Fly Me Away(Kila)

[maruset]

It was a rare bit of quiet in his day, and Letorin was going to take advantage of it. There was a nice quiet space between lessons and chores, and he quickly collected his things to do some more testing. The lack of a strong breeze meant that he could get some good data on how far it could go.

Unfortunately, he still wasn't sure how to get it to fly like he wanted, like a dragon or a flit could, but he could try get the best glide possible. Hopefully with the ability to shift in directions and such. First was distance, and he had been spending a great deal of time studying the wings of his fair to get a better idea of how wings worked and the way that they affected the flight.

So he had set up a who knew set of sketches and testing. Now that it was so nice out, he could get a bit more height with his testing, and that was how he found himself perched up on a bit of ledge. Smoothing out the wing edge, he made sure that it was all connected properly. Once that was taken care of, he looked at the area around. Did try to make sure that there was nobody around that he could hit by accident. Once he did, Letorin took down a few quick notes on the conditions, then carefully sent his model off. It caught the air nicely and began to glide. As it flew, he was already noticing the rate of drop and trying to estimate how far it would go in still air.

[Kila]

Summer, 6th Turn, 11th Pass

It wasn't creepy, Jasra told herself, it was just people watching. If
someone happened to be doing something interesting in her line of sight
then it was only logical that she would continue watching. Izkeeyerdeth
was swimming in the lake and she was sitting on a big rock by the shore
enjoying the sun. Her firelizards were spread out around her, bodies
pressed to the stone. The warmth had lulled them into a blissfully
silent stupor. Little Taevon was with his parents today, so she didn't
have much to do. She and the boy had taken to each other so strongly
that things seemed rather dull when he was not around. Her modest
handful of friends all had weyrmates that they spent their time with,
leaving her alone with her grumpy Red. Izkeeyerdeth had been unbearable
since the smokeweed antidote had been introduced. Going out flying was
the dragoness's favorite thing to do, so it was maddening when she was
exhausted after only a few leagues. As a substitute she had taken to
swimming, so Jasra had been spending a lot of time at the lake.

Today was shaping up to be substantially more interesting than she had
expected though. Not long ago a boy had emerged with an armload of stuff
and somehow scaled one of the smaller ledges on the cliff with it. She
watched with absent fascination as he tested the wind and scribbled down
something down on his parchment. She gathered quickly that he intended
to throw some sort of invention into the Bowl. It was small and winged
that looked rather fragile from a distance. A miniature flying
machine? she wondered, having heard a lot of talk of such things
among her similarly technically-minded friends. She was staring now, but
she didn't care.

Jasra was delighted when the thing caught the air and began to glide.
Look, Iz, it's just like a firelizard,[/color] she said, propping
herself up excitedly so she could get a better view. Izkeeyerdeth gave
it little more than a cursory glance, but her sudden movement startled
her firelizards into flight. She waved them away, trying to keep them
from blocking her view.

Tr'ayne strolled out of the dining hall, fat and happy. He had no drills
today, so now that he had gorged himself he planned to lie down and pass
out for a few hours. Perhaps until dinner. The summer heat made him feel
lazy. Once the sun set and things cooled off he would sit up all night
and read. The BlueRider smiled, thinking of the scroll he had been
reading... Until Letorin's flying machine hit him in the head.

Startled, Tr'ayne threw up his hands, knocking the model to the ground.
Shards, Jasra cursed, seeing the boy's face turn red from anger
and embarrassment as he bent to pick it up. She jumped off the rock and
loped over, long legs carrying her quickly across the Bowl. "Hey
there, are you okay?" she asked, talking to Tr'ayne but looking at
the model in his hands. "Apart from being knocked in the head?"
he said peevishly, rubbing his forehead. He looked as though he wanted
to crush the thing, which is what Jasra feared. The boy on the ledge
might not be able to scramble down in time. "Here, let me see,"
she said, prying away his chubby hand. He jumped at the contact,
realizing all at once that it was a girl talking to him and touching
him. His forehead was red where he had been struck, but the very worst
he would get was a small bruise. "You're fine," she said with a
smile, coaxing the model from his other hand. "Hey! But I was
hit!" he protested, expecting some sort of pity or justice. "That
was unfortunate," Jasra sympathized, but she did not relinquish the
model.[/size]

[maruset]

The test was going amazingly well, and Letorin had perked up in delight as the model glided better than ever before! It was already breaking the last distance record than the last model design, and showed signs of going even further.

