Of Life {Fidelli}

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I was a child once,
The fear of the world in my eyes,
Far from the safety of the other side,
I colored by numbers,
Learned how to tie my own shoes.

They were quite the pair, Annith and P'nay. An unlikely pair, and not the sort one would expect with a rider and dragon. Often enough, such a pair would balance each other else, or they would share the good qualities and the bad together, but the two of them hardly seemed much alike, nor to work together. P'nay was a flirt. Annith was just a sweetheart. P'nay was confident and knew how to get what he wanted. Annith was soft-spoken, chattery enough but not overly forceful ever. One might consider it a balance, but the system worked more dysfunctional than more would think necessary. But they were a pair nonetheless, and their love was evident, the devotion of a rider to his dragon and vice versa. They had a love that stretched even beyond the boundless that the yellow had for everything. They worked because of moments, masked and veiled and beautiful. Their partnership could be one that was touching, if you really understood them, which is doubtful.

They sat together. It was a random spot, a little hill in the middle of no one's path in the bowl. The lithe form of the yellow reclined in a relaxed, sort of oddly hunched position. Her head rested on the ground and beside it sat the young, charming young man that was known as P'nay, leaning against one of her strong front legs. There was reassurance, reassurance in the undying, unwavering presence of his lifemate. Sometimes he needed that, when all the self doubt and self blame ended catching up him. There was only so long you could drown it in happiness that was only real during the moments when it was felt. That sort of happiness quickly faded, and, when it did, you were always left wondering whether it had ever really been there at all. How could he be happy with all the things he'd done? All the disappointment and pain he'd caused?

Once there would have been no answer to those questions, and he'd have been left to torment himself. But now there was always a voice, ready and waiting to reply, so sure with every word she spoke and always filled with love. Because you are beautiful and I will always need you. He had his own personal bit of Rukbat, his own personal bit of sunlight, moonshine, and starlight that gave off nothing but happiness. The past could be left in the past again and he could move forward. He didn't have to think of his father, who was steadily becoming a distant, old figure to him, a someone who had once meant something so important to him but now only meant those memories of those feelings. He didn't have to think of his mother, who'd he'd let down try to save her and then disappointed her fragile memory by not following her footsteps as she'd wanted. He didn't have to think of his brother, who'd once been someone he looked up to but who had long since shamed his memory. They could haunt his memories all they liked, but his memories wouldn't haunt him, not often.

Life was a beautiful, fragile thing, wasn't it? A flickering flame, feebly hoping, if it was smart, that no wind would come and blow it out and clinging to other flames, if it was smart, in order to steal a bit more fuel. You were given a path to walk, but it was always splitting, always twisting and turning. If you were lucky, you were a dragonrider. You walked the path with someone always beside you and a set of wings you could make your own. Like he did, you'd have a comfortable, strong, leg to lean against on beautiful autumn days, when the sun was dipping below the rim of the bowl, causing the sky to make a brilliant display that you could think of just as your own. He smiled up at it, enjoyed it, reveled it, and superimposed it over old memories, so that it could play in his mind amongst all the other beautiful sunsets without being disturbed by too many thoughts of people. He felt the colors, memorizing details, clinging to a moment's natural high, one that didn't require anyone but himself and his other half. He could almost taste it, smell it, on the brisk breeze, the taste, the scent, of a early fall sunset.

A comfortable silence stretched between P'nay and Annith.

Mother look how your boy turned out,
Three hundred miles from that small town,
Daddy it hurt to watch you walkin' out,
Hear the piano do the cryin' out,
For all the preachers and the teachers now.

[fidelli]

pay my respects to grace and virtue
send my condolances to good
give my regards to soul and romance
they always did the best they could

;;oftentimes things were not what they seemed, especially to an unobservant eye or to one who is not in the scene. it is like that when they say opposites attract. they, whoever they are, have never been in a relationship that the other was an opposite then, or at least not one that had lasted. opposites are different, are confusing, are not the same - hence the name. it leaves people with not much in common and more of a fight to stay together. nim, the young girl running through the bowl, knew this. animatamora, anima, or rather nim, had been through many "relationships" in her life - none of them dating, but often between the members of the opposite sex. it was true that it was interesting, and she preferred them - but the effort involved with the other party was exhausting.

