Perceptions and Sensitivities [Ny'x & Ceela)

[kevna]

Ny'x - Blue Nimocith

Ny’x leaned against a tree, smiling at how carefree her blue looked, just floating on the lake. He didn’t look that way often, and never when others were around. Someday he would get over being shy, she was sure of it. Maybe when he was fully grown? He had been much more sensitive recently around other people, which added to the pile of obstacles that she was running into when trying to get her healer duties finished.

When I am finished bathing, can we go back and sit by a fire. You can read that book you’ve been thinking about, the one about the felines raising a human as one of them.

Ny’x smiled fondly at the blue, he was always so thoughtful. She had been hoping to find time to read the fictional book, and of course her Nimo had picked up on it.

“I think that’s a great idea.” She bumped herself off the tree and waded into the chilly lake waters, picking up some rocks, and trying to skip them. The brunette frowned when she could only get two skips out of a prime rock.

Try one that’s a little flatter on one side and let your wrist flick more when letting go.

The had his icy patched eye trained on her and her actions, and she accommodated him. She was rewarded with a successful sixth skip. She raised her eyebrows and turned to her dragon.

“How did you know that would work?” By watching you, of course. Why you were successful in two skips versus only one skip, and I was able to deduce the similarities and differences in the rocks.

She shook her head, impressed. “You are my smart fella.”

muze

[tovaana]

Ceela;

Mavros was not boring, but her days could get monotonous if she let them. She did what she could to mix them up; like throwing flour at the attractive cook (and getting in trouble), or maybe even as simple as taking the long way to get somewhere to see what new person she could stop and chat with (and arriving late to wherever she was going). It was always worth it, and made her days more unpredictable and more satisfying.

She had watched both young and old people ‘run’ as a way to keep fit. It seemed like such a mind numbing thing to do, unless there was scenery – but people would do it in laps, like around the lake, or to and from certain places over and over and over again. Ceela’s hair was almost always pulled up, but it had fallen out during some of her cleaning duties she’d been assigned earlier. She much preferred cooking, but knew it would take some time before she’d be allowed to cook full time… by then she hoped to have graduated from kitchen staff to a candidate… which was ironic since she had been a candidate, and her running away had rewound her plan of impressing.

Ceela sighed as she pulled her hair into a loose bun on the top of her head that was bound to fall out again at some point. She took a look around the sunny flat area and near the lake – where it looked like there was a dragon, which possibly meant there being a dragon rider too. Whenever possible she wanted to be near them, especially the ones – like blues and greens – that were known more frequently to be searchers. The knobs were often larger on search dragons, but it was still hard for her to pick out such a subtlety. Her feet started to carry her at a jogging pace toward the lake with the sun reflected on it, shimmering and blurring the dragon that was floating on it’s surface. She finally could make out a person there too.

She picked up her pace, but still refused to run in a straight line, taking turns and making winding paths until she arrived. When she did, she didn’t stop. She giggled and without taking her shoes off ran right into the shallows of the lake and then jumped as far as she could with her arms outstretched. The cool water engulfed her and she wanted to stay under- but had forgotten to take a breath beforehand. Where she was wasn’t too deep and she easily pushed off the bottom and broke the surface, her hair bun had come half undone on the side of her face.

“Wow, that felt good.” She said with a grin, wiping the water from her blurry eyes, searching for the others that had been there. “Hi, there!” She waved at N’yx, making her way back to the bank and plopping down on a rock, her feet still submerged. She worked her shoes off of her feet, wringing them out. Drying those would be a pain, but it had been worth it. It took her a moment, but realized it was a female blue rider she had come upon. “The blues on your Blue are so pretty.” She commented as she wrung out the second shoe, and noticing the sky blue highlights that streaked his hide.

kevna

[kevna]

Ny'x - Blue Nimocith

Why thank yo- His speech cut off suddenly as leaves and twigs snapped, loud, and the cause of such noise was fast approaching. Ny’x raised her eyebrows and paused in her next throw of rock, briefly thinking a wild caprine or ovine was making its way towards the waters of the lake and surprised her big blue hadn’t scared it off yet. Then out popped a young woman with a messy blonde bun, making a bee line straight for the waters. There was a giggle, and a leap, and then for a moment, she was gone.

