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 Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:45 pm
For what felt like the thousandth time, her brown eyes flickered to and fro across the paper she'd been given, scouring its contents until her lips had grown pale and thin with displeasure. Surprisingly enough, it had not been the Bronze Sigranth that would lead this new Wing! No, the brownrider R'than and his Garith... More men. She knew better than to let her disgust rise, but her thoughts were still seething over D'tai and that Favan. That girl had been nothing more than trouble since she'd first Impressed her brute of a Queen, but she was not entirely to blame. No, she did not trust her Weyrman's attentions to stay focused on her alone, and the contempt that poured from her was enough to rouse Vasanth.
You are troubled. The great golden beast did not lift her head, but observed her rider with a lofty tone that implied she knew she was right. Do not be.
A smile rare to any but her Queen slowly pulled at her tired lips, and Helirra slowly crossed her weyr to caress at the wedge-shaped head. "That is easier said than done, my Queen. These men..." Disgust filled her again, and her hands fell away, threatening to crumple the orders they held. How swollen her knuckles had become with arthritis... Almost absently, one hand swept over her face, feeling the wrinkles that were already setting in despite her so-called youth. Amazing what stress could do to one's visage, and she shook her head almost ruefully.
"They think they can dominate almost everything within this Weyr when we are the ones that grant them their power--does that not irk you?" She murmured aloud, not truly expecting an answer from the drowsing dragon.
They do not dominate me. Vasanth replied smoothly, a snort exhaling sharply from her to show what she thought of that particular statement. Assert yourself. Simple words, but did she need to say anything more?
Helirra was listening thoughtfully now, her eyes caught on the Wingsecond even as mulled over the insight her beloved had offered her. A greenrider... Well, these orders had been given to her for her approval. If the ink grew smudged, who was to blame her if the roles of Wingleader and Wingsecond were... reversed? A cunning smile now settled on her face, satisfied with this wicked, if overall insubstantial plan. It would do little but soothe her own irritation--and yet, who was to say having another woman in a place of power would not come in handy? But Helirra was no fool. This Lyveana; she would need to be evaluated and assessed before she was put in control of anything. No fool would be appointed on her watch!
"Vasanth, please call for Ruinnth and her rider." She said, quiet, but in a tone that suggested she would be obeyed.
As you wish. The Queen sounded a bit smug, pleased with this idea even as she extended her reach to touch at the green's mind. Ruinnth. Your Weyrwoman wishes to speak with you and Yours. Come. She, too, wouldn't take anything less than immediate obedience!
The Weyrwoman in question slowly took a seat, fingers wandering through her greying locks as she waited. This could prove interesting... and put that D'tai back in his place when he least expected it.
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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:50 am
We are coming.
The smoothly respectful tone of the green was the only warning the green's rider had that something was happening. Hip deep in oiling rags, Lyveana peered around Ruinnth's shoulder, awaiting a clarification on where they were apparently going. Ruinnth did not usually use such a tone when conversing with other dragons, which meant this was probably one of the gold dragons or a male she'd taken a shine too.
I do not take 'shines' to males, Vasanth has called, the Weyrwoman requests your presence. Ruinnth replied primly, rustling her wings. At eight turns, the dark green really hadn't spent a great deal of time pondering the merits of the male dragons who chased her, but that didn't keep Lyveana from teasing her about the few times she had.
Though, why would Weyrwoman Helirra want to talk with them?
Only one way to find out, I will meet you on the ledge. Ruinnth replied again to her rider's unspoken question, rising to her feet once Lyveana had stepped away. The green was obviously quite serious, but Lyv still couldn't fathom what the unusual summons could be for. She tried to ride as by the book and by the book could be, and Ruinnth was not the type of dragon to court trouble. The green was most diplomatic, even if she never gave in to the silly demands of egomaniac males... like that sharding blue who had tried to chase her off the beast herds after only having one. He was not a bad blue, just mistaken in thinking he could dominate me because I am a green, he knows better now. Ruinnth cut in, interrupting Lyveana's thoughts as she hurriedly changed her clothing. You are more forgiving then I, had his rider been nearby I would have had words with him. The Keroonian rider thought back, pulling on her boots and running back to the ledge. Anticipating her, Ruinnth dipped a shoulder for her to mount, then spread her wings and took off the moment Lyveana was astride.
A few seconds later, both Lyveana and Ruinnth were winging towards the Senior Weyrwoman's ledge. Neither had had a prior reason to come here, so Ruinnth took great care in navigating to the correct ledge, trilling her arrival to the Queen as she landed. Lyveana, optioning for a cautious grace rather then a reckless hurry, waited to dismount until Ruinnth had all four feet on the ledge. Once on the ground, Lyv peered around questioningly until she spotted the great golden bulk of Vasanth and the seated form of the Senior Weyrwoman. Bowing to Vasanth once she drew close, Lyveana then bowed to the Weyrwoman just as deeply.
"You requested me, Ruinnth's rider, Weyrlady?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:16 pm
They come. Vasanth rumbled low to Hers, though hardly needed to say as much; there was no question that she would make sure things got done, and woe to any foolish enough to even think of balking at her orders.
"Thank you." Helirra could not help the affection that unconsciously stirred in her breast for her dragon, grateful as always for her aid. The wait was not long before her Queen rumbled again, signaling that the pair had arrived. Her eyes were calculated and cold as they watched the greenrider and her Ruinnth descend, the former making her way into better view. Though she did not smile, her head did tip forward in brief acknowledgment. "Lyveana." She named the woman without having to glance at the orders that she'd neatly tucked away on her dresser, evaluating the woman for a moment more before she rose.
