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 Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 1:54 pm
Ista Summer was coming once again. It would be only a matter of time before eggs were hardening on the sands and the influx of excitment joined the buzz of the humming dragons of the Weyr.
For today, however, there was only silence. It was early morning - the sun had only risen an hour before - and Wyona was settled down with a small cup of tea and a few documents of interest.
Isoldeth was nearby, her head resting by Wyona's feet and her hind legs and tail dipping in the water of the lake. The fat beast had recently eaten and had not moved since save to jerk her skin in the presence of a pest.
"It's summer." Wyona's reply was made with the slightest of glances away from her reading and towards the dragon. "It is cool in the Weyr." The unspoken 'You could go there instead of complaining' lingered between their mental connection.
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 3:06 pm
"Mine, I would like to go for a swim... Mine?"
"Mmmhumm? Hu?" C'mor shook himself and turned his attention from the scroll he had been absorbed in onto Naedreth. Somehow it still shocked him, the size of his lifemate full grown. That was bronzes for you though, massive. "A swim? I'm reading... but I could read by the lake. Give me a moment." As he received a feeling of assent, the young rider swiftly set about grabbing a bag and placing the scrolls he had taken from the records inside. Weyrs. He was studying Weyrs, Ista and all the others, all the history he could find. Some precedence for a course of action when your Weyr was full to bursting, some idea of what he should do next. The more he read, however, the more he began to think that he would find nothing, that new ideas would be needed. Still, there were a lot of scrolls to get through yet, he might find something.
Frowning thoughtfully to himself, C'mor fitted Naedreth's riding straps and mounted. Though it was only a short distance to the lake he had not been flying with his lifemate long enough to be confident without the leather straps. One day he had no doubt he would be as casual as the pairs who had been full riders for several turns, but for now he preferred to err on the side of caution.
Naedreth, as ever, did not share his quiet reserve and tendency to look before he leapt; almost before he had finished securing himself the bronze sprung from the ledge and swooped down towards the glimmering lake. Despite himself, C'mor grinned at his dragon's reckless confidence and held on tight to the bag of scrolls; sometimes it was nice to be close to somebody who was incapable of planning for possible failure.
"Here we are! Take off my straps Mine! Oh look, we aren't the only ones here... that's Isoldeth and Hers, you should talk to Hers Mine, you need more friends and allies."
Didn't he always? C'mor smiled faintly and dismounted swiftly before removing his lifemate's harness. "I will, you say hello to Isoldeth."
"I will!" came the sincere reply. "I am sure there is much we could speak of, and much I could learn from her; she has lived many turns, her experience is greater than my own."
Finally, Naedreth admitted he lacked something other than speed and agility. Chuckling to himself, C'mor slapped his dragon on the shoulder before turning and moving towards the woman who must be Isoldeth's rider. He knew her face well, but had no idea of her name. About time he changed that. "Good day to you," he began with a smile, "I'm C'mor, and my lifemate is Naedreth. Do you mind if I join you?"
At almost the same moment, Naedreth padded over to where the green lounged and rumbled a friendly greeting. "Isoldeth, greetings! I am Naedreth, just recently come out of weyrlinghood. Would you mind if Mine and I join you and Yours?" She had, after all, been here first. If she didn't want him around then he could go and find another spot to paddle and lounge. He would rather be here, talking to Isoldeth while C'mor talked to Hers, but he could accept a rebuff if that was to be.
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 5:23 pm
Wyona had again given just a glance at their arrival and had taken the time to sip a bit of tea. It was as she was setting the mug down next to where she sat that she heard the footsteps come in her direction.
Isoldeth's reaction was far more punctual. She scrambled to her feet and set her eyes on the landing bronze.
Rubbing her eyes as she set aside the document, Wyona set her focus on the two newcommers.
The old green sent a welcome croon in the bronze's direction.
Wyona did not dispute Isoldeth's revelation, instead giving C'mor a faint smile as he stopped in her viewpoint. "Ah, C'mor. Yes, of course. Please sit down wherever you find room." The pleasant expression on her face vanished for only the few moments that it took her to move parchment from a potential seat and replace them in her lap.
The mental voice was pleased with her announcement. The fat green eyed the bag with the scrolls, but did not mention them. Unfortunately, it seemed that Hers was always paying attention through their connection.
"How do you like being a rider, C'mor?" Wyona's tone was halfway between interest and the politeness of striking conversation. Both hands were around her drink as she watched him, and she'd nod between sips as he spoke.
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 8:21 am
"Scrolls," Naedreth said automatically before adding, "scrolls about the Weyrs, the recorded history of them." Deciding he fancied conversation more than a swim right now, the muscular bronze settled himself a polite but friendly distance away from the elder dragon to continue speaking. "He wants to see if he can find anything about Weyrs becoming crowded before, and if so what was done about it." He had looked at scrolls in the past, and he understood what was written on them through his rider's understanding if His was concentrating on the text at the same time but he did not really share his rider's love of knowledge and learning. What was there to learn? They would make their own way in life. Still, reading scrolls made C'mor happy, so even if he didn't see the point it was fine by him.
