Let them come! [Jarcith's Flight]

[Rowana]

The day dawned cool and cloudy. The type of wispy overcast that doesn't quite manage to block all sunlight, yet still leaves the world dreary and dim. The smell of moisture on the cool breeze promised rain before long, but until then, the air was thick and humid. It was a day best spent inside and aware from the oppressive and gloomy weather.

Jarcith could care less. Today her dark hide glowed with the prime of life. She perched on the edge of her weyr, eyes molten violet. She screamed her challenge to the world, daring it to do its worst. A swift beat of her wings and she rose into the cloud covered sky.

Let them come! Come if they dared! Few males were worthy in this green's eyes. Let them all try and prove they were more than what they seemed. Let them try and out fly her. Today she was the wind itself. Nothing could match her speed and grace. Her scream of challenge rang throughout the valley. Let them come!

Wynmuri was ready when Jarcith finally chose to rose again. It had been sometime since the last flight, but Wyn knew what to expect from years experience. She was halfway to the flight room before Jarcith even left her ledge. She managed to keep enough control of her thoughts to stumble inside before she let Jarcith's fierce emotions take control. Foolish men! Wyn had no patience for them this morning. Where were they?

[Requiem]

S'rei pulled on a pair of trousers, running the towel through his too-long auburn curls one last time before draping it over a strong set of shoulders. He stepped out onto the weyrledge, but, just as it was during his dawn run, there was no breeze to speak of. Muggy day. Dreary. Casting a glance at Salenth's curled form, he shook his head. He'd known the moment he awoke; the bronze might look relaxed, but the familiar tension was there. Shei was already with Laurie.

"Who this time, Sal?" Jarcith. "That green from the clutch after ours? Hatched right before the Weyrwoman banished us to Benden?" Yes. I forget the rider's name. She's beautiful, don't you think? S'rei peered over toward the ledge where the compact, glowing figure stalked. "Healthy," he commented, noncommittal. Then he thrust an elbow that Salenth probably didn't even feel into the bronze's flank. "Course, you'd be up after anything right about now. How long has it been?"

More than a turn, Mine. Which was the last of the conversation as Salenth rose, stretching. He waited, gratified to hear the raucuous cry split the air. The faint purple undertone to his eyes erupted into brilliant hues, and he leapt in close pursuit, meeting her challenge with his own deep rumbling cry. Salenth's wings swept in tight to his body as he executed a sharp turn away from her flightpath, side-skipping through a slipstream, into a thermal that shot him high, and then he was wheeling above Jarcith, admiring the power of the green as her wings cut through the air.

Despite ReiMine's words, Salenth had always preferred older greens. They really knew how to lead a chase.

S'rei debated going down to the Flightroom, as he was fairly certain he could mostly ignore a greenflight so long as Salenth didn't catch Jarcith. But...he found himself hoping the bronze did, if only because that would sate the dragon for a while and he wouldn't have to worry about any more Flights for a few months. So the bronzerider tugged on a shirt - left unbuttoned - and trotted down the stairs. He caught sight of her disappearing just ahead, her beauty drawing him forward.

He made a strange sight, a three-hundred pound 6'6" giant attempting to slink into the flightroom like some great feline. S'rei even purred at the small figure, an appreciative light in his eyes.

[glamourie]

Restlessly, Ciceroth flicked the end of his long, slender tail. In the overcast light, it was hard to tell the metallic glint of his hide, but the posture that the bronze held himself with left no question to what color dragon he was. He was lounging on the end of his weyrledge, his head tilted downward slightly. One wing flicked back, folding over his back. The other twitched, half spread out in what surely would appear awkward to the naked eye. Not that he much cared how he looked. In fact, Ciceroth decidedly did not care. His attention was on something far, far more interesting.

He'd known she was close to rising before. It wasn't hard for any male dragon to deduce when any female would go up, at least by a margin of sevendays. Greens it was slightly more difficult, but not impossible, and especially not difficult for a dragon who hadn't won a flight in over a turn. Not since Aslath last Rose. He was highly aware of any greens close to Rising, and Jarcith was one of the few he favored - primarily due to her being on His wing. She was also one of the ones that RysHis did not adamantly oppose; her rider was older than the majority of the greenriders at Selenitas and thus more sensible. Also female, which made Ka'rys a lot less inclined to protest after Ophelie's little stunt. Ciceroth snorted, eyes whirling slowly - contemplating. She'd be rising and soon. The air was thick with the feeling, and he was confident in himself... as always. He was Ciceroth, after all.

Shuffling to stand properly, Ciceroth stretched himself out, his claws digging into the stony surface of his weyrledge. His massive wings, slightly large for his body, spread around him to show off his full size - though none could view him given his perch. Once he was sufficiently stretched out, he moved to the edge of his weyrledge and waited. Waited anxiously. Green flights were not the easiest thing to participate in for a dragon of his size. Undeniable was it that for his build and size he was fast - but greens made him look slow in the air. His strength came in stamina, which many of the smaller dragons lacked. He was at a disadvantage in comparison to the quick, smaller blues and the browns, but challenges were meant to be difficult, and he wouldn't have chased a green unless he was sure she was worthy of the effort to begin with. In some ways, Ciceroth was quite a snob.

