Midnight Majesty (Open)

[Kila]

Jasra's breath frosted in the night air as she knelt to adjust
old but beautiful spyglass she had restored. It had caught her eye as
she lay alone in bed that night and had not been able to sleep for
looking at it. However many hours after midnight she had given up on
rest and carefully extricated the long metal tube from parts, pieces,
and projects around it. That was how she had wound up on the high cliffs
in the dark, dead of the night. We're lucky, she thought as she
pulled the long, spindly legs of the stand apart with care. There has
been so much snow this winter but tonight there is not a cloud in the
sky. Izkeeyerdeth rumbled in wordless agreement, calm and peaceful
in the heavy silence and isolation that came with the hour.

It was ethereal atop the cliff with nothing around them but stars on all
sides. Jasra took care to stay far away from the edge, treacherous and
nearly invisible. The RedRider would not know she had stepped too far
until the inky darkness that filled the 'Bowl reached up to swallow her.
What a surprise that would be for the Whers on patrol, she
thought with absent amusement as she unpacked and set up her instrument
methodically. She could not see them, but she knew they were down there.
Don't be morbid, Izkeeyerdeth chided, though her
words were just as absent. It was hard for the pair to think on such a
small level as themselves when the world was spread in its enormity
before them.

Jasra stared up at the sky in silence for several minutes before
adjusting the spyglass in an interesting direction. Even with her riding
jacket, heavy coat, and several other layers of clothing she could still
feel the cold seeping in. Dalibor would see colder nights, but winter
had clearly claimed this night as its own. She pulled her furry cap down
further over her ears and peered into the skinny end of the barrel,
eyepiece pressing against her freckled cheek. A crisp, clear view of the
dazzling white points of light rewarded her. She gladly let the sight
take her breath away, though the cold rushed into her lungs.
I never knew your contraptions to be so useful, Iz
said, allowing the awe to be heard in her mindvoice as she looked at the
magnificently magnified view through Jasra's eyes. Her lifemate smiled
as she looked on, pleased. They can be.

[Azhdarchid]

[Q'sis][Unath][Qunath]

Their arrival punched away the stars, wingsails unfurling out of Between and the membrane never so thin as to let the night light pass. The blackness only grew in Jasra's lens as the oncoming traveler swooped straight for her, banking off only at the last moment to drop upon the ledge a scant dragonlength below her perch. A hollow rattle of metal accompanied the appearance of a handheld glowbasket, casting green spokes of luminescence along Unath's curved neckridges. Q'sis used the light to climb down, then set it on the ledge while he undressed Unath from her harness.

Freed, the tan ducked her head and caught Q'sis square in his broad chest with her muzzle, one of his arms wheeling at the force and him forced back a couple paces toward the precipice. He recovered, grabbing hard at the crest of one of his dragon's nostrils and checking her advance with a sharp seizure of the muscles in her forelegs. He stopped the dragon whose shoulders sat higher than three of him, and her pushing diminished into nuzzling against his winter coat. Q'sis covered part of her snout with his arm, and Unath's inner lids flexed shut in slow blinks of bliss.

When he let go to pick up the glowbasket, Unath grunted in a tone that could register as reproachful. He smiled reassurance up at her-

And past her, on the Rim, spied an unnatural outline decimating the crisp patterns of rocks against stars. His face had made a move to startlement before he snapped the glowbasket shut, and Unath's head whipped around to affix far better vision on the anomaly. Her eyes remained stuck on a drab, ignorant green as Q'sis stare through them, then he hoisted himself back up her naked shoulder onto her back. Leaving the basket and the cobwebs of her harness fanned across the ledge, Unath leaped for the wall above her weyr. She attached momentarily, then kicked off and cleared the Rim with a single flap.

Q'sis remained in his natural saddle. It was Izkeeyerdeth he had spotted, but from up here he could pick out Jasra and her metal, too. Unath's eyes finally got around to imitating the other dragon's hide as he shifted one of her paws forward, scratching its path in the Rim rock.

"This part of the Rim-" It also happened to be the highest part, with the clearest view of the stars. "-is mine, Red." Unath's chest echoed the sentiment with breathy thunder. "What could possess you to lurk here?"

