R'xeh, relaxing? .... More like plotting. (Full)

[kelshii]

R'xeh was perched on a rather large rock, overlooking the lake, watching as his two Fire-Lizards and Dragon swam and played together. Or, well, the Fire-Lizards were doing most of the playing, Lamorkth was just swimming. He didn't much care for Arquas or Dirkku, and as far as R'xeh could tell, the feeling was mutual.

He thought that was sort of odd. Didn't Dragons generally enjoy time with their little cousins, and vise-versa? Ah well. To each his own.

R'xeh had been unusually quiet so far, in his stay at the Weyr. The occasional bit of mischief has ensued, to be sure: sneaking out when he was supposed to be working to explore the Weyr and surrounding areas, being one of his favorite things to do. Not that he didn't do his work, he just did it when it suited his schedule.

He had spent time with Vinxi, of course. Both of them had sent a fair few letters home to their mother by way of Fire-Lizard, informing her of how they were, friends they'd made, what Dragons they'd Impressed, and stuff like that.

Or that was what R'xeh had put in his letters, anyway. Now, he was being rather distant with everyone, aside from Lamorkth, who knew everything R'xeh did and thought. (He never bothered with blocking his thoughts.) R'xeh wasn't concerned with protecting his privacy from his Bronze; they were life mates and would spend forever with each other. Why should he bother?

At any rate. R'xeh knew he was acting out-of-character, and it didn't much concern him, though he knew Vinxi was probably a bit worried. Se knew why he was acting like he was, and agreed with him, though she hadn't done as much thinking on the subject as he had.

He hated the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader.

'Hate' was a strong word, and admittedly, one he used very rarely against other people. But in this case...

He hated the way they acted toward the other people in the Weyr. So what if Siterah had brought back the Dragons? Yes, that was very impressive, and he knew he'd never had had Lamorkth if she hadn't.

But that did not give her reason to behave like she did. Like a tyrant. A bloody tyrant!

He hated the way that M'kel was so accursedly week. He obeyed every single order that the Weyrwoman gave him, or so it appeared. R'xeh wasn't closed minded, he knew people could change and knew that he definatly didn't know everything that went on between the two of them, but from what he'd seen...

He also hadn't taken kindly to M'kel's response to his statement during that stupid analyzing thing. Hadn't the man ever had family of his own? R'xeh had thought viciously, barely containing his anger. Hadn't he ever known what it was like to have people you'd give your life for without a second thought, to have someone to support and love you all your life?

His probably threw him out the second he was old enough to look after himself and keep from dying. R'xeh thought irritably. Don't know if I'd allow him even that.

There were innumerable reasons why he hated them, some of which included plenty of nasty curses he'd learned when his father had thought he wasn't listening.

But what bit at him most was why no one was doing anything?! Surely the Riders weren't so blind, or so taken with their Weyrleaders (he sneeringly stressed the word in his mind) that they could not see what Siterah was doing?

For all R'xeh knew, or feared, she would want to take over the entire of Pern. He would rather live on the Red Star than live under her rule.

He had spoken only to Vinxi and Lamorkth, and even Vinxi's Green partner, Dindraneth, of his feelings and thoughts. They all agreed, though perhaps his sister and her Dragon not as strongly as he and his Bonded.

Enough of those thoughts, Mine.

[/color] He suddenly heard Lamorkth's strong, and mildly amused voice in his mind. Undoubtedly, you will do something in the future. But now... relax, and enjoy life. The water is very comfortable today, why not join me?[/color]

R'xeh sighed at the interuption, but a smile twitched across his face. Yes... enough dwelling on thoughts like that for now. He stripped his outer clothes without a thought, dumping them unceremoniously in a pile at the bottom of the rock. He knew he'd probably get wet anyway, even if he hadn't been planning on swimming, knowing his Fire-Lizards.

As he slid into the pleasant water, he couldn't help but think, however, on all manner of nasty tricks he could pull on the Weyrleaders. He was a master at pranks and scheming and planning and lying and such things, and pulling it off without being caught. Sometimes, if it was a harmless sort of prank, he'd do it so that everyone knew it was him but had no way to prove it, but this time, the situation would call for crafty, careful execution. If he was caught by they Weyrleaders, his punishment would most likely be quite harsh.

