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 Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:23 am
"I know even fewer dolphineers to compare your abilities to, so I can say quite safely that you're the best dolphineer I know. With my background as a Dragonrider and a former Harper, that makes me the definitive expert on everything, so it must be so." He smirked. He'd actually pulled that on people in the past, and with more success than he'd anticipated. Of course, he'd anticipated that they'd take a swing at him for being a smartass, which had been the desired reaction, but he'd been disappointed when the person seemed to believe him.
You're ignoring me, Dara said. I also said I would like for the two of you to join me.
I'm ignoring you because I'm happy being dry, and I don't think it's fair for me to ask Kyllae to amuse my dragon for me. Daramulath didn't respond, but E'rik got a distinct impression that the brown was sulking.
E'rik could relate to Kyllae's disdain for the menial tasks Candidates were assigned. Weyrlings were given similar tasks to do, but not so many, since it was generally assumed that lessons and dragon care would keep them busy enough without having to add heaps of chores. E'rik had always wondered if this was supposed to keep them out of trouble and too tired to take a relationship farther than flirting before their dragons were fully grown. Mustn't warp the young, impressionable dragons, after all.
"In the Hall I only did chores as punishment, and usually I could get someone else to do them for me." There were perquisites to being a senior apprentice, and that was one of them. It kind of made up for being a twenty-year-old apprentice. He wondered, and not for the first time, whether he could have become a journeyman if he'd just stayed a little longer. Technically he was ready.
But then you would not have been here when I hatched, Dara said, as he always did when E'rik thought about what might have been. It distressed him a little when E'rik did that. You would never have come to the Weyr.
I'm sorry. This is the best direction my life could have taken.
"I'd be happy to take you with us. I'd have to, in fact, since I have no idea how to summon dolphins, and - no offense meant - I don't think I could actually recognize one from your description." Dara would be able to take Kyllae easily once he was officially taught to fly and once they were trained in going between.
Daramulath was very aware of Kyllae's praise and was visibly preening. Usually he was fairly modest, but today was one of those days where he was feeling his strength and was filled with well-deserved pride in himself and his abilities. He would soon be fully grown and a terror to Thread.
Tell her thank you, Dara said. And ask if she'd like to swim with me.
E'rik continued to ignore Dara's insistent requests that Kyllae swim with him, but he relayed the brown's thanks to the former dolphineer. When Dara realized that he was being deliberately ignored he floated closer to the rocks where the pair of humans were sitting and talking.
"The first time Daramulath spoke to me it was almost a physical shock. I was in the grips of one of the worst cases of stage fright I've ever felt in my life, and so the edge of my vision was blackening, which made it sickening to have my eyes open. Mal was talking to me, trying to distract me from my stage fright, but I didn't always hear him. Then Dara's voice was in my head. He was concerned because I was sick." As he spoke, E'rik's baritone voice became very soft and it became very obvious that he was Harper-trained.
What did I say? Daramulath asked. He loved to hear the story of his Impression, since he couldn't remember it in detail. He claimed his first memory was E'rik.
Addressing himself to Daramulath, though not purposefully excluding Kyllae, E'rik told him: "'EnnrikMine, are you sick? Do you require Daramulath to relay a message for help?'"
I was protecting you. Mine, Dara said contentedly. His second lid had slid closed as he listened to his favorite story.
When he realized that he was guilty of behaving like one of those Dragonriders who doted on their dragons like they were their children E'rik blushed and laughed at himself. "Clearly I enjoy the sound of my own voice. Sorry. I don't know how many others Impress while physically ill, so my experience is probably not standard. As an interesting piece of trivia, though, Impression is very good for clearing up stage fright in a hurry. I felt better almost immediately."
And you would feel even better if we all swam together, Daramulath added, determined not to be distracted by the story of his Impression.
No.
Daramulath fanned his wings back and then swept them through the water, creating a veritable wall of water that he sent toward E'rik and Kyllae.
Now you're wet. Come swim.
E'rik shook his head. "Dara wants us to swim with him."
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 11:26 am
Kyllae laughed. "If your brain works half as fast as that silver tongue of yours, I might be inclined to believe you." Kyllae was used to smart-alec remarks and playful taunting. Usually that was her job. To be around someone with a quicker tongue than she was much amusing. It wasn’t often she had to use any remote bit of intelligence. Flirting was easy, and took little to no thought. She was glad she had moved on from flirting with E’rik to talking. She was enjoying herself much more. If harpers were witty as a standard, she made a note to herself to engage in more conversations with them.
