Face the facts [open]

[Tashe]

Maybe coming to Selenitas hadn't been such a good idea after all. From the very beginning his arrival had been rife with suspicion, not that he had expected anything less, but it was the hostility in some gazes that made him question his decision. Castidenloth was down for the count, he could do very little with the stitches still in his neck, and flying was out of the question. They had been grounded before, so the monotony of the flightless days was a familiar feeling. This injury was different. This time on the ground was different. At Fort he was never nervous, at least not around the other Riders. Here he is, was, the enemy. He wasn't surrounded by the practices that he had grown up with, no, he was somewhere that was completely alien to him. It was needless to say that K'thay was having a hard time adjusting to Southern life. Castidenloth shared his feelings, they knew before they came that Selenitas would be different than what they were used to. The Bluepair just weren't as prepared as they had hoped to be.

Gently rubbing his tender wrist, K'thay inspected his bandages as best he could. His right arm was in a temporary sling, which did little to quiet his jumpy nerves. The right side of his body was dominant over the left, meaning, he couldn't use his weapons without the risk of re-injuring himself. If he had to, he could use his left side. It just didn't feel, or look as natural. He felt like a cat backed into a corner. Giving up he slumped back against the tree, wincing as a piece of bark jabbed into his back. He had chosen this spot because it was the most secluded he could find without actually leaving the Weyr. In the distance the Waterfall's roar could be heard, loud because of the proximity. He had been told this area was the Drumheights, upon arrival he could see why. K'thay abandoned the cleared away section in favor for the treeline right on the outskirts. The tree he was sitting against was near the cliff's edge, giving him a rather fantastic view of his new home.

The Healers had told him to rest, but the Bluerider was notorious for his need to always be doing something. He couldn't just stay still, the exception being when he buried himself in a book or a scroll. Kanmine. Oh you're awake, how are you feeling? Better. These stitches are starting to itch. Well maybe if you hadn't tore the first two sets out, you wouldn't have had to deal with them right now. I've only been fidgeting because you've been fidgeting. Neither of us like being compromised by injuries. Fingering a seam in his pants, K'thay sighed. Anyways, you know itching means they're ready to be taken out. We'll go in a little while to the infirmary and get them checked.

[kat]

Others had no inhibitions about their transfers, even though theirs had been done in much the same mannerism as the bluerider's own. Still, his had been much more of a good show, likely. Rayne of green Kynoath had faked death, but during battle practice. Purposely flying into another dragon's flame, and making it seem an accident. She and her green had blinked into between with no actual injuries, and a bottle or two of good wine packed away for better measure! She, too, had her qualms with how things were done, and had simply up and left upon deciding they disagreed with her. Still, she was not the only one, it would seem, to have left. F'ur of blue Innocenth had done so, and now she had heard of yet another bluerider, come to Selenitas from Fort with injuries. Well, she would just have to meet him and perhaps offer him a drink! It was likely that she knew him, and she was eager to find out if this was so.

They are there, on the drumheights, Raynemine. Shall I land, then?[/color]

Rayne grinned broadly, flashing white teeth in a devious smile, and replied, "of course, love. You had to ask?" Kynoath radiated amusement, and the flew in closer, making a neat landing safely enough away to give the bluepair some leeway, and to not kick up dust onto them. Rayne, in a very cheerful mood--wasn't she always?--slid down off of the green, landing with an audible yet seemingly practiced 'thud' on the ground. Without hesitating, she walked forwards, sensing the recognition the green felt towards the blue. And indeed, if it wasn't Castidenloth! That meant his rider would be K'thay! She grinned broadly, and then called out in a welcoming tone.

