L2: Burimyu Candidates

[Rowana]

Nabrik's eyes grew slowly wider as M'kai spoke. He found himself inching away from some of the females in the room almost on instinct. Somehow this knowledge had only confirmed his belief that girls were far too weird to understand. He shook his head of the images. Yuck! He was almost glad they weren't going to discuss it more, though his curiosity was sure to get the better of him later.

The rest of M'kai's lesson had given him something new to worry about. Reaching up, Nabrik pulled Alph down into his lap to stare at him critically. His salamadyr had never chased a female, was he old enough? Alph cocked his head and gave a worried hum. Alph never chase, he confessed privately. Nabrik raised his eyebrows. "But, why? I never told you not to or anything. That's not really fair and all, I suppose." His words were honest enough, though the look on the boy's face was enough to show he was glad of the fact. Females scary. "You got that right," Nabrik whispered his agreement, just in time to hear M'kai announce his partner was one of those very females.

Sighing, Nabrik let Alph climb back to his shoulder and moved reluctantly over to Olivia. Maybe this was just one of those things that would make more sense when his voice changed. His older brothers had always claimed they were men after that, so it must be true. "Hey," Nabrik managed a nervous smile for Olivia, despite his misgivings. "I'm Nabrik. I ran away from Lighttower to be a candidate and got dragged here." He shrugged, not sure what else he could add. At least he didn't have to worry about telling people where he was from now that he was old enough to be a proper candidate. Besides, his father would never find him here. "Don't know much about defense, unless you count running and hiding. Oh, and this is Alph." He pointed at the salamandyr, who waved a spiky wing in greeting.

[cailan]

Cailan shook her hand and then smiled waiting for the lesson to continue. He looked around noticing how they seemed to a lot of younger boys around and smirked then asked, "What color do you want," curious as to what color the girl wanted? "I'm interested in any color just to be able to fly," said Cailan as he looked at her then waited for her to answer. He had talked to a few that wanted a precise color yet didn't really care. The dragons in each color seemed to have a lot of different positive things to them.

He admired each one and would appreciate just having a dragon. "Can you believe how much we have to hide here," asked Cailan as he looked at her? The young candidate didn't know how much he liked to live in silence and not attend gatherings. He'd heard that dragon riders we're greatly welcomed in most holds and welcomed to be with hold girls. It was a thought that made him smile and then turned back to his partner.

[Ruby]

((Same thing I said to Jen goes for you, Cailan. Quick clarification for everyone: we do actually have a rule against running away with threads: "Refrain from running away with threads ... for plot and Hatching threads [and lessons], please post only once per 'round' – i.e. plot-runner posts; you post; everyone else posts; plot-runner posts; you post again." In this case, please make sure I post IC at least once in between each of your posts. I'll leave it for now, but in the future, please hold off! What both of you posted would be a great post-starter for next round. Feel free to get in contact with me, Rei, or Ember via cbox or pm if you need further clarification. Thanks!))

[metaldawn71]

((oops sorry, ruby))

[Zephyr]

She was unaware of M’kai’s misgivings, but she was all too aware soon that things were rapidly going to get worse. She didn’t want to talk about this, she really did not want to talk about this. The girl peeked out from where she was hiding her head in her knees just in time for M’kai to start talking again. She wrinkled her nose up as he tried to explain sex to a very sheltered little twelve year old. While that explanation fit into Olivia’s limited scope of the world, it seemed too simple, even for her. HOW were the babies made? She bit her lip so she wouldn’t ask. The man seemed uncomfortable enough that she didn’t want to subject him to further questions on a subject that she probably wouldn’t fully understand until she was older.

The girl gave up her hiding, eyes widening as the candidate master continued speaking. More and more questions bloomed to life in her mind. WHY were humans driven to mate when dragons did? If she was able to get a dragon by some miracle, would she mate when it did? The thought of mating, when she was so young, or any time in the foreseeable future was baffling. It was so out of the realm of possibilities for her right now in her life that she only gaped at M’kai. No way that she would mate with anyone if she wasn’t ready. Dragon or not. She didn’t…no, couldn’t comprehend the bond between dragon and rider. It wasn’t all that surprising, really. The closest the girl ever came to a bond that deep was the antsy little puppy hovering near the door.

The rest of his speech was somewhat less comforting. She couldn’t grasp the concept of rape right then, but it sounded unpleasant enough for her not to want to get in the middle of it. This whole dragon mating business sounded awful enough. Why would anyone want to subject themselves to it? She never once thought about leaving though. When she set her mind to something, she followed through with it, no matter if she could understand the end product or not. The journey was sure to take her somewhere better than she was now…and why were there so many dragon riders if the whole thing was awful? She had to assume that the mating thing wasn’t so bad, otherwise there wouldn’t be any riders.

Simple enough logic.

