Ruby
Shiny Hoarder
Jr.Weyrwoman Caden Bronzehandler Piden Bluerider M'kai Bluerider T'ri Greenrider Tenlie Greenhandler Serissa
Posts: 1,524
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Post by Ruby on Jan 30, 2012 21:11:06 GMT -5
They'd been in the air for... Nitrath had already lost track. Fifteen minutes, an hour, three days, it hardly mattered. Time, the Gold had learned, meant little and less when it came to Flight. What she did know was that her wings were beginning to burn, the ichor staining her muzzle and neck had long since dried into a crust, and the initial adrenaline of the blooding was beginning to wear off. And if Nitrath, with her broad wings and excellent endurance, was beginning to tire, you can bet her chasers would be feeling the same way. A sudden roll allowed her to glance back, taking stock. Ah, she'd lost Lketh already. With a pulse of affection towards her albino brother, she turned her nose skyward, aiming for the puffy white clouds high above. Blossom to the west; the ghostly shapes of two moons and unknown wilderness to the east; Southern to the north. The pack was high above Blossom Lake, so high already that the air was thin and the fishing boats looked like toys. The gold's short climb, however, reminded her that her wings were not as strong as they had been. It was time for the flight to begin in earnest.
She'd blooded in the late morning, waking from an extended sleep to interrupt the end of drills. Caden, who was normally up at the crack of dawn and woke Nitrath up for their own personal training as soon as possible, had over-slept too, something she'd been snapping at the Gold about when Nitrath had exited the weyr without a backwards glance, taking out a herdbeast before Caden really figured out what was going on. Nitrath had figured that was the best way to do it - surprise her Rider, rip the bandage off the wound quickly so Caden had no time to get worked up. As it turned out, Nitrath had been right. As Caden collected her followers and headed for a run in the jungle with military precision, Nitrath had led her chasers on a fairly straightforward, all-out sprint that eventually settled into a marathon. Those hoping to impress with tricks or fancy words would have been quickly left behind or rendered breathless; Nitrath was fast, for a gold, and all of her chasers would have had to focus all of their attention on simply keeping up. Even the genial Junior Gold had not so much as addressed her followers, all of her attention going to getting as far out as possible. Anyway, she wanted to save all that for later on.
Later on, of course, meaning now. When those who could not hope to carry her began to drop off, then she could begin to sort her choices. No point in getting her heart set on a dragon who could not keep up, whose wings would fail and leave her bereft. Like... well, Lketh. Her beloved brother would have had a good chance, had he not been a blue. With a quiet little sigh of regret, Nitrath abruptly stalled out, dropping down several lengths in hopes that her chasers, used to the dullness of a flat-out endurance competition, would be caught by surprise and overshoot. With a bubbly laugh - a drastic change from the silent, focused dragon of a moment ago - Nitrath flipped then began a climb, tossing in what tricks she could as she rose. You are all quite impressive,[/i] she offered, rolling again to get a better look at those behind her. Now, let me see what you can really do![/i]
Caden, meanwhile, had given herself up to the flight immediately. She'd always fought it with Smath, but she knew Smath was fighting too. This was different. She hadn't really had a choice. If she had, she would have been scared, but Nitrath had taken over before Caden was able to protest. Figuring (with whatever minute part of her brain was left) that it was easier, at this point, simply to comply, Caden had mimicked her dragon, going on a shortened version of her morning run with the males in tow. If they hadn't felt the need to jog after a full morning of drills, they could find their way to the flight rooms and just wait around there. Caden wasn't bothered. This part was for Nitrath. The next part would be somewhat more for her.
So: a sweating, red, and out of breath Caden finally made it to the flight rooms just as Nitrath stalled. Brushing back the short hair sticking to her forehead, she selected a room at random, entered, then turned to face her chasers. After shrugging off her wherhide jacket and tossing it on the bed (was it hot in here, or was it just Caden?), she put her hands on her hips. She wasn't nearly as welcoming as Nitrath - behind the fierceness she was obviously trying to project, there was something like fear. This was not her area of expertise. Lifting her chin at the entering riders, she echoed Nitrath, although where the gold was inviting, Caden was challenging (and slightly breathless). "Let me see what you can really do."
((Welcome to Nitrath's flight! SORRY FOR BEING SUPER EARLY, PEER PRESSURE IS A BITCH. At the bottom of your first post, please include the following: IF your dragon is sel-born, include clutch parents. IF your dragon is not sel-born, AND your dragon is from Benden, let me know if they or their parents have any history of drug treatment. IF your dragon is from Fort, don't worry about it ^^
REGARDLESS of your dragon, are you willing to do a post-flight thread?))
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Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
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Post by Avu on Jan 30, 2012 21:34:21 GMT -5
You bored, sunshine?
Not that he was, not really, because getting bored in a queenflight just wasn’t done, but in any case this was a reminder of why Sparath liked greenflights better, even if he preferred their golden kin when it came to actual company (even if the same was not true in reverse; see: Millieth). More happened, really. Regardless, Sparath wasn’t one to allow his own boredom to dull his flight style; he’d always flown to conserve energy, even in greenflights where his antics were more often mistaken as silly agility tricks, and in this case, the wind was really doing wonders for his stamina, and the burn working its way through his wings at the joints was not quite painful yet.
Anyway, at least Nitrath was talking now. Nothing like a silent flight that went on for ages to distract him from paying attention to the actual female, and Sparath rather doubted Nitrath would find it amusing if he started playing with the males instead. The bronze flared out his wings, stretching them into a steep downwards glide before he slipped around a thermal and rose on a corkscrew motion, twisting his flight into a sharp race to close the distance between himself and Nitrath in a harmless loop, eyes flashing teasing green at her.
Give ’em a run for their money, is that how it goes, rumbled low and playfully secretive, A spectacular flight for a spectacular queen; sharpest sunshine I’ve seen yet, you are. As casual as any other conversation, barbed teasing comments as Sparath propelled himself up with the downdraft of another male’s wings to sweep into a lazy roll, a momentary reprieve for his wings. Couldn’t remember the last time he’d flown this long for a Flight. Probably never had—that one green that had Risen he’d deigned to look twice at, her Flight had been over in a heartbeat.
