a sea lass on land; [tagged/zen]

[tovaana]

Tomilyn;

It didn’t occur to Tomilyn that there were places that people shouldn’t go. It never occurred to her, mostly because she’d felt like it’d always been her father to hold her back… so without him there, she couldn’t fathom anything else in the world to keep her from exploring the whole of Pern. But, at the time being, she didn’t need to explore all of Pern. Her exploration of Mavros had been sufficient in keeping her attention. She’d spend her days watching dragons practice for Threadfall, finding new places she’d never been, watching the hold part of the island (as small as it was, it was still much larger than her small home port), and getting into places that had probably not had humans in turns. There were definitely parts of the Weyr that were dark and quiet – though mostly it seemed to be at capacity and using every open spot available.

She had decided against going into the Weyr, as interesting as it was, because it seemed… confined. It reminded her of the insides of a ship a little, and it was easier to think it was that, then in the belly of the land. Instead her fingers brushed along the fence of the herdbeast confinement and she watched them curiously. Watching them so intensely, that she almost fell over a large rock in the grasses. “Oof!” She mumbled and caught herself on the railing. “Stupid rock.” She huffed, pushing her wild curls back behind her ears. She then took a steps back and kicked the rock, but it was rather large and only rolled and made her curse again in pain. The red-head then picked it up and threw it out of the way (it didn't go very far...), sticking her tongue out at it, and then pretended like nothing had happened, glancing around to make sure no one had seen the embarrassing moment.

Zen

[Zen]

Sk'lar :: Blue Ikkamath

“Are you serious? I literally just finished bathing you and you want to eat now. You’re going to be full of blood and Faranth knows what else!” Sk’lar rubbed his hand over his face in exasperation, still standing near the lake’s edge as his blue fanned his wing and prepared to take to the air.

Ikkamath mentally shrugged, So I’ll take a swim after and rinse off. I’m hungry.

“And you couldn’t have told me that before I bathed you?” Sk’lar gathered up his supplies in annoyance.

I could have, the blue replied with a smug sort of amusement that made it plain he hadn’t for the sole purpose of annoying his rider.

Obviously unable to deny his dragon food if he needed to eat, Sk’lar grumbled to himself. You should at least hunt, you’re not a hatchling anymore, he chided.

But I’m craving bovine.

You LIKE hunting. Isn’t it too easy when they’re penned up like that? More fun to catch them yourself? Sk’lar did his best to appeal to his dragon’s need for fun.

It is, when I’m not craving bovine.

Sk’lar sighed, Fine, whatever. You won’t be allowed to eat them for much longer anyway. Once we graduate you have to hunt, unless you’re hurt in Fall or something. The Weyr can’t afford to feed every dragon from the herds, and we’re not going to contribute to any food scarcity.

Fine, whatever, Ikkamath echoed mockingly, taking to the air and circling high over the pens for a moment as he selected his victim and diving for one bovine that looked particularly juicy, ending its life in one backbreaking landing and tearing into it happily. He’d only ripped a few chunks of fresh meat free when something almost seemed to tickle in his mind. It was the strangest sensation and for a moment the blue paused in eating as he tried to determine if his rider had figured out some new way to try to distract him, but he quickly shook that idea off as he really didn’t think Sk’lar was that creative. He rumbled in amusement at that thought and by chance glanced around the pen and spotted a young woman near the fence.

He stared at her curiously for a few heartbeats before bending to tear another hunk of meat from the bovine, but the tickle persisted. His head whipped back around to the young woman and he focused on her, wondering how some other human could possibly cause him to feel anything inside his head but always open to new possibilities. As he focused on her, the feeling seemed to grow stronger. It was like it was drawing him to her. This was new!

Leaving the half eaten carcass, the blue stood and trotted toward the girl, quite oblivious to the fact that he was covered in blood and probably rather intimidating, calling as he went, Hey there! Who are you? I’m Ikkamath. You have a very open mind, you know. Kind of loud.

Ikkamath, who are you talking to?

The girl with the loud mind. She was calling me.

The girl with…? What? Calling you? Who?

