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 Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 10:21 pm
If Alcine had thought candidacy to be a rush, then weyrlinghood was doubly so, with all of the piled on chores and classes and responsibilities with the added challenge of managing a toddler with claws. In her case, it was a cranky toddler, prone to fits and tantrums and stomping around until she got to whatever she wanted, and it seemed impossible at first to convince her angry Leoth to yield to anything. However, she was quick to learn that as long as she made it seem like it had been the green's idea in the first place, the dragon's moods could be carefully molded, even if it was only to take all of her aggression and funnel it into a singular direction.
Today, that aggression was barreling straight towards the open fields of the Weyrbowl, Leoth bounding ahead with a screech and Alcine trying desperately to follow behind, her arms tangled with a bundle of odds and ends. It had been difficult enough to chase the green when she was a hatchling, and Leoth was growing stronger every day, robust and healthy in every aspect except for her deafness. Alcine supposed she should be grateful: from a distance, at least, her Leoth seemed like one of the normal hatchlings of her clutch, and after her little display on the Sands the pair was given a fairly wide berth. It made for more friction than friends, and Alcine usually preferred to keep out of affairs, but Leoth refused to be anywhere but the front lines, dragging her rider in tow.
The green found a suitable patch of ground and began to paw at it, tearing up the dirt underneath while her rider trailed from behind, gasping for air. Was that really necessary? Alcine asked, an exasperated note to her voice as she slowed. Just before stopping, she stumbled on her boots, tumbling forward and dumping the contents of her arms to the ground, including several vellum scrolls, a leather pouch that squelched when it hit the dirt, and a series of cups and silverware that let out a tinny clang as they beat against eachother. Leoth only turned her head after Alcine began to curse to herself.
came Leoth's retort, a huff flaring out from her nostrils as she began to turn and face her rider. She waddled over to the girl, still seated and pouting, and with another huff began to let out another screech. The dragon let out another cry, a softer warble, and then began to nudge her rider from the ground.
Alcine was slow to respond, but eventually she pulled herself to her feet, dusting off her boots with a flick of her wrists. She reached for the scattered cups and put some distance between herself and her dragon, holding them up to about chest height. Leoth watched her with expectant eyes, but after an urgent shoo the little green turned her head away, stretching her wings out in irritation.
We're going to start with something simple, Alcine instructed, closing her eyes. She felt Leoth's presence press in on her like the heat of a summer's day, warm and heavy, and once it had settled in the back of her mind the girl exhaled, furrowing her brow in focus. Carrying Leoth's mind with hers was still a heavy burden, but it was easier to do without any outside stimuli.
"...Can you hear this?" Alcine could feel Leoth tense, but the girl's face relaxed in relief, her eyes still closed. "It's okay. This is sound. Just try to focus."
A pause, and then Alcine's brow furrowed, her lips curling downwards. "...Yes, this is what the lip flapping makes. This is my voice."
Alcine sighed. They had such little free time to practice this skill. "Leoth, please focus."magnadearel Feel free to have Kialynka sneak up on them, neither of them is particularly focused at the moment on outside stimuli. smile If there's anything I can do to help her entrance in the post, let me know!
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:30 pm
The drudge had been assigned the unpleasant chore of cleaning the pails. They really needed them as the pails had been put to a... variety... of uses. Kialynka wrinkled her nose at the smell. It would be unpleasant and she was grateful that it'd been some time since she'd last eaten. She bent to her task of washing the pails clean. Some she soaked first while she worked on others. At first she hadn't noticed the noise getting closer and closer where she worked behind a building. Kia froze completely at the unexpected sound nearby. A soft clang or chime. She glanced around furtively. No one was in immediate sight. Kneeling with her arms covered in suds, she listened further. Yes there was someone nearby. Rising, still holding pail and brush, Kia peeked around the corner. What were they doing? She watched the young green dragon face away from the girl, assumingly her rider. After moments of watching, she still didn't understand what the pair was doing. Eventually she sighed and moved out more into the open. If her hands hadn't been dirty and soapy a wrist would have rested on her cocked hip. "Whacha ya doing back here weyrling?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:28 am
"Only with you, Leoth, not with my teachers or peers." Alcine's brow furrowed, and she began to rub her temples. Leoth's presence was a heavy weight on her mind, and already it was causing some amount of strain.
"Whacha doing back here weyrling?"
