Log: In which Taikrin wants to explore the world with Avey!
Date: Day 28, Month 7, Turn 22 of Interval 10
NorCon MUSH - 4/25/2010
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Eastern Bowl, High Reaches Weyr
Ringed by rough granite walls to all sides but one, this end of the huge bowl narrows from the even broader plain to the west, continuing the ever so slight downward slope toward the blue and green of the Weyr's lake and surrounding foliage. More open to sun and wind than the western bowl, but less frequented when there aren't weyrlings in residence, the bowl's grassy tufts keep the topsoil in place and thicken into a bloodstained meadow within the feeding pens that adjoin the lake.
At the base of the surrounding cliffs lie entrances to several caverns, including the dragon infirmary and the weyrling barracks: the former to the northwest near where the spires begin, the latter opposite to the southwest. Both archways are large and dark enough for any dragon to pass through, but it's the infirmary's that is haunted by faint smells of redwort and numbweed, as though over generations they have seeped into the very stone.
Towards the south-eastern end of the bowl, a large area has been cordoned off with heavy ropes. The bowl wall has mostly been covered by enormous lengths of oiled cloth, hiding damage left in the wake of the meteor and eye rock, which fell here.
The sun is high in the sky and there is not a cloud in sight. There's a breeze that tempers the heat with no humidity lingering in the air.
Contents:
Szadath
Obvious exits:
Guest Weyr Dragon Infirmary Weyrling Area Feeding Grounds Lake Shore West Bowl
It is a summer afternoon, 18:21 of day 28, month 7, turn 22 of Interval 10.
Avey heads in from the western bowl.
Avey has arrived.
Leisath has arrived.
It is a very dangerous time of year to be in the airspace around the weyrling caverns... because it's full of weyrling deagons! Though lessons have ended for the afternoon, there are still a few overachievers stretching their wings in the afternoon thermals, prominent among them Szadath. He's not terribly high, nor terribly graceful, but the raw brute strength with which he rises and falls in the air is apparently amazing to Taikrin. She's following his flight path from the ground, gaze fixed upwards as she calls encouragements at the brown. "Awesome! Up more!"
Leisath, meanwhile, is spiraling down slowly to a landing after appearing from between high above the bowl. When she sees the weyrling dragon stretching his wings, she gives him a wide berth, and touches down on the other side of Taikrin. Her rider pulls off her helmet and shrugs out of her jacket before she's even dismounted. She slides to the ground and stuffs both jacket and helmet into a little bag that's hanging off Leisath's harness, then turns to shade her eyes and watch Szadath's flight, along with her green who warbles brightly to encourage the young brown. << You fly well, >> she tells him, all sun and sea and saltwater.
<< Hey, thanks! >> Exuberance has made Szadath remarkably, mind-numbingly loud. << Check this out! >> Just like that, it's time to show off for his audience. The sharp turn he executes /would/ be impressive, save for the fact that it's far tighter than anything of his size should rightly be attempting at this point. There's some sudden altitude loss, some frantic flapping, and even a little panic. Once the brown is stabilized once more, though, and gliding towards a landing by the green, his mindvoice practically oozes with confidence. << Almost got it down. Great, huh? >> Taikrin, at least, isn't quite so blase about the whole thing. Aside from a slanted look towards Leisath, she's hand-over-mouth focused on Szadath and his maneuvor. Tension only fades somewhat when he's safely on the ground, at which point another slanty-eyed look is given, along with a curt, "Hey."
Leisath radiates amusement. << Almost, >> she says. << You should be careful, though. It hurts to crash-land. >> Avey gives Taikrin a wave and a sunny smile. Sunny is right, actually: she looks like she's been out in it most of the day; her face is red and her hair is all windblown (and mussed from the helmet). Good thing it's short. "Hi!" she says brightly. "We're Avey 'n Leisath, who're you?"
If Taikrin is taken aback by the greeting, she doesn't gape openly for long. Instead, she calls back, "This's Szadath an' I'm Taikrin." She saunters forward a few paces, ducking under the brown's still-outstretched wing to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Figured everyone knew t'pick us out at fifty paces, by now." Szadath stretches broad sails out a few more times before folding them loosely against his back. << Yeah, it does! Check this out. >> Rearing back slightly, his two forepaws are displayed... or more accurately, the set of cracked and chipped talons that adorn them. << Think we got the hang of that, though. Didn't even catch one today. >>
"Nice to meet you," Avey says with another bright smile. "Naw, I could tell you were a weyrling, but wasn't sure which one." She waves a hand at Szadath. "He looks pretty good, they haven't been flying for long now, have they? He recovered pretty well there. We thought he was going to come down pretty hard, for a minute there." Leisath lowers her head to look, and whuffs at the younger brown. << Goodness, you've had a few rough landings, haven't you? >> she says, amused. << Well, you certainly are learning. Soon you'll be able to fly and explore Pern, like us. >> There's no small amount of pride in herself and her rider, when she says that. She gives him a series of images, mostly of open ocean, with no land in sight, but the last one is of a very small island right in the middle of that expanse of ocean, with a single tree growing in its center.
