Living Caverns (#392)
The rough-hewn majesty of this cavern far outpaces any delight in the
 multitudes of curves that form its enclosure. The glabrous grey
 granite is shot through with translucent obsidian, lending
 subtly-veined sparkle to the walls and the foot-trodden smoothness of
 the floor that shows centuries-old placements of the scarred trestle
 tables; carven hollows give homes for the glow baskets and the
 coat-pegs that line the walls. No mosaics, no painting, no tiles: just
 a few well-done tapestries mark the pathway that lead to the kitchen
 to the north and the inner caverns to the west, and frame the
 nighthearth's stew and snacks, while a heavier strip of oiled canvas
 shields the unwary from the wind in the bowl.
Tucked into a glowlit niche are Donnan, Searcher, Quenn, Kynance,
 Tiramisu, Gyo, Butterfly, Turk, Heaven, Hunter, Oren, Freak, Kelpie,
 Sociopathe, Mara, Ivan, Aftiel, Sugar, Nyumnyum, Ebb, Jenova,
 Brandywine, Kinky, Amulet, Lihai, Elsie, and Pandora.
You see Old Auntie sit-by-the-fire, OOC NOTICE (look sign), Food,
 Boots, Hobbes, Nimbus, Dustina, and Gigi here.
Sarhai, Pia, Lis, R'gis, Hiliza, Loren, Fye, Lyri, Pemeron, and
 Seraphina are here.
Obvious exits:
Bowl     Kitchens     Inner Caverns     Crafting Area
Sarhai's eyes flicker from one person to the other as they all seem to
 invade the cavern at once. Most of the faces he's never seen, so he
 stays quiet and tries to follow a few of the conversations, most of
 them being just background noise to him. Even R'gis seems rather
 distracted today. 
"Oh, I know, Lyri, but I was being such a /wherry/ then..." Lis gushes
 to her fellow greenrider, blithely ignoring Pia as the safest tactic
 at the moment. Pemeron's entrance - and that business with his
 trousers - just raise a brow from the wingsecond as she goes back to
 reading that hide. Almost halfway through the first sentence, really.
 But, distraction enters again in the form on Zai, and a broad wave
 must be spared for her wingmate.
Zai wanders into the cavern, pausing just inside the door to glance
 around before sweeping by a plate of rolls on her way to say hello to
 Lis. Which is just what she does. "Hullo Lis. And Lyri." And everyone
 else. She smiles a bit before nibbling on the roll in her hand. "When
 were you being a wherry?"
R'gis blushes slightly and that smug smirk curves his lips once more. 
 "Peorth's just fine.....proddy, of course....but fine." he murmurs,
 winking at the other greenrider.  "I'm surprised she hasn't been
 cuddling with all the blues and browns out in the bowl today...."
"Oooh, I'm fine.. 'cept one a' th' runners had a /na-a-asty/ fall a
 couple'a days ago, an' 'ee's in th' Infirmary, so I might be kinda
 busy. Since we gotta make up for someone missin' an' all." Loren's
 meatball-headed.. well, head.. bobs a bit, and Pemeron gets a beam and
 a wave before runner turns back to Fye. "But not too busy, since
 there's not really anything.. really.. /big/, an' stuff, goin' on
 right now. An' stuff." Loren knows what she's talking about, really
 she does. It's just not very obvious.
"Morning, Zai," Pia greets idly as the rider passes by.
Lyri eyes Pia.. did she mention that she's going to murder that girl
 one day?  Of course, her attention is taken by Pemeron and......well...
 ...more of him than she really wanted to see this early in the
 morning, but she'll live.  The questioning vintner is eyed again and a
 dismissive wave of her hand given.  "Oh, Druseth.. but I'm sure that
 the commotion wasn't more than us being chained together brought
 about." Ah, candidacy... cooking, cleaning.. bondage..   Lis is given
 an understanding smile, it wasn't /her/ fault, after all...  "Alymath
 had just gone up, you were intitled to a little bit of an emotional
 state."    Zai is given a wave as her eyes go back to the proddy one's
 rider.. good thing /she'll/ never be proddy.  
A small figure strides into the caverns, not exactly noticable for her
 height, but.. the way she walks is a curious mixture of smoothness,
 energy, and curiousity, thus making her a little more noticable. The
 breath of wind from the door lifts a few strands of hair out of the
 hood of her cloak before that too is thrown back to reveal a pair of
 bright summery eyes that survey the group there with an active
 interest, and a quirking mouth that flashes an impish dimple a time or
 two as she observes the conversations going on around her.
Seraphina **notes that taht last was Sera's pose..
"Druseth is quite a busy brown," Pia remarks blandly. "Lucky you, Lyri,
 to be another notch on his weyr wall."
"Morning Pia," Zai returns, adding another hello for Fye and Loren. And
 one hello in general, for anyone else she may have missed. Nibbling
 resumes as she peers curiously at Lis. Brownrider's confused. She
 though Lis was /always/ a wherry.
Pemeron looks at the picked over hotcakes and sausages in gravy before
 he reaches for some "I gotta stop staying up so late." he intones.
 Glancing across the table at the other male introducing himself,
 "Pemeron, new to the stables, and just come recently from the hold." 
 A mouthful of hotcakes is shoveled in... cold ... his unchanging
 expresion is only marred by the side to side chewing, much like a
 herdbeast.
"'Lo, Zai!" greets Fye to the entering brownrider, snapping her last
 cookie into bite-sized pieces.  "Well, that's good.  Not that one of
 the runners fell, but --"  The former-Baker glances into the distance
 for a moment, and then randomly asks Loren, "Do you wanna help me give
 Lai a bath?"
"'lo, Zai!" Loren echoes, mimicing Fye, though wether it be purposeful
 or not, no one can be quite sure. Cook-rider's random comment gets a
 few confused blinks, then Loren's narrow shoulders shrug, and her head
 dips again. "Sure!" 
"Anyway," Lis adds to Lyri's statement, "I'm sorry for acting silly
 like that. I'd only expect the same respect from you, and it wasn't
 fair of me to berate you for doing what came natural." Granted, she
 was berating Lylia more, but it's the thought that counts. "'Lo, Zai,"
 she states at last, perhaps finally getting to that scroll... ah, no.
 Pemeron's chewing imparts some kind of bizzarre fascination upon the
 greenrider.
Thesy strolls in from the Central Bowl.
Thesy comes to a halt a few steps after entering, simply staring at the
 crowd. For a moment the bluerider seems confused, wondering what time
 it is. And wincing at the noise. It's -too- early for that. Spotting a
 couple of friends and other riders ... and one in particular ... she
 saunters to the hearth for some klah and then slips into a chair
 between R'gis and the young man she hasn't seen for quite some time.
 "Morning," she smiles at the others, the smile turning into an amused
 grin when she places a light kiss on R'gis cheek, "You all right, pet?
 Sardrinth nearly shooed me to his neck to come down here. Hello,
 Sarhai! How've you been?"
Merra arrives from deeper in the Weyr.
Everyone knows Fye has the attention span of a Weyrbrat, so the
 randomness shouldn't have been /too/ unexpected....  Said rider waits
 for Loren's blinks to end, and she stands when they do.  "Thanks! 
 C'mon then, to the lake?  Hopef'lly he won't be too splashy..."  Beamk.
Fye exchanges the protection of stone for the bowl outside.
Loren exchanges the protection of stone for the bowl outside.
