To Placate the Wild [Lan; Open]

[jack]

The water was still, as solid and placid as a plate of glass above a puddle of silver. The wind was soft, a quiet little breeze that delicately touched upon the lake, sending a trio of ripples drifting to the shore where they touched tentatively on bare toes and bare claws. Those heavy claws dug immediately into the sand at the feel of the water, and the low rumble of pleasure that echoed above the silvery talons made the owner of the human feet look up in mild amusement.

Sjueth was holding himself back, and T'el could tell. He smiled--a true smile, not that silly little grin he plastered on every day--and tilted his head absently to the side as the great Iron creature gave a visible shudder, stretching his neck out over the water as though desperate to touch it without touching it. The blackette was silent as the silvery creature investigated the stillness, going so far as to tilt his head completely to one side so he could peer through the water with is lone, handsome eye. He blinked as a shimmery creature darted just below the surface, breaking the stillness with a flash of ripples. As quickly as it had begun, the trance was broken, and the heavy creature dove eagerly into the water.

T'el laughed and was hot on his dragon's heels, wading out into deeper water and stripping himself of jacket and shirt as he went. The jacket was the only one to actually meet the shore, however, and with one sweep of his silver tail, Sjueth sent the shirt tumbling into the depths. It would be unlikely that it would make an appearance anytime soon. But as the drenched blackette swam through the rocking waves and tackled his dragon, clambering up the slippering scales with childish glee, it was clear he wouldn't miss it.

Sjueth gave a crooning rumble of amusement, and shook himself heartily, his one eye whirling in pleasure as T'el gave a surprised yelp; sent flying from the shake. The curly-haired man landed with a splash and surfaced sputtering, his cheeks rosy with surprise before--with a grit of his teeth and a look that assured revenge--he dove into the water. A battle of wits ensued, with dragon and human commensing in water on water warfare.
Quick splashes to the one eye followed by deep diving were countered with tails wrapped around ankles and dragon-sized waves. Taunting prods to the belly were replied with teeth in pants, and even as he was hanging by one pantleg ten feet above the water, T'el found himself grinning broader than he had in over ten years. He had missed this feeling so much--this feeling of freedom to goof off and enjoy life. It was hard to do such when living in the grips of the past...but it was harder now for him to recall the fury and marred hatred that had curled so tightly in his chest. He smiled--a soft expression--and Sjueth blinked at him, seeming to give a small smile of his own. Neither liked Dalibor. Neither wanted to live cooped up. Neither wanted to be renegade again, and neither wanted to be a true part of a weyr again. But both were happy. Both were happy, and as Sjueth opened his mouth with a snap, depositing his load to the water, both were soaking wet.

A bit dizzy from the shock of hitting the water with his brain, T'el rose to the surface with a wobble in his treading, giving a grunt of confusion as he found himself lifted from below. Dripping with a new layer of water, Sjueth gave a soft yawn, shifting himself until he felt His slide further down his neck and automatically situate himself in the knook between wings and neck. The man gave a sigh of approval--his senses returning slowly--and stretched back against the dragon's hide, his arms folding behind his head and his legs swinging, the Iron a comfortable warmth between his legs. Sjueth gave a sigh of his own and settled partially in the water and partially on a submerged rock, sinking until His was half in and half out of the water himself. The Iron's eye closed after he relaxed, but T'el didn't repeat the action, his eyes lazily tracing the skies and the clouds that danced across them. Yes...this would work.

For now.

[Lan]

Malin and Piroeth were currently winging back to Dalibor. They had spent much time at the ocean that day, Malin soaking her feet in the salty water and Piroeth making a great show of attacking the crests of the waves. Jazard had been with them too, then. He was a great cheerleader for Piroeth, chirruping whenever she made a "successful" attack and squawking a retreat whenever she was almost overtaken by the waves. It had been all fun antics and games, until the great splashing battle had commenced. Poor Jazard, being the smallest of the three, was clearly outmatched and had tasted his fill of salt water long before the others. So, in a huff, he had blinked out... most likely to find someplace else where he could be the jester instead of the jest-ee.

