In which Madge is Searched (and denies!)
Ista Weyr Corral(#1253RJas)
The reddish light of the evening sun shines across the bay visible
over the western fence and the green field of the Plateau. Roughly
one-fourth the size of the bowl itself, herdbeasts are huddled trying
to find whatever shade they can. A large grassy field to the western
side of the corral bridges both side of the fence there. Beyond the
fence, a large plateau can be found, looking off over the bay. Large
troughs for water sit near the stables. The Bowl to the east is
illuminated with the golden glow of sunset as it comes alive with the
evening activity.
Caitlyn steps quickly away from Kintryth as she dismounts, letting
the blue make a speedy leap into the air near the corrals as he sets
himself up to hunt some fresh flesh. The woman takes note of Zelieth
- so therefor Balinne must be near, and Cait paces out in search of
the greenrider - espying her and...Madge nearby.
"I bet a good one," Madge drawls, not looking at Balinne when she
offers the compliment. She considers then, her tongue running across
her front teeth, making a sucking sound. Snickt. "Yeah, maybe. But I
ain't. Got a job, do it, get the marks for my bad habits. Life's
good." She spots Caitlyn and aside from her eyelids drooping she
shows no reaction.
Balinne shrugs. "I've been told I had a knack for it, but, well,
guess we'll never know." The compliment just washes off like
rainwater, though a tiny little smile quirks her lips. She raises a
hand towards Caitlyn's approach, just as Zelieth notices Kintryth.
Her wings flare, and she bellows something possessive as she hunches
over her kill. "Life's better when you're doing something fun,
though. Seems like your current job gives you enough free time to
make up for any, ah, battle wounds."
Caitlyn is good, too, at showing little reaction to Madge, aside
from a slitting of eyes. Her bootsteps pace her up to Balinne and
company, and the bluerider gives her friend a quick, bright smile,
then looking out over the scene of growing carnage taking place in
the corrals. "Heya, Bali."
Kintryth, in the meantime, descends on his kill in a somewhat
bumbling manner, nearly botching it as he practically falls onto the
beast - killing it more by accident, apparently, as his massive
weight snaps the herdbeast's back. Jerking to a gangley landing, the
blue appears surprised, then seems to shrug it off, snapping the
thing up in huge jaws, and launching both himself and it aloft to a
place outside of the corrals. Munch, splork, drool. Zelieth's
growlings and such seem to be ignored.
"Yeah. Plenty of time for healing." Madge looks Caitlyn over, sizing
her up, and continues to recline against the fence while dragons
slurp and feed behind her. She's had her fill of that particular
scene so doesn't so much as peek over her shoulder to see what's
going on. It's all just blood and guts anyway. Fine with being
ignored, she stares at the bluerider, intense and silent.
Balinne can sense the hostility. She shifts slightly on the rail,
eyeing the pair of women with a perterbed expression. Pfft. "Hey
Cait. Kint's hungry too? Zelieth decided she was starving, but I
think she mostly just wanted to play." The green's settled over her
second 'beast, ignoring Kintryth now as she devours it. "The way
she's eating you'd think she was proddy." She nudges Madge gently, as
if to break the tension between the pair, and asks, "If you ever get
sliced up again, I'm still pretty handy with a needle and thread. I
used to patch up D'ryn all the time." But that just seems to drudge
up old memories, and a sour expression crosses Balinne as she looks
out over the dragons.
Caitlyn does pretty well at ignoring that stare of Madge's, refusing
the bait for real, this time - seeming to take a certain visceral
pleasure in watching Kintryth rend the buck to shredded, bloody
strips and tangles of viscera. "You feeling any better today, Bali?"
the bluerider murmurs in an aside, golden-brown eyes concerned for
her friend. "Yeah, he announced it to me in one of those 'We're going
to the corral NOW,' moods, so guess who's hidework got interrupted?"
A roll of eyes.