Couldn’t really say which he preferred, but Sparath was pretty sure Nitrath got brownie points just for being gold. Nothing like corrupt morality to form biases.
Ce’thian hadn’t run.
As his logic went, it was the dragons that counted, not his half, and his attraction to Caden was distant and based on Sparath’s for Nitrath at best; it would be no real loss to him if she decided to be snotty, and Sparath could fare for himself. And, also, he was lazy, and lounging around the Flightrooms while Sparath worked himself into cardiac arrest seemed a lot better an option than working himself into cardiac arrest simultaneously. So he’d stayed, leaning with legs crossed at the ankles against a wall, arms folded across his chest in quiet patience.
Caden’s reapproach made him quirk a faintly amused grin at the clear exhaustion in goldrider and followers, so close a mimicry to what he felt from Sparath and presumably the other dragons, and Ce’thian straightened to slip among the other men, keeping his distance because sweaty, settling near one side of the pack once she’d picked her Flightroom. Her invitation had Ce’thian tilting his head to one side, dark eyes flashing once over the competition and then back to Caden, indulgently amused. Let the others dance for her.
He was only there for Sparath.
((Sparath is Benden, no history of drugs. And I'd be up for after-thread.))
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Post by Sheari on Jan 30, 2012 21:54:32 GMT -5
The muscles that wrapped around Weith's chest and powered his wings burned like nothing he had ever felt before. The sensation was as if his chest had been set ablaze, but the burn to Chase was stronger and he pushed through the pain. He had never felt like this, the desire to Catch being so strong. It had been different when he'd chased Jingth, he had known that she had hated him with all her being; with greens, there was no comparison.
The bronze had forsaken his usual style of chasing; to hang back and higher than the riser. No, instead, this time he had hung as close to her as he could. He had to be there. He had even blooded with her, for the extra strength, and it had faded a while ago, for now he was flying on reserves. Nitrath's flat course at the moment, was very helpful, and the large bronze was able to keep a steady rhythm to just help him keep along. He watched her roll, altering course to simply keep in line with her. He angled his wings as she did, following her rise, though it pained him. Tired though he was, he did not overshoot as much as he feared he might incase she dropped suddenly. While it didn't come as a surprise (he would like to drop at the moment) he still hadn't know when it was going to happen.
You are easily more impressive than any of us. I'll do whatever you want,[/i] Weith commented to only her, adding a small laugh of his own. If he had been human he would have panted the entire time he'd been speaking, with a jovial smile thrown in. As she rose with her tricks, Weith mimicked her first but then did a performance of his own. A couple flourished rolls, an extra fancy stroke of his wings, nothing he did though was as good of trick flying he would have been able to do had he been fresh for flight. Perhaps it was his arrogance, but in his mind he could see t already, him winning, corkscrewing down to catch Nitrath as she fell. This image powered him on. Win, or fail valiantly, right?
R'men, however, felt much of the pain that Weith did. His back burned and his breath was becoming shorter and shorter. He could really go for a drink right about now, but that didn't matter. R'men was a much a massive, powerful bronze as Weith was a baby rabbit, so the running did not do him well. It wasn't his first run though, a trip through the woods, and him giving in to Weith had helped keep him going. And go he did, the man was hot, sweaty, dirty , and had none too few scrapes and scratches from his woodland foray. It was a relief when Caden led them to the Flight rooms. R'men so wanted a drink but thought it would be rude to slip somewhere on the way and do so.
Upon arrival, R'men took half a second to notice Ce'thian, and the rest of his time to focus on Caden. Under normal circumstances, he would have probably not ever spoken to her, or even truly paid much attention to her. It was a sad revelation, but was true nonetheless. The fact was, Caden looked more like a boy than she did a woman, and R'men was admitedly a bit shallow. He would have easily passed her for a man had she impressed any other colour. She had impressed a Queen, however, and the largest queen he had ever seen. The only Queen Weith had chased in earnest, or even the only dragon. "I'll do whatever you want," he echoed, gathering enough breath to saying it without panting. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, a voice said "real original there,".
(Sel-born: Hepaticath and Ciceroth, I'm up for a post-Flight thread)
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Ember
Administrator
T'san Iskierka Dy'shi Jazheera Ae'on Nephele Qaena K'dem Eikane
FLAME GURU OF THE UNDERWORLD
Posts: 1,832
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Post by Ember on Jan 30, 2012 23:59:45 GMT -5
Dsoleth was a large brown, not quite edging into bronze size range but nearly there. He was certainly built more for strength and sheer endurance than any of his clutch and he could outlast some bronzes. Yes, he definitely preferred the queens both in temperment and in Flight. The problem in Nitrath's flight was...she was a large queen, with probably greater stores of endurance than he himself had - and it was beginning to show. Or rather, he was certainly feeling it. A slow building fire built up in his flight muscles that roared to greater life a little bit with every beat. Ah, but the cool air helped to soothe it and he could still fly. What was the human expression? No pain, no gain?
The straight flight that it had been up until then had made it easier. He'd conserved his strength where he could with his wings built for gliding and with the air currents he could catch. His skill in the air had paid off enough that he wasn't one of the ones who had dropped out before even seeing the other side of Nitrath, the one that emerged when she evidentally determined them all worthy of seeing something other than cold seeming gold from before. Her words were encouraging even as they were a bit disheartening. No one thirsty wanted to be told they had to wait a while longer to drink, after all.
Still, Dsoleth offered up an even, adoring croon as he caught an updraft and spun into a twist. His wings protested the move but he didn't particularly care at that point. He really just wanted to impress the queen until she either sent him away or made her choice. He slipped in as tight a loop as he could manage before swinging around one of the other chasers almost playfully. He was quite thrilled regarding this chase and dance, even if His wasn't equally so.
