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 Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 2:56 pm
Listening as intently as he was his head ended up resting on empty chair as he watched him talk while his empty mug now sat on the floor beside him. "So was it a big surprise when she called out your name?" She being Raith but he was sure L'thor knew that. So really L'thor was just softened around the edges since Raith's arrival. Maybe that was a good thing because he would have hated to have seen his full blown temper when he was his age.
"I bet I will be a bit annoyed too. I am not sure I will go to the hatching feast afterwards if I am not picked. Maybe if Con's picked but I really don't want to congratulate others if I don't feel that they earned it. Some of these candidates aren't worth a grain of salt. I guess dragons are smarter if they can find worth in that." Then he paused and furrowed his brow, "A lazy dragon? How?!" He wondered what he would do if he had a lazy dragon. That was something he had never considered in his life!
"Well, umm...I am free any time around dinner and some after. Most of my chores are early morning ones then I have studies in the afternoon. Shards, I'd start learning now if I could...so anytime you're free...and I don't have work!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 7:32 am
L'thor grinned and turned his head to regard the elegant form of his lifemate out on her ledge. By far the most lovely dragon that had ever lived, and would ever live. Her like would never be seen again. "Yes," he said after taking a few moments to appreciate her loveliness, "it was a surprise... She was the third dragon out of her shell; I remember it like it was yesterday. She shrugged her way out of the egg, shook herself off and sauntered straight over to me. I say it was a surprise - it was - but from the moment she got to her feet I could feel her attention on me. I think I knew she'd chosen me before she spoke, but it was still a shock when she did. That..." he tilted his head back, looking up to the ceiling but not really seeing what was before his eyes. "That connection. I can't liken it to anything but almost... almost like a day when the sky is all clouds, dark as night, and then suddenly a beam of sunlight breaks through, and makes the world warm and golden and..." L'thor shook himself and looked back down at Veyes with a smile and a shrug. "I don't even know what I'm talking about; I'm rambling, feel free to ignore me."
Veyes had said some other things too that he ought to respond to; L'thor struggled for a moment to recall them. "Oh! Yes, I''ve no doubt you'll be very annoyed if some lazy pompous tail-fork goes and Impresses the bronze he kept saying he was going to get. I went along to the hatching feast after the one I didn't Impress at, but only because V'kain found his dragon. Honestly I found the whole thing really rather frustrating and somewhat depressing; 'Kain didn't have time to talk to me but I'm still glad I went along. He saw I was there, and he appreciated it so it was worthwhile in the end. Still," L'thor chuckled and finished the last of his klah, "at least you'll know that when your dragon does find you, you're as worthy as any of us ever are. Tell you what, when I have a free evening I'll send Dusk or River to find out if you're free as well, and if you are you can come on up."
Haha! He was going to have to start designing a curriculum! Something else to do with his copious free time! What all the other riders did with themselves when they weren't on duty he was sure he didn't know... Oh wait, yes he did; sleep, fornicate and gamble. He was fond of the middle one, and the latter was fun once in a while but if he tried to drift off into dreamland for more than a scant few candlemarks a day he just lay there looking at the ceiling and feeling, yes; bored.
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 7:59 am
Veyes smiled contently as he listened to L'thor speak; if he never did impress at least he could imagine how it would be like through L'thor's stories. It wasn't that he didn't think he would be worthy of impressing but well, it wasn't exactly his decision. He had this unease feeling from the moment he had arrived that Luck would play a more important role. Maybe that was why most candidates didn't change their ways, they didn't have high expectations so there wasn't any drive to do better. However, his dreams had circled around this hope for awhile ever since he built those straps in the barn awhile back. He'd just have to work hard, and meet whatever came for him with determination and confidence....even if he sometimes didn't feel either deep inside.
"Oh, I don't mind I wanted to know what it was like for you and that was certainly a vivid telling. I wonder what Raith would say. How did she know you were the right one?" that was a curious question in itself because the thought did plague him on the sands during the touching. How did dragons figure all this out?
"Yeah, I bet I will. I have already met a couple pompous tail-fork types and I can imagine I will watch them impress a great dragon. Well, maybe the dragon isn't all that great if it picks someone like that." he had to laugh a little because sometimes it was hard to think that dragons could have poor personalities too. However, he was learning more and more over time...Raith was pretty vain and that wasn't a very good quality so he had to consider that other dragons could have worse flaws. What would you do with a dragon like that? He pondered the question in his head as he listened to L'thor talk about the Hatchling feast.
"I guess it just doesn't sound like a good way to spend my evening if I don't impress. I really don't want to think to deep about the others' luck. Rather go find a quiet place to play migsy or something. Get my mind off the event and make it just another day." He wondered if he was "worthy" without a dragon. Probably outside the Weyr, but here, being a dragon rider made you a cut above the rest.
