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Lysseth's Eighth Flight


Date:  March 13, 1998
Places:  Telgar Weyr's Southern Bowl, Living Cavern, Feeding Grounds,
Upper Skyspace, and Guest Weyr
Game:  PernMUSH
Copyright Info:  The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey 
l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

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Kassi's Note:  Never, ever schedule a flight for Friday the 13th.  Yes,
it's a nice, apocalyptic date--but I learned the hard way that computers
have a way of trying to bring about an apocalypse of their own.  Besides
the attack of the twisted little 'Net gods, this was a good flight...
and a rather heavily themed one, as you'll no doubt notice. ;)  What 
happens when Shakespeare and proddiness come to Pern in tandem?  Do
you really want to know?  If so... read on!  Things prefixed by Lysseth>
take place first in the Southern Bowl, and then in the Feeding Grounds
and Skyspace respectively.

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The Log:

You slide off of Lysseth's neck to land beside her easily. She rumbles, 
cocking her head down at you, and you rub her eyeridges gratefully.

Dulath warbles softly to Lysseth and her rider as his eyeridges are 
expertly scritched by Mehlani.

Mehlani peers around Dulath's brown head, as Lysseth and Kassima make 
their landing.

Lysseth doesn't even bother with a snort of greeting upon settling down in 
the Bowl; rather, she rumbles with unmistakable warning to the younger 
green. That is *your* space; this is *my* space. Any questions? Kassi, in 
about as fine a mood as ever, has even less time for greeting. She gives a 
sharp bob of her head that might be construed as a nod to Mehlani before 
whirling to stride LC-wards.

You walk past the lintel and into the wide living cavern.

Cail managed to get a large piece to himself so is busy enough as they 
wait to have em cut up.

Caitria tsks quietly at Caidan, then chuckles at Ramey. "Mmm. Thanks. Ah, 
Maylia, Kassi. Just in time for the pie. Good timing, that. Ramey's pies 
are the best."

Jayna walks here from the Inner Cavern.

Maylia looks up at the child's voice, and the greeting, and bobs her head. 
Usually one to be friendly with littles, she raises an eyebrow. "Well, 
then." is her reply, in tones implying 'good for you' as sarcastically as 
possible. Full mug of klah in hand, she drops into a seat by the heat of a 
hearth.

C'vadan glances at Maylia and sighs. He knows she's been proddy. However, 
when Kassima enters, it is as if someone had dropped a log on him. Well, 
she had, long ago. He tries to figure a way to get his parents to safety.

Telgar Weyr> Caitria laughs at Cav! :)

Jayna smiles at everyone and wanders toward the klah pot, shivering 
despite her heavy shirt.

Telgar Weyr> Cail titters

Lysseth> Tierth rustles her wings, growling back. Fine mood she's in 
today. -She- was here first. Nobody's going to boss her around. Even if 
Lysseth didn't, really.

Cail waves brightly at those entering and finishes off his bit of crust.

Fair is foul and foul is fair, but which Kassi may be is hard to tell; 
storming into the cavern, she shows every sign of being in a mood more 
fowl--err, foul--than a chicken plucked and boiled while still alive. "Is 
it made out of raw dead animals?" she inquires archly of Tria.

Ramey tsktsks at Caitria. "Mother. Just call me mother. Ramey is just 
so...formal." Imitating her grandchildren, the woman sneaks a bit of crust 
for herself, quickly popping it into her mouth.

Caitria actually gets a good look at Kassi, and blanches just a bit. "Uh, 
no. Apples, maybe. They're quite dead, though." She nods at Ramey, after 
another darting look at Kassi. "Mother. Of course." She peers at Cav, as 
if to assure herself that Kassi can't wrestle away the pie-cutting knife.

Oridan can tell who this new woman rider is by just looking at her. "Is 
this that Kassima you've mentioned to me, son?" he asks Cav as an aside. 
"She doesn't look all that harmful to me."

Jayna pours herself a blessedly hot mug of klah and sinks to a table near 
the hearth. "Are those pies?" she asks, eyeing them.

Cail is blissfully unaware of all the aduly tension, and just keeps his 
place near those lovely pies. Eyes all nice and wide, in his pleading 
'give me a big slice' canine look.

Caitria winces, and gathers Caidan a little closer to her, herding the 
little towards Cail so she can keep an eye on both children.

C'vadan can only nod at first. "You have no idea," he replies back to his 
father. Well, a good offense is a good defense, so he approaches Kassima. 
"Would you like some pie my mother brought, Kassi? Or you, Maylia?"

Caitria murmurs to Cav, "Maybe offer some to Jayna, too? We at least know 
that she's not likely to take your fingers off if she doesn't like the 
taste?"

Kassima drums her fingers lightly against the hilt of her own very long, 
sharp knife, and just snorts. "Nay good, then. I still say apples aren't 
*quite* dead. And they aren't bleeding, so what's the bloody point?" 
Scowling, she makes her way over to where the *real* food awaits, the 
ends of her black cloak-thing fluttering. "I am the youngest of the name," 
she drawls to Oridan, "for fault of a worse. Duties and stuff. Only if'n 
'tis packed full of meat and alcohol, Cav; spike it thusly, and I'd 
consider."

Jayna laughs, and blushes. "Well, probably not, anyway, sir," she says to 
C'vadan.

Not familiar with weyrlife, Ramey doesn't understand a bit of what's going 
on but Kassima's constant referent to blood makes her want to protect her 
grandchildren nonetheless. "Who wants to sit on Gramma's lap," she calls 
out as she settles herself in a chair on the opposite side of the table 
from Kassima.

C'vadan nods. "Of course, Cait. Jayna, you are welcome to some, too."

Cail sticks up his hand. "Me Gramma...can I?"

Caidan darts away from Tria. "I do, Gramma! Memememe!"

Jayna grins. "Well, truth be told, I've never met a pie I wasn't willing 
to taste." She wraps her chilled fingers around her klah mug and watches 
the children, smiling.

Ramey pats her lap which has grown wider over the passing turns. But 
that's what happens when you bake pies for a living. "You both can. 
There's plenty of room."

Maylia has decided that she's not proddy. Others might not agree with her, 
though. Her eyes dart to the woman who's obviously Cav's mother, almost 
suspiciously. She nods, slowly, managing a smile. "I'd love some, thanks." 
Her voice isn't overly bright, nor as cheerful as one might expect of 
someone being offered pie.

Oridan offers his hand to Kassima in the traditional Pernese manner. 
"Pardon, good Kassima, my son's business was great; and in such a case as 
his a man may strain courtesy. Well met."

Caidan climbs gleefully into her gramma's lap, doing everything in her 
power to beat Cail to the favored spot.

Cail clambers up on his granmother's lap quickly, pushing his sister about 
so he has the most room.

C'vadan hopes his father can keep Kassima distracted while he passes out 
the pie. "Here you go, Maylia."

Caitria shakes her head at Cail and Caidan. "Calm down, kids." She peers 
at the pie, and starts to help with the slicing and passing. Sugar. That's 
exactly what the children need now.

Although she winces a little as she pummelled, Ramey doesn't say a word to 
her grandchildren and her beaming smile remains permanently on her face. 
"What have you two been doing lately?" she asks with interest as she curls 
her arms around them.

Caidan immediately starts to tell her grandmother, chattering a list of 
such niceties as ice-skating and swimming in Boll with Unca Nayth. "And 
Harper lessons, too, Gramma!"

Kassima serves herself a heaping helping of her usual: wine-soaked meat, 
still leaking suspicious red fluids, and Black Ruin klah with a liberal 
dose of some sort of blue liquor that hisses and froths rather like Kassi 
herself. She seats both herself and these lovely goodies at her usual 
seat, eyeing the extended hand with some suspicion before placing her own 
over it. "That's as much as t'say, such a case as his constrains a man 
t'bow in the hams. As you would have it, well met. I believe we've met 
a'fore, some time agone. Want some dead wherry? 'Tis fresh."

Cail gushes out his favourite things, which means swimming with Dulath 
came first. He winces. "I have to practice my writing lots." He sticks 
right on the end.

Jayna glances at Kassima's snack surreptitiously, and quietly shudders. 

Maybe pie isn't looking so good anymore.

Erdrick walks here from the Inner Cavern.

Caitria pointedly doesn't look at Kassi's snack. There aren't any wherry 
heads bouncing around the living cavern, though, so she's reasonably 
content. She takes a few pieces of pie, and dares a seat near Ramey's, 
though perhaps that's just to keep the children within arm's reach.

Oridan replies, "A beast by any other roast would still taste as fresh." 
He looks back to his son as he busily passes out pie, and then to his 
wife, who dawdles with the children. "I think my place is with my daughter 
in law. Excuse me."

Erdrick walks in with four freshly oiled firelizards, "Afternoon all." 
Grins about.

Maylia manages a smile in return for the pie, her foul mood beginning to 
diminish, so long as she doesn't look in Kassi's direction. Nothing to do 
with her choice of edibles, though.

Jayna smiles at Erdrick and raises her klah in a toast, before wrapping 
her cold fingers around the mug again.

Erdrick grins back at Jayna as he walks over to the klah pot and fills up 
his mug.

Erdrick settles down in his usual chair, taking a sip of his klah.

Kassima inclines her head and drawls, "You are the very pink of courtesy. 
By all means." The bowl of sliced-and-diced critter does seem to have 
assauged her usual bad mood to an extent, and the spiked demon-brew 
probably helps. "So. C'vadan. I take it you've nay brought any 'special 
brews' from the 'Reaches." Something about her inflection promises dire 
fates for the man if the answer is other than what she wants to hear.

"Your grandfather and I were talking just the other day about having you 
both come for a visit in the spring," Ramey remarks as the children's 
lists of things done trail off. "Your father can help you with that, 
Cail...Oooh, pie." She smiles gratefully at Tria as her daughter-in-law 
takes a seat next to her, adding with concern, "Cav does help out, doesn't 
he? If you need me to I can have another /talk/ with him." Of course the 
conversations between mother and son usually involve a little tugging on 
Cav's ears.

From one of Erdrick's pockets, Talina peeks curiously about at all the 
people here.

C'vadan's hand goes to his ear. "Special brews, Kassi?" he asks, confused.

Caitria decides not to ask just what Ramey means by 'help', instead 
nodding as she gives Caidan one of the pieces of pie, thus preventing the 
child's kamikaze leap between laps. "Of course he helps, Mother. All he 
can."

Cail smiles at Gramma. "Mama and papa help...lots, but I still hate it!"

Caidan enthusiastically tears into the pie, getting bits of the fruit on 
her face and her clothing and, most likely on Gramma's clothing as well.
Erdrick leans back in his chair, grinning at Jayna, "How're ye this after 
noon?"

Jayna shivers, exaggeratedly. She grins. "Well, cold, truth be told. I was 
sorting some things down in one of the store rooms. No hearth there!" At 
the thought she takes another sip of klah. "What have you been up to, 
Erdrick?"

Kassima rolls her eyes up towards the sky in a plea for patience. "O 
single-soled soul, solely singular for the singleness!" she mutters under 
her breath, before resettling her cold and rather bloodshot green gaze on 
the brownrider. "Water," is her succinct reminder.

Oridan asks, "Hate what, Cail lad?"

Erdrick shrugs, "Mostly been oiling my flits here."

Cail turns to his grandfather, speaking with is mouth full of pie. 
"Writing...its icky!"

Jayna nods at Erdrick. "When'd /they/ happen?" she asks, smiling. "They're 
beautiful."

C'vadan sighs. "How nice the quarrel was, and urged withal your high 
displeasure; all this with gentle breath, calm look. There is no water."

Caitria decides that now is not the time to mention to Kassi that she's 
still got that 'skin of Benden Water in the press in her weyr. Cav, 
however, is given a puzzled look. "Dear Faranth, it's contagious."

Ramey,laughing with delight, picks up a bit of an apple slice that fell 
onto her blouse when Caidan demolished her piece of pie and pops it into 
her mouth. "Mmm. Perfect." Patting both children's shoulders as she slides 
her chair back a little she says, "And you know what goes best with pie? 
Milk. Gramma's going to get you some."

Oridan seems shocked. Could any blood relation of his utter such words. 
"Lad, when you are old enough, you will appreciate being able to write and 
read. It is what your father does. And his father. And my father." Legacy 
of literacy.

Erdrick grins at Jayna, "Which one do you mean? They're all from different 
clutches, Buttons, Darin, Karin and little Talina."

Caidan obligingly scrambles down from Gramma's lap. "-I- like to write," 
she tells Oridan. Never mind that she -can't- write, as of yet.

C'vadan hmmms. "What's contagious, Cait?"

Jayna ohs, and chuckles. "I had no idea! I thought at least a few of them 
were...uh...related. Who's the newest, Erdrick? Talina, eh?"

Cail bites on his lip, feeling a little ashamed perhaps. "Wel, its..er..
boring Grampa."

Cail nudges his sister for being so keen.

Caitria shakes her head a bit to Cav, a slanted glance at Kassi perhaps 
explaining her hesitance to speak. "Never mind."

Kassima snaps sarcastically, "You desire me to stop in my tale against the 
hair? 'Tis your nature t'be a trickster, brownrider, as I've learned t'my 
sorrow. Say that I am wary of the Water I can *nay* see, and you have most 
kindly hit it."

Erdrick nods, "Talina is the newest, Buttons was first then Darin then 
Karin and finally Talina."

Lysseth> Tierth eventually lets off glaring at the older green, and turns 
her attention elsewhere, head held coyly, chrrrrring sweetly. Such an 
abrupt change!

Ramey scoots her own piece of pie back from the edge of the table to 
protect it from small hands as she rises out of her chair and heads off to 
the kitchen.

"There's a good girl," says a very proud grandfather. He hands the girl a 
1/4 mark. "Cail, next summer you should come spend with us. See what your 
grandfather does. It is far from boring." Nevermind he often falls asleep 
at his desk.

Ramey walks off towards the kitchen.

Lysseth> Mehlani shifts where she stands by Dulath, giving him the 
skitching of his life, and warily eyes the pair of proddy greens.

Caitria starts to protest to Ramey that she can get the milk for the 
children, but, lo she's gone before Tria can do so.

Oridan says "Excuse me, I think I shall assist Ramey."

From the kitchen, Ramey bustles into the kitchen, asking about milk, but 
is soon lost in a conversation with another cook about the merits of 
putting a bit of mashed zucchini in the pie's crust.

Oridan walks off towards the kitchen.

Lysseth> Lysseth eyes her great-aunt with utmost scorn, eyes glowing a 
baleful and bloody shade of crimson. Leave the sweetness and frivolous 
flirting to others; *she*, at least, has more sense.

Caidan rather smugly pockets the quartermark, and sticks her tongue out at 
Cail. Nyahnyah.

Cail wrinkles his nose up at little sis.

