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Post by ryanne on Jul 16, 2008 15:38:48 GMT -5
Continuing to sprint in her new direction, she chanced a look behind her. He had overshot and was having to right himself with his hand. She knew that she would be able to throw him off with that hairpin turn. Looking back forward, she continued to run with a new confidence. The edges of the forest were only a dragonlength away and she was determined to get there. She’d be able to twist back through the forest and get back to their original clearing. That would be her true win.
She was getting tired though. Her breath was coming in a more shaky of a pattern, but she could make it back. She was sure of it. But then she left arms around her waist and she went tumbling to the ground. Oddly, Liassa wasn’t disappointed. Instead, she just laughed with him. She was pretty sure that was the first time she heard him laugh genuinely instead of at her or sarcastically. His tight hold on her didn’t bother her. Instead, she just laid there, wiggling to flip over onto her back. She was definitely going to hurt tomorrow. It’d been a long time since she’d run for that long.
Sighing, she laid her head back and wrenched her arms from the hold and crossed them behind her head. “Very well, you caught me,” Lia commented nonchalantly, making sure her tone clearly displayed that she didn’t care. She was a bit irked, but it didn’t bother her enough to sulk. Instead, she was going to enjoy the fact that she wasn’t running anymore and hope that he didn’t hold this over her head forever. She had a feeling he was the type who wouldn’t forget his small wins, especially not after she had challenged him like she had. Oh well, she would just have to deal with it. She’d dealt with worse situations before. Much worse.
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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 Jul 16, 2008 15:52:07 GMT -5
So she wasn’t even a teensy bit annoyed that the chase had ended? Or even that she’d been tackled? How depressing was that? T’rid shook his head, grinning as she wiggled to her back. So she admitted defeat? Did that mean she wouldn’t run anymore? The bronzerider pushed himself up onto his bottom instead of lying on the ground, where the tackle had originally landed him, and pushed his hair back. It immediately fell back over his eyes. That was the problem when his hair was half-wet and half-dry. Ah, well. He could comb it back later.
“Right, you little runaway, are you ready to go back to Corinth or are you going to run away again?” She was breathing heavily, so chances were she would go back—perhaps not meekly, but she’d go back nonetheless. T’rid’s grin spread a little. “Or am I going to have to carry you back and pitch you into the water?” He half-hoped she would make him carry her; it might be entertaining to see how far out he could throw her. No, he didn’t throw females on a daily basis, but hey, who knew? It could be the start of something.
Are you coming back now? Corinth asked from his clearing. A low rumble ran through the forest, undoubtedly that of Corinth rumbling low in his throat. I need some entertainment and trees aren’t particularly exciting. At least you and Liassa don’t a) kill each other, b) argue too much, and c) cause headaches for me. It amuses me to see you with a female that’s not stupid, and still enjoy yourself nicely. T’rid stood, glancing in the direction of the rumble. One way or another, we’re coming, he agreed, looking down at Liassa expectantly.
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Post by ryanne on Jul 16, 2008 20:30:14 GMT -5
She watched him as he messed with his hair, still laughing a bit. “You realize that you’re not getting anywhere. Every time you brush it aside, it just comes back.” She didn’t mean it to be insulting, just kind of as an observation. Her breathing was still fairly labored though it was slowly evening out. She had run and run and run and she didn’t think she could even move right now. After she caught her breath, though, she’d be able to get up just fine…hopefully.
She was opening her mouth to say that she couldn’t walk, much less run, but then he suggested carrying her. Quickly jumping at a chance to get a free ride back to the clearing, she quirked her eyebrows in a manner that, if she’d been thinking clearly and not focusing on breathing, she would have accused herself of being flirtatious. “I think I might just keep running. I’m not quite ready to give up just yet.” She was careful to even her breathing properly so that she didn’t she didn’t seem like she was having difficulty gulping air instead of ready to get back up and run from him. She had to sell this if she wanted him to carry her back.
