Deciding Things For Once (Kyril)

[kia]

N`tal was pacing his weyr. Things were going fast. Very fast. If he did not act now... it could be too late. Gulath was watching him. The little gang of Fire Lizards were watching him. Gulath was questioning him more recently. What about this? What about that? What it? Do not care? Can you not consider it? Is that how you really feel? Gulath was speaking out more now. The things in N`tal`s mind and heart, things he never said out loud, things Gulath had never originally commented on. They were coming out. N`tal was frustrated. He hated this. He felt caught. He rarely ever felt caught in his life time. And when he had... he acted like and animal and fought back. Every instinct was telling him to fight now. Fight for his life. Fight for his sanity. Fight for all he believed and did not believe in. Torn. Caught. Fight.... Flee? No! Never! He would never flee. Coward fled! He was not a coward. He was N`tal! He had survived so much. No one knew his past except Gulath. No one would understand him. No one got him. Yet, he felt... protective suddenly.

"Gulath, come on," he said, grabbing his riding straps and putting them on sloppily. He was not going far. Just to another part of the Weyr. He climbed onto the Blue`s back and had the Blue fly to the destination. Where were they heading? They landed at Tesla`s weyr, Gulath bugling to let Irath know he was coming. N`tal quickly jumped off of Gulath`s back as soon as they arrived. "Tesla?!" he called out, looking for her. She was going to think him crazy. He was crazy doing this. But Gulath was mentally telling him that this was right, that N`tal knew that this was right. No matter how much he was trying to deny it, for once N`tal was listening to the little voice inside him and letting it guide him. "Tesla?!" he called out again, moving to look for her. Ian was around his neck as usual, chirping in confusion. The rest of the gang had followed him, his thoughts worrying and confusing him. They only wanted to make sure he was okay. Gulath assured them with a few croons. They all landed on the Blue. What was N`tal doing?

[kyrillion]

Curled up on their ledge in the sunshine, army-colored hide dull but healthy, Irath watched with mounting discontent as a certain, familiar blue shape approached with unprecedented haste. Just what exactly did Gulath think he was doing? Lifting her head from her forepaws, the compact but large green sat up and flared her wings menacingly, lifting her head in a challenge as the pair lit beside her without so much as a greeting. That brat of a rider dismounted in an instant and hurried towards the entrance, and Irath whipped around to snarl menacingly at him - how dare he trespass like this? Who did he think he was?

The fact that he was Gulath's rider was the only thing that held off an attack, but the deep, throaty growls continued and her tail lashed side-to-side menacingly. Even when the boy disappeared into the darkness of the greenpair's weyr, Irath's eyes boiled furious crimson. Turning back to Gulath in a rage, she snapped and bared her teeth, demanding an explanation.

What is the meaning of this?[/color] Her mindvoice was tumultuous as wildfire, dangerous and unpredictable. I tolerate this intrusion only because it is you, Gulath! But that rider of yours had better behave.[/color] She seethed, clearly unhappy about the abrupt and, as far as she was concerned, impolite interruption. That stupid boy could have at least asked permission before barging his way into her weyr. Or even announced himself. Still, in spite of this, the incident had sparked her curiosity. Was Gulath scheming, again? And if so, why had he left her out of it? Still, she did not let her interest temper her anger, at least not outwardly; her friend, she was sure (even if she would never call him such a thing out loud), would tell her all she wished to know. The rest of us can only hope that, by now, the poor blue knows her well enough not to be offended by such a harsh greeting.

Tesla, as it happened, had been in the middle of a painting (she'd missed her art; it was rare when she had enough free time to pursue it these days) when N'tal's sudden, almost frantic-sounding call jarred her from her reverie. Brought back into the real world in an instant, Irath's anger and confusion flooded her senses, and she blinked back a sudden onslaught of red that tinted her vision. What ever was going on? Turning, nearly dropping the brush but managing to set it down hastily on the desk beside her canvas, she stood and spun around, fingers touched yellow-and-blue with paint and emerald eyes wide. She blinked, bemused, as the distraught-looking boy hurried towards her.

What on earth did he want? And what could have gotten him so worked up? She'd never seen him frantic before but, then, after all this time she still couldn't quite wrap her mind around this strange and abrasive classmate of hers. He'd seemed so adamant in his dislike of her, and for so long after the Hatching. And yet, more recently, she seemed to be the only one in the Weyr that he deigned talk to, or tolerate. But did that mean he liked her at all, or considered her a friend? It was impossible to say; and if Irath had been clued in to anything by Gulath, she wasn't talking. The green had never been fond of N'tal, despite being rather fond of Gulath (not that anyone else could probably tell; the green had an odd way of communicating such affection). So what ever could N'tal want? And he was such a private person, at that; not the sort to go barging into other people's weyrs and shouting their names as if the world were coming to an end.