If anything, T'san just did not want to be there. Mostly because he was sweaty and gross enough from training that all he really wanted to do was go wash up and hang around A'emi for the rest of the day. But noooo. Dsoleth, annoying brute that he was, decided he wanted to chase after a queen again. One of M'ta's old students at that. The brownrider had sighed and joined in on the foot chase after the goldrider once he realized he couldn't convince Dsoleth not to chase. The brown almost always overpowered his mind unless he tried hard not to let him. He wasn't so inclined to try so run he would.
Did. T'san was a fit man, prone to going on morning or evening runs. It didn't make him pant and heave a whole lot less in the end when the pack got to the flightrooms. The lust-addled man very nearly glared at Ce'thian when he noticed the bronze's composure but his attention went back to the gold fairly quickly. He drifted into the room she chose and actually grinned despite his breathlessness at her command. "And what is it you want? I'm afraid my interpretive dance is a bit rusty...perhaps you'd accompany me in something a little less difficult?" He replied, pure T'san quirkiness coming out in his request. He reached out a hand enticingly.
((Dsoleth is a Fort-born. Also, totally up for after-threadage.))
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Zephyr
Shiny Hoarder
Rider K?ian Handler Kaius Rider Au?st Rider L?am Rider Saphor Rider Olivia Handler Tekivix Rider Vellani[/color
Posts: 515
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Post by Zephyr on Jan 31, 2012 0:46:19 GMT -5
Rom had chased queens before. Obviously he hadn’t actually won any in Selenitas. Since he had been a part of the weyr, he had only the chance to participate in a couple goldflights. But, golds were golds, and as far as either of them knew, most golds were the same. Built mainly for speed and endurance, no blues and few browns could even hope to match a gold dragon in pure endurance.
So, it was a safe bet that the massive bronze knew what to expect from a queen flight. Though they were generally the same, no two dragons have exactly the same flight strategy. He should have known off the bat that Nitrath’s flight would have been based solely on the gold’s endurance, at least for the first part. She was the biggest gold he had ever seen, or at least one of the biggest, and while he couldn’t hope to match her in size or even endurance, he could try his best.
Romeoth had surprised K’ian when the bronze had suddenly went still in their weyr. The bronze had participated in enough flights for the man to know what this particular pose meant in his dragon. Someone was rising. And Rom would chase. There was something different about this however, and K’ian knew his dragon well enough to realize this. Queenflight didn’t necessarily go off in his head. No, what he thought at first was one of the bronze’s favored females was rising. There were only a few of those, and Khiraeth had already risen. K’ian found himself hoping that Onyth was rising. Of all the females in the weyr, Onyth was the only one that Rom had really wanted to court but hadn’t yet the privilege. Nitrath didn’t come to mind at all for the broad shouldered man as he rose and began to prepare himself for a flight, but as Romeoth took off from his ledge and the rush of lust was so startling that he missed a step and stumbled, K’ian got himself to wondering if the gold was finally rising.
Dropping like a stone from his ledge, Romeoth had snapped his wings open at the last second, leveling out and finally gaining altitude, chasing Nitrath for all she was worth. Massive wings caught the air as she bronze followed the gold. As the exited out into the open air, he saw other dragons sticking close to her and as he beat his wings on the air in an attempt to keep up with the gold, he knew that that wouldn’t work for him. He wasn’t the smallest bronze in the weyr by any means, but neither was he the largest. He didn’t match Weith in size, but he would be a lot bigger than most of Nitrath’s other chasers. Still…it wouldn’t do to tire himself out.
The entire flat out chase Romeoth didn’t fly too closely to Nitrath. As he joined the race, he brushed her mind lightly as an acknowledgement of his presence, but other than that, he kept quiet, using his energy to just keep up with the queen…not to hang right on her tail, but to keep his reserves going and hang in the back. That brush to her mind was enough indication that he was there, at least it was enough to him. He didn’t want to crowd her. He had learned fro experience that crowding any female was not a good way to get her to choose you. Females didn’t like to be crowded, most especially golds. They liked knowing that they had all of the choice in a flight…at least that was Rom’s experience.
So instead of sticking on the gold’s tail, he was a ways back, saving his strength for the real flight, because he had been in enough queenflights to realize how important strength and stamina really was.
And it payed off, when some of the smaller chasers began to fall off. By this point, the muscles in the bronze’s chest and wings were burning, straining against the power of his strokes. He knew that some of the dragons who had foolishly tried to attach themselves to Nitrath’s tail would be a lot worse off than him, and he took pride in this as Nitrath finally fell, flipping around to tease them playfully. He would have grinned then if he could, flapping his wings harder to gain altitude, flying slightly over the gold and rolling smoothly in the air, his tail finishing the circuit and making him look like a copper ring in the air. Anything you you, lovely. Romeoth purred at the gold as she spoke. He didn’t know what would happen, but he knew for a fact that whatever did happen, he was going to give this flight his all. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
K’ian made it to the flightrooms without stumbling again. By this time, he knew that there was something different about this flight, and when he finally saw Caden there, standing with a faraway look in her eyes, his thoughts were only solidified. Normally, K’ian wouldn’t have thought of Caden like that. She was a nice enough girl, even if she was quiet and grumpy, but he had known her from Benden…and he had always thought she was a guy. As such, it was a bit odd to K’ian to think of her as a partner…bordering on gross. Even so, Romeoth didn’t see this, and. He didn’t know what would happen, but he knew for a fact that whatever did happen, he was going to give this flight his all. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
K’ian made it to the flightrooms without stumbling again. By this time, he knew that there was something different about this flight, and when he finally saw Caden there, standing with a faraway look in her eyes, his thoughts were only solidified. Normally, K’ian wouldn’t have thought of Caden like that. She was a nice enough girl, even if she was quiet and grumpy, but he had known her from Benden…and he had always thought she was a guy. As such, it was a bit odd to K’ian to think of her as a partner…bordering on gross. Even so, Romeoth didn’t see this, and by the time he made it to the flightroom, the lust that Romeoth was transmitting to him made Caden look like the most gorgeous girl on all of pern.