C'mor smiled and nodded his thanks, removing his sandals before sinking to the ground and shrugging free of his bag. "I like it very well indeed, thank you," he said with a brilliant smile that made his words more than just a pleasantry. "We can't wait to be assigned to our wing, I suppose it must be hard to find room for all of us given there are so many riders here already..." C'mor trailed off as he picked up on Naedreth's words to Isoldeth, and turned back to Wyona with a smile as his dragon finished. "Yes, I thought I'd have a look, just to I could guess what sort of thing Helirra might be planning to do. I'm curious like that, or maybe nosy. I've not found anything all that useful yet, other than some bits and pieces on the foundation of Southern Weyr... Might I ask what you're reading?"
It was nice to find somebody else who actually did read. All in all it didn't seem to be a desperately popular passtime in the Weyr, never had, especially among the younger residents. Most only read their orders, or went to look something up in the records to win an argument in a pinch. Each to their own, he supposed, even if that own was very different to his.
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:49 pm
Isoldeth was under the Impression that history was exceedingly boring. She told Naedreth this. Isoldeth told him very sternly. Feeling that she had solved the problem, she added,
Wyona was much too busy listening to C'mor to correct her dragon and she assumed the answer trivial in any case. Anyone could see the simple flaw in that sort of logic - except, of course, Isoldeth. It was good logic, but it was presented as though perfect, which logic, by definition, could not be. "This is good," she told C'mor with a smile and a nod. "We have many less riders now that they have transferred to less crowded locations, and we will have many less still if Thread starts to fall. Have you debated transferring? I hear they take kindly to bronzes there." In fact, Wyona thought there would be no end of things for the boy to do. He displayed nosy traits and those of someone who wanted to make change. There was so much room for change in Igen, and the bronzes had the prowess to do it. If he did decide to, Wyona did not think the aspiring young gentlemen would have ever a dull moment.
Hearing about his interest she unhooked one hand from her much and slipped her fingers underneath the parchment. They shook lightly between her fingers as she offered them in his direction. She assumed that he would be wise enough and considerate enough to take care in handling them.
"It's a small bit on severe allergic reactions to certain plants and what can be done with them. It seems that one of the healers in one of the other Weyr's applied an antiobiotic to the wound of a runnerbeast that was rejected, and the creature went into shock. I've been reading to see if there's any correlation between dragon riders and just how much it takes to cause such a strong reaction." She gave him a faint smile as she looked towards Isoldeth and Naedreth. "The problem with healing is that it can be just as life-threatening as it is life-saving. Little interference is often a better solution than great amounts of nosy prodding." She returned her gaze towards him at this point, pressing the points of the last two lines. Though, in theory, she was being just as nosy as he was, wasn't she?
"But enough of my nonsense rambling. Tell me what you have found out about the foundation of the Southern Weyr." If it interested him, she was sure there was something in it that would strike her fancy. Mostly, though, she wanted to see him smile when he spoke over what interested him. There were too many frowns amongst the Weyrlings these days and not enough broad, true smiles.
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:19 pm
C'mor took the page carefully and scanned the first few lines. "Interesting," he said with a nod, looking back up at Wyona as she spoke. "I've not looked very much into healing, just read a few scrolls over the turns, simple things like the process of producing fellis juice. It's a fascinating area, but I never took to remembering the names and properties of plants like I have other things... Southern though." The young man frowned thoughtfully as he searched through his bag for the scroll he had been reading before Naedreth's interruption.
"There seem to be conflicting reports here," he said eventually, pouring over the text he had already read two or three times, more out of habit than a need to read the words. "This scroll says it was founded at the end of the eighth interval, but one I was looking at earlier states the ninth pass. Strange, I suppose I might find out for sure if I could take a trip there and look at their own records, but to do that I'd need to ask somebody to take us there the first time so we can get an image for betweening. In any case," C'mor rolled the scroll back up and smiled again, "whenever it was founded, it works a bit differently to other Weyrs. While they do have some space in the cliffs, most of their dragons and riders live further inland. They have huts for the riders, sheltered sand wallows for the dragons. During Threadfall, dragons and riders who aren't fighting along with the rest of the Weyr's residents can retreat to the cliffs for shelter. It seems like a... a slightly less ideal arrangement; my best guess is that it was created to ease space problems they were suffering that the time. A Weyr that isn't quite as conveniently arranged as others if better than having those other Weyrs packed full to bursting..."
Even when their problems had been worst, he hadn't longed to go along with Favan. He might be currently skeptical about Helirra, but she was a thousand times better than Favan any day. "I've fantasized about leaving, somehow finding a new Weyr all ready for people to move in," C'mor admitted with a grin, "but when I heard Favan was heading off to run a Weyr... No, I didn't think of going with her. Now that I know it's Igen, I'm very glad I didn't decide to. I couldn't stand their political system, let alone the way they treat female riders. It might be more comfortable there, but I don't see it as a viable option for myself and Naedreth. For now at least, until another opportunity presents itself, we plan to stay here."
