It Never Hurts To Try New Things? [Alyx]

[Zen]

10th Pass, 5th Turn, 11th Month

Talaria :: Green Tanith

Talaria had noticed that she seemed to be in an even less pleasant mood than normal the last couple days and had eyed Tanith, who had been mostly withdrawn from her during that time. The Green's eyes had been perpetually red the entire time, and while Tanith rarely went a day without flashing red eyes at someone, it was only this consistent when the Green was close to Rising.

So when Tanith rose the very next day after she'd realized it was close, she cursed as she watched Green launch from their weyr and rise into the sky with a taunting to call to any male that would dare to chase her and a roar full of fury and challenge. She would not make it easy on them. Talaria wished she would just get it over quickly, and perhaps leave her with fewer bruises. But her dragon was as stubborn as she was.

It was barely past dawn and it took a moment for the sleepy males to answer her call. Several Blues gave chase, and a number a Browns as well. Talaria grimaced as she recognized K'ton's Sorth join the chase, Don't you dare let him catch you. Tanith did not respond, or give any indiaction she had heard. The last thing she wanted was to wake up beside that cocky old excuse for a Bronzerider. Sorth had a liking for Greens, and he had chased Tanith every time, but so far hadn't been lucky enough to catch her. She had heard that K'ton was the smug sort after a flight from some of the other Greenriders, and she was likely to punch him square in the face if the two of them ever wound up in bed together.

She looked for Zevranth, but the Bronze did not appear to be chasing. Again. Ever since the first time, he hadn't gone after Tanith again. Talaria set her jaw. Well, that was fine. It wasn't as though she wanted A'dion in her bed. No, that arrogant bronzer was entertaining the much higher ranked Talera now. It was only all over the Weyr. After all, Zevranth had caught her Gold not once but twice now. The two were a real power couple, from what she heard. Great times for all.

