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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:53 pm
He heard running footsteps and flattened himself against the side of the hut he was sneaking past, heart in his mouth. This was all some nightmare, or he'd think it was if he couldn't feel Zetath's pain. His dragon was fighting, trying to save their home, and he was just running, trying to hide. He wasn't a fighter, and right at the moment he didn't give a damn who won. Zetath did. The black didn't like how his colour limited him, but having heard what the ancientcrafter said about atypes he wasn't sure he'd get a fair deal with them either no matter what they might say. More than that though they had insulted his pride, and damaged what he saw as his.
Part of him wished he'd found the courage to fight beside the black, but he hadn't, and he had been told to keep himself safe anyway; Zetath didn't want him getting hurt.
Z'iv closed his eyes, and waited for the footsteps to fade away. Once he felt a little safer - only a little - he pushed off the wall and hastened on towards T'rel's weyr. Normally he would have asked Zetath to say he was coming, but for obvious reasons his bondmate was... occupied. He felt claws rip into the sleek dragon's shoulder and gasped in pain but kept on going. He might not be able to fight, but he could at least be sure his friend was safe.
Erebeth - flying ahead - sent him a feeling of 'clear' around the next hut and summoning all his energy Z'iv sprinted the final stretch to the greenrider's weyr. "T'rel!" he hammered on the door. "It's me, Z'iv, open up!" Shards he hoped his friend was in here!
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 2:27 pm
T'rel swung open the door of his weyr and stuck a hand out, grasping at Z'iv's arm. "You dimglow!" he muttered, pulling his friend inside. "Are you alright?" For all of his concern for his friend, it seemed T'rel had made no attempt to leave his weyr in the slightest. He was pale in the dimly lit light of the weyr. "Stay here," he told Z'iv. "Don't go back out there." It was dangerous. Frightening. "We're safe here."
No where was safe, the greenrider wasn't naive enough to believe that his hut would be able to protect them from anything. Lunath had gone to help--the dimglowed green! She was chatty even when she understood her Weyr was in danger. Zetath! You are hurt! Though some might have said Lunath wasn't the sharpest dragon in the Weyr, she wasn't dimglowed enough to fail to notice another dragon's pain. I will help. The green remained by the black's side. Though she had grown a great deal in both mind and body post weyrlinghood, the Green had not become much more the wiser.
"Z'iv," T'rel hissed at his friend. "I'm frightened."
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 2:34 pm
Z'iv dived inside gratefully, slamming the door shut behind him and leaning on it. "Right," he panted, sliding the bolt across and then sliding down to sit on the floor. "Safe." They weren't safe in here, they weren't safe anywhere, but if they could share the lie for a while then so much the better. "Sit down Sweetheart," he muttered, pushing his fingers through his hair and wincing at another stab of pain from Zetath. "It'll get sorted out. Those big damn hero bronze riders have it all covered, I'm sure." Hey, they got the privileges of shiny hides, they had to take on responsibility when s**t got real; fair trade so far as he saw it.
the black growled in reply as he launched himself again at the second of the pair of whers he was fighting.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 3:08 pm
T'rel sat down next to Z'iv, sighing. "I never expected something like this to happen," he muttered. Never in his wildest--well, perhaps in his wildest, but never in any reasonable dream. What if the bronzes didn't have it covered? What if they needed more people? T'rel was a harper--not a fighter! What was he supposed to do? Learn to use a blade properly in a matter of candlemarks?
"And if Trine falls?" he asked, shivering at the thought. He moved closer to his friend, shaking his head. "We'll be together even then, won't we?" Wouldn't they be? They had been friends since candidancy. T'rel wasn't sure what he'd do if they were seperated.
Lunath for the most part, ignored Zetath. She lashed her tail at one of the whers. I do not have smoke for brains, she informed him. I will help.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 3:15 pm
He wanted to make promises, to say it really would all be fine, and of course they'd be together. s**t. He still didn't know how to deal with T'rel sometimes; his friend was just so damn genuine, and decent, and all the stuff he wasn't. In the end he was still just a tricky Trader, dancing and tricking his way through life, pretending he knew things he didn't and getting away with it so long as he kept of dancing and smiling.
Z'iv closed his eyes and reached out to squeeze T'rel's hand. "I know places we can run to," he said quietly. "We'll be just fine, so long as we stick together. I won't let anything bad happen, I know how to survive... not how to fight, but how to survive. Ha. I never wanted to fight the Thread anyway. I didn't think it would really come back... pretty stupid, hu? Still," he opened his eyes again and smiled over at the Harper, "I'm glad I came here. Glad I found Zetath, and met you."
