Rei
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Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
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Post by Rei on Jan 1, 2011 2:47:42 GMT -5
It wasn’t quite yet past curfew no, but it was getting close. Nevertheless Erilena found herself bouncing along beside Dmitri through the jungle. It was a scenario that was growing increasingly common as the weeks past. Originally it had been a once and a while thing but as the days past the desire to tag around grew and grew. Perhaps at first the puppydog like following was born out of a desire not to be lonely. To not have to spend every silent dark night in her weyr with only Ca’tauri and Feyrianth for company. (Not that they both weren’t wonderful but there was something to be said for human interaction.) The harper was one of her only friends now after all, so was it wrong that he got he majority of her time?
Either way and whatever the reason by now the tagging along had become habit. Almost routine, and Erilena would be lying if she said she didn’t look forward to the almost nightly walks now. Dmitri had quickly become the only person the greenrider trusted enough to spill everything to. Who she could count on to both hold her when she was upset and tell her she was being an idiot when she needed to hear it. He was almost infuriatingly patient when she was being completely irrational. And he had always been that way in truth. Almost from the beginning. Never turned her away, not even when she came to him with her flight problem. No instead the handler had helped lock her up and even pinned her down through the flight despite her repeated attempts to molest him.
Of course Erilena, being Erilena, figured she owned him. Big time. Except it was hard to figure out what you could give a Dmitri that he didn’t already gave. It wasn’t like he was short on marks or really seemed to ever want anything. It was frustrating in a way. On top of that his turnday was rapidly approaching. Last year she had given him wine glasses for the occasion and she didn’t like to repeat gifts. It simply meant she had to be more creative. Of course being creative was hard when you had so many conflicting emotions rolling around inside your head. Speaking of conflicting emotions….titling her head up towards the handler, as she half bounced alongside him, the greenrider made a face.
“I know I told you earlier that I would get used to it but I still think you should just let me shave that thing.” Giving him a look of mock annoyance the woman continued in a light playful tone. “You know I’ll find a way to do it anyway~” Trotting forward she half pivoted around to his other side. “What are you in such a hurry for anyway? If I didn’t know better I’d say you where purposely trying to make me jog.” Breaking off Erilena’s eyes scanned the jungle to either side looking for any movement that would indicate where Dmisk currently was.
The night was perhaps more silent than it usually seemed. The hatching feast had wrapped up rather late surprisingly. The greenrider had attended but hadn’t done much more than lurk around the harper area and try to blend into the scenery. When the harpers had finished playing Erilena had simply slipped out after Dmitri, a bit before the remaining guests had started up their little drinking party. Maybe that’s why it was so quiet now. Half the weyr was drunk and filled up on food. Most of them where probably sleeping off their drink and food induced stupors actually. Trust Dmitri to still want to work after a gathering. Although somebody had to keep the weyr safe she supposed. With a sudden shiver the greenrider wrapped her arms around herself and shifted to walk closer to the handler. Even with a jacket it was still cold out here at night which she supposed was to be expected considering it was winter.
“No dumping us into any available bodies of water tonight. This time we might actually freeze.” Another shiver ran down Erilena’s spine in response to the memory and she poked briefly at his side. “You hear me?” She had been going for firm but instead her voice had only ended up sounding amused. Tch.
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on Jan 1, 2011 9:59:09 GMT -5
The harper was more than a little relieved to be away from the feast. It was easy enough to say that the invaders were a necessary evil and that they needed to be dealt with like say, perhaps, a rather stinky - and not altogether wanted - pet. But Dmitri had seen the bodies of his half-siblings. Burial wasn't common in Weyrs. Nevertheless, he wasn't leaving the bodies to their killers to dispose of. It just didn't sit right, you know?
This made it a little difficult for him to sing pretty songs for them. (At least he could rely on Eikane and Emoyan for the actual music. Using the instrument he'd crafted with his own hands would have seemed downright sacreligious.) Truth be told, though, it was always hard for him. Dmitri knew it was decidedly odd for a harper to hate social gatherings, but he did. And he was even a pretty social creature.
So yeah. Quiet mood. He was aware of Erilena, of course. How could you not be aware of a girl who looked like that - a long-time friend to boot - trailing along after you like some sort of faithful canine? The wherhandler was very much in his head, though. Not the best company right now. Dmitri knew it. He could only hope that the greenrider wouldn't take it personally.
It took him a moment to fully process her words once she broke the silence. Blinking, the young man nearly stumbled over Erilena. Fortunately, he was a graceful creature despite the seemingly endless growth spurt, and the harper managed to catch himself without grabbing onto her or tripping over the girl. A hand went to the facial hair feathering his jaw. It was just long enough to be soft and noticeable at a normal distance. Which actually meant something with blonde hair.
"Sorry, Lena. I forgot you had midget legs," he returned, his lips quirking up into a smile that didn't really have his full heart behind it. Dmitri nudged her lightly in the side with an elbow. (They were long past the questions of whether or not she'd tag after him all night; this was becoming a more frequent occurrence.) "If you had a legitimate complaint I might let you, but your only problem is you're 'not used to it.' The only way to fix that is to let you get used to it. How will that happen if you shave it off?" he concluded reasonably."'Sides. It's warmer." Which, for a wherhandler out at night, actually was a real consideration.
