Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Aug 4, 2012 16:56:37 GMT -5
Lilu stood in the open practice field outside of the Weyr, her arms folded across her flightleathers-clad chest as she watched the skies for the sign of the fellow rider she was scheduled to meet... who was already an hour late. Grumbling to herself, Lilu wondered once again if this was such a good idea... she knew well why she had been chosen, but suspected already that this might be a waste of time.
Thinking back to what lead her to this juncture, she remembered her Wingleader approaching her and telling her about how the Wingleader of another wing had approached him and told him of a certain member of his Wing who was severely slacking off in his duties and abilities as a dragonrider. This particular dragonrider had barely squeaked by graduating weyrling training due to his lackadaisical attitude and dislike of authority, so the Wingleader worried that trying to send him to train with someone who was officially a trainer would be a bad idea. Instead, the plan was to match him up with a well-skilled and disciplined rider who was of the same rank as him, and see if that would help. Lilu's Wingleader immediately tagged Lilu for the job, and Lilu, of course, had accepted it, honored that her abilities were recognized.
Turning to Venideth where he lie upon the ground, eyes slowly watching the skies along with His, she asked yet again, "Have you detected any dragons yet?" Venideth was about to repeat the negative response he had given the last three times she had asked, when suddenly he felt something, and he paused for a moment before replying, "I believe I detect another dragon, Lilumine. Whether it is the dragon of our tardy companion or just a random dragon passing by I cannot tell you, but it at least is a possibility."
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Ruby
Shiny Hoarder
Jr.Weyrwoman Caden Bronzehandler Piden Bluerider M'kai Bluerider T'ri Greenrider Tenlie Greenhandler Serissa
Posts: 1,524
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Post by Ruby on Aug 14, 2012 17:23:53 GMT -5
T'ri and Arhenaiyth had been flying for a good hour, now, idly circling the progressively more annoyed Bluerider on the ground below him. He could have been on time... well, actually, technically he had been on time. He'd been close enough to see the look on Lilu's face, after all, but since she'd already looked like her blue had fed her a sack full of lemons, T'ri decided to have a bit of fun with her. Before his tutor had spotted him, T'ri'd slunk back in to the trees surrounding the training field, mounted up, and had his blue start coasting around the younger rider. Unfortunately for Lilu, Arhenaiyth's underside was the exact same shade as the early summer sky, and it was nearly impossible to pick him out from underneath him. He was careful to keep his Blue's shadow from passing over her, and Arheniayth generally kept his mind fairly well-shielded. He didn't like other people snooping on his business unless he wanted them too, after all.
It took quite some time for this to get old, but eventually Arhenaiyth dipped a little too low, and Lilu's dark blue dragon glanced in their direction. It looked like the jig was up, so T'ri urged his blue towards the ground. The pair landed carelessly, kicking up a cloud of dust that would make Lilu cough if she made the mistake of breathing in. T'ri dismounted with a stylish flourish, carefully worn flightleathers accented by a polkadot cravat. When he removed his helmet and goggles, his hair flopped off to one side, giving his cheeky smile a roguish charm. Heavy boots gave his stride even more swagger than normal, and the Bluerider didn't do anything to keep himself from looking like a half-bored, self-satisfied teenager instead of a competent rider in his late 20's.
Arhenaiyth gave Venideth a blinky, appraising look before snorting in distaste, curling up and closing his oddly pale eyes against the brightness of the day. He didn't bother to greet the younger blue, and his whole pose oozed arrogance and boredom. T'ri, however, kept smiling. At least she was attractive, maybe this session wouldn't be a total waste after all. "I thought we were supposed to be training, no? I've been warming up for an hour waiting for you two to show."
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Aug 26, 2012 3:48:33 GMT -5
Lilu, noting the sloppy descent of the dragon, closed her eyes and mouth in anticipation of the dust cloud that would be released, stepping back slightly to avoid taking the brunt of the cloud directly. As the cloud cleared enough to avoid her getting dirt in her eyes, she opened said eyes and speared T'ri with a glance, her first words to him being, "Sloppy landing. I can see I have my work cut out for me."
