Log: Tenkanoth Rises, Jekzith's First Catch
Who: P'draig, K'fen, K'ti, Kaelyn, Jekzith, Nepenth, Jaralth, Tenkanoth
When: day 11, month 6, Turn 5 of the Tenth Interval.
Where: Bow/Guest Weyr/Sky, Fort Weyr
What: K'fen's green Tenkanoth rises and Jekzith makes his first catch. Lucky Paddy?
Center of the Fort Weyr Bowl(#200RJ$)
The Bowl of Fort Weyr, a large, featureless plain surrounded by steep mountain cliffs, stretches out around you. It is approximately oval in shape, about 2700 meters along the long axis running southwest to northeast, and about half that distance across the short axis. You stand in its approximate center. The soil of the bowl is somewhat sandy.
To the northwest is the large cavern used for the Weyrling barracks. To the west is the fenced off area where the Weyr's herds are kept, and the lake shore is to the southwest. To the northeast can be seen the ledges for the junior queens and the weyrleaders. The large entrance to the Hatching Grounds can also be seen to the northeast and to the east are the Lower Caverns.
You are 19 Turns, 0 months, and 19 days old.
Dragon> Flight sense that Jaralth wurbles greetingly at the fair and boldly shining green.
Dragon> Tenkanoth bespoke Flight with << So we've got Jekzith, Jaralth and Nepenth, right? :) >>
Kaelyn slides down off her blue and unbuttons her jacket. She thumps Nepenth on the haunches and rolls her eyes. "Now don't go flirting with the lovely green. I've got a delivery to make."
P'draig stands at Jekzith's side unwinding a set of riding straps from about the brown dragon, apparently just in from sweeps. His riding goggles are pushed up atop his cap, jacket partially undone. He whistles as he works, giving Jekzith a close looking over as he frees the dragon from the leather.
K'fen can be heard screaming at the top of his lungs as he half jogs after his green, shedding his flying jacket as well, apparently back from sweeps or errands. "Hold it!" The green doesn't even answers, sulkily squatting with a dead-yet-still-warm plump heardbeast she just snagged, having a quick and light snack, though leaving most of the carcass alone. It's blood more than meat she's after.
Jaralth moves quickly, faster than expected for his turns and his wings go up as if a sail to drive him. "Rrrrrmf!" is his comment then he recognizes rider and ragon as he slides to a stop. That indignation turns into a sly warbles that lower the dragon's head as he greets an old friend.
P'draig is totally oblivious, wiping a bit of dust off of Jekzith's haunches. He stands back after a moment, coiling the straps neatly around his shoulder and forearm until the form a compact loop, easy to carry and store. The brown's head swings around, his gaze honing in on Tenkanoth and his eyes slowly start to whirl around a bit faster, a violet undertone seeping into pure azure lke the sky at twilight. "Hey hey ... what's up Jekzith?" blinks Paddy in sudden surprise, before his own gaze tracks slowly towards the green.
Tenkanoth is briskly spiraling down the sky just after popping out of *between* and from the rough landing, she's in a hurry to go somewhere. She sure seems very clean, bright green, maybe just -that- tiny bit too bright. She barely gives her short, grumbling rider time to dismount as she gracelessly waddles toward the feeding grounds, sparing a brief, unfriendly hiss to anyone, human or dragon, happening to cross her field of vision.
K'ti runs from the living caverns, picking up the pace as she's in the open. "Jar.. where... K'fen?" Running at full speed in riding boots brings her to a slide before the full stop. "Are ye okay... oh shards. THAT.." The trip to Jaralth isn't much farther and those leathers come away almost too fast, tangled. "I swear... I swear, I'm gonna TIE ye down next time."
Tenkanoth barely turns her head, her eyes swirling an angry shade of red, a bit brighter than her muzzle, messily dripping blood. That noise made her miss her next target and she bugles indignantly at the nearest blue thing, regally straightening up, looking as if she was expecting more respect from old 'friends'. A grouchy snorts follows.
Jaralth tilts his head slowly, looking puzzled and just slightly odd. He offers up a snurrfling sound then lowers his head with a burst of air. That nearest blue thang that he is takes a hop backward and tries a bit bolder. "Harroooooo?" A little louder. Male, he has no clue what just happened.
Kaelyn steps back out into the bowl after her delivery and realizes that her blue is showing off for the glowing green. She rolls her eyes and puts up her hands in protest. "Nepenth, I told you no greens. We've.....oh you stupid lump." She glances over at Tenkanoth and takes a breath.
P'draig's hand wanders up to his riding cap and shoves it backward off his head, leaving the hair on the very top of his head standing straight up, while the rest of it is plastered down flat still. "Oh Shells ..." murmurs the young brownrider and he sneaks a look over at Jekzith, then simply squares his shoulders, stuffs his cap into his pocket and unfastens his jacket the rest of the way. "Riiight ..." he says with a half a grin. The brown, swings his head around and meets his rider's gaze for a moment, then bounds away eagerly, tail swishing back and forth a little. He bugles brightly, a greeting for Tenkanoth no matter how ill her mood, and goes in chase of a bit of a meal himself, one eye always on the bright green form nearby.
Nepenth rumbles at the other males around him and leaps up into the air only to snatch up a beast, breaking its neck to suck up the warm flowing blood. His whirling eyes watch the green and doesn't budge away from any other male around him.
K'fen sharply turns his head, his unfocused eyes speaking volumes about the discussion he's currently having. "K'ti?" he manages after squinting a bit. He looks confused himself, and not quite steady on his feet. "'m'sorry, didn't mean to interrupt, you're here on duty right?" he starts apologizing in a weary voice. The green sharply swishes her head to glare at each male dragon in turn, refusing to respond to them except by hissing, snarling and ignoring them while she plunges her fangs in another beast after a very quick chase? The former carcass is hastily thrown roughly in Nepenth' direction. "I -hate- it when she's like that..." her tiny rider groans, looking around to identify who's probably going to be held back here for a while.
K'ti crosses her arms over her chest and snorts, quite like her own lifemate after so many years. Green-grey eyes twitch and then finally move to look at Kaelyn with no limit to humor as seh says, "We can tell 'em that till we're as blue in the face as they are in their tail and it ain't gonna stick. Can't... tell ye how often that is." The woman stoops to pick up the straps, remembering herself that much before moving toward K'fen. "Aye lad, on duty but... well, interested blues wait for no duty. He's already fallen for Tenkanoth again, and I ain't gonna get a minute's use out of him. Yer okay, K'fen?"