I don’t know, mine, I just asked her name.

How many times have I told you not to bother strangers?

I don’t know, I’m a dragon, I don’t remember. Anyway, she called me.

Leave her alone, I’m coming over there, Sk’lar carried his cleaning supplies with him as he jobbed hurriedly for the beast pens, hoping his dragon wasn’t causing too much trouble for some poor beastcrafter.

Ikki huffed and ignored his rider, focusing instead on the woman and lowering his head toward her slightly, You’ll back me up, won’t you? You called me, after all. My rider doesn’t believe me.

tovaana

[tovaana]

Tomilyn;

Her mind was easily distracted from the worry of embarrassing herself, as the next pen was much larger and for bovine. She’d never seen so many before and she stuck a leg through the fence as she started absentmindedly bending through the fence. Tomilyn had only gone a couple of feet into the pen when a dragon came out of… nowhere. Really, it had seemed like it had just… well, it wasn’t there, and then it was there- crushing one the bovine with so much force that she couldn’t imagine the poor creature had suffered too much. Her heart thumped loudly and she had taken a step back in reaction, and a couple of more until her back hit the fence, but she couldn’t get her eyes to leave the grotesque scene. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it, since the fear in her dry throat and the intense curiosity seemed to be at odds with one another. The other bovine had long fled the scene, leaving the blue with his meal in the middle.

As long as she was quiet – he didn’t seem to know she was there, and so she felt safe in the danger, allowing herself to stand there frozen against the fence; blatantly ignoring the part of her that wanted to get closer or see the scene at a different angle, and the part of her that wanted to run as far away as she could get.

But then the dragon paused and looked up, and she held her breath… she’d been told dragons didn’t eat humans… but what about humans that snuck into the bovine pens? What if the riders were no where to be near? What if – and then the dragon had looked up again, turned – and saw her. She made a sort of hiccup-gasp and tensed, but it wasn’t until the dragon was coming toward her that her flight instincts finally took control and she tried going through the fence without looking away from the bloody blue that she was sure was just moments away from eating her.

She cried out as the blue’s mind touched hers, hitting her head as she went through the fence, and rolled on the muddy ground as she tumbled out on the other side. “Don’t eat me!” She cried, putting her arms over her, as if that would somehow protect her. Humans seemed to have the most peculiar instincts when vulnerable.

The sensation of the dragon touching her mind was… overwhelming and fantastical. She looked around herself, still on the ground as if the friendly voice in her mind couldn’t have possibly have come from the blood mawed blue…

“…Huh? Loud? Are'ya talking to me?” She slightly uncurled, but didn’t move, her eyes wide and her breathing heavy. “Think of that. A dragon talking to me.” She whispered to herself, but her eyes were having a hard time getting past the dragon’s maw and she was still wasn't convinced that she wasn't still on the menu.

Then the dragon was in her mind again and she was looking around to find the source- but there could be none but the dragon. “Tomilyn.” She spoke to herself, since her brain couldn’t put the messy dragon and kind voice together. “That dragon is talking to you, dear. You should respond.” She whispered in hushed tones, propping herself up and scooting a little further away.

“Hello there, blue dragon sir…. Sir Ikkamath. I uh, I don’t yet recall me callin’ you… but if you says I did then… “ She nodded at this point, not at all thinking arguing with a dragon being a good idea. “Then I think you’d be right in sayin’ so.”

Zen

[Zen]

Sk'lar :: Blue Ikkamath

Ikkamath was mildly surprised by the fearful way the woman fled from him, squeezing herself back through the fence so quickly she hit her head and fell. As he lifted his head over the fence and bent down to check on her, she begged him not to eat her. He snorted with some amusement, Why would I eat you when I have perfectly good bovine over there. He was very aware how she could take that. If he didn’t have a bovine to eat she might be a good alternative, but he wasn’t terribly concerned with clarifying. This was sort of funny. He’d never had a human think he was going to eat them before. How silly.

