Zodiac Lesson Eight

[Requiem]

Jingth, rider Meira
Weith, rider R'men
Taith, rider V'rael
Chaoth, rider Merridan
Shith, rider T'lor
Ahth, rider R'ahre
Futh, rider M'kai
Lith, rider L'ka
Nuoth, rider Nephele
Huath, rider Kalia
Kunth, rider Mina
Baoth, rider K'lir
Minth, rider Anusha

Eccentric was probably...the nice way to put it. The Weyrlingmaster had taken a shift of stiff brocade meant to be part of a woman's wardrobe, the hem stopping at just above his ankles, and cut it nearly up to the waist in four places, weighting the ends. Sleeveless, his usual white, light shirt billowed out from there, loose black pants completing the queer getup. He'd stuffed the fans into the sash around the trim - no, to be honest, skinny waist - and now leaned back against Inocenth, bare toes wriggling in the warm grass. Class was supposed to start up again soon, but he didn't seem in any true hurry, not urging the weyrlings to gather around any faster than they already were.

After another moment, however, he plunked onto the ground, reaching for the boots off to one side. This was the silent signal to the weyrlings who had been his for a month now - the sign that meant class was starting. He tugged one of the stiff riding boots on snugly, tucking in the pant leg but being sure to leave plenty of material for blousing. F'ur began lacing the boot tightly. The other, inked foot, twitched idly beside the first. Looking up, he flashed a smile. "Good news and bad news," he commented, in a tone no louder than he would have used in the classroom.

Terror moved in his hair, scooting up underneath a dark curl to stare out at the weyrlings nervously. If his unease effected F'ur, however, the ex-Fortian didn't show it. "The bad news is you'll all be graded on your take-offs today. I don't foresee any problems, but this will be required for you to move into your weyrs. On that note, if any of you have a particular request in regard to weyr assignments, I can't promise anything, but now's the time to speak up."

He began working on the other boot at this point, ignoring the permanently ichor-stained claws digging furrows in the ground just a foot away from him. Restless blue. "As for the good news...no more ground drills. We'll be conducting all our hands-on lessons from the air from this point forward." F'ur flashed a smile at the weyrlings, tugging on his gloves almost languidly. "So I suggest you all mount up. Take off from a stand still as we've been practicing - one at a time - and do make sure to stay behind and ask any questions if you have them before you make a fool of yourself."

A brief glance around the gathered young people, and then he flicked his fingers at them. "Shoo."

[Ember]

She was staring. She really couldn't help it. The weyrlingmaster's get up was just too much, and yet it suited his character immensly. Nephele shook her head and double checked her straps quickly. It didn't hurt to do so, since they were really getting into the flying lessons now and she really didn't need to suffer falling off Nuoth. The green was big enough that it would really hurt to fall even just from the ground.

As F'ur spoke up she shifted her attention to him and clicked her tongue slightly. Graded? Not that it worried her much, but what good would telling them beforehand do? Nephele figured that it was just his way of teaching. Put pressure on them and see if they could cope. Well then, if that was the only bad news, then the good news must be really good. She was a little disappointed by the news but didn't let it show. She quickly made her way to Nuoth at his signal and gave a very quick check of the dragon's straps too. All was good.

Nephele mounted easily, well practiced at the act by then. Nuoth shifted slightly in anticipation of the lesson. It would be their first completely aerial lesson! The green was very fond of flying already. The more time spent in the air the better for her. Shall we go first then, since you're so excited? Nuoth responded favourably so Nephele gave the green the go ahead when she thought at least one of the weyrlingmaster pair was watching.

Nuoth spread her wings as a silent warning to her clutchmates before crouching down in preparation. Nephele was squeezing her green's neck with her legs firmly, as tensed and ready as Nuoth. The green leaped into the air and beat downward with her wings. Ha! A very good takeoff, if the pair didn't say so themselves. Nuoth rose a little higher before maintaining her height and waiting for her clutchmates. So exciting!

[archenstone]

V'rael arrived early, choosing to do stretches next to Taith who was doing the same thing. Taith was determined today and flexed his wings in the stretches taught to increase strength and flexibility. It was a good thing he was at least moving. Standing still is simply too impossible.

V'rael stopped his stretching as F'ur but his boots on. The man's choice of dress was mildly disturbing to V'rael....who figured that was the purpose. Why else would the man dress....like that?