The man barely took notice of the other men as he came on the scene. He only had eyes for the girl. A grin touched his face and he approached her slowly, gently, not getting too close. “ Anything for you, sweetness.” He said teasingly, channeling his inner Rom.
(Bendon dragon with drug use in parents and yes for an after thread)
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Jan 31, 2012 12:45:28 GMT -5
M'gnum was performing his sword drills as he always did after running his Flight through the early-morning drills, blade flashing as he went from one stance to another, the sunlight beaming through the Weyr's interior glistening off the slight sheen of sweat on his shirtless upper body, when suddenly Higginth, lounging as he always did, started up, his eyes glowing a deep, intense purple. Feeling the Flightlust in his mind, M'gnum knew what was coming, and he quickly sheathed his blade in the scabbard at his hip... he had known (from constant reminders from Higginth) that Nitrath was approaching her maiden Flight, and it seems the time had come.
Higginth stretched his wing and back muscles carefully, then dove off His' weyrledge, his large wings unfurling as he found his way out of one of the many Weyr dragon exits. Snagging a herdbeast in passing with his claws, he fell into line with the other chasers, scoffing silently at any blues or browns present and sending pulses of greetings to his bronze brothers as he neared them. He languidly ate the herdbeast he'd captured as he flew, knowing he would need his energy for this, a proper Goldflight at long last, and knowing he was in no rush... unlike a silly Greenflight, a Goldflight was about endurance, and endurance was what Higginth was made for.
Being as focused on Nitrath as he was, having been waiting for this moment for turns now, saving himself for a proper Goldflight where his bronze-born endurance would be properly utilized, he wasn't caught by surprise when she suddenly stalled out, then began to rise, languidly cleaning the blood from his muzzle and claws from the now-long-devoured herdbeast as he paced the young Queen, though the strength that allowed him to keep up with her cut down his agility, making the few barrel rolls he performed a bit slow and lumbering. "You are an impressive dragon yourself, Nitrath," Higginth sent in response to the young Queen's statement, "A truly wondrous young Queen, and sure to clutch a truly impressive clutch of eggs," he concluded, sending pulses of affection to Nitrath as he paced her as well as he could, knowing this was the moment he had been saving all his energy for, and that he would put all his effort both physically and mentally into winning this Flight.
M'gnum, on the other hand, made sure Shekinah was taken care of before the Flightlust took over his mind completely, then secured his weyr and set off to find Caden, letting the Lust settle in and guide his trek. Finding the young woman at last, he joined her in her morning jog, his well-exercised body and long legs allowing him to easily keep pace with her as she ran through the jungles as Higginth's mind sent pulses of warning at him to not falter, so as to avoid a failure from M'gnum with Caden affecting Nitrath's decision regarding Higginth.
Following Caden into her chosen flight room, he placed his own arms over his head, both to display his toned and muscular torso to full advantage and to help him recover and cool down from the run. Seeing the group of other males, M'gnum quelled the short desire from Higginth to draw his sword and keep the competition away from Caden at bladepoint, and placed one hand on the hilt of his blade and the other hand over it to control himself and smiled at Caden, saying, "Do I hear a challenge in your voice, m'lady? I am sure I will excel in any challenge, as it is a knight's duty to develop both the mind and the body... what do you propose?"
((Higginth is Fort-born, and I'm more than willing to do a post-Flight thread.))
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Rowana
Hive Mind
Handler Roivao Rider G'tor Rider Merridan Rider T'ke Rider N'rik Handler Porita Rider Farryl Rider Kyr'n[/color
Posts: 1,550
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Post by Rowana on Jan 31, 2012 15:45:52 GMT -5
Chaoth loved a challenge. Nitrath was a strong and beautiful queen, and while she was not Jingth, she was more than worthy of Chase. Chaoth had grown to enjoy training with her on occasion and he looked forward to putting his own training to the test. True, he was brown, but he was large and powerful. A race of endurance was just his style and he could easily keep up with most bronzes over long distances. Of course that did not mean he could keep pace with a queen, but so far he was holding his own.
He'd started at a steady pace, knowing the Flight would be longer than most. He still had some strength, but his wings and lungs were starting to feel the burn of the long distance going at such speeds. Yet what was a little pain? Pain only showed he was working hard and little was worth having if one didn't have to work for it. Near the middle of the males, Chaoth spotted the change in Nitrath's wings and pulled up into a small dive. His mind chuckled warmly at her words. As the lady wishes, he crooned.
Banking upwards again, Chaoth rolled in a tight curve to aline himself with the new course. He wasn't one for doing many tricks and he knew if he did too much his strength would fail. Rising up with the others, he did a few rolls and flips, but nothing that would slow him down too much. He knew he didn't look as impressive as the bronzes, but showing off had never been his style. Besides, today as for Nitrath and no other.
As Merridan's and Chaoth's minds began to merge with hers she was more than happy to follow Caden on her run. She arrived at the Flightroom in Caden's wake, breathing hard and fairly sweaty. None of this had curbed her enthusiasm though, and she grinned wolfishly as she entered. The other males were alright she supposed, but her eyes were only for Caden today. She seemed nervous, but there was no need. They were all friends here after all! "Are they boring you?" she asked sweetly, if a little breathless. She bowed and flourished her hand. "Shall we dance?"
~
Sadly Ruskeath did not have the endurance of such a large queen. He was used to chasing Millieth, not her daughter, but that didn't stop him from trying. He lasted well, in his mind, but his wings began to weakened two thirds of the way through. By the time they reached Lake Blossom, he knew he was done. Even if he lasted the rest of the Flight, he could never make a catch. With a croon of regret, he dropped out with a easy dive down to the water. A nice lazy swim would let him recover and admire Nitrath from afar while the others kept up the chase.