Doing things like this over the Turns only gave edge to his stealth and creativity levels, which could be applied in other ways when needed. He'd often been glad he'd honed such skills when doing other things.

Yes, he thought to himself, as he slid into the water, a satisfied, evil sort of grin spreading across his lips, this ought to be a great deal of fun...
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(Was this post any good? >3)

[Kitari]

((OOC: That post was excellent! It has inspired me to reply, *sniff*))

"Ridiculous!" A spray of sand sprinkled the previously still waters of the lake, as Kitari marched on down the winding shoreline. So entangled was she in the frustrating images of her meeting with the Weyrwoman that she didn't notice any others present at the lake that day. Lefayeth worried if her presence had been forgotten, too, as she loped awkwardly alongside her unsettled rider. Falcon flew in agitated circles around Kitari's head, squawking all the while. Another dollop of sand was sent splashing satisfyingly into the water, and Kitari reassured her dragon's concerns by halting abruptly to face the gold.

"Can you believe that woman?! She acts as if you aren't even a gold! As if I hardly deserve to be at those meetings with Alana! As if it's simply a courtesy, to appease those Pernese who might see it as a sign of weakness if she proclaimed that her Aviciath had produced a faulty queen. Fool! You are twice the gold that Aviciath or Gwynevith are!" This was nearly shouted, and Kitari added an emphatic nod to contribute more weight to her point, as if she had left anyone unconvinced. "And she brushes aside all of my suggestions, thinking she is the only one who has Araelen's future in mind! What she's doing is wrong, she--"

Her tirade was abruptly halted by a hesitant nudge in her mind. Lefayeth's whirling eyes had shifted beyond her rider to the waters of the lake, and Kitari froze in response. It is Lamorkth and his, the gold warned, her tone cautious. Both knew that to speak such opinions was risky, even for a Weyrling goldrider, in the current political state of the Weyr. If Lamorkth's rider was loyal to Sitareh...and as a bronzerider, he likely was, Kitari was going to have a lot of explaining to do...

Regaining what composure she could, the young goldrider deftly tucked back a loose strand of curly black hair, taking a deep breath before rotating slowly to face her fellow Weyrling. "R'xeh!" she greeted the bronzerider, her airy tone masking her concern. "Pleasant day, isn't it?" With her heart pounding so heavily, Kitari feared she wouldn't hear the response. It would be crucial to determine if he would be running this news to Sitareh as soon as she departed. She had to convince him that it was only momentary anger. "I apologize for that...I was...I'm still adjusting...to being Lefayeth's rider," she finished lamely. Hopefully, it would be enough.

[kelshii]

(=D Ooooh, thank you! ^^ I quite enjoyed your post as well. x3 This will be a lot of fun...)

R'xeh was trying to make himself relax. Normally it wasn't a problem, seeing as how he was, but now... His mind seemed to be in overdrive. Not about anything in particular, really, just jumping all over the place. He hated it when it did that.

He could feel Lamorkth's exasperation at his inability to make his mind rest, and knew that the Bronze was about to comment on it, but was distracted by Dirkku, who had started chittering incessantly at him in a scolding tone, while Arquas put in his bit here and there.

R'xeh rolled his eyes and Lamorkth made a rumbling sound in reply, feeling just as exasperated at his Dragon's antics as the Dragon had been at his a moment ago. He was about to tell them to shut it, when he heard someone else approaching. He turned to see a girl stomping toward them, apparently in a temper.

"Can you believe that woman?! She acts as if you aren't even a gold! As if I hardly deserve to be at those meetings with Alana! As if it's simply a courtesy, to appease those Pernese who might see it as a sign of weakness if she proclaimed that her Aviciath had produced a faulty queen. Fool! You are twice the gold that Aviciath or Gwynevith are! And she brushes aside all of my suggestions, thinking she is the only one who has Araelen's future in mind! What she's doing is wrong, she--"

R'xeh couldn't help the wide grin that slipped over his features as he heard her speech. Then she stopped, turned around to face him, and spat out a hastily complied excuse. He hardly listened, feeling quite elated. Finally! Someone else who felt similar to how he did, and the other Goldrider as well... This could turn out interesting... his agile mind was already at work.