He listened to the lesson plan....making note of their goals. He had no preference of whom he would be sharing a Weyr with...if anyone. He pulled on the straps....testing for tightness and then climbed up. By this time Taith was stock still with eyes whirling in excitement. finally we get to fly at lessons together!. Taith's excitement was his own too....for it took him one step closer to his goals. "Lets go." He said aloud. Taith crouched...watching as Nuoth rose up in the air. As she became clear of them he shifted his rear legs a couple times than aprange upward....pumping hard with his wings.

V'rael held tight....what a jolt that was!. He looked down at everyone.....half expecting Taith to do something stupid.....yet he didn't sense any mischievous intent from Taith....which was really weird.

[Avu]

It was official. Their Weyrlingmaster was crazy. The thought was voiced to none but Ahth, who was seated next to R’ahre; the blue’s head tilted to appraise the man’s getup for an instant before dark amused shades flickered through the dragon’s eyes, though he made no comment. Humans were so stupid. Putting on fake hide was one thing, but when they were silly fake hides…the blue’s straps were already on and snug, the leather gleaming from being oiled (oiled almost as much as Ahth was, for that matter). The Weyrlingmaster flopping onto the ground and starting to pull on his boots made R’ahre lean against Ahth idly, slightly impatient, though the mention of ‘news’ made the brown eyes flick up towards the Weyrlingmaster before he brushed against Ahth’s mind quietly, inquisitive; how bad could the ‘bad’ news be…? For that matter, how good could the good news be? This was Lessons – extremes didn’t exist in Lessons, as far as the blueweyrling was concerned.

Graded on take-offs. Not hard. Ahth coiled a little tighter, smugly; the blue was very confident. Arrogant, almost. He knew he could take-off and land without trouble; it was quite simple, really…and weyrs to themselves. This was the bad news? It was good news. The other news was accepted quietly, without comment; Ahth liked flying and His did, too, but ground drills were something that had been tolerated, not disliked, not liked. The blue’s head dipped to nudge His patiently towards his straps as F’ur finished, and R’ahre allowed himself to be pushed along, amusement flickering across his face and their bond as he ran his fingers rapidly along the straps to check them for soundness one last time before he caught hold of them in his hands and mounted, arranging the straps and buckling himself in. He didn’t think he would fall (Ahth wouldn’t let him fall) but it was better to be safe. No need to break his neck this far in.

No need, Ahth agreed mildly, watching Nuoth and Taith leap into the air before he brushed against R’ahre’s mind again. Shall we? The words were inflectionless, without eagerness to show off – he didn’t need to show off; he knew he could do better. R’ahre agreed, vaguely amused by Ahth, tightening his legs around the blue’s neck and winding his fingers tighter around the straps.

Ahth took a few steps forward so he wouldn’t hit his clutchsiblings with his wings before he stopped, crouching; his wings quivered, half-furled, before he leapt into the air; both wings snapped open and were thrust downwards, propelling Ahth almost vertically upwards; he glided demurely beneath Nuoth for a moment before a quick twist sent him upwards to her altitude. There was no greeting for the green, only a brief flick of his tail before he hovered, a good distance away from any of his other siblings. He had no desire to get close to them; he liked his space, thank you very much. The takeoff had been extremely smooth, all things considered, his wings having opened at almost exactly the right moment to take the edge off of the initial ascent; R’ahre touched the blue’s mind approvingly, and found Ahth coolly amused. Why would His think he needed approval, really? He knew he’d done well. He always did, didn’t he?

Modesty, thy name is Ahth.

~*~*~

I didn’t know males wore that, Jingth commented idly.
They…generally don’t.
Of course, females /are/ superior but dressing like them doesn’t mean he /is/ one… the gold went on, eyeing F’ur with no small amount of curiosity. Hers didn’t wear things like that, and she was female; it was very odd to see the Weyrlingmaster wearing it, it was. I don’t suppose he realizes it’s quite silly-looking? I’m the slave would have liked it, though. The condescending amusement in Jingth’s voice was apparent – at least to Meira, who turned to look up at Jingth from where she was leaning against the dragon’s shoulder anxiously. The gold was sprawled on her stomach idly, as inelegant as always. The mention of Mimic made her tail flip slightly in private amusement. She had a very good bronze plotting with her about the Salamandyr, she had. Said Salamandyr was currently probably asleep on top of Doppelganger, completely oblivious to the world at large. Lucky thing. Flying was nice, but sunning and dozing was even better…