Jayna drains her klah and gives a last smile to Erdrick. "Well, I've 
warmed myself a bit. I'm off to finish up in the storeroom. I'll be back 
later, for dinner." She grins at Talina. "Beautiful girl," she comments.

C'vadan holds his hands out placatingly. "You see before you I have no 
means of such trickery. You wound my very soul by saying such, Kassima." 
He watches his parents disappear into the kitchen. "And have caused much 
discomfort to my parents so they took flight."

Jayna waves and smiles at everyone else in the cavern, still taking care 
to avoid looking at Kassi's snack.

Erdrick nods, "She's quite a charmer." Grins proudly, "See you later 
Jayna."

Lysseth> Dulath is in a dragon's heaven if there was such a thing.

Jayna walks towards the inner cavern.

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Lysseth with << But soft! what light through yonder 
weyr breaks? It is the east, and Lysseth is the sun. >>

Lysseth> 'Lani glances up, watching the snow as it drifts down around her, 
and then peers at Dulath. And then back at the greens. And then back up to 
Dulath, to whom she whispers softly, "Are you going to be alright, if I 
leave you?" It occurs to her to wonder, exactly, why the brown seems 
uninterested in the pair of glowing ladies not far away; surely _she_ 
can't be distracting him much?

Cail pulls on Tria's clothes. "Can I go back up Mama?"

Kassima swallows a portion of her wine-soaked wher-flesh, with a scowl 
that the carnivorous banquet cannot seem to smooth away. "Sure with, 
follow me this jest now till you have worn out your pump--for surely you 
*were* jesting? I knew nay that you'd a soul t'be wounding. You jest at 
scars that never felt a wound. As to your parents... when they return, 
shall I on without apology? Nay, for all that you apparently think this of 
me."

Caitria blinks at Cail. "Back up, kiddo? Where, to the weyr? Sure, if you 
want."

Lysseth> Dulath raises his head so he may resume his vigil.

Cail nods to Tria, looking a little tired. "If that is okay?"

C'vadan leans over and hugs Cail and Caidan. "They both look a little 
tired," he comments.

Caitria nods at both Cail's question and Cav's words. "Sure, Cail. Can you 
take your sister with you?"

Lysseth> Dulath senses that Lysseth asks sharply, << What dragon are you, 
who thus bescreened by snow so stumbles upon my council? >> No doubt 
referring to the never-ending litany of self-directed grumbles her mind is 
abroil with. Her thoughts boil like a cauldron of chaos, seething with 
sourceless anger.

Lysseth> Mehlani blinkblinks, pausing, and staring in sudden bemusement up 
at Dulath. Then she smiles shyly to him, her fingertips lingering on the 
side of his head, before she wades back away from him through the snow. 
The lass then pauses, Holl on her shoulder and hunkering down against her 
neck, and surveys her surroundings... the Records Room? That seems to 
daunt her for some reason, and after some thought, she sloffs off through 
the snow towards the northern half of the Bowl.

Lysseth> Mehlani walks north.

Cail grumbles a little about it, but nods. "Sure, I guess."

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Lysseth with << You jest at scars that never felt a 
wound. >>

Cail puts down Caidan.

Cail waves to everyone, especially his parents and then heads out.

Cail walks towards the inner cavern.

Lysseth> Dulath senses that Lysseth snorts. << Your wit, >> she says 
acerbically, << is a very bitter sweeting. It is a most sharp sauce. >>

Caitria smiles after the kids, then starts to survey the massive amount of 
pie. "Faranth. Hope everybody likes this stuff."

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Lysseth with << A brown, Lysseth, that loves to 
hear himself talk, and will speak more in a minute than he will stand to 
in a month. >>

Kassima says around a mouthful of klah, "Soak it in with this meat for 
awhile, and I suppose it might be palatable, if'n 'twere being generous in 
the saying. Why does Ofira never make any raw meat pies?"

Lysseth> Dulath senses that Lysseth inquires archly, black-red-gold 
mindtone flickering with a dry and brittle grey humor, << One Faranth has 
made, himself to mar? >>

Erdrick /Blinks/ at Kassi, muttering, "Raw meat pies?"

C'vadan mutters to Kassima, "... a... shall all repent... mine."

C'vadan returns to his seat next to Caitria. "So... do you think they took 
the news well?"

Maylia licks her finger, and smooshes up the crumbs left from the crust of 
her serving. Obviously, she appreciated it. Finger poised with crumbs 
stuck to the end of it, she arches a 'brow, smiling sweetly. "You'd not 
have any troubles getting your share, Kassi." Of course, one shouldn't put 
it past Maylia at this point to decide suddenly that she has an appetite 
for the stuff, if anything to lessen it's availability to the older 
greenrider.

Telgar Weyr> Maylia gives up trying to get Maylia into proddy-giddyness. 
Gonna stick with proddy-snarkiness...

Kassima's expression turns even darker, if possible. She mutters to 
C'vadan, "... fault concludes but what justice... when... found,..."  When 
the brownrider moves away, she simply smiles sweetly again at Maylia... 
uh-oh. "All the better for me, then, that I can recognize the value of 
what others scorn."

Caitria shrugs just a bit. "Well, they seemed happy. More so when the kid 
is actually here, though--like us."

Telgar Weyr> Maylia ohdears. Now I s'pose Mya's got to follow through 
with that threat...

Telgar Weyr> Kassima cackles at Maylia. It's headology, as Granny 
Weatherwax would say. ;)

Erdrick finishes his klah and walks over to refill his mug.

Telgar Weyr> Cail yays for Pratchett:)

Maylia looks torn between several options. She fixes that saccharine smile 
on her face, clearly contemplating the dish Kassi's been eating from. No 
disgust there in her expression, so something else is halting her 
scheming.

C'vadan seems content to field the verbal abuse Kassima has batted his 
way. Thus far, no weapons have appeared but her rapier wit, dulled by a 
full belly. To Caitria, he says, "Do you think we should have waited until 
we were sure?"

Caitria, after a wary glance to the kitchen, suggests, "Maybe. I'm a 
little wary of what your mother wants to discuss with me."

Erdrick looks around, nods to everyone, and walks towards the exit.

Erdrick walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.

C'vadan quirks his upper lip, curious, too. "Well, it isn't like we don't 
know we can't have children. Maybe she just has some old wives tales of 
wisdom to pass on?"

An idea flashes across Maylia's face, eyebrows twitch, the smile becomes a 
little more real; less forced. "Perhaps you should request a pie, Kassi?" 
She drawls carefully, nodding towards the kitchen. "After all, it's not 
like raw meat is hard to come by, around here."

Caitria says rather dryly, "That's sort of what I'm afraid of, Cav."

C'vadan ahs and considers. "Well... I don't know what to say, Cait."

Kassima eyes Maylia, her own smile all the more eerie for the blood-
tinged, wine-tinged redness of it. "A'course, I'd be willing t'share if'n 
one asked," she informs the other greenrider far-too-brightly. Her eyes 
shift to C'vadan, that greensickness carrion of a brownrider--that 
villain, that has hither come in spite to scorn at her solemnity this 
night. Anger flashes across her own features, and her head-shake to Maylia 
is more terse than, perhaps, she meant it. "Nay, 'tis nay. 'Twill have it, 
I assure you; Ofira knows m'tastes, and strives t'meet them, being a most 
understanding soul."

Erdrick walks in from the bowl.

Pierron sits down and wipes the beads of sweat from his forehead with a 
big red handkerchief.

Erdrick walks over to the hearth, shaking the snow off on it.

Caitria, after a glance at Kassi, gets to her feet. "I think I'm going to 
go check on the animals." To make sure they all have the proper number of 
appendages, no doubt.

Erdrick nods at Tria, "I may come out there later."

Caitria gives Erdrick a slight grin as she gets to her feet. "That'd be 
just fine, thanks."

Maylia casts a glare towards the stable hand, who offers her some relief 
from the tension. "Richenda'll have your head on a platter if she catches 
you doing that." She snaps. Never mind that there's a small puddle melting 
against a wall left by her. Returning her gaze to Kassi, a change washes 
over her features, returning to sweetness to a nauseating extreme. "I'm 
sure she would."

Kassima assures Tria drolly, "You'll find nay trace of interference from 
me with 'em, Weyrherder--so if'n aught's amiss, point the blame at another 
proddy rider. Faranth knows that there are plenty."

Maylia quite completely ignores the implications of Kassi's assurance to 
Caitria. She, after all, isn't proddy. In her opinion, at least.

C'vadan stands. "Shall I accompany you, Cait?"

Sir Guinivere swoops down towards Erdrick.

C'vadan knows proddy when he sees proddy and this is his best means of 
escape.

Erdrick blinks up at Sir.

Caitria shakes her head just a bit. "If you want to, Cav. But you don't 
have to come. I'll be in the fields for a while."

Sir Guinivere creeeeeels madly and flitters down to Erdrick. Slung around 
him is a message holder containing a hide. The blue trills to Erd.

C'vadan nods. "I'll come." Better in the fields with docile bovines than 
in the direct line of fire of *two* proddy greenriders. "The fresh air 
will do me good."

Erdrick takes the hide from the message holder.

Sir Guinivere cocks his head, peering curiously at what his sillyhumanpet 
and her sillyfriend have done /now/.

Erdrick looks at the hide curiously.

Kassima is nearly to the point of fluttering her eyelashes at Maylia, so 
sickeningly sweet is she being. Her voice, however, holds little of true 
concern for the younger woman's welfare. "Indeed. I pity you, having 
t'make do with mere..." she shudders, "*apples*, while I dine upon the 
finest our Weyr has to offer." She raises the bowl of things best left 
unidentified in an ironic sort of toast.

Caitria doesn't bother to hide her chuckling, instead heading towards the 
bowl, and, apparently, thence to the pastures.

Caitria walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.

Two locks of hair, one long and straight and jet black, and rather sizable 
hunk of curly blonde hair tumble out alot with the message.

Erdrick blinks at the locks of hair and starts to read the message, 
looking slightly confused.

C'vadan walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.

Telgar Weyr> C'vadan is heading out, too. Preparing to be sacrificed to 
Kassi's monsterous appetite :)

Telgar Weyr> K'ti says, "Tonight is the thirteenth, isn't it. Hmm..."

Maylia's eyes narrow, and she forces her smile to remain sweet, not a 
toothy grin. "I thought I recognised that bowl," She blinks, slowly, chin 
raising up in the air, just a touch. "Are you sure they didn't confuse 
your raw meat with the scraps scraped from the floor kept for hungry 
firelizards?"

Telgar Weyr> K'nan says, "Fri the 13th, yep."

Sir Guinivere creels cheerfully to Erdrick, entwinining his tail about the 
boy's neck.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima just sharpens her knives meaningfully. ;)

"I should think I know the taste of blood from that of mere leavings," 
Kassima replies with remarkable mildness, though malice flares in the 
depths of her eyes. "Are you so unskilled as t'nay realize the 
difference?"

Erdrick takes a scrap of hide frop his pouch and writes a message on it.

Erdrick holds out the message to Buttons who snatches it up in his claws.

Maylia's judgement is a little off. To put it mildly. And so, she casually 
shrugs. "I wouldn't call myself knowledgable in the field, mentor-mine." 
She stresses the last words, perhaps implying negligence? "But then, so 
heavily soaked in wine, I would guess it would be difficult to discern 
the," pause. "Delicate subtleties in flavours now and then."

Maylia, one might note, is perhaps acting as though she herself is more 
than a little wine-soaked...

Erdrick nods to everyone, "See you all later, I've got to go."

Erdrick walks towards the inner cavern.

Kassima leans forward somewhat on the table, her smile turning more into a 
baring of teeth by the moment. "If'n you would accuse me of negligence, 
m'mentee, consider that I never stirred t'stop you; is it m'fault in the 
teaching, or yours in the lack of learning? Had you more, you'd know that 
to eat it without wine invites worms and disease. The truly skilled palate 
can taste blood behind the taint of the vintage."

Maylia affects shock. "Accuse you of negligence?" She begins, but then 
stops, green eyes locked on Kassi's. "I know well of worms, as well as of 
disease, Kassi. Or have you forgotten where I was searched from?" She 
stops her fingers from drumming on the table, irritation marring the 
sugary-sweet expression. "'Tisn't as though the opportunity is oft 
presented. And you're hardly approachable when it is." She quips, failing 
to appreciate the fact that she's not only not having problems approaching 
the older rider now, but that she herself is likely not the most 
approachable person at the moment.

Archly, Kassima explains in a tone as cool as winter's chill, "I had 
presumed that you'd forgotten, in your words against the wine... since I'm 
certain you'd nay be trying t'convince *me* to risk worms or illness. 
'Twould be... less than advisable at best t'do so." Shifting her weight so 
that she's leaning against one armrest, very nearly *lounging* on the 
table (if Kassi can ever be said to lounge), she favors Maylia with the 
sweetest of smirks. "You don't seem t'be having any problems with that at 
the moment, Maylia."

If Maylia was thinking clearly, she'd be hastily backpedalling, trying to 
get out of this one. Then again, had she been thinking clearly, she'd not 
have gotten to this point in the first place. Chin defiantly in the air, 
with just a touch of a smile to her features, sticky sweet as normal as of 
late, the greenrider agrees, smiling smugly as though she thinks she's 
succeded at something other than getting herself stuck eating raw meat. 
"Quite right you are, my mentor."

Kassima tilts her head, giving Maylia a long look from under veiled eyes; 
it's the sort of look that suggests she's considering whether to just kill 
the other woman now, or see how many interesting ways she can make her 
scream first. "So," she eventually drawls, her lilting brogue rasp-edged 
with use but nevertheless mildly musical, "that only leaves me to wonder 
why you don't take advantage of this opportunity with which you've been 
presented."

As answer, Maylia simply removes her beltknife from it's sheath, and 
reaches across the table. Not, thankfully, appearing in the least bit 
about to aim for Kassi herself, but instead for the bowl infront of her 
mentor. Now holding a peice of unidentifyable meat skewered on the knife, 
she raises an eyebrow. "So, madame connoisseur, educate me."

Kassima's hand immediately steals to her wherry-skewer's hilt at the 
appearance of the smaller, inferior, but still-dangerous other knife; she 
doesn't seem to relax much when the knife seeks only to spear through a 
portion of her meat. "Why, you eat it, a'course," she informs Maylia as 
though speaking helpfully to a very slow, dim-witted child. "Savor it... 
feel the rich tang on your tongue, and the bite of the liquor; drink in 
the life of the creature who wore that before it became your meal." Rather 
like blooding, isn't it? Perhaps that's some of the idea.

K'ti walks in from the bowl.