Despite the fact that he hadn't protested, Ka'rys was not pleased with Ciceroth. His ankle was sore still, though not enough that he was unable to move around - in limited doses. He didn't treat it with numbweed, so he knew exactly when he was pushing his luck. The soreness was minimal in comparison to how it could have been, but... that didn't make him happy with the situation. Being in pain rarely made Ka'rys happy, however, and he was intelligent enough not to blame Ciceroth for that. How he was going to get up to the flightweyrs, though, was another problem entirely. He'd already poked Kale into visiting either Z'hin or R'wign (he left it up to her which of the brownriders she visited which meant that the little girl was almost certainly trying to climb Jessereth at that exact moment, much to his chagrin), so he didn't have to worry about that. But, pain aside, he was still anxious - even as he made his way out of his weyr.

His anxiety had a first name, too. It was 'Savitri'.

The green's loud call was all it took, though, to chase any of his hesitation away. Ciceroth threw himself off the edge of his weyr with an almost feline grace, his large wings spreading wide to keep him from plummeting. A quick turn had him ascending into the air after his glowing beauty, up into the clouds. Her glowing form was easy to keep track of, and ascending rapidly was not at all difficult. Once there, however, the clouds made spotting the glowing blur more difficult. Typically in flights Ciceroth ascended higher to get a better view of what was going on around him - but clearly, that tactic was already being used, for he spotted another metallic glitter through the clouds, one he recognized with ease. Salenth. So instead he flew slightly lower. For the beginning of the flight he intended to stay back and glide, let his large wings and the wind carry him after her. She'd slow down soon enough, but the short, fast bursts of speed were always harder to keep up with. His distance gave him a lovely view of his glowing green, her wondrous hide visible even from afar, and what fool would turn down that sight?

It was only the pain that kept Ka'rys even slightly aware of what he was doing or where he was. When Ciceroth chased, he tended to lose himself completely, but the trip to the flight weyrs sent thousands of small jolts through his legs that were .. unpleasant, at best. Despite that, he slipped into the doorway and moved along the wall, his head bowed so that long dark locks swept over his face to hide it from view. Staying still only a moment took whatever recognition of who and where he was. He had eyes only for the glory before him -- and anything else in his life was completely forgotten. Including his broken ankle.

[Avu]

((couldn't resist~))

It has been so long since I have Chased.

The wistfulness in the bronze's voice set off instant alarm bells in T'rid's mind, and the Weyrleader squinted suspiciously in the direction of the weyrledge, where Corinth had been laying, relatively motionless, for the past few candlemarks. There was no sun, and indeed the humidity of the day was quite stifling, but that didn't mean that Corinth felt the desire to move at all, and therefore he'd been lying, eyes half-lidded in his laziness, wings folded on his back and his tailtip giving the ocassional twitch that signaled a breeze passing, which was all too rarely. T'rid was inside, but the mental image that he received from Corinth, the view of the Weyr from his eyes, hadn't changed at all. The bronzerider was perched on his desk, doodling absently in the margins of the hides that he was supposed to be doing something official on (he'd forgotten what exactly it was he was supposed to do; it was boring).

All in all, it was a rare time of peace in the bronzerider's weyr. Conspiracy and Mir were too sleepy, the humidity too much for them, and the two firelizards, brown and blue respectively, were curled on T'rid's pillow. Mir appeared to be asleep, while Conspiracy glanced over at T'rid every once in a while and whistled affectionately before he resettled his head more snugly against the pillow. Stupid had, in preparation for one of the upcoming greenflights, been locked in a trunk with air holes and a large piece of meat and a small saucer of water to last him (T'rid refused to take chances!), and the brown, after many protests, had resided into a sulky (and much-desired) silence; Dinner, pleased that Stupid had shut up (finally!), preened from where she was perched on the head of the bronzerider's bed, fluffing her feathers and giving the ocassional chatter to herself as she clicked her beak happily and raised and dropped her wings to please herself.

"So long...since you've Chased," T'rid echoed the dragon's words suspiciously, breaking the silence. The effect was instantaneous, and T'rid instantly regretted not answering the dragon mentally. Conspiracy twittered musically, leaping from the pillow to settle on his shoulder, the brown firelizard touching his cheek with his muzzle lightly and nipping affectionately at a piece of his hair; Dinner fluffed her feathers so emphatically she resembled little more than a fluffy white ball that wobbled ridiculously on her perch; Mir squeaked sleepily; and in his trunk, Stupid hissed defiantly, the sound echoing brilliantly off of the thick wooden walls and creating such a cacophony of hisses that Stupid shrieked, alarmed, and was promptly sent skittering to cower in a corner as his voice bounced back at him. I mean -- no -- argh! "STOP IT." Conspiracy crooned apologetically, winging to his bedpost next to Dinner, who deflated slowly and peered at Conspiracy warily before she clucked and cooed, and Mir simply stared at him and then closed his eyes again. Stupid hissed one more time, pathetically defiant, and then fell silent.

"Annoying little pets," the bronzerider observed dryly, and Conspiracy crooned, upset that his Minepet was annoyed. "It's not your fault, Conspiracy," he added wearily. He was extremely fond of the brown firelizard (the reason being that Conspiracy seemed to worship him). "It's -- Corinth?" The bronze's gaze had shifted, locked on a glowing, dark green creature whose gleam and glitter seemed suddenly irresistibly tempting. He wanted that green, he did, wanted to touch her and Catch her. "...Corinth...?" Her challenging shriek rang out, and his own voice -- was it his? -- rose in an bugling response. Even as two other bronzes, glittering metallic bronzes that outsized he, joined the green, one above and one below, her challenge was as insistent as a mental chain, and the bronze dragon slithered sinuously to his feet, poised for an instant on the edge of his weyrledge, his talons flexing thoughtfully as he unfurled his wings, held them in a second of hesitation...