Lyri just gives an understanding look Lis-ward before _eying_ Pemeron..
 is the human jaw /supposed/ to work that way?  On second thought,
 better not to tell her.. she's having an interesting enough day as it
 is.  Loren is given her attention for a moment and a nod.  "How're the
 cookies today?  I saw a few interesting ones.."  Speeking of
 interesting ones, here's Thesy.  The rider is also given a welcoming
 wave before her glass is looked to again... and she hasn't fogotten
 Pia yet.  "Very busy.. then again, I'd know more about that."  A cut?
 Nah.. would she do that?  Uh.....yes, actually.  "Now /this/ is good
 wine.. nothing like that Tillek poison."
Pia regards Lyri for a long moment, smirk touching her lips. "If you
 say so," she drawls lazily. "I must admit to being partial to Benden
 myself."
Daeyn stalks restively in from the Central Bowl.
Zai blinks a bit at Lis, then shrugs slightly, turning to offer a wave
 for Thesy. "Mornin' Thesy." Half way eatten roll in her hand is eyed
 for a moment, before she makes her way to a table and a glass of
 juice. "Daeyn," She comments, with a smile and a wave. "Morning."
 Nothing like an energetic brownrider to brighten your day.
"Fine, thanks Thesy," Sarhai replies while he makes sure that there"s
 enough room for her. Finally someone he knows a little better than
 most of the people here. "Just been on the roads for almost too long."
Merra saunters in, looking like the nice exhausted mother of a toddler
 that she is.  A mother with a sword at her waist, but...never mind
 that.  The living cavern is crowded, but she wants wine before she
 even considers dealing with people over the age of two.  A skin is
 procured, a glass is filled, a long sip taken, and she's more ready to
 face humanity.  Lyri, Lis, Thesy, and R'gis all get waves, and the
 people whose names she can't remember get nods.  And, hey, a familiar
 face as she slips into a chair.  "Morning, little sis.  Sleep well? 
 Idalyn still being a quiet one?"  Unlike certain Misras she knows.
Pemeron fills his mouth with more hotcake and some of the sausage and
 gravy, then while still eating comments "Can't understand how you can
 work on nothing more than cookies in the morning." And then goes back
 to his side to side chewing.  It must be something about the bone
 structure of his jaw... yeah, that's it.  He reaches for a mug of klah
 that isn't there and looks at his hand.  Reaching for a mug in the
 pile at the center of the table, he pulls it over and asks "Someone
 pass the klah?"
Lyri eyes Zai, is that perkiness she hears? And, more importantly, can
 we kill it now?  The cynical greenrider simply eyes her clutchmate for
 a moment before going back to Pia.. she's much easier to handle
 somehow, as scary as that seems.  "As am I.. though the Paradise wines
 aren't all that bd either."  Pemeron is gazed at once more and a shake
 of her head given.  "I don't know how anyone can consume as much ale
 as you did and still be able to eat the next day, Pemeron... you don't
 come from a family of caprines or anything, do you?"   
R'gis leans into that light kiss and smiles up at the bluerider.  "I'm
 fine, love....Of course Sardrinth shoo'd you....he knows what Peorth
 made -exceedingly- clear to me this morning.  She has decided to be
 proddy....at least that's her words." he says sipping his wine with a
 slight blush.  His hand is lifted in a greeting to Merra, though his
 attention is quite obviously elsewhere.
"Is it?" Daeyn asks of Zai as she skirts the edges of the room in
 search of something to drink.  She inclines her head to each face as
 she recognizes it, only the slightest hint of a smile pressed past her
 lips.  "Sleep, what?" she asks somewhat distractedly.  "I'm fine,
 little one ... you're doing all right?"
Zai is difficult to handle? Wow. That's an accomplishment, someone
 should tell her. Finishing her juice in a gulp, Zai sets in back on
 the table and wanders toward Lyri and Pia. "I see you two are still
 close," she comments dryly before turning to peer at Pemeron upon the
 greenrider's words.
"-I- know? He started singing in my head as soon as we left his ledge,"
 Thesy rolls her eyes over the rim of her mug, "What on Pern is it
 about Peorth? He's -never- done that before." Daeyn and Merra get a
 smile and a nod by way of greeting, although the bluerider regards the
 latter one with a tad of worry. Pemeron then gets a brief curious
 glance, she's never met this guy before and yet he seems to be friends
 with a lot of her friends already.
Pemeron turns to Lyri and gives her a tired and bored look "I eat
 because I need to, and I did /not/ drink that much ale.  I dont recall
 passing out, and that ususally happens when I drink too much." He
 looks around at all the hands with wine and other drink in them and
 scratches his neck, twisting his head this way and that to work the
 muscles, or so it seems.  More food is shoveled in and ground to a
 pulp by those grazing jaws, and he once again comments with food in
 his mouth "How is it you drink first thing when you get up?  I would
 think that would be worse on your stomach."  His almost blank stare
 indicates something, perhaps the absence of good sense when he wakes
 up?  His hair is given a brush through with his fingers, and it
 continues to stick up like a broom tree.  Zai is given a glance,
 though he says nothing.
"Lyri and I are close for life -- Something about being chained
 together does that to people," Pia responds sweetly. "And yes, the
 Paradise are good as a whole, though I find the white rather
 unappealing -- too prosaic for me."
Yes, bondage will bring people closer together.. especially of the
 metal chain variety.  Lyri turns to Pemeron once again and tries very
 hard to keep her grin hidden.  "It's the not remembering that would
 bother me.. though you did have a bubbly or two in your gut so I
 wonder that you didnt' wretch."  Now /there's/ a thought to make
 breakfast more appetizing.   R'gis and Thesy are eyed, but she's
 /definately/ not going to ask about singing dragons.. some things are
 just better left in the unkown. So, it's back to safety... what /is/
 Lis reading, anyway?
Pemeron turns to Pia and gives her a careful once-over, though not
 leering. "Chained together?" he asks, unable to understand the
 concept.  He glances at Lyri and then back at Pia, then shakes his
 head, still unable to comprehend.  Giving Lyri a rather exasperated
 look, but then he shrugs.  More food is shoveled in and now the klah
 appears, so he pours and sets the pitcher back down.  With some
 reaching, he finds the sweetner and cream to treat the klah
 delicately, almost as a bouquet, he sniffs at it and then drinks with
 great enjoyment, or so it might appear.
/People/. So many of them. Lis sighs, shrugging on her coat again as
 she gathers up scrolls and heads back to her weyr to read them. Plus,
 with Proddy R'gis about, it's sure to get complicated soon.
Lis exchanges the protection of stone for the bowl outside.
R'gis pouts slightly as Sarhai has to leave, but that insistent voice
 in his head doesn't allow him much room for his own thoughts.  "She's
 bouncing.....how can something that big -bounce-?" he mutters to
 himself.  "This is going to be a long day.....at least until she
 decides to go up......"  He can't help but laugh at a silent comment
 from the green in question and tries to return his attention to
 -human- conversation as he notes a set of eyes on him.
"The Weyrlingmasters got tired of listening to us fight," Pia answers
 wryly. "SO they chained us together for a long time."

***********
Glowing?  More than glowing.....rivaling the rising winter
 sun....though on a more green tint, Peorth is proddy and driving her
 lifemate crazy.  PCs and NPCs are welcome, page me if you're
 interested to join the flight.  You will need a flit or two for NPCing.
  -- entered by R'gis on 2000-10-08 13:12 MOO Time.
