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Post by missa on Nov 26, 2007 6:43:25 GMT -5
"Oh Rin, don't be silly, you look adorable!" Asmorn's voice was filled with laughter as she held tightly to her daughter's hand on the Dance Square, she'd love to dance, but so far had been busy. She should greet the Weyrwoman soon, but the other woman seemed to be enjoying herself far too much to be interupted. "I don't care if I look like a sharding gold dragon or a watch-wher. It has lace and frills on it and I hate it." Rin glared at her mother, twisting her hand free of the grip it had been in, oh no, she was not pleased. Not even in the slightest sense of the word. In fact, she was merely waiting for her mother to turn her back so she could get out of the sharding thing.
Beka chose to hang back, away from the Dancing, she wasn't one for crowds at any given time, but it had been so rare that she got to hear music... Real music. Snippets of a tune didn't really count, and that was what had her standing in the shadows. In the same gown Kayla had given her before, she stood in the shadows, watching the dancers. The steps seemed complicated to her, she who had never danced in her life (and didn't plan to start now) but many seemed to just flow over the floor like... Water. It looked so easy when looking at their faces, but looking at the ground... It made Beka dizzy.
"Why... In the name of Faranth are you wearing a dress? Doesn't that thing itch? It looks... OKay I guess, but -" The rest was lost in a shudder, the sudden voice made Beka not only jump, but yelp, yes, yelp. Her startled eyes flew tot he rather small girl suddenly appearing beside her, straightening a tunic. Wait, hadn't she just been- "Who-? What-? How-?" Beka's mouth moved of it's own accord, leaving her speechless when she gave a little laugh. "I don't like gowns, Mama looked away, I went and changed, it's ever so easy. Why are you by yourself? Don't you want to dance?" The girl's voice was almost cautious as she glanced over Beka, which left the candidate feeling extremely uneasy.
"No. I don't dance." Beka muttered, taking a slight step away. "Oh? Brilliant!"
((Haha, whoot for overlate posts.))
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Post by caffelatte on Nov 26, 2007 16:15:34 GMT -5
So, how had he managed to convince himself that this was a good idea, again? Oh, Mavorn would just never know. The nineteen-turn-old didn’t even want to know why he thought this would ultimately be more interesting than it was proving to be. Maybe underneath all that odd pessimism-drenched-in-realism, he was just like everyone else - looking for a little harmless distraction. Or maybe it had all been a bout of temporary insanity and he ought to get going now... Well, it was too late, anyway. He was already there and running away now would look odd. Might as well give it a go, right?
The music was nice, the atmosphere was uplifting and he was wearing some of his nicer things that he’d acquired while at Fort. That was the nice thing about training to become a weaver - you certainly weren’t shorted on presentable fabrics. The shirt was a simple one, all long, clean seams and the color was only a shade darker than his blue flitter (who was back at the weyr, staying out of trouble, he hoped) and it brought out the blue in his gray-blue eyes rather nicely. The only thing that stood out about it, was the detailed embroidery around the cuffs and neckline. He’d done that himself. Needlework - he liked needlework. He had the callouses to prove it. Simple dark brown trousers completed the affair. His long, sandy-brown hair fell freely around him in soft waves, coming to nearly the middle of his back.
No, he didn’t look fantastic or anything, for his features in general were mediocre at best, but he did look presentable and that had been his aim from the start. Now, whether he was intending to dance or not was another story. Maybe if someone asked him...? Wait. He was the man. Wasn’t he supposed to do the asking?
Feh. Let the woman be the man for a change. There was nothing worse than rejection, especially when he’d come here in such a relatively nice mood. But! If she were asking him, then how could he be rejected, hmm? Well, he supposed anything was possible, but for all intents and purposes, it was the perfect plan.
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Tashe
Shiny Hoarder
Weyrwoman Kaegan Dragonhealer E'rro Rider K'thay Woodcrafter E'iah Healer Raylanne Healer Ithanna Harper Zemaren [color=0BDA5
"When the Butterfly emurges, does the caterpillar no longer exist?"
Posts: 1,401
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Post by Tashe on Nov 26, 2007 22:03:00 GMT -5
"Its no problem Rawign, think nothing of it." Grinning as Lauranna began to speak again, F'rah put on a face of obvious mock approach as she mentioned he had no brains. Letting himself be pulled along after his partner, the weyrlingmaster gave the boy a pat on the shoulder as he passed by before whispering. "Brains and brawns! Have a nice night Candidate!" Finally leaving the younger man alone, the wingsecond felt his spirits lighten considerably.
Drawing himself up parallel with the mauve dressed female, F'rah felt his friend give him a brief hug before continuing onto the dance floor. Making their way to near the Weyrleaders, took the beginning of the new song to playfully pull Lauranna into his arms. "Horror story or not. I think you're rather pretty tonight... maybe its a full moon." Grinning down slightly at the blond in obvious friendliness, the Weyrlingmaster happily stepped back and offered his hand to the green rider with a small bow. "Would you gift me with a dance on this fair evening my lady?"