"Huh." Taikrin studies Avey a moment, a hint of wariness appearing on her flushed features, before shrugging away the concern. "Yeah, not too long. He ain't been /really/ allowed on his own for more'n, what, a sevenday? Somethin' like. Been practicin' till he can't take off no more, though." A cocky grin suddenly lights her face. "We had so many crashes an' near misses we're lucky he ain't broke every bone in his body." Apparently not for lack of trying, though. Szadath drops his weight back down onto his forelegs, grunting softly at the effort expended. << Yeah! That's the best way to get better. Only pansies are afraid to get hurt. >> The statement is backed up with /months/ of hard-earned wisdom, and a shared vision of Szadath soaring overhead of a cluster of scared, mewling weyrling dragons. But the images of ocean? Those are FASCINATING, and he's quick to say so. << OH! Where is that? Is it really far and secret? Is there treasure? Can I go?! >>
<< It /is/ really far >> Leisath says with pride. << You have to fly for days, or go between. It is our island. We found it. No one else has ever been there. When you learn to go between, I will show you the way, if you like. >> Avey looks a bit puzzled by Taikrin's wariness. "We don't either of us bite, you know," she says good-naturedly. "I'm glad he hasn't, anyway. Broken bones. Those take a long time to heal! It's so exciting, the whole learning-to-fly thing. Leisath really enjoyed it."
Szadath wilts a bit at mention of the distance. In fact, he just keeps on flowing downward until he's flopped bonelessly on the ground in the way of the very young. << Oh. I don't think I get to go between for a long time. I want to see it, though. To see if it has treasure. >> He adds, as an afterthought, << Iskiveth really likes treasure. >> Taikrin leans back against his shoulder, arms crossed casually over her chest. "Yeah, well, I might. Very dangerous an' inappropriate weyrling, y'know." The words ring of a quotation being repeated for Avey's benefit. "But yeah. I'm glad he ain't, neither. Don't think we could take it, either of us, waitin' for it t'heal. We got-- we got too much t'do. Can't be gettin' further behind."
<< I don't think it has any treasure. There is only one tree, >> Leisath points out. << And a bit of grass, and some dirt. Still, it's a good spot to fly from to look for more islands. >> Again she gives him images of empty expanses of ocean that seem to stretch out forever and ever. Avey peers at Taikrin. "You might... what, bite? What do you mean, you're dangerous and inappropriate?" She's bemused.
"'Cause... that's what they say." Taikrin is a bit bewildered by Avey's questions, and her mouth opens and closes several times before she finds the words she's looking for. "Y'really ain't heard nothin'?" Suspiciously. << I don't really know where treasure lives. Or what it looks like, >> Szadath confesses. << But Iskiveth very much wants to find it. How big is the blue? Could treasure live there? Mine has never seen so much. >>
Avey laughs. "Well, no," she says, "but I don't - I mean, no offense, but I haven't had a whole lot of conversations about any of the weyrlings, really. Much less you." She shrugs. << I don't know either. I have never found any. Does Iskiveth know what it looks like? >> Leisath asks. << The water - it goes on forever, I think. >> She's not really sure. << But sometimes there are islands. >>
The relief on Taikrin's face is palpable, and she seems to sag against the brown's shoulder at Avey's assurance. "Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm real happy if people ain't talkin'. Less problems f'r me." If the smile she summons is weak, at least it's got some of that confidence back in it. << Water that goes forever? We-- >> Szadath pauses, withdrawing presumably to consult with his rider, then returns with a gust of swirlingly cold air. << We never heard of that. How long is forever? >>
<< Forever and ever >> Leisath answers. << It doesn't end, until you get to land. >> Which is kind of contradictory, but nevermind that. Avey looks amused. "I guess so. What would they be saying about you if they did talk? Are you an evil baby-eating weyrling, or something?"
<< Oh. >> It's apparent from the churning confusion in Szadath's mind that he doesn't understand, but he's trying. << Well. So, it's a really really lot of water. I want to see it. But-- >> His jaws gape in a yawn. <<-- later. >> There's something quirky and perhaps charming in the lopsided smile that's growing on Taikrin's lips. "Oh, y'know. As like t'stab ya as look at'cha." She waves a hand dismissively, then, and abruptly changes the subject. "What's with all this water Szad's goin' on about? Th'ocean an' forever an' islands?"
