Playing with Fire (Savitri!)

[Administrator]

Two flamethrowers, taken apart, but in good condition. Shmee smiled weakly. She had left Shei home for this lesson. This lesson would be a very important one. The setup and use of the flamethrower. Whereas other weyrlings might study how to use firestone, Savitri would have to learn how to handle the flamethrower. It was an awkward thing to use, but it was easier once one got the hang of it. And this was what Shmee would be teaching today! Sometimes, people might know how to use them a little bit, like if they were used to doing ground crews. But fewer people actually knew how to set up the machines, make sure they had enough fuel in them, and fire from the air. Well, Shmee would teach Savitri the latter once the girl was more comfortable in the air, but she could teach Savitri how to use it on the ground. After all, she didn’t know the younger queenrider’s experience with these things.

"Aslath, can you call Savitri for me?" she asked, looking around lazily at the beasts that ran about the large enclosure. Hopefully, they would all stay away from the flamethrowers. She had set up some wood that they would be able to fire at, for lack of a better target. They were all spaced far enough away from each other that it wouldn't be too much of a hazard. All they needed was for the animals to stay away and they'd be fine.

Of course. Do not set the grass on fire this time,[/color] Aslath warned. Shmee's lips twitched in a faint smile.

"I had meant to do that, you know," she told her dragon. Aslath rumbled in amusement where she lay stretched out on the grass. Perhaps she would take Hepaticath out to eat together. They could catch food and talk for a while about things as Theirs played with fire.

Of course,[/color] Aslath repeated, not convinced. Shmee rolled her eyes as Aslath finally called out to the goldpair. Hepaticath, it is time for your lesson. Bring Yours to the feeding ground, and make sure Yours brings her gloves.[/color] After all, when playing with fire, one needed their protection-- particularly when Shmee was with your teacher. For someone who was infamous for setting grass on fire, Savitri would need to be prepared. Shmee chuckled a little. She was actually very good with the flamethrower in Threadfall. The Weyrwoman looked over to the river anxiously. Almost immediately after returning to the Weyr, she had given the message for Savitri to meet her a couple days later for another lesson. She hoped the girl had remembered...

[kysseh]

Savitri had been waiting on the summons since receiving Shmee's message. She had been incredibly busy--with Hepaticath and chores, among other things--and had not minded waiting for her next lesson of sorts. What the content of the lesson was was unknown, however, until Hepticath kindly relayed that Savitri was to bring her gloves. They were protective gloves, of course, and Savitri immediately assumed they would be using something mildly dangerous. A flamethrower seemed likely, though the location had her wondering. The feeding grounds? Well, there had to be some sort of logic for it, and she quickly pulled on her boots and took an extra few seconds to make sure her hair was properly tied back. If she was losing a flamethrower, she wanted her hair far, far out of the line of fire.

The young gold heaved herself up off her couch with a rumble of amusement at Hers' thoughts. Not burning hair was a good way to start the day, and she nosed at Savitri, nearly knocking the young woman over as she attempted to adjust her boots. Ohh... I am sorry, Mine. she said contritely, watching a bit guiltily as Savitri righted herself and finished her adjustments. Growing as quickly as she was, the gold often forgot her own strength in her enthusiasm. She was getting better, but she still forgot. "You always are. Save the energy for your food," the young woman was grumbling back at her. "At least you'd be trying to hurt it."

That mildly amused the still-growing dragon, who proceeded to nudge Hers toward the door with a sense of urgency. Stop stalling. I am not stalling! You are too. Do not forget your gloves. You left them on the bed. I did- Savitri halted in mid-thought as she realized that she had, indeed, left the gloves on her bed. She cursed fluidly and went back to retrieve them, and it was only when she turned back that she saw the tip of a gold tail trailing out of the door. Oh, no!

The battle to be first out a door was a constant one between the two, and today, Hepaticath was far out in the lead. It would become less of an issue when the pair could fly together, but for now, it was a constant race. The gold greatly enjoyed the game, and Savitri usually did as well. Hepaticath usually waited just outside the barracks for her, but today, the gold was already moving off at an efficient--if still a bit uncoordinated--hop towards the feeding grounds. The poor weyrling looked terribly ungainly, given how awkwardly and quickly she was growing, but she was getting there. She was also rapidly putting a massive amount of distance between herself and Hers, so Savitri had to break into a run to catch up.

She did not catch up until they reached the feeding grounds, and Hepaticath was already settling onto her haunches near the senior weyrwoman and her queen, crooning politely in greeting. The gold snorted softly and back at her exertion-flushed bonded. Good day. I have brought Mine, but as you can see, she lagged a bit. she said calmly to the senior queen, the quirk whirl of her eyes implying just how much she was teasing Hers. Cath had had an unfair headstart, which she had much enjoyed. I hope we have arrived in good time. It is difficult to not be able to fly yet. The faring and fluttering of her honey-gold wings emphasized that. She had done leaping exercises for her lessons, true, but that was scarcely flying yet.

