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 Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:34 am
Everything had gone mad. Everything. People were running around like headless wherries, convinced they had plague, or that someone else had plague, or that their flitt had some new and scary form of the plague... Honestly he hardly knew what to make of it all. Their weyrlings were being sent to safety, and some other folk had somehow managed to wangle a ride along with the group. Some people were staying here because they couldn't bear to leave their home, some because they hadn't managed to get things together in time, or just hadn't been allowed. Candidates and young riders were one thing, drudges were another. Expendable.
"Are we expendable then, Mine?" Raith asked from her ledge. "No," she answered for herself, peering down at the activity in the weyrbowl, her eyes dull blue with the occasional flicker of concerned dull yellow, "we are just stubborn... We can't just sit around up here doing nothing though, we need something to do."
She was right, keeping themselves busy was the best way to avoid worrying about their situation. Yawing, L'thor rose from a sprawl on his bed to his feet. "Right," he nodded and rubbed his face, "why don't you see if any of the old crew are around for a chat? I feel like I haven't seen them - outside of drills - in ages, and we don't even see Kallista and Astarteth there."
"Right, good idea, I'll see if Astarteth is around." Raith rumbled her approval, her eyes shifting to a brighter blue as she contemplated the company of friends. "Astarteth?" she called privately to the other green. "Are you and yours busy? Mine and I haven't seen you in ages, do you have time for a chat?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:58 pm
Why does everyone keep talking about being sick? You will not get sick will you? Astarteth bugged her human for the umpteenth time. The green's eyes were a constant alternate between a happy/calm green to a worried yellow and it pained Kallista to see her dragon so. This time, Astarteth was on their ledge, wings open to appreciate the breeze, facing towards the larger part of High Reaches and the spires. I do not like you sick.
So for once, Kallista was doing everything she could to keep her most beloved happy. Dressing with care, keeping her face and hands clean, oiling and scenting hers whenever she had the chance. Even if she wasn't hunting a mate, the green rider thought she would at least do her dragon proud. "I am not nor do I plan on being sick. D'astel is just ill. It happens sometimes and the Weyrwoman is doing what she needs to make sure the new riders are taken care of..."
What about us? Will she take care of us? Astarteth whined almost like a child would. Just then, the thoughts of an older green, one she was familiar with but not really cared to talk to broke through her thoughts. Then again, the only green Astarteth willingly talked to was her clutch sister. Raith and her rider which to chat with us.
L'thor? She hadn't thought of the older rider in ages. Kallista fixed her boots and looked herself over in an oddly shaped piece of shiny metal. Only the Lord Holders could afford what was called a mirror. It would be nice to speak to someone who had been through another plague, another time, another place with her. "Tell Raith we shall join them shortly. As where we are to meet them."
Astarteth's eyes were a murky blue since Kallista was doing what she liked and making herself pretty. Maybe we will see Havocath's there. He is a handsome bronze who likes my shade of green. Raith. We are coming. Where are you?
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 4:57 am
"They're about," Raith told her rider as the other green responded to her, "and happy to come and meet us." Good. Astarteth might not be the chattiest dragon ever, but her mere presence would be pleasant, and if she decided she needed conversation she could always join in with the riders, getting L'thor to pass on her words to Astarteth's. "They want to know where we are," she went on, "shall I tell them to meet us here?"
"Tell them we are here," L'thor said, tugging a brush quickly through his hair to neaten it a little, "but that we can meet somewhere else if they like." He had been neglecting little things like keeping his hair in good order recently; usually his vanity urged him to make sure he looked impeccable, but at the moment it was taking a back seat to other concerns. Still, a glance through Raith's eyes showed that he looked fine now; slightly rumbled perhaps, but in a reasonably stylish way.
Now that her lifemate had finished using her to check his appearance, Raith reached out to Astarteth once more. "We are up in our weyr, but we can easily meet you down in the bowl, or elsewhere if you prefer."
