that color be disregarded entirely. Finally, someone with sense and compassion! With a smug calmness that greatly contrasted her moody entrance into the world, she craned her neck up and rested her chin on Hiolair's shoulder. I like what you did with your robes. I am very body positive and pro-freedom. Do not ever confine your legs within dated social standards, Mine. We'll get rid of all these bigots. Later, though. Might I be fed?
Green Kemarahath, Impressed to Hiolair
Catchphrase "check your privilege." Kemarahath hates anything unfair and discriminatory, and firmly believes in "equality" in the way that those with power lose it and those without gain it, which... is not really equality at all. Her trains of thought are flawed often, but she means well, at least. Her venom easily gets the best of her, though, and she has the innate talent of interpreting most anything as an insult to either her or Hiolair. She is very sensitive and, like her cyan sister, quite a hypocrite at times.
Other than her social justice crusading, though, Kemarahath is incredibly loyal. She sees herself as a prime example of a dragon and Hiolair as a prime example of a woman. Kemarahath's sympathy for the underprivileged and her overall fitness enforce this notion; her being a walking contradiction does not. Her temper will lead her to even bicker with Hiolair, but at the end of the day, she will stand by and support Hiolair in all of her endeavors.
Kemarahath will grow to be 41 feet long... eek! That's subqueen size.
The black, for a while, stared at the boys for some time, considering them, but in the end he turned and slunk over to the girls. Part of him wanted to pick a boy just to be a rebel and spite Kemarahath, but as much as he wished he was that dedicated to being bad, he really wasn't. None of the boys felt like a right fit to him. Maybe, he thought, none of the girls would, either. That would suck. He probably wouldn't find a lifemate, now that he thought about it. It would be good character development. He would be depressed and so would the candidates, and it would end in him living a life of loneliness and heartfelt emotion. A darker life, he thought. That would be his ideal. He had and loved the aesthetic; now he just needed the reputation.
But, again, he wasn't that dedicated. Glumly, he skulked past each of the girls, taking his time. He even reached his mind out to Nora, but she was almost too fragile for him. He finally caught on to something, though, and stopped pacing to listen. A disdain for the stupidity of the other candidates... A bit of arrogance... Rebellion. Someone moving; scuffing the sand with their sandals. Imperfection. The dark horse of the family ducked his glittering head, hoping to hide most of the bright rainbow that rushed into his faceted eyes.
My Valentine, Drocheath Impressed. My dark Valentine. Let's get out of here.
Black Drocheath, Impressed to Valentine
Drocheath is the dark horse of his family, quite literally. He is gloomy, pessimistic, and into all sorts of bad stuff like the color black and being a rebel. Not that he really knows how to be a rebel. He likes the idea of it, but the conviction is definitely beyond him. He's a poser through and through, and as much as he adores the image and lifestyle of being rebellious and anti-authority, he's actually a very kind, smart, and obedient dragon. If he had his way, Valentine will be the only one who knows this - and she'll help him uphold his reputation as a badass.
The obsession with death and despair is all a show. When talking to others, he'll play the delinquent - "Yeah, I totally skipped wing drills. There's no time in life for military conformity. Live young, die young." - and try to influence others to break rules and convert to his grunge lifestyle. He's just plain obsessed, but even so, he's a good friend, if a bit of a weird one.
Drocheath will grow to be 36 feet long, a little bigger than a large blue.
With minimal blood and sickness, the white-genetics mutants had all Impressed and were soon to be christened the Sparkstarters weyrling class. Perhaps for the first time in her life, Jarith was so happy that she was speechless - but as soon as she regained full control of her ecstatic mind, she'd never leave her precious Sparkles alone. [/blockquote]
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Ruin
Wingrider
ruinct[M:-786]
We build the worlds we wouldn't mind living in
Posts: 1,137
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Post by Ruin on Mar 18, 2013 18:16:13 GMT -5
"Wha-" Hiolair began to answer, quite aloud to herself and the others, until her curious eyes landed, or rather were swallowed, in the rainbow hued facets of the large green dragon. Her dragon. Kemarahath. "Well aren't ye jus' the prettiest green beastie I ever did see," the red-head cooed, capturing the delicate wedge-shaped head of her quite-large bonded. "Jess a beautiful girlie. Now I knew ye'd-" but before she could finish, the dragon pulled her head easily from between the pale-skinned hands of her human and leveled quite a burning gaze on her, oranges fighting to drown out the other rainbow hues, though mostly failing to do so.
