[Log] On Behalf of All of Us Maleriders, Thank You
Who: Breena, Eilidh, K'ran, R'dur, Shenna (NPC), St'vren, Tegara, Tyrael (NPC)
When: Unknown
Where: Weyrling Barracks, Telgar Weyr
What: Eilidh and Breena deliver the mating flight lecture.
Notes: Lesson joined already in progress.
Weyrling Barracks
This immense cavern is the home for weyrling pairs. A huge opening is the entrance, leading to the ground level bowl. The floor is not quite smooth, being gouged with numerous scratches and cracks, from the clumsy undergrown claws on equally clumsy dragonets. The indentations on the floor, made by millennial pressure of the growing dragons, are quite suggestive of their purpose. Most of them have furs in one corner of them, as the new riders sleep as near their lifemates as they can. A particular odour lingers in the air here, not quite pleasant.
The normal ruckus of the barracks is almost constant.
Contents:
FL: Lazulai
DRAGONS: Riaceth Rusuth Alidaeth
PLAYERS: Breena Tegara St'vren R'dur Eilidh
Obvious Exits:
Bowl
Breena's blushing as badly as some of the weyrlings, but she doesn't look away, either. "That," she says, "is essentially that. Are there any questions?"
K'ran walks in from the bowl.
K'ran has arrived.
Tegara raises a hesitant hand, blushing furiously. "What if the malerider is the same sex as the femalerider? Does that have any effect on the dragons? Or do they even care?"
Breena peeks sidelong at Eilidh, her blush intensifying, and shakes her head. "Er...no, it doesn't have any effect on the dragons--believe me, they don't care."
Shenna squeaks from her corner, poor Holdbred girl that she is. "But what if I don't *want* to? Won't he *stop* if he senses I don't like it?"
R'dur has been silent throughout the lesson, not looking at any of the other students, as is his usual habit during lessons. His eyes instead remain fixed firmly on Breena, perhaps doing his best not to let the subject matter distract him from the lesson. Of course, he's bright red despite that, but one would expect no less from him.
Eilidh turns to glance at Tegara with two brows hitching upward and then a sunny smile for Breena, "The dragons never really care. And Shenna," the brownrider turns to stare just as solemnly (but with a smile!) at the younger girl, "Sometimes, you aren't aware of what's happening yourself, and it's hard to struggle against what is basically second nature to your partners. That's why if you truly don't want to chase the best course of action is to leave. But good luck," the cheerfulness drops a few notches to wry pity, "In trying to convince -them- to leave."
K'ran drifts into the barracks without announcing himself -- he'll quietly slip toward the back of the assembly of weyrlings, if he can manage.
St'vren speaks up again. He's at least old and mature enough (mostly) to get past his sincere desire to crawl under his cot and hum. "After the flight, when we're ourselves again, we don't /owe/ anything to the other...that didn't come out right. I mean, it's not a weyrmating or anything, right? Not unless the participants decide it is?"
Breena nods her agreement to Eilidh, with an apologetic smile. "That's...not something I have a lot of experience with, Shenna. Oh! No, St'vren, you don't owe anything to anyone afterwards--not weyrmating, not...ahem, 'another go,' nothing like that. Not unless it's something that you're both agreed on."
Eilidh bursts into laughter, though it's not the humoring or condescending sort. Just delighted with the question. "Oh no! If that were the case I'd have pinned the weyrlingmaster down a long time ago for sure." The tease is more or less heartfelt, though dark eyes slide to take in Breena for a moment. "And if that were the case, there'd be a lot more weyrmatings than there are now. It's generally hard to weyrmate unless both sides understand flights happen. It's just a nature of life in a Weyr and I guess sometimes why we have a reputation from the Holds, and some crafts sometimes."
Predictably, Breena's face flames once again at Eilidh's comment, but she presses on in spite of it. "So...are there any other questions? Anything at all. I promise we'll have an answer--or, if we don't, we can get one for you."
Tyrael raises her hand and asks loudly and cheerfully, "Is it true that all greenriders carry five knives and a whip when they're proddy? If so, when do I get mine?" Every single malerider blushes, hides their face, or throws a pillow at her. St'vren does all three.
Breena's shoulders straighten and she shakes her head firmly. "No, it is not. I carry neither knives nor a whip, nor would I recommend it. It's a matter of personal preference, of course, but were I a malerider, I think I'd make a point of avoiding any flight where I knew the femalerider would be armed like that."
Tegara shakes her head and finally buries it in her hands. "No, no no," she says. "That's not me." And she too joins in with the malerider's razzing of her.
At the back, K'ran mutters, "I *am* a malerider, and I *do* avoid flights were the girls are armed for war."
St'vren gives Tegara a profoundly grateful look. "Thank you. On behalf of all of us maleriders, thank you." And there's support from the Weyrleader, too. Maybe he will get out of weyrlinghood intact.
Despite Breena's reassurance, R'dur has gone a bit pale beneath his blush, and he actually looks over at Tyrael in abject honor that she'd even suggest such a thing.
Tyrael ducks her head but can't avoid at least /some/ of those pillows that pelt her. "I was just /asking/! I mean, I'd heard stories about Jerissa and stuff and how she's got a good shot with throwing knives and..." the girl sniffs, tossing her curls completely miffed. "Oh, sir!" For K'ran obviously, "Does Indrath chase after other female dragons or does Mirrath not like that?"
Tegara turns and looks at her clutchmate. "Uh, do the dragons care if they're from the same clutch, or is it just a case of raging draconic hormones?" The idea of incest makes the poor girl shudder.
Breena's brows lift at the Weyrleader's comment, but she declines to give him more than a polite nod in greeting. Since Tyrael's question isn't addressed her way, she turns to Tegara instead. "That's not something they care about, either. There have been clutches sired by a dam's offspring, brothers winning sisters, fathers winning daughters, all of the above. I'd imagine that, without you to remind them, they'd be hard pressed who their dam and sire are."
St'vren turns his head to look at Rusuth, asking the young bronze a silent question. Dark eyes stay steady on whirling blue for a minute, then he breaks the stare and sits back. "The thought doesn't bother him," he says with a shrug, "so I guess it doesn't bother me. So long as the bloodlines don't get too tangled back on each other."
K'ran hitches on shoulder up in a shrug. "He still chases greens and other golds. Sometimes even wins. I can't say if Mirrath minds -- that's something to ask the Weyrwoman -- but she doesn't seem to protest too much. Possibly that's to do with the memory, you know?" His gaze drifts on to Tegara, and he answers, "Indrath did fly after Daelyth, before Nim took her south. He's also chased and won more than a couple his own clutchmates."
"Cayetath almost won the flight of one of his clutchmates," Eilidh muses aloud, "Ayannath, but she got injured and that was a whole other kettle of hoppin' Istan peppers to deal with."
Breena clears her throat, smiles. "Any other questions, weyrlings?"
R'dur's eyes drift briefly across his clutchmates, and he shudders eloquently before giving Alidaeth a glance. The calm brown is unperturbed, rumbling mildly and bringing a new flush to his rider's cheeks. R'dur hastily shakes his head in answer to Breena.
Tegara starts to look at her assembled clutchmates with a different expression -- who would she like to have fly her Riaceth? She asks her lifemate, whose only reply is a soft rumble.