The handler chuckled. "What, and give you pneumonia? Then I'll end up with a moaning sickie that wants me to keep her company every second of the day." He reached out and ruffled her hair just to be annoying. Girls hated that. "What are you looking for, anyway? Dmisk won't let any little boogie men by." The wher was circling the humans restlessly just beyond the reach of a human's limited senses. He liked the woman because he had a good memory. A very good memory. But that didn't mean he approved of her tagging along so often. They couldn't move nearly as fast with other people around.
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Rei
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Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
Woooo~ I am a fox!
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Post by Rei on Jan 2, 2011 12:11:22 GMT -5
Scrunching up her nose in a expression of feigned annoyance Erilena gave a soft huff. “I’m not a midget, you’re just the size of a sapling. Soon I’m going to need a step stool just to be heard.” Okay so maybe that was just a bit of an exaggeration. At 5’ 6” she wasn’t all that much shorter than him. Maybe a little over a foot shorter by now, give or take but still. Dmitri needed to stop growing. When you had to pretty much stand on tip toes to reach his face easily it was almost annoying. Not that she wasn’t used to that already from her time spent with R’ven but still. Throwing him a playful look the greenrider edged closer. The handler’s subdued manner had not escaped her notice and Erilena wouldn’t be Erilena if she didn’t attempt to fix it somehow. Living in your head all the time was not a good thing. Or so she was often told in various forms of ‘You think too much.’ Which wasn’t completely off base.
Shifting closer to Dmitri she returned his prod, poking him harder in the side. “I think that’s a perfectly reasonable excuse to get rid of it. But since you don’t think so I’ll just have to take matters into my own hands.” Sticking her tongue out at him in an oh so mature manner the greenrider started trying to match her stride with his. Too bad it was something of a failure. At the very least the image should prove amusing to her oh so tall friend. That was the goal after all. Get him to cheer up maybe just a tad.
“Well at least you’re somewhat protected from the dreaded pneumonia by your facial coat. I don’t have that benefit.” Falling silent for a moment she laughed. “Be weird if I did.” Twirling around him again Erilena smiled. “Sides I wouldn’t make you spend every second of the day with me if you got me sick. Just the majority. I’m not that demanding.” She teased. Nope pretty easy keeper actually. Continuing to bounce alongside him she snuck a few glances up at the still quiet handler. Hmmm.
Suddenly the greenrider stopped for a moment, tilting her head and peering towards the jungle. “You’re sure Dmisk can stop all the little boogie men?” Came the soft question before she half ran forward to catch up with Dmitri. Suddenly stepping in front of him Erilena placed both hands on his chest to stop his forward movement and then put one finger to her lips. “Shhh. Do you hear that?” Tilting her head as if listening to something she stood on tiptoes and then poked the handler in the nose. “That’s the sound of almost complete silence. Cheer up puppy.” Tugging on a beard hair the greenrider pivoted away from the handler to avoid retaliation and trotted backwards.
Oh she was well aware that he hated her little nickname for him. The glares she got every time the word was mentioned told her that. But Erilena did it anyway to ruffle Dmitri. Why? Because it was fun and it got a reaction. “So what do I have to do to get you to wag your tail again hmm?” Hazel eyes narrowed playfully as she continued to walk backwards, waiting for some type of reaction. “What’s wroooong?~”
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on Jan 4, 2011 23:55:34 GMT -5
"Something tells me that's less a complaint against my height and more an insult to my hearing," he mumbled, mostly to himself. He rolled his eyes and went back to studying the shadows in the trees, blatantly tuning her out. Erilena's complaints about his beard were so not getting an ounce of consideration. He did feign a grab for her tongue, though, just to give her crap since she was so kindly dishing it out to him.
Was she really trying to match strides with him? Dmitri flicked a glance at her and really began stretching his legs, a flicker of a half-smile tugging at his lips. Okay, yeah, that was kind of amusing. (He wasn't oblivious to the fact that she was trying to cheer him up, either. Dmitri wasn't trying to be sour. It was just one of those nights.) The wherhandler was forced to shorten up his steps again when she started doing an impression of a rogue planet orbitting him.
"You mean I'd get a few seconds to myself? Small blessings, I suppose." He greeted her boogie men comment with nothing but a snort. The sudden shushing, though, caught his attention. Or maybe it was her hands on his chest. He rolled his eyes again, but it didn't keep him from tilting his head to one side, clearly listening for whatever it was that had apparently spooked her.
It wasn't complete silence, either. The poke caught Dmitri by surprise and he very definitely yelped. It wasn't loud. It didn't really have to be, though. Fortunately, the darkness covered up most of the blush that was creeping up his neck, and that beard she complained so much about was helping with the rest of it. Dmitri snatched for Erilena's hand, just barely missing it. His eyes had slitted into lines.
"That question is based on two false premises. First, that I've ever wagged my tail. Second, that I have one." The lofty tone behind the words should make it clear - to her, at least, considering they'd known each other for turns - that Dmitri was playing around. A brow rose at her question, likely lost to the shadows. "If that's a genuine question," he commented seriously, "you'd probably do better to make it sound less mocking. Or you're not likely to get an answer."
He rubbed at the back of his neck idly. "I'm not fond of harpering for gatherings like that. Especially for some of the people there. Performance isn't my strongsuit." No, he wrote music, and his voice was passable for a harper. Which meant good, sure, but definitely not memorable. Plus he hated when others were out of tune. Or no one paid attention. Eh. There was a lot more to harpering than singing pretty songs for people getting steadily drunker, but it was still sadly part of his job.
