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Josy - Thursday, November 18, 1999, 5:06 PM
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The following is a roleplay-log from SouCon MUSH (soucon.godlike.com 4201). The world of Pern is copyright to Anne McCaffrey.
You walk over to the Landing Field.
Jeuneth ambles across from the Northern Weyrs.
Theida walks over from the Western Courtyard.
A pile of firestone sacks has already been set off to one side, and more are being brought even as dragonpairs make their way onto the landing field.
F'loran walks over from the lush Lakeside Meadow.
Kesath lumbers over from the lush Lakeside Meadow.
Theida nods to the assembling rider, "I'll be right back, I have to change."
Theida has left.
Ysabeth soars to the sky over Southern Weyr.
In the northern sky, Ysabeth flies toward the sky above the Ocean Weyrs.
Joslyn's fiddling with her flamethrower - stand clear! - at the moment. Jeuneth is settled nearby, all decked out with her straps and waiting with a customary lack of patience. "I had that fixed. There was a marble stuck in the tube," the girl explains for Belira's sake, the other goldrider working nearby.
F'loran grins over at Joslyn as she mucks with that flamethrower. He, personally, is too busy being really really nervous to do anything intricate like that. He walks around Kesath for what must be the twentieth time, making sure the straps are alright. Finally, the Brown cranes his neck down and nuzzles his lifemate to calm the lad down. And it works.
In the northern sky, Ysabeth soars over from the Ocean Weyrs.
Ysabeth soars over from the sky above.
Warm and breezy, it seems to be an autumn day like any other at Southern Weyr. The sky is the perfect azure that only late fall can provide, wisps of clouds caressed now and again by the light gusts of wind, slowly beginning to coalesce on the eastern horizon. In the western sky the sun is only beginning its gradual descent. Here the threat of Thread is not yet visible, but from the flurry of activity on the landing field the purpose of this gathering is clear.
See, this is all old hat for Joslyn, the wizened goldrider (or something). Finished with her own contraption, she strolls over to help Belira sort her own out - which winds up rather comical as both of them are pretty much innate and, in the end, a helpful resident has to set them shoo them from the flamethrower and fix it himself.
Theida has arrived.
Kinoa gives Luiseth's straps a firm tug, patting the leather with her hands. "That alright, Lui?" she asks the green, who lowers her head and rumbles, shifting restlessly but not yet urgently. "Good," the wingleader nods, then turns and lets her gaze flicker over the rest of her wing.
Yishenth lumbers over from the Northern Weyrs.
A few candidates for Feilynth's clutch rush around in confusion, until an assistant headwoman directs them to ferrying sacks of 'stone to the waiting riders.
Imara dismounts Yishenth, using the green's foreleg as a step.
It must be nervous laughter that leaves Joslyn and Belira giggling with each other, both of them in check when Remarra arrives. "Just don't shoot anything you shouldn't," is Joslyn's sage advice as she waves Belira off to join the rest of the ground crew, finding someplace to lean near Jeuneth.
F'loran smiles nervously over at Imara, drawing in another deep breath. "You ready for this?" he asks her, voice cracking just slightly from the tension.
A line of dark clouds begins to build on the eastern horizon, obscuring light and turning the sky there into darkness, shadowing the land below in a gathering gloom.
In the northern sky, Tiarnath soars over from the Western Weyrs.
Imara nods at F'loran, though her eyes betray some uncertainty. "Yeah, I think so. I guess I should be, since this is what we've been training for all this time."
In the northern sky, Tiarnath flies toward the sky further south.
In the northern sky, Tiarnath furls her Champagne and Pearl Gold wings slightly, backwinging to a slow, but graceful landing, hindmuscles absorbing the impact with ease. With a modicum of fuss and stirred dust, she settles with a rustle of wings, warbling an exuberant greeting to those close by.
F'loran nodnods yet again, and leans back against Kesath. He shuts his eyes slowly, clenching his fists to stop his hands from shaking. Now that, on the other hand, isn't working.
In the northern sky, Tiarnath soars to the sky further south.
Tiarnath soars over from the sky above.
Telinda jumps down off of Tiarnath with lithe elegance. She smiles as the Champagne and Pearl Gold nudges her hip playfully and her eyes glaze for a brief moment.
