Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on May 17, 2012 14:12:51 GMT -5
Nildath stretched her petite form against Xinatenth, nuzzling him lightly with her yellow-green head as her eyes swirled a pleased blue-green. "This is most pleasant, is it not, Xinatenth? I am so very glad you Caught me my last Flight... it has allowed us to become closer, and I do so enjoy our time together, don't you?"
No matter his response, the tiny green would snuggle yet closer against him, her unusually soft hide rubbing against Xinatenth's own, and mindsay, "I find it sad that Mine has no male to snuggle with... I worry about her, sometimes." A slight yellow of worry swirled into her eyes for a moment, then she turned her graceful head to look directly up at Xinatenth as she said, "I would like to hear about Yours again... I do so enjoy your lovely words, especially when you speak of him. He sounds like such a wonderful male..." With that, she trailed off, settling in to hopefully hear Xinatenth's poetic mindwords about A'nd.
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on May 18, 2012 14:40:11 GMT -5
It was easy to overlook the near-silent blue, despite the elegance of his build and the unique peacock pattern of his wings. After all, there were hundreds of dragons here, and many of them were at least as lovely to the eye as he, if not much more so. Xinatenth wasn't precisely anti-social; he loved being around other dragons, watching them and listening to their mind chatter. The young blue even encouraged them to continue, listening avidly. He just rarely actually spoke. There were only particular topics he felt the need to add his words to, and even then he had to have good reason for it. That reason could be an actual need to speak or - as was more often the case - he'd taken enough of a liking to the other party to share his opinions more freely.
That Nildath had noticed him was perhaps a small miracle. Their weyrledges being so close no doubt helped, and her natural friendliness that couldn't help but melt some of his reserve did, too...but he still attributed more to serendipity than circumstances. The little green was a favorite of his. She didn't get put off by how little he spoke, chattering on comfortably in his silence, and she never seemed to grow tired of the few subjects that Xinatenth loved to discuss. To be fair, though, she wasn't completely without encouragement. The croon and light nuzzle, along with a feeling of warm affirmation, made it more than clear that he was just as happy to have her curled up with him as she herself was.
Add to that how seldom he Chased, how selective his taste tended to be, and his taking notice of her when she Rose as no other male seemed to...and there could be no doubt whatsoever of Xinatenth's fondness for Nildath. Even if he did have to wonder - after the pulse of sympathy in acknowledgement of her worry - how she didn't grow tired of his description of A'nd, she'd heard it so many times now. He always added to it, or changed something, or altered the phrasing just a little, but it was essentially the same thing. Nevertheless, her interest he could feel was genuine and he never passed up an opportunity to praise his bonded.
Birthed in darkness, cheated of dam by death and abandoned by sire, darkness failed to extinguish the light of He who would be Mine. The dark man's lash did not bend He who Holds my Hearts. Across the great water he went, to find a place amongst the stars. His search for his Xinatenth stretched long, but his heart quailed not. Not when Xinatenth's older brothers were slain fo being different, not when the earth opened wide to swallow the ancient place before Selenitas. With Artemis the Huntress he braved the ruins, and with her came here, to this very spot to await my coming. His light burns bright, my A'nd, and now we are complete.
He could have gone on, but that was the story - the current iteration - of how Armind had come to be A'nd, Impressing to Xinatenth and completing the threesome. More would have been bragging, and the blue knew that length did not always make for the best praises. He nuzzled Nildath again, inserting a nudge of inquiry as to how Hers was. It was amazing how much he could say without words, when he chose.
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on May 19, 2012 16:31:29 GMT -5
Nildath listened to Xinatenth's words with a pleased green-blue swirl in her eyes... the blue she now effectively claimed as her permanent mate (as long as he was faithful to her) mindspoke rarely, even to her, so every word she could extract out of him was a treasure in and of itself. "Your beautiful words make Yours sound like such an amazing male... Mine needs a good male," she added after a moment of silent contemplation. "She has had no good males in her life, so she does not have good feelings towards males. I think, if she got to know Yours, she might finally have a good male example to help her deal with others. It bothers me so, having Her sit in our weyr every evening alone except for me and Fun."
Nuzzling Xinatenth once more, and turning to look into his eyes, Nildath suddenly asked, "Do you think Yours would like Mine? I would love for them to meet, and let Mine know that good males do exist... would you talk to Yours, see if we can have them speak?"
