How Long Has It Been? [L'rey/Taxx]

[Zen]

A few days after Eyes Like Yours Can't Look Away

Yvinka

L’rey. Yva had visited her uncle again, brought up her cousin Gildrey only to be told that he was here, at Mavros, and that Gildrey was no longer his name. He had Impressed a bronze dragon. It had taken her a moment to register that he must have been with the group that went back in time, otherwise how could he have a dragon? She had last seen him only a couple months ago. There weren’t any weyrlings young enough that he would have Impressed unless he was with the group that traveled through time. But before she could ask much more about it her uncle had told her he had more work to do. He sure seemed to work a lot. Both times she’d gone to see him he had cut their visit short on account of getting work done. She remembered him being more fun than this. She supposed it had been turns… maybe he’d changed? She hoped not, she quite liked who he had been. Maybe she just had bad timing.

It had been surprisingly easy to track her cousin down. The benefits of him having a dragon, it seemed. A request to S’bol, to help her find him, and his blue contacted D’rew’s blue to ask about the boy and shortly after S’bol was pointing out the way to her cousin’s weyr where she was told he could be found at the moment. She had asked for them not to tell her cousin’s bronze she was coming. She wanted to surprise him. They weren’t terribly close, as far as cousins went, but she wasn’t terribly close with any of her cousins on account of her traveling with the trading fleet and not being in Tillek more often than not. That didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy spending time with them when she got the chance, and when she was younger, before she was allowed to sail, she had spent a lot more time with them. But that was forever ago.

However, she had picked up on her father’s distaste for Gildrey pretty fast, he got a certain displeased look whenever she mentioned the boy to him and it was more amusing to her than anything. She had asked him once, why he didn’t seem to like Gildrey, and been told that her father was apparently concerned he would turn out like Treyjen and become a bad influence on her. That made little sense, considering Treyjen wasn’t around to teach him to be like him, but Yvinka didn’t think that sounded bad at all. Not that she told her father that.

She hummed to herself as she wandered up the path that led to her cousin’s living quarters. It was a bit harrowing at some points, the paths that were the only way to reach some of the weyrs without a dragon were carved into the side of the cliffs and there was nothing but a drop off on the other side. Not very many weyrs had safer access through the lower caverns, it seemed, and some of the weyrs could only be reached on dragonback. Fortunately her cousin’s did not require a dragon to reach, and finally she stood at the large, gaping entrance, considering how to proceed for a moment. She might have just walked in but she didn’t know anything about his dragon, if he was in there. Was he nice? Would he be angry if some stranger just walked into his space? She also wouldn’t normally stop to think about such things but this was a dragon and she really didn’t want to make him angry. Hm. Well.

She stepped into the open and called in, “Hellloooooo? Gil-erm. L’rey! Guess whooooo!”

Taxx

[Taxx]

The voice caught Codrath’s attention, and without having to move his head, he glanced toward the entrance to his weyr. The stranger was female, unattached to any dragon, and calling for his rider by name, even though she wasn’t familiar. Not to him anyway. L’rey seemed to recognize her quickly enough. A moment, strange one, Codrath requested on his rider’s behalf. Mine will be out shortly. He didn’t move to go to her; he could see her just fine and she wasn’t here for him. Plus, if he moved, his rider might take the chance to steal one of the precious bones he was saving.

“Like I want one of your nasty bones,” L’rey snorted, tugging a shirt on and giving his hair, still damp from a wash, another rub with a towel before tossing it over a chair and moving past. “Yva? Wow, it’s been forever. Or- not for you, I guess. What are you doing here? Is Uncle Jeylokar with you?”

L’rey couldn’t quite help the sudden spike of worry- if his uncle saw the Storm's Eye, he knew there’d be trouble, and honestly? He didn’t want that. He hadn’t planned on telling his Tillek family because of his father’s request. It might have been the right thing to do, but he couldn’t make himself do it when Treyjen had asked- not for himself, but for the other men. So he’d kept it to himself, when he’d gone to visit.

At the sight of her knots, briefly overlooked at the first sight and his near-instant worry, he relaxed- and then grinned. “Wait, you’re a Candidate? Were you Searched, really? That’s great! Me and Codrath’ll get to watch you Impress, when the next clutch gets laid.”