Maylia blinks innocently, contemplating the meat for a moment before 
shifting her gaze back to Kassi. "Eat it?" She asks, affecting 
astonishment. "Why, the thought would have never occurred to me!" She 
manages to imply, perhaps, that it wouldn't have occurred to any rational 
person. Never mind that shes not overly rational right now. And with that 
said, she delicatly pops the morsel into her mouth, eyes maintaining 
contact with her mentor's.

K'ti sort of walks in beneath an armload of leather strips and straps.

Lysseth> Pleiath lately has been greeting male dragons with more than her 
usual charm. Today, however, she immediately hisses with overt hostility 
at Lysseth and Tierth.

Lysseth> Tierth returns from her coy posturing (and blatant overlooking of 
Lysseth) for just long enough to answer Pleiath in kind.

Lysseth> Jaralth warbles a bit confusedly then sinks into a sandy spot out 
of the way. Snort. Somedays he just can't figure them out.

Lysseth> Emlyn slides down Pleiath's shoulder to her forelimb, then jumps 
to the ground.

The bluerider of a boatload of straps is followed in by a near swarm of 
firelizards. All of them couldn't be hers, by no stretch.

Lysseth> Lysseth's snarl suggests that the larger green is in no mood to 
put up with the tempers of her younger sisters--it's bad enough, after 
all, that she must endure their presence. Eyeing Pleiath and Tierth with 
something akin to scorn, she lets her jaw drop to yawn at them in a way 
that displays her unusually long and wickedly sharp teeth.

Lysseth> Emlyn tells Pleiath wearily, "Why bother with that, Lovely? When 
each of you flies, each of you will find a strong, clever mate." The green 
is unmollified and unfurls her wings. Emlyn didn't expect to alter her 
dragon's mood, so turns toward the Living Cavern. Pleiath takes several 
steps nearer Jaralth, as if to take possession of him.

K'ti calls out merrily, "Volunteers for something unusual?"

Had Maylia's attention not been held on Kassima as she thoughtfully chews 
a mouthful, she might have noticed that some of her own fair had joined 
the flight of firelizards following K'ti.

Lysseth> Jaralth tilts his head. Huh? He's just a humble blue.... blue... 
just sitting in the sands minding his own business. (Now.. I'm worried)

Kassima's voice has that same cloying, treacle-laden tone as she tells 
Maylia, "Would it nay have? That does nay surprise me in the least." The 
implication that Maylia lacks the wit needed to have anything occur to her 
at all is fairly clear. Without looking away from her mentee, Kassi 
replies to K'ti with, "I'm already enjoying something unusual. Maylia is 
trying some of Pern's most perfect food." Knowing her, that'd be raw meat. 
With chirps of relief, a few of the daring 'lizards who hover at the edges 
of Kassi's vicinity drop to join the larger group as well.

K'ti stops, dropping the leathers on a table. The cloud moves foward and 
encompasses the bluerider... somewhere from the middle she laughs, "oh 
jeesh, it won't be long you little wingballs." A few clear to land nearby 
as she says, "it's not a food, it's a .. an experiment."

Emlyn walks in from the bowl.

Maylia swallows, and from the neutral expression on her face one might 
never guess the young greenrider had just swallowed her second mouthful 
ever of raw meat. "Such an -unusual- texture," she comments. "Though I'd 
hardly say it's perfect. Perhaps a nice chianti, in place of this wine." 
Like she'd know the difference. Finally her attention shifts, to the pile 
of straps and swarm of firelizards. "An experiment?"

"This is an experiment too," Kassi quips in that sugary drawl. "I'm 
*quite* looking forward t'seeing what Maylia thinks of her meal." Emlyn's 
presence wins her a sharp look from Kassi, though no other sign of 
greeting; of course, there's also no further sign of hostility, which is 
probably a good thing.

K'ti peers from within her swarm, "Now, wouldn't ye like t'see a person 
fly wi'out the use of a dragon?"

Emlyn doesn't exhibit any overt hostility either. The silence she exudes 
combined with the absence of a smile or nod of greeting are unusual enough 
to draw attention to her state. Emlyn gets herself a mug of klah and takes 
a seat. When she speaks she says, "Why are you eating raw meat?"

Maylia slips a little, and cannot resist a rather triumphant look cast at 
Kassi, as another 'perfectly reasonable' person (proddiness 
notwithstanding) reveals that she'd not consider eating raw meat. But this 
is only momentary, as she skewers yet another peice. "Fly without a 
dragon?" She asks, before popping into her mouth.

Kassima lounges back in her chair again, toying with one long, long strand 
of blue-black hair. "I suppose I would, at that," she admits after some 
musing. A slight smile curves her lips; perhaps she's imagining how far 
Maylia might fly without a dragon if Kassi took it into her head to fling 
her from the Star Stones. "'Tis good, 'tis why. About the only thing I can 
stand; I'll be sharded if'n I have t'choke down aught else and bring it 
back up again with bile t'boot when I've already the headaches and 
sleeplessness t'be dealing with."

K'ti glances as Kassi, beginning to recognize *those* signs. She then 
focuses on maylia and says, "flyin wi'out a dragon. I've been workin on a 
project wi'me extra leathers fer some time and I think I've got a 
solution. Won' take but a moment..."

Emlyn wrinkles her nose. She says, undiplomatically, "Raw meat. It isn't 
bad enough that between the three of them, Lysseth, Tierth, and my 
Pleiath, probably fifty herdbeasts will end up slaughtered? You can't 
choke down a roll, or a bit of fruit?"

"Nay," Kassima replies dryly. That she really doesn't give a wherry's rump 
about the plight of the herdbeasts is rather clear in her face. "I had 
t'subsist on light-cooked meat last time, because of Khari, and that was 
bad enough. Meat was made t'be eaten, there are plenty of beasts killed 
daily by the kitchens anyway, and I see naught wrong 'tall with partaking 
of m'share of the bounty without it being ruined by spice or fire first. 
The wine's bad enough." Eyeing K'ti, she asks with what might even be a 
genuine modicum of curiousity, "What're you going t'do, then? Fling 
someone from the 'Stones?"

Maylia chews, and actually swallows the meat. She doesn't show any signs 
of agreeing with Kassi's evaluation of the raw meat being good, even if 
she did, she wouldn't give her mentor the pleasure of that. But she's 
sharding determined to learn to -appreciate- it, for some unfathomable 
reason. "And just how will leathers help someone fly?" She asks, before 
shrugging to Emlyn. "Meat's meat. If it wasn't raw, I'd be eating it 
cooked, so it makes little difference."

K'ti shakes her head, "Nope, from the bowl, or from jus outside o'the 
caverns. Maylia, wanna try?"

Emlyn frowns at Kassima. Emlyn is aware of the cause of her surly mood, so 
bites back an answer to her friend's commentary on herdbeasts. She drinks 
some of her klah before looking over at K'ti.

Maylia stares at K'ti blankly. "You want to fling someone from the bowl? 
And you think -I'm- going to do it?" She snorts. "Contrary to my mentor's 
opinion, I'm not some child who'll give in to lunacy simply because she's 
challenged to it." Hmmm. Funny. Isn't that just what happened with the 
meat?

K'ti pauses adn blinks at Maylia, "Oh no, not fling. It's perfectly safe.. 
and b'sides, do you think there's any way we could use leathers to fling 
something? I'd do it myself but I've got t'keep the .. um.. lift going."

Kassima tries without utter success to hide a smirk. She knows by now how 
little others tend to share her liking for raw meat, and is probably 
enjoying Maylia's attempts to choke it down no end. "Oh, Maylia?" she asks 
archly. "I seem to recall that you've a willingness t'take on a challenge. 
Surely you're nay afraid of putting your life in another rider's hands?" 
Her lips twitch down in a frown to match Emlyn's, but she has no reply 
where she isn't provoked and seems content to let the matter rest.

Telgar Weyr> K'ti prepares to Fling Maylia through the bowl.. hee :)

Telgar Weyr> Maylia ohdears. Sparring, raw meat, and now dragon-less 
flight. Maylia's gonna be lucky to live through proddyness...

K'ti says "I think you'll perfectly enjoy it, trust me."

Emlyn speaks up suddenly, "K'ti, if you want to have a roll with the girl, 
just tell her. You don't have to throw in the air, I'm betting." Emlyn has 
a disagreeable furrow in her brow.

K'ti says "A roll wi.. Emlyn, I ain't lookin t'get Maylia inta bed. Heck, 
iffin I wanted that I'd drag 'er off meself. I really do wanna try this 
thing out."

Maylia bristles at Kassi, much like a neeldthorn plant. "I trust other 
riders with my life every Fall we fly. Perfectly safe? -" and her tirade 
gets cut off abruptly. "A roll with? DRAG me off?" Now if pern had 
porcupines...

Emlyn looks unconvinced as she swirls her mug. But at least she shuts up.

Erdrick walks here from the Inner Cavern.

K'ti looks upward, "I ain't lookin t'take ye to bed, Maylia. I won't, I 
have a weyrmate. An I'm just pointin out that I ain't so subtle t'use an 
experiment t'get my lovers."

Erdrick walks in, record hides in his hands.

Kassima hides an all-out grin behind her mug now. "Oh, you should agree, 
Maylia," she urges. Sweetness has become congealed treacle. "'Twould 
provide quite a show for the Weyrfolk. I'm certain they'd be thanking you 
for quite some time for entertaining them so."

Maylia's retort to Kassi is just as sharply edged as crystals of pure 
sucrose, razor-sharp, yet accompanied by a sweet smile. "I'm not in the 
entertainment buisiness, as you can see I'm hardly wearing a costume." Her 
reference is rather obviously to the elder greenrider's apparell. "If I do 
this, it'll be out of my own interrest, and my desire to aid a fellow 
rider in an experiment." Oh dear. That sounds as though she's gonna do 
it.

Erdrick idly wonders what this is all about, decides he's safer off not 
asking and pours himself some klah, settling down in his usual chair with 
his pile of record hides.

K'ti gathers up some of the leathers, "guess it does take th'balls of a 
bronzerider t'do this... mubbe I should go find one.."

Erdrick looks at K'ti, "To do what?"

Telgar Weyr> Maylia ooooos, at K'ti, bringing out the big ammo...

Emlyn mutters, "Balls of a bluerider... Brains of a bullock, same 
difference."

Erdrick blinkblinks at Emlyn.

Maylia deftly spears another morsel of meat, dripping splatters of red 
wine and blood across the table as she stands. "I'd be lighter than any 
bronzerider." For some reason the word bronzerider is laden with scorn and 
disgust.

K'ti enuciations, "Bronzerider... nae bluerider,."

"Bronzeriders even *have*...." Kassi starts to say, the end trailing off 
in a mumble audible only to her ears. "I daresay any greenrider could top 
a *bronzerider* for courage, bluerider." Look at that! Maylia and Kassi 
have something in common! Okay, so it's only scorn and disgust, but it's a 
start.

Erdrick looks at K'ti, wondering if he's going to get an answer to his 
question.

K'ti gathers up her straps and says, "then ye've decided to volunteer fer 
it? Ooh, I'm experimenting wi'dragonless flight."

Erdrick blinks, "Dragonless flight? How?"

K'ti is standing with a handful of the mess of straps that are on the 
table, a bundle much bigger than what could be used on a dragon and of 
finer strips. She has a huge swarm of firelizards of mix banding hovering 
about her hopefully, eager. Strange sight.

As answer, Maylia even rises, walks over to the pile of straps, and begins 
trying to scoop them up. After all, her mouth is full of raw meat and 
wine, there's no way she's going to be able to give a coherent verbal 
answer.

Erdrick blinks, looking from the leathers to the firelizards, eyebrows 
raise.

Kassima spears three or four slices of meat on her own knife, dunking them 
once in the dregs of the heavily spiked black-blacker-blackest klah for 
good measure before popping the resultant mess into her mouth. "This," she 
says once the mouthful of 'food' has been swallowed, "I have t'be seeing. 
Think you can manage it, mentee-mine?"

K'ti says "hol' on, Hol' on.. they're in order so they're faster t'put on. 
Wanna take it outside?"

K'ti scoops up some of the straps, teh first bundle, and pads her way out 
into the bowl.

K'ti walks towards the inner cavern.

Erdrick blinks and follows, closing up his heavy jacket.

K'ti walks here from the Inner Cavern.

Erdrick walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.

Maylia stops her fussing with the straps, still chewing on that peice of 
meat. She's been chewing for a while, perhaps she enjoys the flavour so 
much? Hardly likely. She probably can't manage to swallow it.

Telgar Weyr> Erdrick says, "This I've got to watch, and log"

K'ti says "wrong way.. I couldn't see where I was going. Derned 
Firelizards."

K'ti walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.

Kassima asks oh-so-innocently of Maylia, "I hope you won't mind an 
audience for this exploit of yours, dear mentee mine?"

Maylia trots after K'ti, hoping to get out there before Kassi does and 
find somewhere to deposit the meat she can't swallow. Shards if she's 
going to spit it out infront of her mentor. Opening her mouth to answer, 
she swallows instinctively, and an expression of relief escapes her tight 
control. "Of course not, Kassi." Is her answer. After all, perhaps the 
firelizards'll drop her on the other rider.

Maylia walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.

Emlyn mutters, "Might as well call out the harpers, too. They can write a 
cautionary tale: 'Telgar Foolishness.'"

Lysseth> K'ti starts laying out strips of leather. Now that they've paused 
in their hover, it's obvious that there are little harnesses on each of 
the firezliards that have been swarming about the rider, and perhaps sixty 
or so little strips leading from a larger harness in the center.

Kassima merely laughs sardonically at that, sashaying out to the Bowl in a 
swirl of black cloth.

You walk down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.

Oarin smiles and waves over to Erdrick, her eyes intently locked on the 
rest of the group though.

Erdrick nods at Oarin, "Hello."

K'ti says "Step over here, Maylia, we'll git ye harnessed in quickly 
enough."

From one of Erdrick's pockets, Talina watches the proceedings curiously

Pleiath rumbles in annoyance at all the people emerging from the cavern. 
She hisses at Jaralth and collects herself.

Pleiath takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry her 
aloft.

The fair of seven firelizards watch intently from various spots on Oarin's 
body.

Maylia casts a dubious eye on the apparatus, making her way over to K'ti. 
"Must've taken you a turn to make this!" She exclaims, cocking her head to 
one side as she inspects the thing, she might be displaying lack of 
judgement to an extreme thanks to Tierth's condition, but she's been 
trained well enough to check straps before using them. Obligingly, and 
rather dreamily, she moves into position.

Kassima flings herself into a seat on Lysseth's outstretched foreleg, 
drawing her wherry-skewer and a whetstone from her pouch; the latter, she 
uses briskly on the former as she watches the two other riders with a 
jaunty, sardonically amused eye. Lysseth's angry rumblings quiet in her 
rider's presence, and she lays her head down not far from Kassi's black-
clad figure.

