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 Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2005 7:46 pm
T'bell It's early morning now, I figured I shouldn't wait too long before recording my progress with Task last night. I'm awake now, and I've retrieved Tabesk from Imirin, who was already up and about. I think he may have actually liked her, but that's a point for another day.
I'm set to do a flight over Rias hold in a bit, since the feline problem has become something of an issue. Nothing's been seen yet, of course, but there is still the notion that something's there.
Task and I made decent progress last night. I was able to see a whole load of things from his perspective. Wher's sight is...odd, to say the least. It's like looking at the sun and then closing your eyes...their whole world consists of after-images. I spent quite a few hours linked with him before I dragged myself to bed. I didn't even think I had been linked that long. I'll have to practice some more, but already the link between him and I has become stronger.
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Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2005 7:50 pm
T'bell I've just gotten back from my flight over Rias Holds' territory. I saw a feline this time, so now I know the holders aren't being paranoid.
It was a female too, and looked ot have littered recently. There'll be a flight out tonight, at dusk. The word's racing around, and it's already late afternoon now.
I put my report in as soon as I got back, and in the...rush the ensued aftewards a bronzerider told me I was the leader of this hunt.
Me.
A greenrider.
I'm still feeling the shock.
I must be one of the youngest riders here, and a green as well, so how does that place me as the leader of a flight? It's not as if it's threadfall we're going after, I know, but still.
I should be out on the ledge now. I'm to gather the riders who wish to come on the Southern rim. I've got a list of the volunteers, I think, so as soon as they show up...I'm in charge.
This is so odd.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:49 pm
T'bell Well, I've had my day to play wingleader. Even if it was a rather small wing, made up only of me, another greenrider, two blues, and a brown, it was a wing nonetheless.
I'm not quite sure how I should feel.
The hunt was a success, and I suspect that my feelings should reflect on this and be pleased. I am, of course, since I've come away with a beautiful mottled pelt that is currently drying. It has fine points of white and silver dusted with black spots. I'm quite pleased with it in and of itself, and apparently the skinless feline met Liliath's standards of taste, because she is quite content and mostly asleep on the other side of the wall.
What I really am a bit worried about is how me leading this flight will affect my relationships with the other riders. It's well-known that greenriders are usually the least...I hesitate to say 'important', because I know we truely serve a valuable purpose...I'll simply state that we are considered the lowest in terms of colour heirarchy. Not only that, but I believe I was the youngest rider there, if not one of the younger ones in Rias altogether. I really don't think the others enjoyed being led by a green, especially the brown. It must have been a shock for him more than any of the others.
I tried my best to take away the sting they probably felt by being bossed about by someone below them by waiting before I let Liliath take her catch. Moth caught first, and I believe Lilaith respects her. I myself respect her and her rider, despite what little I know of them. They seem like a balanced pair, and are quite obviously capable and talented.
I suppose I'll lay low for a little bit, due to my worries, and let them heal whatever wounds I may have made. I tried to be polite, but I'm not quite sure how much Liliath was. She has always been the more...abrasive of the both of us. It's worked out, I know, and I'm quite aware how well she balances me (since that's what dragons do), but I do wish I could give her some Harper's tact once in a while.
Speaking of Harpers, I must invite Lemurrin up to take a look at my pelt and give me some tips on drying and hanging it. It'll be nice to have something of my own in here, to cover the bare stone walls. Maybe I should get a tapestry or something as well. Or maybe I'll use the pelt as bed furs...
I still have morning watch duty, and have another afternoon flight over the field where we hunted, just to clear things up with the holders. I heard one of them took down an escaping feline with just arrows. I'm not horrible with a bow, but that is a feat I'd love to have witnessed. For now though, I'm exhausted. The whers are about, and so I've politely asked them to 'guard' me until my watch.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 12:15 pm
 T'bell "Nice day, isn't it?" Grey eyes looked over at him, partially covered by a mass of chestnut hair. "Gorgeous out, perfect for flying."
"Of course...nothing better." The sky was above, seemed much less nerve wracking than grey eyes.
Those eyes appeared above him, their owner leaning over with a boyish smile on his face. "Want to go flying then?" A hand pulling him, tugging on his braid. "Better than lazing about where the weyrlingmaster can find you and out you to work."
"You've got me."
Flying, flying over the lush green trees that covered the Southern Contenant. Wind in his hair, chestnut tousled as the blue flew ahead of them. Sand, a beach, quiet lapping waves. The grey eyes turned to him, a jacket falling to the ground.
"Remember the Hall?" Wherhide over blue dragonhide, shirt came next. Tanned skin. "We used to flitt-hunt. Remember that?"
"How could I forget?"
"You led them all the time." A smile, running a hand through his hair. "We never found anything."
"Never found anything."
"Never found anything."
~~
T'bell! Almost like a bark, Liliath coupled the call to her rider with a short but loud rumble. The blackhaired boy bolted upright in his bed, dislodging two unhappy firelizards from thier sleeping spots. The gold, Flute, chirped at him sulkily and peered at him with half-lidded green eyes. The blue that had been on his chest stretched his neck out from his new location on the rider's lap and peered at him with yellow eyes. Love, are you alright? Swirling eyes, much larger than those of the firelizards, peered around the corner of the weyr, matched by two more pairs belonging to the whers. He had woken everyone up.
"Liliath..." His voice was broken, it came out hitched. Nothing like his usual lilting speech. "Liliath I...I was..." Zephyr cooed worriedly at him and FLute bumped his arm with her small snout. Without thinking he stumbled out of the covers, leaving the two flitts two flap behind him. A great green nose stopped him from pitching to the stone floor and T'bell simply clung to it, the lifeline of his dragon.
You were dreaming, love. Liliath rumbled soothingly, making a sound similar to that of a queen to her eggs. I saw it. You were dreaming. She carefully lowered her snout, letting him gently to the fur rug on the floor as the whers came over. They nudged him with their noses, both curious of the new emotions they were experiencing through thier link, and wary of what was causing them.
Rurrull Task queried, his head turned to his keeper as he settled down close beside him. Tabesk made a lighter sound and nudged her head under his arm as she took a spot on his other side. Zephyr quickly joined, setting worriedly down on his shoulder and carefully twining his tail about his impresseds' neck. For once, the blue made no objection to Flute as she landed in his lap and twined her tail about his thigh.
They are worried. Liliath commented, eyes swirling at him as she carefully slipped more of herself into his half of he weyr, mindful of her bulk. She laid her head down by his side and he greatfully continued to cling to her nose. You are upset...
"I'm sorry..." He sniffed, resting his head on her smooth hide and trying to calm his hitching breath. "I...Liliath, I saw..."
Go to sleep love. I saw it. Go to sleep. Her vopice was unusually soft, caring, and laced with worry and sadness. She remembered, unlike most dragons. She remembered because it was important to him. She remembered because he couldn't be the only one to carry the burden. She remembered because without her he would fall from the sky like a stunned wherry. She remembered because she carried him.
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 2:41 pm
 T'bell and Lemurrin T'bell woke late the next morning and pushed the events of the previous night as far back in his mind as he could manage as he bedded down the whers and slipped into the bath, giving Liliath a thankful pat on the nose. She knew better than to mention anything right yet, and retreated from his side of the wher as he slipped into the water. A long soak was in order, and about the time he decided to get out he noticed the spotted fur on the rack he'd tossed it over.
He dried himself off quickly, slipping into the days clothing, and inspected the fur in the light. He'd not done too bad a job, but he'd been tired. It was a beautiful fur though, and to let it go wrong while he was drying it...he bit his lip and squashed his protests, whistling for Flute. The gold took flight from the bed and landed gracefully on his shoulder, recieving no protests fro Zephyr since the blue was playing in the bath. "Flute...find Lemurrin." He tilted her small head to his face gently, and sent her a careful picture of the fellow harper. She trilled confidently, and before he could confirm she had the right person in mind, she had gone between. A few moments later Flute appeared beside him, alighting on his shoulder.
"Did you find him?" The greenrider muttered curiously as he pulled and tugged at the fur, "If you didn't then you get to eat his share of the food I called up."
Lemurrin knocked on the doorframe and leaned in. "What's this I hear about food?" he called. The green and brown chirrupped in unison, as if echoing Lemurrin's question. The harper let himself into T'bell's quarters, bowing politely to Liliath on the ledge.
Liliath opened one eye and rumbled a greeting, catching up on her sleep.
At the others' reply T'bell looked up, a slightly embarrased smile on his face before he turned his attention back to the fur. "I hope you weren't busy...I called some food up from the kitchen. I was wondering if you minded donating some of your expertise to my problem." He gestured to the hide.
"It's no problem at all. The flits were just having their bath, so they're clean but not yet oiled." Lemurrin took a seat on the floor across from T'bell and ran an admiring hand along the hide. "This is a beautiful one. What exactly did you want done?" The flits hopped around the skin, inspecting it.
Flute peered down from her impressed's shoulder at the two flitts antics and sat herself more regally, before carefully looking over her shoulder towards where Zephyr continued to play. The rider smiled at the compliment and gave a little shrug. "I'm not sure if I want to put it on the wall or on my bed...I was tired last night, and crosseyed from hunting in the dark, so I'm not sure if I've stretched it properly..."
Grenna squeaked and flitted off, having lost interest. The more staid brown, however, settled himself down a few feet away to watch the procedure. Lemurrin's mouth twitched into his particular crooked smile before returning to the task at hand. "It's easier for something like this to become a wall-hanging, since you don't have to be quite as careful when tanning it." He flipped the skin over with a practiced hand to feel the underside. "However, considering you were dead tired when you started this, you've done well."
"Thanks..." T'bell his a small bush with hid unruly bangs and sat back on his heels. "The hunt went well...we took down four, I think. I don't know how well everyone reacted to me being put in charge. I think they thought I was a brownrider when they threw that at me...a brown alternates sweeps of that area with me." He rubbed his neck and flicked his still-damp braid over his shoulder. "Wall hanging it is, then. It seemed too pretty to be used as a bed cover...maybe when the colder end of the turn comes around I can just take it off the wall." He smiled and tilted his head to Liliath, "She did a good job with catching it though, tired her out."
"Sounds like a successful hunt then. The holders shouldn't have any reason to complain. Neither should the other riders, even if they expected a brown!" Lemurrin grinned. "I bet Liliath would set anyone straight who made a fuss. He pushed his hair behind his ears and felt the skin again, paying close attention to the edges. "The cat was skinned properly, which really helps. I've seen too many lovely pelts ruined from careless skinning. Oh, and another point in favor of the wall hanging... This thing will stink for a while!"
"Thought as much." T'bell nodded to the rack decorating the edge of the weyr, "I figure I'll drape it out there while the weather's good. It should keep the smell down in here." He waved a hand around his weyr. "Like I told you before, I don't have much on the walls." He snorted ruefully. "So..what's the order of-one moment."
He pushed himself up just as the sound of the lift from the kitchen could be heard, and went to quickly retrieve the tray. "Just some klah and meatrolls and-oh, they added tubers. That was nice of them."