Her grey eyes than traveled over the rest of the rider, her open expression unable (and not even putting any effort into) to hide her increasing distaste in this assignment. The man's appearance and attitude belonged more in a freshly-Impressed bronzerider than in a bluerider older than even she who had (apparently, though she was unsure how) passed weyrling training and been an active dragonrider for over six Turns. Uncrossing her arms and placing her hands on her hips, she answered T'ri's statement with a scoff, followed by, "I find that hard to believe, considering not only have I been standing in this field for the past hour, but I've been made well aware of your habit of truancy."
Stepping forward, she poked a slim finger into his chest as she added, "Be well aware, bluerider, that despite the satisfaction that my ability has been recognized in being assigned as your tutor, your attitude is not making the stories I've been told of you seem any less accurate, and I have a strong feeling I will not enjoy this any more than you will. Obey my commands and listen to what I have to say, and perhaps we can get through this with minimal suffering for either of us."
Venideth, for his part, ignored the older blue's dismissal of him, confident that, as usual, his capabilities would soon show the paler dragon that though Arhenaiyth might be senior to Venideth in age, he would quickly be shown his place below Venideth in terms of skill and ability.
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Ruby
Shiny Hoarder
Jr.Weyrwoman Caden Bronzehandler Piden Bluerider M'kai Bluerider T'ri Greenrider Tenlie Greenhandler Serissa
Posts: 1,524
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Post by Ruby on Sept 9, 2012 17:10:20 GMT -5
Sloppy landing, hmm? T'ri bared his teeth in a grin that was also a challenge, but didn't say anything for the time being. He had enough snarky responses for at least a week of Lilu, and obviously the stick-up-the-ass Bluerider had no idea what she was getting in to. Honestly, if she'd been remotely relaxed, T'ri would've given her a much easier time of it, but he felt like it was his duty to give those that took themselves too seriously a hard time. You only live once, y'know? Why waste time being sour?
So he bore her scrutiny with that shit-eating grin, flipping his hair off his forehead with a casual gesture. "I find your lack of observation disturbing," he shot back when she complained about his lateness, adding, "Naw, though, I was totes on time, I'm only late when Henny feels like what we're doing is a waste of time. We'd never want to waste your time. From what I hear you're a hot commodity." Cue winning smile. No one would be able to tell if T'ri was being genuine or making fun of Lilu - honestly, he wasn't even sure himself, although he assumed she'd take it badly. No problem.
Oh man, she just didn't stop, did she? Perfect little soldier, brainwashed into thinking she was doing the right thing instead of realizing she was nothing but a cog in the machine, insignificant, unmemorable. This was going to be fun. One eyebrow crept up as he glanced down at the finger she was poking into his chest, tuning out everything she said. "Can't keep your hands off me already, huh. I didn't know you were that kind of tutor." For a moment, he felt a flash of sympathy for the girl - she wasn't going to get anywhere, didn't she know that yet? - but it was just as quickly erased. Someone had to be tortured if he was going to be. That's just how it worked.
"So, are you planning on getting started ever, or are we just going to stand here and stare deeply into each other's eyes all day."
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Sept 10, 2012 19:37:03 GMT -5
Lilu sneered openly in irritation as T'ri continued to claim he wasn't late, speaking quietly to herself as if narrating a set of notes, "Student does not seem to understand the concept of being on time. Student also seems to show lack of ability to control dragon, and dragon shows lack of discipline matching rider's." His "winning" smile passed over the young woman with no effect... in fact, she failed to understand the tone of voice used by those speaking of T'ri when she had been researching what to expect of the man. They all spoke as if they were speaking of a canine puppy that was not responsible for it's mistakes and lack of effort, as if it's cuteness and playful attitude made up for it's shortcomings. Yet, Lilu herself had to resist the urge to cave the man's nose in with a punch, and she had only been dealing with him for less than ten minutes... this entire exercise promised to be painful, indeed.
