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Greenrider Knife-Throwing Practice, or Day Two of the Snowman Slaughter


Date:  January 9, 1997
Places:  Benden Weyr's Records Room and Lake Shore
Game:  PernMUSH
Copyright Info:  The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey 
1967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

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Kassi's Note:  This log starts right after a gold fire-lizard hatching,
to explain the references to such therein.  Most excess foo has been
cut out, though relevant knotchat has been left in for amusement's 
sake. ;)  Obviously, Kassi is still *very* proddy during this whole
thing.

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The Log:

Meli strides in from the bowl.

Kassima glances over to Meli where she's busily slicing up some hapless 
wood, and waves the human-shaped carving in the direction of her friend. 
"Meli, heya."

Meli grins, glancing about at the mess. "Evenin'. What's up?

K'nan looks up and smiles a bit, "G'deve, Meli..you missed a gold 
Hatching."

K'tyn sighs wearily, though he gives Meli a brilliant grin. "You just 
missed all the excitement."

Danuta cradles the little bronze, still popping titbits into his mouth. 
She waves to Meli.

Kassima lifts a shoulder in a shrug. "Just missed a hatching. People 
were all over the place, a'course; y'know how 'tis, come hatching-time. 
Swarms, crowds, people who *elbow* other people...." She still sounds a 
bit irked about that.

K'tyn grins at K'nan. "There was more than just the Gold, though...she 
did come out first."

Meli chuckles. "Eh, s'ok. I've already got one relatively new mouth 
t'feed, an' I don' have Kassi's tolerance for squawking, creeling 
'lizards about th'weyr."

K'nan rolls his eyes, "Meli, I wish I had her tolerance. Have you /seen/ 
Aph's fair?"

Kassima snorts. "Tolerance, feh. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about 
aught but three at the moment; the rest've taken off to go wherever they 
go when Lyss starts looking a wee bit bright."

K'tyn grins, and slips out. "Gotta go get some food. I am so tired, all 
of a sudden!"

K'tyn slips out of the records cavern.

Deri slips out of the records cavern.

Meli sniffs at herself experimentally. "Is it me?" she asks as people 
vanish.

Danuta nods to everyone and gets up carefully. She grins at Meli. "Don't 
think so. Just that klah and food is starting to sound a very attractive 
proposition at the moment."

Kassima bahs. "Just the hatching being over. Y'know how that goes." She 
jams the knife into the wood carving someplace where it won't do much 
damage, and stands. "So, Meli. K'nan. Want to go chop up more snowmen? Or 
chop up something else?"

Meli lifts a brow. "Chop? Thought y'were goin' t'teach me t'throw."

Kassima shrugs. "Can teach you to throw, can teach you to fight hand-
t'hand... I know both. Your choice."

Kassima adds, "I'm better at the throwing, though."

Meli nods, rubbing a hand across her chin. "Should prolly start w'how 
t'pick a good knife, an' work my way up."

K'nan raises an eyebrow in surprise, "You don't know how to use a knife, 
Meli?"

Kassima nods, and looks to K'nan. "Want to help? 'Twould likely go faster 
with two doing the teaching."

K'nan nods, stepping away from the wall. "Sure, sounds good t'me."

Kassima nods and jerks her head towards the exit. "To the Lake, then!" 
She strides outside, knife and wood in hand.

You slip out of the records cavern.

You walk south.

You head in the direction of the shimmering lake, leaving the South Bowl 
area of the Weyr.

Meli heads over from the South Bowl.

K'nan heads over from the South Bowl.

Kassima walks over to one of her snowmen of the previous couple of days, 
and starts packing snow back onto it.

Meli watches a moment, chewing idly on her lip. Finally, she can't help 
asking "What're y'doin'?" seeing as snowpeople don't seem to have much to 
do with knife qualities.

Kassima shrugs. "Well," she notes philosophically, "we need *targets*, 
don't we?" She patches up that one poor snowman's much-abused groin, 
noting, "I hope for this one's sake that nay anyone misses again today."

Benden Weyr> Meli prepares to call the Official Evil Greenriders <tm> 
Target Practice to order at the Lake Shore.

K'nan chuckles softly, "That poor snowman."

Meli chuckles, then pulls her gloves from her belt and dons them before 
moving over to help in the repairs. "Anythin' particular you want done 
t'these, or jus' fill in the holes an' such?"

Kassima hrms. "Aye, aye... put that one's head back in his hands, if'n 
you'd be so kind."

Still chuckling, Meli does as she is asked, taking a moment to gouge out 
startled eyes and a twisted grin on the snow head.

Kassima starts building up a snowman in the ruins of the one she stabbed 
and stomped to death last night; she places its hand over its heart, then 
draws a flask of some sort of red alcohol from her pouch and throws it 
over the 'wound.' "Alcohol doesn't freeze," she informs K'nan, "so we 
should've tried to bring skins, but I guess this'll do."

Benden Weyr> K'nan hmms. I wonder if the fact that more than half the 
online Bendenites are greenriders is cause to worry. (For everyone else, 
that is)

Benden Weyr> Jerissa giggles. :)

Meli finishes with the headless holder and moves on to patpat at another, 
watching Kassi. She mutters to K'nan, "... she'll... t'do this?... 
skewered accidentally, y'know." 