"Smells delicious," Lemurrin said, taking an appreciative whiff. "I haven't eaten yet today; the flits were so anxious for a bath!" He glared and shook a finger in mock-reproof at the brown who had inched towards the tray and the green who had appeared with a flurry of wings from between. "After we eat, we should wash the pelt again, scrubbing the underside with sandsoap to keep it soft."
T'bell sat the tray down on a small table and gestured for him to come into his half of the weyr as he pulled over two comfortably padded chairs.He picked up four of the meatrolls from the pile on the tray and tossed two into the small room where Tabesk and Task slept, and the third into the beth, where it didn't even make a splash before Zephyr had caught it. The fourth he handed to Flute, who took it politely and began eating. "Zeph takes his own baths." He nodded back towards the room where Zephyr splashed, "Seems every time I come out he's in there twice as long."
Lemurrin flopped into the chair and poured a mug of klah. Downing half of it one gulp, he snitched a pair of meatrolls for his little green and brown. "Oh, they'll take their own baths, but I think they delight in waking me at ridiculous hours for preening." Brownie chirped rather apologetically, but made off with his meatroll all the same. The green retreated to an unoccupied corner with her own and proceeded to rip it apart. Lemurrin rolled his eyes and grabbed a handful of the tubers.
"Its the whers who do that for me most of the time." He fixed his klah and revelled in the slightly bitter taste before he added more sweetener and began eating. "I think," He mumbled around a tuber, "That I've got enough sand to do the pelt. If not, I know someone who has bags of it. I can run down if we run out."
Lemurrin nodded. "That's good to know." He took a smaller sip of the klah and started on a meatroll. Shaking his head to clear it, Lemurrin rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. "I'm awake now, really," he grinned.
"Didn't sleep well? Or just the whole bath thing?" The greenrider asked conversationally. The bags under his eyes weren't horribly apparent, he hoped, nevertheless he kept his head down a bit.
"I slept just fine; I'd have liked to sleep a bit more though." Brownie crept into Lemurrin's lap, bumping at his hand for carresses. He obliged, finishing the cup of klah.
"Wouldn't we all?" With a sigh T'bell popped anothet tuber into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, taping his fingers in a simple rhythm on his mug.
Lemurrin raised an inquisitive brow at T'bell. "Are you alright, greenrider?" He flicked a glance at Liliath out on the weyr's ledge.
Green eyes glanced up quickly at the comment and he shook his head, dismissing it. "Tired, is all. The hunt, probably." Changing the subject always worked for him, and now was the time to direct attention to something else before he began to think to much on the previous night. He stuffed another meatroll in his mouth and rose from the table, tilting his head when Flute took off to go perch on Liliath. "One minute," He muttered, and pulled back the curtain to the bathing pool, disappearing inside to gether the sand
"If you're sure..." Lemurrin whispered. He bit his lip and shrugged as the greenrider got up. Rising carefully, so as not to disturb the brown too much, Lemurrin sat down near the skin again.
T'bell emerged a few minutes later, wiping water off his face where Zephyr had splashed him. He snatch what remained of his klah as he passed the table and sat the bag of sand and himself down across the skin from Lemurrin. "Will this do?"
Lemurrin eyed the sack. "That should be plenty. Shall we get started?" He grabbed a handful of the sand and began scraping at the pelt. "Watch your knuckles."
Brownie scooted off the harper's lap to supervise. T'bell nodded quietly and copied his motions, working from the opposite side of the pelt. Flute, in her quite and regal way, stretched out on the dozing Lilaith to oversee the process.
Bored, Grenna disappeared from the ledge, reappearing in the bathing room. Her delighted squeaks echoed into the main weyr as she swam around in the warm water. Shocked at the sudden intrusion to his pool, Zeph squeaked and dove underwater. After a moment though, he recognized the green and resurfaced, blinking curiously at her. Grenna chirped at Zephyr, her eyes whirling a gentle teal. She flitted her wings under the water, splashing happily. With a happy chirp Zephyr splashed back before paddling off, using his tail as a rudder and 'chirping' the tour of his bathing pool. Grenna followed the blue around the pool, chittering quietly, occasionally diving to the bottom where Zephyr would follow and play.
Lemurrin smiled softly, working quickly and efficiently. After a moment T'bell started humming, whether on purpose or by force of habit. It was a recognizable song, one of the teaching ballads from the Hall, usually performed on a harp if the teacher could afford such an instrument. Lemurrin wiped his forehead with the back of one sand-covered hand and began to hum along, harmonizing effortlessly with the greenrider. At the accompanying harmony T'bell looked up and when Lemurrin winked at him he missed his beat. Catching it again quickly, once more T'bell ducked his head, clearing his throat as an excuse.
"So...have you been keeping busy around here? Any notes from the Hall?"
"I've been busy enough, I suppose. I need to send a message to my family; I'd still like my sister to come down for a visit." Lemurrin wiped the worst of the sand off of his hands and thrust his hair behind his ears again. "Once you've finished that side, we'll need to rinse the sand out."
"The pool's got a filter in it, if you want to put the whole thing under." He nodded towards the bathing room and sat back for a moment, rolling his shoulders before setting on the last part of the tail. "I'd like ot bring my mother up here, but she's tied to the Hall, I think. Not too interested in leaving."
"I hoped it would be one of the filtered ones." Lemurrin stood and stretched. "Might as well dunk myself while we're in there. Ready?" He extended a hand to T'bell.
"Mhm, I suppose we'll have to watch out for the flitts though." He said ruefully, taking the harper's hand after a moment of hesitation.
Lemurrin hauled T'bell up and reached for the skin. "Knowing their insatiable curiosity, I wouldn't be surprised if they try to help!" He started toward the bathing room, fully aware of how grimy he was.
Taking the last half of the skin, T'bell followed him, whistling to Zephyr, who trilled at their arrival. The pool was medium-sized, and clear except for the two flitts who swam around in it. That water itself was a bit warmer than room temperature, nice to slip into. "If there's any sand left you're welcome to it."
Grenna whistled and splashed water at the two boys. Lemurrin grinned and dumped the skin into the pool, causing the green to squeak in protest. Brownie appeared to see what all the commotion was about and dove into the pool. "I think they're going to help!" Lemurrin pulled off his sandy tunic and hopped into the water. Zepyr squawked at the skin and bit it, before shakng his head and clamoring out to a laughing T'bell. The rider knelt down by the side of the pool and rinsed his hands off before giving the flitt a scritch on his eyeridges.
"Whether they help or not, this was a lot easier with someone else."
"It's no trouble at all, T'bell, it gives me something to do." Lemurrin waded over to work on getting the sand out of the skin. Brownie chirped curiously and poked at the skin with a claw.
Leaning over the side, T'bell began helping Lemurrin wash off the pelt. "I don't want to be bothering you if you're busy, is all. I keep forgetting not everyone has dragon duties though, so I must remember you're not out at all hours doing flights and watches."
"I only wish I had those duties, truthfully. But Ariath should rise any time now, from what I've heard, so who knows?" Lemurrin watched the muddied water whirl away to be replaced with clear water.
"Mhm." T'bell gave a noncommital noise, and purposely changed the topic. "Have you seen the other riders furs? L'cian got a wonderful pale one."
"Oh really? I hadn't seen any of the other riders since you got back." Lemurrin eyed the skin critically. "I think we've got most of the sand out. Another good rinse should do it."
"Beatiful, sand coloured I think." He dunked and scrubbed on the parts of the skin he could reach, "Couldn't see too well in the dark."
"That sounds lovely. Do you have something to stretch this on? It's similar to stretching hide when making a drum." Lemurrin took a quick dip to get the sand out of hair and hauled himself out of the pool.
"I've got the rack out by where Lili is sleeping, the one I had it on before." He grunted as he pulled the wet fur from the water, lifting to to let the worst of the wetness drip back into the pool. "It's a bit too big, I think, but workable."
The harper wrung most of the water out of his hair and moved to help T'bell. "That should work."
Brownie and Grenna both grasped a bit of the skin in their claws, their thin wings straining.
T'bell nudged the blue flitt from where he'd sat, upon his boot, and chuckled at the harper's flitts. "Certainly try to be a help though, don't they?" He asked as he hefted the skin and moved backwards through the seperating curtain.
Brownie trilled at T'bell and continued pulling on the skin. Lemurrin followed along, supporting the back end of it. Grenna opted to fly around the harper's head. He glanced up at her, snickering. "Ah, yes, so helpful..!"
Once they reached the rack the fur had been on before, T'bell used his foot to swing it around between them, and he laid his half over the top with a sigh. Zephyr had flapped out behind them, and he took his customary spot on T'bells shoulder, lookig inquisitively at the furry wet thing. "That should about do it." He mumbled, crouching down to stretch it out and fasten it to dry.
Lemurrin smoothed out the other end, making sure the skin was stretched evenly. He wrinkled his nose at the smell. "Once it dries, it shouldn't smell as much. You might want to leave it out here in the sun for a few days, even after it's dry." Brownie poked at the skin with one claw and chirped his approval. The harper rubbed his little head-knobs fondly. "Yes, you were very helpful today."
"I'll be sure to." T'bell ran his hand over the fur, smoothing it out, "Liliath won't mind sleeping with it." He smiled fondly at his green and stretched as he stood. "You," He said, noticing the harper's clothing, "Are still wet. I can lend you a pair of pants until those dry...if you're the same size." He looked down at his own pants critically and wandered into the other half of the room, "Only fair."
Lemurrin blushed and tried to run his fingers through his tangled hair. "Thanks for the offer. They might be a bit long, but anything dry would be greatly appreciated." He went to retrieve his tunic from the bathing room and tried vainly to brush the sand off. "Shards," he muttered.
"Long? You're taller than me, aren't you?" T'bell called from the other end of the room, "Need a shirt too?"
"I think you're a little taller, actually. And, er, a shirt would be good." Lemurrin blushed again, adding laundry to his mental list of chores.
"Thought so." T'bell extracted a pair of tan pants and a light bluegrey tinuc from his chest and padded over to the harper, handing him the clothes, "You know where I am, so you can hop up and return them any time. The whers shouldn't eat you."
The harper chuckled. "That's incredibly reassuring, T'bell." He retreated to the bathing room with the clean clothing to change. A few minutes later he returned, clutching his tunic and trous in a damp bundle. "These fit just fine. Thanks so much."
"Well they shouldn't!" T'bell assured him, his voice laced with amusement as he cleaned up the remains of breakfast while he waited, letting Zephyr try a tuber. He looked up when Lemurrin emerged and waved a hand, "Thanks for coming up here and helping me. I think we're even."
"Alright, we're even! I'll get these back to you soon." He grabbed the little pot of oil for his flits' hide. "I should oil them, now that they've had two baths today!" Lemurrin wrinkled his nose in amusement.
T'bell chuckled and nodded to Zephyr, who was gnawing experimentally on the tuber. "He gets himself into Liliath's pot every time she itches." Sighing, he gathered the dishes and returned the tray to the wall, lowering it to the kitchen. "I'll see you around then, huh?"