She was a strange one, this one. He liked her. There was laughter in his voice when he confirmed, Of course I’m talking to you. Who else? The dead bovine? That’d be weird. Though it may or may not have been in response to him, Ikkamath thought that ‘Tomilyn’ sounded very much like a human name, and if it wasn’t he had no idea what it could mean. So he went with it. It was also strange having someone call him ‘sir’. However he took her agreement that she must have called him if he said she did.

You did. Sort of. It wasn’t like a normal call… more like a… a… feeling? Ikkamath eyed her, increasing his focus, trying to decide just what this meant. He’d never been drawn to a human like this before. Maybe with Sk’lar, but it wasn’t like he could remember his hatching day or how he felt then. It seemed like it was similar to that though… or should be similar to that… or something.

Oh! I figured it out. You need a dragon. That’s why you’re calling. It’s not for me, it’s just for a dragon. I already have a rider so I can’t be your dragon. But we have eggs on the sands. Maybe you could find your dragon there instead. He danced in place, quite pleased with himself for figuring out this mystery. Sk’lar she needs a dragon!

What are you going on about? Didn’t I tell you to leave the poor girl alone? Look at you, you’re a bloody mess. She’s probably terrified! He could see the blue from where he was, and make out the young woman on the ground, but he was still a little ways off, picking up speed now that he could see what was happening.

Oh yeah, the blood. He’d forgotten. It made a little more sense why she was scared, he supposed. He assured her again, Don’t worry, I won’t eat you. Then your dragon wouldn’t be able to find you. That would be bad… and not in a funny way either. Even Ikkamath had limits. He was a prankster and enjoyed getting a rise out of others but pain and suffering were never his goal. He knew what would happen to a dragon that lost its rider. It was just as true for hatchlings. If Tomilyn was supposed to be some dragon’s rider and died before they hatched, they’d between to join her just the same. And that wasn’t funny at all.

tovaana

[tovaana]

Tomilyn;

She swallowed against the dry fear in her throat. “Thank Faranth for the bovine.” She whispered in a small voice. And she snorted with a sort of dry chuckle at the idea of talking to the dead bovine… She supposed he hadn’t given the bovine the courtesy of talking with it before he had killed it… Though, the longer the dragon hovered nearly over her, the more her fear gave way to that intense curiosity that had her sitting instead of cowering, though her chest was still tight with anticipation. She supposed if she did die, what a way to go! By dragon. Though, as the dragon had stated, he would rather eat the bovine than her, so it seemed as if she would live another day.

The red-head wasn’t sure how to answer the dragon when he spoke about feelings calling him, she just stared at him in amazement. How was it he could speak through her mind? Without his mouth? “Can I do that? Speak to your mind like you speak to mine?” She asked rather out of nowhere, still trembling from the leftover fear and adrenalin from almost dying.

Then… his words seem to break her out of her reverie and she got to her knees, almost reverent before the blue dragon. Whether more like a sacrifice or like a prayer, Tomilyn looked at the dragon as he spoke. You need a dragon. It repeated in her mind and it was almost as if it were coming Faranth himself, the way she accepted it immediately, though she kept uncharacteristically quiet about it. She hadn't thought her a religious type, but if she were to worship a dragon, this blue had suddenly made the role of deity in her mind. 

“You think… I need a dragon?” She asked, awe in her voice.

When he reminded her that he wouldn’t eat her, a thrill went through her… So, if he had deemed her unworthy of a dragon, would he have eaten her? She was still feeling uncertain about the affair, though now she was far too busy thinking of herself upon a dragon. A green, surely, that was all she deserved anyways – if anything. She hardly thought she was the stuff of dragon riders, but… a dragon had said it. How could she question a dragon? Surely the dragon knew better than she did about those sorts of things.

“What sort of dragon you reckon would want me?” She asked, quite genuine. If she was going to daydream this new life of hers, what would it look like? And suddenly, she realized the implications of being a dragon rider… it would mean giving up her place on Nalyra’s ship. The freedom she had offered her, would she be offended if she took this new avenue? No… but she guessed that Nalyra would simply want to make sure whatever Tomilyn did was really what she wanted. It was helpful to think of the pirate, to separate what the dragon thought she should be – and if it was really what she wanted. “…What… I mean, I know dragons fight Thread n’all, but… what does it mean, exactly?” She asked, a bit more cautiously – though she still knelt in front of the dragon.

