Planetary Nebula (Eikask's Run)

[Ember]

Eikask rather liked her new home. While her wild mother had come from the wilderness, Eikask much preferred the comforting smooth stone around her and the sheer complexity of all the tunnels and the like. About as complex as the invisible web of mindlinks she had to be aware of every night. She didn't need to connect to necessarily every wher's mind but her unspoken favourite males she kept tabs on anyways. Pidesk and Roisk and Dmisk as well as a few of her babies. Rarely did she connect with a female unless it was one of the mini-leaders directly under her. Now she cast off those female connections.

Other females had no right to be in her presence that night. For that was the night she would Run and her males would follow, undoubtedly. The gold padded through the halls silently, for once in her life deliberately trying not to attract attention. There were sneakier whers than her (shimmering golden hide kind of limitted how sneaky she could be) but she was absolutely certain she hadn't been followed to her choice spot. Not that her spot would stay a secret for long. She mentally tugged at the males, once, before casting off those too. Then the gold stretched out her limbs slowly, preparing as she waited for the males to realize what that pull meant. She spread her large wings wide to highlight all of her glory and threw her head back into a long, echo-less howl.

She would not howl again. If her males could not find her from that then they were undeserving of her time. She wasn't a particularly patient wher either. They better make it snappy because she would not be pleased with any late comers. Eikask bided her time making sure her appearance would be breathtaking (not that she usually wasn't breathtaking, but she wanted to be extremely so that night). She even tilted her head just so to display the faint, shine-less scars on her face from a feline attack a long time ago. Eikask didn't think her scars, which blended so well with her hide, detracted from her in the least.

Eikane sighed as he tracked the gold's progress through the halls. It was really only a vague notion of how close to her destination she was but it was enough for him to prepare to receive guests, however unwanted they might be. Really, the flightrooms were far more tempting to have a bunch of sweaty, gross bodies in rather than his and Nautic's apartment but...he didn't really have the time to get all the way there considering his limp. Besides, the gold herself had complained the sound of his cane would alert any of the males that might have been near the apartments.

Eikane really couldn't have care to pose himself specially but he most definitely couldn't afford to be running around the halls as he often did during Eikask's runs so he decided to try starting on the bed. That would be the ultimate goal, after all. The goldhandler opened his door just enough to say it was open before limping over to his bed and settling on it with a sigh. Eikask's howl dirfted through the halls eerily and he was gone. He twitched slightly at the sudden desire to move, to find his males and show them who was the best in all of Pern. Instead of acting on that desire, though, he settled in to wait.

[Ruby]

He had been watching. Pidesk, not Piden - the Handler had better things to do than pay attention to prudish goldhandlers, but Pidesk had been slightly abstracted the whole week, his attention clearly divided. While the Bronze generally showed a preference for Greens (hello, Cerysk), he was bronze, and he had caught Eikask before. Pidesk had liked having eggs of his own, and in his own way, he was as devoted to Eikask as any other Selenitas Wher, even if he tended to be quieter about it. She was the mother of his children, and Pidesk had none of the silly human reservations about babies that His had about his own Gold. Those humans, always making things hard on themselves.

"We do not, Whers are just different," Piden said, sprawled on the bed with a grumpy Three on his lap. He was doing his best to oil her, but Three wasn't having it tonight, not even from her beloved bonded. Pidesk, meanwhile, was sitting sphinx-like in the center of the room, staring at the door. Any moment now. "If she was going tonight, Desk, don't you think she would have gone by-" A disembodied howl, and Pidesk sprang up, nosing the door open and dissapearing in to the dark. "Ah," Piden finished, gently placing Three to one side and fishing Red out of his collar. Sex, Red pronounced, her mindvoice a chastizing shout, then Three picked it up, coiling against Piden's hand and moaning, No, don't go, stay here with Three! Detangling the greens, Piden put them both on the bed again, glancing impatiently out the door (and towards Eikane's room). "No. You stay here, or I'll make Shells keep you here." That made both greens sulk, and Piden headed for the door, perhaps slightly faster than he needed to. Ah, runs.

