Difference between revisions of "Logs:After Iesaryth's Third Flight"

In early morning and light snowfall of day 7, month 3, Iesaryth finally stopped her constant sleeping to rise in her third flight, another sun in the dawn sky.

Since Aishani was disarmed in the days beforehand, no one was stabbed, but the flight is notable for a few other things. First, after all of the effort (rumored and otherwise) to swing things in Fort's Vhaeryth's favour in the past, he is absent from this flight, who knows why. Fort is represented, however, by Etrevth and Dieudoneth, a late arrival to the flight. Despite initial fierce competitiveness, Rasavyth, Lythronath, and Rosvelth fall behind early, and injured Rasavyth and exhausted Etrevth have to drop out entirely before the flight is done. Though there's no rider injuries, there's rumours of a near-scuffle between Rh'mis and the two Fortians, and the goldrider's general disgust with the lot of them.

Regardless, her queen must be caught, and it's Reisoth's keen observation that pays off over Dieudoneth's martial skill, so score one for High Reaches, and for H'vier, who presumably did not get knifed this time. And now, more eggs are on the way.

Some dragons collapse into exhausted sleep after flights; on her ledge now, after soaring high into the clouds with Reisoth, Iesaryth isn't moving much, but her hours upon days of sleep have her alert, watching the sparse snowfall over the bowl. Her rider, across the bowl in the flight weyr, because Faranth forbid Aishani deign to hold a flight in her own weyr, has not moved yet either. She was dozing, still might be - she's not unused to a weight next to her in her bed, and not quite free of her queen's influence, she might see little reason to get up. It'll come back to her, sure. Then comes the horror, or whatever else. At least there's no weaponry out there, in her discarded clothing. Not this time.

After watching the queen for several days, even if not a constant vigil, Reisoth is more willing to succumb to sleep. He's not the clingy sort, though likely obliging at the moment, so he'll lay nearby but not right next to Iesaryth unless that's what she wants. H'vier isn't quite so accommodating. He's as asleep as his dragon but that just means he won't realize if he's crowding all up into Aishani's space. Lucky her, though, he's close enough to rouse as soon as she starts moving at all. You'd think a man that's been stabbed recently would be a little more careful with a woman who has stabbed him in the past!

Iesaryth is nothing if not laid-back - whatever's good with Reisoth is fine with her, though nearby is good. She's not overly enamored with her mates either, particularly if she doesn't know them well, but she's pleased. Pleased that it was that observance that made the difference. She appreciates that sort of thing. As for her rider... there's a moment or two when she slowly floats to consciousness that she does appreciate that closeness, sighing quietly and leaning back into him. But then there's a few things that register at once - differences in the person she's leaning against, the bed, the weyr - and then she's tense and sliding away as far as she can, with a cough that's not too strangled. Afternoon.

Even if it's probably not very routine these days, H'vier is no doubt at least slightly accustomed to people going tense against him after waking up in circumstances of at least passing similarity. So it's not that but Aishani sliding away that jolts the bronzerider to confused consciousness. He leans up to look at the woman with furrowed brows. Then he closes his eyes for a moment, maybe to make sure nothing hurts in ways they shouldn't, before letting himself fall back against the bed. And now? Now he's looking a little smug. "I guess I lied."

Aishani might be annoyed if she could see how self-satisfied H'vier looks, but she's not paying attention to him, purposefully so. Instead, she moves slowly and deliberately; she pulls the sheet up around her, she swings long legs over the side of the bed, she sits up, long tousled curls spilling down her back. She didn't punch him in lieu of stabbing, so there's that. Shrugging, voice low and a little rough, much less neutral and cultured when she wakes, "Wouldn't be the first time, would it?"

When the sheet starts getting pulled around Aishani, H'vier reaches to curl his hand into the fabric and pull it back toward him. It's not because he's modest, of course. Only one guess as to why he doesn't want her to have it, though. "You wound me, weyrwoman. I like to think I'm generally honest with you." Generally. "Are you really in such a hurry to get on with your duties?" He's still pulling, gently but firmly, on the sheet.