Benden Weyr> L'nay is hiding in his weyr, K'nan. I know better. ;)

Benden Weyr> M'kla O:)

Benden Weyr> W'liam is hiding at the far end of the continent.

Benden Weyr> M'kla laughs!

K'nan grins, already testing the weight of one of his knives. He shakes 
his head at Meli's question, "Oh, she'll be fine..we were doing it 
yesterday."

Benden Weyr> K'nan also notes that a bunch of greenriders are doing 
knife-throwing practice at the lake, so Fear. ;)

Kassima picks up a stick and drives it through the snowman's heart, 
lodging it firmly there. "Ah! Think that'll be enough for starters?"

Benden Weyr> Jerissa wonders where she put her knives? :)

Benden Weyr> Karise says, "Really? I'm coming down!"

Benden Weyr> Meli .oO(Now if only we could get a quorum...)

Benden Weyr> Kethran whews as Alyssa arrives, skewing the balance in 
favour of safety once again.

Benden Weyr> Alyssa hmmms. Not going to the lake, nope. :) Hey, all! :) :)

Benden Weyr> Kassima swoonsnugs a Lys and invites her to knife practice? 
We need some targe--I mean, umm... umm.... ;)

Benden Weyr> Alyssa uh huh.

Karise heads over from the South Bowl.


---

Snowmen Targets(#3176)
        Several snowmen occupy different positions nearby, spread out by 
their maker so that their spacing is rather erratic. That isn't quite the 
only erratic thing about them, either....
        One, you can see, is holding his head in his stick hands, and 
it's not connected to his neck. Another is clutching a stick that has been 
stuck through where the heart should be; one, you see, seems to have two 
heads and three arms. Various other figures can be seen in this gallery of 
horror, but they all have one thing in common: rings of cocentric circles 
have been engraved into the head and over the heart, as though they were 
targets. The bullseyes of some of those targets already bear knife marks, 
in fact.

---


Meli steps back to admire the reformed snow targets and rubs her gloves 
together to remove some sticking snow. "So, who's goin' t'lend me a knife 
or knives t'work with?"

"I have plenty," states Kassi, drawing knives out of her boots, sleeves, 
and belt, coming up with eight total. "Take your choice; whichever one 
feels best to you is the one you'll want. A couple of these are better 
suited for hand-t'hand; those're the heavier two."

Meli steps closer, eyeing the varous blades.

K'nan glances back at spots Karise. He grins, "Heya! Welcome to knife 
training greenrider-style!"

Karise wanders in, wrapping her cloak about her, wondering, "Knives?" She 
stops at the edge, noting the targets, and their opponents. "Should I 
even ask?" she wonders.

Meli says "Well, why don' ye show me th'difference, an' we'll call that 
th'start of th'lesson."

Karise raises brows at K'nan, pshawing. "You're joking.....knife 
training? Well, I can do the throwing part." A glance goes to the 
snowmen.

Kassima adds, "I've always liked the one with the snick in the blade 
best; catches in the skin, y'know. And I've one where, if you're pushing 
on it right, it becomes three-bladed... didn't bring that one, though." 
She nods over to Karise, trusting to K'nan to explain as she starts into 
her favorite subject. "Here, take this knife. Feel the weight of it?" She 
hands Meli a keen-edged blade of silver brightness, with a smooth-worn 
wooden hilt.

Meli takes the blade in her right hand, gripping the hilt comfortably and 
'weigh'ing it for a moment. "Yeh, feels almos' like part o'my hand."

K'nan shakes his head, looking a bit amused. "No, seriously...snowmen're 
targets."

Adonith flies in from above and lands in the waters of the lake.

Kassima grins. "That's how it should feel! Be it for fighting or 
throwing." Kassi *almost* seems normal as she explains this, though 
there's a special relish to her tone at every mention of knives, stabbing, 
slicing, and various other acts of mayhem and violence. "But that's *nay* 
a throwing knife. 'Twill do if it must, but see, this one's better...." 
She passes Meli a thin-bladed knife, of much lighter weight, with a 
slender hilt to keep from adding bulk.

Karise hmms. "And me without my knife. Only got one." She makes a face, 
covering herself as Adonith lands. "You would've happen to have a spare?"

K'nan nods agreeably, "Sure - if not I, Kassi brought several."

Settled between Adonith's neckridges, Alyssa pauses in the action of 
unstrapping herself to stare at the ground. And at the knives. "Oh, ah, 
greenriders' gather?" she asks with a lame little smile. "I'm just 
heading for the, ah....the ah...living cavern."

Meli shifts the silver blade to her left hand, taking the new one in her 
right. She tests it a bit, trying different grips and feeling the 
difference in the weight distribution. "Yeh, but what else can y'use it 
for besides throwin'?" she asks.

Kassima shrugs. "A'course; I've enough for seven 'sides m'self, if it 
comes to that, and I'm sure K'nan has more. Take your choice... just nay 
this one," she adds, grabbing one with a black leather hilt set with a 
small emerald on the tip.