She tapped her head with a forefinger, a coy grin plastered on her face. “I know a thing or two about getting my chores done for me,” she chuckled. Kyllae had gotten quite good about convincing boys to do her chores. Usually they were under the notion that she would somehow pay them back later somehow, which was a ridiculous notion in Kyllae’s mind. She entertained them with her good looks, but looks were all they ever got. Kyllae loved to flirt, but it was possibly even more fun to play hard to get. “If all else fails, a little coin can often get someone’s time.”
“No offense taken,” it was true, she didn’t think she could recognize a dolphin from her description either. If only people could communicate like dragons, and show each other pictures mentally. Wouldn’t that be something? “We could bring food and have a picnic and everything,” she thought out loud. “It’s astoundingly beautiful down there, and the water’s nice and warm. The beach is a nice place to spend the afternoon.” She would know. It’s where she spent most of her life.
“Aw, Dara, you’re such a sweetie,” she called to the brown, when she heard about his first words to his bonded. A dragon worrying about how his human was sick? Even when he was just a hatchling himself? It melted Kyllae’s heart. Much better than Haanyath’s ‘feed me now!’ thing. “Don’t worry about talking, I enjoy listening to you,” it was true he had a nice voice, and was a good story teller. That was probably a harper thing, she decided. “It’s a nice story. Touching.”
She was going to say more, when she was buffeted by Dara’s water wall. She laughed and pushed her dripping hair out of her face, grinning like a cheshire cat at the brown. “So you’re gonna splash me, huh?” she probed, standing up to pose with her hands on her hips. Not wanting to leave E’rik though, she turned to him with an apologetic smile. “Do you mind if we swim? Poor Dara looks so lonely by himself.” Kyllae was eager to have fun with a dragon, rather than worrying about upsetting it and getting hissed at or whatever. Dara hardly seemed like the type to growl or hiss, which was nice. And swimming? That was just her cup o’ tea. She was rearing to go. Hopefully E’rik wouldn’t mind too much.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 12:38 pm
"Usually it's going at least twice as fast as my tongue," E'rik replied without a trace of humility, barely pausing as part of his brain analysed the expression she'd used to describe him.
Silver tongue. People kept saying that to him. The expression had always amused him, since it seemed to him that, taken literally, a person with a silver tongue would speak incredibly slowly. It was probably an expression of the Ancients' that made much more sense to them, and maybe explained why having a tongue of silver would mean that they were quick-witted and adept at bestowing compliments. Still, it was definitely a compliment, and it was also true, E'rik was forced to conclude. By the present connotation of the phrase, he was silver tongued.
"Glibness is part of the craft," he reminded Kyllae without specifyng which craft he meant, his former craft or his present one. Let her decide for herself whether Harpers or Dragonriders had to be faster with their wits.
Actually, now that she mentioned it, E'rik had an easy time believing that Kyllae was good at getting out of work. He could imagine himself falling prey to her wiles and doing chores for her when he was younger. There were other ways to be ingratiating, though, and once he'd learned those he had never done another person's work again. Even for girls he wanted to impress. Well, sometimes he'd help a friend out, but that was something else.
"That sounds like it would be a great deal of fun. Rumor has it that full-fledged Dragonriders actually get enough free time to do things. I could probably commandeer your assistance with a 'project'. Assuming, of course, that you don't Impress at the upcoming Hatching. If that happens, you're stuck at the Weyr until your dragon grows up." He couldn't help smirking.
It was something he hadn't anticipated about Impressing a dragon, but they couldn't be carted about by other dragons easily before they could fly, and no one was allowed to make unsupervised trips between until they were full Dragonriders, so Weyrlings were essentially trapped at the Weyr. So much for the freedom of the skies. "If that happens, though, you're not likely to feel that you're missing out by having to put off the excursion. I'll still have to wait on you, I'm afraid, if Dara is to see any dolphins."
E'rik accepted Kyllae's praise as his due. At least when it came to his voice. He was relieved that she hadn't gotten the impression he was always so sentimental from his little storytime. Meanwhile, Daramulath asked, Am I sweet, E'rik?
Sickeningly so, on occasion. But I love you anyway.
He was glad Kyllae was taking Dara's misbehavior in stride. Personally, he was less than thrilled to be soaked again just as he was drying off, but he supposed there were worse things to be than wet. Thread-scored, for instance. Something they'd covered recently in their lessons.