Alcine just about jumped out of her skin at the sound of another's voice, shoving Leoth out of her mind as she spun around, looking for the source of the noise. Leoth likewise let out a disoriented croak, swiveling her head around with eyes that swirled red. Alcine caught sight of the girl first, and realizing that she hadn't been caught by a classmate or the weyrlingmaster she let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"P-practicing," responded the nervous weyrling, who was quick to close the distance between her and her dragon, sending calming waves the green's way. At this point, Leoth's eyes found Kialynka, and deep in her chest she let out a slow growl.
"What are you doing out here?" asked Alcine, trying her best not to sound defensive. She placed a hand on the green's flank, rubbing supportively, but it seemed to do nothing to stop the growls. "I assumed this space to be...unoccupied."
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 4:28 pm
Apparently she was better at sneaking when she wasn't trying than she'd thought, or this girl wasn't paying very good attention to her surroundings. She tilted her head to the side as her mud brown eyes observed the pair and their reactions. Something.... was off. Kia couldn't place her finger on it right now, but she kept a part of her mind watching for something that would clue her in. "Practicin' whut?" It hadn't looked like she was doing anything remotely like practicing that Kia knew. More like she was just standing there talking to herself. The young teen hadn't bothered to move once she'd spoken. Her eyes locked with the young green dragon and she narrowed them when the green started to growl. "Tiz you're own sharding fault fer not bein' aware of your surroundings." Her tone was light, but her posture betrayed that she was ready if the dragonet truly decided to charge her. Frankly, Kia would have been more worried about a wher than a dragon. She lifted her soapy hands with brush and pail. "Doin' whut I was told." Kia glanced a round but kept a corner of her eye on the dragon. She'd lived in the wilds long enough to know you didn't turn your back on anything. Even if it appeared harmless. "Well your occupying it, so I can't really say that its 'unoccupied'."
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2014 9:34 am
"Practicing...our coordination," Alcine weakly replied, leaning into her dragonet. The weyrling knew better than to think Leoth would actually charge the drudge girl, but with all the frothing anger swelling over from her psychic link it was hard to stay logical.
Not a threat. A girl. A drudge. She's just doing her job.
"I--ah--I'm sorry, of course you were doing what you were told." Alcine's nose crinkled slightly at the girl's sass, but she let it go. It was easier to be compliant, to play it safe.
Leoth let out a shrill roar, puffing up her chest and flaring out her wings. The girl-drudge did not have permission to speak with her rider.
"My name is Alcine," she added as a peace offering, scratching her dragon's ridges in the hopes that it would calm her down. "And this is Leoth. She--um--gets startled easily, it's not her fault."magnadearel Ack! I'm so sorry about the wait D:
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 1:11 pm
AMItotic No worries. I'm a bit spotty too. Coordination? But didn't that imply they needed to be moving? Kia still felt something was out of place. Like why were they practicing out here and not under the weyrlingmaster's guidance? "So this.. uh coordination isn't something you want everyone to know about?" There was no other explanation forthcoming in her mind. Kia gave a shrug, whether she was doing what she was told or not. "I don't plan to be a drudge any longer than I gotta be. Just until I can get a wher egg of my own." She said a bit proudly, though it was partially drowned out by the dragon. "Can't you get the bloody beast under control?" Kia glared back at the green who obviously wasn't listening to her. No the dragon hadn't outright attacked her yet, but was showing very poor dragon poise. She wondered if it was because the green was still a baby. "Kia." The teen tilted her head. "Summat wrong with her? She dun act like other dragons I see. S'that why you back here?" This could be interesting.
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 1:59 pm
My, the little one was persistent. Alcine would have appreciated the girl's curious thirst under normal circumstances, but directed towards herself it all felt a bit...nosy. She supposed it wasn't the girl's fault that her story was crumbling to bits. Startled as she'd been, she hadn't had the time to think of something more clever.
"There's nothing wrong with Leoth, and she's not a bloody beast," the weyrling interjected defensively, her tone a bit more forceful than she'd intended. She wrapped her lanky arms around the dragon's neck, leaning in closer to her bondmate, and after a moment, she turned her head away and sighed. The green, for all her puffy anger, tilted her head towards her rider and let out a curious squawk.