[Zen]

Yvinka

The sudden voice in her head had Yva jumping and looking around. The candidate master’s dragon had spoken to her, and the dragon that had Searched her as well, but this was going to take some getting used to! She laughed at herself, but wasn’t entirely sure if she should respond, and if so how. Should she just think back at the dragon? Or did she have to speak out loud? Strange one, huh? She giggled at the dragon’s words, clasping her hands behind her back and humming to herself as she waited for her cousin to appear. If the dragon hadn’t asked her to wait she would have just gone inside.

When he did appear it took her a moment, staring at him in surprise, for it to really settle in that it was him. He’d changed so much in just a couple months. But it had been longer than a couple months for him. He had a nearly grown dragon now, he’d been gone for nearly two turns. She bounced in place with her excitement over it all, but made a face when he mentioned her father, sticking her tongue out. The face was quickly replaced by a grin, however, when he noticed her new white candidate knots.

“I was Searched!” she confirmed excitedly, laughing and stepping forward to throw her arms around her cousin in a hug, “And you Impressed already!” What were they odd they’d both end up at Mavros like this? At this far flung Weyr in the middle of the ocean? She supposed it was fitting, considering their family’s long tradition of seafaring. She giggled again at the thought as she released him, “Shards you’ve grown since I last saw you. How old even are you now? This is so weird. But great! And exciting. And so strange.” She grinned happily, “Too bad I didn’t get to watch you Impress.”

Peering behind him and into his weyr, she bounced up on her toes as if to see inside better, “Are you going to introduce me to your dragon? Uncle Treyjen said you’d Impressed a bronze of all things. It’s been so hard to imagine my little cousin leading a Weyr on a big bronze dragon.” She laughed again, “But you’re not as little anymore, huh? Who knew our bloodline had such potential as riders? I wonder if we have any dragonrider ancestors we’ve never heard about.” After all, most of the fathers in their lineage seemed to keep a tight leash on their children, never letting them stray far from the path chosen for them unless they somehow managed to break away on their own, which was easier said than done. And those that did not measure up and follow the proper path were not often spoken about. Except when they were in Tillek, Yva never heard her father or grandfather speak her uncle Rey's name. And if Treyjen or Nalyra were spoken of it was always accompanied by an angry curse. Perhaps any dragonriders in their family had been similarly cast out and never spoken of again, simply for choosing a different path for themselves.

Taxx

[Taxx]

Yva’s expression of surprise as L’rey stepped out made him grin; he’d got the same on his visit to Tillek shortly after his return. It was to be expected, and the differences in time between his mind and theirs was admittedly confusing. But it was what it was, and his uncle, aunt and cousins had seemed to accept it, if not truly understand.

Yva hadn’t been there, though, and neither had Jeylokar or Treylok. Off on a trading mission, he’d been told. Finding her here- or her finding him here- was a pleasant surprise. He grinned wider at the face she made at his mention of her father, caught off guard by the embrace; a deep rumbling growl and the scrape of claws across rock preoccupied him just a bit as he calmed Codrath from taking action at the greeting. Stop it. She’s being friendly.

Not until she released him did Codrath relax, but L’rey could still feel his disapproval in the back of his mind, his dislike at the stranger taking liberties with his rider. It made it a bit hard to follow Yvinka’s excited ramble, but he could piece together words to answer most of her questions. A bit teasingly, he held up a hand and ticked off the answers as he gave them. “I’m not quite fourteen yet. I can tell you all about our Impression. Yes, you can meet him, but he’s… not the friendliest. I’ve never thought about it, but maybe there are Records somewhere you can look through.”

With a raised eyebrow, L’rey looked back at Yva. “I think that’s all of them?” And he grinned again, reaching to take his cousin’s hand and tug her along, into the shaded Weyr he was somehow lucky enough to get to himself. He made for the bronze lounging at the wall, the long bone of some unfortunate herdbeast lying tucked under one paw and resting over the other. Both of Codrath’s paws flexed as the two neared, possessively clinging to his trophy, though his gaze was fixed squarely on Yvinka. “Yva, this is my bronze, Codrath. Cody, this is my cousin, Yva. A friend.”

