Logs:Untried Complications
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| RL Date: 12 May, 2013 |
| Who: Alida, Jo |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Jo and Alida have a frank talk about Glacier, flights, sex and leadership in the only way two guard-stock ladies can. |
| Where: Hot Springs, High Reaches area |
| When: Day 4, Month 10, Turn 31 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: N'ky/Mentions, Sabella/Mentions, Telavi/Mentions, K'del/Mentions, Taikrin/Mentions, Aishani/Mentions, I'zech/Mentions, K'zin/Mentions |
| OOC Notes: Sex talk and Jo. Expect language and some vulgarity. |
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| Weyrlings are out and about; watch out, world! And sans weyrlingmasters at times, too. This likely explains why Alida and Ilicaeth are out in High Reaches territory on this somewhat warmer autumn day, stretching their wings on a straight flight while they have a rest day to blow. It might not explain, however, why both dragon and woman are currently engaged in dragon bathing, the blue lolling in the heated, mineral-rich waters while his human 'slave' scours his hide with a stiff-bristled brush...her garments of a lighter, summery variety. Cue one slightly older blue pair winking in from Between! Tacuseth's familiar nicked and scratched form lands not too far from the bathing Ilicaeth, dumping his lady charge and their things before he's off leaping into the heated pool next to them. Jo is missing her black leather attire - a rarity, at that - choosing to have on just her white tank top and cargo-looking olive pants. Moving their things out of the danger zone of dragon splashing, "Alida," she greets as she drags, straightening up and heading their way. "Gettin' in some one-on-one with yer boy, huh?" It's the changes in air pressure and then the sound of Tacuseth's wingbeats that have Ilicaeth's head tossing skyward, the younger blue bugeling a bright greeting to his fellow dragon, and stepping forward partially out of the heated pools to fan his over-large and oddly marked wings at the arriving pair. This, of course, sprays Alida with many warm water droplets, and has her calling out, "Damnit, 'caeth; *warn* a body, first!" A look up under hand-shielded eyes soon brings Tacuseth's quite distinguishable hide into view, and once the pair are down, and Jo divesting herself of her jacket, the weyrling replies to the other bluie with a clipped, "I *was*." Snert. As for Ilicaeth, *he's* quite forthrightly stepping over to Tac, and greeting the still-bigger blue with a solid headbutt to the chest. Splash! Tacuseth shows a marked friendliness to Ilicaeth when he arrives, along with the deep buoyancy of a greeting in his mindvoice. Then he's getting headbutted and that was the universal signal for a good rough house! Wings spread, the older blue headbutts him right back with a bit more force before he dives into the hot waters again. "Betcher gettin' enough one-on-one in yer weyr though," Jo counters, not in the least put out by Alida's short-clipped response. "Hope ya chose wisely." Dropping down to settle beside the former guard, "Good to see yer not stabbin' at trees," she notes from their last encounter with that crooked smile going her way. "Things have improved on the homefront for ya?" Ilicaeth's own mindvoice is getting deeper, sandier by the month! ROUGH HOUSE! Exactly why he headbutted the elder blue! The youthful weyrling staggers some under his senior's return greeting, and it only inspires him into following his buddy right back out into the depths again, and regale Tac with more joyful tokens of 'tough male dragon bonding.' A roll of eyes and a grin from the blonde greet the sight of the two blues enjoying themselves, and Alida finally wades out of the shallows - a pair of long shorts showing off her pale skin and some scars on legs - to respond to Jo with her clipped, "Yeah." Sigh. "My first time livin' fully on my own. Kinda strange... but I like it." The bristled brush is set aside, a little distance from her hung-up clothing at a nearby tree, and over her shoulder the younger woman inquires, "I like it, 'caeth like it. Weyrling's don' get much choice." Shrug, smirk. "Eh, s'okay. Me 'n N'ky 'r 'second 'n 'leader uv Flurry this month." There's a hint of satisfaction in her tone, but much more dutiful seriousness. "How 'bout you?" Tacuseth is fully engaged now, regaling the younger blue with tales that he probably shouldn't, all under the watchful eye of his Jo. On her side, she's snorting at the pair and saying, "Ya almost think he gets along with everybody, the way he carries on over there." Dark eyes take in from there the scars on Alida's legs, her own on display over her arms. "Gettin' my own weyr and place was the best thing ever," she admits with a firm nod. "Even back in Keogh, I had to share space with my brothers. Had to share space in the mines. It's good not havin' to share if I don' want to." Drawing her knees up a bit as she turns to keep Alida in her view, a brow lifts upon hearing about her and N'ky and she remarks, "No shit? That has ya chuffed, right? I think ya and him would make a good team. I ran into him a little while back and he looked like he could use a good break." As for herself, there's a quiet chuckle there as she turns back towards the pools and answers with a half shrug and a "Quiet, for once. The quietness is always a short one, but I've been workin' on a series of trips I wanna do. All this Weyr politics have me on edge, so I thought maybe I can go out, check some places. Catch a beach and do some fishin'. Ya know." And Ilicaeth spins his own, more youthful tales right back as the two blues interact like long lost pals, his mental ears perked for the information and enjoyment he gets from Tacuseth's company. "Doesn't he?" Alida inquires of the elder blue, her greens flicking over both boys out there in the pool. "Ilicaeth has a few honest buddies from the 'lings...but