"N'tal?" She questioned quietly, uneasily. She hung back, even as he approached her. And even though she offered him a smile, she seemed quite uncertain about things, not quite sure what he was up to. Still, the smile was genuine and friendly, and hopefully might help put him at ease. He certainly did seem more uptight than usual, didn't he? "Are you all right? Is there something wrong?" Coil and Arc, curled up on Tesla's bed, seemed frightened by the sudden intrusion of people and dragons and the storm of their emotions. Coil, attention torn between N'tal's blue firelizard, who she'd always been so fond of, and her human, quivered and huddled up against Arc, whose curiosity was steadily overwhelming her trepidation. Still, she resisted her impulses to be social and draw attention to herself; even she could see that this was not the time for such things.[/size]

[kia]

Gulath knew his friend was angry by the intrusion. But he was very grateful that she was not going to attack N`tal right now. His eyes whirled with blues, but the edges of them were hinted with orange. He moved closer to Irath, a dangerous thing to do, but he figured to comfort her. She was confused and angry at this intrusion, and went to set things right for her. Irath, I am sorry for coming in like this. But we felt like it was of the upmost importance. Mine and I thought we should do this before it is too late. And please listen to us. All we ask for right now is your time, he responded, reaching his muzzle out to gently touch Irath`s shoulder. He hoped that calm words and his show of attention toward her would help her realize that this was a serious moment.

N`tal found her. She was painting. He never knew she could paint. Her artwork was beautiful, he had to admit to himself. But he had not come here to admire artwork. He had come here to speak to her of things he had deemed important. but how could he begin without giving anything away? His mind was racing. How to start? How to start?

"Tesla," he spoke, "do not ask me how I know this. It could just be the way things are feeling around the Weyr. Things are uptight and on edge. It is tense, and tension always leads to things. Trust me, I know this for a fact. But, what I am about to say, please listen and heed my word. Tesla, with the Weyrwoman`s kid stolen, I believe a war is coming. Everyone can feel it. It is not a fact of information I am just learning now. It is something I have been feeling. If a war comes, do not fight. Keep Irath away from the skies. Hide somewhere. Escape. Anything. Do not fight!" he said, not shouting, but putting a serious tone with a hint of panic on his words. He was staring at her. They were all staring at him and his little act. Except this was no act. They were actually seeing the real him for once, though this side of the real him was an actually inlying layer of concerned. "Gulath and I both agreed this had to be said. Gulath considers Irath as a friend. In fact, she is his only friend. Like you are.... We do not want to see you get hurt. Just please listen and stay out of the fight," he added, almost admitting his friendship with her but holding back.

His heart was racing. Not out of the urgency of this message, but something else. She had been painting. She looked like she had been in that painting. She was his friend, so why did he see her like this? This had been what Gulath had been questioning him about recently. Why was he thinking of Tesla more? He was infatuated with Varya, but Tesla would still remain in his mind. He bit his bottom lip, waiting for Tesla to speak next. She probably thought he was stupid. She would probably ignore his pleads. Faranth above, just please let her listen to me, he thought mentally.

[kyrillion]

Irath eyed Gulath sceptically, eyes still livid crimson, but she nevertheless listened quietly. They had something to say before it was too late, did they? He'd definitely been plotting something; she was sure of it now. Still, she kept those thoughts to herself, and allowed the gentle touch to her shoulder. For a long moment, she did not react - mostly to build the tension, and keep Gulath on his toes. He couldn't go around thinking he'd won her over that easily. Nevertheless, she soon returned to nudge; though, in her case, it was much more forceful. Very well. What is so important?[/color] A low growl accompanied her words, but it was more a sign of reluctant acceptance than blatant hostility. Her tail continued to lash dangerously back and forth, however, and she squared her shoulders and stood tall as she could in an effort to match the blue for size - which wasn't going to happen, but she seemed content with the effect nevertheless.

And then something odd happened. Arc, noticing the four firelizards draped over Gulath, seemed to realize that the odds were quite uneven in Gulath's favor. Bouncing up from the bed, she twirled and danced her way over to the green that disliked her so, and then planted herself firmly on Irath's shoulder, spreading her little wings in a (rather unimpressive) show of force. Coil, still rather uneasy but nevertheless reluctant to be left out, sped her way over and lit on the green's opposite shoulder, puffing out her chest and even producing a small growl. Irath, taken aback by the sudden show of solidarity (and the nerve of those stupid little pink things) nevertheless looked rather pleased at having back-up. Her obnoxious little firelizards could take Gulath's down, any day! And if she happened to notice Coil's shy little wave in the direction of a certain blue firelizard, she gave no indication of it.

