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 Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:05 pm
Lanamine, you are so slow! Come now, the beach is waiting! You have been working too hard with the sick, and you are in danger of it yourself.
Isonth, baby, I'm fine. I'm just tired. But they need me. They need me right now. I'll have time for a rest later.
I do not want a rest, Mine. I want you to scrub and oil me, and then I want you to go check on your egg.
Oh, shards, the egg! Lanakirene grimaced and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as she finally stepped onto the nearly-unbearable heat of Ista's sands. The hotter it got, the more like the Hatching Sands Ista's beaches became, and La smiled wryly as she stopped at a rock, setting down her scrubbing brush in order to tug her tunic over her head. As she lay it out, she scrunched her toes and sighed contentedly. Thank Faranth she had callouses from years of going barefoot, or she'd never be able to manage the heat of Ista's summer shoreline.
"I'll go check on the egg in my own time, Isonth. It's not going anywhere," she answered aloud, hefting the brush and starting off down the beach once again. Isonth had already landed with a great splash in the ocean and was paddling about in water probably about chest-height on her rider. La shook her head. Washing a dragon, even a green, was no easy task, and La found herself thanking the fates that she hadn't Impressed a larger colour.
Sometimes not Impressing the Queen is a good thing, Isonth said smugly, and La laughed as she waded into the ocean after her dragon.
"In that case, it's best to never Impress at all," she answered, and didn't manage to throw up her hands before Isonth sent a massive torrent of water at her. Sputtering and gasping, she wielded the brush like a weapon and launched herself at the dragon. If Isonth was going to act like a hatchling, then Lanakirene was going to act like a child!
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:35 pm
Getting a few moments to herself forced Ollen to think about one thing, and one thing only; getting into the water. She loved the sea, loved the feel of the water under the boards of a ship. Plus the heat of Ista was practically unbearable without some cool relief.
Floating face down, opening her eyes now and then despite the salty water to see if what types of fish were in the area. Turning her head for a breath Ollen caught a glimpse of large green flesh. Ooh, a dragon! wriggling in the water she bobbed her head up to see if she knew the rider. It looked like a tall boy was standing in the water near the green. Ollen did not know the either's name and had not seen them yet. There seemed to be so many people in the crowded Weyr.
Shaking the water from her hair Ollen started swimming towards the shallow water to get a better view of the dragon. After meeting F'sey and being searched dragons intrigued her, they had personality and amazing thoughts.
"Hello there! It's hot, isn't it?" She asked. Her eyesight blurry from sand and salt Ollen had not noticed she was talking to a woman and not a man.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:45 pm
By the time Ollen started approaching, girl and dragon were engaged in a fierce battle, each trying their hardest to dunk the other, and neither (surprisingly enough) losing. La had Isonth's headknobs and was trying her hardest to force the dragon's head underwater, even as Isonth was curving around to try and force La down with a blow from her tail. The long-handled brush had floated off and stuck, tilting forlornly, in the shoreline. Though neither were speaking aloud, it was clear by La's little sputters of righteous indignance and Isonth's good-natured rumbling that there was some sort of an argument going on.
Your father must have been a layabout Harper, if you lack this much strength, Lanakirenemine.
Well, your mother must have been an overgrown wherry, the way you're thrashing about like you've no clue what you're doing!
You know perfectly well that my mother was a Queen! She'd eat you if she heard you calling her that, you know.
The sound of someone's voice made both dragon and rider stop for a moment, but Isonth recovered more quickly. With a deft twist of her head and bump from her muzzle, she knocked Lanakirene straight into the water, pressing her to the sand with her muzzle for a moment before lifting her head and crowing a cheerful hallo to Ollen.
Mine, there's a girl here to see you! I think she's one to Stand for clutches. And if she's not yet, she should be.
