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Post by Sheari on Jun 18, 2009 13:04:25 GMT -5
Missing Riders? C'ryl nearly panicked but a squawk from atop his head reminded him of Child. He pulled her from her perch and held onto her, stroking her back to keep her there. He did not want her flying right up to the man and alighting on his shoulder to examine him. If it was someone else the brownrider would not have cared, but other Fort Riders were not to be looked over. Receiving this as a scold made Child squirm. She didn't like being held down and told 'no'! Mine? There was fear and worry colouring Pagoth's single word. The brown shielded his mind from any other dragons that might be around, not differentiating between Selenitas and Fort. Now that he was awake and heard echoes of what other dragons had said to Theirs he had a bit of a grasp on what was going on. He nudged his bonded's mind again, hoping for an answer. I am fine. Fort is here looking for some of their Riders to be returned. Us? No, I think we are safe. Pagoth was not satisfied but didn't question further. Did they want him? Were they looking for him and some others who had fled? The thought that he didn't recognize the man in the door gave him a sense of possibly not being known. Had someone noticed he was gone and passed it on to the wings? C'ryl riddled himself and gave Child another piece of meat to keep her content before glancing up. On second thought, the face seemed very vaguely familiar but no name came to mind to accompany it. ~*~*~ The arrival of Merridan lightened Anusha's spirits. "I know Fort is happening," she whispered curtly to Rusa before letting Mer know she was alright. It did irk her a little though, that Nautic wouldn't shut-up. His imitation of Emoyan, however, did make her smile. The Candidate Master would definitely be upset. Any reasons or excuses the trio at the table right now came up with would probably be dismissed regardless of possible authenticity. Another thing to add to her list of things to do. She'd be sure to grab quite a bit of klah tomorrow morning. "As for defending myself, I must admit living in a records room doesn't exactly teach anyone in the way of fighting," if it came to that she'd grab something sharp nearby and follow the lead of what the others were doing. Except for Nausi, she refused to hide behind someone. Anusha looked around. The only close blades were those of Rusahre and Merridan. Shards. Well, she did have a knife that she'd grabbed for her bread. Why she had grabbed it she didn't know. "No, he'll only yell at you, Nautic. The rest of us will have our ears ripped off." She said it with a smile. He had brought up humor, might as well go with it.
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Post by glamourie on Jun 18, 2009 18:54:27 GMT -5
R’wign tightened his grasp on Meira. Her leaning against him only reinforced that something was very wrong. It made him miserable to see her so unhappy. There wasn’t anything he could do, though, aside from hold her. He kept his arms wrapped around her firmly, and her slight headshake - the ‘no’ gesture - made him frown. He wanted to lift her chin up, force her to look at him, force her to remain in reality, but maybe it was kinder if he didn’t. She looked so depressed… understandably so, but it made him nauseous anyway. He felt helpless, like he was watching something terrible happen but was powerless to do anything about it. If he could have, R’wign would have carried Meira somewhere private, so she didn’t have to curl into a little ball to hide her tears. As it was, he was grateful for the clutter of his fire lizards around them; it was unlikely that anyone would see her crying because of that, if nothing else. They were distracting, and actually physically prevented Meira from being seen.
“I’ll tell him,” he said softly, and relayed the message to his mindmate; Checkoth was relieved. R’wign… not so much, but then, Checkoth didn’t see her crying, didn’t feel her weight against him. “Stop curling up.” It was half a request, half insistent; R’wign was glad he didn’t sound frantic, but his words were far from entirely calm. “You can cry on my shoulder, Meira, but please stop curling up. You’re not alone, do you hear me? I’m here - I’m here, and so is Checkoth. You don’t have to curl into a ball and hide. I won’t let anyone see you crying.” Every word was soft, like a whisper. Not that anyone around them would hear. Odds were, R’wign and Meira were being totally ignored. It wasn’t as if either of them were making a scene, after all.
Although, it was tempting to do exactly that. Meira was miserable, her wher and fire lizard killed, and he was angry beneath the hurt. Angry beyond words. R’wign was not normally prone to temper, but seeing someone he cared about hurting so made him want to do something rash - like attack the guards. He distantly heard talk of the Weyrleaders, and part of him wondered whether or not Kaegan was safe - he hated the idea of her being harmed; it made him feel nauseous just thinking about it. But -- he could only fuss over one person at a time, and Kaegan had Millieth to keep her safe. For the moment, he was all that Meira had, though he was sure that later, M’ta would fuss over her as well. The other brown rider cared a great deal for the … former wherhandler, even if she didn’t know just how far it stretched. R’wign was observant enough to have noticed it.
From next to him, Stumpy disappeared between, only to reappear hovering over the pile of bodies. Creeling quietly, the blue then disappeared again, though he flashed an image of it to R’wign at the same time. The tiny blue flit reappeared on Meira’s shoulder and climbed down between her knees and her chest, cuddling up to her affectionately. She was so sad. He didn’t want her to be sad. Zesa was gone…? Zesa was gone. He’d protect her, he would. Zesa would have wanted him to. Zesa was his protector, and he would protect Hers out of respect for her. He would.
Checkoth, tell Millieth to relay to Kaegan that they’ve got a pile of bodies outside…? Dragons and humans alike. I can’t make out who it is from Stumpy’s picture though.
