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 Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:27 am
L'thor tugged a final tangle out of his hair and pulled the chestnut strands into a rough braid. This morning he didn't care too much about appearances; he was washed and shaved and he'd made an effort with his hair so nobody could complain. Leaving his hair loose would have looked prettier than the braid given he couldn't be bothered to make it neat but he didn't want to deal with the aftermath of wind-knotted hair today. Sighing, the rider stretched cautiously; his ribs still twinged a little and he was still stiff but other than that he felt good. Pausing only to place his hairbrush in his pack and trill at Dusk and River to follow him, he turned and walked out of the door. At long last he was leaving the healing hall and heading for home.
It was a bright morning outside, and L'thor paused just outside to enjoy the feel of the sun on his face. A good day for a new start, he felt. Moving somewhat stiffly, the rider set off once more, heading for Veyes' farm. The boy was probably thoroughly ready to be off by now; it had been four sevendays since they'd met. Aware that he was a little late, everything had taken him longer than he'd expected this morning, he urged River to rush on ahead and tell Veyes he was on his way. The small flitt shot off like a happy little shooting star, and Dusk who sat on L'thor's shoulder crooned happily at having escaped the task.
"Good morning L'thorMine," Raith said as he walked along the path. "I have been hunting; I caught a wild wherry. It was quite good but rather small."
Taking the hint, L'thor chuckled and shook his head slightly. "You can have a heardbeast when we get back to the Weyr Raith, a nice fat one." His dragon had been very patient during his recovery but he knew she's missed him fussing over her, missed being around other dragons, missed the bathing lake... "I shall pamper you when we get back. Thorough scrub, oiling all over and give you lots of fuss and attention."
"Good," the dragon said with a rumble, "I look forward to that. I look forward to being back in our weyr too. The barn was alright, but not the same at all."
L'thor smiled and nodded. He knew the feeling. Everyone had been wonderfully kind and considerate, he had never lacked for anything... Save his own weyr, his home, his private space. It was going to be a total mess when he arrived, he was sure; V'kain had been living in it unsupervised for four sevendays. His friend never could get hang of tidiness, in the same way that queen dragons could never get the hang of being small. Ah well, the work would do him good; he'd still be off duty for a sevenday or two so he needed some way to start getting back into shape. Putting his weyr to rights along with fussing over Raith ought to be just the thing.
"Exactly, I am doing you a favor by telling you to pamper me," Raith told him. "I will be with you fairly soon," she added, "I'm just cleaning the blood off myself, it shouldn't take me very long."
Nodding again, L'thor walked on towards the farm; it was well within sight now, which was good because he was beginning to feel a little tired. He really needed to get back in shape.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:41 am
Veyes yawned deeply as he lay in his small bed not far from his brother. The days had been going by so fast that he couldn't really remember how long it has been since that fateful day he had left the Hold and was found by L'thor, and his father was killed. But in that time, he had begun to learn bits and pieces of his possible future.
And so as he laid there his mind drifted back pondered over events that had happened in the not too distant past...
++++ (flash back)++++
Since L'thor's had been laid up in bed, Veyes had taken on double duty but he wouldn't complain about it as he made it through his long days. He started early in the morning and did all his farm chores with the help of Hally and then did what his father had normally done for them taking care to make sure Hally started to understand these things as well. Fortunately, over the course of a few days, the Master Herder came with his older brother, Tavin to evaluate the herd and figure out how to make sure that nothing would go awry now that Havel was gone. Fortunately, his elder brother was quite capable and with the help of Tavla, they would soon have the farm adjusted in about a month.
The second part of Veyes' days involved one big, vain green dragon - Raith. He had never realized that there was so much work involved with taking care of a dragon. She was just ONE dragon but there was just so much of her. He had thought this might be like cleaning a herd beast but this was only in his imagination. No, she was a demanding sort that knew every inch of her lovely green body and soon she had the boy scrubbing ridges that he never knew she had. Maybe this was a slight bit of punishment for the lad because after all he had sort of started this bad week for her Mine.
Even so, Veyes didn't complain but his imagination spurred on his creativity many times in order to make the bathing process more efficient. Soon he had built a few sponges with hand straps created out of cast-off pillows and rope. They were bigger and more effective than his hand-size alone, however, they wouldn't work on the tedious little inner ridges that she seemed to want meticulously attended to. So amidst the bubbles and sweat, he scrubbed across her preening stretched form hatching his next idea and soon dragged in a heavy scrubbing broom. Dipping its mass into a large water trough filled with soap, he soaked it well then raised it up over his head and soon was scrubbing that along her belly causing a rolling grumble that might have been a dragonesque giggle. Eventually, the dragon would be sparkling at least in his own mind. She, on the other hand, was very amused and continued to poke at the boy mischievously making sure that NOTHING was missed.