Then it hit someone.

With a yelp, Letorin scrambled off the rock and bolted that way, though someone else beat him to the person he hit and the model. She looked the guy over and had the model from him before Letorin skidded to a stop next to them.

"I am so sorry," he panted out, looking the guy over, half afraid he had actually done some hard. Theoretically the model shouldn't have been heavy enough to do that, but it had been moving at a pretty good clip. "I was trying to avoid people, it went further than I expected."

As he spoke, he was relieved to see that there didn't appear to be any real damage. Then he was looking at his model, trying to assess the damage to that. Then his good manners kicked in, and he looked at the man again.

"I really do apologize. I'm Letorin. Are you all right?" Then a glance at the woman. "Hello. Thank you for coming to check. This design flew far better than I expected. It is obvious that adding in the firelizard wing designs have had a profound effect on the distance that the model was getting."

[Kila]

Tr'ayne was sputtering indignantly when Letorin ran up to him
and panted an apology. "You hit me!" he repeated instantly. He
glowered down at the culprit, all thunderclouds and lightning. He was
not the sort of person to accept an apology easily, unfortunately for
the Candidate. "Well you did a poor job. What about throwing things
towards the entrance to the Dining Hall seemed like a good idea? Maybe
if you don't want to hit people you should pick an area with less heavy
traffic." He sneered, playing both the victim and the bully all at
once and belittling Letorin to the best of his ability.
Mine! Praerruth cut in, sounding appalled. Tr'ayne
blocked him out, not feeling sufficiently vindicated.

He went in for round two only to find that he was being ignored; Letorin
(or whatever he had called himself) and the woman were deep in a
technical conversation. "I thought it had the air of a 'lizard.
Brilliant idea! It's just about the right size to use them as models.
They are the prefect flying machine, after all. What man made thing
could get a better glide? I mean, the distance was impressive. I admire
your velocity," he heard her say. He understood what they were
talking about (being an intelligent boy) but could not abide being so
carelessly dismissed. Tr'ayne bristled, taking it as another slight to
his feeble honor. He had just been attacked for Farnath's sake! How
dare they brush me off!? The woman was almost kind of runner-faced
anyway, so there was no need to waste his courtesies on her, and the boy
had it coming anyway.


"I ought to report you-!" he began to pontificate over Letorin,
who had turned back to him with something too little too late. Jasra cut
him off gently. "He said he was sorry. Didn't you hear?" She was
not one to suffer nonsense, especially when it was standing between her
and science. "But-" Tr'ayne began. "You're fine. Quit with the
hysterics. You're the one being rude now," she said in a very
adult-like voice, her irritation nevertheless bleeding though. When he
looked like he was about to continue she added "You'd better get
going. If you piss me off I'll feed you to my Red." Izkeeyerdeth
roared from the lake, half to back her up and half to protest being used
as a threat without her consent. Tr'ayne paled visibly and made a speedy
exit. He knew he wouldn't be dragon meat, but he did not want to tangle
with the Red or her crazy Rider.

Jasra turned back to Letorin almost apologetically. "That was kind of
mean wasn't it? Sorry." She almost never confronted people-
hopefully he wouldn't get the wrong idea. She handed him back his model
carefully. "I came because I was afraid he might crush it before you
got here," she explained. "I saw what happened and just kind of
reacted."

[maruset]

When the other man sneered at him, Letorin's spine stiffed, and he straightened up. He might not be proper-born, but he was still part of a Lord Holder's family, and he did not take bullies lightly. Especially after being teased quite a bit when he was younger for things he couldn't control. Straightening up, he looked at the man with a faint frown. He would have said something, but the woman stepped in and scolded the other.

Then there was that roar, and Letorin found himself looking at a red. He stared for a moment, barely even noticing when the man all but ran away. Though he did snap his focus back when the woman started to talk again.

"Maybe a bit, but he didn't seem like he was going to take an apology with any sort of grace." Letorin smiled brightly at her. "I'm one of the candidates. Do you think that your red might be willing to let me draw her? She's absolutely stunning, and I'd love to get a chance to get a good, detailed drawing." He all but bounced.