Checkoth squirmed uncomfortably and crooned, though R’wign couldn’t hear it. Then, nervously, he reached out to Millieth (she still intimidated him), Millieth, R’wignmine wants to warn yours that there is a pile of bodies on the landing of the Main Hall. Dragons and human alike - he doesn’t know who they are, aside from Meisk and Zesa. He wanted Yours to know so that she isn’t startled. He hoped she didn’t yell at him for bothering her, but… R’wignHis was upset by the sight, so it was possible that Kaegan would be, too. Checkoth hoped that his warning would be enough to avoid any upset. He didn’t really know Millieth’s mindmate at all…
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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 Jun 18, 2009 20:41:13 GMT -5
Buckling the last of the Riding straps, Kaegan grimaced before pulling herself into the harness with the help of Millieth's leg. She swayed as the Gold took off from the ledge, moving with the motion of the flapping wings. /Mine?/ What? /Checkoth says that there are bodies outside the main hall.../ I... see. Thank him. Tightening her grip on the straps, the Senior Weyrwoman gritted her teeth. She really didn't feel like dealing with anyone, especially Fort Riders who now had added to the death toll of her Riders. Feeling Millieth dip to the right, Kaegan let her gaze fall to the ground beneath them as they swung a wide circle around the Main Hall, it looked as though there was a full fighting wing. /They are pale./ So was your last clutch. There wasn't an response from her Queen. Be smart, be careful.
Keeping an eye on the Wing as they alighted near by, Kaegan frowned as she nervously waited to either be approached, or for Gareth and K'roi to arrive. Whichever came first. Although she was planning to stay on Millieth, she still didn't like the odds if it came down to a fight. Sure, the Queen was large and powerful, but she only had a limited set of fighting skills. Touching Millieth's mind, Kaegan quickly made sure to reign her angry Dragon in. Don't do anything stupid... don't... say anything stupid either. All she received was an annoyed growl, it was obvious she was far more annoyed than her rider was.
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Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
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Post by Avu on Jun 18, 2009 21:11:20 GMT -5
No – she couldn’t not curl up; she’d fall apart – she would. Meira couldn’t quite explain why it felt like she was going to fall apart, but she did feel like it. The emptiness was going to tear her apart; she was still shaking, though part of it was due to the tears by now; she was numb with the shock, and yet she couldn’t stop herself from crying. Silently, but still crying; she could taste the blood from her lip in her mouth where she’d bitten down to stop herself from sobbing aloud. “I can’t – I can’t,” she said, muttering the words against R’wign’s shoulder still. “I’m – I’m scared – I’ll fall – ” She shook her head, inhaling shakily before she unclasped one hand to press it against her lip, closing her eyes again; the outpouring of emotion was exhausting, and for a moment, she almost wanted to just sleep – and not wake up. Never wake up again…
But R’wign still wanted her not to curl up. She didn’t know what else she was supposed to do that would keep herself together, and for a moment, Meira froze before she forced herself to loosen her muscles just as Stumpy squirmed between her chest and legs and she reacted instinctively, loosening her arms from around her legs to curl them around Stumpy instead, opening her eyes reluctantly and turning her head to look at the blue firelizard. Her head was still resting against R’wign’s shoulder; she almost hugged the blue firelizard, though she was careful not to accidentally squash him. So much smaller than her Zesa. So much smaller…and so was Roxie; pretending was impossible – and pretending was bad, too, wasn’t it? Denial…her stomach flipped and she very nearly threw up.
When she spoke, her voice was still relatively muffled, shaking, but barely audible nonetheless – Meira didn’t even know she was talking out loud until she heard her own voice: “I p-promised I’d never leave them…” And then another thought occurred, and she almost curled up again: If she couldn’t even take care of her mindmates, her beloved, her forever-and-always – how was she supposed to be a good mother? The former wherhandler was positively curled up against R’wign, but she didn’t notice; one hand dropped from Stumpy to her abdomen: That one thought made her more terrified than she’d ever been before. What if she couldn’t – what if she wasn’t able to keep a baby safe? She hadn’t managed to protect Meisk or Zesa – and they were mindmates; her first responsibility went to them…
But not anymore…they’d left her, because she’d been…so incredibly stupid…
~*~*~
He was only partially listening to what the other three were saying, but when Nautic imitated Emoyan, Rusa deigned to drop the murderous look on his face to toss a look at the other Candidate that was decidedly a smirk of amusement. He wouldn’t put it past Emoyan to rage at them after this was over – once they’d gotten rid of those foul Fort idiots, anyway. The Candidate clicked his tongue, and then, in an abrupt change of moods, Rusa actually smiled at Nautic, Anusha, and Mer. The casual observer would have been bewildered at the lightning shift. A more observant person might have noticed that it was purely reassurance for the other three; the smile didn’t reach his eyes, which remained cold, angry – but his hair was falling over his eyes, not concealing them entirely, but hopefully enough that none of the other three would notice that his expression was false.
As they answered his comment about fighting, Rusa glanced at Nautic and smiled at the wher Candidate again, as reassuringly as he could manage, and nodded. “Please do,” he said quietly, and there was nothing humorous about his tone: He meant it. He liked Nautic, and if the boy didn’t have any knives on him, he’d rather be protecting him than see him flailing around with a butter knife. That would not be fun and likely he’d be killed in about half of a second. Mer’s answer drew a smile, though it – along with the look that passed through his eyes – was decidedly feral as opposed to reassuring. Anusha…he tilted his head, glancing over the girl for a moment. There was nothing suggestive about it; he was trying to figure out if she had any knives on her. Biting his tongue for a moment, Rusa quirked one eyebrow at her, and then looked back at Nautic before he pulled the dirk out of his belt sheath and offered it to Anusha, hilt first, holding it behind his leg as not to be noticed by the Fort Riders. He wasn’t sure how they’d react to it, and at that moment in time, he kind of wanted to know what they wanted to know.