[Zen]

Sk'lar :: Blue Ikkamath

“Can I do that? Speak to your mind like you speak to mine?”

Ikkamath tilted his head slightly at that question, unsure. I don’t know, I’ve never tried it with anyone besides Sk’lar. Everyone else I talk to just uses noise words. His head tilted again, this time the other way, his curiosity piqued, You could try. I think I could hear you. Your mind is loud after all.

He shuffled his wings against his side as he glanced back at the bovine carcass he had left. But it wasn’t like it was going anywhere. He doubted any other dragon would come along and want his leavings, and if not a dragon, who was going to do anything to it? So he turned back to Tomilyn and was about to move when she asked her question, Hm, no. I don’t. You do. Your mind says so. There’s a place there for a dragon… but you don’t have one. So it’s missing. And you’re calling for one. That was the best way the blue could think to describe it, at least. It made perfect sense to him.

With that he stepped over the fence and joined the young woman on the other side, amused to see how muddy she’d gotten, Do you like to play in mud too? Perhaps you and Sk’lar could be friends, he could use someone fun like you in his life. Maybe you could get him to loosen up a little.

You do know I can hear you?

That’s kind of the point, Ikkamath rumbled, amused, glancing toward where he could see Sk’lar jogging closer before turning his attention back to Tomilyn. It wouldn’t be much longer until his rider was there to try and ruin his fun like usual. What sort? He considered the woman’s next question, musing, A fun one probably. You seem fun. Then again I’m fun and Sk’lar isn’t any fun at all, so maybe a boring dragon would want you instead.

Will you stop that?

Ikkamath ignored his rider, What does what mean? Fighting Thread? He lowered his head so his nose was near her face, You really are an odd one. We should be friends. I bet we could have tons of fun. And I like talking to you.

“Ikkamath leave her alone!” Sk’lar was finally close enough to call out.

The blue sighed and turned a whirling eye toward his rider where the man had almost reached them, We’re talking, Sk’lar, wouldn’t it be rude to just leave? There was a mocking sort of amusement in his tone.

As the blueweyrling reached the pair, he set his cleaning supplies down, his breathing a bit heavier from running all the way over, “You have a bovine to finish eating, a bovine you insisted on. Go eat and leave the poor woman alone.” He glanced down at where Tomilyn was on her knees, grimacing slightly at the sight of how dirty she’d gotten, and offered a hand to help her up, “I’m really sorry about him. You’re not hurt, are you? Don’t worry he won’t hurt you, I mean.. not on purpose at least. He’s a nuisance but a fairly harmless one… unless you’re a bovine.”

You’re interrupting our conversation Sk’lar! Ikkamath sniffed in mock indignation, It’s not like the bovine is going to get up and run away. And even if it did I would just catch it again. They’re so slow. He turned an eye back to Tomilyn, announcing proudly, I found a candidate, Sk’lar.

That finally made the man pause to think for a minute, and everything he’d heard from the blue made more sense. He studied his dragon intensely as he asked hesitantly, to no one in particular, “You’re a Searchdragon?” He shook his head and looked back to Tomilyn, “Are you… sorry, I haven’t really… done any Search training. Ah… it seems you have the potential to be a rider… is that something that interests you?”

The blue huffed impatiently, Shards and shells, Sk’lar, you even make this sound boring. We were doing just fine without you. Weren’t we, Tomilyn?

tovaana

[tovaana]

Tomilyn;

She’d never admit it, not even to the dragon, but she was having a hard time following the words in her mind and the way he was using his words. She had to replace words like ‘noise words’ with speaking out loud, and then there was just the way he was – like saying her mind was loud. She was loud, or boisterous, or whatever you wanted to call it – but she’d never realized that her mind was just as loud… and she had a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea, though she was rather intrigued that perhaps she could talk to him with her mind, even if she had no idea where to start.