"And I have plans for a full size one, though I've been told that I'm not allowed to build one until after I graduate, if I impress. Or maybe if I age out." He paused, thinking on that sad idea. But it was also a plausible one. "In any case, I'm working on getting a good small working model. At least for the gliding portions."

He grinned at her. "With a larger one, I can work in the steering mechanisms that I've been designing. They would allow some leeway in the angle of glide, which would affect your height. Plus I have designs to work out how to shift directions, so one doesn't have to fly into a straight line."

This was something that Letorin -loved- to talk about, and she did seem interested. Then he gave her a bit of a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I tend to ramble on." He started to flip through the stories he had gotten, trying to place name to rider and dragon.

[Kila]

Jasra agreed readily with his assessment of their fled
companion. "Yeah. I don't think there was a lick of grace in that
one." It wasn't her habit to chastise other Riders (she did
recognize Tr'ayne as one of the bonded of Dalibor) but she didn't feel
bad bullying bullies. There's some Red in you,
Izkeeyerdeth commented almost proudly, which made her lifemate want to
laugh. "Oh, so you're a Candidate?" That made sense, seeing as he
was of age to stand and she had not seen him with Weyrlings or in a
wing. "Well it's nice to meet you, Letorin, unpleasant third party
aside. I'm Jasra, and that ravishing Red out there is my
Izkeeyerdeth." She stuck out her hand and shook his amiably. Iz
looked their way with feigned modesty, pleased for once with the
direction things were going in. Letorin's request only bolstered her
mood further. Tell him that he may, she instructed
Hers regally. I will allow it. Jasra rolled her
eyes. "She'd be thrilled. Would you like to come meet her?"

They talked as they walked towards the lake, drawn back to the topic of
the flying machine like bugs to a glow. Jasra listened to him speak with
interest. "A full-sized machine? That would be amazing," she
marveled, her head abuzz with possibilities. "A working model is a
must, but it looks like the one you have is pretty good." Gliding
was one thing, but rigging it to be steered and change directions was
another. It would have to be built with an entire navigation system
installed, which Letorin seemed to have already started on. Izkeeyerdeth
sent her a disapproving reminder image of the burning flamethrower she
had fixed, but she ignored it. No amount of chagrin from Izkeeyerdeth
could keep her away from her contraptions.

"Oh no, you're not rambling!" she assured him when he gave a
sheepish pause. "I'm interested! I love things like this. Besides, I
get the same way when I talk about my projects. I think I bore people to
death sometimes, that or they don't understand a word I'm saying. I
promise that's not the case here though," she assured him.

[maruset]

There was a bit of a happy bounce, and Letorin checked his bag of supplies, which he had pulled down with him automatically. "Yes, been one for about two turns now. Was a Harper apprentice before that, though I'm still working on those lessons. "I'd love to meet her. Dragons are amazing, and I do enjoy the chance to talk to new ones." He did look towards the red again, admiring her color.

He nodded as she talked about a working model. "Now that I have the main design down, I can start working in the changes that I would need to actual steer it. The hardest part was getting the basic shape down first. Now that I have that, I can do the tweaks that I need to integrate the changes needed to include the rest of the system. Then I will have to build a small working model of that, even if I can't actually steer it at that point. But I can test the weight distribution and test to see if the weight of the other gear will make it too heavy in one direction or another."

He tugged out a scrape of hide, looking to see what was one it already, then jotted down a note about weight issues and testing different materials for weight with the navigation system. It was just another note in a mass of calculations and sketches of various dragons.

There was a bright smile at her, and Letorin was delighted to find someone who was like minded. He enjoyed talked to Newt, though the man didn't seem to have much interest at times outside his whers. So it was something to savor when he found someone who was happy to talk about his device.

"Well, if you ever want to talk to someone about your projects, I'm happy to listen. Sometimes the best ideas come from hashing them out with other people."

[Kila]

"Two turns?" she asked in distraction. Now that he
mentioned it, Letorin did look rather familiar. There were a lot of
people in Dalibor so it was easy to bump into someone you'd never spoken
to, but chances were you'd seen them around. "You won't age out,"
she reassured him. "I've known plenty of people to stand for several
turns before impressing. Your lifemate just hasn't hatched yet." Or
maybe she only wanted him to impress and stay because he was so
like-minded, but there was nothing wrong with the encouragement.
"Besides, it's bound to be a big clutch with Callistath flying and
Kalesk running too. Which are you standing for?" There had been a
lot of dual candidates as of late and Jasra was rather curious to hear
his answer.

