Like a crow chasing a butterfly~ (Fey’s flight)

[Rei]

Erilena had awoken to a peculiar feeling that morning. One that sent a shiver racing though her frame. Feyrianth’s hide had been steadily growing in brightness over the sevenday and this morning, when the woman had awoken, the four winged female had remained slumbering. Something that never happened. The green always woke when the greenrider herself did. Always. A soft prod to the dragon’s consciousness found her dead asleep. Not even a twitch. Heart quickening it’s pace in her anxiousness, Erilena sent Nuisance to the infirmary alone to inform Kalierre that she would not be there this morning. The greenrider had never missed her shift unless she physically couldn’t make it after all. Thus there was no need to elaborate on a reason. Kali would know the reason without having to ask anyway. As much as Feyrianth hung around the infirmary her glow had already been noted more than likely.

Running fingers haphazardly through sleep tousled hair Erilena quickly pulled on a pair of loose cotton pants on, not bothering to change out of the night shift she had been sleeping in. Feyrianth was starting to twitch and so she had little time. The greenrider left her weyr at a steady walk which turned into an all out run when she felt the green’s mind start to stir against her own. Had to find him before the green completely awoke. Had to. He had promised to help her. Heart hammering in her chest Erilena frantically tried to remember just where he would be at this time of morning. Probably not yet at the handler apartments. So where else? Frantically she tried to remember. This would all be so much easier if R’ven hadn’t left. Then she could have just… The greenrider came to a sudden stop in the hallway. R’ven. Dmitri used to meet R’ven by the forge in the morning. Turning around Erilena sprinted down another hallway almost running into a passing rider, who she pivoted around with a quick sorry, before continuing her mad dash out of the weyr and into the faint sunlight.

By the time she got to the forge the greenrider’s breath was coming in gasps and she half stumbled as she caught sight of Dmitri perched on a low branch in a tree near the building. “Demi…” Trotting up to the tree Erilena leaned against the trunk, panting to catch her breath, legs trembling from her run and perhaps something else. “Fey’s….rising….” Looking up at him with wide eyes she continued. “I’m….sorry. I didn’t…have much time.” And still didn’t because Feyrianth was just coming into wakefulness. Erilena clenched her hands against the waves of emotion coming across the bond. “Please don’t let them…”

Inside the weyr lids receded from whirling violet eyes, Feyrianth arching in a stretch as she left her couch. With a soft trill she examined the empty weyr her mind searching for her bonded’s momentarily as her head tilted. Silly hers. Why did she not want them to want her? The green couldn’t completely understand it, but if it made hers less anxious to remove herself from such things the dragon wouldn’t complain. Feyrianth liked hers happy. Not upset. An upset hers was a hard thing to deal with. Emerging from the interior of her weyr and onto her ledge the green flared her four wings outwards and towards the morning sunlight.

The near metallic spots glimmering in the faint light as well as her own brilliant glow should do well enough to attract any willing to chase. But in case they needed any further invitation the female tossed her head towards the clouds and leapt into the air with a soft and inviting call. With hers safe with Dancer and minimally upset Feyrianth was free to focus on her suitors. This time she was determined to enjoy her flight. Leveling out above the canyon the green angled herself into a shaft of sunlight and seemingly without effort hovered in place. Craning her neck a soft croon of welcome was voiced to any males who had begun to approach her.

They where all more than welcome.

[Requiem]

If a butterfly beats her wings, would it engulf the other side of the world in a storm? Do you ever speak plainly? Yes. Often. It's not nearly as fun, though. Ur'h gave his brown a rather long, exasperated look. You're going to burn a hole in it.In what? Your shirt. The man cursed quietly and set the iron back on the stove. Smoke was already rising from the material.

While the older rider attempted to salvage the shirt, Ykkith went back to pondering the butterfly question. Maybe not halfway across the world but he was pretty certain she'd cause a storm here. Just curious enough for the wasteland dragons to want to attempt to catch. It wasn't often you saw four-winged dragons, after all. He was rather old, though. Probably should leave the butterfly chasing to the younger ones. Then again...

With one last glance toward the distracted Ur'h, the brown crooned in response to the green's light call and dropped from his ledge to circle over the river lazily. This, apparently, got the rider's attention. What are you doing? I thought Peppeth- I will chase her when she Rises. Aren't you a bit old to keep up with such young greens? Probably, the male responded cheerfully.

***

Long night. He appreciated the hours he spent in the mornings unwinding, if you could call logging reports and updating maps unwinding. Dmitri didn't figure anyone would bother looking at the reports but him. They were kept in his chest, though Eikane and Piden at least knew that he kept them if they ever needed that information. He swung his leg idly from his tree branch perch. Missed the morning conversations with R'ven but what could you really do?

His eyes flicked to the swiftly approaching figure and he drew himself up into a sitting position, hand curling around a branch above him. "Lena?" A note of worry had entered into his voice. What was she doing running to find him? The answer was swift in coming, though, and he set to packing away the sheafs of parchment. "Okay. Calm down. I'll just be a moment." The handler shouldered his pack and slid out of the tree. An arm immediately went about her shoulders.

"We're going back to your weyr, okay?" He'd promised to lock her in away from her suitors since sleeping with strangers when Fey rose bothered her so much. It was something of an awkward situation. Still, since he couldn't get her to see that she was being completely ridiculous and stressing Feyrianth out in the process, the next best thing was minimizing her fear. He guided her back toward her weyr. (Not really interested in taking her to his apartment and causing a ruckus with the wasteland guards...not to mention putting sleeping wherhandlers in rather unwanted situations.) Really, the holdborn could be so troublesome at times.