The dirk he offered to Anusha was about a foot in length, straight and simple, double-edged with a plain hilt: The longer of the two that he carried on him. He could use the shorter one in his boot just fine anyway. Explanatorily, he said quietly, “I’ve got another one on me…” It was probably pretty obvious, the way that his right hand was draped over the edge of his chair, lingering near his boot in case he needed to draw it quickly. As for giving it to Anusha and not Nautic…? Selfish. He was. The reasons were selfish – he’d prefer Nautic to live over Anusha, quite frankly, and he felt better if the boy was hiding behind him than if he had a blade and decided to face off with one of the Fort Riders. So not a good idea.
“Our Weyrleaders are pretty slow, aren’t they?” he noted absently, and then he caught the gleam of dark gold, and narrowed his eyes, trying to pick out what was happening beyond the doorway. “Hnn…let the games begin…?”
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Post by hseru on Jun 18, 2009 21:14:01 GMT -5
Given the signal from His, Gareth launched from the infirmary dragonledge without any difficulties, and it was a short few minutes before they were winging over and around the Main Hall, seeing the destruction firsthand. Even knowing they’d lost lives didn’t really prepare K’roi for the glittering and colored bodies heaped outside the Hall. To distract himself from the grim image, he counted the pale dragons in a quick mental tally. A full wing then. They could keep anyone else on the ground long enough to finish them, especially if they had firestone. A vibration rose from the bronze hide beneath him, and K’roi realized it was a deep-seated growl almost at the same time that he saw Millieth already on the ledge below, Kaegan still on her golden back. The bronze’s emotions kicked into anger, and this time it was K’roi holding back the bronze from doing something foolish.
Gareth came in for a quick landing next to his Queen, taking a protective step before her as K’roi met Kaegan’s eyes with a tense nod of greeting. His next look took in the other bronze, and the bodies piled there before he broke away, passing a message through Gareth as he also remained mounted. Vidorelth, Mine has come as Yours has requested. He awaits peaceful discussion, and hopes that yours will not feel the need to slaughter further.[/i] The bronze added a low growl, but it was one of warning, rather than evidence of imminent attack. They were still invaders who had taken the lives of Selenitas dragons and riders, and each loss was like a blow to the heart of the Weyr.
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Post by archenstone on Jun 19, 2009 18:37:24 GMT -5
Asharra looked at the rider then away. "If he can't keep his riders its shows they have some sense!" She muttered darkly. She wondered why everyone stayed so....calm. Was the situation out side so dreadful that they had no chance?
X'vier sat back and continued to watch the Fort Rider warily. In his mind he took count of the people there and tried to come up with a plan in case things escalated. What can they expect? People don't want to war in the North and come here. We don't have to lift a finger.
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Post by glamourie on Jun 20, 2009 19:30:08 GMT -5
A form of gold came down near him, and Vidorelth passed the message along to his rider casually. To Millieth, the bronze crooned, his head bowing in what could only be described as… respectful. Yes, respectful. He wasn’t being insulting to the gold intentionally. He gave her due space, though silently the bronze commanded his wing to light higher - higher so that Millieth had more room for herself, instead of being crowded by the circling dragons ready to strike with force enough to terrify. She’d come alone, just as requested. The least he could do was pay her the courtesy of not crowding her space. They were not lying when they said they meant Millieth and Gareth no harm. Vidorelth was no more capable of injuring a queen than he was of flying through space. He couldn’t have harmed her even if he was ordered to, and neither could his wing, not intentionally - but they would tear up anyone who endangered him if it could be helped. As it was, he didn’t want to make any misunderstandings. He knew she was queen there - and queen deserved space. Even if she was furious with them. It was an understandable sentiment. Her dragons were killed - of course she was mad. Perhaps Millieth could understand; perhaps not. He would not apologize, but he did not fault her for her temper. K’zorn turned to his two riders. He was privately pleased that the old harpy had left him alone after his initial statement. Silently informing his two to stay put near the door, K’zorn made his way to Vidorelth and mounted his beast. The bronze gave a low croon to his rider, but even after K’zorn mounted, they did not approach. They waited, silently commanding one of the browns to land nearby, and then both dragons turned to watch as Gareth landed. Neither made an aggressive move, not immediately. In fact, Vidorelth and his brown companion both waited until they were situated before moving forward - just the two of them. Yes, the wing was circling in the air, but he was trying to be considerate and not make the Weyrleaders feel cornered or threatened. We are creatures of our word, was Vidorelth’s only response to Gareth, though he crooned to both new arrivals in… what could only be described as polite greeting. He stayed close enough that from dragon back, the riders could communicate, but not close enough to be outright attacked. He did not trust either of the two dragons there. “Greetings, Senior Weyrwoman Kaegan, Weyrleader K’roi. I am Weyrsecond K’zorn of Fort. It is my most sincere apologies to meet you under these circumstances,” K’zorn began, and he meant it; if he’d thought they would return the missing riders without force, he would have tried it. But they even harbored the likes of S’rei. Selenitas could not be trusted not to abed traitors. After S’rei’s treachery to Fort, no one at his home Weyr trusted Selenitas -- not K’zorn and most certainly not R’anatar. “We have come in search of the Beta Wing, led by J’lorin of Illumiath.” Yes, the entire wing - all thirty riders of the fighting wing. “They were not given transfer papers, and Weyrleader R’anatar is most displeased at them leaving without permission. Should you send them back to Fort, we will leave and harm no more of your people. Please