;;scuff, scuff, scuff. bare feet cut through the low grass with nary a whisper of sound, a long lope that ate the ground quickly. she was alone except for a great hunting canine behind her, a young floppy white and black thing that none-the-less stayed with her. it was a hunting dog, shown by the height despite it's obvious young age - her paws were huge and she had the loose floppy fur of one not grown into her own skin yet. she followed the girl happily, tongue lolling out of her mouth and uncomplaining. it was a random run, for nothing was planned and nothing was there to see. despite having only been at the weyr for a few sevendays, she had carefully learned and paced each of it's halls until she knew it like the face of her brother. a

[/u]nima had had nothing better to do, a'mor and f'del off and keeping busy with searching for the upcoming hatching. but she shyed away from that thought, and returned to counting the pace of her feet, steadily eating up ground and not getting tired despite the effortless blur she and the canine made.

;;she ran to clear her mind - worry made up a young girl's life all to much. regular worry, such as the thought of friends and new places, old worries as she thought of friends left behind. nim thought to of larger worries, of fear that her family - despite their urges to stand and her refusal - would hate her for it. she had her reasons, for although dragons were wonderful, she couldn't impress to one herself. she wasn't good enough. self confidence she lacked, doubt in everything she said and did making her every word a worry. of course, they dropped from her mouth faster than she could edit them, so she had reason, but... her pace slowed, feet making an odd hollow thud on the packed ground as she trotted, and then shifted into a slow walk that became silent again. aren slowed down as well, throwing an affectionate shoulder against nim's knee, making the girl look down with a smile and scratching hand. a month ago she had been a beaten little puppy, for the fact that she made no noise - now she was a cheerful, sweet creature that devoted all of her love to the girl.

;;life was a thing all to it's own, a great river that rushed and tumbled through without anything to control it. smaller branches led off and on, rivers merged and split. rapids tumbled through, hazards thrown in and then crystalline smooth. it sent you ways you never expected, and had more dangers than anyone knew. yet, she respected the river and loved the waters - was not life much the same? scary and dangerous, with beautiful pieces that made you wish you could go back and visit just as you were whisked around the corner and never again to see. you paddled alone down the river, and alone you would stay - each craft could only carry yourself. she knew that, couldn't rely on the words of her family when they tried to explain to her the euphoria of having another soul that loved you unconditionally. she, she knew, was content with their love, and couldn't ask for more.

;;rukbat made a pretty sight, dipping down low behind the curving wall of the bowl, but nim did not stop moving to watch. it was a constant presence in her life, the great star constantly the turning point in every person. it controlled them, despite what they thought or not, everything done around it - what was done if it was warm or cold, dark or light. she didn't look around, even as she continued walking at a relaxed pace, hands tucked into the pockets of too-big breeches and slim neck peering from the wide hole of the huge faded cream sleeveless tunic she wore - successfully hiding any body shape and making her look not the whipcord muscle she was under it. short tawny hair fell just short of her eyes, cut boyishly short and enough that many weren't sure whether she was a feminine guy or a girl. it was high sweeping cheekbones, a tiny nose, dancing sapphire eyes that were as dark as the night swiftly falling upon them, a stubborn chin and eager smile meant to make others laugh too. it gave no hint between one and the other, a fine line like many they walked.

;;the silence was comfortable, and she strolled through, near to where she knew a small knoll jutted from the bowl and made an excellent vantage point, though not many walked this part. it was an occasional cartwheel that she did, randomly flipping from walking on her feet to walking on her hands as they approached the hill that kept her from noticing that it was occupied, that and the quiet melody she sang. it was soft and haunting, at odd proportions to her giddy tumbles and leaps, sang in a clear dipping soprano and alto that wavered between the line. aren, who saw them much faster than nim, lept ahead of the girl to trot up the hill and stop at p'nay. she halted there, a scant foot between her and his knee, unwilling to go any farther and cocking her head at him curiously. she made a sight, reaching out delicately to sniff at him, before sneezing hugely.