Hiolair, you need to check your privileges. Though I was born into a beautiful feminine body of colour, you must not simply assume that I am cisgendered. These things take time, and I fully expect that you will be understanding and supportive, because I would not have deigned to choose a bigot "Well," Hio answered, somewhat apprehensively as she looked around, wondering if anyone else could hear the strange things her dragon was saying. As it did not appear so, the girl forged on bravely into unknown territory. "Well, whatever'in 'tis ye choose t'be, it'll be amazin', canna we git ye food now?"
The green dragon sniffed through her drying nares, the edges of which Hio could see were becoming quite crisp from delayed oiling, considering the words of the girl in front of her. For a moment, Hiolair wondered if the dragon was reconsidering her Impression, especially when the dragon twisted her head around to look back at the other girls, but those worries were laid aside when Kemarahath spoke yet again. Ah, he chose a girl, very good; the boys have been handed enough on account of their privileged gender. We will change that, Hiolair, you and I. We will show them that a dangling bit of flesh, does not a fine addition to society make
"Yeah," Hio replied, her eyes sliding across the distant Black and his chosen girl before she turned on her heels to follow behind her own dragon who had finally decided to move on. "Oh but ye'll need t'come an' meet Regulus, I mean my runner!" Did you know that the human messengers who carry letters far and wide were named after the beasts because they do much the same job, but require a heftier fee? The oppressive nature of their work paired with the derogatory origin of their name is prime example of the bigotry that runs rampant here, I forbid you from using that term. Besides, will you begin calling me 'dragon' because that is what I am? Call your subjugated creature by his name, and the humans by their own. You must learn quickly, Hiolair, if we are to be an example for all [/i] The girl watched the sparkles that danced down her dragon's neck as they left the warmth of the sands for the cold grasp of the wintery outdoors. Kemarahath seemed oblivious to the change in temperature, but Hio tucked her shoulders up tight to her ears, cowering beneath her mop of coppery coils. I'm almost certain the males of our class will attempt to choose the choicest spots, and the choicest buckets of meat, and if they don't, then the males who cut the meat and bring the buckets will do their best to give the best portions to the males, so we must prevent this. We of the female persuasion, whether we all embrace that binary gender label or not, are much larger, with exception for the one following us. He chose a female, though, so he might be exempt if he isn't a bigot Hio nodded idly to the Green, and made sure to accept a bucket from one of the female attendants, just to prevent a fight at this tenuous juncture. Perhaps Kemarahath would relax after a good nights rest! "D'ye wanna sit wit' em?" The dragon tilted her head back, neck twisting as she turned one faceted eye on her human before the motion followed through until she was looking over her own shoulder at her classmates. With a dismissive wrinkle of her nose, she sat down with an audible thud right where she stood, in the center of the area, no nearer nor farther from any one of her siblings. Save perhaps the last to join them. There will be time later, to find their bearings, for now I would rather enjoy my meal without their particularities spoiling my appetite. I saw that you received this from a human female, I wonder if the males have put them to work so they can go and begin the feast early. We will speak to them, perhaps we can convince them that their deft hands deserve better work than their oppressive male counterparts allow them. Also, learn to speak to me in your head, Hiolair. I can hear you as well as you can hear me, and we can keep our confidences in one anotherRight, the girl replied simply, sitting down next to the large hatchling and offering up a thick chunk of meat. Kemarahath eyed the bleeding muscle speculatively, probably judging it for its merit or making sure it hadn't been sabotaged by the men, Hio figured, before she accepted it daintily from her girl's hand and began eating. So, is it all men you hate? The Green seemed to choke on the meat momentarily, coughing around it before her tongue was able to sort it out in her throat and send it on its way. Hiolair was treated to a long gaze that went unbroken, even as the dragon accepted every