Kaelyn sighs as she shakes her head and crosses her arms over her chest. Her green eyes and demeanor not very pleasant at the moment as she grumbles about Nepenth. "Can't just one time can you?" She nods to the others in the bowl, "Well I guess I'll be here a little longer than expected. Reaches duties. I'm Kaelyn"
P'draig hangs back for a little, his own straps slung over his shoulder, before he finally takes a few steps towards where K'fen stands with the blueriders. "Heya K'fen," he greets the greenrider politely, though the set of his shoulders speaks of a sense of awkwardness as if the younger rider really has no clue what the heck to do with himself and is just trying to back the best of it. Jekzith meanwhile, is having a grand old time. One herdbeast down and munched on thoroughly, and another in his sights, though his focus remains on Tenkanoth with every purple-eyed peek under his wing once that second herdbeast has crumpled under his claws.
"Evening Kaelyn - good to see you again," musters Paddy for his mother's friend, his fingers nervously straightening out a bit of strap where it dangles just within reach.
Jaralth backs up again then his instincts kick in. He stays within view of the emerald of the bowl but strikes out to take down a herdbeast that didn't have sense enough to Get Out fast enough. It's down, the ruby red of blood flowing quickly even as he mutters dragonically under his breath. "Rhmf. Hrrrr. Rrrow. Grmf." Like talking to his food.
K'fen offers a feeble smile to people gathered around, nodding at those he know and offering a pale imitation of a salute to the ones he doesn't know or can't remember -- maybe he's getting old. "Fort duties, I'm K'fen, silly, sulky, proddy green's Tenkanoth," he drawls, drawing a weray hand across his face and making a face at K'ti. "I'll be fine, it's just so tedious and exhausting just before it starts. I'm sorry to interrupt you all," he goes on, waving a hand to point vaguely at the northeasternly part of the Bowl. "We'd better settle down somewhere, I expect none of us is going anywhere else anyway," he grumbles, casting a dirty glanc at Tenkanoth who's done blooding a wherry and munching on it. "And I don't care if she eats, t'will make it all end sooner," he adds in a lower voice, striding off to one side and stumbling clumsily.
K'ti tightens her face up in a frown and reaches out to the man. "K'fen, be careful with that. She'll cramp up and I certainly don' want to lose her, or you." Before touching, however, she drops those fingers almost as if she were the blue currently infatuated with a green. To the others she gives a nod, "I'm K'ti, over from Igen, nice to meetche."
Tenkanoth is actually eating her wherry, bugling defiantly at the rest of the crowd, sounding and looking almost hurt that her rider pretends not to care, for once. Then she snaps at Jekzith, trying to impress the younger dragon and maybe scare him away or something of the kind. It's not as if she was big enough to be really intimidating anyway.
Guest Weyr(#9365RJh)
A fairly simple weyr, the large couch dominates the cavern. It is large enough to accomodate any dragon who might need it. Near the couch is a wooden framed bed. Sleeping furs neatly covering the rush filled matress beneath.
Jekzith> Jekzith digs his muzzle more deeply into herdbeast guts placidly, apparently unfazed by the snapping of the green. In fact, he licks his chops and sends out what he probably hopes is a soothing warble, sincerely meant before taking another chomp out of the beastie's belly. His tail continues to twitch back and forth, a certain tension in the young brown speaking of joyful anticipation of the flight to come.
K'ti takes over the couch in the weyr, sliding onto it as if it were her own and kicking up her feet onto the surface, without boots now. She takes up as much space as she wants, her diminuative form looking even tinier as she lounges out, hands behind her head propping it up just enough to keep a lusty old eye on K'fen, object of her current leering. "Just so y'know, you walk divinely still, old boy."
P'draig walks in quietly and unhooks the riding straps he was carrying into a convenient out of the way spot just in case, then leans against a vacant spot of wall, hands stuck in his pockets, one foot sliding up to brace him, while the other remains firmly planted on the ground. The young man doesn't say anything further for now, though he does peek over at K'ti for a moment, swallows hard, turns a bit pink about the ears and drops his eyes to the floor. Much safer there, yep.
K'fen goes to stand, as alwys, right in the middle of the room, wiping his forehead with his sleeve before reaching up to pull on his collar, but he doesn't take his tunic off the way he usually does during Flights, instead he offers a very apologetic glance at the people gathered around him, winking at K'ti. "Practice, my friend, practice... But I'm getting old, really," he says, faking a trembling voice and then closing his eyes. "She's really boiling, she'll take off any minute now," he mutters.
Jekzith> Jaralth takes three steps then pumps his wings just once. It launches him quickly to spear down an old way past its prime herdbeast which bleats out just before Doom strikes. He bugles, satisfied with his moment, that green, that willful glowing lady, a chubby beast beneath a claw (hey, when DO you guys up here thin the herds?) and a pair of strong wings to pump up his confidence. This.. is a good day. He stops his burgling and bugling and pumps a sweet croon to Tenkanoth.
K'ti chortles gleefully, "I'll join the old rider's ward when ye go, Keffy dear. Nae before then no matter how many temptations I get." She stretches, her long lean muscles pulling slightly beneath her tunic and her belly button showing now. "That there, though, is a young boy. When he wins, take it easy on 'im will ye, Keffy?"
P'draig casts another quick glance upward, and anyone clear-headed enough might notice that he's chewing rather hard on his lip. His eyes though, track towards the ledge and the sky outside, squinting a bit. He takes a deep breath in and lets it out then blinks at K'ti's words and makes a soft choking sound before his hand lifts to cover his face for a moment and mutters something about fathers not giving him nearly enough lectures to get him ready for this.
Jekzith> Tenkanoth lifts her head to bugle, letting everyone in the neighborhood know that -she-, K'fen's Tenkanoth, is not happy with the whole universe in general, and the whole population of male dragons on Pern in particular. And then faster than any green should be allowed to move, she starts squarely charging Jaralth, rumbing as she rushes toward the blue, hops once and if she hadn't suddenly opened and flapped her wings, she'd have violently pounced the old blue. Instead she's just off and away with, at least, what might be a decent head start on him, and a mocking snarl at the others. This is where things get a bit funnier. For her.