Lemurrin whistled for his flits and both of them claimed a shoulder as a perch. "Of course! Have a good afternoon, T'bell," he called, striding out of the weyr.
"You too!" Was T'bells quick reply before the harper was gone. With a sigh he scritched Zephyr's neck and looked suspiciously at his bed. Maybe some more sleep would do him well.
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 2:43 pm
Mating Flight - Part 01 The first bugle didn't startle T'bell. He was quite amused, sitting on the edge of the bath and running a brush through his wet and tangled hair. His blue flitt, Zephyr, had seen fit to join him in his cleaning ritual. From the splashings and chrips coming from the water the flitt still had yet to grow tired of his aquatic experience. T'bell was only too happy to watch his quirky companion.
Love...? Liliath's voice was soft in his mind. He tilted his head, squeezing water out of his hair and back into the bathing pool.
"Yes?" He replied, begining the task of brainding his hair. "I suppose I look like a wherry, but Zeph is playing dolphin."
Not that. She replied. In her weyr she padded to the opening, looking out just covered by the shadows. Her eyes were a mixture of blue and violet as she watched the bronzes and browns arrive.
"What is it then?" The rider stood, winding the tie around his braid and pushing aside the curtain that seperated the weyr from the pool. Another bugle sounded, followed by more, and caused him to pause. "What's going on?"
Liliath turned her head to him, regarding him for a moment. Ariath rises. She turned her head back to the opening of the cave, watching intently. I will rise.
The realization made his skin freeze, even in the southern air. "You can't rise Liliath!" Images of horrible fights between dragons who had deigned to rise at the same time played through his mind and caused Zephyr to squeak in distress and flutter out to his shoulder. "Liliath, she will kill you!"
I know. The green didn't bother to look at him again, simple rustled her wings on her back. I will rise when she has finished.
"Finished?" By this time T'bell had made his way to her head, putting a hand on her nose as if to stop her. Her eyes still followed the dragons in the bowl despite her riders' attempts. "You can't rise after!"
I will rise when she has claimed her mate. She stated simply, She cannot fly two. They will be busy, and I will have a bronze or brown.
The alarm quieted in the young rider for only a moment before it rushed back. "You can't mate Liliath!"
I am capable. She rumbled an indigant snort. I have not gotten complaints.
"No, not-!" He clenched his teeth, looking frantically down at the bronzes in the bowl. "Not that! If you mate, then I mate, and I do not want to mate!"
It is fun. She lifted her head out of his reach and peered curiously at the events.
"Liliath!" His objection fell on deaf ears and he ducked under her serpantine neck, quickly fetching his riding jacket. "We are going North, Liliath."
You are silly. I will not leave, and a flitt cannot take you between. She shifted her weight and bumped her tail against his legs. I will rise.
"You will not!" He pulled her tail desperatly, attempting to get her back in the weyr. Flute appeared in a flurry and trilled her excitement. For a brief moment he feared she too would rise before the memory that she was only a bit more than a hatchling sank in. Liliath seemed to have no reaction to the tail pulling, and so he slipped around to her front, pushing against her chest. "Liliath, no! No!"
They are not blues. She rumbled, eyes brightly violet, I will not rise to a blue. You are sad.
"How could you mention that now?!" He grit his teeth and bit his lip from frustration. "I am not leaving here. You can rise all you want, but I am not leaving."
I will rise, you will live. She bumped his shoulder with her snout. The message was almost slightly apologetic. I have told the beasts to stay in their room.
T'bell quite nearly pushed her head away but he couldn't bring himself to do it. "Liliath..." He crossed his arms, glancing to the wher's room, or the 'beasts' as Liliath had called them. They may have been able to help, but they would not go against her word now.
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 2:47 pm
Mating Flight - Part 02 Zephyr trilled his concern at his impressed as T'bell went about his room looking for something that could 'save' him. "Not now Zeph...er...maybe you should leave." He plucked the blue from his shoulder and smiled at the swirling eyes. "Go...go play in the bath, hm? Water." He pulled aside the curtain and set the blue in his bathing pool. Zephyr chirruped at him, but splashed around happily., looking over his shoulder as he did so.
T'bell gave him a half smile and let the curtain drop. Now...the desk was far to heavy for him to wrestle across to the stairway. The tables, however, were not nearly as large or cumbersome. The various decorations atop them were quickly relocated to the desk, shelves, or mantle, and he pulled and piled the few tables in his room in front of the door. One pull at the chest at the end of his bed told him that was not moving any more than the desk. With a sigh, he turned and surveyed his barricade.
Two small tables and half of a big green rump which would soon be outside anyway. Brilliant.
You are being silly love. Liliath rumbled absently, her jaws parted a bit as she watched the flight in progress with rapt concentration. They fly well...
"Liliath!" Whether it was more of a whine, or a protest, one really couldn't tell. "You can't rise. You can't. You're not allowed!" The humour of this statement, which normally would merit comment from the green, was lost as her full attention was on the other dragons.
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:24 pm
Mating Flight - Part 03 Liliath stretched her neck out of the shadowed opening of her weyr and bugled her congratulations as the queen was caught. A brown. Was her only nod to T'bell, who was still attempting to find things to drag in front of the door. His head snapped up but before he could so much as stumble, Liliath had launched herself from the weyr. The queen was caught, and quite busy, and she was free to fly.
With another call, this one a loud alert to all the defeated hopefuls, she dove into the scattering clump of herdbeasts to find her first kill.
T'bell raced to the weyr ledge and felt his legs give out. He landed on the floor on his knees, peering over the steep edge at his disobedient dragon as she chose her kill. He knew what to do, he knew she was to blood, then fly. She never took much blood...he knew queens sometimes took two or more herdbeasts, but greens were different. Of course they were.
His mind rattled on, trying vainly to fend off the connection he knew would have to be made and as his green began to feast off her catch he leaned against the stone wall of his weyr and drew his knees up. 'Blood only, Lili.' She snarled and he repeated himself more fiercely, concentrating on his breathing instead of being taken over. It took a few repetitions before the headstrong green complied. Once more the shimmering green vaulted into the air, leaving the carcass behind.
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Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 6:18 pm
Mating Flight - Part 05 Liliath climbed hin height with powerful wingstrokes, eyes a blazing violet as she took stock of her would-be opponents. She bugled again, the end trailing off into a loud hiss as she veered in the opposite direction from where the queen had taken her mate. It would do no good for the gold to manage to steal one of hers, not at all.
Two blues blooded their kills on the ground below, eyes intent on her form in the sky. Two more dragons turned from losing the queen's flight and quickly continued after her.
Catching a thermal, she used it to coast. A brown, Siventh, he could try to catch her. She rumbled in vicious amusement before she noticed the blues and screeched in rage. They would never catch her, she wouldn't allow it! She had made her promise but-oh, a bronze...
She sang a challenge again and darted past the rim of the weyr. They would fly to catch her.
~~
Inside his weyr T'bell remained where he was, and was slowly relinquishing any sense of self he possessed, becoming one with Liliath as she rose. The blues nearly snapped his concentration and he let out a strangled cry, echoing Liliaths, as anger and determination flowed through thier link. She wouldn't let them fly her, no, she wouldn't. He knew she'd not go back on her word. No one would catch her, if he was lucky. She was the fastest green, she'd outfly them all.
~~
Several of her challengers bugled thier responses to her challenge, roaring over the weyrbowl far below. Liliath didn't bother to answer the replies. Her breath was far more useful if she put it to keeping her ahead of those who chased her. With what could almost be a form of draconic laughter, she angled her wings and made a sharp dip before opening them and soaring once more, high into the fluffy covering of the clouds.
The blues annoyed her. Both were fresh and nearly as quick as she could be, however, Siventh and Zanylith were more powerful. She was a green however, and her advantage was her maneuverability, increased even more due to her smaller size as a green. Her eyes glowed brightly, and whether or not the thought occured to her that she might be seen by them, she angled to the left, circling nearly back the way she came.
~~
Back in the room T'bell had yet to move from his spot other than to lean his head back on the cool rock, eyes glazed as he saw what Liliath saw. The three tables he had pushed to the door made a noise, and he could barely move to look over. Again they shook, clattering against each other. That would be the other riders. The blues, the bronze and the brown. They were on the other side, wanting in of course. They moved again, falling into each other in a tangle and proving their uselessness as a barricade. He felt a flare of panic go through him as the small wall he'd hastily built was brushed aside and he made a noise, breaking him from his green for only a second before he was caught up once more.
~~
The blues, fresh from their blooding, moved into position. One, Tarlith, sped forward to intersect her new path while Zareth, who would take no chance of loosing to a brown, quickly made up him mind to dive at her.
Screeching anger that was echoed by T'bell, Liliath banked when she felt Zareth's shadow above her, and folded her wings tight to her body, diving with blinding speed. She would never let the blue catch her, she would go between first, somewhere along the beach, such was her devotion to her rider. Only a moment into the dive she quickly unfurled her wings and doubled back once more in a graceful arc, snapping her jaws in annoyance, eyes swirling a purple mixed with red. A snarl rose in her and she bugled, glaring back at the blues with vicious anger. Imagine a blue catching her!
While her concentration was on the pair of offending males behind her, another above her took the oppourtunity to dive. As it was Siventh, Zanylith was particularly determined not to lose to two browns in the same day, and quickly dove past him with a loud bellow.
Siventh's approach escaped the green's notice as she glared at the blues behind her. However, she was quickly startled into awareness by the diving bellow of the bronze. He was nearly on top of her! She folded her wings in a rush and nearly rolled to the side to avoid his claws, feeling his wingtips brush her. With just enough time for a scathing hiss she quickly opened her wings, needing to gain air to outfly him before he recovered from the dive.
She soared higher into the air with her wings outstretched, not even noticing the brown above her. Zanylith had completely distracted her, and when she practically flew into his claws she turned the screech she had meant for the bronze onto Siventh. The brown closed his claws about her and, before she could dive away or flit out of his grasp, twined with her.
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Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:41 pm
T'bell and K'rel - Part 01 The room was dark, at best. Only a dull glow of light made it through the weyr opening, the sun nearly done its journy through the sky, and the red star already visible. The dividing section of the weyr left the bed in nearly complete darkness, the glowlamps having not been turned back in favour of the lusty emotions from the flight.
T'bell lay on his side, partially tangled in the bedcovers. His hair was in some odd mess, curls everywhere, the braid long gone, and his face was nearly burried in the pillow. Above him, nestled between the pillow edge and the corner of the wall, lay a sleeping blue flitt. The only other semblance of life came from behind a curtain on the far wall. Quiet rustling and muted sounds drifted over the weyr as the occupants discussed matters among themselves.
A low groan was the first sign of the brownrider's awakening. He shifted slightly, eyes flickering beneath their lids, then yawned, eyes finally opening as it passed. His first thought was simple confusion; this wasn't his weyr, and why was someone sleeping beside him? But in a matter of seconds the events of the day came flooding back to him, lips parting in a relieved sigh. Just another flight.