"Corinth?!"

...and sprang from the 'ledge, eyes rapidly acquiring a rich purple hue as he shot upwards. He didn't go towards the green, but instead worked on gaining altitude. Instinct claimed that altitude, that height, meant superiority. Either Jarcith would take her Flight upwards, where he would have a head start, or she would dive, and then he could simply fall and his high original altitude would mean he'd fall faster, too. He wanted to be close to her, wanted to touch her and savor her lovely glowing hide, but he wanted to dance, too. And Jarcith was the queen, the ultimate prize who would lead this dance...Corinth was ready. Into the cloud covering Jarcith flew, but he didn't trust clouds. They stifled and they whirled and unpredictably, they shifted and hid his quarry. The bronze peeled downwards, sideways, and followed there, keeping his eyes focused on the dancing green in the clouds.

"You fardling, pathetic excuse of a wherry-headed, dim-glowed, sharding, bleeding brat!" With this lovely choice of expletives, the bronzerider had sprang to his feet at the exact second Corinth left the weyrledge, eyes widening in shock at the almost unfamiliar-Flightlust that hit him hard enough to make him stagger, one hand automatically reaching for support and closing around the bedpost. The jerk dislodged both Conspiracy and Dinner, the latter of which gave a shriek of annoyance and nipped his fingers severely. Conspiracy twitched sharply, scolding Dinner in protest for his Minepet being scolded, and the chicken flared her wings and fluffed her feathers to resemble the fluffy feathered ball again, much to Conspiracy's curiosity. The brown firelizard occupied himself poking cautiously at Dinner, but T'rid paid no heed to any of them as his gaze slid around the weyr, lust and hunger dominating.

Jarcith. Jarcith. The name whipped around his mind for an instant before T'rid hissed, ignoring the blood that dripped off his finger (courtesy of Dinner) as he positively tore out of his weyr, desire lending him speed as he whipped through the hallways, leaving a slightly askew door and a very bewildered set of pets behind him. The Flightrooms...the door was ahead, and a decidedly feral smile twisted his face as the Weyrleader slid into the room, head tilted to one side almost questioningly. Ah, but here was the source of the glowing, the source of his want. He stepped sideways, backwards, giving her space in an unconscious mimic of Corinth's position below and sideways from Jarcith, bowing his head slightly in apology for his latecoming. Neither of the bronzepair openly appraised their competition, but they were very much aware of their being there...

...may the best dragon win.

[dragon]

Sprawled on the very edge of his ledge, one leg dangling off lazily, Kindrith had his head propped up on his left foreleg as he admired the form of a quite lovely, glowing, dark deep green. Jarcith! She was so pretty ... such a nice color, too! Very nice. Lovely form, there. He was aware that she was fixing to rise, as he was aware of all immenent flights. But for now, he was keeping it all bottled up, a secret.

He didn't want his to know. If E'yan knew, Kindrith was afraid his rider would try and tie him down again when he wasn't looking. And knowing his rider, it was liable to be made of something much stouter than rope, next time. So, he kept his intense desires completely bottled up, even going so far as to pretend to be completely relaxed.

If E'yan had been paying any attention at all to his big, pale blue lump of dragon, he'd have known something was up. But as it was, this morning he'd had other things on his mind. Like ... breakfast. For now, breakfast had the bluerider's attention completely. He'd somehow managed to completely miss supper the night before, and thus breakfast was a very big issue. With him were both Voyager and Rascal, trying to help him with his breakfast. It was rather comical, to E'yan, to watch Rascal expertly steal a bit of meat, and then have the still yet smaller young bronze steal it from him. Voyager was growing quickly, but he'd yet to surpass the size of Rascal's adult brown form.

Rascal, for his part, knew quite well that he was being stolen from, but pretended not to notice. For some reason Rascal was fond of the young bronze, almost as fond as hew as of that strange gosling that he was attempting to teach how to be a flitter. E'yan found the whole thing rediculous, but was willing to let the silly brown try.

And then Jarcith made her debut into the sky, and Kindrith gathered himself up on his ledge even as she made her call. Kindrith roared a reply, letting it all go in one outburst of loud emotion. He would chase her! He would!

He moved to leap off his ledge, and paused for a half an instant, observing as one, two ... three bronzes leapt into the air? What did they think they were doing? This was a greenflight, not a gold! Rather insulted that the trio thought they could even begin to fly fast or tricky enough to win a green, Kindrith leapt into the air, spreading his great sky-blue pinons as wide as they could go. He noted how the bronzes all headed upwards, instead of following Jarcith, and rumbled smugly. Silly blokes didn't know how to show a green what she wanted to see.

Satisfied that there were no browns about, and yes, even no blues as of yet! ... Kindrith cut and spun and zipped through the air in hot pursuit of Jarcith, following her wherever she would go. Twirling around her in excess of energy, crooning lovingly to her. Ah, she had such a beautiful, dark color to her. And it surely glowed lovely!

He could almost pretend it was just him and her, flying together, the bronzes were so high, so far away. Kindrith switched sides, tilting over to her other side, crooning to her again. His lovely Jarcith! See? He knew how to worship a green, how to let her know just how pretty she was. How desirable she was!

