An Unexpected Arrival (Tag Darya)

[zoie]

Nitsa was on her own, for now. She was heading back home, hoping to time her arrival right so she wouldn’t actually get into trouble. Nitsa thought she heard a shout from whence she‘d come, beyond where the beach stopped meeting the ground and the wall grew into a cliff. She glanced over her shoulder and got a faceful of hair for her troubles. She smoothed it back, hoping to keep it out of the strong wind that had developed since this morning. It was s stiff wind, not really cold like some biting winter squalls, but enough to hinder eyesight. Nitsa liked this climate. She likes it so much that she forgot her excuse for going out. Well, that could wait for another time, when she was actually asked. If by the time she was back Arly was watching the door, like he was supposed to, she wouldn’t she She looked down at the worn trail and followed it to its source. Home, where her father and brothers and family were.

It took her a while to finish walking. She had gone farther out than she probably should have. She didn’t mind, though. Just as she thought, Arly was the one who was there to greet her when she returned. “Hey sis,” he said in passing. She smiled at him and would have breezed on past if he hadn’t stopped her. He pointed to the horizon warily. “Does that look like… a dragon?”

Nitsa looked. It had a silhouette she recognized, but it was smallish. So not a bronze. As it got closer, she could see a faint blueness. She and Arly watched it for a few moments. She turned to him as it got closer. “You can go tell dad. I’ll wait here and see what it wants.” Arly hesitated for a few seconds. “I don’t really think that it-” Nitsa mad a face. “Do you want to stay here while I go get dad? It might take me a little longer than you, because I am a girl and not as fast and all…” she wasn’t even lying. The only thing Arly was better at than any of his siblings was running. He left in a hurry. Now all she had to do was wait for the rider to come.

[Kisha-Ra]

Azrath was content. He’d had a good day, hunting out, swimming in the sea, playing with dolphins, and napping in the sand, absolutely perfect. Even better Darya had hardly been complaining, not even when Imp and Bit had decided to curl up together. Azrath found the whole situation of Darya’s salamndyr and firelizard being mates highly amusing, except for the part that involved Darya’s broken arm. He actually suspected the two little creatures would grow bored with each other soon but hadn’t seen fit to share this thought.

Darya was barely paying attention to Azrath’s flight homeward, except to scold the blue for stuffing himself so much that he still had to fly home straight even after a nap. So it came as something of a surprise to her, when she looked around, to find that Azrath had subtly changed course and was now heading for a nearby holding, one that was only just visible from this height.

Azrath, is there something you wanted to mention here? Darya asked, an ominously pleasant tone to her mental voice.

Azrath’s eyelids lowered slightly over his blue toned eyes, even though Darya couldn’t see his expression. Oh it’s nothing much Darya. I just thought I could land here, pick up the candidate, and leave again before you woke up.[/color] Azrath replied blandly, his manner totally ruined by the small rumble that escaped him.

Darya rolled her eyes and kicked her dragon lightly for his teasing, then attempted to smarten herself up quickly and then look like she hadn’t tried as Azrath came to land before a plain looking establishment

Here we are! I’ve found you the candidate. You do the speech.[/color]

[zoie]

Before Nitsa had a chance to get a really good look at the dragon or his rider, he landed. It wasn’t a hard, earth-shaking landing like she had expected, but more graceful and friendly. A woman was riding the blue, looking very much like a dragonrider but still friendly, and she found herself relaxing a little. She realized that she shouldn’t be doing that yet, but was doing so anyways. Who were these people?

Nitsa raised her chin a little, even as she looked up at the rider. That wouldn’t be good. “Could you come down here?” she called up. The rider was rather intimidating on her dragon, even if the blue was smaller than she had expected and she wasn’t expecting a woman rider. She resisted the urge to look behind her. Where was her brother with her father?

Wind tossed her hair a little and danced across her face. She considered for a minute. So: She was standing before a rider, whose intentions were unknown. She looked friendly, but tunnel snakes looked tasty when prepared right. There was little indication of how she should act right now, and she needed something. Maybe she should ask? She had little choice.

She cleared her throat. “What do you want?” she asked defiantly. If the rider was here to kill someone, she would have to go through her. What had she done?

[Kisha-Ra]

Darya looked down at Azrath’s find, a girl of perhaps fifteen or sixteen, quite pretty in a way; nothing remarkable to Darya’s eyes but Azrath’s instinct had quiet often defied Darya’s eyes. Besides, she couldn’t imagine her dragon ever bothering with the appearance of youngsters, if he thought a hunchback would make a good rider he’d probably be after Darya to do some recruitment.

She saw no reason not to comply with a perfectly reasonable request to dismount, besides she’d have trouble gauging any reactions from the girl when she did the whole search spiel, so Darya slithered awkwardly down Azrath’s side, roundly cursing her pets yet another time in the privacy of her own mind. Fortunately said pets had managed to stuff themselves with Azrath’s leftovers and a selection of things they’d fished up at the beach and were now sleeping peacefully, albeit in Darya’s sling.

Darya was aware of a sensation of being judged somehow, though she wasn’t sure what for, or what against, or even what judgement was made, so she responded only to the question. ‘Well, I’d quite like to go home, but Azrath has ideas of his own.’ Darya smiled, an expression that flashed over her face but briefly. ‘So he want’s me to recruit you and here we all are. Have you ever thought about standing for a dragon clutch?’

Azrath snorted and shifted on his feet, snaking his head forward, closer to the girl. Adequate I suppose, inelegant, but it will suffice.[/color] he commented.