I’m sure he would have. Listen to him, please? The anxious request was accompanied by her fingers winding around one of the straps that wrapped around the gold’s body, Meira tilting her head against Jingth. Graded on take-offs – a flicker of nervousness rose, was firmly quashed; Jingth had been practicing, she had; she was determined not to be outdone by Weith – the gold was very graceful now. It would be no problem, surely…the idea of a Weyr of her own made Meira blink before she looked up at Jingth. She was pretty sure a request as to assignments didn’t include her, given that golds were all housed on the same level (right next to the Infirmary, as it were: How convenient) but she wasn’t sure if she’d move directly in there or take a smaller weyr for a time or what – confusing.

We’re /queens/, Jingth pointed out gently; the mental brush of her mind was affectionate, reassuring. I’m sure we’ll be put in a weyr fit for us. Her tail twitched quietly before the gold tilted her head back to Hers. Are you ready, love? /I/ am. Ground Drills were so boring; how nice of Inocenth’s to drop it from their lessons. Jingth was still as Meira turned to check the straps once more, the gold still stretched onto her belly. She wasn’t large for a gold, but she was still large, and Meira certainly couldn’t reach if Jingth was standing or sitting or generally anything higher than crouching. The weyrlingrider jumped onto the dragon’s neck, sliding into her place and patting Jingth on the neck idly as she strapped herself in, double-checking the straps again before she informed Jingth that she was ready. One, two, three – Nuoth, Taith, Ahth; all in the air. Relatively good takeoffs, the three of them…I go, she stated to Meira in warning.

Curling her hands tighter around the straps, Meira refrained from the slight nervousness as Jingth crouched. Her gaze was focused upwards, to the spot in the sky she wanted to go, before the slender gold leapt upwards; her forelegs curled against her chest and for a moment she was suspended in midair. The next minute, her wings opened, fluttered, caught air, and the dragon was airborne, spiraling upwards until she was at the same altitude as her other clutchsiblings, a dragonlength away from Taith for safety measures. Her wings fluttered as the dragon tilted her head, looking down at everyone still on the ground except Weith; she was ignoring that he even existed.

I did not jolt you, did I, love?
Not at all. That was – it was lovely…
Practice makes perfect, and I’ll bet /some/ one hasn’t been…

[Rowana]

Merridan tried not to look at F'ur's outfit and focus on the task at hand. What was it with the men here that they all had to be so girly? It made her almost feel offended for her gender, but not really. Mostly it just made her laugh. Today though, she contained her laughter as best she could. It wouldn't do to laugh at the Weyrling Master when he was testing them. Maybe it was a trick to break concentration.

Mer wasn't worried about the grade though. She was thrilled that they were moving on to more challenging exercises and she knew well that Chaoth could take off well enough. She watched some of her classmates go first. Nephele, R'ahre, Meira, and even V'rael took off with no difficulty today. Chaoth rumbled happily. He loved seeing his classmates perform well. We are ready to fly! he declared proudly to his rider. Mer nodded. Let's go!

Mer checked either side of her, to make sure everyone was free of Chaoth's range. He was still getting bigger, though he seemed to have slowed down. Already he was dwarfing some of the greens and blues and she didn't want him to accidentally hit anyone with his wings. When she was sure, she squished her knees and Chaoth bunched himself for take off. He jumped and spread his wings and then they were airborne. It took a few extra wingstrokes to raise his heavy body the the height of the others, but he made it with now problems and soon they were soaring the skies in formation. Mer grinned with the thrill of it. Flying really was better with your own dragon.

[glamourie]

Boo booo booooo, K’lir twitched animatedly. He probably made quite a sight, leaning against Baoth as though half-asleep, messy red hair tangled and tumbling over his face. He’d at least gotten dressed but from the look on his face it was very obvious K’lir was not really listening (he didn’t need to) and wasn’t completely awake, either. He also wasn’t looking at the weyrlingmaster, though that stemmed more from the fact that his eyes were closed and he was yawning widely (not so much a reflection of present company as on the fact that K’lir not only didn’t sleep properly but not enough either). One hand came up to rub at his eyes, seeking any sands of sleep left in the corners, and his gaze flicked over to Baoth casually. Once F’ur stopped talking, he blinked and stared at the new weyrlingmaster for a moment… before deciding he didn’t want to know. Skirts weren’t his thing. Whatever. He had better things to be focusing on than one man’s eccentricities. Plus it was the first lesson where Baoth was going to get to show off properly, and she was antsy; that rubbed off on him despite being exhausted (he’d had dreams involving salamandyrs trying to carry him off into the jungle for weird rituals – he blamed Showoff).