Standing up and shaking herself off with a half-hearted grumble, La looked up at Ollen, grinned, and waved. "Hot indeed!" she answered. "My apologies for my rudeness, my dragon didn't give me a chance to answer. I'm Lanakirene, this is Isonth, and I think Isonth might have just tried to Search you. Are you a Candidate?" She had never seen the girl before, and she gave her a quick appraisal and a wide smile before walking over. Isonth, snorting, meandered in the direction of the forgotten brush.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 5:52 pm
Ollen's eyes must have been as big as kitchen plates when she saw Isonth dunk her rider. She rubbed her eyes in a moment of, 'am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?' and a crooked smirk spread across her face as she realized yep, this was happening.
"Nice to meet ya," she replied, "I'm Ollen, yes I am a candidate; although Isonth just gave me the reassuring push I need to actually stand on the sands." It wasn't that she didn't trust the first green...it was just very hard to believe that she could impress, all of her preconceived misconceptions about impression were being replaced with legitimate facts, like yes you can get Searched at eighteen. Ollen straightened out her light clothing it wasn't to twisted around her, she couldn't even wait to take them off before jumping in, the only thing she had remembered to remove were her shoes.
"I already flirted with a different pretty green to get Searched," she chuckled and gave Lanakirene a once over, and noticed she'd made a mistake, it was a woman and a dragon.
"Dragons can swim..." it wasn't a statement or a question just words that popped from her mouth, "Does she like the water?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:57 pm
It was a little bit surprising to see a new Candidate, especially since active Searches were discouraged (La had, like the rest of those who rode typical Search colours, sat through a long lecture from the Weyrleaders about overcrowding and Searches and how they didn't get along). But it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and La inclined her head and grinned at Ollen. "Nice to meet you, too, Ollen," she said, "and I'm glad Isonth has been of service to you. Standing's a great thing, honestly. Don't get too nervous about it."
"Oh, flirting? And with whose Green did you flirt? Did her rider mind?" she asked with a wry smile, not looking over at her own dragon until Isonth prodded her in the small of the back with the brush.
You are giving this Candidate a Look, Mine, and you should be scratching my itchy places instead. You can watch wet young women later. Dragons come first.
Her self-satisfied tone elicited a low groan from her rider, but she was undeniably correct. Turning away from Ollen to take the brush from Isonth, La reached up to start scrubbing at an itchy spot on the dragon's shoulder. "Yep, she swims. All dragons do...I think. And most of them like the water. Isonth doesn't like the water itself, more like she likes bothering me and getting bathed, and both those things tend to invovle water." She shrugged.
I don't like bothering you. I like you. It's not my fault you get bothered when I play with you. Isonth twisted her sinuous neck around to plant her nose firmly in La's ear and snort loudly. La squeaked and slapped her neck.
Enough of that! I'm trying to have a conversation with her.
What's the phrase that girl used on you this morning? 'My face is up here'?
La, realizing that she had been giving Ollen a subconscious one-over, blushed slightly and shook her head.
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:18 am
"F'sey's Ialluth, I can't say for sure if her rider minded, he was sort of gruff." He may have been a little...cranky, but he was nice enough and he brought her to this new part of her life, and for that she was thankful.
"Oh, If I'm interrupting bath time, I'll move along, I didn't mean to..." She trailed off and a deep rumble of laughter erupted from inside of her as Isonth blew into La's ear. Trying to catch her breath she nearly doubled over with laughter, "I've seen some hilarious things, but nothing as funny as that!"
Ollen, like a man was a bit dense when it came to women, the 'look' was for the most part lost on her. She gave La another signature crooked smile and continued talking.
"I knew coming to stay in the Weyr would be a change; I was warned it was crowded, but there are so many people! Everywhere I look there are human bodies or dragon," she caught herself, not wanting to seem like a whiner, "Not that I am complaining..just used to being on a ship with the same old smelly men." A disgusted look crossed her face.
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 9:20 pm
"OH, F'sey and Ialluth! I know them. F'sey is Weyrlingmaster." La gave a firm nod and a little smile. "Ialluth is a darling, too," she went on. "And don't worry, you're not intruding on bathing. I'm not even here to wash Isonth. She's just been complaining about being itchy and I wanted to give her a good scrubbing before oiling her."