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Rei
Administrator
Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
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Post by Rei on Jan 5, 2011 21:40:36 GMT -5
The feint at her tongue and the way the corner of Dmitri’s lips twitched at her little attempt to match his longer stride did not escape her notice. No in fact it only reassured her that she was on the right track and perhaps spurred her to take her antics to a higher level. He had a smile in there somewhere. The handler seemed determined to make her work for it though. Tch. Well fine then she would. Goal set. Had to make him at least smile. If not laugh. Laughing was better but his mood was pretty subdued, that would take some doing. Tossing her blonde hair back to get it out of her face Erilena couldn’t help a small giggle at his yelp. Had she honestly scared him? Looked like it and it was a good thing she had moved so quickly. The greenrider knew that Dmitri would have attempted some type of retaliation. The handler had fast reflexes and a long reach but this time she had come out on top if only by a few inches. Ha. Just couldn’t let it go to her head now, or he’d capitalize on it. Snot that he was.
Smiling brightly at his lofty comments Erilena laughed. “Oh really? How was I supposed to know they where false?” She asked in a cheerful tone. “You’ve never wagged your tail? That’s a shame and really kinda sad.” Eyes gaining a playful brightness she carefully drew just a tad closer to him. “You don’t have to have a tail to wag you know. I’ve known canines without tails that wag perfectly well. It’s all in the hips really.” And this is where the greenrider would have normally happily demonstrated for the handler but the action never happened because of the slight change in his tone. The seriousness of Dmitri’s voice had the woman’s smile fading just a bit. “I wasn’t trying to be mocking.” She offered softly, gaze going to her friend’s face and smile turning to a slight frown as he rubbed at the back on his neck. Well darn, here he went with serious business now. So much for cheering the handler up the traditional way.
With a sudden movement Erilena bounced forward and threw her arms around Dmitri’s waist, hugging him tightly and pressing the side of her head against his chest. For a moment she didn’t speak finding herself, strange as it sounded, listening to his heartbeat. Then she commented softly. “Yeah some of them don’t deserve it at all.” Not when they murdered baby dragon’s in cold blood. Not when they murdered children. But…Dmitri was the one who had told her that she had to learn to live with them. Pity them not hate them. He was right but some days even that didn’t make looking at them any easier. Not after the culling. “You sounded as lovely as you always do if it’s any consolation.” Even if he had looked on the occasion like he really didn’t want to be there. It wasn’t anything you would have noticed if you hadn’t been looking for it. Gah now what? She was losing her goal. How to make him smile….
With a look of brief concentration Erilena pulled back, loosening her grip and letting her hands fall back to her sides as she took a few quick steps back from his immediate personal space. “Okay enough with the depressive air. I’m going to teach you how to wag your tail. You can’t be a proper puppy unless you can wag your tail.” Fighting back a laugh she poked at his nose and then danced away. Throwing a glance over her shoulder she gave him a bright smile. “Like I said before it’s really all in the hips.” Giving her rear a few good shakes she spun around and then pointed at him trying extremely hard not to laugh although it kind of came out in her next words. “Now you try.”
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on Jan 6, 2011 0:04:22 GMT -5
All in the hips. She was talking about hips now. At least she wasn't grabbing him by the hips to 'show' him how to wag. Really, Erilena was very good at the oblivious game, and he was fairly certain that at least some of it was less being oblivious and more simply ignoring the obvious. Which made her a definite tease. Of course, he'd never given her any reason to adjust her behavior, now had he? Fortunately, she was distracted by his other comments and he wasn't going to have to worry about it for the moment.
Shardit. Cute girl hugging him tightly. Dmitri barely held back the sigh, threading his arms around her because he knew she wasn't trying to make things difficult. Quite the opposite, actually. To her hugs meant reassurance. To her everything was simple and innocent. So that made him the bad one for not being on the same page with her. It didn't feel so bad, anyway, having her pressed against him. He'd found a most undesired need for physical contact had sprung up on him sometime in the last turn or so...
A wry chuckle sounded in his throat. "Nice to know at least one person wasn't getting drunk and was actually paying attention." The bluehandler glanced over in the direction of Dmisk. The wher wasn't visible, but he didn't need to be to express his impatience. Walking along was bad enough without all the frequent stops. Yeah, yeah, he understood. Dmitri was just about to mention something to Lena when she abruptly disengaged - hopefully not because she'd noticed the awkwardness.
Noooo apparently not. Why would she, anyway? "What makes you think I want to be a proper puppy?" he grumbled. And now she was shaking her rear not that far in front of him. A very nice rear. (Really, he couldn't imagine that she actually expected him to imitate her. The wherhandler had made it more than clear he wasn't fond of this nickname she'd come up with for him.)
Oh well. There were other things to do. Like grab her by the hips. He drew her closer, though kept enough of a distance between them that it wouldn't get weird again. "I don't have hips like yours. Really, I think you'd embarrass me if I tried to emulate you." Heh. "Dmisk is getting really antsy, you know." He turned her about by the shoulders and nudged her playfully forward. "Keep those weapons holstered and march, lady."
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Rei
Administrator
Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
Woooo~ I am a fox!
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Post by Rei on Jan 7, 2011 20:39:48 GMT -5
Had she really expected Dmitri to comply with her ridiculous demands? No. Of course not. What Erilena had been going for was getting the wher handler to lighten up a little, and in a way it had seemed to work. Which made the greenrider feel immensely pleased with herself, even if it got her caught by the hips and pulled towards him. Drat not far enough away after all.