---
The sun continued to cast it's dying rays as the woman stepped silently into the large throng of the dance square, it was a beautiful and lively sight from her bent perspective. Fortunately for the young woman, today had been her day off from her studies, and therefore gave her time to freshen up from her earlier trip to the different stalls. And apparently the girl could clean up well, for her simple outfit looked rather beautiful on her lithe form.
The dress was short in the legs and long in the arms, for the hem of the brown material rose to her knees, while the sleeves fell slightly past the knuckles of her hand. Thin golden flowers framed the cuff of her sleeves and faltered up the sides before disappearing at the shoulder, although they came back around the tall, slim collar that encircled her neck. And other than a thin golden sash across her waist and a small emerald pendent that hung quietly from her collared neck, Kaegan had nothing else shinny adorning her. For in her rush, the Junior Weyrwoman had only time to stuff her Knots in the pastel and golden purse she carried with her.
Inching her way casually through the crowd to locate the last of the free tables set up for one to two people, the young woman let herself slide into the wooden chair with a content sigh. Kaegan was perfectly content to just sit and watch the people dance to the lovely music, for she didn't dance herself, even though she was forced to learn at her old Weyr. Leaning back against her chair with her hazel eyes closed, the woman let her finger tap against the table top in time with the music.
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Post by glamourie on Nov 26, 2007 23:12:58 GMT -5
Rawign grinned widely as he was passed and nodded to the Weyrlingmaster and Greenrider. At least he hadn't offended them, he thought as they walked off, though honestly, he didn't think that the brownrider was all that unintelligent. (Fortunately, he was sure she was joking about that... she.. seemed to joke a lot?) Shaking his head, the candidate slipped backwards and out of the crowd, back to one of the tables nearby to sit. If someone wanted to dance with him, they could come up and ask. Otherwise, he was going to watch and... maybe glower at Marra from his spot. Maybe. If he didn't get distracted. Either way, he was of the opinion he would avoid humiliating himself if he was sitting neatly out of the way. It was a lot harder to look like a wherry-brain when he was sitting down, in his experience... just as long as Marra and Cezine were no where nearby. Why did he seem to attract insane women, anyway? He decided to blame it on Beggar. The blue flit was an easy target, not being there to defend himself.
Or at least, he wasn't originally - but a musical trill made Rawign look up, convinced his firelizard sensed his thoughts and had come to defend himself. But that sound wasn't anything like Beggar, in retrospect, and he found its source quite easily: a gold sitting on the shoulder of one of the greenriders at the other side of the table. He'd thought it abandoned. Well, that was awkward. Blinking twice, Rawign bit his tongue, glanced around, and then peered at the firelizard in interest.
"Does she have a name?" he asked, hesitant, as if he was being inappropriate in daring to speak to a rider. Any other time, Rawign wouldn't have, either. He'd have just nodded and kept going. The pair he'd run into had, miraculously enough, managed to make him feel far more comfortable at the Gather, enough that he didn't think it was entirely out of his rights to approach someone. And she didn't even have pie. See, he was getting better. Normally only necessity, pie, and wine managed to make him speak to someone without being addressed first. His eyes turned right back to Ilena, surprisingly bold for Rawign, who was normally very uncomfortable around dragonriders. He knew who she was, too. He made a point to remember names, though he decided not to point that out unless asked. People seemed to find it rather creepy, for some reason. "She's an awful pretty firelizard, if you don't mind me saying. Oh, um... I'm Rawign, by the way. Sorry for occupying your table without asking, I didn't even look to see if anyone was sitting. If you're waiting for someone, I'll be happy to move."
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Snorting, Keliris shook his head. "Who would I practice with? No one likes me," he replied, sounding more amused than those words should have. It should have been a joke, such a light hearted statement, but there was a definite edge of truth to it as well. But Keliris knew why he had few friends; he repelled people very well, and if he was the one chasing them off, what right did he have to be upset by them leaving? Logic at its finest. As long as he kept his head on straight, Keliris could be very fair. The problem was that his idea of fair was, at times, smeared to an almost brutal sense of justice that most people found unappealing. Nevertheless, it was fair, in his eyes, and he could argue out his reasons for all to hear, if he ever cared enough to voice those reasons. His eyes remained on the people around them for a moment as he spoke, "I learned the other song's steps, too. It's just my luck though, I seem to attract things like this. As for dancing, I'm a visual learner, I suppose? Not that this dance is all that complicated. As for dancing riders, we'll just leave that to the ones doing that. Me, I think I was meant to be the resident grouch. I'm surprised you don't agree. Most people run away from me within approximately five minutes of conversation. You must be trying to set a record."