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:14 am
Raith and hers are in their weyr. We are invited there. Leave it to selective dragon memory so that there is only one option. Astarteth was curious, if a dragon might be curious, to see where Raith and her rider sleep. Kallista kept her room free and had very little in it. Were other's sleeping places as tidy? We shall come there.
"Their weyr? Sounds fine to me. I am not in the mood to listen to gossip. And we can just catch up without others long ears." Kallista strode out to the ledge and climbed up onto Astarteth. It always humbled her and made her proud at the same time that such a wonderful dragon had chosen her that day!
Of course I would pick you. No one else suited me. And for once you look nice. I don't think Raith's likes girls though. Astarteth replied smugly. We are coming now.
With a leap and a flap, they took off lazily. L'thor's weyr was not that far from her own. Soon enough, Kallista saw Raith outside on her ledge and Astar bugled a hello to announce their arrival. Backwinging and landing carefully, Kallista slid off and gave a slight bow to Raith. "Hello there! Let your rider know we have arrived?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:47 am
"I hear you!" L'thor called cheerfully as he stepped out onto the ledge to greet the other pair. "Good to see you both," he went on with a smile and a nod, "it's been ages since we last talked. Come in and sit down Kallista." She looked pretty good; if worries about their current situation were getting to her it didn't show on the surface. Still, there would be plenty of time to find out how she was really feeling once they were settled comfortably inside.
As the other green landed, Raith greeted her with an affectionate rumble, and bowed her head in response. Yes, it was good to have a friend up here to enjoy the sun with... It was not as warm as she would like though, she liked heat, it felt more natural to her for some reason.
"That would be because we're from Ista, lovely," L'thor informed her with a grin. "We came here about half a turn ago, remember?"
"Oh yes," Raith gave a mental nod as she retrieved the memories from her lifemate's mind, "well that explains it then." They would have to go and visit Ista sometime soon so she could enjoy its weather once more.
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 9:01 am
Kallista had gained more confidence as a person and rider since Impressing her lovely. She noticed that L'thor looked good, if not a little tired. Probably from the constant drills and the situation here at Telgar, it was a wonder any of them looked decent. "Telgar takes itself much more seriously than Ista ever did. I hope you and Raith have been doing well?"
Thank you for the use of your ledge. It never seems to be warm enough here. I remember...sun. Astarteth finished lamely. She looked in to her rider and the other. Curling her tail about her and folding her wings down, the green looked back over the bowl. Where was sun Kallista?
"Ista, love." Kallista replied just as L'thor informed his dragon about their former living space. "I know I miss it greatly. But we were needed here. And it seems history is repeating itself. What do you think of what is going on, L'thor?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:33 pm
"You are most welcome," Raith replied with a slight nod, "and I miss the sun too. We shall have to visit sometime... sometime soon." Maybe they should go back there to get away from the illness... but why had they left in the first place? There must have been a very good reason to leave such a nice place. Still, she could bother L'thor about that later, let him chat for now.
"It does seem a more serious place," L'thor agreed with a nod, heading inside and taking one of the wicker chairs he had for when company came around. "Raith and I are doing fine," he went on with a nod, "how about you and Astarteth? This place is sharding cracked on the subject of female riders." It really made no sense to him at all, but then Telgar seemed to be all about pointless tradition. Ah well, at least there was plenty of space here.
"What's going on though?..." L'thor sighed slightly and lent back in his chair, shaking his head. "Who knows. The return of the plague... They must think it's going to come back all the way if they're worried enough to send the weyrlings away. I heard there's some candidates going with them too, maybe even a few mature riders. I don't think Raith and I will apply to go though." This was home now, and he'd stick by it as stubbornly as he'd stuck by Ista... until things had got too much there. What would be too much here?
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 1:28 pm
A trip would be nice. Too see those who are much nicer than here. Astarteth agreed with a low rumble. Really? Why must the others be so snarly? The green asked her companion. Her eyes were a murky color of blue-green but at least she was content.
"H'pez doesn't let any of the other riders in our wing bother us which is good. And I am not afraid of hard work but I feel like a child again sometimes. Being constantly watched and waiting to see if I mess up." Kallista bit her lip on this one. H'pez wasn't like that but some of the older riders were and most did not have a good opinion of Ista.