most he's just passin' acquaintences with." Still, he's more social than his rider. She too takes in the scars upon Jo's arms, and for once the blonde doesn't feel somewhat over-aware of her own, her head bobbing a few times in agreement with wanting her own space. Back over towards the other woman she steps, her flip-flops making their typical sounds along the way, 'lida then settling to her bum upon the ground where her fellow bluie is posted. "It's not much, really; all pairs get a month turn at the positions." Shrug. "Yeah; whoever thought uv' us pairin' up fer it made a good decision... fer once." Snort. "Yeah. He's... he *was* all riled up about lots uv' stuff...but hopefully that shit's cleared up, now." There's quieting to listen to the more knowledgeable dragonrider, Alida dividing her glances between dragons and Jo - as well as giving the occasional one all around them - the 'ex' guard finally murmuring, "Though I don't mind sayin' that I'll likely feel better once all that crap gets sorted out...I'm kinda' enjoyin' havin' so many women at the helm." Smirk. "Tac was too rough of a sort even in weyrlinghood," Jo recalls, passing the two blues a flicker of a fond look. "Everyone thought he was as cracked in the head as I seem to be, since he and the others came from a cracked up clutch. Now it's mostly greens he shares his time with. I think he's been around me too much." Clearly. She nods firmly on hearing about the monthly leadership positions recalling her own with, "I got paired with this fuckin' do-gooder. Both of us were too dominant to be good to the other. I'm sure ya and N'ky will do well. Puttin' a little power in someone's hands can go a long way." Like Alida, she keeps an idle eye on their surroundings and their dragons, though she's probably appearing more at ease in comparison. When the ex-guard admits the last, she's given a side long look of consideration before a response comes. "Same here," she agrees. "We can run this places just as well as any man, as far as I'm concerned. It's a rough patch, but I think things will move along. Or get worse." She doesn't seem all that worried, either way. "Yeah; he struck me as a basically rougher sort...not that I know lots about 'im," Alida notes of Tacuseth. "Ilicaeth seems ta' enjoy bein' around 'im, which is fine in my book." Smirk. "I think the only one with the will ta' enjoy the kind uv' heavier tusslin' he likes is probably Cailluneth. The rest uv' 'em 'r either more cerebral 'r polished...'r mellow." Smirk. "Or their riders don't particularly care fer *me*." And thus try to limit their dragons' time with the blue whos paired with her. If the woman is thinking about Jo's 'cracked' comments about herself and her dragon, Alida's not speaking of them, though... "Shiiit... Most uv' the other 'lings think I'm a fuckin' nutbag. Heard a few say so out loud. Sociopath, psychotic, yadda-yadda-yadda." The way the woman's greens roll in her head, the way one of her hands pantomimes a yapping mouth might just show her take on such opinions. As for words of power, the blonde smirks thinly, and notes in her clipped alto, "Sometimes a lot uv' power." Since neither her nor N'ky have such, even in their temporary positions, she's likely not speaking of them. "As far as I'm concerned, those who run any Weyr ough'ta be the best person for the job...male or female. I mean, ya' likely don' wanna' weak, simple dragon mind bein' the winged half uv' a 'leader pairin', but I think the human half counts fer more, since it leads the other humans." Daring words from a weyrling, though the blonde doesn't balk at expressing them. "Whoever's the best human leader, no matter if they ride green, blue, brown, 'r bronze." Snort. "Yeah, I noticed he and Cailluneth hit it off great in the roughin' it department," Jo notes with a snort. "I just thought it was because she's a green, but..." it trails, the bluerider shrugging on the inner machinations of her blue. "Who don' care for ya?" she asks now, seeming to find that statement amusing. Somehow. "I mean, yer a basket of warm sunshine when yer around me. Tree stabbin' and all." In other words, she seems to understand, and even goes on to say, "Well, I wasn' all that liked in weyrlinghood either, save for M'ron and Kait. I'zech, maybe, but the way he stares at me even back then, I wasn' ever sure he wanted to kill me or fuck me. Or both on special occasions. None of that matters once ya graduate and get tapped. At least in Glacier, no one gives a shit there how I act and what I've done." Talk of power and which being right for the job to lead gets a grunting nod from her, seeming to agree. "Ain' always about bein' able to lead with a firm hand, too," she states. "Gotta be able to gain folks to yer side. To see things yer way, or find a middle ground. Sometimes gotta look past emotions, too." A chortle for Jo's comments of the greenpair trail into a rather wicked grin for the other bluie's words of Alida herself, the blonde seeming to relax a little in the company of someone who might at least somewhat 'get' her, her pale head nodding rather enthusiastically. "I don' *need* others as much as most humans seem ta'." Shrug. Words of I'zech draw the weyrling's mouth down into a hard little frown - her greens snapping some anger - but she doesn't say too much...though she's tempted, instead focusing on her companion's talk of her wing. "What's Glacier like, compared to the others?" As for power, again... "So I saw in the Guards, and now I'm seein' at the Weyr." Lip twist. "I ain't one ta' do well with the gainin' people." She does appear good at the firm hand, though. "Like my da' said..." is murmured thoughtfully after Jo's middle ground comment. Grunt. "Emotions. All fuckin' messed up, as I see it. K'del's screamin' an' cryin' the most obvious." "Get more things done on yer own," Jo agrees with the sentiment, nodding. "I've changed a bit of late....been gettin' to know the folks here more than