It was easier for Keliris to talk about other people's reactions to him than his own motivations, or things that he felt. He'd always latched onto other people and their reasonings for doing things rather than ever giving voice to his own. The idea of someone knowing the way he thought and worked agitated him. Secretive was Lir, so much so that his deepest and darkest fears were buried so far beneath the surface that sometimes it shocked even him when they were broached. He wasn't a completely unpleasant person, most of the time, but he snapped and became grouchy for no reason more often than he should have. He liked chasing other people away. They couldn't ever hurt him if they were chased away. He'd have argued that his reasons for wanting people to leave him alone were for their own sake. It wasn't that, though. Keliris was terrified of abandonment, or of having someone betray him. Trust didn't come easy as a result. People had to fight tooth-and-nail to get past his surface.
Her explanation of the north made him raise his eyebrows, though. He had a hard time picturing riders not having to barter to get reasonable prices. Most of the sellers in the south charged more from riders than they would other people simply because they knew they had more to spend. Simple logic, really, but the poor riders had to barter them down to even slightly reasonable whereas candidates, 'brats, and craftsmen could get them down below reasonable and to a regular bargain. Fair was fair. Lir, on the other hand, was known for just arguing until the sellers beat him over the head with things. He couldn't imagine why!
Questions about him made him shrink away immediately, at least mentally. Keliris chose to reply to the rest of her question, as opposed to telling her about himself. "You'll have to be more specific about what you want to know, honestly. I can tell you basic information about the surrounding holds, and about the Weyr itself, but I'll need a more specific question than that."
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Post by ryanneoftheweyr on Nov 26, 2007 23:31:30 GMT -5
Ilena let her eyes drift back to the poor candidate caught in company too grand and teasing for his liking. It seemed that they’d decided to let him go. To her surprise, he wandered her way and took a seat at her table. Her eyebrow rose a bit; either he didn’t see her here, was trying to figure how to start up a conversation with her, or was completely oblivious to the fact that she existed. She didn’t think she was plain enough to drift so far into the background, but his mannerisms suggested either. Just as she was about to say something, it seemed that her flitt had attracted enough attention for her bonded to at least be noticed.
The greenrider was taken aback by the tone of his voice compared to his question. Most nervous candidates would stutter through an introduction before trying to strike up a conversation or inquire about something they were interested in. This one wasn’t bold, his voice contradicted that strongly. But still, it was a rather random question that wasn’t supposed to go before an introduction. She cocked her head to one side slightly for a second before replying.
Just as she opened her mouth, though, it seemed that he realized his mistake. Cue stuttered through introduction and then it was her turn to speak. A soft smile found her lips, remembering the days when it was her on the other end of this table instead of the other way around. It wasn’t too long ago, but it was long enough ago to bring back fond memories rather than the thoughts of the embarrassment or the stress of it all. Candidacy really was a good time, no matter how it felt when she was going through it.
“Her name is Sunlit,” she proffered, “And mine is Ilena. I’m bonded to the green Opeith.” A rather formal introduction, but appropriate. “And I’m not waiting for anyone. You’re more than welcome to sit here. And thank you for the compliment to little goldie. I’m sure it’ll go to her head.” The flitt chirped, perfectly aware that she was under discussion. Delicately, she twined her tail around her bonded’s neck and then through her arm. She tilted her head, examining Rawign, obviously sizing him up. “She’s quite the judge of character as well.” A cryptic comment, but it was true. She was almost as good on Searches as Opeith was. Not quite Mine, the green reminded her, listening in on the conversation from her position in the weyr. Almost, my dear, not as, Ilena replied.
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Post by lennae on Nov 27, 2007 19:30:28 GMT -5
Grouchy? Him? If Lennae hadn’t been so busy concentrating on the dance, she would have stopped to scratch her head and think on it for a moment. He was, well, sarcastic, perhaps a bit cynical, and it was obvious that he didn’t really enjoy being in large crowds, but she wouldn’t call him grouchy. After all, old people were grouchy, or people who had had their sleep interrupted were grouchy. Not the young man who was now dancing with her.
“I think that if people aren’t willing to put out the effort it takes to get to know someone, then they aren’t worth knowing anyway. Besides, you’re pretty nice compared to most people I’ve met,” came her matter-of-fact reply. The truth was, Lennae simply didn’t understand the way that most people thought or behaved. Being around a bunch of men who killed for a living was her only way of judging a person’s character, and since no one around here seemed like the type to murder in cold blood, then everyone was nice. The fact that she had yet to fight Keliris off for trying to take advantage of her was also a definite bonus.
More specific? She didn’t know. Everything here was quite different to her. She thought of asking him about the history of the weyr perhaps, but knew that she could easily look that up in the record room. She wanted to ask him something that she wouldn’t be able to find in record books.
“Well, you’ve lived here your whole life. What are some of the more interesting things to do? Are there any hang out spots, secret hide aways, anything exciting?” Lennae enjoyed excitement. She didn’t enjoy merely sitting around, waiting for nothing to happen. Perhaps that was why a part of her had enjoyed her former life so much. There was something about the risk of getting caught that made her fingers tingle and her body itch to do something. If she hadn’t grown up the way she had, Lennae would have made a positively amazing prankster.