call them.” Of course J’lorin and his wing were there -- Where else could they be? * * * * * * “You won’t fall,” R’wign insisted stubbornly, as his arms tightened around Meira’s waist. He wouldn’t let her do anything stupid, he just wouldn’t. The baby was actually only a fraction of his concern (there, but not in the forefront of his mind). He liked Meira. She was his friend, and he was so tired of losing his friends to the northern Weyrs. He was not letting her go too. He’d lost Religna, he’d lost Marra, K’ran, even Lauranna, he wasn’t letting Meira go, too. The idea made him feel nauseous. “I’m not letting you fall, okay? I won’t. I just won’t. You’re not leaving me too, you hear me? I’m not letting you.” There was almost a frantic note in his voice, and R’wign couldn’t keep from clenching his eye closed to avoid actually crying in response; he wasn’t prone to emotional outbursts, but… he didn’t have that many close friends left. Meira was his friend, and he did care about her. A lot. That she was hurting made him so unhappy. As Meira hugged him, Stumpy gave a reassuring flute before bumping his head on her chin. The worry in his eyes was obvious, as was the sorrow; the little fire lizard made no effort to hide his discontent. She was unhappy, she was. Zesa’s should never have been unhappy. He’d protect her, she’d see. He snuggled into her arms as lovingly as he possibly could and fluted up to her again. Rapid whirling in his gaze showed his emotions clearly, and he took to humming so that his whole body vibrated. See, see, he could comfort, he could. He’d make the tears stop, somehow. He’d make it go away by being as sweet as possible. Surely Zesa would not want Hers to be so upset. She’d be fussing, she would, so Stumpy would fuss for her since she couldn’t do it herself anymore. See how good he was…? Meira’s words, though quiet, made R’wign tense. Then the sadness was replaced by a glare, not at Meira but in general. He leaned down to tilt Meira’s chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. It probably wouldn’t make her feel all that much better, but he would not - would not - let her blame herself for something that was most assuredly not her fault. “You didn’t leave them, and they didn’t leave you. Do you hear me? This is in no way your fault, it’s not a failure or mistake on your part, and I know that neither of your mindmates would want you to blame yourself for this. They loved you. They would never want you to feel responsible for this, and it isn’t your fault. They were stolen from you. You didn’t cause this, and the ones who should be blamed are those - those monsters outside. Not you. Not you. You hear me?” If she didn’t accept that it wasn’t her fault, R’wign would shake the sense into her. Meira was not responsible. She wasn’t. Those who love us never leave us really, Checkoth added, also to Meira directly. You didn’t leave them, and they didn’t leave you, not really, because they loved you, and you loved them. Right? Some part of them is always with you. You’ve just got to remember that. He didn’t really understand the concept of ‘love’ but it was the word R’wign used to describe their relationship… and he wanted to believe that if anything ever happened to him, R’wign would remember that he’d always thought him the best, because he was his. No matter what happened, what came to pass, if ever they were separated, surely R’wign would remember that he was always there somewhere -- right? Right? The concept of being separated was frightening, but -- well, he wouldn’t ever let that happen. He just wouldn’t.
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Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
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Post by Avu on Jun 20, 2009 22:32:07 GMT -5
He’d only been half-listening to what was going on outside, but since it was so completely quiet, listening in was hardly difficult. Rusa bit his tongue nervously; their Weyrleaders didn’t seem to have said anything, and his stomach actually flipped in response to that. They wouldn’t say anything, would they, if they were being threatened? He could only see K’zorn out of the door, thanks to the angle that he was at, and he squinted, tilting his head sideways in an attempt to see Kaegan or K’roi. He didn’t like Kaegan. He didn’t. But much as he hated that she’d betrayed Benden, he hated Fort more, and he’d rather Kaegan live, frankly, or they’d be left with only one queen – and it would be all too easy to take over with just one queen. Rusa barely noticed whether or not Anusha had accepted the knife he’d offered to her; his grasp actually tightened as K’zorn started to speak, and he leaned forward, fingers sliding into his boot as he strained to hear. Indeed, his grip tightened on the blade of the knife he’d been holding out to the girl so much that it would have been literally impossible for her to take it – and he almost hissed as the metal bit into his palm.
Beta Wing. J’lorin of Illumiath.
Rusa hissed out loud, and he dropped the knife – it hit the ground with an audible clatter, and for once, he didn’t lean down to pick it up; his own blood had rimmed the edge of the knife where it had cut into his palm and fingers. He kept them…ridiculously sharp, as he had just found out. Not that he noticed the pain. Nobody at Selenitas would know. He was sure of it, because if there had been a Benden transfer, they wouldn’t have said they were from Benden. He hadn’t; he’d passed himself off as coming from Southern Hold. The Weyrleaders…would not know. They could probably guess; Rusa didn’t expect them to be stupid – but they didn’t know, and if they so much as stammered…K’zorn wouldn’t believe them. But he knew. He knew…J’lorin of Illumiath, leader of the Beta Wing.
Confusion passed prominently over his features; indecision was clear in his eyes as he curled his hand together, rubbing his palm where the knife had torn it against his pants absently; the smear of red was ignored as he stared, grinding his teeth together nervously for a moment. They wouldn’t be able to answer. They wouldn’t. K’zorn wouldn’t believe them, even if they did. If he didn’t believe them, and they couldn’t magic up J’lorin and Illumiath, heads would roll. And…Rusa didn’t want to see people killed. He didn’t. Especially not the three Candidates with him. Mer, Anusha – he hadn’t liked them, but he didn’t wish them dead, either. And Nausi…he really didn’t want the other boy hurt. The entire Hall would be killed if he didn’t speak up – and if he did?