Joslyn's eyes go skyward to follow Tiarnath's path, her nerves betrayed with the anxious tapping of her foot and the occasional rustle of her lifemate's wings. The girl tries to look proprely sober as Telinda and Tiarnath draw nearer, busying herself with riding gloves and the like.
Kinoa grabs a sack of firestone and begins rummaging through it, the familiar smell wafting out of the bag and into the nostrils of anyone nearby. A stone of the proper size found, she gives the signal to her wing to begin chewing, offering her own to Luiseth.
Theida runs careful fingers over every inch of Ysabeth's straps, testing for cracks and wear, which she fails to find. Next the D rings, giving each one a tug to test the strength. Finding the straps secure, she checks over her own gear, finding it all in order. She begins feeding Ysabeth the firestone, the dainty green chomping and crunching carefully.
Sacks of 'stone stand ready and flamethrowers are checked again for fuel while the riders ready their straps and gear to meet the age-old enemy. Weyrfolk look aloft as they hurry about their tasks, expressions intent.
Perhaps just to have something to do, Joslyn goes about checking the straps fitted snugly to her dragon. Mumbling things to herself, she runs the full inspection, giving Jeuneth a pat here and there. Can we say tense?
Riders in Stormfall start crunching firestone as the command is given. Draconic eyes are half lidded in concentration, and the sounds are truly gruesome: the bone jarring sound of teeth pulverizing stone.
Tiarnath cranes her neck around, warbling happily to some of the dragons, as her lifemate busily checks things over on the straps. Satisfied, Telinda sits on the ground, and starts a top to bottom inspection of her flamethrower.
And that horrid crunching noise only heightens F'loran's, and countless other Weyrlings gathered nearby, nervousness. "Oh shells," he whispers to himself, looking up at Kesath for support. The Brown gives him a reasurring little croon, and he nods. "I'll be ok."
Jeuneth> Kesath senses that Jeuneth is not pleased to be relaying messages and it's evident in her tone. << Joslyn says I have to tell you that if your lifemate gets hurt, she is going to kill him. >>
F'loran blinks suddenly, and raises an eyebrow up at Kesath. His eyes go distant as he responds to his lifemate..
Luiseth crunches as daintily as one can do such a thing, powerful jaws dissolving the hard stinky stone into something that can be swallowed and utilized. She rumbles at the blues and greens arrayed near her as Kinoa finishes inspecting her straps and begins a last check of her own gear. "Shells. I knew I should have ordered another set of leathers," she says with a grin.
The healers and dragonhealers alike set up their supplies in an out of the way place. Numbweed, redwort, gauze, needlethorn, all ready for inspection by the Journeyman on duty.
Dragon> Kesath bespoke Jeuneth with << My F'loran says that would be counterproductive, wondrous Jeuneth. He says he doesn't want to die yet. Please tell that to your lifemate. >>
Dragon> Southern Weyr sense that Luiseth is pensive as she chews stone for perhaps the thousandth time. << I never have learned to like the taste of this. >>
"Bad time t'come to that conclusion," Joslyn calls toward the Starflame wing, a grin-and-a-wink for the wingleader. Her own well tended gear given a last, quick pat before she's fully satisfied. Jeuneth even favors her a reassuing nudge - so long as no one's looking.
Imara watches other riders check and re-check their dragon's straps for a moment before she turns to look at Yishenth's. She peers closely at each part and gives the buckles and good tug.
Jeuneth> Kesath senses that Jeuneth is not a courier. That's all the message she's going to convey.
There is the vague hope, visible on the faces that are turned aloft to track the sky, that the clouds might bring some rain to mix with the Fall that looms on the horizon. Instead, only a slight westerly breeze can be
F'loran rolls his eyes at something, and pats Kesath on the side. "I'll be right back, Kesath. Don't go anywhere without me.." And, with that, he jogs on over to Joslyn. Nervous grin on his face, he counters, "Please don't kill me. I don't wanna die just yet." It makes sense to him, don't worry.
Telinda clicks the nozzle back into place, then stands, leaning the awkward contraption against Tiarnath's foreleg, with advise to the gold to be careful of her feet for a while. That done, she shrugs into the harness, pulling down on the straps. As her head comes back up, she spots F'loran, and an eyebrow raises, a small smile playing across her features.
