You're still waiting for the snow to fall ~ Open

[Rei]

It’s cold. I know. Onyth fell silent after that, folding her wings along her back as she crouched to allow Elysia to dismount. The greenrider slid off the dark dragon and gave a slight smile as her boots crunched in the snow. One gloved hand lingered on the green’s neck before it slipped away and she moved forward. Pushing the hood of her riding jacket back from her head, her dark eyes looked up at the heavy clouds above clearly threatening more snow. Very cold. You’re are going to catch something. It’s no different than what Benden was like in the winter love. You just don’t remember. Colder there even, than here. The southern weyr has made you soft. Elysia my love I know why you decided to come here. Head dipping Onyth gently nudged her rider in the back. I still do not understand why you humans must dwell so much.

The greenrider gave a soft humorless chuckle. Because that’s what makes us different from you I guess. Carefully picking her way forward, the woman navigated the snowy mountain top with relative ease. Yes the southern jungles never really had a winter. At least not as she was used to. But their mountains did. Especially now when it was close to winter itself in the jungles. Or as wintry as it ever got. There truly wasn’t much that Elysia missed about Benden. Really only one thing. The snow. It used to make her almost giddy in a way but it was something she never really got to show often. Or really at all. Always caged. The undercurrent of distrust had never loosened until she had come to Selenitas and he came. And now? Now the whole thing was leaving her feeling very hollow. The greenrider hated Burimyu. Hated it completely. For numerous reasons but it wasn’t like she could go back to Selenitas. Stuck, trapped, and above all else that was what the woman hated most. So she simply decided to take a detour from things. For just a little bit. Yes the green pair where supposed to be doing sweeps but sweeps where definitely not what they where doing.

Elysia didn’t talk anymore. She did what she was told, avoided conversation at all costs, and kept completely to herself. That spark that she once had, the arrogance, the flare. It just all seemed to have….fled. To where even Onyth wasn’t sure but one thing was certain. The dragon didn’t like the apathy that had settled over hers. Nothing had ever seemed to phase her rider. Not once in all the years that they had been together had the green ever seen her rider so blank. So if the snow could bring back a little life then the green was far from denying it to hers. Thus the darkly colored dragon stepped loyally forward after her bonded, trailing her, but letting the woman have her space. Every so often Onyth’s head would lift towards the sky, examining it for friendly or maybe unfriendly wings. Being caught off guard was not something she wanted to risk.

Clambering up onto a large snow covered rock Elysia let her eyes scan the a barren landscape. Suddenly a pop announced the coming of one of her firelizards. Baron. Amour had been made to stay home. A gloved hand came up to stroke the firelizard's hide when he landed on her shoulder. A few images where offered before the brown snuggled up against the greenrider’s neck with a soft chirp. “Good boy.” Came a soft murmur as Elysia’s gaze followed the descent of the first few flakes of snowfall.

You will not be happy when one day he does not return. Onyth remarked in quiet and halfhearted scolding. One wing flared outwards to hover above her bonded’s head, giving her some protection against the falling snow. The green had long since stopped actually trying to prevent Elysia’s occasional attempt at spying on the handler apartments. But she still offered the warning anyway, more out of habit than anything else. “I’m not happy anyway.” A gloved hand reached out towards the snow and her eyes started to water as she watched the flakes hit her palm.

[Tashe]

Finally! He'd been waiting for this ever since he'd gotten word from the Dolphinmaster about Burimyu. Cavelieran had been sure that he'd be chosen as a messenger, he was one of the few Senior Journeymen who could quite literally, disappear into the scenery. It wasn't the whole sense of possible danger and secrecy that excited the young man, it was the task itself. If he could successfully continue to bring information back and forth between the two populous, it would give him a leg up in the eyes of the Master Dolphineers. He wanted to be the youngest person to ever achieve Mastership in Dolphineering, and why couldn't he? He'd already done it with his Senior Journeymanship, it was just another level caked in hard work and quick wit. The only unfortunate thing about this job was he had to leave his apprentice behind with another Journeyman. The price he had to pay was worth it. This particular mission was the second one he'd run in the last month.

Moving silently through the snow, Cavelieran paused at the edge of a clearing and tugged at his furred hood. The white and brown Runner he'd been given for this mission had tugged loose of its ties and had scampered away with all the furs he had been instructed to give to the Burimyuans, supplies for the swiftly coming winter. The Runner had been chosen specifically for its color, it blended in to its surroundings when completely still, as well as the Dolphineer's clothing. Dressed in fur-lined but fitted, white clothing that was covered with the occasional black specks, Cavelieran would be able to hide in the snow if anything be-winged came his way. He had caught the Runner and was crossing the clearing to make his way back to the uncharted trail when a flash of Green caught his eye. Smacking the Runner's rump and tossing the branch he had been using to cover their tracks, Cavelieran dove into a small snow pile and tossed the fresh snow so that he was covered in a fine layer of it, completely camouflaged with the landscape around him.