Savitri took a moment to recover her breath, leaned over with hands on her knees with gloves clutched tightly in her right hand. She aimed a glare at the now-content young gold and then flicked Shmee an apologetic look. "Hello, Weyrwoman. Aslath. We have a bit of a game going, she and I. She got a head start," she said by way of explanation, straightening up and tossing her head lightly to indicate that she was now finished with her rest and was ready to focus. Her green eyes flicked over the dissembled pieces on the ground. Flamethrowers. She had thought so. "Welcome back." Her greeting might have been brief, but her small smile was genuine. She was relieved to see the weyrwoman back in the weyr. It had surprised her to learn of Shmee's absence, but... it was not her place to pry. "I'm guessing I'll be learning to work with these, then," she continued, her gaze flicking back to the machines on the ground. She had been wondering when this would come up.

[Administrator]

As she waited, Shmee stood rather stiffly in the grass. She'd probably have to move to the rockier area, though. It wasn't good to set grass on fire. But she would do it once Savitri got there; the flame throwers were heavy as a single unit, and even more so when she had to carry two of them. With that decided, she looked around. There was only a green here, so they had the feeding grounds mostly to themselves. That was probably a blessing, particularly if Savitri was inexperienced and/or nervous about using the flamethrowers. Wouldn't it be just awful it the girl managed to shower a dragon with flamethrower fire? Aslath squirmed as she heard that thought coming from her bonded. You are going to end up jinxing it, Mine, and I do not want to be the burned one,[/color] Aslath said grimly. Shmee smiled weakly. "Love, I have much more faith in her than that. I was just thinking of the worst-case scenario. I, for one, think that since she's smart, she'll do fine."

Pessimist, Aslath chided with amusement. Shmee chuckled.

Then, out of nowhere, a golden bolt practically flew into the Feeding Grounds, and Shmee blinked. Well, here was the first half of the young duo! Aslath rumbled in amusement, looking down at her daughter. It is good to have such a fast queen,[/color] Aslath told her, clearly pleased with Hepaticath. You will be quite brilliant in Threadfall.[/color] Shmee looked back over to the two golds quickly, but her eyes immediately went right back to Savitri's approaching figure as Aslath continued to bespeak Hepaticath. And be patient, for you will be able to fly soon enough.

Shmee smiled weakly as Savitri greeted her and explained the reason for Hepaticath running madly before her. “Hello, Savitri,” she replied, a touch of amusement in her voice. Those sorts of games were so cute, and they were great for entertaining both the young dragon and the rider. She was like that in her weyrlinghood—at least, in Aslath’s younger days.

“Thank you,” she added softly. It was nice of her to say that, but she believed that whenever anyone said that, it was only out of obligation rather than true happiness. While she knew she shouldn’t think bad thoughts like that, she knew it was the truth. Who had truly been happy to see her back, really? Well, there was always Derrin, she supposed, but he was an odd one, even if he was a sweetheart. “And yes, we will be working with flamethrowers today. While the other weyrlings will be learning how to use firestone, queens can’t. If a queen chews firestone, it means that she will become as infertile as a green.” That had been the rule for centuries. She had never heard of a queen chewing firestone even in the greatest legends, either, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Have you ever used one before?” she asked, picking up the heavy pack that strapped to the rider’s back. “They are a bit tricky to use at first, especially when flying. But we’re going to do ground work today, just so you can start to get the hang of it. Then, when Hepaticath is older, we can practice in the air. We’re in the feeding grounds right now because it’s very clear and there’s lots of wide space. I wouldn’t want to practice in the jungle because of all the foliage there.” She wrinkled her nose. Faranth, if they had set a tree on fire, that’d make all the other trees burn, and the whole Weyr would want to kill them!

“You put it together by picking up this pack here. This is where all the mixture is stored—that’s the stuff that squirts out fire. Then you take this nozzle…” Shmee lifted a long, stiff hose-like contraption, “and you connect it to the main pack. It goes right into this section on the side. Now, you screw it in. It looks closed now, but when you start up the flamethrower, it’ll open up and flames will come out. Does this make sense?” She snapped her hose onto the said closed-hole, looking over at Savitri to make sure she had been watching.[/size]

[kysseh]

Aslath's amused rumble was met with a lighter one from Hepaticath. She hopped closer to the senior queen and then settled again, craning her neck around to nibble at an itchy patch on her flank. Hers always took care of her very well, but another oiling would be required after this lesson. It was not immediate, though, so after a few nibbles to ease the urgent itchy spot, she left it be. Honey-gold wings opened and flapped a few times in experiment, the little queen crooning softly at the sight of her own wings working. I will try to be just as fast in the air. Mine and I are eager to fly together. she remarked, turning an affectionate gaze toward Hers. But... how are you today? Enjoying the good weather? Her gaze and attention returned fully to the senior queen, head inclined to one side to match her polite inquiry.