G'tor hadn't followed Caden in her run, but for a good reason. Ruskeath had decided to give chase while G'tor was far down river going fishing, again. It was amazing to him how often Flights seem to start when he was fishing, swimming or otherwise relaxing. Why didn't they happen when it wasn't his day off? Still, he'd made it back to the Flightroom in time for Rusk's lust to fade. G'tor shrugged, finding a spot leaning against the wall next to Ce'thian. "Still in the game?" he asked with a wry smile. Not that he wanted to be a distraction, but the older rider didn't seem as engaged as most of the others.
((Chaoth is Hepaticath and Ciceroth's son and yes, I'd do a post-Flight thread.))
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Kisha-Ra
Rider Mo?rya Rider Darya Rider K?fuzzi Rider J?on Handler Vivano Handler Yoalla
Happier'n a pig in mud ABOUT WHERBABIES!
Posts: 1,109
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Post by Kisha-Ra on Jan 31, 2012 17:38:28 GMT -5
Epifayrmuth would not dream of not being present when his golden sister Rose, so present he was, and if the tiny bronze was flagging a little, well so were some of his rivals, and if he was back some ways from Nitrath herself, well that was just a difference in style. Epifayrmuth was no powerhouse of size and sheer muscle as were some of his opponents, so he didn’t bother trying to keep right on his massive sister’s tail for most of the chase, instead he conserved and hoarded the energy that, in the beginning, it had seemed he fairly blazed with thanks to the blood of a couple of hapless beasts, mostly because he’d always known, in the back of his mind, that it wasn’t going to last.
Even now as the golden comet and her many tails passed above the great blossom lake Epifayrmuth chose to skip his flight from thermal to thermal as the columns of rising air came into his path giving his rise after Nitrath an odd almost bouncing look as he moved forward, soared for as long as the rising air held out under his wings and then changed back to mostly forward motion until he hit the next thermal. Whatever else his strategy gave him it certainly kept the smallest bronze from falling into a mindless rhythm of simply moving his wings and calculating his nearness to Nitrath, he’d never felt more alive than this.
As Nitrath dropped away Epifayrmuth sent her a gift of his amusement at such a trick, surely hard on those who chased her close in, and rolled, almost lazily, away from the next thermal he was on course for and dropped down closer to the gold’s level. The mental feeling of her laughter was pleasant, though a change from Flight-Nitrath thus far. It made Epifayrmuth want to hear more of it, almost enough to make him do silly things just to inspire it. However since Epifayrmuth prided himself on being no fool he simply followed in her ascent, showing of his agility now his cleverness was not in doubt (to him anyway). The small size that made it a necessity for him to fly cleverly also made him far more nimble than the larger males, though he certainly wouldn’t surpass every brown. He did manage to roll and twist in neat, tight turns though and he was daring enough to weave his flight around nearby rivals, but he settled out to a gentle spiral and a feeling of expectance directed at his golden sister.
When it came to chasing, which was apparently now, Mo’rya trusted his dragon to know what he was doing and how far he could go, which was just well because he surely had no control over the situation. Epifayrmuth had calmly announced he was chasing Nitrath, ignored the question of whether he was setting his standards rather high for his first chase, and had taken off to join Nitrath and some of the other male dragons in severely depopulating the Weyr’s herds.
Guided by Epifayrmuth’s overall strategy Mo’rya had spent the last however long, time was a little hazy for him, loping steadily after Caden in the kind of pace he could keep up for hours on end. It looked like all that training had been worth something after all. So it was that Mo’rya arrived in the flightroom slowing from his run, slightly flushed, somewhat unkempt and sweaty and a little tired, but like his dragon in fairly good condition considering. Although one way he differed quite significantly from Epifayrmuth was having a fat salamandyr perched on his shoulder. Apparently not even having Mo’rya’s mind totally dominated by Epifayrmuth was enough to drive the blue away, so Wit had come along for the ride but had settled for silent observation so far.
Mo’rya let his head drop to one side in a silent inquiry as to what Caden wanted, because it had to be said he was not quite sure. Still his mouth curved into a playful smile and he raised his clear blue eyes to meet Caden’s. ‘Why beautiful sister, don’t you already know?’ The question was his own, the amusement it was laced with mixed, and the perception of Caden heavily influenced by Epifayrmuth.
((Sel born, MilliethXQuarth, and sure.))
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Ruby
Shiny Hoarder
Jr.Weyrwoman Caden Bronzehandler Piden Bluerider M'kai Bluerider T'ri Greenrider Tenlie Greenhandler Serissa
Posts: 1,524
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Post by Ruby on Feb 1, 2012 2:23:33 GMT -5
Well, she had an even bigger pack than she'd first thought! Not that Nirtath was feeling boastful or superior because of it, she was simply excited. Some of the dragons had stuck closer to her than the others - mostly the big bronzes, but that was to be expected - so she hadn't exactly known just how many there were until she stalled out and they began to cluster up. The browns (and Epi) had already impressed her quite a lot with their ability to keep up, but none of the bronzes appeared to be less than wonderful either. Ruskeath got a little croon and a mental brush, a 'thank you for coming, and for your hard work!' sort of thought, although Nitrath didn't put words to it.
She was, after all, too busy sorting out the private thoughts coming from her remaining chasers. Sparath was the first to reply, snapping back a teasing comment, which just made Nitrath laugh her silvery, bubbling sort of laugh as her eyes shaded into darker violet. Well, I would be a fairly silly Gold if I forgot to make sure my chasers could actually carry me, no? That would be amusing, an over-sized queen toppling out of the air on the wings of a dragon that couldn't hold her up.[/i] The thought was private, only for Sparath, returned in exactly the same conspiratorial murmur he'd used. A witty bronze; good, intelligence was important.
Epi stayed quiet, but he already had the bonus of being one of her favorite dragons at the Weyr, as did Chaoth. Both got an extra pulse of greeting, and she looped Dsoleth in too, although she wasn't sure what to do with the second remaining brown, exactly. He wasn't as familiar to Nitrath as Chaoth was, so his motive was cloudy... but that didn't put him at a disadvantage! All dragons stood on equal footing in Nitrath's mind, so she offered him a croon as well, mimicking his tones in a playful song.