His eyes glittered as he waved a hand in the air, brushing aside her words. "No need for excuses, Kitari. I agree with you."

Well, that was a start. Now, to actually convince her that he was being truthful. He stood up out of the water and made his way closer to her, better to converse.

"I hate both of them." He said, disgust and a powerful dislike marring his features, a sneer on his lips and eyes darkened. "They call themselves Weyrleaders? M'kel is a power-hungry, weak-minded fool, in my opinion. As for Sitareh... She's more of a dictator than a Weyrwoman."

He spoke quietly, but the feeling in his words was there, very much so. It was apparent, too, by the way he spoke and how he stood, that he could come up with a lot more things to call the pair of them, if pressed.

Lamorkth watched with interest, his gaze occasionally falling upon his Clutchsister. He didn't know exactly what to think about her. She was so frail looking, so fragile... He thought her mind probably wasn't so, but he was reserving judgement. What is your oppinion, Lefayeth?

[/color] He asked her, watching her steadily and calmly, but not in a judgemental way.
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[Shikai]

((Dang it Kelshii, I wanted to get my post in before you replied! xD Ah well, I’ll just modify my idea slightly. ^^ It’s not like I’m capable of typing a halfway decent post now anyway…-sob- ))

Pan and Lyra chattered excitedly as they flew just above Aglovth’s head, their swoops and swirls in midair bringing the fire lizards ever closer to the lake. Aglovth watched them with remarkable patience, his dark head bobbing up and down as he shifted his attention between watching his footing and watching the spectacle of brown and green in the air above him.

I can’t wait until I can fly like that. I don’t like walking.[/color] He remarked to the tall girl beside him. A soft smile crossed Myra’s face as she looked down at him, and realized that Aglovth was rapidly closing the distance between his eyes and hers. He was already a larger blue, and he had only grown more since his hatching!

“I’m looking forward to that too.” She replied, and her eyes reflected the honesty of her statement. The only thing more wonderful than being with Aglovth as she was, she thought, would be to take to the sky with him, as a proper, full-fledged dragon and rider! To soar wherever they pleased, over the ocean, or the weyr, or anywhere in all of Pern. Forget between, they could fly simply for the sheer fun of it.

Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by the loud squawks her firelizards were emitting, and, sensing her slight annoyance, Aglovth raised onto his hindquarters and snorted at them. The flits generally liked the blue, and he tolerated them very well, so they fell silent immediately, partially out of compliance and partially out of fear of the larger creature. Better, mine?[/color] He asked, locking his whirling blue eyes with hers. Thank you! She replied, with genuine gratitude.

But, her fantasy ended, Myra’s expression darkened as she remembered that despite her newfound happiness with Aglovth, not all was well at Araelen. Even though she had finally impressed, and impressed to a blue, nonetheless, the stigma and isolation she felt had not dissipated. If anything, it had increased, as her sexuality took no more than a glance at her dragon’s beautiful dark blue hide to deduce. Many didn’t have any problems with her, as female blueriders, and even female brownriders were not unheard of. She felt a pang of sympathy for the female brownriders, as they had it even worse than she did. But the Weyrleadership, especially Sitareh, seemed dead set against anything unorthodox. Even Kitari, who Myra had happily watched impress a beautiful golden dragonet, had seemed upset from the few times Myra had seen her since the hatching. Everyone knew Sitareh’s opinion about Lefayeth, and it made Myra angry just thinking about it.

It just wasn’t fair. She had gone to the weyr in search of equality, and for a while, had found more than she had had at home. But now it seemed that it had all been just an illusion. How could it be called equality when Kitari was so begrudgingly given the title of a Junior Weyrwoman she deserved? When female blue and brown riders were given looks of contempt by certain members of the weyr? Worse still were the rumors of the weyr’s relations with Pern. Myra didn’t know what to think anymore. She would never regret going to the weyr, for it was there she had met her beloved Aglovth, but something wasn’t right. She couldn’t help but feel that it was just the calm before the storm.

