-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Battle of the Greenriders Date: April 10, 1997 Place: Benden Weyr's North Bowl and Living Caverns Game: PernMUSH Copyright Info: The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kassi's Note: Take two greenriders who both have an affinity for very sharp knives. Add two proddy dragons, who happen to be the lifemates of these greenriders. Stir. The result: this log! Kassi and K'nan may be good friends on normal terms, but when Lysseth and Veyath are both glowing, normal terms just don't apply. (Now, if only K'nan hadn't had to leave just when things were getting interesting....) Step right up and get your tickets for the Greenrider Almost-Battle Royal! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. Kassima swings down from Lysseth's neck, cape flaring out behind her in the wind. "Do *nay*," she tells her lifemate, pulling the green head around to stare Lysseth in the eyes, "provoke Veyath. D'you hear me? Else I'll find a way to keep you from ever eating wherry heads *again*." Veyath slowly cracks open an eye from where she's hidden herself against one bowl wall, snow piled up around her adding to the shadow around her.. though that shadow is pierced by a balefully whirling red gaze and softly gleaming emerald hide. She remains silent, though watchful of the other green. Kassima keeps staring at her lifemate for several moments, then abruptly releases her with a short nod. "Good. And believe you me, I'll stick to my word. Now, I need some klah." You walk past the lintel and into the wide living cavern. K'nan shrugs, "Aye..almost forgot 'bout that. Trust me, helps...right now, 'least, helps a lot." Emne says "Well..I'll just have to take your word for it..." Accompanied by a snow-frosted gust of wind, Kassi steps into the Living Cavern with only the click of metal-heeled boots on stone announcing her presence at first. Darting a wary glance at K'nan, and managing the barest nod of civility to everyone else, she strides towards the nearest pitcher of klah--it must be Flirk's or M'kla's, since everyone else seems to be avoiding it--and pours herself a steinful. Emne smiles sympathetically at the greenrider..."I'm sure it'll feel better soon.." Emne notices Kassima and waves cheerfully "Hallo." Kassima's return greeting is a grunt as she pulls a vial of some red-gold liquid from her belt-pouch, adding this to the klah in her mug. Not a particularly cheerful grunt, either. "Enh." With this cheerful thought, she bears her spiked klah to her usual seat in the table, glaring at several wingmates as they scootch to chairs further away. K'nan glances irritably up at Kassima as she walks in, taking a brief sip of his wine. With a quiet snort, "Yer in a good mood, Kassi.." Turning back to Emne, he smiles..warmer than before, "I hope so." Emne blinks at Kassi's grunt for a moment then just shrugs it off. Kassima's glance at K'nan returns the irritability, with interest. "Rest assured that 'tis mutual," she informs him dryly before gulping about a quarter of the alcohol-laced klah in the mug. Emne gets up and pours herself some klah completely oblivious as to whose brew it is because she never really cares anyway Emne blinks at the exchange between the riders, shrugs again and settles back into her seat across from K'nan. Benden Weyr> Kassima grins at Emne. Stuck in the LC with two proddy greenriders... poor you. :) Benden Weyr> Emne says, "bah s'ok:) Emne's too cheerful:)" Emne sips quietly at her klah K'nan proceeds to totally ignore the existance of the other greenrider, and smiles across the table at Emne..taking a sip of wine now and then. "So how've you been, Emne m'dear?" Benden Weyr> Kassima grins back, and pssts. K'nan. Do you remember what should be done to all cheerful people? ;) Benden Weyr> K'nan says, "HANG THEM! ;)" Benden Weyr> Kassima was more thinking of the Great Spinal-Cord Flaying Ceremony, but that will do. ;) Benden Weyr> K'nan would mention blood-eagling, but it's too unpleasant to mention over a knot. :) Kassima slides her wherry-skewer soundlessly with her belt, and begins to polish it with an oilcloth that presumably came from her belt pouch. While doing this, she whistles what may well be the single most annoying song known to man: 'The Woman In Me Needs the Herdbeast In You, Because My Dragon Is Hungry.' [Editor's Note: I just wanted to note that, no, this is not a slur on the Shania Twain song, 'The Woman In Me.' I *like* Shania Twain songs. However, during a discussion on Pernese versions of country song titles, this one came up. I sort of liked it. It came