[Kila]

Jasra pulled away from her spyglass when the stars she had been
admiring disappeared without warning. She frown and scanned the sky,
finding a mysterious dark spot in the direction her lens was pointed.
Curiously enough, it seemed to be growing larger. What on Pern?
she wondered, taking  a step back. She didn't have a wild imagination,
but at this hour when they were so far removed from the rest of the
world anything seemed possible. Unath and Hers,
Izkeeyerdeth reported, slicing through the mystery. The Red did not like
surprises. Do they see us? Jasra asked, doubting the words as she
said them. Izkeeyerdeth did not deign to answer her question.
You should move back, she said, rising. Jasra
snapped the legs supporting her spyglass together and carried the whole
thing back with her towards her lifemate. She could not see much, but
based on the amount of sky that was swallowed up behind the approaching
Tanpair, Jasra feared they were coming right at them.

Izkeeyerdeth wrapped a wing around her protectively, but Unath pulled up
at the last moment and disappeared below the edge of the cliff. Jasra
chuckled as her dragoness humphed. They didn't know we were here
Iz, she said, giving them the benefit of the doubt. The night was
too beautiful to be upset by an accident that never happened. The Red
settled back down when Jasra retook her place and again began to
meticulously set up her instrument. The glow that was cracked, though a
dim light in all comparisons, sent up a shifting green glow that
outlined a small part of the dropoff. A good thing he has that,
elsewise he might fall, she thought, ignorant of the close call he
would have. I know many who would be quite happy were that
to happen. Though they had never had an infamous run-in with the
TanRider his reputation did precede him. Don't be morbid.

The glow was covered eventually, but Jasra was too wrapped up to notice.
With no warning Unath appeared quite suddenly over the edge of the
cliff, landing solidly on the stone off to Jasra and Iz's right. Jasra
again grabbed her spyglass to make sure it would not be crushed or
knocked over. Once she was convinced of its steadiness she put her hands
on her hips and turned towards the large Tan expectantly. She could feel
Izkeeyerdeth's annoyance at the intrusion. The shifting shade of Unath's
eyes marked trouble before Q'sis even spoke. He dares to
speak to me so? Izkeeyerdeth hissed to Hers immediately, her
eyes darkening. Or perhaps to me, Jasra said incredulously, not
knowing what was in the man's head. She soothed her dragon as best she
could before giving a calm reply. "I was under the impression that
the rim was no man's land," she said coolly, walking over to put a
steadying hand on Iz. "Forgive us if we did not see your name written
on it in the dark." She was sarcastic, but not unfriendly as of yet.
The RedRider did not enjoy conflict.

[Azhdarchid]

[ Q'sis ][ Qunath ]

Unath's lips pulled off her teeth, which turned to jagged pearls in the moonslight. But the blood dribbled out of her eyes, and her soldierly stance ebbed to a more feline tension. The possessed dragon knit her wings over her spine.

"Most of the Rim is any man's ground. But there is a post for the Watchdragon. And there is a nest for me and mine. And that is here," Q'sis indulged. He shuffled Unath's talons backwards across the stone, moving her away from the castle of irregular stone spires her body had been blocking. Her head turned demonstratively toward the thicket of rocks, eyes shining towards the flat circle in the center. "That is where Unath naps, when there is no Thread. She chose that place on her own." The last sentence punctuated with a soft growl from the dragon in question.

He stepped her back toward the intruders, ambling up to Izkeeyerdeth, and the only shield the red had was the woman at her feet. Q'sis would not steer Unath so close as to risk crushing her. But her muscular neck was plenty long, and the tan's short snout strained to the end of it, puffing breath at the red, facets rocking between aqua and orange. "There is no need for you to be here," Q'sis concluded. Unath's eyes had picked up the spyglass in Jasra's hand, and he recognized such trinkets as the stuff Lord Holders bought to amuse themselves. For a woman rider to have one, though... "While I understand your need to fish fresh gossip out of this hole," and he jerked his chin toward the Bowl. "You have to find somewhere else to point your glass from. I recommend the south wall, so you can see how our Weyrleadership is disrespecting their posts tonight."