E'yan, for his part, heaved a slow sigh as he heard the roars echoing throughout the weyr. He was getting tired of this game. He looked dejectedly at his pets, and patted Rascal on the head lightly. "Well, you boys can finish this up, I guess." He told them, before getting to his feet and making his way out of the hall.

Rascal peeped, watching his pet leave, and then looked at the half-finished plate of food. Deciding that this was too good of an opportunity to miss, the brown plopped both front feet in it and started eating. Voyager wasn't far behind, though he was somewhat more picky in what morsels he put in his mouth. It had to actually be meat, for Voyager to eat it.

E'yan paced his way across the weyr, knowing he was pretty far from the flight rooms. Lucky, after so many turns of being bonded to a flight failure like Kindrith, he'd become more or less insensitive to the raging hormonal urged pouring off his dragon's mind. Though it did affect him still, it did not leave him completely out of his, trying to be his dragon.

Considering he had a river to cross, this was a very good thing. Who knew what would happen if he took a notion and decided he could fly over it?? In time, he made it to the flightroom, and in through the door. There, he noted that the three men already there were all bronze riders, and had, at some point in time, been or were Weyrleaders.

Heck of an assembly, for a green flight.

E'yan turned his attention on Wynmuri, and smiled. But it was too much to hope for, to think that Kindrith might win. Kindrith never won. And while Kindrith was still not going to settle for that inevitable outcome, E'yan had long ago accepted it. He was here, merely to honor the green's other half. And, yes, maybe get a few free, appreciated looks in on lovely riders with no chance of getting slapped for it.

[Rowana]

Jarcith glanced behind her at the sound of oncoming males. Three bronzes was an impressive challenge. Another green might have been giddy with joy to see such an array of big, strong males, but Jarcith was indifferent. She flicked her tail in indifference at the males. Let them try and chase. Jarcith was not impressed. It would take more than size and a shiny hide to attract her attentions. Nor had she overlooked the blue just behind her. He might stand a better chance of keeping pace with her, but she was by no means finished with them yet. Let the chase begin!

She hesitated only a fraction of a second, before diving steeply towards the ground. She banked up sharply over the trees, showering leaves in all directions. Her course remained straight at a level barely feet above the waving branches. Tiny adjustments keeping her from catching herself and crashing helplessly to the ground. Let those foolish males keep up with her now!

Wynmuri growled low in her throat as she prowled around her males. She made no move to approach any of them yet. None had distinguished themselves in her eyes. Was one of them even worthy of her? Was one of them cunning enough to catch her? She was in no hurry. Let them wait and grow impatient. She would choose when she would. And not before.

[Requiem]

He dipped his wing into an almost lazy wingtip turn, tight and efficient, twisting into a 240 degree barrel roll that righted him in the air. Salenth slid upwards, in and out of the cloud cover, twisting and turning in a gleaming, flashing show of bronze hide. It lacked the flashy, almost erratic speed of a blue, but grace, dexterity and confidence in the air were all quite clear. All for Jarcith's benefit as she stalled long enough for the other dragons to join.

Or perhaps not entirely for Jarcith's benefit.

For the bronze that followed claimed a hide that glowed just a little less brilliantly than the green whose attention and choice he intended to win. Rather than unsettle - or confuse - Salenth, he was highly amused by this new perception of Ciceroth, whom he'd never found any reason not to like as it was. And if he was a bit more predisposed toward friendliness in regard to the other bronze now, it was not unwelcomed. Better Ciceroth than many of the other dragons of the Weyr.

Upon Corinth's arrival, Salenth couldn't resist a draconic snort. It seems the young bronze has taken to imitating us, Bronze King. His words came half-teasingly, laced with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. Either that, or Jarcith is stuffed with succulent tidbits. I'm placing my bets on the first option. He noted Kindrith's approach and leveled out, watching Jarcith for any sudden movements. You glow nearly as bright as our lovely green, Ciceroth. Yours does well by you. Come to keep me company?

Further discussion was momentarily halted by the green's steep dive toward the treeline, Salenth spinning into a shallow dive that brought him just beneath the line of clouds. He knew his capabilities too well to be drawn into a position that would require the dexterity of a green. Here, he could follow her progress and even put on a small aerial show with little risk of being left behind after a quick, difficult maneuver. As her straight course became clear, he arced up into a loop, folding his wings into a steeper dive before banking sharply two hundred feet above her position a small distance ahead of her (altitude was lovely for generating speed) and coiling back upwards.

Let us show the hatchling how true bronzes chase a green. Kindrith, of course, went mostly ignored by Salenth. He really only had to compete with the bronzes; so long as both Kindrith and Salenth kept up, Jarcith's choice would be more a matter of preference, most of that preference likely things that were out of their control. Salenth could no more fly like a blue than Kindrith could fly like a bronze. He crooned to the lovely glowing green, urging her onward. Let the chase begin!

S'rei flashed a brief smile at Ka'rys, otherwise keeping his eyes on Wynmuri, half-lidded. Half-damp curls clung to one side of his face and cast the other in shadow. Only turning his head to watch her, he stood straight, crossing his arms over his chest to create a ripple effect through his pecs and shoulderblades as he admired her just as boldly as she sized him up.