There was a bounce in her own step as they continued their technical
discussion. Jasra mostly listened and nodded, but she did have a few
intelligent things to say. "Steering mechanisms will throw off the
balance that you have now, so there's no way to avoid another model,
even if the hardware is just for show. A bigger one might be better,
just so you have enough room to separate one side from another. You'll
have all kinds of problems if all the weight is centered in the belly.
I'd love to see the designs you have drawn up, though." It was a
presumptuous request for a near stranger, but their mutual passion
excused them from certain normal social barriers. His bright smile and
offer to listen to her ideas was touching. She quieted, thinking that
the simple offer was probably one of the kindest things anyone had done
for her in a while.

Izkeyeerdeth did not like all this talk of flying machines, but she
managed to appear composed when they approached her. The admiring look
that Letorin gave her helped her to forgive him a little bit. Jasra's
displaced firelizards accosted her all at once, attaching themselves to
her clothes and inspecting the boy human she had brought back with her.
They seemed especially interested in the model, which was close to their
size. "Letorin, this is my pack," she said with a laugh.
"Amelia, Geree, Dioia, Anthe, and of course Izkeeyerdeth."

[maruset]

"Mmhmm, before that I was with Harperhall, and before that Tillek." He shrugged a bit. "I admit, I would like to find my partner, but attending the hatchings has been interesting. I've gotten some good drawings of my friends when they impress, and that has turned out to be a good gift."

He continued to give the red an admiring look. "I'm currently a dragon candidate, though I may see if I can get into the wher program in the next turn or so and stand for both. Several friends were dual candidates, though they have all seemed to ended up with dragons." A laugh. "Iola was almost put out, I think, as she really wanted to have a wher. Though she and Jainath have definitely settled in well enough."

When Jasra started talking about the steering mechanisms, Letorin nodded. "I was hoping to get an overall shape designed, then move from there. I have some of the maneuvering requirements set up, and now that I have a good base shape, I can start working them into the design. Once we stop, I can show you some of the sketches I have done. Though the notes are all backwards, so you may have to work a bit at reading them."

As they got closer, and her flits latched onto Jarsa, most of Letorin's fair arrived as well, curious about these new ones. All of them arrive, except for Sourtai, and found places to settle as Letorin warned them off him. Once they were closer to the water, he set his back of stuff down, and dug out the notes that were mostly of the flying machine and it's associated notes and designs. There was also a lot of sketches of people, dragons, whers, animals, clouds, water, and other things from around the weyr. There were also a great many calculations involving all of those things.

"This is a chunk of what I have so far. You can see some of the variations I've put in while trying to come up with a core design."

It only took a moment more, and he had a fresh sheet of hide out and something to draw with. Then he looked at Izkeeyerdeth. "Thank you for allowing me to draw you. You are quite lovely, and I'm glad you willing to give me this honor."

He glanced at his fair, and pointed out each in turn. "Mine is overly nosy set of lizards. That's Jasil, Vitula, Kuanos, Lazaward, Eskhara, Tuon, and Porphyra." Each looked up as he spoke their name, and then went back to making curious sounds at Jasra's fair. "I have another, but she's watching over her nest at the moment."

Letorin shook his head. "I swear, they are sneaking in new flits when I'm not looking." Though having so many did give him a good range of wings to look at and study. He quickly found a spot to sit, and began to sketch out the red. She was amazing, and he never got a chance to look at many reds up close. He had seen Waroth some, but it was always good to get detailed drawings of new dragons.

[Kila]

Lovely. Izkeeyerdeth let the compliment wash over her.
It's a pity this one is so young, Mine. He would be a
suitable man for you. Jasra rolled her eyes, long past tired of
her lifemate's matchmaking. He has not impressed
yet, she said suggestively. Don't be absurd, Iz, she
said, ending that conversation. Most likely he will impress. And he
IS young. Too young, thank you. Just because he complimented you doesn't
mean we're meant to be matched. Jasra was glad the tiff could be
held silently and Letorin was left unawares. The things people would
think if they knew what went on inside the Red's head...