Karise nods, before pushing her cloak back a bit from her arms, then 
finally unhooking the clasp. "Can't throw with that on," she murmurs, 
before heading over to K'nan. "Let's see whatcha got." A cheery wave is 
tossed to Alyssa as she bends to inspect.

Kassima lifts a shoulder. "Well, y'*can* chop with it, a'course, and 
'tis nay bad for slicing. Nay much good for heavy work; a sturdier blade 
would snap it. 'Tis why if you've only got a throwing knife, you'd do 
best nay to let your enemy *get* that close." She looks up to Lys, and 
raises one hand in a sort-of greeting. The knife in said hand flashes 
wickedly in what light can make its way through the sky.

Settled between Adonith's neckridges, Alyssa murmurs something about 
hoping Karise's wave is the only thing tossed her way as she pats 
Adonith's neck. "Come on, love," she whispers. "This looks hazardous."

Benden Weyr> Alyssa has one word to say about the lake shore: eeek.

Kassima adds, "And never, *ever* go about with only one weapon. *Never* 
throw your best weapon at an enemy; 'tis a good way to be dying."

Benden Weyr> Kassima giggles. Have you looked at the targets? ;)

K'nan looks up and waves to Alyssa and Adonith before turning back to 
Karise. He nods, "Let's see..." Checking through his clothing, he beings 
to produce knives - two from his boots, two at his waist, two smaller 
knives from the sleeves of his jacket, and a seventh from inside said 
jacket. He chuckles, laying them out on a nearby rock - one of the ones 
he leaves on his waist, however. "Here's mine...would've brought more if 
I knew we were doing this."

Meli looks up at Alyssa astride Adonith, and waves her knife-filled 
hands. "Heyla, 'lys! Comin' down?"

Settled between Adonith's neckridges, Shaking her head, Alyssa replies, 
"Why, no, as a matter of fact, Meli, it's a bit brisk out here. I'll head 
in, really. I can't handle knives well."

Karise nods to Kassi, before adding, "And if anything....start from a 
distance, and then go in for the kill." She stops, before looknig at the 
knives. "Considering you and me....the boot knives might be best. Since 
I'm tossing, and all." Not to mention weyrling training makes ya tuff. 
She grins at K'nan, before musing, "More? You've got to tell me where you 
get them."

Benden Weyr> Alyssa just remembered something.

Benden Weyr> Kassima says, "What, Lys, what?"

Benden Weyr> Alyssa just remembered Karise used her as a target in the 
Candidate Talent Show thing right before the hatching.

Benden Weyr> Alyssa does not desire a repeat performance. :)

Meli laughs. "Neh, 'lys, all th'more reason t'come on down. I can't 
handle 'em either, but Kassi's goin' t'give me a lesson."

Benden Weyr> Kassima cackles! Welcome to Greenrider Central... your worst 
nightmare. ;)

Benden Weyr> Karise awwwws.

K'nan looks up and grins, waving his arm. "C'mon - neither can Meli. 
We'll teach you."

Benden Weyr> Alyssa ahem. And I quote. BWOOOOOCK.

Kassima nods vigorously. "Every greenrider should the ins and outs of 
knives!" she agrees. "Like, how t'do this--" She spins in a 360-degree 
circle on one heel, at the end of which her hand, with two knives in it, 
snaps forward. Both knives sink into the throat of the snowman with a 
stake through his heart, so close that their hilts click together.

"Never much saw th'need, y'see" Meli adds as an afterthought, setting the 
silver non-throwing blade down on a rock near Kassi's other ones, keeping 
the thinner blade and continuing to move it about in her hand to get a 
good sense of it.

Alyssa slides down the beautiful purplish blue flank of her lifemate to 
come to a rest on the ground, Adonith swinging his head around to regard 
her adoringly.

Alyssa, against her better judgement, dismounts, hovering near her blue.

Kassima gestures to the snowman. "See, Meli? Soon, you'll be able to do 
that too. Might take a few Turns, but soon enough. You, too, can kill 
ravaging enemies!" Her eyes positively light up at the thought.

Karise chuckles at Kassi, before murmuring as an aside, "I do believe the 
girl loves her work." She rocks back on her heels, before stretching out, 
careful of herself before looking over the knives again.

Meli opens her mouth, then closes it, choosing instead to respond with a 
diplomatic nod of the head and a close approximation of a pleased smile.

Kassima sprints over to reclaim her knives, picking up a handful of snow 
to replace the snowman's ravaged throat. As an afterthought, she adds 
another nose beside the first one before heading back to the others. "A 
good way to get aim, Meli, is t'take a rock and throw it at a target 'til 
you can hit the center five times straight. That'll start you 'long the 
way. Starting with knives is a bit risky, a'cause they can fly wildly 
off-course if'n you're nay careful, and thunk! They're lodged in 
someone's foot. Wouldn't want that to happen. But, you can benefit from 
watching, methinks--and if you feel ready, try out a throw at close 
range."

K'nan shakes his head, "Helps aim, maybe, Kassi - but a rock throws 
nowhere near th'same as a knife."