"K'thay of Castidenloth, so you've come to join our little rebellion as well, have you?" She grinned, and slid a bottle of wine out of her knapsack, twirling it and then lobbing it gently towards the bluerider. He looked rather lonely up here, if she did say so herself! Meanwhile, Kynoath was making her own greeting, and Rayne smiled. It was good to see familiar faces! With her habits, she had integrated here with ease. Then again, she was a woman. A young, rather pretty--and didn't she know it?--woman. Plus, she could drink just about anyone in the Weyr under the table, and was a very fun lush. Could keep a conversation, never slurred unless she meant to be completely wasted--which took more doing than they seemed to have wine!--and was just out to have an all around good time.

Castidenloth, it is good to see a familiar dragon and rider amongst the Weyr of Selenitas. F'ur and Innocenth are here, as well, if you were not aware. How have you come to be here, and how are you and yours?[/color] The green did not waste time. As open as her rider--and likely she had gotten much of it from Rayne, indeed--she was curious and would not hesitate to ask questions, no matter of what nature. Besides, she was more than willing to return answers of her own, as was hers.

Rayne pulled out a second bottle just as fluidly, holding it lightly as she waited for K'thay's response. After all, she had probably startled him, at least a little. So far as he knew, and the rest of Fort? She had died. [/size]

[Tashe]

Kanmine a Green approaches. The Bluerider paused before looking up over the rim of his book, curious as to who would bother coming up to the Drumheights at this time of day. It was around noon after all. Lowering his book so that it's spine rested against his raised knee, K'thay watched the Green land not far away. Out of the corner of his eye the Rider noticed Castidenloth stir, undoubtedly moving to do the exact same thing. Watch. Within a few moments, K'thay touched his Blue mentally, a silent inquiry. Did they know the Green? It was a silly thing to ask, but it was a habit he didn't intend to break. Not yet at least, not here at this unfamiliar Weyr. What he didn't expect to happen, happened. Randomly meeting a former Fort Rider here in this Weyr, was possible, but unlikely. He wouldn't, didn't, actively seek out people and he had doubted that anyone would bother enough to actually find him. Despite coming to Selenitas in Castidenloth's condition, he had been seclusive, interacting only when he had to. That, I believe... is Kynaoth... I think.

Tucking the small book into his sling, K'thay used his good arm to maneuver onto his feet as the female Rider called out to him. He vaguely remembered Rayne. It was probable that he first met her when Castidenloth was four, they were still on a Threadfighting wing then. "Rayne of Kynaoth. We heard you died in a training accident." Which was true, though he had taken the news in passing. By that time he had already been transfered to a fighting wing and rarely concerned himself with the matters of threadfighting wings anymore. Only those who had been in his previous wing, merited the extra effort.

Kynaoth. A surprise it is to see you. We did not know Innocenth was here, we will be sure to keep an eye out for him. Reorganizing the position of his wings, Castidenloth listened to the Green as she questioned him. It was amusing to say the least. Are you the Inquisition now? Is Selenitas following a Fort practice? He responded with questions but his posturing was harmless. We were sent on a mission to scout the Benden boarders with a small contingent of our wing, there were concerns that Benden was hiding an outpost too close to Fort territory. We crossed the boarder and were found, a battle ensued. I took a deliberate slash to the neck. He turned so the Green could see the long line of stitching down his hide. I was bleeding greatly and we Betweened with what I believe was to as close to a death keen as I could manage. We ended up near the jungle. I was fortunate to get help, I was ichoring badly. He let his gaze wonder back to his Human. We're fine now. I should be fighting fit in a day or two. Kanmine is slowly working his pulled muscles back to their former strength. A pause. I guess you are not dead after all. Did you leave for the same reason we did? The Bluepair had been loyalists to D'loro, they left for that reason only. But he knew of Dragons and Riders that left because they were sick of the constant strain of war.

[kat]

Rayne grinned, and twirled the bottle she held deftly in one hand. Her reply was pleased, though she knew that the plan had been carefully executed, she had always wondered if everyone had believed that she really had died at all. Now, hearing what she thought to be true confirmed, she felt rather more settled. Oh, one day, if anyone from Fort came to Selenitas, she might be recognized. She would deal with that when, or if, that time came. However, for now? Her ploy had worked, and to her, that meant all was well.

