Logs:Pride, and other things
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| RL Date: 23 March, 2013 |
| Who: Alida, N'ky, Cailluneth |
| Type: [[Concept:{{{type}}}|{{{type}}}]] |
| What: Proud weyrlings are proud. |
| Where: Living Caverns |
| When: Day 25, Month 4, Turn 31 (Interval 10) |
| Weather: A layer of gray clouds covers the sky. The air feels cool and damp, but there is no rainfall today. |
| Mentions: Quinlys/Mentions |
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| Living Cavern, High Reaches Weyr Stalactites hang high above this enormous cavern like a jagged chandelier or an inversion of the Spires themselves, but shadows cling to them instead of light. Below lie great tables arranged in rows, each large enough to serve a fighting wing, while in the nooks and alcoves around the cavern's edge sit more sensibly-sized tables, from six- and eight-seaters down to intimate spots for just a couple of diners. The only really open space is around the kitchen entrance, smelling of food and rarely quiet, and by the nearby serving tables with their long buffet of the day's offerings. Tapestries on the smooth walls -- some faded and others newly woven -- only slightly mute the sea of sound when a meal is in full swing, but they add cheerfulness augmented by the glowlight from wall sconces and the centerpieces of each table. Still, shadows always creep along the ceiling and into the mouths of the exits -- the myriad small hallways at one end of the cavern and, at the other, the twisting tunnel to the bowl near an array of coathooks and and hatracks -- and late at night, when the glows are allowed to dim, the chamber can seem very dark indeed. 10pm and all's as well as it can be with Alida, the tired blonde having earlier hiked to the cavern and its hearth to get a snack before she goes to bed. No klah, though. With Ilicaeth finally tucked into his couch and snoozing deeply, she's found a few moments for herself, the ex-guard (is a guard really ever an 'ex-'?) now idly sipping some herbal tea, and staring into the fire as she further winds down. Alida may not want klah, but it's as essential to N'ky's life as Cailluneth is. Perhaps the pot in the weyrling caverns is empty, which is why he's come all the way over to the living caverns for his fill... with Cailluneth in tow. The little green sits like a large, obedient canine just inside the entrance, watching her weyrling go to fill his mug. The fact that the dragon is there with him suggests N'ky had no intention of hanging around... but then he spots Alida. With a look over to Cai he diverts his path, meandering over to the blonde and settling into a chair beside her. "Thirty-secondth for your th-thoughts, Alida?" The sound of occasional footfalls and a soft murmur of scattered conversation is pretty standard for even this time of evening in the big 'cavern. None of those concerns Alida much as she sips her tea, her side leaned in against part of the stone hearth, her greens remaining mostly upon the banked, low fire. Still, there's motion to call attention to things, and when - from the corner of her eye - the bluie notes such coming in her direction, she shifts her gaze that-a-way, soon picking out N'ky moving away from the waiting Cailluneth. To his inqury when he settles down into a nearby seat to join her first comes nothing, the young woman having to stir part of herself to bother to answer back...the part that's usually prompted by Ilicaeth being awake and moving around in her mind. Finally, in low, almost husky tones, "You don't wanna know." Tsavorite eyes flick over to the youth, then out to Cai again, and the guard murmurs, "Y'think they'd let the babies come inside. They fit." Grunt. "Eh, they might crap on the floor, 'r accidentall knock over somethin', I guess." Shrug, sip. "I h-heard Telavi had Solith inside, b-but, um..." Cailluneth is being good, sitting quietly, watching and sniffing at the air. "She d-doesn't like to be away from me when she's awake. N-not at all." The way N'ky says it, it's clear that he doesn't mind the need to be close at all. The fact that he's just spent the last hour or so dusting down the barracks' spare mattresses and lining the floor of Cailluneth's couch with it is certainly a strong statement to that end - clearly, N'ky's moving down to the floor to join his lifemate, now that she's too big for his cot. "Alida? Um... c-can I ask you something?" The slightly raised brow upon Alida's face silently inquires after N'ky's 'but,' the palest-blonde finally shrugging and noting in a still low, if brusque tone, "I don't care if she's in or not. If the few others in 'ere right now don't care..." A faint wiggle of her mug-cupping hand's fingers to Cailluneth out there presages another sip of tea, and finally the shift of greens back over to the gangly greenie. The sound of her voice this time is a bit wry. "If it's about lessons, forget it. Quin said 'no go.'" Cue her typical little smirk. Chaos, is Daehyeth's sudden, gleeful late night interjection into the thoughts of any awake Reachian dragon, a tornado tizzy of