Let me take you down... (Hinsero)

[Tashe]

'cause I'm going to Moonflower Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Moonflower Fields forever (Lol!)


Kicking a stone with the tip of her boot Ithanna watched as it spun away into the fading light. A flash of green whipped by her left eye and disappeared after the rock, returning a few moments later to drop it victoriously into the Greenrider's awaiting hand. Laverna had decided to accompany her but had grown bored of waiting. Poor her. Reduced to chasing after rocks for amusement. The undeniably beautiful Green perched gracefully on her human's shoulder, chirping quietly into the girl's ear. When was the other human going to get here? She wanted to have fun with him. "You be nice to him. No mischief." Laverna puffed up slightly. She knew what 'no mischief' meant, she was smart enough to connect it to no jumping out of the dark at Hinsero.

Ithanna had gotten Laverna as an egg at the Hyphen gather, perhaps a small little spark of light in the shadow the gather had created. If she had thought Iwyrth was a gorgeous creature, this Flitter blew her dragon out of the water. Ithanna had never intended to impress anything at Selenitas, but look at her now. Digging through one of the pockets of her pack, the Greenrider popped half a strip of dried meat into her mouth and offered Lavi the other half. She got a cheerful response from the Green, forgiven for taking away some of the nights' fun. Leaning against the railing that kept people away from the edge of the cliff, Ithanna reached out to her Dragon.

Hello littleMine. Do you be well? Hi Kitten, I'm fine. Just waitin' for Hinsero to get here. Did you go feed yet? Yes. An' I had a caprine, bovine sandwich. Giggling, Ithanna pictured two large pieces of bread around the beasts. She knew her Dragon meant she had eaten a goat, then a herdbeast, then another goat... but it was still funny to picture. Did you take the littleone with you? She is not around our Weyr. Yeah. Lava is here with me. The Greenie tickled the eating Firelizard in the side, who paused to purr before she continued to eat. Ithanna dropped her hand to the railing and tapped a finger against it, talking to Iwyrth as she waited.

[Ruby]

Warn her, my love, Heart purred, reaching up to rub her tiny head against Hinsero's cheek. "Warn her of what?" the Wherling asked, tucking a hand back behind his neck. She'll choke, the small one. I know these things. Hinsero fixed her with a skeptical glance, but gestured to Laverna when he came up next to Ithanna all the same. "Heart says she'll choke, she should stop eating the meat. I dunno..." Heart had scampered down his shoulder, leaping off to catch herself on paper-thin wings. In moments, she was next to Laverna on the fence, flipping her purple frill in worry as she reached out a tiny paw to pull on the meat.

Hinsero left the pets to it - Laverna seemed well-trained enough to do whatever Ithanna told her - and turned his attention to the young woman leaning against the fence. He let his mouth crack into a wider smile, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder to pull her into a hug. "How're you doing tonight, Ithanna? Everything good?"

He let her go, then, backing up to a respectful distance and glancing off towards the trees. He didn't want to seem impatient, but he was, eager to be out and away. Hinsesk had sprained his ankle in the cave-in; the brown Wher was doing drastically better, but he wouldn't be joining them tonight. Regardless, it meant Hinsero had spent far too many hours stuck inside, in the infirmary and the apartments. He was restless, and he wanted to be on his way as soon as possible. They'd never made it to moonflower meadow last time, after all; close, but Hinsesk had decided he'd had enough partway there, and they'd been forced to set up their tent or leave the wher behind.

Glancing out into the trees, he smiled down at the skinny blond Rider. "You ready to go? I was thinking, if you wanted to ride, we could ride runners out there. If you don't mind me borrowing Chicky or Tidus, that is? Or if Iwyrth will give us a ride that would work too, it's just a bit far to walk, since we do want some sleep tonight and Hinsesk can't take us..."