Why aren’t you back yet?[/i]Tiaeth asked, obviously still sleeping even though she managed to grab enough consciousness to notice she wasn’t back. Soon, love, soon, she replied, lulling the little dragon back to sleep. She didn’t let T’rid know that her dragon was anxious. She was supposed to be extending this by running away further rather than worried about getting her dragon in time. To further her act, she winked at him and began to get up, hoping and praying that she would be able to at least pull herself to her feet. At this point in time, she wasn’t quite sure.
((Feel free to grab her))[/size]
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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 Jul 17, 2008 16:08:52 GMT -5
“I realize that,” T’rid sighed, pushing irritably at the hair. It insisted upon coming back and half-obscuring his vision. He wrinkled his nose as a droplet of water snaked down his hair and landed on the tip of his nose. Stupid water. It just insisted upon making him wet, didn’t it? He swiped at it, succeeding in cleaning it off, and then grinned, slightly challengingly, at Liassa, listening to the sound of her breathing. While it wasn’t choking on air, there was no doubt she was breathless. Suddenly it eased again, and she said she wanted to keep running. Did she have a death wish? Or, for that matter, did she think he did?
He was slightly suspicious, though. This was the girl who had tricked him into a ride on Corinth, his Corinth. I am Yours, that is true, but remember you are also Mine, Corinth told him warningly. Don’t get too complacent. A smile curved T’rid’s mouth. I won’t, he said to Corinth, and leaned down until he was roughly at the same level of Liassa. “If that’s so, I’ll carry you, but don’t think I won’t pitch you into the lake as soon as we’re there.” Which was exactly what he was going to do. “Or drop you,” he added, as an afterthought.
Before scooping her up in a way that looked rather as if his arms were a cradle. T’rid shifted under the weight, making himself more comfortable. She wasn’t the lightest of all girls, but she wasn’t particularly overweight either. He could deal with her weight at least until they reached the clearing again. Taking care to jounce her a bit, T’rid grinned, tipping his arms until it was precarious for Liassa. “You don’t honestly think I’ll just carry you like a meek little runner, do you?”
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Post by ryanne on Jul 17, 2008 23:09:42 GMT -5
He realized that, but yet he kept trying. Hmm, wasn’t that evidence of being a dimglow? Knowing that you’re going to fail, but continually trying in the same fashion? She was tempted to mention that, but then she remembered she wanted to annoy him just enough that he would carry her and not too much so that he just picked her up and dropped her. She didn’t want to get injured, but a little water wasn’t too bad of an idea, even though it would be better if she managed to wriggle out before then. As long as she got carried all the way back, she supposed that a bit of water would be worth it.
She just giggled at his continual mentioning of the water. He could threaten all he wanted and she was fairly sure that he was good on carrying out his threats, but she really didn’t care. Either way worked for her. She was just way too winded to be interested in walking all the way back. Nope, the him carrying her idea worked well for her. So when he picked her up as she pretended to escape, she bit back a grin and struggled a bit, just for show. She had a feeling that he knew that she just wanted to get carried back, but hey, he was still insisting on carrying her, now wasn’t he.
His bouncing didn’t bother her a bit and neither did his tipping. Nonchalantly, she just wrapped her arms around his neck and folded her legs so that they were firmly latched around his arm. It’d be quite a feat for him to tip her out of his arms now. T’rid would just end up tumbling with her or having her cling to him enough so that she could right herself before hitting the ground. Either way would work for her, though she would prefer than he tumbled with her. Somehow it just made a more entertaining picture in her mind. She couldn’t imagine why…
“I’d never think that you were a meek little runner,” she added, laughing lightly. That much was the truth.
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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 Jul 18, 2008 15:24:47 GMT -5
T’rid walked as quickly as possible, for two reasons. 1) He wanted to get back to the clearing and to Corinth, and 2) walking faster resulted in more bouncing, which was good. For him, not for Liassa. He reached out to Corinth lazily, nearly tripping over a Sharding log. Well, perhaps she’d think it was on purpose, as he wasn’t beyond doing such things; and it was a good thing he’d kept his face monotonous. There was definitely no way he was the type to fall flat with his mouth gaping. Only dimglows did that, didn’t they know there were bugs on the ground?