So there he was, stuck in a pile of snow with an unknown rider nearly standing on top of him and her Green Dragon somewhere close by. It was hard to tell exactly where the dragon was because the snow muffled the sounds of movement if he had to guess he'd place the female only a few paces away, but it was painfully obvious where the Rider was. A flitter appeared, he could tell by the pop it made from betweening. He had his own flitter, but she refused to leave the warmer climate near the lake to accompany him into the cold of the mountains. Blahblah. What was this woman doing? He was getting impatient. It was hard to lay in his cocoon of snow for this long, but he didn't want to get caught. If he stayed there any longer it would be possible for the Greenrider to see the foot prints he'd been unable to cover in his haste to hide.

Breathing in gently so not as to disturb the snow around him, Cavelieran debated his options before deciding on the final plan. It took him a few moments to mentally prepare for his actions but as soon as he was everything happened as quickly as possible. Pushing up with his arms, the Dolphineer surged out of the snow and booked it toward the closest treeline as fast as his long legs and the snow drifts would allow him. With one hand he unclipped the strap that held the white sheathed dagger to his hip. Hopefully he wouldn't need it and could escape by using his hunting skills instead... Plus, he couldn't arrive at Burimyu empty handed, he still needed to find his Runner.

[Rei]

Examining the snowflakes in her palm as best she could through watery eyes Elysia clenched her fist. Damn it all. Why did she have to be so sharding…..the thought never finished as the snow bank to her left seemed to explode. Onyth’s head whipped around towards the sudden movement her teeth fully bared in a warning snarl. However it was the green’s rider that Cavelieran probably had to worry about more.

After the initial moment of shock Elysia had regained her bearings and had literally leapt off the rock she had been standing on. Hitting the snow below she rolled to absorb the impact and was on her feet in the next instant sprinting after him. “Hey!” The yell came as the greenrider reached for the whip coiled at her hip. Unclipping it from her belt and pushing herself faster the woman half growled. He was fast but not fast enough.

Dark eyes watching the movement of his legs in front of her as Elysia drew closer to the fleeing man she struck out with the whip. As the weapon wrapped around one leg she suddenly slid to a stop. The sudden stop securing her hold on the Dolphineer and yanking on his trapped leg to trip him up. Not going anywhere. Not if she had something to say about it anyway. The greenrider pounced upon his back as he started to go down. She had seen him go for the weapon and she wasn’t going to give him the option of using it.

Elysia kept her grip on the handle of her weapon and kept the whip taunt, wrapping a length of it around her hand to keep the pressure steady as that same hand pushed the man’s head down to the ground. Now that the greenrider had him she wasn’t too keen on losing him. Her other hand reached for one of her throwing knifes, attention solely on Cavelieran. “Two questions. You’ll answer them if you want to live for more than the next two minutes. Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Onyth had taken to wing as her bonded took off after the fleeing figure. No dragons in the sky Elysialove. Perhaps he is not a rider or maybe his beast is just biding it’s time. Dropping down from the sky above the dark green back winged to a landing beyond the two humans, placing herself between them and the near tree line. Arching her neck she looked down upon Cavelieran from her place a few feet away. Did he really think he was going to get away? Silly human. Rumbling the dragon kept her calm whirling eyes fixed on the scenery around her just in case any more surprises decided to leap out of the snow. We should hurry. The snow is getting worse. Indeed it was really coming down now and the last thing the green pair or their new captive needed was to be caught out in it.

[Tashe]

The world seemed to topple as his footing was fouled, the snow suddenly became his sky and in the brief moment before impact he had seen what tripped him. A whip. Well, that was a new one. He'd never actually seen one used in combat or carried as weapon, sorta a once in a life time happenstance. Cavelieran tried to pick himself up to regain his momentum but the woman's weight sent him pitching forward again. If it weren't for the whip coiled around his foot, he might have been able to unbalance the woman and made an escape. Her weight wasn't a big challenge for a man who spent half of his life in the water, but the whip tipped everything in the Rider's favor. Damn Riders and their surprises. See, this is why he liked his Cousin's Wher a lot better. Nautic never carried whips or other strange weapons around.

