WL: Month 9 (Lilu/Vellani/Kry'n)

[Aftershock]

Venideth sat casually at the edge of the lake, his tail flicking playfully at any splashes he took to be fingerlings on the surface of the water. He was scanning the area for a sign of Gweneveth's mental signature, hoping to be warned of her approach so he could present himself properly. Using his knowledge of His' quirks, he had convinced Lilu that she should invite Vellani (and therefore Gweneveth) out for some extra aerial maneuvering practice, successfully gambling on His' inability to keep herself from an opportunity to "improve" her future Wing members' skills.

His entire reason for the ruse, of course, was to spend more time with his green clutchsister. Venideth knew the truth of the world from the moment he was hatched... you had to fight to get ahead, and if sometimes you had to drop dead weight or step on someone's wing to gain power, so be it. Most of the time, those who refused to accept the reality of how the world worked simply made Venideth shake his head and scoff at their foolishness, and His' influence on him hadn't made his viewpoint any less mercenary. However, something about spending time with Gweneveth was different... her lighter and much more hopeful view of the world (enhanced, from what he could tell, by the personality of Her's influence) was like a balm to his mind, smoothing some of the bitter edges and, for the time they were together, making him think that maybe the world wasn't quite as harsh and cutthroat as he thought. His own mindset returned soon after they had parted ways, of course, but he found it to be a pleasant diversion, and so sought out the company of Gweneveth when he was feeling particularly on edge.

Lilu, for her part, leaned against a tree with her arms crossed and one leg crossed over the other, watching the skies and the ground for the approach of the greenrider and her dragon. Aerial maneuver training had been more difficult for Lilu than she imagined it would be, having to adapt what she knew from her brownriding experience to the much more agile, yet less enduring, blueriding. She still considered herself a skilled dragonrider, though, as a whole, and as she'd always found the best way to improve was to teach, she readily agreed to the private extra practice with Vellani and Gweneveth, realizing that helping the training of an equally agile greenrider would also help her improve on her blueriding skill. Uncrossing her arms and tugging down her flightleathers vest a bit, she re-crossed her arms and continued to await the arrival of the greenriding pair.

[Zephyr]

“You have got to stop doing this, Gwen.” Vellani said as the pair of them flew towards the lake. As a young dragon still, Gweneveth flew lower to the ground, her wing beats not as swift and powerful as they would be when she got older. The dragon projected some playful confusion into her riders mind. You’re the one that agreed to meeting to practice our flying. The dragon’s feigned indignant reaction was belied by the fact that she knew she wasn’t completely blameless in the situation. “ You didn’t have to be so quick to agree. What was I going to say after you agreed so readily, no?” Well, if you really didn’t want to come, you didn’t have to. It’s not like I’m making you meet another guy. This is one of the females from your weyrling class. You should get out more and practice with them. Plus, I haven’t seen my brother in a while. So if it’s an unpleasant visit, you’ll just have to deal with it. They continued the way in silence, on Gwen’s end cheerful and expectant, though on Vellani’s end it was decidedly more sullen. She knew meeting new people was good for her, especially the people she had to spend the next nine months with. She just had to get over her own insecurities enough to deal with other people. Amazingly, R’men was helping her with that, whether he knew it or not.

Gweneveth landed, or rather simply dropped from a low altitude, a few minutes away from the lake. She stumbled lightly, nearly treading over her own wings in the process. Flying had come easy. Flying with a girl on her back over rather long distances was decidedly less easy. She recovered easily enough, only flailing her wings for a split second before she folded them to her sides. Vellani clung to the dragon’s neck through this. Now I see why you landed so far away. Didn’t want Venideth to see you screw up?, the girl teased her dragon. The green gave a mental scoff, starting towards the lake. Don’t be ridiculous. We’re going to be in the air anyway in a few minutes. Why would I be worried about him seeing me land? He’s going to anyway. Yeah right. Vell said, lifting herself up to eye the area in front of them. Whatever you say, Gwen. He’s going to know you aren’t perfect soon enough. The dragon remained silent, steadfast in her conviction that one day she will be the perfect lady.