Madge's weight shifts to the side some when she's nudged, her
attention shifting to the greenrider beside her. "Oh yeah?" Her mouth
curves up at the corner, suggesting a smirk. "I'll have to try my
best to get a knife in me then." And then, despite Balinne's best
attempts, her hooded eyes are trained on Caitlyn again. Mrr.
Balinne rolls her eyes. "In Zelieth's world, Hidework is interupting
everything else. At least I'll get a break for a while. And yes, I'm
doing better." And looking better, too, despite the carnage in the
corrals. "Well, I certainly won't encourage that sort of behavior,"
she says to Madge, feigning a stern look of warning, "But it'd be
nice to brush up on my old skills." Awkwardness descends.
Nuh-UH. Caitlyn is being a good wingsecond today - and besides,
she's getting deep pleasure from letting her senses get somewhat
caught up in Kint's feeding - the woman licking her lips almost
ferally as she oggles the blue taking down yet another herdbeast. The
dragon seems to be as caught up in killing as his rider is in
ignoring, ribboning flesh with glassy talons, trumpeting once. "Ahh,
good then. Remember you wanted to talk to me later...i'm still
waiting, Bali." A brash grin, and wink for the greenrider nearby.
"Then maybe you should protect me from all those mean, armed people
out there," Madge mutters, her hands twitching to come to rest back
behind her on the rail. She's still staring.
Balinne sighs, directing it upwards where, if she had hair, hair
would be fluttered. "Oh, would you two knock it off already," she
demands, looking rather cross now. She peers at first Madge, and then
Caitlyn. "Honestly, you're like children. Can't you get along for a
little while. I hate tension." Zelieth arched her neck, peered at the
group, and decided there was nothing she could do about it. At least
on an empty stomach. Back to eating for her. "Yes, I do need to talk
to you, later. It's not.. that important really."
Things pass over and through Caitlyn's senses as she subsumes
herself in Kintryth's feasting, the sensations rendering her head
clear and cool, for now. Sighing softly, she turns a smile on Bali,
and lets it settle for a couple moments on Madge, before regarding
the greenrider again. "Bali, i'm fine. I'm being non-confrontational
and clear-headed. Tension is not part of my makeup right now." And,
oddly enough, it *isn't*. Cait appears relaxed, and in some kind of
good spirits, if more muted than usual. "And quit saying your life is
unimportant."
The surprise on Madge's face registers as a scowl of sorts. "What? I
ain't done nothin'." Yet. Grimacing now, shifting from foot to foot,
she mutters something under her breath and looks away at something
else. She entirely misses Caitlyn's glance in doing so, which might
be a good thing. "She ain't saying it's her life that's unimportant,
dimwit."
"That, see, that!" And Balinne points at something invisible between
the two. "Just. Play nice." She sulks off, putting a few extra feet
between her and the others as Zelieth wanders closer, finished with
her meal. Balinne busies herself with cleaning the green's snout,
wiping away blood and bits of hair with her hand. "It's not," she
notes to Caitlyn. "It's just news, and I wanted to tell you before my
wingmates did."
Caitlyn can ignore that slight, even if she is proud of her
intelligence, given her current state of mind. As a matter of fact,
she smiles even a little more to Madge - the thing having a slightly
predatory aire to it, now - but nothing in it of anger or rage.
Murmuring softly to Madge, "Bali's one of my dearest friends, why
would I underplay her life's happenings?", Cait turns back to the
greenrider as Bali steps somewhat away - shaking her head ruefully,
then reclosing the distance between them, trying to lay a
companionable arm over the slightly shorter woman's shoulders. "Hey,
sorry if i'm making you irritated. It's just nice to see you out and
about again... We both know how the life of a wingsecond is."
After rolling a very 'yeah, sure' look at Caitlyn, Madge snorts and
takes to watching Balinne clean her lifemate. With her bare hands.
Ick. Swallowing, she turns away again, this time away from the both
of them and towards a less bloody view.
"Yea, it's hidework, hidework, and more hidework," Balinne grumps.