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Post by glamourie on Nov 27, 2007 22:41:06 GMT -5
"Opeith," Rawign replied with a smile. He'd known that, though. He made a point to remember all names, at least of riders and crafters of wherever he was stationed. He didn't like coming up to people and having to hope they would introduce themselves, and as far as dragonriders was concerned, he'd been raised to respect them... and to fear them. But fear and respect went hand-in-hand to some degree. While most people at Selenitas did not seem to command fear, Rawign regarded all dragons with a healthy berth. It wasn't unusual for him. Nevertheless, he didn't want to appear too strange, and he was well-aware that the way he was raised seemed to inspire many unusual looks from people at Selenitas. It struck him as odd, actually, that they would be so surprised by such behaviors, but who was he to cast stones? "Well, Ilena of Green Opeith, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And yours, Sunlit."
She was really quite a pretty firelizard. In his experience, most of them were good judges of character as well. He was smart enough, however, not to mention that for fear of offending the little queen. He'd seen enough firelizards to know that making them mad often resulted in loud screeching, and the dancing was going so well from the looks of things. Why, he could even see Keliris with a girl he didn't recognize. How funny. Normally, Lir was among the most foul-tempered people he met. He didn't even know he could dance. The thought amused him, though the only outward sign of his amusement was a smile that spanned from ear-to-ear as he turned back to Ilena, only to find her looking at him... in what was undeniably a measuring expression. Recognition of that look spawned a hint of nervousness that coursed through him, buried beneath the surface. He hated being sized-up if only because he always was worried he would not meet expectations. Not that he thought the greenrider would have any. After all, he was just a lowly candidate and what was that to her, when she was a full-fledged rider?
"Compliments and observations likely go hand-in-hand in regards to her. Whether it goes to her head or not doesn't invalidate its truth. Any moment now, my blue Beggar will show up to agree with me. And to see if you've any food. He's always the type to beg for food from strangers," Rawign commented, trying to ignore how uncomfortable and center-of-attention he felt. "Are you enjoying the Gather, Ilena? And are Opeith and Sunlit?" Normally, he wouldn't have asked about the firelizard, but since she was there, it seemed improper to just ignore her presence. Opeith would have been asked about regardless. Just because dragons frightened and intimidated him did not give him any right to disrespect them. In his experience, most riders liked it when people acknowledged that their dragons had feelings as well. He tried to show courtesy in that respect, though there were the select few who, for some reason, took it personally. He never did understand why. It wasn't as though inquiring after a dragon's happiness and health was some kind of cleverly veiled insult, no matter how skittish he was.
---
Pretty nice? Compared to the people she met? The thought made Keliris actually raise his eyebrows in surprise. She must not have known very many people if he was deemed nice. He was, in fact, one of the meanest candidates around and he took considerable pride in that fact. While he was trying to be at least moderately pleasant, he would not have described himself as nice. Some part of him actually took her words as an insult. No doubt they were meant to be complimentary, but Keliris wouldn't have been himself if he didn't find some reason to pick apart any remarks intended well and turn them into an insult. He always looked for excuses to push other people away and, having been doing so for half a turn at the least, he was getting very good at it. He did agree though that most people who were so easily repelled were not worth the effort of befriending. But Keliris felt most people weren't worth his effort, period, regardless of how skittish they were. Not that he was willing to tell anyone that.
His head tilted slightly to one side as he tried to think of something 'interesting' he did. Honestly, Keliris's idea of a good time usually involved cleaning or busy work. He was utterly miserable in his life, and the best way to distract himself from that was to keep busy. But... "When we go back to the Weyr, I'll show you around the river. There's a spot where the rocks join to form a very shallow pool, and if you go there in the evening, some of the fish swim into that little pool. It's shallow enough that you can watch them as they dart about, back and forth. There's stones on the bottom and in the brightest lights, those stones are iridescent. It's a peaceful place. I don't know whether or not you'd deem it exciting, but that's one of the places I like to go." He had reasons for that, though, that did not remotely relate to the location itself. Keliris liked his spot by the river because his foster mother used to take him there and sing to him. That was no one's business but his own, though.
"As far as excitement and exploration goes, I suppose you could always venture into the jungle near the Weyr. Sometimes people find firelizard eggs in there, and there are tons of wild flits, though they're usually quite frightened of humans. You have to be careful, though, as there are predators in that area, too. But for the most part, the area nearest to the Weyr is relatively safe. I know a lot of people who like to go in there and explore." Keliris himself did so from time to time, but... his days of finding the jungle terribly interesting had almost completely vanished. Most of what those trees, branches, vines and roots had to offer was nothing foreign to him. "Some people like to try to sneak onto the Hatching Sands as well - younger candidates or 'Brats, usually. It's inadvisable, though. With Fath, you might have been able to do so and not be completely demolished. But Aslath is no Fath and I don't think she'd take too kindly to the idea. I wouldn't test her, at any rate. And you? What do you do that is exciting?"