Then he paired them off and her heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t know the name that M’kai spoke as her partner, so she slid off her chair and waited awkwardly, looking around slowly until a boy approached her. He seemed nervous, and that dispelled most of her own anxiety. “ Hi.” She managed, her voice very low. She then noticed something sitting on his shoulder and her eyes widened. It looked a lot like a dragon. She was too busy admiring Alph that she almost didn’t hear his name. Jerking her gaze back to Nabrik, she smiled at him. " I’m Olivia. I came from Selenitas hold. I didn’t run away…I don’t think. I just left without asking my mum and dad.” She thought for a second. " Well, maybe that is running away, but I knew they’d never say yes to me coming here, so…” The little girl shrugged lightly, as if it were just that simple. She gave him another smile, well at least she wouldn’t have to feel bad about not knowing anything. They could learn together. " I'unno anything about defense either. I’ve never had to fight before. Hi Alph!” She beamed at the mandyr. " I have a pet too. He’s a puppy though. His name is Pippin. I think he’d like Alph. He loves to play.” She wanted to pet the mandyr, but she was afraid of getting bit. So she settled with smiling happily at him.

[Ruby]

((@jen and Cailan: it's all good, I appreciate your enthusiasm ^^))

Torino eyed his partner from his seat, only standing when M'kai came by to chivvy him off the ground. Then the candidate adopted a slumped posture that emphasized the height difference between himself and Keavon, meager as it was. Honestly, he'd been hoping for Roselle, he hadn't spoken to her yet but she'd been eying the door with the same kind of resigned passion he was. Instead, he got Eager McKnifey. Fabulous. At least it wasn't Isori Try-hard?

"Torino," the oldest Candidate introduced himself, matching Keavon's nod with a raised eyebrow. Kid was from Blossom, hm? Must have been too young for Torino's social circle when he was there, but maybe Keavon and Bevany knew each other. That connection (however tentative) was enough to warm Torino up to his partner, although it didn't stop him from completely fabricating a history for himself, one that was far more interesting than the truth. "I come from the North," he started, despite the fact that his accent was decidedly southern. "I was raised in the abandoned High Reaches Weyr by a master race of giant tunnel snakes, who are behind the recent invasions, by the way. They're like, totes going to take over the world. I learned to defend myself against them, but those moves don't really, like, translate to humans well."

--

M'kai waited for the last pair to find each other, listening in as everyone went over what they knew and what they didn't. Putting a hand on Keavon's shoulder (possible only because M'kai himself was as tall as the Candidate) he raised his voice to get everyone's attention. "Keavon and Isori've got the right idea: If you're trying to escape someone in their right mind, weak areas are the way to go. Head, crotch, the knees and inside of the legs are good places to hit. Running and hiding, as we've covered, are both good options, too."

Stepping back up to the front of the classroom, he added, "But that's the problem. We aren't talking about people in their right minds, and believe me, most riders have less idea what they're doing than if they were sleepwalking. They may be able to control their dragons and their own actions to a point, but especially in queen flights it can become difficult, or even impossible, very quickly. It's not a reflection on the rider, and it's not their fault, so breaking their nose seems a little harsh, right? Not to mention that breaking their nose could send them into a rage that would end even worse for you, or could make the other chasers see them as damaged goods, something to be removed from the flight. So here's the first moves we'll practice today: hold breaks."

Gesturing to Connor, M'kai got him up in front of the class so he could demonstrate. "Hold breaks are pretty self-explanatory. If they're holding on to you, get them to let go. If they've got you from behind around the chest or the throat" - M'kai turned and had Connor grab him from the back, around the shoulders - " Try grabbing their upper arm and leaning forward. That should loosen their grip enough that you can twist out of the way. If they have you around the waist, an elbow to the side or head should do the job without hurting them too much. If they've got a hand in your hair, or tangled in your shirt, you can try hitting their fist with an open palm - like so. That'll hurt plenty, enough to make them let go, but you won't break anything. From the front, if they're choking you with arms extended, you can bring yours over theirs and down, aiming for their elbows. Those should give. If they've got you from the front in a bear-hug hold, or something like it, you're pretty much trapped, but so are they. Wait for them to let go of something, then try another hold break. You can always jab them with knees and elbows, too.

"Alright, thanks Connor, you can go back to the class. Everyone should try now - the 'defender' will start with their eyes closed, then the 'attacker' should try to surprise their opponent with a hold, and the 'defender' should try to break it and escape. Please be careful and take it slow, but react appropriately - if someone pretends to jab you with an elbow, react as if it actually hurts. I'd rather not take anyone to the infirmary today."

((Soooo first person out of each pair to post will be the 'Attacker', the second is the 'Defender'. ex. I know Jen is online right now, so if she posts first, Nividya will attempt to attack Cailan, then when Cailan posts, he'll attempt to break her hold and escape (but of course if Jen doesn't post right now and Cailan gets to it first, he'll be attacking while she defends). Leave things open-ended please; I'll let you know how things work out once I post again. PM or cbox if you have questions!))