;;it was the sneeze that alerted her, even as she stopped mid sentence and peered around. "excuse you, aren - oh." she caught sight of the man and dragon, and nimbly trotted up the hill to elegantly bow and halt, just as wary as the dog. "we're sorry - we didn't realize anybody else was here. didn't mean to disturb you. come on, aren." but the puppy had carefully ventured forward, wary of the man, to sniff at the yellow happily, white tail whipping back and forth happily. she liked dragons! men... not quite so much.

and so long to devotion
you taught me everything i know
wave goodbye, wish me well
you've got to let me go

[/blockquote][/size]

[Admin]

There's a weakness in the window,
Place my footprints in the dark room,
There's lonely voices like a scarecrow,
In the hallway like a lost ghost.

P'nay stared at the large, young, black and white canine that had come up to him. It tilted its head at him. He tilted his head back at it, surprised by the boldness of its sudden approach. Where had it come from? What gender was it? Who did it belong to? When it craned its neck to sniff at him, he cautiously extended one of his hands a bit towards it, wary of it trying to bite him or something. But all it did was sneeze. That just caused him to blink and quirk an eyebrow at it. It is female, Mine; Annith informed him, rumbling with laughter as she sniffed at the canine lightly in response to its sneezing. What an odd animal, not afraid of her at all. It was a pleasant change, nicer than that feline Mine had gotten one of his friends. She didn't like it when simple creatures, who didn't know any better, were scared of her. It made her feel bad.

But they had company, an acquaintance of the canine, Aren, apparently. The girl trotted up the hill and bowed to him, halting a distance that hinted at the same sort of wariness that her pet seemed to have. Well, towards him anyway. She seemed fine with approaching Annith, sniffing at the dragon with her tail wagging. The yellow positively beamed, if she was the sort who did that. Even if she did, it would probably be more likely aggressive move, but her response, in terms of a human response, was like a big, cheerful smile. It is fine! I like the Aren. She is very nice. Mine is not overly fond of canines. He's more a feline person. Or a human person; she cheerfully announced to the entire assembled group. Shifting his weight to slowly stand up, wary of their wary new companions, P'nay looked about like he was going to choke as his dragon's final comment caused him to splutter. She peered at him worriedly, utterly innocent and sweet.

Composing himself, the yellowrider stood up properly and bowed back to the girl, a charming lopsided grin slipping easily onto his face. The peace of the moment was broke, but he didn't mind. It wasn't the short of serenity from his doubt that his dragon offered him, but someone to charm and talk to was a distraction he'd enjoyed for a long time. "As Anni said, it's fine. We don't mind being disturbed. We were just enjoying the evening. My name is P'nay, and this is Annith;" he said fluidly. Thoughts diminished, focusing on the moment as the past and philosophical doubts slipped away from him. It was all so simple. She was pretty, interesting, just the sort of person he didn't mind disturbing him. The last thing he wanted for her to go running off without giving him her name. There was a simply way to assure that. "What's your name?"

In the bedroom I see a shadow,
From the moon with light from a candle,
On a bed-frame lies a girl,
Her reflection in the mirror.

[fidelli]

Under the cherry tree he hung,
Dappled with the petals of the dead.
Roses twined with his hair,
And moonshine stained his lips.

;;Aren had been found by Altith - the purple had a knack of locating things that needed to be found. It was one of the few times any of them remember F'del coming home from a Search in a towering rage, the Purplerider cradling a tiny black and white creature that was absolutely silent despite the obvious pain it was in. Apparently, Altith told them, a farmer had beaten the little critter and had just been about to throw her in the river, all for the fact that she didn't speak and was useless as a hunting dog to him. F'del, who had snatched the little girl from him and brought her to A'mor, didn't realize how quickly Nim would get attached to her - as the tiny pup grew into something much bigger F'del gave her the now recovered silent dog. Aren had been raised with Altith constantly worrying about her from the time she was a baby, and with Noyth as an uneager babysitter - dragons posed no threat to her.

;;The canine's long tail whipped back and forth in silent happiness as Annith returned her sniffing, and she allowed Nim to deal with the male. She wasn't big on human males - although her pack consisted of three of them, she still remembered that a man had caused her pain. Nim was the one who had stayed up with her and made the hurt go away. It was a simplistic thought process, but the sweet, if not shy girl was a darling. It is fine! I like the Aren. She is very nice. Mine is not overly fond of canines. He's more a feline person. Or a human person. The dragon speaking to her was no problem - she did live with Altith - and she smiled her own very human grin up at the dragon. "Well, I'm sure she's happy you like her, Lady." Even as she spoke she was turning back to the male, watching him with a patient grin on her face, but unsure. Rider's were all very different - not that that stopped her from talking to every single one, but best learn what they were like first.