As Piden strode confidently down the dark hallway, Pidesk was searching for Eikask. He'd felt the tug, heard the call, even caught a whiff of her scent here and there, but she'd disappeared quite far in to the maze of the Weyr. As a guard wher now, Pidesk was less familiar with the indoor corridors, spending more of his time outside than many of the Watch whers, although he was familiar enough with them to knot that they were hard to figure out. He did his best to hang on to the tail end of the mental connection all whers shared, looking for blank spots that shouldn't be blank, but in the end it wasn't until he stopped trying to think it through and started trusting his instincts that the Bronze found Eikask.

When he did, though, he realized he was one of the first to arrive, something that pleased Pidesk endlessly. The two metallic whers had been together a long time - not as long as Eikask and Roisk, nor were they really 'together' in any human sense of the word, but they were part of the same pack, and that was enough. As was his custom, the sandy wher dropped one knee, bowing to Eikask as befitted her rank and hide. Once the bow was complete, Pidesk straightened, shaking himself all over as his eyes shaded purple. He was ready when she was.

[Rei]

Darmori was finishing his preparations before they headed out for the night. The ex drudge was getting used to patrolling the night with his wher. It still frightened him. Especially when Darmosk got into an altercation with one predatory creature or another. But the bronze seemed to be able to fight like a demon when he was pressed. Wickedly sharp talons, a long whip like tail, and his own heavy musculature and jaws made him a beast not to be trifled with. Add in the fact that Darmori was right there for him to defend, and nothing was getting past him without going through him. The bronze had found a niche in protecting those who could not protect themselves. Darmosk may not be the fastest or most agile wher but he more then made up for it in ferocity and size.

The handler himself had more misgivings about the night trips and the guarding. He wasn’t fond of watching his normally sweet tempered canine like wher tear things to shreds. Frankly it was horrifying and Darmori spent those battles clinging to his knife and trembling. Once or twice he might even have wet himself. But he wasn’t going to admit that to anyone. On this night Darmosk seemed more restless then usual. The half wild wher was pacing the apartment floor his talons clicking back and forth as he eyed the doorway with intent.

Stop ugly. Make nervous. Stop tap, tap, tap. Mooooooori make stop. Darmori sighed and picked up Harmony placing her on his shoulder before commenting to his bronze. “You okay Darmosk? Normally you aren’t quite this…” But before he could finish the statement the bronze’s head whipped up and his eyes went from a light greenish yellow to a shockingly vivid violet. All in response to a distant howl.

Darmori staggered back as the lust hit in him a wave only dimly aware of the fact that Harmony’s talons where digging into his shoulder as she spat in wordless fury, her tail constricting his neck. The handler was gone in the blink of an eye, the lust sweeping through him and claiming his mind even as Darmosk grabbed a flower from the vase his always kept at his bedside. (A constant tribute to Ximera) Flower held gently between his jaws the bronze took one final look back at his and crooned. Slipping into the hallway his nostrils flared as he tried to catch any scent from Eikask however faint.

It took the half wild male a little longer to find her then he would like but when he finally found the gold in the twisting tunnels he crooned lovingly to her. His dam she may be but that didn’t dampen Darmosk’s desire for her at all. Stepping forward the bronze tossed the flower at Eikask’s feet and dipped his head in respect to her. The other males were given a brief dip of his head as well before his attention returned to the golden one. This time he would win her.

Upon recovering from the sudden immersion into the bond Darmori had grabbed a flower with his teeth and then started for the door only moments after Darmosk, ignoring Harmony’s ire. The large gold leapt from him when it became apparent that hers was lost completely to the wher. Winging to the bedpost she coiled around it and hissed, annoyance coloring her gaze as she watched the young handler disappear. Do not like. The bronzehandler instinctively sought out the human half of the pair bond as his wher sought out the Eikask. When he finally got to Eikane’s place Darmori swept into the room and crooned around the flower held between his teeth. A brief nod of his head was given Piden before his eyes refocused on the lounging Eikane. Beautiful one. This time he was pulling out all the stops.

[Requiem]

A hiss of displeasure emanated from the small shelf mounted in the wall above their bed. Harperlove no go? the broody gold demanded of him. She may not quite be glowing yet, but it was just his luck that every gold in the place that was connected to him wanted to Run all at the same time, all when his twins were due at any moment. Dementia came to the edge of the shelf and glared at him accusingly when he didn't answer.