K'ti says "two, actually... an alla leather bits I coul' scavenge." She 
lifts the harness up, well sewn it seems, and starts fitting it to 
Maylia's shoulders. "Iffin it's a bit tight, please tell me. It's gotta 
fit snug but not pinch."

Jaralth gives up on the greens, baffledly, and finally options for 
lounging in teh sands and watching the riders with a bit of a friendly 
croon.

Treya puffs a little as she hurries on her way to deliver supplies to the 
Infirmary at Telgar. Spying her friend, Maylia, she waves happily and 
slows down a bit. "What's up?" she grins and wipes the sweat from her 
brow. Delivery servies are never easy.

Erdrick looks over at Treya, "Hello."

Treya ohs! "Heyla, Oarin! Nice to see you again.. outside the Hall's 
infirmary!" A friendly hand is held out to Oarin. "You seem in better 
spirits somehow.."

Tierth paces over towards her lifemate, stopping perhaps a dragonlength 
away to peer suspiciously. Those firelizards had better hope they don't 
drop the girl. Meanwhile, Maylia shrugs her shoulders, settling the 
harness about them. "Perhaps a bit tighter there?" She indicates one 
strap.

K'ti pulls on that strap and seems to lower a latch on the back a notch or 
so. She then looks back up at Maylia's face again.

Oarin smiles and waves to treya. "Same here Treya! Yes, I'm feeling just a 
bit better" she says softly, clasping the girl's hand. "And last time you 
saw me, I think I only had little Sterling" she says, grinning as she 
points to the seven arranged on her body now.

Kassima keeps wary watch on the newcomer from the corner of one eye, her 
blade whisking freely against the surface of its sharpening stone. 
"Wouldn't want her t'fall, after all," she calls over to the rider pair in 
a tone that suggests there's nothing she'd like better.

Erdrick blinks at Treya, "You know Oarin?"

Oarin giggles softly. "You could say that Erdrick."

Treya woohoos at Oarin! "Great! I see you've been busy, working on your 
brood! Well, glad to see we helped you at Healer Hall." Grinning, she 
waves to Kassima, keeping her distance, "I remember you're not too sure 
you like healers.."

Treya smiles and waves at Erdrick. "Sure do.." she sends a wink toward 
Oarin.

Erdrick blinks.

Oarin giggles again. "Quite busy! They're all set about the same amount of 
time apart too. So is this where you live then Treya?"

How much wine was in that meat anyways? Surely not enough to make Maylia 
loose judgement enough to be launched aloft by sixty-odd firelizards, when 
she's got a perfectly good if rather proddy dragon on hand. She wiggles 
her shoulders, though, nodding confidently. "That feels about right." She 
says. Like she knows what it ought to feel like.

Kassima remarks dryly, "Actually, I'm quite certain I do *nay* like them. 
In official capacity, anyway." Yep, she's still proddy--as though the 
brightly glowing dragon she sits beside were not proof enough of this. 
"Poking, prodding, making nuisances of themselves... but I seek nay 
quarrel." Grudging, that. "So long as you wish nay t'conduct one of those 
*examinations*, I'll nay object t'your presence any more than to any 
other."

K'ti nods her head and starts methodically snapping firelizards into their 
lines. The lines look almost basket like, woven from thin runs of leather 
and sewn securely. When she runs out of the local swarm she stands up, 
puts two fingers to her mouth and lets loose with one of *those* shrill 
type whistles.

Treya shakes her head at Oarin. "Nah.. still at Healer Hall.. actually, I 
wsa let out for just a while tonite. heh.." Her glance at Maylia shows 
they have something they share. A good story perhaps. "I can't stay long 
tho. I pulled Morgue duty for a sevenday.. almost done with it tho."

Erdrick isn't much reassured by Kassi's "than to any other." remembering 
her and Maylia, decides not to comment though.

Erdrick blinks at Treya, "Morgue duty?"

Oarin wrinkles her little nose. "Ooh, I dislike seeing bodies."

Treya grins at Erdrick. "Yup. Got a sevenday's punishment of Morgue 
duty.."

Of course Kassi doesn't seek a quarrel with the healer apprentice. 
Maylia's right at hand for that service. But that one's too busy oberving 
the strapping buisiness to make that comment. She even misses Treya's 
arrival and meaningful look.

Erdrick groans, "Nextime you ask for 'mulled wine or cider' I'll give you 
the cider instead.

Several more firelizards show up from between, crooning, creeling and 
swooping. More? With memory of F'hlan's weyr, where does she find them?

Oarin giggles. "If you need more, I've seven to spare" she says grinning 
broadly.

Treya giggles. "It's not too bad down there. Some tunnelsnakes tho.. and 
lots of insects. Kinda cold too. But most of those there don't mind the 
cold."

Maylia's older firelizards, in fact all the adults with the exeption of 
Neiah, who remains fluttering about her friend's shoulder, jostle for 
places on the harness.

K'ti hears that and shakes her head, "Oooh, I've got mosta these 
harnessed. Thankye though."

Kassima's 'lizards are, for the most part, quite crazy enough to join in 
K'ti's undertaking. Only Kyril and Quixote are missing from the twenty; 
where Kyril is only Faranth knows, but the small blue-green Quixote rests 
contentedly upon Kassi's shoulder as though he fears not at all the anger 
of his mistress. "There seem t'be nay lack of 'lizards willing t'risk your 
life," she comments idly to Maylia.

Treya sets down the bundles she's carrying and leans over, giving this 
contraption her utmost attention. "Maylia, dear, /whatever/ are you up to 
now?" Her whole face shows she's deeply interested in this project.

Soon, much quicker than expected, there are a carpet of hovering and wing 
waving firelizards surrounding the pair. Perhaps somewhere around the 
lines of at least eighty firelizards of all shapes colors and sizes. A sea 
of excited wings.

Treya hears the words, risk your life, and immediately sizes up Maylia. 
"Risk what? What's all this? Have you been *between* too many times, 
Maylia?"

Maylia snaps, hardly even registering that this is, indeed, a friend of 
hers. "What does it look like?" she asks as the firelizards lift off. As 
if it looks like anything besides total lunacy. About her head, avoiding 
leather straps, Neiah flutters, scolding.

K'ti reassures, "she's safe. We tried this earlier wi' a twenty stone bag 
of firestone. I'm sure she don' weigh twenty stone."

Erdrick looks at Treya, "K'ti's rigged a harness for Firelizards."

"Probably nay," Kassi agrees with deceptive amiableness from her place a 
safe distance away.

Oarin smiles thoughtfully. "Is this incase someone gets stuck somewhere 
where a dragon can't land to rescue them?"

Treya sends a slightly worried glance toward Maylia. "Well, an apprentice 
I am.. but at least one of us is here.."

K'ti says "nae.. I just wondered if I coul' get 'em to do it."

K'ti steps back out of the mesh of leashes and looks towards Kassi, "ye 
might wanna get out of the strap range... they wont fall, but the leashes 
take a moment to straighten."

Maylia frets and scolds, until her gold firelizard finally rests on her 
shoulder, tail twined 'round her neck. If the girl falls, she'll likely be 
strangled as the little thing tries to save her. She seems to have totally 
forgotten her earlier skepticism.

Oarin smiles and nods. "Oh, well that's just as good" she says grinning. 
"I wondered if my firelizards could sing. They can" she says with a 
sparkle in her eye.

Treya sends a quick glance Erdrick's way, not resting long. More important 
places to look now. "Stuck?" Her mouth wiggles as if to say something to 
her friend, but she clamps it down, knowing Maylia wouldn't listen 
anyways.

Treya reaches over and gives Tierth a soft pat. "Hello, friend. Is this 
worrying you as much as it's worrying me?"

Kassima nudges Lysseth with her elbow, eliciting a muted growl from the 
dragon--but Lyss does back up, obediantly carrying her rider away from the 
area of danger. "Done and done, K'ti. I'd nay want t'chance unpleasant 
accidents when the Turnly torment is nearly done with."

Oarin sighs as she retrieves the last of her fair.

Tierth steps away from the apprentice, turning her head to *roar* 
deafeningly. Hot dragon breath blasts over the girl, likely reeking of 
phosphine and her last meal.

Maylia turns her head to glower at Treya, snapping, "Don't touch a dragon 
without her riders permission!" Hopefully, her friendship with the girl 
will last through proddiness.

Treya gasps and reels backwards, falling down on the earth, hands clapped 
around her ears. "Whooo.."

Erdrick walks over to Treya, "Are you alright?"

Kassima drawls out in a voice holding steel-laced gravel within it, 
"Especially nay a proddy one. They're a bit more... temperamental... even 
than your average green." Lysseth gives a roar of her own in annoyance at 
Tierth's noise, as though to prove Kassi's point.

Tierth crouches, wings mantling, hissing, eyes whirling red. She'd never 
harm a person, faced with that, who'd take a chance?

Oarin glances up at the dragons. "Who's is who's? If you'll pardon my 
ignorance."

Telgar Weyr> Ro says, "Anyone have a green or gold fl ready to fly? I 
Thunder tells me he's ready to give chase."

Telgar Weyr> Asrai says, "He can chase Lysseth later. ;)"

Telgar Weyr> Maylia heees... and wonders how he'd do chasing Lysseth? ;)

Telgar Weyr> Kassima remembers when K'nan offered to throw Dusk up after 
Lysseth, and grins. ;) Squad Leader! :)

Telgar Weyr> Ro says, "Don't tempt him, Maylia. I'm sure he'd give it a 
try."

Treya draws in a deep breath and exhales slowly. "Whooo.." she repeats. 
Looking up at Tierth, she grins, wrapping her hands around her knees. "Got 
me a good one that time." Nodding to Erdrick, she adds, "I'm fine." 
Deciding to stay where she is, she waves her hand. "Now when's the 
flight?"

Telgar Weyr> Erdrick chuckles.

Erdrick blinks, "Which one?"

Telgar Weyr> M'kla fears.

Treya says "All this harnessing is for a liftoff, yes?"

Telgar Weyr> <Ro>  Thunder croons! Pretty draggie.

Erdrick blinks, "Oh, this flight, " glances at Lysseth and Tierth, "Soon I 
hope."

Ro comes out of the short tunnel from the living cavern.

Sigourney backwings for a landing.

Erdrick nods at Ro, "Hello."

Oarin smiles towards Ro. "Hello there." She then turns to the riders. "Can 
I be properly introduced to them? I've not met that many" she says with a 
smile. "I'm Oarin. Benden's duties to Telgar" she says happily.

Sigourney twitters, chirps and settles somewhere convenient.

Ro looks around until she sees Erdrick, and walks quickly his way "Ah, 
there you are."

M'kla comes down the steep fourty foot stairs from the ledge M'kla shares 
with Torinth.

M'kla comes down from her ledge, peering at the gathering she could see 
from above.

Telgar Weyr> Maylia says, "In tonight's episode of South Bowl, a lizard 
lofted Maylia gets dropped from the stones, saved from death by landing on 
Kenny. "Oh no! They killed Kenny!""

Telgar Weyr> Maylia sorries. Had to.

Telgar Weyr> Erdrick winces.

Oarin smiles over towards the other rider. "Hello to you too."

Telgar Weyr> Ro says, "Fritz, they killed Fritz!"

M'kla glances at the one who greets her, and nods a little, on her way 
towards the living caverns.

The bluerider steps back and claps her hands above her head. With that she 
puts her fingers to her mouth again and gives a double shrill whistle. The 
firelizards, with a myrad of sounds, lift to the air in a flurry of 
multihue'd wings as Jaralth projects flight at them. Something liek eighty 
lizards lift, not at once, but close enough. Straps seem to tangle and 
twine.

Telgar Weyr> D'thon ohhhs. NOW we know why they call it the South Bowl...

Telgar Weyr> Asrai says, "Those dirty stinking bastards, they killed 
Fritz!"

Kassima looks up from her knife-honing, and waggles the blade at Oarin in 
an approximation of a wave. "Duties t'the Hold, and other such 
rigamarole." She does not, however, offer forth her name as she usually 
would. The long blade slides smoothly into its place at her hip as the 
rider rises to her feet in one fluid motion. "If'n they manage t'get 
coordinated enough for this," she observes of the 'lizards, "'twill be a 
blasted miracle."

Telgar Weyr> Erdrick /Blinks/ at D'thon.

Telgar Weyr> Maylia oh dears. I thought it was kenny... where'd this Fritz 
come from? I want to have cable...

Telgar Weyr> Asrai says, "Fritz is from the movie Wizards."

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "Fritz: Kassi's name for, alternatively, 
Vidarth, K'nan, and Lysseth. It's a long story. ;)"

Ro hands a plainly crafted bridle, sans bit, made from good quality 
leather to Erdrick "Here, these need to go to the stables."

Telgar Weyr> Maylia ahs!!! and watched some of that I think on new year's 
eve... or sometime...

Erdrick nods, "Thanks Ro, I'll take them in a bit."

Telgar Weyr> K'nan says, "I am a giant chicken named Fritz."

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "Giant wherry, EM. It's painted on your throat 
in purple paint, or was once. ;)"

M'kla walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern.

Telgar Weyr> K'nan says, "Wherry, sorry. ;)"

Maylia's hair gets buffeted about by the wind from all the firelizard's 
wings, as the straps around her lift to the air. As they rise, the straps 
tighten, and she can hear the leather groaning as it starts to pull the 
harness tight, and upwards.

Sigourney makes a very, very curious noise.

The cross leathers seem to sort out a little of the twining and soon the 
chirping cloud is straining at the harnesses. One wonders what encouraged 
them to help out? With the creaking and groaning there seems to be little 
progress at first then perhaps an off balance feeling as the rider in the 
harness is lifted to her toes.

Treya smiles. She knew her friend could do it! "Well done, Maylia," she 
calls out softly so as not to disturb the lizards in their flight.

Oarin smiles at Kassima, not quite catching why the rider's mood is as 
such.

Erdrick mutters to Oarin, "Kassi's green is proddy."

Maylia waves her arms back and forth, trying to keep her ballance as she's 
pulled upwards, uttering a quiet, "ohohohhohh...." Soon, she's on her 
toes, and that contact tenuous.

With another shrill finger whistle, another burst of effort is put forth 
as the wings redouble their attempt. Toes on the ground? Not at all now, 
and balance is quite precarious.

Erdrick gulps, watching, thinks it's a good thing there's so much snow, 
just in case.

Kassima shoots a glare Erdrick's way that suggests she's not pleased with 
his making this pronouncement. "As anyone with eyes could see for 
themselves," she snaps, slapping the radiant dragon-hide behind her. Her 
anger is forgotten in the need to sit back down and just *laugh* at the 
sight of the uplifted Maylia.

Maylia's feet pedal about, kicking as though treading water as she looses 
all contact with the ground. Slowly, she starts to tilt over, as she looks 
up at the fair lifting her she l-e-a-ns backwards.

Erdrick blinks.