out second on my favorites list to, 'If My Love Was a Dragonet's Couch, You'd Be Mucking It Forever.' And I'm sure you all wanted to know that, too. ;) ] Benden Weyr> Kassima knows that ritual, K'nan! ;) Emne says "Oh just fine thanks...busy as ever..." Benden Weyr> Emne giggles K'nan chuckles faintly, "Ye need a long vacation...ye really do." He winks, "I know, let's run away t'gether to Shipfish for a few weeks." Emne beams "We've been taking good care of Ofira...making all sorts of yummy citron dishes since she seems to have acquired a taste for citron with the baby on the way..." Emne says "A vacation?" Emne blinks..stumped for a few minutes...haven't done that in a while no.. K'nan nods firmly. "Aye. A vacation. Y'work far too hard for ye're own good." Kassima sets down her blade and cloth long enough to frown. "You know as well as I do, K'nan, that you can't go on a vacation for awhile at least. Any more than I can," she adds sourly. Emne shakes her head "Not really, now that Ayla and Dovell and Ofira are all here, we've got more apprentices than we know what to do with really..." K'nan glances over at Kassima and frowns deeply.. a brief flicker of irritation showing in his eyes. "I can go whereever I shardin' well please, Kassi." Emne chatters on blithely "Do you know Sayla? She makes the most delightful breads...really quite a talented child..." Kassima snorts and retorts, "With Veyath lighting up the evenings? Certes, you can--if you've a wish t'be having dawn sweeps for the rest of your life." K'nan turns back to Emne, that spark of irritation instantly gone as he ignores Kassi, smiling cheerfully, "Right. So ye're free enough t'go on vacation, with all those 'prentices takin' up the slack. So why not?" Emne waggles a finger lightly at K'nan "Because my daughter has been having a rough time of it lately and I need to be here for her." Emne says "That ..and who wants to be flying about in the snow?...I'd much rather stay by a nice warm hearth....not that running off for a little while mightn't be fun when the weather clears up in a month or so..." Emne smiles K'nan chuckles, "Bah, she can come with us? And aye, we can go somewhere warm..Boll, Shipfish, Igen." He winks, "'Twill be fun...trust me." Kassima shakes her head, whatever traces of non-annoyed mood that were with her now entirely erased. She mutters to herself, "... bloody why... nay... Weyr, neither... I'll... to... tell..." A smile lights up her face at whatever she just said, one of those smiles that surely bodes no good for someone, and her whistling is downright cheerful as she takes the cloth to the blade again. Emne says "Well I'll think on it...mayhap in a week or so" Emne says "I've only just gotten back on to speaking terms with Emilly you know..." Emne smiles again K'nan frowns..another flicker of annoyance passing him. "Hrm..." He smiles, cheerful again, "Well, a vacation'll get ye two back on speaking terms, you can have some more time t'gether, y'know?" Emne laughs "As I said..I'll think on it" K'nan winks playfully, "Good. Get back t'me..don't be long, though." Emne chuckles softly "Oh I never take overly long on much of anything.... except making sweet pastry dough." Emne says "Making pastry dough takes time patience and a keen understanding of butter at room temperature." Emne grins Kassima calls over to K'nan, "I *assume* that you're also intending to take Aph along, K'nan?" Whisk, whisk, goes the oilcloth. "I can tell her for you, if'n y'like. I'm sure she'd be delighted to hear of such a trip." K'nan grins teasingly, "And few bake that better'n ye..so I'm sure I'll be hearin' back from ye soon enough." He glances over at Kassima a bit balefully, eyes darkening. "And what if I weren't, Kassima? What's that t'you?" Emne says "Why thank you K'nan I do pride myself on my pastry..as a matter of fact, I've baked some with a citron flavor ...primarily for Ofira... but..if you'd like to try one...." Emne pushes the basket she'd brought in earlier closer to K'nan. Kassima smiles far too sweetly at her former mentor. "Well. Since Aphrael *is* a friend of mine, I'd just be honor-bound to tell her, you know. I'm sure she'd be much happier to be invited along than nay. Wouldn't you agree?" K'nan flashes Emne a brilliant smile as he takes one of the pastries.. "Thankee, Emne." Turning back to Kassima, his mood shoots way down the hole as he narrows his eyes and hisses softly, "Ye wouldna dare, greenrider." Emne purses her lips slightly Emne says "Now now now..I haven't even agreed to go...and who's to say if it couldn't be made a nice trip for a number of friends