She stepped back as the riders of the males trickled into her weyr, eager to claim their prize: her. Tanith roared once more, not even dignifying any of her suitors with a choice word. She flew because instinct drove her, but she did not want any of them. None of them were worthy of her. Sorth used his much larger size to muscle a number of others out of his way, closing in, but Tanith reeled away with a growl. It was still over soon enough, as a Blue closed in, using his speed to his advantage. Tanith tried to tear away from his grasp, but he had her firmly almost before she even knew it.

~~~

Talaria woke from the haze of dragonlust tangled in furs with a warm body beside her. Which dragon had caught her? She tried to think back, but all she could remember was that it was Blue. Not Sorth, then, at least. Small mercies. She turned a narrowed gaze toward the woman beside her. Woman? Her face flushed slightly as vague memories came back to her, becoming clearer every moment even as she willed them away. She'd always been aware this could happen, of course... female Blueriders weren't so uncommon as they once were. But so far, she'd not experienced it.

She gave a soft laugh as she lay there. At least she wouldn't have to worry about taking a hop Between after this flight to prevent any unwanted consequences. She brushed her fingers over her arms, shoulders, legs.... There did not even seem to be any significant pain. The flight had been rather less violent than Tanith's usual. Of course it had ended a bit quicker too, which was fine with her. She felt Tanith seething about it, however. He bested you, get over it. Tanith sent her only a flash of fury from where she was perched on the cliffs, sunning herself and brooding. Talaria went back to ignoring her, and the Green did the same.

With reserved curiosity, she rolled over carefully, pulling some furs up to cover herself. She tried to recall the name of the woman beside her, but they hadn't interacted much. Talaria had been assigned to the Queen's Wing since shortly after weyrlinghood, since she was apprenticing as a dragonhealer, and this woman and her Blue were presumably in one of the higher wings. She thought she might be a Searchrider? That would certainly explain why she hadn't seen her very much. Mavros had a hard time getting Candidates these days, she was likely away from the Weyr quite a lot on Search.

She rolled onto her back, staring up at the roof of the cave, and covered her eyes with one arm. She had gotten better about this, but it was still her first time with a woman, and she wasn't entirely sure what to do from here. She would just leave, but it was her weyr. Great Faranth, she hated mating flights. She flushed again as she wondered what the woman might do when she woke. Men usually tried to get her to have another go of it before they left, though she had always refused them. Would she as well...? She sighed heavily and glanced back over at the woman, only to find that her eyes were open, looking right at her. She flushed again, startled and at a loss for words, “H-hello...?” Dimglow, was 'hello' really an appropriate thing to say at the moment? She pulled her furs up over her head in embarrassment.

Alyx

[Alyx]

Rachel - Blue Aslith

Rachel had barely been out of the straps before Aslith’s voice filled her head, wanting the heave travel gear off. His attention was skyward, the flash of Green drawing his attention like a beacon. They’d been away a long time, only back briefly to drop off candidates, or more recently, report the lack of any TO drop off. Rachel yanked at the straps quickly, letting the packs drop to the dusty floor of their nearly never used weyr. ‘You sure, Aslith? I mean, we just got home…’ she didn’t want it to sound like a whine – she was too old to whine, but the Blue didn’t seem to notice. She stepped back and watched the dragon pivot in place, push off, and take flight. Sails opened with a load whoosh and he was gone, rising up into the sky and out of her view.

Wishing she’d been able to bath and get a hot meal, Rachel settled for stripping out of her riding leathers and a quick splash of cold water to wash away the travel dust, then threw on a loose, light shift and leggings before following the familiar pull that she knew would lead her to the rising Green’s rider. She wasn’t the only one, Aslith’s chase over her head drawing a growl or two from Rachel’s throat as she shouldered her way past two at the door and into the weyr. All eyes were locked on the Green’s rider, with the occasional side glare at each other as the dragons jockeyed and jostled for position in the blue above them.

Rachel’s tight bond with Aslith made it almost impossible to block out the images; watching as the fleet of males twisted to try to get the best position. She only had a moments warning before she felt him turn, dive, and reach for the escaping Green. The Green clearly was not pleased with being captured, but that didn’t mean Aslith was tempted to give up the prize. The Blue wrapped himself around her, wings flaring to slow their fall as they dropped – the wash hit her and, like so many times before, Rachel lost the grip on the part of their bond that was ‘human’ and fell into the tumble of emotions.

------

She woke slowly; brain first, foggy with the aftermath of a way more active return to the Weyr then she had personally been planning. Rachel didn’t try to move, right away – the panic of waking up in some strange furs had well, long since lost its uncomfortable fear factor. <I’m sorry?> The voice was far from an apology, and Rachel smiled inside. ‘Are not, you dirty old man. Don’t lie to me.’ Aslith sent a rush of love, his laughter rolling over her thoughts like warm water. <I would never lie to you. Perish the very thought.> ‘Yea, sure… you keep digging that hole, Aslith. Where are you?’ He felt a bit more distant then she had expected.

<Home. Resting on my ledge, waiting for you to wake up. You left packs all over the place you know.> ‘Well, you didn’t really give me time to move them, did you?’ She shifted a little, waking more as the form next to her moved too. ‘Your lovely Green lady didn’t like your company?’ Aslith snorted in her mind. <That would be putting it… mildly? I don’t believe she cared to be caught, nor for my company. I felt it best to wait for you here, less she decide to so her displeasure with more… toothy means?> ‘Oh, your poor poor pride.’ Aslith rumbled softly, laughter, and let Rachel’s mind slip back more to her surroundings then on him.