"Who-o-o-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhhh!" Maylia's yell echoes about the bowl.

Oarin grins and giggles softly. "That's quite a sight!"

Vidarth lumbers here from the north.

R'val slides down from Vidarth's back and lands in a crouch.

R'val clambers off Vidarth, waving amiably.

A twitter then a very shrillish cheeping croon shrills through the cloud 
of wings. One of those unforgetable sounds to anyone who's owned a green 
'lizard- Proddy firelizard. Shortly thereafter a golden streak passes 
straight through the cloud of firelizards in a proddy-get-lucky manner.

Treya waves to R'val, and smiles. "Come to watch the flight?"

Telgar Weyr> Maylia LAUGHS!!!!!!!!!

Kassima leans back against Lysseth and positively roars with laughter, the 
sound rebounding clearly off the Bowl walls around her. "K'ti!" she 
eventually manages to wheeze. "That's *priceless*!" At least she's no 
longer snarling, though the proddy croon causes her to howl with mirth 
again. Good-bye, greenrider; hello, hyena in greenrider's clothing.

Cygnith backwings for a landing.

Erdrick blinks at Kassi, decides not to look a gift horse in the mouth, 
watches Maylia and the firelizard airforce.

Now the bowl echoes with Maylia's cries of "Nonononononono! Not NOW!" as 
she sees that golden dart!

R'val looks up, blinking in surprise, "What the...."

Veyath backwings for a landing.

Erdrick mutters, "Uh oh."

Cygnith comes down for a gentle landing, making way for Veyath.

K'ti clamps a hand on her mouth as she watches that gold streak go by. 
She's powerless, aiming a glance towards Jaralth who's projecting as much 
of her thoughts as he can. The entire flock suddenly tries to part, one 
half going one direction, the other trying for the golden crown that just 
shot through.

Oarin grins and slaps her hands over her mouth. "Uh oh!" she cries as her 
older bronze launhes off her shoulder.

Wroxath emerges from the infirmary.

D'thon emerges from the infirmary.

Asrai makes her way down from Cygnith's back.

K'nan climbs down from Veyath's neck, and arrives on the ground.

Wroxath steps out at the commotion, head poking out from the Infirmary 
entrance accompanied by his rider.

Thunder chirups at Ro and then starts a slow sweep around the bowl, 
searching...

K'nan slides down from Veyath's back and to the ground..blinking over to 
the crowd in the bowl curiously.

The leather creaks and groans more ominiously as Maylia is lifted another 
two feet off the ground in this sudden burst of masculine energy of 
firelizards. It creaks.. groans.. ... and...

Maylia is lifted temporarily higher in the air as the fair divides, still 
continuing the nonsensical "oh-ah-oh-na-oh! Whoa!" as she goes.

Telgar Weyr> K'ti tries to keep from giggling... oh gah, not in a company 
lab!

Kassima nearly misses eviscerating herself on her own skewer as she falls 
back in hysterics, laughing with sadistic--but strong, judging by how she 
can't seem to cease--mirth that has her eyes watering with the force of 
it. "What a *wonderful* idea this was!" she hoots.

Asrai slides off Cygnith, her eyes a bit wide as she takes in the scene 
before her. Looking over at K'nan she shrugs, "Wonder what is going on 
here." Her mouth then opens, "What the..."

Ro watches the ascending greenrider and fair with skepticism.

Erdrick blinks, "Um, maybe you'd better get down Maylia."

Creak.. groan. Shrip! Something high above gives away as the leather thong 
that kept the firelizards together splits. All the firelizards shoot into 
the air, some higher than others and free except for their individual 
harnesses. The leather comes trailing down afterwards... and of course, 
the rider comes down.

K'nan moves over to stand beside Asrai..blinking at the scene before him 
and murmuring to his weyrmate, "I thought we'd seen everything.."

Treya watches, the healer instincts waking within her. Patience. Watch and 
wait.

Oarin gasps and tries to cover her eyes but her hand won't move, they're 
frozen by her side in sheer terror.

Maylia's stomach lurches as she's tossed high in the air, twisting to 
watch the ground drop away from her, then sending a panicked look upwards 
a the fair, just in time to see the thong snap. If she'd been looking 
down, she'd've seen the ground now rushing towards her. *PHWUMP!!!!* She 
is deposited on her rear. "OW!!!!!"

Sigourney cheeps, covering her little eyes with her wings.

Erdrick runs over towards Maylia, "Are you alright?"

R'val hurries towards Maylia, "Maylia! Are you allright?" he exclaims.

Lysseth appears to be somewhat baffled by what her rider finds so 
amusing--but distracted, too. Veyath and Cygnith only receive faint growls 
of warning rather than the all-out hissing and snarling that she's been 
giving others. The shriek of pain do cause Kassi to cease some of her 
cackling, since she's not *precisely* a sadist by nature. "You fell," she 
points out helpfully to her mentee.

Asrai winces as Maylia hits the ground. "What possesed them to try 
something like that? Or do you think it was an accident?"

Maylia rolls over, yelling, "OH, my AAA---" andthe rest of this is drowned 
out by Tierth, who's raised herself to her haunches, bellowing at the top 
of her lungs as she snaps at t he fleeing firelizards.

K'ti says "gladly they only got a few feet up at most.." and she runs over 
just as the leather starts thwipping onto the ground. "Maylia??""

Treya stands and makes her way toward Maylia, trying to see the rider as 
she's rolling.

K'nan slides an arm protectively about Asrai, as if afraid that she'd be 
dragged off and subjected to this, and winces as well.. "I don't see -how- 
it could be an accident.."

Erdrick kneels next to Maylia, making room for the healer.

Maylia clutches her rear, covered in snow. "UHHHHHHH." She says. The fall 
didn't realy hurt her, just shocked, as it wasn't very far at all.

Wroxath scuttles forward, attempting to peer over the humans.

Erdrick sighs, "I knew this wasn't a good idea." Shoots a glare K'ti 
wards.

Treya makes her way to Maylia and stoops over. "Lay still." she says to 
the rider.

K'ti says "Hey, I didn't have a proddy gold in th ere."

Asrai just shakes her head, perhaps answers will come about. Then she 
hears Erdrick speak, "Ah, so it /was/ planned. she won't be sitting to 
comfortably for a while, that's for sure."

Maylia groans, and pulls herself upright, waving at her dragon. "I'm fine, 
I'm fine, I'm fine." She assures everyone present, shaking off help. 
Strands of leather straps dangle from the harness 'round her chest.

Erdrick looks at Asrai, "This was K'ti's idea and Maylia agreed to go 
along with it, same way she agreed to spar Kassi yesterday."

Kassima suggests not too unkindly, "Pack it in snow... that'll at least 
numb it a bit. Or numbweed might aid, though that'd deaden your rump for 
longer than might be advisable." Seeing that Maylia is apparently free of 
all problems (except, of course, for having caught A'wyn's tendency to 
grab at his pants), she returns to polishing up her wherry-blade.

R'val blinks, "Err. Maylia, how did you end up in the air?"

Telgar Weyr> D'thon hates to think about the kind of problems Maylia will 
have tomorrow, what with a sore posterior...

K'nan just shakes his head.. "Jays.."

Telgar Weyr> R'val snerks

D'thon quietly shakes his head, a gesture which somehow happens to be 
mirrored by Wroxath.

Maylia blinks at R'val, hearing him now that Tierth's finally stopped 
bellowing in favour of the quieter hisses. "Lifted by firelizards, of 
course." On any other occasion, this would be the sort of anwer like, 
"What does it look like?" But this time, its a fact.

Treya shakes her head and sighs. She has seen many who have thought 
nothing was wrong from that kind of fall. Knowing her friend well, she 
knows not to go farther. Still, she's concerned, and her face shows it.

Erdrick sighs, "Proddy riders." In his current mode that phrase sounds 
like a curse.

Asrai giggles, "I don't know bout this..perhaps there should be some rule 
abuot there being more then one proddy rider in the weyr at a time." she 
looks up at K'nan and winks.

K'nan grins down at Asrai, "Hey.."

Asrai just giggles, turning her attention back to the others.

Treya waves to Asrai. "And we meet again. Hello, Asrai!"

Kassima half-growls at Asrai, "As if'n we can bloody well help it, I ask 
you? 'Twasn't *my* idea for Lyss t'start glowing, you may be certain! And 
'twould be all the happier if'n she weren't, but as 'tis, there's little 
as can be done. And Erdrick, until you've experienced proddiness for 
yourself, 'twould be prudent of you t'withhold judgment!"

Oarin inches over towards erdrick and whispers, "Did you get our present?"

Ro shakes her head in amazement.

Erdrick blinks at Oarin, "Aye I did."

K'ti reaches out and tries to unstrap what's left of the harness.

K'nan just chuckles..and looks over to Treya curiously as his weyrmate's 
greeted.

Erdrick looks at Kassi, narrows his eyes but doesn't say anything and 
strides towards the living cavern, making deep prints in the snow.

K'ti says "well.. someone's gonna experiance proddiness.. I don' think I 
ever saw a gold gather fifty firelizards in th'same flight. Wouldn't 
except they were harnessed here."

Maylia begins to giggle. In fact, the girl lands on her rear, helpless 
with giggles as K'ti removes the harness from her. As she landed in a snow 
drift, the impact elicits little more than an ooof from her.

Asrai smiles brightly, "Treya, back again are you?" she looks to K'nan, 
"K'nan..this is Treya..she's the one that stitched up my hand. Treya, this 
is K'nan, my weyrmate."

Erdrick walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern.

K'nan ahs..and grins over broadly, "Well met..and my thanks for the good 
work on Asrai's hand!"

Treya nods and smiles to K'nan. Holding out her hand, she grins. "Well 
met. The Hall's duties.."

One of D'thon's eyebrows wanders upward half an inch, but he stays rather 
quiet.

Erdrick comes out of the short tunnel from the living cavern.

Asrai smiles, "If it weren't for Treya, who knows what would have 
happened. By the time we got a message to healer hall I had already lost a 
lot of blood. I'm just glad she had learned all ehr lessons so well." Then 
with a sparkle in her eye, "Treya taught me that not all healers are 
scary."

K'ti pulls off the harness and bits and comments, "well, th'firelizards 
will be done in a while, prolly a half mark, and I've got another set 
o'straps in the caverns. Care t'try again later?"

Erdrick walks towards the central bowl, wineskin and mug in hand, not 
saying a word to anyone.

K'nan reaches his free hand over to her, "Well met, aye..Telgar's duties 
to the Hall, an' all that." He grins down at Asrai, "You really have to be 
more careful.."

Erdrick pauses a moment to scowl at K'ti, then walks away.

Erdrick walks north.

Kassima watches Erdrick depart without the slightest hint of repentance. 
After skimming over her nails with the razor-edged blade, she shoves it 
back into its sheath and gets to her feet again. "I'm of a mind to return 
to the 'Cavern rather than freeze out here... unless, a'course, any of you 
might be inclined t'join in knife-throwing with me?" She quirks up an 
eyebrow, tilting her chin jauntily.

Asrai shrugs, looking a bot embarressed. "Well? Who would have thought 
that little ol me could have broken that glass?"

Treya gives a quick grin to Asrai. "I was just glad to be there to help 
you, Asrai. We're not all that bad, actually."

"Bah-ha!" Maylia keeps giggling! "Oh, K'ti! I don't think... I can do that 
again... heee!" Not quite insane giggles, just good humour. "Perhaps over 
the hot springs? That'd be warmer, and not so hard to land on?"

Treya grins, "Tho Master Judith may think I'm not such a good healer."

Telgar Weyr> Maylia ohnos. Knife throwing.

Telgar Weyr> Erdrick says, "What?"

Telgar Weyr> J'lyn oifs, and stays firmly in his Weyr.

Asrai tilts her head slightly to the side, "Now, that's not true. she said 
you had done a fine job. Or have you gotten into some sort of trouble 
since then?"

Treya giggles at the memories of coming back to the hall a .. little .. 
drunk one night.

Telgar Weyr> J'lyn says, "Erdrick, Fear Kassi's knife collection."

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "Kassi wouldn't be Kassi if she didn't suggest 
it at least once. ;)"

K'nan grins between the two girls, "Bah..whoever Master Judith is, she's 
wrong, if Asrai's hand is anything to talk about..you did great.."

D'thon blinks again, even as Wroxath wanders forward. The blue dragon 
peers at Treya for a moment, then mildly whuffs her.

K'ti grins, "we coul' do that.. an maybe get someone t'sit beneath ye."

Treyaleans over to Asrai and whispers, "I'd assisted at a birthing, and 
had a little too much mulled wine." She giggles, then continues, "It got 
me a sevenday's work in the Morgue."

Oarin manages a smile before she places her hand on her head and blinks. 
"Oooh, shute. I'm feelin light headed again...time to find a seat" she 
says as she ambles towards the Living Cavern.

Oarin walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern.

K'ti gathers up the leftovers from the leathers. "Maybe I'll make a woven 
skirt wi'these... it'd look interesting."

Asrai hmms? as she notes the look on Treya's face. At K'nan's remark she 
elbows him gently, "K'nan, that's CraftMaster Judith." At Treya's 
whispered comment she makes a face, "Ewwww, the morgue?"

Treya giggles at Asrai, "Yes. And a full sevenday it was. Interesting 
place there, tunnelsnakes and all.."

K'nan oofs..and chuckles, "Hey, I avoid the Infirmary like the plague, 
'cept when Veyath's hurt..how was I to know?" Speaking of crafts.. "Hey..
whatever happened to those baking nights, love?"

K'ti says "Tell ye what, Maylia, I'll treat ye t'one of the Hulk's finest 
sometime on our rest day?"

Kassima scowls again, listening to the others. "Just what," she demands, 
unhinging her elbows to clasp her hands behind her back, "would be wrong 
with a morgue? Doesn't sound so bad t'me. You could always use 'em as an 
item-carrying net for less 'lizards, K'ti."

Ro asks softly "The morgue....." She makes a face.

K'tyn yawns sleepily as he exits and ambles down the long, steep ramp from 
Prometh and Herath's ledge to the bowl. "G'devening, all," he says amiably 
enough.

The suggestion of knife throwing is enough to stop Maylia's giggles, but 
only momentairly. She grins to K'ti, not managing an answer amidst her 
hilarity.

K'ti says "mubbe, Kassi.. that, or we c'n hang a feline from 'em and watch 
it air-paddle."

Treya has to laugh as the blue dragon whuffs her. "It's true!" she tells 
the dragon. "A long sevenday it was too.."

Asrai blinks, "You know..I have no idea. Oh Treya, they were so much fun. 
Master Ofira, she gave cooking classes. anyone who wanted to could come. 
K'nan and I had our own special station." she doesn't mention that the 
special station was way in the back away from the others where they could 
do the least amount of harm.