Instead of going between, the pinkrider and her lifemate had mutually decided that a nice low flight was in order, so that they might see the sights and spend time drying off from their rather bone-chilling swim in the northern spring sea. It was not the best of ideas, looking back, but they had both had fun. That was what counted. And perhaps Piroeth wouldn't be so restless about being in Dalibor Weyr now that she had spent so much time in her elusive and beloved ocean. Not that Malin was any better than the pink she was currently astride. Soon enough, they would both be bored again, but for now they were content to see the sights.

'Do you think you'll like it here, Piro?' The rider asked, drifting off into more serious thinking topics. It was a rare occasion, but it happened when she was alone in the quiet or when she was content. Being content always meant one should reevaluate what was going on in one's life, the dirty-blond had always thought, and so she always meant to. After all, being content meant that one had no place to go... and that was no fun at all! 'I mean... you don't miss him terribly, do you?' Some part of her still wondered if Piroeth would get over leaving her weyrmate so suddenly. It wasn't that she felt bad, or that she regretted it. Faranth! If she hadn't left, she'd be stuck with the rider of Piroeth's choice breathing down her neck all hours of every day and night! But she did so desire for her bonded to be happy. Perhaps she could find another nice dragon? One that was a bit larger and had a more handsome rider? Mal sighed. Yeah, that would be the day.

'The ocean is so close here! It was not close where we lived...' Was the pink's only reply. She chuckled. Piroeth was always thinking in the present. At least she was never depressed for long. But it meant the poor thing had a horrid memory. And Malin's wasn't too much better than hers sometimes --except when it came to seemingly fruitless details. 'Are you happy, Mine?' Piroeth questioned, crooning affectionately as she continued flying onward.

'Me?' Mal asked aloud, somewhat taken aback. 'Never been better!' She grinned as they were now approaching the Weyr. Piroeth, with a delicate sort of grace, rode a wind up and over the Rim without flapping once, then proceeded to survey the contents of the Bowl. Toward one side there was some weyrfolk doing boring, menial things that interested the pink as much as grubs or tunnelsnakes. But at the lake, there was a large Iron and his rider lounging about in the waters. She tilted her head slightly, banking so that she would glide down in their direction. Malin, sensing this change, looked over to what had caught her lifepartner's attention. 'It looks like fun!' Piroeth explained, as if that was the only thing she needed to say to justify her actions. Apparently she knew her rider well enough, for that was typically all the young woman needed to go along with any of the pink's plans.

Piroeth spiraled in and made a small splash at the water's edge as she landed not far away from where the Ironrider and his mount were resting. She cooed, like some sort of bird, and tilted her head as she surveyed the great Iron dragon that was so much larger than herself. Malin, on the other hand, surveyed his rider. He was a handsome man, she decided, and ever bold she called out to him to get his attention --as if a light pink dragon landing next to him hadn't done the trick.

'Hey! Mind if we join you?' At the end of her question she repressed a giggle that welled up inside her. If she wanted to make friends with an Iron and his rider, she mustn't be too overzealous. Not that she had any hope now. If there were minus points for brashness, she had probably already earned them all simply by landing next to him and daring to speak. Being new, she didn't know he had been a Renegade. She knew there had been Renegades and that there had been a bloody battle, but she had never in her recollection met an actual Renegade. They may have been pointed out to her at one time, but Malin wasn't the kind of girl to pay attention to such silly formalities. He was here, wasn't he? So he was just a rider... and an Ironrider at that. That meant he had prestige... and he was a handsome fellow to boot! (or at least as far as she could tell)

[jack]

The duo were halfway asleep when the sound of wings alerted Sjueth, his one eye opening warily as he glanced up, observing absently as the Pink glided down and landed. He remained silent for a lingering moment, however, and noted with mild amusement that the splash--sending ripples of water up his metallic hide--had not been registered at all in His's mind.

The yell, however, did snap the content ironrider from his state of mindlessness.

