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Keralder

"I think he might. Venk I mean... he's a smart man, he's not doing this for his pride, he'll think about his dragon first. T'gal..." He wrinkled his nose, trying to dissect just how much he could purchase by selling the components of that one sharding outfit. "...I don't think he'll step down so much as he'll get clawed down, one way or another. No man shows up to a clutch like this dressed like he has the golden touch because he plans to bow out. He might even be pleased. Probably figures his partner has all the greens out of his system and will sire all bronzes on a younger Gold who hasn't suffered through her clutches. He doesn't care about what happened to her, or to her clutch. He has what he wants and he doesn't mean to let go of it." Kidder noted, bitter as over-brewed Klah and damn certain of his own opinions.

Hard to argue he looked good, but he looked good in an untouchable arrogant way that mostly made Kidder want to wander over and start ripping pieces off the expensive clothing just to spite him and his large purse.

Marloth pointed out, eying T'gal with red hints in her eyes, though she seemed like she was looking beyond him, at whatever tangled tapestry of untruth she was trying to find the patterns in behind him.

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Aldrey

Aldrey had turned a partial shoulder to the discussion, carefully making sure his eyes were elsewhere, even if he was trying to make sure he didn't loose bits of the conversation to the music, and carefully nibbled some of his food. It didn't take any particular bit of acting to look like he was lost in a moment of delight... it just... wasn't entirely the food.

Everything was so... interesting. And delicious. M'ere would be so excited! Even the way people had chose to dress was interesting, and usually Aldrey paid fairly little attention to fashion, having concluded very little would actually look good on him, personally and that everything looked good on everyone else. The gold, the green, the black... everything was information, and very little of it couldn't be deciphered, that he could tell.

Trickery. Something that might be a vailed threat hidden in concern for the hold and it's riders... was it a threat? It could be construed as a threat. Or a promise. Did T'gal know how strongly public opinion was turning on him on behalf of Hiraeth? Was his life actually in danger or was he over-reading? He might be in danger. Someone might 'accidentally' go to far in the next flight.

He speared another careful forkful of meat and tubers and spared a long glance over the clutch. Too many digits, seizures, withered limbs, the one with the curious voice who he had theories about yet unconfirmed... were any of them 'whole'? Maybe one of the dragon healers would know. There had to be records. Had something like this ever happened before? He had to know now. Would it happen again? Was it just a bad flight, or was this a long lingering echo of the Dragon Plague?

He should move, maybe... but he might miss something... and the conversation right here was so interesting...

Shaff he wished he had a hundred more ears. He'd thought of firelizards but they were so... they were dainty dim little things and he'd be lucky if he could train one to ever tell him more than 'shiny' or 'food'. Or possibly detailed information on such things like 'ring' or 'meat pie'.





Pippith noted with a certain wonder. His riders memory was practically mythical to the dragon, even if the assessment was slightly over the top.

"He's also pretty clearly let it go to his head." Keralder accused, crisply. "If he was smart, not just 'not a bronze rider' he'd be going out of his way to show he cared about Venk and Hiraeth, he's painting a giant target on himself at minimum. They'll use his dragon against him. Try and bar browns from the next gold flight."

That actually did sound like something "they" might do, and he felt Marloth take a very interested very approving note of the idea.

"He could not be strutting like a mating Wherry in full plumage, and he could do a few better things than wear all that gaudy nonsense anyway." He pointed out, though to be fair, there probably wasn't an option where Keralder was actually content with the Way Things Were.

He flinched at the punch (she was stronger than he suspected she realized) and fired back with an (relatively gentle) low swipe at her shin with his foot.

"Watch someone try. Mark my words though, the man is a target right now and he'd better learn how to dodge like anyone's business."

He glanced toward Marloth with a frown, though it wasn't directed at her. "I couldn't be prouder of Marloth, but I know they're going to try and use her as a political banner. Both sides probably."

Marloth grumbled, though it was hard to tell if she were joking or serious right at this particular moment. She hadn't even met a Wher yet, let alone had an excuse to decide if they were to her advantage or not.

"Yeah, maybe I'll turn over a new leaf, just ride it out quietly and smile for treats like a pet flit." Keralder flashed another 'drawer of knives' smile as he offered this suggestion. True they didn't have much power right now but shaff it... let them try.

"Her wings are fine anyway, as far as I can tell. And she's sharp as as anything, puts things together well."

And she was uncorruptable, let them find that out for themselves.

"...Ah just kidding. I'm not going to go do anything rash." He promised, trying to look sweet and convincing.

He wouldn't do anything rash, because he would carefully watch, wait, plan, and take names and then raze them to the ground. That wasn't rash it was calculated.

Brishen slowly snuck away as Ko’ren appeared and slipped back into the mass of people and hey, there was Aldrey. If anyone knew what was going on, or was willing to have ideas bounced of his skull, and he had all sorts of ideas, it was his fellow blue rider. He set his plate away, the cake in one hand because who would throw away cake? Cake was delicious.