At his words concerning his ridiculous idea that she was in any way attracted to him, Lilu let out a short bark of laughter, the exclamation an equal mixture of actual humor and irritation. "Focus, rider," she admonished, "Even if I were to be interested in any kind of relationship with you, which considering your attitude is laughable to begin with, we're in a training scenario. At least put the slightest bit of effort into keeping your mind on the task at hand."
Gesturing towards Arhenaiyth, she said, "Considering your poor landing form and your piss-poor discipline, I think it's best we start with the very basics. Mount up, and direct your dragon to take a proper ground-launch pose, then hold it so I can see where your form might need tightening up."
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Ruby
Shiny Hoarder
Jr.Weyrwoman Caden Bronzehandler Piden Bluerider M'kai Bluerider T'ri Greenrider Tenlie Greenhandler Serissa
Posts: 1,524
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Post by Ruby on Sept 21, 2012 13:42:05 GMT -5
Oooo, a laugh! He was getting somewhere, even if it was a military bark. At least she was actually capable of humor. His mouth pulled sideways into a smile that wasn't ironic, making him look much younger and more charming than he had appeared so far. Throwing up his hands in a submissive gesture, he kept that charming grin in place. "Alright, alright, I get it. Not where everyone else can see, eh. Gotta keep your professional appearance up. I get it." With an exaggerated wink, he added, "Task at hand. You've got it. Er... what was that task, once again." Because she hadn't mentioned what they were supposed to be doing yet, after all. All she'd done was complain, so far. Not exactly a great teaching strategy, if T'ri did say so himself.
Momentarily, though, she gave him a task. Alright, time to give her a bit of a surprise. Sauntering over to Arhenaiyth - who wasn't at all interested in his rider's games, and gave T'ri a scathing look as he headed over - the Rider took his time checking the Blue's straps and making a big show of doing it exactly the way they'd been taught as Weyrlings, double checking every connection and bit of hardware like you were supposed to even though it was shockingly time consuming and absolutely unrealistic when you were talking about mounting up quick for Threadfall or battle. The straps were well-made and in good condition when you got up close, although from far away they looked quite aged - T'ri took just as good care of his Dragon's straps as he did of his own clothes, and he and Henny had the same shabby chic aesthetic.
Once he'd checked and adjusted everything, he patted Arhenaiyth on the flank and reached out privately to his dragon. I know you think this is dumb, Henny, but any chance you could cooperate for once in your life? It'll get us out of this faster, I promise. The dragon didn't deign to respond, but when he got to his feet, his form didn't ooze quite as much sarcasm as it normally did. Something about Arhenaiyth's body always looked like he was bored, but he did his best to pull his wings up right and kneel without rolling his eyes. T'ri, for his part, swung aboard without hesitation, lithe and well-practiced. Once he was strapped in (again, everything was double-checked, exactly as they'd been taught in training), he had a quick mental argument with Arhenaiyth, who hunkered down, spreading his wings and holding the pose right before takeoff. It wasn't exactly a beautiful pose, but the angles and lines were all correct, and the clumsiness that had plagued the Blue as a hatchling had been grown out of several turns ago. He might not be the prettiest dragon alive, but Arhenaiyth knew what he was doing when it came to flight.
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Nov 6, 2012 4:44:14 GMT -5
Lilu watched T'ri perform the steps leading up to making the proper pose she requested, nodding to herself as each step was accomplished properly. So, the rider did know what he was doing... he was just too lazy to put forth the effort. She had ignored his further attempts to goad her into a response regarding his fantasy of her being attracted to him in any way, and apparently it had worked... she would prefer him to perform his tasks properly because he truly wanted to, but finding any way of pushing him to succeed was progress, and if the promise of spending less time with her was one such way, so be it.
Walking up to T'ri and Arhenaiyth as they posed, she double-checked T'ri's work, noting the fact that the straps were, despite their appearance, well-maintained. She also checked the pair's pose, attempting to make minor adjustments to a wing here or a foot there, though surprisingly his pose was quite accurate without any help. Reaching up to press gently on T'ri's back to guide him into a slightly superior posture, she asked, "So, you DO know what you're doing... you just apparently choose to act otherwise most of the time. Why is that? Does the threat of Thread and the possible loss of someone or something you care about not push you to perform your best at all times, even if you lack a personal push to excel?"