I was doin', but yeah, I know what ya mean. I worry about trustin' the wrong sorts, too. Hard to pick'em out in a Weyr. Much easier out here," and she juts her chin out to indicate their current location. "It's not so gray." As for Glacier wing, she leans back a bit and says, "Tough wing. Gotcher rough men, tough women in there. Folks with pasts and folks that like keepin' to themselves. No one pries," and that seems to be a big thing with her by the pointed glance given. "No one's gettin' in yer business, and that's been suitin' me just fine. We all generally get along, mind, but it ain' all that fluffy-feelin' stuff like in most of the other wings. Everyone in it just suits Glacier and what it's about. No one in my class was surprised I got tapped there. Ya been checkin' out all the wings yerself?" There's laughter at hearing about the weyrling not being good at gaining people, stating back, "Comes with time and practice, darlin'. Most aren' born with that. It's just all about findin' common ground with folks. It's a good skill to have, even if yer not aimin' for leadership." She nods when he dad is mentioned, adding, "Like mine, too. Jothan's a shitty father, but he was one of those that could inspire loyalty from those guards. I actually envy him that." To the last, there's open amusement on her face though she says, "I don' remember him bein' that emotional back when I was a candidate, but, the man's been through a lot of darkness in the last couple of turns. Sometimes that can cloud judgment. I'd know." "Exactly..." the younger woman comments, again nodding to Jo, Alida then quirking her head, and paying the her elder more attention once more. "Yer right..." is noted with a certain hint of faint surprise and wistfulness for the days when things were just such - more black and white - the weyrling murmuring, "Surprising that business drew ya' back, then? T'the Weyr, I mean." Words of Glacier seem to give 'lida a reason to go quiet again, her brow furrowing some as she mentally putters over some ideas, then clearing as she answers, "Yeah. Just don' really wanna wind up in some place I can't stand again. Wanna' be at basic ease with the people I choose ta' hang with, but not have 'em get all pissy if I wanna' be left alone, too." Jo's laughter and words inspire a knowing roll of greens, another look out to their pair of blues doing their roughhousing and swimming, bathing thing out in the warm pool. More thought finally prompts the guard's low, "Like just about everything else." Sigh, grumble. "My da' was the same...fuckin' natural-born leader in near every sense uv' the word. All I got was the will, a dram uv' the charisma, the form fer fightin'." Not that shabby, really, but she's pretty young, and wanting it *all*. Word of K'del not always having been so explosively emotional makes the weyrling peer over at her companion and note, "Yeah, so I heard off the various grapevines. Mmph...not good form ta' show that much lack uv' self-control, weakness in front uv' critical others...an' in public." Nose-wrinkle. "It was business that drew me here in the first place," Jo answers on her reasons for being at the Weyr, before Tacuseth. "I still think about where I'd be if I had made a different decision turns ago. I'd never have found Tac, and he's too much a part of me. Don' think I'd have been thrown in the mines if I had him by my side back then." She turns to Glacier then, giving a huff of quiet laughter before saying, "Yer kept on yer own with Glacier, but, we all hang in the Snowasis at night. I can' see myself in any other wing, unless I ever take up a bigger knot." She wrinkles her nose a bit to that. "That ain' happenin' anytime soon. Got too much to do for that." Dark eyes regards their blue dragons at play, Tacuseth managing to keep up with the younger of the pair. There's a sobering look on the topic of fathers, glancing Alida's way and regarding her before she notes, "Don' ever be satisfied, Alida. Don' settle. Wanna be like him? Be better than him? Ya can. I work on it everyday. Bein' better than Jothan. Ya do what ya gotta and make the sacrifices. And ya seem pretty fuckin' driven to me, so I know I don' even have to say it." On K'del, she shakes her head and straightens up. "It's not," she has to agree with that. "But. Gotta feelin' all this rebellin' shit goin' down might have his fingers all in it. With the wings not flyin' the Falls and all. If so, maybe we're the ones bein' fooled by his show of lack. Makin' us think he's weak while he pulls the rug right from under us." Getting to her feet, "Can' underestimate any of those bronzeriders, I'd say," she remarks, dusting off any dirt from her pants. "Some are tricky bastards, but they're also killer in the sack. Double-edged swords, the lot." "True businesswoman at heart, then. An' here I was, lettin' y'trick me inta' believin' you were guard stock..." Alida smirk-mutters in easy humor over to Jo, the weyrling actually giving her fellow bluie a light bump of shoulder to shoulder in the spirit of the moment...which seems to match their dragons out beyond them. "At first... I was *not* likin' sharin' head space with anybody." Jo might understand the unspoken reasons why. "But now..." Grimace-grin. "Like y'said, I can't even fathom life without 'im. We just..." Fingers interlace suddenly before her. "Click... even with the occasional fights 'n shit." Nobody has her back, and she his, like Ilicaeth. Word of Glacier's habits meet up with a quick smile and a nod, the other woman's words of big knots making the pee-on cringe a bit. "Look at all the crap Taikrin, our weyrwoman go through. No fuckin' thank *you*." Headshake, nose-wrinkle. "*Not* satisfied..." is noted with intent, another pair of nods given to Jo as she talks of bettering one's self. Though... "How much sacrifice is *too* much?" She's thinking of Taikrin when that question emerges. And then that bronzerider comment is cause for her attention to focus