By the time she was done with him, he probably he'd probably welcome a hatchling that was many times less her size. And Veyes could only hope that if he did impress, his dragon might be more forgiving!! By the end of the bathing, the boy felt the slow burn of tightening muscles and a soreness over his calloused fingers. He began to believe that his hard life on the farm might have been a good thing because he couldn't imagine being some soft little lording trying to do this same task.
So as he huffed a little while pouring out the water, he prepared for the next task that L'thor had painstakingly described - the oiling. Not only did dragons need washing but they needed oiling to keep their bodies in perfect shape for flying and their skins from cracking. If it wasn’t' done right the dragon would be hurting and boy he knew with Raith, he'd never hear the end of it if that happened. He was thankful that the Hold actually stocked a bit of this just for this possibility.
Ok...so the boy stood there with his big soft rag in hand and Dragon Oil that he got from the hold in the pail at his side staring at the big green. He knee slightly bent looking like a man on a mission. Stage Two...he thought to himself as he prayed to the shards above that this would be easier. "Ok, Raith, time for your oiling." He glanced up at her face with the firm determination that the dragon would look like polished glass by the time he was done. And she gazed back at him with a curious dragon-like grin smeared across her green lips. Oh she knew how to ruffle the boy's feathers and she had developed a distinct enjoyment of the fact and maybe IF he was worthy of impressing something that little hatchling would benefit from it.
So Veyes leaned into his second task and started polishing up the dragon. Too many times he got to hear...Too much Oil! Too little Oil! How could she possibly know!! But he wouldn't surrender! And as she stretched out lazily across the stone floor of the barn she had taken over, he smoothed oil into her for several hours until finally he finished at the tip of her massive tail. With a tiny flick of that tail which sent the extra bits of oil spattering along Veyes' skin, she inspected herself and was finally satisfied. "Good boy. It will do." was all she said to him and then curled up to take a nap.
Veyes put away the cleaning tools then sighed quietly and dragged himself out of the barn, closing it silently. He stretched his arms slowly as he walked away yawning, "Thank goodness." he finally said to himself. "I wonder if L'thor goes through this every time? Shards! She's picky! I need a bath!"
++++ (flash back ends)++++
As Veyes finally dug himself out of the warmth of the bed and settled into the small tub wooden tub filled with hot water for a morning soaking, when suddenly he heard the chatter of a small flit above him. His eyes widened as he knew right away what this meant and soon he was scrubbing himself so fast trying to prepare quickly for L'thor's arrival!
He leaped out of the tub, he long dark chestnut hair in wavy wet tangles down his back. "Mom!! L'thor is coming. I think I am leaving today!" he called out as he ran around hopping into his underwear and pants then grabbing up a clean shirt for a change. He peered into the small tin mirror and used the soap paste on his teeth trying to make sure that he looked like he was ready for some great ritual.
Sure, his look wasn't as fancy as some; he didn't have those kind of marks but he looked good for a change and this time, he'd prepare for the flight. No thin clothes, he'd have a jacket and if he became a rider he would get leathers...no matter what! He braided his hair tightly after realizing that the wind up above was ruthless on long hair then pinned it against his head in one deft loop, he had no plans of cutting it short so he'd figure out unique ways to keep it.
He looked around for the big duffle sack he had packed days before. Everything he thought he might need, and a few personal things. Dragging that out of the bedroom; he met Hally, Tavin and Tavla in the kitchen at their small breakfast table. They all smiled at him and the morning chatter of breakfast that they rarely had shared began. This was a good feeling and much better than the previous quiet that had engulfed the family when Havel had been alive. So much had changed in just a short time.
The smells of a hearty breakfast poured out of the farm reaching L'thor's nose as he approached. And soon Veyes opened the door the moment L'thor was in sight. "Come on L'thor! Have breakfast with us. Your flit's going to eat your portion if you're not careful!" That last line caused a pronounced bit of laughter at the table as his mother had started feeding the flit scraps.