With no resistance she allowed Dmitri to pull her closer. While at first it had made her a bit anxious by now she had grown well used to being snatched in various modes of fleeing him. Although because Erilena kept letting herself get caught the argument could be made that she obviously wasn’t trying to hard to escape was she? Something that to be honest the greenrider would rather not rationalize right now. I brought up a immense convoluted mess of feelings and thoughts that she would rather keep at bay. At least until she was finally alone at night and pondering the ceiling.
Ah the ceiling. Her best friend most sleepless nights. But there where far more interesting things for Erilena to be playing attention to besides the inner workings of her mind. For example the Dmitri speaking in front of her. That might be a good thing to pay attention to currently. Wrinkling her nose in a gesture of false annoyance she allowed herself to be turned and gently urged forward. Not without some type of lip service though thank you very much. “He’s always antsy about something. I swear he is worse than you sometimes. No wonder you’re a sapling. He’s the wher version of a slave driver. How are you supposed to fatten up if he runs it all out of you every night?” The humored edge to her words made it obvious that the statement was made mostly in jest. Oh Erilena adored Dmisk. Much more than she liked Dementia for sure. No the blue wher wasn’t overly affectionate or friendly but he didn’t have to be. Dmisk was simply put Dmisk. He seemed to exude his own special brand of self made charm. Sort of like his human counterpart.
Throwing a backwards glance over her shoulder the greenrider began literally marching forward, trying her best to impersonate some of the guardsmen she’d seen back at the hold. Not a very good example of marching but the best she had. “Weapons. Tch. Your version of weapons and mine are extremely different. As far as I know I have only one weapon and I’ve never had to use it.” Erilena was of course referring to the small blade she had recently taken to carrying strapped to her thigh. Only because she had promised Nephele that she would. Hopefully the greenrider would never have to use it but well, you never knew with things like they where now. Idly she wondered just how many people carried hidden weapons now. Appearances could be deceiving after all and if she was carrying a weapon how many other unlikely people where? Note to self.
Nevertheless the marching was actually kind of tiring and before they had gone to far Erilena broke into an easy jog, giving a backwards look towards Dmitri to check his position in relation to hers. Perhaps he chose to still remain subdued but for someone who should really be asleep the greenrider had quite a bit of energy left. Not to mention she was still determined to draw him into a better frame of mind. Even if it meant being ridiculous. Hmm. Adjusting her pace to more or less fall into step beside him she shot him a challenging look before commenting.
“So. Remember when I told you that I thought I was faster than you and you didn’t believe me? Wanna race?” Not waiting for the handler to form a proper answer Erilena shot off ahead through the underbrush and half leapt a fallen log. Setting her feet again on a mostly straight path she kept going not risking a glance back. Belatedly it occurred to the greenrider that this was probably a bad idea and she was probably going to end up on the ground at some point. But hey. It was all in good fun right?
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on Jan 18, 2011 20:02:18 GMT -5
Trust Erilena to take things to extremes. While he could keep himself from laughing, the look of amusement was not so closely kept under control. Not that it mattered when she had her back to him. Someone should tell her how bad she was at that. Someone whose name wasn't Dmitri. He slid his hands into his pockets and snorted softly at her words. "I don't see any compelling need to fatten up, anyway. Sapling's better than twig. And I think it's less that our views are different and more yours is narrower than mine." The cocky little smirk that painted his face when he teased people was back in evidence.
Apparently Erilena wasn't terribly interested in a philosophical discussion of just what was and wasn't a weapon, because suddenly she was fleeing further up the trail. Dmitri rubbed at his lightly furred jaw and glanced toward the still shadows that he knew hid his mindmate. The blue wasn't terribly pleased to have yet another interruption, but he loped after the girl anyway, still keeping out of sight. Really. How many times did Dmitri have to tell her not to go off on her own in the middle of the night?
Granted, she probably thought he'd take off running in a desperate need to protect his ego and preserve his manhood. Heh. As if boys who Impressed golds, had girlfriends ten turns their senior and indulged the resident manwhore wherhandler really had a ton of masculinity left to preserve. But it probably would be a good idea not to let her get too far ahead in the event she managed one of her patented Lena disasters.
Dmitri broke into a jog, the jog quickly picking up pace into a lope, but he didn't follow her directly. His path took him through trees he knew all too well, down the byways he used with Dmisk when there were no other humans to be concerned with. Branches whipped by, roots reared up to snag unsuspecting feet, and the unbroken ground shifted when his weight passed over it...but he was gone before it could do any damage. Dmisk had Erilena's location, so it was the easiest thing in the world to cut through the thicker jungles until he was pacing her, nearly as silent as his wher. She wouldn't hear him over her own breathing.
Then he poured on more speed, until he'd put a good fifteen yards between them, and the wherhandler leapt onto the trail, pivoting and snagging Erilena before her momentum could carry her past him. He still stumbled back a couple paces. She may not be particularly heavy, but anything moving at a near dead sprint wasn't easy to stop, especially when you really weren't planted yourself.
Holding her against him, Dmitri flicked at the dampened hair dangling on the side of her face. "You were saying?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "You really don't learn about the whole not going off on your own at night in the woods thing, do you?" But he really didn't sound that peeved. Dmisk's brief appearance as he crossed the trail, though, contained a chill in his posture that very much conveyed how displeased he was. Dmitri eyed where the wher had disappeared to for a lingering moment. "Upset him any more and I think he'll eat me," the wherhandler commented drolly.
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Rei
Administrator
Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
Woooo~ I am a fox!