The Queen had lifted her head at the trill, noting the bow with a lazy, but expectant eye before she herself would reach with surprising delicacy for Runnith's mind. You are prompt. You carry Yours well. Would she gloat? Preen, stutter? Fall to pieces when faced with such an impressive gold as herself? That was what she would slyly attempt to see.
Perhaps, the Weyrwoman mused, she would also feign ignorance and test the girl's wits and abilities. "Tell me honestly. How do you feel you have functioned in your past Wings as of late?" From first glance--or even the second--Lyveana did not appear to be dim-witted or lacking proper respect. That was why she had chosen to be frank, and though the Weyrwoman seemed as brusque and cold as ever, she was listening patiently for a reply. A rider was only as good as her dragon, and the same notion applied to the other way around.
But how would Lyveana and Ruinnth hold up under careful scrutiny of both Weyrwoman and Queen?
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Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:40 am
Ruinnth had never been a green to preen or strut in the presence of a queen. She recognized her place in the social hierarchy of the Weyr well enough, even if she chafed at the restrictions placed upon her by some of the larger dragons. She was, after all, a lady. Ladies deserved a great deal more respect then to be encased in stone and watched carefully lest they break, but nor should a lady resort to underhanded means to get what they desired. It is my duty to the Weyrwoman and Yourself, and my honor to be prompt. Ruinnth replied tactfully, angling her head to study the senior Queen with a watchful eye. Since birth, she had always looked up to the gold dragons who carried themselves as well as Vasanth did. The aura of confidence was something the green constantly sought to assimilate into herself. Today, though... today was shaping up to be something unexpected. Lyveana was ill at ease, and likewise was Ruinnth.
"I have functioned to the best of my abilities Weyrwoman, within the goals set by my superiors." The greenrider replied, her tone was kept moderate, and she answered promptly without too much forethought. Honesty was ever what came first to the mind, and that was the kind of truth Lyveana lived by. These unusual summons by Helirra may have set her at odds with how she generally assessed a situation, but her cardinal rules could not be shaken. Her gut screamed that something was amiss, this line of questioning was most out of the ordinary for a greenrider, but she had complete faith in the Weyrwoman... even a Weyrwoman as outwardly cold as Helirra.
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 1:33 pm
A clever answer, made without inflated attempts to seem intelligent. Vasanth mused over that before she would confide quietly to Hers, Her mind is more sound than the others, more capable--not a green's mind. And that was all she believe needed to be said.
Helirra's face did not change, though her thoughts churned over that new bit of information. What did her Queen mean by that? Vasanth wasn't saying any more than she already had, and the Weyrwoman was left to focus on Lyveana. The answer was coherent and well-worded, offered without time to mull and formulate it. This wasn't enough information for her to make a rock-solid decision... but she had a feeling that going through with this would be the right decision in the end. She wasn't one to so easily dismiss her instincts. Helirra was aware that Vasanth shifted, as though impatient for her to get on with it, and the Weyrwoman spoke again.
"You will be the leader of a new Wing that will be forming soon." Her tone was soft, but firm. "You will be the first woman, the first greenrider here at Ista to lead a Wing. But I am putting my faith in you, and I do not feel that you will fail me." Lyveana would face ridicule and scorn--but with the Weyrwoman at her back, there would be few who would risk openly insulting the girl and her dragon.
Helirra would see to that.
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 9:59 pm
While there was not an obvious reason for Ruinnth to think that the direct attention of the Senior Queen was no longer on her, she nonetheless suspected such was the case and allowed her tense muscles to relax along her spine and across her wings. Lyveana was far from such a point, but the dark green had long ago stopped allowing the politics of humans to affect her. The Weyrwoman's words had little meaning beyond what Lyveana thought, and bar the initial shock, the greenrider swiftly changed her thought patterns to reflect a surety in Ruinnth that they would do exactly as Helirra commanded. Thus satisfied that all would be well, the green bowed her head respectfully in acknowledgment to Vasanth that she had understood what the Weyrwoman had said via Lyveana. Of course they would do well, for they would be the ones doing it!
Ruinnth's rider, however, struggled for a moment with the shocking announcement. She was quite certain that scorn and ridicule from others would be the least of her worries with such a post. Thread was coming, and she felt suddenly worried about the responsibility of leading a Wing of brave men and women to face such an uncertain menace. Her life and theirs would rely completely on the strength of the dragons beneath them, and the training she would be responsible for providing. Helirra claimed to have faith in them, believed they would not fail her... but did Lyveana share such a conviction?
Those thoughts whirled through her mind in the space it took to draw breath, ending only when the featherlight touch of her lifemate drew Lyveana back with the response she had grown up with. Acceptance. Understanding. Confidence. Of course she and Ruinnth would succeed! Lyveana may have never led a team of humans before, and Ruinnth may be a green, but both inherently knew that this was a task they could accomplish. Lyveana had but to see past the stigma of the times, and come in to her full potential. Whatever reasons Helirra had for choosing now as the time to begin such an experiment, Lyveana and Ruinnth would rise to the occasion and see it to the end.
Placing her hand over her heart in the traditional salute of acceptance to her superior, Lyveana kept her bright eyes fixed on the Weyrwoman as she sank down to one knee. "Weyrwoman Helirra, you honor Ruinnth and I with your faith and this position. We will not fail you." She replied, her tone a little breathless, but none the less laced with the steely conviction of woman used to doing what needed to be done... come hell or high water.
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