I'll get you for that, he grumbled to the brown dragon, who was looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"I don't mind. But I assure you he's not lonely. He's got loads of dragons around him that he could talk to or play with if he chose. He's being manipulative." Which was probably something he'd picked up from his ruder, so E'rik couldn't very well complain.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 1:11 pm
Kyllae was more than a little sure of herself, so the fact that E’rik was ready to praise himself was no bother to her. She spent a good deal of time educating others on the topic of her virtues, what was wrong with it? Humility was also something rather foreign to Kyllae. She didn’t figure she had anything to be ashamed about. So that fact that E’rik didn’t seem to display any sign of doubt came across more amusing and pleasing than anything. Here was a man not afraid to say it like it was. Modesty was okay sometimes, but more often than not it was simply tiresome.
“Free time? I fear I’m going to forget what that is,” she chuckled. “If I do impress, you can be sure my dragon and I will be up and flying as soon as possible. Dragon or not, I’d hate to forestall this little adventure any more than necessary. I do so miss Southern.” It was true. She missed Southern almost as much as Dolphineering. Thankfully, out of all the places North she could have come to, Ista was the one that most closely resembled her home. “Although if it meant impressing…I suppose I would be willing to put off our fun for a while…my apologies for my selfishness,” which of course, she didn’t really mean. E’rik was a dragonrider though. He would understand. A trip to southern was far outweighed by impressing a dragon. In fact, he probably knew that better than she did.
“I can handle manipulative,” she assured. She was quite good at it herself. And the idea of a manipulative dragon was hilarious in her mind. If she ever impressed, she hoped that her dragon, if it wasn’t born cunning, could at least learn. What an irony it would be if she impressed a shy, or slow dragon. But maybe it would be good for her. She would just have to teach it! It would be a shame not to pass on her excellence. “Although perhaps he learned it from someone?” she suggested with a laugh.
She picked her way down the shore and waded knee deep into the water. She eyed Dara, he was even bigger up close! Much larger than Haanyath, who was small, even for a green. “You’re a big strong guy, aren’t you,” she teased affectionately. “Do you mind if I touch you?” She had learned to ask. Some dragons didn’t seem to like physical contact as much as others. And Dara was intelligent. She didn’t just want to take liberties with him without his consent first. “And if I swim with you, you have to promise not to squish me,” this was also teasing, though not in any sort of mean-spirited way. Though the possibility was real enough. Although she had always been assured dragons never harmed people purposely, impressions aside, surely there were injuries or maybe even deaths from accidents. Flattened to a pancake under Dara wasn’t her ideal way to go. He seemed careful and sweet enough, hopefully he was mindful as well.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 8:08 am
E'rik grinned. No, Candidates were not given much free time. Not that Weyrlings got much more free time, since what was considered their free time was usually spent caring for their dragons or amusing their dragons. E'rik had learned early on in his tenancy to make time, but it came at a cost. He rose nearly an hour before the other Weyrlings and went to sleep at least an hour later. In this extra time he practiced singing or playing guitar or pipes. Sometimes he visited with people who didn't have dragons to worry about, and could therefore keep longer hours without being scolded for tiring their dragon. Daramulath was stoic and endured, though he had initially been enervated by this schedule. It was beginning to prove beneficial, though, as Dara was evincing a great deal more stamina than his clutchmates in lessons.
"I understand. Dara started practicing flying as soon as he figured out how, and long before we were supposed to. He's getting better at it, though we've still not covered it in our lessons." He did wonder how long they were going to keep the young dragons grounded, but tried not to let it bother him. There were a myriad of other concerns for him to focus on. "I assure you, the first sevenday or so all your dragon will do is eat and sleep, and she won't conform to your sleep schedule at all. It'll take some time before you can think of anything else but the immediacy of her hunger."
Affecting an innnocent expression, E'rik added, "I have no idea where he might have learned it." And then E'rik shrugged. "He's not usually manipulative. I mean, he's good at dealing with other dragons and working out solutions to problems, but he's rarely manipulative."
E'rik watched as Kyllae waded into the water, relieved that she had not elected to dive into the water from the rock. He would have felt obliged to do likewise, and though he was reasonably atheletic he was new to watersports, and might not be able to pull off a dive as easily as he guessed Kyllae would, which would be an affront to his masculine dignity. Instead he followed the route she had taken, which was much easier.
