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 Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 8:49 pm
((We'll say... after quarantine started. -couldn't fit it in the title-))
Afternoon was not the busiest time to be loitering about in the living cavern, which was probably ideal for people who did not wish to be stuck in the middle of throngs of bodies. Aliscia was one such person, and she took great delight in seating herself at a table well out of the way, lounging in her chair with the carefully studied manner of one who feigns relaxation and boredom. It was not a demeanor that encouraged people to approach her, but this was all quite intentional. When one looked open and friendly, people inevitably decided to make a habit of invading one's space without permission. Looking disinterested usually meant that the overbearingly cheerful people skipped over her to a seemingly more willing conversation partner. This was fine by Aliscia. The nauseatingly cheerful evoked a very strong gag reflex.
Why do you seek places where people may bother you? It seems quite stupid. Tanith ever-so-helpfully bespoke Hers from her place outside. The green was somewhere on the lakeshore, lounging about with all the genuine indolence a dragon could manage. She had carefully established her reputation as a quarrelsome beast as best she could, hoping it would keep the majority of the annoying dragons away. Now she had a patch of ground all to herself and was sprawled all over it, making the best of the relative peace. You could just take your meals in your weyr.
That thought elicited a quiet snort from Aliscia, and the greenrider picked up a meatroll from her plate, blowing on it lightly so as to avoid scalding her tongue when she did decide to take a bite. I like watching people. They're entertaining. Besides... there has to be someone intelligent in this lot. More so than at Ista... she pointedly, half-closing her eyes with delight as the rich taste of meat and pastry filled her mouth. Some foods had no equal in Aliscia's mind. Meatrolls were high on her list of favorites, and in a climate as ridiculously cold as Telgar's, hot foods were certainly more welcome than cold. She did miss Ista's sunshine and sea, probably because she had been smell salty air since birth. It brought pangs to her heart to think of it, so she left off those thoughts for later.
Instead, she set down the meatroll--it was still too hot on the inside for her to comfortably eat--and instead picked up her fork to poke through the steamed legumes. A little overdone for her tastes, but she supposed it could be far worse. A forkful of them decided the issue for her, as they tasted far better than they looked. The inner crunch could override the outer limpness, and this pleased her immeasurably. Lifting her free hand, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind one ear, near-gold eyes flicking upward at the sight of movement near her table. The movement came from a drudge, who kept right on walking without so much as a glance at her. Pleasing, that was. The other chairs at the table still remained empty, and she was fairly sure it was safer if they stayed that way.
Unless, of course, someone was clever enough to be tolerable. She was always happy to make exceptions.
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 3:55 pm
'I should probably be looking for F'ris," Favian had to go for food, to eat. His stomach roared with hunger as did the gold body perched on his shoulder. At least his father had gotten a leather shoulder plate for him, so now her tiny claws didn't hurt him so badly. She didn't really mean it, but she hardly wanted to fall off her comfortable shoulder. He moved his hand upwards towards his ear to rub her little, and beautiful head. He loved her, more than he could imagine. He had his own little dragon on his shoulder, and he felt safe. Even thought the plague was running around the Weyr, he felt completely safe. Vianna would protect him.
Favian grabbed meat rolls, probably more than a small 8 turn old and baby firelizard could eat in one sitting, but he still had it. He stopped as he shoved nearly half of one into his mouth, regarding the young greenrider (?). Wasn't she the one F'ris was angry at? "Her monster of a dragon called my Ikadith horrible horrible things! Arg, I hate Greens so much! They're either flirty or horribly bitter." Favian chewed slowly as Vianna complained in his ear, and he fed her meat roll. She chirped happily after that, snatching away pieces as they were offered. She didn't look horrible. She looked completely relaxed, to tell you the truth.
Favian was always interested in riders and bounced along to her table before setting down his meal. "You're a rider aren't you?!" he said brightly. "You have to be! You feel like one!"
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:58 pm
Aliscia sensed eyes on her and would have looked up to investigate the source were she a normal woman seeking attention. As it was, the greenrider was fairly convinced she was getting innumerable funny and wary looks due to the temperament of her mindmate. It both pleased and annoyed her when that happened. Tanith was exasperating at times, but, really, Aliscia would not have had her quarrelsome love any other way. At that mere thought, a smile quirked up the corner of her lips, and she took a moment to pause in her eating and send an appropriately loving message toward her mindmate. What she received in response was the mental equivalent of a snort, overlaid with tones of gratitude. Tanith did not express love very well.