He was slightly miffed by her giggling. Giggling always aggravated the bronzer, it seemed so pointless and girly. Very annoying indeed. So, Corinth, he said at last. How was your nap? Nice, I take it? Yes, said the bronze happily. Soothing and good and nice. I liked it. How are you? The customary exchange. Oh, good. I’m lugging Liassa around—literally—and we’re headed back to the clearing now. Corinth fell silent, and T’rid became aware that her arms were now around his neck, supporting herself. That was no fun! Now if he tried to drop her, he wouldn’t be able to! How disappointing.
His brain went to work instinctively. Now if he tried to throw her, it wouldn’t work. She’d just right herself, using his neck as a pole of sorts, and then laugh at him. But, T’rid thought, if he just went in with her…well, the water would feel good, admittedly (mood swing, much?), on his skin after the running and carrying, and his goal—to get Liassa wet—would be accomplished. At her words, T’rid grinned. “What about Corinth, then? You think he’s a runner to ride around the place?” The reference to the conniving done earlier by Liassa would, hopefully, not be missed.
Corinth sniffed somewhere. I am NOT a meek little runner, he said haughtily.
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Post by ryanne on Jul 18, 2008 18:00:14 GMT -5
She kept a smile on her face as she was jolted around. Lia was perfectly aware that he was doing it on purpose and, quite frankly, she didn't mind. She was perfectly comfortable and she wasn't having to walk. She figured he knew her scheme and it was obvious that he didn't care that much. Probably because he was enjoying having some form of the upperhand. Though, to be honest, he'd kept it throughout most of their meeting, she'd just managed to throw him out and about a few times. She knew that it had to be disconcerting for him, but it'd made him think a little harder. And she was perfectly okay with that. Intellectually stimulating situations were always the most memorable ones when it's all said and done.
Lia rolled her eyes at him for what seemed like the tenth time that day. "Corinth is much more than a mere beast and anyone who says differently is a sharding dimglow." Anyone who laid eyes on a dragon could tell that they were beautiful, majestic beings, not animals or beasts like runners and canines. There was intelligence that simmered behind even the dimmest dragon's eyes and it was undeniable. Growing up in the weyr had given her a fierce respect for the creatures that kept the weyr running and Pern safe from Thread. She knew that T'rid was just joking, making a reference, but she couldn't help but be just a little miffed.
Noticing that they were getting closer to the clearing, Lia's mind churned. If she got out of his arms now, she wouldn't even have to be plunged in the water and fly back sopping wet. His hold on her was firm, but she might be able to break it and it was rather worth the try after all. Relaxing for a moment, she smirked at him before unwrapping her legs and attempting to swing herself from his arms, pressing against the arm that was supporting her shoulders and back. He was a rider and was strong and, unless she caught him when he was distracted, she didn't have much of a chance of escaping.
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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 Jul 18, 2008 18:24:54 GMT -5
T’rid grinned at the girl’s indignation. “As if you need to lecture me,” he pointed out reasonably. “Corinth is Mine, you know. You sound like you’re defending Yours.” He was being frank; she truly did sound as if Corinth was her Impressed—As if, Corinth sniffed—and she was defending him against some wher-brained dolt. “Are you this protective of Tiaeth, too?” It was surprising that he’d actually recalled the green’s name, but surprise, surprise, he was enjoying his encounter with Liassa, despite what he might act like or say, and he wasn’t about to insult her. Well, not too badly, anyway.
He carefully made his way back into the woods, the clearing in sight, when she began to squirm. He tightened his grip instinctively, shifting her again. “If you think you can get a free ride and prance off again, think twice,” he said good-humoredly, recognizing a maneuver that he would’ve tried. T’rid grinned, and the clearing was before them, and then—
They were in the clearing, the sunlight blinding him as Corinth lifted his head and rumbled in amusement. Now what are you going to do? he questioned. Let’s see… T’rid walked slowly to the edge of the river, holding Liassa over it and looking down thoughtfully, as if pondering whether or not to drop the girl in.