Finished cleaning, she retreats back to where she'd been standing
before, Zelieth curling up in the mud nearby. "She's done," she says
to Madge. "She won't kill again." So you can turn around. Quietly,
almost reluctantly, Balinne asks, "So. How's H'rel?"
Caitlyn lets her companionable arm drop away, now leaning against
the fence almost languidly, her lips holding a small trace of her
smile. "H'rel's himself...quiet, reserved - but always polite, kind,
wonderful. We still don't get enough time together, though. Shard
it."
Kintryth chuff-rumbles over to Zelieth, his eyes no longer the red
of deep hunger, but green with bright yellow flecks. Another sound,
this time almost trilling to his clutchsib, and the blue whirls -
hurling himself over the fence in a rush. SNAP-*CRACK* goes the neck
of a juvenile 'beast, and the next set of claws rend the gut of the
beast...letting offal and intestines spray all over the place in a
hurry...some landing in a gorey heap at the feet of all humans
present. Possibly ON the feet.
Zelieth peers blandly at Kintryth, as if to say 'show off'. She
rumbles something deep in her throat as she watches him.
Dragon> Kintryth senses that Zelieth rumbles in amusement, << If you
can make the tall one sick, then we shall be even. >>
"/She/ won't," Madge calls over her shoulder, her arms folding.
Kintryth is another concern entirely. Though her boots are saved from
carnage, a stringy piece of pink mangled something does end up an
inch or so away from her. On the ground. "Urp." A hand lifts of its
own accord to very slowly cover her mouth.
Kintryth> Zelieth senses that Kintryth rumbles in dark, good humor,
<< I am striving to do my best. I will endeavor to do more if this
doesn't work. >>
Dragon> Kintryth senses that Zelieth happily offers her advice. <<
Waving the innards around seems to help. >> Smuggness is only one of
the pleasantries she provides.
Balinne shakes off her own boot, and then reaches over to kick at
Madge's shoes to clean them as well. At least she's not using her
hands this time. "You'll get used to it." Or avoid the Corrals
forever. "Head between the knees, maybe?" she offers a second time,
though it's without the previous amusement. "Tell him I said Hi,
would you?" she requests of Caitlyn. "I don't see him at all, outside
of drills, really."
Caitlyn gives a gruff call out to Kintryth, "Jaaaays, Kint! You
trying for messiest kill of the Turn?!", kicking the loop of
grey-pink-green, oozing intestine off her boot with a distasteful
twist of lips. A nod over to Balinne, "Will do, Bali. He likes you,
in his own, quiet way, you know." Smile.
Madge would thank Balinne for the effort, but she's a little
preoccupied with not throwing up her last meal. The greenrider's
repeated advice is taken this time, the guard bending at the waist
and bracing her hands on her knees so she can put her head between
them. Her eyes closed, her hair dangling above the ground, she waits
for the nausea to pass.
Kintryth has decided that he wants the innards FIRST, this time, and
tears into them with the ferociousness of a blooding green, shaking
his head left and right as he tears them loose from the carcass'
insides... Coming up with a horrific tangle of guts, gore, and blood.
Horrific, that is, if you aren't used to it.
Zelieth seems to approve, and cheers him on in her own, gruff and
grumbly way. Balinne ignores her, and concentrates on Madge and
Caitlyn. "I know. And it'd be nice to catch up with him sometime, but
it seems we're all so busy. I hardly see any of our clutchmates
besides you." She reaches out with a comforting hand, meant for
rubbing Madge's back gently. "You'd think he was competeing with
Zelieth, the way he's flinging that around." Even her hand comes to
her mouth, but the rest of her looks fine.
Caitlyn shakes her head slightly at the site of Madge turning green,
shrugging a little helplessly, then turning back to her blue as he
shakes his head all around. "JAYS, Kint! You think you were starving
or something! Tone it down, eh?!" A liberal sprinkle of blood and
offal flies through the air, spattering the ground, possibly the
humans.
