Post by tovaana on Nov 15, 2019 3:51:00 GMT -5
Treyvin; soon after impressions/non impression, back in time clutches with Weyrling Muze & Green Rylath
The candidate barracks were a lot quieter, which normally would have made it easier to sleep, except for the dreams that haunted him. Colorful eyes and the vivid feelings from impression should mean happy dreams – and yet he woke up every time with his heart in his throat, gasping, and sweating as if emerging from a nightmare – sure he was going to throw up again.
He walked away from the feelings that clustered around weyr, even if it was less populated, he seemed less able to control the feelings…even though he vaguely remembered having that moment of triumph and pushed everything inward. He kicked at a rock, which stung a little since he was barefoot on the beach, but was lost in his own emotions that swarmed up as everyone else’s faded.
Treyvin wasn’t sure how long he had walked; staring at the sand… he couldn’t make sense of his thoughts and feelings and realized that if he thought about it too much, tears would well up in the corners of his eyes. He’d kick another rock to distract him, or to stop the tears with the pain. He stopped finally at a larger rock he had considered kicking, but was vaguely aware that if he did, it would not move, so he just stared at it for some time.
Unknown to him, a rider and her dragon were also walking the beaches, but coming back from their venture in the other direction back toward the weyr. The dragonet was small and barely out of the egg. She was now carrying the speckled green, as she had tired on the walk.
I think I can walk now. Rylath piped in as they walked. Muze had only found out the darling had been tired from the speed at which Rylath had been trotting. She seemed either stubborn or too determined not to let on that she couldn’t keep up with Muze. ‘Perhaps you can, but it won’t be much longer that I’ll be able to carry you, the way you’re growing.’ In fact, she thought maybe she herself should rest a moment to let her arm muscles rest from the weight in her arms… that and all the new work of being a dragon rider and all that it meant.
Up ahead she spotted someone – and it took a moment for her to recognize the boy as a fellow candidate… one who had not impressed. Her stomach clenched with sympathy for the boy, clinging gratefully to her speckled beauty. She wasn’t sure if she should approach him or not, not wanting to flaunt that he had not impressed. She could be blunt, but she wasn’t completely insensitive.
“Hey – uh, Treyvin, isn’t it?” The boy turned, looking completely surprised that she had snuck up on him. His features relaxed into something akin to fatigue.
“Hi, yeah, it is.” He dug his foot into the sand, focusing on the feeling of the grains of sand rubbing between his toes, instead of the girl’s cautious feelings. He looked down at his feet for a moment, and then glanced back up at her. “You’re… Muze.” She nodded at this. Her feelings were different than others, as if they were solid strokes of a paintbrush, with little shading or overlapping – simple? No, honest.
“What’cha doing out here?” Muze asked, glancing around briefly to see if there were others with him.
“Just… walking.” He bit the inside of his lip, refusing to let the tears that were welling up to get any further. He looked away and out at the water. He felt her doubt, and knew she saw through him; probably saw his stupid watery eyes too.
She hated the question; ‘are you okay?’ especially when it was obvious that they were not, so she didn’t. It only took her a few moments of silence before asking a different question, not wanting to pry too much, so started with a simple request to join his company, “would it be okay if I rested here for a moment?” Before he could respond, she was setting her green down at her feet, who quickly became entranced with the waves lapping close to their feet. Treyvin had nodded as he glanced at the brunette who was putting her green down. It wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed the dragon; he had avoided thinking about it.
Muze sat down, feeling the damp sand seep through her clothes… oh well. Her arms were feeling a bit like jelly. Rylath looked toward her rider, worried about her, but once she was sure that Muze was okay, asked for permission to play in the shallow waves. She watched as the dragon went off….
“If me being here with Rylath bothers you, we can leave.” She offered, glancing up to see if she could gain any insight from his blue eyes that were watching the little speckled green.
“No, it’s fine.”
“That’s not very convincing.”
His head turned, bright eyes looking at her, as if he could read her. A sad half smile flitted to his lips, if only momentarily. “No, I suppose not.” He took a deep breath, too overwhelmed to argue.
“You know… just because you didn’t impress this time, doesn’t mean you won’t impress next time.” Muze offered the boy, assuming he was grieving over not impressing. She remembered a conversation that she had had with her brother and Weyrleader. He had said it wouldn’t feel good if they didn’t impress, but she believed him now when he said the wait was worth it.
He shook his head, and she frowned at him, but he didn’t look away from her – at least not right away. Treyvin looked at his feet when he spoke. “I… it’s not that…exactly...” But how could he explain that he was different than others who waited?
She could see his conflicted feelings suddenly approach his features, his forehead creasing. “The Weyrleader waited six turns before impressing, who knows how many clutches in that time…”
He swallowed hard. Six turns? He barely got through that last hatching, just the thought of enduring all those emotions six more times, maybe more? He shuddered visibly as a cool breeze swept by them, tugging at their loose hair and clothes.
“I’m not helping, am I?” Muze asked, wincing slightly with a sigh. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s just…” He still was at a loss for words. This girl was caught up in the new love of her dragon, she wouldn’t have to wait, especially with his curse…. “I don’t think I can go through that again.”
Muze didn’t take her big brown eyes off of him, determined to try and understand his cryptic words. “I guess… I don’t understand completely.” Hating that she had to admit that, but still determined to help. “But… knowing what I do now… And, seeing my friend Joia impress after a hard time the last time…” She paused; he was peeking up at her. “I mean, you have your freedom, you don’t have to… but I can’t say that without wondering if you understand what you may be missing out on too.”
He looked at her hard now, falling slowly into a sitting position to be next to her. He didn’t respond. Her words had a sort of freeing effect on him. He didn’t have to stay a candidate, but he could feel that she didn’t think this was a good idea – her feelings told him that she wholeheartedly believed it was all worth it. Of course she did. She had her dragon… but… her feelings did have that honest vibe that made Treyvin want to believe her. It gave him a place to start anyways. It at least calmed the storm within him, even if he had to wipe a few welling tears from his eyes. He took a shuddering breath.
Muze let the silence fall, unsure of what else she could say. The silence was comfortable, and they both watched Rylath bite at the waves and then shake her head from the saltiness. Treyvin’s chest trembled, but he was almost giddy from the relief of talking to someone. She still didn’t understand and perhaps no one would… but everyone had their demons, right?
She didn’t like that Treyvin hadn’t replied, but he had seemed to have felt no need to… She also felt Rylath tiring again, which meant she’d have to carry the green the rest of the way home. After a moment longer Rylath came back, sensing her rider’s desire to go back home and rest. You’re tired Muzemine, let’s go get ready for bed. She smiled fondly at the speckles that shimmered golden colors in the setting sun. She got up quietly, and then picked up Rylath.
“Thank you.” Treyvin was looking up at her with blue eyes, seeming more sirene than he had when she had initially found him…so that was good, right? She smiled at him and nodded, then walked off with her green dragon, feeling grateful and love to the speckled bundle she held. And despite his confusion of whether or not he wanted to be a candidate anymore and to endure another hatching... he focused on the feelings that Muze was having as she held the little green to her. It seemed to same deep love that all dragon riders had... but despite being able to feel what she was feeling, he was having a hard time believing it was worth it.
