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Post by Marnark on Oct 24, 2011 0:27:27 GMT -5
A'lez was considered by some people to be unflappable. It was probably due to circumstances like these. He was faced with a raging temper that refused to calm down, and yet he was akin to the eye of the storm. Where there was nothing to be found but intense calm. A'lez really couldn't blame her for any of her outbursts, and as such didn't try. Not only had she just underwent a horribly displacement, but she'd just had it pretty much thrown in her face that she couldn't go back ... and possibly that she'd never been missed.
It was a horrible feeling to have. A feeling that every human feared, and most dragons treasured not having in the face of a Dragon bonded to their very soul. Always loved, never alone. She needed to flail ... needed to shout. She needed to vent. But even with that, there was only so much that could do for her.
Neinoth watched the little blonde woman with a sad tint to his gaze before he regarded Issarith again. It would not be my image that I would be worried about. He answered, before prodding her just behind the shoulder and limping forward. Come, I will show you where the fattest beasts are to be found. They are tasty, I think you will like them. he offered.
A'lez, on the other hand, didn't even bother to grace Sakorai's outbursts with comments, whether defensive or otherwise. His Weyr, his Archivist ... that wasn't the issue, and he knew it. She knew it. She just needed a release. Finally, he just stepped over and caught the flailing Goldrider by the arm and reeled her in, folding her in against his chest as he gave her a hug. One that he held her to until she calmed down. For that was what she needed most ... a hug. And she had no one to give her one. No one that really mattered to her anyway.
It was the least he could do.
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Post by Lady Smara on Oct 24, 2011 2:32:00 GMT -5
I would like that. The gold said to him, fully honest in her statement as she moved herself up to her own feet, glancing back at her rider as she continued to vent. The larger they are the more of a mess they will make. Let us find the best. she said, nodding in agreement even though it was a very un-dragon-like gesture, it was one she had picked up watching the riders. Padding along to follow the bronze, she glanced back again only as she felt the rage momentarily flare brighter as the bronze rider caught her arm and pulled her into an embrace.
Who did he think he was?! Her first thought was to bring up a swift knee, catching him between the legs. As much as she did enjoy bringing men down to their knees, she steadied herself, growing stiff in his arms before suddenly jerking her head upwards before pushing against him with surprising power for her slight frame. With him standing about seven inches taller than herself, her head connected solidly with his chin. She had not wrestled with the boys of the hold for turns to be caught in their grasp.
“Let go of me! I’m not your Weyrmate.” She said, her body still tense and stiff even after pushing him away. Even as she snapped at him, the snap was noticeably more docile. Less harsh around the edges as the space between them grew once more. Lifting a hand to her head, she shook it before motioning toward the cove that the Weyrbowl opened up to – or at least she remembered seeing when she had first scouted the site for this Weyr.
“Dragonoil. Either make yourself useful and get it or show me where it is so I can get work done myself.” This time her statement ended in a sigh. She needed to do something. Something physical to clear her head. To think. While normally she would prefer a romp in the furs as her routine exercise, she certainly was in no condition for it now. No, she would clean her dragon, then clean herself and retire. Perhaps when she woke in the morning she would find it all to be a terrible dream.
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Post by Marnark on Oct 24, 2011 10:32:30 GMT -5
Whatever he had expected her to do, trying to bash his chin in wasn't it. Thankfully, he hadn't survived as long as he had by being slow or inattentive. Much less through a horde of Holdless. When she moved to try and connect that head with his chin, there were a few things slowing her down - one of them being his height, the other being his hanging onto her. Still, she was a bit stronger than anticipated, and certainly had the advantage of surprise. A'lez jerked his head up and back, but not quite far enough. She still connected, though not as hard. Instead of getting a skull-splitting crack, he only got his chin bonked hard enough to make his teeth hurt.
Naturally he let her go. It would have been nice if she'd said let go first and then tried to retaliate. It was certainly something he made note of for sure as he rubbed his chin with one hand. "I never insinuated that I was." A'lez reminded, working his jaw just a bit.
Well ... even if it hadn't had the intended effect in the way he'd meant, it did seem to calm her down some. She wasn't flailing anymore, instead more focused. If still pissed off. "Dragon oil can be found either in your weyr, or in the infirmary. The healers can direct you to the stores." A'lez answered, indicating the infirmary where it stood. "Help yourself."