She sighed, unable to cast her worries from her mind even though she truly wanted to enjoy her trip to the lake with Aglovth. Sensing her thoughts, and knowing he would not be interrupting her now, the blue stated, It’s ok, Myra. You are right to be worried. These are…troubling times.[/color] Her mouth stretched into a grim smile as she looked down at her dragon. Indeed. Thank you…for understanding.

As she approached the lake, the sound of voices reached Myra’s ears. The first, she recognized with a flutter of happiness, was Kitari’s. However, her brief spark of delight faded as she heard the bitterness and anger in her friend’s voice. I shouldn’t be eavesdropping… She remarked guiltily, but Myra had good hearing, and couldn’t stop herself. Yet then, her blood froze as she heard another voice, a young male one, responding to Kitari. There was no way he hadn’t heard her! What if he turned her in to Sitareh? We wouldn’t let him do that.[/color] Aglovth replied, in once of his rare moments of ferocity, accompanied by a low, rumbling growl. But Myra’s fears were assuaged when she heard what he had to say. The boy agreed.

By this point, Myra was too close to turn back, but nervousness seized her as she realized she would soon walk straight into them. It’s alright, mine. I’m here with you.[/color] Aglovth reassured her, crooning softly. Placing a hand on his soft hide, Myra took a deep breath, and stepped forward, out past the outcropping of rocks that had separated her from them.

“Hello…Kitari. R’xeh.” She announced, her voice extraordinarily quiet for one of her stature.

[M'kel]

((OOC: Shhhhh! Too much chitter-chat! j/k. Stop doubting yourself, Shikai-foo! You a good writer! And this shall be fun...))

Blue eyes were fixed upon the lines of R'xeh's face, studying his features in great detail for any hint of the thoughts hidden within. Whirling eyes fixed upon Lamorkth's, for a young dragon might sometimes unwittingly reveal his rider's emotions. Both Kitari and Lefayeth were intent upon the other Weyrling pair, and the colours of Lefayeth's eyes had shifted to a yellow-gold matching her hide.

As R'xeh initally waved away Kitari's faltering explanations, voicing his agreement, the girl felt an initial, foolish wave of relief. Immediately, she stiffened once again, reminding herself that no Pernese was decent enough not to lie, especially in a situation like this. However, as he continued to voice his displeasure at the current leadership, the curl in his lip and the chill in his tone suggested that his words were genuine. She sought his eyes and felt a slight trepidation at the burning intensity there. If nothing else, Kitari felt much more reassured by those eyes than his manner.

Hesitantly, the Weyrling relaxed her stance, although she nervously tucked back the loose strand of hair once again. “I was…worried…that others would forget their candidacy, upon Impressing.” She glanced down at Lefayeth, reminded of how easy it was to forget everything that had happened before, as if she hadn’t been alive until that moment of Impression. “I thought that, once granted that power, it would be too tempting to refuse. I am glad to hear that your opinions have not changed.” A smile touched Kitari’s lips, as her mind immediately began to churn. If R’xeh felt this way, there was the possibility that others did as well. If there were enough of them, they might even be able to form an organized front…

Lefayeth twitched slightly at the unexpected mental touch, for she had been analyzing the Weyrling pair so intently that she had forgotten that Lamorkth was a fellow dragon and could communicate with her. Hastily, she recovered, maintaining her cool. The waves of anxiety from Kitari had lessened into a semblance of calm, and Lefayeth's eyes reflected this fact, as the whirling decreased in speed. Attempting to resemble her rider's poise, the young queen replied, Kitari is wise in such things and has lived here much longer than her Lefayeth. However, if dragonriders are exploiting their positions over others, I agree that things must be changed.