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Post by ryanne on Jul 21, 2008 11:24:29 GMT -5
Liassa wrinkled her nose at him. He had just been trying to get a rise out of her. For the first time, though, it actually seemed like he had succeeded somewhat. She was tempted to say "happy?" or something sarcastic along those lines, but she decided against it. "I like your Corinth, so I defended him." That was simple and it was true. Of course, she probably would have defended any dragon, though in retrospect it seemed kind of silly to defend a dragon to his rider. Any rider knows that a dragon is more than just a pack beast. They were bonded to them, they shared their minds with the dragons. How could you not see it?
She made a small disgruntled noise when she wasn't able to squirm free. Sure, it had been worth a try, but now she was really stuck and most likely going to get wet. Holding back the urge to try again, she just leaned her head against his chest, deciding that she might as well enjoy them rest of the jouncing ride. Reminding herself that it was better than walking, she grinned slightly. At least there was an up-side.
When they reached the clearing, she closed her eyes against the sun before opening them slowly as they adjusted. Seeing Corinth, she grinned. The bronze really was beautiful even if he did have a sharding annoying rider. She looked up at T'rid as she thought about that and then realized that she was pressed against his chest, his very bare chest and she was conveniently resting her head on him. Immediately she flushed a bright red and became intensely uncomfortable. It wasn't that it wasn't a nice chest; it was a very very nice chest and that was the problem! As he took her over to the river, she didn't even bother to struggle, too busy blushing.
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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 Jul 21, 2008 15:37:27 GMT -5
“Glad to hear it,” T’rid replied. See how lovable you are, Cor? Attracting male Candidates and Weyrling girls, the whole nine dragonlengths. Corinth rumbled appreciatively at Liassa. Shut up, I can’t help it that I’m deviously handsome, he flashed back, drawing a chuckle from His. It figured that the dragon was just as arrogant as the Rider, did it not? “Come on, did you really think I’d consider my mindmate, my lifemate, as nothing more than a herdbeast?” Who on Pern would look at a dragon and say, ‘Oh, look. A dragon. That’s kind of like a herdbeast, isn’t it?’ If they did in T’rid’s hearing, they’d probably have to be rushed to a healer straight away, if the dragon in question was Corinth, and he doubted he’d be the only Dragonrider to take action in such a way.
As he teetered on the edge of the water, contemplating its blue depths almost as wistfully as Corinth had a candlemark or so ago, T’rid chanced a glanced down at the girl, to see what she was thinking about if it was readable in her face. So many people wore their emotions on their faces, letting the whole of Pern take one look and know, instantly. To his surprise, her face was red. Wait, why? Had she done something? If so, he hadn’t noticed it…unless it was the fact that her head was currently against his chest. Holdborn girls were silly about that sometimes…why worry about that when someone’s about to dunk you in the water?
Silly girls.
I doubt you’d think them silly if it was a girl you wanted to fly, Corinth rumbled in low amusement. Well, so far I’ve not met anyone like that yet. I’ll be sure to let you know when I have, T’rid replied sarcastically, grinning at the bronze as he pondered, dipped one foot into the water. His trousers were nearly dry; jumping in would get them wet again and probably make him irritable when they were drying. But Shards, he hadn’t carried the girl all the way here to back out of jumping in.
T’rid jumped. Or rather, he fell forward, without trying to stop himself, his eyes sparkling as the water rushed up to meet them mid-fall.
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Post by ryanne on Jul 22, 2008 15:08:59 GMT -5
Liassa looked slightly dejected, "No of course not. But..." she stopped, "Nevermind." He was continuing to get a rise out of her because she felt the need to explain why he had managed to get a rise out of her before. It didn't matter. He won that little game. It wasn't her fault that she was fiercely protective of dragons. She remembered one time when she was at a Gather and someone had mocked a weyrling for being the dirt of the weyr. Saying that his dragon wasn't half as good as the kid's runner beast. Now how absurd was that? Holdbrats could be so naiive. And she'd grown used to trying to explain the importance and value of dragons to them, though several of them didn't understand no matter how many times she tried to tell them that dragons weren't beasts, they were intelligent creatures. Even some of the drudges in the kitchens couldn't get that and they lived among dragonriders. It was awful. Some people were so ignorant.