"Truly, though, no need to head off if you want to talk. It's nice to see new faces." Hmm...Ollen had a nice smile. She wasn't La's type insofar as La bothered to have a type, but if the vibes La was picking up weren't her imagination, she'd certainly be fun to hang out with nonetheless.
Mine, Isonth said plaintively, nudging La gently in the small of the back. If I lay down would you be better able to reach between my wings? I itch horribly. Crooning, Isonth sank onto her haunches and then stretched her forelegs out into shallower water, laying her head down on the warm sand just above the shoreline. Between my wings, just behind the ridge, ah, yes! Her eyes swirled blue as La scratched vigorously with the brush, and she rumbled so loudly that the vibrations in her chest sent little ripples spreading away from her.
La shook her head and laughed. "That's what an incredibly happy, incredibly lazy dragon looks like," she said. "By the way, Ollen, how long have you been at the Weyr?" Clearly not very long, if the girl was still getting used to the overcrowding. And...seemed like she used to work in seacraft. That was interesting. There were a lot of former Seacrafters hanging around, but La hadn't really had a chance to meet any yet.
I'm not lazy, you know, Isonth interjected languidly. I'm just enjoying this.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:06 pm
Ollen did not know what to think of La, she was nice to talk to, and Isonth was very comedic it seemed. She wasn't under the impression that once someone impressed they turned into a snob, but..well she did not think they would have the time for a Candidate.
"I haven't been here long, a few sevendays is all, and I'm still getting accustomed to seeing dragons every day." she wondered how long it would take her to impress and if she would impress at all.Seeing all the dragons and candidates made her fearful, she was just getting used to the idea of one day maybe being a rider. To have someone like Isonth who seemed perfect would be wonderful...but what if she did not have a dragon waiting on the sands for her?
Live life everyday to the fullest, and no worrying for the future, she told herself.
"How long did it take you to impress your incredibly happy, incredibly lazy dragon?" she joked, but it was a question that surfaced in her mind.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:48 pm
"Mm...there is lots to get used to, that's for certain. Particularly the dragons. I was Searched by a very small Blue, and I know that when I first came here, the Browns and Bronzes were huge! Much less the Queens. They're still huge to me. You never fully get used to how big they are." She grinned and clambered up onto Isonth's back to better get at an itchy spot.
"It took me...four turns," she said. "I didn't Stand at one Hatching because I was doing some preliminary study of dragonhealing, but other than that single one, I never missed a Hatching. But I'm not necessarily a good standard to go by. Some newcomers Impressed first thing, and then there are others who've been at the Weyr all their lives and not Impressed yet. It depends, well, on the dragon."
It wasn't that it was luck. Technically, for every Candidate, there was or would be a dragon that was perfect for them somewhere. It was just that the Candidate needed to be where that dragon was upon Hatching, at the right time. Not luck so much as fate. Or at least, that was how La saw it.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:10 pm
Ollen had not seen a Queen up close, but they even looked big from far away. "They're enormous and wonderful and just wow," she didn't care if she sounded silly or naive, she said what she felt and that was that.
"Can you still have that craft now that you're bonded to Isonth?" she was thinking of the sea, certainly she couldn't keep that profession, dragonriding became the craft. Dragonhealing was directly connected to the Weyr, maybe she was able to keep it?
Not all together naturally curious, meeting La was bringing out her want to know about dragons, perhaps it's the more informal, personal experience that Ollen was able to see.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:32 pm
"They really are something." It was true; whether or not you wanted to ride a queen, they were indisputably the most commanding of the dragons, and absolutely stunning. Plus, they clutched. Overall, Queens were definitely pretty awesome.
