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 Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 11:41 am
Lesson 3:
Time Lasted: Months 7-9
Topic: Ground Drills/Strap making
You Should Know: Flight formations with practice on the ground as well as learning in the classroom; strap making and maintenance of leather; self defense; classroom lectures on riding gear and its maintenance
Dragon Notes: Dragons are larger now and more tolerant (some of them XD); should be exercising often in order to prepare themselves for flight; lessons 1 notes still apply
They said time flies when you're having fun. F'sey was fairly certain he was not having 'fun', but time was flying all the same. Cheoth's clutch was growing faster than he'd like; the weyrlings were incredibly feisty this time around, weren't they? The first lesson had been...well, the Weyrlingmaster preferred not to dwell on poor performances, simply observe, learn and move on. The dragons were still young, so lessons hadn't gotten terribly exciting yet. There had been some flight formation practice on the ground, but shuffling to and fro really didn't bring a lot of spark.
Waiting for his weyrlings to filter in, F'sey leaned against the wall and inspected the leather straps in his hands. Hnn. Strap making. Not anywhere near invigorating. Still, it was necessary. Accidents happened when you didn't take care of your leathers properly. F'sey stiffened at the thought and shook his head. Change of plans, he decided. He'd just check their leathers to see how they were coming along and who needed a scolding for dry and cracked straps and they'd go back to formation practice today. Couldn't deal with the leathers. Not today.
Weyrlings started to leak in. F'sey glanced up.
"We'll be checking over your leathers today and then we'll be talking about...self-defense."
Plan? What plan. Weyrlingmaster F'sey was flexible! No boring lessons today, nosir.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:03 pm
K'lan nodded to F'sey and then Ialluth in acknowledgement, her 'good morning weyrling master' soft as she took her place in the room, a quick "Yes sir," following as he stated the agenda for the day. As usual, the blonde was either the first [or one of] to arrive, somber and attentive. She always woke up a few candlemarks prior to lessons, so she rarely had a hard time making them. Condoroth, equally curious and observant, was generally in a happier state.
The greenrider wasn't worried about her leather check. She knew quite a bit of leatherwork from her father, and well, Condoroth's safety was extremely important to her. She spent much of her free time working on her leathers.
Self Defense? That would be interesting. K'lan knew many moves, however, they were probably a bit different than what F'sey would be teaching.
For her part, Condoroth perked up, blue eyes going to the larger green.
Will we be learning this defense as well?
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:35 pm
At least Toronth was no longer pushing W'in bodily to lessons. That at least was worth something. Now, Toronth was more content to walk alongside, giving the boy little nudges occasionally and maintaining a somewhat low-grade stream of criticism and orders. W'in stumbled slightly over his own feet, hearing his dragon's malcontent rumble at his lack of grace.
W'in, that's unacceptable. Come now, straighten up, pay attention.
Toronth.....
Come now, W'in. Toronth snorted and shook his head irritably. W'in rolled his eyes. They had been working for hours that morning, since before dawn, W'in stumbling and yawning under Toronth's constant insistence on his supervision. 'Watch me, W'in. Am I doing this correctly, W'in? March, W'in, you need this more than I do.'
Perfectly punctual again, W'inmine. Of course. A satisfied rumble from the dragon, and W'in stifled another yawn and gave a short bow to the Weyrlingmaster. "Sir," he said, respectfully, draping an arm around Toronth's neck and looking at F'sey as he spoke. Leathers....well, at least those were well-kept....Toronth insisted on that. Somewhere between Toronth nudging him through his marches and exercise, Toronth hauling W'in to the lake to be washed, and Toronth demanding W'in's supervision on his own physical exercises, there was time for caring for leathers...and occasionally for feeding himself.
Speaking of...W'in's stomach suddenly realized its emptiness and complained loudly. Its owner flushed and stared straight up in embarrassment, and Toronth made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a tut. W'in focused on F'sey's words instead, pretending that had never happened.
Self-defense? Well...W'in was an accomplished scrapper, and a terrifying adversary in a hand-to-hand fight, but...he played dirty. Somehow, he didn't think 'Aim between the legs, kick him when he's down, and run,' would be precisely what F'sey was teaching.
W'inmine...at least try to act like you have some scrap of honor. Just this once. Toronth snorted his irritation and trilled a greeting to Condoroth.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:37 pm
Following in toe behind the early birds to class, B'lin and Xanthoth. The rider had not been sleeping again, obvious by the darkness under his eyes and the way they squinted when confronted by the slightest light source. If anything was destined to cause problems in this class, it was not his insomnia; it was Xanthoth. He was proud of His! Although he was tired, his gait was one he should have had. Ready to work, and work hard! As for the dragon himself, why, he was strutting like a star down the red carpet. Prepared to work? He was, but the not-so-enthused B'lin seemed even less so the closer they got. "Do you really have to wear that?"
