Scent of Peaches (Syrene)

[Requiem]

A bright streak of vibrant, turquoise blue plunged after the arrow, scattering an explosion of leaves in his wake. Eveyth rumbled her amusement aloud. The green shimmered like the sea glass her hide mirrored as she moved to wrap her comparatively short tail loosely around her rider's thighs and waist. A carress of sorts, her tail wound around his body, sliding over him before returning to the earth. X'rx spared her a small smile and a brush of fingers.

Then the flit returned, crashing into the greenrider's shoulder haphazardly with the arrow clutched in claws and poking rather uncomfortably at X'rx's chest. His wings fluttered as he tried to right himself, the dark navy bubbles obvious against the transparent membranes. The source of his name. "Thanks, Bubbles," the young man stated with quiet amusement, taking the arrow from him.

Bubbles clambered up onto his shoulder and arranged himself, then set to 'fixing' his mindmate's hair, rearranging the shells and feathers that X'rx favored. The rider didn't mind it at all. He'd cut his hair to a more appropriate length now that didn't require tying it back, longest in the front where it brushed delicate cheekbones, short and off his neck in the back. Parted to the side, he still wore the small braid there for decoration and decoration only. It was the height of summer, and he'd shed his riding jacket as a result. The loose white shirt remained cuffed around his wrists, but it was unlaced to halfway down his chest, just short of slipping from his shoulders entirely.

The ever-peaceful face of the quiet greenrider was set in concentration, one eyebrow raised as he brought up his bow to sight down the arrow at another of the fruit hanging from the branches of his target 5o yards distant. He knew that it wasn't fruit he'd be shooting if ever they left the training fields. The act was still calming to him, and it wasn't uncommon to find him beside this quiet pool of an afternoon, puncturing unsuspecting fruit while Bubbles played and Eve sunbathed.

X'rx let the arrow fly.

[Shiny]

With a green-bronze Salamandyr functioning as a scarf, a black-cloaked figure bee-lined in a meandering fashion through the trees, black boots crunched through the foliage on the ground. Slave must walk faster,[/i] Queen ordered, yanking quite harshly on a lock of hair with his tail. With an annoyed expression on her face, she quickened her steps, not feeling up to dealing with the tyrant Bronze today.

An explosion of leaves caught the pair's attention. Queen's eyes flashed a scheming amaranthine purple colour, tugging Syrene's hair in the direction that whatever had passed them had gone. New subject! New subject![/i] Confused as to what her Salamandyr was on about, she brushed the mind of Wridelth, who was flying high in the skies overhead. I observe Eveyth and Hers.[/i]

Whether Syrene realized her exhale was one of relief or not, she trudged in the direction that Queen was insisting she go. Before long, she caught sight of the Green, and the slender man next to her docking an arrow. Standing a distance away, she silently watched X'rx concentrate, his eyes staring as if calculating something ingeniously. Much to Queen's dismay, Syrene had started to ignore his annoying hair-yanking. The Bronze released her hair and took a haughty leap off her bony shoulder without a trace of affection, metallic wings unfolding to glide. Syrene took a step forward, her heart jumping for a second in fear that Queen would be hit by the arrow. Fortunately, the arrow was sent whistling through the air before the Bronze was anywhere near it, and the thin woman forced herself to relax again.

Nastybluething you! Yes, you! New subject![/i] the Bronze exclaimed very loudly, practically flinging himself at Bubbles. With a less-than-impressed expression, Syrene turned her attention to the Greenrider. "Greetings." Yes, she did actually initiate the conversation, believe it or not. She had little else to do at the moment anyway - Wridelth was having his own time to hunt and fly as he wished, leaving her to deal with Queen all on her own.

[Requiem]

Bubbles was just preparing to streak off after the arrow yet again, the shaft quivering where it had caught and passed almost completely through the redfruit, when Queen's voice interrupted the relative quiet of the glade. The blue noticeably startled and nearly toppled off X'rx's shoulder. His wings flapped desperately to keep his balance, claws digging in and drawing a wince from the greenrider.