;;Nim decided that he was alright, by first glance. He was careful to rise, and she was sure that he was doing it for the nervously eyeing puppy who didn't really like male strangers - she would have never guessed he thought of her the same way. And the bond between rider and dragon made her snicker out loud - you wouldn't hear here give a girly giggle - and relax visibly. An elegant leg, a lopsided grin, and she was comfortable. He didn't look too old - a few years older than her almost seventeen. That would be soon, she realized with a start. Autumn was gathering quickly on the Weyr. If Anima would have realized that she had broken their solace and peace, she would have snatched Aren out faster than she was - however, he seemed content enough, and with the chance to make a new friend, she couldn't resist... Of course, if his first words were "go away" she would, but that glittering coin was tossed high in the air and awaiting a plunge to earth.

;;'As Anni said, it's fine. We don't mind being disturbed. We were just enjoying the evening. My name is P'nay, and this is Annith.' Names were always nice, and she fixed it firmly in her mind - she was Faranth awful at them. He would be an easy one to remember, and Annith wouldn't slip (she hoped.) Her hands slipping from the pockets of her breeches, she smiled at him again, a rather innocent gleeful smile that spoke of a mouthful of sharp teeth as much as it asked to play. 'What's your name?' Now, it was rude to not answer, wouldn't it be? And she couldn't run off now - it was a proper conversation. Besides, Aren was rather gleefully still inspecting Annith, and Nim doubted that she would be pleased to be dragged away.

;;"Animatamora, but now that you've heard it forget it. I'm just Nim, short for Anima." Perhaps she said her full name to make a laugh - she loved making people laugh - or perhaps she told him it because she was attracting the attention of the man, subconsciously. It was more likely a mixture of both, although she was sincere in her plea. She hated her name, and Nim was easy enough - boyish, out of the way. Anima was far too feminine for her own tastes, and believed the name to be pretty - not worth wasting on one who looked like her. Dark blue eyes peered up at him - he was a scant three inches taller than her - and she continued talking. "I'm here with my brothers, A'mor and F'del, of Gray Noyth and Purple Altith. Well" - she amended herself quickly, least people began to think that the two were actually related - "Only A'mor is related to me. But both of them act like older brother's, so I'm stuck with them."

;;From the skies above, just as she finished speaking, popped a pretty Bronze `lizard, totally tangled with brightly colored ribbons and reeking of a sweet smelling - too sweet in her opinion - oder. With a heartbroken chatter he streaked to the girl and dropped in her arms, begging release as she stared at him blankly. "Klepto? What did you do?" Even as she asked she was trying to balance him on one arm and undo the very tangle ribbons without hurting him. "It's a wonder you could fly." He chattered at her, taking no mind to P'nay, and showed her - even as he did she began to laugh, so much that he took to the skies limply and seeked the neck of another - the man - peering at His reproachfully. She didn't need to laugh! He just wanted to be rid of the tangley bits and make the sickly sweet smell get off of him. Inbetween gasping laughs, holding her sides, she explained to the Rider, "He thought he wanted a ribbon to take back for me, and he fell in the box of them, and then the shopkeeper to get him out took up a bottle of that smell and dumped it on him, because she thought it was water!" The laughter was amused and fresh, and Klepto nursed his bruised pride, grumbling at her. She didn't need to laugh at him! She would have looked pretty with the bright pink one, the one he still held clutched in his paw.

Silver eyes were hollow,
And the words dropped to the ground as white as snow,
Whispering of wrongs long ago,
And of hearts that stayed broken.

[Admin]

Your heart is a river that flows from your chest,
Through every organ,
Your brain is the dam,
And I am the fish who can't reach the cord.