He came out of his thoughtfulness to take in the rest of the man's words, "Oh that would be great. I will watch for the flitts then. So what do you think my first lesson should be?" Smiling again he looked up at L'thor curiously and wondered what the man would teach him first once they got started.
Then he glanced over at Raith and looked at his clothes. He didnt' know if they were dry yet but they sure did have it pretty good laying upon her like that. Lucky L'thor.
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:13 am
L'thor scratched his chin thoughtfully and shrugged. "I've asked her more than once why she chose me. She always just says she chose me because I am Hers. I suppose it seems self-evident to dragons, to bond is in their very bones. Might as well ask a man why he started talking as a child." Not quite the same thing thought really. Everyone learned to talk, but not everyone was chosen by a dragon and... he would never understand. It didn't really matter anyway; he was one of the lucky ones who, for whatever reason, had been right for a dragon. The why of it was interesting, but he didn't need an answer in order to be content with life.
"Sometimes the pompous idiots improve," L'thor said with a thoughtful nod. "Sometimes dragons really do change those they choose a great deal over time. Sometime less so though... I suppose there is less change when rider and dragon are alike. My confidence and vanity go along with Raith's, and those qualities in me were enhanced. Unlike me however she is calm, and in turn I have found some measure of restraint." He didn't know if that was really right or not, but it seemed to make a kind of sense.
"I'm not sure what I should teach you first," L'thor said after a few moments pondering the question. "We can start off with riding straps tomorrow and work on that for a while... Perhaps while we're doing that you can tell me the kind of things you're learning, and I can elaborate where they've glossed over." Sounded like a reasonable plan to him. Noting Veyes' glance, L'thor got to his feet and moved across the weyr, out onto the ledge. The clothes spread across Raith's flank were still a little damp, but not too bad. Giving the green's shoulder an affectionate slap, he gathered them up and went back inside. "Here you go," he said, draping the clothes over the back of a chair, "nearly dry now."
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 12:19 pm
Veyes nodded and guessed that dragons liked to keep humans in the dark about their picking strategies or maybe they truly just knew. Well that made the chances much slimmer than he thought however, he wasn't going to try and think too deeply on it because it would only attempt to gnaw at his resolve.
"You think they improve? Now that would be a lot of work." he chuckled a little as the man mentioned restraint but didn't remind them of their first meeting. He could imagine that L'thor had other moments like that one which probably would put him into more trouble than he wanted. However, he did appreciate his "aggressive" behavior because it freed him from a much worse fate. Being at the Weyr had already changed his attitude about the world and his chances to be someone in it.
"Alright! I will come up with a list and show you next time we get together. It's not really anything spectacular though. Pretty much Weyr etiquette, and how not to get mauled at the hatching, respect the queen....chores...mostly stuff that's common sense at least in my opinion. Everything else I have been trying to learn where I can get it. And...I have been even thinking of what else I could do if I don't impress. I might see about becoming a dragon healer. I think I would still like to work with dragons if possible. Or maybe I will figure out a way to travel. I just don't think I am wanting to go back to the farm. I want to experience more of the world." He smiled a little as he thought about that...the world was a big place and he thought that discovering other areas of it would be right up his alley at least in interest. Surely there was much more to learn about survival but he was willing to learn if there was a way to go about it.
As soon as L'thor brought back the clothes, he got up and went to the bathroom to change, then slipped back out and put the fur back on L'thor's bed where it belonged before coming back over to the hearth and sitting down. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to do then realized that his hair was still loose. "Mmm...maybe I should put my hair in row braids to keep it close to my scalp until the lice is out of the Weyr." he said as he picked up the comb and started dividing out the hair. His fingers were very dexterous at braiding and soon the tiny braids started sprouting all over his head in rows going down his scalp to the back.
"Do you want me to braid your hair after I am done with mine, L'thor?" he asked with an inquisitive smile as he continued his braiding.
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:56 am
L'thor grinned and nodded; "Yes, thank you, that sounds like a good idea." Since it seemed they were pampering themselves, L'thor got back to his feet and headed over to the small table beside his bed and retrieved his nail file before moving back to the fire. "I like to keep my hands neat," he said as he started work. "I never could understand how some people can stand to just bite them off when they get too long..." What should he say to Veyes about the possibility of not Impressing? Should he tell him not to worry, that he'd find his dragon for sure? No. That would just be silly.