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Post by Rei on Jan 19, 2011 20:04:24 GMT -5
It was actually kind of nice to just run. Lengthening her stride Erilena kept down the trail still resisting the urge to look back. If Dmitri was following however she didn’t hear him. Nope all that filled her ears were the sounds of the night, her feet against the jungle floor, and the sound of her own breathing. To be honest she wasn’t thinking at all about it being a bad idea. Dmisk and Dmitri were around weren’t they? Plus the whers had by now quite effectively pretty much cleared out the felines. Thus what could the greenrider possibly run into in the dark? Well maybe a tree but lets hope she wasn’t quite that night-blind. The thought slowly came to her that perhaps she should have set a finish line somewhere. Because how would she know if she won or not. Drat. Oversight on her part. But in all honestly right now Erilena was just happy she hadn’t tripped over anything in the dark yet. Her night vision was getting better. Not as good as any wherhandlers’s certainly but through all her tagging along she wasn’t quite as blind anymore.
Still the greenrider was completely unprepared when Dmitri suddenly appeared on the path in front of her and snatched her, stumbling back and pulling her against him. The sudden stop squeezed some of the breath out of Erilena’s lungs and for a few moments, as she tried to regain it, all she could do was glare up at him narrowing her eyes as he flicked a strand of sweat dampened hair out of her face. Damn smug harper. But the thought was accompanied by a smile and, hard as the greenrider tried to hide it, the corners of her lips twitched upwards anyway. Leaning fully against him, more because her legs needed to rest than anything else, she breathlessly remarked reasonably. “You were right there. I wasn’t really by myself.” Pausing again she swallowed, suddenly becoming aware of just how close they where in proximity. It was the quicker pace to the handler’s heart that, ironically, made it apparent. Running was running no matter how used to it you were and Dmitri didn’t really look the least bit winded even if his heartbeat was a little elevated. Brat.
Problem with the proximity was that it felt good. Better than it should. It was almost a little startling but even more startling was the fact that Erilena realized that she didn’t mind. So then…was it really a problem? Before the greenrider could begin to rationalize it further Dmisk had appeared on the trail looking quite grumpy before simply melding back into the jungle. She too watched the area the blue had disappeared into for a few more moments before returning her gaze to Dmitri. With a smile she then gave a soft snort. “Well that’s not fair. Maybe he should eat me instead? I’m the one annoying him.” Not bothering to disengage from him Erilena instead wrapped her arms loosely around the handler’s waist. “Besides he can’t eat you yet. You still have to claim your prize.” Wrinkling her nose in mock annoyance she continued. “You won our bet. You are indeed faster. Who knew that saplings were also runners?” The reluctant admittance to the greenrider’s tone made it clear that she hadn’t really wanted to admit it. Because she had been trying to outpace the handler tch.
Eyes still fixed on his face Erilena gave Dmitri a playful look and stuck out her tongue. “Lucky you legs. So what do you tend to claim as a prize? You should think fast before Dmisk turns around and bites us both for being so slow.” She wasn’t near as winded nor unsteady as she had been nonetheless she was reluctant to pull away from him. Again it started all those lovely mixed thoughts to make an appearance. Hmm.
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on Jan 20, 2011 9:16:46 GMT -5
Was that a glare? He resisted the urge to laugh at her - difficult though that was, considering Erilena's glares were akin to a domestic kitten's - and he accepted her weight comfortably. Dmitri rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, and if no one chased?" She'd be far ahead and likely lost. People seemed to lose themselves at night in dense jungles. Go figure. But again...Dmitri wasn't upset enough for it to register in his voice. He was in a mood, really, and it could be argued that the harper was trying to stay in that mood and not let Erilena draw him out of it. Peevish teenager that he was.
Now this would be the point where Erilena regained her breath and stepped back. He was only loosely holding her at this point, so he found it a little surprising when she coiled her arms around him instead. Sure, the greenrider hugged him often enough. There was a bit of a difference, though, between hugging someone and holding onto them. She was definitely crossing into the latter. Some of that questioning must have made it into his eyes as he looked down at her. "I told you already: you should pick another contest. One you can win." Trust Dmitri to say that completely seriously.
A brow rose at her childish display. It lingered there perhaps a few seconds longer, too, because the older girl still hadn't let him go. Or even pulled back a little bit. Dmitri was becoming aware of her breaths, which had slowed to a more normal rate but still weren't quite back to normal. He didn't have to look or listen to gauge that; each one was magnified by the chest pressed against him. "Dmisk isn't going to bite you," the handler stated with a snort. "Yet alone eat you." He remembered who had saved His those turns ago. Dmisk had an excellent memory when he wanted to hang onto something.
The stalling words weren't doing much to clear his mind, though. Other thoughts surfaced. Memories. The familiar guilt that was Els rose up, stronger now. Dmitri tried to always be truthful - something that was actually a good deal more difficult than it sounded, because truth was more relative than people liked to think - and he'd told her he'd wait for her. Not in so many words. Come find me when you grow up. Well, she had. And he'd understood, accepted the apology she gave him. But it was strange. The feeling he thought would come back, the hole she'd left...nothing had changed. The regret had only shifted flavor.