He stressed the word, trying to instill some sense of ‘be nice, you lump’ in the introduction, not entirely sure how well it would go. To his credit, Codrath didn’t growl, but the steady glower wasn’t any more welcoming than the red that whirled in his eyes. Or the question that came, his voice sounding in both of their minds. When is she leaving?

“When she’s ready to,” L’rey answered, offering a roll of his eyes to Yva. “Codrath’s great, but not always the best company. He gets jealous.”

You are Mine. If she doesn’t know that, she should. Now Codrath moved, dipping his giant head toward his rider, who set both hands on his nose with a sigh.

“She came to visit, that’s all.” And he flashed Yva an apologetic glance, a smaller, more embarrassed smile on his face now.

[Zen]

Yvinka

“Shells,” she breathed as he answered all her questions in quick succession, more caught up on the fact that her cousin had aged nearly two turns since she last saw him only a handful of months ago than anything else, “You’re not too far behind me now. You’re going to have to tell me all about the adventure of traveling back in time. But first! Yes! I am dying to meet your dragon!”

She nearly bounced after him when he took her hand to lead her inside, to where his bronze waited. Yvinka let out a squeak of excitement at the sight of him as her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light inside the weyr and L’rey introduced them. Before she could offer her own greeting to the beast, however, he spoke first, already eager for her to leave apparently. The interaction between them that follow had Yva giggling softly, and she teased, “He’s like a jealous lover. Don’t worry Codrath, I’m not here to try to steal your rider away from you.”

She gave the bronze a good look, now that her eyes were better adjusted, “You’re quite a handsome fellow, aren’t you? I bet all the lady dragons just can’t get enough of you. Perhaps it’s my cousin who should be jealous.” She winked playfully at the bronze, not even sure if he would notice or not, but he really was a pretty striking creature. She didn’t miss the bone at his paws and wondered if it was normal for dragons to chew on the bones of their prey like giant canines. She had a lot to learn about dragons, she only had a very basic knowledge of them. They were more the subject of romantic stories and ballads than anything at this point, though she was sure that living in the Weyr would soon shed plenty of light on their realities.

Her gaze shifted back to L’rey, “I only just arrived at Mavros a short time ago, we were trading in Tidewalk when I was Searched.” She put a finger to her lips briefly, “Don’t tell anyone I’m here. I kindaaaaaa maybe ran away.” She giggled again, “Father would have never let me come otherwise. He was already setting me up for some marriage I never asked for. Honestly. My mother knows I was Searched and she’s the only one that needs to know. But anyway! What about you? I still need to hear about you going back in time and all about your Impression. What was it all like? Is Impression like the stories say?”

Taxx

[Taxx]

Of course he was going to tell her everything; he was all too happy to gush to anyone who would listen about the most amazing moment of his life thus far. He was equally happy to show of Codrath- if a little worried too- but the dragon was at least somewhat cordial. Anything shy of chasing her off immediately with growls and bared fangs could be counted as a win, and Yva herself helped her cause by appealing to the bronze’s vanity. His head tilted, one large eye regarding the girl curiously, and his mental voice was just a touch warmer when he replied. I am.

“So modest,” L’rey teased, wrapping his arms around the bronze’s snout as much as he could and squeezing. “Should I be jealous?” he added, shifting to peer back into an eye that whirled abruptly a neutral blue, a puff of air billowing his shirt back.

Did I not make my choice clear? Codrath asked, a rhetorical question if there ever was one, and L’rey straightened.

“You did,” the weyrling answered, regardless of whether or not an answer was necessary, and patted the wide space between Codrath’s nostrils before the bronze pulled his head away again. “Your secret’s safe with me,” L’rey added as he glanced back toward Yva and brought his fist to his chest with a grin. “Bronzerider’s honor.” He only hoped her father didn’t manage to find out where she was before she managed to Impress- not that he expected Yva to go quietly even if he did, and he was certain that the Weyr would back her decision.