Jekzith> Above the center of the bowl, Tenkanoth wings up from the Center of the Bowl.
Jekzith> Jaralth burps loudly and suddenly. A wrenching belch actually of the type that comes from the bottom up before he turns two points on a claw and is skyward.
K'fen suddenly drops to a crouch, hiding his face in one hand and letting out a huge sigh of relief. "About bloody damn -time-," he mutters, in a clearer voice, breathing deep and fast. "It's always... easier once she's aloft," he feebly explains with a tired grin as he slowly gets back up to his feet. "But from the day she starts glowing... it's like a drum in my head," he adds. K'ti's remark has him chortling. "He's a former Weyrling of mine, I won't harm him in any way," he assures confidently. "Well, not intentionally at least," he points out as an afterthought, frowning pensively before wiping his sweaty forehead for the tenth time.
Jekzith> Yum yum yum, herdbeast, yum. Oh wait, what was that bright green streak that just went ... whoops. That was Tenkanoth taking off. Leaving the carcass of the herdbeast behind as if it were wherry droppings, Jekzith bugles loudly, snapping his wings open and takes two powerful leaps that carry him up and away into the air. He knows this Bowl well, and he has youth on his side, but that slight advantage may be as much of a disadvantage when his companions in the sky have far more experience with the chase. Once aloft, his focus narrows onto the green winging away, not so much on the other males, which could prove ... unwise.
"Thank you sir," remarks P'draig, as steadily as he can. "I'm sure certain people would appreciate my hide remaining in one piece ... should ah ... Jekzith manage to ah ... well anyway," the young man's bravado peters out and he smiles rather weakly at the Igenite bluerider and his former mentor. Distractedly he lifts one hand to scratch through his hair making an even worse mess of it.
K'ti waggles her eyebrows just a bit. "He's pretty good looking at that, K'fen, but yeah, I understand. Thankfully Jar won't chase anna of my weyrlings, er, ex weyrlings." With her toe and second toe she wedges off the socks that cover her feet, not bothering but to drop them off the platform she rests on. "I remember ages back stories of smaller flights where th'losers stayed to enjoy too..."
P'draig's hand drops to the back of his neck, scratching there now too, as the antics above are apparently making him itchy. Literally. "Is it just me, or is it hot in here?" he attempts pleasantry, but his voice wavers just a little until K'ti's last statement brings his face up with surprise painting it. "Huh? Really? Mum never said anything 'bout that ... and she rides green ..."
K'fen rolls his eyes upwards, gradually returning to hsi usual self, if just a bit distracted and sweaty. "P'draig, I'm no longer your Assistant Weyrlingmaster, we're not quite on duty and you know I hate formalities," he patiently points out with a pained look. "There is also a remote probability that we'll wake up here together so, really, call me K'fen will you?" He starts rolling his sleeves up, nodding. "It feels warm, yes..."
Jekzith> Jaralth shifts his weight, remembering the air, the sky, the winds of one of his old homes and his tail wings behind him as a rudder through the friendly skies. He shifts and extra large wings catch, cup, and caress the wind to push him where he wants to go. In his old age, however, he's gotten sneaky, and as he drafts beneath a brown elsewhere, he accidently bumps 'upward' and knocks his fellow chaser in the stomach. If the dragon could, it would go 'oomf', but the result is the same. Without air to fuel the wings, the brown drops backward and Jaralth sneaks even closer.
Jekzith> Tenkanoth isn't off to such a good start, after all. The first round in a quickly rising spiral around the Bowl sure is spectacular, and she's keeping well ahead for a time, but she tires much faster than she should and maybe she's starting to have second thoughtsabout what she had to eat before taking off. And soon enough the bunch of chasers is close enough to her that they might make it all end early, so she starts with threats, hisses and snarls, even showing off claws when one gets a bit too close. She's slower today but it won't make her any easier to catch.
K'ti smiles silkily and stretches out further. "Oh, it's hot, aye... very hot." She strips off the vest she was wearing, bearing it open to show off the tunic, but she doesn't go farther. "It's rare, boy, but it can happen if all don't mind, or know each other. I don't mind gettin' te know ya."
"Sorry K'fen ... it's ... " P'draig waves vaguely outsidewards, "... distracting. Forgot for a moment." He makes absolutely no mention of probable outcomes for riders whose dragons win flights, falling silent once more and shifting restlessly against the wall, before suddenly yanking off his jacket and tossing it down with the riding straps he brought in, rather irritably.
Jekzith> Jekzith chases good-naturedly and doggedly. This is after all a green he knows relatively too, being that she taught him much of what he knows about flying. He's not particularly trying any given strategy at the moment either, in fact, it seems his just ... having a good time flying. He warbles engagingly with no particular words either for Tenkanoth's benefit. No lothario is Jekzith, just putting forth the thought that yeah flying with him could be fun!
K'fen's eyes narrow and he waggles a threatening finger at K'ti. "Don't you get started. I know I have a reputation, but I don't like sharing during a Flight, and neither does Tenka," he adds with an amused snort. "I'll offer you all a drink at the Lava Lounge afterward, tho, to make up for it," he promises, saluting crisply though the gestures ends prematurely as he instinctively ducks. "What are you -doing-?" he asks aloud, eyes glazing over.
"Um ... that's ... uh ... really flattering," blunders P'draig, in response to the flirtation before he nods at K'fen's words, perhaps with a hint of relief. "A drink would be great. Haven't been to the Lounge, though I had a pint at Ista the other -- huh?" The greenrider's words cut him short and absently he loosens a button on his shirt and flaps the fabric around to generate a breeze against his skin.
Jekzith> Jaralth swings his wings just a bit and claws, front and back, waggle in the air as if the 'running' motion helps him go a little faster. The weight, the drop, and the wings shove him forward again but then he dodges right slightly to avoid Jekzith and slide through the air as if it were butter on an Igen plate.
Jekzith> Tenkanoth looks like she's playing risky tonight, letting chasers get dangerously close, and then taking advantage of her small size to intricately turn on her wing, dive and suddenly change direction, or simply start a looping backward and dive through the whole bunch of chasers. She's playing among them, deftly dodging well-aimed grabs. She makes sure the whole cloud of male dragons follows her every move, tracing asymetrical patterns in Fort's sky. It's even funnier when she manages to hit a muzzle with her tail or even bite a wingtip. This isn't the graceful Tenkanoth flying, but rather the playful young green having a nice little fight in the sky.