Indeed, he certainly wasn't inclined to pander to her whims or fetch her anything. Not with the way his jaw was hurting right then.
Neinoth wasn't quite sure what to think of Issarith's comments. It wasn't often that a Queen wanted to get ucky and filthy bloody. If it's a mess you're looking for, I suggest one of the wherries then. There are a few big ones left. Indeed, wherries would not only get blood and guts everywhere, but feathers too. Which were terrible about sticking in blood and guts. He paused at the fence that held the animals in, that he could easily step over without rubbing his belly if he felt so inclined. But given how his side hurt, he wasn't inclined to pick his feet up that high. So instead he stopped at the paltry wooden barricade and pointed his snout toward the wherry herd. For the dragon-feasting, they were the largest variety, standing twice as tall as some of the herdbeasts, but yet still only being half as big. There. They might be a trick to catch, they're fast on their feet.
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Post by Lady Smara on Oct 24, 2011 10:50:06 GMT -5
The pale queen followed the larger bronze to the pens, her mood growing better as she heard the bronze’s slight hesitation at the mention of a mess as well as the anger of her rider dissipated ever so slightly. Yes, a mess. My rider needs a distraction. Her attentions are better spent on me. Never mind the fact that Sakorai had said almost as much herself when she told the gold to get filthy. The queen, after all, always knew what was best.
Seeing the large Wherries, she did a little hop over the fence enclosure before moving closer. She walked slowly, watching the way the beasts scattered about her as she drew near, noting their speed before she finally took to flight. Being use to a more domesticated version of the Wherries, it took her two tries before managing to pin one to the ground. Once on top of the flailing creature, however, the queen proved that she had no problem making sure her rider would be busy by making a wonderful mess of the creature as she ate.
Sakorai took note of the way he moved his jaw with slight satisfaction before moving toward the Infirmary that was motioned. Within moments she was walking out once more with a towel draped over her shoulder and a bucket that held a skin of the dragonoil as well as a brush to scrub with. Upon moving toward the bronze rider again, she gave a sigh.
“Look, I’m sorry about the jaw. Don’t surprise me, all of this is surprise enough.” She said as she motioned toward the end of the bowl that opened to the sea. “I assume it’s safe to bathe there?” The question was quickly followed by another, however, as she raised her eyebrow. “And as Weyrleader isn’t there other tasks more important than babysitting a goldrider? I admit, I appreciate the company when I am thoroughly lost, but it is surpising.”
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Post by Marnark on Oct 24, 2011 11:10:54 GMT -5
Neinoth settled to the ground where he was, and feasted his eyes upon the movements of the first adult Queen he'd laid eyes on since Aeriath had left. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes, even if she was a tad smaller than he was used to Golds being. Smaller than him. How odd. But no less beautiful for it. Resting his head on his feet, the Bronze blew out a sigh. It seemed he'd already completely forgotten that the reason he hurt like he did was because she'd bitten him.
A'lez merely lifted an eyebrow at her. "Except for stormy weather, yes. The ocean is safe enough. Why, was it not when you were last near it?" He couldn't help but ask - a lot of things could change in the span of time she'd jumped. "It's good for bathing dragons, but not for your own person. This time of year you'll come out all gritty with plant bits." he warned.
Her last question was an odd one to be sure, and he sighed slightly. "Yes, I am Weyrleader. But do you really expect me to be anywhere else when my Weyr is in such a state as it is and a bonus like you literally falls out of the sky? Yes, I have a list of things to do that is a mile high. But it will always be a mile high. It can wait a candlemark or two." He shrugged. "The only thing I have to do that is structured by time are my meetings with the Lords. Everything else can be shifted around. Convincing you to stick around instead of kill yourself was pretty high on the list." He pointed out.
"I don't plan on helping you with your dragon, however. You're out of luck there. I also don't plan on tucking you in whenever you chose to retire." While the statements were completely true, they were said with a touch of humor as well, meant to help lighten the dreary mood she was dragging around. Even if his jaw still throbbed from the whack she'd given him. It would fade in time.