He stepped away and beckoned to his cousin, gesturing to the weyr. “Sit where you want and I’ll tell you. I’ve got klah if you want it; might be a bit cold but it should still be good. Or water if you prefer?” He hefted a jug of each and set them on a table before carrying over two mugs, one for each of them. He took water for himself, taking a short sip before continuing.

“It’s honestly better than the stories. They help in that you know sort of what to expect, but there’s nothing like experiencing it for yourself. Especially growing up in a Hold; in a Weyr you can sit and watch as you age and get an idea of what to expect before you ever set foot on the Sands. All I knew was what D’rew told me, and it was kind of overwhelming.

“I remember it was early, close to dawn, when the golds called us to attend. I wasn’t on the Sands very long though- I think Codrath was one of the first few to Impress. I-uh- couldn’t see very well.” He remembered that point specifically, trying to push through the taller bodies to stand at the front and failing when those in front refused to move enough for him to squeeze through.

“I didn’t actually see Codrath until he knocked over the Candidate in front of me and then…” he trailed off a moment, recalling the moment he came face-to-face with his life partner, the green-hued face of the chunky, egg-wet and still slightly clumsy bronze standing bold as brass in front of him, his eyes whirling the tell-tale rainbow, evidence of his choice without a word said. He shook his head, turning to Yva again. “It’s not possible to put it into words that would describe it well enough. I really hope you get to find out for yourself some day. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

[Zen]

Yvinka

She giggled softly as the bronze seemed to appreciate her words, and was glad as well when L’rey promised not to tell their family where she was. She wasn’t even certain her father would waste any time coming after her. She was just a girl, after all, and he’d never made his favoritism for her brother any secret. The only reason she was worth anything to him was for her potential marriage prospects. But that was fine. She didn’t need to be worth anything to him. She didn’t need him at all, especially not now that a dragon had seen potential in her. What did her father’s opinion matter in comparison to a dragon’s?

Following L’rey into his weyr to sit down, she poured herself some water as well, as soon as he was done with the jug himself, and took a sip as she looked back at Codrath while he began to explain his Impression experience. It seemed it was as amazing as the stories would have the general population of Pern believe, maybe more so. Her gaze flicked back to her cousin as she considered her own chances at Impression. She would like to have such an experience, sure, but she still wasn’t completely sold on being a rider. She wouldn’t say no to it, obviously, or she wouldn’t be here as a candidate. She could very well have accepted Search and run off to the harbor cavern to find work there as soon as she’d been dropped off and left to her own devices.

Yvinka leaned forward slightly, “What’s being a weyrling like? And having a dragon? Like you said, growing up… not in a Weyr you hear so many stories, but I’ve never really had a chance to talk to a rider about it all before. I mean, I suppose I could ask S’bol but I’d rather talk to you.” She giggled again and took a drink of her water, “What sorts of things are you learning? Is it fun? Or at least interesting?”

Taxx

[Taxx]

With a slight shake of his head, L'rey pulled himself from his reverie of the moment he'd met and Impressed, focusing on his cousin as she spoke again. "It's something," he replied. "It's getting used to a presence in your mind, getting used to a dragon that has their own personality that works with you in some ways and challenges you in others. And you'll probably never have a private moment again because it doesn't matter where you go, they can speak to you and see though you and it's kinda weird but it's great too."

He knew what she meant, not growing up in a weyr where being around dragons was something a 'brat got used to, especially if their parents were riders and their dragons didn't mind the riders' spawn running around. Growing up in a Hold was far more about hearing stories than experiencing them yourself, and Candidacy really was a crash-course, depending on how long they had before a clutch; for him, not long at all. Yva would have more luck getting used to dragons and learning what was expected of her before being she would hopefully be lucky enough to achieve a bond.

"You learn a lot in the beginning, about dragon care and about the dragon that picks you. It's definitely interesting, and it's great, but maybe not always because you never know what you get until you've got it. Like with Cody, there," he added, and jabbed a finger at the bone trophies piled carefully near the bronze's place; his claws curled possessively around the heavy leg bone he was holding on to and the faintest rumble of a growl came at their attention to his treasures. "I could do without that, for sure, but he keeps bringing them in because he likes them."
Zen