K'ti licks her own lips and breathes out noisily. "Ah don't put much stock in rumored reputations, y'know that K'fen, but a drink fer all of us later woul' be welcome, no matter who walks outta here. Ah know yer a solid... hmm. Y'know, the further intae a flight the harder it is fer me. I get.. more interested in the other rider's body. Hot, sensual, near me. Y'know.. I gotta quit looking." Her eyes are intense points, the dragon mirrored in her.
Jekzith> Jaralth snorts, as his muzzle gets tail even while he doesn't. The blue pulls back his head and shakes it even as his wings continue their beat on the air. Recent work seems to have extended his staying power, but grey shatters the darker cobalt hues along his spires and down his chest.
Jekzith> Ow. That was a tail, a green one. On his muzzle. Jekzith whurfles a little, eyes crossing and there's a heartbeat's pause in his dogged flight after Tenkanoth. He's not being wily in this chase, but straightforward. She's leading this merry chase across the skies, it's fun, and he's doing his best to keep up. But agile and young though he is, eventually it's going to take a toll on him - he's not small, and all the twisting and turning is eating away at his endurance. Belatedly perhaps, he changes tactics, still marking her moves, but less intricately, using more powerful wings to stay in the fray, but not right on her tail.
K'fen brushes K'ti's words aside with a light gesture of his hand. "I know how it goes, yeah. It's not too bad today, I can actually think. Sometimes I just stand or sit there bare chested, can't say anything and I just let it all happen," he chuckles, rolling his eyes derisively again, looking much too warm and fanning himself with his hand. "I should stop trying to tell her not to eat her kill when she's about to rise," he muses. "But there are times I really enjoy it too..."
K'ti rolls over to her side, the tunic drifting open to show some chest, wrinkly neck and a perched head as she watches K'fen intently. "Maybe a bit, but y'know you the risk of her cramping early in and falling by letting her eat. That'd stop the flight... but she'd prolly be injured." She drops one knee to rest beside her hanging off the couch edge.
Jekzith> Tenkanoth is either tiring or getting bolder, now looking for contact, allowing them to try again and smacking them away, or letting a bunch cluster around her and suddenly speed forward and let them try to catch each other. Plenty of tricks she's seen before and that her poor draconic memory still apparently manages to bring back. Her joyful bugle is like a merry, though slightly mocking laugh just when she unnoticeably brings the pack of males closer to the ground, a quick dive making her rake at the soft dirt with her talons before she soars up, showing off her bright, glowing wings to all those who managed not to crash yet.
"Not looking ... yeah," agrees Paddy, "not looking is good," he says feelingly, eyes doggedly returning to the floor. The floor is good too. Very ... stony and rock-like and solid. "Wouldn't know ..." murmurs the young rider more quietly. "He hasn't caught yet ..." and there's another convulsive swallow as Jekzith's mood turns more turbulent and threads its way into his, eyes going vague, slightly glassy. One of his hands twists into a fist around a fold of his wherhide riding pants.
Jekzith> Jaralth pulls a side to side move, shifting his tail back and forth in a try to stay completely unpredictable in the air. A waggle of the wings and finally he's using their length to glide like a skater over the air. He dodges a nip, then finally manages to get his nose close enough to the tail for a semi-smack before pulling it back with a hot breathed short-aired snort. He shifts again, then pulls his tail closer even as he waggles his back end in the air. It's like watching the kitten aiming for the mousie under the table, ease, waggle, ease again, waggle, shift the front claws, then... lunge!
Jekzith> Floating above is Jekzith, broader strokes painted across the sky's canvas to capture Tenkanoth in a moment. He swoops lower as the green does though, throwing himself eagerly into this latest game of hers, a child's game of chase and catch almost as he reaches out playfully towards her.
K'fen is still shaking his head at K'ti. "I know, I'm mostly keeping her on her toes, but sometimes she's really good at not hearing me," he grumbles. "She's not going to get hurt, she's too--" he stops in mid sentence, the sudden effort put into trying to escape the bolder males taking him right up to the sky along with his lifemate. "NO!" It sounds desperate, and at the same time; the short greenrider is smiling in relief, his face not matching his dragon's toughts, obviously.
K'ti rolls onto her stomach, tense, waiting, awaiting, eyes on the rider even if they're really on the dragon elsewhere. Linked. Vibrating.
P'draig's hand tightens further, white-knuckled as the full impact of Jekzith's focus breaks through and wipes away nerves and jocularity alike, leaving only ... tension and longing that he doesn't quite know what to do with.
Jekzith> Tenkanoth screams in despair -- as she so often does -- as a sudden shadow starts clinging to her, grabbing her just the second before she had time to speed forward or to dodge. She doesn't even realize she knows him, resisting a bit longer than usual before she accepts her defeat, letting the powerful brown wings sustain her as she allows Jekzith to twine his neck with hers. Not the most experienced but playful enough to match her moves and catch her unprepared. She gives a last nip at the nearest wing and bugles, proudly this time, that she 'chose' the one worthy of her.
Jekzith> Jaralth overshoots in his lunge, his wings overpowering him even as he realizes she's slowed down suddenly and the winds aren't kind to him. Even so, the big lug realizes he's needing to put that energy somewhere and one wing tucks as the other starts folding for a tuck and the blue dragon barrel rolls to the side, winging out of the pack and into clearing air. He rocks in the air, his head going to the side and looking at the happy couple in air even as he lets loose with a mornful wurblely croon.
Jekzith> Jekzith bugles delightedly as the game comes to an end and he finds himself a winner. There's exuberance aplenty in the young brown as he winds around and around with Tenkanoth and carries them both off, careful now to be a support, letting the small green lean on him if she so chooses.
K'ti pops up from her couch and grabs up her boots. The socks, well, those smelly things she seems to forget and she says with a relieved sigh. "Done... and done. Evening boys.. be gentle with him Keffy. Seeya 'round sexy."
There's a moment there, where Paddy looks like he's been struck by a bolt of lightning, mouth hanging open, before he just staggers away from the wall, like a drunken man, hands blindly seeking. Then there's a bit of advice that apparently does stick with him and he just ... lets go and rolls with it.