Of course the place where the cliffs broke a kiss on the south wall was too low for Jasra's glass to see into Q'sis' own weyr. "Your red pollutes my home. Go now."

[Kila]

While Unath appeared a bit less aggressive, Izkeeyerdeth's rage
grew more with each passing moment. Her eyes had grown so dark a shade
of red that they were almost black- the color of dried blood. She curled
back her lips and snapped violently when the Tan presumed to stick her
face near Iz's, her teeth barely missing their mark as Jasra pulled her
back with great force of will. Izkeeyerdeth! she said sharply,
forcing her steely calm over the Red. It's not Unath. One of the
more disturbing rumors that Jasra had heard about Q'sis was of how he
used his Tan. His dragoness was notoriously sweet and stupid; any
aggression she showed was all her Rider.

It was hard for Jasra to keep her own calm, though. People did not speak
to her as Q'sis was, and not just because she had a Red at her back. Or
so she fancied. Jasra loathed with when people tried to pull rank or use
their rank in any way to put themselves above others. She had come from
low stock where such practice was common, but risen quite high with her
impression. It was her bond that was keeping her from reacting as she
wanted to now. The insolence and disrespect with which he spoke to them
make her skin crawl and her jaw clench, but she could not let her temper
triumph. If she lost control of herself then she lost control of
Izkeeyerdeth. If that happened then there might actually be blood drying
on the rim when Rubkat rose.

"We will go where we please," Jasra said icily. "I have no
wish to trespass so we will be sure to steer clear of your 'nest,' but I
do not believe that you have any claim to this place, which makes you
simply rude and confrontational. You may say that your personal weyr is
your own, but in the end that belongs to Dalibor too. The rim, like most
of the Weyr, belongs to everyone." His bigoted quip about her
spyglass was almost more than Jasra could bear, but she took a deep
breath and let it echo off into the night unacknowledged. If he didn't
have his head so far up his ass he would have seen that it was pointed
at the sky, not into the 'Bowl. The man couldn't tell his
ass from his head, Izkeeyerdeth growled, adding Jasra's insult
to her own. Her Rider put a soothing hand on her hide and did her best
to swallow her anger. "You are polluting our air. Leave us."

The Redpair turned their backs to Q'sis and faced the sea. There was an
adequate distance between them and the lip over his weyr already. The
magic of the night had been swept away, but neither Jasra nor
Izkeeyerdeth planned on moving. The Red seethed as Jasra again began to
set up her spyglass. He's nothing but a bully, Jasra said
dismissively, doing her best to calm her bonded. Reigning in
Izkeeyerdeth was exhausting, but at least tonight they were on the same
page.

[Zane]

{{ I couldn't resist-hope that's alright. Especially with how much Raksha -really- enjoys bickering with Q'sis. 8D Not to mention, Jedenath has never met Unath... officially. }}

The air was cool and crisp, and neither dragon nor rider were in any real rush to return home. Was Dalibor home-even? It was the only home they'd really known, for any length of time. The young woman pulled her wher-hide jacket more tightly about herself as Jedenath made to land. The pair had thought to overlook the Weyr for a while, and contemplate what their first move would be. No longer Wingseconds, the Viridian was understandably made grumpy by this. Jedenath felt as if His was running away, by leaving their former Weyr. He could understand why running into Noehlen time and time again might have been a bit uncomfortable, but, in Jedenath's opinion, obstacles were made to be overcome. It's not as if the girl would hear of his opinions on the matter of the boy. No matter, tonight they would simply relax.

Knowing that the majority were getting settled in for the night, or already asleep, was the very reason why Raksha had returned at such a late hour. She wouldn't have to run into anyone that may or may not give her flack based on her return. She had just as much of a right to be here as anyone else, not to mention that Dalibor was the most accepting of Jedenath's Viridian-hide.

Circling over the cliffs, it didn't take long for the pair to realize that they weren't alone. Shards, is that seriously-, Raksha hissed, eyes attempting to adjust in the dark of the night in order to see the tanrider.