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on May 19, 2012 16:59:39 GMT -5
Now Xinatenth adored His to absolute distraction. Even he knew that he wasn't entirely realistic about the whole thing. But the blue was a romantic by nature - not in the lovey-dovey sense but in the true sense of the world, that valued emotion and nature and hidden deeper meanings above what could simply be observed by the senses - and his faith and devotion for His was solid even in the face of evidence that might suggest A'nd was less than perfect. In his mind, the one who married him as perfectly as hand molds to glove could be no less than perfect to any other. Nevertheless, he wasn't completely blinded, and there was a problem.
That problem was hinted at by Xinatenth's palpable uneasiness, an uneasiness that grew into hesitance when she first started asking the questions. He'd love to think that His could fix the problem of Nildath's for his optimistic green mate. But... Young yet, is He who Holds my Hearts, Xinatenth began quietly. Touch of female he has known not, foregoing for fair Artemis who spurns mates, for myself as a hatchling. Touch of female he has known not, except that which Flew with him in place of Yours. A pain in his heart, her fear, her hurt, for she wanted him not. This dragon knows not how wise such meeting might be. It was hard for him to admit that His might not be able to do as Nildath wished.
It was then that the young man walked out onto the ledge, unaware that he was being discussed by the pair. He'd wrapped the furs around his shoulders, as it was too cold to venture out in just the loose cotton sleeping pants during this season. Hair messed and face peaceful due to still being half-asleep, he smiled at the pair twined together on the ledge, stifling a yawn. "Up so early? Good morning, Nildath." A'nd didn't carry grudges, especially against those not responsible. Nildath had nothing to do with the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her Flight that still bothered him. "Xinatenth will need an oiling today. You're hardly bigger than Cootie." A decided exaggeration, though she was small even for a green. "Would you like to be oiled as well?" Here he lowered his voice, as if imparting a secret just to the dragon. "He's still growing, you know. I don't think he'll ever stop."
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on May 19, 2012 17:48:39 GMT -5
Nildath's eyes swirled yellow in fear and worry as Xinatenth told her of A'nd's horrible Flight interactions... during her Flight, no less. She pulled slightly away from Xinatenth at that point, shrinking into herself as she came to understand what pain her Flight had caused Xinatenth's.
As distracted as she was buried in her own thoughts, she didn't even hear A'nd approach the dragon pair on the ledge, and jumped a bit as the bluerider spoke to her, her head whipping around to face him, her eyes still swirling yellow-white with shame and embarrassment. Not wanting to reveal her tumultuous emotions, she quickly turned to press her face against Xinatenth's, hiding her eyes as she tried to control her emotional display a little better as she sent to A'nd, "G-good morning, Xinatenth's." She kept her eyes and face hidden from the teenager as he spoke, replying when appropriate, "I-I hope he does not grow any further... h-he is the perfect size for me as he is now."
Finally thinking she had herself under control, she lifted her head once more to look at A'nd, her eyes an even green with only a few rogue swirls of pale yellow passing through her eyes as she said directly to him, "I would like that, yes... but... perhaps... Mine could come over, and oil me while you oil Xinatenth?"
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on May 21, 2012 20:23:03 GMT -5
He didn't really understand the odd reaction of the green, who he'd greeted before on this ledge quite a few times. A curious glance was given Xinatenth. The male was not immediately forthcoming, however. He'd answer any direct question from His, and would share everything eventually, but the blue had a habit of keeping others' secrets. (That he told them to A'nd shouldn't be that surprising. Even with him, though, the blue tended to keep his own counsel until they were alone.) The dragon was even now shielding most of Nildath from A'nd with a wing. The young man let it go.
"I'm sure he won't grow too much," the teenager was quick to amend, wondering if that was what had Nildath so distressed. He didn't really think a longer Xinatenth would be too big a problem, all things considered. But he certainly didn't want to upset the rather adorable green. Something he had to firmly remind himself of when the dragon peeked around the blue's shielding presence to phrase her question.
It was, perhaps, a touch surprising still to have Nildath's voice in his head. Most dragons didn't speak to any humans other than Theirs...and occasionaly a weyrmate or child of Theirs if the association was an extended one. Nildath didn't seem to have any such qualms. Rubbing at the back of his neck, his smile was a touch uncertain, and only attempted for the dragon's sake. "Uh...I guess? If she really wants to."