And now here he was with the girl he'd crushed on turns ago, his friend nearly since the beginning, her body pressed against him. And all he could think of as a 'prize' were her lips. Well, fuck it. He couldn't force himself to love Elysia again, no matter how much he wanted to - and he did. So why not kiss this woman in front of him? Dmitri bent, kissing her lightly...and just long enough that it definitely wasn't a joke, even if the kiss was chaste. He nipped her lip lightly as he straightened, and let a small smirk touch one side of his mouth. "A good prize." Another pause. "Are you cold or something?" Because yeah she was still holding on to him. Maybe she just liked pressing herself against him, but that opened up a whole new can of worms. Besides, he'd feel silly if he thought it was something like that when it was really something simple and innocent. Erilena had a habit of being oblivious, after all.
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Rei
Administrator
Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
Woooo~ I am a fox!
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Post by Rei on Jan 20, 2011 20:08:51 GMT -5
Erilena’s eyes didn’t move from Dmitri’s face as he spoke to her. It was hard not to catch the slight questioning cast to his gaze as he spoke however. Even if his voice lacked any sort of the same questioning. No his tone was completely serious. So then…what was there to question? Before she could try to find an answer though he said something that caused her to softly snort. Tch. Pick another contest? Well she had stubbornly thought she could win this one. Thus why the greenrider had said that she was faster. Not her fault she ended up being wrong. Smiling up at Dmitri anyway she wrinkled her nose slightly as his brow slowly rose. Well now. What was so surprising to him now? Erilena often stuck her tongue out at him. For no other reason than to simply to get a reaction. That shouldn’t surprise him. So what did?
Before she could form the question however he was going on about Dmisk not biting her and, almost without thinking, the greenrider turned her gaze back to the forest for a short moment. Not that she could see the blue wher at all but she knew her friend was right. His wher would no more eat or bite her than she would him. It was just a tease anyway. She didn’t really think that Dmisk would do such a thing. Turning her gaze back to Dmitri to state that fact, although he probably already knew it anyway, the words died in Erilena’s throat. He was looking at her, but at the same time not. It was as if the handler was trapped somewhere in that head of his. Hmm. As hard as the woman tried to figure out what just exactly that expression in his eyes was… It seemed to just barely escape her grasp. There but not tangible.
“Demi?” That was as far as Erilena got before Dmitri bent and pressed his lips to hers. For the barest second she froze. The kiss through maybe not completely unexpected was still a surprise. Half lidding her eyes in response to the sensation the greenrider leaned more firmly into the handler. She just barely managed to return a little bit of pressure before she felt the nip and he was drawing away. And there went all those lovely feelings, emotions, thoughts, and desires that ran rampant through her head those sleepless nights. Some of it must have reflected in her eyes as Erilena tired to catch the harpers gaze, still feeling the aftereffects of the kiss, her lips parted just barely as she blinked up at Dmitri. A shiver ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. Now what?
For a few moments there was silence until the handler gave one of those slightly lopsided smirks of his and spoke. With a soft smile the greenrider simply nodded and then swallowed trying to find her voice. “It was a good choice.” The words though soft where at least clear and steady. Thank Faranth for that much. Still smiling up at him Erilena slightly shook her head. “Not cold no.” With that she stood on her tiptoes, her arms sliding up from Dmitri’s waist to wrap loosely around his neck. Definitely not cold. Actually she was feeling a little warm. She also wasn’t planning on letting him go until she at least tried something. Lips hovering a just a couple breaths from his jaw line she spoke. “I just….”
“You just what? Like to go around throwing yourself at that which isn’t yours? Please do finish that sentence. I’m dying to know the answer.” The cold icy tone coming from somewhere close was distinctly feminine and had Erilena stiffening and settling back fully onto her feet. Her arms dropped from around Dmitri’s neck as well as she half turned, wide eyes fixing on the figure emerging from the tree line. Wincing slightly at the anger in the gaze turned on her the greenrider unconsciously took a step back, just barely grazing against the hander’s side as she did so. Swallowing she tried to keep the other woman’s gaze and failed, eyes instead fixing somewhere beyond the other greenrider.
~~~
Stepping out from the shadows Elysia’s gaze first went to Dmitri, the hurt and anger in the look undisguised, before her gaze again slipped to Erilena. Well, well, well. The cold anger in her gaze was very apparent as she fixed it on the other rider and it was hard for Elysia to fight the smile when the younger woman dropped her gaze. Now why would Erilena do that if she didn’t know she was doing something wrong hmm?
Dark eyes going back to Dmitri she purred silkily. “Tell me Dmitri don’t you want to know what she was going to say? You seemed so interested a few moments ago. Please don’t let me stop you.” The sharp and mocking edge to her tone was not hard to notice. Pissed Elysia was pissed. And why shouldn’t she be? Come to see him and find him kissing another. One of the handler’s supposed friends nonetheless. Well they sure where friendly weren’t they? Still behind all the anger it was apparent the woman was hurt. Very hurt. Yes greenrider had told him he was supposed to go and be happy. But that didn’t mean that he was supposed to do this.
Not when Elysia was risking herself just to see him every month. Not when she had poured everything out apologizing to him. Not when she still loved Dmitri. Not when she still wanted him, and not while she was still trying to keep him. It was simply wasn’t allowed and it was terribly hard for the older woman to stay still when she really wanted to bite the girl who was daring to try and encroach on her territory. How dare she. For now Elysia settled on intimidation, taking another step forward and out into the faint light.
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on Jan 21, 2011 8:37:39 GMT -5
He'd definitely surprised her. Which wasn't...unexpected. The rest he couldn't be sure of. Naturally, there were any number of ways this could go. For all his supposed arrogance - and that was a trait he tended to highlight for reasons only the harper could really know - Dmitri didn't really think that he was terribly attractive. Sarcastic. Scars over half his body. Not small enough to be prettyish and certainly not large enough to go the other direction. And Erilena had already rejected him once, several turns ago.
