distracted walking [tag: taxx/t'vir]

[tovaana]

Weyrling Muze :: Green Rylath

We should go on a walk Muzemine! It is so nice out, the sun is shining and there’s a nice breeze! Come walk with me! Rylath’s voice interrupted her troubled thoughts as she sat at breakfast. There was still some time before lessons, and she had sat for several minutes torn by the war in her mind. To go home? Or not? If she didn’t go now, she could go later… but if she didn’t go now, would that make the rift in her family’s relationship larger? Did she care? Perhaps not for her father, but what of her mother? Let’sgolet’sgolet’sgo! A soft smile played at her lips. Her dragon was feeling her emotions and trying to help her, always trying to please her. It was nice to have a friend that understood – well, mostly understood. ‘I’m coming.’

She picked up her now cold hot cereal and plate with picked over food and brought it to the kitchens. In a quiet voice she thanked them and turned to leave to find her dragon who had lured her to a spot she did not frequent as much. She blinked up at the sun as she came outside, the cool breeze a balm to the heat, creating a perfect balance. Her speckled green was shifting excitedly as she approached her.

It’s pretty, no? Muze smiled, her face muscles relaxing at the attempts her dragon was making. Whenever Rylath wasn’t sure how to make Muze happy, she did all she could to distract her with positive thoughts. It was a nice reminder to look on the positive side of things. Sure, she had left home without saying goodbye, but what if her father hadn’t let her go? She wouldn’t have Rylath. "It is pretty, this was a great idea Rylath."

Her dark brown eyes looked over the calm bay. Usually she preferred the rolling waves of the ocean, but she appreciated the calm ripples of the bay that lapped politely at the shore. She took off her leather shoes and held them in one hand, letting the sand on the shore hug her feet. Whatever she chose, at least she had Rylath. Her green walked beside her, Muze resting her hand on her shoulder as they walked slowly down the shore.

Taxx

[Taxx]

T'vir had wandered out to the beach for quiet and to be alone, and early morning, when most people were busy feeding themselves or their dragons or doing any other number of things, was the best time to find that solitude. Mostly. He glanced back over his shoulder at Brauth, who was tromping along just behind him, head pointed down at the sand as he walked along. The sand was dry and gritty, and it gave as he put each foot down, a shower of sand pelting his hind paws when he took a step with either of his front.

His simple fascination was amusing, but T'vir couldn't quite find it in himself to smile. He just turned forward again and kept on, only listening to the crunch of sand as the blue followed. he knew- knew- that he shouldn't mind that he'd Impressed blue, and to be sure he loved Brauth, but he couldn't shake off what T'vil had said- and his own plans had fallen to pieces as a result. His intent to go to Benden when he'd graduated, to stand alongside his father and be reunited with his mother... in the space of ten minutes, it'd been torn to shreds and now he wasn't sure what to do.

Why not stay? Brauth's nose nudged him in the back, his voice sounding genuinely confused as to his rider's dilemma. It's nice here and I like it. Don't you like it?

He couldn't quite help reaching out to stroke the blue's nose. Maybe. But it's not that simple...

Oh look, there's Rylath! HI RYLATH! his voice rose to an excited yell as he spotted the green, and he darted off to prance around the returned timer rider and dragon. He stopped, dropped his chest to the ground, tail flipping back and forth as he crooned a constant note in enthusiasm. Do you want to play with me? And Yours can play with Mine too!

Well. If the blue's intent was to drag T'vir out of his moodiness- it was somewhat successful. T'vir sighed, moving toward the two. "Maybe they don't want to play, Brauth," he spoke aloud for the greenrider's benefit. "Maybe they wanted to be alone."

Alone? Why? Green eyes whirled as he looked between the two females. Isn't it nicer to be around others? I think so!

[tovaana]

Weyrling Muze :: Green Rylath

Rylath perked up at the sound of her name, her head rose and turned toward the voice. Muze turned too, bumping into Rylath who had turned her body into her rider's line of walk. The weyrling caught herself on her speckled green and pushed against her to steady and right herself again. The girl turned to see the blue and his rider coming toward them. It was still so strange for her, to have come back with an almost full grown dragon…To go from candidate to weyrling and almost dragonrider. From the size of the blue, it looked like perhaps they were another weyrling pair - but from a different clutch.

Oh yes, I’d love to play! The dragon moved, but then paused. That is, if Muzemine is okay with it.

Muze smiled at her dragon, patting her shoulder. As the weyrling got closer, she felt a bit more bashful. Of course he was attractive. Did the Weyr have to be full of attractive men? She didn’t remember the men that worked with her brother being attractive at all. It also brought memories of when Rylath rose – and she cut off the string of memories and thoughts with her own voice to answer his. “Sometimes being alone is nice, but technically we weren’t alone. It’s okay, I don’t mind- if you don't mind.” She glanced at the ground as she shifted to let her feet slip beneath the sand.