The bluepair came into sight before long and Vellani slid off of Gwen’s back. Her dismount wasn’t as graceful as it would be in the future, as Lilu’s probably was, but it wasn’t like she fell. Steadying herself on her dragon, she turned and walked towards the girl, who was leaning against a tree. “ Hey. Nice to see you, Lilu” Vellani greeted Lilu pleasantly enough. Gweneveth was glad that her girl was at least trying and not letting any sourness get in the way of her pleasantries. It was going to be hard to be the perfect lady one day if her rider wasn’t like minded. On her end, Gwen decided to put that out of her mind and approached her blue sibling with a little bit of caution. He was one of the nicer dragons out of her clutch, but one could never be too careful. A lot of her siblings were proddy at the best of times. Hello, Venideth! Her voice was pleasantly friendly as she approached him, tail brushing the grass behind her lightly. How are you and yours? You’re looking quite well! Lilu watched her dragon with a little envy. Why was Gwen so much better with others than she was? Sighing a little, she turned back to Lilu. “ You’re probably going to have to have a little patience with us.” The blonde said with a chuckle. “ We’re pretty new at this.”

[Rowana]

Yeomenth. Where are we going? Kyr'n's voice in the young dragon's mind was stern and not at all pleased. Yeomenth arch her neck prettily, as if inviting him to scratch it like a playful kitten. Why my Kyr'n, do you not trust me? "Not in a dozen turns," Kyr'n muttered to himself. He was started to get used to sharing his mind with this female intruder. He even liked it at times, not that he would ever admit it. Yet he knew that Yeomenth always had her own agenda in mind.

Yeomenth circled the Weyrbowl in a lazy circle, searching for her goal while Kyr'n enjoyed the ride. She didn't mind his suspicions. Hers was smart and she wouldn't have it any other way. In some ways they were two of a kind. Set in their ways and stubborn as runners. Yeomenth's eyes took on a different spark when she spotted what she was seeking. Her siblings looked so innocent and friendly with each other. She couldn't possibly let them continue this meeting without her supervision. Who would show Venideth who the better female was?

Without warning, Yeomenth dived and Kyr'n found himself hanging on with white knuckles. He was too out of breath with surprise to even utter a cry as his eyes closed out of fear and the wind. Yeomenth was not concerned. She was good at diving and she knew it. With a flip of her wings, she pulled up over the heads of Venideth and Gweneveth and landed delicately a few steps away. Her grand entrance was ruined only by Kyr'n tumbling out of his straps like a man far too happy to see solid ground. Why brother, sister, Yeomenth called with mock pleasantry. How lovely to see you today. Going to do some flying I see? May I join you?

[Aftershock]

Venideth's eyes went a pleasant green that matched the hide of his clutchsister when he spotted her arrival, and sat down as she approached, presenting his chest proudly and keeping his sleek, picture-perfect neck and head presented at the best angle as he greeted in return, "Greetings, Gweneveth. I thank you for the compliment. You and yours are looking lovely today, as always," he concluded smoothly, the compliments delivered with care, but complete honesty. His clutchsister WAS a well-formed dragon, and he looked forward to Chasing her when the time came, in addition to the emotional joy he got from her company. "Me and Mine are doing well... she has been pushing us to succeed quite hard, to be honest, but then again, she always does," he added, the last part being sent directly to Gweneveth... he didn't want any lectures from His about wanting to avoid hard work.

Lilu, for her part, uncrossed her arms and legs and walked to meet Vellani halfway as the young woman approached, biting her tongue in regards to her sloppy dismount. "Greetings, Vellani," she responded, her voice cool and professional, but not unfriendly or aggressive. "I'm glad you agreed to come. I did not understand Venideth's request to practice with you and Gweneveth outside of class at first, but then I came to realize that if we were to possibly be on a Wing together, you could do well learning from some of my experience, and with similarly-sized dragons, it would also help me get a better grasp on the difference between blueriding and brownriding," she concluded, walking over to Gweneveth and looking at the straps, asking, "Do you mind if I check your strapwork?"