Tanrider Q'sis? Jedenath snarled, sharing His' dislike for the man. It came to be that the pair were synced when it came to their dislikes. If anything, Raksha was fueled by Jedenath's more hasty-nature.

Folding his wings into his side once they'd landed, Jedenath had in mind to stay close to the girl. Raksha, on the other hand, didn't feel as if she needed her dragon at all. I got this, she told him, an air of amusement in her mindvoice.

As she came walking on up, she managed to hear the tail-end of Jasra and Q'sis' conversation. Stopping short of them both, Raksha crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing Q'sis with complete disdain. "Harassing your betters again, are you Q'sis? That's quite a list you've chalked up, I must say." Jedenath chortled, approving of the venom in His' tone.

"She's not interested, or hadn't you heard? Hate to break it to you Q'sis, but none of us are." The girl was fairly tall, not that it would've changed a thing when it came to her demeanor towards the man. Q'sis' unsavory attitude was the bane of everyones existence. If he were to leave Dalibor, Raksha doubted that anyone would miss him.

The last time she'd returned, and they'd encountered each other, he'd chucked her in the same boat as Xiro'el regardless of the fact she'd had nothing to do with him. And still, she had nothing to do with the cyanrider. They'd been pleasant, for the time he had remained in the Weyr, and, as far as Raksha was concerned, that was all. It's not like she'd heard from him in her time away.

That boy was a waste of space, and not at all suitable in terms of company. Well, there was something that her dragon and Q'sis could agree on.

My sisters, there is little need for quarrel. Tan one, your rider dishonors you. Izkeeyerdeth, and as he spoke the red's name, there was notable respect shown, I apologize for the ruined night of You and Yours. The Viridian bowed his head, his eyes whirring a mix of blues as he looked upon Jasra's dragon.

Raksha raised a brow, turning back to gaze upon her dragon with disapproval. Snorting, she was quick to roll her eyes. Sorry to break it to you, but you're not half the stud you think you are.

[Azhdarchid]

[ Q'sis ][ Qunath ]

"For as long as I live," Q'sis began, Unath advancing on the red's turned back. But her claws did not make it all the way back to the stone before the thrush of wingbeats announced the arrival of a second invader. A single glance told Q'sis this one was worth far more of his time. He whirled his tan on the viridian, and Unath's broad chest puffed full of air. She roared, a deep, harmonic boom that trailed into stentorian dragonsong. Anything Raksha had to say would not be competing.

The Watchdragon reported back from the eastern Rim, and between the two of them the entire northern wall had probably been stirred from their beds, though these were dragonriders and as such perhaps acclimated to the complaints of several-ton predators. Q'sis stared past Jedenath at the distant spike of the Watch's silhouette, then opened Unath's wings as the viridian attempted to address her. "LEAVE!" he demanded, leaping his tan a dragon-step forward to where Raksha had foolishly dismounted. "Or are you up to revealing to everyone what a poor choice it was to accept traitors back within a sevenday of your return? To show that you are nothing but a fiend, interrupting where you should not, building mischief on this stone. Insulting me as if you have earned the right!"

Five fingers capped in ruby-tinted talons swiped toward the ground, to retrieve Raksha. The two obvious paths would be that Jedenath would have to accept his rider back from Unath's paw like a doll, or that he would notice in time and capture her back himself.

You have been away too long, to think that she will hear you, the tan's voice spat back at the viridian.

[Kila]

Izkeeyerdeth sensed Jedenath's approach, even through her cloud
of anger, but Jasra turned to mark the Viridian and his Rider when Unath
let out a booming roar that was echoed by the Watchdragon across the
'Bowl. What now? Jasra wondered. Where were all these Riders
coming back from at such an hour? A girl that she only vaguely
recognized hopped off the Viridian's back and strolled towards the
Tanpair. Her bonded tried to bespeak Iz, but the Red remained icily
silent. The girl must have known Q'sis because she addressed him
scornfully. So far Jasra liked her, but she wondered it was wise. Q'sis
had some terrible things to say about the other woman, but Jasra was
certainly not going to rely on his opinions of other people.