Multiple times B'lin had asked this, and Xanthoth no longer felt obliged to give him an answer. The young man would never and had never denied there were things about his bronze that helped balance his less admirable quirks. Yet, he couldn't help feel a twinge of envy any time he saw a dragon-rider pair that always seemed as though they were turning pages together. It was said in negative and positive lights, but no matter their tone when bringing it up, more than once he had heard commentary about the independent streak his flirty friend had. Xanthoth would never just leave his company entirely at his age. Chances were he'd never be content to do that for long, though B'lin may not have realized it. However he did have a habit of walking in front of his companion, as if leading him and not the other way around.
Xanthoth saw no problem with this. B'lin was a leader in the making who didn't need a push, but a pull. You couldn't pull someone forward standing behind or beside them! Ialluth lovely, I am here! called out the younger dragon, zealous like never before. (And that was saying something.) B'lin's friends--or, at least, friends of his brother--had stressed the importance of accessorizing. Anything important to such pretty things was important to him, and he saw no problem in wearing part of the leather B'lin had been given to craft much like a decorative collar. Surely, he didn't need all of it!
Worry not, B'linmine. I have taken special care this time in regards to us being troublemakers!
There was a swell of pride in B'lin's heart and a flicker of hope in his mind. Maybe Xanthoth was learning more than he gave him credit for. But his stomach dropped at the follow up, at which point he realized he was very wrong. I ate more while you were reading before we came, so if he does not feed me, there is no problem!
Mother always said he'd be a rider. He just wondered sometimes if green, blue or brown looked better on him.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:06 pm
As usual, M’al and Redhath arrived not long after W’in and Toronth. It was always worth a laugh to watch the other Weyrlings, after all, especially since Redhath made an effort to keep M’al up-to-date on the most recent criticism from Toronth. “At least he didn’t steal your shoes this time, right?” Nope. Toronth just abducted W’in’s eating time, that’s all. At least M’al didn’t have that problem; if he ever went without a meal, S’van would probably have a mild heart attack.
Wait, what? M’al realized a little belatedly that paying attention during class might actually be a good idea. Because, you know, actually knowing what was going on around you was pretty important… Self-defense and learning how to take care of leathers, Mine, Redhath said quickly with a small yawn.
Oh, well, self-defense… M’al knew about that. Mostly, he knew ‘hit hard and run fast’, but, somehow, he doubted that would be F’sey’s style. He shuffled uneasily, suddenly wondering if K’em had learned self-defense from F’sey too. If that was the case, it clearly hadn’t gone over very well…
Redhath snickered as he looked over the other weyrlings. Hmm… he didn’t like the looks of them. Not at all… he looked back at His, mentally comparing M’al to the others. Well, the others were taller, that was clear. And stronger… it wasn’t often that the confident dragon felt a tendril of unease, but this was one of those times. He didn’t like the idea of His getting hurt, not at all. Well, he’d just have to make sure that His was paired up with someone suitable then.
Like W’in! The blue’s gaze snapped over to Toronth and he said, Toronth! We should have ours work together.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:07 pm
Rubbing the grit out of her eyes and yawning, Rinfala was nevertheless at the lesson on time, leathers in hand. She'd enjoyed learning how to make the riding straps, since it wasn't so very different from working with runner tack. It was also rather hard to get in trouble when it came to inanimate leather straps. Not that Arioth had been...bad, precisely...they'd come to somewhat of an understanding, and aside from the occasional rebellious tirade against her brown clutchmate she'd been somewhere close to resembling well-behaved.
Striding proudly at Rin's side, Arioth carried herself with as much dignity as she could muster. It was up to her to do well and prove herself better than Varth, and she was determined not to let him show her up. Hers had managed to channel her competitive nature into a more constructive work ethic, and her well-proportioned frame showed the benefits of hard work. Curiously, she glanced at hers. Self defense, Mine?
Rin's mouth quirked into a grin. Self defense...she'd do decent at that, even if her moves were rusty from turns of disuse. Not everyone likes dragonriders. It's good to be ready for that.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 2:39 pm
Lessons. Learning. Blegh.
Ferrismine, lessons are good. Learning is good. You get smarter and are better at planning. Hwinth blew air from her nose to emphasize her point, the action causing Ferris' hair to poof up and tussle about.
