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 Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 11:01 am
The weather was getting chilly as the season of the cold and snow drew closer towards the Weyr, leaving behind faint traces here and there of the warmth that the spring and summer had brought with them. People were talking about switching to thicker clothes or spending more times in the springs in efforts to keep warm, but for a certain Candidate who stomped around outside in the cooling air the temperature didn't seem to matter. Hot or cold Yulu could handle any weather tossed her way, though honestly she preferred the cooler climate that the coming times would bring; it was something or another about liking bulky clothes.
But it wasn't the weather that had caused Yulu to walk outside like an angry wherry on the warpath, but rather an ill bred action tossed her way by several people earlier in the day. Apparently they had found her quite amusing and wanted to see if her buttons could be pushed (yes, they could) and after having their fun at her expense the small group had tottered off to do whatever it was they felt was best. This of course had left behind a very sore Yulu, who took herself outdoors to rid the air of the mood and perhaps let out a little steam of her own.
There was no destination in mind as she wandered, her feet carrying her here and there as her gaze stayed stuck on the ground, though it was very clear she was feeling quite touchy at the moment. Beware anyone who bumped into her, they were in for something a little unexpected.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 11:36 am
"Enough," Kannaroth cast herself to the ground and raised a wing in her rider's path, "I've walked enough for now. We'll rest a bit and then go back to the dorms."
Y'kar shrugged assent and sat down beside his lifemate, allowing her to rest her head in his lap. They had set out because Kannaroth had wanted to exercise a little; apparently she was getting tired of not being quite as strong as her sisters. Telling her that she was just smaller, more suited to speed once she could fly, hadn't impressed her at all, and had earned him a few very choice, very scathing words. Still, he didn't really mind too much; if she wanted to try to better her stamina he wasn't going to argue with her, most of the time it was difficult to drag her out of her private plotting and into physical activity.
Sighing faintly, the young rider raised his head to look up at the sky, stroking Kannaroth's eyeridges absently. Autumn was closing in on them now, with winter on its heels. Wouldn't be too long before they were having snow again, but at least the Weyrling dorms were nice and empty, allowing all of the residents to select choice bunks where they would be warmest.
"I look forward to this 'winter'," Kannaroth informed him, the air quotes almost audible. "It will be a learning experience."
No doubt. Personally he didn't look forward to drills out in the cold; your body was heated by the activity, but your hands and feet froze regardless. Not a lot of fun in his opinion.
"Speaking of not a lot of fun in your opinion," Kannaroth raised her head and fixed faintly orange eyes on the approaching girl, "here comes company."
Y'kar turned his head to look in the same direction as his lifemate, and tried to make an assessment of the approaching figure. Did he recognize her? Oh, yes, she was a candidate he thought.
"Useless then, ignore her," Kannaroth half suggested half instructed.
Y'kar smiled at the girl and waved despite her thunderous expression, at the same time sending a mental shake of his head to Kannaroth. "Today she's a candidate, but tomorrow..."
"...Who knows." the dragonet concluded for him. "Egh. Fine. If you want to try to make an ally of her go ahead, but I think you're wasting your time." With these words, the young green dropped her head back into her lifemate's lap and closed her first set of lids lazily; she had no interest in the silly female.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 11:49 am
Yulu looked up just in time to see someone with a dragon head on their lap waving to her, and she looked to the left and right for a moment before she realized the greeting was moved in her direction. The frown stayed set on her lips though she raised a bandaged hand in greeting, her wrapped fingers bent slightly to indicate that she did indeed acknowledge that whomever this was had gotten her attention.
Eh.
It was slightly possible for Yulu not to know who this kid was, she hadn't really been paying attention at the last Impression since she'd been busy trying to help the healers who had come onto the sands after those greens had come about and done their damage. Of course that wasn't to say she had absolutely no idea since Yulu was aware of the young green that was keeping him company. Gossip went fast, even faster when it involved those troublesome three, and even if Yulu didn't know the rider's name she knew the dragon's face.
It would have been rude for her not to come over, as she figured that's what the waving had meant, and Yulu's direction changed slightly as her steps carried her towards the boy, her face trying to rid itself of the upset that still clung to her like a wet shower. All people should have to show respect to riders, this having been ingrained in Yulu's body from the time she could barely walk thanks to her Father, even if the rider and dragon in question were sad attempts that didn't benefit anyone but themselves.
Hm.
