All white (open)

[ShadowReine]

The dragon that descended to a landing in the bowl was both unique and distinctive. Not to mention small. Tyrth, the white dragon, backwinged to a tidy landing.

The Weyr had a new Weyrleader, there would be a gold clutch soon...albeit tan sired, which might, Gwen thought, preclude another gold being shelled. Well. Queens were no longer her concern. She patted Tyrth on the shoulder, the way one might a runner that was behaving well, and started to unfasten her straps.

"Good flight, handsome," she told the ivory-colored beast, and he rumbled amusement at her. Of course, the advantage of being the white rider was that she was never required to do long sweeps; Tyrth was not up to them.

She also had no risk of waking up next to a stranger...although Tyrth often chased for the fun of it, he wouldn't know what to do with a female if he *caught* her. The females, knowing this...well...they weren't stupid, dragons.

[Jenth]

Inolyn took a deep breath of fresh air to clear her lungs, having just left Shador's weyr. The fellow violetrider was ill, with what they weren't sure but she was on the mend. Excused from the duties of the fighting dragons Inolyn had volenteered to tend to the sick queenrider since the majority of her chores were Weyr-bound. It was something she was happy to do.

With a surprise ending to Nayarath's mating flight, Inolyn was both excited and relieved. L'han she knew was more then able in the role of Weyrleader, and she was thankful that Apolloth had lost. B'can didn't want the position, and was happy to be by her side. Jorindath wasn't a very jealous dragon, but Apolloth would have his time full apologising to her for chasing another queen and expecially a gold queen. A violet she have might understood...

Your so lucky, little Tyrth, not to have to worry about mates and eggs Jorindath said from her ledge. Clutching she found she enjoyed, but was made so stressful when everyone fretted about there the health, size, numbers and color of her hatchlings and the influences from her choice of mate. So much hassle over something so small!

[ShadowReine]

Tyrth perked his head as the queen spoke to him. I'm not sure mine always feels that way he sent back to the violet. Although she's learned that she's the best The white sounded smug.

Very smug, because it was his utter conviction that he had chosen the very best rider in all of Aphelion. He nudged her gently as she dropped to the ground, knowing exactly how much strength to use to show affection without bowling the woman over.

She responded by rubbing the nearest of the white eyeridges. "Easy there, Tyrth."

[Jenth]

Jorindath couldn't help but feel amused. The little white had a strange place among the dragons, as if he were a clutch brother to all. Eggs are fun but a lot of work. Would you enjoy sitting on the hatching sands for 2 months? Of course, he would never have to being a male. No right-minded queen would leave her eggs under the watch of males for very long anyway.

Come play with me, Tyrth, I am bored While fully grown and mature, Jorindath might never lose her playful spark. Not at least till age grayed her hide and energy escaped her. Dropping to the Weyr floor in a lazy glide the violet pushed a log into the lake, one that many riders tended to sit on while watching their dragons bath and swim. It would serve as an adequate play-thing though.

[ShadowReine]

Give me one moment white sent to violet, then the head came around to nudge Gwen. Harder, this time.

"Okay!" Gwen pulled off the white's flying straps...which were shiny black leather, sharp in contrast to his pristine hide. "There you go."

After all, it would not do to get something that important all wet from jumping in the lake. Once free of the harness, the white dragon shook himself then launched towards the lake, leaving Gwen with her arms full of straps.

"I should have made him carry them to the weyr," she mock-grumbled to Inolyn. "Jorindath is looking very well indeed."

[Jenth]

"Their dragons, if it isn't about Thread then its mostly fun and games." Inolyn laughed. Then again, while Tyrth might be an exception by many dragon aspects when a queen spoke she was heard. Jorindath was at fault for calling away the white so suddenly after coming in from a sweep. Normally she was a little more considerate.

"You know, I think she's enjoying trying to push Apolloth into trying harder to gain her favor." Inolyn idicated the lower caverns. Gwen would probably be thirsty, and maybe hungry after her flight. Besides, it was good to catch up with an old friend more often. Nip had hopped up from his foraging now Inolyn was outside, the roan kagan now as tall as her thigh.

Blue Keloc and green leaf flitted around the violet dragon, curious as to what she was doing with a log. Resting her great head on it the log only just managed to keep her head above water and her body just floated as she waited for Tyrth. The firelizards desided the land, beginning the to preen themselves before finding themselves dumped into the water when jorindath submerged the log

[ShadowReine]

Gwen grinned. "Well, males will chase anything that rises and I can't see a tan like Apolloth not trying for the Senior. Probably a good thing he didn't catch her, though."

B'can might make a competent enough Weyrleader, but splitting him and Inolyn up struck half the Weyr as unwise. "She's a gorgeous dragon. Reminds me of how much I wanted to Impress a queen." How badly she had desired to be weyrwoman.

Now she was the white rider...a fighting rider, but with a certain amount of...well, in truth, not everyone knew what to make of Tyrth. Sometimes, Gwen thought he should have been hatched a bronze, but then he would...or would he?

Razuth. That dragon's choice was resonating across Pern.

[Jenth]

"I'm sure you enjoy flying a fighting dragon then a clutching queen. Jorindath and I don't really see the outside of this crater often." Inolyn's place was here close to the ground, while Gwen belonged in the air fighting Thread. Flaming dragon or not, a queen was a queen and too valuable to lose. All the reknown and honor she received was for Jorindath, she was just the woman that rode her.

Entering the dining hall Inolyn retrieved a tray of pastries and pitcher of fruit juice that almost materilised infront of her. Motioning for Gwen to sit she poured juice for the two of them. "I've always preffered sitting down here then the head table. Every few months its like a game of musical chairs..."

[ShadowReine]

Gwen grinned. "I suppose I am better off. I came here with my head full of Tradition, and how it was Status to ride a queen." The capitals were quite loud. "In fact, I'm fairly sure my attitude scared off the greens. Tyrth matches it, though."

The white was vain, arrogant and liked to place himself above even the queens and bronzes, although he had not argued with Jorindath about joining her. Likely he was using her as an excuse as much as obeying her royal dictates, however. He was not above backtalking Nayarath if he felt the occasion warranted it.

Which was, of course, part of what Gwen loved about him.

[Jenth]

"Tradition... the dragons have near destroyed that. Looking out in the Weyr there are nearly as many new colors as old, with their own attitudes and forcing those they Impress to see Pern differently." Inolyn had once been a Harper, it was their job to educate the the people in their duty and history as well as to entertain. Now she rode a queen dragon and was supposed to be one of the most influential peopleon the planet...yet she didnt feel it.

"Tradition would hold Jorindath and other violets as 'obsolete'. They're not as big, they flame when no queen should and their color is wrong. However, as dragonriders we cant ignore the fact that they are a clutching dragon. Clutches mean eggs, eggs mean dragons, and dragons mean a safer Pern. So we change the way we think and accept them because our duty is to Pern, not to the be hide-bound."

[ShadowReine]

Gwen shook her head. "Obsolete is the wrong word. It's certain traditions we have to admit are obsolete...there's nothing outdated about Jorindath."

She glanced at the violet. "She's honestly gorgeous. And Tyrth...there was a white once before, but apparently he Impressed somebody he shouldn't and was never in the wings full time. But he keeps up fine." She grins. "Even if he did get his attitude from a bronze. If you look closely, he's more all dragon colors than none of them, so I suppose its understandable."

A pause. "So. Wonder if a tan-gold clutch will produce anything interesting? We haven't tried that combination before in either the dragons or the tame firelizards."