Much Ado About Golds and Greens [OPEN]

[Zen]

Talaria :: Green Tanith

Tanith gave a mighty yawn as she eyed her rider, clearly bored with this venture, if one could call it that, What are we doing here?

Talaria shot the Green a glare and turned back to the hatching sands, at which she stood upon the edge. There were no eggs… not yet… hadn’t been in over two turns now. Her nails bit painfully into her palms as her hands squeezed into fists. If only Prith had laid a Queen… if Tanith had been a Queen….

Tanith snorted, catching bits of her rider’s thoughts, Again? Well as you’ve so cleverly noticed my hide isn’t golden and gleaming, so why do you dwell upon it?

“I can dwell upon whatever I wish!” she threw back at her dragon. She normally refused to speak to the Green within her mind, preferring instead to shut her out and keep her away from her most intimate of sanctuaries.

What if something happened to Zalmaranth? She didn’t understand at all why Karredy and her Gold were even allowed to fly Threadfall. Zalmaranth was the only Queen Mavros had, and unlike when they lost Asurath and Liyath, Mirran was not like to invite them to another hatching if they lost Zalmaranth, and then where would they be? Queenless… they’d have to go begging back to the other Weyrleaders and be subject to whatever they decided after so brazenly refusing to obey their last commands. Not that she thought they should have. She didn’t think the other Weyrs had any business ordering them about like that and was quite proud when the Holdfolk elected not to accept Idris of Mirran as Lord Holder. She didn’t want any get from Mirran having any say in the goings-ons of Mavros, that’s for sure. But if they lost their Gold… she had a horrible feeling they would no longer be allowed to continue at Mavros… they would be split apart, sent to other Weyrs… surely….

She sighed and stepped onto the sands, walking forward slowly and glancing down around her. She scooped up a fragment of shell from one of Mavros’s only two hatchings, the last clutch that Asurath had ever laid. There were quite a few fragments like that…. As she thought about it, she recalled, Zalmaranth had hatched from that clutch. She wondered if any of the Queen’s golden shell remained on the sands and tossed the fragment in her hand away. Once they actually had some candidates, they could set them to work clearing the sands of broken shells before Zal's new clutch would be laid here. The fragments were generally sharp, and could cause injury to newly hatched dragonets.

Tanith shifted impatiently, Why do worry over all this nonsense? You are not a Goldrider and you shall never need to worry about the eggs of a Gold. We waste time here doing nothing when we could be flying or bathing or resting… or anything other than this dullness. Let the Gold’s rider worry about her.

Talaria was momentarily quite furious with her dragon for bringing up that ever so obvious fact; she was not a Goldrider, but instead raised a curious eyebrow toward the Green. Something she’d noticed… she didn’t think she could ever remember Tanith saying Zal’s name. She was just ‘the Gold’ to Tanith. And there was always the hint of some strange emotion that Tanith never expressed except when Zalmaranth came up in conversation. Jealousy. Jealousy that her rider might want Zalmaranth more than she wanted her, the lowly Green. It made Talaria strangely… sorry. She realized the thoughts she’d been having, how Zalmaranth was the most important dragon to Mavros at the moment… Tanith had followed those thoughts. The Gold, more important that her own dragon. No wonder she was being so touchy.

“I feel sorry for Karredy… that Gold has the most horrible temperament. She attacked her rider’s own sister for getting too close at her Hatching, you know. If you’d done that to my brother, well… I certainly would have had words for you then, but you’ve better sense than a Gold, it seems,” she turned back to Tanith, who lowered her head so her rider might rub her nose lightly in one of their exceedingly rare moments of affection. Talaria didn’t think she’d ever stop resenting Tanith for stealing away her great dreams… but if she was to Impress a Green rather a Gold, she definitely wanted that Green to be Tanith.

And who would want to be cooped up here for months, heavy with eggs and having to watch over them at all times of the day when there’s Thread to flame from the skies? the Green added, as if she needed to prove to her rider that riding a Green was most certainly better than riding Gold, and much more exciting by far.

The slightest of smiles crossed Talaria’s lips at that, “I suppose.”

[Deleted]

A'dion :: Bronze Zevranth

You realize that the Greenrider is far too young for you, right? And what of that other female.. the one you think about but never speak of.

A'dion leaned against his dragon's flank as the great bronze ate on the wherry he had caught. A mere snack for his great girth, they still tasted all right to him when he was too lazy to fly to the food corral. His rider however was pensive. The Green's rider, Talaria, had been on his mind from day one. She looked sort of like Derenda.. but was nothing like her. Where Derenda was soft and gentle, almost shy, Talaria was brazen, open, and hardly shy.

And the sheer dislike she showed for her Dragon stunned him. How could someone do such a thing? He could barely stomach the thought of his life without Zevranth, much as the great creature annoyed him at times, and just couldn't wrap his head around how Talaria could. The girl was an enigma to him; like a present he wasn't supposed to touch yet wanted to anyway.

She isn't something you use for a while then put away.

WILL you be quiet? All you do is nag me; like my mother.

Your mother liked me, I recall. 'More than you most days,' I remember her saying. She gave me nice eyeridge scratches.

You would sell your soul for an eyeridge rub, you great oaf.

I can't sell my soul; no one wants to pay the price you put on yourself. A'dion wasn't entirely sure how to take that, so he went with being indifferent and slapped a hand roughly on the dragon's flank,

"Shut up and locate Talaria for me. Who knows, maybe you'll see Tanith."

That green hates me and you know it. Verdath however...

"And I'm certain Zenelle hates me. Look, we're at an impasse; shut up and locate her."

She's in the hatching sands, moping. Talaria's there too.

"Ouch, brother.."