Joslyn's worried - yes, it happens, so no laughing at her - and it shows. "Just DON'T get hurt," is her emphatic advice, a quick pat for the weyrling's shoulder and a firm nod for good measure. "Now run along," and she waves him off with a flutter of her fingers to manage her flamethrower as Telinda has.
Kinoa grins back at Joslyn, the banter obviously there to lighten the mood, "Least I'll know to be careful with them. Won't do to have to come back to the Weyr just to change my clothes."
A few of the weyr's olders children gather for ground crew duty, checking over agenothree tanks. One nozzle is found to be in bad condition, and the tank is swapped out for another.
F'loran's worried, too - you can laugh at /him/, though - but he doesn't pat Joslyn's shoulder. He steps forward, and hugs the Goldrider. "You be careful, too," he replies, before jogging back over to Kesath again. No one saw that. Nope.
Ysabeth lets out a little belch of flame, testing. She strecthes her icy verdent wings with mounting excitement. Theida carefully secures the extra firestone sacks to Ysa's straps and finishes feeding the small green. She glances at Kinoa periodically to make sure shes on schedule and won't hold up her wingleader.
Joslyn? Hugged? Oh, that's not at all good for her reputation. Nor is it particularly conducive to pulling on her flamethrower, the straps of which get caught on her elbow and provide no small measure of trouble for her. She manages it after a few minutes, though, with a little help from Remarra, and waves after F'loran as he trots off.
Kinoa and the other wingleaders walk among their wings, seeing to last minute preparations, checking straps, buckles, firestone sacks. She pauses near Ysabeth and gives Theida an encouraging smile. "Looks good," she says, then moves on check on a bluerider.
Theida nods to her wingleader and gives Ysa a proud and hardy pat. The demure green nuzzles her lifemate gently and reassuringly.
People rush hither and yon as the skies darken, taking care of last minute details: more stone sacks are hurriedly piled for weyrlings to ferry to fighting wings, suppiles are doublechecked, and women from the hall start bringing out wine and water skins for riders and weyrfolk alike.
F'loran checks Kesath's straps one more time, before glancing up at the sky. "It's time," he mutters softly, then gets ready to start ferrying 'stone to the front lines. Here we go...
Kinoa finishes her circuit and heads back to Luiseth, tugging on her gloves and helmet and then mounting up.
Kinoa shimmies onto Luiseth's back.
Theida has left.
Yishenth rumbles quietly as she warily watches the sky. Imara gives her pat as she prepares to mount up. "You ready?" The green rumbles an affirmative.
Joslyn takes note of everyone else's activities and does likewise. Belts and buckles fly fastened and the girl manages to mount - humorous though it may be. A boost from Jeuneth and she's properly settled and patting the queen's neckridges. Deep breath, Josy; you've done this LOTS of times.
You approach Jeuneth just as the Queen crouches for you, one foreleg bent to allow you an easier mount.
** Imara steps lightly onto Yishenth's outstretched foreleg, then swings easily into the comfortable place between the green's neckridges.
** Telinda grabs the tank of Agenothree, and expertly tilts her head, sliding arms into the remainder of the harness, and clicking and locking buckles into place. Gloves get shoved on, and then she's grabbing the straps and hauling herself into place.
** Telinda scrambles nimbly up onto Tiarnath with the help of a proffered foreleg. The Champagne and Pearl Gold warbles in excitement as her lifemate settles herself between her neckridges.
** >>> Theida settles on her lifemate's neck, fastening the claspon her helmet and strapping herself against the warm green hide. Ready to go, she watches Kinoa for the signal.
** Mounted on Luiseth's back, Kinoa straps herself firmly into place, giving her dragon a quick thump on the neck. No matter your age or experience, Fall is Fall and therefore always a little scary. "Starflame, mount up," she calls out as Luiseth unfurls her wings and shifts her weight in preparation. All around her, green and blueriders and their dragons follow suit.
** F'loran tightens his helmet, checks his gloves and jacket. There. Ready
** In the northern sky, Muinyth emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!
** Muinyth flies over from the sky above.
** Imara buckles herself in, tugging the straps one last time. She checks her gear, then waits silently.
** Between Tiarnath's neckridges, Telinda takes the time to buckle up her jacket, and slips her goggles into place, tugging the strap just a little bit tighter. Last minute check goes to all the paraphernalia that accompanies her flight gear, and then a nod, and she's waiting for the signal.