"I can only hope Luci knows what is going on. I don't think it was a good idea to gather everyone but," and she shrugged at this,"I have been doing what is necessary to make sure I stay healthy. Which is to say I have just been myself. As for Ghenza, I heard it was more hidebound than this place. So, no. We will definitely be staying here."
She actually was relaxed. L'thor was about as old as her oldest brother so Kallista felt rather comfortable around him. There was no need to worry about bringing up the topic of her looks, her hobbies and blah as there was with others. "I will be glad when everyone calms down."
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 1:40 pm
"People here are silly," Raith shrugged her wings slightly before stretching them, then settling them by her sides again. "There are people back there who... who I was close to," the sleek green went on. "My clutchmates must be there, and I must have old friends... Oh yes, like Xerrienth; Mine has just reminded me. We used to share a weyr." Why had they shared a weyr? She was sure L'thor hadn't been mates with Xerrineth's rider. Maybe there just hadn't been enough weyrs to go around or something; given the state of things here it seemed a strange idea, but it was possible.
"Good," L'thor smiled and nodded, "I'd heard that H'pez was alright given all factors," like him being a git of a bronze rider, "but it's nice to hear it coming from you... I'll be glad when people calm as well, start accepting the situation, thinking sensibly of how to cope. Hu. I expect some of the more hysterical ones will either flee with the weyrlings, or make their own way off elsewhere, back to wherever they were before they came here for former holders and crafters. Once they're gone away, they won't be agitating the people who would be a bit more sensible if they weren't surrounded by a haze of hysteria."
All very easy to say. Calm down, accept, think, act in a carefully planned manner. It wasn't easy to do. You couldn't fight sickness like you could fight Thread, or a forest fire, or anything of that nature. You just had to wait it out, and hope it didn't kill you or anyone you loved. Maybe that would be what Threadfall was like if dragons didn't exist.
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:17 pm
My clutch mate came with us. Mine talked hers into coming. Haath. Astarteth was tempted to bug her sister but something reminded her now was not a good time. She tried to remember about her former Weyr but there was not much there in her memory. Astarteth was not a particularly clever green nor did she try to think a lot. She left that for Kallista. I miss hunting.
"He is fair and that is all I can ask for really. And his wing second is a female. Kessa of blue Jadarath. She doesn't take it easy either." Kallista paused and thought about those in her wing. "It's strange that I never thought about it. My wing has a few female riders. I guess I was used to it in Ista."
She listened to L'thor and nodded in agreement. "I think sense left this place a while ago but as long as the riders keep their dragons calm. And this doesn't seem like a real sickness to me. Remember the sickness that hit before we left?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:29 pm
"Yes, of course, Haath," Raith nodded, "we see her and hers during drills of course... I miss... I miss the sea," Raith went on eventually. "I enjoyed swimming in the sea, so Mine tells me." Yes, she had a fragmented memory or two from him now, of the feelings he had got from her. So much water... like flying under water. It had been good.
"Good," L'thor grinned, "and at least we can all be grateful that this isn't Telgar! They're beyond insane over it, and they don't even like to admit that some boys like other boys." Snorting, L'thor shook his head. "I'd rather eat every piece of my riding gear and live there, even if it seems they are sickness free at the moment," he said with a wry grin. "I don't know what to think of it myself," L'thor shrugged. "They say it'll kill you in a day... Well, I think our weyrleader has lasted longer than that, but maybe he won't live much longer. Egh. At least this illness is just bad luck or something as opposed to bad management. Tell you what else I remember about Ista," L'thor shuddered, "I remember the lice!"
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 6:28 pm
The sea. Mine still doesn't like swimming. We saw...fish once? Astarteth looked to her rider for conformation. The green was happy she remembered about the fish but something was different about these fish. The green flexed her claw and thought very hard.