Movement out of the corner of her eye brought her firmly back to reality, and one of her eyebrows arched skyward at the sigh of a little boy and his pet making their way in her direction. A child. Magnificent. They were either scared of her or looking to make a reputation. "See?! I was brave enough to talk to the scary lady!" seemed to be the general thought processes of the little adventure-seekers. Normally, she just tolerated children acting that way, if only because it was easier. Maybe this one would just give her a look and pass by. The fact that the boy was looking at her, though, completely foiled that hope. She stifled a sigh. Here went another round of-
Oh, well, that was strange. He actually seemed excited to see her. Her eyebrows drew together in a universal gesture of bewilderment and no lack of curiosity. Strange child, this one. Brave too, for he seemed quite happy to settle himself at her table, seemingly without an ounce of hesitation or wariness. Her reputation must not have preceded her in this case. "I am," she answered simply in response to his question, her expression quickly melting back into one of contentment. She had food, she had a seat.... life was good, if a little crowded at the moment. "Aliscia of green Tanith. And you are...?"
He was a weyrbrat with no fear, to be certain. Her gaze drifted to the gold firelizard on his shoulder, and she wondered what parent would let their child have one. Firelizards were not easy pets to care for, after all. Perhaps he was an unusually responsible child, or maybe his parent was just neglectful. Who knew? She had the good grace to ignore Tanith's scathing retort to that thought, instead, gesturing with her chin at the shining firelizard. "What's her name?" Perhaps if she got him talking about his pet, he would ask fewer questions of her. That always worked out happier in the end. "She looks pretty young," the petite woman added calmly, taking another forkful of legumes to cover up the fact that she really had nothing to say to the curious child for the moment.
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Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 9:06 am
Yup, this was the rather infamous greenrider he had heard so much about. She hardly seemed . . . scary. It seemed that adults just cared more about it. She was a dragonrider and that was plenty good enough for him. It made her insanely interesting to him. "Favian," he introduced politely. Vianna's eyes glowed brightly as she watched the woman, ready and protective. "Silly thing, she doesn't mean to harm us." Favian lifted his hand and ran them over the firelizard's head, and eventually the gold settled comfortable again, eyes whirling.
"I named her Vianna," he said gently. "I couldn't think of any name other than that one. F'ris isn't too happy I'm using it though. He doesn't like to think than anyone would have the same name as my mother. She's not really using it though, so I don't think she would mind." He didn't feel odd or even sad about it. She had died when he was too little to even have memories. That was how he liked to think about it.
"She is, she's only a few days old at this point, but I hardly keep count anymore. I was lucky enough to get a chance to impress a firelizard. I was really scared though. She was the last one. I'm very happy. I'm so happy I could . . . well I don't know." he laughed, knowing he wasn't really making too much sense. "It's like having a little dragon of my own. It makes waiting much easier." His confidence was surely bolstered.
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Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:38 pm
"Well met, then, Favian."
The greenrider had to grudgingly give the boy credit for tolerable manners. Unlike children who inaudibly squealed out their name or mumbled, he spoke clearly. Politely and in a tone she could actuallyhear. This was a pleasant change. Still, she let that ounce of respect remain off her face, instead calmly continuing her meal as the boy soothed his pet. Many, many Turns with a dragon had taught her to read dragon and firelizard behavior--and eye facets--well enough to know if she was in trouble. Apparently, the little gold was unsure of her.
At the boy's explanation of the name, she inclined her head to one side, now obviously paying a bit more attention. So the firelizard was named after his apparently-deceased mother. This did not seem unusual to her, but the boy seemed curiously lacking in emotion on that count. Died in childbirth, she wondered? Perhaps that was why... F'ris... was angry about the use of the name. F'ris. If her skills with names were of any use, she hazarded a guess that bronzerider F'ris of Ikadith was the boy's father. Even she, who disliked bronzeriders as a general rule, knew the weyr's bronzes. The mere thought of the bronze made her want to smirk, but she contained herself, only the glint of amusement in her eyes betraying her. Good thing the boy seemed to be nothing like his father's dragon, indeed.
"Your mother's name. Suitable name for a creature that will be a mother herself," she commented lightly, eyeing the little firelizard over. "She's lovely." Aliscia was biased to prefer greens over golds, but a well-mannered and physically beautiful gold was worthy of a compliment, if the greenrider was feeling nice enough. Since Favian and Vianna were an interesting enough break to her favored solitude, a compliment was hardly a small price to pay. At least he was doing most of the talking, anyway.