"I can't just control her, it doesn't work like that. We are partners," Alcine explained, scratching her eye ridges. "She's strong-willed, and sharp as a tack when she wants to be, and has a bigger heart than anyone I know." Whatever Alcine was doing seemed to be soothing her dragon slowly, and the little green's eyes settled on Kia again, whirling a slow but attentive blue.
"She just..." Alcine sighed, and bit her lip, hesitating. "...She can't hear, from what I can tell, and it puts her on edge." She ran a hand down the length of the dragon's stocky neck, resting on her haunches. "The other weyrlings don't know, or at least, they haven't been told, and I was hoping if we practiced enough--"
Alcine paused for breath. She hadn't realized she'd been trying to fit that all in one sentence. "...If we practice, they won't have to know, and she won't have to be so scared."
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 3:41 pm
"She is if she insists on actin' like one." Kia gazed at the rider coolly. All that posturing, hissing and snarling was totally uncalled for when clearly she was no threat to either girl or rider. The teen hadn't moved from her position since she'd first spoken. She wasn't going to apologize if she'd offended Alcine's sensibilities either. Then the young rider revealed the real reason they were back here. Kia pursed her lips as she thought. That was interesting. She'd never really thought about how a dragon heard stuff. Obviously they spoke directly into their rider's mind. How did that work with anyone not their rider? She chuckled as Alcine denied that she couldn't control the dragon. "You're doing it right now," the drudge pointed out toward where the girl was scratching the dragon's eyeridges. That probably had a certain amount of control or soothing qualities, if the dragon's calming demeanor was any indication. Now it was a toss up. To offer her help or not? She regarded the pair for a long moment. "If she can't hear there's nothing that practice trying to hear will help. I'd suggest trying to find a way to use her other sense to compensate for that. Like she should always be looking around and not straight at what's in front of her." Whether this girl would take her advice was completely up to her and the dragon. Or the pair would continue to jump and react just like they had today. Soon everyone in the Weyr would know.
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:23 pm
Alcine twisted her lips into a pout, furrowing her eyebrows. "I--that's not control, it's persuasion." It was hard to explain to a non-rider how such a relationship worked when the weyrling was just coming to grips with it herself.
"She'll learn to compensate, but this is something different. What we're trying isn't for her to hear, but rather for her to listen through my ears, via our telepathic connection." Alcine had to wonder if she was speaking on a level too advanced for the dragonless girl to comprehend, but at the very least it was her duty to try and educate. "You see, if we focus together, she can tap into my senses and hear what I'm hearing, at least to some--"
All at once, Leoth wrenched her neck free of Alcine's grasp, and despite the rider's prostesting gasp the green waddled up to Kia with a curious chirp and an inquisitive swirl to her eyes, stopping only when she was close enough to look her face to face. The dragon spoke matter-of-factly into the girl's mind with a voice that rolled like hot summer thunder. Her presence pressed in on the consciousness before her, stifling but nevertheless comfortably warm.
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 6:10 pm
Control, persuasion; it all amounted to the same thing to Kia. She'd seen it among those who had flits, whers, and other beasts at the holds. How then could it be different for dragons? Kia knew she was impressed by Alcine's idea and let a bit of it show across her face. That was a novel idea. "So how's that working? That would be worth pract...." However she never got the chance to finish her sentence, or her possible idea of helping the pair out if they wanted it. If they could focus on getting and keeping a connection where Leoth could hear while she made a noise of some sort of noise for the dragon to hear. But the point was kind of moot when the young green pulled away from her rider and walked, ok waddled, right up into her personal space. Kia tensed so she wouldn't step back. She was not giving in to this dragon! The teen felt no aggression in the dragon's movements and relaxed after just a moment. She stared curiously back into the swirling eyes. A sudden voice blossomed in her head, making the teen twitch in surprise. This was a dragon's voice?! The comment actually startled a laugh from the normally serious girl. "Oh I look innocent enough, but I can protect myself if I have knives." She found the experience intriguing. Nothing like she'd experienced before. It was almost like talking to another person, except in her mind. "Girl-Child? Then I guess you're Dragon-Child? I go by Kialynka or Kia. It's nice to meet you Leoth." She considered the dragon's question. "It's not so much what I am, as what I'm forcing her to think about, I guess." She glanced at Alcine to see if she'd guessed correctly.
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 10:44 am
Alcine scrambled for her dragonet, eyes wide with concern. Leoth, no! You're going to startle her!