Both dragon and rider froze immediately upon hearing another voice call out in greeting. Although the tone was quiet, it caused yet another heartstopping shock, as Kitari whirled to face a new threat. When was she going to learn not to speak of such controversial matters where anyone might overhear?! Immediately, the girl sighed in relief, though, for it was Myra. Although she hadn’t spoken with her friend…at all, really, since the Hatching, she was confident that the other girl would keep such a secret, even if she did not agree with Kitari’s stance.

“Myra!” Kitari smiled in greeting, waving the girl over. “I haven’t seen you much since the Hatching. How is Aglovth?” Then, she added in an undertone, “Did you happen to hear what we were…speaking about?”

Hello, Aglovth! Lefayeth ventured warmly, although she had not yet spoken with this Clutchmate.

[C'lyn]

((Hope you don't mind if I slip in my charrie too?))

L'kas idly scratched the back of his head as he grumbled to himself, agitating the brown fire lizard perched on his opposite shoulder. The bronze rider absently soothed the little brown, his mind on other thoughts. His bronze was sunning himself on their weyr ledge, listening on his rider's thoughts.

L'kas kicked a rock and was a bit surprised when he heard a splash, he didn't think he had wandered all the way to the lake, but then again it was usually one of the quieter spots around the weyr to think. He looked up and blinked a bit as the sun sparkling off of the lake surface speckled his eyes. He tilted his head when he noticed three of the weyrlings standing at the shore line, just barely catching what was being said. He had to grin to himself for a moment, that one tiny snatch of conversation going right along with his thoughts.

Cael trilled in question as his person walked toward the group. L'kas reached up and gently scratched the little one's neck before calling out " 'Lo! Good day to you R'xeh, Kitari, and Myra," he said, nodding to the fellow bronze rider, then bowed to the girls "I hope that you are all well?" he asked, grinning lopsidedly. He looked at Lefayeth and smiled, she might be a bit on the smaller side, but he had a feeling she would grow up just fine.

He turned to look back toward the weyrlings, knowing that they were probably thinking he would probably tell on them to Sitareh. He snorted at the thought, the sharding woman to controlling by far for her own good! He had simply come forward to fly Thread again, he didn't need to be under a sharding tyrants thumb, he and Seath hardly had a day to catch their breath between the assignments the Weyrleaders kept them on. And that M'kel, arrogant fool. He enjoyed seeing him sweat under Sitareh's iron hold on him, thankful indeed that his Seath hadn't caught her Queen.

((Ugh that was bad, I'm sorry I'm so rusty ><.))

[kelshii]

(Naw! You did fine, all of you. ^^ And I love Lefayeth's name. x3)

R'xeh listened intently to Kitari's words, nodding when she finished, and then pausing to listen to Lamorkth's relay of what Lefayeth had said. He hadn't yet mastered carrying on a mental conversation at the same time as an oral one.

Lamorkth replied to Lefayeth at once, his powerful 'voice' hearily in agreement and slight relief. Aviciath and Hers need to be knocked down a few pegs. He said, and then he adopted one of R'xeh's less formal names and called their Weyrwoman and her Dragon something that I might shouldn't write down here.

He continued speaking though, as if it was an every day occurrence to call someone that, and he was fully aware of what it meant. Mine has many ideas as to what we can do to the pair of them, both serious, and just to cause general chaos and fun.

[/color] Lamorkth chuckled, a deep rumbling in his chest.

Excitement continually flooded R'xeh, as he realized more and more what this meant. "Candidacy indeed." He snorted. "I imagine, in the old times, that things were different. Candidates may not be the highest ranking people in the Weyr, but everyone should be treated respectfully. An seriously, that, ah, analyzing thing?" A dark look crossed his face, and it was evident that he had not been pleased with what he had been told.

A sudden thought occured to him, and he mentally called to his Fire-Lizards to come down and be quiet. If they were flashing around above them and making as much noise as they were, they might attracted other Fire-Lizards belonging to the Weyrfolk, or attention of the human sort.

Dirkku and Arquas abruptly shut up, sensing the urgency behind R'xeh's mental commands, and flew down gracefully to land on his shoulders, tails twined around his neck.