He pushed her drawers in front of the door after they were safely back in her weyr.

[Rowana]

T'ke was ready this time, or at least as ready as he could ever be. Once he'd noticed Feyrianth's glow, he could feel Garaeth tense with excitement. As much as Flights made him uncomfortable, he knew he couldn't expect Garaeth not to chase this one. The best he could do, was hope he didn't make a complete idiot of himself this time. Garaeth chuckled even as he watched the beautiful green start to shine. His T'ke was such a silly human.

No need to be so nervous, the blue chided brightly. Today may not be my day, after all. Garaeth adored Feyrianth more than most greens he chased, but he wasn't silly enough to think she would always chose him. This was only her second Rising and plenty of the other males were handsome suitors. That wouldn't stop him from trying his absolute best, though. Feyrianth deserved nothing less. T'ke scowled at him, but he was too fearful to give it much malice. "You," he pointed an accusing finger. "Have a funny way of surprising me."

Surprises are good for you, T'ke-mine, Garaeth declared. His muscles tensed as the four-winged beauty started to emerge. T'ke felt the rush of emotion that had barely been contained until now. Shard it all! He knew how Erilena felt about this and that just made him feel guilty on top of being nervous. Garaeth gave a sing-song call and spread his wings. Dressed in loose shirt and pants, T'ke gave up trying to resist his dragon's urges and bolted for the door. He started for the Flight rooms at first, but his mind was soon confused. Where was she? Was it true she didn't wish them to adore her?

In the sky, Garaeth took flight. His wings took him higher with ease, but he could not hover as she could. Crooning happily, he circled a short distance above the canyon. Feyrianth was like a green jewel in the morning sun. Surely not even a queen could be so beautiful. One of the new browns seemed to agree and Garaeth felt his emotions sore with the wind. Everyone needed to dance with the lovely Feyrianth, since today was her day to be happy. Winning or loosing hardly matter, so long as she was pleased.

[Ruby]

"Whyyyyy?" Serissa whined, turning over and smashing a pillow over her head. "Illllldyyyythhhh, it's soooo early!" the healer added, uncovering one eye just enough to squint towards the ledge. Plenty of sunlight was making it past the near-white Blue who was wiggling and bouncing on the ledge, but Serissa hadn't made it to bed until 2am. As far as she was concerned, any hour followed by "in the morning" was too early to be awake on a day when she didn't have drills.

Buuuuttt SeriMine, it has been so long since I Chased! And Feyrianth is beautiful - she is the one that stole that poor blue hatchlings wings. I don't believe she likes me very much,[/i] he added, his voice taking on a wistful tone. With a sigh, Serissa sat up, squinting and rubbing her eyes. "Well, that makes more sense. You always did fall for the ones that hated you, or at least appeared to. By all accounts she's a lovely creature, so you may be disappointed." With that, she flopped back to the bed, pulling the covers over her head. "Night." Ildyth dropped his head to his paws with a sigh, turning a blue-violet eye on his Rider. Please? he asked, getting no response. He certainly wouldn't be leaving the ledge until she told him he could. Ildyth, though, knew his rider well. Please? he tried again, getting a little shove of annoyance from Serissa this time. Please? Please? Please? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?

"ALRIGHT!" Serissa cut in, actually getting up this time. "Go, you idiot. Hurry up and catch her fast, or force someone else to it. I want to get back to bed." A delighted Ildyth sprang to his feet, darting off his ledge without a backward glance. Feyrianth was offered a trilling croon in reply to her initial call, and the Blue fell into a tight spiral, carefully weaving himself in and out of the circling Brown and the other Blue in an aerial dance they participated in whether they wanted to or not. Finishing with a celebratory loop, the blue settled into a bouncy little bank, staying as close to Feyrianth as he could without trying to crowd her. Once she started off again, he would launch into his usual tricks and daredevil moves with the intent to impress early - he couldn't last a long flight, and if it went on more than a few minutes, the Blue would be forced to drop out, or at least fly far more conservatively. He had to start strong.

Serissa hadn't bothered changing, either - she had little to no modesty on the best of days, even less when Ildyth's particularly infective brand of flightlust invaded her mind. With a little giggle, she snatched a sheet off the bed, barely concealing the black breastband and underwear that was her usual nighttime attire. Starting out for the flightrooms at a bouncy little trot, she stopped a few steps down he hall, brows furrowed. "...Where?" she asked the Weyr at large, her tone supremely innocent. Where, indeed? Allowing even more of Ildyth's awareness to flood her mind, she turned back the way she'd come, frolicking off toward the bridges. Apparently the lovely Feyrianth was staying in the comfort of her own Weyr. Well, that was fine with Serissa/Ildyth!

[Rei]

Ah and here they came. The first to approach was a lovely brown who Feyrianth couldn’t say she had ever spoken to before. Unknown Ykkith was but not unwelcome and the green crooned softly to him as her whirling eyes caught the wings of another approaching chaser. Garaeth. Friend to her he was and former partner. Feyrianth was determined not to let that give the friendly blue an unfair advantage though. That just wouldn’t be right. The last to approach was also blue, a much lighter color than Garaeth was. Ildyth. She remembered him yes but had only spoken to him a few times here and there. Giving a similar welcoming greeting to both blues the four winged female waited only a moment in case there where more. But no. These three seemed to be her only suitors this morning and lovely they all where. Three was a good number.