"The shipfish love. They can talk, like I can. You swam with them twice in the ocean." Kallista thought and sent the memory to her beloved. Thinking of Ista made her think of E'rik and Daramulath. Briefly, she wished they had transferred with her and thought back to that night- Shaking her head, she listened to L'thor and nodded. It had been E'rik who cut her hair when the lice first started. "Lice are the reason I cut my hair. It used to be very long, to the middle of my back. But now, it is easier to manage since it is short. As for management, I am not sure what to think of High Reaches or Telgar."
Kallista knew she could speak freely with L'thor. How many times had she wished to come to the mainland and see snow. Was it worth it now, the young rider was not so sure. "D'astel seems like a survivor but I have heard other murmurs about those here in High Reaches and those who are not happy about what is happening at Telgar."
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 3:54 am
"Shipfish... I wonder if I ever saw one?" Currently she had a mental image of a fish shaped like a ship, and she was sure that wasn't right... Oh, no, that was very wrong; with a snort of amusement, L'thor had sent her the proper image. "So that's what they look like. Odd things, but quite sweet looking really... I remember the black sand," Raith added, "I know about that, because it's on my bed." As she spoke, she gestured with a wing; indeed a thick layer of black sand covered the stone slab. "I think we must have collected it ourselves... Must have taken a while." It was very comfortable though; soaked up heat well and felt good on her skin. No matter how long it had taken, it had been worthwhile.
"I avoided cutting my hair," L'thor grinned and ran his fingers through the wavy chestnut strands briefly. "Of course, to keep it I spent the whole lice crisis with it done up in oiled braids. when I finally let it down again it was crazily curly for about a sevenday... Telgar though," he shook his head, "from what I know, they got the lesser of two evils with that ice queen of a new weyrwoman, the other is supposed to be as hidebound as they come... I'm not sure if the other one is cause for concern anyway though; she visited here before the feast was called, didn't she? Seems very odd to me, given how terribly this place and Telgar get on."
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 7:29 pm
Kallista laughed at the image of L'thor with frizzy and curly hair. It was a simple sound, clear and honest. Taking a cup and looking into the pitcher, she was happy to see water and not wine. Nodding before pouring herself a drink, her eyes narrowed as she listened to L'thor. "There was much gossip when we were quarantined. I haven't lost all my skills as a runner. It is true that Telgar might be better with Malkai instead of Iva but with eggs on the Sands and Iva's gold due to rise soon, I would tread lightly myself."
She nodded at this. As a green, she didn't have to worry about politics of other Weyrs or even in her own weyr. So long as things did not get too rough on her Astarteth, Kallista would stick it out with High Reaches. "I guess queens visit each other? Except at Ghenza. Apparently, they keep to themselves and don't even have real weyrs. No thank you, I will stay here."
I remember black sand. And...white sand too? It would stick all over. Astarteth spoke more of Kallista's memories than her own. Trying to keep in the same line of draconic thought. I like the lake here. It is deep. And the browns and bronzes like to swim. Though they do not appreciate me like...others?
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 5:51 am
"Eh, bronzes," Raith's eyes whirled amused bright blue, "I've never had any patience for the lumbering beasts. No grace, no grace at all, and almost all filled from nose to tailfork with ego. Thanks but I'll stick with blues, and the odd brown." Blues were the best males in her opinion; the most attractive and often the most pleasant. Didn't give themselves airs like bronzes did, and browns sometimes did.
"No weyrs?" L'thor snorted and shook his head. "What a weird place that must be, where do their dragons even live? In houses? In stables, like herbeasts or runners? I'll definitely be staying here!" If he would ever consider moving anywhere it would be back to Ista, but somehow he couldn't see himself being welcomed. Besides, until the space problems were solved he wouldn't want to in any case. High Reaches was home now; plague or no plague he was not going to be driven off.
"I suppose you could be right about queens visiting one another," L'thor went on slowly with a slight frown. "Company of their own kind? With how Iva gets on with Malkai, I suppose she might have to leave Telgar in search of it..." He hadn't got the impression that it was a regular thing though. Humm. "Maybe it was arranged to discuss the possibility of that lovely fateful feast?" he suggested after a moment with a shrug; seemed as good a reason as any.
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