When: day 11, month 6, Turn 5 of the Tenth Interval.
Where: Bow/Guest Weyr/Sky, Fort Weyr
What: K'fen's green Tenkanoth rises and Jekzith makes his first catch. Lucky Paddy?
Center of the Fort Weyr Bowl(#200RJ$)
The Bowl of Fort Weyr, a large, featureless plain surrounded by steep mountain cliffs, stretches out around you. It is approximately oval in shape, about 2700 meters along the long axis running southwest to northeast, and about half that distance across the short axis. You stand in its approximate center. The soil of the bowl is somewhat sandy.
To the northwest is the large cavern used for the Weyrling barracks. To the west is the fenced off area where the Weyr's herds are kept, and the lake shore is to the southwest. To the northeast can be seen the ledges for the junior queens and the weyrleaders. The large entrance to the Hatching Grounds can also be seen to the northeast and to the east are the Lower Caverns.
You are 19 Turns, 0 months, and 19 days old.
Dragon> Flight sense that Jaralth wurbles greetingly at the fair and boldly shining green.
Dragon> Tenkanoth bespoke Flight with << So we've got Jekzith, Jaralth and Nepenth, right? :) >>
Kaelyn slides down off her blue and unbuttons her jacket. She thumps Nepenth on the haunches and rolls her eyes. "Now don't go flirting with the lovely green. I've got a delivery to make."
P'draig stands at Jekzith's side unwinding a set of riding straps from about the brown dragon, apparently just in from sweeps. His riding goggles are pushed up atop his cap, jacket partially undone. He whistles as he works, giving Jekzith a close looking over as he frees the dragon from the leather.
K'fen can be heard screaming at the top of his lungs as he half jogs after his green, shedding his flying jacket as well, apparently back from sweeps or errands. "Hold it!" The green doesn't even answers, sulkily squatting with a dead-yet-still-warm plump heardbeast she just snagged, having a quick and light snack, though leaving most of the carcass alone. It's blood more than meat she's after.
Jaralth moves quickly, faster than expected for his turns and his wings go up as if a sail to drive him. "Rrrrrmf!" is his comment then he recognizes rider and ragon as he slides to a stop. That indignation turns into a sly warbles that lower the dragon's head as he greets an old friend.
P'draig is totally oblivious, wiping a bit of dust off of Jekzith's haunches. He stands back after a moment, coiling the straps neatly around his shoulder and forearm until the form a compact loop, easy to carry and store. The brown's head swings around, his gaze honing in on Tenkanoth and his eyes slowly start to whirl around a bit faster, a violet undertone seeping into pure azure lke the sky at twilight. "Hey hey ... what's up Jekzith?" blinks Paddy in sudden surprise, before his own gaze tracks slowly towards the green.
Tenkanoth is briskly spiraling down the sky just after popping out of *between* and from the rough landing, she's in a hurry to go somewhere. She sure seems very clean, bright green, maybe just -that- tiny bit too bright. She barely gives her short, grumbling rider time to dismount as she gracelessly waddles toward the feeding grounds, sparing a brief, unfriendly hiss to anyone, human or dragon, happening to cross her field of vision.
K'ti runs from the living caverns, picking up the pace as she's in the open. "Jar.. where... K'fen?" Running at full speed in riding boots brings her to a slide before the full stop. "Are ye okay... oh shards. THAT.." The trip to Jaralth isn't much farther and those leathers come away almost too fast, tangled. "I swear... I swear, I'm gonna TIE ye down next time."
Tenkanoth barely turns her head, her eyes swirling an angry shade of red, a bit brighter than her muzzle, messily dripping blood. That noise made her miss her next target and she bugles indignantly at the nearest blue thing, regally straightening up, looking as if she was expecting more respect from old 'friends'. A grouchy snorts follows.
Jaralth tilts his head slowly, looking puzzled and just slightly odd. He offers up a snurrfling sound then lowers his head with a burst of air. That nearest blue thang that he is takes a hop backward and tries a bit bolder. "Harroooooo?" A little louder. Male, he has no clue what just happened.
Kaelyn steps back out into the bowl after her delivery and realizes that her blue is showing off for the glowing green. She rolls her eyes and puts up her hands in protest. "Nepenth, I told you no greens. We've.....oh you stupid lump." She glances over at Tenkanoth and takes a breath.
P'draig's hand wanders up to his riding cap and shoves it backward off his head, leaving the hair on the very top of his head standing straight up, while the rest of it is plastered down flat still. "Oh Shells ..." murmurs the young brownrider and he sneaks a look over at Jekzith, then simply squares his shoulders, stuffs his cap into his pocket and unfastens his jacket the rest of the way. "Riiight ..." he says with a half a grin. The brown, swings his head around and meets his rider's gaze for a moment, then bounds away eagerly, tail swishing back and forth a little. He bugles brightly, a greeting for Tenkanoth no matter how ill her mood, and goes in chase of a bit of a meal himself, one eye always on the bright green form nearby.
Nepenth rumbles at the other males around him and leaps up into the air only to snatch up a beast, breaking its neck to suck up the warm flowing blood. His whirling eyes watch the green and doesn't budge away from any other male around him.
K'fen sharply turns his head, his unfocused eyes speaking volumes about the discussion he's currently having. "K'ti?" he manages after squinting a bit. He looks confused himself, and not quite steady on his feet. "'m'sorry, didn't mean to interrupt, you're here on duty right?" he starts apologizing in a weary voice. The green sharply swishes her head to glare at each male dragon in turn, refusing to respond to them except by hissing, snarling and ignoring them while she plunges her fangs in another beast after a very quick chase? The former carcass is hastily thrown roughly in Nepenth' direction. "I -hate- it when she's like that..." her tiny rider groans, looking around to identify who's probably going to be held back here for a while.
K'ti crosses her arms over her chest and snorts, quite like her own lifemate after so many years. Green-grey eyes twitch and then finally move to look at Kaelyn with no limit to humor as seh says, "We can tell 'em that till we're as blue in the face as they are in their tail and it ain't gonna stick. Can't... tell ye how often that is." The woman stoops to pick up the straps, remembering herself that much before moving toward K'fen. "Aye lad, on duty but... well, interested blues wait for no duty. He's already fallen for Tenkanoth again, and I ain't gonna get a minute's use out of him. Yer okay, K'fen?"