Watching as they circled, and offered their return greetings, Feyrianth gave a sudden down stroke of all four wings the lift generated shooting her upwards at a completely vertical angle. Whirling violet eyes kept Ildyth in sight. Green though she was the speedier blues could outpace her. Browns not so much and although she trusted Garaeth to give her space this other blue she wasn’t sure of. Inocenth’s personal space invasions in her previous flight left her with a twinge of unease at letting a male into her space unless she invited it.

Keeping careful tabs on all her males Feyrianth headed upwards and towards the sun kissed clouds above. Putting an immense amount of effort into her climb the green didn’t give a backwards glance until she had leveled out far above the canyon. Only then did she spare a glance behind and above to gauge their positions. Now where were they all?

Swaying back and forth along a cross wind the four winged dragon allowed it to push her forward, giving her four wings a brief respite from her fast climb. Open air. Now Feyrianth had more room to maneuver. No she couldn’t perform all those fancy tricks like or as well as her other green sisters but she could perform some of them to some degree. It was not yet the time for tricks though. The green wanted to see where her pursuers where first. In high spirits Feyrianth was and it showed in the effort she put into every wing beat, the blue lines whirling though the violet in her gaze, and the soft song she sang back to her suitors. Dance. She wanted them to dance with her. Not just for her.

Erilena was extremely grateful for how calm Dmitri was. It settled her own nerves a little. So unshakable he was and that above all else was what the greenrider needed right now. Especially when she felt like she was being torn in two separate directions. One part of her here with the harper and the other part lingering back somewhere on the stone ledge overlooking the canyon. The arm slipped about her shoulders caused the greenrider to flinch, gaze going back at Dmitri. Feeling like she was wading back to herself Erilena held onto the physical contact like an anchor as she strove to answer. Back to her weyr? The greenrider gave a nod, not trusting herself to speak. Suddenly she was extremely aware of the handler’s proximity to her and it had her mind wandering. It was…awkward almost but the woman strove to ignore it.

The trip back to her quarters was spent battling to keep herself grounded as Feyrianth took to wing. Last time the green had claimed her mind completely and the woman had been far too upset and beside herself to fight it. In fact Erilena had retreated to the dragon completely surrendering herself to the green out of a desire for protection. This time Dmitri was here and she didn’t know what would happen if she lost all control. So the rider fought back against Feyrianth’s emotions and mental presence, erecting a weak mental wall of sorts in a rare attempt to keep the dragon’s consciousness at bay. The temporary barrier was working for the moment, even if it was only a matter of time before it could collapse. All the green had to really do was push but thankfully the dragon was too involved with her suitors for the moment to worry about where her bonded was.

Stepping into her own weyr Erilena locked the door as Dmitri moved away from her. The greenrider watched the harper as he moved her furniture to block the entrance further and for a moment she almost asked if it was necessary. But given the stories she had heard about mandyr runs it was probably better to be safe than sorry. So silent she stayed. Swallowing to clear her throat Erilena wrapped her arms around herself although she was far, far from cold, and gave Dmitri a faint smile. Approaching him she reached out to touch his arm, craving some type of physical contact.

Whether to help ground herself or not was up for debate because that one touch had her wanting to explore more and the greenrider had to fight to keep her hand in check. “You should probably distract me or something. I’m not sure how long I can hold her off. I’ve never done it before.” The words where soft, almost whispered. Feyrianth’s lust on top of the frustration building from Erilena’s own ten months of celibacy wasn’t an easy thing to ignore. Not when she had a very handsome and strong blue right here with her. Okay yeah that was so not her own thought, Dmitri probably should just tie her up like they had joked about.

[Requiem]

The brown found it a touch queer that so few seemed willing to try for the dragon with her many wings. Then again, some of the northern dragons around here were pretty prejudiced when it came to obvious mutations. By simple math four wings was twice as good as two. (Of course, math and reality rarely matched up as well as one would think.) Ykkith spun into a barrel roll, coiling partly around Ildyth in a wider loop with some amusement. Were they dancing already? I do believe it is the lady you wish to dance with, young one.

Climbing straight up as Feyrianth was suddenly doing was not so easy a task. He angled himself instead, putting his power behind his wingstrokes to shoot him up after her. Not so fast as these blues, of course, but Ykkith was in no hurry. This was a matter of curiosity, after all. Browns did not often catch. Too slow for greens, not enough stamina for golds. It didn't keep him from enjoying himself in the occasional chase.

The brown kept on going higher, even after Feyrianth entered a crosswind. He circled upward much like a hawk. When he finally did dive it was shallow, with the occasional wingbeat to push him forward. There was nothing hurried about his banking loop through a large fluff of cloud. To each of the blues he dipped a wing before diving further and easing into another crosswind below and to the left of Feyrianth.

Ur'h, of course, was in no more hurry than his dragon. He had finished inspecting his shirt and was pulling his arms through the sleeves. He wasn't familiar with this green or her rider. After stepping out into the hallway, he glanced both directions, not entirely sure where he should be headed. That was when he saw Ildyth's. Follow the wandering bluerider seemed to be a safe bet. The man slipped his hands into his pockets and fell in beside her.