Suddenly, the group was interrupted as Yeomenth and Kry'n suddenly landed, and Lilu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Kry'n's near-fall from the back of his dragon. Venideth, surprised himself (and not a slight bit disappointed, as he did not enjoy the company of his scheming greensister as much as he did Gweneveth), responded politely enough to the other green's greeting with, "Hello, Yeomenth. It is a... pleasure... to see you as well. You may, indeed, join our flight practice... unless you mind, Gweneveth?" he concluded, turning to regard Gweneveth with near-hope in his mindvoice. Lilu, for her part, said, "Er, hello, Kry'n. I did not realize Vellani invited anyone else to come practice with us. You may join us, if you wish."

[Zephyr]

The green was happy that her blue brother was pleased to see her. She was no naive enough to believe that his interest came simply from liking being around her. She was a sweet dragon, but that didn’t always mean stupid, and she wasn’t stupid. She knew that she would probably get the urge to rise in a few months, and no doubt Venideth knew this as well. Still, when could you ever get a male to actually want to spend time around you without motives of a sexual nature? Oh well. She really wasn’t all that picky. Good attention was better than no attention, and it wasn’t like she was ready to rise right this second, so she felt safe enough in her brother’s presence. Oh Venideth. Always so formal. No doubt that has a little to do with yours’ influence. She said with a friendly little chuckle, only to Venideth, moving to bump her head against his shoulder affectionately before falling onto her haunches and tilting her head to the side to watch the interaction between the humans. But I like her though. I do. She is a very strong girl. You are lucky. Not that Vellani wasn’t strong. The blonde had the most passion of anyone she had ever met, and her personality was amazing…but…she needed a lot of work. Gwen wouldn’t complain though. She would never have regretted her choice. She looked at her blue brother with some concern. Just don’t let her push you too hard, please. There’s only so much any one dragon can do. You aren’t a brown. She hadn’t meant for it to be insulting in the least. In fact, Gweneveth didn’t quite like browns as much as blues. Venideth was much better company then either Oth or Uth. Much better company indeed. There was something more pleasant about her blue brothers…she liked them better than the other males in the clutch. Nor was she doubting Venideth’s abilities, at all. He was more advanced than Kallandrith probably in terms of skills. Her bronze brother’s boy was perfectly nice, but he hardly had the experience that Venideth’s did…especially being a rider previously. She just wondered if His’ really realized sometimes that Venideth didn’t have the phsysiology of a brown…and it worried her. As one of her favorite siblings, Gweneveth would hate to see Venideth get hurt because of His’ experience.

Speaking of siblings. She felt Yeomenth before she saw her. Gweneveth had to make a mental groan. In terms of company, the darker green was probably the one she liked the company of the least. She didn’t dislike her only sister in any sense of the word…Yeomenth just thought she was Faranth’s gift to Pern. In fact, she probably thought that she was better than Faranth. Hello, Yeomenth. You are looking well. Having Yeomenth join them was really the last thing she wanted, but turning down the other green wasn’t high on Gwen’s list of priorities. She wasn’t afraid of her sister, she’d rather just not get into a brawl with her if she didn’t have to. Last time that happened, Vellani had nearly bled out…not something Gwen was keen on repeating. She really did want to spend time alone with Venideth though, and the warring emotions waged within her, until she came to the only logical conclusion. Of course I don’t mind. The more the merrier. Eyes slid to Venideth again. She really didn’t want Yeomenth here, but she wasn’t the vindictive sort. She hoped he understood.