What were the chances that they would believe him? Rusa bowed his head for a moment; so lost in thought was he that he didn’t even notice if either Kaegan or K’roi spoke up – before he jolted out of his seat, so abruptly that he nearly overturned the chair, and then took a step forward, mentally running over the names in his mind. Names were proof: Names meant he knew what he was talking about. He knew the implications; if he got kicked out of Selenitas – well, that was okay, really. Rusa didn’t expect to Impress anyway. For a moment, still, he was torn, blinking nervously before he raised his head, one hand coming up to push his hair entirely out of his face, covering the indecision with defiance and a loud, hard voice – loud enough for the entire Main Hall to hear: If he was going to damn himself, he might as well do it properly.
“We don’t have your bloody bronzerider – and we don’t have P’rit or G’lon, either, or any of J’lorin’s stupid wing. Why don’t you go ask Baith who her new Weyrleader is?”
~*~*~
No. She would fall – she would. Not physically, maybe – but Meira was reeling inside; the shock refused to fade. Her trembling had eased, but, like a child will touch a wound to see if maybe it hurts less every minute, there was denial: She couldn’t – she could accept that Meisk and Zesa were gone, and her mind went tentatively to where they had used to be, and each time, it hurt badly. So badly…R’wign’s hugging her did help, though; if she hadn’t already been pressed as tightly as she could manage against him, she would have completely relaxed – forced herself to relax, as it was. She couldn’t possibly relax without forcing each and every muscle to do so separately. “I’m n – not…I’m not going to leave,” she stammered softly, closing her eyes and dropping her head against her chest in response to Stumpy, her arms tightening slightly around the blue firelizard, her eyes closed again. He was…so sweet. So sweet…it hurt so badly…
The brownrider’s hand cupping her chin, forcing her to look up, made Meira almost flinch in panic; only Stumpy in her arms prevented her from cringing away, though she did opened her eyes, blinking back tears again. No – no. R’wign didn’t get it – if she hadn’t called them – even if it wasn’t her fault, it was her mistake. If she’d just asked Meisk and Zesa to stay away for five minutes longer – if she hadn’t – they’d be alive. Safe. Alive and with her… She actually did flinch at R’wign’s statement – stolen from her, and swallowed hard before she trusted her voice not to tremble. “Okay,” she said softly. She heard him. There was still guilt. It was less, but it was still there, and Meira didn’t honestly think she could entirely get rid of it. She wasn’t going to suicide – not with the baby. The baby was the only thing keeping her from doing it – but she wasn’t. She absolutely couldn’t.
Checkoth’s voice in her mind made her shudder slightly, and though she wanted to hug Stumpy tighter, Meira refrained; she didn’t want to squish the blue by mistake. So much smaller than Zesa. So much smaller…so different. Always with her…? It was meant well. Meira knew it was, and she couldn’t possibly not appreciate it – but if they were always with her, then why – why did she feel so…so absolutely empty…? “T – tell Checkoth thank you, please…”
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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 Jun 20, 2009 23:06:39 GMT -5
Returning his attention back onto Rusahre, he caught the tailend of the first smile, but was able to watch the second one appear without any disturbances. He offered the boy a smile in response before looking to Anusha as she spoke. "Oh no he haaates me. He'll rip Rusa and my ears off and yell at the both of you. He hates all of the male candidates cause we're cheeky little things." He rested his chin on his crossed arms. "Well I'm little, everyone else is tall." He was short, it was true. The other boys neatly towered over him... he supposed it was a good thing that he thought taller men were attractive. Wait what was he thinking. This certainly was not the time to think about his sexual preferences, there had to be something wrong with him. Of course, he then remembered the three glasses of wine he had had, and slumped with a sigh as he realized that was what was wrong. He thought it might be something more exciting.
Watching briefly as Rusa pulled something out of his boot, Nautic casually looked away, letting his eyes wonder about the room slowly. He was sleepy. But maybe it wasn't the best time to fall asleep randomly. Pinching his lip between two of his canines, the Whercandidate pressed down. But when the other man spoke again, he let his gaze fall back onto him. "They've got to be careful. They'll be here in time." He too, then saw a flash of gold. "See."
Watching stunned as Rusa lept up, Nautic felt his jaw go slack slightly as the other Candidate began yelling. How would he... know? The blond made a mental note to bother the other about his little outburst at a later time.
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Millieth was busy eying the Dragons who took to the air, and Kaegan didn't want to disturb her concentration. Offering K'roi a weak smile as he glanced over, the Weyrwoman shifted unhappily in her harness. Her insides felt like they were tunnelsnakes burrowing through her body. /At least they are respectful killers. Not beasts like Benden./ She fidgeted even more, she didn't think that she was confident enough to deal with these Dragonriders.
Turning to face the Wingleader as he landed, she felt her Queen draw even with Gareth, not wanting to look as if she was hiding behind the male. She listened quietly as he hailed them and explained exactly what they wanted in return for the safety of the occupants of the Main Hall. They came for a Wing? Surely they knew Selenitas kept no prisoners? Frowning, Kaegan stood in her toestraps before answering the man. "K'zorn of Vidorelth." She paused. "But I now for certain we do not have a Bronzeri--"
She stopped midsentance as a voice echoed out from the main hall. Who was that speaking? She couldn't see from her position but whoever it was seemed to be able to name more of the Beta Wing. She had an inkling that whoever it had been was probably a Benden transfer. Turning back to K'zorn, Kaegan's frown deepened. Baith's newest mate? She narrowed her eyes as she inspected the Bronzerider across from her, was this as much as a surprise for him as it was for her? She hoped for all of their sakes the mystery voice was right, since she was about to take a huge risk. "Apparently, you are looking in the wrong place Weyrsecond." She felt some venom leek into her voice. Now she was angry, and a renewed growl from her Gold mirrored her own agitation. "Next time, check all the Weyrs before coming to my Weyr and killing my charges for what appears to be a sharding goose chase!" She offered the Bronzerider a glare. "You can have Vidorelth check to see if he can feel Illumianth if you are less than trusting. I can assure you, he will not find him here."