***

The wherhandler glanced down at her when she touched his arm, covering a wide yawn with his elbow. He'd been up since 4pm the day before and as such was definitely beginning to get a little tired. (Not to mention a night of running after Dmisk left him sweaty and probably ripe enough to turn anyone but the Flight-crazed off.)

"Distract you." With what? He wasn't much for games unless they were verbal, and the thing about that was words were pretty easy to ignore if you had no real interest in paying attention to them. The bluehandler thought about the problem for a moment. Some people would say that having a girl half-crazy with lust locked into a room alone with you was anything but a problem, but he had no intentions of taking advantage of the situation. Erilena was his friend and the ex of his best friend. Better not to cross that line if at all possible.

"I don't suppose you have anything in the way of games lying about?" Not really waiting for the answer, Dmitri dug in his pocket for one of the leaves he'd made with the girl a few days ago. "Why don't you play? We can do a round. I'll start and you copy?" Dmitri pulled out a second leaf and whistled a short little five-note tune. That should take enough concentration that she could keep control of herself. (And hopefully stop looking at him like he was food.)

[Ruby]

He had her attention! How had he gotten her attention? Ildyth didn't care, taking advantage of Feyrianth's extra watchfulness, caused of course by his proximity to her. With a petulantly miffed Not so young, compared to him, shot in Ykkith's direction, he used the younger Blue's - Garaeth's - slipstream to execute a diagonal backwards loop, followed by a forward tumble that dropped him low as Feyrianth powered upwards. Her passage was sure to disturb the air, and of course it did, creating a tumultuous column below her. Ildyth might not be the smartest dragon, or the most talented, but he knew air currents like he was air iteslf. Tucking the tip of one wing into the column, he angled his wings just so, using the roiling confusion as something like a pivot. With slight beats of his outside wing, he spiraled upwards, the pull of Feyrianth's passage keeping him in a tighter corkscrew than most dragons could manage.

The difficulty of this trick was the exit, though. Without knowing when the Green would stop or level out, (and with those extra wings, it seemed that she could do it at a moment's notice), he had to keep some distance. It was a good thing, too - her re-direction still caught him by surprise. He had enough extra space to avoid a collision, though, tilting the wing caught in the air column down and the outside wing up, so he slingshotted around, crossing slightly more than a length in front of Feyrianth, careful not to crowd. There, he flipped, looking back. Is Ykkith right, lovely Feyrianth? May I dance with you?[/i] He wouldn't force a catch, even if she let him close; but on the other hand, he wasn't going to waste an opportunity like that, either. Ykkith was high above now, circling as Browns were wont to do with speedier greens, and Garaeth elsewhere, preparing for or beginning his own gambit. Only Ildyth, he of the pathetic stamina, had to play his whole hand within the next... oh, maybe five minutes. Wing-joints were already straining a touch, protesting as he executed another spin and loop-de-loop. I am a good dancer, after all.[/i]

Far below, Serissa was adding little skips and twirls to her progress, humming some half forgotten, discordant accompaniment to her lonely dance. Not alone for long, though; Ur'h caught up with her just as she turned down Erilena's hall. His weyr was only a few doors down from hers, after all. With a delighted smile, the Bluerider gave up on her sheet and spun in front of her companion, murmuring a gentle "Ykkith! Lovely," before leaning in and up a little, planting a soft, teasing kiss on Ur'h's lips. As soon as she did, though, she twisted away, looking for T'ke to repeat the greeting. If he were near enough, she would, otherwise she'd pout slightly and get over it. This wasn't about them, after all. It was about Feyrianth. And here she was! With a cocky smile for the other chaser(s), she strode forward - bold as any man, and with a manly gait to boot - laying her hand on to knob and a finger to her lips. Shhhh, mustn't wake the pretty, she must be sleeping if she hadn't gone to the flightrooms. But... that was a man's voice. She'd thought Feyrianth was a girl... Trying the doorknob, Serissa's smile transformed into a stormy frown like a cloud covering the sun. "Feyrianth? Fey - we're here! Why can't we get in?"

[Avu]

Dawn light, star bright; what wonderful chaos we wreak, Rhiiseth crooned, his head tipping sideways curiously, a gentle green swirl flashing through his eyes. The blue stretched across his weyrledge, eyes blinking slowly. Today will come not an eclipse but a joining; so lovely the dawn, so vibrant the night… His teeth flashed, a brief glitter of white against the dark of his hide, tail curling to and fro across the ‘ledge, watching the others sweep into the air in pursuit of the lovely, lovely dawn dancer. A low amused sound in his throat at the sight of Garaeth—he had said Feyrianth was lovely; his presence was no surprise. And Ykkith…the other blue he didn’t know, but that was okay.

He was sure they would be the best of friends.

Rhiiseth brushed brief warning across Ka’aen’s mind, and then launched himself off of his ‘ledge, streaming upwards in pursuit of the green in her upwards path. The dark blue twirled around Garaeth, arching his wings to spiral around the other blue, one claw darting out to brush light greeting down the younger’s spine. Fancy seeing him there. Pulling away with a dip of his head, mouth slightly open in exhilarated amusement, Rhiiseth snaked upwards further to duck directly beneath Ildyth, tilting his muzzle towards the other blue. A very conspicuous first meeting, he murmured, Forget me not, and my memory shall neither tarnish nor break of thou.

Only then did he bespeak Feyrianth, her mind quite familiar by now. Not that he held particularly long conversations with the green regularly, but he did find it fitting to bid her good morning and good night—the painted of the dawn and the one who wove stars into the sky. A croon spilled out of his mouth, spontaneous, Dawn dancer, the night shall always follow your daylight.