Sjueth straightened into a less relaxed position, lifting his head high above the Pink's to stare down his nose at her. But while both eyes stared for a moment--the dead one that sickly white--he tilted his head a second later so that only the softly blue green whirling one could be seen. At the same time T'el was moving, giving an annoyed grunt as he sat up partially, propped up on one arm as he absently scratched his hipbone with the other. "Who're you?" He replied curtly, staring at the woman with a mixture of displeasure and bored intrigue, "S'not like I know everyone in this shardin' place, but I haven't seen you before. Care to explain why you're interrupting my nap?"

[Lan]

Piroeth shuddered at the Iron's gaze. It was clear to her that something was wrong with one of his eyes. It was milky and white, lacking in all luster or sheen or color. She swallowed, not so sure of her idea anymore. But then his head moved and she saw a kinder, blue-green eye that swirled calmly and she felt more at ease. So he wasn't a monster. Her eyes, having turned yellow in alarm, now returned to a calm and pleasing blue to mirror his, swirling slowly and softly as she hummed a hello. 'Good day.' She sent the greeting to the Iron giant that now dwarfed her small frame.

Malin, on the other hand, was not so lucky in making friends. The wide grin that had been placed on her countenance started to fade as the man whom she thought was handsome woke and glared at her. It took all the willpower she possessed in her small body to keep from scoffing at his rudeness. 'Who're you? S'not like I know everyone in this shardin' place, but I haven't seen you before. Care to explain why you're interrupting my nap?' By the end of his spiel the smile on the pinkrider's face had all but slid into a scowl.

'I didn't mean to wake you, if napping is that important.' She replied, only half her usual charm, 'And I don't know anyone in this place either, I'll have you know. Transferred not to long ago.' She paused, took a breath, then clearly forced a smile. 'Name's Malin. And yours?' Ironrider or not, she had the right to demand right back of something that was demanded of her. She knew what she rode, but she didn't care. Dragonriders all rode for the good of the people, right? So then they were somewhat equal when it came to civil conversation at the side of a sharding lake. Besides, she still saw him as a decent enough fellow... and she still found him handsome despite his initial statement. Perhaps it even endeared him more to her. She had a weird thing about men.

'I was asking if we could join you...' She returned to the previous topic, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head slightly as if the range of actions could turn her statement into the question as it was previously phrased. Piroeth hummed pleasantly, head also tilted as she looked to the Iron dragon for her own permission to invade their waters for a bit. 'If it would not displease you and Yours...' She inquired of the larger dragon. Once they set their minds to it, neither rider nor dragon were easily dissuaded.

[jack]

The dragon tilted his head quietly at her speech, lingering in the space between her words and his reply as though it were difficult for him to form a response. More likely he was simply tasting the sound of her voice, and deciding whether or not he would reply at all. But at long last the noble creature--nostrils flared from a silent sigh--rumbled out a comment, I suppose you could call it that. Absently, he turned away from her, staring up at the sky with that lone eye. The second one was beginning to itch, the scarred tissue that marred his face seeming as though it were contracting.

"Napping is exceedingly important." The blackette interrupted, seeming to ignore her completely as she finished and deciding to reach up in a relaxed stretch instead. He dug in one ear as she spoke, purposely giving off the 'I don't give a shit' air to provoke her. But as though to dissolve his own attempt at angering her, he gave a quiet snort and looked straight at the Pinkrider. "Transferring and not knowing people's one thing. I was forced here, and I don't exactly want to meet the wherry-heads who've pinned me."

He stuck out his tongue for emphasis--refusing to acknowledge her name--and turned to Sjueth, who had twisted his neck around until his scarred eye faced Malin and his nose was in T'el's arms. A silent little nudge was all it took for the man to stand up on the dragon's shoulders and reach up, his fingers finding the injured eye and immediately setting to rubbing and scratching. "S'not like I'd waste energy tryin' to stop you." The rider mumbled after a moment, his stupid-little-boy attitude replaced with calm displeasure as he soothed his dragon, "That big ugly redhead would try t' kill us for sure if Sjueth even raised a claw anymore."