He wasn't sure he wanted to meet Nildath's. The young man didn't even remember which one she was, though he figured he must have known her at least briefly when she was a candidate. Though he needed to ask about what had happened during the Flight...why she'd left him out in the hall to whoever happened along, which remained a subject of humiliation to the young bluerider...he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Was it really such a replusive thought, being with him? So repulsive she felt the need to hide? It was only a Flight...she wouldn't even remember (most likely) any of the details surrounding it.
Turning back toward the weyr, he reentered it and changed, combing fingers through his hair negligently before returning to the ledge with the oils. Stepping around the green, he absently scratched behind her eye ridges as Xinatenth rose gracefully on his long legs and stepped daintily away from Nildath to give her room. A'nd was mounted and the pair was gliding down to the weyrbowl in a matter of seconds, the blue alighting gently. The rider dismounted and leaned companionably against his blue while waiting for their dragon companion to arrive. And possibly Hers as well.
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on May 22, 2012 15:25:09 GMT -5
Nildath crooned at A'nd's ridge-scratch, and gave Xinatenth another affectionate nuzzle before the blue took off with his rider down to the weyrbowl. Taking flight herself, she quickly reached her own weyrledge seconds later, landing and walking in carefully to find Cairenn just rolling out of her furs, her thick chocolate locks of hair in disarray from recent slumber.
Pulling a fur from the bed to cover her thinly-clad form, Cairenn shivered as her bare feet touched the cool stone floor of her weyr, still unused to the harsh winters of the North even after a couple Turns living here. Walking over to Nildath, she scratched one of the dragon's eyeridges affectionately as she said, "Good morning, Nildath. Did I just hear you land? Were you out with Xinatenth again?" She smiled, finding it cute that her dragon seemed to be so affectionate towards the blue... apparently he had Caught her last Flight, though of course Cairenn's own memory of the Flight, as with all Nildath's Flights so far, was her face buried in her aunt Roselle's furs while Fun filled her mind with dour thoughts that were the equivalent of mental white noise to distract her from the Flightlust.
As if he detected thoughts of himself (not an impossibility, considering their mental bond), Fun uncurled his tiny tan form from the furs where he was sleeping as well, and jumped off the bed to glide over and land on Cairenn's shoulder, wrapping his tail around her thin neck as Nildath responded, "Yes, Cairennmine, I was with Xinatenth... and Xinatenth's" Glancing at her rider sidelong, Nildath then added, "Cairennmine, Xinatenth's took Xinatenth down to the weyrbowl to oil him... my own hide is feeling dry from this winter weather... perhaps we could join them as you oil me?"
Cairenn looked at her dragon with a raised eyebrow, noting the strangeness of Nildath asking Cairenn to do anything for Nildath's benefit... the green was notoriously selfless, and asking Cairenn to take special pains to leave her weyr so that Nildath could spend time with Xinatenth while she was being oiled was quite odd. She soon shook the doubts from her mind, though, thinking the request harmless, and turned to quickly begin preparing herself for the day, shedding her nightshirt to give herself a quick scrub in the tub, then running a brush through her thick mane of hair until it all sat where she wished it.
Drying herself and dressing in a warm tan wherhide jacket over a dark blue long-sleeved blouse, and a pair of wherhide boots with some grey cotton slacks, she grabbed an oiling cloth and a jar of oil and moved over to mount Nildath, not bothering with riding straps due to the short distance they would be travelling. Despite this, of course, Fun chimed in with, "Such a drop. I might end up losing my grip on your neck, and plummet to my messy death below. It's likely fated to be that way. I apologize for any pain my inevitable loss will cause you." Cairenn responded as she always did, gently stroking her fingers down the brown 'mandyr's back as Nildath sent him a pulse of affection, and he ceased his doom-filled prophecies for the moment.
Taking off, the little group looped around the weyrbowl as they lost altitude, easily spotting Xinatenth's blue hide against the brown stone floor. Landing neatly near them, Cairenn jumped off Nildath's back, looking at the young man who had already begun oiling Xinatenth... she recognized him, having passed by him in the hallways a few times, though she did not quite recall his name... Cairenn had few social contacts outside her aunt, especially among males, so was not exactly up to speed on the identity of everyone in the Weyr unless they were on her Threadfighting Wing. Walking up to A'nd, she gave a friendly smile and said, "Hello, I'm Cairenn, Nildath's bonded. So you're Xinatenth's bonded? It must be your weyr that Nildath has been spending all her time in lately," she concluded, giggling slightly.