Dara was preening under Kyllae's compliments. E'rik did not tend to bestow compliments frequently or use terms of endearment, and many people took their cue from him and so Dara often seemed underappreciated. He knew he wasn't through the bond he shared with E'rik, but it was nice to be admired.
Tell her she may touch me if she wishes, and that I would never squish her.
E'rik waded in a little past his knees, his sodden trousers clinging to his lower legs under the water. Trousers were not ideal swimming garb, but they'd do, and they were already wet. "He says you're welcome to touch him, and that he would never squish you."
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 4:04 pm
"That seems to be the general idea," she shrugged. Though she found it most amusing that he refered to her possible dragon as 'her'. Was he definite she would impress green; or did he think her so amazing she might impress gold? What about the possibility of a blue? But she suspected she was over analyzing this, and decided not to think too much of it.
The possibilty of a truly manipulative dragon was captivating to Kyllae. What if she really could teach a dragon to be like that? Could dragons lie? By the queen's egg, what if a gold learned to be manipulative? From what she'd heard, dragons listened to golds, right? Unerringly, or was it just a general agreement to do what they said. What if the queen was unreasonable in her demands? Or were dragons naturally gifted with a sort of 'common sense' that kept them reasonable. No...then there wouldn't be dragons like Haanyath. Hrm, this idea was intriguing; she would come back to it later.
Kyllae laughed and patted Dara a few times. "I should hope not," she chuckled. Kyllae, thriving in compliments and praise herself, was quick to give it out to friends and people she hoped to become friends with. Dara was a dragon, and he was enjoyable. Either of these singled him out as a victim of her verbal affections.
She marveled at the softness of dragon skin, at it's rich, pleasant scent. Haanyath didn't appreciate touching, so it was very rare she got any sort of close, physical contact with a dragon. It was quite nice. She gave his side a quick run over with her hand, scratching softly, in the way she hoped felt good. All the flits she'd encountered seemed to enjoy it, so it was assumable dragons would like a good rub down too, right?
She waded out a little farther, until the water licked at the skin just above her navel. "How well do you swim?" she asked, the question directed at E'rik and Dara alike. At Dara, because she was interested in the idea of possibly hitching a ride on him in the water. While she was unsure whether he was old enough to be ridden on in terms of flying, she was sure he could pull her in the water without any harm. With his permission, of course. And E'rik's ability, because she didn't want to show off too much. Men liked their dignity. It would be rude of her to come off as too adept in the water. Besides, she wanted him to feel comfortable, and confident.
Kyllae's clothes were her almost ideal. She would have swapped the skirt for shorts, but her light undershirt was something akin to what she'd normally wear. So it was all good in her mind.
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 6:58 pm
Dara regarded Kyllae through multifaceted eyes that glowed blue with pleasure. E'rik went swimming with him, and seemed to be quite fearless in the water, as much as he was anywhere else, but it was obvious to the brown that Kyllae was a superior swimmer.
She is very graceful in the water, Daramulath said to E'rik. You could learn from her, as you learn from Astarteth's human.
E'rik was wading deeper into the water, until it reached a depth where it was more practical to swim. He kicked off, then, and swam a sidestroke to join Daramulath and Kyllae. He favored the sidestroke because it kept his head above the water's surface, which he was more comfortable with, though he knew the lake was not turbulent.
I manage well enough on my own. And he did. Perhaps not with the same ease Kyllae exhibited, but reasonably well. It wasn't as though he had plans to spend a great deal of time in the water in his future. Just the sky, flying with Daramulath.
"I swim about this well," he said, grinning as he shifted to tread water. He didn't have enough fat in his body to float. "Dara is much better at it, but he floats, so it's not a fair comparison."
He paddled closer until he could put a hand on Dara's elbow for steadiness. He still had to kick his feet below the water, due to the fact he would begin to sink otherwise. Dara always found it amusing that E'rik sank so naturally, though he didn't remember from one swim to another about his rider's lack of bouyancy.
E'rik was being a good young man and not noticing what the water did to Kyllae's top, and how well it displayed her bosom. Not much, anyway.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 7:41 pm
"Hey Dara, I don't suppose you could give me a tow through the water, could you?" she asked sweetly, looking up into his eyes. "I fancy you could probably swim pretty well." Of course, not as fast as a dolphin. But praising was so much more favorable to criticizing or comparing. And besides, she missed the fun days of swimming with Argentina. Oh could he ever swim fast, even pulling her with him, he sliced through the water. She fancied she could feel a little of the same if Dara was willing to pull her. Or if she sat on his back or...however he could pull or take her along with him. Assuming he agreed to something like this, of course.