Yulu stopped within a good distance of the pair, close enough anyway that she could see them yet back to a spot where she could move should that dragon find her to be a bit too close for comfort. She knew the dragon would not harm her, not now that it was aware and had a lifemate at its side, but better safe than sorry. Plus, Yulu wasn't the type to get super close to anyone.
"Greetings."
Her voice was low and husky as she spoke, sounding like she was trying to recover from a cold. It was almost has if her vocal chords had been damaged from too much yelling as well.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:10 pm
Well, that didn't give him a whole lot to work with now did it? Stupid b***h. "Hi... I'm Y'kar, I don't think we've talked before so I thought I'd say hello. Nice to meet you... I mean I recognize you, but I don't know your name or anything I'm afraid." Maybe this had been a bad idea, looked like he might have to do most of the talking, and without knowing her he didn't know what to talk about. Still, he'd improvise, nothing to worry about.
"And I'll just sit here and wait for nothing interesting to happen," Kannaroth groused. "I'm telling you she's not use to us. She's not gold material by the look of her, least if she is it'll be a pathetic gold, never bound for leadership. She is worthless, utterly worthless, save that she gives you a chance to exercise your acts, and you could very well do that on someone else."
Y'kar sent his dragon a mental shrug. "If you want to go, I'll make an excuse, you know I will. I didn't say I thought she might be a goldrider anyway, there are more positions of power for a woman than that. What about a powerful bronze rider's favorite bedmate? That could be useful... though I'll grant she doesn't look much up to that either."
"No," Kannaroth responded dryly, "not really... I still want to rest for a while though, so you go ahead and play your little game. When you get sick of it, let me know and I'll act up."
Good, he was glad that was sorted out. Y'kar ran his hand down his dragon's neck and offered the girl another smile, waiting for her response.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:21 pm
"Yulu, and I'm fairly certain I have no idea who you are either. I only know you as one of those kids who impressed one of those recent greens, nothing more or less. However,"
Yulu had been watching how Y'kar looked at her, and the smile she had fought to keep on her face quickly melted into a frown. She was quite familiar to how people spoke to her, how even the slightest looks they could shoot her way had different meanings. Yulu was no stranger to people judging her right off the bat, from how she talk to how she looked and carried herself, and even this boy with a failure of a Green seemed to be no less different.
Little s**t.
Well, not really a surprise. Such gems as those could hardly have impressed to anywhere near decent people, even by someone with as broad of standards as Yulu.
"If you're going to size up my worth with your eyes right away, I suppose it would only be fair of you to allow me to do the same. After all, I'm at a disadvantage if the two of you are sharing your private little judgments."
She didn't change her tone, and after a few moments the small smile Yulu had been wearing before reappeared on her lips. She wasn't going to go anywhere, Yulu didn't back down from anything. This runt of a kid with his useless sack of a dragon had called her over at his own discretion, so shards to him now if her company was not what he'd expected.
"Oh, but please do go on and continue, I'd just like to know what others think about me. Being talked about to my face is far more pleasant than having to figure it out later on, you know."
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:38 pm
"Hey!" Anger flashed across Y'kar face. "You're one to talk about being judgmental! Yes, I was talking to Kannaroth, and no she doesn't like you! She doesn't like anyone, she doesn't trust anyone because from the moment she hatched she's got nothing but crap! I was asking her to hold off a little, I was telling her not everyone was awful, that I wanted a chance to make a human friend or two! I thought that because you don't have a dragon you might be a bit less quick to jump down our throats than those riders who strut around thinking they're better than us because they Impressed from a normal sized clutch. I guess maybe I was wrong." b***h, b***h, b***h! "My name's Y'kar by the way," he added sullenly, "not that you care. I guess I'm just one of the riders of one of the useless greens, right?"
Kannaroth opened her lids again slowly, her eyes spinning bright orange-red with rage. Pulling back her lips, she gave a low growl. "Shall I snap at her?" she asked Y'kar quietly. "I could probably send her running for her mother if I tried. Worthless piece of Thread-spawn, I'd like to sear her out of the skies."
And he would love to join her in the act, but for all her words Kannaroth was as incapable of deliberately injuring a human as any other dragon. A great pity. "No," he allowed a deep frown to cross his face as he looked down into the dragonet's eyes, "don't. Let's see what she does next." Looking back up at Yulu, he laid a protective hand on Kannaroth's back and glared. "In case you wanted to know, I was asking her not to be so aggressive. You've a bad enough impression of us already, apparently."