***********

Lyri just grins enigmatically at Pemeron and turns to her chosen
 breakfast. No, it's not just wine, though that wouldn't be too
 unusual, she did manage to snag a sweetroll and something that could
 be bacon......or some unfortunate tunnelsnake.  "You know, I've been
 thinking of a tunnelsnake hunt.. it's been a while and one does get
 the urge for certain foods now and then."  Just don't ask.
H'naw stumbles in through the entrance in Lis' wake, looking for all
 Pern like he's been shoved in by a bronze muzzle. "Aw, Stuzmoth, I
 don't /want/ to... It's /Peorth/," the boy complains - at least, he
 /looks/ boyish, all arms and legs and not much meat on either. Too-big
 hands and too-prominent Adam's-apple complete the appearance, but the
 wrinkles here and there and a dark stubble mark him to be past his
 adolescent Turns.
Pia rises, polishing off the last of her klah. "Well,
 I have work to do. Good day." And she trudges off 
 towards the kitchens and the wine cellar.
Merra is fine, actually, thank you for not asking.  Not that it bothers
 her to fade into the shadows.  But proddy Rage?  Nuh-uh, she ain't
 stickin' around for -that-!  Wine is finished, and the woman stands. 
 "See you later, DAeyn.  Gotta go check on Misi.  Later, Lyri ....
 Thesy .... Rage."  And a little nod to everyone else before she flees
 from hormonal riders.
Pia opts for broad stairs that lead up to the Crafting rooms above the
 inner caverns.
Pemeron looks at Lyri and says "You have my sympathies." though why she
 hadn't killed the other girl, he will never understand.  Could there
 ever be a more opposite pairing.  His curiosity is piqued and he asks
 "Oh, you hunt tunnelsnakes?  That sounds fun.  What do you use to kill
 them?" The influx of riders is noted though he seems oblivious to why
 they are here.
News flash to Pemeron, there's a proddy rider in the house... RUN!!  
 Lyri's shoulders shrug slightly as she reaches up to give Temper a
 scritch.  "Oh, usually a hand snare and my knife, though the 'lizards
 like to help out.. seems they hate the buggers. All except Cyclone..
 and he sleeps through everything." 
Puizuth> Peorth literally preens, flaring her wings so that the
 cornsilk lining glimmers in the rising sun and enhancing the already
 luminescent quality of her hide. Her swirling eyes take on a hint of
 orange as she focuses her gaze on the male dragons arranged around the
 bowl.
Zai eyes H'naw curiously as she finishes the last of her gnawed roll
 and hovers in a corner. Proddiness. Male dragons. Wonderful. Maybe she
 should just go find her brown and drag him off to Ista or somewhere
 harmless. R'gis gets a glance, but then she's back to the table,
 scanning for something else to eat. 
Puizuth> Niamhyth gives a croon to the males in attendance and then
 turns an amused gaze at her clutchsister, her wings giving a stretch
 to allow the sun to glint from their frosted splendor. With a delicate
 curve of her neck, she settles her head upon her taloned limbs,
 looking the perfect picture of a girl resting her head on her arms
 with faint interest.
Puizuth> Stuzmoth ambles in with... well, fairly more grace than his
 rider. After shoving the poor man inside, he does his best to woo
 Peorth with the usual, macho dragon things: lumping along, wings held
 at awkard angles; emitting occasionally off-tune croaks; and scraping
 up the bowl with crooked-looking talons. Must have been somewhere in
 Cagewith's ancestry.
Puizuth> What was a sleepy eyed morning mere moments ago has suddenly
 become more interesting as Sardrinth lifts his head, gaze turning
 towards the glittering green. His eyes fall upon her sleek form with
 interest, his curiosity peeked.
Used to absent minded proddy greenriders, Thesy doesn't mind that her
 question goes unanswered. If only there weren't those tinny bells in
 her head. Sliding down in her chair, the bluerider falls rather
 silent, missing most of the conversations, deafened by the noise in
 her head. Stop that! Sigh ....
Puizuth> Anwyllth galumphs into the bowl at a leisurely pace that has
 nothing to do with his style and everything to do with the fact that
 he's trying to look graceful. This is simply a lost cause, but he'll
 make up for it in the air. A gusty sigh is the greeting to all and
 sundry, Peorth no more or less than the others. He'd rather not be
 noticed right now.
Pemeron shovels more food in and washes it down with klah "When would
 you like to have that hunt?  I have to clean stalls, haul oat sacks
 and water this morning, then this afternoon I have to work on tack
 repairs.  There is so much less to do in the winter, since the
 runnerbeasts are not as active. But you must realize that Lyri."  He
 glances at some of the other people, and notices there is a rather odd
 look on their faces, especially R'gis, though what could be unusual
 about that, he has no clue.  After so many greens rising each week,
 you would think the boy would catch on, ne?
H'naw heads towards Zai with an all-too-broad grin, revealing crooked
 and slightly yellowed teeth. Oh, Faranth... "Why, hello, missy. What's
 a girl like you doing in this mudhole?" One large fingered hand rests
 on a boney hip, only emphasizing the bad fit of leathers.
Puizuth> Puizuth curls up, resting his head upon a forepaw to watch and
 wait. He's got to save his energy for the important stuff. Brown can't
 resist flunting just a bit though. Tilting his head is what he hopes
 is a cute manner, he all but flutters his lashes at the green. Rawr.
Zai raises a slightly frightened brow at H'naw and coughs on her bite
 of roll. "Ah, erm, me?" The last bit comes out nearly as a squeak as
 she tries not to wince at the sight of the bronzerider's teeth. Not to
 mention the rst of the picture. Lovely.
Puizuth> Peorth croons softly to Sardrinth....the only dragon to get
 much of her attention, even now. She seems to ignore the other males,
 though she's thoroughly eyed them before they really noticed her
 'condition'. Talons are stretched, scraping across the flagstones of
 the bowl like fingernails on slate as she purrs deep in her throat and
 waits for the male's reactions.
Lyri thinks for a moment.  "Oh, whenever I get the time.  It's usually
 a chore for candidates and weyr brats but I sort of enjoy it."  Blood,
 guts, dead tunnelsnakes.. what's not to like?  "I'll let you know,
 though, and it'll probably be after the stable chores are done."   And
 she definately knows her way around those.
Puizuth> Far more interesting indeed. A fluting treble sounds from
 Sardrinth's throat, both inquiring and encouraging at once. The last
 lingering vestige of lazy sleep fleeing from his form, replaced
 instead by the focus of attention upon Peorth.
R'gis is -very- distracted at the moment, singing and bouncing dragons
 not withstanding.  He sips at his wine and finally realises that the
 glass is empty....and his hand is -trembling-.  Shining silvery eyes
 regard not only Thesy but Zai and Daeyn as well....obviously on the
 prompting of his lifemate since he'd not even think of looking at
 another female.
Zai does her best to fade into the shadows and avoid R'gis's gaze.
 Sudden intrest in heaped on her jacket, which seems to be somehow
 crooked. Maybe she should go see a weaver. Now. Yet Puizuth says
 otherwise, and Zai's stays. Crooked jacket and all.
The grin broadens even more and Thesy finally decides it's about time
 for something stronger than just klah. Chuckling she makes her way
 over to where the wine skins are, knowing only too well how R'gis will
 feel about flirting with girls the next day. "Please! Can't you
 serenade a -little- softer? I'm getting a headache," she mutters on
 her way back, flicking Zai an understanding glance as she settles back
 into her chair. 