You have pretty horrible timing, Ka’aen sighed. The bluerider sat upright, blinking owlishly from the weyrledge to the door. Then he sighed again, rolling his eyes with a hint of Rhiiseth’s flair for dramatics, and crawled out of his very warm, very comfortable bed. Yes, he was late—so what. He’d gotten up early to fly sweep and then had dove straight back into his bed again. Unfortunately, getting back to sleep had proven impossible; Ka’aen had mainly just been lying there, in a blissfully semi-conscious oblivious-to-the-world state. It had been nice while it lasted, he supposed.

He padded out into the hall, vaguely aware of Rhiiseth’s wash of want her flickering across his mind, the wordless beautiful and sun dancer. Passing a hand across his eyes in quiet amusement, Ka’aen turned down the hallway, tilting his head sideways in curious confusion at the sight before him. They couldn’t…get in? How odd. Ka’aen’s step faltered briefly before he stopped next to Ur’h. Familiar. T’ke, too, he noted with a flicker of an amused grin.

Pressing his forearm against his mouth to cover a yawn, the last lingering desire for sleep fading, Ka’aen leaned forward wordlessly to try the knob, and then rocked back on his feet, vaguely disappointed. Hum. This just made life so much more difficult, didn’t it. Now they’d all have to go find Flightmoths and…bother. “Well, that just makes my day,” he observed mildly, still more curious about why than annoyed at being blocked—being truly angry just took energy. Too much of it, really.

[Rowana]

Violeth eyes twinkled as Garaeth watch the other males dance around. Ildyth was almost as graceful as a green himself, and Ykkith was no slouch for a brown. Rhiiseth had come as well! Garaeth was pleased to see him come to join the Chase and he was sure Feyrianth would find his words flattering. He hardly reacted as the other males twirled around him, even when Rhiiseth came close enough to touch his back. Unlike Feyrianth's last Flight, it seemed they were all going to have fun and that was terrific!

Sadly, they all seemed much more impressive than anything he could manage. Ildyth was faster, Ykkith was stronger, and Rhiiseth was far more eloquent than Garaeth could hope to be. Ah well, he gave a happy purr and put that from his mind. It was true he might not be the best, but so long as Feyrianth was happy, he was happy. Arching his back, Garaeth angled himself to rise higher after the beautiful green. He circled Ildyth's path, accenting the other blue's sharp accent with his more patient one. Dancing was such fun! Surely Feyrianth would love to dance with them?

As they neared her, Garaeth rolled over on his back and ducked backwards underneath her. Rolling back upright, he twirled on his tail until he he faced her again. Giving a melodious trill, he fell into pace behind Feyrianth. Would they dance more? They were all so good at this game, surly she must be pleased. He admired her skill at staying in the air so easily, like a cloud adrift on the wind. He could not wait to dance with her more!

T'ke managed not to look completely foolish as he trotted through the halls to Erilena's room. Maybe he was just getting more used to Flights, but he managed to hold onto a little more of himself this time. Enough to be almost relieved when he saw that the room was blocked. Garaeth's urges were still strong, however, and he inched closer to the group of people gathered in front of the door. Really it must look weird. Two grown men, a grown woman, and him, all trying to break into a young woman's room at the same time. If this weren't a Weyr, they would certainly have a lot of questions to answer. With a longing sigh, T'ke leaned against a wall. He was content to dream of Erilena from here and let them fuss with the door.

[Rei]

Feyrianth watched her suitors perform for her, a pleased trill sounding in her throat. Ildyth was especially impressive with the way he used the currents. Much better at it, certainly, than she herself. Ykkith was given praise as well for despite the obvious disadvantages that a brown had in a green flight he was doing quite well. Experienced he was and that held it’s own type of allure. What could he teach her? Before her eyes could catch slight of her last chaser Gareth however another caught her eyes, shooting towards her from the canyon. Rhiiseth come to add his own beauty to her flight. A welcoming croon was given the dark male her eyes whirling faster in a mixture of deep purple and blue. For the moment the blue dominating. Indeed Star dancer. Night must always follow the light of day. She agreed in soft caressing tone. Her own lovely darkness to cloak her path hmm? Turning from him as Garaeth executed his flip she chirped to the blue as he fell in behind her.

Ecstatic Feyrianth was with her dancers. Beyond pleased. This is how she had wanted her flight to go last time. With hers safely with her own Dancer the green could enjoy herself. Hers should to yes? With a caressing purr she spoke to all of them. Yes. You may all dance with me. Shall we show them all what they are missing? With a happy bugle she brushed their minds in invitation and then suddenly executed half a flip.

Snapping all four wings shut the green plummeted completely backwards, watching her chasers above to see what they would do. After falling a good distance she righted herself into an actual proper dive, nose pointed towards the ground. In this fashion Feyrianth fell putting a bit of spin into her dive as she drew level with the lip of the canyon below. Flinging all four wings open, and halting her downwards descent completely, she checked the locations of her chasers. Pleased the green began to climb back upwards in a zigzag pattern, trilling encouragement to the males dancing around her.