Well, at least someone was getting a kick out of Hepaticath's antics, Savitri thought rather dryly. She inhaled deeply to flood her system with oxygen and then quirked a small smile at Shmee's thanks. The weyrwoman didn't seem to believe it was genuine. Her overall demeanor seemed... stiff. The young woman wondered but opted to not ask until the topic came up again. She needed to learn how to use the flamethrower, and if Shmee turned into a quivering wreck of confessions, this lesson would get nowhere. Besides that, Savitri was a firm believer in tough love in many cases. She was the last person that most intelligent creatures went to for comfort.

Thankfully, Shmee solved the whole problem by starting right in on the lesson. Savitri knew the first tidbit. Of course queens didn't chew firestone for the reason of needing to keep their fertility intact. She stepped in closer to watch Shmee assemble it, noting that it looked rather weighty. Good thing they were practicing on the ground! All right... pieces and parts needed to be memorized, apparently. The pack had the mixture in it. The nozzle attached to the main part of the pack, and the socket for it was relatively easy to spot. It seemed like common sense, but the lesson was probably necessary, alongside a few good candlemarks a week of practice. Or more, really. She had to master this since Hepaticath couldn't flame, and her narrowed eyes gave hint to the fact that she was processing... and very quickly doing so, at that.

"Never used one, no, but I'm sure figuring out the parts won't be the problem. Learning how to aim will be the issue," she stated honestly, looking over the pack that Shmee had just put together. After a half-second of pondering, she moved over to the other pack and picked it up. It took her a few minutes longer to attach the nozzle and look it over, nodding. This part looked easy. She glanced over at Hepaticath. Better not be very close to me while I have this. My aim is doubtful. she told her mindmate, shifting her grip on the flamethrower again whilst being careful to not point the nozzle at anyone... just in case. Aiming at people was not good; pulling buttons and levers was also not good. "It makes a great deal of sense, I think. Did I do this correctly?" she inquired, a curious expression flitting across her face. This was going to be... interesting, to say the least.

((Sorry for the post of utter suck. x.o -works on dinner-))

[Administrator]

Aslath blinked, her large orbed eyes whirling with a merry bright green. You will be a very fast queen,[/color] she reassured Hepaticath kindly. I will be very pleased if you manage to fly faster than I can,[/color] she added, half-teasing, half-encouraging. It was always good to have strong fighting queens. Especially in such unpredictable times, it was wise to always have a good amount of well-learned queen dragons. Big, fast, enduring... Those were the perfect queens. And, naturally, Hepaticath would be among the perfect. She was her daughter, after all. Her one queen-daughter would doubtlessly be almost as perfect as she herself was. I am quite well today. And I do enjoy this weather. It has been sunny a lot recently,[/color] she commented. She had no objections to a little extra sun! When Mine is done with Yours, we will go to the weyr and sun together. I like to relax with Mine and the hatchling on the weyrledge. It is peaceful. Do you sun with Yours ever?[/color] she asked cheerily.

Aslath stretched out lazily, looking to the beasts that nervously tried leaving their side of the Feeding Grounds. She could use a meal. She was rather hungry, as it had been a while since her last meal. Would you like to eat with me? she asked politely, looking towards one of the nearer beasts hungrily. Oh, it looked so plump and tender...

Shmee's demeanor was almost completely opposite of her more good-natured half. She frowned as Savitri spoke. "Well, you'll need to work on aim a lot," she said firmly, with hints of coldness in her tone. "One wrong aim and you could kill one of your own wingmates. So I'll want you practicing out here with me several times a week until your aim seems sure. It's easier on the ground than in the air, too." Wind could easily blow even the most seasoned queenrider off course with a flamethrower. The flame or the nozzle might point into a wrong direction, or the flames might extinguish completely... Boredly, Shmee pulled the flamethrower onto her back. Nodding quickly at Savitri as she gave the flamethrower a brief once-over to make sure that Savitri had done it right, Shmee gripped the nozzle in her right arm, keeping the hose laying on the inside of her arm that she made to face the sky.

"Before starting up the flamethrower, make sure the nozzle is in this position. Make sure your elbow is pressed into your side. This is a powerful machine, and we don't want to risk it backfiring while it's being held incorrectly," she said firmly, pressing her elbow even deeper against herself. "When that's right, there's a switch on your left side." Moving her left arm, she pointed to the switch that lay on the side of the pack. Casually, she flicked it. The flamethrower shook with vibrations. "Now it's warming up. It only takes a few moments for it to be warmed up enough to actually get some flame out of it. The reason you're holding the nozzle in this way is because if it wasn't shut off properly or something, you won't get injured should it start spraying at random. Never point the flamethrower at anyone while you're starting it up."