Dmisk felt that tug, and though he was out (as any proper guard wher would be, rather than lazing about the apartments like all the bronzes seemed to be tonight) he did give her enough mind that the feline took another swipe at his snout. Silly little thing. He ripped open the gaping wound in her stomach further and tore out another loop of intestines for her hubris. Just die quietly little femme. The blue considered leaving her there like that but he wasn't mean. Just efficient. Eikask could wait for him to tear this kitty's throat out. That task discharged and covered rather luridly in dark, arterial bloodsplatter, the blue loped for the Weyr. He hadn't gone too far; her glow had been upon her for a bit now.

Well, that was that, wasn't it? Dmitri was not going to jump his wife, who might deliver at any moment, in the heat of lust so he really didn't have much of a choice. Fortunately, she was currently sleeping. She had so much trouble sleeping that Dmitri hadn't left the bed yet for fear of disturbing her, though he'd already been up a few candlemarks. The harper eased out of the furs as carefully as he could and slipped his pants on in that awkward one-handed way he had, then ran his fingers through his hair. Not forgive Harperlove, Dementia hissed threateningly at him, in a genuinely creepy soft little broadcast. Not wanting to wake Erilena, either, no doubt, who she'd adopted almost as a surrogate. Apparently the babies were hers. Strange gold.

When he sidled up along the hallway, trailing small droplets of blood in his wake, Dmisk caught sight of the bowing Pidesk and Darmosk with his flower. They brought gifts and bows and he brought blood. Yes...sounded about right. His eyes narrowed slightly, then settled on Eikask. The blue always Chased her. She was his sister. But it was probably the most pointless thing he ever did, really, considering this gold would never take a blue. Though if he'd been any other color he probably could have had her to himself entirely. Now it was more like a claim, and if the others remembered, they knew they Chased his sister because he let them. Suitors he didn't approve of ended up dead. I'm here, sister, he told her in his cold, emotionless fashion, though he still didn't move out to where he might be seen more clearly. Just a blood-covered blue lurking in the shadows, his eyes that placid blue/green with just the barest hint of a tinge of violet crowding the edges.

Dmitri slipped along the hallway, knowing Dmisk would plunge him into Runlust (and quite on purpose, too) the moment Eikask started moving. He knew through their bond that Eikane was back ta his apartment that he shared with Nautic, and knew as well just where that was. They were both good friends of his. The harper slipped through the door and found a position to lean against the wall, trying not to worry about Lena going into labor while this was going on. Or, worse, when Dementia Ran not too long from now. All these hormones were wearing him out.

[Rowana]

Roisk would chase, naturally. It would be a grievous act of rudeness and cowardliness not to attend. This was their queen's glory and pride at stake. Only a fool would not attend to her call. Roisk was many things, but he was rarely such a fool. He was patient though. He waited and watched as Eikask disappeared into the tunnels. He would come when she called; when she was ready. When she did, he would come.

The call rang out, and Roisk answered. His roar was a deep, long echo that passed ahead of him to announce his presence. While normally quite humble and friendly, he was nevertheless a proud beast. He trotted into Eikask's presence with a pleased bark at his fellow chases. It was so good to see them all again! What was a chase without good rivals and Eikask deserved only the best in her Run. Though he brought no gift, Roisk did bow his head slightly, offering a croon of appreciation for her beauty. This would be a magnificent Chase!

Roivao sighed as Roisk left. He could already feel the tingling in his mind and knew what was coming. Ranchan gave a sweet little yawn as he set her on his bed. Tiida just clung tighter to his neck. She would be almost impossible to detach. Sometimes Roi wished she would just go on another Run of her own so she would stop being so clingy, but he knew that would bring even more uncomfortable moments for him. Shrugging, he made his way down towards Eikane's room, following Roisk's instincts. He smiled and shook his head at Darmori's entrance with the flower, then slipped in behind to take his usually place by the wall. A shy wave for Eikane and he waited for Roisk's lust to truly take hold.

Puddleglum had seen all the signs. His poor darling Three would be so upset with her human stolen from her. It was always the same. They were alone, unwanted, and unloved. The humans never understood. With a mournful whisper, the pale, fire lizard appeared in Piden's room. Would Three like to commiserate with him? Both their humans had succumb to the whims of their partners. It was the fate of all their kin to be so cursed.