A'dion made his way to the hatching sands, psyching himself up. He would greet her, wow her with his charm and good looks, sweep her off her feet and bed her, and get her out of his mind. Upon seeing her in the sands, however, the light of the area flickering off her dark hair, all that went out the window,

"Er ... hi."

Idiot.

[Zen]

Talaria :: Green Tanith

Talaria started at the sudden voice and turned to see A’dion standing there. She turned back to Tanith, giving her nose a soft pat as she grimaced. She didn’t know what to think about the man. He was simultaneously everything she thought a Bronzerider should be and one of the most frustrating men she had ever met. She adored Zevranth, however, the Bronze had made a few short excursions into her mind in order to speak with her on a couple occasions in the past and he seemed to be the perfect example of all his color should be.

Why didn’t you tell me he was here? She growled to Tanith, she would not speak aloud to her dragon when there were others there to hear what she said.

You never asked. Her tone seemed teasing and amused. Talaria gave her nose a soft slap this time, making the Green snort, still amused, but a bit indignant at the treatment as well.

Good for nothing, you are. She glanced behind her to where A’dion stood, “Did you want something…?” She remained close to Tanith’s head, scratching the green’s eyeridges simply for lack of anything better to do. In a way A’dion made her nervous, or something along those lines. She felt jumpy and on edge whenever the man was around. She also felt incredibly defensive, but she couldn’t say why. Past encounters with him always brought about mixed results. Sometimes he actually left her quite charmed and other times she felt like slapping him. She could never tell what would come of interacting with him, and it unnerved her.

Since Zevranth had caught Tanith on her maiden flight, however, Talaria had been avoiding A’dion. Her memories from the results of that flight were mixed up and confusing, remembering not only things she experienced in her own body but things Tanith had experienced, and sometimes not remembering moments from either of them. Rage, lust, pain, euphoria… it was all jumbled together and incoherent. Tanith had avoided Zevranth afterward much like Talaria had been avoiding his rider. She hated the Bronze for catching her, for no male was worthy enough to Tanith. It was not personal, she would hate any male that caught her. After her next flight her hatred for Zevranth might be forgotten if another male caught her instead.

Talaria often argued with the Green over her hatred for Zevranth. Zevranth was intelligent, noble, beautiful, what was there not to like? Tanith was unmoved no matter what her rider said in defense of the Bronze. Scorn was all any male would ever get from Tanith. Actually most living creatures would be subject to Tanith’s scorn, whether male or female, human, dragon, or otherwise. Talaria was the only one Tanith would ever show any other emotion to, and that rarely enough.

[Deleted]

A'dion shook himself, getting back into his normal routine. Talaria threw him off balance, and he wasn't sure he liked being dumbstruck by a woman. Shards, Derenda had done that enough. Adjusting his posture, he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms,

"I've missed you at our weyr, my dear. Surely you've not been avoiding me." He knew she had, and some part of him had been rather hurt by the gesture. He'd tried to be gentle with her, done the best he could under his dragon's ferocious flight lust. The night after they had, ah, enjoyed themselves she'd even -cuddled- him, which no one had done since Derenda had been alive. But the next day she'd been gone, and he'd felt more lonesome in that moment than he cared to admit.

You know well she doesn't live with you. She probably doesn't want to; you snore. Loudly. A'dion jabbed at Zevranth's mind with his own, and the dragon let out a slightly pained warble, Ow!

Shut up, you.

"Perhaps now you'd like to tell me why you've avoided me for so long?" He was serious now, dark eyes burning with ... something. Anger? Frustration? ... Hurt? Longing? So many emotions flitted through his gaze and his mind, he almost got dizzy from it.

[Zen]

Talaira :: Green Tanith

Talaria pursed her lips at his words and her gaze narrowed as she glanced back at the man, “Our weyr? I don’t recall being assigned to the same weyr as you.” Her fingers trailed absentmindedly down Tanith’s eyeridge to her nose as she turned to fully face A’dion, leaning back against her dragon’s nose, who snorted, once more indignant as she was being used as a piece of furniture.

I would sleep upon the beach sand before sharing a weyr with Zevranth, Tanith hissed, her eyes flashing red at the very thought.

Talaria tapped her fingers on her nose to show she’d heard, but otherwise didn’t feel like getting into another argument about the wonders of Zevranth with her dragon right at the moment. She mulled over in her head what she might say. She really didn’t want to tell him the truth, that she was embarrassed about the flight. It honestly wasn’t personal, just as Tanith’s hatred for Zevranth wasn’t, she would have avoided any man… or woman… whose dragon had caught hers, who she’d spent a night with but hadn’t chosen. She didn’t want to admit it because it was childish. She was born in a Weyr, raised in a Weyr, the daughter of a Bluerider. She rode a Green, she should not be embarrassed about the results of a flight.

She couldn’t imagine acting this way had she Impressed Gold, if she’d had the chance at becoming Weyrwoman; avoiding her new Weyrleader… not only would it be beyond childish it would be nearly impossible and would cause the Weyr to suffer. And she was embarrassed that she felt this way and felt that maybe that was part of the reason no Gold would have her, maybe they knew, somehow…. “I just… I just have!” She threw up her hands and walked along the far side of Tanith so he could not see her, trying to figure out what to say, “It wasn’t exactly… I mean a flight wasn’t the way I wanted… my first….” Her cheeks flushed red and she knew the heat she felt in her face was from more than just the heat of the hatching cavern, and was thankful that Tanith was there to hide her. She didn’t like talking about this, especially not with him. She had hoped… she might have been able to have her first sexual experience before Tanith flew. She felt foolish and ignorant about the whole thing, but very much did not want to admit it.