Pemeron takes one look at the entering rider and decides that perhaps
 he should have had some ale this morning, to numb the effect of seeing
 such a /pleasent/ sight so soon after waking.  More food is ingested
 and he begins to watch R'gis with an eye to curiosity.  Suddenly he
 begins to understand what is going on, and comments to nobody in
 particular, "Ah, perhaps it might be a good idea for me to get to my
 chores now." The clean plate is picked up as well as the mug, and he
 starts for the sideboard, almost crashing into Takovic, since he is
 still looking at R'gis out of the corner of his eye.
Proddy or not, R'gis gets a brief glare from Daeyn.  Brownrider doesn't
 put up well with things that more or less never happen.  She sighs,
 pouring herself a middling mug of nothing in particular and making
 herself sip slowly.
Puizuth> Anwyllth is trying to be unobtrusive, remember? Thus, any real
 response to Peorth's purr would be somewhat counterproductive ...
 though don't think the brown isn't watching quite intently, an
 animated flare of whirling color visible through only the tiniest slit
 of eyes.
R'gis manages to pour another glass of wine for himself without
 spilling too much as he snickers at Daeyn's glare.  Even though she's
 his cousin's weyrmate, that doesn't really matter when dragons are
 concerned, he leers at the brownrider.  His eyes travel up and down
 her lean, strong form, licking his lips in a manner that can only be
 called -hungry-.
Zai slinks back even further. No leers for her, thanks. She's fine how
 she is. Really. Attention is shifted from her jacket to the wine
 skins. Interesting. Glass is poured, and Zai sulks quietly in the
 corner agian, an occassional sip interupting her quiet mutteirng about
 how unfair this all is.
Puizuth> Peorth arches her neck proudly as she gives the males a brief
 regal glance, orange tinted eyes flickering from one to the next and
 then off to the pens, pondering. Not yet....this is just too fun and
 she wants to draw it out just a little longer.
Lyri is free from leering and such, being a greenrider, so there.  Not
 that Niamhyth isn't making her own comments on the matter.  Pemeron's
 notion is given a nod, but she doesn't make a move from her breakfast
 just yet, the amusement in her eyes evident as she watches the goings
 on. Hey, she can enjoy it... now.
Daeyn more or less chokes on her drink, just staring at R'gis for
 several heartbeats.  She rises abruptly and stalks away in what would
 be a purposeful movement, except the wall is only twelve paces away. 
 Exhaling a slow, level sigh, she leans her head against the stone and
 ignores the world.
Thesy takes a long sip of her wine, nearly choking on it as she notes
 Rage flirting with .... Daeyn! And the brownrider's reaction to it.
 This almost makes up for the brass band in her head.
Puizuth> Sardrinth feels no compulsion to hurry it along, as every true
 gentleman knows, the end result is only the culmation, the act of
 achieving that goal is just as important, and just as interesting. His
 tail flicks from side to side, an admiring croon wafting on the breeze
 towards beautiful Peorth.
Pemeron passes by the rider on his way out the door.  He looks her over
 carefully, noting the height of her and following it up as he passes
 by.  His own diminutive though somewhat stout form a perfect mismatch
 to her.  On he goes, toward the door, a backhand wave to those
 present, and then he is gone.
Pemeron exchanges the protection of stone for the bowl outside.
Puizuth> Pemeron steps out from the Weyr's living caverns.
R'gis laughs softly at Daeyn's reaction, just what he was looking for
 too, so nice of her to oblige him.  Zai is next on his list....obviousl
 y.....the gaze she receives is just short of indecent, almost as if
 he's undressing her with his eyes and savoring every inch.
Puizuth> Pemeron begins to turn to the pens, but is suddenly well aware
 that he could be a snack if he does.  He turns instead to the northern
 bowl, to avoid the messy activity that is sure to be occuring soon.
Puizuth> Pemeron continues, heading north.
Puizuth> Puizuth's tail twiches slightly, giving away his anxiousness.
 He's ready. What's all the waiting for? Eyes whirl as he lowers his
 lids to gaze at Peorth sliently, awaiting any cue to move.
Zai doesn't want to be next on /any/ list, unless it's the list for
 leaving now. And this list is worst of all. Catching Rage's /leer/,
 she fades as far back as possible. Ending up with her back pressed
 agianst the wall. 
Puizuth> Somnolent now, or so Anwyllth seems, muscles relaxing with an
 ease that almost makes him look graceful ... at least, when he's
 completely still. Some spark of readiness in the almost-invisible eyes
 belies his stillness.
Thesy needs to set down her glass, shaking with silent laughter. It is
 just too much fun to see both present brownriders against the wall,
 terrified by a single pretty male. "Thank Faranth that they have their
 dragons in the bowl," she giggles at Rage, tears streaming down her
 face, "or they'd be running away screaming."
Speaking of running away, Lyri is going to head out to try to pull her
 enchanted lifemate away from the action before she gets ideas.. but
 there isn't any screeming involved.......yet.  
Zai doesn't respond to the bluerider, although in all truth running
 away is /exactly/ what she'd like to be doing right now. Another,
 large gulp is taken as Zai slides down the wall, to crouch in the dark
 corner. Maybe, if she's lucky, Rage can't see her now.
R'gis giggles and nods at the bluerider's comment.  "Though why they'd
 run screaming from me is beyond my understanding...." he replies.  His
 eyes remain on the two brownriders, pondering whether he should go
 over to them or not.  If he did, they'd probably go thru the roof of
 the caverns with nerves.  Despite the other two females not looking at
 -him-....he's most definitely looking at them, not missing a single
 move they make.  Nope, can't hide from this sharp-eyed greenie.
Puizuth> Peorth ambles daintily to the Pens.
Daeyn shoots Thesy a rather offended look, lips pressed tightly
 together.  She's not frightened, she's ... perturbed?  Have a little
 understanding for a woman no one looks at.  She scrubs at her temples,
 seriously considering making her escape now.
Puizuth> Anwyllth paces with measured step to the Pens.
Puizuth> Pens
Puizuth> Freshened breezes from the lake to the south linger with the
 stronger scents of herdbeast and wherry, dust and dung, that fill this
 ovoid enclosure. The sturdy fence sways out into the bowl, captures an
 outlet of clear blue lake, and, as it meets the bowl wall, grows into
 a stout wind-shelter replete with hay and feeding troughs; not too far
 above, a claw-marked series of feeding ledges lie, decorated by a few
 discarded and bleached-out bones.  A few clusters of green sprout,
 downtrodden, in the hard ground, tracked over by the stampeding of the
 herds.
Puizuth>   It is a winter midmorning.  The clouds crowd ever closer to
 the earth, nearly flattening themselves over the land. The first few
 snowflakes are beginning to fall every so often, sometimes one at a
 time, sometimes gathering in flurries as they tumble from the low
 skies.
Puizuth> Squabbling over leftovers are Pyre and Vedra.
Puizuth> Green Peorth and brown Anwyllth are here.
Puizuth> You see Herd of Herdbeasts, Kukalaka, and Orange beastie herd
 here.
Puizuth> Obvious exits:
Puizuth> Stables     Barn     Training Grounds     Central Bowl    
 Beach
Puizuth> Peorth saunters daintily into the pens, scattering the milling
 herd and eyeing them with a proprietary gaze. That same gaze could be
 given to the males, but they are not worthy of her....yet, let them
 prove themselves in the air....maybe.