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Post by ryanneoftheweyr on Nov 27, 2007 23:08:36 GMT -5
Ilena nodded as he repeated her dragon’s name, continuing to peer at him for a few moments before he began to speak again. When he finished, she chuckled a little, amused by his description of his flitt and his compliments to her Sunlit. She, on the other hand, was loving it. Apparently she had already taking a liking to this one. She chirped a bit when he talked about her, though she fell silent when he went on to talk about Beggar. She wasn’t fond of other flitts; she tended to keep to her humanpet, but she was always open to meeting others. Ilena laughed again when she caught that emotion from Sunlit; it certainly wasn’t a typical one.
“She likes you,” the greenrider informed Rawign before replying to his question. “And yes, I am enjoying myself and Opeith is having fun napping. Sunlit, well, she’s definitely enjoying it now that someone’s here to shower some compliments on her.” The golden flitter trilled softly, an obvious acquiescence to her bonded’s statement. She wasn’t shy about being vain; she was a flitt and it wasn’t her nature to be shy or to know what being vain was! “At least she admits it,” Ilena said with a sigh. I like this one as well, Opeith told her rider, amused with his courtesy towards her. Most candidates were too ignorant to show respect to the dragon when she wasn’t around to intimidate them with her presence. Hmm, he’s interesting so far, Ilena replied, her eyes still lingering on the boy. He was only a few turns younger than her; it wouldn’t be unheard of for them to dance.
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Post by missa on Nov 28, 2007 0:08:34 GMT -5
Everyone from the Weyr was so... Strange... So very, very strange. Why were they like that? Most girls, and yes, even the boys liked to dance, Rin found it boring, tiresome and hated it, but here was a girl hiding in the shadows... Boring. "So... Why don't you ask someone to dance?" She asked, though her nose scrunched in disgust at the very thought of asking a boy to dance. How disgusting and embarrasing would that be? A glance over at the taller girl, noticing the pallor of her face and taking it as nervousness. She grinned, ah, so the weyrfolk weren't that different. "I can introduce you to my brother, but he'll probably just send me back to Mama, and I really don't wanna do that. Personally, I'd rather be out playing..."
This child... Was strange, Beka just couldn't get over the fact. She was happy, she was different. How many hold-girls got what they wanted? In the case of this child, not wearing skirts, playing with the guys if her manner was anything to suggest her activities. However, the pallor of Beka's face was not nervousness as Rin had thought, no, the very idea of asking someone to dance terrified her. Especially since she didn't even know how to dance. After all, the Shunned had no need for dancing, and Kilina hadn't spent much time as a mother... "No!" The word was out before Beka could stop it, the candidate shaking her head hurridly before her eyes widened. "Please don't. I don't even know how to dance. I wouldn't know anything about it, and I don't want to. Really, if you want to go, go, I won't tell anyone. Never, my lips are sealed. Promise..."
(Blegh)
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Post by lennae on Nov 29, 2007 19:15:46 GMT -5
“I would love to see it. It sounds wonderful, how did you find it?” The idea of a quiet spot to retreat to when her thoughts began to bother her appealed to Lennae greatly. However, it was Keliris’s spot, and she certainly didn’t want to intrude, so she supposed that she would have to ask him about it first. It was odd how he spoke of disliking everyone and being a grouch, for he hadn’t been in the slightest bit rude to her in the time they had been speaking to each other. Cynical perhaps, but not rude. Of course, they had only been speaking for a few hours, so it wasn’t as though Lennae was a good judge of anything.
“I’m not sure that I’m looking to meet my doom, just something to keep me entertained until the hatching. Once that happens, I’m not sure that I’ll have time for much of anything other than caring for a dragon. If I impress,” she spoke, referring to his comment about sneaking onto the sands to view the clutch. “I’m not sure that exploring the jungle is such a great idea either. The last time I did that, I got lost and almost died.”
His query about what she did for excitement silenced her for a few moments. “I…” kill people. Well, that would certainly be putting it bluntly. Briefly, she wondered how he would react and finally decided that it would be better that she never had to find out. He was the first person that she had met here that she might consider a friend; she didn’t want to give that up. But she didn’t want to lie to him either.
“Some of the younger folk in our group used to practice sword and dagger fights. With wooden ones of course. I wasn’t very good, but it was something to pass the time.” There, not a lie, but not exactly the truth either. Her conscience eased and she let out a silent sigh of relief. It was odd, that she was so conscientious, having been raised and trained to become an assassin. To justify her actions, she told herself that she had been merely trying to survive. That life was behind her now.