Kaelyn sighs as she shakes her head and crosses her arms over her chest. Her green eyes and demeanor not very pleasant at the moment as she grumbles about Nepenth. "Can't just one time can you?" She nods to the others in the bowl, "Well I guess I'll be here a little longer than expected. Reaches duties. I'm Kaelyn"
P'draig hangs back for a little, his own straps slung over his shoulder, before he finally takes a few steps towards where K'fen stands with the blueriders. "Heya K'fen," he greets the greenrider politely, though the set of his shoulders speaks of a sense of awkwardness as if the younger rider really has no clue what the heck to do with himself and is just trying to back the best of it. Jekzith meanwhile, is having a grand old time. One herdbeast down and munched on thoroughly, and another in his sights, though his focus remains on Tenkanoth with every purple-eyed peek under his wing once that second herdbeast has crumpled under his claws.
"Evening Kaelyn - good to see you again," musters Paddy for his mother's friend, his fingers nervously straightening out a bit of strap where it dangles just within reach.
Jaralth backs up again then his instincts kick in. He stays within view of the emerald of the bowl but strikes out to take down a herdbeast that didn't have sense enough to Get Out fast enough. It's down, the ruby red of blood flowing quickly even as he mutters dragonically under his breath. "Rhmf. Hrrrr. Rrrow. Grmf." Like talking to his food.
K'fen offers a feeble smile to people gathered around, nodding at those he know and offering a pale imitation of a salute to the ones he doesn't know or can't remember -- maybe he's getting old. "Fort duties, I'm K'fen, silly, sulky, proddy green's Tenkanoth," he drawls, drawing a weray hand across his face and making a face at K'ti. "I'll be fine, it's just so tedious and exhausting just before it starts. I'm sorry to interrupt you all," he goes on, waving a hand to point vaguely at the northeasternly part of the Bowl. "We'd better settle down somewhere, I expect none of us is going anywhere else anyway," he grumbles, casting a dirty glanc at Tenkanoth who's done blooding a wherry and munching on it. "And I don't care if she eats, t'will make it all end sooner," he adds in a lower voice, striding off to one side and stumbling clumsily.
K'ti tightens her face up in a frown and reaches out to the man. "K'fen, be careful with that. She'll cramp up and I certainly don' want to lose her, or you." Before touching, however, she drops those fingers almost as if she were the blue currently infatuated with a green. To the others she gives a nod, "I'm K'ti, over from Igen, nice to meetche."
Tenkanoth is actually eating her wherry, bugling defiantly at the rest of the crowd, sounding and looking almost hurt that her rider pretends not to care, for once. Then she snaps at Jekzith, trying to impress the younger dragon and maybe scare him away or something of the kind. It's not as if she was big enough to be really intimidating anyway.
Guest Weyr(#9365RJh)
A fairly simple weyr, the large couch dominates the cavern. It is large enough to accomodate any dragon who might need it. Near the couch is a wooden framed bed. Sleeping furs neatly covering the rush filled matress beneath.
Jekzith> Jekzith digs his muzzle more deeply into herdbeast guts placidly, apparently unfazed by the snapping of the green. In fact, he licks his chops and sends out what he probably hopes is a soothing warble, sincerely meant before taking another chomp out of the beastie's belly. His tail continues to twitch back and forth, a certain tension in the young brown speaking of joyful anticipation of the flight to come.
K'ti takes over the couch in the weyr, sliding onto it as if it were her own and kicking up her feet onto the surface, without boots now. She takes up as much space as she wants, her diminuative form looking even tinier as she lounges out, hands behind her head propping it up just enough to keep a lusty old eye on K'fen, object of her current leering. "Just so y'know, you walk divinely still, old boy."
P'draig walks in quietly and unhooks the riding straps he was carrying into a convenient out of the way spot just in case, then leans against a vacant spot of wall, hands stuck in his pockets, one foot sliding up to brace him, while the other remains firmly planted on the ground. The young man doesn't say anything further for now, though he does peek over at K'ti for a moment, swallows hard, turns a bit pink about the ears and drops his eyes to the floor. Much safer there, yep.
K'fen goes to stand, as alwys, right in the middle of the room, wiping his forehead with his sleeve before reaching up to pull on his collar, but he doesn't take his tunic off the way he usually does during Flights, instead he offers a very apologetic glance at the people gathered around him, winking at K'ti. "Practice, my friend, practice... But I'm getting old, really," he says, faking a trembling voice and then closing his eyes. "She's really boiling, she'll take off any minute now," he mutters.
Jekzith> Jaralth takes three steps then pumps his wings just once. It launches him quickly to spear down an old way past its prime herdbeast which bleats out just before Doom strikes. He bugles, satisfied with his moment, that green, that willful glowing lady, a chubby beast beneath a claw (hey, when DO you guys up here thin the herds?) and a pair of strong wings to pump up his confidence. This.. is a good day. He stops his burgling and bugling and pumps a sweet croon to Tenkanoth.
K'ti chortles gleefully, "I'll join the old rider's ward when ye go, Keffy dear. Nae before then no matter how many temptations I get." She stretches, her long lean muscles pulling slightly beneath her tunic and her belly button showing now. "That there, though, is a young boy. When he wins, take it easy on 'im will ye, Keffy?"
P'draig casts another quick glance upward, and anyone clear-headed enough might notice that he's chewing rather hard on his lip. His eyes though, track towards the ledge and the sky outside, squinting a bit. He takes a deep breath in and lets it out then blinks at K'ti's words and makes a soft choking sound before his hand lifts to cover his face for a moment and mutters something about fathers not giving him nearly enough lectures to get him ready for this.
Jekzith> Tenkanoth lifts her head to bugle, letting everyone in the neighborhood know that -she-, K'fen's Tenkanoth, is not happy with the whole universe in general, and the whole population of male dragons on Pern in particular. And then faster than any green should be allowed to move, she starts squarely charging Jaralth, rumbing as she rushes toward the blue, hops once and if she hadn't suddenly opened and flapped her wings, she'd have violently pounced the old blue. Instead she's just off and away with, at least, what might be a decent head start on him, and a mocking snarl at the others. This is where things get a bit funnier. For her.