After another brief yawn, he stretched, careful not to disturb the rider sleeping beside him, then slowly sat up, absently scratching a hand through his hair, which had fallen loose sometime during the flight. He could feel Siventh close by, and briefly considered waking him, soon deciding against it. If he had woken, the brown wouldn't sleep much longer either. Let him rest, it would keep him in a better mood.
Reena Bat: A small sound ewscaped T'bells lips, muffled by the pillow. An echo was heard from behind the curtain, and it slid aside as slowly, a pale watchwher's nose broke into the room. Task looked about, sniffing the air before letting out a low hiss at the stranger in the room, one whom he'd never met.
A gold head soon joined and another wher stood beside the first, eyes also trained on this new addition. He wasn't the strange girl, nor was he the boy who smelled of ink and paper. This was someone new, someone they hadn't met yet. A growl rose from the golds' throat and she stalked forward, tongue snaking out of her jaws and wings flapping in agitation. The pale one, instead of following her to the edge of the bed, stalked to the end and climbed atop the chest there, stepping gingerly onto the furs.
K'rel spared a quick glance to the greenrider with the sound, wondering if he had unintentionally woken him. When he made no further motions, the brownrider turned his eyes back up to resume their search of the weyr, pausing curiously at the curtain as it was drawn aside. At the first sight of the watchwher, K'rel frowned, and Task's following hiss did nothing to ease his nerves. ...And then a second wher joined the first, and K'rel was quite certain his death day had come at last. Absolutely wonderful; two young watchwhers who didn't know him, and he was right next to their sleeping guardian. But he couldn't just leave! Admittedly, he had considered it, but he couldn't leave without at least speaking to T'bell first.
As both whers approached, K'rel automatically edged away from them...closer to their owner, coincidentally, which was probably the most stupid thing he could do in this situation. That thought didn't cross his mind. He just wanted to get away from the little things that wouldn't hesitate to tear him apart. Siventh...I could use some help..?
Sadly, it was not the brown who answered his call. A small blue flit popped from between with a cheery chirp of hello, wings beating calmly as he hovered over his bond. However, as soon as K'rel's nerves reached him, the green-blue of Calt's eyes flashed to a red-orange of anger and fear. 'Trumpeting' a challenge, the little blue dove towards the nearest of the whers, the gold, and probably would have collided with her had not K'rel dived to her rescue. With the ease of long practice, the brownrider snatched the flit by the tail and yanked him back over, attempting to calm him down before he could wake T'bell. Calt would have none of it.
The commotion was enough to wake the sleeping rider despite K'rels attempts, and he rose a hand to shush Zephyr, who he'd sworn had made the noise. When he opened his eyes, however, he realized with a start that Task was standing over he knees hissing at-oh shards!
He pushed himself up with a muffled curse and snatched the pale wher's snout. "No Task. No. Tell her no." The wher looked at him curiously for a moment, then back to K'rel, then to his companion who was in the process of crouching, ready to spring to the bed and eat the little blue thing. A silent exchange passed between them and the gold paused.
Rurrll. Came the noise from the gold, and she looked curiously at her impressed. T'bell met her eyes and nodded towards their room, doing his best to mask his own emotions and send the pair calming ones. "Go on." For a moment Tabesk looked as if she was going to pounce anyway, but a noise from Task stopped her, and she turned back to the room she shared with the male, snapping her tail in agitation. Task looked more curiously at K'rel and nosed him when T'bell released his snout. Giving a small snort he echoed the rurrll of the gold and gingerly navigated to the edge of the bed, hopping down and padding across the floor.
T'bell, barely processing anything at all, turned to the next problem that presented itself that he could deal with. Not the rider with whom he was sharing a bed, but the blue flitt who had deemed the situation far to scarey to handle, and had thought it smart to crawl under the pillow. He gently extracted him and then, and only then, risked a glance at the rider beside him. It was a glance mostly hidden by the dark curtain of curly hair, but it was just long enough to tell him who it was. He could feel himself sink, so low that he swore a hole swallowed him up in the darkness. Oh shards how he wished for that.
Though K'rel's soothing words did nothing to calm his own blue, the firelizard immediately fell silent with the sudden awakening of the other rider. Both rider and flit watched curiously, and somewhat warily, as T'bell attempted to calm the whers, K'rel even offering a rather hesitant smile each time Task turned towards him. The brownrider couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when the gold retreated; the brown seemed much more agreeable now that T'bell had 'spoken' with it. He made no outward reaction to the nudge, and remained silent while both whers returned to their side room.
Finally he relaxed and released his blue, who didn't bother to catch himself and fell in a heap on the furs across his bond's lap. Ignoring him, K'rel then turned his gaze back to the greenrider and his flit, noting, inwardly amused, how different that blue seemed from his own Calt. He caught the quick glance and immediately looked away, turning his attention down to Calt and righting the blue, who began to strut across the bed as if he had single-handedly chased away both whers. This was enough to lighten K'rel's mood, at least. After a short while, when no one spoke, he cleared his throat and risked another quick glance to T'bell, smiling faintly. "Sorry he woke you.. The whers, ah, weren't too happy to see me, I think."
"No." His reply was baqrely audible, and he made a bit of an effort to speak up as he petted Zephyr soothingly. The flit himself watched the other blue curiously, but did not move from his riders' lap. "They're young, I'm sorry. They're not trained well yet." He swallowed nervously and ducked his head closer to the flitt in his lap. He could talk about the whers, that would be easy enough. Yes, of course...
Sufficiently calmed, and now more curious, Zephyr looked towards the blue much like himself and slipped from T'bells lap to make investigation of the creature. He regarded him with a tilted head for a moment before shuffling across the furs to meet the new flitt.
"Nah, it's fine. They were just doing their job, after all. They don't know me..." His voice had grown gradually quieter throughout his reply, and now he simply trailed off, turning his gaze back to follow his own flit. Calt was too busy flattering himself to take much notice of the other blue, and realized Zephyr had approached only when he was nearly on top of him. He cocked his head curiously at the new flit, eyeing him appraisingly for a moment before chirping a quick greeting and letting his guard down completely.
Thus followed an amazing retelling in chirps, squeaks, and trills of how Calt had chased away to enormous, scary, full-grown watchwhers all alone! It was all K'rel could do not to laugh aloud, as pictures from Calt's tale frequently reached him as well. For the time, he wasn't sure how to break the awkward silence that continued to lengthen between himself and T'bell. The greenrider seemed terrified of him, from K'rel's point of view, which did nothing to reassure the Wingsecond. So he was quite content to let Calt do all the talking, and all the while hoped that some of the flit's pictures would reach T'bell as well. Perhaps that would calm him down...
Zephyr listened to the blues story with interest, but tilted his head and inquired back with another chirp. Small things like themselves weren't able to scare away whers! T'bell had fended them off and then rescued himself from the trap that the pillow had formed while he was trying to escape!
T'bell, his hands folded a bit uselessly in his lap, listened quietly to the exchange between the flitts. His lips twitched at the images he got, whether from Zephyr or the other he couldn't really tell. The silence was grating on him though, and he wished he were capable of going between as easily as a dragon. Then maybe he wouldn't have to deal with this. "They're still young..." He said it again before he realised he was repeating himself. He winced under the curtain of hair hiding his face and studied the furs on his lap.
How was he to deal with it? The harper-trained part of him kicked in as he tried to understand what had happened fully. The other-K'rel, no it was K'rel, his wingsecond. Brilliant. Shards, K'rel had tried to fly the queen and must have gotten caught up with Liliath. He bit his lip quietly, wondering how he should go about apologizing for this, what seemed to be his latest of many screwups.
Calt trilled haughtily in reply, eyeing the other blue somewhat challengingly. He, Calt, was not just any small one! He was brave, and wonderful, and strong...and had probably been hanging around Siventh too much. He could easily fend away two full grown whers, even if others could not. For he was Calt, and thus, he was amazing! Bow to his wisdom and so forth. And on, and on, and on...
K'rel couldn't help but chuckle softly. Honestly, one couldn't blame him. The sight of a tiny blue flit strutting around and practically proclaiming himself a dragon was enough to make anyone crack a smile, moreso when you knew who had led to that behavior. As the silence resumed, K'rel searched his mind for some way to start up a conversation, but merely nodded slightly when T'bell repeated his statement.
And then it occurred to him that, perhaps, T'bell had hoped for another of the riders to win. For another dragon to catch Liliath. He inwardly cringed, and, after a brief hesitation, tried an apology. At the least, it should get a conversation started... "Ah... I'm not quite sure how to phrase this, but... If you had hoped for a different outcome, I apologize. Honestly, I had no intention of attempting either flight, but Siventh... Well, he hasn't listened to me in years. He tried for Ariath, and when he failed... I coaxed him after Liliath to cheer him up. He sulks," he paused, not at all sure how to continue and very aware that he was probably making a fool of himself. But at least he had spoken. That was a start.
Zephyr practically groaned. Oh meatrolls and bubbly pie, this one was just too much like Flute. Quickly masking his grain, however, he chirped enthusiastically. Best thing to do with crazies was to pretend to agree. They needed to be pacified!
"No, I..." He had sounded too frantic there, voice higher in his range than he intended. With a breath he calmed himself, attempting to gether his composure and even out his voice. "It's not that I wanted a different outcome." He said slowly, almost as if his careful control would snap. When he was relatively certain he wouldn't travel into the frantic ranges of his voice he continued, "I didn't want a flight, at all, I mean. But Lili...I guess she thought if she went up after...after Ariath, then she could...well..." He stuttered a bit and took another breath, still not looking up. "If she went up right after Ariath she supposed she could catch something more than a blue."
Calt's ego only grew when the other flit agreed with him. , swaggers growing with it until he was nearly falling over for the length of his strides. Which he eventually, did, toppling sideways onto the furs and immediately rolling back to his feet, chirping impudently as if daring anyone to say he had fallen.
K'rel ignored all this, however. His attention was focused on T'bell, who had finally spoken, even if he sounded as if he were ready to panic. But his reply explained it. K'rel wasn't sure if he was relieved or dissappointed. This greenrider didn't seem at all interested in a lasting relationship, which meant Siventh hadn't changed his entire life with one flight. But at the same time, he knew Siventh fancied Liliath, and from what he had heard before she felt the same. ...Of course, he had also heard that Liliath fancied every male dragon to cross her path.
"Ahh... well, that's understandable... A lot of riders would rather just avoid flights altogether..." He trailed off, then glanced up slightly at the younger rider hiding behind his hair, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "I would have thought more than only blues rise after Liliath. She is a bit small.... no offense intended. She makes up for it with attitude, from what Siv tells me." The brownrider smiled fondly with the thought of his dragon, glancing in the general direction he felt the brown sleeping. "He's had his eye on her for a while now... Pride sent him after Ariath, not desire. He's an arrogant fool, my Siv."
"Oh she does...have attitude, I mean." He nodded a bit and shifted his position, wincing once more before leaning against the cool wall. "I...she's only ever risen to a blue before." He tilted his head against the rock and looked across the room in the dark, vaguely in the area of his bookshelf. Something to distract him, if there was light at least, "I don't think she's ever flown with anything but." He more than thought she hadn't. He knew quite well that Fenith was the only dragon that had flown her, and that she rose only once, to more than one dragon. The other of which was a blue as well. Fenith had won of course.