The blonde laughed out loud at the other girl’s words. “ Not that I really had much choice in the matter. When Gwen wants something, she usually gets it. I just can’t say no to her.” Her eyes widened a little. “ Not that I didn’t want to see you. I always like spending time with all of my classmates. Gwen just really wanted to see Venideth, I guess.” Lilu’s experience was a little intimidating to the girl, and probably to some of the others. This was just stuff that weyrlings shouldn’t know how to do so well, and it really just made her feel odd that someone who should be in the same boat as her knew how to do things that she didn’t. She didn’t like showing it though, so she kept her friendly exterior, even when the redhead started talking about being on a wing together and brownriding…two things Vellani really didn’t want to think about. They still had nine whole months until they had to start thinking about things that were so high pressured. Vellani didn’t think she would do well on a wing…then again, if she could coerce R’men into teaching her, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad…there were differences between riding a bronze and riding a green though…especially the weyr’s biggest bronze…but still. Her time spent with Lilu could help fill in the gaps though, right? “ Of course.” Vellani replied. She was the first to admit to her inexperience. She wasn’t big on claiming something she didn’t have, especially if she could possibly make a fool out of herself in the proving. When the girl asked about her straps, Vellani’s eyes widened, but she responding almost automatically. “ Of course you may. I don’t mind.” Gwen twisted her neck to watch as the girl walked over to her, eyes swirling with blue and green from her conversation with Venideth. The green lowered herself slightly so Lilu could check without having to strain herself overmuch. After the checking of the straps, Gwen would croon a little, sticking her neck out towards the girl hopefully. Her eye ridge did itch quite a bit and Her’s was so far away! Maybe this nice girl could help a little?

Then Kry’n was here and Vellani had to bite back a sign. What was he doing here? The boy was probably one of the most unpleasant she knew and she couldn’t say she actually liked spending time with him. He didn’t actually seem to like her all that much, so she tended to avoid his company. She looked to Lilu as the girl spoke. “ I didn’t invite him.” Why would she invite someone who she didn’t really like spending time around? “ But I don’t mind if you join us, Kry’n.” Maybe Lilu can teach you a thing or two about being a real dragonrider? Gweneveth was of a similar mind, eager to see Venideth make Yeomenth look like a fool. But ladies didn’t express such things. Did they?

[Rowana]

Yeomenth purred loudly and smugly. This was going well. She knew her siblings wouldn't be able to deny her request. They were too nice, too naive. Not that she should be overconfident. She knew she was still young and Hers needed more practice flying. Still, that wouldn't stop her from showing off her own skill and beauty. Thank you, she said coolly, giving her wings and stretch. She nudged Kyr'n playfully with her nose. When you are ready do begin?

Kyr'n got to his feet and took a deep breath. Stupid female beast made him look a complete idiot. Not that he didn't know he was new to all this flying business, but did she have to make it obvious? He took another breath, and nodded to his classmates. It just had to be more girls too. "I wasn't aware I would be joining you," he said simply. "But it seems I have little choice today." They hadn't done anything to annoy him yet, so most of his ire was still directed at Yeomenth. He turned and climbed back into his straps, checking their security. "Whenever you're ready."

[Aftershock]

Venideth's eyes swirled a pleased blue-green as Gweneveth extolled the virtues of His, and replied, "I always knew I chose properly with Lilumine. My influence has already made her mostly cease mentioning her previous dragon... I believe she's finally realizing I'm a superior bonded in all ways," he sent directly to Gweneveth, not wanting to risk Lilu's wrath if she heard him speaking about her. Puffing out his chest and posing himself in a picture-perfect manner, showing off his well-defined form, he added, "Who needs the bulk of a brown when you can complete the job quickly and efficiently as I can, after all?" Gweneveth's concern for him pleased him greatly, and despite Yeomenth's unwanted presence, he was enjoying this time with her already.