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Post by hseru on Jun 20, 2009 23:21:34 GMT -5
If he was placated by the deference the other bronze –the invader- paid to both him and Millieth, Gareth didn’t show it. He remained in a defensive position, wanting to confront these offenders head on, and perversely glad that they kept their distance from the pair for a number of reasons. The wing overhead drew off a bit, and only two of theirs approached, one of which K’roi assumed was this K’zorn. They weren’t overtly threatening, which threw him a bit. Almost as much as the idea that Fort would attack them. It wasn’t... typical. Nothing about this ‘attack’ was typical though, and despite the overt care taken to appear as non-aggressive as possible, the pile of bodies to the side belied even the best acting. The two dragons approached to within talking distance, and some distant part of K’roi’s mind noted that they were still trying to put them at ease.
His narrowed gaze focused on the other bronzerider as he began to speak. Weyrsecond. This was a big deal. Why did they send only a single wing with the Weyrsecond? He almost scoffed at the man’s apology, almost, but kept it in, frowning instead, obviously doubtful. Then he heard the names of the dragonpair they sought, and his vision went red for half a second. These Fort riders had killed Selenitas weyrfolk in order to force them to hand over a wing that wasn’t even there. His jaw clenched so hard it hurt, and his hands tightened into fists on his riding straps. Easy, Mine. They’ll get the wrong idea if you take too long to answer. Interesting, how often they traded places, one placating the other. K’roi took a deep breath, but before he even got an answer out, a shout came from within the Main Hall. Who was that!? And the information, Baith’s new Weyrleader? He glanced at Kaegan as she spoke first, waiting till she was done. It was always best to present a unified front, and interrupting each other would ruin that all too easily.
Before he was interrupted again however, K’roi urged Gareth to face the two dragonpairs fully, the bronze complying with hesitation as he stepped to Millieth’s side even as she stepped forward like the proud Queen she was. He felt a thrill of pride from the bronze; his Queen didn’t need protecting. “We have accepted neither a single rider, nor a wing under the command of someone by that name.” He added in emphasis after Kaegan was done, a bit surprised at how forceful she’d sounded. Queenrider indeed. He gestured tightly to the two bronze bodies in the pile of dead. “Faranth knows we’d notice a new bronzerider even if he managed to sneak in without officially registering.” He slapped his closed fist against his saddle in a sudden display of anger, mismatched eyes flashing. “We have never shown Fort even the most meager signs of aggression, and now you come here without warning to demand the return of a rider and wing we have seen neither hide nor hair of, killing our weyrfolk in the process? Weyrwoman Kaegan has put it most eloquently, K’zorn of Vidorleth. I expected better of Fort.” Oh, he’d kept it much more polite than he’d wanted to, but Gareth’s voice murmured encouragement in his mind, keeping him calm.
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Post by glamourie on Jun 21, 2009 6:51:22 GMT -5
Far be it from Selenitas to harbor traitors. They only had a former Weyrleader who had directly prolonged the war, stabbed Fort in the back, and essentially caused them countless lost lives. But Selenitas would never harbor a traitor to Fort. K’zorn tilted his head to the side as both Weyrleader and Weyrwoman said their peace. He was not remotely pleased. In many ways he was old fashioned. First the Weyrleader’s bronze said they’d slaughtered others (and the word was ill-fitting; they’d merely pruned). Then they had the nerve to scold him. Because Selenitas didn’t have a reputation of taking in strays… like… say… their senior weyrwoman. Or one of their former Weyrleaders. No, never. He kept his thoughts to himself and his face calm as he processed the words from inside. He didn’t turn. In fact, K’zorn made no effort to acknowledge the speech. Had he simply stated ‘J’lorin and Illumiath’ he would not have reacted… but to know the other missing Bronzeriders was beyond coincidence. It made sense. It was a logical decision. The group vanished when Benden was attacking Selenitas, and they’d gone to Benden. The absolute last place he would have looked, truly, since Benden riders were liable to slaughter Fort riders on sight. Pointing that out to the arrogant pair before him seemed pointless. Did they really think that most Fort riders would willingly go to Benden? Why would they? They’d sooner go to the helpless Weyr. Oh well. It wasn’t his fault they were ignorant. “I see,” K’zorn said softly, but there was a definite edge to his voice that made his annoyance clear. “I will be sure to let Weyrleader R’anatar know of this development… as well as relay your words verbatim to him personally.” Was he mocking? Oh yes. But he was annoyed - first by the Weyrwoman’s insulting comments, and second by the Weyrleader daring to think himself even his equal. Selenitas was in shambles. A single Wing had dominated their Main Hall in under a candle mark. Imagine what they could have done with a full fighting force? -- and since the implication was that he was stupid (he certainly took both of their comments that way, since neither was being polite), he was fairly sure Selenitas would find out soon enough just how much better Fort could be. “I apologize that we have not been able to meet your standards, Weyrleader. Perhaps in the future we can do just that.” He didn’t make threats, aside from the comment about R’anatar. Perhaps one of them knew the man - he was