Veyes appearance was quite a bit different from the boy that L'thor had first met; much more vibrant and the clean up actually revealed how attractive he actually was rather than the dirty mongrel that he had looked like upon first meeting. With more visual confidence and better care, he'd be quite a heartbreaker - well built with a handsome face.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:06 am
L'thor chuckled; he had wondered why River hadn't returned. Dusk, indignant at not knowing food was going to be on offer, sprung off his shoulder and zoomed in through the open door to join in the begging. "Thank you," L'thor called as he drew closer. "I could do with something to eat." He hadn't really been interested in food at all until a few days ago, and now he was making up for lost time and weight. He'd already had a small breakfast at the healer hall but he wasn't going to turn down a second, no doubt much tastier one.
Veyes did scrub up well, he considered as arrived on the threshold. Just went to show how much living in fear an misery could drag someone down. He was glad Raith had spotted the scruffy runaway down below them, and chuckled at himself a little for his initial attitude towards the well-formed youth. He really had been horrible, but he didn't feel especially bad about it. He'd been having a bad day, he felt being short tempered had been excused under the circumstances.
"Good morning everyone," L'thor said with a smile to the assembled family as he stepped inside, "I hear two tiny terrors are eating my breakfast." Dusk and River completely ignored him, preferring to continue with their begging for meat. Both of them had long ago worked out that doing little aerial tricks often persuaded people to hand something over, and even Dusk was being quite acrobatic in his search for tasty treats.
The house seemed such a happy place to L'thor. He couldn't imagine how it must have been when Havel had been master of the house. Not half as noisy for a start, he reckoned. This was, he realized, the first time he'd actually seen the family together. Over the last week he'd come down to the farm twice, but that had been during the day when everybody had been out and about. At least he knew all their names now, even if he hadn't actually spoken to Tavin before.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:26 am
Upon the table was strips of mouth-watering, seasoned meat, sausages, scrambled eggs that were touched with heavy cream, thick slices of bread with a nice layer of fresh made butter, as well as a smaller jar of jam. Most of the food obviously prepared from the farm itself except for the jam which probably was the "luxury" that was actually purchased from the market.
"Good Morning!" said Hally with a mouth full of jammed bread. "OH! River and Dusk are sooo cute! I wish they could stay!!" He pushed a small bit of fresh sausage over to the new arrival and giggled as the creature took the chunk away in its mouth.
"Here, L'thor...you're looking thin. Eat up." coaxed Tavla as she put a plate in front of him packed with everything from the table. She also set a large cup of fresh cool milk at the side of the plate.
"You should have roomed here." said Tavin with a chuckle. "Mother, would have fattened you up right away. Those healers just don't understand the value of a real meal." Tavin looked a whole lot like Havel but with a much milder temperament. He took a bite of some toast and glanced over at L'thor again. "So, you plan on taking my brother to Ista today?"
Veyes grinned a little as he gobbled down his breakfast. "Don't eat so fast, Veyes!" scolded his mother with a wave of her finger.
"Oh Mother, I can't help it. Are we really leaving today, L'thor?" said Veyes with a vivid smile as he slowed his boyish eagerness down to a more reasonable pace.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:47 am
L'thor smiled and nodded his thanks, sinking gratefully into the free chair and taking some of everything. He was glad of a chance to sit down before they had to be off again, glad too of the chance to take on more energy; he didn't want to show up at the Weyr looking worn out and woozy. "Yes, they seemed intent on giving me the most boring food they could possibly find," he said with a shake of his head. "Then they had the nerve to tell me it would do me good." Probably true, but that hadn't made the food any less tiresome and he felt it made a reasonably good jest.
"Yes," he went on once he'd had a drink of milk to refresh himself from his oh-so arduous walk, "we'll be off today if you're ready Veyes." The boy looked it; eager and energetic and possibly ecstatic that he would soon be soaring towards Ista. Frankly L'thor couldn't wait either. He'd missed his friends, his weyr, all that bust most of all he'd missed flying. Four sevendays stuck on the ground; he had been driving him to distraction!
"The food is excellent," he complimented once he'd had some, "I'm afraid you won't often get anything this good at the Weyr Veyes. Perhaps you and I, with Dusk and River of course, shall have to sneak back here every so often to get away from the mass produced dinners."