Venideth's posture drooped visibly when Gweneveth agreed to let Yeomenth join their aerial practice. Gweneveth's kindness was one of the largest draws he had towards her, he really should not have expected her to refuse their clutchsister. "Yes, the more the merrier," Venideth repeated, though he did little to hide the disappointment in his mindvoice. At least he could interpret the look on Gweneveth's face to mean she didn't really want Yeomenth along, and wanted to spend time alone with him as much as he did with her, which was something positive he could take out of the bad situation this was becoming.

Lilu, on the other hand, ignored the interactions between the dragons, though the admission of Kry'n made her give Venideth a narrowed look as she said to the other weyrlings, "Hmm... you were not invited, and Venideth was the one who pushed me to have this practice with Vellani and Gweneveth... I have a feeling we're all side characters to something our dragons are planning," she deadpanned, grumbling a bit as she checked Gweneveth's straps. Noting a few minor problems, she told Vellani as she fixed them, "This strap here should be tightened a bit more... there's little more dangerous during mid-air maneuvers than a strap working loose and throwing you and your dragon off-balance, or worse, disconnecting you and letting you fall during a particularly violent maneuver." Flipping a slightly twisted buckle, she added, "Careful of your buckles, as well. If they're even slightly twisted and not flat against your dragon's side, they can rub an open wound during flight, which can cause pain to your dragon as well as yourself through your bond, distracting you both during a time when your focus must be untainted." When Gweneveth moved her head over and requested an itch, Lilu barely glanced in her direction as she scratched the indicated part almost without thinking about it.

Completing her check of Vellani's strapwork, she moved over to Venideth, and before mounting asked Kry'n, "Would you like me to double-check your straps as well, before we begin?" If he replied in the negative, she would mount Venideth without another word and direct him to take off into the skies, making hand motions for the other two riders to follow and move into formation behind her. The hand signals, old hat to Lilu, were just taught in their weyrling classes as aerial maneuvering training had begun, so Lilu did not even consider the fact they might not know them all by heart yet.

[Zephyr]

Gwen was a little uncomfortable talking about Lilu's other dragon. It was a fine line to tread, honestly. She didn't like the idea of speaking ill of the dead, even if it was unlikely that Venideth would care. Well, obviously you're better. She said quietly to her brother. Of course he was better...he wasn't dead. It was a harsh thought, probably a little rude, but she was still young and it was difficult for her to think past such simple things. Venideth was still alive, His' other dragon wasn't simple as that. Fortunately, she had enough foresight not to say such things out loud. Browns are dumb and slow. Especially if Oth and Uth were anything to go by. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't much experience with browns aside from her brothers...so her opinion was terribly biased. She much preferred blues, and Weith. Yes. She liked the big bronze quite a bit, but he wasn't here and Venideth was, so the green's attention went back to her brother. She noticed he didn't seem to want Yeomenth around at all...probably as little as she did, but it didn't really matter. She wasn't going to tell their sister no.

She heard Yeomenth say thank you, but she knew that she really didn't mean it. Fighting past the sudden irritation that overwhelmed her at her sister's attitude, she took solace in Venideth's as the girl scratched her, eyes on Vellani...who was just watching Lilu with slightly wide eyes. "Oh...thank you." She said at last. She had no idea that strap had been loose. Gweneveth looked at the girl and crooned happily. I would never let you fall, Vellove. The blonde looked pointedly at her dragon then and couldn't help but crack a grin, walking over to scratch the green's muzzle. I know, but you might not have a choice. There was a loose strap, and things happen. Gwen crooned sadly and rubbed her face on her girl's side for a second...until Lilu moved to get on Venideth. Vellani rushed over to jump on Gwen's back with help from the dragon and the pair just watched as she made some hand motions.

What is she doing? The green said only to Vellani as they watched. I don't know. She said truthfully back, searching her memory banks for a moment. I think we were taught this. I think she wants us to...turn left? The girl blinked, the dragon tilting her head. I don't think that's right. No probably not. She cast a sidelong glance in Kry'n's direction to see what the boy was doing. After a minute, Gwen realized she did remember what the hand motions were and after a small rider/dragon conference, the pair of them were lined up behind Venideth and Lilu.