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Post by glamourie on Nov 30, 2007 18:08:11 GMT -5
She liked him? Rawign smiled slightly, pleased. Firelizards, as a rule, were easier for him to get along with than people, let alone anything else. Perhaps it was because of how he Impressed Beggar, but Rawign found firelizards comforting. Whenever he was alone or upset, Beggar would come up to him and cuddle him. Well, sad. When he was embarrassed, Beggar tended not to care, heh. Watching sunlit made Rawign smile, unable to help himself. She really was a pretty queen, but he was lucky in having only a little blue. He couldn't imagine the responsibility a less independent firelizard would brew, especially given that he was a candidate. If he Impressed, it would be hard to take care of firelizards and a dragon. Not impossible, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it. In a way, that someone else could earned his respect... and a little bit of envy. Just a little.
"I don't see why she shouldn't," he explained with a light nod before looking up and over his shoulder. The flutter of wings announced Beggar's presence as the blue swept over and landed, neatly, on his pet's shoulder. Dark blue blended in with some of Rawign's black hair. Beggar chirped a greeting to the queen and her pet before nudging his own affectionately; apparently, for once, he was going to behave. Rawign lifted one hand to run his fingers over Beggar's body, affectionate in his own right, before looking back at the greenrider. "This is Beggar, as I said. He'll start begging any moment, although Sunlit might be why he isn't. He's not brave enough to risk insulting a queen in any way. I don't blame him."
A casual glance back at the dancing drew Rawign's eyes to Marra on the stage. She seemed happy enough playing her song, and it... bothered him. He flashed on her behavior at the Harper stall and resisted the urge to scowl before turning to look back at Ilena. Would she mind ---? He decided to take the risk; no offense was meant, but he wanted to retaliate for Marra's treatment of him with that other Harper. She was clearly trying to make him ill (She had more luck spurring a jealous snit from him, actually.), and he wanted petty revenge. Besides, no greenrider as pretty as Ilena should be alone for a dance.
"Are you waiting for someone, greenrider, or would you like to dance?"
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"I was born and raised here. I found it when I was trying to avoid my younger brother, I think I was about eight," Keliris admitted with a shrug. There were a lot of places he went to in order to avoid Kaliran as a child. He'd had a shadow with its own name and voice when he was younger, and though the other boy had finally grown out of that streak, some part of Keliris still sought out places where he could be alone. It was funny, really, since in those places, all he did was muse about people and why he wasn't a friendly being. He needed to find some way to socialize himself, but nothing seemed to work. And some part of him was hurt that no one ever seemed to want to make the effort that it took to get past his barriers and shields to find the person he was inside. No one seemed to care enough.
Except Lennae. She hadn't run screaming, yet. She would eventually. They always did. So it was that he was being relatively careful in how much trust he gave her; he couldn't claim she was his friend, after all. She might have been nice, but...
Shaking his head, Keliris grinned and looked down. His hair fell over his face, hiding his eyes from view. He didn't know if "certain doom" would be a proper description for what would happen if sneaking into the hatching grounds, but hearing how dangerous she really knew jungles to be was rather interesting. Every part of him wanted to know why, though he chose not to ask. None of his business. However, when she mentioned daggers, he looked up in obvious curiosity. She knew how to wield blades? His head tilted just slightly, as if for the first time Lennae had done something truly interesting, and in a way, she had. Weaponry kept Keliris's attention very well.
"You know about swordfighting? Do you think you could teach me?" How odd that he came right out and asked, but -- "I find things like that fascinating. You don't have to, it just strikes me as interesting. I'm sure you're much better than you give yourself credit for, anyway." Keliris shrugged slightly. He had the sinking suspicion that Lennae probably did not give herself enough credit for anything she was good at, not even the things she could make others look pathetic by comparison with. He didn't want to say that, though, for fear of sounding as though he was calling her a liar. Which, in his mind, he was, but it wasn't intended as an insult. Some people took such things that way but not Lir. He wasn't adverse to lying when it served a point.
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Post by lennae on Nov 30, 2007 21:24:24 GMT -5
Teach sword fighting? Her? The thought made her head reel. She had never dared to think that anyone would be interested in it. But…well, it made sense. He was a boy after all, and they did tend to have a fascination with sharp and pointy objects. And she supposed that showing him a bit of what she knew wouldn’t hurt, as long as she was careful not to give away the extent of her abilities. Besides, what if someday he had need to rely on dagger or sword fighting to save his life, and she had refused to teach him? She would never be able to let herself live with that.
“I suppose a few lessons wouldn’t hurt. Though I can’t teach you much more than the basics I’m afraid. I think it’s only a fair trade for you showing me one of your hiding spots.” Yes, it would be all right, as long as she didn’t let anything slip. At it was a fair trade, more than a fair trade, for what he had said he would show her. She hadn’t much liked the idea of having the opportunity to barge in on a place where he might go to be undisturbed, at least not without being able to give him something in return.