Shmee maneuvered over to the more rockier area carefully, jerking her head at Savitri to have the girl follow. "We'll be aiming at little targets first. Once you seem to have got the hang of it, I'll set more up. Right now, we'll be aiming at that large stone in the dirt." Well, it wasn't too large, but it was big enough to be a suitable target. "Now, to fire. Make sure you're firmly pointed at your target, and then press this button on the nozzle to shoot out some flame. You need to press this button again to shut it off-- if you shut off the switch on the flamethrower without pressing this button, it might squirt out some flame when you start it up, which isn't good." Showing her, Shmee aimed the flamethrower and pressed the button with her thumb. There was the familiar jerk against Shmee's body of all the stored power in the contraption, and flames shot out toward the rock. After the flames began to lick it, Shmee promptly hit the button again to cease the fire.

"All right, now you give it a shot. Just be careful; the nozzle might try to jerk out of your hands. Just keep it steady against you, and aim for the rock," she said, backing up slightly. If Savitri wasn't a natural at this, Shmee didn't want to be within firing range.[/size]

[kysseh]

Hepaticath was not a vain creature to seek flattery, but she was made very proud by Aslath's compliments and confidence in her skills. She arched her neck and offered up a quiet croon, eyes whirling contentedly as she watched her dam. I will not try to be faster than you, but I will try to be my very best. Mine has challenged me to be faster than all the bronzes here. She wants to see them left behind. Hepaticath was amused by Hers' dislike of bronzeriders in general and a few of them in specific. Silly girl. Didn't she want the attention from them? She should have.

I am not hungry, but please do not keep from eating on my account. the little gold said politely, stretching her wings and then tucking them in tightly, dropping to curl in a loose ball and watch Aslath eye the herdbeasts. She had no problem with relaxing while the senior queen nibbled her way through one of those tasty-looking creatures. They were still too big for little Cath to hunt, of course, but they were probably little more than a small meal for the much-larger gold. Mine and I like to sun together very much. We like to rest on the warm rocks by the river. Sometimes Ciceroth and His join us. Ciceroth and I play and sun, but Ours fight about silly things. Humans are such odd creatures. she observed, squirming a bit until her back was fully presented to the sun. Ahh, much better!

Did Shmee think she was a fool? The weyrwoman's tone in addressing Savitri certainly implied it, and if Savitri had not understood the seriousness of the situation, she would have been highly offended. She had not been making light of the situation in the least. Seeing the sort of terrible burns that she had seen in her Turns as a healer, she knew very well what fire could do to the body. She did not intend to be careless, and-

The young woman lifted her chin a bit. She was getting ahead of herself and made a point to focus, listen more closely. Shmee seemed to approve of the way she had put the flamethrower on and connected the pieces, and that made her take heart. She mimicked the weyrwoman's hold on the nozzle and held it upright, taking care to not incline it toward her own head and feeling around for the switch on the left side to get the warm-up process started. Ah, there! The vibrations surprised her a little, but she made sure her aim toward the sky did not waver. No, there would be no burns today, if she could help it.

She nodded briskly and followed Shmee carefully over to the rocky area, standing back and off to the side to watch the weyrwoman as she took aim at the rock. Careful aim, keep elbow tucked into the side... push the button and... well! Her eyebrows raised at the sight of the flames shooting out, surprised by the power of it. So, how did one... oh, yes. Button on, button off. The young woman never claimed to be an unrivalled genius, but she was no fool either and made a mental chant out of the steps to go through. She hoped Shmee would not mind that she took her time in aiming and flaming the first time. Figuring out proper aim and sighting would take some getting used to.

At Shmee's suggestion--command, it seemed--Savitri nodded, stepped forward, and aimed the nozzle at the rock. Her elbow pressed into her side, hand keeping a firm grip on the nozzle. "Elbow in close, good grip on the nozzle, careful aim, button on the nozzle to turn it on... and then to turn it off," she said aloud, more for her own benefit than to affirm her knowledge as far as Shmee went. She took careful aim at the rock, braced herself, and then hit the button to start the fire. The jerk of the machine and sudden appearance of flames still startled her, though, and she started noticeably, tightening her grip on the nozzle. Her aim was not quite so dead-center on the rock as Shmee's, but the flames still hit the right side of it, at which point Savitri hit the button again to turn it off. The flames stopped, the whole thing lasting less than two or three heartbeats.

She aimed the nozzle back toward the sky, just to play it safe, and stepped back again, eyes still wide. The power of the machine was certainly startling. It would take some getting used to. "Not as perfect as I'd have liked, but at least I know to aim further to the left than I originally thought. Do you ever get used to it? The power in this, that is?" she inquired, glancing over toward the weyrwoman.