Now what could have taken hold of that girl? She asked her dragon with a smile, imagining the cold water engulfing her whole and shivering. The brunette looked over to see the dragon submerged farther, as if hiding, but his eyes trained on the spot where the woman had submerged in the waters.

Maybe she is touched. Ny’x started to chuckle but stopped; his voice had been flat in her mind, and there was an intensity and discomfort in her dragon she had not felt before; she sent soothing thoughts his way. It could only have been a moment that the wild young blonde stayed submerged, and then out she popped. She was making her way back towards the rider with a friendly greeting and a wave, and Ny’x smiled back. She tried not to be annoyed, Nimocith had been so content and happy just moments before, and now there were all sorts of emotions roiling through her brain. But it wasn’t the newcomer’s fault. The lake was for all to share.

“Hello there.” Ny’x replied, tilting her head, and her smile becoming more genuine as she watched the wild girl wring out her shoes. Ny’x wouldn’t dare wear the boots she had brought, as they were the ones she wore when going between, and she started to wonder if the girl really was touched. She would be wet for some time, and those shoes did not look like they would dry fast.

Maybe she is a farmer from around here? Her blue ignored the pointed question, which didn't surprise the rider.

The compliment made Ny’x preen, and she looked again at her dragon, but felt no change, no pride stem from the compliment from him. He really was in a mood. “Why thank you, they make him quite unique. This is Nimocith, he says thank you too.”

No I didn’t. I know, but I am trying to be polite.

“And I am Ny’x. So are you from around here? Live on one of the farms?” Her curiosity was her own, but she also noticed a curiosity stemming from her dragon. He usually paid little attention to other humans, and her interactions with them, but this time his eyes were directly trained on the girl. This only peaked Ny’x’s curiosity more, and she hoped his intensity wasn’t as obvious as she thought it was. Ny'x threw another rock in an effort to be distracting, and it skipped four times successfully. 

tovaana

[tovaana]

Ceela;

“Ah, you’re welcome.” She said with a nod to both, starting to untangle her wet hair on the side of her head.

“I’m Ceela! Oh, no, no, no.” She said, wondering lightly why she would think she was from one of the farms… her jumping in the lake? Jumping into the lake wasn’t nearly as amazing as jumping into the warm ocean, but it had given her that sense of unpredictable-ness. Did those on the farm seek that feeling too? She had a hard time imagining so, as they were usually set in their ways, boring. Ah, well. It didn’t matter to Ceela either way. It had made her happy.

“I make all the delicious foods that come from the kitchens. Well, I guess I do some of the cleaning too.” A lot of the cleaning. She grinned, and then flipped her hair toward the water and then back again, trying to separate it from the lump that had been created on her head. She watched as she skipped a rock along the surface of the lake. “Oh! Good one!” She started to actively look for rocks worthy to skip to join the game.

“What’s your pretty Blue’s name? Being a female blue rider is unique too.” She commented, thinking about how she had mentioned the blue being unique. Her clear eyes grazed over the floating Blue that was watching her, but otherwise didn’t seem to want to engage, which was normal for a dragon anyways… Still, there was that aching hope that perhaps this blue was a search dragon that would sense her desire to impress a dragon. Her father had been a bronze rider, wasn’t that enough? This rider seemed young, but she couldn’t tell the age of the dragon. It was possible that this dragon came from one of those timers clutches too.

kevna

[kevna]

Ny'x - Blue Nimocith

Ny’x raised her eyebrows in surprise. The kitchens? She wouldn’t have imagined a wild girl in the kitchens. In fact, she imagined the cooks to be pretty boring in all of her musings, most of their time spent in the kitchens, just slaving to feed the masses. It was nice to know they had free time and hobbies.

She smiled and chuckled. “Thank you. My best throws are because of him. He knows the exact rocks to use.” She motioned at her dragon with her head. And bent to grab another rock. Her bending hid her face enough that she allowed the confusion to plainly sit there after the girl-Ceela’s-question.

See, she is touched. She has already forgotten my name. There is something strange about her.

Maybe she just didn’t hear me? And what do you mean strange?

She… Has.. I do not know. But I feel her more than others.

She stood with a few rocks in her hands, and closely inspected them. “His name is Nimocith,” She tried to say it casually, “and being a woman blue rider is becoming less strange, I think. Most treat me normally. There are just those few who are stuck in the old ways.”