Ro smiles at the weyrleader, thoughts of the morgue banished "H'lo sir!"

K'tyn blinks at the hub-bub in the bowl, a little stunned by the amount of 
people who seem to have been talking so very loudly just a few minutes 
before. "Ro," he grins as she greets him. "How are you, hm?"

Maylia finally gets her giggles under control enough to salute K'tyn, 
though she doesn't get up from where she's seated in a snowbank. "Evening, 
sir!" She calls, still grinning. "Oh! I remember those classes, Treya! I 
used to go!" Heee! teee-hee! and the giggles start again.

"Sir," Kassima greets tersely, with a salute as sharp as ever. "I suppose 
'tis evening, though far from a good one. Be wary if'n you go to the 
Hulk," she advises the two riders speaking of the place. "There's a horrid 
man there. Jacob. A Master, I believe. He threw Kin and I out for 
drinking, once; I've little doubt he'd willingly do the same t'you." She 
eyes Maylia meaningfully, never one to forego a chance to goad the other 
proddy rider.

K'ti gives up on the straps for the moment and holds out a hand towards 
Maylia to help her up.

Ro looks up toward the sky "Feelin' a little odd, sir."

K'nan chuckles, nodding to confirm Asrai's words.. "Maybe we should go 
into the 'cavern and out of the cold, love, Treya, everyone?"

Wroxath sits down and peers back at his rider. "Am NOT ungrateful," said 
rider mutters back to him, stepping over to his side and a bit closer to 
the knot of people conversing.

Treya acknowledges K'nan's offer with a resounding, "Yes! It /is/ a bit 
chilly out here.."

Asrai nods, "I think that would be a wonderful idea. Do join us Treya. You 
know, K'nan..the classes might have stopped while Ofira was pregnant."

Asrai walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern.

K'tyn blinks at Kassima. "Ah, I will take that under advisement," he says 
seriously, nodding at her. "Thanks for the warning. Now what's this about 
a morgue?" In an aside to Ro, Kiat smiles sympathetically. "Odd?"

K'nan chuckles, "That might've been it.."

Maylia accepts the hand up, still chuckling, and refraining from rubbing 
her bruised rear. "Oh, dear. I fell!" Oh dear, sounds like she's had a bit 
to drink, though anyone who's been near her knows she's only had a couple 
mouthfulls of wine, and that was mostly meat, anyways.

Ro nods and murmurs practically in the weyrleader's ear "Thunder's chasin' 
a gold that came flyin' through here."

Treya nods and smiles, "I'd love to, Asrai."

K'tyn turns back to look at the seated Maylia, and smiles, waving at her a 
little. Strange woman, but sweet, says the expression on his face.

A familiar leering sot of a brownrider hollers over to Maylia, "Yer gonna 
have trouble when your green rises, girl, with a rump as sore as all 
that!"

Jorenan comes out of the short tunnel from the living cavern.

K'nan walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern.

Wroxath nudges D'thon in the direction of the cavern. He sighs and follows 
the blue's apparent orders.

D'thon walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern.

Jorenan waves to those he knows. Hi sriding things are under his arm, and 
it looks like he's errand-running for Ofira again.

"Thunder's chasing a gold? A Gold firelizard?" K'tyn nods to Ro. "That 
might well make you feel a little odd. But don't worry abou it to much, 
hm?"

Maylia replies quickly, not even batting an eyelash. "There're ways around 
that!" She must be drunk. Either that or proddy. Bingo!

R'val walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern.

Ro nods warily "I'll try not to, sir."

Kassima aims a discreet kick at the leg of said drunken rider. "I'll just 
bet," she next drawls. "Bright Faranth's cracked and Threadscored hide, 
how much wine did you *drink*?" Never mind that she's been gulping rotgut 
of her own brewing for days; she's developed a tolerance, and that makes 
everything just fine and peachy.

K'ti says "I remember Jacob.. it's been Turns 'n more since I've seen 
him."

Maylia finally responds to Kassi's baiting, while still chuckling she 
lifts her chin in the air. "Just 'cause someone took it to mind to toss 
you out means by no means that the'd do the same to me." Good thing the 
pair's grounded while proddy. She'd likely zip off just to prove her 
point.

K'ti says "How'bout we head in an git some o'that secret stash o'redfruit 
wine that was sent to me?"

Cygnith is obviously comfortable in is position next to Veyath. You can 
tell by the snores that start to eminate from feep in his throat.

Treya makes her way into the living cavern with her bundles tightly under 
her arm. Her unused hand waves to Maylia. "Later.."

Treya walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern.

K'tyn looks at Maylia again as he absently swings his arm at the shoulder, 
the cast freshly off that constrained it for some time. "I've never been 
to this 'Hulk'," he admits. "And from what is being said, I am not sure I 
want to...Hm."

Veyath seems to be quite content that her ledgemate is quite asleep..
keeping close against Cygnith's warmth and trying not to draw the 
attention of the other greens in the bowl.

Kassima's tone is as acrid as dry ice. "You really think you're so much 
better than me, that you would be welcome where I would nay?" Her hand 
steals to her blade's hilt again, perhaps out of reflex.

An unharnessed gold flits through the crowd, flying low and quick along 
the ground. Several leatherbound little bold males follow after her, and a 
few unbound ones as well, most of them going around the group.

Maylia's hand reaches for her own blade, sadly, just a belt knife. Rather 
pitiful 'bainst Kassi's wherry skewer. You'd think she'd've learned the 
other day. No longer chuckling, she keeps her chin in the air. "I dont' 
doubt it for a moment." Silly girl. Proddy girl.

K'tyn clears his throat rather ostentatiously. "Let me get you lovely 
ladies something to drink, eh?"

Emlyn comes out of the short tunnel from the living cavern.

From the ledge above, Prometh peers over, rumbling almost meditatively as 
he peruses the brilliant greens that are displayed so elegantly below him. 
He chuffs,--yawning and stretching--as he gets to his feet and, in that 
same slow amble as his rider, enters the bowl.

K'ti looks between the two then shakes her head, "put yer wherry-stickers 
away. Riders, even proddy ones, don' fight riders. How 'bout we go in an 
figure who we're gonna git t'experiment wi'the straps next instead?"

Thunder bugles to the gold, flying only a few meters behind her, and 
fortunately unencumbered by harness. He seems to be trying to gain the 
gold's attention so he can impress her.

K'tyn nods at Emlyn, greeting her almost absently.

Cygnith would prolly roll his eyes at the big bronze barge..if her were 
awake. which he is not, just listen to the snores. *snore*

Emlyn passes by Tierth and Lysseth. Pleiath is not in evidence. -That- 
glowing green is on her ledge. Emlyn peers up there and issues a silent 
summons. The green leaps off the ledge and glides to a soft landing near 
her rider.

Kassima takes a step closer to her mentee, soft slippers making no sound 
in the cover of snow. "A dangerous claim," she says in a deceptively soft 
voice. "I had thought you'd learned. Shall we have it out again?" Her 
knuckles are clenched tight around the skewer's leather-wrapped hilt, 
probably from the force she's exerting on herself *not* to draw. "The 
wooden blades are always a the ready." Her attention is slowly turned from 
Maylia at the Weyrleader's words, and she just blinks at him. "Drink? 
Drink?" Yeah, she's out of it.

Maylia's eyes narrow as her line of sight to Kassi is temporarily 
obstructed by bronze and brown bodies arrowing between them, several of 
them hers. As K'tyn and K'ti bring her back to herself, she forces a smile 
and removes her hand from her beltknife.

Emlyn frowns at K'tyn's absent-minded greeting. She's surly enough to 
decide not to respond to him, but lifts her hand in salute, after all. She 
looks at where Kassima and Maylia seem to be fighting. "Faranth's teeth," 
she mutters as she mounts her dragon.

Maylia's not quite proddy enough to have another go at sparring, despite 
her being ready to do the same with blades just a moment before. "Come 
now, Kassi, must everything be fought out with violence?" She asks, 
saccharine tones lacing her voice. Nevermind that she'd clearly be 
outmatched.

Prometh stretches langorously, the vibrant hue of his ruddy-bronze hide 
brilliant in the snow. Slowly, he settles into a crouch, and, with a 
fainter rumble, just watches.

K'tyn nods at Kassima. "Drink --You said you were going to let me taste 
that brew that you have, hm?" He appears to be trying to draw Kassi or 
Maylia off to prevent any sort of fisticuffs between the two.

The gold merrily chirrips her way between the two again. (Maybe the little 
lizard doesn't value her neck?) and twitters it's challenge over her 
shoulder. Another flock of brown blue and bronze wings flitter by again. 
One unfortunate blue runs smack face first into a green big-cousin's 
foreleg. Out!

Wroxath peers at the two greenriders, hmming for a moment.

Thunder chirrups excitedly at the challenge. Yes, he is up to it, or at 
least this is what he tells the gold.

Kassima slowly unwinds each of her fingers from around the hilt, folding 
her arm to stare down her nose at the younger rider. "'Tis a direct means 
to an end, at least," she hisses. "Better than boasting and preening, 
making more of yourself than you should." Her ire stirs Lysseth from her 
crouch; the dragon unlids both eyes, watching the noisy humans with an 
angry glare of exploding nova carmine. "The brew. The brew... which brew 
was this, the Bottle?" Unsurprisingly, Kassi keeps sounding more and more 
confused every time she's distracted from what she really wants to do, 
which is go for Maylia's throat.

Tierth, proddy as she is and having just seen the pesky little things 
*drop* her lifemate, bellows at the firelizards as they zip past her, 
sending several of the tailing group tumbling head over tail. Even 
including one of Maylia's fair.

K'ti speaks up quickly, "Maylia, how 'bout I show ye this idea fer a skirt 
I have... a leather one. In the caverns?"

K'tyn steps over to Kassi's side. "Aye, lass. Remember? You said it was a 
matter of great secrecy, but because I was so interested, you'd let me see 
how y'make that rotgut," he smiles winningly.

Telgar Weyr> K'tyn grins at K'ti! Good Lass.:)

Telgar Weyr> K'ti says, "Hey, I dropped the woman on her bum, at least I 
could do is get her drunk ;)"

Kassima frowns blackly, clearly displeased with this distraction from her 
Sacred Quest for Vengeance <tm>. Nevertheless, somewhere deep behind that 
proddy shell lives a sensible woman who knows there'd be the Red Star to 
pay if she throttled Maylia. "If'n I said I would, I suppose I must," she 
allows ungraciously.

Maylia snorts in disgust at her mentor. "Knife fighting is hardly a more 
reasonable proof of worth than anything else, Kassi. Skirt?" Confusion 
plasters the young riders features. "Of course?"

K'ti wraps her arm about Maylia's shoulder, the other one lifting the 
bundle of leather straps. She gently starts steering towards the living 
caverns. "I've also got some brandy up fresh from the orchards at Ista..."

K'tyn nods. "Now, D'you use sea extract in that concoction or just a bit 
of bitter herbs," he says with a smile.

Dulath lumbers north.

Telgar-Bowl> Dulath springs into the air for a quick flight over the fence 
and into the feeding grounds, where he settles again.

Maylia's brow furrows, something about Ista. "Ista?" Pause. "Brandy? 
Lovely..." she murmurs, allowing herself to be led away.

Dragon> All dragons sense that Lysseth clears her throat and concentrates 
on glowing, glowing, glowing. << Heya, hiya, hoya, all. Fortunately for 
those sick of dealing with my proddy rider, I'm going to rise over Telgar 
Weyr in a few minutes; interested males can head on over (+go benden-bowl, 
FG) now for the blooding if they desire. We now return you to your 
regularly scheduled programming. :) >>

Dragon> Lysseth bespoke all dragons with << Err, telgar-bowl, that is. 
Sorry. Force of habit. :P :) >>

Dragon> All dragons sense that Lorieth runs and HIDES.

K'ti says "I used t'be from Ista.. Impressed there nearly twenty turns 
ago." Easily.. and towards teh door. "Fruit brandy, we have t'guess which 
fruit."

K'ti walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern.

Maylia's Tesser, the oldest of her fair, and leather harness streaming 
behind him, darts after that gold, battleing the bronze Thunder for 
position.

Maylia walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern.

Telgar-Bowl> Sorath backwings for a landing.

Prometh comes down from Herath's ledge.

Telgar-Bowl> Sorath springs into the air for a quick flight over the fence 
and into the feeding grounds, where he settles again.

Kassima scowls, whipping her head about to face Maylia again. "'Tis a 
bloody better way than *some*, I'll have you be knowing--like, say, trying 
t'flutter up on the air on 'lizard wings! All *that'll* get you is a 
busted tailbone, you bloody wherry-hen, and I--" Breaking off, she runs 
her fingers through her hair. "I... oh, shards, where'd she go?" The 
greenrider goes from infuriated to confused all at once, glancing wildly 
towards the Northern end of the Bowl.

Telgar Weyr> Maylia ooos! and misses being called a bloody wherry-hen!!!

C'vadan comes out of the records room.

Prometh lumbers north.

Dragon> Flight sense that Lysseth taps the lecturn with her number two 
pencil. << Role-call! Will those planning to risk their lives in the 
ultimately masochistic act of chasing me raise their wingspars nice and 
high so I can see 'em? ;) >>

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Flight with << I will, Lovely One! >>

K'tyn frowns as Prometh heads for the feeding grounds. "Ah, Kassi--Maylia 
went into the Living Caverns. No worries, hm? I thought," he tries again, 
"That you were telling me about this drink that you have."

Dragon> Jaralth bespoke Flight with <<  No thanks.. though it'd be great 
fun and amusement for the 13th :) I just do not have the bandwidth. >>

Thunder blatantly ignores his older competitor, and instead uses his ample 
strenth to move a little closer to the sensuous lines of the lovely 
glowing creature that is so captivating.

Dragon> Flight sense that Sorath is in, so long as he can take the spam. 
I'll try to manage the whole thing. :)

Telgar Weyr> Kassima gets out an umbrella, turns on the +flight channel, 
and fires a starter's pistol up into the air. "Let the games begin!" ;) 
(She then glacks as the fired bullet hits one of the chasing 'lizards. 
Ooops.)

Telgar Weyr> Ro says, "Eeeek. Kassi-flight!"

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh clears his throat. << Testing. >>

Brown Tesser, for all that he's smaller than the bronze he's competing 
with, zips and darts frantically after that gold! If only he didn't have 
this strap behind him! That gold! he's gotta catch that Gold!

Telgar-Bowl> In the Feeding Grounds, Dulath pounces on the first beast 
that skips his direction. This day's black fate on more days doth depend, 
this but begins the woe, others must end. Thus the lifesblood of the beast 
does nourish Dulath in preparation for flight.