Despite her earlier little outpouring of creativity, the colorful canvas behind her standing as a silent testament, she found it easier to focus her attention on reality than she often had in the past. Being connected to such a volatile and, well, violent beast as Irath had forced her to keep on her toes. And so Tesla listened with quiet fascination to N'tal's little speech, eyes wide and searching. She wanted very much to ask him how he knew all of this; she wasn't sure she quite believed the explanation of 'just a feeling around the weyr'. There was some greater depth to this, something that she couldn't quite see, but that she could sense whenever her eyes met his. But he kept it well hidden, and he'd asked her not to question him, anyway. He sounded so... worried. So desperate. And for a moment, she even thought he was going to call her his friend. But, alas, it was not to be, and she was feeling as confused about this strange boy as ever. But she was feeling a bit touched, too.

A soft blush spread across her cheeks, followed by a smile. She wasn't quite sure how to respond, but after a pensive moment she began. "Well. I... I'm not sure I can keep Irath away from the violence, if it's brought to Dalibor." Her smile faltered and voice grew quiet, as though it pained her to admit it, and she looked almost regretful. Perhaps a little sad; maybe even a bit scared. She and Irath had an odd relationship, one that had grown and changed since Alizadehth's Hatching, and yet the creative, slightly eccentric girl wasn't sure she had any more control now than she'd had back then. What would happen, if dragons fought dragons, and she couldn't keep Irath away? What side would the green fight for? Would she even choose a side, or just let the rage that they could both feel take over? Clasping her paint-stained hands together nervously, her eyes fixed on the floor. "But I can try. I will try, of course. But you wouldn't fight either, would you?" Her eyes flew back up to the bluerider, now, questioning and almost dreading the answer. She didn't want to see Gulath or N'tal hurt, either; and they wouldn't fight for Dalibor, would they? Not when they'd never liked the place. He hadn't even let her give him a tour, after he'd arrived! And then a truly terrible thought occurred to her; they couldn't be thinking about fighting for the renegades? They wouldn't, would they?[/size]

[kia]

"Keep her away as much as you can!" was N`tal first reaction, looking over his shoulder at the Green that was standing next to his Blue. Gulath had taken the harder nudge as a good sign that Irath was going to listen and was listening. He turned his head back to Tesla, looking over her stain-painted face and eyes, searching her face and her eyes for some sort of answer. And then she asked him if they were going to fight if a war ensued. He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, as if he was thinking. He knew the answer. He was not going to fight. He could not fight. He could not defend Dalibor nor could he protect Varya. He was hanging in a balance. But, then, he realized that Varya`s decision had given him something to do when the war came. He could protect Tesla and Irath from danger. He opened his eyes, and stared at her again. He had not moved from his stopped place, having not dared go any closer because of Irath. Irath liked Gulath for a friend, but friendship could only go so far. Friendship did not always protect everything. But, even if everything is not protected, N`tal was trying his damnedest to protect Tesla more than he should have considered.

"No, I am not going to fight. But I am not going to run, either. I am merely going to stay out of the way. Nothing is set in stone, but all I know is that this fight is being refused to me," he replied, taking another step toward her. She was confused about his actions, but she had reason. Up until this point, he rarely hung out with her and did not like being seen in her company. But he had gradually come to accept it. And now he had barged in here like a madman, his words unclear and yet clear. She had to listen to him. How could he make her listen to him? He took another step toward her. He was going to do something he never thought he would do. Something that, if the WeyrlingMaster knew, would possibly end up with him getting more chores. But they were in the safety of Tesla`s weyr. No one but the dragons saw. He grabbed Tesla`s hand and brought them to his lips, kissing the top of her hand. "Do not get involved with the fight. Gulath and I do not want to see you or Irath getting hurt. I- Pern does need to lose something as beautiful as you. Beautiful things are what keeps this place alive," he said, looking at her before letting her hand go.

He turned and quickly got on Gulath`s back. Gulath had been very surprised by N`tal actions. He had not expected his Mine to do that. N`tal could feel Gulath`s reaction questioning him mentally. "Tesla, stay out of the fight, please," he said, before mentally telling his dragon to fly. Gulath took one more look at Irath and rumbled gently. Please listen to us. We worry for your safety. With that, the Rider, dragon, and gang of Fire Lizards left the weyr to return to theirs.