“Get off my head,” he commanded, and from the mess of blood red waves, the bronze-and-red salamandyr huffed and obeyed. He flung himself onto Baoth’s back and scurried down to cling into one of the pockets of her riding gear. “Pain in the –”

Turning toward Baoth, K’lir shrugged on his riding coat; open air was too cold for his liking. He was irritated to find it didn’t fit him properly anymore, either. At least the rest of his clothes – a heavy black sweater and the black leather pants Uu’n gave him that Showoff didn’t destroy – were fine. He gestured impatiently to Baoth, who crouched down for him; she was already too big for him to climb on anymore. K’lir was a small entity to begin with though. He fastened his straps as Showoff sneaked in under his coat, to the pocket K’lir stitched in specifically for him, and the green weyrlingrider glanced around at his classmates. Baoth too turned her head and the greenpair shared a silent moment of amusement at the others’ expense; Baoth wa a very skilled flyer, already. Having private practice helped, but K’lir hadn’t needed to teach her much. It came as second nature, as flight should have to a dragon.

Ahth received an encouraging croon from the green – displaying prominently her fondness for him. Her eyes whirled as she watched her clutchmates. The rest of them were ignored. She really only liked Ahth.

Crouching down, Baoth waited until the others were done – or most of them anyway – and then flung herself into the air. Her wings snapped open just in time for her to turn on them and spiral upward, a languid serpentine grace propelling her higher into the air. The winds felt natural beneath her wings and she leveled out evenly near enough to Ahth to be entertaining; far enough from her clutchsiblings to display prominently her lack of tolerance for them. It wasn’t as though she disliked most of them, per sey – they were pretty males after all – but she simply felt herself better, and that elegant takeoff surely proved it. She wasn’t exactly lacking in any kind of grace. She also could do twists, turns and loops without dislodging K’lir. She loved flying.

[ace]

Flystupidrunrungreenfly!. "Go away Chair," Mina threatened under her breath, trying to pinch the little salamander in between her fingers. Nonohungryflyfly! The 'mander ran up Mina's shoulder and jumped off, scuttling underneath the undergrowth. Good riddance, Kunth thought vehminantly, her eyes swirling slightly red.

"Shhh," Mina admonished as the weyrlingmaster started speaking. Graded on their flight? That should be interested. Since the dragon's first flight, Kunth had improved marginally. She was faster and agile than most, but she could not pull off any of the stunts that the others could do.

Were going to get a weyr, Mina thought excitedly. Kunth flicked her tail in response and jostled her wings. Do you have any preference, the green weyrling asked skeptically. I don't really care at all, Mina thought. Nor do I. Are you ready to fly Mina? The girl nodded as her eyes followed Boath take to the skys.

She pulled on her riding jacket and boots, and swung up onto Valenth's back. The green took pushed herself into the air, and Mina gripped the straps tightly as Kunth's wings extended and she soared up into the air quickly, weaving back and forth. through her clutch siblings that were still airborn. Using her tail to keep her balance, she twisted in the air rather clumsily, almost disloging her rider. Un-detered, the green leveled off from the ground. She felt so free in the air!

(crapptastic fail post. sorry guys, nano stole my muse)

[subtlemystery]

Hopefully no one will fall over their own feet. Huath's voice was dryly amused as she lowered her head to lightly nudge Kalia. Kalia wouldn't make a mistake, they'd practiced hard to improve, after all there was no other way to do so. Baoth had a slight advantage, having a rider that had been through everything before, but to Kalia, that only meant that he had to work hard, since the weyrling master was likely to expect more from the pair than any of the others, who hadn't been fully fledged riders. Not that she'd want to be in his position, of course. As dignified as he green was, and unlikely to engage in the silly acts her sisters seemed to enjoy, Kalia loved her more than anything, and couldn't imagine losing the pure life that Huath had brought her.