There's not much of a fight for the sheet before Aishani decides it's beneath her dignity to carry on with it. She lets H'vier have the sheet, but her back is still turned; her fingers move to straighten her curls expertly. Apparently, she's used to making herself look presentable in short order. There's a flicker of a glance over her shoulder, dark eyes wary, before she goes back to it. "I didn't say that it wouldn't be the first time you lied to me specifically. And no, I'm not really. But I also have no interest in lounging around all day when I've been doing just that for several of them."

The sheet is forgotten almost the moment she gives it up, pushed out of the way onto his other side so H'vier can slide closer to her. He doesn't try to touch her, though. Not now that he can't blame everything on his dragon. Maybe getting stabbed that one time did him some good. At least where she's concerned. But he wants to, that's obvious. "I lie. Sometimes without meaning to." Like this time. "But you can't really hold that against me." She's not exactly Truthy McTruthson herself. "We don't have to lounge," he starts to say, but if H'vier was going to actually suggest other activities, he doesn't get to that.

It seems like a good thing that he doesn't try to touch her, by the way her body immediately shifts, ready to do... something. Hopefully something defensive. Aishani seems very aware of his presence, for all that she tries very hard to move on as if she isn't. She 'finishes' with her hair, though it's still a little big, and when she puts feet to the cold floor and begins to stand, her cheeks are faintly flushed. Derisively, "How do you lie without meaning to? You do or you don't. And I really don't care either way." So pleasant. As she scans the weyr, probably for clothes, "We don't have to do anything."

The bronzerider shifts and reaches like he might try to catch her by the arm but he stops himself from doing that, too. Probably not soon enough for Aishani not to notice, granted. "They don't start out as lies," he explains without really explaining anything. He might try but H'vier only watches her instead, shifting up and over to settle on the edge of the bed without any concern of his own for their clothes. After a moment, his gaze drops to the healing cut on his leg and he scratches at it absently when he looks up again. "No, you're right. We shouldn't." Like it was an option to begin with.

Aishani shifts away just as H'vier makes the half-attempt, but she flickers a look over his way as she does, expression unreadable. She's still faintly pink and awkward though. As she finds her things, examining their state closely piece by piece - she really ought to wear less-nice things when Iesaryth's proddy - either unbothered by his attention or determined to be unbothered, she snorts in a rather unladylike way. "That sounds like male logic," she says, shaking her head. "And I wasn't offering." A pause before, reluctantly, "She seems to like him."

He may not get to see her like this again, so of course he's going to take advantage of the situation. Even if he's being oddly decent, for him, about it while he does. There's a still kind of smug grin about her not offering, but it's the rest that H'vier focuses on. "That's good, I suppose. Since he'll probably be staring at her for the next few months." He knows Reisoth well enough to know that, anyway. "And maybe he'll remember that next time Hraedhyth goes up and catch her like he's supposed to."

Even if she's getting dressed now, in quick efficient motions, at least her underthings are nice to look at too - for as long as they're visible, anyway. This time, Aishani catches that grin and narrows a glare H'vier's way, though it loses a little something when she's standing there half-dressed, pants in her hand. What he says doesn't help much either - she just stares for a moment, then shakes her head and steps into her pants with a long-suffering sigh. Dryly, "Good luck with that." Asshole.

H'vier finally rises as Aishani starts to get her pants on. He stretches his arms over his head first, then finds his own pants to pull on, not in any hurry in the world. "Thanks," is his still grinning response. "It's not that I haven't... appreciated the time we've spent together. Or the time we'll get to spend together. But fucking you doesn't come with the knot I want. It's not personal, of course. I rather enjoyed myself. And Reisoth is more satisfied than he's been in a long time."

"Yes, well. It doesn't get me anywhere either, imagine that. Nothing personal." Smirk. Busy buttoning her shirt, Aishani doesn't have time to pay attention to what H'vier's doing. It's better that way likely. Unsurprisingly, she has absolutely no comment on her enjoyment of the morning or lack thereof, and as for Iesaryth... apparently she's said everything she'll say on the gold's behalf. With another of her heavy sighs, "As long as you don't cause me problems, I'll leave them alone. But don't expect this is some free pass to wander into my weyr. We have business, they have the clutch, that's it."