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Ruby
Shiny Hoarder
Jr.Weyrwoman Caden Bronzehandler Piden Bluerider M'kai Bluerider T'ri Greenrider Tenlie Greenhandler Serissa
Posts: 1,524
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Post by Ruby on Dec 21, 2012 1:36:52 GMT -5
"Why bother", T'ri asked with a disaffected shrug, the lazy drawl in full force. "I can totes perform at the level required during threadfall or battle, even if I prefer not to if I can avoid it, but honestly, why waste effort the rest of the time? All it does is tire you out and take you away from the higher pursuits, like art and music. Anyone can mount a dragon properly - well, if they impress one, I guess - but not everyone can write super tight music that moves your soul." If T'ri's nose crept into the air slightly during that speech, well, that was that. Arhenaiyth rumbled his annoyance, although his eyes had a tinge of yellow-green amusement. Everything was boring, of course, but the blue agreed with his rider, here. Not about the music or whatever nonsense T'ri was spouting, but why waste effort?
Focusing his gaze from the middle distance down to Lilu, he went on, "If you ever need your mind blown, I can play you some of the stuff I've been working on. I mean, none of it is perfect yet, but I think when I'm done I can challenge the Masterharper's songwriting skill. They're all way too commercial, don't understand the subtleties of the human condition."
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Dec 25, 2012 1:58:33 GMT -5
As T'ri's nose crept up, Lilu's brows crept together... it was bothersome enough to see a normal rider let laziness or apathy cause them to put minimal (or less) effort into their dragonriding, but to see someone with the apparent natural potential of T'ri waste himself like that... it was highly disappointing. She scoffed as he spoke, and finally she responded, "If you believe there is any higher calling than battling on dragonback with your Wing, defeating your enemies and protecting your allies and those you have been entrusted to guard, then you are a bigger fool than I thought." Letting loose another short bark of laughter, she added, "And if you think that anyone who Impresses a dragon can mount one properly, you either pay no attention to Wing training, or have a poor concept of what 'proper' entails."
Crossing her arms and shaking her head at some of the strange terminology the young man used, Lilu replied to his offer to play music with, "I have no idea what 'commercial' means, but I somehow doubt anything you could do would 'blow my mind', unless you actually decided to take that raw talent for dragonriding you obviously possess and actually direct some effort into refining it to make yourself an actual asset to your Wing."
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Ruby
Shiny Hoarder
Jr.Weyrwoman Caden Bronzehandler Piden Bluerider M'kai Bluerider T'ri Greenrider Tenlie Greenhandler Serissa
Posts: 1,524
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Post by Ruby on Feb 8, 2013 18:13:55 GMT -5
"I do my best only to pay attention to myself, the influence of others' mistakes is occasionally instructive but usually destructive," T'ri retorted with a flip of a hand, but his expression softened into a playful one, and he leaned down to offer Lilu a bit of education, hair flopping charmingly into his eyes.
"Commercial. In terms of Harpercraft, it means writing music that appeals to the masses in an effort to increase commerce, aka tips, or more accurately it means dumbing down your music so the idiots near Igen can understand your vapid nonsense. I mean honestly, 'The Question Song'? Couldn't come up with a better name?" Rolling his eyes at the foolishness of previous generations, he crossed his hands on his straps. "Alright, I'll make you a deal. You want me to put effort into dragonriding? I promise to be a model student for however long the Wingleader things you need to tutor me, but one of these nights after training or tutoring or whatever you have to let me play a couple of my original works for you. One way or the other your mind will be blown, no?" T'ri thought he'd delivered that quite adorably, but as it turned out he had to grab on to his riding straps for dear life - Arhenaiyth had arched his back and was fake retching. Even T'ri wasn't sure if his dragon was agreeing with his assessment of traditional ballads or commenting on his pretentious definition of commercialism, or maybe it had to do with spending more time with Lilu and Venideth, but he hardly had time to worry about it in his struggle to stay mounted. Henny, quit! he snapped mentally, doing his best to look unphased, You're going to ruin my deal before she even says yes!