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on May 23, 2012 19:12:19 GMT -5
They were slow in coming. A'nd thought idly that perhaps Nildath was having a difficult time convincing her rider to have much of anything to do with them, though he still couldn't really fathom how he might have offended someone who he couldn't really remember. Such ponderings as these, exalted one, are for lesser beings. A finer homo sapien the joined suns have seldom seen, and their watch over this world for millenia stretches. He butted his head lightly against his young rider. Your hands dancing over hide I would feel. Indulge your most devoted acolyte? I do not know any of these words like acolyte, either. One to serve, and to learn. You have such strange ideas. How are you serving me by asking to be oiled? My beloved a heart of pure golden sunbeams has, and if it pleases him to ease a dragon's sufferings, who is mere Xinatenth to demur?
"And a most manipulative scoundrel you are, too," he commented aloud, as he half-mounted the beast to begin the process of carefully oiling the male's itchy hide. Such scathing words wound, foremost in my hearts. Does the omniscient do anything against his will? "I'm sure he does," A'nd muttered, "and that I know what you mean by that only proves you speak with such words far too often." His hands were gentle where his words were harsh, though, and Xinatenth basked in the warm affection as he moved just enough to accomodate the rider's work.
A pulse of greeting was offered Nildath when she came to land near him, A'nd waving distractedly from his position on the blue's bent foreleg as he worked the oil behind a neckridge, stretching as far as his height would allow. He paused, though, when the girl approached him and looked down into the smiling face, a flicker of uncertainty shading his features for a moment. Cairenn. She looked vaguely familiar, but the name didn't even ring a bell. He'd never known her well at all, he decided, if the name didn't even strike him as familiar. She seemed so young...almost as young as the drudge. A self-conscious smile that didn't really reach his eyes was granted her, before he returned his attention to his work, effectively concealing any residual emotional effects from the events surrounding Nildath's Flight. The bluerider was more confused than ever. "A'nd," he responded. Without looking at her, he managed to point with a dip of shoulder to the oiling bucket not far from where the two of them both were standing. "You're free to share."
A little belatedly, he added, "Yes, she does seem to stay often." An edge of nervousness had entered his voice, then. "She's sweet." He liked Nildath. He did not relish a repeat of her last Flight, however, and the dragon's constant presence made that increasingly likely. The teenager was tempted to ask, but equally uncomfortable with the topic. Finally, he glanced down, hoping to catch her when her attention was on something else. "Ever since the Flight, she's been over more and more often." A pause, but he pushed forward before it could become too awkward. "I couldn't find you." An element of questioning there, and also a vulnerability that was likely ill-disguised. He didn't know why someone would go to such great pains to avoid him, which was only slightly less difficult to dwell on than the poor girl's fearful face. A face that harbored loathing and disgust, as well.
He turned back to his task swiftly before it would be too obvious.
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on May 24, 2012 19:29:20 GMT -5
"Hello, A'nd. It's nice to finally meet you," she answered, though she noticed something was funny in how he responded... she just couldn't tell what, exactly. To his offer to share the oil, she showed the jar she had brought, replying, "I brought my own, but thank you." With that, she set the jar down, and took out her oiling cloth, moving to soak the cloth and begin oiling Nildath... though considering Nildath had moved to be closed to Xinatenth, Cairenn didn't have to go far.
She oiled Nildath's soft hide as A'nd spoke, nodding in affirmation of his words. She noticed the odd quaver in his voice, though, and combined with the odd feeling she got earlier, her mind began to ponder exactly what was going on. Then, his final words came out, and she paused in her oiling, looking over at him as he spoke of not being able to find her. "You couldn't find me? What do you me..."
Suddenly, Nildath interrupted Cairenn's question, too upset to control her mindspeech, and therefore sending it to all three of her companions as she blurted out, "I'm so sorry, Cairennmine! It's all my fault!" Nildath's eyes again swirled yellow-white with embarrassment and shame as she let it all out, sending, "Xinatenth was my only Chaser my last Flight... so when you hid, Xinatenth's couldn't reach you. His Flightlust forced him upon a girl who didn't want him, and I believe he might blame you for it! But it's my fault, all my fault! I should have been more careful, gotten more Chasers so he might have someone else when you weren't there..." Finally she trailed off, moving forward to press her head against Cairenn's side, her swirling eyes the draconic equivalent of being in tears.