Dragon> Flight sense that Lysseth dragon-grins. << Great, thanks. :) Go 
ahead and start the blooding; I'll join y'all in about, oh, three minutes 
or so. Rules will proceed once the blooding's through. :) >>

Telgar-Bowl> Prometh stares at a fleeing herdbeast, and with a mighty 
smack, sends it reeling and into the snow bank nearby. Blood fountains 
from the beasts' throat as the bronze feeds almost delicately from the 
downed creature.

Kerlyn walks here from the north.

The gold weaves and ... avoids that green over there.. and continues to 
flit her way across the bowl. She harasses a bather that's at the pools as 
well. A good long flight, plenty of eggs here.

Kerlyn strides up with a frown, which gets deeper as she just about walks 
right into K'tyn. A belated and somewhat sloppy salute follows.

Kassima repeats rather numbly, "Drink. Uh... aye, right. Sure. I don't 
think now'd be the best time though, uh, sir...." She gestures with an 
irate hand towards Lysseth, who's already stirring further from her nap to 
stretch out her wings in a decidedly sensual fashion. "Bloody beast's 
hormones are acting up again. Want t'get *to* it, y'bloody half-brained 
excuse for a caprine with wings, or shall I just kick your rump and try 
t'give you a jump-start?"

C'vadan approaches K'tyn. "Weyrleader," he says softly.

K'tyn frowns himself, caught up as he is with Prometh and trying to keep 
Kassi from tearing into Maylia or anyone else. "Ah, Kerlyn," he says 
absently.

Kerlyn's hands come to rest on her hips and she scowls around the bowl, 
"Which one of them is it this time?"

As the gold weaves her way about the bowl, a long tail of perhaps fifty 
-yep, fifty- browns and bronzes follow, most carefully avoiding Tierth, 
not to mention that other green. But others just fly straight, intent on 
that gold, only to get swoooshed out of the way by a silvery-streaked 
green wing.

K'tyn glances at Kerlyn. "Which one? Is there any doubt?" He nods at 
Kassima, still frowning as he tries to restrain Prometh from rising to the 
chase.

Kassima actually *does* roll up her sleeves (insofar as she can, since the 
sleeves aren't precisely loose enough to be very rollable) and, walking 
over to her dragon, gives the green a rude shove. "Get *up*, hear you me?" 
So it's about as futile as a vtol trying to shove a porcine; that doesn't 
much stop her. Rearing to her haunches, Lysseth gives a single shrill 
scream for the sole purpose of deafening her rider--well, and announcing 
to the general world that there's a hormone-high dragon here, too--then 
springs aloft, her wings a blur of charcoal-limned pine.

Lysseth spreads her wings to their full extent, bringing them down with a 
rush of wind as she leaps nimbly into the air.

Lysseth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry her 
aloft.

Dragon> Flight sense that Dulath loses count. How many chasers?

Above, Lysseth flies towards the north end of the bowl.

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh is here. :) that makes at least one. :)

Kerlyn turns her head back towards the feeding ground, and her frown 
deepens. "Splendid." she mutters, and her hands jam into her pockets.

Dragon> Lysseth bespoke Flight with << Three, methinks. Discounting the 
threats of having 'lizards chase. ;) >>

Dragon> Flight sense that Sorath too. Which makes two. :)

Lysseth> You fly downwards towards the feeding grounds.

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Flight with << And baby makes three :) >>

Dragon> Flight sense that Genevith ponders getting some brown paint. 
<< Hey, Dulath! GOMH! >>

Dragon> Prometh bespoke Flight with << Methinks that's not so, Dulath, you 
cad. >>

Dragon> Flight sense that Dulath winks at Genevith :)

The gold trills and is abruptly overcome by that huge flock of males just 
as her escape route is blocked by an evil big proddy... proddy? Who's 
proddy? green. So many of them fluster and flutter over the little gold it 
takes a moment to find the outcome. Fifty.. shells and shards, what a 
turnout.

Cygnith doesn't seem to hear the ear shattering bugle form Lysseth. At 
least there is no pause in his wood cutting snores.

Lysseth> Lysseth swoops down into the confines of the feeding grounds with 
little to no preamble, the light of her hide briefly illuminating the 
squealing, screeching beasts--light wasted in vain, like light by day--as 
she selects a single one and slices into its spine with claws like curving 
razors. Her tail curls around the piteous corpse to protect it from 
*them*, these despised creatures who would seek to steal *her* glory for 
themselves. Jaw agape, she roars crystalline defiance at them before 
bending her head to sink her teeth deeply into the throat of her kill.

"That's better," Kassi mutters, hugging her arms to herself and eyeing the 
maleriders about with some trepidation. Taking a deep breath, she starts 
to chant the greenrider's mantra almost silently: "Blood, blood, blood, 
blood, blood...."

Lysseth> Sorath drains, and disposes of, a largish herdbeast. The 
creature's carcass sails through the air with all the grace of Sorath's 
rider at a gather-dance-- which is to say, not much at all. With a thwump, 
the drained beast lands, and he launches after another.

C'vadan sighs. Life is so unfair sometimes.

Brown Tesser finds himself surrounded in a frenzy of firelizards, scraping 
and scrabbling, searching for *that* *gold* *tail*.

K'tyn glances at Cavadan, and starts to chuckle. Oh, that expression is 
worth a thousand sharp words from Jehrina, it is. Through his laughter, he 
glances at Kassima, ever a comrade, and now--perhaps something more 
glimmers.

Lysseth> Dulath moves off to the side, all the while watching Lysseth 
closely, his need for blood sated, but his need for Lysseth left longing. 
Arise, fair Lysseth, and kill the envious moons.

Lysseth> Lysseth drains the life from the creature with eager gulps; a 
veteran of flights, she shares none of Kassi's foolish nervousness and has 
little but scorn and anger for these creatures that surround her--dragon 
and mere meal-ticket alike. What she leaves behind is a piteous corse, a 
bloody piteous corse; pale, pale as ashes, all bedaubed in blood, all in 
gore-blood. She sounds a second cry at the sight, the length of her 
slender and serpentine form unwinding from around it to seek out another. 
A buck in the prime of its life is the next victim to one of Lysseth's 
twin lusts--that would be the one for blood, by the way.

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Flight with << Say, where is Prometh? :) >>

Lysseth> Prometh springs into the air for a quick flight over the fence 
from the central bowl. He settles, terrifying the animals within.

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh was here. :p. Feh. Did you see -any- of 
my poses?

In the middle of the circle as the firelizards begin to peel away from the 
knot in the center, sounds a coo of relief and happiness. The last pair 
left seem to be Bronze Holl and the brightwinged ill-timed gold. Coo. Coo.

Kerlyn can't seem to stand still for too long, and it isn't long before 
she's pacing up and down behind K'tyn. "You know, I really don't have time 
for this, with a morning drill tomorrow." she announced aloud, though the 
comment doesn't seem to be directed at anyone nearby.

Dragon> Cygnith bespoke Flight with << Takes him a while to get that 
Bronze butt over the Feeding Grounds fence? ;) >>

Thunder barely manages to hold his own in the scramble of bronze and brown 
fls.

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh snorts. better late than not at all, 
sleepy head!

Dragon> Flight sense that Cygnith snores soem more. ;)

Lysseth> Prometh snares a small wherry, snorting at the brown's rumbled 
intensity. Draining the small beast with alacrity, Prometh sinks to his 
haunches and stares. This vision is no rival to the moon--Rival to the sea 
at midday with the brilliant sun shining upon it, and thrice as deep.

Thunder trumpets his disappointment and sulkily disappears.

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Flight with << We all know Prometh is late in 
everything, except when it counts ;) >>

Kassima scowls at that, though she doesn't take her eyes from the North. 
Hrmph. Now, *she* would be one to talk about life being unfair, bound as 
she is to this horribly pernicious beast who insists on tormenting her 
like this.

C'vadan glances at K'tyn and gives him a blank look. "I know there was 
something I wanted to talk to you about."

Tesser squacks, seeing finally that golden tail, and a bronze one wrapped 
round it. He is gone, between.

K'tyn seems to be caught up in laughter, and he nods at Cavadan. "What, a 
request for a new weyr, hm? Looks like you may need it. Or I will, or we 
both will."

Lysseth> Lysseth takes no time about reducing *this* one to bone and 
desiccated muscle, too. The sweet essence of its life has gone to fuel the 
fire-eyed fury--and lust, did we mention lust?--that shall be her conduct 
now. Spreading her wings to their full extent in one grand gesture that 
shows off well their dusky, glowing colors, she pauses for just a moment 
before leaping into the skies with the speed of an airborne thought.

Lysseth> You spring into the air and catch the thermals rising from the 
bowl floor to carry you aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries.

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Flight with << Well, that was a well timed 
pose :) >>

Lysseth> Dulath flies up from the southern half of the bowl.

Ro sighs and leans against a stone face, her misty grey eyes looking just 
the slightest bit glazed.

Lysseth> Sorath flies up from the southern half of the bowl.

Lysseth> Prometh flies up from the southern half of the bowl.

Kassima sighs as a green form streaks into the sky. "*Finally*!" she 
snaps, whirling and shoving her way into the Guest Weyr without further 
ado.

You push aside the curtain and enter the weyr.

C'vadan comes into the weyr from the bowl.

Lysseth> Strength flows effortlessly from iron thews that are clad in 
gilded fire--Prometh rises after the gleaming green torch that is Lysseth.

K'tyn comes into the weyr from the bowl.

Kerlyn comes into the weyr from the bowl.

Lysseth> Lysseth travels with the speed of love's proper heralds, wings 
barely skimming over the thin cloud cover on her arrow-straight path to 
the upwards Southern skies. Normally, she is one who takes the time to 
enjoy the sheer pleasures of flight... normally. But that Lysseth is no 
longer; *this* one is immediately focused on one goal: escape, and the 
trickery through which that may be accomplished. To let them gain an inch 
on her? O calm, dishonorable, vile submission! She shall not walk indeed, 
but soar like a tail-blazing comet, leaving all worldly concerns and 
chasers eating her sky-dust.

Kerlyn strides in last, dropping her helmet and gloves at her feet, and 
leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, tightly.

Dragon> Sorath bespoke Flight with << Hey- is there a theme here I 
missed? :) >>

K'tyn trips over a bootlace as he enters the guest weyr. For a moment, he 
blinks, confusion turning his cheeks a brilliant red. "What? Oh!" he 
murmurs. This place, it is familiar, and not. Urged from the emotions of 
the beast above, he regains his stride and moves closer to Kassima.

Dragon> Flight sense that Dulath sighs and is having technical 
difficulties :P

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh grins. We're doing shakespeare.:) Or at 
least Duly is.:-)

Lysseth> Dulath is a lover, borrowed on Faranth's wings, and soars with 
them above a common bond. If Lysseth be rough with the chasers, Dulath 
will be rough with Lysseth, chase Lysseth for the chasing, and you beat 
the others to Lysseth.Up to the headknobs, come, Dulath burns daylight.

Dragon> Flight sense that Lysseth okays... rules and regs. :) << One pose 
per Lyss-pose, please; no size limits, and no limits on rider poses at 
all. The guest weyr will be IC, the channel OOC. Silliness on the channel 
is perfectly fine by me if you feel like it. :) Page Kassi sometime before 
flight's end if you don't want to win, have fun, and good luck! I'm basing 
most of my posing on quotes from Romeo and Juliet, but no one has to 
follow that theme; it's just a whim of mine. :) >>

C'vadan leans against the far wall, confident that Dulath will do the 
right thing, whatever that may be. He tries to keep his gaze from Kassima, 
but this is an great effort.

Kassima leans against the cool stone of one of the weyr's corners; sure, 
it might not magically dissolve behind her to allow her escape when she 
wants it to, but at the moment, she rather needs something to help hold 
her up. Her mind certainly isn't helping; *that* is aloft with Lysseth, as 
is evidenced by her blank green eyes. Light's on, but nobody's home.

Lysseth> Prometh seeks a love for his own, and this fair green temptress 
doth beckon to him like a siren from the sea as the swim through the air 
like porpoises in the seas. Daring, he takes a chance -- arrowing close to 
his nemesis for the fair lady's love, he taunts Dulath with a note of pure 
disdain.

K'tyn closes his eyes, swaying a moment before again regaining his 
balance--the view from above disorienting to say the least.

Lysseth> Sorath whips his wings up and down, powering forward though the 
air with all teh energy at his disposal. His emotion is further fuelled by 
the remnents of anger he picks up form his rider below. Casting caution 
and stratgey to the wind, he presses forward nearly blindly.

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh peers. There should be a they in there 
somewhere.

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Flight with << Even so, clutchbrother, twas finely 
crafted. >>

Kerlyn's riding jacket falls to the floor of the bowl, her arms cross over 
her chest. For some reason she feels the need to explain, a little
belligerantly, "It's scorching hot in here."

Dragon> Flight sense that Dulath is *really* rusty on this flight thing :)

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh blushes. I am not the bard, nor even a 
pale second to him.

Lysseth> Day's candles have burnt out, and sultry night steals darkly over 
the misty peaks that rim Telgar's great Bowl. Lysseth must be gone, and 
fly free, or stay and... well, she'll not consider the consequences of 
losing this race for freedom. She shall *not* lose, for if any dragon 
could ever outwit the inevitable fate, it is she. She streaks past like 
some meteor that the sun exhales, to be to the pursuers this night a 
torchbearer and light them on their way across her path. Tilting her 
wings, she glides silently over the clouds, the luminescence she exudes 
kissing them briefly with tendrils of malachite radiance before that, too, 
fades and leaves only she to challenge the twin moons.

K'tyn looks at Kerlyn. "Hot, is it? Aye," he agrees, belatedly. "It's too 
warm by far."

Lysseth> Dulath sees Lysseth and she is the fairies midwife, and she comes 
in color no brighter than an emerald-stone on the fore-finger of a 
Masterminer. The collars of the moonsshine's watery beams chase Lysseth as 
one with Dulath, and in this state she gallops wing to wing. Through 
Dulath's brain, and then he dreams of Lysseth, O'er Harper's knees, and 
dream on ballad straight, O'er Lysseth's wings, who straight on Dulath 
pursues.

Kassima tugs a black kerchief from some hidden space in her vest, holding 
it as though unsure what to do with it. Probably, she intended to mop her 
brow--it *is* hot in here, despite the winter weather--but, well, Faranth 
help her if she can remember now. The only sensation she feels is the wind 
over her nonexistant wings.

Dragon> Sorath bespoke Flight with << Oi- I'm feeling a little 
outclassed. :) Next time I'll do my homework first.. >>

C'vadan shrugs off his jacket, determined to keep his cool. However, the 
heat here is stifling and he loosens the collar of his shirt to help. Not 
that it does.

Lysseth> A comet was that, that sails with green luminescence amongst the 
clouds so far before Prometh. Eagerly, he calls to her with a bugle that 
is torn from the depths of his heart--Fair mermaid, lovely siren, do not 
lead me onto the rocks of Charybdis! Take me through, and lead me to 
love's gleaming shores.