"Yeahyeah, I know," she replied, pulling back said hair so it would be less unruly. The damn stuff had almost grown back to its original length and was now nicely at her shoulders. "Funny how you always keep those types of statements for Lesson days."
It's always when you need them most; little words to keep your life on track.
Ferris snorted. "Nice. I have my own Life Coach and Guru -- oh hay, we're learning self-defense?!" A spark suddenly lit in the girl's hazel eyes and she got almost giddy, giving a bounce on the heels of her feet. She...doubted that her type of fighting would really count, BUT HEY, it worked, didn't it? Who cares if pulling hair, grabbing clothes, and kicking the backs of knees wasn't all that pretty?
"Weyrlingmaster F'sey, we're really doing self-defense today? Like... ACTUALLY, physically doing it?"
At Ferris' side, Hwinth couldn't help but shake her head a little. Honestly, rolling around like ...like....vermin on the ground? Some well-aimed words were much sharper and affective than a well-aimed fist.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 10:12 pm
M'rik filed into the growing group of Weyrlings with that ever-present smile slapped across his face. Hasufeth walked right behind, nose rested on his boy's shoulder. He'd grown so much more quickly than M'rik had expected... not that he'd really known what to expect, but certainly not this. The Blue, always a stocky one, was now nearly the size of the herdbeasts he ate. But though he was really becoming relatively large, his aversion to attention kept the Dragon from really appreciating his size. M'rik, on the other hand, marveled at it every day!
Hasufeth had hardly changed, but there was a bit of a noticeable difference in his Bonded. After so many months, though he still truly awed at some of the fully-grown Dragons, the initial excitement and disbelief towards Weyrlife had mostly worn off of M'rik. He'd settled into a temperament closer to the one he'd had before his Candidacy: still radiating cheeriness, but now much calmer and steadier about it. Well... maybe not that much. But at least he didn't titter and jump with excitement every time he so much as caught sight of a fire-lizard, right?
The two of them took a seat, M'rik between his Blue's front legs and Hasufeth with his snout on the boy's head. Neither had really been paying attention to F'sey, but they caught the gist of it. Leathers and... wait, what?
Hasufeth, did you catch that last part? I'm sure I misheard it. Self-defense, Mine. As in... fighting, self-defense? What other kind would there be, Mine?
The Weyrling rubbed the back of his head, thinking quietly for only a moment before his smile returned. Well, I certainly hope I'll never have use for such a lesson, but it sounds exciting all the same! Maybe they can teach you how to knock a few heads yourself, huh? Mine! "Only kidding," he crooned, reaching up to rub a very perturbed nose. "Besides, even if I can't fight worth a Mark, just look at those nice leathers on you! I know, a million times, you aren't any beast. But it's the same principle, no? This'll be a fun lesson." The Blue snorted approvingly, wriggling his shoulders a bit so the straps of leather made a nice rustling noise.
M'rik easily picked out B'lin and Xanthoth in the crowd, and though he would never avoid the couple just because of Hasufeth's timidness, he was not particularly inclined to help in leading the lesson, as they undoubtedly would. And to risk incurring the infamous wrath of F'sey! They would talk later, he decided with a smirk.
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:00 am
A'bri bounced in, cheerful as ever, his arms full of leather straps and a firm smile in place. "Good morning," he chirped, to no one in particular, though he gave a respectful nod in the Weyrlingmaster's direction. A'bri, of course, was entirely convinced that after all this time in lessons together they were all fast friends, so he didn't bother to modulate his chipper attitude.
Varth, striding in beside him, was far more dignified and reserved than his rider. He saw no reason to put on such a display- he was there to learn, not to make friends. He moved to his favorite place in the group- front and center as much as possible- doing so without acknowledging any of the others. Well, he did bob his head vaguely toward F'sey. It wouldn't do not to acknowledge their present leader, after all. A'bri had managed to convince him that occasionally showing respect to the people in charge- he would not, of course, call them his betters- was important if he wanted to be recognized in return.
The dragon did cast one quick glance in Arioth's direction, though he managed to keep it entirely bland. He was very proud of himself for that. He had been working hard on his self-discipline. And he needed it in regards to the young Gold- while other names and interactions tended to slip out of his thoughts rather quickly, he could recall with excellent clarity every slight (or perceived slight) Arioth had offered him. Particularly the one that mattered most, their spat during their Hatching. He was absolutely determined to prove himself better than her to everyone- especially her.