[Tashe]

"Oh I dunno, Lavi is pretty dainty when it comes to eating. But I never was one to not listen to an animal when they sense danger." She looked down her shoulder at the Green, not minding in the least when Heart glided onto her shoulder. "C'mon give it here. I'll give you some more later." Laverna who had fluffed at the invasion of her perch, looked at Heart over the piece of meat. Well if it wasn't a Salamandyr! Torn between wanting to finish her treat and listening to her human, Laverna sneezed in disapproval before dropping the meat into Ithanna's hand. "That'a girl, lovely." The Greenrider had just slipped the tidbit back into her pocket when Hinsero collected her for a hug. It was surprising but not unwelcome. She loved hugs actually, animal, human, dragon... didn't matter.

"I'm good I guess. They're training me to be on the Triage Wing... Got a double promotion to Senior Apprentice... busy, busy. Serissa isn't going to be happy when she realizes I'm going to be late for my shifts. Hope Rae remembers to cover for me." She chuckled. It was nice to have an ex-weyrling mate on shift with you, Iwyrth certainly enjoyed talking with her sibling during the long hours of the morning. Checking to see if Laverna and Heart were still settled nicely on her shoulder, and hadn't been knocked off by the hug, Ithanna poked her pet gently in the nose. It was an affectionate tap, she'd seen flitters to it all the time when they greeted each other.

"Well Chicky, she's right used to being out in the dark. But Tidus, he's a spoiled stable boy. Don't think he's ever been out over night in the jungle before. He don't spook easy but he probably wouldn't be terribly comfortable. That boy shoulda been a prize breeder... great bloodlines. Both Northern and Southern in him..." She trailed off. When it came to Runners Ithanna could just about identify any lineage from the North, especially when it came to Ruatha and Karoon. But once you got her started it was hard to stop the flow of information. "Anywho, I'll ask Iwyrth." Kitten? Yes dearie? Would you carry us to Moonflower meadow? Unless you're still digesting, don't want you to get your tummy twisted. Its but a wee distance. I'll be fine. "She says she'll take us."

Moments later Iwyrth cleared the ridge of the drum heights with a powerful stroke of her wings, landing close by with a rumble. Despite all that Ithanna did, Iwyrth was still a pudgy little Green. Didn't matter too much, not like they were assigned to a fighting wing or what not, where all the dragons had to be lithe and powerful. "Ever been on a Dragon bareback before?" The Greenrider chirped as she nearly skipped over her Dragon, though she tried to remain as smooth as possible for her passenger(s). Wrapping her arms around Iwyrth's maw as the Green dropped her head in greeting the Rider gave her a hug before stepping over to Iwyrth's leg. "Alrighty now, hold on." This was directed to whomever was still on her shoulder. Laverna was still there but she didn't know about Heart.

Hopping up, she swung herself onto the Green's neck before scooting up a little. Grabbing one of Iwyrth's neck knobs, she placed her other hand behind her back in case Hinsero needed help climbing up. "Righty-o. Your turn mister Wherhandler. Up we go."

[Ruby]

Heart ruffled her wings and Hinsero felt just the tiniest hint of irritation pulse across the bond when she was contradicted, before the Green eyed Laverna, a bare hint of pleasure in her mind once the treat was safely away. Are you glad she's safe? Hinsero asked, and Heart responded in the affirmative. Of course.

Then it was time to ignore the pets - Heart transferred back to Hinsero's shoulder when he hugged Ithanna - and pay attention to the human. "Congratulations," Hinsero smiled when she told him about her promotion; "And don't you worry about Serissa. Bat your eyelashes, stick out your behind or whatever it is that girls do to attract males and you'll get away with anything. I've seen Rae do it a million times. I don't think she realizes it, though..." He chuckled a little. The infirmary was a lot of extra work (more than Hinsesk approved of, that was for sure) but it was worth it just for the people. It was because of the Infirmary that he was friends with Ithanna, after all.