Hazmath echoed.

Aldrey

Pippith answered perkily, as Aldrey flinched at Jaselines wink as though she'd flicked a knife at him instead of a harmless gesture. Frankly the young woman and her dragon still rather terrified him. No real secret. But it was going to be... Challenging to keep an ear on things and be social.

His own personal garments were nice enough, expensive enough in a dark color that looked faintly wine colored in the light and had clearly been previously worn and tailored to someone of different size and skin tone. Probably his younger brother. Aldreys relationship with his family had always been a bit turned onto the ear of expectation.

Either way it was a nice enough garment even if it would have looked much better on someone in whom the dark tones did not compliment and enhance the permanent dark circles under his eyes.

"I I'm sure you'd look nice in a-anything you w-wanted." Aldrey assured the agree rider. "H-how are you two?" He added, meaning Jasil e and Brishen both. "It uh, it w-was an... Interesting clutch. W-wasn't it?"

And by interesting he meant 'was going to have fall out where in people shred lots of thoughts and feelings and tried to do.things in secret and he could try and find them out'.

Feeling uncomfortable in social situations was a strange new sensation for Vanavia. Social events weren't new to her, not in the slightest, but at the same time that wasn't what this was. This wasn't just an event where the plan to was be trotted out, stand there looking pretty and then be trotted back off. No, this was much worse. People would be paying attention to her as a person. That was unsettling. What if she ran into a candidate who blamed her for them not impressing? What if someone was mean about the way Horteth looked? What if someone said she had no right to be a rider? All these thoughts rushed through the young girl's mind as she hovered at the edge of the celebration. Maybe she could just slip back-

What're you doing?

A shriek erupted out of Vanavia as she turned and found the blue stood directly behind her. Smith was sat proudly on the dotted head, so that both were staring intently at her. The girl didn't respond, the feeling that anything she said to Horteth would be very carefully turned over far too strong. He was so intent on everything she said. How could she explain to him the idea that people looking at her didn't bother her, but that people actually looking at who she was did?

You're worrying too much. They won't hurt you. They want to know you because you are worth knowing.

The dragon carefully stepped forward, slower than another his age would have, and pushed his head into his rider's hands. Horteth knew she was scared. This was very new to her and on some level she still hadn't accepted being a rider. His Vanavia held them higher than she did herself and that large gap seemed impassable to her. As though she and riders were two separate species completely and one could not become the other. She feared their rejection and because of that told herself just not to try. So many memories of being told what she was. How to act. What to say. Where to go. How was she supposed to act now, with no one to tell her how? Horteth was determined to dig out that tiny voice he could hear inside that shouted that it was there. Cried out to him to take her forward. Let her see that world that she'd read about, don't let her keep boxing what she was away behind 'should's.

Come along, Vanavia. We have people to meet and I must tell you the story about the little firelizard without a fair... With that the blue straightened up and walked right past his rider, firelizard still perched on his head, and walked toward the gathering without a hint of apprehension. Vanavia watched a moment as the pair moved away, still hesitating, but when Horteth stumbled she was straight by his side. offering support as the dragon righted himself. Well, best try and at least put on a brave face. Once Horteth was ready to go again Vanavia straightened up, put her smile on and stepped forward as though she had all the confidence her dragon seemed to have. They were a fine pair. One with confidence and that could walk with it and one that could walk as though they had it, but didnt'.

Jasiline

Jasiline grinned and laughed. "See Aldrey, this is why I like you!" She rounded on Brishen. "Psssh unless they're offering Masteries in Being Awesome then I doubt I'll ever wear the coveted purple." She sighed theatrically and snorted around a mouthful of herbed river grains and mushrooms she'd shoved in there between sentences. She swallowed hastily. "Don't let it fool you." Jasiline hiked up the edge of her skirts, revealing a booted foot and the tell-tale blue of their uniform breeches underneath. "I still got m'pants on. Never know you know?"

"You two are lookin pretty sharp yourselves." She eyed the deep burgundy of Aldrey's outfit. She had no mind for fashion, but she still knew what kind of marks that kind of fabric in that color could bring in. Shaff if it looked good on him or washed him out. It was lovely.

"I'm honestly surprised none of them betweened. I mean, I never thought about it before but you don't really see dragons like that that didn't happen after they were hatched you know? I figured if they weren't whole in the egg, they'd either die there or between without bonding. Almost seems unfair." She didn't say out loud what that might mean for the children who'd impressed... how long might some of them survive. Either from accident or something just being wrong on the inside? It seemed bad luck. Jasiline was fine risking her neck of her own accord, but there were some things you still just didn't do.

Toast hissed around his prize as Crest took a stab at it. He flared his wings and puffed up. He danced sideways away from Crest.

While the two blues gossiped and the riders talked, Sanuyeth slept. She had claimed a rather large portion of ledge despite her size, spreading her broad wings wide to catch the sinking rays of the evening sun and the last of the warmth from the stone beneath her.