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 Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:48 pm
It was another hot day at Ista, and Reike was stumped as to what to do. He had finished all his work for the day, and there was a hatching coming up soon, so he was often seen pacing around thinking. He had stood for many hatchings over the turns, and obviously he had yet to impress. He was getting older, and the thought of not impressing scared him.
Walking out of the candidate barracks, he stood outside in nothing but a short pair of trousers. It was what most of the boys did on days like this, where the sun really beat down on you. That, and swim, which was the only other thing Reike could think of doing. Heading in that direction, he squinted his eyes against the sun to see dragons flying above. It was normal to see dragons flying all about, rider or no rider.
Finally, when he had gotten to the lake, he slipped off his sandals and sat on an outcropping rock, letting his feet dangle into the water. "Ah.. Thats nice." He said, sighing as he leaned back on his arms. There were a few others around the lake, but most of them were on the other side or swimming.
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:10 pm
"Are you quite sure Mine?"
L'thor shifted his grip on a neck-ridge and nodded. "Spiral down, I'll be fine." After all, if they were going swimming, riding straps were definitely not wanted. They often went down together like this, him holding on only with his own strength, but Raith never remembered from one time to the next.
"Alright then," the green gave a mental shrug, "down we go then." So saying, she angled her wings and began a gentle decent towards the sparkling lake below.
L'thor sighed contently at the breeze that caressed his skin; like all other sane males he wore only a pair of shorts in the heat, but moving air against him was still welcome. The water would be more welcome still, and he could stay here for several candle-marks before he had to go out on sweep. Wonderful.
Before too long, Raith was skimming along the surface of the lake, trailing a forepaw in the cool water. L'thor gripped onto her more firmly, and the green allowed herself to plunge into the water. There was quite a lot of spray, but all in all it was a fairly graceful landing; L'thor was even still holding onto her when Raith came to a halt, treading water.
"Mmmm, it's nice in here," she commented happily. "Sunning earlier was lovely, but a nice cool swim now is perfect."
"Agreed," L'thor said with a nod, "we're not the only ones to have though of it either." There were plenty of people scattered around the edge of the lake, sunning themselves or splashing in the water. Recognizing the face of a nearby lad, L'thor smiled and waved a greeting. He'd seen him about the Weyr for... a long time, possibly the youth was a weyrbrat and had been there longer than he had. Well, either way, he recognized the face but didn't think they'd ever spoken. Given the boy might be joining the ranks of Ista's riders soon, it was probably about time he rectified that. Picking up on his thoughts, Raith rumbled contentedly and paddled over closer to the young man.
"Hello there," L'thor smiled as they came within speaking distance. "Good day for a swim, eh? I'm L'thor; seen you around the place a lot but haven't really found time to say hello before. You're standing for the clutch, aren't you?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 2:01 pm
Looking up just in time to see the graceful green skim across the water and then dive in, he smiled as the wake from her large body splashed against his legs. More thoughts of impressing crossed his mind, and he smiled over at the green dragon and her rider. He had seen the man quite a bit, living at the Weyr and all.
Much to his surprise, the dragon swam over and the rider began to talk to him.
"Yes, very good. Its a pleasure to meet you, my name is Reike.. and yes, I'm standing for the clutch. I can't wait." He said, smiling. The thoughts of impressing were exciting. It gave him an adrenaline rush.
"I've seen you a lot. You are rather.. exceptional at flying, if I may say so." He said, sincerely. He had seen the rider and his dragon performing many tricks, and was always impressed.
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Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 10:00 am
L'thor grinned, repeating the youth's name over an over inside his head so that he'd remember it. "Thank you Reike; I was very fortunate to Impress such an agile dragon as Raith here! We do both love to show off in the air." Nothing quite as exhilarating as weaving and looping and spinning and doubling back. One day soon, those skills would serve them well against the Thread. For now it was just good fun, and of course nice to do well in drills.
"I might not be standing, well obviously I'm not," L'thor went on with a grin, "but I'm always excited for hatchings as well. Should be any day now I think." Fifteen eggs, and more candidates than he'd ever seen in his life. There would be a lot of disappointed young folk around the Weyr in a sevenday or so. He hoped Veyes and Nehren weren't among them, but chances are they would be. Still, there would be other clutches he supposed.
"You any idea what colour you'd like to Impress?" he asked of Reike, hopping off Raith and paddling over to the rock to allow the green to go swimming.
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 10:23 pm
Reike nodded, slipping off the rock to submerge himself under the water, letting the cooling feeling refresh him from the sun. "Ah, much better.. And yes, I know it must be soon. I cannot wait." He said, grinning widely.
"I imagine hatchings are just as exciting for riders.. its just an exciting time period." He said, shrugging as he slowly moved his arms back and forth to help keep him balanced in the water. His hair was slicked back due to the moisture, and his eyes were studying the other.
"I honestly don't know.. I don't think I'm very suited to a Bronze, by any means, and probably not a Brown. Of course, its not like I'm against it, I just don't feel like I would be.. Strong enough?" He said, shrugging again. "I would feel more suited to a Blue or pretty little Green." He said, grinning as he watched Raith swim in the distance.
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Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:56 am
L'thor laughed, stretching out his legs and turning his face to the sun. Perfect. "It's green's and blues have all the fun anyway," he said with a grin, "browns too, to a lesser degree. Bronzes, well, I suppose there's no accounting for tastes but I like a dragon that can turn in a decent distance, and that doesn't take half a day to wash."
Raith raised her head from swimming for a few moments to rumble her agreement before ducking back under the water. A perfect, beautiful, sleek shape, her stunning colour enhanced and reflected in the shimmering water. L'thor smiled faintly to himself, watching her tail swish side to side and propel her forward. He really did have the very best dragon in all of Pern. No dragon could match her, not one.
"It is an exciting time," he went on after a moment, turning back to Reike with a nod. "So many bets flying around the place: what colour the hatchlings will be, who will Impress, and who will Impress what... Personally I only ever go for the dragon colour betting but everyone loves the atmosphere of excitement. Seeing the new dragons, and greeting the new riders, is the best bit though." These new pairs, and the pairs from the most recent clutch, would probably be just about mature when the Thread arrived. He hoped the immature riders would be able to handle it alright.
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