The girl said that the canine was happy she liked her. The canine certainly seemed happy, wagging her tail back and forth like that which meant positive emotions. Peering carefully at the awkward looking young creature, Annith mimicked the motion carefully. Her slender tail lifted a few inches of the ground and whipped lazily from side to side a couple of times. It felt odd, more an anxious motion than a happy one. She rested it back against the ground after only a moment and gave the canine another sniff. Such odd creatures, to wave their tails about so much. Dragons typically only did it to show anxiety or irritating, or to maintain their balance and direction on the ground or in the air. But all individuals and species, were different and that was good. Humans, like her rider, had no tails at all, and she certainly thought that had to be a bit odd too.

Animatamora. It was a lovely name, a bit long, yes, but P'nay didn't see any reason to shorten it to Nim. To simply avoiding wasting to much breath, he'd just use Anima. He refused to allow himself to forget her proper name; it seemed utterly rude. The last thing he wanted to do was be rude to this young woman, who seemed to have been sizing him up carefully, not trusting of him. For what reason? He didn't know, but he returned the favor. His hazel eyes carefully remained fixed on her, memorizing her features and hearing what she was say. Apparently, she was related, or close to, two riders he wasn't familiar with. That was probably bad, because they probably flew in the same wing as him. What was more interest to him than her family was her delicate face and her entrancing, lovely deep blue eyes, her slim build and high stature.

Then there was chattering and they were joined with a bronze firelizard who seemed to have a very interesting sense of style. He raised his eyebrow as the entangled creature dropped into Anima's arm, begging release from the ribbons that he was caught it. Than the sickly sweet scent reached the yellowrider and he wrinkled up his nose in distaste, though he continued to grin with confused amusement at what was going on. It was hard not to be amused when someone was laughing at something that obviously had to be hilarious in front of him. And it was funny, when she managed to explain through her laughter. He started giggling at first, and then he was laughing right along beside her. What a wonderful, silly, ridiculous creature! She did have curious pets that he approved of very much; boring pets were simply, well, boring, and uninteresting.

Annith didn't find it quite as amusing, and the scent made her nose itch and hurt. She pressed her head against the ground and raised one paw to place in awkwardly over her muzzle, blocking out the scent a bit so she could tolerate it. Poor little bronze cousin, all weighed down with those ribbons and smelling as horrid as he did. Shouldn't you help him? He looks upset. Perhaps you should oil or wash him too? She spoke meekly, sweetly, politely; her voice showed that every word was simply intended to try and be helpful. Gently, the noise slightly muffled by the awkward position of her head and her paw with it, she crooned to Klepto, trying to sooth him. Trying to breath in threw her mouth, she suddenly paused in it, sensing something. Dropping her paw and raising her head, she looked intently at Anima, thinking carefully about something.

Composing himself as he sensed Annith's vague disapproval of his amusement in the situation, P'nay settled for a crooked grin, looking up at the upset firelizard. "Anni's probably right. He doesn't exactly smell that pleasant and;" he started, but then he trailed off. His head snapped around to look towards his dragon and his eyes unfocused; his attention was no longer on Anima, or either of two pets. Mine, she should stand. What was she talking about? The poor rider was confused by the sudden, out of the blue comment. For the clutch. For Kalith's eggs; the yellow explained tolerantly, lovingly, patiently. Despite the normal happiness and love in her voice, it was firmer than it normally was; she was making a declaration, simply leaving no room for argument rather than worry about having to actually arguing. It was very simple.

Shrugging, mainly to himself, he turned back to Anima. "And Annith says you should be a candidate. Aren't you one already? Rider blood, a bronze flitter, good age. Your chances can't be worse than most others. Especially since Annith says you should be one and she knows best;" he finished the sentence he'd originally started, with a new ending than he'd originally thought, and worked out his curiosity too, ending with a confident little wink. Mentally, he sighed. If she was a candidate already, this would all be amusing, but depressing, because he could have pretended to have not known before and had a bit of fun. If she wasn't a candidate, she was going to be one, because it didn't seem like his dragon had any doubt about her choice in this one. Well, only the best could Impress and beat the rest, right? At least he seemed to have generally good taste in his chosen interests.

Ivory lines lead,
Oo wha-ho, oo wha-ho,
Ivory lines lead,
Oo wha-ho, oo wha-ho.

[fidelli]

You can't play on broken strings
You can't feel anything that your heart don't want to feel
I can't tell you something that ain't real.