"Well, I'm sure that's what everyone believed--as I wanted them to," she admitted, wondering by his and Castidenloth's injuries exactly what had happened, but not bothering to ask that outright. Why and how they left was their business. She was simply curious as to how the injuries played a part in any of it. So, "we flew into oncoming flame and made it appear as though we were badly burned, blinking into between, never to be heard from again," she said in a falsetto dramatic storyteller's voice. She laughed, then, and shook her head. "Can't believe it actually worked, though. No one bothered to pursue it, just left us for dead. Good old Fort," she said sarcastically, and then, "always and forever at war, though I must say things were marginally better under D'loro." While her stance and tone remained casual, she was actually keenly watching for any responses to her words. What had caused the bluepair to leave? Had they, like her, gotten tired of Fort's drama, and warring. D'loro at least had been a better leader than the current, and yet nothing there had ever been what she wanted. War, it seemed pointless to her. It wasn't even as if they were fighting to protect something anymore...

Shaking herself free of such thoughts, she was aware of Kyno replying to Castidenloth, and with amusement listened in, most of her attention on the K'thay. Still, a small smile played on her lips as she heard the green's reply.

Selenitas is nothing like Fort. It fights to protect its own, and the Weyr. Mine and I did not wish for warring for the reasons that fool of a leader after D'loro made them for. War was always pointless, to mine and I. Fighting to protect something, that is something honorable. With D'loro gone, we left.[/color] Glancing over at hers, dragon and rider met gazes for a moment, before Kynoath turned back to Castidenloth. I believe you will find life here altogether more pleasant. It is not to say hardships do not stand to be endured here, as well as anywhere. Yet if we do fight, it is for something, to protect something. It did not feel right, the fighting at Fort.[/color][/size]

[Tashe]

"You know how it works up there," He left the tree in favor of being closer to Rayne, "if you Between and you don't come back, you're dead to them either way." K'thay extended his arm to grasp hers (if she chose to) in a traditional greeting, though whether or not Selenitas practiced the same greeting was still yet to be seen. "Just one is more honorable than the other." He offered the Greenrider a smile, it was nice to talk with a person who had gone through some of the same ordeals he had. Give or take a couple of exceptions. Dropping his hand, the Bluerider perched it on his hip as he eyed the bottle in her hands. "Red or white?" Moving his hand again so that he could stick it into his pocket K'thay reclined on his heels slightly, which was as relaxed as he normally got around new people despite shared heritages. No longer on his toes meant he no longer expected an attack, well, as much as he had before of course. You never knew with people.

"We left because R'anatar is no D'loro. If anything he's turning into C'leon." He had been groomed for war, so the fighting itself didn't bother him. His father had been a fighter and had died in battle, and his mother had been a threadfighter, she too died in the service of Fort. K'thay was of the opinion that dying while fighting was honorable, especially if it was to protect the Weyr. "All of the Bronzers of his era have died or disappeared. Save J'lorin, but he went to Benden. As you probably know." He despised Benden, and it was only because J'lorin ruled there that made the fact he was now an ally more bearable.

Ah. We stayed to see if the successors would be able to keep what D'loro set up. They did not. Castidenloth paused as he looked over at his human. We remained only because we had so throughly convinced the new regime that we were not loyalists it was hard to remove ourselves from the life there. Shuffling his wings, the Blue crossed his front legs as he shifted into a more comfortable position. We would have left with J'lorin, but no one thought we were on their side. We thought that we had missed our final chance to leave, until our last mission that is. A wing shrug. Pleasant yes, most likely. It will be a huge change in pace than Fort. Especially when it comes to training... I will have to get used to being less active. He said in jest. Castidenloth would find ways to continue to train like they had at Fort. His fighting prowess was not something he would like to loose.