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Post by moonchilde on Oct 24, 2012 20:04:30 GMT -5
She's never understood holdbred morals and ideals, but distress is universal. With a sympathetic half-smile, Zayin stops fiddling with the linens, and puts a hand on Aleiph's shoulder. "Once you impress, they'll be just a quick Between trip away," she says soothingly. She can understand the concept of missing people, after all. One of her closest friends left to become a crafter, and though Zayin knew the day was likely to come, it didn't make it hurt any less. "No one ever regrets impressing. I'm sure having a dragon will be... everything they say."
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 24, 2012 20:08:42 GMT -5
The hand isn't enough, but Aleiph is hesitant about hugging the other girl, even if they've known each other for a while now. "...I hope so," she says softly, rearranging the linens. "Do you think the Weyr would mind if I slept there sometimes? We used to sleep with canines when it was cold. Dead fur just isn't the same..."
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 24, 2012 20:12:25 GMT -5
"I... don't think they'd mind, between hatchings." This close to one, candidates are watched pretty carefully. She doesn't really know if the weyrlingmaster would care where Aleiph slept, but the other candidates would be likely to tease her, and that was a mess best avoided. "It won't be much longer now. A month at the most, maybe less." Such a short period of time, but so aggravating. Every hatching has left Zayin more and more eager to find her dragon, to finally have something to do with her life. "Maybe you could ask to visit for a day in between? If you make friends with a rider, it'd be easy enough for them to take you there and back on their dragon."
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 24, 2012 20:15:45 GMT -5
Making friends with riders. Aleiph has tried, but every time she misinterprets their friendliness and backs out nervously, preferring the company of the women in the lower caverns or other candidates. "I don't know if I could do that. I'm always so scared of the riders," she admits after a moment. "They're different from other people. Men apart, you know? I just-- I just don't think they'll like me. And my brother's friends... He knows a lot of bronze riders, and they're-- I don't know what to think of them." There's just something about men with power that makes her nervous. "I'll just wait for my brother to not be busy, though I think he's avoiding me as of late..."
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 24, 2012 20:21:25 GMT -5
Nervous? Of riders? Of the good, honest dragonmen (and women, for that matter) who keep them all from dying a horrible threadscored death? The idea doesn't compute. Zayin takes it entirely the wrong way, however. "Is it... I mean, in Holds, the rules are stricter, aren't they? Riders don't really go around sleeping with every woman they see, that's just idle blather. I mean, I won't argue that things are a little more relaxed here...." She's not ashamed of the culture here, nor taking part in it, but she knows by now that the holdbred are sometimes offended by it. "There's no one here that'd force you, if you don't want to. Though you'd be missing out."
Handling a sibling conflict isn't one of her strengths, so Zayin glosses over Aleiph's concerns about her brother. Instead, she offers another solution. "I know a few riders," some of the kids she grew up with have already impressed, "so I could arrange a ride for you, if you'd like."
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 24, 2012 20:30:39 GMT -5
Aleiph turns red around the ears. "Uhm, I don't mean-- well, not really like that. They're just so-- I don't even know how to put it, it's like you're talking to two people instead of one or-- or someone that's somehow greater than you. I-I guess you wouldn't understand, you've been around them all your life." Not that she appreciates the sexual parts of the Weyr. "...I don't... really... take part in any of that, though. I figure maybe if my dragon does it, I will, but... Well... uhm..."
She's a bit quick to pull off the dirty linens now. "That'd be nice. And maybe-- maybe you could introduce me first?"
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 24, 2012 20:50:08 GMT -5
“Well, you are talking to two,” and she says it with a bit of a laugh. “I can’t imagine what it’d be like to always have someone in your head. I’d imagine it’d get distracting after a while, but they never seem to complain.” She shrugs.