She tried to force the blush from her cheeks as they stood at the water's edge. Hopefully he wouldn't look down and see her cheeks' color, but she wasn't going to look at his face to see if he was. It would just make things worse. Funny how eye contact does that. And then they were falling. She bit back a childish squeal and just held on tighter as they toppled into the water, holding her breath carefully. Entering the water was a bit of a shock to her, but the water wasn't cold so she really didn't mind much. She just held on tight and when she felt herself hit the bottom of the river, she squirmed out of his grasp and made her way back above the water.
Shaking her hair from her eyes, she laughed, not giggled, but actually laughed. "Thanks for the ride back, runner beast," Lia joked, waggling her eyebrows a bit before crawling out of the water to the shore, leaning back, letting her feet soak in the river a bit. They were a bit sore from racing through the jungle like she had. The ground hadn't been exactly even and sticks weren't the most comfortable things to put all of your weight on. "The water feels rather nice, though," she admitted, wiggling her toes into the sand beneath the water. This was the life.
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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 Jul 22, 2008 16:19:42 GMT -5
Everything was lost in that first moment of submersion. He released Liassa then, seeing as he had to use his hands to push himself off of the muddy ground, tendrils of green water-grasses twining around his wrists slightly. There was a moment in which T’rid wondered briefly if he would be trapped there, but then they broke in his hands and the sun was warm on the back of his neck as he sat in the knee-deep water. This time, no water had gotten in his mouth, mostly because it was he who had done the dunking and not been on the receiving end of the surprise. For the first time today, Corinth teased softly, affection in his tones.
She laughed.
That was honestly surprising. T’rid couldn’t say that he’d heard many girls really, truly laugh and not just giggle shrilly or some stupid thing like that. He raised one eyebrow. “You sound better laughing than you do giggling,” he said, for once honest, although there was still the teasing drawl in his tones. “You should do it more often.” Although her words had been far from sincere, T’rid found himself making a pouting expression appear on his features.
“See, Corinth?” he asked, mock dejection on his face as he glanced towards the bronze sunning himself, lying on his side and extending his wings with soft purrs, “I told you she’d call me that, but you insisted I ought to get some experience carrying people around…” He grinned, pretending to mimic the dragon. “‘It’ll do you good to see what I have to do.’ Nobody teases you about it, do they?” Turning his attention back to Liassa, ignoring Corinth’s indignant huff of air, which ruffled his hair, T’rid lifted his hands, sopping, from the water and attempted automatically to push his hair out of his eyes where it continually fell.
So that was the definition of a “failure”…
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Post by ryanne on Jul 22, 2008 22:51:08 GMT -5
She watched him as he pulled himself up, wondering what was taking him so long. When he’d gotten up though, he looked at her with a peculiar expression on his face before lifting one of his eyebrows. She was expecting some sarcastic comment, but instead she was almost sure he was being serious. She studied his face for a moment, looking for any sign of him making fun of her or being sarcastic. There wasn’t any, much to Lia’s shock. Finally, the blush crept back onto her face. “Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” She resisted the urge to make a sarcastic comment or a joke to counteract his seriousness.
And then the lighthearted mood took back over, “Was the experience worth it?” She picked up her left foot, flicking water at her runnerbeast playfully. And then he pushed his hair out his eyes again. She smirked, “Failure.” It was kind of adorable. In a way, she liked having a small inside joke with him. It just kind of made the day even better. “You really should work on that.”
Sighing, she leaned back again, letting the sun float over her for a moment. “I have to get back to Tiaeth,” she admitted reluctantly. Liassa loved her dragon like none other, but she didn’t really want to leave T’rid’s company yet. He matched her and managed to best her a couple times already and they had had a great time today. She wasn’t exactly jumping up and down for it to end. It was unlikely that they were going to run into each other again like they had today. It sounded oddly romanticized when it was nothing at all like that. She liked being lighthearted and crazy and flirty without pressing duties stealing her from it. It didn’t happen often. It didn’t happen often at all.