Annoyed, he shook himself--a bit like a dog--and ran a hand through his dripping hair, licking his lips distractedly. But as quickly as his mind had wandered it was back on track, and with a slight lift of his chin, he opened his arms to have his jacket thrust into his hands by a silvery tail. He raided the pockets for a moment and drew out an old bottle of salve that had been emptied and replaced with various home-made versions of soothers--only a few of which had ever had numbroot. This particular version, however, did and he applied very little of it on the painful scar. "I'm T'el."
Sjueth.

[Lan]

Piroeth was somewhat puzzled by the Iron's answer. He was slow to respond, and when he did it was not with enthusiasm or delight. It just sort of... was. His voice rang dull in her head. She held back the urge to say any more. I suppose you could call it that... So mysterious and so much... larger than she was. As he stared up at the sky her gaze paused in following as she noticed again his scarred, mangled eye. What happened there? Eternally curious, just as her rider was, she began to ponder the possibilities. No thread fell from the sky... there was no good reason for such a scarring. Then again, She and Hers had met... what were their names... the other day and they were quite beat up themselves. But such a large Iron so wounded! Her small mind could not comprehend!

Malin was also caught off guard. She wasn't used to being interrupted. So for a moment she even attempted to listen to what he had to say. But then she drifted off. The way he talked to her... she didn't like it. It was sarcastic, condescending, and just plain... rude. She felt her insides squirming with the seeds of distaste, growing quickly into the saplings of dislike. Was he still talking? The pinkrider couldn't tell from the pulse that was rushing in her ears. But she managed to at least remain outwardly emotionless, even if her inner indignation was growing with every word that came out of his mouth. He shouldn't talk. He was much more attractive when his lips were shut.

It wasn't until the great Iron giant moved that she started paying some attention again, other than fantasizing about ways she could somehow keep him from talking (some solutions temporary, while others permanent). 'S'not like I'd waste energy tryin' to stop you.' So he didn't want her around... well, that was evident now. Yet, despite her great and sudden displeasure with him, she still felt an urge to stay anyway... if only to bother him more. It could be fun. She hadn't had a good standoff in far too long. Not since... well, she didn't like to remember just how long it had been. Stupid weyrmate. Stupid dragon. Not her Piroeth, of course! But the other one... he wasn't a bad dragon, nor was his rider a bad person, but she blamed them all the same for her discomfort at Benden.

At hearing his description of the "ugly redhead", she laughed before she had the chance to think better of it. She remembered seeing the Senior Weyrwoman at Dalibor before, and that was her exact thoughts about her! Not only was she somewhat unfortunate looking in Malin's eyes (if she focused on presenting herself more as a lady than a powerhouse, she might be a bit better), but she was also far too uptight and just plain haughty for the pinkrider's standards. The rest of what he said was somewhat lost. But she got the gist of it. He didn't want her there. He wasn't fond of being here. And he definitely wasn't fond of the Senior Weyrwoman.

'Oh, so you'll grace me with your name,' Malin responded, her tone sarcastic to mirror his own. 'I'm honored.' She was about to spit out some other nasty remark when she noticed, yet again, the scar that was plaguing the larger dragon. While she may have been well on her way to not liking the rider, the dragon was still pure in her eyes. And, like the nature of the color she road, she was eternally curious. Her voice changed a bit, though not much, to accommodate such a delicate subject. 'What happened there, anyway?'

Meanwhile, Piroeth was not swayed by the conversation of her rider. She was intrigued by this much larger beast, and she wanted her best to be polite and sweet to him. 'It's a pleasure to meet you, Sjueth.' Her mental voice was sweet and bubbly, as always and her blue-green eyes never left him. He was quite the object of fascination for her, so much so that she had been paying little attention to the strong emotions flowing from her rider.