The answer was a definite no. Jasra and Iz were happy to see Unath turn
away from them, but Jasra's heart fell when the dragoness began to stalk
towards Raksha, her idiot passenger yelling at his new target
aggressively. Izkeeyerdeth did not so much care when other people were
being harassed, but her bonded's outrage at it only inflamed her
further. No, it's all fine, Jasra said, both to herself and her
dragoness as the other two fought. But it wasn't.

Unath had seemed ready to get physical with her and Izkeeyerdeth, but
Jasra saw the real beginnings then. No! she thought, horrified as
she saw the Tan pull back her claws and begin to swipe at Raksha. She
lurched forward instinctively to try to warn or save the girl, but
Izkeeyerdeth was faster. The Red moved in the same motion as her Rider,
bringing her own claws down solidly on the base of Unath's tail.
"Izkeeyerdeth!" Jasra shouted before Iz sunk in her talons with
malice as intended. It was still effective though: Unath jerked to a
halt when she tried to move forward and her passed through empty air.
Jedenath had plenty of time to pull Raksha back out harm's way.

Let go, Jasra urged, physically pulling at Izkeeyerdeth's
foreclaw. She snatched it away with a snarl and scooped Jasra onto her
back with a wing. Fearing retaliation from the irrational Tanpair, Jasra
was greatly relieved to be off of the ground. From this height Q'sis
could not leer down at her either, his vantage point matched.
Izkeeyerdeth's anger was getting out of hand though. Jasra's head began
to pound as she tried to restrain the huge beast she was astride from
acting on the violent desires in her head. Jasra's own anger was only
making it worse she knew, so she strained to smother it.

Take Yours away from here, Izkeeyerdeth snarled at
Jedenath, though she also extended the suggestion to Unath. And me as
well, Jasra added. "I think we're all done here," she called
into the night. She hated to flee (Izkeeyerdeth let out a roar at the
suggestion), especially if Q'sis would contrive some sort of victory
from it, but she would not let their pride get them in trouble. They
needed to leave before the situation escalated. Izkeeyerdeth was ready
to fight, which was strictly forbidden. Dragons do not fight
dragons. She would have tried to force Iz away immediately, but she
wanted to make sure that the Viridian carried his Rider away as well.
Brave idiot. Whoever she is. She did not trust Q'sis not to make
Unath attack and she would not leave the other pair to fend by
themselves.

[Zane]

Unbeknownst to her, Raksha raised her head higher, paying little heed to anything the tanrider had to say. He spoke without any real sense, or understanding, as always. He tended to assume that he knew things about people, when he flat out didn't. "Funny to hear a man speak of rights, when he himself has earned none. A measure of hypocrisy, I'd think?" As the tan jumped forward, Raksha held her ground, not thinking Q'sis foolish enough to attack a fellow dragonrider outside of words. Jedenath, however, moved up alongside his bonded, and growled threateningly at the tan.

"Listen carefully-I hate to repeat myself. Though Faranth knows you're too proud to ever do so, I'm willing to take the risk of my words falling on deaf ears, regardless. Your quarrel with a certain cyanrider gives you no right to call any man, or woman, a traitor. Any one person in this Weyr has talked to Xiro'el, and in turn associated with him. So if you truly think to call me a traitor for something so outrageously menial, then by all means, continue to have nothing in-between your ears but air. Your ignorance has gotten you in to many a situation, and yet you don't see anyone frequently approaching you in order to belittle, or berate you, for your mistakes. Said mistakes number far more than mine, might I add, so you best watch yourself before you add another to the list." Raksha's gaze flickered to Jasra, though her glare was reserved for Q'sis.

As Unath more or less sprung, Raksha was completely taken aback. Jedenath was quick to move, though Izkeeyerdeth was quicker, stopping the tan before the viridianrider was made. It was mere moments before Raksha was mounted upon her dragon's neck once more. Jedenath moved back a pace, out of reach of Unath. How dare you! I would never wish to understand such a monstrosity. You are filth-filth to this Weyr, and filth to Pern. Jedenath's voice blared in his rider's mind, causing her to place a hand to the side of her head. His words to Unath-to Q'sis-would certainly be heard.