piece of meat offered to her. As it went on, the girl felt the odd double-feeling of hunger in her stomach lessen, and while her dragon seemed quite intelligent enough not to stuff herself, she tried to remember that a baby was a baby, and she must not let her overfeed. Men are bigots. Oppressive, aggressive, and entitled. There are some that are capable of breaking their gender's stereotype, but those will be few and far between. When we find men like that, I will let you know how I feel about them. We will keep our eyes on my dark brother, he is much like me, overlooked because of the colour of our hide. In that way, we may be true siblings. If he can check his privileges Hiolair nodded, still somewhat perplexed, but willing to work with her dragon on this. It hadn't even been a full 'mark yet! Luckily, the green dragon was distracted again by yet another attendant, who had come to offer the red-head a pot of oil. Again, they were lucky in that it was a woman, Hio wasn't even sure if Kemarahath would allow oil touched by a man to touch her...she supposed they'd have to find out later? Do not forget the hatchling said solemnly as Hiolair began oiling her closest shoulder, answering her as if she could read her mind. Which, the girl figured, she probably could. Gender is not binary, and neither is hate. Anyone is capable of bigotry. It is our duty to bring justice to those who are oppressed, and set those who are wrong, on the right path Hiolair gave the Green...er...dragon...er...Kemarahath a brave smile, her cheery nature already starting to snake its way through the shock of Impression, and the confusion at her dragon's nature. We'll show'em anny'thin ye want darl...Kemarahath. She had seen the peculiar roil of her dragon's facets at the endearing term as she had begun to say it, and so had bolted right away from that to avoid the confrontation entirely. The dragon regarded her for a moment longer, but seemed suddenly to relax under the careful ministrations of her chosen human, and again she curved her neck to rest her jaw along Hio's shoulder, and continued to crunch merrily away at her meat.[/size][/blockquote]
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Cathaline
Lady Holder
cathct[M:50]
Posts: 3,279
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Post by Cathaline on Mar 18, 2013 22:44:57 GMT -5
After the first three dragonets selected boys, it seemed only fitting the remaining two would head for the girls. The green seemed to know what she wanted, far more than the black, and Valentine watched him as he skulked down the line. So he wanted a woman too, did he? Or maybe he'd find all of them wanting and head for the boys, or the stands. Shards, wouldn't that suck, to stand and wait only to be passed over for someone who had never even been searched?
The toe of her boot drew a little wave in the sand, and the huge black paused before her, his head down. But Valentine didn't need to see his whirling eyes to know, as a certain...glum satisfaction...flooded into her mind. How was she supposed to describe that to anyone else, the dark cynicism combined with a soft joy at having found her? My Valentine. My dark Valentine. Let's get out of here.[/i]
It was probably inappropriate, but she couldn't repress a giggle at his sonorous mental tone, and it got worse when he jerked his head up to give her a rainbow-eyed glower. She was apparently throwing off his groove, and people were going to think he wasn't adequately rebellious. "Oh, you," she said, as if she'd known him forever; maybe in a way, she had, and she bent down to wrap her arm around his neck and press a kiss to his sparkly face.
The pit of my soul aches for food,[/i] Drocheath tried, but he was definitely not a poet, because it just made her laugh again. Really, though, he could listen to her laugh all day. It was just that people weren't going to take him seriously! It was hard enough being a rebel in this world. His hide and his size would make him stand out forever, and he must be a beacon...an...anti-beacon...of change, and, like, truth and stuff.
Truth be told, most of that would probably be left to Kemarahath, because as wicked as Drocheath wanted to be, Valentine was very solidly in the role of his conscience. Oh, you, indeed. Not that he didn't have a natural conscience, but his feelings of obedience didn't giggle up a storm at his own dire pronouncements. Ah, well. Valentine wasn't conformist, so that was good. That was all he really wanted, to have choices and not be locked into any one way of being just because of the way things were supposed to be.