The tall weyrling stopped just short of the dragon and the girl, tilting her head. What?
Alcine hesitated, curling her arms around one another, but with a nod, she closed her eyes and began to transpose, first with a summary and then opening up her senses so that Leoth could hear for herself.
Leoth's presence coiled around Kia like a great predator that had chosen to purr like a storm. At the mention of her rider, the green let out a trill, causing Alcine to open one eye curiously.
"...What is she saying?" Alcine pouted; of the pair, she was less accustomed to being out of the loop.magnadearel Leoth says new friend is mine now
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 1:40 pm
Kia realized the dragon had surprised her rider just as much as the girl scrambled to reach Leoth. That was interesting. She watched as Alcine stopped short then stood there with her eyes closed. What was going on? Again she felt the contact from the dragon. Fascinating! Kia would marvel and analyze this whole incident later. Dawning spread across her expression. "She can talk to me, but can't hear what I think." Why was that? Could she do something that would let Leoth and her talk without going through Alcine? She gave a snicker as the dragonet denied being a Dragon-Child. "T'was a joke. I'm glad you like me." The teen looked curiously at the rider. "You can't hear what she says to me? Hmmm, I wonder if there's a way 'round that? Eh she said that she's not a Dragon-Child and that I have fire in me." She glanced back at the green for a moment and nodded. "She also says that you think too much. I think I'd like to help you both," Kia surprised herself by saying. There was something about this pair that attracted her, but she couldn't place her finger on what.
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 9:08 pm
Leoth's head whirled around to her rider, and she let out a matter of fact squawk. Alcine's eyes widened and her shoulders shrank down, and at that the little green huffed, waddling towards the flustered girl with little snorts of concern. Sensing one of Alcine's little self-effacing sprees, the fledgling dragon marched right into her rider's personal space, and then onto her, shoving the girl down despite her protests with a push of her powerful legs. Then, once Leoth felt secure, she plopped down her hindquarters, sitting squarely on the squirming girl's chest, forcing her to let out a wheeze.
Leoth's voice crackled like the resonant boom of thunder, and Alcine could almost feel the static electricity prickling her mind. She let out another squawk, then rolled off of Alcine, who was still somewhat in a daze.
"She--uhh--it's not always a two way connection," Alcine answered belatedly, pulling herself into a sitting position as she brushed the dirt from her scalp. "If I'm listening, she can listen through me, but she chooses who hears her voice. She, um, made it clear that your conversation was between the two of you only." Rubbing at her sore ribs, she clambered to her feet, pulling away a twig of straw that had somehow matted its way into her uniform. Her expression was still distinctively cold and distantly upset, but her eyes brightened at Kia's remark. "You'd like to help? What are you thinking?"
Alcine wasn't about to turn down an offer for assistance, no matter the source. It would be a relief to see things from an outside perspective, after hiding for so long.
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 9:24 pm
The green's next actions were not what she would have expected. Quickly she was coming to think of the green dragonette as close to human intelligence and not something at the level of say a canine. Kia tilted her head as she watched Leoth knock over then proceed to sit upon her rider. "Ye may wanna correct that 'fore she gets much bigger." It was an attempt at humor. Now that she'd seen the dragon was much smarter than she'd originally given credit for. The idea of "training" the dragon was funny. "Ah," she replied non-committedly as the girl explained. "Oh. T'wasn't like we was talkin' 'bout anythin' secrets." Slowly Kia rubbed the side of her nose. What was she thinking?! Her a drudge, helping a deaf weyrling. It was so funny it was laudable. "Weeeell.... If yu'r trying to teach her to listen with your ears yu'r gonna need someone talking to you that she can't read the mind of whilst she's linked to you."
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 1:45 pm
Alcine laughed--she tried to, at least--glancing back at Leoth. "The way she thinks of it, she's training me more than I'm training her. We're both a work in progress."
Her eyes widened at the proposal, and slowly she began to smile. "Why, that's a fantastic idea--extraordinary! We could train so much more if we had a third, get more accurate results--would you do that for us? Really?" It was rare that Alcine got excited, and her voice quivered slightly, brimming with newfound ideas that could be tested and explored. For her part, Leoth could no longer hear the conversation taking place, but she felt the giddy buzz leaking over from her connection, letting out a pleased trumpet to express her approval.magnadearel Getting close to a wrap, I think?
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