She closed her eyes and shouted in her mind (since she wasn't sure how loud she needed to be), ‘CAN YOU HEAR ME?’ She opened her eyes, curious to see if it had worked or not.

Then there was thinking about the part of her that ‘needed’ a dragon. Did she need one? Was it different than the ‘need’ that some women said they needed a man? To fill that part in their hearts? It seemed rather dumb and romantic all at the same time, and even more romantic thinking that her heart didn’t need a man at all – but a dragon.

Tomilyn looked down at herself curiously, noting the mud with no worry other than the annoyance that she’d actually need to bathe. Not that she didn’t like being clean, since a little mud didn’t hurt anyone. She grinned up at the dragon, perhaps a little sheepishly, “The mud ne’er hurt no one.” She agreed and she rested back a little, her legs splaying out in a way only a flexible woman could.

“Sk’lar?” She asked rather dumbly, only a few moments later realizing that must be the blue’s rider. It seemed odd for a dragon to admit such a thing about his rider. Tomilyn scrunched up her nose at the idea of a boring dragon, but schooled it quickly – how could she be picky about what dragon would want her? She could hardly believe that she was dragon riding material to start with… still, she wished she hadn’t asked.

The dragon didn’t answer her question, but she smiled, feeling her heart lift in a way it never had. A dragon liked her. “Let's.” She concurred about being friends. “I’ve never had a dragon friend before.” It was far better than being admired for her hair or freckles (she thought about the rude painter at the beach), and almost better than being asked to join Nalyra’s ship. Tomilyn was rather blind to this ‘newness’ and swept up in the romantic idea of fighting Thread… still, she did want to know about what it would mean to be a rider. She probably would have to give up the sea…

Tomilyn’s head pivoted at the sound of another, by then her fear was being swallowed by her curiosity, though – the rider asking him to ‘leave her alone’ made her heart stutter a bit. It made it sound like the rider knew of the dangers of dragons that had been hid from her. When he finally arrived, she felt herself more conscious of the mud, and pushed her curls away from her face – putting a streak of mud in her hair as she did so. It wasn’t just that he was handsome, for he was good looking, but felt like she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to be… even if he didn’t seem bothered with her being there. "Oh, you must be Sk'lar." She said, making the connection in a smaller voice than she was used to using. 

She blinked up at him as he spoke, her brows creasing and her head tilting… he hurried on in a way that didn’t really allow her to answer – and then Ikkamath responded somewhat despondently… and then they were both looking at her and she shifted a little uncomfortably under the attention of both rider and dragon.

“Search training?” She had mumbled while he spoke, feeling rather confused by everything, but at least she could understand his last question. She opened her mouth, but Ikkamath again put her in an awkward situation – but this time she felt more herself to answer quickly. “I have enjoyed Ikkamath immensely, he said we can be friends even. That’s alright, isn’t it? I’m not sure of much when it comes to dragon riders. Oh, but yes, I am interested… uh…” She paused, biting her lip. “I know ya fight Thread… but if I were to be a… candidate? What would it mean… exactly? Like, right now I sail under a Capt’n – I imagine I’d stay here when my dragon hears my loud mind? Or somethin’?”

[Zen]

Sk'lar :: Blue Ikkamath

Ikkamath visibly flinched as she mentally shouted at him, his head jerking back slightly, but he only filled her head with mental laughter after, You’re loud enough, you don’t need to yell. It hadn’t even occurred to him immediately that she had succeeded, Oh it worked! Hm. He pondered that a moment, as no other human had ever talked to him without noise words before, other than his rider of course. Were they as capable of it as dragons were and they just preferred noises? Maybe Sk’lar would know.

The blue rumbled in amusement again as she stated that the mud never hurt anyone, I wish Sk’lar would understand that. His rider was rather obsessively clean. Though Ikkamath did enjoy moving random things in their weyr just to bother him because something was out of place and Sk’lar couldn’t seem to help himself but to fix it immediately. The blue was quite sure it wasn’t healthy to be so obsessive about it. His rider really was lucky to have him around to teach him how to have some fun.