They arrived at the feeding pen, and Valentine fetched him a bucket and started to feed him as Drocheath eyed his siblings. Somehow he managed to give the impression, through creative neck bending, that he was examining the world from under a thick mass of hair, despite having not a single strand on his shining head.
---
Jazz applauded as the final dragonet Impressed, and rose from her seat to head down to the sands. With the exception of Nora, still under Yuri's care, she addressed the disappointed Candidates. "Well, it didn't work out for you this time. Don't think that means you're worthless; there weren't many opportunities to Impress, and some people wait for turns and turns before it happens for them. Hopefully our next hatching will be much larger. Head back to the barracks to change, drop your robes in the laundry; there will be a feast in the dining hall, though you're not required to attend. You're excused from chores tomorrow. Take a day off to reflect, and Nimara, Yuri, and myself are always available if you need to talk."
At least there hadn't been any significant bloodshed. A good hatching, all things considered, and Weslieth told Jarith, I like that they sparkle! They're going to do such great things.[/i]
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RavenSong
Jr. Weyrleader
songct[M:-364]
Posts: 710
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Post by RavenSong on Mar 18, 2013 23:10:53 GMT -5
Seph continued to stand there, silent and calm, his mind blank. Everything happening around him was registering subconsciously, but he was doing his absolute best not to think about it despite how interesting it was. He'd spare a few compassionate thoughts for Nora after the Hatching, maybe even personally see if she was okay. The Green and Black passed him, leaving him Standing once more. Once he was sure they'd Impressed, he sighed deeply and relaxed. For once his sad expression wasn't just the way his face was constructed. With a few congratulations to the ones who Impressed, Seph headed back to the Candidates' Barracks and thence to the feast.
---
K'var grinned at both D'nari and G'lin.
"Sparkles on the inside, does he? That sounds wonderful. Blue Anablimyth... I'll remember that name. Yes, yes I am Varkyr's father. I hope he Impresses, too. He's a good young man. I'm glad his mother raised him as well as she did. Aaaah... probably not wise just yet to introduce Anablimyth to Gennesk or Chyurath. Wait a sevenday or so, the first few days spent with your dragon are ones for bonding. I won't prevent your parents, if they're here, from meeting your new life partner." He looked back to D'nari, smiling that warm, dumb grin of his. He'd delayed answering D'nari's question to think.
"As for young Enciath here... no, I can't say I've ever heard of that. I'm sure in some Weyr at some time, there was a dragon like her, but who knows? Did she eat her fill when you offered it to her? Or did her disgust outweigh her hunger? Dragonets need to eat meat. If she refuses it, you may have to force the issue. Argotath can probably help out. Don't worry. We'll make sure she doesn't suffer any ill effects."
He smiled at Mi'mir as he approached with his large pink.
"Welcome! What's your new name? And who's this precious girl?" he asked, looking quite happy. He waited to learn who Mi'mir and Kinnisoth were before looking out at the Sands. Neither the Green nor the Black had chosen his son. He gave Varkyr a sad smile, making a mental note to give him an encouraging speech later. Hiolair's approach with her over-large green was met with K'var's trademark grin.
"Hello there! Welcome, welcome. You're... Hiolair, yes? And who's this lovely dragonet? Argotath's told me she's a Green, and what a magnificent Green she is." He nodded to the attendants who helped with the meat and oil, smiling praise to Hiolair as she started oiling Kemarahath. Out of respect, he hadn't touched a single dragonet. He gave Kemarahath a bow, then looked toward Drocheath and Valentine as they too came to get meat.
"And welcome to you as well! You're... Valentine, right Miss? And who's your handsome partner here? Such a stunning specimen of a Black," K'var said cheerfully. "Welcome, all five of you, the Sparkstarters weyrling class! I'm Weyrlingmaster K'var, and I'll be teaching you over the next few seasons. We'll get you settled in within the Weyrlings' Barracks, then we'll see about getting the five of you fed. Congratulations, Sparkstarters. I hope I get to say that many, many more times before you graduate. Argotath will introduce himself to you and yours tomorrow, at our first lesson. For now, though, let's get the ten of you to the Barracks so your dragonets can sleep. They'll be doing a lot of that at first... eating, sleeping... you know, normal infant stuff." K'var smiled, then turned to lead the way.