[jack]

Deeply entranced in the movements of his own fingers--gently caressing the mangled flesh in a relaxed, calm manner that many would consider impossible for the deranged Ironrider--T'el wasn't really paying any attention to the Pinkrider. Distantly, he registered her sarcastic remark, and stood unaffected as he awaited whatever scathing comment would come next. But instead it was a question, posed in a soft, thoughtful way, that made him pause.

Sjueth's claws dug audibly into the stone he perched on at the question, and even his dead eye gave a strange twist as it locked on where it could only assume she was. It was eerie, the way the milky shade of the entire eye still managed to swirl, a shade of pinkish red appearing in the ghastly pool for half a heartbeat. But then it was gone, and the eye rolled aside, the muscles that controlled it too weak to support it for more than moments at a time. T'el's own fingers were tight on the Iron's skin, but his nails didn't dig in even as he forced himself to relax, the muscles in his arms and shoulders still tight.

Flashes of memories rolled across the man's face, booming loud and clear in the silence that stretched. The Pink's words went completely unnoticed as Sjueth tilted his head, pressing the tip of his nose against the man's chest. The blackette's arms trembled once, then relaxed, and that cocky grin was back in place as he looked over his shoulder at her. His eyes were cold despite the amusement on his face, and even as he laughed the comment off, there was a frightful level of hurt and malicious intent in his gaze. Not for her, mind you, but for someone.

"Dragon claw." He chortled playfully, the expression still not meeting his eyes, "Real' dark night--almost a decade ago. Stupid little Black stretched his nasty feet out...and ripped through Sju's eye. But don't worry..." He turned back to his work, capping the salve and shoving it violently into a soppy pocket, "Sjueth ripped that stupid little tunnelsnake's wings right off."

[Lan]

Clearly what she had said had struck a chord, and after being so unamused and unenthralled by this ironrider's game not a moment before, she suddenly found him more intriguing than ever. Perhaps it was just Malin's way to be drawn to broken and hurt people, but when someone seemed that upset about a question... her mind instantly began to work in overtime to ascertain the reasons why. Her eyes naturally flicked to the subtle movements in his arms, the far-away glare in his eyes, the way his fingers trembled strongly for a moment against the flesh of his dragon before forcibly pulled away, and of course to the emotionless yet simultaneously fierce expression that now settled itself upon his countenance. She didn't know what she expected from her question, but this reaction was certainly one that sparked her interest in him anew.

Meanwhile, the pink dragon was more focused on the great iron that she was fearful to offend. He seemed so hurt by her rider's question, that she wondered for a moment if, perhaps, herself and Her Own had been in the wrong. Muscles in her back unconsciously spasmed at the sound of his mighty claws against the rock, sending shivers down her long and elegantly curved spine. Her head sunk low as she snaked her neck out far, as much an act of submission as questioning if he was all right. When she dared to make a noise, it was a subtle low clicking, somewhat similar to a purr but closer to the chirp of a bird or a firelizard. She didn't know what she could do to encourage him, but the display before her moved her emotional mind so greatly that her usual happy mood was, for that moment, reduced.

And then it was over. Just like that. The ironrider tossed it off with a cocky grin and a laugh, and Malin was left somewhat stunned. She couldn't figure him out, but by Faranth's First Egg she was going to try. So she listened now with intense interest and emotional connection, trying to feel out every word he spoke to her for some clue or inclination.

'Real' dark night--almost a decade ago. Stupid little Black stretched his nasty feet out...and ripped through Sju's eye. But don't worry... Sjueth ripped that stupid little tunnelsnake's wings right off.' The phrase was accentuated by the intense gaze of extreme hatred, although the pinkrider did not believe it to be for her, and ended with the capping of a container of she-knew-not-what. Malin managed a smirk to go in amity with his own, despite the displaced glare of her new acquaintance, and noted at least the irony that it would be a black that would be responsible for all of this. Blacks did cause a lot of trouble, didn't they? She hadn't met a single one that wasn't full of some sort of angst or voracity in some way or another. She assumed they all were that way. Too big for their own hides to matter, but determined to make their vexations and anguishes known.