Thinking of Fenith, however, was a mistake. He bit his lip against the rising emotion and cause Zephyr to chirp worriedly and abandon his playmate to crawl into his impressed's lap. The comment about riders avoiding flights nudged at him and he shook his head a bit, "I-I'm sorry about this. I would have let her rise whenever she wanted if I couldn't have been involved."
With a slight nod, K'rel let his eyes fall back to the bed, then up to resume examining the room. Subconsciously mirroring T'bell's motion, he leaned back against the cool stone wall, for the time remaining silent. Just from the way the greenrider spoke, K'rel could tell the flight was not the sole reason he was upset. And just the way he said blue... It was easy to guess that something had gone wrong, though harder to assume what that something was... K'rel wasn't sure he wanted to risk approaching the subject. The flit's reaction only made his bond's distress more apparent.
Clearing his throat, K'rel hesitated a moment before murmuring a reply, pausing often throughout it to consider his words. "No, no, it's not your fault... I'm sorry if I said something I shouldn't have.. I....ah...I know we hardly know each other, but something's obviously distressed you...If you need someone to talk to, I'm here to listen. Good at keeping secrets..." Glancing up, he smiled weakly. "I don't talk much."
T'bell managed a small smile and gave a slight nod. "I noticed." Worrying his lip, he carefully pushed some of his hair behind his ears and returned his hands to the blue on his lap. "I...I haven't told Liliath much yet, though I suppose she knows, but...if I can...I...well, thank you." He gave a small nod and tugged the furs up a bit higher on his stomach. "This...this isn't your fault. I should have taken her off." He sighed and tilted his head back, "I didn't even notice she was close...I've just been so distracted. I could have avoided this whole thing, gone awat for a few days. I've never been able to tell when she's going to rise until it-well, until it's too late to...go anywhere else. She used to...I mean the blue, he used to know when she was about to sooner than I did. She hides things..." He frowned, almost rueful. The green hid things from him about as well a he hid them from her. Maybe he was just too involved in himself, she always seemed to know what was going on better than he did, especially with him.
Once again, K'rel chuckled softly with the reply, mood lightening once more when the greenrider seemed to ease up a bit. He certainly didn't seem as nervous, anyway. Wasn't hiding behind his hair anymore... That was a start. "I'm happy to listen," he replied quietly, shrugging slightly and leaning his head back against the stone wall. Closing his eyes, he continued, "Sometimes that's just what people need. Hmm... It's probably better that you kept her here, actually. Aye, taking her away may have postponed it.. but she was bound to rise soon. Siv could tell, anyway... I'm sure a few others must have known as well. Most dragons hide things." Again he chuckled softly, opening one eye to glance sideways at the greenrider. "'Course, Siv doesn't. He just tells me what he's going to do and does it. Never listens to a word I say..."
"Lili too...tells me what I'm going to do half the time as well." He snorted softly and glanced over at K'rel, catching his eye and then looking down with a blush. "Er...are...are you hungry or anything?" Ah, how nice it was to realize one was suddenly without clothes. J'kin would have pointed out he was naked by now, of course, and laughed about it when he turned red. He paused in that thought, going stiff for a moment and fisting the sheets. Oh, that was a mistake...thinking of him made his control falter, flicker like a candle in a breeze.
Zephyr cooed once more, opening an eye from where he had dozed off on his rider's lap. T'bell was being far too emotional, Flute would soon turn up and want to fill his warm spot, demanding attention and flapping like she owned the place. Then those whers would come out again and he'd have to hide under the pillow and be saved. Such was life...
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Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:55 pm
T'bell and K'rel - Part 02 The brownrider allowed himself a smug moment when he noticed T'bell's blush, though it quickly passed and he didn't comment. Instead, he turned his thoughts to the greenrider's query, only then realizing how hungry he really was. His stomach growled a yes before he could reply, and suddenly it was K'rel's turn to blush, though he took it well and flashed a grin, nodding slightly. "Now that you mention it..." He trailed off when T'bell stiffened, wondering if he had perhaps said something wrong. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the movement of T'bell's fist closing on the furs and found he had a vague idea of what had unnerved the greenrider now. He found this somewhat amusing, but didn't comment; more riders had no problems with nudity around other riders. But then, they had pretty much just met, so it was understandable. Fishing through the furs, he found one that was free and pulled it over, shifting slightly to wrap it around his waist before nodding slightly and sliding off the bed. "I'll get something for us. Do you have a chute..?"
"Y-yes." He swallowed and bit his lip hard before taking a deep breath. "I...excuse me...for a moment." He had already leaned over the side of the bed, covers wrapped securely around him, and retrieved what he thought to be his pants. After a brief moment he realized that they, in fact, were not his, and switched them for the other pair. A bit more shuffling and he had retreated to the bathroom, as fast as a green himself, leaving a glowlamp opened to fend off the darkness in his absence. The curtain seperating the rooms swishing behind him as he pulled it shut.
A reply died on K'rel's lips as the greenrider snatched up his clothes and bolted to the bathroom. For a moment he just stared after T'bell, then shook his head slightly and gathered up his own clothes. He partially redressed--it was a warm night, he left his shirt off--, and with a bit of searching found the chute and called down for dinner for two. Within a few minutes, the telltale rumbling signaled that dinner was served. Picking up the tray, he returned to the bed and sat on the edge, setting the tray down beside him, but chose to wait for T'bell's return to begin eating.
Within a few moments T'bell extracted himself from the bathing room rubbing at his cheeks, hair wet and wearing pants. The fur he'd escaped in there with was folded neatly over his arm, and he meekly ducked his head as he sat it back on the end of the bed. Quiet sounds of splashing could be heard from behind the curtain, the product of a sneaky firelizard. He could smell the food, but his appetite had left him. Nevertheless, he would eat...after the akward silence that seemed to permeate the room.
Quickly, he grabbed his brush and pulled it through his curls, trying to get enough order into them so he could put them back up into his braid and not look so disshevelled. "Did...er..." Well, at least he had broken the silence. He sat gingerly on a chair beside his big desk and tried again, "Did you know who...who the new weyrleader is?"
K'rel glanced up briefly when he heard the greenrider return, offering another faint smile before T'bell ducked away. As the silence stretched on,the turned his attention back to the tray of food, picking up a piece of redfruit from one bowl. T'bell seemed more interested in getting cleaned up than eating, so he shouldn't mind if K'rel began without him, aye? He would go bath after dinner, the brownrider thought to himself, and lifted the fruit to take a bite. He finished the piece in a few small bites, and glanced up when T'bell finally broke the silence, considering his question for a moment before replying. "Do you know, I think it's L'cian... Brown Tallith's rider. Surprising, but not impossible... L'cian will make a good Weyrleader."
The greenrider nearly dropped his brush at the news. "L'cian?!" Worries forgotten for a moment, a look of pure horror crossed his face. "He-! Oh...oh no!" He tossed his brush on the table in favour of burying his face in his hands and cursing to himself. Shards, could he have been any more of a deadglow, ordering him around like that during the hunt?! Imagine that, a greenrider -him- ordering around the weyrleader. Being ordered between the next time he laid eyes on him wouldn't surprise him.
Well, that wasn't at all the reaction K'rel had expected. T'bell seemed so upset by this announcement that the brownrider actually stood and stepped over to him, hesitating a moment before resting a hand reassuringly on his shoulder. "Past, ah...argument? Don't worry, L'cian's a nice guy, he'll get over it. Besdies, he's smart enough to not abuse his position. He handled Wingsecond well, after all.... Relax, calm down.."
T'bell nearly jumped out of his skin at the hand on his shoulder, but quickly calmed himself. He hadn't even heard him move. "No...I...oh, the feline hunt. I was put in charge and he went out on it..." He heaved a frustrated sigh and looked blandly at his brush. He still would not meet the other rider's eyes. K'rel probably couldn't even remember his name. With a small note of awareness he felt Liliath come awake and frowned.
Love...?
'I'm here.' He replied mentally, trying to ignore the hand on his shoulder enough to manage to grab the brush. The emotion that leaked to her must have been a decent outline of his feelings, because she didn't reply. He could feel her fatigue, if he were lucky maybe she'd fall back asleep. He could barely handle one coversation now.
"Ahhh...." Now it made sense. "Bossing around someone who's now a higher rank than you, aye? As I said, don't worry, L'cian'll take it well." After a moment he remembered his hand and let it fall away, taking a small step backwards before turning and returning to sit on the bed. Picking up another piece of fruit from the bowl, he took a small bite, stil feeling awkward about eating in another's weyr while that other wasn't. Siventh still hadn't awoken, and Calt... K'rel glanced quickly around for the blue, and finally assumed, by the sounds coming from the bathroom, that he and T'bell's flit were playing. To add to that, T'bell seemed to have lapsed back into the 'cringe everytime he speaks' stage. All in all, it was rather disheartening.
He is sad. It is my fault. Liliath bespoke K'rel, her voice tinged with heavy fatigue and a bit of regret for her rider.He is remembering.
T'bell was wrestling with his hair now that K'rel had left him, putting it into its typical braid. He tilted his head as he felt Liliath slip back into sleep and gave a small sigh. When his braid was finished her wrapped a tie around it and stood carefully, eyeing the tra by K'rel. "Could I have some? Unless...you only ordered for yourself." He looked down, then shuffled onto the carpet beside his bed to keep his bare feet off the stone and kept himself too busy to look at the brownrider by opening the glowlamps on his mantle, casting more light through the room.
K'rel's head snapped up in surprise when Liliath's voice reached him, eyes subconsciously turning towards the dragons out of sight. However, before he could reply Liliath had slipped back to sleep--probably for the better, she had certainly sounded exhausted--and T'bell had finished with his hair. Turning his attention back to the greenrider, he blinked once in confusion, then nodded and swept a hand towards the tray, offering another faint smile. "There's more than enough for two. Help yourself..." Trailing off, he sighed and turned his gaze back to the tray, pretending not to notice the greenrider's obvious attempts at avoiding him. Liliath had said he was remembering... About what, the brownrider had no idea. He considered his options, and soon decided to just bring up the subject once more. T'bell had nearly told him earlier, perhaps he would now. Following the greenrider out of the corner of his eye, he reached for a meatroll, speaking quietly. "Liliath said you're upset... Any way I can help?"
The glowlamp actually did hit the floor, and T'bell quickly bent to clean up the spilled glows. "Liliath...!" He huffed to cover his shock. That dragon would get him into trouble, speaking to anyone she wished. He would have a talk with her about keeping to herself, especially about matters concerning him. "Of course I'm upset..." he failed to add 'at her' to his sentence, but his tone implied it. "She knew I didn't want her to rise and did anyway."