Kassima nods. "Aye, but you've got to start *somewhere*. Having the aim 
helps a bit at least, and 'tis something that can be practiced near 
anywhere, anytime."

"Why are you all doing this?" Alyssa asks with soft bewilderment. "I 
mean...truly. I've never even owned my own belt knife."

Karise nods. "Can't have people just tossing knives." Though it does make 
for interesting conversation. "Besides, the look on someone's face when 
they're beamed by a rock is priceless."

K'nan nods, "True enough." He picks up one of the knives, hefting it. He 
looks over at Alyssa's question and shrugs, "For one, in case we have 
t'deal with Renegades."

Meli considers a moment, then tucks the knife carefully into her belt and 
select a suitable sized rock. She steps up a bit, eyeing the headless 
holder, and lets fly with the rock, aiming for its chest.

Kassima laughs. "Isn't it, though? Why, Lys, because 'tis fun. And a 
useful skill. Never know when you might have to kill someone in one blow 
from a distance."

Alyssa shudders and says, "I could never do that, Kassima, never."
The rock hits the target, knocking loose a bit of snow from just above 
the 'kneecap'.

Kassima states impassively, "It could become necessary. If that renegade 
that shot at Lysseth had hit, and got another bolt in his hands, I'd 
rather 'twere *me* who had the weapons knowledge to take him out than he 
be the one who could shoot me down. Fortunately, he missed, and was an 
incompetent. Didn't come into play." She nods approvingly at Meli. "Nay 
bad, nay 'tall. Good blow for crippling someone, making them lose 
concentration. Someday, you'll be able to do that without even having to 
take careful aim."

Meli looks askance at her poor toss, and steps over a step. She mutters 
to Alyssa, "... I... it's a... t'have, an' then there's... t'try..." 

Karise finally filches a knife, taking a stance before the figure missing 
a head. She tilts her head to one side, before flicking her wrist, 
letting the knife fly. It hits the head, sitting into the top like a 
wedge.

Looking decidedly green, Alyssa nods to Meli and shivers again. "I 
just...couldn't."

Meli picks up another rock, moving to a different target, and says just 
as she lets fly, "Was aimin' for th'chest, Kassi."

Kassima shrugs. "If someone was threatening Adonith's life, I bet you'd 
find a way. I daresay we all would." She whistles as she sees Karise's 
throw. "Right good show! And aye, Meli, but just hitting him would do 
marvelous good if'n 'twere a real person. Mind, he'd be running and 
harder to hit, but 'tis a fine start."

Alyssa nods in agreement with Kassima and watches the throws quietly, 
rubbing her blue's hide with greater affection than ever.

Karise darns, "I was hoping for the nose." She looks down, grinning at 
swollen belly, before waddling over, snicking the knife from the 'man's 
'head'. After patting more snow back in, she heads back to the crowd.

Kassima turns and points to K'nan. "Your turn, mentor."

Meli's second throw also hits the target, but this time it's more of a 
glancing blow, along the side of the 'stomach'

K'nan hefts the knife in his hand a few more times, flipping it to hold 
by the blade. After a moment of estimation, he brings his arm back and 
down, throwing underhand in one smooth motion. The throwing blade arrows 
straight for the snowman he's chosen as a target - imbedding itself past 
the hilt it it's 'stomach'.

Kassima mmms appreciatively. "Underhand's a tough shot." She walks over 
to pluck the knives from the snow, returning them to their owners once 
she's done so. "Who first this time?"

Meli taps a finger alongside her nose. "Y'said keep w'the rocks til I 
can hit where I want five times in a row?"

Alyssa walks forward and holds out a gloved hand. "I'll try," she says 
quietly.

Karise hmms, wiping the blade on her dress side. "Dunno...but I can wait 
for a bit. I want to see that underhand shot again. I've always done 
overhand, or from the side."

Kassima nods to Meli. "Aye--there're other exercises you can do, but 
that's a good starter. You *can* try a knife, if you want, and are *very 
sharding careful*." To Lys, she nods, handing the bluerider one of her 
multitude of light-bladed throwing knives. "All right. Careful, though."

Meli spends a moment finding a few more fist sized rocks, and picks out 
one snow target for her very own. She watches 'lys cautiously and waits 
her turn to throw.

Alyssa looks at the knife as if it's a tunnelsnake. "Just an underhand 
toss, hmm?"

Kassima glances at K'nan. "What d'you think'd be best? Underhand always 
seemed a bit tricky, t'me, but you've likely more experience with the 
teaching...."

Alyssa takes in a deep breath and holds the knife much as she's seen 
others heft the blades, closes her eyes, and tosses it underhand in a 
neat lob. It lodges in the very low abdomen of her target. One might 
even say the groin.

Kassima's head snaps over as Lys throws, and she blinks, then doubles 
over laughing. "That poor snowman!" she manages to gasp. "That's the 
third *snicker* time in two days...."

K'nan lifts another knife and tests the weight experimentally. Looking 
up at the question, he considers. "Actually, it's a fairly easy throw...
not much to it. Accuracy takes practice, but in and of itself it's an 
easy motion."