He gave a little prance as the woman agreed to be friends, I don’t really have any human friends either, actually. Sk’lar doesn’t count. I hope your dragon is fun too so we can be friends, but don’t worry, if they’re boring I’ll help them have some fun. There was a hint of mischief in that statement, and in the moment the blue wasn’t entirely sure which outcome he would prefer. It was quite fun pestering those like Sk’lar, the ones that clearly needed more fun in their lives the most.

"Oh, you must be Sk'lar."

Sk’lar had almost missed the words, but after a moment he nodded, “Ah, yeah… I’m Sk’lar and this is, obviously, Ikkamath.” The fact that she had apparently enjoyed the blue’s company was a surprise, considering how it had looked to him before he arrived. He let out a soft laugh, “I suppose… he doesn’t need my permission to make friends.” Thank Faranth or I wouldn’t have any. Sk’lar shot him a look which did nothing to cow the blue. The question that followed was normal enough, at first, but the way she took Ikkamath’s explanations word for word made him laugh again. When her dragon hears her loud mind?

He cleared his throat, “Ah, something like that. Uh. Being a candidate means staying here, yes… we have quarters for candidates. You’d attend lessons to learn more about dragons and what it means to be a rider, and be assigned to work around the Weyr to earn your keep. In exchange the Weyr will house and feed and clothe you, and when we have eggs on the sands, you’ll stand come hatching day and see if any of them choose you for their rider.”

Ugh, lessons and work, you just make it sound better and better, mine. Ikkamath flared his wings, turning his attention back to Tomilyn, Wanna fly? That’s what it means to be a rider, and it’s fun. I could take you. Then you’ll want to be a candidate for sure.

“That’s oversimplifying things to a ridiculous degree, Ikkamath,” Sk’lar cut in, “And you don’t have your riding gear on. It wouldn’t be safe.”

Blah blah blah the funkiller strikes again, the blue shot back, already lowering himself to the ground in anticipation of Tomilyn climbing up to his back, Don’t listen to him, Tomilyn. I won’t let you fall.

“Ikkamath,” Sk’lar warned, stepping between the two anxiously and looking back to Tomilyn, “Being a rider is about a lot more than flying. It’s a big responsibility, and a sacrifice… fighting Thread is dangerous, and caring for a dragon and keeping up with drills is a lot of hard work.” You’re going to chase her away, Sk’lar. You make being a rider sound horrible. Sk’lar ignored the blue as he continued, “But… Ikkamath is right that flying is fun, and a pretty big perk to being a rider. But mostly it’s just… finding your other half. A lot of people don’t even realize how much they’re missing until they Impress. When your dragon finds you, it’s a feeling that can’t really be described….” He shifted awkwardly, as he wasn’t used to talking about stuff like this, “But it’s like… being whole for the first time, and you can’t imagine being without them ever again. They’re a part of you.”

Aww, I knew you loved me, Ikkamath teased, though it was more lighthearted than usual and less taunting, and Sk’lar could tell through their bond that the blue did seem to appreciate the sentiment. After a moment, the dragon continued, So now that she knows about all the boring stuff, can we go flying and show her the best part? Sk’lar glanced back at him, still uncertain, but decided to give Tomilyn the choice, “If you’d like… we could take you for a short flight.”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Tomilyn;

“Oh, sorry.” She said when she’d been told she was too loud, and chuckled – snorting a little in her moment of embarrassment. It was somehow different having a dragon tell you that you were too loud than a person. She cleared her voice; feeling again like it was too good to be true that a dragon could want her. It was easy enough to distract herself from the self deprecation with the idea that she could talk to dragons with her mind… or was it just with this dragon? Sk’lar had said something like he’d been surprised that Ikkamath was a ‘Search’ dragon, whatever that meant… searching for candidates was all that she could guess, but couldn’t fathom what inner-workings that meant and how it made this blue dragon different than other blue dragons.