She addressed Weith, Romeoth, and Higginth last - all three had given complements and gallant offers of service. The three Bronzes had stuck close to her tail, showing remarkable endurance, and they all seemed various degrees of pleasant by their mind-voices. Thank you, gentlemen, she said, gracious and genuinely happy, then opened her mind up to the rest of them. Thank you all. All I ask is that you follow me, but if you have any special talents, please demonstrate!
Of course, this was flight, and following Nitrath was easier said than done. The young Gold had reached the clouds now, puffy cumulus that clustered thicker to the west, over Blossom. With another stall and a quick sideways roll, she plunged into the thick cooling mist, hopefully sudden enough to throw off the Bronzes that were still close by. Once inside the bank, she effectively disappeared, just a mental giggle and the occasional flash of gold to give her males a hint of where she was.
Caden might have been just as excited or distinctly less enthralled, but all she looked was confused. "Uh," she responded to the various offers, eyebrows drawing together as she straightened her extremely practical shirt. "I don't... don't dance." That was a thing she had never learned; occasionally, at gathers, she'd been required to stumble through the man's part, but she'd never thought twice about the girl's part. Merridan's was an intriguing offer - who would dance what? - but once again, Caden didn't dance. No chance.
Her hands had gone into her pockets to keep her from having to take one of the offered hands, but when Mo'rya asked what she wanted, she got an idea. How did men prove their worth? Among the boys at Benden, it had always been the best wrestler. There were enough men (well, males) in the room; this seemed easy enough to Caden. "Wrestling," she proclaimed, taking a step back to clear floor space. "You," she added, pointing at M'gnum, "Put the sword away. Then pair off." If they didn't want to, well, that was just too bad for them. Nitrath seemed to have control of her end, which meant Caden was in the same position... right?
((Latecomers welcome))
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Lotty
Shiny Hoarder
Rider Mi?rah Rider K?sel Rider Osnat Healer Raebeli
Posts: 1,020
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Post by Lotty on Feb 1, 2012 12:45:43 GMT -5
There was no reason to dissuade Kierjaarth, not that he was particularly revved up or excited - he was always the type to drawl out his intentions in a tone that was expressly bored when it came to golds - but it was an excuse to stretch wings and bandy about the skies with those bronzes he was supposed to call his comrades. Mi'rah was a completely different animal, however, one able to quickly and efficiently rattle off reasons and excuses not to participate. The man could put a damper on a sunny, warm, day if he had the inclination to, but he didn't want to rain on his bonded's parade. Compromise wasn't out of Mi'rah's vocabulary however, and in true form was able to slip by in his silent means. Yes, the bronzerider was something of a professional when it came to being low key, well learned from Benden, and before Nitrath's tell tale shine could burn so bright as to blind the senses, made off to find a certain greenrider. The dragon then, was left to his own devices, with the impression of good luck somewhere there on his mind.
It, and his wits, was all that the bronze carried with him when the silent call did finally ring out. No thoughts on his absent rider, no thoughts on the competition... even the sensation of air curling under slowly unfurled wings was barely registered beyond those senses that guided pure dragon instinct. It was then, in mysteriously languid movements that the dragon did rise to his feet, and observe for a moment as the sky was crowded with scattering dragons - those taking off to pursue the rising gold and others to take obedient places far and out of the way - before huffing in a grizzled manner and slithering off the edge of his weyrledge and join in the drudgery of the typical goldflight routine: fly around, pose, kill a herdbeast, pose, and fly around some more.
It was safe to say that Kierjaarth was a tad jaded about whole process, but then that was a direct result of age. Older than most of, if not all of the other dragons there in the air, the bronze had a quiet amusement in his eyes as he observed the ins and outs of the gold dragon's maiden flight. He certainly had a good position from which to do it too, trailing towards the end of the pack, occasionally winging out to corral the herd from a far away spot on the side.
Kierjaarth was seemingly on the outside looking in. Even when Nitrath finally addressed the crowd at large the bronze deigned not to reply, having never spent too much talk on trying to woo a gold in flight. Dialogue was better reversed for long stretches when one had the time to talk (it was also quite useful in teasing other bronzes, but without Jingth, such shenanigans seemed unappreciated, not to mention inappropriate, too many of his wingmates were in the race). Instead he rose and ducked in, moving now as he watched the gold duck into a bank of clouds from his safe vantage point. Pushing past the clustering group of chasers, he lightly begged his forgiveness as he nudged his way into the cool, misty, environment and sought to take the place of at least one of the crowding bronzes. He swore he wasn't cutting, it was only for a moment, purring to more than one, Excuuuuse me my lovelies, let an old bag of bones through for a giggle. Nevermind the fact that he was hardly the ancient beast he made himself out to be. It was a thoroughly fraternal sort of jest, suavely stated as the bronze made good on his word and advanced for the first time in the whole big exercise.
Scanning for those tell tale flashes of gold he sought to weave in and out around the glittering clues of her presence proving to be every bit as playful as she intended to be. Who said she was the only one who got to hide? With every rise and plunge of his body, he strove to only reveal a sliver of his hide before returning to be concealed in the haziness of the clouds. It was then that he finally echoed out to Nitrath, finding her request for a show particuarly brow raising,Nitrath. I have a certain set of special talents that I have obtained over many, many, many, turns.... sensing the another's nearness he took a moment then to twist in place, stirring the atmosphere and throwing little droplets of water around and off his body, they are not so simple as to demonstrate like a little trick. So you will have to forgive me... And with that he was content to silence again, amiably receding back and away from the gold dragon. He had his fun, and the others could reclaim their spots crowding and clamoring at her tail.
((Kier is Benden, with no drug history, and I would do an after thread except obviously Mi'rah is MIA.))
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Post by Sheari on Feb 1, 2012 14:30:55 GMT -5
Wow! That was refreshing! Weith drank in the cooling droplets of the clouds, allowing little liquid crystals to settle on his glimmering hide. If the lady ask for tricks, then the lady would get tricks. And so, in his pursuit, Weith began to play in the mists and puffy waves. Following the gold as best as he could, laughing back at her as he followed to the best he could. The pain in his muscles had given way to a numbness. In the back of his mind he knew that he would be terribly sore after this, but it was definitely worth it.