<< Later >> Leisath agrees, much amused. "Oh," Avey says brightly to Taikrin, "Leisath was telling him about our exploring. We're looking for new islands nobody's ever found. We actually found one the other week."
"Explorin'? There's islands what nobody's ever found?" Apparently this is as amazing to Taikrin as it was to Szadath, because she's definitely gaping at Avey now. "That's like-- really? An' y'can just-- fly out there? If y'find it first d'you get t'/keep/ it?" Szadath stretches his wings out again, loosely, to bask in the rest of the afternoon sunlight. His thoughts are sleepy as he adds, << Then you can show me more of forever. >>
"At least one," Avey boasts. "It's teeny - it's only about big enough for two or three dragons to land on - and there's just one tree - but it wasn't on any of my maps and not on the maps up at Seacraft either. So if anyone'd ever found it before, they sure didn't write it down! It's WAY out. And I mean, what's going to stop you from flying straight as far as you can go? And then when Leisath gets tired, if we haven't found anything, we just between back to the weyr, and start again another day in a different direction. It's kind of fun."
"So y'can just fly wherever y'want?" Taikrin's head tilts back, gaze scanning the sky as if to spot more at-liberty riders. "An' way out there? How far can a dragon go straight in a day, d'you reckon? More'n a ship?" Her attention returns to Avey, suddenly /very/ intent. "Places what ain't on a map, so nobody's ever been there. Y'think there's more of 'em? Maybe bigger ones, where people could live?"
"It's a special arrangement I have with the weyrleader," Avey explains, and that sounds like a boast too. "I get let loose off of wing obligations some days, so we can go explore some more. It's a special project, see. ...I dunno how far exactly? But the advantage is, as soon as I find another island, /that/ can be the new starting point the next day I go out. We just between there and start flying. So it's not like a ship, where eventually you'd have to stop and turn back because you ran out of food and water for the sailors." She grins. "I kind of hope there are bigger ones. Wouldn't it be neat to find a whole new continent? It could be called Aveyland." She giggles.
The look Taikrin gives Avey is suspicious again, though in a different way. "How'd y'manage t'swing that, exactly? Special deal with th'Weyrleader? Not havin' t'do normal wing stuff?" An eyebrow arches in implication. "Y'think there's room f'r a whole new continent, way out there? Y'think maybe there's /people/ there? If they don't got dragons, maybe they couldn't get t'here!"
"Could be!" Avey says brightly. "I mean, who knows, right? There could be ANYTHING out there in the middle of the ocean, where the ships don't go. Maybe we'll find it." She beams happily. As for the other questions: "He's my wingleader, K'del is. So basically, whatever he says goes, you know? It's not like there's a ton of work to do now that it's the interval, anyway." She waves a hand.
"I guess there could be, but--" Some of the intensity in Taikrin's voice fades as a realization dawns. "-- guess maybe there couldn't be so much if they ain't got dragons, 'cause th'Pass would'a got 'em all, like. But... I guess there could still be stuff t'find what Thread can't eat." She leans back again, at ease. "So, what other kind'a stuff riders in yer wing allowed t'do, if they ain't gotta be drillin' all th'time?"
"Whatever they want, if they don't have duties!" Avey says. "I mean, if you want to actually get out of some of your wing duties, it has to be productive and maybe beneficial to the weyr, you know? Or just cool, like exploring. And sometimes it helps if you sleep with your wingleader." She flashes a goofy grin. "Okay, that's not really /required/. But it could help."
"So, like... if y'can come up with anythin' that's productive, y'can do whatever? An' all y'gotta do is reports or tell people if y'find anything interestin'?" The gears in Taikrin's head are visibly turning, despite her casual posture. The bit about sleeping with your superior, though? That doesn't even elicit a flinch: "Yeah, well, Guys're easy that way."
"A lot of 'em are, yeah," Avey agrees. "Especially bronzeriders. It's so easy to just sleep with them to put them in a good mood, and then they'll do whatever you want, usually." She smirks. "But yeah, basically - why, do you have ideas for something you want to do when you graduate?" she asks, curious.
Taikrin's mouth twists into a moue of disgust. "Yeah, but-- bronzeriders. Ain't met one yet I didn't want t'sock in th'mouth." A slight pause, then: "Well, maybe th'Weyrleader. None of th'rest, though. Even th'weyrlings're gettin' bad. Guess y'gotta do what y'gotta do." Her sigh is long-suffering, though her put-upon expression fades into one of complete innocence. "Idea? Naw. Just, y'know, considerin' our options, y'know? Tryin' t'get a feel f'r what it's gonna be like, our life, after."