A'bri rolled his eyes at the direction Varth's thoughts were taking. : Oh, settle, won't you? It's too early for that, and she's not so much as looked at you.: The lanky young man settled down next to Varth, bumping him lightly with his shoulder, and moving to detangle the straps he'd brought with him. Leatherworking was at least more interesting than smithing, but it was not his favorite activity ever. So he was genuinely pleased to hear that they would be working on something else- though the subject surprised him.
:Should you not know how to protect yourself?: Varth asked him, wondering at A'bri's surprise. :It is important.:
:I know, I just didn't expect it. This should be exciting.: His mental tone was wry- most of his experience with self-defense involved recognizing when he was about to push someone into punching him, and not making whatever clever comment he'd been planning. Somehow, however, he didn't think simply keeping his mouth shut was what F'sey had in mind.
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 11:52 am
G'ran was no longer looking forward to lessons. It was hard to forget seeing the queenrider getting herself practically shaved bald--why hadn't the stupid girl just listened instead of making things difficult? But whenever he even debated digging his heels in, well... A much larger Ormeteth had discovered that his larger body was very useful in 'persuading' his rider. Even now, his head was pressed firmly into G'ran's back, pushing him at least until he was sure that the man's legs were moving again.
Stay positive, Mine! We will get to learn, and it will be good. The brown crooned reassuringly before he allowed himself to take a seat. Hello, Ialluth, Xanthoth! And hello to you too, Arioth! The brown cheerfully greeted those he knew, and sent little thrums of acknowledgment towards the rest of his siblings. He didn't see Tanith yet, and that seemed to amuse him; his brother would likely be very grumpy at His!
G'ran shifted wordlessly, knowing none of the other riders and not particularly feeling the need to say hi. Wait--his hard stare flicked over B'lin for a moment before he offered a very faint, gruff sort of nod. Where he knew the other from, well, he didn't want to dwell on, but that didn't matter. Self-defense...? Thick arms settled themselves over his chest, clearly a little more interested now. Just what sort of thing were they talking about, now?
As though he needs to teach you how to hit people in the face; you know that very well.
...Was that sharding wherry of a dragon attempting to tease him? G'ran only growled wordlessly in response.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:38 am
F'sey nodded to each weyrling as they made their way in, pleased to see the group arrived in good time. They were learning. Or something like that. Actually, the greenrider mused, he was about to see how well they were listening and what they were taking to heart. "Let's see those leathers," he rumbled, pushing away from his perch to take a brief tour of the room and inspect the riders' handiwork. His scowl deepened with each weyrling he passed and by the end, F'sey was shaking his head and muttering softly to himself. "Not good enough. They need to be more supple. You know what happens to leathers between?" Of course they did, he taught them. "And what happens when leathers crack? You fall. And when one falls from dragonback, they die a horrible, painful death. Then your dragon betweens and it is all. your. fault."
Hello, Xanthoth! Looking as handsome as ever today! And good day to you too, Ormeteth, how are- Ialluth stopped short when she was hit with a considerable amount of distress from her rider. Crooning curiously, she listened in to the raging redhead for a moment. Oh. Was he on about THAT again?
Mine, stop that. You sound like a fool and you're going to scare all the little ones!
F'sey cleared his throat and let the subject drop abruptly.
"So. Who wants to be my volunteer?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:23 am
Rinfala knew that brittle leather was bad in nearly any situation you put them in, but shards. Apparently F'sey had ordered an extra helping of paranoid today, one that brought back the months-ago death of the little unnamed blue with a rush. Hand tightening on Arioth's neckridge, she tried to shove it back out of her mind before it distressed the dragonet. Hey, volunteering? Perfect distraction! Stepping forward, she brushed back chin-length hair and nodded. "I'd like to, sir."
At Varth's arrival, Arioth arched her neck in an attempt at a proud, dignified posture, but otherwise gave no sign that she'd noticed him. There was time for that later...when she showed him how much better she could do. She could ignore just as good as he could! Rumbling agitation in an echo of her rider's distress, she nudged her rider forward in agreement. They would go first this time, not Varth!
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 9:55 am
Oh no, Mine's leather is always soft! She would never risk me. Never ever ever ever.
Never ever, Condoroth, but the weyrlingmaster is right to worry.
Yes, perhaps of all the recent clutches, this was the group that talk of betweening dragons would effect the most. K'lan had placed a soothing hand on Condoroth's neck as the young green made a quiet trumpet of anxiety, her eyes briefly flashing yellow in response to her memory of her own hatching. Everyone had been so upset. Hers had been so angry! That, in combination with being overlooked by the lovely Ialluth for her brothers made the usually rather perky dragon a bit more subdued.