Cairenn stood for a moment, eyes wide, mouth open in shock, as she absorbed all of this information. Looking at A'nd, she suddenly understood the odd feeling she was getting from him. "I... I... I'm so sorry," she began, fighting back tears herself, "I didn't... I didn't realize... I..." Suddenly falling to her knees, tears pricking at the corners of her own eyes as she realized what her actions had caused, she cradled Nildath's head in her arms as she whispered, "I've... I've never been with a boy. I was scared, every time Nildath flew and the Lust went through me... I didn't want my first time to be with Nildath's brain taking over my body... I wanted it to be when I was ready, when I wanted to... I didn't realize what my selfishness might cause..." Cairenn then lapsed into silence, unable to look up at A'nd as she slumped over and stroked her distressed dragon's head soothingly.
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on May 25, 2012 18:22:51 GMT -5
Right. Of course she'd brought her own. The teenager didn't know what to think or feel around her. It could be assumed that her dislike of him - another assumption, but one he felt to be reasonably supported - was not personal, if only because she didn't know him. Yet that didn't make it any easier to deal with. He didn't understand why a Flight with him was to be so avidly avoided, and her cheerfulness now didn't help that confusion any. He didn't allow himself to think that her bringing oil was another example of this queer unexplained avoidance, though. Of course she'd have her own. Even if she'd thought he would have brought enough for both dragons, which she may not have, Nildath was used to the oil Cairenn normally used and most people didn't like to impose on others. A'nd reasoned the hurt brought about by uncertainty away. The young man didn't want to find reason to dislike Nildath's. He liked the green, and more pragmatically...with Nildath so friendly to Xinatenth it wasn't unreasonable to think that they might end up being in close proximity fairly often.
The green's sudden outburst startled A'nd, just as his brow was knotting at the beginnings of a question from Cairenn. Suddenly his face flushed at Nildath's ingenuous description of what had occurred and her strong flood of emotion. "But I do-" His protest was masked by Cairenn and Nildath in their displays of distress, the bluerider left to stare at them both in uncomfortable uncertainty. He didn't know what to do or to say. Distressed females made him want to do something to ease their distress...or to flee so he didn't have to deal with it at all. But how could he argue with what Cairenn had just said? What she'd done was selfish. Her show of remorse didn't ease the wounds generated by the experience, for him or for the little drudge girl, either. It couldn't erase what had already happened. Xinatenth. That was how Nildath knew. His eyes flicked toward the blue.
A bee for a flower Nildath seeks. Your virtues, belovedMine, the near-golden one admires, yet fair warning chilvary demands. Hers troubles your spirit. A'nd blinked, frowning a little harder. What...? That couldn't mean what he thought it did, though Nildath's approval in any case pleased him well enough to not wish to lose it. Not that he was likely to given in to the desire to flee, anyway, even if he honestly still had no clue what to do about the distressed greenpair on the ground below him.
Peace, Nildath, the blue crooned softly to his flightmate. Can suns choose not to shine? Waters not to flow? Dragons not to Rise? Peace.
Stepping down off Xinatenth's bent foreleg, A'nd shifted uneasily before moving close enough to touch her shoulder. He didn't grip it, but his hand lingered there. Half-hoping she'd look up but equally thankful that she didn't make it harder by looking at him while he tried to find words. "I understand. Cootie doesn't Run...but when I Impressed her I didn't know that. It's a normal fear." That much, at least, was very true. He'd been worried about the green and what her Running would mean for him. He'd been no more than 13 at the time.
Crouching down beside her, he figured that the truth...was the best he could really do. "It would be okay normally." So softly. He didn't really want to talk about this. But he didn't like how upset the greenpair was, either. Neither did Xinatenth. "The Weyr knows there's a Flight. There are Flightmoths. But Nildath was so subtle this time no one knew. It's not anyone's fault that only Xinatenth noticed her, or that what was fine in the past wasn't this time. But...I think you should try to get over your fear before she Rises again." He withdrew his hand from her shoulder, then, not wanting her to feel it if he started trembling. "I know you were scared, but you would have wanted to, just like your dragon did. The girl I...she didn't. She was younger than you, and just asking me if I was okay. That's not fair to her at all. It shouldn't happen again." The main emotion behind the words was regret and, yes, guilt. A'nd's own guilt. He knew it wasn't his fault, either, but just as Cairenn's remorse couldn't erase what had happened, neither could his. It was hard not to feel guilt with the girl's tear-stained expression still fresh in his mind.