She greeted Letorin's plethora of pets with a smile. "I see what you
mean- you do have a lot of them." Dioia and Anthe viewed the
newcomers with excitement, detaching themselves and going to check out
the other firelizards with immediate curiosity. Geree was hot on their
tails, scolding them with loud shrieks. Amelia stayed, wrapped safely
around her neck. "I can hardly believe that Iola would be upset about
impressing a Queen. I know better than most how trying it can be, but
it's a great honor. Whers are very... interesting too though." Jasra
had never interacted much with Dalibor's nocturnal scouts. All of her
friends had been dragon riders, so apart from general knowledge the
nuances of the other creatures were a mystery to her.

Jasra took his designs gratefully and studied them as he settled down to
draw Iz. "Looks good," she murmured with distracted approval,
drinking in every detail. His pictures of other things distracted her
from sketches she had requested, however. "Wow Letorin, did you do
all of these?" she asked, sounding all of 5 turns old. As he had
said there were dragons, Whers, people, and impressions. Firelizards and
birds soared across his pages, mixed in with scenes from everyday life.
For Jasra who was bound by numbers and structure, it was incredible. She
leaned forward to watch him sketch Izkeeyerdeth, intrigued by his
artistry. Her own pictures flouted straight lines and precise details.
Letters escaped her, but she could visually depict how things went
together without a word of explanation needed.

[maruset]

"I fully expect Sourtai to try to get me to impress her eggs as well, if they hatch. That I will be avoiding. I also have a feline and some pillies." His tone was full of mock suffering. "Luck for Iola, as she keeps borrowing them to help wash Jainath."

He let his fingers trace out what his eyes was seeing, as he thought about how to explain what he meant. "It wasn't that she was upset. Definitely startled, though. She really didn't expect a dragon, though she had been Searched. Whers really drew her. I think it is their straightforwardness." Letorin paused, trying to think if that was a real word. Well, it worked fine, so he left it alone.

"She just really had her heart set on a wher. Though she adores Jainath, and she's aware of what sort of things it means to have Jainath as her bonded." He grinned. "I admit, I can't wait until I Impress. All of my friends are going to be graduated at this rate." A hum, and he worked on getting down the fine details of Izkeeyerdeth's head. That was where there was so much personality was, in just about everything. So he loved getting the details just right.

When Jasra spoke again, he blinked at her, then at the drawings. "Oh, yes. I tend to doodle at lot, and it's always interesting to get down ideas and such when I have them. It makes for some jumbled notes, but I like to think of them as free flowing, which helps remind me of what inspired what." He smiled brilliantly at her.

"Art is always something I've been interested in, and it does help so much when I'm trying to get ideas out properly for things. Especially when I'm designing stuff, such as the flying device." He started to shade in parts of the dragon head he drew, getting the pattern of color right. He also made tiny notes around, marking the variations of shade, all in his odd little backwards script. It was habit when working with his left hand anymore.

[Kila]

Learning about the new Jr. Weyrwoman from one of her friends was
interesting to say the least. Jasra was relieved to hear her portrayed
as a normal person. So much responsibility could easily crush a person,
and as great and the Queen and Kingriders and Weyrleadership were, they
were so serious. The weight of reigning in Izkeeyerdeth had made her
stoic, but it was nothing compared to say Fajra and Kalith. Avalle
hadn't been very well put together either as of late. Iola was new to
the game, true, but there was hope for her yet. She'd have to introduce
herself sometime.

"Izkeeyerdeth doesn't very much care for other people or animals
touching her, but the firelizards are a necessity sometimes. There's
just so much of her to wash," Jasra commiserated. The Red stuck her
snout a little farther into the air, keeping any quips to herself. "I
can only imagine what it would be like to try to bathe a Copper. She's
lucky that you attract firelizards like a magnet. Maybe you should
impress some more to be full time washers," she teased.
Jasra looked over his shoulder as unobtrusively as possible as he worked
away at Izkeeyerdeth's head, listening to him talk about art and
inspiration. And there was that brilliant smile again. You're right
Iz- this kid is going to knock some poor girl right off her feet,
she said amused, returning the smile. It was infectious.