"You'd be quite old to start a healing apprenticeship at twenty one," he said after a few moments, "but people do do it. A lot of the time it's candidates who were searched right at the start of an apprenticeship who go back to learning their craft, but people who were holders sometimes do it as well. As for traveling," he started work on the other hand, "best way to see the world would be to join up with some traders. If you don't ever find your dragon, I could introduce you to my family; anyone willing to pull their weight is welcome provided they have some sort of character reference... I do hope you don't have to find something else to do with you life though," L'thor set the nail-file aside and smiled at Veyes, "I think you'd make an excellent rider."
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:38 am
It took Veyes a bit of time to put his vast amounts of wavy locks into cornrow braids but his nimble fingers seemed to be used to the task after many lessons from his mother and learning how to without being able to see the results. Eventually, small rows draped from the top of his head all the way down his back. They were much neater than normal since L'thor's comb was so fine. He'd have to remember that next time to come up here and braid.
"Ok.. just brush it all out and get it smooth then once I am done I can do it. What sort of braid do you want? Rows? Knots? Doubled down the back? Looped around the head?" He knew so many braid styles that he could have almost been considered girly if it weren't for his well toned form. Maybe it was because his mother had wanted a girl but she never had such luck. Either way the skill had its uses to keep his hair away from flying away when he was working.
As he finished, he watched L'thor working on his own fingernails and then looked at his own hands. His fingernails weren't nearly as nice - some short..some long...a few broken. Hard work never really lent well to pretty nails and he never had a file to shape them so it was with much curiosity that he watched L'thor file.
"Well, if they'll take me I think I'd give it a try. I'd like to do something else if I don't impress. Farming is a good life for some but I am looking for something more. Thanks. If I don't impress then maybe that would be the best option for me. I'd work hard wherever I go...so that isn't a problem."
He paused for a moment as got behind L'thor and combed his hair to get an idea of where he would start, "Mmmm...well, I love dreaming about the future, but I can't limit my dreams to dragons alone. I don't want to be heartbroken if one dream shatters. I can't rely on a dragon to pick me out of the bunch. I see new candidates coming every day and as you said, dragons choose so its really luck that's going to get me one rather than any skill I've mastered. All I can do is be ready for it and try to figure out how to manage my dreams if it doesn't happen this way."
The last words made him smile a bit as he picked up a lock of hair to separate before weaving, "Thanks, L'thor... that means a lot to me."
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:56 am
L'thor smiled and closed his eyes contentedly as Veyes started to comb through his hair. He did like to have his hair brushed by other people; there was something very relaxing about it, but these days he always did it himself. V'kain wasn't exactly the hair-brushing type, and he hesitated to call any of his other friends up to his weyr in the morning to coif him for the day.
"No need to thank me for speaking the truth, and... erm... cornrows? Never done my hair like that before, it'll be interesting to see what it looks like." It looked pretty good on Veyes, so it would probably be fine on him too. It wasn't as though he had an ill-favored face that needed framing in a particular way. Well, some people thought he looked too pointy unless his hair was loose but he didn't agree. Nothing wrong with a sharp straight nose and high cheekbones in the least.
"Oh such vanity! I know golds with less ego than you!" Raith commented teasingly.
"Hush you; it's not really vanity given that it's true in any case." Well, it was vanity he supposed but there was no point in false modesty. "It is just luck really," L'thor said with a contented sigh, "it's good to have other plans. I didn't ever consider what I would have done had I not Impressed... I suppose I would have gone back to trading though; I was pretty good at it really and I enjoyed the lifestyle. Different horizon every morning, always meeting new people, never lacking for a task that needs doing; it was good." Being a rider was better though. Far better.
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:02 pm
Veyes ran the comb through L'thor's hair several times before dividing the locks and starting to braid. He wove tiny rows down over L'thors shoulder then started with a fresh bit of hair and worked a new braid. Each braid he'd tug tightly to the scalp so it was laying in neat lines. "You'll like these. Their nice when it gets hot and you can keep them for a while if you just rub the soap into the scalp carefully."
He picked up the comb again and divided up the hair to get another small braid established. "I think this will look lovely on you once their done. You might find this style easy to care for when you ride. After many braids later, he pulled all of them together to take a look. "Mmm...you'll only need a clip like this..." - he showed him his mother's clip - ..."To hold it all in place during a flight. If you use two clips that will put it up against your head if your going to fight thread. " He smiled as he set the braids back down. "But they look good lose too. You can dab oil over them to smooth them into place and keep out the lice. At least, if you get any, you'll be able to see it."
"Yes, I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket. I really want to be a rider but...it might not be in the cards. However, if the trader's get to travel maybe I would enjoy that world? Has to be more adventurous than farm life."