Turning her attention back to the weyrling master again, Kalia's lips twitched upwards slightly, amused again byt the weyrling master's choice of clothing. Still, it was better than nothing by a long shot. She wasn't as disturbed by the bad news as she supposed some of the others might be, Huath would either do well, or she wouldn't. Stressing about the end result wasn't going to change the amount of work they'd put in to improve, and the weyr assignments didn't bother her either, she'd just do her best to get along with whom ever she was paired with. The good news, however was much more interesting. No more ground drills, that wasmuch more exciting.

Time to mount, Mine. I shall do my best not to nearly throw you as some of the others appear to have done. It was said withut the slightest tone of conciet in her tone, and Kalia's answering smile was relieved. She didn't particularly want to be jolted either, but she was sure Huath would be fine. Mounting with the ease of something well practised but the cautiousness of something still newish, Kalia settled herself comfortably before strapping the straps around herself.
When you're ready, Huath. Kalia murmured mentally, her fingers wrapping lightly around the leather as Huath tensed lightly, waiting for the air to be clear before launching herself smoothly upwards.

Was that okay, Mine? I didn't jolt you too much?
No, that was lovely, thankyou Huath. We still need to practice, but that wasn't bad at all.

[Requiem]

Hate riding helmets. Amusement from Inocenth. They both knew he'd have to wear one. Teach by example and all that. (Thus the boots, another thing he rarely wore.) And the jacket - that's what it's called? - too, clearly. F'ur shrugged one shoulder, watching the dragons take to the air with various levels of efficiency. "Quiet lot, aren't they?" Inocenth's response was equally dismissive. Why would they have questions? You taught them. The side of the man's mouth twitched briefly. The blue was hardly affectionate. It was more of a 'I chose the best, of course,' sort of thing, but you took what you could get, he supposed.

"Want to tell them?" They can sweat it out. "Good point." It actually was. If they wanted out of the barracks and they didn't know where they stood yet - they might be more inclined to try for him now. Of course, Inocenth likely just didn't want to talk to the weyrlings more than necessary, but that was beside the point.

Terror quivered, making little whimpering sounds by his ear. Tch. "Why don't you find a safer place, hm? We're flying." But what if he couldn't see everything? One of the other flyers..."Nothing's going to get you. If they do, they'll get me, and that won't change if you're on my head or somewhere else on me, right? Nothing can touch Inocenth anyway." It was good that Terror did respond to reason, or dealing with him might well become impossible. The salamandyr allowed himself to be put in a pocket for now, though he still poked his head out of it. F'ur leapt up onto Inocenth (small blues made that particular feat an easy one) and the older dragon leapt from where he stood, slashing upwards, higher and to one side of the weyrlings.

(Had he actually cared what the young dragons thought, he might have put on a small show for them, but as it stood he didn't.)

Come, let's fly, Inocenth told the young ones, climbing higher still. Make sure Yours takes a good long look. They'll need to be familiar with the view of the Weyr from the air. That was good enough, right? He growled at F'ur's chuckle, the pat on his neck. Useless rider. "Grouch."

[Avu]

Up came his clutchsiblings, but Ahth ignored them all, with the exception of Baoth; the green’s flawless ascent received his full attention, eyes bright blue that was a rarity for Ahth. He liked company, but that didn’t mean he liked those who made up that company – and while a casual observer couldn’t have noticed the difference, his eyes always had a slightly flat appearance; not quite honest. A quick flap of his wings to maintain altitude before his attention turned back to Inocenth expectantly. No, he didn’t bespeak Baoth; he didn’t need to at the moment and talking wasn’t always necessary anyway. The last of their clutchsiblings had made it to the air (Kunth’s clumsiness inspired a slight flicker of amused condescension from the blue, a feeling that was not outwardly expressed) and Ahth’s head swung back around to Inocenth. The spark of impatience was purely R’ahre; Ahth could actually be quite patient (how else could he possibly stand his clutchsiblings otherwise?).

Inocenth’s ascent was watched impassively by the blue before the message was received and Ahth brushed against R’ahre’s mind. He says we are to fly, the dragon informed His. You are to look at the Weyr below; we are supposed to be familiar with the Weyr from the air apparently. There was no further warning before Ahth spun on a wingtip, breezing above Taith (and yes, that one movement was deliberately intended to ‘accidentally’ give the brown a bit of trouble) to catch a thermal that sent him upwards, following Inocenth’s flight pattern; a quick flap of his wings sent him sideways, again putting that distance between himself and his other siblings; long wings carried him gracefully, effortlessly, after Inocenth – it wasn’t hard, and the winds seemed to favor him for time being; there were no sudden sharp spurts or dips in the wind.