Karise winces. "Jays.....she might not have thrown a knife before....but 
shards." She claps Alyssa on the shoulder, before annocing, "A natural."

Alyssa puts a hand over her mouth and just stares at the snowman. "Did I 
do that??"

Meli covers her hand with her mouth and coughs, eyes bright.

Kassima manages to grin at Lys through her giggles, though her fist is 
still pounding on the snow as she tries to control her laughter. "A 
natural, aye, indeed... fardling good shot, Lys, fardling good!" She 
then gives up, simply flopping over on the ground, pounding the snow and 
laughing hysterically.

"It's, ah, your turn, Meli," Alyssa stammers and steps to one side, 
looking askance at Kassima and her fits.

Meli coughs a few more times, tears rising in her eyes due to, ah, the 
cold wind. But she lifts her rock 'knife' and takes aim, letting fly 
with a *zing* towards the target. The rock kerthunks into the snow 
person, roughly in the right spot on the chest, perhaps a bit too far 
off-center.

Kassima rolls over so that she's facing the sky, and wheezes, "'Twas a 
good shot, Lys, make nay mistake, but... that poor snowman... oh, 
Faranth...." She holds her sides, which no doubt hurt somewhat from how 
very, very hard she's chortling.

Karise shakes her head, unable to hold in a grin as she glances over to 
Kassi. "Now, now," she murmurs, before nodding to Meli. "Darn good shot 
there," she grins.

Alyssa smiles and comments softly to Meli, "Well done. Is, ah, Kassima 
all right?"

Meli mutters to herself.

Kassima straightens out and gets up, dusting snow off her back. "Shells, 
I needed that. But I'd just repaired yestereve's damage a moment 
agone...." Kassi giggles. "That would've hurt *so* much if he'd been 
real! Imagine the expression! He'd likely look more like *that* one!" She 
points to the one that's doubled over, his mouth frozen in a scream of 
agony.

Meli mutters to herself.

Alyssa quirks a brow at Kassima and sighs. "Mm-hmm."

Meli, with a straight face and level tone, asks in general "So, is it 
easier t'toss by holdin' the hilt, or by flickin' th'knife while holdin' 
the blade?"

K'nan leans back onto the rock, and shakes his head. "Y'never throw a 
knife by the hilt - won't work very well. Except in certain throws, but 
they're harder. You'll usually hit with the hilt that way."

Kassima wipes tears from her eyes and positively beams at Lys. "You've a 
natural talent, a true natural talent! Amazing!" She hrms, looking over 
at the unfortunate snowman. "My turn again? Both throws work, Meli, but 
the hilt one's probably safest for the thrower, 'cause if you didn't let 
go of the blade and were clinching it too tightly it might carve your 
finger up a bit."

Karise coughs, shaking her head at Kassi, before flickinh the knife at 
the doubled over target. Yes, she'll hit'em while they're down. The knife 
sinks deeply into the 'man's chest, to the left and a bit down.

Kassima hrms at K'nan. "Truth? Shells, m'cousin probably taught me all 
wrong. He taught me the hilt ones *first*... nay wonder the blade-throws 
seemed much simpler! Here I thought 'twas 'cause I'd gained skill." She 
looks pretty disgusted.

K'nan chuckles softly, "I imagine - but you're good, Kassi, don't doubt 
that."

Meli shakes her head, as the 'experts' provide contrasting advice. She 
pulls Kassi's knife from her belt, resting the hilt in the palm of her 
right hand, and then starts flipping it carefully, letting it *smack* 
back into her grip each time til she has a good sense of its balance.

"Perhaps I should try again?" Alyssa offers as she watches Meli prepare 
herself. "Or not..."

Kassima sighs. "I suppose. I'm going t'have to give m'cousin a 
talking-to, though." She slaps the knife's blade against her palm as she 
says this.

"Oh, go ahead, 'lys. I want t'wait a bit" Meli murmurs.

Alyssa shakes her head to Meli. "Please, please...go ahead."

Meli shrugs, grinning. "Ok, everyone move back about ten, fifteen feet" 
she advises, picking out a suitable target. She switches to a blade-grip 
and prepares to toss the knife.

Kassima steps back three large steps, tossing her knife back and forth 
from hand to hand by the hilt.

K'nan drags himself up onto the rock, letting his legs swing as he 
watches Meli. "You can do it, Meli.."

Meli grins, and once the area seems clear, takes one last good look at 
the target. Her tongue protruding slightly between her lips as she 
concentrates, she finally lets the knife fly, and it tumbles through the 
air in a less than graceful arc.

Lysseth> Above, From the Benden Star Stones, M'nar's mint green Gelth 
rears on hind legs and bugles a greeting to brown Ularrith and his rider, 
M'rgan of HighReaches Weyr.

*Kerthwang!* the blade baps into the wooden arm of the target, snapping 
it off at the top.

Alyssa winces. "That would hurt..."

Lysseth> Above, Ularrith warbles to Gelth as he banks, gliding lower into 
the bowl towards the lake.

Karise oofs, nearly jumping at the sound of the hit. "Oy.....good shot 
Meli....he can't use that arm after a shot like that."