The fact that the Weyr didn't exactly get the pick of hearbeasts and produce of course didn't help very much either. The Holds and Halls would appreciate them more come Threadfall, but right now almost everything they got in tithes was somewhat second rate. In any case, even if it wasn't he suspected Veyes would relish an excuse to come back and see his family. Plus, of course, Hally would like seeing Dusk and River every so often. As children went he was a very well behaved lad, positively bearable, and L'thor saw no reason not to indulge the boy's love of flitts. Besides, Dusk and River seemed to rather like him too.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:28 am
Veyes' eyes lit up at the words. "I sure am ready! How long will our flight be??" His words were filled with everything L'thor expected - ecstatic, excited and exuberant. He was more than ready to reach for the golden ring and see this new world that L'thor thought of as his own daily life. He had thought about this moment every day for the past few sevendays always wondering exactly what to expect, however, he hadn't been able to ask L'thor as many questions as he had hoped just because between the chores and Raith's needs he had been totally tapped.
However, he did feel like if he ever had to WASH and OIL a dragon again, he might be well prepared for that arduous task. Raith was the most picky taskmaster he had ever met and his body agreed ever time she poked him with her toe or head butt him along to where she wanted the brush. Of course, he knew there were probably many little nuances he would have to learn but he had the basics down for now and that was the important part.
"Well Veyes' I will pack you some muffins to take with you so you won't miss home too much in your first few days." said Tavla with a smile to soft face. It was pretty obvious she had already accepted where her son was going and rather than feel like she was losing her boy, she felt proud of what he was setting off to do. "Oh..and I will make you a bag as well L'thor. You'll never gain weight back if you don't eat." She put the full sack she had made for L'thor in front of him to be sure he didn't forget it.
Tavla got up from her seat and started packing another bag filling it with nut filled muffins. "Now boys, if you do get hungry up there at the Weyr, I surely won't tell if you do "sneak" over for a visit. Oh and I'll make sure to fatten up a herd beast for the big girl outside in the mean time."
Veyes finished up his breakfast and helped his mother clean up the table while Tavin patted him on the back and smiled lightly, "I'm heading out to the barn now to get started for the day; You have a safe trip, Veyes. Alright?" Veyes turned and hugged his brother for a moment and then let go...It was rather strange to show these feelings of affection towards each other after all the years of quiet meals, distant conversations when Havel was in the house. But it felt good for a change and maybe when he returned to visit next; it would be on a dragon....
"You take care, Tavin." returned Veyes with a gentle smile upon his lips. Then, Hally of course had to get up quickly to give him a BIG HUG! But that didn't last long because the child was too enamored with the flits but he did give L'thor a smaller hug before returning to see the little guys scrounging over the last few bits of scraps.
Tavla was the last to give Veyes a hug and she didn't say a word but gave him a kiss on the cheeks gazing deeply in his stormy-blue eyes. That unspoken conversation that only she and he shared. Always follow your dreams....always.
He released her slowly grabbing up his duffle and the sack of goodies then said after a deep breath, "Ok...L'thor. I'm ready to go, if you are." His heart pounded as he spoke the words; not knowing what to expect next.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:57 am
L'thor took the package with a grateful smile. "Thank you, believe me I look forward to not being a skinny rake anymore." Slim yes, thin no. He was pointy enough to look at as it was without being underweight. Not that he disliked looking pointy of course; he had always been proud of his looks. well, when he was healthy anyway. "As for the flight... well, it depends how much of the distance we fly as opposed to cutting out by going between. Could be anything from a few moments to a few candle-marks really."
Ah, now that was something he hadn't missed. He doubted there was anyone alive that liked the experience of between. It didn't disconcert him anymore, he was used to it, but that didn't mean he enjoyed the absolute chill and absence of feeling, sound or air.
"I am happy to do whatever you and the boy prefer,", Raith told him, "I am in no urgent rush to get back... And I am grateful for the offer of a herdbeast. The ones here are very nice."
L'thor nodded to her before turning back to the family at large. "Raith says thank you for the herdbeast offer, and that she doesn't mind flying all the way or going between. I don't mind too much either, so I suppose it's up to you Veyes." All he cared about was getting to ride Raith again, even for a very short trip. He'd visited her every day for the last two sevendays, but not for as long as he would have liked, and he had been forbidden to try to mount her. Being ill was such a pain.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:59 am
Veyes considered his options, "Mmm...Ok. Either will do. I want to learn all I can about flying and....umm...between. I don't mind which way we travel whatever gives me the best lesson for today." Veyes figured he better use as many opportunities he could obtain get towards the dream that had been offered to him by chance. Determined to take in everything he could learn, even if it involved bathing and oiling Raith again to get it.