Ollen's question about crafts was a bit of a tricky one, and La scratched the back of her neck while she considered it. "Technically? No. I had studied a bit as a Healer before I was Searched, and I would have gone to Healer Hall if I hadn't come on as a Candidate. When I came here, I did as much as I could in the Infirmary, and I studied Dragonhealing a bit before I Impressed. But now I'm as far from my craft as anyone can be, really." She shrugged. It wasn't something she could be particularly sad about; after all, she had a dragon. "Weyrlinghood means any possibility of continuing your craft goes kaput. But I'm hoping I can pick up a bit of dragonhealing now, since I have free time again."
Lanamine, you are babbling.
It's been a while since I've had a chance to chat like this. Besides, it's good for her to know.
You are babbling like a wherry.
Thank you, Isonth. So very much.
"Did you have a craft before the Weyr?" she asked, switching the conversation to Ollen so her babbling came off as slightly less...idiotic.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:48 pm
"I can see where dragonhealing would be good to know, at least somethings if you're a rider," she nodded and sat back in the water her clothes were starting to dry uncomfortably. She did not think La sounded idiotic, she thought she sounded sort of passionate, she liked her craft, Ollen liked that in a friend.
"Sea craft, there is nothing I can compare my love of the water to. I was positive I'd walk the tables in a turn or so, but after my uncle became ill I came home to help with anything they might need. They pushed me to find something I love, and I found out I love Ista." Now, she was babbling, but she really could talk all day about her love of the sea and Ista, by the Egg was it magnificent!
"I accepted coming here because my uncle is feeling better, and a few turns of my life to try to impress isn't all that much, and if it happens..the reward..well you know!"
Waving her arms back and forth in the water Ollen looked up at La curiously, she wondered what it was like to listen to a dragon in her mind, or have that strong bond no one could explain.
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Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 6:17 pm
Ollen wrinkled her brow at the greenrider's shudder, she could see why Thread would be constantly on a rider's mind and wondered if they all had that response to the mentioning of Threadfall.
"Fisherwoman," she chuckled, "Being an apprentice it is mainly gutting fish, learning the trade, and manual labor, my father is a fisherman and because of him I did well and was allowed a little more excitement in being able to hall in nets and things some apprentices are not allowed," her tone was full of pride as she boasted.
"Sorry, I could babble forever about being out to sea, it may have only been a few turns, but it feels like a lifetime." It was generally very hard for Ollen to let her guard down, but being in the Weyr was making her think differently. Some people brought out a knee jerk reaction in her to be brash and thick skinned, while others, generally female did not.
"I think we're even then, you have done a lot of work with dragons, and I have done a lot with the ocean," she paused, "If you have any questions about the ocean, feel free to ask me. And...if I have any questions of dragons, may I ask you?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 1:41 pm
"Fisherwoman." La gave a short nod and brief smile. Of course. She hadn't even thought about the gender-specifics of the word when she spoke, and the correction was absolutely fine with her. "And it's perfectly all right. You're not babbling any worse than I was." She gave a quick shrug and wink, clambering down off Isonth's neck again and angling over to scrub at the base of the green's tail.
"I certainly will ask, and feel free to ask me anything. I might not be able to answer all your questions, but I can certainly try." Smiling up at Ollen, she scratched just below Isonth's wing-membrane and then nodded. "I do have a question, but it might make me seem like a child. Did you see many shipfish?" she asked. "I've heard many things about them, but haven't seen any for myself."
Freed of her rider's weight, Isonth lifted her head and twisted slightly so she could fix Ollen with one bright eye. You know, Lanamine, I like this one. She could scratch me. Angling her head so her headknobs were exposed to the young woman, she bumped Ollen very lightly. La shook her head.
"Be good, you!" Turning her attention to Ollen, she made a helpless little gesture with her free hand. "She says she wants the base of her headknobs scratched, if you'd be so kind," she said. "Dragons don't ask very politely.
Even a green dragon shouldn't have to ask for a scratch, Lanamine. Isonth snorted softly and looked plaintively at Ollen.
Isonth, be nice!
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