like a laser sight upon the other bluie, the 'kid's' eyes narrowing some, her lips forming a little moue. "I keep my ear t'the ground about that shit, lemme' tell ya'. Not gonna' be caught with my fuckin' pants down, just cause I'm a weyrling." Smirk. "Yeah... I think I gotta' agree with ya', Jo. Even the young ones..." Watch them closely. As the other woman rises to her feet, Alida's suddenly remembering something she wanted to ask someone in the know...but now it's a little late, since the Glacier rider appears to be leaving. Quickly, she blurts out, "If y'got time sometime pretty soon, I'd like ta' talk with ya again." Lip-twist. "Personal shit." There's easy laughter as Jo rolls a shoulder back on the first and counters with, "I am guard stock. By the time I got here, I've long left Keogh." There's a pointed look: the mines. "First seven in the mines, I thought my father would have found out and found a way to get me out. Months later, whether he knew or not, I got my answer." She snorts on the troubles the current Weyrleadership have to go through, stating, "Yeah. They can have it, but shit, I don' mind backin' them up. If they need a pair of fists or somethin'. And as for sacrifice?" That gets her gaze to fall on the dragons before she says, "When ya wake up and realize ya were better off bein' the way ya were before compared to the way ya are now. For some, that can take turns before they get that mornin'." She grunts on bronzeriders, sticking to what she says on them. "I mean, not all of them are trouble, but, a good portion. It's their egos." Yeah, like Jo's one that should be talking about egos. "Some even think that just because they Impressed bronze, that they're better than the lots of us. No different from the guard barracks, right?" There's a bit of laughter for that as she continues to dust her pants off, when Alida blurts out about somethin' personal she needs to talk to her about, the ex-con eyes Tacuseth for a moment before she glances back at her and says as she turns to face Alida and crouch down, "Ask me now. For you, I've got time. Ya got me curious." Though she was ready to respond with more dark humor, Alida doesn't do such after Jo speaks of her blacker past, the blonde bobbing her head once in quiet empathy. Who'd've thought her capable of such? "Gotta' pick 'n choose yer 'causes carefully..." the weyrling notes with both gravity and some bitterness, her mind on what Jo did that night she Impressed Ilicaeth. But the lion's share of her attention becomes once more riveted upon the other bluerider when she speaks of sacrifice in such a fashion, 'lida trying to puzzle it out in silence. It strikes her deeply enough that she mostly glosses over those next words of bronzers, though the ego comment gets a harsh laugh and a knowing nod, the sitting woman commenting, "Fuck; don' even take me there." Snicker. Whoa; she's being heeded, and quite suddenly, now? It makes the quills on the porcupine-called-Alida bristle a bit in some surprise and caution...but she *did* ask. Pulling herself up by her bootstraps, while she looks back out on the two blues... "Tell me about mating flights...from *our* point uv' view." A rather explosive wave of hand out to their dragons transitions into a settling of said hand's fingers lightly at her chest, the woman tensing. "Yep," Jo agrees on choosing causes, seeming to have no remorse on her face. "Gotta live with yer choices. There's a companionable laughter that comes up on Alida's words about bronzeriders, belated at they are, and when the bluerider notes the surprise of her staying, Jo is even more considering her with a pert little smirk. It's noted that there's no reaction on the topic that is brought up, as if this was to be expected, eventually. With gusty exhalation as she regards their blues at play, "Well. The short end of it is yer blue chasin' whenever a green goes up. If he catches, yer fuckin'. Ain' much way around it. He loses, then yer feelin' pretty shitty until yer either boozed up or fuckin' anyway." She glances at Alida then to see if the short version would be what she's asking for. "Ain' much to it, darlin', for us with chasin' dragons. Y'can' stop them from chasin', believe me. I can tell ya I've tried and failed in the beginning. When it comes to those glowin' greens, Tac could care less what I wanted." She's all ears for Jo's responses to any of her comments or questions, but it's the mating flights that gets Alida's utter focus, the young woman quiet, a little edgy, watching the older bluie with the fine intent a guard displays. "Uhm... yeah. I got that... the catchin' means screwin', 'n not means whatever." She sounds rather hesitant, maybe a little grumpy. Time to look back at the two blues still goofing around. "But how does it...*feel* when they get like that? When they... *if* they catch?" Details, damn it! With a toss of her head, Jo's watching Alida now more than their dragons, seeming to find the other's discomfort with the topic rather interesting. So yes, she's staring. "Whenever Tac catches," she answers slowly, "I hardly remember what goes down. I just remember needing to have them, right then. It's pretty intense. One time broken glass was involved and we got cut up." Sitting back from the crouch, "I just remember needin it. The room could still have folks in it and it wouldn' matter. Don' matter if it's with a man or another woman, either. Sometimes ya make it to the bed, if there's one. Sometimes ya wake up and find all yer clothes torn up. And yer sore a lot of the times, but it's a good kind of sore. Kinda like after ya had a good fight? I always woke up feelin' much better, but I think the dragons have a lot of do with that." Eyeing her now, "Yer worried about it? Him catchin'?" she asks now. "Cuz, it won' be yer first time or anythin', by that time...right?" As Jo tells it like it is - and without getting intensely detailed, but detailed enough - Alida finds herself nodding, and