Eyes whirling predominantly violet now she winged past Ykkith, singling out the brown because she wanted him to know that although he couldn’t perform like her blues he was nonetheless appreciated. Purposely brushing her tail across his back Feyrianth passed him with a soft trill, and then made a final vertical climb. Beginning to tire she was and wanted to be nice and high when she finally made her decision. But making a decision was going to be difficult. She wanted them all. Performing a slow roll she leveled out and crooned to her dancers.

~~~

Erilena slowly blinked at Dmitri as he spoke. “Games? I uh…” But the greenrider was saved from having to answer when the handler continued. Play? Was it wrong that her mind so didn’t attribute music to play at the moment? Nevertheless she nodded to him her hand trembling a little as she accepted the leaf. Play. Music. Okay. That she could do. Smiling softly at him she waited for his lead and then brought the leaf to her lips. Erilena got about halfway through the second note when voices outside the door made her start and she dropped the leaf. New addition. Rhiiseth. With the new dragon to play with Feyrianth wasn’t in the mood to be exactly just predominantly playful anymore and the subtle shift in mood knocked loose the barrier a bit. Erilena's reaction was immediate.

Dropping the leaf the greenrider stepped forward hands going to either side of Dmitri’s hips as she pulled herself suddenly flush against him. A soft half croon left her lips. “I have a better idea Dancer. Dance with me.” Tugging gently on his waistband the woman tried to maneuver him back into the center of the room. Away from the door. Whether he decided to move or not, after her light tug, Erilena’s hands caressed up his sides arms finding their way around his neck. A soft plea left her lips then as she leaned her weight more firmly into him, craving the contact. "Dance with me." One leg slid slowly against his then a soft almost purr in her throat. “Please?”

[Requiem]

He is most certainly the youngest, the brown agreed, not even bothering to hide his amusement at the petulant response of the young blue. The brown twirled neatly on a wingtip, slipping just by Garaeth. He gave the blue enough room not to feel any negative effects off the air stirred by Ykkith's wings. Jostling the smaller dragons would have been ever so rude. (And also showed a distinct lack of confidence, sabotaging the more versatile dragons.)

Ah! Another of his own breed. The male dipped his wing to this one, too. The speaker of riddles he was. Ykkith had yet to decide if he thought his obtuse murmurings to be some sort of profundity or he just enjoyed confusing everyone when they tried to discern his meaning. Either way, though, he was a smart beast and enjoyable to be around.

Executing a graceful - if not terribly tight - loop, Ykkith responded, Then let us dance. At the bottom of his loop he twisted into a spin, dropping in the wake of the pretty four-winged green. Her stop was sudden enough that he shot past her. Still, he didn't try to stop his fall right away. His wings flicked in and out to control the air currents and he spun out of the dive, winging upwards at the same time. The male then flew straight up through the middle of Feyrianth's zigzag pattern without bothering to try to add any fanciness that he wouldn't be able to pull off. Only once he was above did he arch backwards into another dive, a croon in his throat for the green he stroked her tail down his back as they passed one another.

Ur'h glanced sidelong at Serissa with a definite questioning note behind his gaze. What was she going on abou- His eyes widened. He pushed the nakedish woman back, shaking his head slightly. "Ildyth...I think you're a bit confused." Not that she was listening. Already turning away and headed for the door. Ur'h cocked his head to one side as it didn't move. Neither was any answer forthcoming, though the sound of whistles and a male voice in there with their green was...intriguing.

His eyes were on T'ke when he noticed Ka'aen at his side. A small quirk touched the side of his lips. "Ildyth's seems accomodating enough."

***

It seemed to be working. Perhaps it was his fault that it didn't continue to work, however. Dmitri couldn't keep himself from looking toward the door when the shouting started. A woman's voice. That wasn't too terrible, but the 'we' wasn't exactly ideal. (Even if it was expected.) The wherhandler hadn't really thought about these chasers getting inside and maybe being just a bit annoyed at him for blocking them off from their green. He'd just have to make sure they stayed on the other side of that door.

The distraction naturally left him unprepared for what happened next. He stumbled forward out of surprise more than any real strength from Erilena, blinking down at her. Erilena was suddenly much closer than she had a right to be. His jaw tightened slightly. It wasn't as if he hadn't known something like this was likely to happen. The handler stood firm as she attempted to draw him along with her.

Then she was literally draping herself on him. The leg was distracting, most definitely. He managed a smile for her though. "How am I supposed to dance with you when you're practically on top of me?" He slid a hand up her arm to steal her hand, setting the other at her waist and pushing her back gently. "There. Do you remember the steps? Left, two, three, right, two three..."

He kept the distance between them, small though it was. Mostly for his own sanity. Erilena was just a friend, yes, but she was attractive and he was a man like any other. Less temptation was definitely better.

[Ruby]

Ildyth instinctively pulled up slightly when Rhiiseth appeared below him, hanging in the air an extra second so his downstroke matched the darker dragon's. The two described an arc in perfect synchronization, moving as one for a split second before Ildyth peeled away, trying to figure out what it was Rhiiseth was trying to say. Pretty soon he gave up, trying, So conspicuous. Whatever Rhiiseth meant, that would be good, right?

Whatever. Beyond a wing-flip for Ykkith, who His seemed to have greeted specially, Ildyth put the others out of his mind, straining his wings a little to shoot up next to Feyrianth when she invited them to dance, sketching an arch over her back, not near enough to touch but nearer than he had come yet. Had to keep her mind on him. Wings straining, tiring - it would have to be soon or not at all. Sigh. Feyrianth's words were simple enough, though, and the pale blue had an answer for that - flipping onto his back, so he could look down at the weyr below, he trilled a bubbly, harmless, Idiots! Who would miss this?[/i]

By now she had fallen, dropping backwards in a way that even Ildyth could never manage. Ykkith was plummeting straight, with a wide Brown's spin; Garaeth and Rhiiseth were either slower on the uptake or out of his immediate sight line. Still, it didn't change Ildyth's decision. This was it, he would throw in all he had, leaving just enough energy for one final climb. Then he would have to force a catch, or drop out. He still wasn't sure which one he would try, but he knew what he would be doing now.

Turning his nose to the sky and stretching his wings as wide as he could, Ildyth pinwheeled down, tail first. Momentarily, though, he tucked the left wing, flipping over to that side and continuing at an angle, twisting and dancing around Feyrianth's direct line downwards, not worried about keeping up as much as he was worried about being beautiful. Perfect. Morning sun on his near-white hide glinted sharply, sure to leave a lacy afterimage on the eyelids of anyone watching. It was his final attack, his swan song, and he made it count. Finishing with final pinwheeling fall as he, too, overshot Feyrianth, the blue tried to lighten his panting as he stuck near the Green's tail again, marking her movements now. That was all, he couldn't manage any more. Leaving her side only to make use of nearby thermals, Ildyth conserved the last of his strength as best he could, striving ever upwards. No point to all of it if he couldn't reach high enough, so even an answering croon was foregone. Another wingbeat. Another. He would make it... hopefully.

