Ierne Weyrhold - Main Beach
A long curving beach, the sand yellowish brown, facing eastward along the Great Bay coast. Off on the horizon, far in the distance, can be seen the cliffs of Southern Hold, on the opposite side.
The beach curves north-northeast, and south-southeast, stretching both directions quite a distance, while gentle waves lap in from the bay to the east. Far beyond the hide-tide mark, at the forest's edge, the cobbled stones of the road lead west toward Ierne.
L'ren is out in the water at the moment, clad only in a pair of cargo shorts, and scrubbing away diligently at Reonth's glowing hide. "D'you know, your seaweed-hide looks more like algae when it's this bright?" Oh, nice. He's clearly not thinking clearly, and his thoughtless comment is rewarded by his lifemate knocking him over, apparently trying to drown him. The man comes up for air quickly though, and he's … laughing?
Niah emerges from her weyr, looking around and noticing L'ren with a casual glance. Behind her is Celiketh, the cerulean blue moves out towards the water without a backwards glance to where his rider is. The drowning attempt is not missed, and stares curiously at L'ren and his laughing, not saying anything but taking off her shoes and sitting down in the sand to watch.
Aoriya has stopped to rest with Omasuth on the beach after errands in various places around Ierne. Aoriya is half asleep next to her lifemate, but Omasuth is watching Reonth with an appreciative gaze. A shark that can swim on the land perhaps? Or at least that's the expression on the brown's face as he checks out the glowing green.
The daily travel down to the beach was a routine the tall brownrider could do in her sleep by this point. Today however was a little different, because her dragon was following her. M'iken took little notice of people gathered on the beach as she'd gotten used to there being a croud. Meluth however took note of everyone there, warbbling to the other dragons on the beach.
Reonth was watching her lifemate closely, he wasn't really in any risk. If he dies, she dies, and that's just not pleasant for anyone. They'd have to find /another/ temporary Weyrlord, and, she /likes/ it here. So, she tries to calm down, though there's an untamed ocean in there, waiting to unleash its fury on the world. Just, waiting… L'ren's footing is a little wobbly where he is, so, he begins his wade to shore, nodding to Niah and M'iken, tilting his head curiously at Aoriya. Basically taking note of the riders of male dragons, as he clearly only has one thing on his mind: Reonth's obviously approaching flight. He seems to be looking for someone specific, though.
Aoriya stirs awake at Omasuth's prompting. "Go do whatever. I'm /not/ wading out there today. I have to remain groomed remember? I have to deliver that package to the rich snot of a mining master up in Crom later. If I don't come to that in less full formal leathers he'll take offense and go into a snit."
Celiketh sits where the waves can just barely touch his hide, watching Reonth closely but taking the time to croon to Niah, who until that moment was happily oblivious to all the fuss. Looking over at Reonth then L'ren she stands, shaking her head and shyly digging her feet into the sand, Aoriya and the others gathering are noticed but she doesn't say anything.
M'iken finally notices a specific person and waves to L'ren lightly. Her sandles quickly come off and down on the sand she sits, pulling a book out of her pocket. It's the book on history that she bought from L'ren's shop and has been reading on the beach ever since she got it. Meluth wades out into the water, likeing the feel of the salty sea on his hide.
L'ren stops at the edge of shore and water, feet just barely underwater. He turns his head to peer at Reonth, who looks to be preparing for flight, then sighs, and turns back to shore, lifting one heavy foot and, thud, dropping it in the sand. Thud. There goes the other. He walks over to a nearby cottage, and peers inside. "Right, not home… Good." he mutters, as he turns around and plops his rear in the sand to watch the start of the flight. Well, and try and read over M'iken's shoulder, a little… And, there it is, Reonth rises straight out of the water, flying directly upwards. Her mind at this point is in chaos, any attempts to communicate with her simply get knocked back by a gigantic wave, a wall of water.
Aoriya stands and walks along the beach to where M'iken is. Moving along the shore to meet L'ren. "Hi….." she says awkwardly. She crouches near L'ren and waits for Reonth to rise, and Omasuth to chase.