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Post by Lady Smara on Oct 24, 2011 11:25:56 GMT -5
“Oh it was safe enough, but then again a few hours ago it was the middle of the summer and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the waters were calm and crystal clear. There also were not openings along the cliff face to mark the homes of dragons.” She replied easily enough as she walked past him with his confirmation that it would, in fact, be a safe place for her to busy herself with her gold.
Listening to his explanation as to why he was following her around, however, left her with a bit to chew upon. It was Sakorai’s turn to sign though. “It appears I will not be going anywhere.” She said, perhaps a little more darkly than was warranted. Even so, she tossed her short blond hair back with a flick as she lifted her jaw almost stubbornly. “Then use the time you keep your feet dry to tell me a little more about this time. How is it that a Weyr can come upon two adolescent queens with no adult to lead them?”
Issarith finished her Wherry before swooping down over the herdbeast pens. This one she brought back to the bronze before tearing into it, one eye constantly on the larger dragon. It was a comfortable silence, as the gold took reassurance from his presence that this was not a terrible mistake coming forward to this time.
Once she was done with the Herdbeast, she thanked the bronze for showing her the pens before leaping into the air and gliding her way down to the water’s edge where her rider waited. She noticed now that more dragons were peeking out of their weyrs and moving about the bowl. This pleased her and she could not help but hope that they would quickly warm to her.
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Post by Marnark on Oct 24, 2011 11:49:26 GMT -5
Neinoth was quite pleased when the Queen brought her meal to his proximity to consume it. It was a sentiment reflected in the swirling colors of his eyes even as he maintained his silence in simply observing her. Once she took off for the beach, Neinoth pushed back to his feet and limped after her. While R'gar had said flight would not be a problem, he wasn't in a mood to test that theory. Maybe tomorrow.
When he pretty much would have to anyway, given that there were places that A'lez needed to be.
"Alright." A'lez agreed, walking after her toward the beach. It was a trek he hadn't planned on making exactly, but it wasn't an unreasonable request either. He had originally planned on leaving her to her devices after she'd fetched her oil, but apparently she had other ideas. "We didn't start out this bad off. Aeriath was our Gold, she is the mother of the two weyrlings we have now. She currently resides at Haven Weyr, though, as the only Gold. Haven was attacked by the Holdless a little over a turn back, and they lost both of their Queens in that attack. Aeriath moved there to help rebuild and to fill in the gap as well as she could. She actually took Rhiannoth with her, but Rhiannoth just recently returned here to Refuge. For training purposes mostly was why she left. Though I don't quite think her training is complete yet. She was the closest thing we had to a new Queen for this Weyr, though. While they were gone, the Holdless attacked here as well, attempting to take out Elynth, our youngest Gold. Fortunately, they failed miserably. A lot of lives were lost on both sides, but we came out of it a far sight better than Haven did. Mostly because we have a contingent of fighters stationed here. They were something of a pet project of Raelwyn's - our former Weyrwoman, and I have to admit they've certainly proved their value. The Shield did a good job putting a kink in the Holdless' plans, despite being only a handful of fighters themselves." A'lez explained. "Raelwyn is working to put together a new unit over at Haven, so they have the same elite protection from the Holdless." He paused a moment, and then shrugged slightly. "I really cannot tell you what drives the Holdless however. All I know is that for one reason or another they abandoned the Holds and banded up ... and for whatever reason have decided that Dragons are a blight. Even with thread falling on their heads they believe this. I suspect it is an idiocy that far supersedes whatever thoughts the North held when they drove the Weyrs to the South."
"We did a good job leaving the North alone, I suppose. It wasn't until the current Pass was almost upon us that they took it upon themselves - some of them - to try and find us. To hear tell, we were pretty much nothing more than a legend told to children anymore ... if that. Even the ones bright enough to realize they needed us after all weren't entirely sure we actually existed when they sent a very small expedition of expendable youths across the ocean. Remarkably, despite having no idea where they were going or quite what they were looking for, they managed to stumble in the right direction for the Shield to find and capture them. This was a few turns ago, mind you. It was only very recently that I bothered to make a trip North again. Not out of any kind of malice toward them, but we rather did have our hands full with a lack of candidates, too many Holdless, and trying to drill our few numbers for Thread. Which did indeed come shortly after the expedition arrived. It took some time before I had the time to figure out what to do about the North. By that point ..." He shrugged. "Truth be told there isn't much we could do to help them anyway. We are too few. We aren't strong enough to defend our own homes, really ... if it weren't for grubbing, this jungle would be a fraction of a percent the size it is." Facts she probably knew already, but it bore saying anyway. "We are doing what we can for those of the North who are willing to work with us. People are being moved down as fast as we can accommodate them, and flights are being run over the main living centers, even if we can't guard the countryside as well. What the rest of the North plans to do I have no idea ... and frankly I really don't care either. I sometimes feel I've bitten off more than I can chew as it is."
