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Post by Jenth on Aug 11, 2008 18:24:40 GMT -5
Inolyn stretched out in the grass, hoping to absorb what warmth she could from the sun. It was Fall but the weather was turning quite bad very quickly and soon all the warmth would seem to disappear from the world. It was a little sad, she loved all the warmth of summer and the freedom it seemed to give. Winter locked everyone indoors as they huddled together for warmth or venturing out into the winter wonderland wrapped in a pile of furs.
Jorindath took her rider’s example, the lavender membrane of the wings standing out quite clearly against her deep violet hide as her wings drooped in relaxation. At just over half way threw their weyrlinghood the youngest queen was nearly as big as her older violet aunt. The Weyr was looking to them to show them what true violet dragons were like, not like they had anything against Shador and Kelth. Violets were just still a bit of a mystery.
Her hatching song was being practised in secret for their graduation, but the violet weyrling felt like she could do more then just the one song. Trouble was she had just lost all sense of inspiration; even Kelth’s clutch had failed to stir her muse. Threadfall had potential but there was already numerous songs about the subject and a dragonrider’s duty to rid the menace from the planet. She wasn’t even supposed to be much of a Harper anymore but still it bothered her…
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Post by ShadowReine on Aug 11, 2008 21:20:13 GMT -5
Gwen had noticed the young violet. She held a certain curiosity about them; they were queens, after all, but not golds.
Curiously, she made her way across the bowl towards the rich, purple dragon and her rider. Her eyes slid along the violet's form.
It was an attractive color for a dragon to come in, she decided, finally, mentally comparing Jorindath's shade with that of the violet markings on her barred firelizard, Spunky.
Spunky's comment on the matter was a rather rude chittering, which Gwen ignored. She'd had some success in modifying the flit's behavior by giving her attention only when she was nice. Finally, "Inolyn?"
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Post by Jenth on Aug 11, 2008 22:05:10 GMT -5
"Yes? Oh Gwen!" Inolyn opened her eyes to look at the girl, pulling herself up into a sitting position. A few loose blades of grass had found themselves caught in her long brunette hair, but a few shakes of her head discarded them with ease. Oh she remembered the girl who had been a candidate with her, though fialed to impress twice now. Though for all Inolyn could recall she had never spoken to Gwen to really understand why that was so.
"So what can I do for you?" Inolyn was so pleased to have something destract her from her boredom. Jorindath opened sleepy eyes at the two girls but closed them. She was only dozing lightly, if needed she would get up but for the time being she would rest.
Keloc popped out of between and placed himself on the violet rider's shoulder. Inolyn was always entransed how a fire lizards hide could be such a shade that he looked like a living blue sapphire and often lost herself in it by staring at him too hard.
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Post by ShadowReine on Aug 12, 2008 10:58:46 GMT -5
From Gwen's shoulder, Spunky chittered to Keloc. Handsome blue!
Gwen managed a smile. "I was admiring Jorindath, decided it would be rude not to say hello."
Cute blue, she thought. Spunky was cuter, though, and as much as she knew that was Impression bias, there was nothing wrong with a bit of that.
"She's such an attractive shade."
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Post by Jenth on Aug 12, 2008 16:59:19 GMT -5
Inolyn bent around to look at her dragon, eyes turning soft with the sort of affection most could only dream of having. "She may have not been the gold the Weyr was hoping for, but she has already beaten everyone expectations of her. She'll be larger then Kelth by quite a height, they're already nearly on eye level."
Pulling at a thread around her neck she pulled out the golden shell pendent that hang on it. Unshaped, somewhat jaggard and rough, not many would find it very appealing. This was the shell of her dragon, what a wonderful day that hatching had been. After the feast the young harper had gone back to the hatching grounds to recover a few pieces of the broken queen egg, momentos and memories.
"I've worn this necklace since day one to remind me that no matter what had been expected, what everyone had expected of us, Jorindath and I will always overcome."
Keloc trilled a greating to Spunky both in greeting and respect. He was posibly more behaved then possible any other blue flit in the weyr but his bonded was the famed harper queenrider.
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Post by ShadowReine on Aug 12, 2008 18:17:40 GMT -5
Gwen nodded. "Violets aren't golds, though, and tans aren't bronzes. They're queens, but...I'd think they would be just a little bit different in personality."
Or what would be the point, really? Spunky chittered at Keloc again, then lifted off to fly along the length of the violet dragon, as if inspecting her.