[Ember]

They trickled in far too slowly for Eikask's liking even though she'd expected as much. There were all of her bronzes, none of her browns, and her ever faithful blue. She snorted contempuously, mind spiking out at the absentee males with something akin to disgust. How dare they not come for their queen! Oh well, the blues she could do without anyways. The browns, though, she was truly disappointed in. She had not yet chosen one as a mate but she wasn't adverse to them either. Browns were generally strong, healthy males too. Well, their loss. She had all the bronzes to herself and that would be enough. Two were proven fathers and the other was her own son.

She finally broke her statue-esque pose to move to greet her males. Really, it was them that had to secure her attention that night and not the other way around but some flirting wouldn't hurt. It was Pidesk she approached first since he'd been the first to arrive. She would never bow to another but she dipped her muzzle faintly, almost coyly, as she approached him. She drifted wraith-like on his right side, her body teasingly brushing against his at spots. Her tail flicked up at his muzzle in an almost playful gesture before she drifted away from him, satisfied that his attention would not wander from her.

On to Darmosk. She'd ignored his earlier gift though it had privately impressed her greatly. Before she went over to him she made a pass by the flower to pick it up in her jaws with a faint, purring rumble. The gold did not demand gifts but it certainly earned her son a few brownie points. She move towards the bronze and circled around him closely. Yes, he was an impressive baby, though she didn't broadcast that thought. Instead she merely dropped the flower at his feet and suggested that he carry it for her. She might just accept it from him again later.

Eikask faced a dilemma then. Dmisk, her undeniable favourite wher had arrived before Roisk, but he was not bronze. Not even a brown, or she'd have picked him long ago. The mere blue received a wry acknowledgement as she padded straight over to Roisk. Yes, I see you brother. Another night's work? The scent of blood was strong in the tunnels and faintly intoxicating since the gold was just a little bit hungry. Perhaps she'd have a taste later. In the meantime, she would not spare any undue attention on Dmisk.

Roisk was met with a tolerantly amused brush. Later than the blue. Roisk, what am I to do with you? The gold moved directly in front of the bronze, her previous mate, close enough that she felt his exhales and he undoubtedly felt hers. She stayed like that for a moment before huffing softly and turning away. She'd grown impatient with her own game and it was time to move. She knew she was at a bit of a disadvantage in the tunnels since she could not glide but if nothing else she trusted the males present to not only respect her but not to force her. The gold bounded away and though her steps faltered wherever they fell, at least she did not.

Eikane took longer than Eikask to acknowledge any of the males present. When he did it was a simple flirtatious smile as he pat the bed. They surely wouldn't make him do all the work to go to them, right? Besides, Eikane had been counting on himself considering the bed the end point while under runlust and it seemed to have been a good idea. Not only should they come to him, but why would he leave the ultimate goal? "Come, come," he crooned out, dipping his head coyly and looking through his lashes at them.

[Rei]

Darmosk’s gaze went to Eikask when she finally moved and stayed there. As if she was the only thing in the area worth watching. And really she was. The young bronze trusted the other males around him. Even Dmisk. He had been guarding with the blue after all. Besides Dmisk had never done anything to cause mistrust. In fact he had even warned the brown wildling off him during Eikask’s last run. Yes. There was nothing to fear from any of the males here. Despite the fact that one of them was coated in blood. As the queen moved toward Pidesk Darmosk waited, though he was privately a little sad that she didn’t seem to acknowledge his gift. Maybe he had picked the wrong type of flower? Nothing for it now. He’d just have to impress her some other way. The young bronze tried not to fidget as Eikask flirted with Pidesk. Instead he just shifted his weight, the only outward sign of his desire to move the constant twitch to the tip of his tail.

Then the gold turned towards him and almost without thinking Darmosk drew himself up to his full stature and shifted slightly back into a squared stance. Vivid violet eyes watched as Eikask picked up his flower an almost breathless croon leaving his throat as she circled around him. The bronze didn’t move to prevent her nor face her. Instead he let her examine him in silence even if he did broadcast wordless appreciation for her. When she dropped the flower at his feet and made her suggestion the young male crooned softly in acknowledgement and picked the flower up again holding it gently between his jaws. As Eikask drew away Darmosk watched her with almost single minded intensity. If possible he desired her more now then ever.