Dragon> Kintryth senses that Zelieth gives props for the effort. <<
Nice touch, the blood, >> she notes, amusement flecked through her
mindvoice. She washes him in adoration and girlish charm, though he'd
know better than to buy it.
Madge is not, thankfully, spattered with blood. Not like it'd be the
first time, but at least she manages to keep clean thanks to luck
alone. Balinne's backrubbing earns her a grateful grunt but her
posture doesn't change. "I need a drink." Ugh.
"Water, or stronger?" Balinne asks, a slight uplift in her mouth.
She glances over at Kint, grimaces, and returns to the task at hand.
"Infirmary's got some good stuff for keeping your lunch where it
belongs. S'not far." Course, she'd know where it is. "Zel was making
a mess earlier, but he seems to make a bigger one. She's just noisy."
Kintryth finishes the juvenile off in record time, his eyes now
wheeling the green of utter contentment - done with his feeding.
Vaulting up to the air, he zips over to the lake, and drinks deeply,
quickly - enjoying the taste. And back over to his weyrmate he flies,
landing almost daintily a few tens of feet from Cait and company, his
enormous maw dripping pinkened water...and streaming forth a few
little ropes of innards along with a hunk or two of sheared flesh.
Caitlyn steps back from her beast, making a large YUK face as the
stuff streams around the trio's feet a little. "That had better be IT
for a few days, your grossness," she mutters to Kintryth, who warbles
happily.
"I don't need none o'that stuff smells like feet," Madge snaps,
straightening suddenly, unmindful of the stringy bits of hair
sticking up this way and that after their rearrangement. "Need a
bottle. Need a bottle, need it fast." Her eyes travel upward towards
Kintryth's maw and the things dangling from it and she swallows
again. Yay, bile. "Last time I stop at a Weyr," she mutters.
Balinne frowns. "I'll take you on Zelieth, if you really want to get
a bottle of wine /now/. But I'll frown at you the whole way." She
peers up at Kint, makes a similiar 'eww' face, and shakes her head.
"It's about time I got out of the corrals, anyways. Can't be good for
me." Zelieth looks up, peers at the trio, and sighs languidly. Must
she move?
Kintryth gives a...weird croon, and a tilt of his head down towards
the ill female, peering intently at Madge from only a scant few feet
away. Still dripping and sprouting gobbets, unfortunately. AND his
breath smells mightily of meat and guts and the metallic hint of
blood. Aaaand... The blue gently bumps Madge's chest with his nose.
Caitlyn suddenly stares at her blue with wide, foggy eyes, her face
twitching slightly. Suddenly, she too turns away from the scene, her
face in one hand, head drooped for a few long moments.
Dragon> Kintryth senses that Zelieth is not that naive. << What're
you doing? It's no fair if you drip on her. >>
Kintryth> Zelieth senses that Kintryth snuffs almost arrogantly
back, << She must not be allowed to escape. Therefor, I will Search
her. >>
Dragon> Kintryth senses that Zelieth huffs, taken aback slightly. <<
Search!? That's not in the rules, you /can't/ do it, >> she demands,
putting her mental foot down in a stomp. << You can't, it's not fair.
/I/ want one! >>
Kintryth> Zelieth senses that Kintryth is self-satisfied, now, and
chirps back in the sweetest tones, << I most certainly *can*. And if
you'd pay more attention to others, *you* might be able to do this,
too. >>
Leaning against the fence again, careful to avoid any messy
sections, Madge puts her hand to her forehead and takes a deep
breath. "Might be nice," she mutters at Balinne, just before making a
disgusted noise when she finds a messy blue snout consuming her field
of vision. "What the-... /Ugh/!" She steps back, looks down at the
front of her shirt. Oh, gross. "What-" Too. Mad. For. Words.
Dragon> Kintryth senses that Zelieth is outraged, and lets it be
known with waves of violent anger for her clutchsibling. << I pay
perfect attention! You just break the rules. It's unfair. I'm telling
Balinne /right/ now and she will put a stop to it!>>
Kintryth> Zelieth senses that Kintryth responds only in hints of
fog, the rushing of waves, and the sounds of the sea.