She flicked her wrist, and the rock she had chosen flew, but only took three skips.

What do you mean feel?

I. do. not. know. mine. He was starting to sound more than frustrated, so Ny’x focused on the young woman. “Do you know much of dragonriders, or have family members who are dragonriders? Being in the kitchens must mean you interact a lot with us, I assume.” She was fishing for more information. She knew that some blue dragons and green dragons had a gift for finding possible dragonriders, was this what Nimo was experiencing? Could she be a possible candidate choice?

tovaana

[tovaana]

Ceela;

“He does, does he?” She glanced at the blue with a rock of her own in her hand and held it up, not sure the dragon could see from the distance that he was away from her. "How's this one?" It wasn’t the most ideal she knew, but she still wanted to join in the skipping fun. She pulled it in toward her chest and then unwound her arm, flicking her wrist and letting the rock fly in the opposite direction of the dragon, so not to hit him, though she doubted her efforts would even get that far. Sure enough it plopped awkwardly twice along the surface and sunk down into the depths of the lake. Well, she had gotten it to spin nicely, but as she had suspected, it hadn’t been quite the right shape or flat enough. It was a lot easier to skip rocks on the lake, rather than the ocean.

“Nimocith… Oh, you just said that, didn’t you?” Whoops. Her mind had been racing, and she’d been far too concerned with making an impression that her mouth was flying faster than her thoughts. Ah, well. “And it’s true, it is a lot more normal, but doesn’t make it less unique.” At least, it didn’t in her mind. All were unique, really – all pairings were so special, or they had to be… She had been to enough hatchings where she hadn’t been picked, that there had to be a extra special dragon just waiting for her. She just had to make sure she was at the right hatching.

“I do get to interact with lots of dragonriders! But, I actually haven’t been here for too long. I’m from Southern Weyr, where I was around dragon riders all the time there too.” She moved her wet hair to her left shoulder to get a better look at the blue rider, her hands idly looking for another flat rock without actually looking at them. This was the tricky part. She didn’t want to be too obvious about how desperately she wanted to be a dragon candidate, but she could talk about herself. “I got here just before the group went back in time, and I’m so sad I missed out on that adventure! Did you and Nimocith get to go?”

kevna

[kevna]

Ny'x - Blue Nimocith

You could answer her question, love.

I could, but I would prefer not. He said it timidly, and maybe a bit irritated. It’s not a very good rock, not quite flat nor round enough. They watched the blonde wind her arm up to her chest and then uncurl it, letting the rock go. It sank after only a few skips. And she should not use so much of her arm. A simple flick of the wrist with minimal elbow movement would be more than sufficient. You should tell her that.

You tell her that.

The blue blinked, and then turned his head away, pretending to be more interested in his swim than their actions. The weyrling waved her hand dismissively when the girl mentioned she had already introduced the blue. “No big deal. I can be quite flitter brained when meeting new people, so I understand.”

Ny’x perked up at Ceela’s mention of being weyrbred. “Southern Weyr! I love that weyr, it’s so beautiful and the water is so warm! I was in the southern continent when I was Searched. Why did you end up leaving?? Especially for such a small weyr? Not that Mavros is a bad option of course."

Maybe she would be a good candidate! Is that what you mean by you feel her more? Blue dragons can sometimes develop abilities to discern good candidates. She picked up another rock trying to play it cool, and it was flat, and strangely colored. She skipped it, and twisted her lips up in a smile as it accomplished four skips.

Her dragon was silent while she did this, but turned his large eye back on the young woman as if considering. Ny’x quickly became distracted by Ceela’s question.

“Well, actually I was one of the candidates that was brought back in time, and Nimocith was one of the hatchlings. I was blessed by Faranth that I arrived when I did, because not too long after we were taken back in time. It was quite the adventure, and I wouldn’t have Nimo either, which is hard to fathom... I’m sorry you missed out. Does that mean you want to be a rider?"

Way to be obvious. She had asked it point blank. The girl wouldn’t be a prime candidate if she doesn't want to be a rider.

Well? Ny’x directed to her bonded.