At his evident enthusiasm for his pet, though, Aliscia could not hold back a chuckle that escaped after swallowing a mouthful of legumes. "I understand happiness." Of course she did, when she had her Tanith, but the boy probably didn't have a clue of that. Sprightly little creature, wasn't he? Certainly bold, and he seemed to be of enough good sense to care for a firelizard properly, though his ego seemed to be showing through. That was what happened when one had a bronzerider for a father, she reasoned. This amused her greatly. "Waiting to Impress? To what sort of dragon?"
As if that wasn't obvious.
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Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:11 pm
Favian nodded his head at her comments about his mother's name . . . and he hadn't even thought of the fact that after some time Vianna would have a clutch of eggs for her own. He pouted slightly. Hopefully no one would bully their way into getting a chance to impress. . . it aggravated him to think about it. He was young, and adults seemed to be the type to push their weight around. At the same time, if they were greedy they probably wouldn't impress a firelizard would they? "Thank you," he said gently. "I'm glad that I'm not that only one who thinks so." He knew he would because they were together, but am outsider agreeing . . . well it put things in a different light.
He didn't hesitate when she asked him about impressing. "A bronze dragon," he said, automatically. "I have to wait until sixteen to join a wing. . . but I don't want to wait. I know twelve is young but I've always been around Riders. I want to be a good dragonrider, and strong. I want to be a Weyrleader and a good one at that. I want people to remember me when I die," he sighed slightly. "I know it seems kiddish to want to be a hero, but who doesn't?" he grinned slightly. "And I really want to be like my Dad," the informal name slipped a moment and he frowned.
He sat on his hands, lowering his head quietly. "But really, I'm worried about him. I don't have a mom you know and F'ris is all by himself. If he dies because of thread there won't be anyone left. If I'm with him, at least I can go with him if something bad happens." He meant between. How many adults would let a small child made that decision?
The fault perhaps was F'ris. He and his son had formed too close a bond. Separation would perhaps be their own undoing. That was their weakness.
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Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:12 am
Aliscia briefly wondered what floated through the boy's mind to make him pout so. Perhaps it was the thought of his mother? Regardless, she leisurely finished off her legumes, watching him with a curious and cautious eye. It was unsurprising that he was flattered by her opinion of his firelizard. Were not all people proud of their mindmates? She knew herself to be particularly smug whenever praise was offered of Tanith, especially considering how rare such an occurrence was.
Though she had just set down her fork with the intention of poking her meatroll to test for its warmth, Aliscia was unable to contain a soft chuckle at the boy's immediate response. Her amusement was tinged with the slightest bit of condescension, though. Perhaps it was her lack of fondness for bronzeriders or just her dislike of those lusting after power, but she always found herself rather annoyed that such rank was actually based on dragon coloration and not on merit. Some of those of rank were sharding morons and should not have been given responsibility save in the utmost of need. "You don't have to be a weyrleader or a wingleader or even a bronzerider to be remembered when you die," the greenrider pointed out, arching one eyebrow at the little boy. Such large thoughts for something so small.
"Being a bronzerider won't make you a hero... or even good at what you do," she pointed out lightly, amused by his fervor. The fact that he suddenly referred to the bronzerider as 'Dad' did not escape her, but the greenrider did him the courtesy of letting that slide. Instead, she leaned forward to rest one forearm on the table, one finger from the other hand pushing her still-hot meatroll around her plate. Intelligent, for one so young. Misguided, perhaps, full of ego and dreams that had no doubt been inspired by his father. Having no children of her own, Aliscia found that slightly distasteful. The weyr needed no more egotistical, large-headed, pompous, ignorant bronzeriders. It had plenty. A shame to see such an intelligent child wasted on a position that would be his only out of custom.
At his pronouncement of concern, her expression shifted, near-gold eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded the boy. Obviously, he was far too attached to his father. Children worried about their parents. She worried still about her own, but she had had peers to bond with and other adults to look to for guidance. "If your father is any kind of dragonrider, I don't think Thread will take him," she said quietly, one graceful finger still pushing around her meatroll. "You, on the other hand-" Now the finger rose and waggled at him. "-should be far more concerned about growing up to be a halfway decent man. He's a big man, and I'm sure he can handle himself. You should be enjoying being young and not having to listen to the idiots who call themselves your superiors." The corners of her mouth quirked upward into what could have been called a genuine smile. She was both amused and concerned by the boy's seeming single-mindedness. Children were not supposed to act that way.
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Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:00 pm
Vianna eyed Aliscia's meatroll intently but Favian distracted her with bits of his own. She moved frequently until she was perched in his lip, her head snapping up ever so often to grab crumbs that fell from his food or to snatch pieces he offered her or held onto for too long. Soon she was dozing contently in his lap, snout pressed under her wings for warmth.