Kyllae found no fault in E'rik's swimming. He did well enough for someone who probably didn't spend much time in the water. Kyllae came a little closer to the brown and his rider, treading the water easily, smiling the whole time. She really enjoyed the fact that at least that had someplace here at the Weyr to swim. She spent a lot of time down here. But E'rik and Dara being here just made it extra special. They were rather important company.
Kyllae didn't think much about her top though. And as far as she was concerned, E'rik could look. She wasn't shy or reserved in the least, obviously. And while this got her in a bit of trouble sometimes when a boy misread her and thought she was giving him to do permission to do more than look...Kyllae was more of an 'invitation only' person. Looking was fine, touching was a no-no. Shells, only common courtesy kept her from swimming in the lake naked. Some of the more stand-offish riders wouldn't fully appreciate her body, she knew. So she donned her current attire for swimming. But, as E'rik might have noticed, it wasn't terribly concealing either.
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Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 6:15 am
E'rik, you would not be jealous if I pulled her along, would you? Dara asked.
E'rik was a little startled by the question, since it had not even occurred to him to be jealous. He chuckled at Dara's concern and explained to Kyllae, "Dragon."
He'd found that around the Weyr simply saying that magic word and wearing a Weyrling's knot at his shoulder could excuse him any number of things. He could behave as oddly as he liked, so long as it was on his dragon's account. It was the most marvelous discovery. He wondered if it worked similarly for Candidates. That is, if a Candidate could say they were on an errand for a dragon or a Dragonrider and be excused for certain petty offenses.
To Dara E'rik replied, I would not be jealous. I'm interested to see how you plan to manage this feat.
In truth, E'rik wasn't quite sure how Kyllae meant for Dara to pull her. Unlike a fish, which mainly propelled itself through water with its tail, Dara used all of his limbs to swim, and having Kyllae hanging on to one of them might prove a hinderance. It would also put Kyllae at some risk, since a dragon as large as Dara could inadvertantly hurt a human if he caught her with his claws while paddling.
I will have her hold onto one of the spines along my back and then I will dive so that we are both under water, Dara explained. I will have to take care that my wing claws don't scratch her. I would feel very bad if that happened.
That made sense. And E'rik was glad Dara was giving some thought to Kyllae's safety. He did know that Dara would not speak directly to Kyllae, even with his express permission, and so he would have to be the one to convey the message to the ex-Dolphineer. Their Weyrling lessons had made it quite clear that dragons only spoke to their own riders and other dragons except in very rare occasions of great urgency. Which meant his brief conversation all those months ago with Mal had been a faux pas. Not that Dara remembered having it.
"Dara says if you hold onto one of the spines on his back he can dive and pull you through the water that way," E'rik said, swimming a short distance away from the brown dragon. He thought it would be fun to be thus pulled, and wished he had thought of it first, but he would let Kyllae have the first go at it. It had been her idea, and he had more access to dragons than she did.
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Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 6:20 pm
Haha, if only E'rik knew how much she'd gotten away with, using just that word. Why, how easy it was to take food from the kitchen, if she just pretended to be bringing it to a rider! And if someone was ever suspicious of her, asked her to take them to the rider...why, she could always bring them to T'ka! Who always covered for Kyllae in things like that, even if her smith cousin disapproved of taking food in the first place. The term 'Dragon' worked miracles in extracting herself from trouble. Kyllae loved it. Where else on Pern could she get away with all her antics at just the drop of just a word?
She wondered for a moment if E'rik often used that to get himself out of trouble. It wasn't really her business, but...she was curious. Oh well. There was a dragon awaiting! Questions of a more personal nature could wait until later. Paddling over to Dara, she quickly took hold of one of his spikes with both hands, holding tightly. She had quite a grip, so she wasn't terribly worried about coming off. "Ready when you are!" she called up to Dara. "Just remember I have to breathe," she teased. Since it was very likely Dara could hold his breath much longer than she could. Though she could always let go at any time.