;;Happy learning the interesting smells that came along with meeting a new dragon, Aren was mindless of Nim - the girl was a tough pack member, all that she didn't have sharp teeth. The male was perhaps alright too, for the dragon seemed fine and the particularly scent of him was all over her. Canines took a huge matter into what was going on by the tone of body language and range of voice - when Annith waved her own tail back and forth Aren went wild, turning herself back and forth with the force of her own slender tail whipping around. If he could understand Annith she would agree - she didn't understand why some had tails and some didn't. Felines lashed their tails back and forth, but they seemed to do that when they were angry - Aren couldn't see why you would wag your tail when you weren't happy.

;;The canine, her white pattern making her so much brighter in the dimming light, bowed her front feet forward, smacking the ground and asking the dragon in her own language to play. Thankfully, before that could really happen that mini-dragon popped from the skies, startling Aren and making the shy canine leap to her new friend's side, peering anxiously over at Nim. Yuckkkkk... The puupy's nose wrinkled, and she sneezed, once, twice, three times, trying to rid herself of that awful smell and refusing to go anywhere near the smelly Bronze.

;;Why would you trust? She had been taught from A'mor that if you don't trust people, you don't get hurt. She disliked pain, especially of the heart - one of the reasons she doesn't like to crush over a boy because she gets her heart broken. Nim could see that he wasn't sure what to do with her, and met his hazel eyes - rather pretty ones - coolly, refusing to back down. Even as he went over her - she didn't mind, it wasn't as though he could see anything past her over-large clothing - she scanned him. He wasn't much taller than she was - four or five inches at most. He was slender, and had smooth muscles that the girl in her did notice and like - but that part was shoved too far back in her brain to be immediately released.

;;He wasn't darkly tanned, more of a light color with just a few freckles that could be defined as cute. She thought of her own constantly red cheeks and nose, and cursed them for never tanning, although her arms and legs and feet were a dark bronze. It was his face that she thought was the most interesting. His hair was short, but not shaved to his scalp - she didn't like that - and was a pretty color. The eyes she loved meeting, drinking in the blue dappled with greens and grays and browns. His smile was nice, and his face wasn't chubby - all in all he was a very fine looking male.

;;Thankfully she was distracted from meeting his eyes anymore - she could feel herself getting more red as he studied her, although she didn't know why - when Klepto became a problem. Laughing at him made the poor creature pout and become hurt - Why would His be so mean? It helped when Annith in her sweet way reprimanded to girl. Shouldn't you help him? He looks upset. Perhaps you should oil or wash him too? She nodded to the Yellow, swallowing her laughs and only occasionally snickering as she turned her face to the Bronze, while P'nay murmured, 'Anni's probably right. He doesn't exactly smell that pleasant and...' She ignored the trailing off when he glanced at his dragon - A'mor had enough of those with Noyth that it didn't bother her anymore, and she stayed focused on the Bronze. Klepto answered the Yellow's croon with his own soft-pitched whine, flapping awkwardly in the air and letting His coax him back into her arms. "Awww, hush... We'll get those ribbons off and then we'll get you a bath..."

;;So intent on the flitter, she really didn't notice Annith looking at her and Pn'ay's expressions - it was hard balancing the flit in one arm and undoing the knots one-handed. She could have just cut them, but she would rather return the ribbons whole and pay the woman a mark or two for her troubles. That was her life, following around the Bronze and fixing his mistakes, but she didn't mind it. He was a sweetheart, and loved her too much for her to make that big of a deal out of it. It was funny though, to see the people he had taken from swell when she first approached them, Klepto balanced on her shoulder and crooning a hello. She always paid them back - her pride refused to let them deny her money, and when she could she would return the item. It felt wrong, otherwise, although Klepto generally kept what he had been going in for in the beginning.

;;Therefore, it was a start when P'nay ended his sentence as though he had never broken off, and she halted her work to look at him. 'And Annith says you should be a candidate. Aren't you one already? Rider blood, a bronze flitter, good age. Your chances can't be worse than most others. Especially since Annith says you should be one and she knows best.' Her first response was not to his words, but to his wink. A ragged blush stained her high bones, and she shook her head, fighting the urge not to yell at him. Don't snap - he didn't know any better. Of course, it was her dumb luck that she would run into a Searchrider. Her smile was a frown as she passed a smelly hand over her cheek, trying to make the heat go away, and she stepped closer to P'nay to thrust the Bronze in his arms. Well, he could be helpful if he was going to stand there and make stupid comments. "Hold him." Politeness, she reminded herself. "Please."