As she greeted Dmisk and the Roisk in turn the bronze’s anticipation only grew until his feet were lifting one and then the other in an anxious jig. He was starting to grow impatient and the desire to move and chase her was growing ever stronger as the minutes passed. Finally after what seemed like an impossibly long length of time Eikask turned from Roisk and bounded off into the tunnels. Darmosk made no noise as he bounded forward after her. Solely because he still had the flower held in his jaws and the was loathe to damage or lose it. So instead he brushed against her conscious briefly with excitement and desire as he plunged into the tunnel after her.

Darmori paused, flower still held in his teeth, in the middle of the room as he appreciated the lounging golden one. The males that arrived after him were also given light nods similar to the one he greeted Piden with. The handler neither approached nor really even moved besides slight shifting till Eikane/Eikask invited them forward. As the goldhandler bid them come Darmori moved forward towards the bed. Picking a position close to Eikane, but still standing on the side of the bed, he took the flower from his teeth and presented it to him with a small bow. aAnear breathless croon of what was meant to be appreciation left his throat but no other sound. Sometimes there was just no need for words.

[Requiem]

There were many things about his golden sister that might be considered flaws, but he still put up with her and even enjoyed her presence to some extent on a normal day. Perhaps because he wasn't a very emotional sort and his pride was grounded in fact more than a need for others to acknowledge the obvious truth. Dmisk wasn't the unofficial king of the whers due to birth or color (hah) but because of his strength and cold ferocity. He didn't require others to acknowledge that when they did through their actions in following his lead on a regular basis. And Eikask, well, she knew, too, even if she preferred to think that the whers were all hers, puppets on her strings.

He came to her Runs because he knew she wanted him there. It was obvious in how she left the line of communication open to him constantly beforehand. He came to protect her and ensure that his sister was treated properly by the other whers, to ensure that no strange whers interjected. He didn't come because he thought he stood a chance. And in each of her Runs she'd been progressively dismissive toward him. Mostly just like he wasn't worth her time because (to her) he was not an option. Too proud to take a blue for a mate. Really, she should take a blue. He was the only pure wild wher. Diluted blood in her babies obviously produced failures of whers. And they were very top heavy with unnecessary, failure bronzes anyway. It wasn't for him to decide, of course, and he understood the (misguided) opinion that bigger and more was better, even coming from a lesser gene pool. But even acknowledging all that...you'd think she might at least recognize that he was showing up solely for her benefit since there was nothing he could possibly get out of the Run.

Here she shunned him before she'd even started. Here, suddenly, the blue realized that if she neither appreciated or wanted his presence in her Runs...he really did have better things to do. Her failure bronzes could protect her. She certainly seemed to value their presence a good deal more. So when she flirted with all her pretty bronzes, leaving her brother standing silent and apart in the corridor off to one side and greeting him almost mockingly (when she probably would have done better to ignore him entirely) he acted off that sudden clarity of mind. Actually, yes, he agreed, not matching her tone for wryness. A night's work that is not yet done. If you have no need or want of me here, I shall return to it.

And thus...he left Eikask's Run, turning and padding ghostlike back out toward the outer world where at least if his efforts weren't appreciated they were still effective.

It was queer, really. One moment he was leaning against the wall waiting for Dmisk to drop the inevitable curtain, so to speak, and flood him with the lust that burned inside whers during a Run...and the next he realized that it wouldn't be coming. Dmitri blinked, then glanced at Eikane on the bed. A faint upturn to one corner of his mouth that was half apology (he knew Eikask with her pride probably would not like this turn of events one bit) he shrugged a shoulder and left the room. It worked out for him, anyway, seeing as how he'd been reluctant to leave his wife ever since they'd told him she had days before the twins were born.

[Rowana]

Roisk purred with pleasure as Eikask took her time to visit each of them. He was a little sorry he had been last, but waited patiently for her momentary show of affection. She was not choosing, of course, it was far too early for that. They had much to prove before the lovely queen would deem any of them worthy of her offspring. Roisk woofed softly as Eikask turned, his muscles poised for the oncoming chase. As he charged after her, he was sorry to see Dmisk did seemed to be leaving. The blue was more violent that Roisk would have liked, but he had always been a clever and determined chaser. It was sad to see him feel so unwanted this time.