Not listening, no. All of Serissa's attention was bent on the door, and the pair she could hear through it. Two of them in there, certainly. Hearing Ykkith's voice start up again, though, reminded Serissa that she'd missed something he said. Giving him grudging attention, she gave up sorting through the slog of Ildyth's thought process and just let her mouth answer by instinct. Scrunching up her nose in vague disgust (but unable to get Ildyth's excitement out of her eyes), the Bluerider answered, "Oh no, I was just saying hello. It's her I want. For both of us. I just though we should all get along..." With an accidentally seductive shift of her eyes towards Ka'aen, she twisted back towards the door, unabashedly showing the raking scar disfiguring her back as she tried the knob once again only to feel the door hit something solid. "Rude," she commented, aware that her voice was louder than perhaps it should have been if she didn't want to annoy Feyrianth's.

It was rude, though, and Ildyth's odd sense of pride and competition had her more miffed than normal. "If she didn't want us, if she has her own, at least she could have warned us before now. I could have stayed in bed, or found someone else..." But now she was stuck with them, and all of them were like her. Male humans might sleep with male humans, but male dragons did not mate with male dragons. It made sense in her dragon-addled mind. She may have kissed Ykkith, but it was platonic, a greeting (and maybe a test to see if he would squirm). With Ildyth in her mind, it would be... unpleasant to mate with her competition, and she certainly wasn't interested without Ildyth's influence. But she had to mate with someone. Sharding dragons.

[Avu]

His lips pulled back in a slash of a smile, a glittering flash of teeth, at Ildyth’s response to him; noncommittal, he supposed, at best; unfriendly at worst. Rhiiseth did not linger upon it; Feyrianth’s words had another croon sliding out of his throat like a caress, his wings lifting and head dipping simultaneously in a very human bow. For today—the night would yield to the day’s desires, let her control the skies as long as she wished to. At the end…well, they would see. Rhiiseth slid through the air, coiling tightly around Garaeth’s tail in a spiral, before he pulled away to incline his head at Ykkith, a courteous Brother his greeting, matched with a quick loop beneath the brown and a playful nip at the empty air beyond his tail.

Rhiiseth’s head tipped to one side as he spun into a quick spiraling dive in pursuit of the green, dropping headfirst with wings pinned close to his sides. Those without eyes for the dawn have no right to her master, he purred, a firm conviction in his tone—why would any of those who remained somnolent on their ‘ledges feel any claim at all, after all? They could not Catch her when they were so far below, could they? The blue’s wings snapped out, carrying him into a clean arc that turned into a spiral around Feyrianth as she turned to return to the skies, Rhiiseth daring to curl closely around the green, never touching, before he twisted away from the green to spin mid-air, wings wrapping around himself playfully.

The blue’s teeth flashed again towards the other males as he pulled himself upwards, pausing only to curl in a quick circle above Garaeth. Such a young blue, compared to the rest of them—perhaps more suited, in that way, towards a green as young as Feyrianth. But probably inexperienced with it. Rhiiseth still liked him, though—or at least tolerated him. He had been blatantly fond of Feyrianth before, anyway. Fortune’s tidings, young one; should the dawn grace you with her presence, it shall be fitting—the painter of dawn and her… He did not finish, though whether or not Garaeth would notice the slight uplift of a smirk at the end of the tone was debatable, so smoothly did Rhiiseth cut himself off—the last word went unsaid but thought. The painter of the dawn and her pet.

Ka’aen glanced down the hallway at T’ke’s approach, a flicker of recognition passing through his eyes before he glanced back at Serissa. “At least someone is,” he commented wryly in response to Ur’h, as the female bluerider turned her attention back to the door, which was no closer to yielding than it had been when he had shown up. Disappointing. What was wrong that Erilena was hiding from them? Scared of Flights or what—his gaze flashed to T’ke quizzically; he’d known Erilena before, hadn’t he. Hopefully he wasn’t totally gone yet; that would make him absolutely useless, since Feyrianth and Garaeth clearly had no problems with the Flight.

“Is she scared or something?” he asked, gesturing towards the door past Serissa. “This seems a little drastic.” Sure, he’d seen some people fret and worry and whatever, but they always gave in after a while. It was easy, letting go. You had to trust your dragon, right?

[Rowana]

Crooning with delight, Garaeth gave a few flaps to let himself rise a bit higher. This was such a wonderful dance! Feyrianth looked so happy and pleased with them. Garaeth felt himself swell with joy at her words. All five of them dancing together was sure to be fun and beautiful. It was almost a pity to think that anyone was missing the green star at the center that was Feyrianth. As Rhiiseth circled his tail, Garaeth tipped into a dive after them. He certainly didn't want to disappoint her now!

As the others took more direct courses, Garaeth wound his way around Ykkith. Skillfully he ducked in and out of the larger dragons movements so they could show off together. The older brown was so polite as he flew, that Garaeth was happy to share a dance with him. When Feyrianth turned back towards the sky, Garaeth veered off on his own. Now he spiraled back upwards, banking first one wing and then the other in tribute to her beauty. Rhiiseth's words earned a playful chuckle, but he really didn't mind. Even in Flight, little could bother Garaeth so long as everyone enjoyed themselves, especially Feyrianth. All this was in her honor.

T'ke listened to the other people with half his mind. The other half was lost in the sky above. Garaeth's joy was almost as infectious as his desires. It was tricky to grasp enough of his own mind to respond, but having Erilena behind a door helped. "She's afraid," he sighed wistfully. Any concern he usually had when talking in front of people or for Erilena's privacy was overruled by Garaeth's confidence that everything always turned out for the best. T'ke looked up at the ceiling, a dreamy look on his eyes. Maintaining a hold on reality was the best he could do for the moment. "Doesn't like strangers."

[Rei]

Feyrianth dipped her head to watch her suitors cavort around. Even her single brown chaser offered her a bit of flare, returning the brush to tail she saw fit to give him. A warble of happiness was offered Ykkith before her attention again returned to her blues. Browns she had always blatantly favored (See Behruth, Trilaranth, Pettahth), and that the older dragon was one gave him automatic points in his favor. However her blues had outdone themselves as well. Wings where aching by this point but Feyrianth had plenty left for more tricks. Problem was she was becoming too overwhelmed by the desire to mate. The green pushed herself to physical limits, delaying her flights so as not to upset her bonded and the built up frustration was immense. A choice then. But who? That decision was a difficult one. All her blues had preformed beyond admirably. Ildyth being particularly impressive in the way he commanded the air and currents. The only downside to that suitor was his flagging strength and the green wasn’t completely sure he would be able to match the height she wanted.

Pushing herself higher the four winged female leveled out. Ykkith was a wonderful chaser and the only brown. Steady. Dependable. He had preformed admirably but in the end she was perhaps unsure of him. Then there where Garaeth and Rhiiseth. The former her first partner and friend the latter newfound friend, sender of greetings, and dancer of midnight skies. With a sudden surge forward she made her decision. So hard with so many to choose from but this time she would give the darkness a chance to bathe in her light.

Brushing the minds of all her chasers gently she spoke. If only I could pick all my dancers but alas that is not the case. Thank you all. With that she pushed gentle dismissal on all but one. Brushing then solely against Rhiiseth’s mind she crooned sweetly to him. This morning I will be yours chaser of my dawn, painter of the midnight sky. Dropping to his level she collided with him using, perhaps, a little more force than was necessary in her haste to end the heat coursing through her veins. Head rubbing affectionately along the length of his neck, she started to twine with him. Her choice this time.