Yes, I think she would make an adequate candidate. I feel like she will.

tovaana

[tovaana]

Ceela;

“Oh you do? I do to! It is so beautiful, the sunbathing on the sands was my favorite pass time.” Why had she left? That would be giving it away. She ran her fingers through the pebbles and mud, searching for smooth flat rocks, but she was ultimately distracted with a quick answer to her question. “Oh, I wasn’t leaving the weyr as much as I was leaving my family.” She grinned with a shrug. “I come from a big family, I felt a bit crowded – so small Mavros is a relief comparatively.”

Her fingers brushed against something sharp, not sharp enough to cut, but upon further searching with her fingers was rewarded with a smooth surface. Her clear gaze glanced up to see the silent blue dragon watching her somewhat discreetly. Ceela blinked and straightened, turning to the blue rider, her fist curling lightly around the discovered rock. The woman’s next string of sentences distracted her from the rock in her hand.

She sighed dramatically and with longing. This girl had the luck to arrive at Mavros just before the timers had left. “Oh, wow.” She remembered asking the brown rider what it had been like, and now she was talking to yet another dragon rider who had impressed in the past. If the girl hadn’t tagged her question on the end, rather bluntly too, then she would have gone into asking her questions about the timing adventure.

Her eye brows rose in surprise at the question, not that she hadn’t wanted the question – but she hadn’t expected it so soon. She hadn’t worked the girl that much – so had she lucked out and found a search dragon? Her insides twisted with anticipation.

“Wow, well – I would have loved to go back in time even as a cook, but as a dragon candidate… Yeah, that would be a dream, wouldn’t it? I can’t say I’m not tad jealous of you.” She looked over at the blue dragon, then back to Ny’x. “What were you doing in Southern when you were searched? Oh – I’d also love to hear more about the timing experience too, like – what was it like? What’s it like being back?” Oh, it hurt so bad, how badly she wanted to go back in time and catch up to those who had gone back.

kevna

[kevna]

Ny'x - Blue Nimocith

Hmm, I loved sunbathing in the sand too, digging my feet into the hot sand, and feeling the heat travel up my body. She imagined the warmth and the feeling of the sand, sharing it with Nimocith. He hummed with pleasure in her mind.

I wouldn’t mind finding a secluded beach and enjoying that warmth myself, mine.

We will, I promise. Ny’x listened to Ceela’s explanation and tried to imagine an overcrowded family. She had a hard time doing so and had even yearned for siblings in the past.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. I am an only child, so I can’t quite understand that feeling. I kind of wish I had a sibling though.” She withheld a dramatic sigh. Barely.

The brunette bent down to look at the rocks, trying not to romanticize the possibility of her dragon being a search dragon. It would be amazing though, wouldn’t it? Riding out in Search, meeting all sorts of people, finding those noble and brave enough to be dragonriders and fight against thread. She waited in anticipation for the girl’s answer.

She looked up when the girl mentioned it being the dream, smiling brightly. “I would be jealous of me too, it is the dream. Especially when you learn to fly. I still can’t believe we are going to be learning to fight thread soon.”

So do you think we should tell A’zael? I think she would be a good candidate too. A little wild, but sensible enough…

I don’t know what the procedure is, but I assume it would be wise to mention this to the Weyrleader. In fact, we should do it now. The blue swiveled his gaze to his rider, excited at the prospect of escaping this girl and returning to the comforts of his Weyr.

Be patient a while longer, love, just a little longer.

Fine, but I want to dry off. The dragon said, and swam toward the shore opposite of the girl. He seemed to want to get as far from her as possible.

She tilted her head at the question, crouching and picking up another smooth rock to throw, but instead just turned it repeatedly in her hands. “Well, before I became a candidate, I was a journeywoman healer, doing my journeying out in Southern due to the influx of fevers spreading around the smaller holds. Mostly I was trying to contain and discover what was causing them, while treating as many patients as I could. It was hard, sometimes sad, and sometimes happy. And being back from the past is strange. One of my friends said it was kind of like coming back from the future, where we have changed and created, and then getting stuck where no one can see the change really, or isn’t prepared for it… It’s just weird…”

She brushed her hair out of her eyes and gave a small sad smile, standing up from her crouch. It was also more crowded here, so Nimo’s anxiety was more out of control, flooding her constantly. A battle she had to fight way more than she did in the past. It was exhausting.