[glamourie]

Hnn. The other chasers were, for the most part, ignored. One could say that 'arrogant' was a term accurately applied to Ciceroth but the truth was more that he was simply bronze; one of the largest dragons in the Weyr and arguably very justified in his confidence. He saw no reason to acknowledge the new arrivals, save for a brief notice of their positioning and that was more out of self-preservation than anything else. Flight or not, flying close together without coordination was dangerous and Ciceroth was no fool. Jarcith had his full attention. The last flight he'd participated in, he lost because he was distracted. Not again. He would not be so easily swayed from his goals.

As his glowing green dropped in the sky, Ciceroth flipped onto his side and descended after her at a steady angle, using his weight to propel himself into several quick twists aimed to show off his pale bronze hide. He knew how to play the light well, and the quick movements were as much for show as they were efficiency. His large wings were flared backwards to make the descend faster, letting gravity carry his sinuous form downward - but not too fast; not a steady drop. He didn't want to hurt his wing again --

Young bronze?

Mid-twist, Ciceroth flipped over to fly almost upside down. His wings flared to balance him out, carrying him in the same steady direction but it gave him a chance to glance at the other chasers, as the movement was intended. The sight of Corinth both amused and annoyed him, as did Kindrith's presence, and the cynical part of his mind that was more Ka'rys than Ciceroth wondered briefly if the bronzepair and bluepair would fight over a green the way they had Aslath. That would certainly be entertaining to watch. He had no intentions of rescuing Kindrith again. If he couldn't hold his own against a mere hatchling of a bronze after Turns at That Place, that wasn't Ciceroth's problem. Green flights were very different from queen flights, and Kindrith had the advantage in some ways. However, Ciceroth had no doubt that their glowing beauty would see to it that all of them were tried to their fullest.

He snorted, an undeniably amused gleam taking over his eyes as he looped downward, still steadily following Jarcith's form. A low croon encouraged her further. Trees were dangerous to the larger dragons, but if she wanted to go down and through them, that was her right; it was her flight, and he would follow from above if it came to that. He was not dissuaded by challenges. Bronze or not, he expected it to be difficult. What self-respecting female wouldn't push them to their limits?

Perhaps he came to fight with Kindrith again, Ciceroth offered with no small amount of condescending amusement at Corinth's expense. Outside of flights, he was a very mild-mannered dragon... but Ka'rys was not a mild-mannered individual, and just as Ciceroth influenced his rider, so too was he influenced, and in some ways, not for the best. The blatant disapproval he felt was obvious in his tone. I thought you deserved a challenge, as I am sure we can count on the hatchling and Kindrith to squabble like weyrlings before the flight is out. Beautiful Jarcith deserves better than that. He didn't really blame Kindrith for what happened during Aslath's flight, but while Ciceroth may have forgotten the intricate details, Ka'rys did not. He had a remarkable memory for all grievances, and Corinth's was high on the list of people that Ka'rys disliked.

The nearer they drew to the tree lines, the more elegant Ciceroth's twists became, before he broke out of them to soar with his body turned at an angle - prepared for any quick twists upward. Her position put him further behind her, and at the same level, than he would have liked... but then, Salenth had stolen his favored position in chasing (not that he minded). Keep complimenting me and you may find our lovely green convinced it is me you Chase and not her. I won't tell if you don't. That was all Ciceroth, playful amusement but nonetheless gratified by what he deemed to be a true compliment. He was, after all, the most wonderful bronze on all of Pern. So good of Salenth to notice.

The land-bound half of the pair leaned back against the back wall of the weyr. Any flight Ciceroth participated in usually resulted in Ka'rys being completely gone; he tended to lose himself immediately, even under normal circumstances. However, outwardly he appeared almost normal, his shoulders pressed against the hard stone. His gaze remained fixed on Wynmuri primarily, dark eyes staring out from a half-bowed head shrouded in equally dark locks. Only Salenth-S'rei earned the barest of looks, and even then it would take someone who knew him well - or was aware of Ciceroth's amusement - to recognize that expression as one of entertainment. The beauty before him had his attention, blocking out any and everything around him, including the pain in his ankle. She deserved his full attention.

[Avu]

He...was ignoring them. Not ignoring them out of condescension, but rather, ignoring them -- all of them, Ciceroth and Salenth and Kindrith -- simply because he had nothing to acknowledge them for. Again he was the youngest of the Chasers -- as he had been in Aslath's Flight, though he had not felt young then, because of her age -- but now...now he was by far the youngest. Completely. Jarcith -- she was his elder too, was she not? Yes; he was the youngest in the Flight, and that put him at a distinct disadvantage, in his mind. He was up against older, wiser, more experienced. And how funny it was, he noted with a detached air of amusement, that all of the bronzes that had been Chosen by Aslath had decided as one to pursue Jarcith. She was clearly...much-desired, wasn't she? Understandably so.

Nevertheless, the green herself did not seem impressed by her suitors -- including a blue, Corinth noted, though there was no other recognition -- and that indifferent motion with her tail, gleaming brilliant green -- it made him want her even more. Here was a green, experienced and beautiful, who did not flirt shamelessly with all of her suitors, leaving the rest of them envious and without attention while one, the preferred one, was spoiled. No. She was fair. Were no more coming, though? His head whipped around, checking the skies, and Corinth was distinctly amused to realize that no; there were no more. Only the blue who had thought to Chase a gold, Ciceroth, Salenth, and he. No browns, and three bronzes. Did Jarcith prefer browns to blues and bronzes? Was she...would she be...upset, with her suitors?