As he walked outside with L'thor, he glanced back once to wave at his mother and brothers before turning toward L'thor asking...."So what is Weyr life like? How is it different from the Hold? I mean I have heard just little things from people that Weyr life is very different from anything that a Hold could offer. However, sometimes it is hard to say if what you hear are rumors or something of substance."
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 12:56 pm
L'thor grinned at Veyes and shrugged. "I couldn't tell you how it's different from Holds to be honest; I'm a Trader's boy... I can tell you some basics about it all the same though." At that point L'thor fell silent and walked on towards the barn Raith had been using. Where to start? "Well. As a Candidate, you'll be staying in a dormitory. You get a bed, and a chest for your things and that's all. You spend your days doing chores and having lessons with the Candidate master. Not much free time to be had, but you sleep well from being so busy. It's a rough regime on people not used to being active all day, but you'll do fine with it I'm sure."
What else was there? So much had been new to him when he'd first arrived, but that was more than ten turns ago now, and a lot of it probably wouldn't be relevant to Veyes. The strangest thing had been waking in the same place every single day and hardly having to walk anywhere at all.
"Oh yes, meals." There was something dear to any young male's heart. "Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all run for long periods down in the dining hall. The food's passable, and there's geneally as much of it as you want to have. Hot klah is always available from there too, as well as pitchers of juice though they keep an eye on people who take too much of that as its more expensive. You can generally grab a snack at any time too, leftovers from whatever the most recent meal was." Ha. The number of times he'd been woken over the last turn by V'kain sneaking out of their weyr to grab himself a 'small snack' that was about as much as most took for their dinner. Still, the man did have a lot of muscle to keep up he supposed.
"The person in charge is the senior weyrwoman, that is the rider of the senior queen. She and the headwoman run day to day life, more so the headwoman with ordinary things. The weyrleader doesn't effect you too much unless you're a rider as he organizes the wings, chooses their leaders and such. He's the man whose bronze most recently caught the senior queen in a mating flight, so the position can change around quite a lot especially during and leading up to a pass as the queens rise more often." What had he gone through so far? Where you slept, where you ate, who was boss. Those were the most basic things he supposed, and nothing else immediately sprung to mind.
"I'm just coming to you now," Raith said into his mind, and L'thor turned to see her approaching from the direction of the river. She looked beautiful in the morning light, but then she always looked beautiful.
"You've taken good care of her," it occurred to the rider to say as his mount drew nearer, "Thank you..." He couldn't really express his gratitude any better than that. The worst part of being trapped by his injuries had been being unable to do right by his dragon. Raith told him that, despite some rather strange business with a broom, Veyes had been meticulous in cleaning and oiling her hide. He could have done a brisk job of it, just a short scrub and oil the rough bits, and that would have been enough but he'd really made an effort. He'd have to think of some way to thank the young man better than he had managed thus far eventually.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:47 pm
Veyes laughed a little, "Oh...I see. So you never got stuck around the Hold all the time. I bet it was quite an adventure traveling as a kid." Then he paused and took in every word L'thor had said. Any tidbit of information about his future had to absorbed and not forgotten. He wasn't sure how he'd manage once he was there but this was a start.
"Sound like that's is no different from the farm. Lot's of work and little time for yourself. I don't think I'll have any problem with the work and I practice really hard when it comes to lessons. Mmm...I just don't know how I'm going to do around all those people. You don't get many visitors at the farm." He frowned slightly in silence considering the thought. His social life had been virtually nil on the farm unless you considered the animals and his family. But other than that, he didn't often have contact with other people his own age. "So you said I would be in a dorm? With a lot of people my own age or what?"
He brightened at the idea of food, "At least, I won't be the one cooking it. My mother taught me a lot of women's work because she didn't have any girls. So I can do, but well I can't promise it's as good as her cooking either. Sounds like I won't starve after the hard day's work and get three meals too. Sometimes you don't get 3 at the farm so you eat big twice."
"Senior Weyrwoman...What is her name? Sounds like I won't be involved with any of those people unless I happen to impress a dragon. Just be respectful and do the work it sounds like. I think I can manage that. So...um how often do those positions change? Ummm...does the senior queen...um...mate that often?" He felt a little awkward about asking that question because mating...we'll he had no idea about what that even looked like for...dragons... but leadership in any community was important to know and changes could mean a lot.