Jekzith> Above the center of the bowl, Tenkanoth wings up from the Center of the Bowl.
Jekzith> Jaralth burps loudly and suddenly. A wrenching belch actually of the type that comes from the bottom up before he turns two points on a claw and is skyward.
K'fen suddenly drops to a crouch, hiding his face in one hand and letting out a huge sigh of relief. "About bloody damn -time-," he mutters, in a clearer voice, breathing deep and fast. "It's always... easier once she's aloft," he feebly explains with a tired grin as he slowly gets back up to his feet. "But from the day she starts glowing... it's like a drum in my head," he adds. K'ti's remark has him chortling. "He's a former Weyrling of mine, I won't harm him in any way," he assures confidently. "Well, not intentionally at least," he points out as an afterthought, frowning pensively before wiping his sweaty forehead for the tenth time.
Jekzith> Yum yum yum, herdbeast, yum. Oh wait, what was that bright green streak that just went ... whoops. That was Tenkanoth taking off. Leaving the carcass of the herdbeast behind as if it were wherry droppings, Jekzith bugles loudly, snapping his wings open and takes two powerful leaps that carry him up and away into the air. He knows this Bowl well, and he has youth on his side, but that slight advantage may be as much of a disadvantage when his companions in the sky have far more experience with the chase. Once aloft, his focus narrows onto the green winging away, not so much on the other males, which could prove ... unwise.
"Thank you sir," remarks P'draig, as steadily as he can. "I'm sure certain people would appreciate my hide remaining in one piece ... should ah ... Jekzith manage to ah ... well anyway," the young man's bravado peters out and he smiles rather weakly at the Igenite bluerider and his former mentor. Distractedly he lifts one hand to scratch through his hair making an even worse mess of it.
K'ti waggles her eyebrows just a bit. "He's pretty good looking at that, K'fen, but yeah, I understand. Thankfully Jar won't chase anna of my weyrlings, er, ex weyrlings." With her toe and second toe she wedges off the socks that cover her feet, not bothering but to drop them off the platform she rests on. "I remember ages back stories of smaller flights where th'losers stayed to enjoy too..."
P'draig's hand drops to the back of his neck, scratching there now too, as the antics above are apparently making him itchy. Literally. "Is it just me, or is it hot in here?" he attempts pleasantry, but his voice wavers just a little until K'ti's last statement brings his face up with surprise painting it. "Huh? Really? Mum never said anything 'bout that ... and she rides green ..."
K'fen rolls his eyes upwards, gradually returning to hsi usual self, if just a bit distracted and sweaty. "P'draig, I'm no longer your Assistant Weyrlingmaster, we're not quite on duty and you know I hate formalities," he patiently points out with a pained look. "There is also a remote probability that we'll wake up here together so, really, call me K'fen will you?" He starts rolling his sleeves up, nodding. "It feels warm, yes..."
Jekzith> Jaralth shifts his weight, remembering the air, the sky, the winds of one of his old homes and his tail wings behind him as a rudder through the friendly skies. He shifts and extra large wings catch, cup, and caress the wind to push him where he wants to go. In his old age, however, he's gotten sneaky, and as he drafts beneath a brown elsewhere, he accidently bumps 'upward' and knocks his fellow chaser in the stomach. If the dragon could, it would go 'oomf', but the result is the same. Without air to fuel the wings, the brown drops backward and Jaralth sneaks even closer.
Jekzith> Tenkanoth isn't off to such a good start, after all. The first round in a quickly rising spiral around the Bowl sure is spectacular, and she's keeping well ahead for a time, but she tires much faster than she should and maybe she's starting to have second thoughtsabout what she had to eat before taking off. And soon enough the bunch of chasers is close enough to her that they might make it all end early, so she starts with threats, hisses and snarls, even showing off claws when one gets a bit too close. She's slower today but it won't make her any easier to catch.
K'ti smiles silkily and stretches out further. "Oh, it's hot, aye... very hot." She strips off the vest she was wearing, bearing it open to show off the tunic, but she doesn't go farther. "It's rare, boy, but it can happen if all don't mind, or know each other. I don't mind gettin' te know ya."
"Sorry K'fen ... it's ... " P'draig waves vaguely outsidewards, "... distracting. Forgot for a moment." He makes absolutely no mention of probable outcomes for riders whose dragons win flights, falling silent once more and shifting restlessly against the wall, before suddenly yanking off his jacket and tossing it down with the riding straps he brought in, rather irritably.
Jekzith> Jekzith chases good-naturedly and doggedly. This is after all a green he knows relatively too, being that she taught him much of what he knows about flying. He's not particularly trying any given strategy at the moment either, in fact, it seems his just ... having a good time flying. He warbles engagingly with no particular words either for Tenkanoth's benefit. No lothario is Jekzith, just putting forth the thought that yeah flying with him could be fun!
K'fen's eyes narrow and he waggles a threatening finger at K'ti. "Don't you get started. I know I have a reputation, but I don't like sharing during a Flight, and neither does Tenka," he adds with an amused snort. "I'll offer you all a drink at the Lava Lounge afterward, tho, to make up for it," he promises, saluting crisply though the gestures ends prematurely as he instinctively ducks. "What are you -doing-?" he asks aloud, eyes glazing over.
"Um ... that's ... uh ... really flattering," blunders P'draig, in response to the flirtation before he nods at K'fen's words, perhaps with a hint of relief. "A drink would be great. Haven't been to the Lounge, though I had a pint at Ista the other -- huh?" The greenrider's words cut him short and absently he loosens a button on his shirt and flaps the fabric around to generate a breeze against his skin.
Jekzith> Jaralth swings his wings just a bit and claws, front and back, waggle in the air as if the 'running' motion helps him go a little faster. The weight, the drop, and the wings shove him forward again but then he dodges right slightly to avoid Jekzith and slide through the air as if it were butter on an Igen plate.
Jekzith> Tenkanoth looks like she's playing risky tonight, letting chasers get dangerously close, and then taking advantage of her small size to intricately turn on her wing, dive and suddenly change direction, or simply start a looping backward and dive through the whole bunch of chasers. She's playing among them, deftly dodging well-aimed grabs. She makes sure the whole cloud of male dragons follows her every move, tracing asymetrical patterns in Fort's sky. It's even funnier when she manages to hit a muzzle with her tail or even bite a wingtip. This isn't the graceful Tenkanoth flying, but rather the playful young green having a nice little fight in the sky.