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Post by Lady Smara on Nov 4, 2011 22:02:27 GMT -5
Listening to him talk as they walked, she made her way toward the beach and upon reaching it she set down the bucket and began tugging at the laces of her boots. The sky was still cloudy and overcast ahead. It made it difficult for the blonde haired woman to be able to tell what candlemark it might be. If she had jumped so many turns ahead, it was feasible that it was not even early afternoon like it had been before she jumped. Not to mention it was colder, though she was sure that was due in part to the clouds.
Aeriath. Help me to remember that, mine. I am listening, do not worry. We will learn the names together. Nodding, though whether to the man or to the dragon it was difficult to tell as she finally pulled the boots free and stepped toward the water where her dragon had already submerged and was coming back to the shoreline where the water was shallower.
Hearing that holdless attacked a Weyr, however, had Sakorai stopping in her tracks and turning back around with a look of amazement upon her face. “You mean that there are enough holdless within the south to even consider attacking a Weyr? How did they even get a hold of their queens?! Last I checked, no human could fly without dragonwings.”
As the man continued, Sakorai began to chew on the information, only partially digesting it while she stored the rest in the back of her mind to mull over later. One hundred turns into the future and it seemed that while they escaped the hatred the north had been growing only to breed their own, far more dangerous enemy. At least those in the north had not yet mounted an attack. Here they had not only mounted an attack, but had been successful in killing not one Queen, but two. Looking toward her Issarith as she washed the little gold, Sakorai frowned and crooned to her dragon. In her mind, the Weyrleader’s assessment that this superseded what the north had in mind was only agreed with by the blond haired woman.
As she continued to bathe her gold, it was when the dragon was almost finished with the scrubbing that the blonde’s head popped back up once more as something else caught and demanded her immediate attention rather than being chewed upon later. “Grubbing? And I do hope that by ‘main living centers’ you mean the Major Holds. Though anyone good with numbers would be able to tell that with your limited dragons you would not even be able to cover each of the major holds, like you said, you are spread too thin.”
The more she spoke, the more it became more of a muttering to herself than a direct conversation to him. With a wave of a hand she sent her gold back to the waters to rinse as she returned to the shore to fetch the oil for the gold’s hide. Already she was looking tired and truth be told, the jump had taken more out of her than her breath. She was plum exhausted, but her gold came first.
“So you have reestablished at least a limited form of communication with the north. Tell me, which Holds?” At the end of her question, she let her eyes wander back to the bronze rider and eventually back to his bronze who had limped his way over to the shore line. Raising an eyebrow, she frowned. “Shouldn’t he be resting? Gosh, Issarith you did get him good, didn’t you?”
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Post by Marnark on Nov 4, 2011 22:23:58 GMT -5
A'lez sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets as she worked on washing her dragons. "Yes, there are that many of them. How and why, I don't know. The Shield are working on discovering the answers to that ... but even as skilled as they are, they are only but a handful and information doesn't come easy from the Holdless. They're a tough crowd, sometimes slaughtering their own for perceived slights from what I hear. As for needing wings to fly, it is a true statement. But they are human, as are Riders. All they have to do is catch a Rider on the ground, and the dragon is toast. I wasn't there, I didn't even survey the aftermath. So I can't tell you exactly how it was done. All I know is that the Holdless succeeded in slaying the Golds via their riders. They attempted a similar gambit here, but we managed to repel them before they could even locate our Golds or their Riders." He answered. Which he did know all too well ... he'd been on the front lines for that particular battle, and had laid many a man and woman out that day for the crows to feast upon later. "Having the Shield on hand helped alot, but the biggest factor was that we were expecting it to happen." It certainly was only a surprise in the exact timing of the event. The event itself had not been a surprise.