For a moment, Balinne is utterly and completely confused. "Breaking
the what?" she asks Zelieth, giving her green her full attention. It
doesn't last long, and she decidedly ignores the whining dragon
behind her. "OK, this is getting odd. Our dragons are possessed, it's
time to go." Zelieth hops the fence, but seems uninterested in
leaving. More like, she's staring daggers down at Kintryth with a
predatory anger. Balinne looks to Caitlyn for an explanation.
Caitlyn turns back, composed once again, just *staring* at her blue
from a thin-lipped face - shaking her head slowly. Kint still stands
like that, peering at Madge from two eyes bigger than her head,
dripping...waiting. "He wants her for Search," she shrugs to Bali,
sighing deeply. "As if..." Another sigh, and Cait finally turns to
Madge, calling out to her, "Kintryth thinks you should be Searched.
Respond to him, if you will."
Madge plucks a string of something she really doesn't want to stop
to identify off of her person and drops it to the ground, her face
pinched. The riders and their inner and outer debates with their
lifemates goes on unnoticed until Caitlyn addresses her. The shock in
her expression might be comical. She looks from the bluerider to
Balinne, then back, completely thunderstruck. Then, in a twist, she
glares. "/No/." And, up to Kintryth, "No!" She turns then, striding
away. "Of all the mother-lovin' things t'say to a person, y'all are
crazier than folks say." She continues, but eventually her voice just
sort of fades away with distance.
Balinne is as shocked as Madge, certainly. She just /stares/ at
Kintryth. And then Caitlyn, and then Madge, and finally, Kintryth
again. Zelieth offers some sort of annoyed croaking sound, and turns
away from the group, sulking. She can't say anything before Madge
answers, and it's almost relief that dons her face when she declines.
"Search. Are you /serious/?" She turns to Caitlyn when Madge has
left.
Caitlyn appears...less-than-surprised at Madge's assessment of, and
reaction to Kintryth's query - the bluerider simply shrugging her
broad shoulders once, and turning her back on the departing
ex-Guardsman. The blue dragon also writes her off, tossing his head
back up, and chuffing darkly, now regarding Balinne and Cait with
eyes as blue as the lake beyond. Cait goes to open her mouth to speak
to Bali, but Kintryth interrupts, churring down to the greenrider,
and giving a few bobs of his massive head. Yep. Serious.
Dragon> Kintryth senses Zelieth in her sulking, offers only a
smidgeon of delight. << Haha. >> and that's it. He failed, she won.
Kintryth> Zelieth senses that Kintryth replies back in sweet
reasoning tones, << This isn't a game, you understand? >> His 'feel' is
all of smug, deep satisfaction.
Balinne looks about as huffy as her dragon. "You can't just do that.
You can't just... Search her." Cause she said so. She turns to yell
something at Zelieth, but it goes unsaid. "Now I need a drink," but
she makes no moves to leave, simply leaning against the fence with a
hand on her stomach.
Caitlyn peers deeply at Balinne, suddenly concerned, if still a bit
pinched of face. Still restraining herself. "You okay, Bali? And why
can't he Search her? I can't let my dislike of her interfere with
him, after all..."
"I'm fine," Balinne insists, but Zelieth bends her head down to peer
at her rider suspiciously. "I'm sorry, I know, it's his job as a
dragon, and ours as Riders to Search anyone they find acceptable
but.. for once, it'd be nice to have a friend /not/ stolen by
dragons." She grumps slightly, and pushes away from the fence. "Guess
I can tell you what I've been trying to, now."
Caitlyn 'oh's' contritely to Bali, trying to feel sad, but not
succeeding. She offers up, "Well, the ingrate refused Search - can
you imagine that? - so it looks like she'll not be dragon-taken." Her
silence on that might speak volumes...