Iwyrth's arrival interrupted any further smalltalk Hinsero might have made, but he didn't mind. He got to see dragons so rarely, being asleep while they were awake, that even in a Weyr Iwyrth was an impressive sight. "Bareback no," Hinsero said, eying the Green up and down. "Actually, I've only been adragonback three times - when I was searched, when they brought the Candidates here after... um..." The Invasion wasn't exactly an easy topic between the two of them, even still. "When they brought us here from Monaco Bay, and one time during Candidate lessons. This'll be a first." But since when had Hinsero minded firsts? The Wherling practically lived for new experiences.

So he waited for Ithanna to get settled, then let her help him up on to Iwyrth's wide back. Good thing he had long legs. Once they were seated, him right behind her, he asked, "So do I put my arms around your waist?" But the question was rhetorical; that was the only place for his hands without riding straps to hold on to, and Iwyrth didn't seem to want to wait while he dithered. Luckily, he was holding on already, and only had to tighten his grip to keep from sliding off backwards. The flight itself seemed smooth enough - he'd only been on so many dragons, though, so his judgment was iffy at best - and after a few minutes, the Green descended, landing smoothly in the meadow.

Hinsero, ever the gentleman, let go of Ithanna as soon as Iwyrth was solidly on the ground, reaching a hand up to help the young woman off. "Not that you need help," he said, "But I figured I might as well offer. Proper thing to do for a beautiful lady, and all that."

[Tashe]

Removing her pack and stashing it between herself and the Green's neckridge, Ithanna smiled. "Well then, I think you'll enjoy it." Clasping his hand as he climbed up, she used her knees and thighs to steady herself as she took some of Hinsero's weight. Once he was up she let his hand go and bounced her feet against Iwyrth's withers twice, letting the Green know without actually telling her that they were ready to go. "Hm? No, I don't mind." Lifting her arms slightly so the Wherhandler could get his around her, Ithanna clasped her hands onto the back ridge in front of her as Iwyrth picked herself up off of the ground and flared her wings. 'ere we go then. Pumping her wings she took a few steps then leap off the edge of the cliff, making it easier on her passengers to stay on her back. Climbing gently upward, she swung around and headed for their destination.

Meanwhile, Ithanna was trying to ignore the fact Hinsero was close enough to her that she could feel the heat off of his body. She didn't exactly know why she was so keenly aware of their proximity, if she was with anyone else ( like Ae'on for example) she would have been more focused on everything but the person behind her. All she could get from her Dragon was a vague and almost disguised sense of amusement. As if the Green knew something that she didn't. Either way, the Dragonrider was constantly aware of the hands around her waist and the fact she might actually like them there confused her. Fortunately Iwyrth began to descend, giving Ithanna other more important things to think about, like not falling off. When Iwyrth touched down, Ithanna clung onto the back ridge to keep herself stable, managing to slide only a little in any direction.

Swinging her bag onto her back after Hinsero got off, the Greenrider was about to jump off when she noticed that she was being offered help down. "Oh I don't know about beautiful." She giggled and slid down, using the man for support. Ithanna let him go as soon as she was steady then turned back to her Green. Reaching up as Iwyrth brought her head around, the blond kissed the Dragon's nose. "Thanks kitten." No problem. You call me if you need me littleone. Of course. She tried not to step on anything but grasses as she moved away from Iwyrth as the Green prepared to leave and then took off, Itha didn't want to step on anything that could be a moonflower plant. Laverna squawked as she was jostled about as her human hopped over a low laying bush.

"So the flowers open when the moons come out? I've never seen a plant do that before. Only ever seen the ones that bloom in the day." Crouching near by she inspected a viney plant that covered an old log. "You Wherhandlers have to be pretty lucky. You all get to see what comes out at night. I bet when you graduate you'll get to see a lot of cool things like Moonflowers. Maybe you'll even discover a new plant or something." Resisting the urge to prod the vines, Ithanna stood up and walked back over to Hinsero. "So, where do you want to set up camp? Here or somewhere else? Cause we should get it up before Rukbat totally leaves us over the horizon." Her Green flitter chirped and sniffed the air, they were deep enough into the Northern patrol sector that they should be safe from nasties, but Laverna wasn't going to take a chance. She'd rather not get eaten thanks...fortunately she smelled and sensed nothing, offering Her's a satisfied chirp.