"It's best to get ideas down right as you have them," Jasra
agreed, pausing before proceeding to divulge her own personal
tendencies. "I try to do that too, more with drawings than words like
you're doing here. Mine are pretty static though. Not art. Pretty...
straightforward." He borrowed his word, not missing the irony.
Perhaps she would have done well with a Wher, simple and mechanical as
she was. Izkeeyerdeth snorted with derision. Don't be
ridiculous, Mine, you were meant for me. We are perfect together,
maddening as you may be. Jasra smiled, enjoying the rare vocal
affirmation of her love. Or something close.

Izkeeyerdeth peeked at the sketch through Jasra's eyes, pleased with
what she saw. "You've put Izkeeyerdeth in an unusually good
mood."

[maruset]

Letorin snorted in amusement. "I don't know why I'm such a magnet. I got three in one hatching, so maybe I should avoid queen flit hatchings from now on." He traced the curve of Izkeeyerdeth's eye, trying to get the shading of her skin by the eye just right. There was a moment of quiet from him as he focused on that, setting his teeth against his lower lip as he focused.

Once he got that, he grinned, pleased with the way that had come out. There were also some more calculations, getting his estimates down for her size and wingspan, going by what he could see. "Though firelizard wash squad for hire, that sounds like an interesting job. I've already taught most of them how to sing in tune with each other and with me. It can be another skill in the service."

He gave a soft laugh at his own imagination for a moment.

Then he nodded. "Yes, sometimes waiting too long means you lose it all together. Once you get it down, then you can work on modifications."

When she mentioned pretty, he hummed. The idea of talking to others who liked to create things made him happy, and he really did want to see her stuff. "Straightforward is better, really. I just have an issue with it. And art.... I've always been a person who likes to draw. So that bleeds over to my designs. Not always for the best, but it's something I'm probably not going to be able to break myself of."

The comment about putting her dragon into a good mood made Letorin brighten. "Well, she is quite the lovely lady, and every lady deserves compliments."

His hand drifted to the side, and began to sketch Jasra herself. She was striking, and he thought it might be fun to get her to pose sometime. If she and Izkeeyerdeth weren't too busy, anyway.

"I wonder how dragons get their names?" It was a bit random, but dragon names were all over the place. "I know they know them when they are born. I just wonder how some of them are born with the names they are." It was interesting to ponder, and he was curious how they selected their names.

[Kila]

Jasra looked on silently as Letorin fell into quiet
concentration. It was amazing how much care he put into each curve and
how lively he made each line. Izkeeyerdeth would doubtlessly love the
drawing once it was done. The Red was trying to peek through her Rider's
eyes to catch glimpses, but the finished piece would be a runner of
another color. She nodded as he carried on talking about art, ears open
but eyes following his pencil.

After a time she stood to give her legs a rest. She had been crouching
to watch Letorin draw, and after a while the position had become more
cramped than comfortable. She strolled over to Izkeeyerdeth, making sure
not to block any parts of her that he had not yet drawn. Lovely
lady, she crooned, echoing the compliment. Iz rumbled happily.
Fortunately for Letorin Jasra missed the switch of subject completely.
She didn't like being the center of attention, and had she known she
would have felt incredibly awkward and probably ruined his sketch.

"That's a good question," she mused, equally happy to let the
conversation drift. "Why don't we ask Iz? She's significantly more of
an expert." Izkeeyerdeth seemed rather confused by the idea.
Do you not know your names when you hatch? she
asked a bit incredulously, allowing Letorin to hear her voice for the
first time. Until recently with Taevon, she and Jasra had not spent any
time around children so she did not know how the naming process for
humans worked. That irritated her. "Nope," Jasra replied. "Our
mothers and fathers decide what we'll be called." The Red lifted her
head haughtily, as if the difference made her superior. We
know who we are before we break our shells. As we know ourselves, we
know what we will be called. We are not given a name by anyone,
like some pet. There was extra scorn on the word "pet", and she
gave the large, noisy conglomerations of Jasra and Letorin's flitters a
dirty look. The thought of not knowing one's name perturbed and puzzled
her though, so she tried to explain further. Do your sires
and dams teach you how to breathe? Or walk? Or is it something that you
[/i]know[/i]? Some things are instinct. I would not need someone to tell
me my name any more than I would need them to tell me to hate thread or
how to spread my wings and take to the sky.[/color]