Tomilyn grinned stupidly up at the dragon with sheer joy. A friend that was a dragon. Her family wouldn’t believe it. Not a bit. She couldn’t see her father really caring, but perhaps her mother? Her grandfather definitely. And then she thought about Nalyra – how would she think of it? Since spending time on her ship, she had cared quite a lot about what the Captain thought about her… she didn’t have many friends that were girls, they’re feelings were too easily hurt, so Nalyra had been the closest she’d had.

Sk’lar wasn’t the type of person she imagined would be with Ikkamath. He held himself in a way and spoke in a way that was far more guarded than the blue’s open ways. “Oh, good, because we already decided that we’d be friends.” She admitted when the rider said that the dragon didn’t need permission for making friends. She giggled at Ikkamath.

“He’s really funny. I mean, after I realized he wasn’t going to eat me, then he was funny.” She admitted with a small, almost shy smile – though Tomilyn was anything but shy.

Tomilyn finally stood up from her kneeling position as the rider began to explain what it was to be a dragonrider… well, more accurately, to be a dragon candidate. She pursed her lips, thinking about leaving the sea behind to be a candidate… she supposed it would be important to learn about being a rider before actually becoming one… but, couldn’t she just… show up when the hatching started? Couldn’t she just learn once she had her dragon?

Her thoughts were distracted completely at the idea of flying and her face lit up and the muddy red head took a step toward the bright blue with a vigorous nod. “Oh, would I!” She breathed, but stopped when the rider disapproved. She frowned, feeling a flare of anger at being told she couldn’t do something – but then again, she didn’t know much about dragon riding, or any sort of riding… she looked at the dragon’s back… couldn’t she just… hold onto the ridges on the back? She bit on her lip as the pair had their conversation.

She took another step toward the blue when he told her to ignore his rider (since she felt at the moment that dragons must be rather intelligent and know about things like flight and keeping her safe), but was narrowly cut off by Sk’lar, forcing her a step backward.

Sk’lar’s speech fell on deaf ears. It had been a dragon that had told her that she had a piece of her empty and ready to be filled by a dragon. This dragon was a kindred spirit and her friend. She had a hard time taking everything Sk'lar said so seriously. Of course she understood the danger of Thread… it was enough to send anyone shivers down their spine and turn their hands cold and clammy… but it wasn’t until he started talking about what it was actually like to impress that Tomilyn started to pay attention, her gaze locked on the man. It was much more romantic than the idea of being just a dragon candidate. For once she didn’t say anything, just let it soak in, besides – the moment had turned almost reverent, and even the blue’s response seemed less joking.

Her hopes started to climb back up when they started talking about flying. “Oh, can we? Oh yes, please, if you’d allow it.” Feeling more respect to the rider after his speech on impressing to a dragon.

“So, is it… is it like people who find love? And they get married and whatever. But you gots your dragon here and he fills that hole, so you have no need for another. Is that what it’s like? Since I hear the girl’s talkin’ ‘bout findin’ their other ‘half’ and all. And you’re makin’ it sound like your dragon is your other half, yeah?”

She was rounding around Sk’lar, nearing Ikkamath – and while she was talking to Sk’lar, her big round eyes were glued to the dragon as she neared him.

[Zen]

Sk’lar :: Blue Ikkamath

You see, Sk’lar. Some people appreciate my humor, the blue announced proudly after Tomilyn told his rider that he was funny, I bet she’ll make a great rider. She seems like someone that knows how to have fun.

Sk’lar rolled his eyes, “Knowing how to have fun hardly has anything to do with being a rider.”

Yeah, like you’d know, Ikkamath teased.

“I am a rider, of course I would know,” his exasperation was clear.

Tomilyn’s eagerness to fly only encouraged Ikkamath, his eyes whirling with excitement at the prospect of taking someone new flying. Sk’lar glanced between the woman and the blue once more as she expressed her desire to go once more. Finally, he sighed and relented, “Alright… but just a short flight.” He eyed his dragon, “No tricks or crazy maneuvers.” You really suck the fun out of everything, mine. He didn’t respond to that, quite used to Ikkamath’s pouting when he put restrictions on certain activities or didn’t allow him to do things.