Thesy has survived worse looks than Daeyn's. Comes with being a
 bluerider probably. Blue eyes flicker to check the supplies of wine
 skins, the result making her sigh with relief. That single skin
 definitely wasn't enough last time.
Puizuth> Sardrinth follows, but stays at the side, waiting. The first
 kill proferred to the lady as her honor and none others. Within him
 lies a determination to prove his worth, this is simply the first step.
Zai sulks. Narrowed eyes watch Rage for her corner, her hands clasp the
 wine glass in her hands with white nuckles. Shakey sip is taken from
 the said glass, before she licks her lips and manages to get to her
 feet. 
Puizuth> Anwyllth pours into the pens with the slow, uneven oozing of a
 mudslide. Wingtips flick, twitch, flutter, a fidget unconscious
 longing for the air. He doesn't even attempt to compete while bound to
 the earth.
Puizuth> Puizuth's tail continues to twich, although the rest of his
 brown body remains calm and composed. Eyes are half-lidded as he scans
 the herd. Not movement is made yet though, as his gaze returns to the
 green.
R'gis glances out of the cavern....as if he could see thru solid
 rock....and drains his wineglass before rising fluidly from his chair.
  He sends a sweet smile to each of the riders before he moves slowly
 to the cavern entrance, braid swaying in time with his hips.  He
 reaches out to trail fingertips across Daeyn and Zai's shoulders as he
 passes them on his way out.
F'ish swooshes in rather conspicuously, but not before beating a
 drumroll into the doorway, accompanying the beat of his regularly
 metronomed step. "The F'ish. He enters. Like a portal. Into
 luu-oooove. ...yeah..." The purple beret on his head slides a bit over
 his ear, tres fashionably, over indigo tinted riding goggles. His lean
 black clad body slinks across the caverns. "The aura of green
 permeates through the weyr, like vegetables, except not."
Daeyn just about comes out of her skin, scuttling backwards like a
 startled spider.  This is rather encouraging the rider to move in the
 other direction.  Still, allowances can be made for proddiness ...
 *this* time.
Zai shivers at the touch, a slight wince added to it as she stares
 after R'gis. Glass of wine is lifed to her lips agian and she takes
 one last sip before setting it on the table nearest her and daring to
 emerge from her hiding space now that the greeridr's gone.
Thesy stands as well, but unlike R'gis she disappears into the deeper
 recesses of the caverns, grinning widely at the -perturbed- brownrider
 in passing. When she comes back she quietly hands Daeyn one of the
 skins she has secured. Just don't ask where she's got them. Zai gets
 another one. Wine helps, really it does. And then comes F'ish ...
 sending the bluerider into another fit of laughter.
Central Bowl (#3812)
Seven spindles brush the clouds -- quite literally -- overhead, a
 jagged, spired cotillion grey-stoned majesty. The bowl from here is
 expansively large, extending a full half mile in both directions, and
 although sometimes a bit of a stretch, most of the hubs of activity
 can be easily observed. Hard-packed ground shows the common pathways,
 all of them meandering about the craggy bunch of boulders that form a
 centerpiece: carven, hand-worn and foothold-full, it gives a bit of
 centerpoint to the otherwise vast emptiness of the area.
To the north lie the hatching grounds and leadership weyrs, while the
 lows of herdbeasts mark the feeding pens to the northeast. A flurry of
 ever-present activity marks the living caverns to the west, and
 another time-traveled path the ground weyrs just adjacent to the
 southwest. Southeast, a glint of blue shows the lake, glittering and
 cold.
  It is a winter midmorning.  The clouds crowd ever closer to the
 earth, nearly flattening themselves over the land. The first few
 snowflakes are beginning to fall every so often, sometimes one at a
 time, sometimes gathering in flurries as they tumble from the low
 skies.
Clinging to footholds in the boulder-mound are Zhaneel, Vanitas,
 Antietam, Tremayne, Immie, Archimedes, Sentanta, Gavin, Gyahaahaa,
 Wilt, Archer, Chiernathe, Beats, Martini, Tyan, Wyrre, Kythe, Marp,
 and Freak.
Bronze Nhamarath, bronze Rixesith, and green Yshanth are here.
You see a wagonmaster, Kageri, and Ruff here.
R'gis, Thesy, and Daeyn are here.
Obvious exits:
Pens     Northern Bowl     Caverns     Ground Weyrs     Lakeside    
 Guards HQ
Puizuth> Femmy blue Arielth, a coil of thin silvery blue, almost
 serpentine, rises to the challenge of flight, with a soft high pitched
 bugle, muscles coiling and uncoiling in anticipation, whirlpools of
 eyes swirling, locked on the green before him.
R'gis squints against the bright morning sun, not seeming to have
 dimmed despite the cloud cover, and glances toward the pens where the
 dragons have apparently adjourned.  He smiles to himself and a low
 purring seems to echo between him and the pens, seems Peorth is having
 a time teasing the males......like rider, like dragon, eh?
Puizuth> Peorth's tail lashes once as she springs forward, snagging an
 unlucky herdbeast with an outstretched talon and fastening her teeth
 to its neck. Hot and steaming in the chill air the thick, crimson
 blood is swallowed between growling chuffs of breath, she enjoys this
 almost as much as Druseth it seems.
Zai clings to the Thesy-gifted wine skin as if her life depended on it
 as she edges her way out of the bowl and into the sun. Standing out of
 reach of the R'gis, and most everyone else as well, she peers through
 still narrowed eyes at those around her.
F'ish doesn't look threatening, oh no. He's the picture of calm
 placitidy, the eye of the storm, if you'd like to say that. He holds
 the stem of a crimson glass of wine between two fingers gingerly,
 sipping just so dignifiedly with thin lips. "This wine, red like
 blood, red like the blood of 'beasts, of men..." He blinks at his
 glass. Not lookin' so appetizing no more.
Thesy squints and brushes away a few stray snowflakes as they get into
 her eyes. A little tense, as always so short before the large beasts
 head for the skies, she leans against a large boulder, wondering what
 keeps the greenrider in the open. Even though the awakening arousal of
 the dragons should make them hot, it -is- winter ... after all.
 "Right, F'ish ... make us all choke ..." The other bluerider gets a
 slightly annoyed look and a raised brow. 
Zai offers F'ish a disgusted look as she glances down at her own wine.
 Fidgiting slightly, her gaze travels toward where her brown is with a
 soft mutter about something or other uner her breath.
Puizuth> Sardrinth darts forward himself once he's seen that the lady
 is well satisfied, the flick of a sharpened talon laying open the
 throat of a fat beast. None of the meal should go to waste, and as
 such within an instant the creatures throat is at Sardrinth's mouth to
 be drained.
Puizuth> Anwyllth rumbles low in his throat, eyes opening in an iris
 series of flickers and blinks. His movements are slow to start,
 building up with primordial force. The initial pressure of his bulk
 against inertia causes him to advance on a beast with glacial
 slowness. Then the barrier cracks, speed bubbles forth like lava, and
 in an eyeblink, devestation ... at least, of one hapless creature.
Puizuth> Silkenly, Arielth arises with barely a swoosh of wings,
 hovering above the herd of beasts with the air of a gourmet. Dipping
 quickly, he nips with keen ivory teeth, a thump, a fall, and
 gracefully the blue drains the 'beast dry, after which he immediately
 settles somewhere far from the staining bloodshed, to wash himself on
 the red, licking his chops.