Her thoughtful answer was a surprise to Jasra, who could rarely engage
her bonded in any sort of deep conversation. Their spheres of interest
were quite different, so they rarely meshed in the way of words.
Close your mouth, Mine, you look like a fish, she
snapped, the dragoness that she knew reemerging. Izkeeyerdeth would not
tolerate being mocked, and her bonded's appearance of disbelief
irritated her. "No, that was a very good answer. Thanks, Iz,"
Jasra said quickly, rubbing her hide. "I had never thought about it
that way." She looked to Letorin and raised her eyebrows.
"You?" Jasra was not a fan of philosophy, but this was proving to
be interesting.[/size]

[maruset]

Fingers still moving as he drew, Letorin glanced up as Jasra moved. They were a striking pair together.

It was always odd, hearing a dragon in his mind, though he was getting used to it. "We're born much less developed than you are, I think. When humans are born, they cannot walk or talk or do much besides eat, sleep, and repeat." He had seen plenty of babies, even if he did not actively interact with them a lot. "Dragons are much more capable than humans when they are born." He smiled at the red, intrigued, and that was clear on his face.

"So it's instinctive to know your name. That is amazing." Letorin perked up, eyes curious and he was grinning. "Dragons are so clever right out of the egg, it is always fun to watch hatchings and see the dragons find those who fit with them." Some of the hatchings didn't go so well, but....

Letorin still adored hatchings, and he and Newt sometimes had some interesting talks about dragons, whers, and everything that might happen at a hatching.

"Being able to fly must be.... That is something that I can't wait to do, if I Impress." He had faith that he would, and the idea of flying just made him smile and bounce a bit where he was sitting. Then he forced himself to settle and start on the drawing of the pair again.

"I was curious, if it was something that you knew, or if you were given one by your mother before you hatched." The only reason that he really was curious was that dragons and whers were so self aware when they were born that it intrigued him.

[Kila]

Capable. Amazing. Clever. Izkeeyerdeth filed those compliments
along with the rest, taking the ones meant for dragons in general as
personal praise as well. Mine, you must really keep this
one. Jasra hid a smile. They had both taken a shine to the
curious young candidate. The RedRider liked that he was not stingy with
his smiles and had interesting things to say. Some young dragon was
going to have a field day with his mind.

Izkeeyerdeth perked up at the mention of flying. Flying was what she
loved to do more than anything. The lethargy that came with the
smokeweed antidote had put a big damper on her usual enthusiasm, but
seeing Letorin's interest excited her.

She and Jasra met each other's eyes. Let him put his stuff down
first, she said, knowing where this was headed. Being
able to fly is the most amazing thing that there is,
Izkeeyerdeth finished for him, looking at him with eyes of sapphire
blue. Would you like to fly, little Candidate? She
shifted towards him in anticipation. Had he not had a drawing of herself
in his hands she would have plucked him off the ground in her claws and
taken off without warning.

[maruset]

There was a pause and a blink, and then Letorin scrambled to put everything away. The idea of flying thrilled him, and he took the opportunity to fly any chance he could get. The sketch was quickly put in with the other hides, careful to not smudge any of the drawing. Then he was on his feet, his fair giving happy little series of noises. They definitely picked up his delight and were happy to share it.

"I'd be delighted," he told the red, beaming at the dragon. There might have been a bit of a bounce, for several reasons. One was because he'd get to get closer to her. She was an absolutely stunning shade, and it was -flying-. "Thank you very much." This was turning out to be an amazingly wonderful day. He got to test his device, he got to draw a new dragon up close, and now there was flying.

All in all, he was thrilled, and Letorin was a bit amused that his flits were in the air behind him, though he did quietly herd them to stay back some. No need to let them get into the red's space, especially with the air lift she would be generating to get them off the ground. The down thrust of her wings would be quite large, bigger than most dragons he had been close to when they took off into the air.

[Kila]

Jasra laughed at Izkeeyerdeth and Letorin's mirrored excitement.
She whispered something to Amelia, who disappeared and promptly returned
with a small part of Izkeyeerdeth's harnass. Jasra herself was
comfortable riding bareback, but she didn't think it was wise with a
passenger, especially not one inexperienced in flying. The Red lowered
herself to the ground and stuck out an arm for Letorin to use to climb
up. Her excitement was palpable but she held still, waiting patiently
for him to put away his things.