But let the Flight begin!

Towards the ground Jarcith dropped, and Corinth followed, closing his wings and arching his body forwards in a dive that was more freefall than controlled grace. Though he often flipped mid-air -- indeed, he had done so for many a female, Aslath included -- he was not stupid. Kindrith was a blue; he was made for agility. He'd outflip and outturn all of the three bronzes, and make them look like hopeless lumbering fools in comparison. Ciceroth and Salenth were twisting, were showing off. Corinth, being smaller, felt sure he could beat them when it came down to matters of agility, but Kindrith he had not a hope of beating. Better to hold back, to wait for other chances of impressing Jarcith, than to make himself look the fool when Kindrith started pulling rolls and flips.

When Jarcith pulled out of her dive, so too did Corinth, though he was still above her as far as altitude went. So close to the trees, the glowing green flew, that the bronze was almost agitated. If he got so close himself, his wings would become instantly snared by the trees. Tangled. Helpless. His wingspan was an impressive one, and each beat of his wings meant bringing the membrane downwards quite a ways -- and that distance should surely mean tangling them in the trees. Gliding might work, but it wasn't fast enough. Not enough wind on such a muggy, humid day. He kept at his altitude, skimming across the trees and veering on his wingtip to stay to one side of Jarcith -- it would do no good to put himself directly behind her; then she couldn't see him. He was low enough that his wingtips were just above the trees on his down-beat, but not low enough to be at the same altitude as the green; nor to injure himself on the trees.

Prowling.

She was prowling. Around them. T'rid/Corinth kept his eyes fastened upon Wynmuri/Jarcith, his eyes narrowed slightly, hungrily, as he blatantly examined her, his gaze sweeping up and down her form lustily. She was...so pretty. And such a brilliant glow she had, too. So pretty...deep he had sunk into Corinth's mind; it was all he could do to resist the desire to flap his arms like wings, or something; it made him frantic not to be close enough to her, and yet Flight etiquette demanded that the female be given space. No crowding. No crowding...

((Yaaaaay fail!))

[dragon]

Kindrith followed her closely, switching sides from time to time, through the dive, over the forest, and away! He was happy for that ... away ... the farther away they got, the less likely other males were to join them. And so long as the only other males were those three silly bronzes who he deemed hadn't the faintest notion how to chase a green ... Kindrith was smug in his assurances. Finally, he had found his green! It was almost too easy, to completely forget that there were other males around. It was just her, and him. The two of them! He rose up slightly above her, and twirled wing over wing, three times, before settling back into normal right-side-up flight and swerving back to the opposite side of her tail.

Kindrith warbled to her, and crooned his adoration, quite happy to be flying along in what he deemed to be thier dance ... yes thier dance! Shining, lovely green, and bright sky-blue, flying together over the forest. How much better could it get? Truely? He knew how it could get better ... when she chose! Then it would be better. She was so aluring!