"My sister-" He was about to continue, but then received more than a slight shock when Myra appeared. He blinked several times at her, but did not leave his mouth hanging open, or any other such obvious signs of suspicious behavior.

He was silent while Kitari spoke to the new girl, whom he wasn't sure he remembered, other than her name and seeing her on the Sands at the Hatching. Who was she? Had she heard anything...? More importantly, would she tell? R'xeh didn't much care if he appeared rude by not saying anything, other than a quick nod of the head toward her. He couldn't help the slight apprehension that was in his eyes, but you'd only find it if you bothered to scan them deeply.

Aglovth is her Bonded. Lamorkth told him. The young Bronze's tone was calm. He then spoke to the Blue, Greetings, Aglovth. Are you well?[/color] He asked his Clutchbrother politely, not entirely sure about what Aglovth's reaction to all of this would be. He knew that Myra may not have heard, as human hearing wasn't near as good as a Dragon's, but he was sure that Aglovth would have, and then would have told His.

And then R'xeh received another shock, as Lkas appeared out of nowhere. He nodded back at his fellow, and senior Bronzerider, before muttering a hello of sorts, a small space between his shoulder blades starting to tense up a little. He couldn't afford to be, uh... disrespectful to anyone higher up than him at the moment. They had planning to do (assuming L'kas hadn't heard, and if he had, didn't turn them in), and he didn't need to be doing extra chores as repentance.

Normally he was cool under fire, but this was quite a lot worse than being interrogated about some prank or the other. The penalty would most likely be death or torture, knowing Siterah. Not that this wasn't something he wasn't to give up some blood for. Things could be miserable for the Dragon Riders (and perhaps, all Pern) if Siterah got looser than she was now and rained her wrath down upon them.

We really ought to move to a more secure, eavesdropper-free area. He thought dryly.
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[Shikai]

Feeling slightly nervous with all the young dragons about, whom, they had learned from experience, were not all as tolerant as Myra’s Aglovth, Pan and Lyra settled themselves on Myra’s shoulders; brown Pan on her right, and Green Lyra on her left. They chattered suspiciously, but a glance from Aglovth quieted them.

Myra withdrew slightly, her head bowing and her shoulders hunching as she glanced from one nervous, apprehensive face to the other. I should not have come here. I should have let them be. But if Kitari was in trouble… She thought to Aglovth, who stood impassively beside her, displaying none of the awkward nervousness of his rider. As Myra glanced down into his dark, black-flecked face, she felt as though her dragon’s calmness and quiet confidence was radiating up toward her.

Do not worry so, mine! You have done nothing wrong. They are startled, is all. I am sure Kitari is pleased to see you.[/color]

Myra smiled mentally, and faced them again with less fear, which was lessened even greater when Kitari spoke. Now her smile did move onto her face, albeit timidly. Kitari’s wave, beckoning her to join them, meant a great deal to her, though it was but a simple hand gesture. She moved a few steps closer, leaning her back against a large rock and folding her arms over her chest.

“Yes.” She answered, emphasizing her answer with a nod. Feeling the question was of sufficient importance to merit a greater response, she continued.

“I did hear. And…I agree with you. This isn’t right. Back at the hold, I listened to all the harpers’ tales of dragons and riders…but this isn’t like that.” She attempted to voice her feelings, but had always had trouble with words. Her eyes and face, however, sought to make up for what words couldn’t say. The whirling colors of Aglovth’s eyes proved her honesty.

Aglovth remained standing, and turned to Lefayeth as she greeted him.

Good day, Lefayeth. I hope you and yours are well.[/color] He replied, with equal warmth and friendliness, but was not the most talkative dragon, nor the most adventurous socially, and added no more to the conversation. He would, of course, respond to any questions asked of him, but he was simply no good at beginning a conversation.

Yes, I am, thank you. How are you?[/color] The blue responded to Lamorkth.

Pan fidgeted on Myra’s shoulder, on the verge of detaching himself and flying away. Myra looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and turned her head as she heard the soft sound of approaching footsteps. Soon after, L’kas appeared, bearing his usual grin and friendly demeanor. However, even he was to be feared if he planned to turn them in to Sitareh.