“Is that all?” R’ahre murmured, the words inaudible even to himself, for Ahth was flying quite quickly despite the apparent lack of effort and the wind was pulling the words away. Still, Ahth felt them and the blue’s acquiescence was less words than it was a mental brush. It was enough. R’ahre clicked his tongue absently before he leaned forward to peer over Ahth’s shoulder, resigned to committing trees and dirt to memory. And cliffs and waterfalls, of course, but…brown eyes swept over the ground below before he passed it absentmindedly to Ahth, who responded by adding the details (apparently, said the smugness in his manner, human eyes were so inferior to those of a dragon) and sending it back again. Crinkling his nose, R’ahre bowed to Ahth’s superior sight. Pass me what /you/ see then, brat.

Brat? I beg to differ, Ahth responded, the superiority obvious in his tone; If I /can/ see better why /shouldn’t/ I? It’s helping /you/, is it not? I don’t, he added, Understand why /you/ are in charge of remembering; I can remember just as well as you can…

~*~*~

The reason behind Jingth’s smugness was not quite as obvious as that of Ahth’s. The gold hovered, slightly aloof from all of her clutchsiblings (none of them had been claimed by her; her slaves were all older; better), but even the dragonlength of difference made it clear – she was by far the largest there. Weith, apparently, was not there. The bronze was almost exactly her size – if not larger, and it irked her to no end. Much better, this was. Jingth spread both wings wider, hovering before Inocenth’s ascent made the gold spiral sideways on a wingtip, putting herself a slight distance to one side of her clutchsiblings (and slightly ahead of them as well; where she should be) – the opposite that Ahth had taken up, though the blue went mostly ignored. Jingth was less than fond of Ahth and his little green slave; they’d been quite cruel to Mimic, even if the blue had been subtle enough that her slave had not realized it. Oblivious creature, he was. Pushing the thoughts away, Jingth brushed against herLove’s mind affectionately.

Inocenth says we are to remember the Weyr from above, the gold reported, twirling on a wingtip to begin ascending after Inocenth. We will be going /between/ soon? Yes, Jingth wanted to – and she was completely fearless about it, too; Hers could do it. Meira wasn’t afraid, either, though she wasn’t quite as confident in her abilities as Jingth was. She was accustomed – still, and the thought of between made her stomach drop uncomfortably – to giving coordinates to a wher. To land on the ground, with heat being the emphasis.

I suppose so, she responded finally, tightening her legs and hands instinctively as Jingth ascended – swiftly, but not as quickly as some of her smaller siblings. A problem with her size: Going up was difficult. Gliding was no problem; endurance she was fine at, but it took a bit more out of her to ascend. That didn’t stop her, though; up she went before leveling off and beating long wings twice to give herself a push forward before she glided, the winds catching her wings. Meira patted Jingth’s neck, the dragon offering an affectionate touch of her mind in response – no matter how vain the gold was, that she did, indeed, adore Hers was unable to be argued. Can you help me remember, please, beautiful? Meira asked softly, standing up slightly so she could look over Jingth’s wing at the Weyr below. Heights didn’t bother her; flying and being so perfectly aware of Jingth beneath her, of the fact that the gold had never, would never, let her fall was wonderful.

I will /always/ help you. I will remember. The gold caught the image from Meira’s mind, flashed it back to her. Yes? It’s very clear, LoveMine. You needn’t worry.

[kat]

T'lor had come down with a nasty virus, and he knew his Weyrling training was seriously compromised due to the number of lessons he'd missed out on. Sure, he'd done the notes, done a bit of extra training here and there, and yet he wasn't sure it would be enough to allow him to graduate along with the others. Which, of course, would seriously stink about as much as dragon dung. So, as he made his way to the first lesson he'd been to in a while, he was more quiet and thoughtful than he'd been in a long time. He didn't want to fail, but if they didn't want to pass him, it wasn't their fault.

Don't worry T'lormine, whatever happens, we'll be together in it!