Zetath growled deep in his throat and jumped back out of the way of a save blow from one of the handlers.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 3:39 pm
T'rel returned the squeeze. He was somewhat reassured when Z'iv mentioned knowing places to stay. "Do you?" he asked. Somewhere safe for both riders and dragons--if Trine fell, they might be able to find somewhere to stay. "I don't know much about either," he confessed. "I'm good at hiding." That was the limit of his emergency knowledge. Hide, and hope whatever it was did not find you.
"I never expected Thread to return either. I don't think anyone did," he muttered with a shake of his head. He wasn't sure he would have willingly come to the Weyr if he'd known Thread would have been returning in a few short turns. "When I was Searched, nothing like this had come to mind. It was Impress and then live a happy, long life." It would have been nice if he could have remained that naive--missing the horrors the Weyr had faced since.
"I'm glad I was able to meet you," he said with a small smile and a squeeze of Z'iv's hand. "Shells, life would've been much duller without you." And Lunath. And Zetath. "Much less exciting."
I will do this. Be safe, Zetath. Tell me if you need help, and I will come. Though it was clear that Lunath resented being sent away, she took off into the air, doing as instructed. She chose a hut closer to the lake, beginning to circle it. No one is approaching. I will keep watch!
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 1:32 pm
"I've been all over the South," Z'iv said softly, his mind drifting back to a simpler time. "I used to ride the runners bareback, and sleep out under the stars.... Heh. The whers in our caravan protected us. Strange how things turn around, isn't it?... Anyway. Yeah. I know some of the major Holds well, and there's one I know I can get us a good between point for; it's where my mother decided we were going to Settle." That word, as ever, was said with some measure of disgust, and the usually smooth lines of Z'iv's face were marred by a scowl as he remembered the stifling feel of living in a fixed house.
"My life wouldn't be half what it is without you either," the blackrider said after a pause, his frown lifting but his usual lazy smile failing to appear; the reality of what was going on outside was too close for that. "We could go anywhere, T'rel," he went on, looking up at the roof of the hut as if he could stare through it. "You and me, trading and singing and dancing and playing all across Pern. How does that sound? No Thread, no colour hierarchy telling us what we can be, nothing but the free sky and whatever we feel like doing that day."
Zetath gave a grunt of satisfaction as the green departed, but really didn't have much attention to spare for her. He was so occupied with his battle that didn't even pick up on what his rider was saying, which was fortunate for Z'iv; the proud black would not have taken well to the idea of leaving his Weyr to become some kind of glorified pack animal.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:31 pm
To sleep under the stars, to live as traders did--it had never been something T'rel had especially desired. The way Z'iv talked about it, though... It sounded nice. He gave a small smile, the best he could manage in such times. "I'd like to see the South," he said. "The whole of Pern, really. What an adventure that would be." He paused, and nodded. "Flying and singing and trading," he echoed. "Sounds nice." He preferred to remain at the Weyr--Lunath would like that better. She did so love to socialize.
"But what if something happens?" he wondered aloud. What if he didn't have time to tell Z'iv all the things he intended to, someday? What if that someday was now? "Z'iv," he glanced at his friend. "If we survive today, I want to tell you something. Important." The man flushed, but it was barely noticable in the dimly lit weyr. Trading, singing, dancing, playing. Z'iv made the holdless life seem so fanciful. So carefree. Anyone would have wanted that, after experiencing what was happening at the Weyr. No Thread to worry about. No golds to obey. Life would be bliss.
Lunath continued to circle the chosen weyr. She kept Zetath updated; no one yet. How dull! Couldn't she go back and fight those whers?
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Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:22 am
What if something did happen? To one of them, one of their dragons...? He didn't know. "Hu?" he glanced at T'rel, faintly puzzled by his assertion. "Well... sure, Sweetheart. Why not now though?" He'd never understood why people waited on impulses; if you could do something now, why wait?
You never knew which day would be your last.
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Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 4:42 pm
T'rel went red. His cheeks radiated warmth, and the generally well spoken greenrider stammered. "I-I--can't tell you now," he said at last. "It's awkward." It was awkward. How was he supposed to tell him something like that? It had waited turns to be revealed. Oh, shards! What if there wasn't another time to tell him? How to word it? Was there time for words? What if he managed to get through only half of what he wanted to tell Z'iv?
He pressed his lips to the other man's cheek. "There," he muttered, pulling away and flushing.
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Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:22 am
...!
Z’iv foze. “Uh.” s**t. T’rel... liked him? s**t. He liked T’rel but not like that! He should have let him wait. He had to try to let his friend down gently in the middle of a warzone. “...Look. I.... I’m really not looking for anything at the minute. I’m sorry.” He was usually so eloquent, but his clever trader’s tongue had been silenced but fear, and sudden shock and awkwardness. Why now? Why him? He’d always assumed T’rel would want somebody like he was, sweet and kind and basically good.
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