Her attention turned to the happy blue that pranced around them, who was sending sand everywhere. She laughed softly at his high and contagious energy.

I think so too. Rylath hummed, but Muze wasn’t sure if her dragon actually agreed or if she was just being agreeable. She seemed happy anyways. Rylath moved toward the bay and for a moment Muze felt vulnerable without her dragon nearby. Rylath paused, feeling the discomfort from her rider, but Muze tried to assure her mentally, without making a bit deal of it. Rylath turned back to Brauth. What should we play? Rylath fed off of the Blue’s energy, hopping into the calm surf of the bay – water splashing in her wake.

Muze twisted her hands together as she watched her green and the blue play. "I wish life was as simple as they made it look." She said, musing aloud. 

Taxx

[Taxx]

Rylath’s agreement sent a thrill of happiness through Brauth and he wiggled, his eyes brightly green as he rumbled. Not alone, not alone, he agreed, gaze briefly flicking between his rider and Rylath’s as T’vir came to a halt next to the girl. T’vir eyed his blue, sighed and then shrugged his shoulders. “Go on,” he waved his hand at the blue, who instantly darted off with a bugle. He paused at the edge of the surf, glancing back at Rylath again and crooning as she joined him. His eyes whirled faster then, and he raked a paw through an incoming wave, sending a deluge of water showering over the green before charging away, water spraying up with each leap. Can’t catch me, he taunted, looking back over his shoulder.

T’vir snorted at the statement, watching his hyperactive blue run along the surf. “It is simple- more for some than others. All Brauth seems to care about is if he’s hungry or itchy. I’m guessing… uh- your green, she’s not like that?” He didn’t know her name- he hadn’t really had time to learn all of the new dragons’ names. Or cared to, really. He knew a few, those he interacted more closely with, but half were still unknown, or slipped his mind. He rubbed a hand through his hair as Brauth supplied the green’s name for him, a half-grin momentarily tugging up one corner of his mouth, still waiting for the other weyrling to answer instead.

[tovaana]

Weyrling Muze :: Green Rylath

Rylath flinched at the unanticipated splash, ducking her head into the water that was sprayed in her direction. She shook her head and made a happy crooning noise, it sounded like there was some amusement in the tone. Muze found that she was still discovering what each noise was communicating. This seems a little backwards. Rylath commented with what sounded like a muted laugh; thinking of the way that the blues had chased her in the flight. The speckled green splashed toward him, trying to spray the blue dragon with water the way he had toward her.

“Oh, no – she is. That’s what I mean, life seems simpler for her, for most dragons. Their memory is shorter, too – they don’t think about things in the past like humans do. Or even the future.” She shrugged, digging a foot mindlessly in the sand.

Well, since their dragons were occupied… it wouldn’t be so strange for her to continue the conversation with the rider. She didn’t usually care what others thought, but in the moment she hoped that the rider really didn’t care that his blue had wanted to play with her green. “Did you think you’d always be a dragon rider?”

“I’m Muze, by the way” She offered with small smile. Perhaps her confidence wavered because she didn’t understand her place as a dragon rider quite yet. Soon they’d graduate and start fighting actual thread, which added a whole other layer of feelings on her thoughts.

Taxx

[Taxx]

“Oh. Yeah, I see what you’re saying.” T’vir nodded at the explanation, watching the blue and green as they chased each other through the shallow water, each bound sending water spraying every which way. It was true enough: dragons tended to live in the moment, and even the most upsetting events were forgotten in a remarkably short time. All for the better, since it helped them move on and turn their thoughts back to the present rather than dwelling in the past- or future- as humans tended to.

The inquiry was probably asked innocently enough, given the topic, but it didn’t help T’vir’s mind from jumping to when he’d been younger, full of hope and expectation. “Always. The men in my family have been riders as far back as anyone can remember.” He had to wonder if they’d all been bronzeriders- he knew his father and grandfather had been, but before that? He couldn’t recall if his own grandfather’s father had been a bronzerider- or if he’d Impressed a different color. “I kinda always thought I’d Impress bronze, though. It’s what my dad wanted.”

And if he was being honest, it had been what he’d wanted- right up until the pale blue dragonet had planted himself at T’vir’s feet and their eyes had met, the rainbow swirl suddenly making the color of his dragon’s hide completely irrelevant. He’d hoped- stupidly, it seemed- that T’vil would come around and understand that even on blue, he was just as important. After all, Impressing was better than him aging out, right?

“T’vir. You know Brauth already,” he added, waving a hand at the stout blue who was lying on his side, the waves washing over him as he playfully bit at Rylath’s feet. “What about you? I know you came on not too long before the twins’ clutch. You always dreamed of being a rider, too?”