A'lez hesitated at her mention of the word Grubbing ... and belatedly realized that Rider or not, she was Northern too. She probably had no idea what a Grub was, or what one did. "Yes, grubbing." He answered, before taking his hands out of his pockets and kicking a hole in the ground. The soft soil turned over easily enough for the hard toe of his boot. Even in such a little disturbance, he manged to uncover a singular grub. They weren't active at the moment - Thread wasn't falling. "That, ma'am, is a grub. They are some variant of life form that actually exists purely to eat thread. We don't have to defend the whole forest. The thread pops holes in the leaves of the canopy, falls to the floor, digs in, and instead of burrowing there, it gets consumed by these grubs. Which somehow also give the vegetation resistance enough to Thread so that only holes get popped, instead of tangles devouring the entire tree." He explained. "From what I could determine from the old scrolls, grubs won't proliferate in the North ... it's too cold." A'lez shrugged as the creature burrowed its way back into the soil between his feet, unmolested. "And yes, I mean Major Holds as in population centers. So far we've only talked to Keroon. there are a handful of others I hear that are interesting in talking to us. But we must tread carefully, lest we start outright conflict up there. Because there are also many holds that don't want us up there at all ... still. Despite everything. I am quite certain that by now, the whole continent has heard about our reappearance over Keroon that day." Probably not as fast as word spread in the South, since they didn't have flitters. But fast enough. Fast enough to be a problem.
A'lez glanced over at Neinoth, who was settled down and watching the little gold rather adoringly. He would have sighed at the Bronze, if it wasn't a terribly typical thing for the beast to do. A chronic romantic, Neinoth never failed to fall horribly in love with the nearest adult gold. Nevermind that for turns upon turns Refuge had only had one gold. "He'll be alright. He's sustained worse at the behest of Thread." A'lez answered. Which was true ... even better, so well tended by the Healer, Neinoth really wasn't conscious of his wounds anymore. So long as he held still anyway. Stitched up and partially numbed, he was quite content. Only if he went to move around would it hurt - a careful balance struck by the Healer to keep the beast from hurting himself by forgetting he was in fact still wounded.
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Post by Lady Smara on Nov 10, 2011 14:01:56 GMT -5
Sakorai had moved forward when he lifted the grub from the ground and held it out to her in show of what it was he spoke of. The goldrider could not stop her eyebrows from rising as he explained that the grub ate the thread and allows the plants faster healing. Watching him drop the grub to burrow back into the ground, she squatted down and caught it just before it disappeared, to rotate it in her own hands, studying the way it looked, its coloration. Eventually she put it down again and watched it disappear before standing up and wiping the dirt from her hands onto her breeches.
Dipping a cloth into the bucket of oil, she motioned Issarith back as she thought upon everything she had been told today. This new Pern, this future Pern – it was not the brightest of futures. Even so, there were problems in the past too. These people had overcome those problems to find themselves where they are now. All of this new information made her head spin, but even so it left her with far more than enough fodder for thought.
It was a short time before she had her gold oiled, clearly well practiced with the gold’s size and even the gold moved to help accomidate her rider and speed the process, knowing her rider’s energy was failing fast.
“Weyrleader.” She finally spoke up again as she wiped the oil cloth behind Issarith’s jaw. “I think a good nights sleep is in order while I take in all of this… this new Pern I have found myself in. Please excuse me.” Dropping the cloth into the bucket, she picked it up not surprised that it was much lighter after so much oil had been used, but Issarith was clearly in better color for it as her pale hide held a slight glow from the wash and oil.
Nodding to the Weyrleader, she walked with him for a time in thoughtful silence before he changed his path to deal with whatever else there was for him to deal with in this depleted Weyr. Returning the bucket, she gathered up the harness she had discarded earlier, but did not put it on her gold, instead taking the stairs with the wet harness to the high weyr that had earlier been pointed out to her as her own.
It was short work to remove the hides and pillows from the bed only to replace the lightest of the hides as she fell upon the mattress with the bottle of wine thoughtfully put upon her desk.
Good Night Mine. Tomorrow will be a better day. If more of this wine is involved, then yes, tomorrow will defiantly be a better day.
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