Hair grown out again, it was tied back in a bun, perfect for manual work, and she too stepped forward, nodding to the brunette before speaking to F'sey. "If you have need for more than one, I'd like to, as well." If not, she clearly would be acquiescing to Rinfala.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:00 pm
Hello, Ormeteth! B'lin was surprised to find Xanthoth glancing Ormeteth's way for even the briefest of times with Ialluth right in front of him. Mirroring the brown's rider, he nodded to the other man, more as a hello than just to acknowledge he was there. By now, they both knew how to tell the difference. Calling them friends was a stretch, but they were something. That was good enough for Xanthoth, who rather liked Ormeteth individually. He was smart. (Meaning he agreed with him a lot). He knew what was what. (Meaning he'd complimented Xanthoth a few times.)
Even so, it was bothering him how much attention Ialluth gave him. He dismissed knowing she smothered him with it too in his jealousy. It was much like a child who didn't want a toy until someone else had it. Except he did want Ialluth's attention and would never willingly give it up. Ialluth lovely-- For the first time in his life, the dragon stopped short of his charms, turning to watch F'sey as he made his rounds. The complaint of the straps quality didn't bother him much; earlier B'lin had told him they weren't going to be scoring any brownie points for what he'd brought in. The threat is what shook him. Enough that he withdrew from the older green among them and back to his rider, in a sense resembling a small, spoiled child that had just been smacked on the hand for the first time.
"You alright?" B'lin mumbled to his partner. He was unsure of what other comfort to offer his companion. This was made more frustrating by knowing well what the problem was. "Relax, that won't happen," he pressed on, hoping his words were enough to sooth the bronze. He didn't know what else to try if they didn't.
We will just never go there, B'linmine. B'lin was thankful his dragon had calmed himself down, no matter what method he used. Far be it by him to disagree.
"Yeah, alright."
The older Xanthoth got, the more he wished he'd held him back when that blue went between. Covered his eyes instead of his own brothers, maybe. The past couldn't change, and he knew that. All he could do was hope Xanthoth got over the fear imprinted on him since that moment so early in his life. F'sey wasn't helping in this conquest. At all.
By time it registered what the Weyrlingmaster had said, two people had already spoken up to volunteer. B'lin was torn between being grateful and the urge to smack his palm into his forehead. Hadn't the whole reason he'd developed bad blood between himself and F'sey been because of his handling of the girls? Now they were volunteering for it? He wasn't so righteous and stupid he could say anything now. When he floored them, all B'lin would do is cringe. And he was certain that's what would happen, partially because he didn't realize nearly everyone but him had so much confidence in their skills to not get their face rearranged.
One thing he did know... He wasn't going to be striking a lady anytime soon. Especially not after his brother had done just that in this very Weyr. Stupid boy.
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 2:26 am
Well, if there was a one of them not at least a little bit intimidated by F'sey's words, A'bri would be surprised. He certainly was, and he frowned at the leather straps he'd been detangling. He hadn't thought they were that bad, but maybe he should go over the examples again, see how much of a difference there was. Because really, the notion of a slow and painful death was terribly unappealing- but the notion of Varth betweening was worse. It set him on edge- the horrible sounds the little Blue had made before it vanished were burned into his memories.
:Stop that, Mine,: Varth thought sharply. He had been disturbed, yes, but that was then. He was not going to go between like the Blue had because he had his A'bri, and A'bri was not going to fall. :Just make the straps right. Then you do not have to be frightened for us. And pay attention. You should have volunteered.: The chiding note in Varth's thoughts was obvious- he clearly disapproved of Arioth's volunteering while His fretted about bits of leather.
:...You're right. I shouldn't fret. I'll just make sure of my straps.: A'bri allowed Varth to distract him, allowed him to scold him for not volunteering. :Sorry. Next time. I'll pay more attention.: Not that A'bri actually wanted to volunteer for this. He was just fine not getting the stuffing beat out of him by F'sey- or worse, by one of the girls who'd volunteered- in front of everyone.
:You would not let them beat you. You are bigger than they are,: Varth said confidently. A'bri shook his head, and Varth snorted in disapproval. :You are better than Arioth's, at least!:
A'bri looked at Rinfala, and made a slightly disbelieving face. :I... really don't think I am, not at this. Why don't we watch, and see how good she is? And then we'll decide.: A'bri was actually pretty sure Rinfala could wipe the floor with him, but hey. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe.
:If you are not, you will have to get better,: Varth replied, his tone slightly sullen. It would not do for Arioth's to be able to beat His at anything.
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