[Ruby]

"Well, since your current competition is a firelizard, a salamandyr, and a dragon, I'd say you're quite lovely," Hinsero shot back, with a wink. "Not to say that all three of our Greens are anything less than perfection, but being human does give you a bit of a leg up." Catching Ithanna's waist as she slid, Hinsero set her gently down, then backed up. "I wasn't teasing, though," he added, more serious now but with the kind of good humor that he always gave off. "Especially in this light. It makes your hair look like... I dunno. Fire or something." Trademark sideways smile, and Hinsero dropped the subject, digging into one of the packs they'd brought. He wasn't much of one for flirting just for the sake of flirting, so it rarely embarrassed him. He liked Ithanna, after all.

It was a jacket he eventually pulled out, draping it over one of his legs before cinching the pack back up. Then he straightened, just in time for Ithanna to join him. "Cold?" he asked, offering her the jacket - he wasn't chilled yet, used to nighttime and the damp Wherhandler quarters, but it was practically winter now, and the day-people had less tolerance for the night. Big enough for Hinsero's broad shoulders, it would be plenty big enough to fit over whatever Ithanna herself was wearing, if she wanted it. If she refused it he'd put it on anyway, otherwise it was all hers.

"The tent, hmm." He thought for a second, trying to remember which flowers bloomed where. "How about over here?" he asked, pointing at a generically grassy bit of ground, tall bushes to the back and a tangle of the vines Ithanna had been examining in the front. It really was the only place that didn't look covered in something special, so it was as good a choice as any. Hinsero, of course, had been here before and made his selection on purpose, but Ithanna would have no way of knowing that.

Busying himself with tent poles, he smiled over at her. "Some just bloom when it turns dark, others when the moons are out. We should have at least one full moon tonight, so we should see most of them, if not all. Lucky," he added. "Although it doesn't have much to do with being a Handler. You're out here, aren't you? I'm sure others have found it before, and Handlers have brought their friends. There are some amazing things down the mines, though, most people don't go down there without Whers. And some of the things you can't see without borrowing your Wher's sight... did you know they see heat? Rocks aren't just cold and grey, they have subtle variations, patterns and hot spots and... well. It's special. I wish I could show you that, but I'm not sure Hinsesk can project it. Anyway, you're a dragonrider, mighty guardian of Pern." He managed to say that last bit without even a hint of irony - he was quite in awe of the riders, after all, even if he dropped his gaze once he was done speaking. His father had been a Rider, or so his mother said. He wasn't exactly a praiseworthy person, but Ithanna was different. She had to be.

[Tashe]

"Oh. Its okay, I have my own. You go ahead and wear it. Thanks though." The best thing perhaps about graduating Weyrlingship, was the jacket they gave you. Because she was petite and small, she had to get measured for a jacket instead of receiving one off the shelf. Anyway, she didn't need to wear one just quite yet, it was nippy but it wasn't bad enough for her to start bundling up. Laverna yawned, chirping as an avian whistled near by. She was hungry, would hers give her the rest of the meat now? Ithanna thought for a moment before obliging the Green, taking the meat out and ripping it into even smaller pieces before lifting one up to her shoulder. Dividing her attention between what Hinsero was saying and what Lavi was doing, the Dragonrider nodded when he suggested a place for the tent. "Good a place as any."

She'd help with the tent as soon as Laverna was done eating, there were only a few pieces left anyway. Crouching next to the Handler, Ithanna replied, "Yeah, I know they can. Its pretty cool." She dusted the meat flecks off her hands before grabbing some of the poles. "I've never been underground before, not too sure if I'd like it. I'm an open fields kinda girl. Not much for dark enclosed areas, too much like cages I guess. But I'd make a trip down there if I could see like that, I bet its right pretty." Her hands paused their work when Hinsero mentioned being a Dragonrider but resumed quickly. "You know, I actually didn't want to be a Dragonrider. I came to Selenitas to find work... My dream was to become a great Runner breeder. Wanted to be better than Ruathan traders one day... but the Stablemaster made me enroll as a candidate as a condition to working in his stables." She sighed quietly. "Never meant to stand either, but it happened... and Iwyrth came along. Farnath knows I love her, love her more than anything... but I had to give up my dream."