Roisk had no time to dwell on Dmisk, however. Darmosk was already ahead of him and it was time to run. Roisk ran with the full speed that his powerful legs would allow him. The only thing that kept him from going faster was the tight space and unfamiliar ground. He was far more used to the old tunnels, now collapsed, and he was too large to navigate the turns without some slowing. Even so, he ran fast, heedless of the other males lest they got in his way. Eikask was ahead of him, her hide beautifully glowing, and that was all he cared about.

Tiida tensed as Eikane moved. My Precious! she hissed fiercely. Mine! Roivao sighed and shushed her with a hand over her head. Silly creature was always ruining the mood. He smiled apologetically at Eikane, and ventured to move a touch closer. He was sorry he had little control over the salamandyr, could he be forgiven.

[Ruby]

Still, relaxed Pidesk was the polar opposite of the apparently high-strung Darmosk. He accepted Eikask's flirtatious head-bob and slight brush with the sort of gentle, low-intensity love and happiness that should be quite familiar to Eikask by now. While the Bronze's need was as strong as any of the other chasers', he had no desire to cause Eikask any sort of worry... and he'd been doing this for a long time, now. There was no need to slam the female with your emotions, not when it might throw her off. Instead, Pidesk kept up the low-grade oozing of love and desire, the sort that might fly under the radar until the end was near. The emotional dance was as important as the physical one, in a Chase.

Her attention to the other chasers didn't bother Pidesk one bit. His head turned to track her progress, but otherwise the Bronze could have been in a competition for most calm wher ever. Darmosk, Roisk, Dmisk - all familiar males, all obvious attendees. Honestly, Pidesk had been hoping some of the other Browns might show up - he was interested in testing himself against Draisk, for instance - but he also did not object to Eikask having only those Nature deemed worthy as suitors. And Dmisk. Always Dmisk. Pidesk had no objections to the blue, actually rather liked him despite his coldness and apparent low opinion of Pidesk. The Bronze would never presume to judge who could and couldn't chase Eikask, but he was secretly pleased that the Blue was allowed to stay.

Except.

Except while Roisk and Darmosk surged off after the Queen (Pidesk, with his Brownish build, knew he was a better sprinter that both of the heavier-set males and was happy to let them have the lead this early), Dmisk hesitated, then turned away. Pausing at the first turn the tunnel took, he glanced back at the retreating Blue, then sent a pulse of question at Eikask - Did she want her blue brother to stay? Should Pidesk try to convince him, or leave him be? Whatever she willed, he would do. Chase or retrieve?

Piden was one of the first to start for the bed, obviously, but while Roi and Darmori figured out exactly where they wanted to be, Piden stopped and turned. Dmitri was leaving? Wait. Had Eikane sent him away? Piden thought not, and while the Wher's intentions were quite noble, Piden's were decidedly not. The Bluehandler made a more entertaining bedmate than long-taken Eikane, and Piden doubted Pidesk would ever manage to take the queen again, so Piden had a vested interest in Dmitri hanging around (Yes, Dmitri was Joined and Piden knew it, but whether or not you had exchanged some stupid ring with your mate meant little when it came to enthusiasm in the bedroom). Before the Bluehandler actually made it in to the hallway, Piden pivoted, catching Dmirti in by the upper arm in a strong but surprisingly platonic grip. Glancing back at Eikask, he half-purred, "What should I do with him?"

(Three, meanwhile, curled ecstatically around Puddleglum, nuzzling him perhaps harder than she had intended, and causing Piden to shoot a momentary glance at Roi. Idiots, she hissed at the world at large, causing a panicked, spasming Red to hide under a pillow. See? Idiots.)

[Ember]

It was curious that the blue would demand so much of Eikask's attention and not the bronzes she so openly favoured. The gold stumbled greatly - nearly faceplanted if she were being honest, but she wasn't - at the blue's response and she sent out a curious feeler to discover that Dmisk was in fact leaving. The gold growled a queer sort of sound into the tunnels and the tentative connection to her brother crumpled up like a piece of paper. Fine. Fine. If he wanted to leave so much she'd let him. He could go back to playing king of the whers even though his greatest claim to it, in her opinion, had been because he had her favour.

Pidesk's questioning pulse had the gold practically snapping back. Leave him. It was certainly harsher than she'd meant to be but she wasn't about to apologize the the bronze either. The gold made a sharp turn, flank bumping against the wall a little in order to earn a few seconds of privacy from her own chasers. In that brief moment the gold let herself feel the almost-regret and loss of her brother, eyes morphing into a rather gross brown-ish colour as yellow polluted violet. As she heard her chasers move around the corner she returned to business as usual.

