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 Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:07 pm
Riley did not know how to ride a dragon.
When Jericho hurled himself up into the air, her entire body flattened onto his back. Her legs were clamped down hard enough to keep her from sliding off, but she knew she had no actual hold on him besides that, and if he started to descend, she was going to be flying solo. But she couldn't do anything about it, for several moments. And with each thrust of his wings, she bounced up and down, almost losing her grip several times.
A few moments in, as his wings rose up for another pump, her arms returned to wrapping around the thinnest part of his neck, and her claws grabbed on, trying not to hurt him. But she had to hold on, she had to. She knew she'd done this before. She'd seen it.
So she held on, and pressed her body as close as she could to keep from bouncing.
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Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:36 pm
It probably didn't help that Jericho's ability to fly was not smoothed out at all. He was rather rough about his ascent. The way he pumped his wings was a little erratic, but he managed to stay aloft.
"How are you holding up back there?" he asked. He could feel her clinging to him, but he couldn't really see just how well she was holding on right now.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 12:00 am
I'm still here. That was as good as it was going to get, from her, for now. Well done.
She would have patted his back, but her hands were so firmly clutched in his scales that there left no room to do so.
Even out, let's try gliding. We've reached a high enough altitude, I would wager. She shifted up, securing herself. Now let's just see if we can get comfortable.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 12:05 am
The dragon rumbled at that, beating down a few more times just to try and be on the safe side. Once he was satisfied, he snapped his wings out and began to glide over the school below. He was still a little rocky, still needing a bit to get accustomed to how he needed to maneuver about. Slowly, but steadily, things were smoothing out. Hopefully that was enough for Riley to be able to relax too. Being able to fly or not, Jericho did not want her to plummet off.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 12:59 am
It wasn't yet time for her to relax, but at least now that they were gliding, she felt secure and able to move. So she released her grip, and sat up, immediately assaulted by the air that had previously been streamlining down her back. She let out a startled chuckle as it tried to pull her back, but she held on. Eventually, when her eyes felt like watering, she slid back down, laying her body flat against him. Her arms splayed out over him, and she closed her eyes.
She could almost imagine she was just a part of his body, lying there against him.
She meant to ask if they should do something. Try to figure out what they'd had in that vision, that they were missing now. But her words fell silent, because the moment was easy to lose herself in. She breathed in deep, and breathed out slow. And she flew. Because he flew.
It felt perfect.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:58 am
If she had asked, Jericho wouldn't have had any answer for her. He was going along for the ride just as much as she was right about now, even if he was the one actively flying. In the very least, it felt like she had stabilized on his back. The dragon worked on righting himself and getting the flight to be a little steadier. He drew in a deep breath before letting it out slow as he gazed down below. He didn't feel anything just yet. Was he supposed to? The dragon thought on this, trying to think back to the memory. Yes, he was aware that he had a rider. It was hard not to be. But something wasn't quite the same. What was it?
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 10:04 pm
Up ahead, the pumpkin sun was starting to dip past the horizon. Her eyes were closed, but she could tell it was happening. Maybe it was the loss of that heat keeping her exposed skin warm. Everywhere that touched dragon was warm and toasty - everywhere else was wind-whipped and turning chill. She nestled closer, trying to soak in the warmth.
Can I tell you something? She was glad for her particular method of speaking, at that moment, because he never would have heard her soft whisper if it had been out loud. You probably already know it. But I still have difficulty saying such things. Except right now. Right now is different.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:01 pm
If nothing else, Jericho was finally able to enjoy the flight more now that he wasn't struggling so much. Feeling the wind brush by his scales was soothing, and being able to see the pumpkin sun setting from this high up was all rather nice. His great draconic head tilted a little as he heard Riley's words whisper into his mind. he asked. It was easier to send his thoughts. He didn't have to shout back towards her this way.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:11 pm
She turned her head, so that the cold cheek could warm against him, and the warm cheek had a chance to cool down.
I love you.
That was all.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:26 pm
For a moment, everything stilled all around. Jericho heard her words clearly, but he felt a touch of confusion. If this had been a year ago, he would know exactly what she meant. But now he had far too many gaps in his mind. It stirred within him certainly. It touched a chord.
Now he really had to wonder if they had an affair long ago.
The dragon was silent for a long time, trying to sort things out in his mind.
"I love you too...I.. think..."
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:59 pm
His answer made her laugh. He was still so unsure, still searching for clues from the past to help him decide how he felt now. She knew exactly how he felt, she'd simply moved on from it. Whether or not she'd loved him before didn't matter to her, anymore.
She knew how she felt, now.
You don't have to say that just because I did. I just know how I feel. I'll have you know, our kind don't actually know how to love. I only learned these things from those of you who showed me what was worth loving. Like Malodore, and yourself. And that was a lesson I learned now. Whether I learned it before, when we were friends, I can't say - and really don't care anymore.
She hugged the dragon's neck, as much as it could be hugged. This is a lesson I learned now. This is how I feel, Jericho. You're my best friend, and I love you.
It was empowering, to be so sure of herself again.
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 12:28 am
Hearing that was rather reassuring. Jericho definitely wasn't sure how he felt yet. He was missing far too many things to really know. But... he knew in time he would figure things out. Feeling that bit of weight lifting from him, he gave a toothy grin.. not that she could really see it. The way she had confirmed things also got rid of the notion of an affair. Well. Mostly. There were still some concerns there, but for now, he just decided to focus on enjoying this flight. It was a nice night. And questions or not, he did enjoy Riley's company quite a bit.
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 12:45 am
Riley's wings had been flat, and useless, behind her for the entirety of the flight. A slow build of psionic energy had them pulsing with light, as she slowly unfurled them behind her.
Hey, Jericho. I bet I never did this in the old days.
The wings flared up behind her, instantly propelling her up into the air on her own, gliding wherever the wind took her.
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 10:24 am
Jericho carefully looked back as he heard Riley again and felt her weight lift off from him. The corners of his great lips curled up as she was now gliding above him.
he replied.
She could now fly alongside him. Not just fly with him. In the back of his mind, he wondered if they could race at some point. Though.. he wondered if his size and natural wings gave him an unfair advantage there.
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Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 2:24 am
They did. She was easily losing him, her glide nothing compared to his speed. But she just watched him, slowly getting smaller, because she knew he would return for her eventually. There was no rush. No feeling of being left behind.
He would always be there.
Her wings flapped, but it was a useless gesture, as the energy itself was the only thing propelling her upward, closer to the heavens.
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