whirling spring flowers illustrating that non-verbalized word/emotion. (Daehyeth to all High Reaches dragons) In return, there's the abrupt sense of a fine, metallic mesh: the kind that sweeps over everything, encapsulating everyone. Cadejoth's mesh. Cadejoth's order. It's a warning; a challenge. A promise, maybe. (Cadejoth to all High Reaches dragons) Cailluneth sees Alida's wiggling fingers and responds to them with a rasping croon, taking one step forward towards them until N'ky holds up his hand to reluctantly still her. A moment of silent debate between them, and he caves - assumingly, anyway, since the green comes trotting over with wolfish grace to curl by his feet. Suddenly her head goes up and she rumbles, leaving N'ky looking confused. "N-not lessons," he says distractedly, looking around them, looking for someone. "Is Ilicaeth awake? Cai's... t-talking about something." Sudden rush of dry, hot wind flurries up from the distraction of the chaos blooming on his own front to touch upon the voice of someone new. The baby bronze's anarchist soul rushes to the forefront with encouragement, excitement; he gets drunk off of the dual fronts of battling the establishment. Banners snap crazily in the wind, raging dark blue with blood-red stripes while far below, hazy figures assemble on the blurred smear of green and blue; a world below. Cadejoth's order is rejected, denied. Until something else snaps the baby dragon's mind from the masses to something else. /Hunting/. (Athimeroth to all High Reaches dragons) To all High Reaches dragons, Hraedhyth's flames leap, drums skip a beat, surprise fading away as the rhythm returns to normal. Her inquiry is an easy one, bellowed across her plains with good humor, one member of a tribe to another. Ho there? Cadejoth's mesh is seen, acknowledged, fire glinting off the fine metal with unbothered amusement. Oh. To all High Reaches dragons, Tsanth cares not for any mesh. Sand, pebbles and little rocks. They slip past that warning. But don't worry, he's too sleepy to get up tonight to bother real hard. "She's not one t'wince..." Alida comments of Cai's trot over to her lifemate, a small tip of a half-smile offered to the green as she winds her way about N'ky's feet. Looking back up to the youth, that distracted peering of his is noticed, making the weyrling's curiosity perk some. "No..." is murmured softly, another sip of tea taken before the blonde murmurs, "Spill it, then." To all High Reaches dragons, Cadejoth is abruptly silent again, but something of him lingers: a sense of claiming. Cadejoth has not abandoned High Reaches Weyr. Little Solith's less audible than movement, a skittering, netted and trying to get through... only to burst through all but what lingers as soon as the confines are released, momentum sending her tumbling out of the picture. (Solith to all High Reaches dragons) "I d-don't know what it is." N'ky bites down on his lip, eyes closed in concentration as he tries to glean what he can from Cailluneth. "Hraedhyth... Athimeroth, I r-recognise their colours. A-and, um, Cadejoth...? And more, too, but... I c-can't work it out. Claiming?" His shoulders shrug and he opens his eyes, looking down to Cailluneth for clarity. "She thinks in c-colours and feelins, not words." Twitch. Flick. Ah, youth. Hraedhyth is roused, protective jaws reaching for multiple scruffs, catching those dragonets who may be too interested. Warm, coarse fur curls around those innocent minds, hold easy but firm. None of that for you, pups. (Hraedhyth to all High Reaches dragons) Dervishes of Daehyeth's flower petals whirl intermittently throughout Reachian dragon minds. Chaos bubbles over, undampened by the non-Weyrleader's bronze and his order. Instead, it dances past Hraedhyth's flames and drums, some getting singed about the edges, floast over a baby bronze's rejection, and ultimately pays court in all its colorful rainbow hues to her somnolent wingleader's dragon, petering out only as sleep claims her. Even then, an ill-timed snore or sleeping sigh sends flowers everywhere. (Daehyeth to all High Reaches dragons) To all High Reaches dragons, Cailluneth's curious moonlight reaches out, tendrils of quicksilver colour curling towards her clutchmates, her dam, vaporous towards those dragons yet unknown. A trail connects them, dusky purple and diaphanous, tracking the course of the conversation, analysing it in a cloud of isolating white, but finding no answers to solidify the cloud of her thought - though Daehyeth's bright colours entice her to peep beyond the protective fur swaddling her. Listening intently, quietly to N'ky, Alida absorbs his words and impressions like a sponge, the blonde continuing to drink while her clutchsibling spills his guts, so-to-speak. Her peer at the male alters into a longer stare down at Cailluneth, as if to try to communicate with the tubby little green with the force of her own will, but with what's highly likely to be a failure, the more human of the pair is once more attended to. "Maybe she's pickin' up on some conversations among 'em, or somethin'." A rub of her