Talking about flights with the holdbred is a topic she’s long-since learned to navigate. And the first rule? Don’t bring it up. Let them. So she lets the topic drop. Instead, she leaps to the topic that Aleiph will likely be more comfortable with- visiting. “I can see if my brother’s around, actually. I’m sure he’d be glad to take you wherever you need to go.” Family bonds might not be strong, but M’ron loves running errands, loves the excuse to leave the weyr and see new places.
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 24, 2012 20:55:22 GMT -5
The offer is friendly, and an orange rider seems a little less intimidating than a bronze rider. "That'd be nice of you... Thanks so much." She smiles, still a little embarrassed.
"...Maybe I can show you the new tricks I'm working on with Bowser. He likes to show off." Ceria pokes her nose out of Aleiph's tunic and peeps. "...You too, Ceria."
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 24, 2012 21:08:33 GMT -5
"No problem," and really, it isn't. "Sure, I'd love to see." She doesn't have any other plans for her afternoon, after all. And then she spots the little green fire lizard, and grins. She reaches out with her mind, and as luck would have it, Kujoi's around. The little firelizard pops in, cheeping a greeting to Ceria before settling on Zayin's arm. The one without a pad for her on the shoulder, of course. Zayin grits her teeth at the feeling of claws as Kujoi settles. That lizard is going to be the death of her, or at least leave some interesting scars. "Do you have any experience training fire lizards?" she asks jokingly.
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 24, 2012 21:17:15 GMT -5
Flits are just like animals, Aleiph has discovered. That's how she's trained Ceria to carry notes and do little tricks in the air and also to sing with her, though Aleiph's not very good at singing. "Oh, yeah, I do. I taught Ceria all sorts of thing." She wants to pet the little green, but decides it might be a bad idea. "I could teach your flit some things, like maybe how not to dig into your arm?"
It's a pleasant change of conversation, because she'd rather discuss her talents.
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 24, 2012 21:28:38 GMT -5
“That’d be great,” and so they segue on to a new topic, because Zayin’s not going to push the issue, especially when she’s being offered something useful. “I go too easy on the little bugger.” She shifts the lizard further down her arm, more carefully this time to avoid getting clawed, and runs a hand down her back. Kujoi trills softy. “Some people trim their claws, but I’ve never liked the idea. I’d just like her to learn to be a little more careful.”
She peeks at the little scratches. They’re sore, but not bleeding.
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 24, 2012 21:32:45 GMT -5
"You have to be firm with flitters," says Aleiph. "They aren't humans. They respect a leader who's in control and confident at all times. They're intelligent, and they can tell the difference between cruelty and proper handling, as well as a pushover, a harsh master, or a master to be respected. Flits are a lot like dogs, really."
Good thing the scratches aren't bleeding, or Aleiph would be a bit worried. "Once we're done with this, we can go out and I can show you how to properly hold her."
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 24, 2012 21:41:43 GMT -5
Firm and confident. It’s ironic, because Zayin has those in spades when it comes to handling other people, but she’s never been able to muster that with Kujoi. Perhaps it’s because the lizard is so little. She’s always been afraid of accidentally injuring her, should she try to pry those claws loose from her arm, or prevent them from sinking in to start with. She errs on the side of caution, but that’s not doing her own comfort any good.
“That’d be great.” And now she has a task. They need to finish it quickly, because what they’re doing now isn’t efficient. “Why don’t you strip all the beds, and I’ll follow along behind and remake them?”
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 24, 2012 21:50:11 GMT -5
"All right." It's a lot easier to unmake beds than to make them. She picks up the dirty laundry basket and begins to pull linens off beds, then toss them into the basket. "You'll help me wash these, right? Though I can do them myself if you have something else to do..."
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 24, 2012 22:01:32 GMT -5
Well, she’s got no other plans, and she likes to keep busy. “Sure,” she says indulgently. Already, she’s begun her work on the next bed, tucking in neat corners, making sure everything’s aligned. The work is quick enough, and relatively light. She’s carried water for the kitchens before, moved massive pots of soup, helped herd herdbeasts. By comparison, light chores are like a day off.
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