“When would you like to begin? I don’t suppose you have a way to get hold of any weapons of your own? If not, we’ll just have to make ourselves some. I’m sure that there are plenty of dead branches laying around.” In truth, she had a few daggers and a sword back in her barrack, safely hidden away, but she couldn’t let him know that. It might look suspicious; she had said that she wasn’t very good and that she had merely practiced with wooden ones. Besides, they were weapons that were lighter, made for a woman to wield, rather than a man, and so would be no good for Keliris to practice with anyway.
She certainly hoped that she knew what she was getting herself into. One wrong move, and she could find herself cast out. Or whatever it was that weyrs did to banish people. She didn’t like the thought of having to fend for herself out in the jungle again. So then, the key would be to teach Keliris a few basics without giving away that she knew more than she was saying. It shouldn’t be too difficult, right?
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Post by ryanneoftheweyr on Dec 1, 2007 13:43:40 GMT -5
Sunlit chirped a soft greeting in reply to the blue's. Ilena admired the little blue for a second. "He's quite a handsome one. And it takes a lot more to offend Sunlit than most golds. Unless, of course, he was a bronze and then all he would have to do is look at her wrong." She laughed softly, "She's not too fond of bronzes." And odd gold indeed. Sunlit chattered for a second, scolding her humanpet for such thoughts. Ilena just grinned. She didn't mind and her flitt knew that she was odd and she also knew that her bonded thought it was a good thing. Still, Sunlit felt the need to make sure that her bonded still thought she was perfect, not odd. Odd, apparently, was not an appropriate adjective to be using when describing the high ranking flitter.
The greenrider didn't notice his glance at Marra; Ilena was too focused on the flitt on his shoulder. He really was a good looking flitter and he seemed to match his bonded well. Of course, if matching between bondeds was possible. For a second she mused as to whether or not her and Sunlit made a good pair. The gold just trilled and wrapped her tail around her arm, saying in her own little language that they made a perfect pair. Ilena just smiled, rubbing an eyeridge, causing the firelizard to hum for a second or two.
The candidate's question was quite bold. Sure, she had been thinking along the same lines, she just hadn't thought that he would have the guts to ask. Apparently she had underestimated him. "I'm not waiting for anyone," she said slowly, "so yes, yes, I would love to dance with you." The greenrider almost laughed at the absurdity of her dancing with someone who had to be so much younger than her, but she thought of how many other odd pairings had already scattered themselves along the dancefloor. What could it hurt? She did like to dance.
((Dx Sorry about this reply...))
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Post by glamourie on Dec 1, 2007 19:48:16 GMT -5
[ -pokes around for others- Ryry, Weaving and I can't be the only ones who still like this thread. -poking poking- ]
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Not too fond of bronzes? How strange, indeed. Weren't most golds particularly fond of them? Well, either way, Beggar was on his best behavior. Ever since running afoul one of the queens at Healer Hall, his little blue gave the golds quite a wide berth, more than enough space than was necessary, and he always seemed to tone down his behavior around them, as if afraid. Not that Rawign blamed him - the little queen at Healer Hall had flown over and promptly bit Beggar right on the wing for his indiscretion. The firelizard was still extremely intimidated by them as a result. He'd always listened well, but his memory wasn't as good as most firelizards' was, and it showed. Ah, but biting made a point that the blue would not forget anytime soon. Beggar tended to remember lessons if they involved him being in pain - funny thing, that.
But ! He noticed the attention he was receiving, and the dark blue firelizard fluttered his wings delicately before rubbing his body against Rawign's jawline again. His eyes whirled and he fluted a compliment to Sunlit - far more bold than he usually was in the presence of a queen. Then he glided down to sit on the edge of the table, perching with one wing spreading at his side to watch Rawign rise to his feet.
"Stay out of trouble, you," Rawign commented as he lightly ran his fingers over Beggar's hide. The firelizard gave a sweet trill that made it clear he thought that he always did so, though he looked as though he would not abandon his perch anytime soon. Beggar was comfortable. And Rawign was grateful because being interrupted during Project: Punish Marra dancing was not likely to make him look too good. How would he explain having to run off and prevent Beggar from trying to hound one of the food stalls for food? Not very well.
Circling around the table, the dark-haired boy smiled, bowed politely, and then held out his hand for Ilena to take. In the back of his mind, he was distantly aware that it probably wasn't very fair to her that he was fully intending to use the dancing as an excuse to prove to Marra that she was not the only one who could find someone else to spend time with ... of the opposite sex... but since he had no intentions of telling Ilena that, or hinting to anything of the sort, nor of being anything short of a perfect gentleman to her aloud, he didn't think it would be a big deal. He was sure someone else would cut in soon enough and want to dance with the lovely greenrider, anyway. She was pretty, she was polite and she was probably a far better dancer than he was. He was actually amazed no one else had asked her to dance yet, actually, if only because he couldn't be the only person with an ounce of common sense.