L'ton is practically dropped off Dhonzayth's back as the bronze glides into the beach, throwing up sand left and right while his rider hurriedly attempts to strip off the straps, and let the bronze to take off after the green even as she shoots upwards out of the water. While Dhonzayth is quick to join the chase, sliding right into his social role, L'ton is a bit slower, as he realizes just who the green belongs to, and who else is gathered on the beach. The bronzerider, shy?
Celiketh watches the green carefully, crouching down and waiting for the green to launch, the young blue gets off the ground swiftly even if his launch throws sand into the air, and on his rider who is obliviously watching the blue. L'ton and the bronzes arrival get her attention, looking around awkwardly at all these people and backing away paranoidly.
Reonth's sudden flight into the air does not go unnoticed by Meluth and he's quickly following, suddenly, for the first time in his life, unmindfull of where he's leaving his rider. And the arrival of Dhonzayth does not go unnoticed by M'iken, what with such an ungracefull arrival anyway. The brownrider is momentarily left confused and only vaugely acknowledges Aoriya and L'ton.
L'ren blinks. Hi? Oh, "Hi…" he nods absently to Aoriya, frowning a little. His mind is off with the dragons today, specifically his own. "Uh… Yeah, hi." He blinks again as a new chaser enters the race, following the bronze's path back to his rider, L'ton. "You again!" he calls, half a question, half not. Reonth is oblivious to the goings on below, but she doesn't react kindly to this new challenger. She sizes up the bunch, then makes a sharp turn, flying out to sea and on a gradual slope downwards, instead of straight up. And this keeps up for all of a dragonlength, before she swerves to the left, dipping and diving and climbing, generally making sure this'll be a short flight, as this sort of acrobatics would tire any dragon.
Omasuth roars, taking off after Reonth at top speed. The brown doesn't worry about aerobatics for now, instead turning and wheeling for altitude. The brown's gaze watches Reonth intently, shadowing her like a hawk cruising for prey. The sun glistens briefly off his flame colored hide, eyes whirling amathyst purple and whirling keenly.
"Me again?" L'ton stares right back at L'ren, half considering backing away. But then, L'ren wasn't harmful last time, even if it was a rather uncomfortable situation, and M'iken is there too. And so its to the Ierne-brownrider that L'ton shifts, despite her baffled look and lack of acknowledgement. Dhonzayth folds a wing, wheeling quickly to pursue the somewhat familiar green, shooting out after over the wheeling sea, after the wheeling green. And, despite his size, the bronze is even attempting the dips and dives, and the swerves, trying to stay close to her.
Celiketh follows, ignoring the new chaser and using his smaller size as best he can to maneuver after the green, the blue having only chased a few times dips and swerves without thinking of wasted energy. Wings moving in fast strokes and showing that he is the one for Reonth. Niah is the quiet one, backed off away from all the action but inching forward towards L'ren, one foot in front of another she shuffles closer to the group.
Meluth only takes the slightest notation of the other dragons, deciding to keep most of his attention on the green, following her movements rather smoothly or his bulk. Though it's obvious he'll have to change something somewhere if he doesn't want to loose all his steam to quickly. He decides to dart up and follow slightly above her and attempt to follow more smoothly. M'iken finally gets her head wrapped around the situation and smiles lightly at L'ton. "Humm, the first flight Meluth actually decides to attempt and you're here." She says with a grin, closing her book.
Reonth is already beginning to tire, but she presses on. Occasionally she glances back, checking on her pursuers, often performing a particularly difficult twist or turn directly afterwards. L'ren is slowly standing up now, backing up until he bumps into the wall of the cottage. Must keep close, he can tell it won't be long before he has to run inside, he can feel Reonth tiring, her violent waves are becoming less and less powerful as she dodges her chasers. "Uh, yes, you again." L'ren repeats, blankly. Oh, he's harmless, alright. And, still, he scans the beach, looking for … someone. In a particularly wasteful gesture, Reonth spirals upwards, starting out tight, but gradually her turns are getting looser and looser as she tires. It won't be long now…
Omasuth takes a following breeze under his wings, powering after Reonth at a steady pase. Instead of following her twists and turns, the brown coasts after her, heading in the general direction and flying at an angle from which he can pounce on her the first chance he gets, a feline watching the gametrail for his next meal.