With the six of us, we could think of something.[/color] Aglovth added to her thoughts.

Myra didn’t speak, but nodded, her eyes watching him with cool wariness.

[Kitari]

((OOC: OMG! It's a mini-unofficial meeting of the Rebel Council! lol))

Chittering Falcon had come to rest upon Kitari's shoulder, freezing with each new arrival and growing more upset by the moment. His tiny talons latched onto the girl's curly hair, clinging to her in his anxiety. It was the shock she was feeling with each realization that she had been overheard, once again, speaking of controversial issues, that was nearly causing the poor blue to have a heart attack. He wasn't the bravest of flitters to begin with, and it seemed that he would not be able to stand many more of these surprises.

Lefayeth, sensing the fright of the little one, did her best to soothe the whirling colours of his thoughts. It was quite a lot to juggle, greeting all of these Weyrlings, watching their riders, and attempting to calm an agitated fire lizard on top of it all. This was fast becoming a horribly stressful affair, and the gold was feeling rather overwhelmed. Ideas...we could use ideas, she replied to Lamorkth. His enthusiasm and energy was infectious. It was good that such a strong, young bronze was willing to support their stance.

The gold turned back to face Aglovth, eager to learn more of this dragonet. Kitari's feelings of warmth towards Myra were encouraging, and Lefayeth was sure that the dragons would get along well where the riders were already friends. We are, thank you, she replied. And I hope the same for you and yours...

The rider's attention was focused on the other riders, and she merely absently stroked Falcon, unable to divert much attention his way at this time. Kitari's blue eyes scanned R'xeh's features, as she nodded in agreement. "The Analysis..." Her tone was disparaging, and her lip curled slightly in disgust. "I did what I had to to get through that."

At Myra's words, Kitari smiled fiercely. "Exactly. Our Pern may be new to dragons, but the Harpers don't lie. We can't let them fool us, pretending this is the way things always were. Dragonriders are supposed to be noble and kind, protectors of Pern, not rulers of it."

The girl, fire lizard, and dragon alike jerked in surprise at the approach of yet another rider. Upon realizing that it was a Sr. Dragonrider, Kitari braced herself, certain that the Weyrlings were about to receive a firm reprimand, or that they would be marched off to Sitareh right that minute. As the other two held their tongues, Kitari felt obliged to step forward and greet the rider. "Hello," she spoke warily, eyes darting about his form suspiciously. "We're fine, thank you. Pleasant day, isn't it?" She wasn't about to bridge the subject of their previous discussion with this rider. If he wanted to discuss it, he could bring it up.

[C'lyn]

L'kas looked at them, shaking his head at the looks they were giving him, probably thinking he was going to turn them in, Ha! He looked at Kitari as she spoke, smiling softly "It is a pleasant day," he said with a nod of his head "And you three are also right, the Analysis," he nearly spat the word "Was not something ever done in our time," he said with a frown.

He crossed his arms and shook his head "The time before the hatching should not be one of fear, candidates should not have to worry that they will not be allowed to stand for the clutch they were searched for. The time leading up to the hatching should be one of anticipation, wonder, and learning what they can from proper Candidates masters," he said softly, snorting at the thought of S'cam ever being a proper candidate master.

"We dragon riders are indeed supposed to be protectors, up holders of laws, not tyrants that everyone fears. It breaks my hearts to see the fear in the eyes of the holders. Poor Seath mourns the wide berth children give him when once he loved the attention his arrival would bring," he sighed and shook his head, glancing around "But we shouldn't talk about such things here. If you ever have troubles to air, my weyr is far away from Sitarehs or M'kel's," he offered as he looked at each of them squarely. His brown flit appeared then and landed on his shoulder, resting front feet on the top of his head, ruining the serious look the older Bronze rider had been giving them.

L'kas sighed "This is Cael," he muttered the chuckled with a shrug "Just keep in mind the things said here today and I am sure there are others, but steps must be taken slowly for I am sure Sitareh is feeling out who is loyal to her and fears such discussions as these," he added, watching for any reactions among them.