Rachel shifted gently, rolling a little to look at the Greenrider next to her. The woman was clearly awake, and Rachel couldn’t help the slight smile on the edge of her lips as the other woman. It wasn’t a bad evening, as flightlust went? The moment the other woman looked at her, it was clear she hadn’t actually expected Rachel to be awake. The Bluerider managed not to laugh at the look – and the blush, but the dive for the covers? Rachel gave a soft laugh, reaching out and pushing the blankets down to see the woman’s face under them.

“Hello yourself.” Rachel gave a little stretch, sitting up a bit more, and pushed her fingers back threw the mess of her own hair. “Come on now, no hiding. I don’t bite… well, not normally.” Pulling up her knees under the furs, she crossed her arms over them and looked over at the woman. It always sucked when you didn’t know the rider you were waking up next to… maybe she needed to spend more time at home? Rachel cleared her throat a little, then smiled. “I don’t think we’ve met? Well, I mean officially? Not sure that counted as meeting.” She was trying right? “I’m Rachel; big Blue lump is Aslith – you are?”

Zen

[Zen]

Dragonhealer Talaria

The other woman pushed the furs down from around her face with a soft laugh, returning her greeting. She seemed far more at ease about this than Talaria was herself. But then, they usually were. Talaria hated mating flights. She got a wisp of agreement from her dragon on that point. Tanith's instincts might drive her to them, but that didn't mean she had to like it, just as she didn't like having to obey orders issued from shiny hides.

She tried to ignore the comment about biting, forcing herself to stop acting like a child hiding under the covers from some imaginary threat. Pushing herself up to sit, she kept her furs close to cover herself and cleared her throat, running her fingers through her hair a few times as the other woman introduced herself. She nearly said 'well met' but stopped herself, as the circumstances of their meeting were not entirely... well... it wasn't as though Talaria particularly wanted to meet people this way.

“Talaria,” she offered her name instead, finally looking over at Rachel, a slight smirk pulling at her lips, “And the delicate flower your Blue had the pleasure of catching is Tanith.” Tanith seethed in the back of her mind. Talaria could almost hear her hiss from here. “He shouldn't take it personally. Tanith hates any male that catches her. She'll forget soon enough anyway.” Nevermind that she remembered flight results far longer than many other things. It would be best if Aslith kept his distance for a sevenday or two.

“You...,” she tucked her hair behind her ears as it obscured her view of the woman, “Erm. You are a Searchrider, yes?” Now that she knew her name, she was pretty sure about that fact. While she hardly wanted to sit naked in bed and have idle chatter with anyone... she was still a bit at a loss. Waking up with a woman was turning out to be a bit different than waking up with a man. As long as Rachel didn't try to proposition her for more fun, she didn't seem... terrible company.

Alyx

[Alyx]

Rachel - Blue Aslith

Whether it was her words or her actions, something drew the other woman up from her hiding spot. Not that Rachel minded her hiding, but all the same… it made it hard to smooth things over when she was buried hiding in the furs. Rachel gave her a once over as the other woman settled, watching her draw the furs up against her chest. Clearly still not comfortable – either didn’t like flights or didn’t normally bed other women? Hmmm, probably both, from the feeling Aslith had given about her Green.

She was an attractive woman, Rachel would give her that much. Even with lust messed hair and sleepy eyes, she was a fairly nice sight. Rachel quickly decided that, while the raven hair was lovely, her favorite was the woman’s eyes; the vibrant pale blue was a striking look, one Rachel found quite pleasing. <Shopping for a new weyrmate?> Rachel smiled just a bit, slapping mentally at the dragon. ‘No, old man. Simply taking in the sights is all. Can’t blame me, can you?’ <I would never.> ‘Liar.’ She could feel him laughing from here.

Talaria. Nice name… why did Rachel know that one? She didn’t make it a big task to know a lot of people, mostly because she was more often than not not here long enough for it to matter. Right, Dragonhealer, or one of them. That was why the name was one she knew – they were more often than not the only people she saw regularly, though she didn’t think Talaria was one of the ones that had tended Aslith recently. Right, enough dust gathering, she was being spoken too.

Rachel shook her head, smiling. “I promise he won’t. From the sound of it, he’s already fled to a safe distance to get some sun and wait out her rage.” Shifting a little, Rachel rolled her shoulders a little. “Aslith is a bit of a free spirit, not a lot gets him down. Don’t worry too much on his account, but I’ll pass on your words all the same.” She closed her eyes, relayed the words, and got a rumbling back. <I will never be so happy to be forgotten.> Rachel almost burst into laughter. ‘Dirty old Letcher.’ <Shrew.>

Talaria’s question pulled her back, and Rachel nodded quickly. “Yep. Was actually just touching back down from a flight when your Green went up. Tried to talk the old man into waiting long enough for me to clean up and maybe change, but… you know, they listen so very well.” Rachel shifted her hips, looking off the bed toward the floor. Where had her clothing ended up? She really didn’t want to make the poor woman any more uncomfortable then she was. “You… you’re a healer right? Dragonhealer or Peoplehealer?”

Pushing the furs back, Rachel slipped from the warmth of the bed. She was… well, by this point, saying she was comfortable with her nudity was probably putting it mildly. Bare feet padded on the floor as she eased out of the bed, then gave the woman a smile. “Sorry, I’m not around a whole lot, I know more people by job then name. Or by dragon more than their own.” She bent as she spoke, collecting parts of the scattered clothing; she frowns as she untangled the fabric, then looked it over. Yea, nice, she hadn’t ripped either of their shirts! Two points!