"I guess it won't," he said slowly, hesitating on her comment about heroism. Still, his determination was hardly swayed. He watched her expression, feeling a tad guilty. Had he mad her angry? She seemed that way. "It's not that I don't like the other dragons," he started. "I guess I just like that they're the biggest, and I like Ikadith." he smiled. "But I guess being biggest isn't always the best is it? I'm not that big and I'm clearly the greatest there is."
Favian quickly held up his hands and laughed in surrender. "Kidding, kidding. I know that's not really funny. I'm sorry."
Favian wanted to shift, but the firelizard on his lap wouldn't let him. "And what would you even consider a halfway decent man anyway? Isn't that all a matter of opinion? What one person thinks is good another takes as being bad. "I hope your decent doesn't mean me dressing up and having a clean nose because I don't know if that will happen. The Weyr is too much fun to leave unexplored. Too bad you're an adult. I doubt you would fit in any of the places I've found."
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:09 pm
Her meatroll was getting the hungry eye, Aliscia noted. The greenrider would have been protective of her food were it not for the fact that more was easily obtainable. Besides, the firelizard was young, but even baby creatures knew something dangerous when they saw it. If a move was made... oh, well, it just wasn't a concern. The firelizard seemed quite content to be fed from the boy's hand and scarf up the leftovers. Hungry little beast, wasn't she? It was what came from being young.
The boy's hesitation made her quirk an eyebrow, wondering if perhaps he wasn't completely lost to the allure of bronzeriding. His words were less than reassuring, though. "Biggest isn't always best, no. I'm fairly sure my Tanith can hold her own against Ikadith," Aliscia chuckled, snorting into her klah at his proclamation. Oh, boys. Growing up with enough brothers and male friends had made her aware of just how ridiculous young males could be, but honestly... this boy was something else. "Oh, you do have an ego, don't you?" Her smirk spoke volumes, and she quickly hid it again behind her mug of klah. "It's fine. I'm not the biggest human being born on Pern either, and you don't see me cowering at the end of the line, do you?"
Indeed, Aliscia was not a large human. In fact, she was fairly sure that there were twelve-Turn-olds big enough to dwarf her. The mug of klah was settled back on the table, one of her graceful, capable fingers tracing the rim of it in circles as her near-gold eyes stared piercingly at the child. He seemed set on taking the noble route, didn't he? Probably what the bronzerider taught him. Then again, the bronzerider had never been female, probably hadn't been bullied or looked at life from the bottom of the social ladder.
"Dressing up and wiping your nose hardly make you a decent man," she observed, snickering quietly at the mere thought. Entertaining, he was, indeed. "There's nothing wrong with exploring either. Being a decent man means doing the best that you can to never make anyone else's life miserable. Though... since you're young, I think you're meant to give everyone else gray hair by disappearing into corners and coming back with scrapes on your knees." She made a mental note to scour her weyr before bathing. He wasn't yet at the age for peeping, but she had an inkling there were other weyrbrats who were. "Now, what sort of places have you gotten into?"
Oh, she was so doing a thorough inspection of her weyr before bathtime.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 7:42 am
Favian thought a moment. "I've found passages into some of the older Weyrs, most of them unused and full of dust. Sometimes all I find are shortcuts into other parts of the Weyr. All I know is that I've never been to the same place twice. If I had been, it probably would make things boring." he smiled. "But I have gotten good at sneaking into F'ris' room. He gets angry at that but it's impossible to get rid of me. He doesn't know anything about my secret passages." He adored upsetting his sire, to a degree. He just hated to see the older man looking gloomy, which happened whenever Favian was around with his gold firelizard, which now was always.
"I do wonder if Tanith could outfly Ikadith. Ikadith has stamina on his side, but your green has speed on him. In the end they sort of balance out don't they? If you had a short race Tanith would win but I long one Ikadith would . . . unless someone cheated and popped between." Adults always liked to get ahead, so someone cheating seemed hardly outlandish to him. . . all the same didn't Dragonriders thrive on honesty and trust?
"Right now," he started. "I'm trying to see if there's any cracks that can sneak me into the hatching cavern, but I haven't found that yet. I would like to be able to watch from up close one day. I don't want to touch them or anything, but I want to feel how hot the sands are before I get a chance to stand on them. It would be great fun." Favian smiled innocently. Would he be scolded for thinking things like that?
Now his energy was picking up again, his desire for adventure building up.
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