** Jeuneth deigns to croon faintly in Muinyth's general direction, a sound that could easily be mistaken for a grunt as she shifts her weight. Her lifemate, meanwhile, just hangs tight, her eyes on Telinda as she too waits for that signal.
** When all is at the ready, the signal is given as the Weyrleader lifts his arm and then drops it, and the age-old gesture is mirrored down the ranks, the silent command for dragons and riders to take to the sky together.
** F'loran hauls himself up onto Kesath with the help of a proffered foreleg and the straps, settling himself between the Brown's neckridges.
** Luiseth flies toward the sky over Southern Weyr.
** From atop Kesath, F'loran buckles himself securely in.
** Seated atop Tiarnath, Telinda lifts her hand into the air, marking the time for Sunblaze to head airborne, as Tiarnath spreads out her wings and in a haze of Champagne filtered light heads skyward.
** Tiarnath flies toward the sky over Southern Weyr.
You fly toward the sky over Southern Weyr.
** Ysabeth flies over from the Landing Field at Southern Weyr.
** Muinyth soars over from the Landing Field at Southern Weyr.
** As the signal is given, the massed wings of Southern Weyr take to the air in a burst of downdrafts. Wings begin to maneuver into position, some riders still stoking their beasts with 'stone as the weyr waits with breath held in anticipation for the upcoming battle.
** Yishenth soars over from the Landing Field at Southern Weyr.
** Kesath flies over from the Landing Field at Southern Weyr.
** Atop Tiarnath, Telinda flicks a look behind her, using the straps to turn around fully in her seat since her sight is restricted so by the goggles and helmet she's wearing. Seeing Jeuneth and Hannenth in place, she turns back, nodding to herself, and taking a moment to caress Tiarnath's neck lovingly as the gold hovers in place.
** Jeuneth fills in the appropriate gap, an easy sweep of her wings bringing her to fill the ranks in the queens' wing. There's an obvious space where Feilynth ought to be, but with those K'tor's pregnant harem alongside, it's not AS noticeable. Anyway, the girl tips her head up to acknowledge Telinda's check but otherwise just waits.
Dragon> Southern Weyr sense that Luiseth passes on the clear image of Southern Hold, the crafthalls flanking the main Hold itself. << Here we fight! >>
** Luiseth bugles and then disappears *between*
** Luiseth disappears into Between.
** Muinyth disappears into Between.
** Ysabeth disappears into Between.
** Yishenth disappears into Between.
** Kesath disappears into Between.
** Jeuneth disappears into Between.
Between
Between is a cold, empty void of awful nothingness. You can hear nothing, see nothing, smell nothing, touch nothing, and it is only the knowledge that light lies on the other side, and that your dragon is with you, that keeps you from screaming. Silently, you chant the ancient talisman, as you hover in this place between places...
Black...
Blacker...
Blackest!
You suddenly emerge...
Sky over Southern Hold
** Jeuneth emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!
** Tiarnath emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!
** Suddenly, the empty sky is filled with a dazzling array of color as the massed wings of Southern Weyr blink out of *between* and into formation. Bronze, brown, green, and blue, united as a visible shield to protect the ground below from the ominous patch of grey hovering on the horizon, barely visible against the menacing clouds. Just below, the shimmering forms of the queens can be seen over the tops of the vegetation.
** Luiseth lets out a defiant hiss as Thread begins its slanting path across the sky, her eyes tinged red with anger, an instinctual response to Pern's ancient enemy, which is getting steadily closer.
** Between Tiarnath's neckridges, Telinda does one more check behind her, then slightly above as well, where the pregnant riders are hovering out of the way of the flamethrowers, and trying to protect the queens below. At the sight of thread, Telinda lets the flamethrower wand drop into her hand and then keeps eyes posted ahead. Spotting the type of fall this is, and having been briefed on weather conditions she sends Sunblaze ranging out a little farther to cover more ground.