"The weyrleader's pretty hot in the sack," Avey says happily, and beams at Taikrin. Too much information? Nah! "Yeah. If it was still the Pass, it'd be one thing, but now that it's an Interval, people have a lot more options. I was afraid we were going to be bored, while I was a weyrling. But exploring is /fun/."
"Yeah, okay, whatever. If y'say so." Taikrin glances at the dozing Szadath, an involuntary smile appearing. "Just glad I ain't gonna have t'find out 'less I /really/ want to." She returns her attention to Avey, then, forehead wrinkling. "Bored? How could y'be bored? There's so much t'do, y'know? Th'drills an' flight formations an' fightin' styles are really interestin'. But--" Again the pause, and the cautiousness. "-- might be able t'think of a few things maybe we could do, on th'side like."
"Oh, do you think so?" Avey laughs lightly. "I never thought they were very interesting. I mean, I suppose if you like that sort of thing - but since Thread's never coming back in our lifetime, it almost seems pointless in a way, you know? I mean, I know it's not. We have to know it so we can all pass it on to the next generations so there are still dragons who know how to fight Thread when it does come back. But... for /us/ isn't almost pointless. I mean, it's good that most people don't feel that way about it, otherwise the weyrs would never survive an interval but... I'm glad we can do the exploring to keep busy."
Taikrin is slow in answering, at first. "Yeah, I mean-- they are. An' Szad really likes 'em. /I/ think he's good, even if nobody else does." The last is tacked on as a dark mutter, though the tone doesn't persist. "That's important too, but-- I mean, what if we have t'protect ourselves? Or-- who knows. S'useful, knowin' how t'fight. Y'never know." Her grin is suddenly self-conscious. "Reckon that's why I'm a dangerous weyrling, though."
"You can't be that dangerous," Avey teases. "I mean, here I've been standing here talking to you for a whole half hour and I haven't suffered any serious bodily harm yet." She grins. "Fighting's useful. Unless you get yourself killed, I guess. I'd sooner not have to do it, but hey, if that's what you're good at."
"Oh, yeah, well, reckon it'd be too easy. I mean, here y'are, standin' right in front of me." Taikrin can rise to the teasing, this time, though her matching grin isn't all that confident. "Got a reputation t'uphold, me. It ain't worth knifin' someone 'less they're at least fifty paces. An' it's dark." More seriously, she adds, "Guess I am got at it. Ain't got myself killed yet. An' I reckon me an' Szad're gonna be /better/, y'know? 'Least... I know it." There's a dark look in there somewhere, directed at the weyrling barracks.
Avey follows her look toward the barracks, then peers at Taikrin, puzzled. "You make it sound like you're worried you're going to have to fight the other weyrlings," she says slowly. "Who are you afraid of?"
"I ain't afraid of nobody!" Taikrin snaps defensively. "I got nothin' t'hide!" For a moment she's practically trembling -- and Szadath twitches in his sleep -- but a couple of quick breaths seems to bring things back under control, and she continues more evenly, "I mean-- I ain't gonna have t'fight nobody. Ain't allowed, anyways. We just gotta look out for ourselves, me an' Szad. 'Cause nobody's gonna look out f'r us. Can't count on nobody."
"I... didn't say you had anything to hide," Avey says, eyeing Taikrin and putting her hands up as if to ward her off. "You sure are jumpy, aren't you? But yes you can, count on people. You're a dragonrider now, we look out for each other. You'll see, when you join a proper wing."
Taikrin sinks back against Szadath. If she's embarrased about her outburst, she doesn't let it show. She only mutters, "Yeah, well, like I said. Gotta look out f'r myself." There's an obvious effort behind the smile she puts back up, and the forced relaxation in her posture. "Anyways, whatever, y'know? Glad y'think y'got people y'can count on. An' I'm real interested in this explorin' business, y'know? Maybe when we're cleared t'between, y'can take us, some time."
"Sure," Avey says with a smile that fades quicker than the previous ones. "As long as you promise not to knife me from fifty feet, huh?" That's a joke. Probably. "We'd better get going; Leisath wants a soak and /I/ need something to eat. See you around, huh?" She gives the weyrling and her brown a wave, and starts to head off across the bowl.
"Yeah, sure. Promise. See y'around." Taikrin isn't at all confident in that statement, though she offers a jaunty enough wave in return. And once Avey's turned away? Yeah. Queue the super-bummed Taikrin.