Okay, yes he could. Never mind that thought. "I should warn you, I'm not sure I even know how to dance to most of these songs... I'm one of those people who likes the idea of dancing, but... one of my friends once told me that the only time I should try to do so is when I'm inebriated, thanks to wine. That way I can blame it on the wine and not my own faulty dancing skills... I hope you won't take it personally?"
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Keliris smiled slightly. Just the basics? Well, she had said she wasn't very good. He didn't really believe that, but he wasn't going to question it nor was he going to complain when she was being nice enough to him to teach him. Lennae owed him nothing and he was smart enough - and mature enough, for once - to admit that. The fact that she was willing to teach him at all was appreciated, and he wouldn't complain if all she taught him was how to handle a sword properly. What little he knew about weapons came from knives and daggers, and while Keliris could use them decently, he was no expert by far. He wanted to learn more if only because he was fairly sure such knowledge could be a useful skill. And it gave him a chance to play with sharp objects.
"If you're only willing to teach me for me showing you a hiding spot, I should probably tell you that it was a freebie; you don't owe me anything for that," Keliris admitted softly. "But no, I don't have any proper weapons on my own. Just some old apprentice-made knives. Weyrbrats and Candidates don't make marks that easily, and I spent the last of mine on a belt that I managed to destroy relatively quickly. It was nice, too. Just my luck really. Making things might be better anyway... My fostermother told me that people appreciate things more when they've worked for them." It was easier to appreciate the value of an object when one busted their hump trying to make it, in other words. He'd rather make his practice supplies himself. They'd likely be of inferior quality, but they would be his. "As for when... well, whenever is good for you? You must still be settling in. I don't want to inconvenience you. So, once you've completely got yourself settled in, then."
He tried to imagine what it would be like to move away from one's home. He was likely to find out, if he didn't Impress. He'd be going to one of the Holds to study... something. Staying at the Weyr wouldn't be the best of choices for him. Selenitas would just depress him if he failed to Impress, as he so expected to. Not that he had any intention of telling anyone his plans to leave. Actually, he was half-tempted to travel on foot to the nearest hold. It wouldn't be an easy path, but it would give him a chance to think things through, and in the end, that would benefit him more. Or he'd get mauled and not have to worry about it. It was kind of sad that he was rather neutral to that idea.
Speaking of ideas, how odd was their conversation? They were discussing weapons while ... dancing. The thought amused him and Keliris bowed his head before laughing to himself, without outward explanation. Behavior like that was probably why people thought he was half-mad from time to time, but Keliris didn't care. It was funny!
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Post by Administrator on Dec 1, 2007 23:34:06 GMT -5
Shmee stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "You mean you prefer me actually wearing clothes?" she asked with a fake sulk. "I thought you always like it more when I wasn't wearing a dress more often than I do. At least, that's the impression I got," she told him, sticking her tongue out playfully. She paused, then grinned wickedly. "Or," she told him innocently, detaching herself regretfully from his warm body. "Although, if you don't like it, I could always make it so you're never troubled by it again..." Leaving the sentence hanging, she giggled, pressing herself back into his frame with even more firmness than before. She liked the heat that emanated from his body- it was so comfortable. Gracefully wrapping her arms about his shoulders, she rested her head on his chest.
A pleased smirk flashed across her face as S’rei made it clear that she wasn’t going to feel rested by the time this night was through. Allowing him to press her against him, she found her heart pounding in the love she felt for this man. It had been, overall, a very nice day. She got to satisfy all her cravings, it seemed- not just for cream. Sliding her arms down a little to his sides, she found herself moving in time with the music, the dancing not as hard as she last remembered it. Perhaps this was because her guide was better this time, she thought with a slow grin spreading across her childlike features.
Drawing circles with her fingers on S’rei’s sides, she murmured, “Dancing isn’t the only thing to tire me out,” she told him innocently. What caused this sudden day of nothing but seduction and pies, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she was loving every minute of it.
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Marra glared at Rawign as her shift finished. Who did he think he was, dancing with a rider? It was a wonder a woman was actually settling for his ugly looks, she figured, trying to soothe herself. Who would ever want to dance with such an disgusting idiot? Certainly not anyone she knew! Setting her gitar down forcefully, her eyes located Metrol. Even though he tried to convince her to take a tumble with him behind a gather stall, she felt the need to prove to Rawign that she were the one who could dance with someone without resorting to bribery. Without a doubt he had done that!
Feeling a bit better, she stormed to Metrol, grabbing his hand, and pulling him out to the dance floor. The man, startled, yet pleased, immediately looped his arms about her waist. Not seeming to notice, Marra positioned her arms around him, sneaking glances over at Rawign to see if he had noticed.
“You change your mind?” Metrol asked in a low voice, unable to hide his pleasure. Marra rolled her eyes. Men seemed to only have on thing on their minds, didn’t they?
“Of course not. I just feel like dancing,” she replied, her eyes darting over to Rawign. Gently leading Metrol closer to him, she positioned herself very close in the harper’s arms, smirking smugly as she looked over at Rawign. She’d show him!
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