** Muinyth hovers, riding the ocean-borne winds, while Shasta doublechecks their position, and those of the rest of Firedance. All seems well, as only Yensth alters her placement, and that only slightly. Finally, the wingsecond gives a nod of her head, echoed by her brown's deep rumble - one of approval, that quickly turns to defiance to the menace that they'll be fighting.
Joslyn's settled right where she needs to be. One hand clings for all its worth to the straps and the other fiddles to get the nozzle of her flamethrower loose from its rack. The steady, easy, effortless beat of great wings makes it much easier for the girl to work, and eventually she's Ready. Jeuneth falls in line with silent commands from Tiarnath, her wedge tilting up to steal a look at the formation overhead.
** Starflame moves into a sheet formation to meet the leading edge of Thread, making two precise stacked groups of dragons, green and blue silhouetted against the darkening sky.
** Calinth emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!
** Silvery 'rain' breaks a deadly path through the clouds, the first few clumps of Fall dropping randomly and in mindless voracity. The tangles then break apart in the wind, showering down about Firedance.
** Ysabeth turns her head, her great open mouth asking for another handful of firestone, which Theida gladly tosses. The rider wriggles her shoulders about, trying to relieve the tension there, but the sight of thread so near makes that impossible, both rider and dragon on edge and ready.
** Yishenth lets out a loud rumble as sees the Thread coming nearer. Imara, who had been gripping her straps so tight that her knuckles turned white, lifts one hand to give her lifemate a reassuring pat. "Not yet," she murmurs. "We're here to supply firestone, not fight."
** Muinyth veers to the left, as the more agile Yensth surges upwards, both aiming for those wind-torn tangles. A duet of flame bursts forth from the Firedance dragons, while others too meet Thread, and the wing lives up to its name, in seeming choreography, a deadly walz with the ancient foe.
** Kesath gets his first look at the ancient silvery menace, faceted eyes shifting red for the first time in his life. He lets out a low rumble, and F'loran gives him a comforting pat on the shoulder. He grips one of the firestone sacks he's carrying, ready to deliver at a moment's notice.
** Snapping her wings out to their full extension, Tiarnath soars towards a small tangly patch of silver that's heading towards the ground, precariously close to a small copse. Knees firmly clamped around the gold's neck, her lifemate leans over, toggling the switch on the flamethrower, and as the gold dips a fingersail a fraction, her rider lets forth a gout of flame, blasting the thread into nought but char and dust that floats harmlessly to the ground.
** As the dragons meet the leading edge, a clump of Thread detaches from the main mass and is buffeted by the breeze towards Ysabeth.
** Jeuneth has this stuff down pretty much pat. The breezes take a little adjusting to, but they're familiar enough that she falls into an easy rhythm soon enough. Even Joslyn looks intense beneath her goggles and helmet and all that fun stuff, a pretty smooth duo when the catch an errant Thread or two in a pretty burst of fire.
** Beith wings over from the weyr's sky.
** Ysabeth swings to the left, towards an incoming patch of shimmering thread. In a flash a brilliant cloud of ruby heat, flame engulfs the slithering menace, charring it to a powdery dust that falls harmlessly about the cool green of Ysa's hide. Her tail whipping in excitiment, her neck craning to find the next silvery mass.
** Brown Gvaneth snakes his neck suddenly to the side to dodge a twisting clump of grey, his rider mimicing the motion and leaning as far left as his straps will allow. Narrowly missing a serious scoring, he dives after the clump, opening his mouth to let loose a defiant bellow and a directed fount of flame, reducing the threat to mere ash that drifts harmlessly groundwards. Visibly shaken by the near collision, H'kik mutters something to himself, the words lost on the wind.
** From atop Kesath, F'loran takes Kesath out of their circular holding pattern, leading him downward to deliver their first load of firestone. F'loran tosses the sack, and it lands at its mark - a very thankful Greenrider. That done, Kesath moves higher again, heading toward their next delivery site...
** Mounted on Luiseth's back, Kinoa's motions are automatic, watch, turn, give Luiseth more stone where it's needed. The green, however, is fluid, attacking each clump that comes within her reach with a controlled vengeance, using her speed and agility to her every advantage as she sears the wriggling Threads from the sky.