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Feb 12, 2013 5:01:16 GMT -5
Lilu's deadpan expression helped clearly indicate her utter lack of interest in the actual definition of the word, and she simply folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently as words she couldn't care less about flopped from his mouth like slimy packtails sliding from a fishing net. Then, a "deal" was mentioned, and Lilu's interest was expressed by the ceasing of the tapping of her foot, and the very incrementally small raising of one eyebrow.
She listened to his offer, then her lips shifted up and to the right as she mentally chewed on the idea, considering the positives of having less pain to deal with in her training of this lazy rider versus the negatives of having to spend time with him in a more private setting. The boy was attractive enough, in his own way, and she might not consider a physical relationship with him as too terrible a concept... as long as he could keep his mouth shut, which was seeming unlikely at this point.
"...Fine," she finally responded, not really paying attention to his troubles wrangling his dragon... it would have shocked her more had he actually shown the ability to control his dragon effectively, considering his lackadaisical attitude would interact poorly with proper dragon discipline training. "However," she added, raising one finger for emphasis, "You must promise not to simply act like a model student, but actually put forth the effort, and actually listen and think about the things I tell you. I wish this interaction over as quickly as you do, but this is my chance to prove my ability to train other riders, and I do not want that chance screwed up by the likes of you. If you act like a model student, then are unchanged when we're finished, it will make it much more difficult for me to apply to be an actual weyrlingmaster if the opening presents itself, so I will gladly suffer a longer time training you if it means my lessons might actually penetrate that thick skull of yours." The scowl upon Lilu's face showed her obvious distaste at the thought of having to spend more time around the annoying bluerider, but it was backed by a look of determination that clearly indicated she was serious about her desire to become a weyrlingmaster.
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Ruby
Shiny Hoarder
Jr.Weyrwoman Caden Bronzehandler Piden Bluerider M'kai Bluerider T'ri Greenrider Tenlie Greenhandler Serissa
Posts: 1,524
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Post by Ruby on Feb 22, 2013 19:23:35 GMT -5
"Hmmm," T'ri hummed, surreptitiously kicking Arhenaiyth on the side opposite Lilu to make him behave, not that it did much. It certainly didn't hurt the Blue, although it did cause Arhenaiyth to slump to the ground, chuckling darkly at his Rider's arrogance as his muted eyes spun a greyish green. "You drive a hard bargain, Weyrlingmaster-to-be," the Rider offered with an exaggeratedly shrewd expression, "But if it's in the service of your future career, how can I refuse?" She might do better to lighten up a bit, but T'ri figured he'd hit her with that sweet, sweet knowledge a bit later. She looked like she'd had all the T'ri-isms she could take for today.
You going to cooperate, Henny? T'ri asked his dragon, straightening out of his characteristic slump and returning to proper takeoff position. Arhenaiyth grumbled, not even starting to stand. Look, buddy, I know this isn't your cup of tea, but help a brotha out, wouldja? I'll owe ya. That made Arhenaiyth perk up a bit. Owe me what? Can we talk about that later? Whatever you want. It's yours.[/i] That got Arhenaiyth standing, at least, which was a major improvement. "So, what's orders, WTB? What on Pern makes you want to be a Weyrlingmaster, anyway?"
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Feb 28, 2013 22:36:07 GMT -5
Lilu gave T'ri a searching look, a bit suspicious about the bluerider agreeing so quickly, but her overall lack of ability to truly understand people like him made her give up pretty quickly on trying to ferret out any falsehood or sneaky planning in his expression. "All right, then we're agreed," she said, moving up to seal the agreement with a handshake. Whether he shook her hand or not, she would then retreat and summon Venideth over to their position with a quick mental command, while slipping her flight cap onto her head and slipping her goggles over her eyes.