They might just make a competent pair yet. Maybe.

[Rowana]

Kyr'n glanced up, eyes narrowing a little at Lilu's question. He was torn for a moment, internally annoyed that a woman might think him in competent. He was very careful and detail oriented and he prided himself in taking safety very seriously. But no, it was an honest question and a polite one and he was going to have to get used to working with these girls. He took a breath and calmed himself. "No," he answered smoothly. "But thank you," he added a little grudgingly.

He and Yeomenth moved into position next to Gweneveth. Again he was a little annoyed not to be leading, but with three of them it made sense for the larger dragon to lead. Besides, it was true that Lilu seemed to know more about flying than the other weyrlings. It would be easier if she wasn't using the signals though. He was learning them, but he didn't know them all yet. It wasn't like learning the different properties of healing herbs. Well, learning by doing was often the best way.

Yeomenth made no comment through all of this. She just watched the other two, purring proudly to herself. This was going to be a lot of fun, she thought. Flying was fun, but much better with others to show off to. So long as Kyr'n didn't fall on his face again.

[Aftershock]

As the bluepair cleared the trees, Lilu inhaled deeply, exulting at the feeling of being in flight once more. When she flew, she felt like all was right in the world... she was where she belonged. Here, there were no Weyrlingmasters trying to teach her what she already knew, no awkward social interactions she had no skill in... it was just her, her dragon, and a seemingly endless stretch of land and sky to fly through. Lilu's happiness bled across the bond into Venideth, who was enjoying the flight as much as she... he flapped his powerful wings, toned and muscular from the constant workouts his bonded put him through, and folded his limbs at just the right angle to cut through the air as perfectly as possible, the sunlight glinting off his well-oiled hide, rolling with perfectly-toned muscles. He knew he looked good, and was a powerful, excellent representation of his species and color, and not many dragons could compete with his skill and ability. Venideth's joy at flight bled back into Lilu even as her enjoyment bled into him, creating a stable loop of pleasure as rider and dragon owned the skies they flew through.

Soon enough, though, Lilu remembered that she was not alone up here after all, and forced herself back down from her joyous state so as to get to business. Throwing back the hand signal that indicated the greenriders following her should change from the tight launch formation to the wider-spaced screen formation, she reached over to unhook the two sacks dangling from Venideth's harness. The sacks, filled with chopped bits of meat, were weighted so as to have a similar heft and feel to a sack of firestone, and Lilu transferred one so she was hefting one in each hand. Having done so, she sent to Venideth, "Tell the other members of the formation that we're doing simulated Threadfall maneuver training, with simulated firestone toss-and-feed. Kry'n and Yeomenth will have to mime it, as I did not expect them and therefore did not prepare a simulated sack for them." Venideth related His' words to Gweneveth and Yeomenth, allowing them to transfer the words to Theirs. Glancing back to the other two riders, she verified they had followed her signal and were in proper position, correcting them through Venideth speaking to their dragons if necessary.

When everyone was where they belonged, Lilu sent to Venideth, "Inform the formation that I will release their firestone sacks, which they will then catch. They will feed their dragons one piece of meat, simulating one piece of firestone, and we will then do a simulated Thread burn. We will then switch to another formation, and do another simulated Thread burn. This will be repeated until the firestone sacks are empty, which will signal the end of our training session for today." After Venideth verified that he had delivered her commands, Lilu lifted the sack in her right hand, then released it, trusting Gweneveth to be in the right position to make the sack fall right into Vellani's waiting hands.

[Zephyr]

As soon as Venideth took off, Gwen thrust her wings powerfully, carrying her and her rider into the air surprisingly smoothly. They had been standing around long enough that she didn't have to worry about her flight being stilted and awkward. Unfortunately they weren't affected by the flight like Lilu and Venideth seemed to be. They were still new enough to it, that, especially Vellani, that flight was still a rather scary thing. She didn't know how Kyr'n felt about it, but he probably wouldn't tell them even if he was a little frightened. He was so big and bad, after all. She heard him behind her, and Gwen twitched slightly as Lilu threw out more hand signals.