Geesh, this woman could put some pressure on his neck. He felt as trussed up as a newly snagged hare. In the struggle his hood had fallen back to partly reveal his hair and face, the blue of his eyes standing out against the snow when he didn't have them shut. Shifting slightly so that his cheek wasn't entirely pressed against the frosty ground, the blond frowned as the Greenrider spoke. She sounded like she'd been living in the South for a while, but her Northern accent hadn't disappeared completely it made it rather hard to judge if she was Burimyuan or, what Selenitas called them, a Wastelander. It would be best for now to tell only partial truths. Modifying his voice so it was gruffer and giving himself an accent he'd heard a lot of the trappers speaking with, he answered her questioning. "Ugh. name's Lier. Imma Journeyman from Blossom Proper. Came ta huntin' fer Lord Tentieon fer furs fer the winter before yer dragon spooked me inta hidin'. I ran cause I got scared."

He glimpsed Onyth from his peripherals and his frown deepened but only minutely. The Dolphineer had nothing against Dragons, in fact, he loved them. Being a Dolphineer he saw a lot of Selenitas folks - Dragonrider or other- coming to be diagnosed by the Dolphins, therefore he gladly interacted with all those who came his way. Supposedly his father had been a Selenitas Dragonrider, though he'd never met the man... but all of that didn't matter. What mattered was that the Green and her Rider were the only things between him and freedom. "Some o' those new Wasteland Dragonriders aren't bein' exactly the friendly type, no offense miss if you're one. Didn' want no trouble, but it seems as though I got it. Rather not be dyin' up here..."

He tried to look back at the woman. There had to be a way to get her to convince him she was Burimyuan... and then he got an idea. No one in Selenitas, whether native or foreign, should know the name of the new Weyr. "Oh, I just be thinkin'... I bet 'cher from Selenitas from yer accent and all. You dun happen ta know some good friends o' mine do ya? Journeyman Vinter Burim and his wife? She's a lovely little lass, and a good weaver to boot. Her name's Yuana. M'lord and M'lady are good friends of their's too..."

[Rei]

Elysia was silent as the man beneath her spoke. Hmm. He could be lying. But given his manner of dress and the fact that his accent was clearly southern.... Well that had her at least partially believing this so called Lier. He was dressed for mountain traversing after all. Besides it also was true that most holders where afraid of dragons or at least wary of them. So running from an unknown one was not outside the realm of possibility. Especially with the scars and overall dominating appearance her dragon boasted. His appearance spoke too. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. The combo was very common in the lakeside Blossom hold. Hmm. The benden woman still did not release her captive immediately instead centering her weight and mentally prodding Onyth. You still sense nothing? Nothing. He could very well be telling the truth.

Attention going back to the pinned trapper as he again spoke Elysia snorted. “New Wasteland riders? Well I’m not one of them so you can stop pissing yourself I guess.” No her tone was not exactly the nicest but then when was the woman nice? Rarely actually. Briefly she frisked Cavelieran finding the dagger and slipping it into her riding jacket. With no time for a proper search she would just keep the weapons she found outside his clothing for now. If he had any more properly hidden he’d have to work to reach for them anyway. Dark eyes flicking back to her dragon and the falling snow the greenrider loosened her hold on the whip allowing the man some slack but not enough that should he try anything she couldn’t regain control. “Next time don’t run and there won’t be any trouble. Running makes you look more suspicious. Just a little fact for you to store there in that head of yours for future reference.” The snow was really swirling now and Elysia gave an almost unconscious shiver. With a sigh she released the tension on the whip allowing her captive to have his foot back.

The greenrider had made her decision. He wouldn’t be going anywhere with Onyth so close and besides she rather believed at least part of the holder's story. Releasing his head the woman rocked to her feet even before he finished speaking, unwinding the whip from his leg in the same moment although she didn’t put the weapon away just yet. “Not Selenitas anymore.” A faint humorless smile was offered the man. “and I’m afraid even if I was still I wouldn’t know who you where talking about.” Lived there she had for a few turns but before that she had been born and bred Benden. Wonder if he recognized that in her accent? Considering that Elysia had never done anything to attempt to hide her accent, probably. “Regardless we need to get out of the snow. I don’t suppose you have a camp somewhere nearby? If not I suppose Onyth and I can take you where you need to go. Providing of course you tell me the real reason you’re lurking around here.” Oh he might be telling the truth about the holder part but who in their right mind tried to hunt for furs in the mountains during the winter months? Nobody. It was a nice try though.

Onyth swung her head around then the first transparent membrane closing over her eyes to protect them from the blowing snow. Huffing she spoke, surprisingly including both humans. Would you please hurry this up? The wind is getting stronger and I dare not try to fly in this gale soon. Figure out what we are doing before we become trapped here. They didn’t have time for stupidity right now and mountain storms like this could come on suddenly and last a few hours to upwards of days sometimes. Not something to trifle with. Hers knew this so why where they just standing there still? Bah humans.