The gold made as many sharp twists and turns as she could before she finally came to what she wanted, what she'd planned. Eikask slowed and made her way up a set of stairs with a surprising amount of grace (for her, anyways). She barked almost encouragingly to her chasers but didn't pause to see how they did. She had deliberately picked a gruelling course - yes, even for herself. If they could not match her they were not worthy - and if they stuck with her to the end then it didn't matter how they did it.

Eikane smiled, considerably more open about his appreciation than Eikask was, and accepted Darmori's flower. He raised it to his nose to sniff before placing it next to him. Then his eyes were narrowing on the salamandyr on Roivao, not one bit pleased. Females were not welcome here. "Mine if I want. Leave, green," he snapped. The before I remove you was heavily implied in the glare he levelled to her. A glare which very quickly lost its heat and snapped over to look at Dmitri.

Eikane knew before Dmitri even faintly smiled and shrugged at him. Knew because there was a burning something coming through the bond that had the goldrider gasping under his breath at the intensity of it. Then it was back to the gold's lust and Eikane's gaze drifted to Piden. "Let him go." The words from the human part of the pair were considerably more gentle than Eikask's to Pidesk's had been and were more telling of the gold's desire for the blue to actually stay. Neither half of the pair was willing to force them though. "We have more exciting things to do," Eikane informed Piden and the others that would stay.

[Ruby]

That one snap was all Pidesk needed. Turning on a dime, the Bronze sped up the corridor, leaving the retreating Dmisk in his dust. Pidesk had no objections to Blues chasing gold (he himself chased green on a regular basis), but Eikask was more important than someone's hurt feelings, and honestly Dmisk hardly seemed hurt. Perhaps Pidesk could help with a reconciliation later, if the pair wanted to be reconciled, and needed his assistance (as unlikely as that was). Not now.

Now Eikask was his main concern. Answering her harsh reply with his own pulse of love, Pidesk put on speed, aiming to pass the other chasers in the darkness. He knew Eikask would not take the rejection well, and if she wanted him, he wanted her to know he was close. When he did catch up, though, Pidesk was surprised - Her eyes were pure violet, her pace and bearing businesslike. If she had been upset at all (and Pidesk privately thought she must have been, the snap that had accompanied her own rejection of Dmisk could have come from nothing but hurt) she had already recovered. Admirable, Pidesk supposed, although the Bronze was more about spreading the love around that keeping himself aloof... but to each their own. He would still follow her to the ends of Pern.

Piden, meanwhile, didn't even give Dmitri a chance to wrench away from him. He dropped the Bluehandler's arm almost as soon as his fingers closed, twisting back towards Eikane as soon as the Goldhandler opened his mouth. He knew through Pidesk what he would say, anyway. Let him go. Leave him be. Come to me. Piden smothered a slight sigh and complied, dropping to the bed while the other chasers continued to hover. Placing a gentle hand on Eikane's knee, he leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I am here. Whatever you need. Just... just tell me."

[Rowana]

This was proving to be a very challenging course for Roisk. His large size hampered him in the tight passages. He had to slow down for most of the turns, though he regained momentum by pushing off the rock walls. The stairs were a more interesting feat, and Roisk surpassed by leaping them two at a time. Pidesk was likely having an easier time with these obstacles, but Roisk didn't mind. Everyone had their strength, and Eikask was all that really mattered in the end. He wasn't going to give up after only a few bumps and brushes.

Roivao sighed. Tiida really was ruining everything. Precious Roi mine! Belong Tiida! Pretty shiny no have! Roi backed away from Eikane and tried in vain to pull his salamandyr free. All he got were several scratches as Tiida dug deeper into his neck. Finally, Roi poked at the tiny part of his mind where Puddleglum and Ranchan hid. The brown was far too busy, but sleepy Ranchan popped into the room with a loving chirp. Tiida hissed, but Roi gave her a final tug to pull her free and passed her to the fire lizard. "Go home," he insisted. Tiida hissed and struggled, but Ranchan was already popping back. Well that was a relief, but Roi still felt bad that he'd let her come at all, silly thing that she was. Eikane probably wouldn't forgive him now.