Puizuth> Puizuth isn't far behind the others as he marks a beast of his
 own. Stalking toward it in a cat-like manner, he sneaks up behind it
 before pouncing. Low sound, between and growl and a purr is emitted as
 he makes a snack of his choice, eyes darting about him as she drains
 it.
Daeyn wishes R'gis would take a hint from his dragon and ignore the
 females, but that's all one.  It's nothing against him, really.  She
 scrubs her hair out of her eyes and takes deep breaths.
Puizuth> Peorth tosses the lifeless carcass to the side with a
 disdainful flick of her head, whirling orange eyes regard the males
 and their horrible table manners, blood all over their muzzles.....real
 ly! She leaps from the ground, landing with all fours upon the first
 beast to come under her talons, throat is ripped and blood guzzled
 without a second thought. Now who's the one without manners?
Puizuth> Herdbeasts cannot get away from the delicious feeding frenzy
 in their midst, the poor things. The poor... tasty... succulent
 things. The first beast finished, a second becomes easily snared into
 Sardrinth's clutches, following the way of his now dead comrade into
 the gullet of the small blue.
R'gis stretches his arms widely to the chill air, most likely a stiff
 breeze blowing thru the bowl and breathes deeply of the clean, crisp
 winter air.  Light, tenor laughter drifts up into the sky as he vents
 pure joy at being alive as the snow flutters down onto his hair and
 lashes.  To be alive now and a dragonrider is a good thing!  He turns
 a mischeivious smile on the four riders and with a tilt of his head is
 off to the cover of the ground weyrs.
Puizuth> Anwyllth snorts softly, quite content with a single beast ... no
 gluttony of blood for this one, precision draining every resource
 available from its breast while still leaving the carcass and frame
 relatively intact. Give it a blood infusion and a pacemaker, and it'll
 be good as new ...
Puizuth> Arielth has manner...honest! But the bloodlust of draconic
 kind still bubbles deep within him, and without moving anything but a
 claw, the blue snags a unlucky heardbeast that just happens to be
 running by. Um. E's not hogging, really. Smooth talons are rubbed in a
 patch of grass methodically, meditatively, as he waits, always
 waiting...
Puizuth> Puizuth lets his eyes rest on his next victim. A nice, plump
 herdbeast. He stalks, stomach low to the ground before he springs and
 pounces, knocking the poor creature to the ground. Blood is drained
 agian, and then the brown slinks back to clean his muzzle and wait.
Thesy shivers, partly because of the chilly air, partly because of the
 hot liquid going down her blue's throat. Grabbing the wine skins more
 tightly with one hand and holding her jacket closed with the other,
 she ambles toward the entrance of the ground weyrs. Elation fills her
 too, it always does ... and impatiently she waits for the dragons to
 raise into the air ... taking their riders with them.
Puizuth> Peorth leaps into the air rather abruptly with a shriek of
 defiance. Now is the time....time to leave these males behind and fly
 to the heights of the 'Reaches mountains. Strong wings beat upward,
 fueled by the hot blood in her stomach, that quick energy she needs to
 get away. Not even a glance is spared to see if the males are
 following, she knows they are....she can feel them behind her, how far
 is another question.
Puizuth> Arielth springs into action in a flurry of glinting blue
 dewdrops as the sun glints of his multihued hide in an array of azure.
 A splash of color which renders the sky behind him a murky wash, he
 soars determinedly after his fair green, locked on target.
Puizuth> Puizuth is only a few moments behind the green, making a
 graceful leap into the air. Wings beat almost lazily as he flicks his
 wingtips this way and that to soar up, up, up. Into the sky he goes a
 low purr rolling from his throat as he attaches his gaze to the green
 and darts after her.
Puizuth> Sardrinth's meal is dropped without a second thought and, with
 a burst of powerful wings, is up in the air after the sparkling
 beauty. She may not spare a glance, but his gaze is only for her.
Puizuth> Anwyllth tosses aside the beast with a razor-sharp flick of
 his head, casting it to a landing spot that seems calculated to the
 inch. His eruption into the sky is anything but analytical,
 ash-streaked form exploding skywards as if forcibly cast aloft by the
 earth itself. A fire's hiss of unfurled wings regulates his upward
 plummet, dark rust form pouring like lava cascading over rock.
Puizuth> Above High Reaches
Puizuth> Quite, quite high, nothing braves these heights but stone and
 dragon and cloud; the Star Stones jut dutifully above the Weyr proper,
 flayed by the mountain winds that are consistant at this altitude
 whilst the rest spreads below, protected by its crown of jagged stone
 spires'-teeth.
Puizuth>   It is a winter midmorning.  The clouds crowd ever closer to
 the earth, nearly flattening themselves over the land. The first few
 snowflakes are beginning to fall every so often, sometimes one at a
 time, sometimes gathering in flurries as they tumble from the low
 skies.
Puizuth> Blue Sakuruth, green Peorth, and brown Anwyllth are here.
Puizuth> Obvious exits:
Puizuth> Weyr     Over The Mountains     Star Stones
Thesy abandons the bowl for ground weyr's shelter.
Ground Weyrs (#2361)
Once a mere overhang in the bowl wall, this arched stone enclave was
 deepened in aeons past by who-knows-what to provide shelter for
 injured dragons and their mates. Craggy walls loom high to dwarf rider
 and dragon alike, sloping back from the weather-open entrance to a low
 opening into the infirmary itself. Stacked under rock-shaded cover are
 low supply chests of sturdy timber, flanked with long tables. Other
 openings are shaded by wherhide curtains, leading to smaller, private
 caverns for the dragonhealers' patients.
  It is a winter midmorning.  The clouds crowd ever closer to the
 earth, nearly flattening themselves over the land. The first few
 snowflakes are beginning to fall every so often, sometimes one at a
 time, sometimes gathering in flurries as they tumble from the low
 skies.
Settled on rough-hewn ledge are Bow-Wow, Thessalonike, Commander, and
 Freak.
You see Generic Egg Pot here.
You notice Tabiron asleep here.
R'gis, Daeyn, and Thesy are here.
Obvious exits:
Bowl     Inner Ground Weyr     Infirmary
Puizuth> Peorth struggles against the strong winds that beat at her
 from the surrounding crags of the mountains, settling into flight as
 she begins to slip thru the air with graceful ease. She peers briefly
 behind her to the blue and brown hides behind her, growling softly as
 she measures the distance, too close for comfort.....for now at least.
Puizuth> Sardrinth's meal is dropped without a second thought and, with
 a burst of powerful wings, is up in the air after the sparkling
 beauty. She may not spare a glance, but his gaze is only for her.
 (from the ground)
R'gis flops into a crosslegged position on the nearest cot and just
 waits....like everyone else it seems.  His eyes are sparkling with his
 dragon's mischief and his own anticipation of the results of this
 flight.  Leers go round the other riders, male and female get the same
 lascivious look.  Silvery eyes travel up and down the various forms,
 appreciation and calculation in his gaze.
Puizuth> Not close enough rather, but not in need of that burst of
 energy just yet either. Rather Sardrinth cruises behind, gaining
 altitude in search of a thermal to carry him forward. Tis a fine
 morning for a chase, and finger still for a catch. He lets out a
 resounding trumpet into the sky, proclaiming his affections for the
 green.