Excited, he bobbed downward for a split instant, careful to not whack his wings on the trees below, before arcing upward again, rolling wing-over-wing again to her other side. There was little else he could do, at this altitude, and not wreck his wings. He could dance for her! But in the air, not in the trees.

~~~

E'yan-Kindrith smiled at Wynmuri as she stalked around them, but did not move otherwise. She would come to whom she chose when she was ready, and not before. And for the time being, he was content to wait. Waiting, he was good at.

[Rowana]

Jarcith allowed her wings to take her higher as she twisted her neck to observe her perusers. The bronzes had not followed directly. Wise choice. Crashing into the forest was not impressive, nor would she be sympathetic. If they got injured chasing her it just proved they were unworthy. The three flew close though, if at higher altitude. The blue had managed to stay with her. An admirable feat, though now he was ruining it by twirling about like a fool. Did he think she was impressed by such antics? A useless waste of energy. Energy they would need if they expected to keep up with her.

She turned away from them again. None had, as yet, captured her attention long enough to be considered. It was time for a change of direction. Jarcith beat her wings to rise sharply away from the trees. Than she turned, her small body twisting in middair so that she almost seemed to hang for a second. Then she was off again. Higher now, but going back the way they had come. She flew past the males, swift as the wind. For a brief moment she passed them, bronzes above and blue below, then she was out into clear skies once more. Let them try and chase her now!

Wynmuri eyed her males and huffed dismissively. Foolish men. They were not yet worthy of her attentions. She left to themselves. She was not one to flirt or offer favor. None were deserving of such devotion until she had chosen.

[Requiem]

Amused by the younger bronze, Salenth dipped slightly in the air in acknowledgment of Ciceroth's comment, though he didn't pursue the line of conversation. He truly did intend to win Jarcith if she would have him. No time for distractions...no matter how amusing they might be. Or almost no time. He couldn't quite resist one last quip.

The green's loop was echoed by one of his own, the male tucking his wings and diving belly-up at a forty-five degree angle, utilizing the height and gravity to his advantage such that he overshot Jarcith and descended nearly to the level of the river below. Did you say I was chasing you? he shot back at Ciceroth. His body torqued, large and sinuous in its length, executing a tight barrel roll that went through a full revolution before he righted himself. His wingtips didn't quite touch the leaves, but the downdraft sent them spinning in wild loops and circles around his body.

Arching his neck and spine, he turned back toward Jarcith's flightpath, now above him, noting the shimmering heat that marked an updraft. Right before he hit it he whipped his body nearly vertical, the wings flaring just as the warm air hit him. Salenth's long, graceful wings caught the air like twin sails and he shot up in a neat spiral just off Jarcith's left flank, riding the thermal still higher. Wings folded, nose dipped, and he slid out of the thermal, stroking through the air powerfully, once again high above, behind, and a bit to one side so she would not lose sight of him.

Salenth/S'rei growled softly in appreciation at Jarcith's retreating figure, marking the seductive sway and running a tongue lightly over his teeth in anticipation. He slunk for the wall opposite Ciceroth and crouched beside it, fingertips of one hand idly stirring the thin layer of dust on the ground as his eyes followed Jarcith with feral intensity. The other arm draped over his knee, long fingers curling and uncurling in response to some arhythmic internal drum.

[glamourie]

Ciceroth was… amused. Not that it was particularly difficult to amuse him, but that aside, the fact of the matter was that he was. Perhaps it was that Salenth sounded (almost) indignant to him, or the fact that he was holding a conversation mid-flight - something he’d never done before. Oh, he meant no disrespect by it; Jarcith was on his wing, that made her one of his, claimed the way that he had Ka’rys, the way he had the hatchling and the little flyers. She was one of his and he’d never intentionally insult her. It just struck him as very comical, and he couldn’t resist responding… especially since it seemed to elicit a response. No, he wasn’t fool enough to think he’d touched a nerve. He just found it funny that Salenth had only responded with that one statement, which to him was silly. He didn’t respond to Salenth’s question, though, namely because that wasn’t what he’d said. Though, he almost wished it was. Were they not midchase, he likely would have circled and commented something about whether Salenth could catch him or not -- but not when his mind was otherwise occupied. There wasn’t much time for games, unfortunately.

Not when there was something so lovely to be considered. Ciceroth beat his wings, his gaze remaining snared on the glowing form before him, never quite letting her out of his sight. Even though she was low in the trees, her hide shimmered beyond any shadow they could cast, and it wasn’t hard to keep an eye on her. What was difficult was keeping up speed. Height added an advantage, but no bronze could match a green in terms of agility or speed. Not that the knowledge kept him from trying. Turns of experience helped in green flights - trying to predict the tricks they’d pull and other stunts was always an interesting experience, if nothing else.

She turned. He spun, not on his tail as she had (for Ciceroth was incapable of that aerial grace, no matter how easily he twisted in the sky for his size), but on the end of his wing, putting himself almost entirely at an angle. The higher position gave him a better opportunity to see in advance what she intended to do, and he twisted after her. His wings beat quickly, and as Salenth descended, Ciceroth seized the opportunity to rise in the air at a steady angle, keeping himself above the glorious green before him. Height was an advantage for him, for he could always descend at a very rapid speed, given his weight and strength. She was heading toward the river as well, and Ciceroth was no fool; it was easy to be caught on the rocks so low down, and he was not small enough to dodge between the waves if she flew quite so low. He’d make up for not following as low as he’d like by keeping up, and with any luck, Kindrith and Corinth would quickly become distracted. He half-hoped that Kindrith became caught in the trees, unable to chase further. The obstacle courses would be less of a bother without a smaller male showing off for them.

The open air was welcome, and Ciceroth glided quickly after her. Rather than follow directly behind the green (which would put him at an advantage with her next twist or turn), he took a wide turn, his body twisting to an angle again. The large wings gave him an advantage in flying in such odd positions, though. It amused him to note that Salenth was almost polar opposite him on Jarcith’s side… but closer to her; Ciceroth was giving the green a wide berth. Some females became very antsy, and he wasn’t eager to be clawed up for invading her space.

Ka’rys-Ciceroth cocked his head to the side slightly, but did not move from his position along the wall. For all appearances he likely looked confident, perched there with his arms at his sides, making no move to mimic her or any such behavior. In fact, he did not appear to do anything except watch, though with an intensity some might find unnerving. No movements were made, but it was clear she had his full attention, so much so that he did not even notice S’rei-Salenth at the opposite wall. He might have become distracted if he did… but only she was worthy of his focus, his glowing green; he did so love a challenge, and it pleased him that she didn’t follow with the typical trend of females flirting and baiting the males. He always found it tactless to pretend to be interested… but then, the human half of the pair had little tolerance for people; he’d never been a socialite, after all.