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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 Jul 23, 2008 15:27:38 GMT -5
“Great, you think on it.” T’rid glanced up at the sky, mentally judging the candlemarks in his mind. Ah, never mind, he didn’t want to bother thinking. Not now, when it was so nice out and…well, truth be told, he simply didn’t feel up to the challenge of thinking at the moment. And you wonder why some Holders think dragonmen are lazy, Corinth said affectionately. Oh, yes, well, I still do wonder, T’rid replied innocently, but when he turned to Liassa again, a slight smirk decorated his face as he noticed the color of her cheeks.
He ducked the droplets of water and succeeded in nearly—but not quite—submerging himself face-forward in the water again. Grinning as he straightened, T’rid replied, “Ah, well, anything for the Lady, correct?” He rolled his eyes expressively, grinning, as she noted his failed attempts at getting his Sharding hair from his eyes. Well, it wasn’t T’rid’s fault it grew that way, was it? It is your fault that you repeatedly refuse to cut it, though, Corinth noted mildly. “Oh, go on, that’s like saying that you ought to cut off your hair because you can’t find a hair tie,” he replied, teasingly. Unless he was mistaken, Liassa was probably quite fond of her hair. Most girls were, and even if Liassa was not “every girl” she certainly wasn’t totally alien.
He had closed his eyes against the sun’s glare when her next words floated to him through a sleepy haze. Yes, T’rid wanted to sleep again. “Hmm?” he murmured, taking a minute to process what she’d just said. “Oh, right. We don’t want to let the sleepy little green wake up and find Hers gone, do we? Who knows what she’d do to Corinth’s tail for carrying Hers off?” It had been nice wallowing with Liassa, but T’rid wasn’t about to bow and say that to her. Okay. Time to figure out something serious to say that would actually help the girl, seeing as the trees around them looked of doubtful help to finding their way back. Oh, right. Corinth. “All right then…” He cocked one brow at Corinth. Ready to lug Liassa back? Very well… The bronze rolled onto his stomach again and huffed.
T’rid pushed himself off of the miry ground and scrambled, dripping, out of the water. “Come on, then, Lady Liassa, Corinth can take us back.”
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Post by ryanne on Jul 25, 2008 22:58:17 GMT -5
Liassa grinned as she wiggled into the warm sand, “I will.” She left it at that though she was mentally pondering the difference. She didn’t giggle much just from time to time and usually when she was flirting. Her and T’rid hadn’t flirted and she’d still let out a giggle every now and again. She didn’t think that there was that big of a difference, but she supposed to some people it was. It was obvious that she was actually musing on the subject due to the expression on her face and the fact that she’d drawn her bottom lip in between her teeth and was currently chewing on it in a rather pensive manner. Mayne he did have a point.
Coming out of it, she watched with amusement as he dunked himself. He really was quite an odd guy, but Lia decided that she rather liked him. “Of course. The Lady always gets as she wishes,” she responded with an authoritative air to her words. She wasn’t a conceited young woman, but it was all a game and she liked playing it. “No, but I wouldn’t continually push it from my eyes even though I know it’s not going to go anywhere. I’d go find a new hair tie.” She grinned at him impishly, gathering her hair up in her hand and twisting it a bit before moving it to the other side of her neck. She was rather fond of her hair, but she knew she was probably going to have to cut it off within the next few turns because she was a weyrling. Usually, long hair and riding just didn’t work at first and Weyrling Masters wouldn’t permit it. She wasn’t sure about Aryna though…the woman didn’t seem very conventional.
Liassa wrinkled her nose at his reaction. “You’d be surprised. She’s quite the spitfire when she thinks something’s happened to me or if something sets her off. She might only be able to reach Corinth’s tail, but she’d still do some damage.” She laughed a bit at the thought, making sure that it wasn’t a giggle. Mentally she added a ‘satisfied’ to the end of her laugh, but she didn’t add it verbally. She didn’t want him to think she was changing her reactions due to his preferences because, in all actuality, she wasn’t and it would go to his head too easily. While he conversed with his dragon, she drew herself to her feet, moving to stand over T’rid, “Want a hand up?”
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