Dhonzayth has difficulty when it actually comes to closely mimicking the green's movement, for as she turns and twists almost directly upwards, he's much slower to execute each turn, radius larger with each attempt, and so he's constantly using his larger wingspan to try and reclose the distance between himself and the dodging, tiring green. L'ton, meanwhile, doesn't pursue L'ren as the greenrider is backing up, and blankly staring down the beach, instead moving towards M'iken, trying to loop an arm around her. "Ah bet ya'll have good luck yer first time, ta…"
Celiketh doesn't have any mind to conserve his energy, the blue is begining to tire and has none of the experience of the older dragons and leads all with his heart, crooning and twisting behind the green in an excess of exhilaration. Niah watches L'ton, eyes glazed over as Celiketh chases but his moving towards M'iken gets her attention, and she takes a step backwards as if he might get near her.
Reonth might be being less violent, but Meluth was only feeling more violent in his attempt to catch the spiralling green, pushing himself to go faster as he pumps his wings, trying to get closer. M'iken only smiles as L'ton loops his arm around her. "Maybe." Her brows furrow slightly, trying to hold back some of Meluths more violent emotions. "I just hope it's over soon." She actually rubs her brow slightly, trying to keep a smile on her face.
L'ren glances upwards suddenly, an expression of alarm on his face. "Shards Reonth, you've worn yourself out…" he mutters, as he wrenches open the cottage door with a bang, and runs inside. Leaving it wide open for whoever decides to enter, be they flight winner, another rider, or neither. At the moment, he couldn't care less who follows him. Finally, Reonth abandons her increasingly slow spiral, and sets to a slow glide out to sea. All her work in the earliest moments of the flight has backfired, as right now she couldn't even evade a rock. The final moments will be a race, chaser against chaser, with Reonth merely the prize at the end.
Omasuth takes this opportunity to pounce, swiveling like a fighter jet to bank towards the green. As soon as he's at the right angle, woosh. He folds his wings tightly to his sides and dives for the green, talons reaching, wings ready to snap open to check her downward glide.
Dhonzayth's own spiral had grown around Reonth's, spreading outwards with hers, before he's banking and turning after her has she turns out to the sea. And then he's trying to use his relative size advantage to close the distance, to snag the green before she becomes merely a rock dropping towards the ocean waves before. A race to save the green from her self induced exhaustion, a race to save her from the waves of water, and support her upon the waves of his wings, a race that has him attempting to slide in between Reonth and the other males and snag her with his own talons and outstretched neck. L'ton glances momentarily at the open door as L'ren disappears, tightening his grasp on M'iken just slightly as Dhonzayth closes on the green. "It will be, it will be.." He mutters, squeezing eyes and fingers as Dhonzayth dives.
Celiketh has chased with every bit of his strength, the acrobatics where not well thought out and the blue could not have chased much longer. With a surge of speed with his reserves of strength he pulls out of a spiral and moves downward to catch the green. Niah notices L'rens disappearance and looks at her own weyr for a minute, going towards to door but staying back just in case Celi doesn't catch.
Meluth, for his size still has strength left in his to make his attempt to catch the diving green, attempting like all the others to grab her first as he attempts to slip his bulk through the other males and get at her first. The tightening of L'ton's arm around her is oddly comforting to M'iken as she can tell now that it must be close to finished by the way Meluth's feelings re more frntic thn ever.
Reonth coasts on, oblivious to her rider hiding away in the cottage, oblivious to the other riders milling about, oblivious even to the race to catch going on behind her. It's taking all of her energy, all of her concentration, to keep from plummeting to the ocean floor. As such, it's actually gratitude she feels when Meluth slips through the other males, snagging her from behind. She shares a glimpse of the weary chaos of her mind, as she gives herself over to the brown, her own mind settling down now, attempting to soothe the lucky brown, trusting him to have the strength to get them both safely to the ground.