He smiled when L'thor said "Thank you." although Veyes felt he should be thanking him more for all he had done for him. "Oh...you're welcome. I learned a lot in doing it. Raith was a...um...very particular girl so I hope the learning will help me if I get lucky to have my own friend one day."
"So..umm....can I ask you...well...I was wondering what it was like to have someone like Raith with you? How is it different from what you had before? I mean...Riders just seem sometimes...different all together from the Holders. I haven't met many but people talk a lot." He tried to pose he question carefully because it was more personal than the others.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:28 pm
L'thor nodded, turning back to Veyes as Raith alighted in an empty field close by. "Closeish to your age. There's one for all male Candidates, and one for all females so technically you'll be around boys between about thirteen and twenty turns. Lads of the same age tend to bunch together though, or at least we did when I was a Candidate so it feels more or less as if you're with people your own age." Haha. Next he'd be saying 'back in my day' or something. He wasn't all that used to playing the wise elder imparting knowledge type but he had to say he quite enjoyed it thus far. L'thor made to swing himself over the fence, but ended up dropping back onto his feet as he realized he was currently neither quite strong enough or supple enough to make it over in flashy style. He clambered over instead and set off towards his dragon trying not to feel to embarrassed.
"The senior weyrwoman at the moment is Helirra," L'thor went on, "I'll point her out if we spot her around, but thanks to shoulder knots you don't have to know faces in order to show a respectful attitude to those who think it's their due. Mating flights differ for the different colours. Greens rise a few times a year no matter what, but they're infertile so nothing permanent comes of that... Well, not so far as dragons go anyway." Would Veyes know about what happened to humans during mating flights, he wondered? Well, he could go into that later if needed; it was dragons Veyes wanted to know about right now. "Leading up and and during a pass," he continued as they drew near to Raith, "mature queens will rise about once a turn. During an interval, it can be as little as once every five turns. Clutches tend to be smaller during an interval as well, but that depends on the lenght of the mating flight as well. Longer flights mean more eggs..."
Now for the more complex question. L'thor came to a halt beside his dragon, and she lowered her head for him to caress her eye-ridges. "To be a rider is..." He looked into her whirling blue eyes and tried to think. "When... when Raith found me on the Sands I felt... Whole. I had found a part of myself that I had been missing without knowing it. Now she is always with me, within my mind. I am never alone, never unloved. She completes me, and complements me."
Smiling wryly, L'thor turned his sharp grey eyes back onto Veyes. "You may have noticed when we first met that I have a quick temper, a quick tongue and can be really quite intolerant. Raith is calmer, steadier, she makes me stop and think sometimes... This is why riders do not marry. We already have the most powerful bond possible in our lives, it would be unfair to a partner to expect them to live in the shadow of our greatest love. It's also why riders most often take other riders as weyrmates; we understand that the dragon always comes first. We're linked mind, heart and soul... I can't really explain much better than that I fear. We just... are. Lock and key, fitting perfectly together; not the same thing, just two things that come together to make... to make a whole."
Raith rumbled deep his her chest as her rider finished speaking and lent her head against his chest, her eyes the shade of deep water, and calm as a mighty lake on a still day. "We are ourselves," she said, addressing both L'thor and Veyes. "We are perfect."
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:32 pm
Veyes felt rather awkward about being around so many other people his own age. Who knew what sort of individuals he might encounter and well there was always that "pecking order" that tended to happen when you were grouped with a bunch of other kids. He remember the lessons with the Harpers when he learned his basics and sometimes the rich ones would make fun of people like him; the poorer working class folk. It didn't sound promising; he'd rather deal with a dragon all day than that.
So he didn't ask more about the other Candidates and took in the rest of the information while swinging himself over the fence with the easy of any farmboy his age. It was just an everyday hop for him and when L'thor had a difficult time he just glanced away. It wouldn't take too long for the man to get his strength back. "So shoulder knots tell rank. Ok...so I just have to learn what those look like and remember to call bronze riders "Sir"." He grinned at L'thor finally able to tease him back about the subject remembering that one day he might tease L'thor further about "dung-face" only after getting Raith's approval of course.
"Helirra...Ok. I will remember that. It's good to know people's names...umm..but what is her dragon's name?" His brow furrowed for a moment listening to the amount of mating involved and the most curious question got stuck upon his tongue. It took him a moment to consider his thoughts because well it seemed sort awkward but if Riders did have this connection that L'thor was talking about; the odds were there had to be....something more. But maybe it wasn't that important because L'thor didn't go into it. It was easy to see the wheels turning in his head even if he hadn't voiced the question directly.