[Tashe]

"I was hopin' ye'd put tha names tagether." He mumbled quietly into the snow. Rolling his ankle around as soon as she released the whip, Cavelieran angled his hands so he could push himself up as soon as she removed herself from on top of him. Freedom gave him the ability to move, and so, he was on his feet with in a matter of moments. As he brushed some of the snow from his face and hood, the Dolphineer gone trapper glanced at the woman. Not Selenitas anymore? He was still teetering on the edge of uncertainty. This woman definitely didn't feel like a Wastelander, but it was possible she wasn't an exile either. Being on the fence like this was costing precious time. Cavelieran twitched slightly as Onyth's voice entered his mind, but the reaction was small and inconsequential. He was used to having Fianne, and on occasion Raidy, contact him mentally. The Dragon was right. It was starting to pick up and he still had to retrieve his Runner. He was going to have to trust his instincts and take a leap of faith.

Turning to face the woman the blond dropped his vocal guise and returned his voice back to normal, he stood a bit straighter than he would have as Lier the Trapper. "Fine. Your Dragon is right, we are loosing time and I still need to retrieve my Runner. If this storm wasn't moving in so quickly I'd spend more time confirming whether or not you're an exile, but it is and I can't. I am Senior Journeyman Dolphineer Cavelieran, you can still can call me Lier." He gave a quick bow, then straightened, reaching into his jacket with one hand while the other was positioned to be clearly visible. "In short I am a messenger and a lifeline for the exiles." Slowly he drew out a whistle so the woman wouldn't think it was a weapon. "I am going to call for my Runner now." Cavey paused for a moment before blowing on the whistle. It was fortunate that the small whistle he carried worked for falconing and Dolphineering, other wise it would have been very out of place.

"I do not have a base camp, but I do know of a cave near by. You are welcome to accompany me if your Dragon does not think she will be able to fly you back, exile or not." Because he did have a companion on his travels, the Riding pair wouldn't be able to take him to where he needed to go anyway. Hoofbeats signaled the approach of his Runner, the piebald nervously bumping his shoulder with her nose. She might be used to dragons, but she was still biologically frightened of them. Cavelieran glanced at the rolls of furs that were strapped to her back and made sure the Runner hadn't lost any before grabbing her reins and glancing back at the woman. "What say you? If I have been wronged by my instincts, you might as well kill me now. I will not say anything."

[Rei]

Elysia watched the man get up, her eyes still fixed carefully on his movements. Despite the blowing snow he wasn’t hard to make out yet. Eyes narrowing slightly upon him she watched as he stood straighter and snorted at his change in tone. So he was trying to play her then. But how much? Silent the greenrider was through the entire exchange, her dark eyes remaining narrowed upon him before she finally gave a sigh. “Came out here to get away from Burimyu and yet it finds me anyway.” Rubbing at her temple the woman moved closer to Onyth keeping watch on the Dolphineer from the corner of her eye. Of all the people they could use as a messenger they picked someone who spent their life swimming with fish? Well beggars can’t be choosers and the man was from Blossom. The hold for half fish people. Still Elysia had no idea that they also made good mountain men as well. What was the term for that? Amphibious?

The greenrider didn’t protest his calling of his runner although she did give Onyth an unnecessary command to leave the beast alone. The dark dragon merely gave a loud snort. I could carry the furs much better than that silly stupid beast. He should leave it behind so we are not forced to stay here with him. Who said we were forced? I say we leave him and just go back. Ciceroth’s would not be pleased. The woman gave another heavy sigh. Fine. Turning towards Cavelieran Elysia spoke the words short and clipped. “Onyth can fly still but I don’t think the council would appreciate it if I left you like this after finding you. We’ll accompany you.” As the runner approached she moved closer to the green beside her, gloved hand finding the beast’s neck and rubbing it gently.

Dark eyes fixed on the Dolphineer as he walked up to the piebald runner and secured it. Onyth watched the beast with something like distaste. I still say we should leave it. I could carry the furs just as well if not better and we can get there faster. I do not know why we must travel at the lesser creature’s pace. You’re the one who said we couldn’t leave them here. So now you’re just as stuck as I am. Deal with it unless you want to try and convince him otherwise? As the dark dragon gave another slightly irritated rumble Elysia spoke. “If I was going to kill you you’d already be dead. But regardless we’ll all be frozen if you don’t get us to this cave of yours. Frozen messengers won’t do Burimyu any good.” Oh Elysia could always just let Onyth between from a standstill if it came down to it but now that they had decided to play escort the green pair would see it though. So much for just watching the snow fall.

Letting the runner and Cavelieran take the lead, Elysia gave a shiver and mounted Onyth. The dark dragon lowered her head and stepped slowly after the pair, her head occasionally tilting up towards the blanket of white above. Even if there where other dragons out there they couldn’t see them through this gale. It was likely however that they where the only stupid ones ambling about the mountain in such a storm anyway. Lovely.