K'ti licks her own lips and breathes out noisily. "Ah don't put much stock in rumored reputations, y'know that K'fen, but a drink fer all of us later woul' be welcome, no matter who walks outta here. Ah know yer a solid... hmm. Y'know, the further intae a flight the harder it is fer me. I get.. more interested in the other rider's body. Hot, sensual, near me. Y'know.. I gotta quit looking." Her eyes are intense points, the dragon mirrored in her.
Jekzith> Jaralth snorts, as his muzzle gets tail even while he doesn't. The blue pulls back his head and shakes it even as his wings continue their beat on the air. Recent work seems to have extended his staying power, but grey shatters the darker cobalt hues along his spires and down his chest.
Jekzith> Ow. That was a tail, a green one. On his muzzle. Jekzith whurfles a little, eyes crossing and there's a heartbeat's pause in his dogged flight after Tenkanoth. He's not being wily in this chase, but straightforward. She's leading this merry chase across the skies, it's fun, and he's doing his best to keep up. But agile and young though he is, eventually it's going to take a toll on him - he's not small, and all the twisting and turning is eating away at his endurance. Belatedly perhaps, he changes tactics, still marking her moves, but less intricately, using more powerful wings to stay in the fray, but not right on her tail.
K'fen brushes K'ti's words aside with a light gesture of his hand. "I know how it goes, yeah. It's not too bad today, I can actually think. Sometimes I just stand or sit there bare chested, can't say anything and I just let it all happen," he chuckles, rolling his eyes derisively again, looking much too warm and fanning himself with his hand. "I should stop trying to tell her not to eat her kill when she's about to rise," he muses. "But there are times I really enjoy it too..."
K'ti rolls over to her side, the tunic drifting open to show some chest, wrinkly neck and a perched head as she watches K'fen intently. "Maybe a bit, but y'know you the risk of her cramping early in and falling by letting her eat. That'd stop the flight... but she'd prolly be injured." She drops one knee to rest beside her hanging off the couch edge.
Jekzith> Tenkanoth is either tiring or getting bolder, now looking for contact, allowing them to try again and smacking them away, or letting a bunch cluster around her and suddenly speed forward and let them try to catch each other. Plenty of tricks she's seen before and that her poor draconic memory still apparently manages to bring back. Her joyful bugle is like a merry, though slightly mocking laugh just when she unnoticeably brings the pack of males closer to the ground, a quick dive making her rake at the soft dirt with her talons before she soars up, showing off her bright, glowing wings to all those who managed not to crash yet.
"Not looking ... yeah," agrees Paddy, "not looking is good," he says feelingly, eyes doggedly returning to the floor. The floor is good too. Very ... stony and rock-like and solid. "Wouldn't know ..." murmurs the young rider more quietly. "He hasn't caught yet ..." and there's another convulsive swallow as Jekzith's mood turns more turbulent and threads its way into his, eyes going vague, slightly glassy. One of his hands twists into a fist around a fold of his wherhide riding pants.
Jekzith> Jaralth pulls a side to side move, shifting his tail back and forth in a try to stay completely unpredictable in the air. A waggle of the wings and finally he's using their length to glide like a skater over the air. He dodges a nip, then finally manages to get his nose close enough to the tail for a semi-smack before pulling it back with a hot breathed short-aired snort. He shifts again, then pulls his tail closer even as he waggles his back end in the air. It's like watching the kitten aiming for the mousie under the table, ease, waggle, ease again, waggle, shift the front claws, then... lunge!
Jekzith> Floating above is Jekzith, broader strokes painted across the sky's canvas to capture Tenkanoth in a moment. He swoops lower as the green does though, throwing himself eagerly into this latest game of hers, a child's game of chase and catch almost as he reaches out playfully towards her.
K'fen is still shaking his head at K'ti. "I know, I'm mostly keeping her on her toes, but sometimes she's really good at not hearing me," he grumbles. "She's not going to get hurt, she's too--" he stops in mid sentence, the sudden effort put into trying to escape the bolder males taking him right up to the sky along with his lifemate. "NO!" It sounds desperate, and at the same time; the short greenrider is smiling in relief, his face not matching his dragon's toughts, obviously.
K'ti rolls onto her stomach, tense, waiting, awaiting, eyes on the rider even if they're really on the dragon elsewhere. Linked. Vibrating.
P'draig's hand tightens further, white-knuckled as the full impact of Jekzith's focus breaks through and wipes away nerves and jocularity alike, leaving only ... tension and longing that he doesn't quite know what to do with.
Jekzith> Tenkanoth screams in despair -- as she so often does -- as a sudden shadow starts clinging to her, grabbing her just the second before she had time to speed forward or to dodge. She doesn't even realize she knows him, resisting a bit longer than usual before she accepts her defeat, letting the powerful brown wings sustain her as she allows Jekzith to twine his neck with hers. Not the most experienced but playful enough to match her moves and catch her unprepared. She gives a last nip at the nearest wing and bugles, proudly this time, that she 'chose' the one worthy of her.
Jekzith> Jaralth overshoots in his lunge, his wings overpowering him even as he realizes she's slowed down suddenly and the winds aren't kind to him. Even so, the big lug realizes he's needing to put that energy somewhere and one wing tucks as the other starts folding for a tuck and the blue dragon barrel rolls to the side, winging out of the pack and into clearing air. He rocks in the air, his head going to the side and looking at the happy couple in air even as he lets loose with a mornful wurblely croon.
Jekzith> Jekzith bugles delightedly as the game comes to an end and he finds himself a winner. There's exuberance aplenty in the young brown as he winds around and around with Tenkanoth and carries them both off, careful now to be a support, letting the small green lean on him if she so chooses.
K'ti pops up from her couch and grabs up her boots. The socks, well, those smelly things she seems to forget and she says with a relieved sigh. "Done... and done. Evening boys.. be gentle with him Keffy. Seeya 'round sexy."
There's a moment there, where Paddy looks like he's been struck by a bolt of lightning, mouth hanging open, before he just staggers away from the wall, like a drunken man, hands blindly seeking. Then there's a bit of advice that apparently does stick with him and he just ... lets go and rolls with it.