He watched Cairenn, not sure what effect his words would have. He'd tried to be as gentle as he could, understanding the fear, but he wasn't sure if it was enough. This amount of remorse didn't seem normal. Cairenn didn't know him. Didn't know the girl. And really...it was hard to say that it really was her fault. Being afraid. Fleeing and hiding because of it. She couldn't have known. Some remorse was to be expected, but this much?
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on May 26, 2012 3:28:53 GMT -5
Cairenn sat where she had collapsed, still rubbing Nildath's head as it sat in her lap. Fun, still wrapped loosely around Cairenn's neck, stroked His' face gently with one paw, unsure how he could help otherwise. Cairenn listened to A'nd speak, her emotions slowly stabilizing as Nildath calmed down from the combination of Cairenn's head-stroking and Xinatenth's soothing words and emotions, and the green's turbulent emotions spilled less into the mind of her rider.
Nildath kept her head in Cairenn's lap as her eyes slowly moved back to a calmer blue-green swirl, with only hints of white and yellow. She also moved her tail to wrap it affectionately around Xinatenth's foreleg, squeezing his limb in time with the pulses of calming he sent to her. Turning her head slightly in Her's lap, Nildath send directly to Xinatenth, "I... I know I cannot choose not to Rise. But I feel like I could have done more... I could have been less shy, could have attracted more Chasers, like some of the other greens in the Weyr. I would never wish for you not to have won, but I hate having caused all this pain."
Cairenn, meanwhile, pulled her sleeve up slightly to cover her right hand short of her fingers, and then used the sleeve-covered back of her hand to sop up the tears that threatened to spill from her eyelashes. She took a deep breath to calm herself as Nildath's emotional torrent ebbed, then turned to look up at A'nd. "You're right," she began, her eyes looking away and down momentarily, her voice quiet and soft. She then turned her eyes to again look at A'nd, and continued, "I'm a dragonrider. This is how it works, and I need to understand that. I... I need to take care of... it."
Taking a quick breath, as if to brace for something, her expression became hardened... though just beneath the surface, she was quailing in fear at what she was about to ask. Trying to look as brave as possible, and hide the quiver in her voice, she stated, "Nildath likes you, that much is obvious. That must mean something. I know that... that you hate me, for what I caused..." She trailed off momentarily, again being unable to catch A'nd's gaze, then steeled herself once more and looked back into A'nd's eyes as she continued, "But... but could you... help me? Be my... first? Please?" At this point, Cairenn's eyes were filled with an equal measure of pleading and fear of the unknown, though her face remained stoic beyond the slightest quiver in her lower lip.
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on May 26, 2012 13:17:16 GMT -5
Peace, he repeated soothingly. A dragon cannot know the future, cannot want a dragon who needs bidding and is not drawn. Peace. No singular cause sparks the storm. No singular fault collapses the earth. Rise, Fly and worry not, Nildath. Xinatenth could hardly understand what would make the green think she was the cause of everything that happened. Fear, ignorance, inattentiveness on the part of the other dragons, Xinatenth not being more aware and informing the Weyr of the Flight, all of these were part of the problem. No one thing ever caused such circumstances all by itself.
His arms had been left to drape over his knees, one hand picking idly at the grass while he waited to see if his words had any effect at all. Eyes were on the fingers slowly stripping the edges away from the grass stalk, not looking up as she said that he was right. Right about what, he wasn't entirely sure. A'nd was listening to her voice, though, trying to determine if her distress had faded any. It was the breath that drew his eyes up. The breath sounded out of place. He looked at her face, the hard lines of it, and the lines between brows formed again as he tried to figure out the why of such an expression. The lines deepened. "I don't ha-" But she wasn't looking at him, and the protest was either too soft or she was too determined to get out what she wanted to say to hear him. Cairenn continued.
He stared into the younger girl's face rather blankly, surprise having erased the lines in his forehead. "You want me to...?" A'nd flushed. His gaze dropped back to the hand that hadn't stopped picking at the grass even once. "I don't hate you," he insisted, his tone almost defiant in nature. Why they kept on saying he hated her, he didn't know. Why should he hate her? She couldn't have wanted that to happen, and even if she'd avoided him due to some personal distaste, that wouldn't have inspired hatred. "But I...I mean...why me? You're pretty and everything but..." His flush was getting stronger. He could feel the heat burning in his ears and cheeks, on his neck. "But you think I hate you, and you hardly know me, and aren't there friends of yours or people you've flown with for awhile that you'd be more comfortable with?" he blurted swiftly.