mug-holding hand's thumb joint against some itch on her cheek presages, "Sounds pretty...but confusing, yeah." That's of Cailluneth's speech in colors. "Ask her to clarify, 'n help her." Shrug. The force of the wind, the chill of the aether, and the humid heat where upper atmosphere meets lower atmosphere rolls around in that furry grip of Hraedyth's. A baby struggling against parent, there's no hope of escape, though glimpses through the gusts of forceful air give hint of whipping winds of plans. For this? No, perhaps not, but of other things? Yes-yes. Those hot, dry winds spread out once to touch clutchmates before collapsing in and drawing higher, higher, gone. (Athimeroth to all High Reaches dragons) N'ky reaches a hand down to stroke over Cailluneth's headknobs, shifting his position in the chair so he can continue the touch while still being comfortable and able to drink his klah. "She d-doesn't know. But she's sh-sharing colours... Daehyeth's colours? Daehyeth..." He tries to place the name, but shrugs his shoulders and gives up. "It's n-nothing important, I d-don't think." Another shrug. "Oh. Um. I f-forgot what I wanted to ask you... um... wh-what did you say about Quin, and lessons?" "Well then..." Alida mumbles partially to herself, another shrug given before more of her tea is sipped. That's that, apparently, at least in the bluie's mind. For his forgetting, N'ky gets a bit of a hard peer - not glare, but still - from the blonde, who simly shakes her head, then answers, "Self-defense lessons. Seems like I get more 'n more requests as the sevens go by." Smirk-snort. Apparently her former work has put her in some demand with certain folks. "Y'think a Weyr fulla' riders who *have* ta' learn a semi-decent amount uv' that would be training their non-rider folk, too. Makes sense... but apparently not." Eyeroll. Self-defence lessons? N'ky looks surprised. "Um... d-did I ask for lessons?" Because if he did, he has clearly forgotten. "Why do, um, we need s-self-defence lessons? We aren't in t-trouble or anything... are we?" Balancing his mug in his lap, he tries to tangle his fingers in his curls, as habit has him do... only to find that they're all gone. There's just enough to get a hold on, and when he lowers his hand those would-be curls are left sticking up haphazardly. "Who wants those lessons?" It rumbles from Alida's lungs like brackish sand: a rusty bit of a chuckle backed by leftover tea in her throat, the woman clearing her throat, then shaking her head at her clutchsib. "Not that I remember. Nah, nobody's in trouble." Smirk. "Y'know that you grab at yer hair when yer' wound up, Nicky." Sip. Fact. "Well, when y'*had* real hair." Snort. "That's part uv weyrling training, toots; all uv us learn how t'defend ourselves passably, just in case. We have our dragons t'look after, after all. Can't let ourselves potentially die due to the mere fact we're physically vulnerable." At least, that's how Alida sees it. "Oh." Pacifist N'ky clearly wasn't paying attention when fighting was brought up, but it makes sense to him. He huffs softly, lips pouting thoughtfully. "And you're n-not allowed to teach us? Who will?" By his feet, Cailluneth lowers her head, curling around to rest it on her weyrling's boot and flicking her wings to tuck them tighter against her sides. Sleepy, by the looks of it, and coaxed to relax - as if she wasn't already! - by N'ky's caressing hand. Suddenly, he perks up: "Oh. I remember. Um... I-I told Quinlys that, um, Cailluneth told me that y-your Ilicaeth was, um... m-making fun of me. I'm s-sorry." "No-no..." Alida huffs softly, then trying to clarify. "I had a few people approach me about having me give them personalized lessons...outside uv our weyrling training. Non-riders." Sip. "Quin doesn't want me doin' any private lessons, since Ilicaeth's so young." Shrug. "Our weyrling self-defense lessons'll be later on." And then N'ky has a lot more of the blonde's attention - and not necessarily kind, either - when he speaks of what Cailluneth told him. Her face goes inscrutable, the woman's manner cool now instead of casual as she clips off a low, "Do tell." "Sh-she -- Quinlys, I mean -- called me in to t-talk about... um... my stuttering, a-and said I need lessons... I s-said Ilicaeth made f-fun of me. Cailluneth told me. He was, um, st-stuttering too." And with the amount of stammering N'ky manages to get into that fractured speech, he's clearly feeling very uncomfortable. His brown eyes flicker over to Alida, trying to judge her reaction, while Cailluneth leans more heavily against his legs. Physical reassurance, a reminder that she's still there. She listens impassively, nothing of her former manner lingering about Alida *now*. After some long moments, the blonde's neutral voice clips, "Must've been recently, since she still remembers." How those cool green eyes bore into N'ky's browns, seeking to pull out any further information held within him by will alone. Slowly, the guard sets her almost empty mug down on the heart, then lightly folding her arms over her chest as she stands straight. "And?" N'ky