"That seems like a reasonable amount of eggs I guess. Umm...so you must feel lucky not to have to worry about Raith laying eggs. I mean it might make you feel like a parent if you had that many eggs to worry about." It was finally he attached part of his curiousity to a question, "So what do you do when Raith...well...decides its her time to mate? Does she let you know? Umm..I mean you are...well bonded. How does that...mmm...work?"
He stumbled completely over the sensitive questions because really he hadn't even figure out his own interests in life. He worked too hard on the farm to be motivated by more than eat and sleep after a long day. The prospect had never crossed his mind, however, dragons seemed to work like herdbeasts in the sense that they bred at certain times to try to produce young. At least, he could understand the dragon's point of view for mating even if he didn't quite get his own or if it was even an applicable part of his life.
He stood quiet as L'thor explained the connection. Now he wondered what that feeling actually felt like in the sense of being whole. Strangely, he had never thought about how he could be just half of anything always having to rely on himself for many years just to keep his hopes alive. He'd become pretty independent and most of the time, even when he was truly lonely, he find ways to make due. But to hear how much a person could change once found by a dragon, seemed to be something that could only truly be expressed by experiencing it for yourself.
"Oh...I noticed your temper right away and discovered I had one of my own in the meeting. You sure do know how to get a person going." He could actually laugh about that now even though at the time it was VERY annoying. He hoped he wouldn't meet that side of L'thor again any time soon.
"Mmm...I've never thought much about marriage except when my father told me I'd have to have a bride once I took over the farm. The idea of it didn't thrill me then....and well, I really haven't had much free time. So do you have a werymate at home waiting for you?" He asked quizzically with a smile at his lips. He figured that L'thor was an attractive man once you got past the tongue and temper surely he would have someone.
The thought of having a dragon in your heart all the time didn't seem as daunting as the relationships between humans. He had to really think about it when it came to what he wanted...a man...or a woman. Somehow nothing ever seemed to make sense there either way.
"Perfect? Oh I don't know..." he grinned up at her teasingly. "I'm sure he's a handful at times, just like You!" His mind coming up with the image of his hours of oiling her down along every ridge.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:04 pm
L'thor rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes you'll learn the knots fast, but don't bother too much for the unranked bronzes; they've no more claim to respect than any other rider, so treat them with as much or as little deference as you would other wingriders. Or less if you like," he said with a mischievous grin. He really shouldn't try to influence Veyes against bronze riders, some of them were almost like real people after all! Raith rumbled, making L'thor laugh and shake his head. "She would like to interject that she was worth every moment of attention you gave her. She is after all the most beautiful dragon on Pern."
He didn't want to answer the question about weyrmates right now, had to think of what to say, but luckily there were other things to talk about first. He wasn't feeling miserable about the matter as he had been when he'd met Veyes, but he wasn't sure how to talk about it without making the lad awkward. Perhaps he should just say that he was single and leave it at that.
"I can tell when Raith is going to rise the same way I can tell things about myself, like being hungry or tired," he said with a nod. "Other dragons can sense it around the day before, and when she's just getting ready to fly everyone feels it... That's the things with mating flights," he grinned, "because of the telepathic nature of dragons they... broadcast their feelings at such times, if you follow me. The rider of the female dragon rising, and the male who catches her, invariably end up in bed together unless prior arrangements are made to keep the rider of the female with someone else. The riders of males who lose tend to go and find someone to take then, ah, frustration out on, and people in general tend to discreetly vanish off to weyrs together."
He remembered Raith's first flight, it hadn't been the most fun ever. The brown that had caught her had been rather... enthusiastic. Raith had ended up with nasty scratches on her shoulders and the brown's rider had been no more careful with him. Still, they'd both healed quickly, and the rider had been most apologetic.
"As to a weyrmate..." Well, perhaps this was a good time for a harder lesson about Weyr life. "I had one, but he died. A young brown rider collided with him and his green during a drill. The dragons and brown rider died right away but... it took D'los a couple of days. Accidents are fairly common; with the speeds you're going at and hopping between some incidents are inevitable, especially with less experienced riders. Still," L'thor gave a faint smile and shrugged, "it's been just over a turn now, so I'm alright again."