[dragon]

Isori blinked at Roselle's rather hostile front. She wasn't sure she liked this one. There was a place for seriousness and a place for play. But downright eyeballing people and then giving a snappish answer? This girl had ... well ... issues. She certainly was egotistical about her knives. It almost made Isori glad that she had purportedly left them behind. The last thing she wanted to encounter was a knife-happy girl trying to prove something.

She glanced toward M'kai as he continued his lesson, and tilted her head to one side. They weren't going to learn actual combat, but rather hold breaks? Oh, this was going to be fun and easy too. Those she was very good at - especially give she had done a lot of wrestling with ... well ... lads. She looked at Roselle, and wondered how best to approach this. Being the aggressor in this pair was probably going to be a bad idea; she didn't trust Roselle as far as she could throw her. Ms Ego clearly had a chip on her shoulder. But it appeared she was stuck with that role, as she saw Roselle's eyes shut.

Okayyyy...

Isori sidestepped quickly on her toes, around to the girl's side. There, she'd be safe from both knees and kicks. Really. The last thing she wanted to do was grab this girl. Really really. But ... argh. This was going to hurt, she was sure. So she went for the best hold she could, that hopefully she'd be able to out-muscle Roselle in, and therefore keep herself from taking any terribly hurtful blows. Sliding in quickly, she wrapped the girl in a bear-hug that she hoped was going to pin her arms down to her sides ... and still be out of the way of those legs and feet. It was awful hard to kick to one side after all. Feet braced wide on the floor, Isori prepared for the worst, pretty sure she was soon going to feel like she'd just grabbed a hold of an irate bull.

Vaguely she wondered if M'kai would come see her if she did end up in the infirmary...

[Ivy]

As soon as she had said her piece she looked around at the other pairs. Did that one over there just say he was raised by tunnel snakes? She tried to stifle a chuckle, the result was an amused sort of snorting sound. She avoided looking at the woman in front of her, she had never been particularly friendly with other women. Only when it came to her wares had she really interacted at any length with another woman. Why couldn't she have been paired with one of the guys? At least then she wouldn't have to worry about breaking them if they were pitted against their partners in full out combat.

She was rather happy when M'kai spoke up again, she was running our of people to look at that weren't her partner. However when he explained what they were expected to do her joy was extinguished. At least when she looked back at Isori it seemed she was also not very happy with it, good, it seemed they could agree on one thing.

Dark eyes looked at Isori for a moment before she nodded and closed her eyes. Knees bent a bit and she focused all her attention on listening for the movements of the other woman. Had they been alone this task would have been much easier, but as she could still hear the chatter from other partners her attention was split. She didn't know where Isori was coming from until the woman was on her, arms wrapped around Roselle in such a way her arms were pinned. Kicking a bit she was unable to make solid contact with Isori's legs or feet. She found this to be rather irritating, especially when she tried to push her arms out and found she could barely budge them - the other woman's grip was too tight and solid.

What was a girl to do?

Opening her eyes - he never said she couldn't once her attacker had made her move - she looked at Isori while she put all her weight onto the foot opposite of her and then pushed hard off the ground. This forced the shoulder Isori was against hard against her and if successful would throw her off balance. True, chances were Roselle would end up going down as well, but still it should make Isori's grip release... and that was the point of this, wasn't it?

[Sebz]

Keavon raised his eyebrow as he heard Torino's claims that he was in fact from the north, and not from the south as his rather noticeable accent pointed to. His suspicions were confirmed, as the taller candidate continued onto explain to him how tunnel snakes were going to rule the world. Right. Well, Keavon wasn't sure how to deal with someone like this, the boy was obviously spinning a fanciful lie, yet he didn't seem to care in the slightest if he was caught out.

Best to play along with it.

“They don't translate well to humans? Then how is it that you came to learn these moves?” The boy was to busy staring incredulously at his partner, trying to decipher his odd slang, that he didn't here the candidate master aproach him. So naturally, when the man touched his shoulder, he his head shot to the right in surprise, barely resisting the urge to flinch away from the contact.

He relaxed as he listened to the instructions on hold breaks, trying to absorb every piece of information. It would not serve him well to forget if he ever was in a situation where it could be used.

So he was to attack Torino. Keavon narrowed his eyes, trying to find the best way to proceed. Quickly, he reached forward and grabbed his partners arm right below the shoulder and twisted it behind his back, subtly maneuvering his right foot behind Torino's own so he would be able to, hopefully, jerk his foot back off balance the taller candidate if need be.

[Rowana]

Attack her? Nabrik raised his eyebrows at Olivia, wondering how well that would go over. In his limited experience, girls didn't take well to being tackled by boys. He shifted uncomfortably from side to side, but Olivia didn't look like she was going to make the first move. Sighing, Nabrik shrugged and moved forward. "Sorry," he mumbled, with the tone of one who thought this was all very silly. "Ain't my idea." He jumped her back, reaching his arms over her neck. Just his luck, and she'd probably send him flying. Alph had already decided it would be safer to wait on one of the chairs and watch.