“You want?” She stepped over, offering Talaria her shift, hoping that giving the woman some of her fabric back might ease that weird feeling Rachel had that she was going to dive and hide under the furs again.

[Zen]

Talaria :: Green Tanith

Talaria couldn't help but laugh at the woman's response to her explanation of Tanith, saying how her dragon had apparently already fled the scene, “Smart blue you have.” Tanith snorted in the back of her mind. If he was smart, he would not have caught me at all. Talaria resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but only just. You better not go after him, Tanith, we need our Searchers. Do try to have some self control. The tease had another wave of fury rolling at her, As if you're one to talk of self control. You cannot even look at a gold without getting angry.

Talaria set her jaw and did her best to block the green out, but she still felt the smug sense of triumph her dragon felt over the barb hitting its mark. She let out another cold laugh as Rachel explained how her blue had not given her a moment's preparation before making chase, her tone dripping sarcasm, “Oh yes... the most obedient of beasts.” She ran one hand through her hair once more, simply for something to do with it. She was still unsure as to what course of action she should take here. Racehl asked her if she was a healer and she looked over at the woman just as she pushing away her furs and making to get out of bed.

Reddening a bit, she stared down at her knees instead as the bluerider stood and began gathering up their discarded articles of clothing from the floor. “Ah... yes... dragon. Dragonhealer,” she confirmed, fumbling over her words. She waved her hand dismissively at the apology, “It's all right, I only really know others by their dragons, and that's only really if I've treated them before.” A socialite, Talaria was not. She became aware that Rachel was moving closer again and chanced a glance up. Still naked. She returned to staring intensely at her knees. But a moment later she made some sort of offer. Want? Want what?

Hn. Stop acting like some stupid hold brat. She forced her gaze up, guarded, until she noticed the offered shirt. Yes. Focus on that. Not the naked woman behind it. She snatched it quickly from Rachel's fingers, “Y-yes, thank you.” She glanced away as she worked the garment on, feeling a deal better for the cover. Surprisingly it was still in wearable shape. Torn garments were commonplace after Tanith's flights. “Erm... perhaps... we could....” Put the rest of our clothes on. “Share a drink? After... we're... decent.” She was trying. To what? Make a friend?

Not exactly the ideal way to go about it. But it wasn't as though Talaria ever opened herself up to such interaction under normal circumstances either. She considered Zenelle a friend, but the master dragonhealer had been so busy lately. And Kenessia, but she was also a Searchrider, and when she was actually AT Mavros, she spent nearly all her time either in drills or with R'zon, and it left little time for them to anything together. She wasn't certain WHAT she considered Srunae, besides the only goldrider she could actually tolerate being around. It wouldn't hurt to... expand her little circle.

[Alyx]

Rachel - Blue Aslith

Rachel could feel Aslith preen a little on the woman’s words, hearing them as she did. ‘Don’t let it go to your head, old man. She said you were smart to run from her Green. That isn’t exactly a compliment.’ <Says you.> She shook her head, instead returning to the bed to offer the shirt instead of arguing with the over-pleased with himself Blue. At first she wasn’t sure Talaria had heard her – but then the woman looked up, then back down quickly. The cheeks said it all.

Modest, was she? Rachel managed not to smile too much, letting the fabric go as the dark-haired woman snatched it from her grip. Either not used nudity didn’t like it, or…. Well, she was a Greenie, Rachel expected it wasn’t the first time she’d been around naked people she didn’t know. Stepping back, Rachel shook her own shirt out, made sure it was right side out and facing the right way before lifting it up and dropping it over her head. She pulled it now, smoothing the light, off-white fabric over her torso and hips to make sure she was covered a bit, then pulled her hair out of the collar and shook it out a little.

<Coming back soon?> Asilth’s voice was smooth and relaxed; clearly, the Blue had found a very nice patch of sun to lounge in. ‘Maybe. Have to find the rest of my clothing first.’ There was a sleepy chuckle that rolled through her thoughts. <Just come back as you are.> ‘Asilth, I’m in a shirt. That’s it.’ <Annnd?> She smirked, shaking her head again as she searched for the rest of her clothing. ‘Oh wouldn’t that be a sight. Strut through the passages in nothing but a shift…’ Aslith laughed again, and then pulled a little back from her thoughts so she could focus on what she was doing.

Rachel found her pants… at least, she thought they were hers? She looked them over and then nodded. Yup, hers. She could almost feel Aslith pout that she had found them, I’m sure hoping she’d stir up mischief by walking back half dressed. Talaria’s voice pulled her attention back to the Greenrider still half in the covers on the bed; oh, good, she had her shirt on. Maybe she would be more relaxed now? Rachel was a little surprised at the question, but after a moment rested her free hand on her hip and smiled softly. “I think that would be nice, Talaria. It would be good to make a friend or two here… that, you know, aren’t children I’ve drug home for the Hatchings.”

She looked around, trying to remember if she had worn boots or not coming here. “Would you like to do it like… now, now? Or later-” Rachel flashed the Dragonhealer a smile. “-you know, after you’ve had a little time to get sorted?” It was a nice offer, but Rachel could tell that the other woman was still a bit uncomfortable. Maybe let her relax, and head back to her weyr, meet up later?

Zen (sorry it's so choppy)