~~~

Erilena didn’t resist but slightly when Dmitri eased her slightly back and away. To his question she merely nodded, eyes fixing solely on his face. The distance he was keeping between them was becoming frustrating. The heat in her body begged for some type of release and being closer was better. It became less of a want and more of a physical need as the seconds ticked away. Still the greenrider kept up the dance, fighting every minute or so to close the small amount of space between the harper’s body and her own. In this way they performed a type of swaying waltz the woman still trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to close the small distance between them as Feyrianth began to cycle through just who she would choose.

Caught up in her own world of dragon lust and dance Erilena let Dmitri have the lead for a little bit before using his desire to keep space between them against him. Pushing her movements towards him, so he would be forced to step back or step forward closing the space. In this way she guided him back, back until finally he was close enough to her goal that she could relax back into the regular swaying rhythm of the dance. The voices on the other side of the door where ignored. Instead all that mattered currently was her handsome blue partner and the dance. When Feyrianth finally made her decision Erilena simply let go of Dmitri’s hand and practically leapt at him, in the hopes that her weight would cause him to stumble back and into the bed she had so nicely made sure was there to catch him.

Whether the harper was able to steady himself against her or not was not currently an issue in the greenrider’s mind. Right now all that mattered was cooling the heat that burned through her body. Wanted him. Needed him. He couldn’t possibly reject her. Not when she had chosen him. With a soft whimper her mouth sought his, seeking to claim it completely. Erilena’s body molding into Dmitri’s as her hands impatiently started to wander.

“Need you. My night dancer. Please?” Yes even with her lust driven haze she was anything but completely demanding. Instead the greenrider was asking, her tone perhaps even slightly pleading. Although even if Dmitri did decide to keep resisting, she wasn’t above continuing to try and persuade him. One way or another Erilena needed the tension gone. It was too painful to keep. Surely he realized this?