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:38 pm
L'thor ran a hand over his head to feel the neat little braids and nodded to Veyes' words. "I have various ties and clips about the place; I can work something out I'm sure." He didn't want to think about having lice at all. Ew. Nasty. Nastynastynasty. Pushing the thought of crawly, bitey bugs away he hopped to his feet and moved over to his bedside table once more to retrieve a small silver hand-mirror. Peering at his reflection as he walked back to Veyes, L'thor smiled and nodded.
"You've done a nice job there; they look good," he said as he sat back down, turning his head from side to side to better inspect the effect of the braids. "I was never in one place for more than a few weeks when I was a boy," L'thor confirmed with another nod. "We mostly traveled around the island, but we sometimes ventured to the mainland as well. North, that is, not south, but we never went very far north. Far too cold and disagreeable for any of our tastes. If you wanted to explore up there, you'd need to join another group. There's a few we're - my family is - fairly friendly with. Something could be worked out I'm sure. Of course," L'thor grinned at his companion, "might well not have to worry about it! There's a chance that you won't ever Impress, but a good chance that you will too."
Helpful words aside, he hoped Veyes wouldn't leave the Weyr should he not find a dragon; he'd miss the young man if he did.
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:57 pm
Veyes grinned, "I'm glad you like it." He also watched L'thor look at the braids inspecting the work he had done. Seeing them on L'thor sent a small shiver up his spine but he didn't say a word about how he felt. Although, it did bring a small sigh to his lips as he tried to occupy his thoughts with anything else. Ok..so L'thor did look quite attractive all cleaned up and sporting a new hairstyle.
He turned away just enough to avoid letting a blush reveal itself on his cheeks. Taking a deep breath and nodding he responded so he could get any other more daring thoughts out of his head, "I bet you got to see a lot of new places every time you traveled. Mm...Not sure I want to travel too far North. I kind of like the idea of staying warm; however I bet there are a lot of mysteries up there." That thought made him consider it a little more however, freezing in his boots wasn't his idea of a good time. He'd have to learn a few more survival skills before he ventured that far.
"I hope I don't have to worry about it but I didn't want to be locking myself in. I'm going to work hard here first but we will see what it brings. I'd rather stay...but...you know...sometimes things don't go as planned." Oh he would have much rather stayed with the dragons however, a small part of him just wasn't sure if he could just stand around and watch every day while riders got to do things he had dreamt of doing. That part hadn't settled yet within him. First, he was going to be hopeful for a dragon to change all that...then...well then...as things moved on...he would start working out the realities in his head.
"I probably should be leaving...I should have lessons shortly. You probably have work to do as well." he really didn't want to leave but...he didn't want to overstay his visit. Although, if he could have stayed he probably would have...this place was so much more comfortable than the dorms.
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 2:18 pm
L'thor put the mirror down and nodded. "Yes, I have a meeting with my wing soon to talk about the drilling we'll be doing tomorrow. Not nearly as much fun as chatting to you, but it has to be done, and I wouldn't want to get you in trouble for missing lessons in any case." Sighing to himself, L'thor gathered up the cups and carried them over to a sturdy wooden table; he'd wash them out later on.
"I'll be busy this evening; friend's nameday party," he said, turning back to Veyes, "but tomorrow evening I'll send River to find you and we can work on teaching you how to mend riding straps, alright?" It would be fun, he thought. Good talk, and helping out a friend; that sounded like the recipe for a good evening to him!
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 2:26 pm
Veyes smile a bit, "No, you can't miss that. Wouldn't want you to be caught missing your meeting." He was just a little envious because he wouldn't mind taking part in a meeting like that, however, it would be awhile before he'd have a chance to participate. Closing his eyes, he prayed that his dragon would come.
"Oh..well have fun at the nameday party. Wish them well for me." Walking towards the door he slipped out into the hall, "I can't wait to see River, tomorrow. Thank you very much for today...and the flight between!" As he made his way down the hall, he felt like he was about to burst. Tomorrow!! Yes...Tomorrow he would learn the proper way to mend straps...then eventually, he'd learn to make his own! When he rounded the corner he had almost a skip in his step which he quickly stopped for fear of being noticed. But the giddiness wasn't going to go away any time soon!
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:13 am
L'thor watched the long-haired young man depart with a faint smile. It was nice to be appreciated. Heading over to his wardrobe to retrieve his shoes, he began to list things he could teach Veyes about. Basic anatomy; muscular structure and so on. He could tell him about some of the more interesting bits of history. Oh! Firestone drills; Veyes would like hearing about those, he was sure. Stepping into his shoes, L'thor sighed and ran a hand over his braided hair again. Well, he could think more about this later; right now he had to go along to a long and boring meeting in which he was repeatedly told how to fly in the position he'd been flying for the last five turns or so. Ah well such was life, he supposed.
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