But it was just a kiss. And maybe he was just...curious. The greenrider's innocence made it hard to read her. Did she know what she was doing when she cavorted around him like this? Maybe. Probably not. Did it matter? Now that was a more interesting question. She was a woman, with a woman's passions, and just because she wasn't consciously aware of herself didn't necessarily mean that the more instinctive part of her wasn't acting like any other woman. The worst that could come of a kiss was rejection and a little awkwardness. They'd been friends too long for it to ruin anything. He hoped.
It would have been a lie, though, to say that the bluehandler wasn't surprised by how quickly she did respond to him after that first moment of stiffness. His arms tightened around the girl leaning into him, and she even managed to return the kiss for a second or two. Well...he supposed that answered that question, now didn't it? Which...complicated things. Somewhat. Because the truth was he wouldn't be kissing her at all, questions or no, if he thought -
Getting out of his head enough to meet her eyes, the man managed a small smile for his friend. He was still holding her close if nothing else. Watching her, his breath caught a little as she hovered near his jaw. But it was the wrong voice that he heard. The night thankfully concealed at least most of the flush of heat that swept over his face, a mixture of embarrassment and anger. What was she doing? His head turned toward her, eyes narrowed, arms dropping to his sides.
"Els." Now if that wasn't ironic. What were the odds of one of her monthly visits coinciding with the first time he kissed Lena? Chance was having a good laugh at his expense, it seemed. There was a protective quality to the step he took to partly block Erilena from Elysia's death glares. "Lay off it. I kissed her, not the other way around." Not that she didn't know that. Seeing as how she'd been spying on them and all.
Speaking of which...where was that wher of his? Dmisk commented dryly that it really wasn't his fault that Dmitri wasn't paying attention to him when he told the man things. A hand went to the harper's temple, trying to rub away the growing headache. He needed to talk to Els, true, but this was less than ideal. It was that irritation that colored the words he snapped back at her. "Yes. Actually I would, when she feels like telling me." Needed to separate these two.
A hand fell on Erilena's shoulder. He was trying to ignore the open accusation from the older woman. Dmitri did feel guilty, but not about the kiss. "Why don't I let Dmisk take you back?" he murmured to her quietly. Elysia would probably hear, no doubt straining her ears to catch anything that passed between them. The wherhandler was well-used to her jealousies. It had made it hard to be near any women however innocently while they were together, and clearly, even though she'd said he should move on with his life, she hadn't really meant it. Couldn't blame her for that too much. It was hard not to lie when you didn't know you were lying.
Which was why they were at this pass to begin with, wasn't it? "I'd meant to talk to you, Els," he added, his tone taking on a weary note.
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Rei
Administrator
Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
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Post by Rei on Jan 21, 2011 19:27:13 GMT -5
Swallowing as Dmitri took a sudden step forward Erilena’s gaze went to him, drawn by the movement. The greenrider stayed silent as the harper spoke to Elysia. In truth Erilena was feeling a number of things currently, embarrassed, upset, guilty, and certainly a little confused. On top of all of that she was also getting the feeling that she distinctly didn’t belong. Especially considering the looks Elysia was giving Dmitri. They seemed so intensely personal and it just made the younger woman feel…terrible. The hateful glares where not helping either. They just made Erilena want to curl up somewhere and hide. So was it any wonder that the greenrider stayed silent and let the other two interact? She didn’t know what to say. What to do. How to feel. Oh there were plenty of emotions and thoughts running through her but none had claimed dominance over the others yet.
Silent Erilena stayed, trying not to obviously tremble until Dmitri’s hand came down gently on her shoulder and she jumped. Blinking up at him and barely catching the handler’s murmured question the greenrider nodded. “Okay.” The word was quiet with a thin undercurrent of what sounded like relief evident as well if one was paying attention. Although that feeling of relief did make her feel a bit guilty. Wasn’t she in a sense running away? Was it bad that that was all she wanted to do? Confused and not sure how to act Erilena was only to glad to accept Dmitri’s offer of escape. Although she did also felt a little bad for leaving him there by himself. He could deal with Elysia well enough on his own though she was more than sure. He had before hadn’t he?
With one last glance at Dmitri, and a half a glance spared for Elysia, the greenrider stepped away and started back in the direction of the weyr. She knew she wouldn’t have to wait for Dmisk. He was probably already there, just out of sight. Refusing to take a backwards look and trying to keep her steps from looking to hurried Erilena kept her eyes on the path in front of her. Only once she was out of sight did she allow her steps to quicken until she was almost jogging. Running really. Running from all those plaguing thoughts that she knew would just catch up later.
~~~
Elysia narrowed her eyes at Dmitri as he spoke. Oh yes she knew that he had kissed her. Didn’t matter who did what. Had the younger woman not been hanging on him, encouraging him, it might never have happened after all. Besides… making the other greenrider feel wrong and guilty would help keep her away from the handler. Elysia was well practiced in the art of manipulation. She had a good feel for what would work, thus the hurt and angry glares she had given Erilena. If she was smart the other would stay away. A soft almost growl left her throat as Dmitri snapped at her further. Oh he did did he? And what possible importance could such a thing hold hmm? None should be the answer.