He picked up the lamp, setting it back on the mantle and checking it for damage. What else had his dragon mentioned? "I mean, she's always risen on her own, but I knew Fen- I knew the blue would always catch her. It was routine." He sighed again and tugged the end of his braid, turning to the wher's room when the pair poked their noses out. It was late, their time anyway. "This time though, it wasn't fair. He wasn't here and she did it anyway and-" He snatched two meatrolls off the platter in his anger and half-heartedly tossed them to the whers. K'rel had been here, he was a wingsecond. Shells, he must have lost people. It was this knowledge that fueled his rant, more than it had with the others he had talked to. "And I just...I-I don't know. That's what it is. I don't know. I don't have a sharding clue which side is up and which way I go to get between . It's like I'm back in the Hall bumbling through a score I've never seen before, only getting one note at a time." Task made his way over to his bonded and made a curious noise at him, causing the greenrider to bend and scratch his eyeridges. His hands were gentle with his creatures despite his rant, "And they've got me playing a harp, or a guitar, and I can't even play the instrument, letalone read the notes. Everyone's on edge from the plague, everyone's dead from the plague. This isn't the weyr I used to know, and everything's gone and he's not coming back. Everyone's unbalanced." He quieted, holding Tasks' head and looking at his eyes, "Or at least I am. I...want to think everyone else is off balance. There's nothing wrong with me, there's something wrong with the world. You've been here...you know. It's just...I don't know." He sighed and dropped his head to the whers.
Rurrll? Tabesk questioned from her position by the bookshelf, still eyeing K'rel. T'bell chuckled, sort of a spent and sad sound. "No, not a stranger. Not since the last time you tried to eat him."
The glowlamp fell to the floor, and K'rel cringed back with the crash it made, looking away at T'bell's angry tone. Just that hint told him it would be best to let the greenrider finish his rant uninterupted, and so he fixed his eyes on the tray, listening intently with the intention of replying once T'bell had let off some steam. Despite the greenrider's anger, K'rel gradually began to feel better about having provoked it. True, it wasn't the reaction he had hoped for, but it seemed this rant had been building up for some time now. If this was the case, it was about time he let it out. And as long as T'bell didn't chew his head off, he had no problem with listening. It was really a relief. Maybe they could bother relax afterwards.
As the greenrider continued, the situation began to make more and more sense... Right down to the tension there had been since they had both woken up. he had lost a...weyrmate, perhaps? To the plague. Yes, K'rel had lost people, but no on to that degree. Still, it had effected everyone. It was understandable that that rider would still be in T'bell's thoughts.
When the tirade finally died down, K'rel looked back up, catching the eye of the gold watchwher and flashing it a quick grin as a 'truce' offering, chuckling softly himself at T'bell's words. However, the sound soon faded into a deep sigh, made all the more apparent when the brownrider straightened up in his seat. "Everything makes much more sense now... Though I have to say, don't be mad at Liliath...Greens rise, they can't help it, and have you thought that, maybe, she could be trying to find someone else to ease that blue's passing...?" Pausing, he again sighed, running a hand through his hair while considering his next words. "Everyone lost someone during the plague... it just hit some harder than others... It's passed, and a lot of good people are gone...but...remembering them, do you honestly think they would want us to mourn forever? Yes, for a little while, but they wouldn't want to see us sad... They would want us to get back on our feet and move on with our lives. Look towards a better future and all."
Again he paused, then turned his gaze to the floor, hesitating briefly before continuing once more. "It takes some people longer to adjust than others... I guess you're one of them. Dunno, I just...think you need to move on. This blue's rider; if he knew what was going to happen, what do you think he would have told you...?"
"I know what I would have told him..." He let out a long breath and was quiet for a moment. Inside he was fighting a battle to keep his composure, or what was left of it. He didn't know much of J'kin anyway...not in that respect. The bluerider could have thought him a friend all along. He...
Task nudged his cheek and T'bell smiled at the wher. "I am...moving on. Trying to. I'm functioning, I'm happy if I don't think about it. It's just...this. This just hit a chord in me. There are some things...I haven't dealt with just yet...haven't come to terms with."
The brownrider nodded slightly without looking up, clasping his hands infront of himself and shrugging slightly. "Sometimes it takes time... I lost a few people. Older brothers, couple of riders who Impressed at the same Hatching I did... 'Course, I wasn't terribly close to any of them. Too busy at the Beasthold to get to know a brother turns older than me, and we switched weyrs before the plague..." He glanced up slightly, cracking a smile. "Anyway. Sorry if Siv or I brought up any old memories. If you'd rather, we can leave. He's still sleeping, but I'm sure I could wake him long enough to move back to our weyr...." He paused, then again shrugged slightly. "Everyone adjusts at their own pace. If you need more time, we'll understand."
"No, you're still eating." He said it calmly, as if it was quite obvious. "I'm...I just...I don't know. I was in the middle of everything. Running the errends and taking the tolls. One'a the harpers says mine are better than in the record hall." He muttered and stood up, giving Task a pat on the head and sitting down a respectable distance from K'rel on the bed before taking a meatroll. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable because I'm being a hatchling." He chewed on the roll thoughtfull for a moment and folded his legs under him, finding a comfortable position in which to sit. "Don't...leave. I mean, Liliath will be awfully cross if Siventh moves too much, and it's not polite for me to just...for us to...and then for me to...to make you leave." He ducked his head a hid his blush by eating the rest of the meatroll. Whether it was the rant to someone who he felt had gone through something similar, or the food, he felt a bit calmer.
Couldn't argue with that logic. K'rel chuckled softly and finished off the meatroll he had picked up earlier, watching the greenrider return to the bed out of the corner of one eye. Picking up another, he took a bite, swallowing before glancing back up and nodding slightly. "I can understand how it would effect you more, then... I pretty much avoided the whole ordeal. Helped the Healers with what little I could do, and otherwise stayed out of the weyr..." Trailing off, he paused, then cracked a smile and changed subjects, chuckling softly. "Mm, yes, I suppose Liliath would be upset if he woke her. Siv wouldn't be very happy with me either, at that. Hmm... Well, I'm not going to try and talk you into making me leave, or anything. I've enjoyed...what little conversation we've had." He grinned, shrugging. "Awkward as it was. Even the rant, because...well, you seemed to need it. Dunno, I still don't know many around this weyr. My own fault, but.. It's just nice having someone to talk to."
"Yes..." He sighed and hesitated before taking another meatroll and biting into it with relish. "I don't talk to many dragonriders. I'm younger...there are other harpers here though, so I'm not alone." He looked down again, becoming sheepish, "I shouldn't have put that on you, my problems. I'm sorry. You didn't have control over any of it." He looked up, off distractedly in the vague direction of the dragons, "Seems she is happy." He smiled and turned his head back down. "It was unfair of me. Would you accept my apology?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 6:46 pm
T'bell and K'rel - Part 03 "Makes sense. I'm just....not shy. Faranth knows, I've never been shy, no... I'm still getting used to it here, I suppose." Shrugging slightly, he took another bite of his meatroll, eyeing what was left thoughtfuly before downing that as well, chuckling softly once his mouth was clear. "Not at all. Remember, I volunteered to listen. And it wasn't as if any offended me personally. Though, if it makes you feel better, I accept you apology. And apologize for prying. Really, it was none of my business..." Trailing off, he echoed the glance towards the dragon, smiling fondly. "Siv will be happy... I doubt he'll wake tonight, but tomorrow.. Just watch. More arrogant than ever, I can promise."
"You weren't prying. Just wondering why I decided to be so odd." He mumbled, looking affectionatly at his dragon. "I'm still rather mad at her, but I'm sure that'll pass. It always does. Best keep up appearances when she wakes up or she might wonder what you've done to me." The meatroll he was about to take a bite of paused halfway to his mouth and he quickly added, "Not that, I mean." before he put the thing in his mouth the stall any further things he might regret saying. He chewed with a blush on his cheeks, but also in an annoyed fashion, debating what thing he could do next to make himself look like the deadglow he truely was. Not much, thankfully, as he thought. The poor man had already seen his hair all down and messy, and so had looked at 'the wherry' at his worst. Liliath always had been fond of that nickname. Thay'd done...that...of which he would no doubtedly remember much more clearly later. He blushed again at that, and would roll over and turn into the wherry his dragon claimed he was before that came up in conversation. J'kin had...never told him he was horrible at it. Well...it had passed. Dragonriders did it all the time.
"Did you ever..." He looked up, thinking outloud. Possibly a dangerous prospect, "...you know, have anyone before? I mean, someone close to you." He laughed quietly and looked down again, "Sorry, maybe I'm the one prying now. You don't have to answer."
"Not odd, just...nervous. Scared. I'm not that terrifying, am I?" He cocked his head to the side, then chuckled softly and shrugged, turning his eyes to the tray and reaching for a piece of fruit. "Dragons know just how to get you you so that, no matter how mad, you'll always forgive them. I think that's the only reason I haven't murdered Siv yet..." He trailed off and actually laughed aloud at the following comment, but grinned to ease the gesture. Still chuckling softly, he picked up the fruit and took a small bite, tensing briefly at T'bell's question before shrugging slightly, waiting until he had swallowed the fruit to reply. "No, it's alright. Perfectly reasonable question, after all. And, ah....hmm.. Well, no, I suppose not. There was one relationship that, I think, had the potential to become more, but I was sent to Rias before it could, soo... That faded." Again he shrugged, taking another bite of his piece of fruit.
The greenrider ducked his head, "No, you're not terrifying." he smiled a bit, still looking down, "I think it's the situation." He rolled his eyes in agreement on dragons knowing just how to act for forgiveness and sat quietly for a moment before asking the question K'rels words had sparked. "It can just fade?" He mused over that before peering over to see if there was any redfruit left, tilting the bowl towards him. "I wouldn't know. Harpers sing all these songs about things like that, and I know how to play them, but I don't understand it. I suppose it's like...with your dragon, right?" He sat back and watched his hands on the furs. "That's what I've always thought of it like anyway. I'm probably wrong."
"Well...no, I don't think so." He finished off the piece with a final bite, chewing thoughtfully for a short while before swallowing and continuing. "I mean... It was more of a friendship, but a close friend. She was a green rider, just...hmm.. Dunno how to explain. It's been a few turns... Not long after I came to Rias, her green rose. I'm told she and the rider who's dragon caught hers are weyrmates now." He smiled faintly, then sat back with a sigh, having eaten his fill of the simple meal. "But she's happy, and I'm down here anyway, so no worries. Love...hmm... I'm really not sure. One of those things that's hard to explain. I think love between two people is different than between a rider and dragon, though..." His eyes turned back towards the dragons, smile brightening somewhat. "When you Impress, your dragon is like... part of you. And there is love, but it's unconditional love, it just...happens, and no matter how mad you get, that love is there. Between two people...It seems like when it happens, it would feel stronger, because...it grew. It wasn't just there. It happened, and...eh, I don't know." He smiled sheepishly, looking down. "Not like I've been in love. It's hard to compare anything to the bond with our dragons.."
"You make sense though..." T'bell nodded absently as he stood and took the tray, sliding it onto his desk and stepping over Task on the way back to his spot. "You'll find someone, I suppose." He smied ruefully and pulled at the folded furs he had set down before, unfolding the over the bottom half of the bed while he sat there. "You're a dragonrider, a wingsecond, and..." He laughed self-depreciatively, "not terrifying, despite what a silly greenrider might think. You could have anyone, I think. You're lucky."