Dhonzayth is unable to slip through the other males, finding his intentions foiled by brown Meluth, and so the bronze continues to slip past, spiraling back towards shore. L'ton, meanwhile, reluctantly loosens his hold on M'iken, murmuring softly. "Ah'll.. Ah'll let ya go, if'n ya prefer." Not that he's moving too fast. Or paying any attention to the still open door.
Omasuth drops into the ocean for a swim to cool off after missing the female. He offers a bugled invitation to the other males, but swims back to shore, not waiting to see if they follow him. Aoriya chucks shirt and wades out into the waves in her pants and brazier, taking a cold swim to bring her back to alertness.
Celiketh wore himself out with the chase, his fancy manuevering has ended with little more than wasted energy. The blue lands quickly, Niah moving away from the open door fast and going to her dragon. Stroking down his hide she seems relieved, glancing around and scratching Celi's eyeridges, the shy rider still uncomfortable with all of the people.
Meluth calms down only slightly after catching Reonth, making sure to guide them back safely to land. M'iken, far from moving away from L'ton, grabs onto L'ton's shirt nd pulls him closer. "You, aren't allowed to go anywhere." She says, a little of Meluth's aggresiveness showing up in her eyes. "You're comming with me." And she attempts to drag the bronzer off towards her weyr, or some other close plce they can be alone.
L'ton wins, even when he doesn't win? A final glance at L'ren's cabin, and then he's assuming that Dhonzayth will find a place of his own to settle, and he's drug along with M'iken, certainly not reluctantly. "Yes ma'am.." He teases, tighting hold on her again.
L'ren feels Reonth calm down, and be guided to land, and, he waits… And waits… And, waits… Finally, he pokes his head out, to find no-one near the little cottage at all. There's a furrowed brow, he's the greenrider, he always wins… Doesn't he? Er, apparently not. Reonth is of no help, all smug and sleepy. He snorts, and emerges from the cottage, frowning one way, then frowning the other. "Shardit, she's /never/ around when I need her." he mutters, just sort of … standing there. At a loss. Should he send a firelizard to fetch this 'her', or should he go for a swim in the cold ocean, or, or…
Niah is standing by her blue, watching the two others leave and then spotting L'ren come out. Her posture change abruptly, standing up and saying, very shyly but it is considerably bold for her "Are, you ok?" Asking and making sure Celiketh is close to her, just so that she has that protection. "I'm sorry." In a mild voice, looking at the sand and moving it around with her foot.
L'ren blinks a little, and turns to Niah. There's a predatory gleam in his eye, but he quickly shakes his head, and looks down at his feet, all awkward and, well, pumped full of flight hormones… "Ah, I, I'll be fine." he mutters, moving towards the water, keeping his distance from Niah. "I… Flights." he grimaces. "So this is what it's like to lose, eh?" Well, he'll certainly have a new perspective on flights after this. "I, ah, what do you do, when you," he pauses, "lose?" He's still carefully avoiding Niah, still looking at his feet, and the ocean now in front of them.
Niah is naive as it comes, and goes a little closer to L'ren still making sure that Celiketh is near her case anyone try and touch her. With L'ren looking down she glances up, shyly leaning her head on her shoulder in an attempt to disappear into her shell a little. "This is the first time." She offers, clenching her fists, "I didn't want to win." Her eyes get big, and she glances back at Celiketh apolegetically and closes her eyes.
L'ren looks up at Niah, clearly confused. "You … didn't want to? W-why not?" It's the hormones talking, really. He'd normally far prefer to be in some musty library somewhere, rather than in someone's bed. "I, uh, flights aren't that bad…" he mumbles, looking back to his toes as he idly kicks sand into the water. "Could be worse… M-my first, she, Reonth, surprised me. In the living caverns." he winces at the memory.
Niah opens her eyes, a mood change common with her as she inches closer to L'ren, seeming to view him as a non-threat. "I want to be in control." Finally some emotion besides shyness, blushing and looking very long at the greenrider, staring like she can see his soul almost creepy then looking back at the ground before answering, "He's never tried before… he knows.. I.. I don't want to do it that way."