NorCon MUSH - 4/25/2010
-----------------------
Eastern Bowl, High Reaches Weyr
Ringed by rough granite walls to all sides but one, this end of the huge bowl narrows from the even broader plain to the west, continuing the ever so slight downward slope toward the blue and green of the Weyr's lake and surrounding foliage. More open to sun and wind than the western bowl, but less frequented when there aren't weyrlings in residence, the bowl's grassy tufts keep the topsoil in place and thicken into a bloodstained meadow within the feeding pens that adjoin the lake.
At the base of the surrounding cliffs lie entrances to several caverns, including the dragon infirmary and the weyrling barracks: the former to the northwest near where the spires begin, the latter opposite to the southwest. Both archways are large and dark enough for any dragon to pass through, but it's the infirmary's that is haunted by faint smells of redwort and numbweed, as though over generations they have seeped into the very stone.
Towards the south-eastern end of the bowl, a large area has been cordoned off with heavy ropes. The bowl wall has mostly been covered by enormous lengths of oiled cloth, hiding damage left in the wake of the meteor and eye rock, which fell here.
The sun is high in the sky and there is not a cloud in sight. There's a breeze that tempers the heat with no humidity lingering in the air.
Contents:
Szadath
Obvious exits:
Guest Weyr Dragon Infirmary Weyrling Area Feeding Grounds Lake Shore West Bowl
It is a summer afternoon, 18:21 of day 28, month 7, turn 22 of Interval 10.
Avey heads in from the western bowl.
Avey has arrived.
Leisath has arrived.
It is a very dangerous time of year to be in the airspace around the weyrling caverns... because it's full of weyrling deagons! Though lessons have ended for the afternoon, there are still a few overachievers stretching their wings in the afternoon thermals, prominent among them Szadath. He's not terribly high, nor terribly graceful, but the raw brute strength with which he rises and falls in the air is apparently amazing to Taikrin. She's following his flight path from the ground, gaze fixed upwards as she calls encouragements at the brown. "Awesome! Up more!"
Leisath, meanwhile, is spiraling down slowly to a landing after appearing from between high above the bowl. When she sees the weyrling dragon stretching his wings, she gives him a wide berth, and touches down on the other side of Taikrin. Her rider pulls off her helmet and shrugs out of her jacket before she's even dismounted. She slides to the ground and stuffs both jacket and helmet into a little bag that's hanging off Leisath's harness, then turns to shade her eyes and watch Szadath's flight, along with her green who warbles brightly to encourage the young brown. << You fly well, >> she tells him, all sun and sea and saltwater.
<< Hey, thanks! >> Exuberance has made Szadath remarkably, mind-numbingly loud. << Check this out! >> Just like that, it's time to show off for his audience. The sharp turn he executes /would/ be impressive, save for the fact that it's far tighter than anything of his size should rightly be attempting at this point. There's some sudden altitude loss, some frantic flapping, and even a little panic. Once the brown is stabilized once more, though, and gliding towards a landing by the green, his mindvoice practically oozes with confidence. << Almost got it down. Great, huh? >> Taikrin, at least, isn't quite so blase about the whole thing. Aside from a slanted look towards Leisath, she's hand-over-mouth focused on Szadath and his maneuvor. Tension only fades somewhat when he's safely on the ground, at which point another slanty-eyed look is given, along with a curt, "Hey."
Leisath radiates amusement. << Almost, >> she says. << You should be careful, though. It hurts to crash-land. >> Avey gives Taikrin a wave and a sunny smile. Sunny is right, actually: she looks like she's been out in it most of the day; her face is red and her hair is all windblown (and mussed from the helmet). Good thing it's short. "Hi!" she says brightly. "We're Avey 'n Leisath, who're you?"
If Taikrin is taken aback by the greeting, she doesn't gape openly for long. Instead, she calls back, "This's Szadath an' I'm Taikrin." She saunters forward a few paces, ducking under the brown's still-outstretched wing to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Figured everyone knew t'pick us out at fifty paces, by now." Szadath stretches broad sails out a few more times before folding them loosely against his back. << Yeah, it does! Check this out. >> Rearing back slightly, his two forepaws are displayed... or more accurately, the set of cracked and chipped talons that adorn them. << Think we got the hang of that, though. Didn't even catch one today. >>
"Nice to meet you," Avey says with another bright smile. "Naw, I could tell you were a weyrling, but wasn't sure which one." She waves a hand at Szadath. "He looks pretty good, they haven't been flying for long now, have they? He recovered pretty well there. We thought he was going to come down pretty hard, for a minute there." Leisath lowers her head to look, and whuffs at the younger brown. << Goodness, you've had a few rough landings, haven't you? >> she says, amused. << Well, you certainly are learning. Soon you'll be able to fly and explore Pern, like us. >> There's no small amount of pride in herself and her rider, when she says that. She gives him a series of images, mostly of open ocean, with no land in sight, but the last one is of a very small island right in the middle of that expanse of ocean, with a single tree growing in its center.