Naedreth listened to his rider only for a moment or two before deciding he was talking about dull things and turning back to Isoldeth. "Yes, let's!... Tell me what you like to do with your time. Mine and I are flying a lot at the minute, I don't remember myself but he says we have not been flying together long. I suppose we can't have been, I am young." Would the excitement ever wear off, he wondered? It would always be god to fly with His, he was sure, but one day they would probably accept it as more every day. He probably already would were it not for his lifemate's infectious excitement whenever he donned the riding straps.
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:19 am
Wyona nodded as he went on to describe fellis juice. It was, ironically, one of those herbs that dragons reacted very strongly to and it could not be used on them. Beyond knowing how dangerously addictive it was for humans, Wyona stayed far away from fellis.
Moving her weight around, and taking the paper back from C'mor, Wyona settled into her spot to listen. Her eyes remained trained in his direction even though she paid quite a great deal of attention to her tea.
"I've never been to Southern Weyr," Wyona admitted as C'mor started to re-roll the scroll. The arrangement of huts for the riders was particularly fascinating. There were several advantages to that - as C'mor pointed out, mostly space.
The quiet as she listened to his hopes and dreams was solid. The very young youth had such great aspirations, and they usually made her smile, but this one was dangerous. Most of the Weyr was trained to be ready to go places, to camp out, and minor self defense. Practice was lovely, but it was nothing at all compared to an actual event. She hoped that C'mor didn't trudge out by himself when he acted on his dreams. He had a bronze; she wouldn't put the attempt past him.
"They have a very interesting and different way of doing things, C'mor. Take the time to write the benefits of their system down one day." It was not a system she wanted adapted here, but that did not change its usefulness in an already established location.
Isoldeth had to think about it. The problem with thinking was that she did not have much to pull from. She pestered Wyona heartily across the line for the things they did in their free time. Isoldeth ended up explaining to Naedreth. Giving her wings a trial stretch, she added,
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 12:01 pm
Finding that he would like that, Naedreth gave a rumble of assent and rose to his feet. "Yes. It's nice just to relax sometimes. Mine and I don't just laze around often enough I think. There is a time for action, but a time for dozing in the sun too. You can't spend all of your time busy." He made sure his rider heard that; C'mor needed to stop being so... so... well, busy; he was always busy with something or other.
"I will." C'mor smiled and nodded, running a thumb down the scroll absently before placing it back in the bag with the rest. "I'd like to observe it first had before I do though, in practice it might be very different to what we have written down here... I'd like to visit all of the Weyrs before too long actually, just to see how things are elsewhere in the world. We might learn thing from them, things that work and things that don't... that, and of course I'm just nosy," he added with a lopsided smile. It would be nice to visit all the major holds too if he could, all of Pern's most famous landmarks, all the halls, everything. There was so much world out there, so much knowledge to be absorbed and he had only one life to do it all in. The sooner he started the better.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 11:20 am
Isoldeth was very much in agreement. He was a smart, handsome, young bronze. There needed to be more time for lazing and less time for working!
"The world is a big place," Wyona admitted as she gathered up her papers and stood. "Since I'm not reading at the moment, would you mind if we took a trip up to my weyr? I don't want to damage the paper anymore than I already have." The sun did wonders on any sort of parchment. Bad wonders, that was.
She tucked them carefully into a small leather pouch she'd brought with her and put this over her shoulder. If C'mor intended to stay here, she would not blame him, but she was very interested in hearing more about him and his aspirations.
Isoldeth told Naedreth without the slightest hint of modesty. She waddled away from the lakeside and tested her wings again. Getting off the ground could sometimes be difficult, especially after having eaten, but she started into a lumbering, waddling jog and beat in appropriate rythymn to slowly pull herself off the ground into the state of being airborn.
Being small had its advantages. It was much easier for her to get off the ground than several of her larger colored friends.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 12:57 pm
C'mor smiled and nodded, clambering back to his feet and shouldering his bag once more as he did so. "Not at all, thank you for the invitation." It was nice not to be dismissed out of hand for being young... but he supposed that phenomena would become less and less common quite swiftly. He was an adult bronze rider now, one of no rank admittedly but still somebody a lot of people would think worthy of consideration. He wasn't quite sure he was happy with that; he had done nothing to prove his worth... yet it was nice not to be ignored. He supposed he would have to hurry up and do something to make him deserving of kind, respectful treatment.
"I am quite good," Naedreth responded as he bounded into the air just behind the elder dragon, "not very good yet though. I need practice at it, and of course I will never be agile like greens and blues. I can fly for a very long time though, which is good too but in a different way. Not as... not as impressive as you smaller dragons are." Everybody was good at different things, he was good at quite a lot of different things, but swiftness and swift turns were not among his skills. It would be nice to be able to twist and spin in the air, but in the end he was how he was, and he was more than happy with that. You did not need too much agility to catch a queen after all, what you needed was what he had; power, and the ability to last.
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