Kerlyn's reply is irritable, "I just said that." she snaps back at K'tyn.

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Flight with << Well, Sorath, we didn't know that 
this would be a themed flight :) >>

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh nods--yea, I'm justhere to torment 
Dulath a bit.:)

Dragon> Flight sense that Lysseth presents herself with the award for 
'Worst Overuse of the Word 'She' In a Single Pose,' and grins. Believe me, 
I certainly never expect others to feel they have to conform to what I'm 
doing; I just need a guideline, doof that I am. ;)

Lysseth> If Lysseth is the comet straking through the sky of the bowl, 
then Sorath's pale frame is but a speck in it's always-following tail. 
Caught in the brightly-burning wake of the glistening green, he follows, 
captive, with all the strength he can muster.

K'tyn frowns. "So, I said it again -- Tis the truth, is it not?" With 
that, he flings off his jacket. "Bah," he mutters. "What's the harm in 
repeating something? Nothing, I say." He glares at Kerlyn, and then at 
C'vadan.

Lysseth> Lysseth pumps her great wings, forcing their grey-shrouded sails 
to perform to the utmost. There's no time to kill--she must hie hence, be 
gone, away! The wind shrills over wings, so out of tune, straining harsh 
discords and unpleasing sharps. And yet, the wind makes sweet division--
for it divides *her* from those who would catch her, putting an end to her 
fleeting, feral freedom. More light and light she grows as the herdbeasts' 
blood courses through her veins, mixing there with adrenaline and 
determination to become the most perfect fuel known to dragonkind.

Lysseth> Dulath veers away from Prometh, wondering where fair Lysseth has 
gotten off to. Nay, Dulath will conjure too. Lysseth! Humors! Madmen! 
Passion! Lysseth! Appear in the likeness of a sigh: By her high headknobs 
and her verdant hide, By her fine wing, straight neck and quivering tail, 
That in Lysseth's likeness shall appear to Dulath. If love be blind, love 
cannot hit the mark.

Kassima frowns, sense returning to her eyes long enough for her to glare 
at the other riders in the room. "You're loud," she accuses. Yeah, it's 
stating the obvious... but she hasn't got that much brain-power to spare 
on things like eloquent conversation. She tugs at her shirt-collar, her 
brow furrowed pensively as she leans back against the cooling stone of the 
walls.

C'vadan hasn't said a thing so he knows that Kassima isn't speaking to 
him. Still, he removes his shirt a little more carefully, using it to wipe 
his brow.

Lysseth> The joy of the chase-- the anticipation, the heady rush of joy at 
the light, and the night and the company. As masquers to the ball, the 
train of suitors comes closer to their goal. Sorath's growl comes out low, 
as he makes his way forward through the sky.

Kerlyn loosens the laces of her linen shirt, "Nothing, if you're content 
to parrot others the rest of your days, I suppose."

Lysseth> A hiss of anger, a flash of flame-touched wings and Prometh seeks 
the higher position to pursue the lithe glimmer of living grace that 
flirts playfully amongst the clouds. Dew-dusted, Prometh gleams -- He is 
the embodiment of fire that was brought from the sky to the mortals 
below-- A gift from the skies, he seeks rapture in them. Lysseth! 
Prometh's forlorn bugle wails. Come to me!

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh sighs. That was a miscegnation of 
lines.:p. Half were for the next pose. Oh wel

Lysseth> Lysseth spares a moment to turn her head and look upon her 
death--or rather, the eventual death of her liberty. That she should have 
to consort with such as they--zounds, consort? Should they make a minstrel 
of her, they should look to hear nothing but discords. Lysseth is ignoring 
the second need for the nonce, greater than that for freedom for all that 
she knows it not--the need that drove her up here in the first place. 
Desire. Screaming her defiance to the uncaring heavens, two of the fairest 
stars of which could be mistaken for her eyes were they only purple, she 
furls her wings tautly to her slim frame and veers down and to the west. 
Away to heaven, respective lenity! Lysseth flies with purpose, seeking to 
avoid the consequence yet hanging in the stars... nearly literally, for 
all the height gained so far on the chase.

Lysseth> Alas, poor Dulath, he is already dead

Dragon> Flight sense that Dulath grumbles.

Dragon> Prometh bespoke Flight with << Duly, you're not the only one who's 
out of practice. :) but your poses (taken from R&J, yes?) are lovely. >>

Lysseth> Alas, poor Dulath, he is already dead, stabbed with green 
dragon's black eye, shot through the headknob with a love-song croon. More 
than the prince of felines, as Prometh is known, Dulath is the courageous 
brown of compliments. He flies as Lysseth wings, keeps time, distance, and 
proportion, A gentle dragopn of the very first egg: Ah, the immortal 
passado! The punto reverso! The Hai! Lysseth! For this drivelling love is 
like a great natural, that runs lolling up and down to hide his bauble in 
a hole.

Dragon> Flight sense that Dulath appologizes for the spam. *sigh*

Dragon> Sorath bespoke Flight with << Hamlet that time, no? :) No worries, 
Dulath- you're awesome. >>

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh grins. :) Sokay. I think we all 
understand.:) Puppets don't like colons.:)

Kassima finally loosens the fastenings of her outer cloak, letting that 
much fall behind her in silence. It probably does little to keep the heat 
out, given that it comes more from within anyway. Eyes blazing defiance, 
she steals a long look at each rider before closing them and tilting her 
head back to stare blindly towards the ceiling.

Dragon> Flight sense that Tyrinth drats, and missed. I can't lose my 
defending title, not being there. Lysseth, make them work girlfriend!

Dragon> Lysseth bespoke Flight with << Or semi-colons, anyway... something 
I've long lamented, since I love the things. Don't worry 'bout it, 
Dulath. :) I'm doing my best, Tyrinth! ;) >>

C'vadan watches Kassima and has a brief realization of his present state 
of semi-undress. He holds his shirt tightly against his chest and closes 
his eyes, silently encouraging his lifemate, but not enthusiastically so.

K'tyn stalks toward Kassima carefully, the glint in his eye far too 
familiar for those who know him well-- and leans against the wall nearby. 
His admiring gaze follows the elegant line of chin and throat, flickering 
to the shine of gleaming ebony locks. A slow smile edges his face.

Lysseth> The magentic pull of the luminescient green draws Sorath further 
and closer, his blue's endurance starting to fail after a long day in the 
air. The verdant green ahead seems as a distant goal, but one he cannot 
let go of. Whipping his wings against the wind, Sorath strives further 
forward.

Lysseth> What can constrain fire? Why, fire of course -- Prometh surges 
through the misty clouds, the small sun blindingly bright on his fiery 
hide. Turning slightly, he edges toward the green, gaining on her albeit 
with a steady sureness as a barge makes its way up the crowded river. He 
bugles again, a loud trumpet that blares to all his joy in the sight of 
the glimmering green emblem of freedom that dances enticingly in the winds 
before him.

Kassima starts to slump a bit as her lifemate's weariness, invisible as it 
may be in the air, reflects itself in her somewhat weaker form. Upon 
realizing this, she draws herself up straightly to defiantly there stand--
men's eyes were made to look, and let them gaze; she shall not move for no 
man's pleasure, she!

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh gahs! Ihate that. I was frozen. I have 
no idea who posed or when--:p.

Dragon> Flight sense that Beltanth rumbles softly, amused.

Lysseth> Lysseth blazes across the night in a flare of amethyst-specked 
tanzanite--the amethysts being her eyes, two star-bright spheres of 
ultraviolet whirling as violently as the song of the wing-sliced winds. O 
serpent heart, hid with a flowering face! Did ever dragon keep so fair a 
cave? Beautiful tyrant, fiend angelical--dove-feathered raven, wolvish-
ravening lamb! Despised substance of divinest show--O nature, what hadst 
thou to do in hell when thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend in mortal 
paradise of such sweet flesh? Lovely as Lysseth is, her spirit burns as 
strongly as the heart of raging dragon-fire. And they would chase her? 
Attempt to catch her? Lord, what fools these mortals be!

[Editor's Note:  At this point, my 'Net decided to be evil and kicked me
from the game.  I didn't return for over half an hour; by that time, it
was decided that the flight would be judged by one ending pose, sent via
+mail, and what had already transpired... so, this flight won't quite end
the way my others did. :)  Aph did me the favor of sending the following
snippet, most of which took place after my disconnection; I've included
it here for comedic relief. ;)]

Dragon> Flight sense that Lysseth wingsnugs Prometh sympathetically. 
<< Well, I'm lagged to heck and back of a sudden, so I can certainly 
empathize. :P Okie, all... what say capture poses after Lysseth's next? 
Sound good? :) >>

Telgar-Bowl> Above, Prometh slips through the cloud-streams, the
insubstantial wisps of moisture dappling him with a brighter radiance once
he ducks below and moves ahead of a shadowing brown--What?! The Nemesis!
Carmine-hued, Prometh's eyes turn form Lysseth'sfair form for just a
moment -- and seizing the advantage, he lunges upward, Dulath's form an
obstacle to be removed from his path to the Fair Lysseth who skims the
fluffy cloud tops ahead.

Dragon> Prometh bespoke Flight with << soundsfine with me.:) >>

Telgar-Bowl> Above, Dulath crashes into Prometh, O calm, dishonorable, 
vile submission. Prometh, the tunnelsnake-catcher, will he fly? Ay, ay, a
scratch! Ask for Dulath tomorrow, and you shall find him a a grave dragon. 
A plague o' both Prometh and Lysseth! They have made tunnelsnake's meat of 
the brown. He glides down to the bowl floor, defeated.

Telgar-Bowl> Above, Sorath sliding sideways through the sky, narrowly 
misses collision with the suddenly dropping brown. Heavens keep him from 
that beast-- O- but hope increases with the sky now wider and more free 
for /his/ wings to spread, and climb higher once more.

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh sighs! Duly! Thou art a valiant oponent. 
I would that you had stayed we sparred a bit more. :) (Good poses, truly!)

Dragon> Flight sense that Tyrinth giggles! Kassi, did Lysseth spurn the
attentions of the bronzes again?

Dragon> Flight sense that Sorath blinks in suprise. Farewell, worthy 
Dulath.

Dragon> Flight sense that Dulath grins and thanks Kassima for the chance 
to play Mercutio :)

Dragon> Flight sense that Tyrinth waits to hear the congrats so she can
offer suggestions on what to give Kassi later. (Fruit: Smaller than a
breadbox)

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh fears that Kassi's lost in lagland.:p

Dragon> Flight sense that Dulath likes to think she was so taken at the 
loss of him chasing that she's speechless ;) *duck*

Dragon> Tyrinth bespoke Flight with << Oh no, mr. bill! >>

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh eeks. There she went.

Dragon> Sorath bespoke Flight with << Whups. >>

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh eeps, this is not looking good.

Dragon> Flight sense that Sorath drums his wingtips on the table. Do you
know what her intentions were? Otherwise, I'd vote for giving her another
few minutes, then assuming we both got bested by somone else?

Dragon> Flight sense that Ivarath comes swooping down from out of the
clouds, surprises you all, and makes off with Lysseth? ;)

Dragon> Flight sense that Dulath actually caught her when you all weren't
looking ;)

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh nods. Or let her choose, when she 
returns.

Dragon> Prometh bespoke Flight with << I need to leave shortly, though. 
:p. the SO is waiting to be picked up. ;P. >>

Dragon> Flight sense that Tyrinth offers the SO tickles to se if the SO 
will make funny noises.

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh has an idea! Hey, Sorath! Can my rider
carry your rider off? :)

Dragon> Flight sense that Sorath laughs! Sure. :)

Dragon> Telgar dragons sense that Prometh LALALALA

Dragon> Telgar dragons sense that Prometh owait. That's Leilanth's rider's
line.

Dragon> Torinth bespoke Telgar dragons with << Live from Telgar Weyr's 
Bowl, it's the Bronze Barn himself! Proooooooo-mmmmeeeeeeth! >>

Dragon> Prometh bespoke Telgar dragons with << Prometh here, reporting on
Lysseth's flight LIVE! Seems like our quarry has fallen off the planet! 
Yes, I repeat, Lysseth's player's net is GONE! >>

Dragon> Dulath bespoke Flight with << As an unbiased observer, shall I
choose? ;) >>

Dragon> Flight sense that Faerth chuckles.

Dragon> Telgar dragons sense that Sorath adds colour commentary as
approprate << You may recall Lysseth's rider being accountably irritable 
the last few days, as it turns out-- this is why. Always doing the 
unexpected, that Lysseth. Prometh, any new developments? >>

Dragon> Telgar dragons sense that Torinth gets out the neato pens that 
draw on the screen, and gets ready for the play by play.

Dragon> Prometh bespoke Telgar dragons with << Well, the clouds are
condensing on my hide as I circle about, searching for Lysseth and her
player -- Sorath! You're on the 20 yard line; can you see anything? >>

Dragon> Flight sense that Dulath rushes in. << So we can artificially
prolong the suspence of this scheduled flight, we will now show tape of
yesterday's exciting snowfall, and interview with Pern's oldest dragon, 
and several hours of McDonalds commercials. >>

Dragon> Sorath bespoke Telgar dragons with << It's pretty tiring, from
here-- it looks like there's a Igen brown in good position to make a pass. 
I don't have a great angle from this far to the right, but there appears 
to be a blue with the home team readying himself for a tackle. >>

Dragon> Telgar dragons sense that Torinth dutifully diagrams out the 
called positions.

Dragon> Flight sense that Tyrinth laughs, and applauds. I wanna meet this
Dulath.

Dragon> Flight sense that Prometh aies as his player has to leave to go 
get the SO and some food before he faints -- ICly, I'm still here and 
chasing.:) Ciao, all.

[Editor's Note:  And, finally, here are the two poses sent to me via
+mail:]

Look! Is that a smear that falls from the sky, so gracelessly? Nay! Tis 
just Dulath, inferior one! sings out Prometh's crow of triumph, as he 
eagerly arrows forward, barreling past a tired blue and a flailing brown 
with all the enthusiasm of one much younger than his years. So close, she 
is to him, this emerald counterpart of his that is limned in the last rays 
of the sun with a flash so bright she blinds--So close.

Put off your maiden blushes, my Lysseth, will you have me? Sorath's course 
is steady, though the beat of his wings falters just slightly. Avouch the 
thoughts of your heart, take me by the wing-- his heart is on his wing, 
and his eyes whirl the violent violet of his thoughts.  His desires fling 
him forward towards the luminecient green.. but is it enough?

[Editor's Note:  The final verdict was 1.) That Prometh won, and that 
2.) That computers are evil, sadistic contraptions run by malevolent 
demons who enjoy helping Murphy's Law come to fruition. :P :)]