"Huh." Taikrin studies Avey a moment, a hint of wariness appearing on her flushed features, before shrugging away the concern. "Yeah, not too long. He ain't been /really/ allowed on his own for more'n, what, a sevenday? Somethin' like. Been practicin' till he can't take off no more, though." A cocky grin suddenly lights her face. "We had so many crashes an' near misses we're lucky he ain't broke every bone in his body." Apparently not for lack of trying, though. Szadath drops his weight back down onto his forelegs, grunting softly at the effort expended. << Yeah! That's the best way to get better. Only pansies are afraid to get hurt. >> The statement is backed up with /months/ of hard-earned wisdom, and a shared vision of Szadath soaring overhead of a cluster of scared, mewling weyrling dragons. But the images of ocean? Those are FASCINATING, and he's quick to say so. << OH! Where is that? Is it really far and secret? Is there treasure? Can I go?! >>
<< It /is/ really far >> Leisath says with pride. << You have to fly for days, or go between. It is our island. We found it. No one else has ever been there. When you learn to go between, I will show you the way, if you like. >> Avey looks a bit puzzled by Taikrin's wariness. "We don't either of us bite, you know," she says good-naturedly. "I'm glad he hasn't, anyway. Broken bones. Those take a long time to heal! It's so exciting, the whole learning-to-fly thing. Leisath really enjoyed it."
Szadath wilts a bit at mention of the distance. In fact, he just keeps on flowing downward until he's flopped bonelessly on the ground in the way of the very young. << Oh. I don't think I get to go between for a long time. I want to see it, though. To see if it has treasure. >> He adds, as an afterthought, << Iskiveth really likes treasure. >> Taikrin leans back against his shoulder, arms crossed casually over her chest. "Yeah, well, I might. Very dangerous an' inappropriate weyrling, y'know." The words ring of a quotation being repeated for Avey's benefit. "But yeah. I'm glad he ain't, neither. Don't think we could take it, either of us, waitin' for it t'heal. We got-- we got too much t'do. Can't be gettin' further behind."
<< I don't think it has any treasure. There is only one tree, >> Leisath points out. << And a bit of grass, and some dirt. Still, it's a good spot to fly from to look for more islands. >> Again she gives him images of empty expanses of ocean that seem to stretch out forever and ever. Avey peers at Taikrin. "You might... what, bite? What do you mean, you're dangerous and inappropriate?" She's bemused.
"'Cause... that's what they say." Taikrin is a bit bewildered by Avey's questions, and her mouth opens and closes several times before she finds the words she's looking for. "Y'really ain't heard nothin'?" Suspiciously. << I don't really know where treasure lives. Or what it looks like, >> Szadath confesses. << But Iskiveth very much wants to find it. How big is the blue? Could treasure live there? Mine has never seen so much. >>
Avey laughs. "Well, no," she says, "but I don't - I mean, no offense, but I haven't had a whole lot of conversations about any of the weyrlings, really. Much less you." She shrugs. << I don't know either. I have never found any. Does Iskiveth know what it looks like? >> Leisath asks. << The water - it goes on forever, I think. >> She's not really sure. << But sometimes there are islands. >>
The relief on Taikrin's face is palpable, and she seems to sag against the brown's shoulder at Avey's assurance. "Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm real happy if people ain't talkin'. Less problems f'r me." If the smile she summons is weak, at least it's got some of that confidence back in it. << Water that goes forever? We-- >> Szadath pauses, withdrawing presumably to consult with his rider, then returns with a gust of swirlingly cold air. << We never heard of that. How long is forever? >>
<< Forever and ever >> Leisath answers. << It doesn't end, until you get to land. >> Which is kind of contradictory, but nevermind that. Avey looks amused. "I guess so. What would they be saying about you if they did talk? Are you an evil baby-eating weyrling, or something?"
<< Oh. >> It's apparent from the churning confusion in Szadath's mind that he doesn't understand, but he's trying. << Well. So, it's a really really lot of water. I want to see it. But-- >> His jaws gape in a yawn. <<-- later. >> There's something quirky and perhaps charming in the lopsided smile that's growing on Taikrin's lips. "Oh, y'know. As like t'stab ya as look at'cha." She waves a hand dismissively, then, and abruptly changes the subject. "What's with all this water Szad's goin' on about? Th'ocean an' forever an' islands?"