Izkeeyerdeth was telling them to leave, all of them. The viridian didn't move, if only to make sure that Unath hadn't in mind to strike at the red. There was nothing he could do, he knew, if Iz's rage were to be taken out on the tan. It would be even more of an unforgettable night if that were to happen. Both rider and dragon were impressed by the strength of Jasra in keeping her dragon under control.

Raksha was thankful for the redrider no longer being upon the ground, even with the temper of her dragon ablaze. The last thing she wanted was for Unath to go after the other woman next. She owed them both her life... Shaken up, she did her best to keep her composure, lest Q'sis comment.

Not wanting the red to think he was ignoring her in favor of further argument, he bespoke her yet again, Yes, we will take leave, as long as more stupidity is not about to reign here. Jedenath stood his ground, hot air flooding from his nostrils.

Jedenath. Raksha's heart was still pounding, trying not to think about where Unath's attack could have gone. Make sure the red's rider is okay.

Rather than wanting to further disturb Izkeeyerdeth, the viridian sent to Jasra, Mine hopes that you are well. You are strong, both my rider and I owe the both of you much. I thank you.

Raksha held on to the riding straps, her knuckles white. "The Weyrleaders will hear of this, nothing more needs to be said." Her voice sounded somewhat far away as her mind ran over all that had gone on here.

[Rappu]

A fourth dragon watched and listened to the group, gleefully giggling to herself. Wow, this was so interesting! Dalahirath sat on a small ledge a bit further, a bit lower than the larger dragons, but she could hear and see them. She had crept closer ever since seeing Izkeeyerdeth land on top of the Rim, hoping for a little gossip, but she'd stopped once she had noticed Unath. Analucia had Rules and one of them was that Dalahirath was not to talk to Unath. And now she could see both subqueens and a young Viridian and hear them. Their humans, too, if she pricked her ears and really concentrated. She was good at listening, and her eyes shone in shades of blue and green. Some of the conversation between riders and dragons was private - it usually was - but from the postures and what was said aloud, this seemed like, what was the word she had just learned, a scoop.

Dementiath said the night was when she was truly alive, swallowed in darkness under a naked silvery moon; Dalahirath had wanted to see what she meant. And she thought she understood it, too; this situation was very alive and interesting, and it was dark, and the moon was if not silvery like Analucia's jewellery and candlesticks and cutlery, then at least shiny and light.

And things got even more interesting. Unath's paw rose and -- she tried to attack a rider! Dalahirath's eyes blared an alarmed yellow.

Anamine! ANA! You know that young viridian who just came back? Jedenath? He - and -

In her weyr, Analucia stirred and woke. Her dragon was shouting at her in alarm, images of Unath's paw moving towards Raksha and red Izkeeyerdeth stopping the attack like a red flash dancing around in her mind. Where was Dalahirath? The pink was not in the weyr... Heart hammering, Analucia called out.

Dalahirath? What? Are you safe?

I'm all right! But I just saw it! Really! Look!

Analucia's eyes saw ledges on the Weyr's Rim, snow - and three large dragons with their Riders just in time for Jasra to suggest they all leave.
She agreed with the redrider.

Dalahirath, you must leave. Right now. Come back to the weyr and never again leave at night like that!

But I just wanted...

At that, Analucia let a flood of angry worry flood through her bond. She was worried and Dalahirath could have been in danger, could have been in Raksha's place, what in the name of Faranth was the pink doing out at night? Dalahirath flew silently, glee replaced with guilt. She honestly hadn't wanted to cause her rider pain like that.

You fell asleep and I didn't want to wake you.

Landing on the weyr's ledge, Dalahirath hung her head low, apologetic. Analucia hugged the pink head tight.

"I'm just glad you're safe. Dalahirath, never go out alone at night like this, without asking me. You need the sleep too. And I was so worried..."
The dragon's breaths were warm and for a long time, they simply stood there. Then Analucia's practical side won and she sighed.
Dragons can't attack people, right? I thought we couldn't. Not once we're bonded. Right? What do you think?

Analucia shook her head. "No. This is very bad. I think... We should talk with that girl - Raksha - first. I truly hope it's just a misunderstanding. But now, sleep. We can think this through in the morning."