finally able to look back over at the other bluerider, her shoulders untensing some. "Not really...just, y'know, I got no frame uv' reference fer how a dragon feels then, 'n how they make *us* feel." Ilicaeth's utterly inexperienced, of course. She can't quite look the other woman in the eye as she speaks, but hell, this is going rather decently, Alida untensing even more...right up until Jo asks that last bit. Instantly, the pale woman's features go dead flat, and her eyes flick back out to the pair of dragons. "How a dragon feels? It's like soarin' for the first time, everytime," Jo states with one of her crooked smiles in place. "That's how Tac references it for me. I feel like I'm flyin' with him, but ya know, then ya have that urgency to get off." That Alida is starting to relax seems to bode well, but that last seems to have tensed her up again. When she looks away, "Yer gonna freak out on me? Cuz....it's okay, if ya haven' yet. Ya know that. I mean, it'll happen, but ya don' want yer first time happenin' in some fuckin' flight. All sort of things could go wrong." She pauses, finally turning her gaze back to the dragons before she adds, "Hey, ya ain' gotta admit anythin' to me. Y'can just listen. If ya haven', get the shit taken care of before Ilicaeth starts sniffin'. Knock it with a guy, and get off with a girl. If ya already have, then ya can ignore the last things I've said." Note the formerly swimming, playing Ilicaeth out in the spring pool...the blue's head turned towards his ground-dwelling lifemate, his eyes whirling an intense blue flecked with the occasional hint of lavender. He's still moving about, and giving the occasional rumble and tail-lash to Tacuseth, but now his focus is divided...though he doesn't appear to be worked up at all. Merely observing, concentrating some. She listens, but mostly because Ilicaeth is backing her up, keeping her as calm and clear-headed as possible. "No..." is replied woodenly to Jo's comment about freaking out, ample hints of a somewhat constricted throat and a galloping heart heard in the not-quite alto sound of her voice. After some long moments to lean on Ilicaeth, she manages to reply once again, "Keep talkin'." It's both request and kind-of command...from somewhere that's not quite centrally-located within her consciousness. If Alida didn't already know better, she'd say her answer came from her 'killing place...' a variety of consciousness one step to the side from normal consciousness. If Ilicaeth's attention is suddenly divided, Tacuseth easily picks up on it. He doesn't regard the riders since he sends an easy, « There is no danger. She won' harm yers, » to the younger blue. As for Jo, she remains in that easy pose, exuding no outward threat - perhaps now, on purpose since things have certainly tensed up between them. At Alida's sudden request, a brow lifts. "Keep talkin' and I'll have a knife in the throat, or...?" she waits briefly, so that could just be rhetorical since she continues with, "If ya haven', get with someone that knows what they're doin'. It helps, and at least ya'll know how things go. And well...even if ya don' fancy girls, at least know what goes on just in case. Cuz...what if Sabs' Ghislaith goes up, right? Or Tela's Solith and yer Ilicaeth catches?" She steals a long look Alida's way now, gauging her reaction as she pauses. Noted around his hint of concentration to Tacuseth comes Ilicaeth's granite-like presence - no sand right now - his almost-baritone noting equitably, « Yeah; we know. Just givin' Alida a little aid. » Chuff. For a juvenile dragon, the younger blue's presence is very solid and unflinching. Still in that 'sidestep' away from regular consciousness, Alida hears Jo, and finally hears herself ordering her tongue to say, "Yer good." She's slowly unwinding from her sudden blaze of tension, but the blonde's still not relaxed by a long shot, her gaze locked to Ilicaeth's...who's eyes are now totally blue again. "Been with a girl, once." Still granite, still concentrating, yet still equitably protective comes the younger blue's, « Tell Jo she was with a girl only ta' kissin' and gropin'. » (To Tacuseth from Ilicaeth) There's a level of hot winds that suggests Tacuseth's surge of curiosity, confirmation in the message being passed with, « This interests her. » For now, no reason comes forth as to why. (To Ilicaeth from Tacuseth) Tacuseth now is watching the riders, even though he still remains unchanged by the tenseness. He seems willing to give Ilicaeth some space, however, floating in the hot water. He doesn't let up though that he's watching all three of them now. With the possible threat passing, Jo gives Alida a little nod. It's the last that shows that she didn't expect to hear that, the single stoic blink showing surprise for it. Perhaps Alida will note the sudden cut of her eyes towards the dragons, that slight but familiar misting over before she's back to watching her again and saying, "Didn' go all the way? Didn' want to go all the way?" There's no hesitance in asking her, and in revealing that message was passed. "I mean, it's good that ya have," she tacks on. "Ya always made it seem like ya hadn'. Like, all this is somethin' to be ashamed of." Which in her book, there is none, but then by reputation alone, Jo's preferences aren't a secret. While she's in her 'cold' place - wherever *that* is - Alida can't be much bothered by her usual, sometimes violent emotions...especially since Ilicaeth's working to buffer those, in this instance. Her greens *do*, however, drop from her blue's eyes to the surface of the water the two dragons linger in, then finally close. After some moments, an affectless murmur notes, "Wasn't sure...then we got caught." Sigh. "Got a whippin'." Shrug. Up come the blonde's knees, and her arms wrap around them, her chin propped atop said knees so she can once more look upon Ilicaeth, who's head is still turned towards his rider, though he's occasionally dipping