---
Up in the Stands, Naras stood up. Well that was interesting. Giant Greens and Pinks, tiny Blues and Cyans, a big Black... he was so sure that one of the bigger eggs had contained a Viridian or maybe even a Brown. He mentally filed away all the information for his use later as he meandered closer to where Damask was with her eggs. Whers were a lot more interesting. He focused on the eggs, ignoring the people, wondering just what they held. He decided he'd have to find out at Damask's Hatching, whenever that was. Perhaps he could peek in on the Sands from time to time in the evenings... the wisdom of that had yet to be seen.
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Maggie
Pridesecond
magct[M:-95]
Posts: 555
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Post by Maggie on Mar 19, 2013 0:49:38 GMT -5
"Thank you. I'll wait, then. My father and his... weyrmate will probably come and meet him, but I won't introduce Ana to their lifemates just yet." Gennesk would be disappointed, but G'lin felt that the ugly brown would understand.
"Sparkstarters?" G'lin asked under his breath to D'nari. "I bet two bubbly pies that we'll be known as the Sparkle-starters before long." The words were said with a grin, though. He was proud that Ana was one of Jarith's shiny little babies, even if he sparkled on the inside. He was just fabulous. He was also already starting to doze off, having eaten his fill. G'lin's mind was filled with odd, yellowed images of people Ana had seen in the stands. He wasn't too sure why Anablimyth had focused on those, but they had struck him.
Because they look fabulous of course. We will have to change your wardrobe as soon as I wake up. I am putting together looks for you, a sleepy voice informed him. G'lin laughed. He was still clutching the egg shard Ana had given him. Even if he didn't quite get his dragon's urge to collect and curate, he thought that the shard was beautiful. And significant. It had housed his beloved dragon, after all.
***
Movement down in the far end of the stands caught Genner's attention. He frowned and without explaining himself to W'lin made his way over to where Damali was facing Q'sis. "Can I assist you, Betahandler?" He asked, his tone respectful, but cold as he cast a disdainful glance at the rider who was upsetting Damask. He hd thought the riders here had some respect, but apparently not all did and that he chose such a festive occasion to spew vitriol did nothing to make the already antisocial pridesecond like him. He assumed, of course,mthat Damali did have others helping her, but a show of handler solidarity couldn't hurt.
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princesal
Wingrider
salct[M:-100]
Poliwogging it up!
Posts: 429
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Post by princesal on Mar 19, 2013 7:45:27 GMT -5
Shaking his head, though for a moment touching his nose, before dropping his hand to run it over Enciath's sparkling hide. "She ate everything... but..." But he had never heard of a dragon being so disgusted by it, he had felt the revulsion himself, and it had him not wanting to be near the bucket of meat. "She ate until she was full." And by the lack of blood on his fingertips, had also made sure to get every last speck. But her one open eye was still focused on the meat, on all the meat.
Enciath watched as her poor unenlightened hatchmates ate the meat greedily, gorging themselves because of how good it was. She felt so worried for them, for their seemingly love of meat, she really would need to talk to some of them in private and let them know how horrible meat was. The smell of it was cloying around her, like death it hung heavy in the air. It was in her mouth, and while the taste was divine, she felt like keening because she had been unable to control herself. Even as much as she wished her stomach to rebel, thus proving that meat was not healthy, it held tightly to her first meal from her darling chosen. Look at the waste. It isn't bad enough that we are all forced to eat the dead bodies of creatures, but now we must look at it, must watch as others feast themselves upon it. D'nari...
D'nari didn't wait any longer, before he shifted Enciath enough that she wouldn't be jostled when he stood up. When he finally did stand, he grabbed part of the bucket and walked over to where the just recently impressed weyrlings would be most likely settling down. He could feel the repulsion of meat coming off in waves from Enciath, and in turn, it made his own stomach feel uneasy with his last meal. Swallowing down excess saliva that had formed in his mouth, he came back to sit closer to G'lin. Taking a few deep breaths, the color returned to his cheeks and he laughed at his friends comment about their class name. "I'll take that bet, and raise you one, that eventually we'll just be Sparkles... though maybe I should think twice about betting you... you've already won the quilt... I want to sew Enciath and Anablimyth into it."