** Tiarnath banks left, going after another stray patch. She has it in her sights, wings pulled back slightly to give her added velocity through the air, cutting through towards the deadly menance like a knife through sisal. Rendering air, she comes close enough for her rider to do the remaining work -- a bout of flame gushes forth, incinerating the wriggling, deadly pass to red dust, that glows on it's way towards the ground, eventually extinguished of all life and dying like the embers of a fire to black dust.
** A tangle of thread breaks off, let through by a brown that could not quite reach in from Stormfall wing. The clump spreads out into an eliptical flat spin down towards the Queen's wing.
** Brielth emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!
** Muinyth folds his wings as a clump is lit from below by his flame. His rider huddles down against brown neckridges, leaning to avoid the scorching char as bright flecks of seared thread are whipped past her. And the pair moves on to another clump that's careening towards them, blown into a long tangle of grey ooze.
Dragon> Jeuneth senses that Tiarnath turns but isn't quick enough and sends << Jeuneth, sear that Thread! >>
** Yishenth breaks away from the other weyrling dragons and heads toward a bluerider who is needing more firestone. Imara swiftly tosses the rider a fresh sack, Yishenth veering out of the way as a clump of Thread comes near.
** It's a pretty good show from where Jeuneth is, though the queen only spares the barest of glances for the goings on. They come upon a patch directly ahead and Joslyn has it easily, both of them pulling up just a little bit short as harmless ash casts a thin coat. A sneeze later and they catch up, apparently just in time to catch a flicker of gray. Reflexes more than anything catch that and they look toward Tiarnath.
Dragon> Tiarnath bespoke Jeuneth with << Thank you >>
Jeuneth> I bespoke Tiarnath with << Close. >> Relieved sigh. << Thank YOU. >>
** Clumps and tangles fall free from the clouds, dropping into areas that are seared with dragonfire. The blues and greens are put to work in the light wind, and they guard the flanks of the less manueverable well, winking and dodging between.
** Ysabeth heads straight up, her delicate yet powerful wings racing to meet a small wad of blue and silver thread that escaped that bronzes high abover her. Burning fingers and tongues of flame reach out to destroy the metallic evil, it's dusty particles spreading on the wind created by Ysabeth's wings. Obediantly Theida tosses her lifemate another chunk of stone, the green skillfully catching it as she descends to return to formation.
** From atop Kesath, F'loran leads Kesath into a wide arcing turn about a column of falling Thread, tossing a sack of stone to a fellow Brownrider dodging the same clump. Load delivered, the pair turns back the other direction, gaining altitude to dodge yet another of the shimmering streamers.
Jeuneth> Kesath senses that Jeuneth, distracted, << All right up there? >>
Dragon> Jeuneth senses that Kesath, distracted as well, << We're doing alright, yes. Are you two ok? >>
Jeuneth> I bespoke Kesath with << Just fine. Just checking. >>
** Brielth quickly responds to a loud yell from a greenrider, he and L'mir streaking across the sky toward her. As they draw alongside, L'mir leans outward, stretching his bronze's straps, to toss a sack toward the woman. He nods his ash streaked face at her then the duo bank sharply, as they return to the wing.
** A sudden gust of wind blows a clump of Thread closer to one of the bronzes, but another dragon is in the way. With a bugle of command, the bronze orders the blue out of the path of Thread the only way he can think of, and Erifeth and his rider suddenly disappear between, only to reemerge bare inches above the shower of ash.
** Imara tosses a full sack of firestone to a bronzerider and immediately ducks her head as a cloud of dust flies by. Yishenth wings downward and out of the way of the larger dragon.
** Mounted on Luiseth's back, Kinoa reaches into the bottom of a sack of firestone and comes up frowning, signalling her need for resupply. Luiseth continues to flame as long as she has stone in her belly, her movements a kinetic dance across the malevolent gray sky.
** Kesath backwings suddenly, coming to a dead halt in mid air as a clump of Thread sails right in front of him. He dives down to regain his speed again, and as he levels off, F'loran opens up one of the sacks of 'stone, and tosses a couple of pieces to his lifemate. Better safe than sorry... The pair then angles toward Kinoa...
** From atop Kesath, F'loran tosses a full sack to Kinoa, as he and Kesath fly overhead. Plenty of practice sends that stone-laden sack right on course toward the Greenrider. The duo then pulls back in the other direction to avoid a dusty fall of ash.