his lower jaw into the water. His 'voice' is still granite, slaty-blue, though holding some of its usual grit when Ilicaeth notes almost casually, « I wouldn't let Jo get too detailed in her questioning, if I were you. » Even *his* channeling of his Alida has its limits, and once they're reached...well, you never know. (To Tacuseth from Ilicaeth) Both Jo and Tacuseth throw looks between Alida and her dragon, keeping as silent as them. It's only until Alida reveal what she does that the convict rider has that spark of understanding what went down, her chin coming up. There's dead silence, then exhalation from her before she quietly scoots close enough to be sitting shoulder to shoulder with the former guard. There's no teasin' or mockery in her tone as she drops a heavy, "Shit, Alida." Some would give an apology for something like that happening in this situation; Jo's cursing seems to be her rendition of that. Shaking her head as she looks to Ilicaeth now, "How old were ya?" she prompts now in a rough, quiet tone. That, Tacuseth can understand, and the dimming of the heat in those winds, the dimming of the crowd's call, is his confirming that. « She won', » he returns, just as casually. « She knows some paths are meant to be traveled alone. » (To Ilicaeth from Tacuseth) She's about as divorced from 'normal' reality as one can be, and still function within it, Alida having stepped a pace to the left this time, instead of her killer's right. Funny, it feels mostly the same. Mostly. The sound of Jo's voice asking that question is met with an owlish blink from the woman, which - perhaps humorously - Ilicaeth mirrors, 'lida then noting quietly, "Twelve...I think." Shrug. More peering out at her now still blue, more quietness finally prompts, "Da' told me never t'trust boys...men. All they did was ruin good women, one way 'r another." Dark eyes watching Ilicaeth as much as Alida now, "Twelve," Jo repeats that, and there's an underlying layer of anger there, hard to detect beneath the guardedness of her tone. "Yer dad sure sounds a lot like mine," she notes then darkly. "The things he'd tell me...I mean. No wonder yer..." She pauses, now looking at her with slightly narrowed eyes. There seems to be more she wants to ask, but something's holding her back. Lips part, then close before she states, "Look. As far as I can tell, yer safe here. No one's gonna smack ya up for doin' that, and if someone did, put'em in the infirmary. And if yer worried 'bout someone judgin' ya, then....well, they ain' worth yer time if they do. Could be dead tomorrow and all that. Ya know?" There's a gentle nudge of her shoulder to Alida's, the older woman dipping her head to meet her gaze. "Cuz, I get it. Ain' gotta go through that to get it. Y'ain' getting' no judgment from me. The things I've done, darlin'." If Jo's words affect the stoic blonde in any way, she's not showing it, Alida remaining quiet, flat, and looking out at Ilicaeth, who's finally climbing his way out of the pool he and Tacuseth inhabited, and slowly approaching his lifemate. A very soft croon is given off to let everybody know he's fine, they're fine, and finally the slaty-blue settles down to his belly upon the ground, his neck extending until the very tip of his wet muzzle just touches his human's legs. Blue eyes whirl moderately, and are once again tinged with the occasional flecks of lavender while he observes the blonde...and chuffs softly. And then Jo's gently nudging her, too...and perhaps it's the combined physical prompts from the two outside sources that urge Alida to start talking again, her greens blinking another time, and actually partially seeing Jo's own dark gaze. "Never gonna' let *anyone* touch me again like that..." With violence. Not without equal violence, or worse. She still sounds pretty chill, which perhaps makes of her words more promise than warning. Finally comes perhaps a small surprise. "What's it like ta' sleep with a guy?" With Ilicaeth exiting the pool, Tacuseth lingers where he is - sinking into the hot depths until only his head can be seen. Jo doesn't push the silence between them; she seems easy enough to let it continue, choosing not to break it until Alida does. She's watching Ilicaeth's efforts to calm his lifemate, so when the silence is broken, she blinks and cuts her eyes to the blonde. "Damn straight," she answers on the first, nodding once. It's the question that seem to catch her off-guard, brows unfurrowing at her. "With a guy?" she repeats, perhaps to give herself time to recover. "Depends on the guy, I think. It can get pretty intense. If yer used to bein' in control...it takes some time to let some of that go at times. To trust him if he's on top. And if he knows what he's doin', it can be really fun. Pleasurable. If it's his first time, it tends to be pretty quick. Won' be much to it unless he knows how to really get ya off, though. Takes some guys forever to learn that." After Jo starts speaking in earnest, Alida finally starts exiting her knee-hold, the flat-featured blonde slowly moving her body around until she can more easily stretch out an arm, and touch one hand to Ilicaeth's soft muzzle. Another, slightly weirder-sounding croon and chuff combination exit his lungs, and - for the moment - the lavender fades from his gaze, making it all blue once more. She must be listening, even though it appears as if the guard's concentrating solely on her blue, for more words finally make an appearance, low, quiet. "Lisel said it hurt the first time 'r two." A faint frown forms upon the weyrling's brow, as if she's both vexed and stumped as to the whys. "It can," Jo's not refuting what Lisel said, though there's now a slight level of humor in her tone. "That first push. It can be uncomfortable, but it shouldn' be bad enough to have ya suddenly holdin' a blade to his throat." The very thought and image could be quite comical, even, her lips quirking up a bit at it. "Not if he's careful. It's