The massive bronze tucked his wings and rolled on his longest axis after the queen in her clouds. He played in the eddies, turning in the air. Since he could no longer feel much of the pain in his chest and wings, all he had to do was make sure to keep that mental beat together. He ascended , catching a thermal to help him, so that he was a slightly higher than Nitrath, before tucking in on himself and flipping down, allowing his wingsails to fill and he rode a current.
He added a mental acknowledgement to the older Romeoth, once rival now friend, and to his brother Chaoth. True, they were competition and he wanted to be the victor of this race, but etiquette still played a part and he would not be rude and not notice those, in his mind, worth competing against. This however, was Weith’s turn. He reached out, following the hints and clues that Nitrath gave as to where she was hiding. He tried to find her, to fly close to her. He wanted to be near her so badly.
R’men gathered himself after he’d caught his breath and went on edge when M’gnum walked in with a sword. Why would someone bring a weapon to the flight rooms?! Unless he intended to kill someone; R’men knew that it had happened in the past. Rivals would enter a flight and would aim to kill anyone they didn’t like. It made the bronzerider uncomfortable, and he refused to relax even when Caden told him to put it away.
When they were told to pair off, R’men was confused but approached Merridan. She was the only person in the room that the man knew, even remotely, and was comfortable wrestling. He knew that the brown rider was tough and would be a challenge, and at the moment he didn’t feel like leaving himself at the mercy of whomever else was left. “You mentioned dancing, and we’ve been told to pair off…” he implied. To wrestle in a flight room made no sense, but if that’s what Caden wanted…
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Feb 1, 2012 15:28:58 GMT -5
Higginth sent a pulse of appreciation in response to Nitrath's mindwords towards him, though he hid the disappointment that he had not earned a personal message from the gold. Well, he thought to himself, she doesn't know you yet... this is your time to show her what you're capable of, prove that you're the best option she has to produce a strong, plentiful clutch. That's what this Flight is all about, isn't it?
Knowing his densely muscled form would not do for any agility tricks (he was happy to leave that for the blues and browns), he decided to try to show Nitrath that he had the genetics for producing dragons that were made for what dragons were (literally) made to do... fight Thread. Seeing Nitrath dip into the clouds, Higginth broke off from the others in the group and began to ascend, powerful strokes from his large, wide wings bringing him higher and higher in the sky, though his wing and chest muscles were beginning to feel the burn of the exertion he had put them through. Inhaling as deeply as the thinning air would allow, he began to bellow and roar, hoping to both attract Nitrath's attention so she could see what he was doing, and simultaneously show he was capable of blasting great gouts of flame to destroy Thread high in the atmosphere, removing it's threat as early as possible. Trying to use the flashes of gold in the clouds to assist his search for Nitrath's mental signature, he sent directly to her, "Look up here... our children will surely inherit my great Thread-fighting ability, and together we will surely clutch the most efficient Thread-fighting force the lands have ever seen!"
On the ground, M'gnum cleared his throat in apology towards Caden, and quickly unstrapped his scabbard from his side, placing his family blade carefully along the wall to keep it out of danger. Crossing his arms and looking around the room for someone to pair off with, he noted K'ian, and approached the fellow bronzerider, saying, "Well, Romeo... er, K'ian, we look similar in build, so it would make for the closest competition in terms of physique alone for us to pair off, don't you think?"
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Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
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Post by Avu on Feb 1, 2012 15:56:28 GMT -5
He wasn’t sure how he felt about this laughter thing.
Little too much on the innocent bubbly side, but who was Sparath to judge, at least Nitrath had a sense of humor, which was more than he could say for Millieth. But then all the humans could wish on you like a shooting star, he purred, eyes flashing blue; if the other males addressed her, Sparath utterly ignored them. They hadn’t done anything worth acknowledging anyway. They’d be oh-so-thrilled by their fortune…you know they’re allllways ever so astounded by these magical shooting stars never mind if they’re really falling dragons or not…
He slanted a half-curious glance at the other Chasers for a moment at Nitrath’s clarification—bizarrely amused by the fact that the other bronzes clearly had no imagination and then at Kierjaarth’s spectacularly timed slide past him, crooned at the older bronze. You’re not quite dust yet, sweetheart, even if you do look all pretty and shiny drifting on the wind for sunshine there… Sparath was allowed to redefine ‘old’ for the sake of his own ego, right? Right. The paler bronze spun on a wingtip to circle Kierjaarth in a fast playful loop, snagging at the downdraft of the other bronze’s wings to propel himself up to complete his maneuver, and flipped into the clouds after Nitrath.
Suffice to say Sparath did not quite enjoy clouds.
They were nice when he was hot but not tired, but since he was both hot and tired and clouds were quite lacking in the convenient little eddies of wind to ride on, Sparath curled upward, peeling away from the main group of gold and Chasers to break the surface, and arced backwards into a flip to evaluate his position relative to theirs. Just to make sure no overenthusiastic half-grown weyrling toppled out of the clouds into him or something equally annoying. A flash of hide, and Sparath allowed himself the reprieve of a shallow swoop, brushing close to the other dragon—regardless of gold, bronze, or brown—with a lighthearted flick of his tail.
Talent… rumbled to Nitrath in amused tones, Like painting the sky full of clouds? Artistic, that’s new, sure live up to your name don’t you, sunshine?
“‘Game’ is pretty much exactly right,” Ce’thian agreed dryly to G’tor’s comment, casting the other man a gratefully surprised look; Sparath hadn’t been paying much attention to Ruskeath, but it was nice that G’tor was there. He didn’t really find it a productive use of his time, watching men (and…a woman) fawn over Caden. “Spara enjoys these things way too much.” Didn’t seem to register on the bronze that Ce’thian didn’t—but of course he probably wouldn’t care anyway. Sparath was nothing if not smugly self-centered when it came to Ce’thian and his comfort levels.