She wondered how often this had been done before. Probably not a lot. It wasn't the safest game in all likelyhood; but the idea of potential danger didn't stop Kyllae. Not when there was fun to be had! She looked over to offer E'rik a smile as well. Still...out of any dragon, Daramulath would probably be her first pick to try something like this with. He seemed the calmest, the most mindful. How funny that one of the largest dragons she'd met was also the mildest.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 2:39 pm
Dara, not being possessed of a great deal of sensitivity in his spikes, glanced back, craning his neck to see behind him and ascertain whether Kyllae had gotten her grip or not. His eyes whirled blue with happiness. This sounded like it would be a fun adventure, and he could tell from E'rik's thoughts that he could definitely convince his bondmate to give it a try, too. He was also very faintly relieved in the back of his mind that it would not be his human who was first exposed to the risks involved, though he was not even consciously aware of the source of his feelings of relief. He almost bared his teeth in imitation of E'rik's grin, which seemed to go over so well with most people, but he remembered that humans did not often find that comforting when he did it, and so he mimicked another human gesture and nodded.
I, too, am ready, he said to E'rik. You may want to swim a bit farther away, so that I do not accidentally pull you under with me.
E'rik obeyed Dara's suggesion and conveyed the first part of Dara's message to Kyllae just in case the nod had not been sufficient. Not everyone could tell when a dragon was attempting to copy human behavior, and misinterpreted the dragons' efforts. Interestingly enough, there seemed to be no correlation between the amount of time a person had spent around dragons and their ability to understand. It had more to do with how well a particular person knew a particular dragon.
"Dara says he's ready. And he will remember that you need to breathe." This last was said more as a reminder to the brown than anything else. He already knew Daramulath could hold his breath far longer than he.
With a playful flick of his tail, Dara ducked under the water, folding his wings tight against his back to streamline his somewhat ungainly body. Adolescence was not a graceful time for any species, after all. In water, though, he moved with more ease. In the air he was not nearly so well-coordinated. Not yet, anyway. But in the water his long limbs served him well. He moved through the lake in a sinuous way, his forelegs along his body and his hind legs loose behind him, kicking as his tail swept back and forth.
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 9:02 am
Kyllae absolutely brimmed with excitement. This obviously wasn't an everyday activity. Kyllae wasn't bothered by any notions of danger. Besides, she was an excellent swimmer. And her area of expertise was water rescue and search patterns. Her ego would keep her safe, if nothing else. The horror of having to to rescued herself would be too much. She didn't recognize the nod for what it was, though. She didn't try and equate human gestures to dragon ones, though if she knew what he was doing, she probably would have cooed and complimented Dara more. Then, with the idea of dragons imitating human activities, she would have gone off and bugged the crap out of Haany, trying to get her to dance, or do something else. It was probably better that Kyllae missed the gesture for what it was.
Kyllae was about to say something else; when Dara dove. It wasn't quite like being pulled by a dolphin, that was for sure. Namely for the anatomical differences, of course, and that Dara was much, much bigger than a dolphin. Her legs gripped tightly, along with her hands, though all in all it was somewhat relaxing. For an animal not designed for swimming, Dara performed quite well. He certainly knew how to use his tail well enough. Trusting in her strength, she sat up a little, to look around, marveling, as always, how the light seemed to play out across the water's surface. Like a piece of glass, piercing through any irregularity and crack with a lance of light, illuminating the water below. It was no ocean, and Dara was no shipfish, but Kyllae was distinctly reminded of her life back home. She would really have to thank Dara for this. For giving this little bit to her, this memory.
Despite all the fun she had, all the new friends she was making...Weyr life was hard, sometimes. She was awfully homesick. But she wasn't one to share her feelings. Not the truly intimate ones. There were no other dolphineers here, to her knowledge. Her suffering was private and alien. Though surely a dragonrider would understand what it was to be seperated, possibly more than she did. But still...it had cost a lot, for her to come here. This was the price she had chosen to pay.
Her arms and legs didn't fail her, despite the drag the water put on her body after sitting up, she held up nicely, leaning closer to Dara's body after a moment, to make things easier for him, as well as herself. No time for mourning, this was fun! Exciting!
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:20 pm
Daramulath had what he felt to be a rather brilliant idea for keeping track of Kyllae's breathing as he swam beneath the surface. When he was fully grown he would be too large to be completely submerged, but for the moment he could manage it without scraping the sandy bottom of the lake or having various parts of his anatomy show above the waterline. But his thoughts weren't presently on that. For the time being, he was gloating inwardly over his own cleverness as he explained to E'rik what he wanted of him.
Hold your breath, Dara told E'rik, his mental voice tinged with excitement and pride.