Glancing over at Shith, T'lor couldn't help but notice how rapidly the smaller blue dragon had grown. His colors were lovely and vibrant, his hide always well oiled, and T'lor and he had built up a great bond these past few months. He couldn't imagine life without the cheerful, optimistic blue by his side. Without Shith, he would have had a far harder time getting over whatever it was he'd caught. It had been pretty shaky ground for a while there, with the fevers that came and went, the cough. Now, however, he was all better, and yet none too happy about the setback.

His first reaction to the new Weyrlingmaster's getup was to laugh. Some might have considered it inappropriate, laughing at an authority figure. Yet, T'lor wasn't one of those kinds of people, who could simply not laugh when something had one coming. So, he did, and Shith, too, cocked his head to the side in amusement, tail wagging back and forth. There were some peculiarities he'd just never gotten over. His oddities that resembled canine like behavior had never vanished. He'd managed to knock over countless things with his waving tail, managed to have things ensue in mayhem and mischief. Only T'lor wouldn't have changed it for anything, the amusement as just too good, too fun.

"Hey y'all. Good 't see familiar faces, ah'm back." A simple wave, a lopsided grin, and a wink at Mina completed the greeting, before F'ur was giving them their orders. He liked the man's attitude, it was interesting and amusing. So, he mounted up and proved that even though he had been absent, he'd been making it up by trying his best to be sure they kept up. Shith's take off wasn't as flawless as Jingth's might have been. Still, it wasn't horrible, either. He managed to rise with only a couple of strong wingbeats, kicking up a bit of dust and managing a decent take off. "Good goin', Shith. Show 'em we're not so far behind we can't catch on up!" T'lor encouraged him. They had to work extra hard to prove they weren't too far behind everyone. If not...well, sadly, failure might have been an option.

As they flew above the Weyr, T'lor memorized every detail he could see. Imagery was pretty easy for him, he had a good memory, even if he joked around a lot and came off as a bit more dim witted than he was when he did. Most of the time, he came off as witty and flirtatious. Shith had started noticing the greens more, though it was Jingth he still admired most. T'lor thought it would be hilarious, but not too unbelievable, if the blue decided he wanted to try and chase the golden beauty. That would be hilarious, though, to protect the blue's feelings, he didn't let on that he thought so. Once he had the image burned into his mind like an engraving, he waited for their next instructions.

You make nice pictures, mine. They are clear and good, Shith commented. T'lor nodded curtly, patting the blue on the neck. "Sure do, it ain't that hard t' manage," he admitted, smirking confidently.

[archenstone]

Taith rumbled in annoyance as Ahth went over him. Not only had it messed with the air current the stupid prank forced him to yaw right. The agitation showed through his eyes briefly before he cooled off. Ahth wanted to be that way? Sure thing pal.
Mine....take a good look at the Weyr. We need to know how it looks from the sky.

V'rael frowned at the sudden movement from Taith and as he looked up he understood. They had nearly collided with Ahth who had decided to plow his way where he wanted to go. The blatant disrespect towards his dragon....and thus him....had him angry. What right did that....boy think he had? Sure V'rael couldn't be much older but he felt older....having to work the fishing business after his father passed away. It literally took him a moment to regain his focus and look at the land below.

The waterfall stood out most to him. It was one of his favorite places....the feel of the mist on his face while he stood on the rocky out crops near the surging waters was similar to the spray of the sea....but even so it lacked the familiar briny smell.

Ummm the rest of the Weyr? Taith said impatiently as he rose up. V'rael focused on the rest...taking in the veiw of the Weyrs....canyon...infirmary and hatching ground as well as the other buildings among the trees. He felt a brush of approval from Taith and sensed something else. Taith? He clamped his legs tight.... suddenly grateful for the fighting straps that held him on as Taith's wing folded and he rolled. V'rael had been focusing on the Weyr...so he hadn't noticed when Taith climbed above Ahth on his left. Now his roll made him pass by Ahth's nose close enough for him to get real close to his tail. No contact though. Thank goodness! V'rael urged Taith to stop fooling around till he knew what he was doing in the air. He didn't want to be melded into brown goo on the ground did he? Taith righted himself and V'rael took a breath. That had been scary! However somewhere inside was a kind of glee. After all it had been rather exciting and thy had bothered him so. Wait....wasn't that how Taith felt? V'rael shook his head, marveling at how easy it was for Taith to effect him through their link. Taith was now behaving as he was supposed to...but how long would it last? He sensed Taith didn't like Ahth....he didn't dislike him either though....there was a good deal of apathy.