[tovaana]

Weyrling Muze :: Green Rylath

She glanced at the weyrling, wondering what it would be like to come from a family that expected you to impress. She glanced at the blue playing with Rylath at the mention of a bronze. He was clearly not a bronze. Muze did understand the difference between dragons, at least, as much as she had been taught. There was prestige that came from impressing to a bronze or gold.

At the mention of his father – and expectations that he had had of him, Muze thought about her father. He had had expectations too, ones that had also been out of her power. “My dad had wanted only sons.” She glanced at T’vir, with a small smile. “Obviously I disappointed him.”

“Well met, T’vir.”

She thought about the whirlwind of being searched and so soon tossed into an adventure that had landed her with Rylath. Her eyes skimmed back to the dragons and smiled, a bit more genuine at the thought of her ever-pleasing dragon. The speckled green was alternating between jumping and sweeping her tail through the water to send water at the blue. “No – well… I mean, I guess I thought about it. I never thought it’d actually happen though. I would daydream of ways I could leave and be my own person, I didn’t think that I’d actually ever get searched. “ She paused, her brown eyes lingering on her green, before turning her head to look at T’vir. “But, now I can’t imagine not having Rylath.” Even if she felt oddly inadequate. Her normal confidence had wavered in the new weyr culture, but she was certain she’d get used to it…hopefully…

“Did you work with any other trades? I’m curious about what it’d be like growing up in a weyr.”


Taxx

[Taxx]

T’vir’s gaze snapped back to Muze’s in time for their eyes to meet, and he wondered at the thought. T’vil had never seemed to mind Vitra for being a girl- had never seemed to view her as a disappointment. Well, until she’d taken off and disobeyed him and Impressed, which had been exactly the opposite of all the plans T’vir knew he’d been working on. Huh, he mused to himself, dropping his eyes to the sand and kicking a boot at a shell that rested there. Guess they were all disappointments now. The thought stung anew.

He tipped his head in a slight bow as she returned the greeting, lifting his head again and flicking a glance at the dragons playing together in the surf but listening as Muze spoke. A nod, and he glanced back at her; a smile as she mentioned not being able to imagine life without her green. That sounded right: Impression was a gift, not given to everyone but made all the more precious for those blessed. “I know,” he replied, ducking his head with a little smile pulling at his lips. “There’s nothing like knowing a dragon finds you worthy. Brauth’s no bronze, but I wouldn’t trade him for all of them. He chose me and I love him because of it.”

A shrug of his shoulders accompanied his answer as he continued. “I wouldn’t know, I wasn’t born in a Weyr. Born and raised in Benden Hold with my mother and… siblings. An older one and Vitra when she was born.” He stumbled around the explanation a bit, unsure of just how to refer to… to the gold’s rider. The person who was supposed to be his brother but claimed they were female. A short shake of his head and he went on. “Maybe I should find something to do. I won’t be a weyrling forever and having a craft would be nice to fall back on in down-times.”

[tovaana]

Weyrling Muze :: Green Rylath

She tried not to feel self-conscious the moments where their eyes met. It was easy when his words gave her something to think about. Brauth’s no bronze.

“Had you wanted a bronze then?” Blue was one short from green in terms of dragon hierarchy – she knew brown would even be better than a blue – that is, if you looked at colors in that way. Being a green rider herself, she was determined not to let that affect the sort of rider and person that she was. Besides, gold riders didn’t get to fight thread like green riders did. That thought always comforted her.

Vitra! Ah, so that’s why he seemed more familiar. “Oh, you’re Vitra’s brother!” Which meant that he was Aleni’s brother too. She glanced at him as he went on – he must have been referring to Aleni, unless they had another sibling that she hadn’t heard about.

She didn’t look away from him – even though he had grown up in a hold like she did… still confused her. He grew up in a hold without a craft? Albeit it was Benden hold, but still… did that mean…? She couldn't remember what Vitra had said about where she had grown up. She paused that thought, eying him a moment longer before letting her eyes skip over to her green and his blue. Rylath had rolled to her side and was trying to splash the blue with her flailing limbs. A smile tugged at her lips as she glanced back at T’vil.

“It was especially nice when we were back in time with not much to do besides our lessons. I did a lot of fishing, which was actually pretty useful. And Rylath got pretty good at catching fish with me too….” She paused, realizing she had started to ramble. “You could choose anything you’re interested in. That’s kinda cool, instead of it being assigned to you because of where you were born. I think I have fish blood in my veins.” She sucked in the sides of her cheeks to pucker like a fish and then stopped quickly, feeling rather silly and remembering that this wasn’t a conversation with her brother. Her cheeks burned, but merely swallowed and tried to pretend otherwise that she was normal… trying to convince herself that too. Maybe he hadn’t seen.