What was that? Vellani asked, slightly alarmed. I dunno. Maybe you should ask? The blonde frowned at her dragon. We're supposed to know these, Gwen! She said rather firmly into her dragon's mind. Gwen mentally shrugged and they both watched Lilu carefully, trying to decipher those hand signals.

It came to them before long and Gweneveth drifted to the right, relaying Lilu's messages to Vellani, who was slightly worried by this point, but she trusted Gwen to get her in the right spot, and the green did well enough, lining herself up with Venideth so that when Lilu threw the bag into the air, Vellani caught it with minimal stress. She did fumble with it a bit, her eyes wide, but she held it steadily after that, Gweneveth spreading out more so that they were all at respectable distances from each other.

[Rowana]

Yeomenth loved flying. She took pride in being pretty good at it too, for her age. She wasn't the most agile green in the air, but she was strong and she knew it. As the other two took off, she launched herself into the air after them. Kyr'n, for all his earlier antics, actually liked flying too. He only didn't like it when Yeomenth insisted on taking control, which was sadly often. At the moment though, they were working well together and Kyr'n was able to enjoy the sensation as he had that first time.

They weren't up here to play though, as Lilu soon reminded them. Yeomenth was scoffing, twisting her head in irritation. We have to 'mime' the firestone exercise, she spat to Kyr'n. Can you believe he chose my sister over me? Kyr'n could sense her eying the meat sacks suggestively. He clutched tighter at the straps instinctively. No stealing, he ordered. Not so much because he cared, but because he would rather not crash into Gweneveth. Maybe he knows you don't need as much practice, he suggested.

Yeomenth paused. Kyr'n made a good point and it pleased her to see it that way. True. Very well. We will 'mime' the exercise. Kyr'n rolled his eyes. Having Yeomenth was what he imagined being married would be like, only worse. Most wives he knew couldn't eat their husbands on a whim. They went throw the motions of the firestone exercise, Yeomenth adding a dip of her wings to express her boredom. Kyr'n wished she would just be happy. He didn't feel like doing difficult tasks today.

[Aftershock]

Lilu fell easily into the practice, taking a piece of meat out of her sack, feeding it to Venideth, having him practice using the muscles for breathing flame, then sending instructions to Venideth to relay to the other dragons to swap into a different formation to repeat the process. Forward-V, Backwards-V, Stacked, they switched through every formation Lilu knew her fellow weyrlings had been taught, and though there were a few hiccups as her more inexperienced classmates had to be reminded of their required position, they seemed at least to be dedicated to performing their best, so the practice went more smoothly than Lilu honestly had hoped for.

Venideth, meanwhile, was enjoying the practice for his own reasons... not only did it allow him to show off, but in certain formations it allowed him to see Gweneveth in flight, and seeing her beautiful form in flight was quite the pleasure to see. Even her small mistakes lent a certain cute, clumsy quality to her that only enhanced her appeal. He was well looking forward to the day of her maiden Flight, where he might prove his worth and have her for himself. Looking over at Yeomenth, his mood became guarded... his other green clutchsister had not levied any complaints at him for being forced into her "mime" role, but from what he knew of his conniving sister, this quiet moment with her not as the center of attention would not last forever.

A while into the practice, something else came up as not lasting forever... Venideth was growing tired. Despite all the practice and exercise, Lilu was driving him, and the others, to their limits, and Venideth feared she was falling back into her experiences as a brownrider, forgetting that Venideth and his green clutchsisters did not have the stamina of the larger color. He mentally bit his tongue, however, not wanting to risk Lilu mentioning to the others that his fatigue was the reason they stopped training, hoping one of the others would pipe up soon and relieve him of responsibility of sacrificing his pride in front of Gweneveth.