Tearing apart another blade of grass, his voice dropped further. "I don't really...Nildath's Flight was my first time." How could his face contain this much heat? "I don't really know how. I could mess it up. Maybe someone with more experience..."
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on May 26, 2012 17:01:45 GMT -5
At Xinatenth's mindwords, and seeing that Hers needed to speak to His, Nildath pulled her head from Cairenn's lap and slid herself on her belly over to press against Xinatenth's body once again, nuzzling his neck with her head affectionately as she let his soothing words and emotions wash over her wordlessly.
Cairenn, meanwhile, freed of a dragon head in her lap, placed her hands on the ground and rotated her kneeling form to face A'nd, and also move her slightly closer to him. "You... you don't hate me?" she replied to his words, a slight smile and waver of hope in her voice. She then listened to the rest of his words in silence, her eyes trying to capture his own, though failing due to his attention being focused on a particularly-interesting blade of grass he was disassembling.
Finally, as he was trailing off, she kept up her mental momentum and reached forward to grab one of his hands in her own, her thin, petite fingers curling around his as she said in as matter-a-fact a tone as she could muster, "I... I don't really know anyone that well. The only person I'm truly close to is my auntie Roselle, who I hid with during Nildath's Flights." The last words were said with a tinge of embarrassment, but she forged on, "N-Nildath really seems to like you, as I mentioned, and what better a person to trust the feelings of than someone linked to your very mind, who shares in your emotional highs and lows and feels your worst pains?"
Cairenn then reached out with her other hand, capturing A'nd's other hand and pulling it away from it's grassy attention, and continued, "Nildath loves Xinatenth, and it's very likely she will pick him the next time she Rises... he might even be the only one she has Chase her again. S-so it makes sense, that it's you that... helps me." Finally unable to keep his gaze (if he even had been looking at her this entire time), she dropped her eyes as she concluded, "T-the fact that you're as inexperienced as I am is better... I don't have to worry about not doing it right, or disappointing anyone." Her eyes rose up again to look at A'nd's face (and eyes, if he was looking at her) as she added, "W-we can find out what it's supposed to be like... t-together..."
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Requiem
Weyrleader S'rei WM M?ta Rider A'nd Harper/Handler Dmitri Weyrbrat Miguel
Posts: 2,861
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Post by Requiem on May 27, 2012 16:42:13 GMT -5
The young blue did not voice the amusement that would seem so out-of-place (though of course he couldn't fully keep it from touching his faceted eyes with barely perceptible nuanced shades of meaning) as he watched his flightmate crawling, belly to the ground. She resembled nothing so much as a canine approaching with a conciliatory mein, as if she wasn't sure she'd be accepted or thought she'd done something wrong. No words, no emotions were given her beyond what she might be able to pull from the hue of his eyes. If she could read such subtlety. But he settled a wing over her and lowered himself to the ground as well so that the differences in their heights wasn't so pronounced. They'd have to be oiled all over again, he thought, still amused. He didn't mention that to A'nd just now, who was busy with other things. It wasn't like the pair of riders had gotten all that far with the oiling in the first place.
The hand that wrapped fingers around his was stared at for a moment, before his eyes lifted to hers. The furious blush remained; it was not something that could vanish in the blink of an eye, after all. That blush was rather difficult to explain. Girls had flirted with him before, and he'd flirted back. He wasn't hideous. But he'd always been a bit reserved when it went beyond flirting. There was Cootie, of course, who was so innocent that she didn't Run. Couldn't even comprehend the purpose of one, or what was going on when others Ran around her. She'd even joined in a few thinking it was a rather elaborate game of tag. For a time he'd been worried about the effect on her, or at least was worried enough that it became a convenient excuse not to try anything he was rather nervous about. By the time he'd been pumped with enough hormones to seriously want to enough to overcome the nervousness...he'd Impressed Xinatenth. Admitting that he was nearly twenty and the extent of his experience was a Flight gone badly was embarrassing. How forward she was being was embarrassing, too. It made it difficult to say no. All that earnestness, a pleading for help, even stating that no she didn't even really know anyone else... A'nd almost felt trapped. Perhaps he'd just always supposed these things happened more naturally, starting with flirting, a little petting, and let things go where they may.