Taking another firm step forward Elysia’s eyes stayed fixed on Dmitri as he mumbled to Erilena. Protecting her by letting her escape was he? What if she would rather Erilena stay hmm? Nevertheless the benden woman stopped her forward movement, merely giving a final glare to the retreating greenrider as she walked off. Pissing off the handler was counterproductive. Right now she didn’t need him angry. Not when she herself was…irritated. Attention snapping back to Dmitri as he spoke the older woman’s gaze softened only slightly at the weariness present in the young man’s tone. Not that it mattered much Elysia was still angry. Well mostly hurt really but anger was the easier emotion to default to. “Meant to?” Quickly the greenrider closed the distance between them, hand coming up to attempt a grab at the handler’s chin. “You have the floor and I also hope you have a good explanation.” The words contained the last traces of her anger, confusion making up the majority of the rest of the tone. It always was hard for her to stay mad at Dmitri for long.
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on Jan 22, 2011 2:27:39 GMT -5
He shouldn't have, really. The thought was firm in his mind. But schooling his expression was something he hadn't bothered to do for so long that the touch of betrayal that flashed through his mind at how quickly Erilena accepted his offer flickered across his face unchecked. Even if she'd argued he would have made her go. It didn't make sense to feel anything like that, even for a moment...but that was the problem with feelings; they rarely made sense.
Dmisk was reluctant to leave His, but did so anyway. He didn't fight Dmitri on much. Especially when he was conflicted himself. The healer was practically defenseless while His wasn't...and had the woman. Dmisk had no problems with Elysia. Usually. He took the gamble and went after the healer, padding along swiftly. Soon, he entered the trail to trot alongside her. The blue wasn't sure what was driving her, but she seemed to need something tangible near her.
Back with Elysia, the harper had to admit that 'meant to' probably didn't convey the meaning properly when the greenrider repeated the words like she had. Someone else might have responded at her sudden rush forward, might have backed up, caught or turned away from the reaching hand. With no one to protect, though, Dmitri defaulted to his usual relationship with Elysia. Fighting her was not something he usually did, especially not physically.
The bluehandler relinquished control of his head to her, meeting the woman's eyes for a long moment. Then he looked away. "When I next saw you, is what I meant to say." Now what? Explaining something like this was hard from the start. Describing feelings. In this context, it was even more difficult. Elysia was already in a bad position. Couldn't she have come even a minute or two later?
There was nothing to do but plunge into it. "We need to end this. Not just because it worries me every time you come sneaking through here. Even if you could stay here openly, forever, I can't do us again." Though he'd told her he could. His only defense - and he thought it a flimsy one at that - was he hadn't known he was lying to her at the time. "I thought that when you returned to me, when you got things together enough to, that I could feel something for you again. But all I feel when I look at or think of you is regret for what was and can't be again."
The wherhandler took a deep breath. "If we try this again I'll be miserable, and I'll make you miserable. I wish...I had something else I could tell you."
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Rei
Administrator
Rider Cr'oph Rider Er'ani Rider Elysia Rider/Healer Erilena Wherhandler Sydney Holdbrat Emitre Holdbrat Dileina Weyrbrat Elias Weyrbrat Terilyn
Woooo~ I am a fox!
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Post by Rei on Jan 22, 2011 19:35:11 GMT -5
Dmitri didn’t fight against the hand that came up to firmly grip his chin. Nor did he try to resist when Elysia turned his head so she could see his expression more clearly. That in and of itself wasn’t a surprise. He emotion behind those grey blue eyes when he looked at her though? That was a surprise. Her own dark eyes gaining a worried cast to them she released the handler’s chin and gave a soft snort. Meant to the next time he saw her... Of course. It was admittedly hard to stay angry with him however. Now that she was here, Erilena was gone, and Dmitri was close the anger just seemed to fade. A concerned look on her face the woman didn’t even move to redirect his gaze when Dmitri looked away. Something in the boy’s expression stopped her. Froze her in place really.
Elysia’s arms rose from her sides to loosely encircle his waist as she waited for him to speak. Unfortunately the words the handler did speak sent a bolt of coldness running through her. Fear, upset. For a few precious seconds she was completely silent, struggling to gain control of her suddenly spiking emotions. No. He was wrong. That couldn’t be. It wasn’t true. The fierce feeling denial however did nothing to stop the flow of words. Nothing to suddenly render them untrue. Why wouldn’t Dmitri look at her if he really believed such. The words the greenrider offered next where spoken in a voice she did not even really recognize as her own. It was to weak, to unsteady to belong to her.
“Dem. I don’t. I don’t understand.” Elysia didn’t understand or rather….refused to. No. It simply wasn’t true. “You said you had forgiven me. How. How can you possibly know how you would feel when you haven’t even tried yet. How can you know we’ll be miserable? How can you throw all this away when you haven’t even given it a chance?” Her voice broke slightly as she tried to get back some composure, the greenrider’s arms tightening around the handler’s waist further. It…this couldn’t be. He couldn’t give up. Elysia wouldn’t let him.
Didn’t Dmitri understand? Didn’t he get it? How could he not know how much he meant to her? How could he not know that she loved him, needed him, fought and lived almost solely for him this past turn. He understood her, needed her as well. Saw her. The real her. It…wasn’t possible. Dmitri couldn’t really desire to abandon her too. By this point Elysia’s breathing had sped up and she was fighting to control it, taking a few subtle slow breaths in a bid to keep her fear manageable. Thoughts of her anger at the stupid meaningless kiss had faded to be replaced by a fierce desire to make the handler understand. He was wrong. He had to be.
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