He only smiles, something biting but ultimately unspoken under the surface. He's being nice. Ish. With his pants secured, H'vier's gaze falls to his belt, re-threading the few places it's come loose. "Yeah, yeah. No sex, no fun. No knives." The last is evidently his own addition to what's expected during this time while their dragons are on somewhat better terms than they are. "There's someone I think you should talk to, by the way. About business." But he offers no name as he finds first one boot, his shirt, and then the other boot.

Arching fine brows, seeming much more herself with her clothes on, Aishani sits - but only to pull on her boots. "I didn't think any of that would be an issue, since you weren't supposed to be here in the first place? And don't worry. Now that you're useful to me, I won't stab you." 'Unless you deserve it' hangs, unspoken, in the air. There's a moment before she's forced to add, "And I would never harm the rider of my queen's clutch sire. Fine, is that better?" The question is obviously not for H'vier. As for business, "I barely trust you, you think I should take your recommendation already? My cousin Leo needs to meet with you soon, by the way."

"It's not." An issue. Even if he seems to be telling himself as much as he's telling her. H'vier moves back to the bed, near where Aishani sits, and sets his boots down so he can pull on his shirt. "I'll take it as a kindness. And thank you, Iesaryth," is added to the air. "Do you trust anyone, weyrwoman? Besides, they hate me more than you do, so you ought to like them just fine." He turns to sit, pulling on his own boots, "When is soon?"

Though she's more herself, Aishani still goes just a little tense as H'vier sits near, her fingers on her laces barely pausing at work. "Sadly, I'm unable to knife as many people consequence free as I'd like. And even when..." She trails off, shakes her head. "Never mind." After she's tied both boots, she doesn't rise to her feet right away, looking at her toes on the stone of the floor. "I trust several people who have proven they deserve my trust. And I don't hate you." The obvious follow-up would be 'I don't care enough, etcetera', but she doesn't go there, just: "As soon as you can manage a night off."

H'vier glances over at the 'never mind' but doesn't press, finishing lacing up his boots instead. "When have I ever been untrustworthy?" To her specifically, presumably. "If anything, it's me who shouldn't trust you, not the other way around." Point made, he adds, "I can get a night off in the next seven. Tayte won't mind if I have things to do." Not that even she trusts him. But she has more reason not to.

"Perhaps it's less a matter of trust and more a matter of what I trust you to do." Done looking at her toes, Aishani pushes to her feet to stand again, turning to look down at him. "You've always been untrustworthy. I didn't like the look of you when you arrived, and you've proven to be unpredictable since. But I'll tell you when, and if it goes well with Leo, suggest away." With one of her diffident little shrugs, "You can trust me to pay you. And to be armed." Her grin is short, but sharp.

"I think you liked the look of me just fine," counters H'vier, sounding more than a little pleased with himself. He finishes with his boots and rises, dusting his hand against his thigh unnecessarily. "Predictable people are boring, Aishani. You should know that as well as anyone." The bronzerider smiles at her, one of his charming, harmless smiles. "It will go well. Just don't get it into your head that I'm as easy a target when I'm not distracted by horny dragons." He doesn't sound particularly worried about it now, but there's always the future to think about. "After you, weyrwoman," he says with a gesture toward the door.

Finally faintly exasperated, Aishani gives a soft sound of disgust, stalking off to get her jacket even before he's gestured for her to take the lead. She doesn't even care that he's likely going to watch her walk out, either - though she is flushed again. Pulling her collar high as she walks out, "Don't get cocky, just do your job." It seems like a simple enough way to get along with her. If she wasn't in the mood to be a bitch about six times out of ten. (Eight? Nine?)

Oh, he'll definitely watch her walk out. That's really the only reason to let a woman do anything first, after all. "I wouldn't dream of it, weyrwoman," says H'vier about getting cocky as she walks off. And if he's grinning as he follows eventually in her wake, at least she can't see it to get annoyed by it now.