Selenitas bred, after all. Unlikely though. If they did, they would have known how lucky they were. R’anatar approached war far differently than D’loro ever had. He was a lot like C’leon. Frankly, K’zorn didn’t blame J’lorin and his wing for defecting - especially if, as it was said, they had control of Benden. He almost envied them. Almost. Just as he almost pitied Selenitas. Their defensive skills were in dire need of work… as, evidently, was their intelligence. He’d come in peace, but the implication that he should have known to check Benden first? That was insulting. So was the phrase I expected better of Fort. Didn’t he realize they’d only used Selenitas as a distraction? Like any of them truly cared about the southern Weyr. Really. Silently commanding his wing, K’zorn nodded to the pair, then called inside, “Y’le, R’sk, mount up. We’re leaving. We’ve wasted enough of the Selenitas Weyrleaders’ time.” * * * * * * “You’re not, no,” R’wign insisted with his arms still tightly around Meira; the screaming boy and whatever he was saying was all but ignored with his focus entirely on the girl in his arms. He was too worried about Meira to care about their predicament. From the sounds of things, the Weyrleaders had everything under control -- and Meira needed him to be there. Needed him to be something. He didn’t know what to do for her, but - holding her seemed to help, and if he could keep her talking, maybe she’d feel better. He didn’t like what she was saying, no, but maybe it would make it better if she kept focusing on trying to hold a conversation and not the emptiness inside. “Because I don’t think I’d forgive you if you left me before I got to find out where in the north you’re really from, what your favorite color actually is, what sort of flowers you like - you make it hard to spoil you, girl, being so secretive. Start talking, tell me about yourself, please? Look at me and talk?” Maybe if she talked - maybe - maybe it would get better. Maybe. He needed her to get better. In Meira’s arms, Stumpy squirmed around, until he was up close enough to rub his entire body on her jaw line. It was definitely an affectionate touch. He was hoping to comfort. Was he helping? He thought he was helping, she was hugging him, she was. Humming musically up to Meira, Stumpy licked her jaw and cocked his head to the side. No more tears, please. Zesa wouldn’t have liked it. Didn’t she know that? He insistently fluted to the former-wherhandler and then pressed himself against her as firmly as he could. He was a good hug toy, he was. His hugged him often and he liked it. Did she want more to hug? He could ask Roxie to come down. Roxie made a good hug toy too, and the two of them could be big enough to fill her arms way, way up. Yes they could. Ignoring Stumpy (silly blue), R’wign stroked his hands down Meira’s back and frowned. “He can hear you when you talk to me. He knows where we are, what we’re doing.” He leaned forward to press his forehead against hers in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. “He’s right, you know. He is. I know it - it can’t feel that way now. But he’s right. You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone.” An ironic sort of smile went across his face. “You’ve got a brown dragon who’s just adopted you and decided you belong to him, sort of. And I’m pretty sure Stumpy wants to keep you, too. I know Ellie does.” Approvingly, the gold fluted, and R’wign glanced at her. She was being quiet out of nervousness, but he could feel her worry. All of his fire lizards were fussing. “Do you -- do you want to stay in my weyr, after - after all this? You can, you know - I… I’d like it if you did. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to…” To go back to the wherhandler apartments. Or be left alone.
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Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
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Post by Avu on Jun 21, 2009 16:43:23 GMT -5
Rusa was actually shaking in his fury. The Candidates behind him were forgotten; the pain in his hand went completely ignored. He blamed Fort. He did. If Fort’s J’lorin hadn’t decided to take over Benden and plotted with that complete idiot Arga, there would have been no Siege. If there had been no Siege, C’leon would be alive. Aiwyre would be alive. Aiwyre and her Seth would be alive. They would be, and he wouldn’t have left Benden. And then, just when he’d made friends (he considered Nausi, Zan, Anz, and possibly Anusha and Mer ‘his property’ now) they’d had to come in and make him possibly alienate everyone. Nobody wanted anything to do with Benden, because Benden was being blamed for the Siege. For poisoning Shmee. They hadn’t. They hadn’t. J’lorin – well. He’d have to tell Kaegan and K’roi, probably. But now that he’d as good as said he’d come from Benden Weyr – he wouldn’t be at all surprised if the other Candidates…completely shunned him. Had it even done anything?
K’zorn wouldn’t look at him, and Rusa clenched his hands into fists – and then gasped as pain lanced through his left palm; he’d more or less just dug his fingers into the cut on his palm from his knife. Bowing his head, the Candidate turned his palm upwards towards him; the red gashes, the blood webbing across his palm, made him frown, almost perplexed for a moment, before he wiped it off on his pants again, and then took another uncertain step forward, trying to hear what was being said. He thought he had a right to know, in any case. He clearly had a part in this, hadn’t he? As soon as K’zorn’s call to the guarding Riders came, however, Rusa stepped back, the defiance on his face fading into wary uncertainty again. He wasn’t quite sure that he wanted to go back to Nautic, Anusha, and Mer, but…he needed to get his dirk back.
