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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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 Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:51 am
Jasrai's eyebrows shot up at the description L'pin offered of the other female riders. It wasn't exactly complimentary, which didn't surprise her. What surprised her was the way he described the way one of them looked at her dragon. The kind of look that made a person question her thoughts? That sounded very strange.
"I assume her dragon is blue?" Jasrai ventured, not really interested in names. She enjoyed knowing gossip, but not enough to actually engage in it. She just wanted to know. It really would be just too odd for a female rider to look at her female dragon as L'pin implied she did. Sure, homosexuality was a part of Weyr life, even if it wasn't spoken of at Telgar, but cross-species homosexuality just seemed very, very wrong.
Jasrai gave one of her lopsided half-smiles. "You're right. We do have something to prove, and we know it. We're made aware of it on a regular basis. But I don't know about that last part. I doubt Roseth will accept that she'll be anything but lauded once she decides to let her magnificence shine."
She was teasing her dragon just a little. A very little. She knew the importance of presenting a united front, which is why she hated that earlier she had been at odds with her green. Roseth really needed her support and approval more than anything else, though a voice in the back of her mind said that Roseth also needed to learn moderation and temperance, which she would never do if Jasrai allowed her to do whatever she wished.
"I don't know whether I should say sorry for that or not," Jasrai said honestly. "I don't really know you or your dragon well enough. But not being in a wing probably frees up your time to do other things that are necessary for the Weyr that others can't do."
In truth, Jasrai was dreading being placed in a wing as much as she looked forward to flight. Yes, there were other females in fighting wings, but how were they treated? Jasrai wasn't quite sure that wrapping herself in the knowledge that she was smarter than any of them would hold up against a lifetime of put-downs and unnecessarily harsh criticism.
Roseth picked up a little on Jasrai's thoughts because she forgot to shield them and pointed out, They will have nothing to criticise. I will be the best, and you with me.
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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:59 am
"If by 'freeing up my time' means making me into the Weyr's mule, then sure not being in a wing is a great thing. I've got plenty of time to do Candidate chores, or haul things back and forth to the hold in an endless cycle of repetition. I can't remember the last time I've ever had a free flight of my own, a chance to just soar in the sky with Shamth and no worries. We're essentially grounded, he and I."
Finally, a faint trace of bitterness had leaked into L'pin's voice. It wasn't directed at all towards his dragon, who didn't even lift his head as if he needed to acknowledge what was being said, but instead at the people who had declared him unfit to fly in wings. Sure he knew the reason, he knew it really well, but the fact that the blame was so easily put on Shamth always served to chaff his nerves. However as soon as the bitter edge had leaked in it was gone, the man never liking to stay angry at something. There was no point in hating the past - it couldn't be changed.
"But yes, that rider who looks at her dragon oddly does ride a Blue. I'm a little surprised you haven't met her yet, considering she thinks herself very social and loves to drink more than anyone probably should."
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:47 am
Jasrai winced at L'pin's answer. She hadn't thought of it that way, but would a lifetime of busywork and being ignored really be better than one spent being an actively disliked part of a wing? A large part of her wanted to say that it would, she would love to just be ignored, but Roseth would hate it. The green thrived on attention, good or bad, and indifference and isolation would be incredibly hard on her. Jasrai couldn't bring herself to be selfish enough to do that. To leave the Weyr, maybe, but not to make Roseth's life at the Weyr unbearable.
"I'm sorry. I had no idea." When Thread came, what would L'pin and Shamth do? Would they end up carrying bags of firestone to the fighters in the wings, or would they be considered unfit even for that?
She was glad when L'pin changed the topic to one that she was slightly more at ease with. It wasn't too hard for her to imagine a future in which she and Roseth were in a similar situation to that of L'pin and Shamth. Not that Roseth was unfriendly in the same way Shamth was, but Jasrai was not well-liked and did not make a very good ambassador for her dragon.
"Perhaps I'm sufficiently antisocial that she's made no effort to get to know me," Jasrai suggested. "Or maybe Roseth's just not sexy enough to attract her attention."