Gwen smiled, and added, "After all, Spunky is emphatically not a green."
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Post by Jenth on Aug 12, 2008 19:44:15 GMT -5
"No, she's not all that different. Maybe not as commanding but she gets everyone's attention when she wants it. Jorindath doesn't need to be a gold, nor does a tan have to be bronze to be as big as one." Inolyn thought that Gwen was acting a little arogent of what it meant on the inside. A number of tan weyrlings were as big as bronzes, and Jorindath was rumoured to rival Nayarath in size at full growth.
Keloc took flight after Spunky, but more for the fact that she was looking at Jori. Perching himself on a back ridge he scampered up and down the length of the dragon. Jorindath's eyes opened agian as she looked over her shoulder at the two flitts playing.
"So are you going to Stand again? Nayarath will rise again soon."
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Post by ShadowReine on Aug 13, 2008 8:46:12 GMT -5
Gwenduinne nodded. "I didn't mean that in a nasty way. I was just thinking of the way Spunky acts unlike the greens, even though she's barely bigger than one."
She glanced at the firelizards for a moment. Spunky decided it would be fun to chase Keloc.
"And yes. I'll Stand until I'm too old." Her voice fell a little. Perhaps being left on the Stands had indeed proved a disappointment to her.
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Post by Jenth on Aug 13, 2008 17:10:35 GMT -5
"I think its noble to never give up. You'll never know if you never try." Gwen had tried, twice now but maybe sometimes it took a little longer for your dragon to be lain. Jorindath had taken a little time making up her mind, but it was completely unknown who else she might of had in mind.
I was searching for you but I didn't know where you where. None of the other girls were like you, you and I were meant to be. This caused Inolyn's smile to brighten as she got to her feet and carrassed her dragon's hide. Jorindath nosed her rider affectionately.
"Do you think there was any reason you haven't impressed Gwen?" If the candidate answered with whole hearted truth then maybe Inolyn might have a tip for her. What a hatchling looks for in a rider no one knew. In some you knew they were meant to be Bronze or blue riders, while it took an extra special something for a girl to impress a queen and not a green.
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Post by ShadowReine on Aug 14, 2008 9:19:04 GMT -5
Gwen shook her head. Finally, "I don't know," she admitted.
Then she glanced at Jorindath. "On good days, I think it's because I'm supposed to have a queen, and obviously... On bad days, I think I'm just not worth it."
She'd experienced bouts of feeling utterly unworthy. Which she knew was stupid. "I'm also...fairly sure I wouldn't Impress a male dragon. I don't mean that in any nasty way to those who have. I just don't think I'd get on well with, say, a blue."
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Post by Jenth on Aug 14, 2008 16:25:03 GMT -5
"Not everyone can or will impress a queen. I thought I was destined for green, but then Jorindath broke shell and wanted me. You just can argue with dragons on the matter of who they want to impress. It just...happens"
Keloc gave a small little chitter arguement, which made Inolyn laugh. "Yes, and there is nothing wrong with blue either. Not when they come as handsome as you."
That was about all she could think of to say about the subject. It was far beyound her experience to say, but maybe in 10 or so Turns and after Jorindath had lain so many clutches she would know. By which it would be too late for Gwen.
"Have you thought about the whers? Gold handler Sabre wanted me for their clutch, maybe you should concider that as an option."
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Post by ShadowReine on Aug 15, 2008 10:14:05 GMT -5
Gwenduinne considered that, then shook her head. "No. I don't have anything against whers, but..." A pause. "For one thing, I like flying. For another, I am totally not a night person."
Spunky also gave a chittering protest. "And yes, there's nothing wrong with barreds. And I actually think Spunky is the prettiest firelizard ever, but how much of that is Impression bias, I'm not sure. She's all attitude, though."
A wher? No. Not that being a wherhandler was a bad life from what she'd seen, but ugh, staying up all night? Besides. She hadn't given up hope of Impressing a queen dragon. Not yet.
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Post by Jenth on Aug 16, 2008 5:12:43 GMT -5
"I heard Whers can fly, they're as big if not bigger then runnerbeasts. They just can't fly very high or far with or without their handlers." Her knowledge was very limited on the dragon's cousins, mostly what they had told her in trying to convince her to try for an egg. Sabre had been very interested in her, and had she not impressed she would have gone. Inolyn wouldn't have been able to live being haunted by the chance she could have thrown away.