“As for how it was back there… It’s a really long story. And Nimo is… Tired. I would love to tell you about it more, maybe over lunch tomorrow? And… Nimo and I both think you would be a great candidate, what do you think if we put in a good word with A’zael? I hear they are always looking for more candidates!”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Ceela;

Both of Ceela’s hands held a fist full of rocks, just as distracted as Ceela was as she listened to the girl’s stories. She let them dribble into the water and she rinsed her hands off and instead started to fiddle with her wet hair, trying to tame the wet mess of loose curls. She twisted it on top of her head, but let it fall loose and damp when Ny’x offered to eat lunch with her tomorrow. “Oh yes!”

Ceela’s grin turned into an open mouthed awe for a moment, then closed her mouth – as if speechless, but Ceela was never without words. She stood up from the rock she was on and nearly jumped out of the water.

“Oh, double yes! Triple – times a hundred, I’d love nothing more to be a dragon candidate! Tomorrow then? At lunch? You could tell me what he says!”

She skipped toward Ny’x and threw her arms around her from the side, giving her a quick squeeze and backing up. “This is amazing, perfect, a dream come true.” It was all coming together. She threw her arms up into the air in a moment of uncontained glee and looked toward the lake where the blue was exiting the water on a further side. No hug for him then. She grinned, sensing his quiet – maybe shy – personality. “Thank you, too, Nimo!” She called with a wave, knowing that while the rider may have extended the invite, it was the dragon that sensed these kinds of things.

“Ooo, and maybe on one of your days off we could make a trip to a southern beach!” She said with a wink and grin, back up and getting ready to jump back into the water. Ny’x’s dragon was maybe tired, but Ceela wanted to celebrate this moment.

kevna

[kevna]

Ny'x - Blue Nimocith

The brunette was happy to make another friend and was excited for the lunch date where she could get to know Ceela more. Maybe having such an energetic friend would help them get out more. Not that it had worked much with Siorreya and her energetic green. But maybe Nimo would do better with just one other person. After asking her question she watched the speechlessness, and the way that her face lit up. Not the reaction the Ny’x had given Kenessia when she had asked Ny’x if she had wanted to be a dragonrider. But then again, she hadn’t grown up around a lot of dragonriders, so it had never been a part of her dream.

Suddenly the girl launched herself at Ny’x, finding her voice, her excitement plain. Ny’x laughed as the girl gave her a side hug, excepting it gladly. She couldn’t remember the last time she had human contact.

“Yes, yes, I’ll tell you what he says tomorrow!” She watched as Ceela through her hands up, and then her eyes searched for the dragon. She wasn’t going to hug him was she? The concern was short lived as the girl instead shouted her thanks.

Why-why is she thanking me?

Because she knows how important it is to be searched by a dragon, and she’s grateful you are sensitive enough to feel her worthiness love.

Oh… Then, she is very welcome. Can we go now? She is nice, but I would like to be done now.

Yes, yes, we can go now. She would have to talk to A’zael after she settled her blue into their weyr.

“Nimo says you are very welcome! And I would love a trip to Southern, we will have to see when we can escape while talking to the Weyrleader.”

She started moving to her dragon, walking backwards so she could still see the girl and the jubilation she was exhibiting, then turning and lengthening her pace. She quickly launched herself into position on the dragon, grateful she didn’t have to strap him in as he wouldn’t have waited that long anyway. She would for sure have to drop him off first, if they were caught flying without gear, they would be grounded for who knows how long.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Ceela!” Ny’x waved as her dragon launched himself into the sky and towards the weyr.

Can we visit Southern just us first? I-I would like just some me and you time.

Sure love, sure. We can do that.

[tovaana]

Ceela;

That was it; she was a dragon candidate. Even if it wasn’t official, Ceela didn’t need it to be to celebrate. Life was worth celebrating every day. She ran into the water and attempted to dive in, her stomach smarting from the half belly flop that created a splash. She swam further toward the center of the lake before surfacing to take a breath. She blinked away the water, looking up in time to see the blue fly off and N’yx waving. Ceela waved her hand back. One day that would be her in the sky, on top of a dragon – it didn’t matter what color it was. She floated on her back in the silence of the water, imagining herself on each color of dragon. From green, to blue, to brown, even a bronze for the kick of it – and finishing on a gold.

Her mind wandered as her eyes traced the wispy clouds above, finding shapes and letting her imagination wander.

[end thread]