<< Later >> Leisath agrees, much amused. "Oh," Avey says brightly to Taikrin, "Leisath was telling him about our exploring. We're looking for new islands nobody's ever found. We actually found one the other week."
"Explorin'? There's islands what nobody's ever found?" Apparently this is as amazing to Taikrin as it was to Szadath, because she's definitely gaping at Avey now. "That's like-- really? An' y'can just-- fly out there? If y'find it first d'you get t'/keep/ it?" Szadath stretches his wings out again, loosely, to bask in the rest of the afternoon sunlight. His thoughts are sleepy as he adds, << Then you can show me more of forever. >>
"At least one," Avey boasts. "It's teeny - it's only about big enough for two or three dragons to land on - and there's just one tree - but it wasn't on any of my maps and not on the maps up at Seacraft either. So if anyone'd ever found it before, they sure didn't write it down! It's WAY out. And I mean, what's going to stop you from flying straight as far as you can go? And then when Leisath gets tired, if we haven't found anything, we just between back to the weyr, and start again another day in a different direction. It's kind of fun."
"So y'can just fly wherever y'want?" Taikrin's head tilts back, gaze scanning the sky as if to spot more at-liberty riders. "An' way out there? How far can a dragon go straight in a day, d'you reckon? More'n a ship?" Her attention returns to Avey, suddenly /very/ intent. "Places what ain't on a map, so nobody's ever been there. Y'think there's more of 'em? Maybe bigger ones, where people could live?"
"It's a special arrangement I have with the weyrleader," Avey explains, and that sounds like a boast too. "I get let loose off of wing obligations some days, so we can go explore some more. It's a special project, see. ...I dunno how far exactly? But the advantage is, as soon as I find another island, /that/ can be the new starting point the next day I go out. We just between there and start flying. So it's not like a ship, where eventually you'd have to stop and turn back because you ran out of food and water for the sailors." She grins. "I kind of hope there are bigger ones. Wouldn't it be neat to find a whole new continent? It could be called Aveyland." She giggles.
The look Taikrin gives Avey is suspicious again, though in a different way. "How'd y'manage t'swing that, exactly? Special deal with th'Weyrleader? Not havin' t'do normal wing stuff?" An eyebrow arches in implication. "Y'think there's room f'r a whole new continent, way out there? Y'think maybe there's /people/ there? If they don't got dragons, maybe they couldn't get t'here!"
"Could be!" Avey says brightly. "I mean, who knows, right? There could be ANYTHING out there in the middle of the ocean, where the ships don't go. Maybe we'll find it." She beams happily. As for the other questions: "He's my wingleader, K'del is. So basically, whatever he says goes, you know? It's not like there's a ton of work to do now that it's the interval, anyway." She waves a hand.
"I guess there could be, but--" Some of the intensity in Taikrin's voice fades as a realization dawns. "-- guess maybe there couldn't be so much if they ain't got dragons, 'cause th'Pass would'a got 'em all, like. But... I guess there could still be stuff t'find what Thread can't eat." She leans back again, at ease. "So, what other kind'a stuff riders in yer wing allowed t'do, if they ain't gotta be drillin' all th'time?"
"Whatever they want, if they don't have duties!" Avey says. "I mean, if you want to actually get out of some of your wing duties, it has to be productive and maybe beneficial to the weyr, you know? Or just cool, like exploring. And sometimes it helps if you sleep with your wingleader." She flashes a goofy grin. "Okay, that's not really /required/. But it could help."
"So, like... if y'can come up with anythin' that's productive, y'can do whatever? An' all y'gotta do is reports or tell people if y'find anything interestin'?" The gears in Taikrin's head are visibly turning, despite her casual posture. The bit about sleeping with your superior, though? That doesn't even elicit a flinch: "Yeah, well, Guys're easy that way."
"A lot of 'em are, yeah," Avey agrees. "Especially bronzeriders. It's so easy to just sleep with them to put them in a good mood, and then they'll do whatever you want, usually." She smirks. "But yeah, basically - why, do you have ideas for something you want to do when you graduate?" she asks, curious.
Taikrin's mouth twists into a moue of disgust. "Yeah, but-- bronzeriders. Ain't met one yet I didn't want t'sock in th'mouth." A slight pause, then: "Well, maybe th'Weyrleader. None of th'rest, though. Even th'weyrlings're gettin' bad. Guess y'gotta do what y'gotta do." Her sigh is long-suffering, though her put-upon expression fades into one of complete innocence. "Idea? Naw. Just, y'know, considerin' our options, y'know? Tryin' t'get a feel f'r what it's gonna be like, our life, after."