to take some time off..hmm?" Kassima smiles even broader, her own mood heightened as she accomplishes her aim. "Wouldn't I? I wouldn't lay my marks on that, greenrider. V'dan might... but, as we all know, he *always* loses." Emne smiles disarmingly at both riders waving the basket of pastries about. Benden Weyr> K'nan . o 0 (Battle of the greenriders) Benden Weyr> Kassima says, "I'll get the barbed whips, you get the hydrochloric acid? ;)" Benden Weyr> Emne moans...I sure hope they don't rise TOO close...;) K'nan seems to have lost track of his conversation with Emne, one hand sliding off the table and dangerously close to his beltknife as he looks at Kassima, eyea narrow slits of anger. "My life is -none- of ye're business, Kassi. -None-. Ye shouldna interfere in it." Emne's eyes widen slightly and she sets the basket back down on the table. Emne clears her throat and says in a slightly louder voice "well then, I must get back to the kitchen..there's dinner to prepare and what not...." Emne stands "If you'll both excuse me...." Kassima raises the wherry skewer in her hand to guard position, in an unconscious and automatic reflex reaction. Green eyes narrow to matching slits, though that poisonously sweet smile is still present. "Mayhaps nay. But isn't it the duty of all riders to... look out for one another, so to speak? I wouldn't want to be lacking in my duties to Aph. Oh, nay. Never that." Emne says "Right...." Emne scampers off to the kitchen Emne walks off towards the kitchen. Benden Weyr> Emne says, "Have fun you two..don't tear each other apart!:) and thanks:)" Benden Weyr> Kassima says, "Oh, don't worry, we won't. Our dragons would kill us. :)" K'nan glances at Emne...looking even more frustrated as she escapes, hand wrapping around the hilt of the knife that Kassima herself gave him last Turnday. "I don't see what that has t'do with anything...it's not rider business, so you don't need t'invoke rider loyalty......" Benden Weyr> Kassima says, "Kin! Come save K'nan before I kill him, or vice versa! :)" Benden Weyr> Kindre says, "Again?? ;) Uh oh...what am I missing...?" Benden Weyr> C'vadan snugs Kindre :) Benden Weyr> K'nan says, "We're both proddy, Kin. ;)" Benden Weyr> Kindre can't stay long, she hasta pack...*thud* <- Kin fainting..."BOTH???" Kassima stuffs her oilcloth back in her belt-pouch, coincidentally allowing her other hand to rest on the hilt of a lesser knife after she does so. "Call it friend-loyalty, if you will, then. And besides. Rider loyalty *would* command me to inform T'fian what you're up to, taking a proddy green out of her Weyr... wouldn't it?" Benden Weyr> F'hlan Fears. Benden Weyr> Kassima says, "Yep. It's the Greenrider Battle Royal. We should be selling tickets to this! ;)" Benden Weyr> Kassima has an idea, Obi-Wan. Let's call a truce and both wage war on your 'Net instead? K'nan very slowly, almost seeming not to realize it, draws the knife from its sheath with a soft scraping sound..eyes narrowing still more. From between clenched teeth, he hisses, "Fine. Tell T'fian. I don't see any reason why you should talk to /Aph/." Kassima slips her second knife from its sheath, spinning it around in her hand as she holds the other in wary guarding stance. As light flashes off of her dizzyingly spinning blade, she replies without taking her eyes off of the other greenrider, "Because there's nay good reason why I shouldn't. She deserves to know." Kassi is bound and determined not to be the only one miserable in the Weyr, obviously. K'nan snarls, climbing to his feet..blade flashing briefly as he whirls it across the space between the two. He growls, "Fine. If that's th'way it's going to be..." After a brief moment of tension, he twirls his knife and slides it back into its sheath, kicking a chair out of his way as he heads for the bowl. K'nan walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl. Benden Weyr> K'nan needs to head out, unfortunately.. Benden Weyr> Kassima zhaisnugs K'nan. It was fun almost-dueling with you! ;) Benden Weyr> Kindre snugsa Fearful Greenrider!!! ;) Benden Weyr> K'nan wafflesnugs Kassi. Likewise. ;) Kassima snarls as K'nan departs, "Lily-livered wher-spawned brain-dead crossbreed between a tunnelsnake and a patch of sea slime!" Glaring after the other greenrider, she slams both knives back into their homes at her belt with considerable force. Kassima eventually gives up on trying to melt the wall with the force of her glare alone, and storms out the door, leaving a trail of curses that could make a Seacrafter blush behind her. You walk down the short tunnel and out into the bowl.