His eyes had gone out of focus as his mind pursued these thoughts, and it took his other hand being captured - one that he hadn't even noticed had continued to tug and strip at the blade of grass - to bring him back to what Cairenn was saying. (Perhaps a good thing, because when he remembered the name of the dragonrider she mentioned later, it would come with some irritation.) He blinked. The blush had finally begun to fade, and now it took on an even stranger tone as he blanched a little. Nildath...dragons didn't love one another. That was a human thing. And, frankly, not an altogether common human thing, either. But if Nildath kept Rising and choosing Xina, then she'd have even less reason to worry about other chasers, wouldn't she? Awkward as this situation might be, it was far preferable to any repeat performances of the last Flight. He nodded absently.
Blushing again as his inexperience was brought up, he found the idea that she might be worried about disappointing someone or messing things up strange. It had never occurred to him a girl might worry about that. He met her eyes, a wry half-smile on his face as he regained his equilibrium. A brief squeeze was given her hands before he extracted his. "Well...she just Rose, so we have time, right?" It wasn't a rejection. Not really. Maybe it was the Holder in him - even though he'd left that life behind eight turns ago and didn't regret it in the slightest - but he couldn't really force himself to see this sort of thing as a business transaction. He didn't require love or anything silly like that, or a relationship, just...something a little more normal that didn't feel quite so much like his whoring himself out. No. It was really his ego, wasn't it? He'd rather her be interested in him for reasons other than just his convenience and how well her dragon liked his.
"Xinatenth exaggerates horribly when it comes to me. Nildath may like his story version, but I'm not so sure she'd like me all that much," he commented with a small, self-conscious chuckle. A hand ran through his hair. A huff and a nudge from the dragon that nearly knocked A'nd over earned him a playfully annoyed look. "Why don't we just hang out or something for awhile, and you can decide for yourself? Let what happens happen? Sorry, but I'm not weyrbred, and I'm not looking for a weyrmate or a girlfriend or anything like that but this still all seems pretty rushed and impersonal to me. If, um...you're really worried and in a hurry, though, there are flightmoths you know about as well as me who I'm sure wouldn't mind...since that's kind of what they do anyway." Standing, he reached down to offer her a hand up, hoping he hadn't offended her. A'nd found her pretty enough, he really did, and could see no reason why he wouldn't want to help her...later. If she still wanted him. If she really wanted him and didn't just want to solve a pesky problem and he happened to be convenient. He thought that wasn't too much to ask?
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on May 27, 2012 17:33:30 GMT -5
Cairenn nodded in agreement at A'nd's statement about them having time, though she did not interrupt him as he continued to reply to her. Her stoic expression broke into a giggle as Xinatenth nearly knocked A'nd over as he expressed his doubt over his real self matching the self described by his dragon, the tension finally bubbling away as she continued to giggle quietly as he spoke, though she tried to hide her mouth with a hand, hoping to not make him think she was laughing at him. It was simply difficult to stop giggling when she was so tense, like steam escaping a newly-created gap between lid and boiling cooking pot.
Cairenn accepted A'nd's help standing after he had done so himself, her expression softening as he reminded her that it wasn't something that needed done immediately, and that he was not rejecting her, but simply did not want to rush it... as she, truly, did not either. "I'm not weyrbred either... I was born in Hyphen Hold, and my auntie saved me from my horrible father and brother, and from a future being Joined to some old man in Lighttower," she began, her expression darkening a bit as she remembered her horrible former life, so different and long ago at this point it was almost more like a nightmare than a memory of reality. "I... I just thought that was how it was supposed to be done. I'm actually relieved you don't want to rush it, either..." She then trailed off, the removal of the need for her faked bravado bleeding her faked confidence off as well, temporarily revealing her true, unsure self as she looked down and away, her own cheeks flushing a bit as she wrung her hands together nervously and rubbed one foot along the heel of the other in uncertainty.
Finally, after a few moments of awkward silence, Cairenn moved forward, throwing her arms around A'nd and hugging him close. "Thank you, so much, for understanding," she whispered, her head pressed against his chest due to their height difference. She held the embrace for about half a minute, the tension from their encounter slowly bleeding off her, unless A'nd broke it earlier... simply holding him, not making a move towards anything further. Nildath, seeing that Hers and Xinatenth's seemed to have resolved the issue from what she saw as her mistake, crooned happily and rubbed her muzzle against Xinatenth again affectionately. The only spot of unhappiness in the whole group was poor little Fun; unsure of where he fit in a group with such high spirits, he remained wrapped around Cairenn's neck glumly silent, trying to avoid getting crushed between Cairenn and A'nd as she embraced the bluerider.
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