Puizuth> Anwyllth wafts over the turbulence of the winds as scorching
 heat over ice, propelled higher and further by the simple laws of
 nature. He spirals upwards like a plume of smoke, ascending to a
 height where his shadow looms over the ground below. He drifts
Puizuth> Puizuth soars after the green in a flash of gold and brown,
 wings still beating at a rather slow, but steady rate as he dips up
 and down with excitement at the chase. No loud trumpets for him, no
 attention grabbing display. He simply enjoys the skys and flies on.
Puizuth> Anwyllth wafts over the turbulence of the winds as scorching
 heat over ice, propelled higher and further by the simple laws of
 nature. He spirals upwards like a plume of smoke, ascending to a
 height where his shadow looms over the ground below. He drifts at the
 pinnacle of the sky, waiting for the right moment to descend upon the
 chase ... or perhaps its prize? (I'm done maving now.)
Zai slinks in, keeping to whatever shadows she can find as she glances
 around the room. Ah, that corner there will do. She slips into it,
 pulling her legs up to her chest and leaning back agianst the wall.
 Eyes dart from person to person as she takes a few deep breaths before
 opening her wine skin for a long drink.
Daeyn is poised just short of the entranceway, far enough that no one
 can brush up against her with the excuse of it being accidental.  She
 isn't looking at anyone, eyes directed slightly downwards, lips
 half-parted, and gaze misty and distant.
Thesy settles on one of the larger chests and pulls the cork out of the
 first skin. Cool Benden white goes down her throat in a few large
 gulps before she puts it down beside her. Cheeks burn from a wind that
 doesn't blow in here, and far from cooling her, it makes her blood go
 faster. Greenrider leer isn't noticed, not yet but one of the
 wineskins goes flying R'gis' way ... lets just hope he'll catch it.
 You don't waste Benden white, do you?
F'ish slinks into the room, takes one look, shrugs, and tosses it over
 his shoulder dramatically. The shattering of glass sounds off
 distantly in the shadows, as the bluerider continues on his way
 nonchalantly. "A flight of flight with flying...flight that...flies is
 flying.... yeahh..." Kay.
Puizuth> Peorth catches a thermal and soars upward, turning toward the
 higher crags till it seems she's on a collision course with the stone
 wall. Silent now, she still glances behind her in annoyance as the
 males continue to pursue her higher and farther. A slip sideways, a
 hard climb then a stomach-knotting drop....nothing seems to shake
 these dragons from her tail.
Puizuth> Slipping serenely through the air, graceful wingspars pushed
 back with effort, Arielth bullets against the winds towards Peorth, a
 riptide of desire tugging him steadily forward, forward toward the
 green. The largest, strongest body he may not have, but emotion,
 feeling will bring him victory, correct? Ah, the sappy romantic.
R'gis catches the tossed wineskin, snagging it deftly from the air.  A
 quick twist and a steady stream of Benden White pours down his throat,
 just the sort of bracer he needs with all the twisting and turning
 going on far above the Weyr.  Lowering the skin he rests his chin on
 his hands and nearly -stares- at the others in the groundweyr,
 wondering which dragon will be chosen......a glint close to fear
 appears in his eyes for a short second.
Puizuth> Sardrinth flies onward, desire lending strength to the chase.
 Every sight of Peorth's form drives him harder, inspiring him to
 greater efforts. His entire world has narrowed to the concept that he
 belongs to the green, and that she has only to accept him to make it
 all worth it.
Puizuth> Anwyllth shows no response to the litany of tactics Peorth
 displays, each wingbeat pressing forward with slow, inexorable force.
 He glides with seamless rippling of muscles, each movement pouring
 into the next with hypnotic grace. Though the turns are swift in
 pursuit, their ease makes him look deceptively slow, unhurried with
 the knowledge that time and endurance are on his side.
Puizuth> With a twich of wingtips, Puizuth brings himself higher, up
 into a strong draft of a thermal. Wingbeats slow even more as he saves
 his energy, allowing the winds to do the work for him. For now anyway.
 Another rolling purr radiated from him as he does his best to out fly
 the others. Gaze still locked on the green, his gold and crimson
 brushed form glides forward.
Thesy suddenly has to resist the urge to hold on tightly to that chest
 when Sardrinth soars higher, his desire rushing through her body like
 a burning wave. Nervous fingers start to fumble at the neckline of her
 shirt, the blue eyes' glance fixed on the green's rider from under
 hooded eyelids. Jacket gets dropped next and then the bluerider's back
 for the skin. Hastily more wine is swallowed, goes down cool and
 refreshingly. But only for a couple of moments.
F'ish is island of poetic Pernese Zen, sitting quietly in the corner
 with eyes shut, breathing methodically in and out, in and out, in
 correspondence with his lifemate's wingbeats. The thick velvet cloak
 has been shed, and the artiste (ahr-teest) that is F'ish sits stolidly
 in nothing but very tight black undertunic and leathers.
Zai lids her eyes, squeezing them shut tightly as she leans back
 agianst the stone. Her arms wrap around her legs, which are drawn
 close to her chest. Tongue sneaks out to lick her dry lips, and her
 slow deep breathing is most likely audible to anyone near her. Not
 that there /should/ be anyone near her. At that though, one eye peaks
 open to assure herself that she is still well away from anyone else.
Daeyn rolls her cheek against the stone, eyes closing to the half-lids
 that her dragon often assumes in moments of watchful repose ... though
 it's clear she has been completely lost to anything but Anwyllth and
 what his senses convey to her.  She seems to breathe with every odd
 wingbeat, almost matching.
Puizuth> One, two, one, two...in, out, in, out...like the undulating of
 the crashing of the waves, Arileth's slender wings beat steadily,
 perserverently as thin barreled ribs predictably expand, and relax to
 an secret internal beat. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Though
 one could do wrong to call this slim, aerodynamic blue too slow...
R'gis sheds his riding jacket once he notices just how warm it is in
 the smaller cavern, top buttons of his shirt loosened as
 well......okay, top several buttons.  Golden skin and silvery curls
 peek from behind the now open shirt, every cool breeze causing the
 silky fabric to flutter slightly against his sides.  No half-lidded
 eyes for him, he gazes from one rider to the next with dilated pupils,
 lost in the sensations of his lifemate yet still a bit 'present' in
 his own body.
Puizuth> Peorth streaks along the rim of the bowl, mere feet above the
 jagged rocks topping the Weyr. Gone are the attempts at trickery, no
 more sideslipping.....no more dips and climbs, just outright speed.
 Legs held tightly to her lithe body, her wings beat strongly against
 the thin air at this altitude to drive her farther and farther away
 from the chasing males and those so-dependant humans. One more glance
 behind her and an annoyed screech and her attention is focused once
 more ahead.....to the open sky.
Puizuth> Puizuth looses the thermal he was in, dipping down, lower and
 lower. Closer to the rocks he goes, wings only now begining to beat
 with energy in an effort to take him nearer to the glowing green.
 Despite the strength and frequency of his wingbeats, no strain or
 exhaustion is apparent. As autumn colored brown edges closer to his
 goal he emits a loud, but short trumpet.
Puizuth> Anwyllth angles through the wisps of clouds as if they were
 barriers of stone, filling every gap with his own ash-and-rust magma
 and pouring out through wraithly crevasses in a mindless but still
 relentless drive for the green. Hitting open air again, he skims low
 to the wind currents, body pressed as flat and level as possible as he
 sheers through the sky. Distance is made up now as he seems to roil
 down an invisible slope towards Peorth.
Puizuth> Sardrinth pushes forwards, annoyance flowing off his hide like
 the air the screams past. Boistered by the seemingly straight drive
 forward, his puts all of his efforts into speed, pushing the air
 behind him as a hinderance.
