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Post by moonchilde on Oct 25, 2012 3:42:17 GMT -5
Aleiph's discomfort is apparent, so when she changes the topic, Zayin doesn't fight it. Instead, she takes some of the linens, since she did offer to help. "I used to help with the wherries and herdbeasts, before I became a candidate," she comments idly. "They're such a handful- run you ragged." Her tone's pretty neutral, though. She didn't particularly like those chores, but they kept her busy, that was what mattered. "I preferred working in the kitchens. Taste testing duties are considerably more fun than shoveling manure."
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 25, 2012 4:20:32 GMT -5
"To each her own, I guess," says Aleiph. "I can't stand sitting still. Or being cooped up. I hate walls. I just want to run. Or fly." She sighs. "I wish I had wings. Then I wouldn't need a dragon to fly me everywhere."
She pauses. "I wonder how it feels to really fly, actually. Like, if we were birds or dragons or fire-lizards."
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 25, 2012 17:50:49 GMT -5
The idea of flying without a dragon- she'd never put much thought into it. All her dreams of flying had been on dragon back. "That'd be so strange," she commented. "I mean, I've always dreamed of flying, but on a dragon of my own. I don't know that I'd prefer to fly without one." Part of the appeal of a dragon was companionship. And the ability to fight thread, for that matter. "Unless I can chew Firestone, too, it wouldn't do me much good. What good is flying if you can't fight thread?"
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 25, 2012 18:15:09 GMT -5
"It's freedom," Aleiph says plainly. "It's... It's just pure freedom. Like running. There's no real reason to run other than it makes you feel good. There's not much room to run here, though. And maybe flying isn't the same, I just-- I think a lot of silly things, sorry." She'll try to keep them to herself. She's learned to keep her tongue in check at her Hold. She can do it at the Weyr too.
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 25, 2012 21:05:29 GMT -5
"No, don't apologize," and maybe Zayin's not quite as prone to flights of fantasy, but she enjoys hearing about them. There's this queer uniqueness, this odd streak of unusual passion to Aleiph, and she likes it.
She doesn't really know anyone else as inventive. Say what you will about the strict rules at holds, but weyr life is so fraught with dangers and tragedy- the many injuries and deaths from thread, maulings at hatchings, and so on- that it often tamps down any idealism very early on. Weyrbrats might dream of riding, but there's more to it than clear skies and companionship. It's like flying close to the sun, you do as much as you dare, and you burn brilliantly, but the odds are you'll eventually cut it too close and burn out. Or, more likely, fade out, as thread devours you alive.
"You have so much imagination- I like it." And her gaze softens. Putting aside a pile of now-clean linens, she hides a grin. She reaches for the next set, but instead of picking them up, she uses the opportunity to flick a little water at Aleiph. She's not aiming to soak her- once in a day is enough- but she can't resist the small prank.
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 25, 2012 21:35:57 GMT -5
Someone appreciates her imagination? Even at the Hold, she's always been told that she's silly and should stop with her dreaming, because not even Harpers are stuck in day-dreams as often as Aleiph is. And she knows that from experience, because her mother tried to push her towards a "respectable craft" and Aleiph ended up hating every second of working with the Hold's Journeyman Harper.
But then the water hits her in the face and Aleiph squeaks. "Hey!" She puffs out her cheeks and tries not to laugh. "Jerk," she says, her tone teasing. "I guess I won't tell you more of my silly stories." And she returns to washing, pretending to be indignant.
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 25, 2012 21:45:55 GMT -5
"Oh, come on," Zayin says with a laugh, "I like your stories. It'll make the time go faster, anyway." Now she actually does pick up the next of the wash, setting to work on cleaning it. "I'd make up one of my own, but it wouldn't be as good."
Most of her stories.. Well, she's got a few stories of amusing antics with her fellow crechebrats, but too many of her stories revolve around thread. Thread and maulings and death.
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 25, 2012 22:09:51 GMT -5
"...Well..."
She pauses. "Once upon a time, one of Faranth's daughters, Nypherith, laid a queen egg made of solid gold. It was so bright and reflective that Nypherith would neglect the rest of her eggs just to stare at her reflection in the egg. But Faranth didn't like this, because all dragons are dear to her even if she does not lay them herself, and when she saw that the eggs in Nypherith's clutch were being neglected because of Nypherith's arrogance, she flew down and cast a curse upon Nypherith. All the color from her hide drained and her egg turned pitch black, and Nypherith was no longer a golden Queen but a Silver, and the egg that hatched was an Onyx, a queen who would never see herself as a color but instead see only the shape of those around her, so that Nypherith's daughter would never grow up to be vain."
She puts aside a clean sheet. "...I made that up one day. The Harper didn't like it. He said it might offend Silver riders, but really not all Silvers are bad, right?"
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 25, 2012 23:57:58 GMT -5
She sets the sheet aside, her fingers already wrinkled from the water. Laundry's not her favorite chore, truth be told, but she doesn't want Aleiph to be stuck doing it alone. The story helps, it gives her something to listen to as she works.
"Silvers aren't bad, but it's still a good story," she says with a shrug. "No harm in stories. It's certainly no worse than the ones you'll hear around the weyr."
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Oct 26, 2012 0:35:57 GMT -5
"Yeah. I just figured it was a way of... complimenting the Queens? Saying that it's how they... Well, how they stopped being arrogant and became functioning members of the Weyr. Because losing her color made Nypherith realize that arrogance was what made one ugly, not the color of her coat, and she became happy and good after that. Maybe I should add that." Aleiph is glad, though, that someone likes her stories. Maybe she can start using Zayin for a second pair of ears.
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Post by moonchilde on Oct 29, 2012 16:36:48 GMT -5
"Mhm," Zayin nods, agreeing. "It'd be a more optimistic ending. It's rather frowned on, criticizing dragons. They say there's no such thing as a bad dragon, after all. Just bad riders." She herself can't imagine the concept of a bad dragon. Sure, some are finicky or perhaps a little prideful, but certainly not the way humans are. Though perhaps being unable to communicate with dragons makes it easier to see them that way.
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Post by ASTROLOGICAL!! on Nov 18, 2012 2:55:05 GMT -5
Aleiph goes pale for a moment. "There aren't any bad riders in the Weyr, aren't there? Are they scary, Zayin? D-do they hurt people?!" She shivers. "I've been told the Weyrleader from Wolf Howl is a big, scary man, as tall as a green is at the shoulder!"
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Post by moonchilde on Nov 18, 2012 19:03:34 GMT -5
Though she's hesitant to give Aleiph a bad impression, it won't do any good if the girl finds out for herself. There are a few she'd be better off avoiding, and Zayin feels she owes her a warning. She hesitates for a moment, biting her lip as she sorts through names in her head.
"There's N'rel- he's not a bad one, but he's rather obnoxious. Constantly flirting, and a lot of his searches are made on.. criteria other than suitability for dragons. Ah, K'ron has a bit of a temper, but he's not a bad man on the whole. There's Elyria, who you'll want to avoid in the mornings until she's had her first cup of klah, and her Erisketh likes to startle people. And R'lar. I think that's about all, though. None of them will hurt you, they're just... rude."
So far as she knows, anyway.
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