"But at the end of the day you still have a choice. A wher like fire lizards can bond to anyone while dragons wont. It is in a way the second best thing."
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Post by ShadowReine on Aug 16, 2008 15:18:52 GMT -5
Gwen nodded. "And I have several turns before I have to worry about aging out of candidacy." She reached up to give Spunky a scritch.
"I just wonder if...if the fact that I want a queen is scaring the smaller dragons away from me. I wouldn't blame them, but..."
She shook her head. "You probably think I'm being an arrogant so and so."
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Post by Jenth on Aug 16, 2008 21:13:39 GMT -5
Inolyn sat back down beside Jorindath, resting her back against the purple hide. Keloc jumped down onto his mistress's lap, rewarded with loving caresses. "I don't think the problem lies with you scaring the little ones away, you might be coming on as being...well, greedy. The biggest braggers are often the are often left standing or highly disappointed and/or embarassed. What you want or what you think you deserve isn't nessesarily what you are best matched with."
The girl sighed sadly, that was the extent of her knowledge on the subject and still they weren't much closer to finding a solution. "So, maybe... we just need to change your way of thinking?"
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Post by ShadowReine on Aug 17, 2008 16:45:47 GMT -5
Gwen considered that. "Or maybe it's just that the right dragon for me isn't here yet. How do you know? That barred that went to K'dric looked at me, but she was confused, I think. She didn't realize she was looking for a boy."
Could she be happy as nothing more than a greenrider. She didn't know. "I dunno. I think part of it is the...reputation...greenriders have. I'm not, you know, flirty like that."
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Post by Jenth on Aug 17, 2008 17:39:22 GMT -5
Inolyn laughed at Gwen’s mention of the infamous greenrider reputation. “That’s all a bit over exaggeration! Greens rise to mate about 5 times a turn, and each time could be a different dragon, which means a different rider, none of which could be their weyrmate. It’s not his, or her, fault.”
The numbers roughly added up, but if a few riders chose to sleep around then that was their choice. The rest of them shouldn’t be dragged down into their category. Jorindath would only rise to mate once or twice a turn, but that wouldn’t stop Inolyn from sleeping around if that was what she wanted to. It was all scandalous rumor.
“Well it’s all quite possible. I’ve only been to one hatching and been a rider for half a turn, I technically know next to nothing about any of this. If a barred looked at you then maybe that’s a good sign. If I remember correctly though, Jorindath looked at all of us before making up her mind.”
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Post by ShadowReine on Aug 17, 2008 19:56:10 GMT -5
Gwen nodded. "She did. I suppose she was considering her options carefully."
She scritched Spunky again. "But then, I would expect every dragon to. I mean, they have to put up with the person they choose."
The smaller ones might be less picky in some ways, but the consequences were not that different for the dragon.
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Post by Jenth on Aug 17, 2008 20:09:31 GMT -5
"So there we go, We'll just have to see what happens with Nayarath's next clutch" Thats seemed the best place to let the conversation path rest. For someone who had been left standing taling to someone who had Impressed more then she expected must be hard. The next clutch must have someone for her, every time would only break the poor girls heart.
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Kyii
Green Rider
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Post by Kyii on Aug 18, 2008 1:05:58 GMT -5
Asha had breifly overheard Gwen's comment about greenriders being flirty, and looked down at the green tottling along by her side who was happy to have been relieved from the company of those idiot green sisters of hers. Asha merely laughed softly as she smiled and waved to them as she walked over. Herath picking up in spirit when she saw the dragon with them was a pretty violet, nothing like those green good for nothings she was born with.
"Not all Greenriders are flirty, I'm not. As for the green reputation, Herath is is one of the most ungreen like greens I've ever come across. I might be baised having impressed her and all, but Greens are more of a challenge than Golds, No offence Inolyn. They're just as important as Golds, without greens a lot of pern would be thread barren, not all dragons are as agile or quick as the greens"
Easily herself down as Herath nosed her way over to nuzzle her head into Asha's lap, the green whuffed a greeting to Jorindath. Content to just like the others were soak up the last warmth of the season. Asha however was already rugging up, with her heart it was better to rug up earlier for her, rather than later when she had a cold. She didn't need to deal with a cold when she had weyrling lessons to focus on. She was getting better though, and the Weyrlingmaster was understanding enough of her condition that she managed to cope through the lessons alright.
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