;;Silence for a few moments as she worked on a particularly hard knot, wrinkling her nose at the smell. Finally, she told him and Annith, "No thank you. I have the choice to be, but I prefer just Klepto and helping out with Noyth and Altith." So odd, hmm? She didn't want to stand, point blank refused to stand when her brother demanded it, and the two had come to near blows the first time she told him that she would not. She gave no reason, just politely refused and struggled with the tangle in the dim light, until with an exasperated sigh just after her words gently lifted the flit up again, out of his arms. "I need light to do this, and I'd rather not cut them. It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Lady Annith, P'nay. Coming Aren?" She refused to meet the cute rider's eyes - why did she just think of him as cute? - and stared determinately over where the canine was laying, looking quite unhappy to be going anywhere.

Oh the truth hurts
And lies worse
How can I give anymore
When I love you a little less than before

[Admin]

Love is on the edge about as far as you can get,
Waiting for the last goodbye that hasn't happened yet,
We used to smell the fear when compromise was hidden here.

P'nay was immensely pleased by her blushing at his wink, pleased by being able to draw such a reaction out of a girl who definitely seemed to be made of tougher stuff than some. If it came to a physical fight, he could probably take her, but she had the look about her that she would feel no qualms in beating his brains out if, because of chivalry, he didn't fight back. Not to say that she wasn't pretty, though she needed a better wardrobe. The ex-weaver was very particular and critical about fashion and loose garb that looked like it had been intended for a larger boy was so not cool. But then he was suddenly having a squirmy, upset bronze thrust into his grasp and was being ordered to hold him. So he did, not wanting to argue with Anima, even though she had added a very nice please to the end. He was happy to be of service anyway.

Silently, he let her do her work and then carefully listened to her response. His brow furrowed when she refused to be a candidate. Who would choose not to stand when you had the opportunity? Why would you simply say 'no' rather than letting it be up to fate, let it be up to the dragonets whether there was one for you? It was selfish too. It was selfish towards all the little boys and girls with dreams of riding dragons and fighting thread. It was selfish towards that special dragonet that might be out there for you and might just die without you. And now she was trying to just leave, taking Klepto out of his arms and trying to motivate a perfectly happy Aren to come along with her. Who was she to argue with a dragon's choice anyway? She could argue with him, but he had all faith in his dragon. The dragon and rider paired shared a quick look.

You'll stand; Annith informed the girl with an air of finality. She said it with great cheer. After all, she'd found another candidate, a perfect candidate, to stand for Kalith's eggs; what was there not to be happy about? Others had even agreed with her already about her decision, since she'd been asked if she'd like the honor before. This time though, the young human wouldn't be so silly and refuse the offer. Despite her gentle demeanor and happiness, the yellow was not phrasing it as a question and that was made plain. It was not 'would you like to be a candidate?' or 'would you like to stand?' It was 'you will stand.' The sort of commanding part of it wasn't really offensive, though it rang true. She simply thought it was wonderful and that Anima had to be a candidate for the betterment of the world. Arguing would cause the universe to self destruct!

"Or you're nothing but a selfish brat who only cares about living off of others rather than living at all;" P'nay finished for his dragon, who would never say such a thing but would support his logic behind the statement. It was his opinion on the matter and he said it because he felt it had to be said. He'd probably regret it horribly later but he was the sort of person who lived in the moment. They also had a much better way to assure that they won this argument then anyone else could possibly imagine. It's called leaving. In the blink of an eye after he was done speaking, he was situated up on his dragon's back and she launching herself into the air, not that gracefully but proficiently enough to succeed. With a wink and a wave, the flirty, grinning rider was out of range for her to argue and they glided lazily across the bowl towards their own weyr.

Love is good and stuck I'm just too tired to dig it up,
Buried in a shallow grave, blamed upon bad luck,
Blue has made it's bed and all the memories under read.