Once he'd regained his equilibrium, though, the blue cocked his head to one side and chirped quizzically at the rather large 'mandyr. Well, his attention was gotten, and by such an impressively shiny creature, too. But what did Queen want?

For X'rx's part, he was more curious as to who the salamandyr belonged to. A curiosity that was quickly answered by the girl's voice. Syrene. Her greeting and expression may not have been particularly warm, but the greenrider's more than made up for that deficiency. He broke out into a broad grin and waved to her. Eveyth, too, turned her head to focus on the dour woman and crooned a greeting.

The bow was unstrung and shouldered with the swiftness of familiarity. He'd been practicing with it almost since the sevenday that they were overtaken. Certainly since he'd been informed that he now was expected to be on a fighting wing. Whether that had paid off or not was up for debate, as he'd been moved to one of the special forces wings. It was suspiciously populated with mostly riders of questionable sexuality, though, men for the most part...coincidence? Perhaps not.

He strode over to Syrene. "And you're still wearing the raccoon make-up." He clucked his tongue softly. "I thought we agreed you'd stop that, at least for me. You're so much prettier without it." Ignoring her personal bubble, the greenrider enfolded her in a hug that certainly didn't lack enthusiasm. "I've barely seen you at all for months, Syrene. What mischief have you been getting yourself into?" His fingers went to her knots. "Already a full rider. And are these wingsecond knots? Now you're just making me jealous." But his broad grin gave the lie to that statement.

[Shiny]

Queen skidded to a halt directly in front of the blue flit, stopping not a hair's width away. Flaring his shiny frill at being so close to a firelizard, the salamandyr brought his muzzle up close and sniffed in a rather disgusted fashion at the small beast. Bad Smelly,[/i] claimed Queen, frilling again in Bubbles' face. Still, smelly subject better than no subject 'tall.

The black-cloaked girl gave a stiff nod to Eveyth before straightening to look the bubbly X'rx right in the eye. Nope, still not scared of her intense death-glares, it seemed. "It's not raccoon make-up. It's my style, and it usually works on scaring people away." Narrowing her eyes at the Greenrider without getting any sort of negative reaction, she added, "usually. I don't know what's wrong with you, boy."

The happiness of the Greenrider caused a split reaction in the knobby woman. A part of her - deep in the crevices of her brain - was glad to see a positive reaction out of someone she considered a friend. The other part, however, acted physically upon her, prickling the back of her neck and spine. The inherent impulse to dodge the oncoming open-armed Greenrider spoke volumes of how little she had gotten used to social gestures.

The bristling grew worse as X'rx's arms enveloped her, and although the shorter girl stiffened, she formed no resistance at all, and even forced one corner of her flash-frozen, stony scowl upwards. Just for X'rx. He did appear to be her closest friend after all this time, after all, and that did justify letting down her guard just a little bit.

Syrene contemplated X'rx's chatter. "Lurking in the shadows." An appropriate response, considering that's pretty much what she had been doing, trying to cut off all communication with people she had grown somewhat close to. That pretty much meant X'rx alone, but still. Details. She had only come to this weyr to train and get inside information, but she had been here long enough to admit that she liked it much better here. It had taken a few months of solitude to come up with that conclusion. "And yourself?" Without glancing down at the fancy knots adorning her outfit, she continued on. "Yes, it appears some higher-ups finally had enough sense to bump me up in the ranks. Better not accidentally join my Wing. I may not be Wingleader, but I'll still rule you with my iron fist." If there was any sexual-sounding innuendo in that sentence, Syrene was fully unaware of it.

Smelly listen good, yes? If obey Queen, Yours not get hurt. threatened the Bronze. He flapped his wings and crawled onto X'rx, mouth opening as if to bite. Syrene narrowed her eyes at the glinting amphibian, reaching out and yanking him off by the tail, earning a startled screech in response. "That is a friend. We do not hurt friends."

Wridelth, meanwhile, circled high above, not intending to really make any sort of conversation with Eveyth unless he was talked to first. He did, however, brush her mind with his momentarily, showing her that he did note her presence and did not intend hard feelings through his silence.