As her rider spoke Kannaroth's growl tailed off but none of the anger left her eyes, and she remained tense. If Hers still wanted to play, fine, it wasn't as if he could just ditch the act in any case; he'd been keeping it up for turns now with great success. The worst anyone had thought of him before he'd Impressed her, he'd told her, was 'a little odd' and 'a bit of a loner'. Getting defensive of himself and her was fine - good in fact, only natural - but he couldn't say everything he longed to say. It might not be her style but she knew Hers had appearances to keep up, and that his pretenses served both of them very well. She would restrain herself... for now at any rate.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:01 pm
"I'm not scared of your dragon, but I do thank you for asking her not to say or do anything to me. And you've already told me your name before, but now that you've said it twice I guess I really won't be able to forget it."
Yulu was amused. Yes, yes. Amused.
This little kid had jumped so quickly at her words, had slid himself into a defensive stance that had his dragon agreeing with him in less then a moments time. The green was even growling at her and showing red eyes ( Yulu figured she probably had no other color ), and the way the boy put a hand on her made Yulu actually take a step closer. She wasn't afraid of tantrums, she wasn't afraid of this kid and his dragon. Yulu was older then him and had gone through a good deal more than he would ever know, though she was pretty sure from this point on he'd be getting something akin in terms of treatment.
"And as for impressions, I already told you I don't know you. I only came here a few days before the impression and barely even remember that event. All I know from that is that I didn't Impress but you did. For the better or worse, I don't know either."
As the growl died out Yulu crossed her arms, letting her fingers rest against the crooks of her elbows. She hadn't come out here to lecture someone, but it seemed like that was what she ended up doing - and a rider none the less. Failure dragon or not the thoughts she'd been harvesting before should have never crossed into her mind.
She'd probably . . . no. She wouldn't apologize later, since she didn't actually say anything out loud.
"Besides, you've probably got your own fair impression of me as it is, but let me tell you this - your dragon doesn't decide if you're a failure or not. A Dragon is a Dragon, a rider is a rider. Those who say anything else aren't fit to even think about Impressing, or even cleaning up dung from wherry pens."
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:20 pm
Y'kar let out a long, slow breath; time to calm things down before it came to a fight, he was worse than useless in a fight. Besides, if he got into a fight with her, the chances of making an ally of Yulu became much slimmer. "Right," he muttered, sullen at first but then he sighed and shook himself, "right," he said again, rubbing his face. "Sorry," he said, tones fading from angry to merely gruff, "I've been feeling... defensive lately, and distracted. It's nice to know not everyone thinks we're flops just because of the clutch we came from though." Maybe she'd warm to him in the end, but right now he wasn't really expecting her to. No matter, he'd try his best and see what came of it, that was all you could ever do.
"Those who do will come to regret it," Kannaroth asserted, her eyes dulling somewhat as she reassessed the female human somewhat. "At least she's not utterly stupid," the green went on, "nice that some people know that how're you're born doesn't determine how far you'll go, and we will go far Mine."
Y'kar allowed himself a half smile and stroked his lifemate again. "Hey, she says you're not a complete idiot, high praise coming from Kannaroth." It suited him to tell her that, right now he doubted she'd care all that much what his dragon thought of her but you never did know, and it couldn't hurt any.
"I did not praise her, not in the least!" Kannaroth objected, not expecting her rider to pass the message on but wanting to state her opinion anyway. "Saying she's not as bad as some isn't the same as praise, any more than saying flu isn't as bad as Thread is praising flu!"
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:36 pm
Yulu wasn't useless in a fight, but she wasn't about to tempt fate with a boy and his dragon. Dragons didn't hurt people, common knowledge, but she wasn't going to risk anything by swinging a fist around at someone she'd just come upon. Besides this kid was younger than her, as she kept thinking in her mind. To the best of her knowledge he most likely didn't have a good grasp of what it meant to be verbally scorned and abused, though he was surely finding out very quickly.
"I'll take it as unintended praise then. I've been called a lot worse, though never by a dragon. Lots of people? Sure, but never a dragon."
Yulu let her arms relax a little, now her fingers holding to the corners of her elbows instead of being pressed into them. It was a more calm pose, one she could hold for a little while longer, which indicated she wasn't going anywhere any time soon. This kid clearly needed to vent, and even though Yulu didn't give a flying wherry about his problems - she knew all about needing someone to vent to other than a a wall or a tree or whatever wouldn't break if you hit it hard enough.