[Avu]

Yes, he'd expected as much. Of course the blue would perform aerial tricks; he had that advantage over he, Salenth, and Ciceroth, at the very least. And, though Corinth didn't linger upon that, Kindrith...probably made them look quite clumsy. A cheerful thought, but at least he hadn't yet attempted any of the usual barrel rolls or flips that he usually did during Flights. Besides, it was far too dangerous at such a low level, with his wingtips too close for comfort to those treetops; a forward flip would send him directly into the forest below, and a roll might very well catch his wingtips in said trees. No. He wouldn't try, not until the Flight was taken upwards, where there was more open air. Neither had the bronze made any noise till that point, and it took the form of a low croon that emerged from his throat. Not exceptionally loud, and perhaps inaudible to Jarcith, given the distance between them, but it was an involuntary sound anyway.

And then up! Up went the green, twisting midair and then reversing, her altitude between that of the three bronzes and Kindrith. Corinth, who had instinctively risen higher, beating his wings hard until there was a decent amount of space between himself and the trees below, rolled forward in their original direction, though he didn't fully right himself, for to do so would mean that he would head in the wrong direction. He glided on his back for a moment before he closed his wings in a moment of daring, dropping as he rolled over and then caught himself again. He was below Jarcith by now; each maneuver had taken him to a lower altitude than the next. Making up for that was difficult, but to be fair, a bronze, made for strength -- even a slender, small bronze like he -- had the advantage, now, in the open air, over Kindrith, slight though it may be in a greenflight.

Greens rarely seemed to like open air, Corinth had already noted. The bronze rapidly ascended, automatically bypassing the level at which Jarcith had chosen to rise perhaps two dragonlengths higher before he looped again, arching backwards, the fluid movement sending him just under Jarcith, but back and somewhat to the right of her. Another soft, almost involuntary croon left his throat as his tailtip twitched in excitement. A lovely green like she...doubtless she would have more tests, many more, perhaps, to put them through, but at least she had given him that moment, that time in the sky, so that he could show her that he, too, could be agile, without catching his wingtips in the trees and tearing the fragile membrane. The others may twirl as they pleased down there, but he wasn't willing to risk it.

That dismissive huff that the lovely green uttered made T'rid/Corinth's eyes narrow slightly, and simultaneously with Corinth's croon, a soft croon left his own throat. The noise...bewildered even him; he had not planned to utter it, but the almost disdainful dismissiveness of Wynmuri/Jarcith's manner made him want to appease her, in some way, to assure her that they -- he -- would not let her down, but...he didn't quite know how. It was rash, impulsive, impudent, to approach her and flirt, and therefore he stayed where he was, near the doorway, back pressed flat against the wall, hazel eyes focused tightly upon her, though they never stayed in one place long, instead flickering over her entire body, hunger apparent in his gaze. He...wanted...her...

Back in his weyr, Stupid had managed (with great difficulty) to wriggle out of a crack in the back of the trunk -- obviously it had been overlooked by His. A tiny crack it was, with a little triangular chip of wood missing from it...his frill flattened against his body as the brown Salamandyr wriggled and thrashed, hissing quietly in agitation as his eyes were fixed on the green, bronze, and blue dots in the sky. Finally, panting, close to shrieking, the brown finally jerked himself out of the prison, falling against the wall with an audible crack. Blinking, wavering, he shot towards the weyrledge, navigating the messy weyr with ease as his eyes took on a decidedly purple tinge. He saw her, he saw her, he wanted her...he was at the weyrledge now, frill extending with excitement as claws scrabbled against the stonework, preparing to launch himself off as tiny wings flared (clearly he was under the impression that he could fly). So close...so close...

...and yet so far away. The Salamandyr uttered an enraged shriek as Conspiracy blinked from between and promptly sat on him with a punishing chirp and a nip to his head. His didn't want Stupid Chasing, he didn't, and His was to be obeyed at all costs!

((Sorry for suck. And sorry for random Stupid, but he amused me. ;w;))

[dragon]

Kindrith twisted about on himself as she turned and took off into the sky. He streaked after her, wings beating fast and hard, moving him through the air quick enough to make up for lost ground. He knew it was costing him, to keep putting on bursts of speed like that. But speed was one of the few things that he had over those silly bronzes, and he was going to play it for all it was worth. He was faster, he was by far more agile, and he was going to make that point! Too many times he'd been beaten by larger dragons. Not this time! She was his green!!

Kindrith turned contrary to what the other males were doing, then. As they took up tricks in the open air, he leveled out and dropped all pretenses at any tricks at all. It was getting late in the flight, and he had to squeeze every bit of energy out that he could. He had none to spare for tricks, anymore, now that they were broaching into prime Bronze territory. He didn't want to lose her to those big brutes. Straightening out and merely progressing forward ... faster and faster and faster, he rose up slightly, now flying directly behind her tail. And then he moved up a few more yards, now flying behind and slightly above her tail. He was wise enough to leave a few dragonlengths between them, just in case she turned. Kindrith needed time to make the same turn ... he could do it, and would, too, to stay with her. He had to ... it was his only other advantage over the other males. So, he was playing his speed, and playing his agility to the last drop. All for her. She would be his, he was sure of it.

He completely ignored the bronzes, one and all, not even bothering to pay attention to what kinds of stunts they were trying to pull. He was completely disinterested in them ... not only were they not her, but also in that anything they could do stunt wise? He could do ten times better. Bronzes weren't built for tricks. Thus, the sole target of his attentions was the lovely glowing green form before him, and just a touch below.

Jarcith! His lovely Jarcith. Queen of the sky, the best of all the dragons around. He drew a deep breath into his lungs when he inhaled, so that he'd have some air to spare. And then he warbled to her, varying the tones slightly. Making like to sing to her. A loving, heart-felt song. He had no idea if she could hear him at all, but it didn't stop him. They were traveling awfully fast, ripping the sound from his throat.

~~~

In the flightroom, E'yan remained where he stood ... seemingly the only one not plastering himself to the wall. He stood where he was, away from the walls, tall and proud. He was worth her attention, and he knew it. He wasn't going to cower from her, or try to be part of the walls. He watched her move, entirely silent and entirely present. His shoulders were square and his spine straight: there was no slouch in him at all. He was completely at attention, and his attention was completely focused on her. Regardless of what she was doing, she was something to see. Something to respect. And all woman.