Kassima hrms. "Aye, likely would be a crippling wound indeed... and if 
'twas his knife-hand, then you'd be in luck."

Meli chuckles, rubbing the back of her neck. "Lucky, mostly. Was aimin' 
for the broader chest area" she admits with a grin.

Ularrith lumbers in from the South Bowl.

Alyssa holds out her hand for another knife and asks, "Might I try just 
one more?"

Kassima hrms. "My turn next, 'tis nay?" She steps forward without waiting 
for an answer, wrist flicking back and then forward before the eye can 
even register the motion. A knife spears through the air to lodge--
kerthunk!--in the snowman's eye socket. Kassi nods, satisfied, then 
passes Lys another knife. "Go right ahead."

Ularrith barrels right into a snowdrift as he lands, sending up a small 
cloud of snow. From his back his rider waves to everyone, still too 
distracted by freeing himself from the straps to pay much attention to 
the goings on. "High Reaches' duties to Benden," he calls out 
automatically.

Kassima looks over and waves to Ularrith and his rider with a knife-
filled hand. "Hey! Come, help us kill the snowmen!"

Alyssa smiles at Ularrith and his rider, moves to one side to take aim 
again, briefly, closes her eyes and mutters to herself, "...am...DOING?" 
and lets go with another underhand lob. THUNK. It lodges in the left 
center of the snowman's head, eye vacinity.

Kassima beams. "Alyssa, you've a true talent at this!"

Benden Weyr> K'nan grins. Won't F'nar be surprised to learn that we've 
taught his weyrmate to throw knives. ;)

Atop sturdy Ularrith, M'rgan unsnaps the last lead and swings his right 
leg over his lifemate's neck, scrambling down the riding straps. 
"What?!" he pauses halfway down, precariously holding on as he twists to 
look over his shoulder at the others. He turns just as Alyssa plunges 
the knife into the snowman's head. Uh oh. His feet begin to scramble for 
purchase as he decides that perhaps up would be a better decision.

Meli fakes a moue, as Alyssa again gets a good shot in. "Shards!" she 
exclaims "Wish I could do half as well."

Kassima grins at Mart and runs over to him, trying to pull him down from 
his lifemate with the hand not holding several razor-sharp blades. "Kill 
the snowmen, kill the snowmen!" she chants.

K'nan watches Alyssa's knife strike home, and applauds, grinning from 
ear to ear. "Good shoot, Alyssa!"

Alyssa opens one eye a peek, sees where the knife lodged, and eeeps! 
"Good ... Faranth! Um...so...I...um...no need to practice more, eh? 
M'rgan!" Salvation, a male dragon's rider!

Benden Weyr> Kassima says, "No such luck, Lys. We're going to take him 
captive, too, and ransom him off to the heap of glowing slag he once 
called home. ;)"

Atop sturdy Ularrith, M'rgan shakes and tugs at his leg but he can't seem 
to pull Kassima loose. "Scuse me! Gotta go!!"

Kassima hangs on with the Greenrider's Grip of Death. "You just *got* 
here!" she complains. "C'mon, throw a few rounds of knives with us! Aren't 
the snowmen magnificent?"

Now THIS is sufficiently distracting, so Meli moves over, stopping to lean 
against Uly's brown hide and say flatly "Need any help?" to Kassi.

"Yes, please, M'rgan," Alyssa says as she hurries over. "Please. Please 
stay. Oh please."

Kassima nodnods to Meli as best she can while trying to hold onto a 
struggling brownrider. "Please do! Get *down* here, you!" It would take 
the Jaws of Life to get Mart away from Kassi now, most likely.

Karise shakes her head, watching as M'rgan tries to escape. Poor thing, 
just when she was about to fling another knife. She leans back, rocking 
on her heels as the peers at the struggle.

Meli crosses her arms across her chest, craning her neck up to watch. 
"So, wha' would y'like me t'do?"

Kassima suggests, "Help me pull? Or get on the other side and push?" She 
looks up to Mart and cajoles, as best as is Kassily possible, 
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

Moving rapidly over to Adonith now, Alyssa calls to M'rgan, "You have 
fun, M'rgan, and welcome back. Our duty to you. Um, have fun!"

Atop sturdy Ularrith, M'rgan tries to wrap his hands tighter around the 
straps. "Leggo!"

Kassima shoves her knives back into her belt where they belong, 
carefully, and holds on with both hands. "Nay a chance! Either get down 
here, or you'll have to drag a proddy greenrider with you to the 'Reaches 
when you try and go back, 'cause I'm *nay* letting go!"

Meli reaches up finally, getting a suitable grip, and pulling with her 
weight and the strength in her arms, head craned up to see the result.

Atop sturdy Ularrith, The hapless brownrider doesn't stand a chance 
against the sheer power of Her Evil Proddiness and her Green Almost-Evil 
Handmaiden. A few sharp yanks and M'rgan loses his grip on the straps, all 
attempts at climbing up some air molecules failing miserably. *splat*oof* 
Flat on his back, the dazed brownrider can only stare with fear up at the 
women looming over him, knives in hand. He opens his mouth to plead for 
his life but all that comes out is a tiny *squeak*.