"The weyrleader's pretty hot in the sack," Avey says happily, and beams at Taikrin. Too much information? Nah! "Yeah. If it was still the Pass, it'd be one thing, but now that it's an Interval, people have a lot more options. I was afraid we were going to be bored, while I was a weyrling. But exploring is /fun/."
"Yeah, okay, whatever. If y'say so." Taikrin glances at the dozing Szadath, an involuntary smile appearing. "Just glad I ain't gonna have t'find out 'less I /really/ want to." She returns her attention to Avey, then, forehead wrinkling. "Bored? How could y'be bored? There's so much t'do, y'know? Th'drills an' flight formations an' fightin' styles are really interestin'. But--" Again the pause, and the cautiousness. "-- might be able t'think of a few things maybe we could do, on th'side like."
"Oh, do you think so?" Avey laughs lightly. "I never thought they were very interesting. I mean, I suppose if you like that sort of thing - but since Thread's never coming back in our lifetime, it almost seems pointless in a way, you know? I mean, I know it's not. We have to know it so we can all pass it on to the next generations so there are still dragons who know how to fight Thread when it does come back. But... for /us/ isn't almost pointless. I mean, it's good that most people don't feel that way about it, otherwise the weyrs would never survive an interval but... I'm glad we can do the exploring to keep busy."
Taikrin is slow in answering, at first. "Yeah, I mean-- they are. An' Szad really likes 'em. /I/ think he's good, even if nobody else does." The last is tacked on as a dark mutter, though the tone doesn't persist. "That's important too, but-- I mean, what if we have t'protect ourselves? Or-- who knows. S'useful, knowin' how t'fight. Y'never know." Her grin is suddenly self-conscious. "Reckon that's why I'm a dangerous weyrling, though."
"You can't be that dangerous," Avey teases. "I mean, here I've been standing here talking to you for a whole half hour and I haven't suffered any serious bodily harm yet." She grins. "Fighting's useful. Unless you get yourself killed, I guess. I'd sooner not have to do it, but hey, if that's what you're good at."
"Oh, yeah, well, reckon it'd be too easy. I mean, here y'are, standin' right in front of me." Taikrin can rise to the teasing, this time, though her matching grin isn't all that confident. "Got a reputation t'uphold, me. It ain't worth knifin' someone 'less they're at least fifty paces. An' it's dark." More seriously, she adds, "Guess I am got at it. Ain't got myself killed yet. An' I reckon me an' Szad're gonna be /better/, y'know? 'Least... I know it." There's a dark look in there somewhere, directed at the weyrling barracks.
Avey follows her look toward the barracks, then peers at Taikrin, puzzled. "You make it sound like you're worried you're going to have to fight the other weyrlings," she says slowly. "Who are you afraid of?"
"I ain't afraid of nobody!" Taikrin snaps defensively. "I got nothin' t'hide!" For a moment she's practically trembling -- and Szadath twitches in his sleep -- but a couple of quick breaths seems to bring things back under control, and she continues more evenly, "I mean-- I ain't gonna have t'fight nobody. Ain't allowed, anyways. We just gotta look out for ourselves, me an' Szad. 'Cause nobody's gonna look out f'r us. Can't count on nobody."
"I... didn't say you had anything to hide," Avey says, eyeing Taikrin and putting her hands up as if to ward her off. "You sure are jumpy, aren't you? But yes you can, count on people. You're a dragonrider now, we look out for each other. You'll see, when you join a proper wing."
Taikrin sinks back against Szadath. If she's embarrased about her outburst, she doesn't let it show. She only mutters, "Yeah, well, like I said. Gotta look out f'r myself." There's an obvious effort behind the smile she puts back up, and the forced relaxation in her posture. "Anyways, whatever, y'know? Glad y'think y'got people y'can count on. An' I'm real interested in this explorin' business, y'know? Maybe when we're cleared t'between, y'can take us, some time."
"Sure," Avey says with a smile that fades quicker than the previous ones. "As long as you promise not to knife me from fifty feet, huh?" That's a joke. Probably. "We'd better get going; Leisath wants a soak and /I/ need something to eat. See you around, huh?" She gives the weyrling and her brown a wave, and starts to head off across the bowl.
"Yeah, sure. Promise. See y'around." Taikrin isn't at all confident in that statement, though she offers a jaunty enough wave in return. And once Avey's turned away? Yeah. Queue the super-bummed Taikrin.