[Rei]

Darmosk was almost completely unaware of the small amount of drama going on with the others. In his head there was pretty much solely Eikask. She was the only one that really mattered. Surging forward the large bronze put all his effort into pursuing her. He spared no time for the other bronzes that were his current opponents. He was of course aware of their positions in relation to him but little more then that. A soft croon left the male’s throat as he turned the corner and caught a flash of the gold’s hide. It only made him push himself slightly faster. It wouldn’t do to lose her now.

Surging after her Darmosk was surprised to realize that he was one of the front runners. He was taking care not to lose the flower he kept in his mouth. Of course that meant breathing through his nostrils instead of his mouth and not making any noise. The latter of which was really hard. Darmosk usually a very vocal wher. He liked to show what he was feeling through noise. Still his queen had asked him to keep the flower for her and we would happily do so. He stayed focused through the twists and turns using his overlong tail as a counterbalance to whip himself around corners a tad faster. The bronze strove to always keep his queen in sight. There was an occasion or two where she was just a glimmer of gold in front of him but his violet eyes never left her as he pursued with all the enthusiasm he could muster.

Coming to the stairs Darmosk didn’t falter and started to climb after Eikask. Her encouraging bark was a driving force at this point. Up, up, up. To the very heavens if she would ask for it.

Darmori crooned softly when Eikane took his flower and even sniffed it. In that moment he wanted to touch the gold but he respectfully kept his distance. He was glad he did too, especially when she started snapping at Roisk. In all honestly he hadn’t noticed the mandyr until Eikask had spoken up. A curious glance was given to Pidesk before he released the blue and started to approach the bed.

When the other bronze leaned over and actually touched Eikask a flare of protection mixed with jealousy flared through him and Darmori climbed up onto the bed as well. However, though he took a spot next to Eikane, he didn’t move to touch him. Somehow he didn’t feel like it was right to initiate that type of contact without being asked. Instead he crooned softly to her. “We are all here for you.” He remarked after Piden had finished, shooting a near disproving look at the other man.

[Ember]

Eikask caught a brief scent of the outside drifting through the tunnels and the gold made a choice. She would deviate from her planned path - really finding an open door to a weyr and doing some ledge-hopping was so overrated - and venture outside. Part of her decision might have been based on Dmisk's withdrawal from her run. She, clumsy as she was, would go outside to an environment the blue did not have control over. She could take care of herself without her blue brother and her loyal bronzes would remain with her no matter what she did.

There was the tiny problem of making her way out first though. The gold almost ran straight past the tunnel she would need to do so and hastily put on the breaks (in customary stumbling fashion) and twisted sharply. This way, this way. There was the problem of another set of stairs but she handled them the same as the previous ones. Then she was following her nose towards the ever freshening air. Eikask finally burst out into the clear, fall night and let out a startlingly feral howl. The open, natural surrounding of old Selenitas had always strongly appealed to her. The jungle that surrounded new Selenitas was no different.

She paused for a moment, glancing behind for her males. Arrogant she might be but she wasn't outright stupid. Eikask knew better than to run around in full glow without some protection. She dashed off into the thicker jungle once she was satisfied that her males were close enough. Underbrush tripped her up and the odd fallen log offered an interesting challenge for those like her who did not have complete mastery of their feet. Really, she was mostly highlighting her own faults with her stunt of bringing them outside. Then again, they ought to be having some trouble too.

Eikane ignored Tiida's outburst in favour of his Piden joining him on the bed. The bronze offered...anything? Everything? He crooned low in his throat, one hand rising to cup Piden's face even as he captured the bronze's lips after the whispered words. The goldhandler and his wher's thoughts muddled into one as he thought that Piden may stray to the greens but he was always at his beck and call if Eikane wanted him. He pulled away from that bronze to once again appraise the other two.

He purred at Darmori's words, shuffling over on the bed slightly in order to bury his face in the man's neck. Eikane breathed out softly against the bronze's neck before planting a just barely there kiss near Darmori's collarbone. Yes, this one was good too. Eikane retreated from that one too in order to look at Roivao. He noticed the absence of the green one and smiled. He was feeling especially lenient that night and the green parasite had been dealt with swiftly. Eikane beckoned the third bronze over too. Come siiiit.