Why? E'rik asked, having no idea what his dragon was thinking at this moment.
I cannot tell when Kyllae needs to breathe, but I can tell when you need to breathe. Both of you are trained at holding your breath, and so you should have similar lung support. This way she will not be in danger.
E'rik had to admit it was a good idea, and took a deep breath, but not as deep as he might have to account for the time Kyllae had already been underwater and any chance she might not have his lung capacity. He doubted the latter was the case, since a Dolphineer had more dire reasons to be able to control their breathing patterns than a Harper, even. A Harper would only be embarrassed and guilty of ruining a piece's phrasing if he breathed when he wasn't supposed to. A Dolphineer drowned.
As he floated on the surface, the sun searing after-images into his retinas whenever he looked at anything too long, E'rik doubled numbers in his head. It was something to do to pass the time, and it kept his mind from withering completely. One. Two. Four. Eight. Sixteen. Thirty two. And so on until four thousand ninety six. Then he had to actually think about it and do math, rather than just doubling the numbers automatically. He was good at mathematics, but had little cause to use numbers that large in his everyday doings.
Below the water Dara swam carefully, trying to avoid the paddling feet of other dragons and humans. It would not do for them to be startled and accidentally knock into Kyllae when he was taking such care not to hit her with his wings. On a whim he performed a spiral which briefly turned him and his rider upside down before righting himself again. He didn't feel any strain on his enormous lungs, but he was concerned for Kyllae.
Air, E'rik? he asked, seeking reassurance.
I'm all right for another fifteen seconds maybe, E'rik replied. He couldn't quite hold his breath for two minutes. His best time was a minute and forty three seconds.
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Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:44 pm
Kyllae could actually hold her breath for quite awhile. While she was never the best in the healing aspect of Dolphineering, she was never lacking in actualy skill in the water. She entertained no notions of outdoing Dara though, reckless as she was, drowning was always a real threat in her occupation, and you were taught very quickly to forgo notions of anything besides staying alive when it came to holding your breath.
This really was fun. The lake wasn't nearly as deep as she'd thought, but there was still no problem with it. At least it wasn't salty. Kyllae didn't like having to wash all the salt off her skin, and it dried her out like nothing else. No, this was good. More people she be involved in this new and exhilarating activity! She could last a while longer, but...better not chance it too much. She let go of his spine with one hand, hitting him a few times on the side. Not that it would hurt in the slightest, the water stole nearly all of the force of her swing, and he was a dragon, she doubted any blow of hers would make him do more than blink.
Her intent was merely as a reminder that she was there, though she doubted he had forgotten, and that she would like to go up soon. No, she actually would have liked to stay under. Her lungs were requesting a bit of oxygen though, so she supposed she would give in to their desire.
Were she not underwater, she would have laughed in delight at Dara's acrobatics. The notion of air was pushed back in her mind at the reveal of a new stunt Dara could perform. Not just diving, but tricks too? Why, Dara certainly was a marvelous specimen. If she wanted a dragon before, it was nothing compared to her craving, her desire now. She would impress, if only so that she could enjoy moments like these all of the time.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:51 pm
Beneath the lake's calm surface, Daramulath enjoyed the view as only a dragon, or possibly a firelizard, could. He tried to share his unique view with E'rik, but his human's mind was incapable of processing such a sight in its entirety. He could only catch glimpses of it. Perhaps with further training, Dara hoped, he and E'rik would be able to share in this beauty. Or if E'rik would just open his mind more to him. Sometimes he was aware that his rider was consciously excluding him from his mind, blocking him from his thoughts, and he knew not what to do about it except pretend otherwise.
He was thinking about this when he felt Kyllae thump him on the side. Perhaps they ought to have worked out cues for each other, so that he could know what she wanted, rather than guess. Choosing to err on the side of caution, he swam to the surface, rising halfway out of the water and fluttering his wings to dry them somewhat, though he was conscious of Kyllae's presence and cautious not to strike her with his rapidly beating wings.
E'rik watched his dragon explode out of the water and smiled as he released his held breath. Gangly and awkward as he was in adolescence, Daramulath was handsome in E'rik's eyes. He was not a fast-flying blue or a majestic bronze, but he was His. Picking up on his human's thoughts, Daramulath sighed contentedly and settled into a comfortable position for floating. All was well in his world.
"How was your swim?" E'rik called to Kyllae. He asked Dara the same question mentally.
It was wonderful. You and I must do it sometime, Dara replied.
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