Turning, the Candidate bowed his head again, making his way back to the other three Candidates. Rusa smiled soberly at all three of them, keeping his eyes hidden again, as he capsized into the chair again, catching his torn hand with his other one and applying pressure to the cuts grimly. There was no nerve damage, fortunately, but there was pain and blood. It had been…so long since he’d cut himself. Shaking his head numbly, he glanced sideways at his three companions, though he remained silent for a moment before he smiled, the gesture distinctly bitter as he leaned down silently to retrieve his knife and, after a peremptory wipe on his pants, slid it back into his sheath. He’d clean it later. “So,” Rusa finally said softly. “Once Fort clears out…I’m heading back to the Barracks.” What else was there to do? He just wanted to curl up, though his pride would never allow him to actually admit it…
~*~*~
Meira was only vaguely aware of someone yelling – and the only recognition that it received was a nervous blink. She couldn’t concentrate on what was happening – she absolutely couldn’t. On a more impersonal level, she knew it wasn’t as bad as it could be. Meisk wasn’t a dragon, much as she adored him, and the connection wasn’t as strong. It wasn’t as bad…but it hurt. It hurt terribly and she still wanted to curl up into a ball, though R’wign’s hugging her was preventing her from doing that. His questions made her stomach drop momentarily, and for another second, she didn’t know the answers. She swallowed, and then, taking a deep breath and looking up at R’wign obediently – she was too numb to disobey by now – she talked, trying to keep her voice as level as she could. It didn’t occur to her to hide anything, or try to do anything but say everything that R’wign had asked her about. “I grew up at Benden Weyr. I – my favorite color’s blue…” She barely managed not to flinch. Blue was her favorite color. Previous to her Impression of Meisk, it had been green, but – blue it was, and blue it would likely always remain. “And I like the flowers on aconite…”
She didn’t know what else to say, though; trying to think of something proved almost literally impossible, and as Stumpy rubbed himself along her jaw, Meira looked down at the blue firelizard. Smiling – it was a very weak smile, and more sad than actually happy, but she’d tried – at the blue, she raised one hand, elbow still tucked around Stumpy, to stroke the blue’s neck. So sweet – he really was. At any other time, she would have been talking to Stumpy, making sure he knew how adorable he was – right now, everything reminded her of her own firelizard – and Meira didn’t trust her voice not to shake at the thought.
Looking back up at R’wign as he spoke, Meira nodded slightly. The brownrider’s proximity was comforting – it made her feel safer. Less alone, less likely to fall…she smiled through the tears again. Checkoth – had adopted her? And Ellie and Stumpy, too…? Her arms tightened around the blue firelizard slightly, and, a second later, she blinked in surprise. Stay in his weyr…? Meira hesitated for a moment, trying to think past the minute, past the emptiness. What if she didn’t? She’d go back to – the wherhandlers’ apartments, at least until they had time to assign her another room. She’d be…alone. Physically, anyway; the thought of going to sleep without Zesa’s weight next to her head on the pillow, without being able to open her eyes and see the queen curled up, without hearing Meisk’s breathing – it was a terrifying thought, and took a breath before she nodded again, whispering the word: “Please…”
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Post by topaz on Jun 21, 2009 22:31:51 GMT -5
As Millieth and Gareth landed outside with their respective riders, Venus strained to hear what they and the Fort bronzer were saying. Something about . . an entire wing being here? No way. They couldn't seriously be looking for an entire wing, could they? That seemed ridiculous. The entire Weyr would be aware of a whole new wing amongst their ranks. Even the handlers would have noticed something! They couldn't be here. There was no way.
“We don’t have your bloody bronzerider – and we don’t have P’rit or G’lon, either, or any of J’lorin’s stupid wing. Why don’t you go ask Baith who her new Weyrleader is?”
Who in Faranth's name was that?! Was he trying to get himself killed? Venus flicked her eyes to the opposite corner of the dining hall, and looked warily at the boy who had raced out of his chair to speak. What exactly did he know of the missing wing? She didn't even recognize him. The fact that Venus now had completely different hours then pretty much the entire rest of the Weyr and she probably could barely recognize half the Weyr by their faces alone, was pushed aside by her worry and confusion. Venusk's eyes whirled a bright, fast yellow, and his posture remained defensive, but obviously frightened.
The bluehandler stroked her wher to calm him, and sent him reassuring thoughts as she continued to watch Rusahre. Okay, they both needed to think clearly now. The nervous blue's feelings leaked freely over to his bonded, and Venus had to try hard to reverse them so that she could think for herself.
Now. What had he said . . Baith? That was Benden's queen. Could that mean that Bendedn was no longer a threat to Selenitas, with this new Weyrleader? Venus had no idea what this J'lorin was like, but he couldn't be any worse than C'leon. Right? Venus was confused, so she watched the scene unfold in front of her silently. Hopefully this whole situation would end with this new information.
It indeed seemed like it had. Venus could hear the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader speaking harshly to the Fort wingleader, and then the man spoke back, but Venus could only just make out a few words from all the way in the far corner of the dining hall. She did however hear him call to the two riders who were guarding the doors, and they obeyed him, mounting their beasts, seemingly ready to leave. Venus lowered her right hand from its spot hovering over her dagger, and wrapped it around Venusk's neck. She kissed the blue wher affectionately, bombarding him with calming feelings. "They're leaving now, my love." She whispered. "It's alright. They're leaving." The blue fidgeted uncertainly, but then tilted his head back to rub it against his bonded's cheek. See, this was exactly why he would never leave her side.
The blue suddenly had the urge to see how Meira was doing, but Venus made certain he did not interact with the poor girl. She was going through too much already. Seeing another wher, especially such a light hued blue, as Meisk had been, might push her over the edge. Hopefully R'wign would be able to console her properly, Venus thought as she watched the two for a moment. The brunette couldn't imagine what she would do if she lost Venusk. Probably the same thing as Meira, only she didn't know if she would have anyone like that to make sure she wouldn't . . No. She would not think about that. It would only get Venusk even more upset and the slender blue was still tense even now.
The bluepair stayed in the corner of the hall, and watched the rest of the folk begin to relax and move around again. They would stay until everyone was gone though. This was their breakfast after all, shard it! Once those Faranth forsaken Fort riders were all gone, Venus could finish her meal in peace, and maybe her blue could finally relax again.
(lawl, big fat late failpost)
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