L'ren glances to Niah, blinking. "Ah, ah, right. Good. Good luck with that." For all his hormones and preoccupied thought pattern, he's fairly oblivious. Indeed, he's no threat at all. "Reonth, I, er. My first was her first." he admits, with a shrug, "Gh'ler," he recalls, with a certain wistful note, "Gh'ler and his brown, Proclaruth." It would seem that there was more than just that one flight between them. "But, that's, er, past." he notes, with a frown. Rather telling that he recalls Gh'ler at this time, rather than his current weyrmate, J'iel. That 'her' he was after. But she's not here, is she? "He, he'll chase again, you know… Dragons, they're…" he shrugs, waving at Reonth.
Niah takes a step back, looking around and then asking. "You want to come in?" She notices her weyr is nearby, and as L'ren hasn't tried anything so she points to her weyr. "I.. I don't know if you want to, it's ok if you don't I mean.." She stutters slightly, blushing and not looking at L'ren as he describes his first time, even if she won't admit it hormones work both ways and she is in need of some company.
L'ren glances to Niah, then to the weyr she points to, frowning as the cogs and wheels creak and turn in his mind. "I, ah, okay." he nods slowly, not apparently seeing anything 'wrong' with this picture. "I, yeah, that's fine." he kicks more sand at the water, before turning. He's acting like this is his first time, and, in a way it is. It's his first time not automatically winding up with someone after a flight. But that's his only 'first'. He's certainly not acting his age at all. "Uh, you sure?" he does ask, hesitating. "I, uh, I can't, I might, Reonth, flight, lose control…" he mutters, glancing awkwardly to his feet again. He's a greenrider, and, much as he hates to admit it, trying to act like the gentleman harper, flights still have a profound effect on him.
Niah blushes fiercely, then says. "Maybe, you're weyr?" Pointing to where L'rens door is open, "I mean.. I don't.. maybe I." Fumbling with her words and then shrugging, Celiketh nudges her gently and she moves the sand with her feet. The hormones have finally started making more sense, as she is no longer as nervous or scared, with fewer people around.
L'ren glances to his cottage, and his eyes open wide. Oh. Ohhh. He'd better be jumping to the right conclusion there. "Ah. I, either. S'not actually 'my' cottage, just convenient…" He doesn't mention that it's his son's place, but he figures the man will avoid it while Reonth is outside. "I… If you're, ah, sure?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at Niah.
Niah nods slowly, pointing to the empty weyr, "That's ok.. really." Celiketh gives her another nudge, the girl seems to be shaking a bit, eyes big like deer in the headlights. Walking towards the weyr she says, "Do.. do you? I mean.. it's ok.. just, I would rather and if I don't I'll never be brave enough to." Shrugging expressively, as words fail.
L'ren slips into step beside Niah, awkwardly raising his arm as if to wrap it around Niah's shoulders, but hesitating, and lowering it again. "I, ah. I, it's okay. If, if it helps, it's … flight. Just, flight?" he shrugs, glancing to Reonth again. "I, if, you, ah, change your mind, it's… I don't want… I, well…" he shrugs helplessly, unable to find the right words. He does avoid mentioning J'iel again. He knows she'd understand, no doubt he's planning to tell her there was a flight. It's the truth, after all.
Niah nods, agreeing, "Just a flight, and no.. no changing my mind." A few deep breaths, not manging to do anything but look shell shocked, at the arm raising she gets closer to him, actually close enough to touch and saying. "I want to get it over with." Celiketh moves, a door guard of sorts and she walks in, "You want to, right?" asking with hesitance, but making sure she's not alone on this.
L'ren just nods, glancing to the weyr. "Alright. Right. Let's, uh, do this." he nods slowly, hesitating at the door. Reonth is, by this point, curled up asleep with Meluth, oblivious to all. The man takes a deep shaky breath, and turns to Niah, trying to look reassuring, though not doing it too well. And then, he steps inside…