Sliding her section of the pole through the ringlets in the fabric, Ithanna remained quiet for a few minutes before turning her head and smiling at the older man. "Anyway, Dragonriding ain't too glorious. Its kinda scary and there's a bunch of hard work. Lots of sweat and in the beginning you're always sore cause you're not used to riding aback a dragon for a long time. I got cut a little slack in that department, riding Runners helped a lot." Ithanna moved to the other side of the tent and helped with the rest of the tent pitching until it was complete. With two people working on it, the task was finished a lot faster than it would have been if she'd let the Wherhandler do it on his own. She was familiar with tent making, having lived in them as she traveled before coming to the Weyr.

"There now, all done. What do you think Laverna?" The Green whistled in approval. As long as she didn't have to sleep outside of the tent she was perfectly fine. Locating her pack, Ithanna pulled out her jacket before tossing her stuff inside, claiming the left side of the tent in the process. "Lavi off." When the Green vacated her shoulder, the Rider pulled on her jacket and tied back her hair in a stubby runner's tail before letting her Flitter back onto her shoulder. "I'll find a place for a fire." It didn't take her long to locate a cleared away area by a log that looked as if it had been dragged there, the ring of stones and dirt was an obvious indication that someone had used the spot before. "We're right lucky, look here, someone's already made a place." Oh right flint, she'd offered to bring hers with them. She almost made back to the tent. Squawking as her boot caught a sneakily hidden root, Ithanna tripped, and as she tried to regain her balance fell right into Hinsero...

[Ruby]

Hinsero, not even the slightest bit fussed that Ithanna had refused the jacket, slung it around his own shoulders and went back to the tent. "You're welcome," he said, smiling. As Ithanna fed Laverna, Heart slid out of his shirt collar, watching the green with gentle blue eyes. She whispered something quiet to Hinsero, but he hushed her, listening to Ithanna. "I used to be like that - open fields. My ma raised me all over Pern, we didn't have a Hold. But Impressing a Wher, it changes you somehow, or maybe it just helps you see the underground in a different way. Probably the way the sky seems different, once you have a dragon." It was true, too. He'd been born in a cave, but he'd never expected to like them, especially after the trapped feeling that came from being stuck in a cave during Threadfall. Hinsesk made them... alive, just like the moonflower meadows.

Something else Ithanna said caught him wrong, though. "Who says you have to give up your dream?" he asked, as the lifted the last bit of tent. "Sure, dragons are hard work just like Whers, and and it might never be your career, but can't you still become a great breeder in your own right? Maybe not on the scale of the runner-breeders at Keroon, but as a hobby it doesn't seem impossible. I don't know much about runners, though." He shrugged, tossing his own small bag in after Ithanna's own. "You just have to try, I suppose. Faranth'll watch out for you if it's what you are really meant to do. Everyone has their destiny, and Iwyrth was only part of yours, just as you're only part of hers."

Straightening up, Hinsero shushed a murmuring Heart once again, and the Green's eyes shaded towards red just for a moment before returning to blue-green. It meant he was distracted, though, only making a generic "Mmmhm" noise in Ithanna's direction as she went off to find a fire pit, and headed back for -

All of a sudden, Hinsero found his arms around Ithanna, her upper body pressed against his. He hadn't even thought about stepping in to catch her, it was just instinct. For a heartbeat, he was distinctly aware of the warmth of her, the smell of her hair mixing with the perfume of the night flowers, opening now one by one to show their hidden, phosphorescent faces to the world. His arms tightened just a tad, but then he slid his hands up to her shoulders and set her back on her feet, stepping back and reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "Uh. Sorry. Are you ok?"