Mounting her blue, who gave the flopped Arhenaiyth a look full of disgust and apparent embarrassment for blue dragons everywhere, Lilu said, "You seem to have a general clue when it comes to launch positioning... now let's hit the skies, and test your knowledge of proper hand signals and flight formations." She gave another silent mental command to Venideth, who quickly took a textbook-perfect launch pose, and said, "As for why I want to be a Weyrlingmaster, if it isn't obvious, perhaps you can earn the answer if you perform sufficiently in the air," before commanding Venideth to fly, sending the pair into the air with grace and power, the younger blue flapping his wings and achieving altitude quickly, obviously expecting the other bluepair to follow without question.
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Ruby
Shiny Hoarder
Jr.Weyrwoman Caden Bronzehandler Piden Bluerider M'kai Bluerider T'ri Greenrider Tenlie Greenhandler Serissa
Posts: 1,524
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Post by Ruby on Nov 11, 2013 20:16:45 GMT -5
((OH HAI I OWE POSTS))
T'ri took her hand without hesitation, but he didn't shake it. Instead, he pumped it once, then straightened his palm and fingers and slid his hand out of hers, making a fist once his fingers were clear and moving it back in her direction. He doubted she'd be interested in a secret handshake, but that sure didn't mean he wasn't going to try. Whether or not she brought her fist up to bump his, T'ri added "Boom," then opened his hand and pulled it back over his shoulder, wiggling his fingers. "And that's how it's done," he added as she turned her back and went to mount Venideth. As soon as Lilu's back was turned, T'ri slumped back into his traditional slouch and Arhenaiyth followed suit, but once the Weyrlingmaster-to-be finished mounting the two straightened up again. He had promised to try, after all.
Straightening his cravat, T'ri put his goggles back on and gave Arhenaiyth a mental poke, getting the Blue back into the right position. Straightening his back even more than usual to show that despite all appearances he was listening, he clamped down on his smart-ass response to Lilu's final comment (yelling over the noise of a dragon taking off was so not cool) and gave Arhenaiyth the command to launch. Henny chuckled darkly and took his time, but eventually he got himself off the ground. Trailing Venideth into the air, it was clear that the older Blue knew what he was doing, he just preferred an economy of movement in flight that made him look somewhat unpolished. He got where he was going but he wasn't particularly pretty about it.
Oy, Veni,[/i] Arhenaiyth called up to the other blue, Is it ok if I call you Veni? Because I'm going to. I know Yours is so rigid she practically has to be in charge of other people, but how come you're going to put up with that? Aren't you better than being a punching bag for babies? I thought you guys were like, pro battle winners or whatever.[/i] The blue's eyes shaded a hint towards grey-green rather than grey-yellow, but Arhenaiyth was blinking so hard in the bright sunlight that it was hard to tell. T'ri sent a dramatic SIGH to his dragon, but he was grinning a bit under his helmet. Using mostly mental commands, he directed his blue up next to Venideth, shooting Lilu an exaggerated wink (not that she could see it) and waited for her next instruction as Arhenaiyth and Venideth glided through the summer sky.
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Aftershock
Hive Mind
Rider M'gnum Rider Lilu Handler Max Handler Cainith Rider Cairenn Weyrfolk Samael
Posts: 752
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Post by Aftershock on Nov 19, 2013 23:14:46 GMT -5
If T'ri thought Lilu was just going to stand there while he did his silly "secret handshake", he was sorely mistake, as the young woman turned to mount Venideth the moment T'ri slipped his hand free of hers. Once the pair were successfully airborne, Lilu mentally noted that she needed to correct his poor launch effort once they were grounded and able to speak normally again without relaying their words through their dragons, then began a simple training run, testing T'ri on his quickness in responding to hand signals, including simple maneuverability and evasive maneuvers.
She heard the mental words of the young man's blue wash over her, and she sent a response to Venideth, who sent back at the bluepair behind him, "Mine reminds you that you need to control that lazy excuse for a blue you're mounted on and keep him focused on training." The insults, obviously, were not actually what Lilu had commanded Venideth to send, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, he thought to himself as he executed another form-perfect 180 degree midair direction change.
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