[Requiem]

"That is not style," X'rx commented flatly. He wasn't sure what it was, but style was definitely not the appropriate word for it. Style implied something tasteful, something that didn't make you want to get soapsand and metal wool and scrub her face until it bled. Ahem. Okay, so he really didn't like the make-up. The greenrider released her from his embrace and took a step back, his hands lingering on her biceps.

The greenrider flashed her a jaunty grin. "Mischief? Me? I'm not that mischievous. Just wondering why these northerners want me on their fighting wings and practicing so I'm not a complete failure. Although I think this new bronzerider just wants to get rid of any man who doesn't look like he spends all day working a forge, working with wood, hawking loogies or scratching his balls." The man wrinkled his nose.

A brow rose at Syrene's assertion that he'd be ruled with an iron fist, drawing a chuckle from the greenrider. Now that was...interesting. "I've no objection to a woman's rule as long as she's pretty," he commented with a wink. "But I'm pretty sure it's pointless for me to ask for a transfer. So you'll just have to find other things to rule me in. Without the make-up. I refuse to listen to anything you say while you're wearing that war paint. Surely you're not trying to scare me away."

Bubbles was not at all sure that he liked this bronze who called himself Queen. Thus far the blue flit had remained mostly silent, waiting to see how the whole thing panned out, but he knew he wasn't smelly. That was just mean. When the 'mandyr threatened His, though, he stiffened, red leeching into his eyes. But he didn't move for fear of His getting bitten, not at least until Syrene snatched it back. Then Bubbles hissed and snapped at the hastily withdrawing bronze.

X'rx soothed the blue by stroking his spine almost absently, the male settling and lapping at his fingers. Eveyth acknowledged Wridelth at the same time with a cheerful brush, but she was more interested in the humans for now. Especially this war paint. The greenrider looped an arm around Syrene's shoulders and tugged her out into the clearing. "I have a bone to pick with you. What is this 'boy' thing? You cannot be older than me," he teased good-naturedly. "What are you, seventeen?" Waiting to see if she rose to the bait.

[Shiny]

Syrene's eyes narrowed slightly at the Greenrider. "I suppose I was wrong to assume you would know what style is," she snorted, making a blatant glance down at X'rx's clothes. Truthfully, she didn't mind his fashion choices, but she certainly wasn't going to be nice to him if she was insulted. "Kohl is practical. It acts as a reflective barrier to the sun, so it doesn't blind you as much." Not to mention that she didn't really want to deal with aggravating the bags under her eyes with sunlight. The fact was that she was mildly allergic to sunlight. Not much, but it was really annoying sometimes, and she assumed it would be even more so under her eyes, where the skin was thin.

Black brows furrowed, eyes drilling into X'rx's to try and read further into his emotions. "Fighting Wing?" She repeated, taking a moment to just stare at her friend. "Well then, he's an idiot." Tilting her head a little, she contemplated an offer before speaking. "We could do some training together, if you wish. I need to strengthen myself if I'm going to be a Second. And I'm certainly not going to let you die on a Fighting Wing from being too weak."

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking defiant and self-righteous. "I would be more comfortable if you did transfer. But that is impossible. So we are just going to have to buff you up." A hand unfolded and snatched out to grab the Greenrider's arm, squeezing his bicep and tricep a few times before retreating back to her chest. "I'm only trying to do you a favour by scaring you away."

Queen thrashed as Syrene reeled him back in forcefully, drawing a little blood as claws from his back limb scratched across the back of her hand. Stupid, imbecile Slavething![/color] he hissed as the Bluerider let him go. The Bronze spread his wings to catch himself mid-air, then pumped them to carry himself a few meters into the grass, before dropping. An uncontrolled sigh escaped through bloodless lips, other hand absently going to wipe away the little beads of crimson blood appearing on the surface of her skin. "He is so much trouble to deal with."

Syrene allowed X'rx to loop an arm around her shoulders, pulling her along with him gently into a pretty little clearing. The Bluerider looked up into X'rx's smiling face and gave him a scornful look. "I'm 21. Get over yourself, boy." She poked his chest hard with a pale index finger. "You don't look a day over 17 yourself."