Casual moments (open)

[ShadowReine]

Tinth was tearing into the belly of a herdbeast he had just caught.

Rather than watching his dragon eat, R'mer was leaning against the fence of the feeding grounds, turned to face the weyrbowl. Things were, he had to admit, pretty good...although they would be better if a certain bluerider showed up. She was a good friend.

Friends were important. Everyone, R'mer thought, needed a few good ones. With Jorindath having flown again, there would be a bunch of Candidates. Maybe some of them would be friend material too.

He would know soon enough. For now, though, he was just enjoying the fresh air and pleasant weather, and the chance to do absolutely nothing.

[Jenth]

The feeding grounds were never very populated for long, so it was fairly easy to notice when other dragons came to feed. For Valkyrith, she made it pretty obvious she was on the grounds. For a Barred she held a massive air of authority, nothing was ever a game or trivial to her but a difference between strength and weakness and any dragon could tell you how much she hated weakness.

Landing on the ground of the pen she eyes the herd and backed them into a corner. Some ran around her, she let them, it was the stragglers she wanted. When the last couple attempted to race past her to join the others her tail shot out, catching two and slamming them against the rocky wall. One flailed and stumbled to it feet to flee but the other couldn't even rise with two broken legs. Jaws snapped closed on the head of the least injured and she shook it violently with a snap before throwing it up onto the lowest perch. The other she took in her claws and carried it up to the other to begin her feasting. Some dragons were picky, others chased the herds around for fun, Valkyrith near mutilated her food.

The scene was a fairly common one, not always the same but always as brutal. It made Zukah cringe even from where she leaned against the fence posts, her dragon was naturally that vicious and there was little to be done about it. The barred was nearly too much for her to control, an everlasting exhausting struggle and one she was surprised to be winning.

[ShadowReine]

R'mer glanced over. "She likes to play with her food, doesn't she." Tinth did that occasionally...it all depended on the blue's mood.

There were some days when he wished his dragon actually had a predictable personality instead of seeming to be who he felt like at any given time, but there was nothing he could do about it. His dragon was who he was...and he certainly didn't envy Zukah, not given all he had seen and heard of Valkyrith.

That one was a handful...as she was now demonstrating. But then, she at least wasn't running all the weight off the ones she didn't want, as both Nayarath and Tyrth were rather known for.

Tinth did that sometimes too. Tinth did just about everything...sometimes.

Crazy dragon.

[Jenth]

"Don't let tell her that, Valkyrith doesn't 'play'. I think it's the season that's firing her up, she hasn't risen to mate yet..." Zukah gave the man a weak smile, she had long given up trying to apologies for her dragon. Why should she when the barred could most certainly look after herself. A flight would certainly calm her down for a little while.

"I don't know whether she would make a good or a bad search dragon. She would probably have too high standards, but find the best." It was the current hot topic around the Weyr; Jorindath's upcoming clutch. The violet queen was always a strange one and her hatchlings appeared the same. A bronze had chosen a female lifemate, whatever next?

[ShadowReine]

"Tinth can't focus on one thing long enough to be particularly good at Search," R'mer mused. "But we do need to find good candidates for Jorindath's clutch. Ones that can tolerate weirdness."

Especially as Apolloth had flown her again, so this clutch would be full siblings to the last and, therefore, if the strangeness was genetic... "Not that her last clutch didn't produce fine, healthy dragons...it's a good pairing, from what I've seen." At least he never had to worry about Tinth making offspring that might turn out to be like him...

One Tinth was definitely enough.

[Jenth]

"Weirdness? I would think exciting! The dragons were already breaking all the traditions, why can't Jorindath and her clutch take it further?." The barred right in front of them was proof of that, by tradition she wouldn't exist. Or at best, be a proper green. Half the Weyr was made up of new colors, but dragons were dragons and no one could deny that they needed every single one of them.

"Apolloth and Jorindath are a good pair, as made for each other as Inolyn and B'can." It was nice that at least two people in all the Weyr could find that one person that was perfect for them. With everything the violetrider had been through, she deserved the happiness she found with her mate. Zukah wasn't so lucky, but a long term relationship wasn't a common thing around here. Pern, dragon, then yourself.

"If Jorindath was to lay a new queen, I'm sure it would impress to a male. Then Angel would have something to hope for with Razuth."

[ShadowReine]

R'mer laughed. "No violet has thrown a queen yet, right? Maybe they can't." Which would be bad if something happened to the golds...of course, they had Nayarath, and then the gold at the other Weyr, either of whom might lay a gold daughter at any time.

"But if she did, that's probably exactly what would happen. I'm betting something weird will come of this clutch, anyway. Maybe another barred choosing a boy." That had only happened once, so was clearly a rare event. Or maybe a charcoal would pick a girl. Who knew.

"Eh. Doesn't matter to me. I don't care how tradition gets violated as long as we have healthy dragons."

[Jenth]

"But... If Jorindath laid a queen, she would have to give it special attention. That doesn't sound like her, she treats everyone the same, so maybe she wont." Even to Valkyrith, no matter how ill tempered or rue she was Jorindath just played along. The violet praised the traits the barred's better traits and strengths, and surprisingly Valkyrith did the same. The feat was quite amazing, Zukah was in awe.

A thud alerted her to Valkyrith finishing her first beast, having pushed the skeletal remains over the edge to scare the beasts below. The barred rider felt sorry for the people who tended the herds, having to put up with the dragons like hers. She had been yelled at before for certain acts of malace and wastefulness.

Zukah sighed sadly, "I should be more concerned about my own dragon then ones that haven't been lain yet..."

[ShadowReine]

"I hear...and see...that she's a handful." R'mer considered. "Still, she wouldn't have chosen you if you weren't the right person."

He didn't *think* a dragon could choose somebody she could walk right over...they had too strong a sense for what they needed, just as Tinth's volatile nature was balanced by his own quiet stability...although he hadn't been that way before he'd Impressed. He'd spent his life hiding in books and scrolls.

"They're all handfuls in a way, though, I think."