"It's frustrating, isn't it? You finally get somewhere in life, finally get that position you've waited for so long only to find out that its not what you thought it was, that no one will take you seriously. They don't even look past the situation of your birth to know who you are, instead only focusing on the gossip that spreads faster then a disease in a closed Weyr."
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:55 pm
"Too true," Y'kar rolled his eyes, "everyone loves having somebody to be better than. Among candidates it's often the Weyrbrats, or those who've come in with some craft rank or other. Now... well, everyone loves it, all the riders. Funny, greens tend to either be the best - sympathizing - or the worst, loving that they're 'superior' to at least a few people." What he wouldn't give to silence them all. He'd allowed himself to have vague daydreams about the terrible trio doing something incredible that made people revere them, but he'd never worked out quite what that something could be. It looked like nobody would be in a rush to hand them chances on a silver platter, they'd need to make their own way.
"So..." Y'kar frowned thoughtfully and looked back up at Yulu, having rather drifted off into his own thoughts for a moment. "Can I take it you speak from experience? I don't mean to pry, feel free to ignore the question, but I figured since you let me rant I could at least do the same if you want to." it would be good to know more about her, he'd be able to judge her better, and he might be able to work out what she wanted in life, and whether or not he could help her get it without too much cost to himself. Unless somebody had the potential to be really, really useful he was not prepared to go more than a pace out of his way for them.
"Sensible," Kannaroth commented, lowering her head back into his lap, "it's stupid to go around being all nice and sweet and helpful unless you're going to get something back." She wouldn't be caught dead putting herself out for fools who couldn't return the value of her help. Come to that, she wasn't prepared to put herself out for anyone who annoyed her either, which ruled out most of the population.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 2:17 pm
Yulu turned her head down slightly and smiled a thin smile, her face seeming to push over something akin to sadness and the phrase of 'what do you think' all at once. Her eyes seemed sharp, like they were watching Y'kar as if he were a small beast ready to be taken down by a predator, though they were bright and shone with amusement at how this child had taken interest in her.
After all he'd ranted at her in the beginning, he was now asking for her to rant back. It was. . . cute. Yulu truly found this young rider and his smart mouthed dragon to be cute.
"I was born here, in Telgar, though my mother passed away shortly after my birth. My father and I went to the hold where I was raised, before I was sent to Healer Hall."
She wasn't about to tell a stranger all her woes, about how her father had treated her from her earliest memories until the day she left for the Hall. Yulu had done her fair share of ranting and crying in the past, more than her share to be exact, so even at an offer she generally refused; it was just the type of guy she was.
This, of course, didn't mean she wouldn't share something similar. To, you know, boost the kid's spirits.
"To my Father, my birth was a failure. With my mother dead, I was his only heir - and he didn't want someone like me. He would have rather had someone more rough and tumble, not a guy who doesn't really care for others or their issues."
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 2:47 pm
Too bad for her, crap happened. "Tough deal," Y'kar said with a shake of his head. "I always had a good relationship with my mother until I Impressed. She thought," he snorted and stroked Kannaorath, "she thought I was going to sail off and Impress a bronze. A brown would have underwhelmed her, and a green just wasn't acceptable. I think half the Weyr heard her yelling at me at the hatching feast." It was odd that he didn't care all that much. he had always adored his mother, idolized her, done all he could to please her. The loss of her love ought to have devastated him, but then there was Kannaroth.
"Well exactly," for a moment the green's eyes faded to a soft blue, "once you had me you didn't need her anymore. She wasn't worth you, far too simple minded. As if you could never be anyone unless you Impressed a big fat shiny male." She had no intention of being a nothing all her life, and since she and Y'kar came as a package deal he wouldn't either. They'd be great some day, some how, she'd see to it.
"Still," Y'kar smiled at his dragon's words and shrugged, "even if she and most of the rest of the Weyr is disappointed in me and the dragons that hatched that day, I'm happy; stressed but happy." It was so nice when you could include truth with the lies. He was happy, ecstatic, and he was stressed, but he would overcome that. As Kannaroth said, they were going places. "I hope things shape up for you as well," he said went on. "Not perfectly mind you," he gave a slight grin, "if life's perfect, what else is there to strive for?" He would never be quite satisfied, that was about all he was sure of. There would always be something more he or Kannaroth wanted, something to work towards, to gain legitimately or just to take. They would never be satisfied, and so their minds would never be at rest, would never have a chance to rust. That was the only way to stay on top after all; keep sharp.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 4:58 pm
Yulu shrugged at Y'kar's remark about it being tough, almost as if she didn't care about what had happened. She had gotten the hell away from that man as fast as she could, and with luck she would never have to see him again until the day she put him in the ground.