Kassima plants one booted foot on Mart's chest and smiles with feral 
sweetness. "Stay." She draws the knives out of her belt again, now 
looming over the poor, poor brownrider with one in each hand.

M'rgan clambers down Ularrith's side to the ground, using his foreleg as 
a step.

Kassima did that *after* he was off his dragon, of course.

Karise coughs, before shaking her head. Oh, this is too much, One giggle 
escapes, then another as she holds her stomach, laughing.

Benden Weyr> Kindre hihi's :)

Meli dusts her hands together, having stepped back just in time to avoid 
being landed upon. She recrosses her arms, tilting her head to the side 
and surveying the scene. "Somethin' jus' looks /right/ about that pose."

Benden Weyr> Alyssa says, "Kindre!"

Benden Weyr> Kassima says, "Kin! Kin! Come, help me torture Mart!! :)"

Alyssa uses the oiled straps and an extended foreleg to mount Adonith 
and, once settled between his neckridges, she rubs his hide adoringly and 
receives, in return, a loving warblecroon.

Benden Weyr> K'nan says, "Kindre! Hi! Come join the greenrider horde at 
the lake!"

Benden Weyr> Kindre is on her way! :) *snugs!!! btw@ :)

M'rgan starts to raise his hands to protect his face but thinks better of 
it when he sees the gleam in Kassima's eye. His hands whip down to 
protectively cup his nether regions. *squeak*

Adonith whimpers, at least as close to whimpering as he gets, and 
whuffles Kassima soundly, then Meli. Then Karise. Then K'nan.

Kindre heads over from the South Bowl.

Meli licks her lips, eyes atwinkle, and says "Too bad Kena's not here."

Kassima slides her boot just a few inches down, still smiling rather 
evilly, then flips a knife over in her hand and offers M'rgan the hilt. 
"Throw knives with us." From the tone, it's not a request.

Adonith bugles! to Kindre and lumbers over to meet her, Alyssa bouncing 
along atop him.

Kindre waves and smiles as she approaches, "Evening all," she offers 
before scritching the blue. "Adonith love!"

Adonith warbles happily and croons and whuffles Kindre thoroughly.

As he warily reaches for the knife, M'rgan curls his legs up, just in 
case it was a ploy to unman him.

Meli pauses a moment longer to see what Mart will do, then stomps over 
to retrieve her knife. Once more out of the way, she calls over to Karise 
"Your turn, neh?"

Kindre quirks a brow, "Um, obviously I've missed something," she asks 
before chuckling cautiously.

K'nan chuckles, waving over to Kindre from his perch on a rock. "Heya, 
Kindre! We're practicing knife-throwing...join us?"

Kassima absolutely cannot resist, of course. Swift as lightning, she 
stabs downward with the knife... but, with consummate control gained over 
twelve Turns of work with knives, stops just a finger's width from 
actually cutting the poor brownrider. She rocks back on her heels and 
laughs. "Have nay fear, Mart!" Oh, right, like that's possible now? "Just 
step right up, take aim, and throw! D'you have experience with knives?" 
She does, thankfully, raise her knife up away from the brownrider as she 
says this.

Kindre laughs, "Me? Crackdust, I still have scars from peeling tubers, 
nevermind try my luck with a knife." Quietly pondering this for a moment, 
she recalls, "Though I managed the ice sculpture at the Reaches without 
incident..."

As the knife plunges down toward him, M'rgan flinches back, his eyes 
tightly shut, mentally kissing certain parts of his body goodbye. He 
hears Ularrith's surprised warble but strangely enough he doesn't feel 
any pain. Cracking an eye open, he peers up at Kassima, who is now a few 
steps away. "Am I alive?" he asks.

Kassima smiles and offers a hand up. "A'course. I like Kena too much to," 
she smirks, "deprive her, so to speak. 'Sides, I wouldn't want to hurt 
Ularrith either."

Kindre covers her mouth to try to muffle her laughter. "That," she 
declares, "was simply precious to watch!" Her giggles subsiding, she 
finds a nearby rock on which to perch.

Settled between Adonith's neckridges, "Heyla, Kindre. M'rgan, clear skies 
to you and Ularrith." Alyssa settles in and leans over to murmur, "YES, 
in fact, we're leaving now, Adonith. Whining doesn't become you."

Kindre pouts a bit, "You are, Alyssa? Jays, I feel like I hardly see you 
anymore."

Adonith whimpers at Kindre, snaking his tail about her in commiseration.
Settled between Adonith's neckridges, Alyssa merely rolls her eyes at her 
dragon.

M'rgan weakly waves goodbye to Alyssa before slapping his hand into 
Kassima's, his fingers tightening on hers like a vise. If she's going to 
do anything now, she's going with him.

Kassima probably considers it--after all, it'd be suicide for a good 
cause! But maybe she can have more fun, first. So instead, she merely 
tightens her own grip, and pulls.

Kindre smirks, "Always such a love, Adonith, you truly are," she says 
while patting the blue tail. "Quite the charmer, still," she calls up to 
Alyssa.