"Maybe eventually..." Smiling faintly, he shifted around to sit on the bed, folding his legs beneath himself. K'rel rolled his eyes at the 'list of titles', laughing softly and shaking his head. "Ah, but there are plenty of dragonriders and wingseconds in this world, and the greater majority of them are not terrifying. Besides, I don't want anyone." His eyes turned to the furs beneath him, tracing his fingers over it absently. "Love should be special, and if I could have anyone, it wouldn't be. I'd rather have limited choices and find that perfect person, y'know?"
"Easy for you to say, you're...what is it...desirable?" He waved a hand at him accusingly. "No matter how big your choice is you're practically guarenteed acceptance." He shook his head and flicked his braid over his bare shoulder. "Prime breeding stock, excellent stud, commitment material." He snickered, oh it was so nice to tease someone else for once.
K'rel laughed, shaking his head as he built up a protest. But he quickly changed his mind, falling silent with a faint smirk and raising an eyebrow at T'bell. "Oh really? And all this information coming from who, dear greenrider?" Time to turn the tables a bit...
Reena Bat: "Common knowl...edge..." His eyes widened and he blushed fiercely. "No...no basis."
"Common knowledge?" He shook his head, flashing a cheeky grin. Oh, he had him cornered now... "I'm hardly common knowledge. Half the weyr doesn't know I exist, even if Siventh's the loudest one out there. Come now, who's gossiping about me, hmm?"
Reena Bat: "Well no one really." He fidgeted and looked down again. He couldn't seem to look at him for any length of time. "You know Harpers...we talk, that's all."
"Ahh, Harper talk." The brownrider left it at that, nodding slightly before sitting back once more. Still, it amused him that he had gotten T'bell so flustered over a simple tease, but cheered him to know that he could get away with it. "Well, that makes sense. Was just curious.." He yawned, then schooched to the edge of the bed and stood, nodding towards the bathroom. "Do you mind if I go bathe? Need to get cleaned up.."
"No, I don't mind. You're welcome to...everything's in there. Two flitts too, from the noise." He kept his head ducked, his bangs covering his face as he slid of the edge of the bed and began fixing the furs. "If you need anything...I don't think I could stand to go anywhere." He laughed and picked up his tunic, spotting it slightly under the bed. Of course, this made him blush again and he quietly cursed himself.
"Ehh, sorry about that..." K'rel blushed faintly himself, then laughed and shook his head, walking over to the bathroom and dissappearing behind the curtain to the chirped greetings of the flits. "I won't be long."
"'Sorry about that'?" T'bell echoed, albeit much quieter and long after the brownrider had passed the curtain. He sat down on the bed with a 'fump' and winced. "Wonder...no I don't. I don't wonder anything, do I Task?" The pale watchwher chirrup his agreement from his vantage point under the desk and T'bell looked around curiously for Tabesk just in time to notice the curtain swing shut. Ah, she was watching the 'stranger'. "Behave, Tabesk!" He called after her before standing again and gathering the rest of the discarded clothing, piling it on the chest at the end of his bed before he set to righting the furs, only to find a gold flitt starting at him from his pillow.
"How long have you been there?" He ran a hand over her wings and she cooed appreciatively, lids closed. Must have been off galavanting in the aftermath of the queens flight. He carefully adjusted the pillow and slid onto the bed next to her. Zephyr was in the bath, so she could have some time with him to herself. She seemed content to take his attention, and so he stroked her wings and small nose to her hearts content.
The brownrider actually had his back to the doorway when he heard the swish of the curtain reclosing, and he really wasn't sure what to expect when he turned around. T'bell didn't seem the type to come barging in unannounced while anyone was bathing. But he certainly hadn't expected to see Tabesk there. He fixed a smile on his face in the hopes of convincing the gold that he was no threat, and tried to go about his bath as normally as possibly, though it was perhaps a bit faster than normally. After redressing, he dried his hair as well as possible and bound it back still wet, edging cautiously around the gold wher and back into the main sleeping room. "Don't think your little gold likes me much."
"Hm?" The greenrider covered a yawn with his hand and pushed himself into a semi-seated postition from where he'd been sharing the pillow with his flitt. "She's just wary. She won't do anything..." He looked beside and behind K'rel to the soaked firelizard that marched out behind him and fluttered up to the bed. "Joining us, Zeph?"
Shrugging, he stepped back over to the bed and sunk down to sit on the opposite side from T'bell. "Ahh, wary. Be that as it may, she still glared at me the whole time I was bathing. Not a reassurign thing when you're unclothed..." He yawned, then glanced back towards the bathing room, just in time to see a thoroughly drenched Calt stumble out behind the other blue. The little flit chirped softly, energy drained by its long bath, and shook a bit of the water away before taking flight and darting up to his bond, landing carefully on the arm K'rel offered him.
Reena Bat: "Looks like a party, hm?" He mumbled to the blue when he poked his nose as Flute. Zeph got a grunt in return and moved to take his spot between the pillow and the headboard, like a blue sandwich. T'bell smiled fondly at the blue and tucked his curly bangs behind his ears as he glanced to K'rel. "She has more of a mind to do what she pleases than Task does. It seems all the females around me do." He gave a slight shake of his head and pushed himself up into a seated position. "So..."
"Mmm, most females are like that, I've noticed." K'rel chuckled softly, then shifted slightly to lean back against the wall. He felt another silence falling, and searched his mind for a subject. When nothing came, he decided to just alter their current one a bit. With a gesture that began as a stretch, he waved a hand around at the assorment of 'pets', then glanced back to T'bell with a smile. "You've got quite a 'collection'... I've only got Calt in the weyr, at this point."
"Oh...yes, they've worked their way into my life one way or another." He smiled and pulled at the covers absently. "I know Zephyr was from the last clutch that came in, likely from his," He nodded at Calt, "And Flute, I think, was a gift from one of two sources. The whers...well...my mother wanted one to guard my weyr so I attended the impression and...ended up with two." He shrugged, remembering how he'd blooded himself too much. "A weyrbrat...or a drudge, someone had to help me carry them both up. And, well, the only other creatures in here are up on the shelves." He gestured to a few stuffed toys with a bit of embarrasment. "The only thing it seems I don't have yet is a runner. Liliath thinks they'd taste good, but I wouldn't let her carry out that theory."
The brownrider nodded understandingly, eyes moving from one creature to another as they were 'introduced', even to the plushies on the shelf, a smile playing at his lips. "Calt was from the last clutch as well, aye. Though Siv and I found three on a beach not long ago. Gave one away and kept the other two, but they haven't hatched yet." He paused, then turned back to T'bell with a grin. "I have two runners, actually. Keep 'em down at the Hold for...a few different reasons. I grew up at a Beasthold, missed it after I Impressed... So I got those two. Go down to ride every so often. The Beastmaster there boards them free in exchange for breeding rights." He grinned sheepishly, shrugging. "Whatever works."
T'bells eyes widened at news of the clutch he'd found. "Three? Shards, you'll have your hands full with him and two more." He said, nodding to Calt once more. "I never have time to spend more than a few minutes in the beasthold, it just seems I'm too busy. I'd love to see them though, maybe I'll ask the next-" He broke off and covered his mouth as another yawn escaped him, "-next time I go down. Sorry." He ducked his head sheepishly.
"Mm, maybe, but maybe they'll keep each other amused and won't torment me as much. I haven't been down in a while. I'll have to go check on 'em soon. You're welcome to visit or ride-" He abruptly broke off with a yawn of his own, eyes falling closed to reopen as it faded. Chuckling softly, he waved away the apology, turning his eyes thoughtfully down to the bed. "Not at all. It's late, and today has been...eventful. Perhaps we should just....er..."
"'We should just'?" the greenrider echoed curiously. A small 'splash' from the bathroom alerted him to Tabesks' activities and he smiled as Task curiously got up to investigate, then, as his tail disappeared behind the curtain and another splash sounded, to obviously join. "They're supposed to be solitary creatures. Maybe they'll grow into it..."
"I was going to suggest sleep," he admitted, glancing up to T'bell and chuckling softly before turning towards the bathroom. "But I'd doubt we'd be able to know that those two're taking their bath. Can stay up longer, though. And it wouldn't surprise me if those two stay close. They generally are solitary, but I think that's partially because they're usually kept apart, you know?"
"They're usually pretty quiet at night," He shifted his weight and looked at the curtain seperating the rooms, "I suppose there's a chance they'll stay like they are now...growing up around each other and everything. Task is quieter than she is, and he seems to have the better bond with me. If I could just get her to hold still long enough..." He trailed off, the comment about sleep sinking in, "You mean here...?"
K'rel nodded absently in reply to the comments about the whers. He didn't know much on the subject of the little beasts, and as a result really had nothing more to say about them. He did glance briefly back to T'bell with the question, but quickly looked away and shrugged. "Well, err, wherever works. I really can't go anywhere until Siventh wakes, but I don't mind sleeping on a couch if you'd rather. Just point me towards it.."
"Actually," He sighed and fidgeted uncomfortably, "There isn't much but those chairs and that desk there, unless you'd like to sleep in the whers' room, and I don't think you would. I could...I could just stay up and offer you the bed, if you like."
Sighing, K'rel shook his head, then smiled faintly and straightened up. "No, no, don't worry about it. I'll...just... bed down with Siv. Those dragons are so deeply asleep, I doubt they would notice. Besides, Siv's used to it, and I can keep away from Liliath so I don't disturb her."
"It's not fair of me to make you sleep on the floor, take the bed." With a mild insistance in his voice, he slid to the edge of the furs and stood before gesturing to the avaliable space. "Plenty enough for a brownrider."
K'rel chuckled softly and shook his head, shifting to the edge of the bed and standing, then sweeping an arm over the furs. "It's perfectly fair. I usually sleep beside Siventh in our weyr anyway. And this is your weyr, and this is your bed, dear green. Just because Siventh flew Liliath doesn't mean I'm going to come and take it from you."
"Well I'm not going to kick you out of it just because this isn't your weyr. It's only polite." He crossed his arms and blushed at the 'dear green' but didn't back down.
"Well, you are being polite, if that's what you're worried about." The brownrider grinned, then shrugged and turned away, heading in the general direction of the dragons. "I'm just going to play the rude Wingsecond and refuse. Get some rest, T'bell."
"Hey!" He frowned and stomped after him in his bare feet. "I'm surprised there's enough room for the both of them in there, letalone you. I got you into this...it's...it's the least I can do to offer you a bed after your trouble."
Pausing in step, K'rel glanced back over his shoulder at the greenrider and raised an eyebrow, still chuckling softly. "Firstly, you didn't 'get me into' anything. I told Siventh to go after Liliath, and, honestly, I'm very glad that he caught her. Second, it's been no trouble. Actually, I'm not sure what you even mean by that. I've enjoyed this evening, our conversations, even if you haven't. And, if you haven't, I apologize, and will not trouble you again."