shakes his head. "She doesn't remember. I remember. It's the f-first time I felt her... angry." Alida's change in position has the green weyrling moving around too, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning towards his peer. "N-nothing happened, I j-just wanted to apologise, for, um, s-saying he did it... th-that's all. I'm sorry?" For a moment, Alida manages to look just a little confused at her fellow weyrling, those arms slowly uncrossing, their hands' thumbs then lightly hitched into her belt. "I don't get you sometimes, N'ky..." is admitted around a bit of a lip twist. "You say 'caeth made fun uv you...and yet you're apologizing ta me." Cue a lift of forefinger and thumb to her eyes, their pads rubbing at each one to try and clear some sleep from them. "Well, no matter... I know, now." N'ky doesn't seem to get Alida, either, because the change in demeanour surprises him. "Um... you a-aren't angry? Just now, you looked, um, l-like you wanted to h-hit me, or something." He winces and Cailluneth picks up her head to growl at Alida, eyes whirling orange until N'ky quickly soothes her. "I th-think Quinlys thinks I'll, um, b-be an embarrassment to the Weyr, w-with my... m-my stutter." Eye-rub, sigh. "Nicky, if I *really really* needed ta hit ya, I'd've done it already." The look Alida gives her clutchsib is long-suffering, a tad impatient as well. "Contrary t'what seems popular opinion, I *do* apply self-restraint an' common sense many times." Eyeroll. At Cailluneth's growl comes a small shift in the bluie's stance, and a faint narrowing of her eyes, arms going slightly akimbo. Readied for anything. She's cautious, but not afraid. At least the youth's managing to soothe his lifemate decently, though the young woman remains in her subtly readied stance. Watching. After a few long moments, the blonde clips off low, "I've found out, even in my sparse Turns uv' life, that puttin' people under pressure they're not ready 'r not capable uv handling only sets 'em up for failure." "It's ok," N'ky reassures Alida, holding up his hand to her. "She's calm." And little Cailluneth is, indeed, the very image of it - back to being curled up, gently breathing, happy as can be. "She would n-never hurt you, Alida." A low rumble from the green is an agreement. "Do you th-think I'll fail? D-do you think I'll be an, um, embarrassment?" "Never hurts ta be ready..." Alida murmurs offhandedly to N'ky, her gaze flicking between him and Cai in slightly wary fashion. Still, the little green *does* seem to have calmed down quickly enough, the bluie letting her eye color and speed of whirl be her main guide to assess Cai's current mood. Slowly, like wild feline, the ex-guard eases out of her ready state/stance. Eyes that peer down at the wee green in study finally flick up to her lifemate, looking into his browns again...assessing. "I think it's mostly up to *you*." Finally she looks back over into the banked fire again, murmuring in an aside, "What's failure an' embarrassment, anyway? Some people..." cue a tiny sneer in the blonde's voice "...consider me a failure fer givin' up the Guard...thinkin' I should be embarrassed 'cause uv that." An effort at mastering her mostly-hidden, inner anger ends in a clipped, "And I say, 'fuck them.' They're shit. And look at where 'n what I am *now*." A jerked lift of chin and a blaze of greens are turned upon her fellow weyrling in a show of fiery pride. That pride is felt through N'ky, and he gives Alida a raised-chin smile - soft, but proud. So proud. "You're a d-dragonrider," he says quietly. "You're Ilicaeth's." Fondly, he looks down to Cailluneth and strokes his hand over her headknobs, fingers curling around her soft hide. "I'm hers." N'ky slips off his chair, gently nudging Cailluneth aside so that he can sit on the floor with her, which allows her to half-drape across his lap - too big to settle there properly now! "I l-love her, Alida. It's more than I e-ever thought I could feel." "Exactly..." the fiery blonde huffs out low, her gaze going suddenly unfocused for a couple of moments before returning to the pair on the floor. "And now I've done it... woke up 'caeth." Smirk. "Yeah..." is rather quietly agreed by her, Alida quickly turning her gaze back to the fire for some moments. "Gotta get back 'n tend the brat..." is noted offhandedly, the young woman pivoting about smoothly on a boot heel in preparation for leavetaking. Over her shoulder is murmured, "*You* gotta know when yer ready...the whys uv it." Of his stutter. "When that time comes, you deal with it...and with no turning away." Conquer or be conquered. And off she strides, a miniature force of nature in her own right. Watching Alida leave, N'ky continues stroking his hand over Cailluneth. "She's right, you know," he murmurs softly to his lifemate. He lingers long enough to finish his klah, then gently displaces Cailluneth so he can get to his feet. It's a struggle to pick up the growing green but he manages it, cradling her against him to carry her back to the barracks. |
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