Meli, watching from the sidelines now, considers using Kassi's blade to 
clean her fingernails, but decides not to at the last moment.

Settled between Adonith's neckridges, Alyssa hmmphs. "A stubborn 
charmer," she mumbles, going quiet for a moment to have a silent word 
with her blue, then she pats him soundly as he releases Kindre. "Honestly, 
I don't know what to do when Herath rises, Kindre. He'll be so disapp...
hmmm?" She quirks an ear, falls quiet, and blinks. "Lysseth's proddy?"

Benden Weyr> Kassima says, "That's *just* now occuring to you, 
Lys?!?!? :)"

M'rgan glares at his lifemate as Kassi helps pull him out of the snow. 
The brown dragon doesn't have the good sense to look away, however. He 
merely continues contentedly lounging in the snow bank. If dragons could 
whistle, he'd be innocently whistling. "Why do I come here?" he asks 
himself, his voice taking on the hint of a whine.

Kindre grins a bit, "Perish the thought...the longer she stays 'grounded, 
the happier I am," she winks. "And he should know he'll always be her 
favorite, 'Lys." Turning to spy Kassima, her brows raise, "Proddy...?"

Kassima calls cheerfully over to Lys, "Of course!" She smiles at Mart and 
claps one hand on his shoulder, "Why, because you *so* enjoy our company, 
of course. Isn't that so?" Careful, Mart. She could get a death-grip on 
your neck *real* easily right now.

Settled between Adonith's neckridges, Alyssa smiles at Kindre and leans 
down to pat the goldrider's shoulder affectionately, though her gaze rests 
pensively on Kassima.

Meli says "Did I miss somethin'?" as everyone suddenly seems overly 
proddy-conscious.

M'rgan stumbles a step at Kassima's clap before being firmly locked in her 
hold. "Uh, right. Yeah." He glances at the others, silently pleading with 
them to save him.

Adonith takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him 
aloft.

Meli glances up, gauging the time by what stars are visible. "Shards an' 
shells!" she exclaims. "Didn't know it was so late." She steps over to 
return Kassi's knife, with a smile. "Thanks, tha' was a good start."

Kindre simply watches, a smile seeming a bit too pleased to watch sitting 
on her face. "Bye Meli...shells, seems I'm scaring everyone off," she 
quips before chuckling.

Kassima smiles over to Meli, still not releasing M'rgan, and accepts the 
knife. "Welcome. Now, come, Mart... throwing's *easy.* I'm *sure* you can 
do it, *can't* you. After all," she can't help but snicker, "don't you 
have every skill in all Pern, to listen to you? It's nay luck, just 
skill." Kassi continues rambling about this for awhile.

Meli sighs dramatically. "Not tha' I wouldn't love t'stay, seein' as how 
we've several delightful males about right now t'admire" with a strong 
emphasis on 'admire'

Benden Weyr> Kassima zhaisnugs the knot before bamfing off real quick! 
Night, all!

[ Poster's note: any references to Kassi from this point forward are 
spoofed in order to help close out the episode :-) ]

Karise shakes her head, before murmuring, "I think I can wait. Erinyth is 
too curious to be proddy.....she said another rider just had a hatching." 
Eyes roll. Silly dragon. 

K'tyn wanders in, looking around the area. "Karise! Are you supposed to be 
standing?" 

M'rgan reaches out desperately towards Meli. "You can always admire me 
elsewhere. Don't I owe you a weyr cleaning or something." He tries to take 
a step towards her but Kassi tightens her grip. 

Kindre waves to K'tyn, "Hi there! Just in time, I think, to try some knife 
throwing..." Smiling at Karise, she wonders, "How are you," which runs on 
K'tyn's words before her eyes fall to the greenrider's belly. 

"Hatching?" Meli asks, then catches on. "Who an' where?" she says, and 
then can't help but laugh at Mart's predicament. 

K'nan leans back on his rock, toying with one of his knives and watching 
the general amusing scene with a quiet smile. 

K'tyn nods, moving to stand near the tiny (well, compared to him) 
greenrider. He has a thick, fur-lined cloak in his hands. "Are you cold? 
Tis chilly..." 

Kindre blinks, "Alea? But I thought she had a bit more time before being 
due..." Apparently not. Quirking up a corner of her mouth, she shrugs. 
"Herath says two...I think?" 

Karise glances up. "There it goes again. Gwirith's rider." She nods to 
K'tyn, exchanging cloaks. "Yes...this one is a bit soaked." 

K'tyn nods, handing Karise the dry cloak, and taking her wet one. "Can I 
tempt you to go inside, Karise?" 

Kassima takes a sudden interest in the cloak, flicking the hilt of a knife 
into the palm of her hand. As she takes a step forward, she shoves M'rgan 
out of the way, sending him staggering towards Meli with a look of abject 
relief on his face. 

Meli instinctively extends her hands to catch Mart before he can plow 
into her or fall to the wet ground. "Eyeh!" 

Karise wells, "I guess so..." But before she does, she waddles over to her 
latest snow 

[Editor's Note:  The remainder of this log has been lost--but rest 
assured, everyone escaped from the Lake Shore intact!]