"After you," Jasra said, standing back and letting him scramble
up. It might not have been what he had bargained for, but he was going
to get the whole experience. Only when he was seated did she vault
expertly up behind him. Fastening a leather strap around the Red's neck
and holding onto it tightly, Jasra gave her a warning. Nothing too
crazy now, Iz, we're not strapped in. Very
well, she said impatiently, rising and spreading her wings. She
would have been peeved with the limitations were she not so excited.

"Hang on tight," Jasra said to Letorin as Iz rushed forward and
leapt into the air. She climbed quickly, eager to take them out of the
Weyr Bowl to see what was beyond the confines of the cliffs. Were they
more secure she would have looped and dove and gone at incredible
speeds, but she settled for a calm, scenic ride. They flew out over the
harbor first, sailing over the sea and leaving Dalibor behind. The
Western Continent came up quickly, sporting fine beaches, snarled trees,
rolling forest, and sharp thrusts of rock. Everything was in full summer
bloom, so a million colors passed beneath her wing. Smell
the fresh air, she commanded. Feel it. It
was invigorating; inarguably fresher than the calm, crowded air back at
the Weyr. It was small things such as this that the Redpair knew from
their many flights.

[maruset]

There might have been an incoherent noise of delight as they took off, Letorin's brain soaking up every detail. scrambling up onto the red had been interesting, as she was the largest dragon he had ever been on, and he rested his hands on her hide a moment, soaking up the warmth of her skin. This was -amazing-, and he was grinning like a maniac. This, this was -everything- that he ever thought about flying, the speed and the air, and the feel of not being tied down to anything. Yes, it was because he was riding a dragon, but the sensation was still one of the most vivid and enjoyable things he had ever experienced.

He was almost breathless with delight, though he did take a deep breath when ordered to smell the air, and he was tucking away all the details he was seeing. This was what he wanted, more than anything, to be able to do this with a partner of his own. Almost absently, he was calculating speed and height, getting a feel for how quick they were moving. That was more an automatic response to anything new, and he would go over those details later. Right now, he was revealing in the feel of air moving around them, and was radiating delight.

[Kila]

Letorin's joy was Izkeeyerdeth's joy. He was pliant,
enthusiastic, and obeyed. So she pushed and flew on, thrilled to be in
the sky and thrilled to have someone new that appreciated both it and
her. It was Jasra who made them turn back after a time. She could see
the Red's wingbeats slowing and feel the fatigue in her mind. Let's
head back, love, she suggested, leaning forward to stroke her hide.
Izkeeyerdeth growled, knowing that she should be able to go higher, and
faster, for far longer. Letorin was impressed now, sure, but if she
could just keep going he would be speechless. Not today, Jasra
insisted, bending her will against Izkeeyerdeth's. She was strong when
she had to be; elsewise the Red would have already ripped apart Dalibor
stone by stone. Not for much longer, she reminded her. Once
the poisoners are found they will not give the herdbeasts the medicine.
They're working on it.Peeved, Iz nevertheless bent her wing back to
Dalibor. Fine. But it is a long way back.

She thrust her wings down hard and put on speed, determined to have the
return flight to be more than just a joy ride. "Hang on tight to
me," she said to Letorin- her only words of warning. When they came
to a clear part of the land Izkeeyerdeth dove, tucking in her wings and
snapping them out again to harness the momentum of the fall. She
strained until the woods below were a blur and when they came upon the
sea she dropped so they skimmed the surface. Jasra fretted quietly,
knowing that the show would take a toll. But Letorin didn't need to
know.

Jasra slid off Izkeeyerdeth's back and hit the ground as she did when
they landed in the 'Bowl. Her flitter fair swarmed her almost
immediately, elated that their human had returned. "So how do you
like flying?" she asked Letorin jovially, reaching back up to help
him down. Izkeeyerdeth bared her fangs into a toothy grin and waded into
the lake, exhausted. "Letorin, sorry to fly and run, but I need to go
look after Iz." Her shortcomings wounded her pride more than her
body, but beneath that she was still very pleased. "It was really
nice to meet you," she said earnestly. She gave him a friendly but
strong clap on the shoulder before heading into the lake after her
lifemate. "See you around!"