Sexy? Roseth echoed. I could be sexy. What is sexy?
Don't worry about it. Please.
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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:41 pm
L'pin felt himself snort at Jasrai's remark about Roseth being sexy in spite of himself, his hand quickly moving to his mouth to prevent anything else from coming out. He didn't want to outright laugh, this girl might take it the wrong way and then there would be drama with dragons involved, but it had been funny! He transmitted his feelings towards Shamth, hoping his dragon would feel the same way and perhaps get amused as well, though the response he got was hardly anything.
I have always though the Failures were failures and not worth looking at. That deadglow Blue is the same way, so why ask me? Mine, you should know your Shamth better than that.
There wasn't any form of upset in Shamth's voice, like he was offended to have been asked such things, but there was a small sense of urgency that he was growing tired of laying in a single spot for too long. His body did not do well to rest in the heat with the air holding chill, and Shamth remarked that a trip to the warm waters would be in order for them both, to relax and clear their mind of meeting the failures.
Clear your mind, you mean. I won't forget./
The whole exchange happened quick enough that it didn't seem like L'pin was lost in thought, his response to Jasrai coming soon after his snort. He and Shamth had learned to talk to each other so much that he didn't have to think to hard to get anything across.
"No need to say sorry, it's already been almost seven turns since then. I've gotten used to what we do, even if all it does is serve to keep us from having idle hands. I've grown strong because of it though, I could easily lift a runnerbeast. . . or so I'd like to think."
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:17 pm
Jasrai was pleased with herself. She could tell when a person was amused, and she seemed to have amused L'pin. She would count that as a small accomplishment. It was certainly better than having him sneering at her and trying to convince Roseth not to provoke his dragon. The thought made her glance over at his blue, just a quick dart of her eyes. He didn't seem to be in as foul a mood now that Roseth had been removed from the conversation.
Jasrai! Roseth interjected, wheedling creeping into her tone. You said you would spend the morning with me.
A moment, please?
"Such a useful skill, lifting runnerbeasts," Jasrai replied, hoping L'pin would realize she wasn't really making fun of him, so much as just making fun. It wasn't something she did all that often anymore. "I think if you bandied it about more, you'd probably find yourself swarmed by hangers-on."
"Seriously, though, I'm impressed that you manage to accept your situation. I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have the...whatever it is to do the same." Jasrai's gaze dropped. That wasn't what she wanted to say, exactly, but she couldn't make her mind put words together the right way for the time being it seemed, and so it would have to do.
Jasrai! Roseth whined.
All right!
"If you'll excuse me, I have a dragon demanding my attention, and I think she's going to actually start vocalizing if I don't give it to her soon." She smiled lopsidedly. "It was interesting to meet you, and your blue."
She waited for him to make any further remarks before going to tend to her demanding dragon, who was, indeed, threatening to start making actual noises if her human didn't come soon.
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 7:10 am
"Hey, no worries. I understand what it's like to have a lifemate who demands constantly from you yet sometimes refuses to give anything in return. My feelings aren't hurt if you need to go, and Shamth says he's more than pleased to actually not have to look at you anymore."
L'pin didn't even think before he spouted out his dragon's response, so used to just doing it anyway without the concerns of people around him. More often then not anything Shamth had to say would drive others away, and in this case it looked like it might work out he same way, even if the girl was already set to be leaving.
"Er, well, anyway. It was good to meet you, I've always liked meeting other riders or other weyrfolk in general. Can get pretty lonely when you're just out doing chores alone, so don't be a stranger if you'd ever like to speak again - without dragons to interrupt. Of course that will probably have to be once Roseth is grown enough you feel you can let her out of your sight, or you may end up like me and never feel comfortable letting your dragon do their own thing without you at least ten feet away. It sort of prevents things like what happened today from occurring again."
L'pin was rambling now, and he knew it, but that was all he had to say before he gave a polite smile and mumbled good-bye again. He moved and placed a hand on Shamth's leg before climbing up to his proper riding place, the large Blue letting out a massive roar before the pair flew up into the air.
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