Puizuth> Arielth is suddenly taken by a warm draft, sweeping him
 forward at a frightening pace, catching him up with his more able
 flightmates. He is the horizon, a horizontal line in the sky,
 straightened like an arrow, shooting, flying, cutting through the air
 with deadly precision, hoping to hit his target.
Thesy winces when the sudden forward speed of a lithe blue body relays
 to her, nearly sending her off the chest. Wine ... more wine. The next
 skin is opened, the bluerider drinking thirstily, her eyes now almost
 avoiding R'gis ... knowing what will happen so soon but not at all
 sure -whose- dragon will catch this time, she just can't look at him
 like that. Once more her hand goes up to the closures of her shirt,
 nearly tearing them off. 
Zai is too far gone to know where her wine skin is, or if she did know,
 how to actually get it to her lips in order to drink it. Hands are
 clenched tightly and arms still wrapped around her legs. Eyes closed,
 her head falls forward to rest atop her knees with a soft whimper.
Puizuth> Peorth's speed doesn't diminish noticably, though she does
 slow, faltering slightly as she misses a wingbeat in a sidedraft that
 buffets her. An annoyed growl and she's flying steadily once more,
 though there seems to be less space between her and the males than
 there was just a moment or two ago. She can't afford a glance behind
 her, not this far away at least, but she's always been curious so she
 just can't help but peer behind her. That is her mistake, blue and
 brown bodies have managed to catch up to her, ever so close....now
 what does she do? She's trapped....
Puizuth> Sardrinth brings his wings inward, closing on the emerald
 treasure. A bugle of invitation sounds out across the land, clear,
 ringing, tribute to the majesty of Peorth's flight. All the energy
 gained and stored from the moment of the flight's inception goes into
 this moment, as does everything he is.
Puizuth> With extended wings, Puizuth drops down until he is only a few
 lengths above the green. Flash of gold and he glides to the side a
 bit, until his gaze is unobscured by any other dragons and there it
 locks. Low rumbling purr announces his presence, with an exuberant
 trill. With the last of Puizuth's reserved energy he catapults himself
 after Peorth, wings straining agianst the winds.
Puizuth> Arielth flips his extraoridnarily long tail about behind him
 in a constantly moving wave of motion and muscle. If he were a sea
 monster of some sort, he'd be going in for the kill. But no, Arielth
 is a gentlman, and a tender one, and sweetly, as he edges up oh so
 gradually next to Peorth, the swirling midnight eyes, inquire, do not
 order, though the desire floods.
Puizuth> Anwyllth only gains momentum in the tumultuous descent,
 mercury's sleekness melting downwards with the wind, wings pinned back
 for streamlined power in a way that makes the brown almost amorphous,
 not an assemblage of musculature, bone and power but a formless force
 of nature. He reaches for Peorth now ... to overwhelm, to entrap and
 surround, or to be halted by the barrier of a rival?
Puizuth> Peorth screeches in frustration that her freedom and flight is
 cut so short as a larger, heavier body curls about her, wings fouling
 hers as necks and tails twine. The inevitable end that she knew but
 denied would happen this time.....this time she'd somehow leave them
 all behind, once more proven wrong. He proved to be worthy of her, her
 Prince-consort, her ever-faithful protector......Sardrinth.
R'gis nearly leaps from his seat on the cot, tumbling bluerider over
 the back of the chest as Peorth choses as he'd hoped she would. 
 Hopefully the short fall isn't too jarring, they do need to be able to
 walk afterwards, right?
Puizuth> Sardrinth croons, not in triumph, but in love. Taking Peorth
 into his embrace, his wings spread wide to slow their fall, every part
 of him now hers, forever and always.
Zai's huddled form relaxes with a loud sob. A mix between Puizuth's
 wild emotions, and her own relief at the result. "Thank Faranth,"
 brownrider mumbles softly, only now allowing her eyes to open and peer
 upward around the cavern. Breath uneven, Zai's form shakes softly as
 she tries to regain control of her emotions.
Puizuth> Puizuth stops his descent, pulling back up and circling for a
 moment with indecisive dejection. Finally, with as close to a sigh as
 Pui can get he wings back toward his rider and her comforts.
Maybe not as expertly as her blue but no less caring, Thesy flings her
 arms around the exuberant greenrider as she finds herself laying on
 her back on the floor. "Thank Faranth ... he stopped singing," the
 bluerider giggles, holding R'gis close to her. That is ... until she
 becomes aware - faintly - of the others. Wriggling a little, she
 murmurs, "Please, lets get outta here, all right?"
Lis comes into shelter from bowl's wide open spaces.
Lis was just sneaking past, really - ready to get the latest gossip
 about who did what, where, and to whom. Snow is idly brushed off the
 shoulders of her jacket as she ducks just under the ledge. Peeking,
 really, the voyeur...
R'gis ducks beneath the heavy curtain and goes into the inner ground
 weyr.
Well. That's...disappointing. But F'ish can take it, really. Gray eyes
 blink sedately. "The failure falls down like rain, only to be covered
 by a shadows of dark," he mutters, considering whether or not to put
 that cloak on. He inclines his head slightly as he sees Lis. Hunh.
 Greenrider.
Zai won't be providing any gossip fodder for Lis, thanks. She'd just
 like to find her way back to her weyr if you don't mind. Licking her
 lips, she clambers to her feet still looking rather -- dazed. No
 wonder. Wine skin lays forgotten at her feet as she puts a steading
 hand agianst the wall.
Lis attempts half-heartedly to backpedal, having come upon F'ish at a
 rather awkward time. "Shells, when did he get so attractive?" wonders
 the greenrider to herself, and unfortunately aloud. Gulping, she edges
 in what seems to be a safe direction: Zai's. In event of an emergency,
 brownriders can be used as a personal salvation device, no?
Zai gulps. "Uh, 'Lo Lis." Brownrider -- or is the personal salvation
 device? -- turns to look at the greenrider suddenly at her side.
 Mostly back to herself, Zai smiles crookedly. "Looks like you have an
 admirer, no?"
F'ish is like, wow. Greenrider. Like, checkin' him out. Shardin' cool.
 Yay.
Lis wasn't checking F'ish out, was she? Just... observing. "I! I'm not.
 I don't. Whatever." Today isn't the greenrider's day for mastery of
 the spoken word. "/Nobody/ is admiring anybody." Least of all /her/.
"I admire you, as the moon admires the sun for her brightness that he
 himself cannot have because he is a nocturnal creature and night is
 like, dark and stuff....yeah..." F'ish. To Lis.
Zai just nods. "Right. No admiring. Not at all." Is that a smirk? Zai
 /must/ be back to normal. "What, by the way, are you doing here Lis?"
 Brownrider doesn't think she was so out of it she didn't know who's
 flight it was.
"Just... coming by. To see who won, before anyone else knew," Lis
 explains stiffly to Zai, fidgeting as she hears F'ish's bizzarre
 admiration. "Nice to see you too, F'ish." Perhaps as long as she
 stands still, she'll be safe...
Zai eyes F'ish with an expression bordering between disgust and
 curiosity. "Uhm. Right." She shakes her head and turns back to Lis.
 "Sardrinth did. And I think you just came for gossip." And because
 she's a greenrider and knew F'ish was here? Zai wrinkles her nose at
 the room in general and looks around for that lost wine skin. Finding 
 said item, brownrider edges her way toward the door and home.