Ah, he did miss D'los. Silly, quiet, shy, sweet, indecisive, messy, snoring, gentle, cold-footed D'los. He'd never forget the man, but he didn't intend to spend his life hung up on him either.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:48 pm
Veyes smirked just a little, "I'll have to remember that for future reference." He had a feeling the bronze riders might not find it amusing but he'd be sure to pick and choose the right folks after he learned the ways of Weyrlife.
"Well of course she is the most beautiful to me...that is..well until I get lucky enough to have my own. Then, I am sure I am going to have a whole different idea. But I hope you don't mind, Raith...until then, you're my number one." He grinned up at her and then winked at L'thor knowing he was just stroking her already big ego.
Since certain conversations were passed over, he was smart enough to know that any question avoided was one not to be asked again so he didn't even go back to the question about the weyrmate and let it lie.
However, the thought about other dragons and everyone else in the Weyr knowing when your dragon was..."ready" seemed very awkward indeed. He blinked and fidgeted with a finger bit between his teeth as he realized that dragons mating might be a very big issue if he had one of his own. "Oh...so you could end up with Anybody? Oh my....umm...ah...well... he sort of paled at the inevitable prospect starting to feel way out of his league especially when he hadn't even got over the first hurdle of his own "needs"; it'd would be really weird to let the dragon decide that for you!
Maybe he'd have to spend some time in the near future figuring that out but hopefully it would be a few seasons before he'd have to worry about those sorts of things. At least, it seemed like there were options out there so you might not end up with a person you absolutely abhorred.
L'thor had opened his eyes to a few things today and at this point he couldn't deny that there was much more to dragon and rider than just flying and fighting thread in the sky. Now he did feel a little stupid...well maybe just ignorant but either way, he'd have to make sure that he didn't make the same mistake in the future. No wonder he seemed crazy when L'thor first met him! He really had been!...ugh.
But when he heard about L'thor's weyrmate, the bewildering thoughts about mating and those complexities slipped away as he looked up at the man and spoke with gentle sensitivity, "My condolences...I've never lost a special person in my life...only animals. I'm glad to hear your doing well though because I can only imagine how hard that might be."
In the back of his mind, he quietly filed the knowledge about flight and the dangers that came with it. Never once in his imagination had he collided two dragons. He had always thought they just avoided each other with ease. But he was....very wrong about that. Every passing minute with L'thor told him how little he did know...and how much he had to learn.
With that thought, he knew from what his mother taught him it was probably best to find a more positive thing to speak of and sooner rather than later or the mood would suffer. "So, maybe we should start that journey. I know that standing out here all day is going to make my mother keep craning her neck out the window waiting for us to fly over the farm." He put on a most vivid smile to cover up any other thoughts that plagued the back of his head. So much to learn...so many things that he had never thought of before....so many things to untangle.
He peered up at Raith who was gleaming in the sunlight; while a small twinkle lit in his own eyes, "So where do I sit this time?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:41 am
L'thor smiled softly and shook his head. "Ah, well, thank you. It could have been worse; Raith made it a lot easier than I imagine it would otherwise have been. Anyway," he swung his pack off his shoulder and opened it to pull out Raith's riding straps, "as you say, time to get going." The sleek green stepped nimbly into them before crouching down to let L'thor buckle them.
"I wouldn't worry about mating flights yet if I were you," he went on as he tugged at the straps to check their strength, "your dragon won't be ready to rise, or chase, for a couple of turns after it hatches. They tend to wait until their rider is ready as well because... well, as I said, you're very closely linked. Also means that you tend not to end up with anyone you truly abhor. In the end, a male dragon probably won't chase the dragon of someone you hate, or won't put a lot of heart into it. If you end up with a green, likewise she'll not let herself be caught. Usually means you end up with someone you like, feel neutral about or don't actually know that well. Of course," he chuckled, "sometimes dragons do have crushes of their own. My best friend's dragon adores Raith, and he gets her maybe one time in three. V'kain's got used to it over the turns, poor straight man."
Satisfied that the straps were in good condition, L'thor secured first his pack and then Veyes' in place. This done, he stepped onto Raith's arm as she extended it for him and heaved himself astride her with a grimace. Ow. He hoped that rib stopped twinging soon; it was shading annoying. "Right," L'thor said once he'd secured himself, "you can either sit in front of me or behind me, whichever you prefer." So saying, he extended a hand down to Veyes for the youth to pull himself up by. He just hoped he didn't drop him; that would be thoroughly humiliating. Apparently picking up that they were about to get left behind, Dusk and River appeared in the air licking their chops appreciatively. It would be nice to come back here soon!
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