why they say it's best to get it in first with someone experienced. Someone ya can trust not to have ya reachin' for the blade under yer pillow." There's an arched look going Alida's way for the last, as if the blue weyrling would be the type to have a knife under her pillow. "Can be..." is murmured, Alida continuing to almost absently stroke Ilicaeth's muzzle, her gaze sometimes shifting between her blue and Jo. A subdued bob of her pale head follows more information from the other bluie...but when Jo speaks of knives, the guard is actually giving up a hint of a ghost-smile, some kind of soft sound emerging from her lungs. "Saw a dick a couple uv' times..." And not even in the baths. Is that a faint snigger? There's a faint nod from Jo - Alida's calm, and the bluerider seems leisurely in her sitting-up posture. Laughter greets the last, leaning forward to press her hands into the ground as she answers back, "They're not as scary as they look?" she gives a slight lift at the end to make that a question - a teasing question, at that, from her. "Some women in the caverns would say that's the best part of a man. Be good for ya to find someone to explore that with, Alida," she does note, keeping the amusement in her tone. "Even discretely. Ya gotta weyr now. No shame in findin' out. In knowin'." Right? It's all casually given, but then, there's been nothing tense in Jo's posture or tone the whole time. Even enough to say, "Hey, I've was holdbred once. Hard to believe, I know, but I was..." "Not scary..." Snert. "Ridiculous. Silly...weak...hangin' out there, all vulnerable." She *is* talking again, and while not like her usual self, Alida is indeed trying to find a wan smirk as she give *her* perspective on male genitalia. "A couple solid punches..." Snert. And then she's being prompted to 'experiment' with such silly parts...and the woman goes quiet again. After another chuff from Ilicaeth that makes her pale hair dance around some, the weyrling inquires in guarded tones, "Who?" A measuring look full of cool caution is slid out of the side of her eyes over to Jo, the other bluie's words of being a holder once giving the younger female reason to nod. "A couple solid punches and they'll will be hidin' their manparts from ya for the unforeseeable future," Jo counters back, that lopsided grin in place. "'Sides, don' need to punch'em there to get them hard up, ya know. A good hand-jerk would do." She'll say, just because this is Alida. To the rest, she seems to be expecting the former guard to seize up at the very thought making such an encounter. At that one-worded question, the ex-con's looking right at her and answering with a blithe, "I know some, but, they're a bit on the rough side." Not really a surprise, there. "Be better that ya choose him on yer own, darlin'. Someone ya like, or can trust enough for that?" Yeah... that finally does it... Jo's words managing to call forth a very teenaged snicker-giggle from Alida, though she quells it quickly. her greens looking at the other woman's hand for a moment, as if *she* might be able to show the blonde just what the hell she means. It's *good* that Jo's blithe, for this allows the weyrling to recover more easily, steadily, now that she's out of her exoskeleton for a little bit. Still, she mutes down again at the thought of picking the 'right' guy for a 'task' that would likely seem herculean to anyone, the blonde finally muttering, "Two I know...sorta-trust..." Headshake. "Both... untried." Like her. Alida's outburst seems to help dissipate the tension surrounding them, and Jo does catch the look to her hand and, well... she does make a fist and does the rapid motion at least briefly before saying with a sly look, "Give it a try sometime." There's a bit more laughter as her gaze drops off, but the last admittance does earn her study. "Despite the sorta amount of trust, they'd be ideal if they were," she muses idly. "If there's not anyone else that could work, or yer not comfortable grabbin' one of the older riders around here....maybe they'll do?" Brows lifts at that. "Just, keep the knives away. Just in case." She couldn't help but to continue to tease. Shoulder nudging her, "Ya'll be fine, is all I'm sayin'," she says evenly now. "That blue of yers ain' gonna lead ya astray, especially where flights are concerned. First one's always the scariest, but after that..." Shrug. If she hadn't just come through a personal hurdle and won, Alida might be blushing in deep embarrassment over Jo's gesture/technique. As it is, the blonde simply smirks softly, shrugs, and looks over to Ilicaeth, the blue's head resting still as she strokes his hide, though his tail gives the occasional twitch, coppery claws sometimes flexing. "They...they're...complicated." And she's not? Lip-twist. "One's emotional." Her free hand gestures uselessly upon the air. "The other's..." What to say. No more granite, but a light desert storm of golden sands that conceal his lifemate, « One might get too attached, the other might manipulate. » Grumble. (To Tacuseth from Ilicaeth) "And yer life would be perfect with uncomplicated?" Jo quips back, picking up on that. "Emotional. As in, he'll get attached or somethin'? He'll suddenly think yer his weyrmate?" Tacuseth has finally emerged from the waters, settling close but with some space as he cools off with the steam lifting off his nicked-up hide. And the other, well, Jo's waiting for more, looking at her now in anticipation. There's the swell of a dim crowd adding to that desert sand, the bold gusts of wind marking Tacuseth's distinct amusement. « One of them can be controlled, » he seems to suggest, an underlying slyness to his voice. (To Ilicaeth from Tacuseth) "No...but it'd be better." She's already had enough of complicated for now, given her exposure to the Weyr and its politics. "Dunno'. He might...might not." Sigh. "I don' want any attachments; 'specially not right now." The blue at her legs cocks his head just