Tomilyn’s next line of questioning had Sk’lar shifting uncomfortably again. He reached back absently and rubbed at the back of his head as he considered what she’d said, how she’d compared impression to the relationship between two lovers. “I… don’t know about that….” It wasn’t like he’d ever been in love, but he couldn’t imagine anything with another human feeling as unbreakable as his bond with his dragon. “Humans are fickle… people can fall in and out love… a dragon’s love is forever,” he murmured, feeling strangely embarrassed talking about it.

He shook his head, “It’s more than that, really. More than anything two humans could ever have with each other. But I suppose… the idea, at least, is probably as close as anyone not bonded to a dragon could come to understanding what it’s like. But when two people are in love… they’re still just two people. With a rider and their dragon it’s… it’s like there’s just two parts of you… sometimes it’s hard to even separate yourself from your dragon. You can feel things they feel, see things they see….” And then there were mating flights, when the separation between rider and dragon was at its thinnest, but he didn’t particularly want to get into that with this woman. She could learn about mating flights from her candidate lessons, if she chose to become one. “Dragons can’t even live without their riders. If their rider dies, they take themselves between and never come back. Riders rarely survive the deaths of their dragons either. Once you find each other… there’s no separating yourself from them.” He eyed Ikkamath again, “Even if you don’t always get along.” The blue laughed at that.

Alright okay, c’mon, let’s go already! Enough of this sappy stuff, though there was some hint of affection in his tone that suggested he hadn’t totally hated it, Time to fly! Before Sk’lar changes his mind.

“Fine, fine…,” he sighed and shook his head, noticing suddenly how much closer Tomilyn was to Ikkamath than before. It seemed she was quite eager to get going as well. He strode past her and pulled himself up onto Ikkamath’s back, shifting forward against one of his ridges and making room behind him for Tomilyn. “You’ll sit behind me and hang onto me. Don’t let go, or I’ll bring us back down,” he warned her, leaning over slightly to offer her his hand to help her up if she needed it, “Use his leg as a step up, it won’t hurt him.” I still don’t know about this, Ikkamath… if we get in trouble for having a passenger without flying gear- We’ll be fine, stop worrying so much.

OOC: if you want you can feel free to get them into the air in your post~

[tovaana]

Tomilyn;

Sometime during Sk’lar’s speech about love, her hand had come subconsciously to her chest, emotion gathering behind her eyes in a way that pricked painfully – especially because she was trying to suppress it. “Now that… is romance.” She said, a bit wistfully, feeling a certainty that if she were to have a love, her love would come to her in an egg, and she could be complete then. No need for men, no one to fill that but herself and a dragon. “I sure hope to find mine. You’re already taken, eh, Ikki?” She grinned, a bit sad and jealous – Sk’lar didn’t seem to deserve such a fun dragon! But at the same time, him talking – the way he explained things… but did that mean she’d get a boring dragon? Were there boring dragons?

Her emotion never surfaced enough to be a bother, and she was easily diverted at the thought of flying.

She normally wouldn’t care much about being muddy, but she was idolizing this dragon and it seemed just wrong to get on the blue all dirty. She paused, “er, sorry Ikki- I’m a bit dirty. But, it is your fault.” She teased him, and just like that her discomfort washed away, because there was no way she was passing the chance for a flight on a dragon because of a little dirt. The dragons from her grandfather’s stories and her imaginations had been only that – stories and imaginations, it was like stepping into a fog and finding a step there into the sky. Her grin stretched almost wildly across her face as she climbed, his words a bit hazy in her mind as her heart raced and she settled behind Sk’lar. Perhaps if this had been a runner beast she would have balked and blatantly ignored him, and perhaps if this was her second or third flight, she would have… and she most definitely would not have wrapped her arms around the rider and hung on, clinging tighter as they rose into the sky.

The red head giggled. “This is amazing! You’re amazing Ikki!” She called out, her voice mostly lost on the wind. Her arms started to loosen as she looked out around her, a tingle going through her body as she had the urge to raise her arms like a bird.

Zen