Caden’s…orders, Ce’thian supposed…made him furrow his eyebrows at her, disbelieving, and he flicked a quick glance around the room. Odd number, so he’d just be the odd one out—he didn’t want to wrestle with sweaty men mid-Flight. That was just…no. So much potential for awkward. Instead he stayed where he was, adding a pleading, “Stay, be my meatshield, I’m so far from interested in rolling all over the floor and getting soaked with someone else’s sweat…I don’t think what’s left of my dignity could take it…”
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Ember
Administrator
T'san Iskierka Dy'shi Jazheera Ae'on Nephele Qaena K'dem Eikane
FLAME GURU OF THE UNDERWORLD
Posts: 1,832
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Post by Ember on Feb 1, 2012 19:25:20 GMT -5
Dsoleth was pleased with Nitrath's response to him. Simple, but not unencouraging. He crooned back a different little melody in counterpoint to the one she offered him. Dsoleth didn't speak much in flight not for lack of intelligence (though, admittedly, it was not his strongest suit) but because he very much believed that actions suited flights far better. Anything he wanted to communicate could be done with simple mind brushes and physical sounds anyways. Surely the little tune of his crooning spoke of how gorgeous he thought she was, how strong a queen she was?
Her request was not so difficult and he considered his own special talents, as it was. He switched his flight to rise in small circles, wings flaring wide to show off their width and the strong flight muscles before disappearing into the clouds long after the other chasers. Hide and seek need not be a rushed game, in his opinion. Not with multiple seekers all going at it at once anyways. He caught glimpses of others amongst the clouds and took to low-level mental brushes to signal his intentions. Crashing would not be very fun. Dsoleth caught sight of what he was sure was Nitrath's gold hide and nearly pursued. But...
Infortmation filtered through the brownpair's bond almost lazily and it took a bit for it to register that Nitrath's apparently wanted...fighting? Neither dragon nor man were particularly violent and while the latter didn't mind wrestling playfully with friends or for training he certainly didn't agree with it for competition. Dsoleth hesitated in the choice that lay before him but with a huff much like a sigh he twisted and dropped below the clouds with a farewell brush against Nitrath's mind. You are truly lovely, may you fly well still! Was his regretful parting shot as he circled steadily to land. Though his flying showed he was indeed tired he wasn't so exhausted he couldn't have supported her. His, however, always came first.
T'san quirked a grin at Caden's answer and withdrew his hand. A no to dancing then. A bit of a shame but he didn't really blame her either. Everyone liked different things after all. What she decided she wanted her males to do, though, had the brownrider raising a brow and frowing faintly in confusion. His discomfort with it began to bring his good sense back. Or maybe that was Dsoleth easing of on the flightlust. There was one among them with a weapon and yet she wanted them to fight? Well, wrestle, but close enough in this context.
The brownrider watched as the others paired off and noticed the only people left without a partner were the two seemingly disinterested ones buddying up over there. T'san shook his head and gave Caden a little salute. "See ya, missy," he murmured softly and headed towards the door as his and Dsoleth's minds cleared. Thankfully he'd never Impressed a bronze, what with their greater pull towards queens in Flight. T'san blinked and nodded at G'tor and Ce'thian, recognizing fellow clear-headed people, before slipping out the door with the intention of finding A'emi to provide a distraction of any sort.
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Rowana
Hive Mind
Handler Roivao Rider G'tor Rider Merridan Rider T'ke Rider N'rik Handler Porita Rider Farryl Rider Kyr'n[/color
Posts: 1,550
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Post by Rowana on Feb 1, 2012 19:49:41 GMT -5
Chaoth breathed deeply in the thinning air. This challenge was growing more exciting by the minute! Nitrath was beautiful frame against the oncoming clouds and Chaoth's desire to chase was all the stronger. The other males still present only motivated him to push on stronger. True, he wasn't as large as some, but he never saw size as an obstacle. He could do anything if he put his mind to it.
The clouds approached rapidly, and Chaoth watched as Nitrath disappeared into them. He was far enough back to have time to react and slowed his assent. So she wanted to play hide and seek? This should be fun! He rolled sideways into the mist. It was hard to see and the risk of collision was very high. Chaoth danced through the clouds, taking advantage of his slightly more agile form to avoid the others and keep pace with Nitrath. He caught sight of golden flashes now and then, but it didn't seem as though finding the lovely queen would be so easy!
Merridan gave another wolfish grin. Caden was truly a wonderful female. Wrestling was the perfect way to prove their skill and strength before her. It was much better than silly dancing, what had she been thinking? Mer bowed again. "Of course!" she agreed readily, turning with pleasure to see that her clutch brother was also ready. It was nice to pair off with someone she knew well. "Shall we, brother?" she crooned, hunkering down. Without further warning, she gave him a solid tackle, though she was careful that he wouldn't fall and crack his head if he was too surprised. This was to show off for the lovely Caden after all, not hurt other males.
~
G'tor shrugged with a wry smile on his face. He didn't usually stick around after leaving a Flight, but if Ce'thian had enough of a mind to want company he didn't mind. "Rusk enjoys himself quite a bit too," he admitted with a chuckle. "I just wish he'd give me more warning." He glanced over to the other me, and one woman, still watching Caden. Maybe he would need to leave after all if they were all going to start wrestling each other. He didn't really feel like getting through into a bear pile of sweaty bodies today.
Ce'thain's next words made him stifle a louder laugh, his eyes dancing with amusement. "It would be my honor to be your 'meatshield'," G'tor answered at last, patting the other man's shoulder. "We can't have your dignity in jeopardy, can we?" He watched T'san approach curiously for a moment, though a mental nudge from the watching Ruskeath confirmed that Dsoleth had dropped out. A pity, G'tor though, he was a strong brown. He waved and smiled as the man left, noting that now Mor'ya did not yet have a partner. Well, hopefully Ce'thian's ruse would work, because G'tor wasn't sure getting between him and a flight lust controlled weyrling was a wise choice.
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