Were he that lucky. b*****d.
And she didn't envy at all the relationship he had with his mother - hers was dead so what was there to miss? The woman probably died to save herself, taking the easy way out.
"Eh, like I said - a dragon is a dragon. We've got a useless enough Gold as it is, from what I've been told, so who cares if you've impressed a Green? If we stripped them all down of their hide colors we'd be left with what really matters, which is personality and drive. A Green can be more driven then a Blue or Bronze any day, or a Gold even for that matter."
Yulu actually moved and sat down, her legs tired from standing and shifting from foot to foot. She didn't move closer as she sat, but she didn't back away either. It was comfortable in the slight sun that bathed her shoulders through her clothing, and the way it shone down on her hair kept her head warm enough.
"Life's a pile of dung from what I know, yet for some reason or another it's funny enough to let me keep going each and every day. I wake up and go about my business, sometimes running into people I'd rather see under the heel of my boot than above me on a pedestal, and each night I go to sleep. If there's something I want to strive for, I'll tell you when I find it."
This kid actually wasn't turning out half as bad as Yulu expected him to be. She really didn't know anything about him to begin with, as she'd said, but she was slowly learning. He was quick to judge, loved his dragon as well as he should, and generally was insecure despite the hate he seemed to be dripping from every word.
At least, that's how she saw him. No room for pity though, because Yulu wouldn't be giving it to him at all, nor would she be giving him her contempt. She wasn't from this Weyr, she knew nothing about its inner workings. All she knew was that he'd impressed a failure of a dragon since it was a nasty green, yet the actions today had done nothing to change her from her neutral viewpoint.
"If anything, I'd say you're both rather cute."
Yulu spoke the last bit aloud, her thoughts surfacing as she had been looking them over during their little breaks in conversation.
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 5:13 am
Cute? That was pretty hilarious. Y'kar laughed, sounding surprised and amused, keeping his scorn hidden. "Well, that's the first time anyone's said that to me. I have to agree that Kannaroth's cute though, the marking over her eyes is just adorable." The green made a small noise of disapproval in the back of her throat at that, but apparently wasn't annoyed enough to shift her head out of stroking range. "I've got to agree with you about the gold," he added softly with a shake of his head, "I bet Kanna could out think her any day. If there's one thing I want to get in the future, it's the respect Kannaroth deserves. She's got to be one of the smartest dragons alive, and I think people should be prepared to see that in her rather than just a bad temper. Guess we've got plenty of time to work on that though." It seemed incredible that his lifemate was only a couple of sevendays old; he felt as if they'd been together forever.
"That's just how things are," the green told him with a mental shrug. "When you bond to us, you become different people. The moment I spoke to you was the first moment of your life, and no matter how young a person is they feel that the moment they came into being was, well, a lifetime ago."
She was right there he supposed; who he had been before didn't matter at all. Once you Impressed, your dragon was half of you, and defined what you could and could not do. Before he had been limited, but now he had Kannaroth he was unlimited.
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 2:33 pm
"No, I don't mean cute as in appearances, Sure you have a fine dragon, and she'll only get better as she gets older, but I think the two of you are rather adorable in your personalities. I tend to like people who are full of themselves, it's charming."
It also gave Yulu a partner for when she felt like being a complete b***h, allowing her to say whatever was on her mind with bitter barbs and not have to take back a single syllable. She didn't really think this kid would let her vent her anger on him, not with how the rest ofd the Weyr seemed to do it without provocation anyway, but she wouldn't mind letting him release some steam in her direction.
Despite what he thought, or what his little green thought, there was nothing they could say to hurt her that she probably already hadn't heard. Over a hundred times. Daily. So whatever spite a hatchling could think up? Pfft, wherry dung.
"I look forward to seeing her then, the day people come to see Kannaroth for what she truly is, not what she was born as. Of course that day may never come, but it doesn't hurt to want to think about it. Kind of like the day I'll Impress, it's good luck to that."
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