enough - slowly - to turn an eye upon Tacuseth, his rumble low, soft. There's a small gust of ochre sand to temporarily mix with the gold, the hit of it scouring perhaps one more nick upon Tacuseth's hide. « The best form uv' control's *self* control. » Snort. « Which one, oh know-it-all? » (To Tacuseth from Ilicaeth) Snorting, "The whole Weyr is nothin' but a complication," Jo states, wry in its delivery. "But I hear ya. Attachments wouldn' be so fun at this stage, anyway. Feelin's get hurt all too easily. Ya gotta lot on yer plate." Brushing her hands together to get the dirt off, "I kept away from attachments for a long time," she admits. "Still do. Sorta." There's uncertainty in her tone along with a slight frown, but she shakes her head and adds, "Guess it's complicated. Kinda new, for me. Y'can always tell them it's nothin' personal. Just, ya know, sex." Like that will solve everything. Tacuseth, for his part, has his whirling eyes trained on Ilicaeth, still not moving a muscle from his cool-down. Tacuseth seems to revel in the scouring - he's clearly not adverse to pain - and there's a snort for the first, but a response to the second. « I only know what my Jo would say, » is his initial return, unapologetic. « Steal from the thief. Don' get caught. » He pauses, then adds, « The Manipulator. » Whoever that appears to be. (To Ilicaeth from Tacuseth) A mute nod is Alida's answer for Jo's statement of the Weyr, the blonde finally letting out a sigh - long, loud, deep - that rids her of half her former tension in one go. Listening to the older rider continue to speak makes the woman's visage turn to Ilicaeth again, watch the two blues interact in their more subtle manner. "Even the best uv' us, apparently..." the younger female murmurs softly. Headshake. There's an eddy of that dour, abrasive sand, but it's around the elder blue, this time, with a somewhat-surprised sparkle of mica and quartz embedded within. Tacuseth actually offered something besides a smart-assed retort. For what sounds like the truth, the heady scent of a desert succulent is offered: peace. (To Tacuseth from Ilicaeth) With a roll of her eyes and a nudge for the last, "Ya say that now," Jo remarks to the last. "Just you wait. Learn how to bat those lids and bring someone to their knees, and ya'll have complications, too." She chuckles on that as she slowly gets to her feet now, turning to offer Alida a hand up. With her chin lifting, "Anyway. Dunno if I've confused ya more or not. If ya get into any sort of trouble, ya can leave my name outta it." Her slight smirk is back and Tacuseth with his gaze still on Ilicaeth gets up in preparation for take off. There's that brief swell of the crowd before a calm steals over them, mingling in with an amusement that taste like his rider's and peace - Tacuseth takes that peace offered. (To Ilicaeth from Tacuseth) There's a snort from Alida, and the look on her features speaks a volume as to how the young woman thinks of ever getting 'attached': scorn. Another, softer sigh heralds her sudden lift of arm, and grapping of hand within Jo's so that the darker woman can haul her pale ass up off the ground. Grunt. "Thanks." For more than the hand up. "No." And for the Glacier rider's 'trouble,' she'll recieve in return a glib, "No need ta' mention that this stays between us, uv' course." Amusement and peace...what comrades! « Cut it out; I'm gettin' all shiny-eyed. » No, really. (To Tacuseth from Ilicaeth) Once she pulls Alida up off the ground, "Think I'll get ya a randy bronzerider for yer complication troubles," Jo continues to tease even more, especially at that look of scorn. "Or maybe some hot female greenrider, too? Would ya be into threesomes? I can just see it now...." She's terrible. She steps away to reattach the carrier onto her dragon, the glib last getting over her shoulder, "Honestly, who would I tell? I'm the half-cracked ex-con that can' keep her pants on. Who'd listen or even care?" It's equally glib, but the look she throws over her shoulder says it all: Betraying secrets just isn't her style. Once things are attached where they're suppose to be, she jerks a nod in Alida's direction as she says, "Anytime, darlin'. Y'know ya can ask me anythin'. Hardly a topic's off limits with me. Yer alright?" It's a heavy question, alluding to flights, her childhood reveal, and things in general. And just because he can, Tacuseth paints a picture in Ilicaeth's mind of the two of them slagging hot water at each other into the sunset. It's a bromance! (To Ilicaeth from Tacuseth) She's still fucked up, herself. And yet she's also weirdly sane in the way only those who have been through too much...seen too much are. And when Jo mentions whom she might pick for Alida as a bedmate - bed mateS - the blonde can't help but just slightly blushing, while she also smacks a palm to her forehead. "Shit-all..." Eyeroll. A knowing nod is given as her answer to that unspoken promise, 'lida leaving it to the other bluie's imagination as to just how pissed-off the weyrling would be if Jo lied about her silence. An almost solemn bob of her head greets the rest, as well as the ground-bound woman's grunted, "Yeah. We're good." She and Ilicaeth-who-buttresses. "Clear skies ta' you 'n Tac." Alida, blushing even slightly - Jo takes that as a success since her smile is more pronounced, which suggests she said all that stuff on purpose. Once she got her confirmation that they were solid, the convict rider gives Alida a firm nod before she finally mounts up on her Tacuseth. The last gets her smooth call back, "And to ya and Ilicaeth." Then the pair are up and Between in moments. |
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Nicky (Nicky (talk)) left a comment on Mon, 13 May 2013 15:39:44 GMT.
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Oh, 'Lida. Poor thing! I'm so glad she has Jo to speak to go to - Jo gives good advice. :)
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