Looking down at G'lin's hands, "ooh, a shell piece. Lucky." Leaning back, he braces himself on a wall and closed his eyes, it had been late when the dragons started hatching, it felt even later now, and Enciath's exhaustion was his own. "mmm. Congratulations, G'lin..." He shifted enough that he could look at the rest of the newly Impressed. "Next hatching, we cheer Delicious on... and if he draws Enciath-" The rest of what he was going to say was swallowed by a yawn he barely had time to cover. The small cyan resting in his lap had both of her eyes closed, early to bed, early to rise. For some reason she felt the need for the two of them to greet the sun as it burst over the horizon, a salutations to their first morning as a bonded pair. Oh jeeze, was the feast tonight? Hopefully he'd be able to stay awake through it.
----
Watching the rest of the werylings head off the sands, W'lin clapped as he did, and gave a mental cheer for the rest left standing. Some knew that feeling of being constantly left on the sands, for others this was an all knew sensation. There would be more hatchings, and some of the candidates would also stand for wher impressions. "Hey, let's go see -" Turning around, Genner had walked off. There was an immediate scowl on W'lin's face before he finally found where the man was standing... who he was talking to, who he was near.
While the only expression on W'lin face was one that had him frowning, and his eyes narrowing, Chyurath was snarling. Q'sis. Had something been going on? What other reason did Genner have to go over there?
He appears to be talking to the Handler of the red wher who has clutched. why? Perhaps they are friends, he is a Pridesecond, it might be because he wants to check on how the two of them handled sharing the sands with the dragons. Or perhaps Q'sis has done something.
Of all three suggestions, W'lin hoped it wasn't the last one, ever since that class they had together, one that consisted of trying to fish, he hadn't trusted Q'sis, and was still sure that the, then-candidate had been trying to kill him. Just because the man had impressed to a tan, didn't change W'lin's opinion, nor did it parse out any respect towards him. Standing up, the hatching was over, and while some were leaving, some discussing what had happened, at the unusual sizes, W'lin avoided them, and followed Genner. He wasn't going to interject, and he planned to hang back significantly, he just wanted to know what was going on, as did Chyurath.
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Ondine
Jr. Weyrleader
ondct[M:-155]
Posts: 436
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Post by Ondine on Mar 19, 2013 12:47:07 GMT -5
When Q'sis bent forward and pressed his face up to her's, Shino instantly backed up, and he kept following. Until they were exactly eye to eye, and she trembled. Why was he so close? What did she say or do wrong that made him so angry? She knew she shouldn't have said anything, not to strange people like that. Attention generally brought shame, except, except...
Except that he was talking badly about Damask and Damali, and her trembling slowed. They were her parents, although Damali was more of an older sister than anything, and she wasn't going to listen to anyone talking badly about them. The unpleasant man sat back, and her foster parent popped up over the stands rail. Her face was still blank, and she trembled lightly with the pricks of tears at the corner of her eyes, as she turned and climbed onto the barrier.
But she looked back, face filled with a child's desire to protect and hurt, and stared at the tanrider. She didn't know who the man was, not really, but his name and what the redhandler had said had given her enough clues as to what, at least, he rode. “I-I did know about t-that. She's still mo-more worthwhile to hold than so-someone l-like you.” She turned back, took Damali's arm, and hopped down to the warmth of the sands. It was hot, but she'd been on it before after all. “Thank you, Damali,” she whispered with a bit of a tremor, before she pattered over the sands to find Damask.
No, her red mother wasn't a monster, or an abomi...whatever the word was. She was warm, and cared, and even if she was dangerous...well, all whers were dangerous, and so were dragons. All animals, really, were dangerous, humans just liked to pretend that they weren't. Now, she was with her foster parents, and life was good. Especially since, as she watched, the final dragonets impressed, and she could stay here. “Hi Damask, I'm h-here now.”
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