'Of that... I have no doubt.' The dirty-blond returned to her playful tone, seemingly forgetting the mood while all the while still filing things away in her head. 'Sjueth is indeed a magnificent beast.' She gave the compliment in an ambiguous manner, as if it were simultaneously one that she meant yet one that she gave easily. Yet, all the same, she dipped her head to the large iron in tribute, not completely without respect for the dragon that had likely suffered much. That much she had decided... it was a night that was more than what this rider was painting it to be. If it haunted him that much, it must in some way have sway over not just this one moment, but the rest of his (undesirable) mannerisms as well. He was now her new puzzle to solve. Sooner or later she would find out the rest, she was determined, but for now she took solace in this rather large piece of information. She could draw her own conclusions now and perhaps get the real story later... perhaps. Her mind whirled at the possibilities.

'So I take it you don't want us joining you, then?' Malin offered, returning to the original subject. 'You could have just said so... ugly redhead or not, you should be allowed to speak your mind. I mean, if one isn't entitled to their own opinion, what's the point of being alive?' She scoffed at the end of the question for emphasis, then shuffled in her seat as if to leave, although she had no intention of going anywhere. It was merely a ploy, a test of sorts, to see what sort of man he was. She knew he probably couldn't care less if she left him and his dragon to bask in their recently renewed bad memories, but now that she had tasted intrigue she was loathe to actually leave it.

'Although we would very much like to stay...' Piroeth chimed in, speaking to the Iron. She, perhaps even moreso than her rider, was also quite unwilling to leave. 'Surely we do not mean to actually leave?' The pink asked of Her Mine, just to make sure. Sarcasm was still often lost on the young, lighthearted dragon.

[jack]

"I don't really care." T'el replied after a long moment, looking exasperatted and a bit annoyed as he ran a hand through his hair, licking his lips absently. He was quickly deciding this woman was a sneaky one indeed, and had a good feeling that she wouldn't leave even if he told her to bug off. Giving a short, huffed sigh he settled back onto Sjueth's back, swinging his legs into the water absently. A grin was back into place on his lips, but it seemed almost a reaction, something painted on his face that he had no control of, and that grew more true as his stare grew distant.

The Iron remained silent even as the Pink spoke to him, however, his countenance a bit less disguised than T'el's. He was relaxed, laying his neck back into the water to prop his jaw up on a nearby rock, but he had obviously shut down. He shrugged his wings absently at her words, but made no other move, the tip of his tail flicking slightly as T'el shifted on his back.

"So Malin," The Ironrider began, laying back on the dragon so his face was hidden from her, "Where exactly did you come from?"

[Lan]

Malin snorted at his huffy response. She was a bit peeved at his annoyance, and his haughty attitude. It made her haughty and spiteful as well. Well, maybe that was exactly what she wanted. Maybe she wanted to annoy him and have him simultaneously annoy her. Normal relations were just no fun. Maybe she wanted some tension. There was nothing like a good bout of angst and terse statements to get the blood flowing and the mind reeling. Sometimes she liked it. Life was too simple at times. Complications made everything all the more enjoyable. Battles of wit and pride made one feel alive.

'Well, sometimes I'm from Benden Weyr... and other times I'm from a lowly little hold just outside of Bitra. And still other times I like to be from Fort. Guess where I'm from now.' The blond grinned a toothy sort of grin to rival even T'el's ever-present snarl. Then, with an overly-dramatic sigh, she added, 'Not that you'd care to guess.'

'And where are you from? Not from here, I assume, since you hate it so sharding much.' Her next question came like a long wave without pause. She knew if she were to have her fun with him she'd have to keep him on his toes, so she tried not to give him time to respond to her sarcasm and teasing statements in kind. 'How could anyone hate it here? There's an ocean! And so many friendly creatures to meet!' Piroeth chimed in a sing-song tone inside her rider's head. She had seemed to give up, for the moment, in making Sjueth talk. The pink would try again, of course, before they left, but right now he seemed a bit lost in thought and she didn't want to bother him. She'd give him space for a second or three.