"No!" His eyes widened and his stubborn stance completely dropped as he waved his hands. "No no no, it's not that I haven't-well...I-I can't really...I'll remember enough of it later to give an-an opinion on whether or not I...I mean it didn't hurt too much so I-" He dropped his head, looking at his toes, and took a deep breath. "It's not that I haven't enjoyed it, it's the circumstances under which it occured that aren't sitting evenly with me yet." He rubbed his neck and pulled his braid over his shoulder, shifting his feet on the stone. "I didn't mean anything like that by it, I-sorry. Sorry." He sighed and turned around, shaking his head and muttering, "Good thing I'm a dragonrider and not a harper anymore, I can't seem to get my words out."
K'rel let himself relax with the greenrider's reaction, turning back towards T'bell with a faint grin, and actually chuckling softly with his final words. "I can't remember much either, so don't stress over it. And I know that the circumstances weren't the best... That's fine, I understand. But now, just relax and get some rest. I don't like thinking my presence makes people uncomfortable." He paused, then chuckled softly. "And you sleeping somewhere other than the bed would undoubtably be uncomfortable. So I'll move."
"I don't want you sleeping on the floor though." He sighed, his back still to him as he fiddled with things on his desk, "I...I'm usually uncomfortable anyway." He laughed quietly and set a big blue book to the side, tilting a few unlit cadndles towards him to check the wick, generally finding things to do. "My mother would flay me and use my innards to make strings for her newest guitar if she found out I was being inhospitable. Take the bed, K'rel."
The brownrider briefly fell silent, watching T'bell thoughtfully for a moment before chuckling softly. He folded his arms across his chest, cracking a grin. "Tell you what, I'm pulling rank. Benefits of being Wingsecond... But I'll let you choose between two, how's that?" He paused momentarily, glancing towards the dragons when he felt Siventh stirr. But the brown sunk back into sleep without really waking, and K'rel went on. "We'll either both sleep on the bed, or we'll both find somewhere else in the weyr to rest. Fair enough? It's your choice as to which."
The harper's head tilted up at his comment and he allowed himself something between a rueful and slightly annoyed frown, "Pulling rank..." He sighed and shook his head. "Well there's no...no use in the both of us not getting any decent sleep by bedding down on the floor...but..." He fidgeted a little and set the candle he was holding back on the desk. "If that...makes you uncomfortable then..."
"Actually, I was more concerned for you, greenrider." K'rel raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side. Smiling apologetically, he let his arms fall back to his sides and shrugged. "I've slept near other riders before, and really don't think of it as that big of deal. But you seem scared by the very idea. Nervous enough with me here at all. If you're that uncomfortable with it..." He trailed off with another shrug, not bothering to finish his sentance. it would just get them arguing over who slept on the bed again, and that was starting to get old.
"Well..." Ah, harper reasoning, "If it's not a big deal to you...then I suppose there's no reason it should be a big deal to me as long as...as, well...it's not as if-" He gestured to the two dragons and then up in the air; a crude representation of a mating flight. "As they don't decide to rise again."
"And I doubt you'll have to worry about that for some time," the brownrider reassured him, sparing a glance towards the dragons and grinning faintly. "Thay've completely worn themselves out. As have I. So, if you don't mind, now that we've decided who's sleeping where, I'm going to head to bed. Tomorrow's approaching quickly."
"She might, just to annoy me." He spared a mild glare at his green and gave a slight nod, taking a breath and shuffling towards the bed. "Flute sometimes sleeps on that pillow, so if she moves onto your head, don't be alarmed." He pointed ot the pillow near the edge as he slipped in. "Zeph takes mine and...well...yeah." Rambling, perfect. There was no reason at all for him to get worked up over this, K'rel was right. It was simply sleeping...but the events before played like a blurred and drunked memory and he was sure the heat on his cheeks had become permanent as he faced the stone wall.
Nodding, K'rel started back towards the bed as well, sinking down to sit on the edge with a yawn. "That's fine. Calt likes to sleep on my pillow, so I doubt another flitt'll bother me. I'll have to get used to it, anyway, what with the other two eggs nearing Hatching..." While he spoke, he pulled back the furs and shifted to lay on 'his side' of the bed. He pulled the furs back up, then rolled onto his side so that his back was to T'bell, hoping this would ease the awkwardness of the situation a bit.
T'bell had nearly molded himself to the wall in an effort to give the other rider some room in the small bed. "Goodnight then..."
Almost immediately, the brownrider felt Calt dart down to land on the pillow behind his head; the flitt uttered a sleepy chirp to both riders, then curled up and in seconds, energy gone as quickly as it had come. Comforted somewhat by the familiarity of the flitt, K'rel yawned and closed his eyes, murmuring a 'Good night' in reply before attempting to go to sleep himself, soon drifting off.
It took T'bell a few moments longer, and a bit of shifting of the flitts that occupied his pillow, but he too soon fell asleep.
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 8:48 pm
T'bell I'm not sure where to start this. The beginning, however, seems like a nice place as usual, but some events overshadow others. Nevertheless...
Lemurrin came up a few days ago to help me with tanning the fur. Luckily I hadn't done a horrible job in my weariness from before. We seem to have gotten along fine, the akwardness I helped to create on the rim disappeared. Sort of. I'm being forced to face things I'd rather not lately.
Yesterday the queen rose. Tallith flew her, I've been told. I didn't watch the flight, but a brown flying a queen sure makes history. I'm sure I'll regret not watching history in the making, especially as a harper, later on, but at the time I was more concerned with Liliath rising, which she had made known that she intended to. Needless to say, I was terrified. I still am, in a passive way, as if looking at the entire event through fog. Despite my attempts to stop her (and I made attempts) she rose when Ariath had been caught.
Had she flown a blue, I'm not sure when my reaction would have been. I know Tarlith and Zarith were in the flight...their riders are female. The akwardness that would have posed alone...but to add onto that blue.
A blue.
Shards, I miss J'kin. He was the closest friend I've ever had, at any time, barring Liliath of course. There's something to be said about a bond between a human you've known since you were little...something as important but different as the bond between dragon and rider. It's like something empty, a harp without strings...something important and necessary missing. I was so terrified when she rose, I didn't now what ot do. In the most basic terms, J'kin has been the only one I've shared the intimacey of a flight with. Several flights, mind you, but only him. It wasn't only terrifying, but horrible to know that he would never share a flight with me again. The recent flight drove that home in a way I could never imagine before.
As I said, Liliath would not fly the blues. There were two other dragons in the flight, however, a bronze whose name and rider escapes me, and Siventh. Liliath has had her eye on him for a while, I suppose, she's made comments. K'rel, his rider, is a wingsecond and has a reputation for being quiet. I've seen him open up at the Turnover party, and he seemed friendly...but he's usually quite quiet. Regardless, Liliath was caught by Siventh and...the events are a blur.
At the result of turning vulgar (in case this diary is found) the flight was much different than with J'kin. I'm not sure if that's due to our familiarity or lack of, or the personality, or simply the colour of the dragon. Nevertheless...being thrown to the bed and ravished completely senseless, taken over by Liliath's mind and emotions as well as my own...I'm not sure how long I stayed unwilling. The paradox of her willingness and preference of Siventh to my general wish of avoidance of the entire incident...she won out in the end. As I write I'm sitting on a cushioned chair. The pain isn't unbearable, and is in fact mostly gone. I however, do ache in places I had forgotten existed. It's been a day however, and a hot bath (or two) has done me wonders. I've been out of commission before, with earlier flights. I suppose it just gets easier. I still only vaguely recall any of the happenings...it's frustrating but also a gift.
We woke up and...well...the general akwardness was somewhat stalled by Task and Tabesks' interference. I'm proud of their loyalty to me, in that they were willing to somewhat disobey Liliath's directions not to venture out of their room. After a minor crisis was averted (I'm not sure K'rel being eaten would have gone over well) the general nervousness set in.
He's nice, like I saw before. Quite nice, actually. Despite my bumblings and general inability to function on a normal emotional level after an event like that...he was understanding. It was so nice to finally talk to someone who'd been through part of the plague here...who'd dealt with losing people or seeing them deteriorate. I'm afraid he was subject to a general pouring of my feelings that I've not been able to display to anyone else, through both my own attempts to keep them locked away and my lack of general dragonrider companionship. Since the plague I've nearly lost all contact with the other riders on a personal level. It's nice ot talk to someone who's bonded once in a while, you forget that you're not the only one.
After he left this morning I spent a good time in here just getting used to what's happened. I made a flute...finished one, actually. It's been in progress for a while. Working on it calmed me, and I'm letting the final touches dry before I test it for sound. I took my breakfast and lunch up here...Tabesk (masked, of course) thankfully did not object ot guarding my stairwell and kept me undisturbed all day. I think I've needed this time to balance myself out. Venturing outside will be...challenging. Not only will everyone be eager to talk about the new weyrleader (whom I realized I was bossing around during the feline hunt. My ability to make a fool of myself never ceases to amaze me.), but I'll no doubt get several comments on my flight. I'm not quite sure how to react to them. Most of my flights were done away from the weyr...Fenith always knew when Liliath was to rise before I did. Likiath's always been quite good at hiding things from me.
The silly green is still asleep. I'll have a talk with her later tonight, I think. She seems hungry, so she'll likely go out hunting while I venture out for some dinner. The harper in me wants to listen to the gossip, but the coward in me just wants to stay here with my flitts, who have only given me images of worry and comfort since the ordeal. I'm thankful for them, Zephyr's been a warm weight on my neck the entire day, and Flute has been occupying my lap.
I suppose I should be getting downstairs. I'm not sure what I'll do should I see K'rel. The rules for behaviour in this case are foriegn to me, and I'm afraid I'll turn red anyway, making a fool of myself further. People always used to tell me I was blushing after flights with J'kin. I knew how to act arounf him though...
Sometimes I wonder if I should have said more before he went. It leaves me with this curious feeling of uneasyness, to know that maybe I could have made him happier, or that he was holding something back from me due to his unsurity. I'm not saying I know what love is, despite being a harper, but I know I felt very strongly fo him. I suppose I'll learn one day what the feeling consists of, so I'm hesistant to name it right now, but I'm fairly certain that's what it was.
Regardless, if I write any more I may miss dinner, so off I go to play harper and socialize. I need some of the worlds luck...I seem to have none of my own.
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 12:47 pm
T'bell Well, I managed to face the 'crowd' without suffering the effects of too many comments. I wasn't surprised when Kirana and Lemurrin joined me, but they didn't pry like I feared they might, so it was all-in-all, a pleasant dinner. The food was spectacular, and I think that's calmed me down.
As a matter of fact, I think I escaped too soon. I didn't want to stay around too long, since more people were filing into the dining hall and I knew the whers would be waking up soon. Maybe I'll disappear down there later tonight to see if anything's left.
...Liliath just woke up and practically fell from the edge of the weyr in her rush to get outside, simply without saying a word to me. I think we'll have a discussion when she gets back. She must be hungry though, maybe that's why I'm still feeling peckish...
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Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:27 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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