** Luiseth wheels around, steadying her position a moment as Kinoa holds out her arms to catch the sack aimed her way. But if Thread is mindless, then wind is capricious, and today's wind seems to delight in lobbing clumps willy-nilly. A burst of breeze and Luiseth bugles a warning as the clump approaches too fast for her to flame.
** Luiseth disappears into Between.
** Krinth, a blue in Firedance, veers sharply as silver-grey tendrils drop from the grey sky, and disappears mid-swerve between. Had he not, the unexpected clump would've pierced his saphire wing, and the thread continues to fall. Muinyth, a good dozen dragonlengths away, turns his head to request more firestone from his rider, who tosses him the last few fist-sized rocks from her bag. As a green swoops to cover him, Shasta signals for another bag.
** Luiseth emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!
** Yishenth quickly dodges a rather large mass of Thread, bugling angrily. Imara opens one of the firestone sacks and takes a few pieces out, giving them to the green. Her mouth opens as she says something to her lifemate, but the wind whips any sound away.
** The clump of Thread that Luiseth dodged continues to spiral lazily groundwards, unchecked. But the green's mind is otherwise occupied with the immediacy of the rest of the deadly rain all around her.
** Emerging from the fray in the lower levels, Calinth makes a mad dash towards a clump threatening to escape, wheeling his huge head about to blast the writhing argent to coalblack crackdust, watching with a moment of satisfaction as it sails harmlessly to the ground below. Up he rises, then, to search for more.
** Brielth passes by Kesath, slightly to the brown's left, aimed for Shasta and her dragon. L'mir's hunched over the bronze's back, fist clenched around a sack of stone. With a grunt, he hefts a bag Shastaward, Brielth matching the brown's pace closely.
** Firestone sacks are replenished and the wings fight on, moving with the deadly Fall steadily across the sky, over the fragile-seeming structures of the Hold and Crafts below. Gouts of flame buckle and roil the already hot air, sending ash flying back into the faces of riders and beasts alike.
** Muinyth gives a strong downstroke to his wings, giving him lift towards Brielth as the bronze heads his way. Dropping one shoulder, essentially pushing Shasta towards the sack that's hurtled across the expanse between the dragons, the pair together makes a neat catch, though Shasta's grunt on contact is audible. The lumpy sack is quickly secured to the brown's straps, and the Weyrsecond gives a wave of thanks and approval to her supplier.
** Tiarnath dances, though borne from grace, it is a dance with death. Not for her, or her lifemate, but for the thread that falls down from above, escaping from the wings to head groundwards. A powerful downstroke of her wings sends her soaring towards a clump of thread, her rider leaning forward, testing her straps to their limits. Toggling the flamethrower a burning conflagration spouts forth, turning the organism to glowing red dust.
** Kesath bugles loudly at Brielth, as he spies a silvery streamer headed straight for the young Bronze. He dodges, himself, veering off to the right, straight toward another small clump. He dives quickly, but not quite fast enough. One of the deadly threads skims right along F'loran's back, and a scream issues forth from the Weyrling's lips, just before he and Kesath vanish *between*.
** Kesath disappears into Between.
** Kesath emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!
** As the afternoon wears on into evening, Thread continues to fall, though the deadly rain gradually begins to taper off.
Joslyn gives her ash-covered cheeks a quick scrub with a dirty glove, a hasty gesture before her hands return to their proper occupation on straps and a flamethrower. Filling in the gaps, they catch patches here and there, few intricacies but comforting steadiness as they keep a fair pace with Tiarnath. Occasional flashes of orange flame mark another crumpled knot in the dark gold's wake.
** Mounted on Luiseth's back, Kinoa can't take the time to see where that scream was coming from, it's enough at the moment that it was neither issued from her or from Luiseth. "Shards," she mutters to herself, quickly opening the replacement sack of firestone and restoking the green's flame. That done, one hand lifts to shield her eyes and peer at the thinning cloud cover.
** From atop Kesath, F'loran's face is wrinkled in pain by the time he and Kesath re-emerge from *between*. He forces his eyes to stay open, though. He has a job to do. Another call for replenishment, as the Thread tapers off, sends he and Kesath diving downward to toss another sack.
** Ysabeth quickly dodges a small clump, then promptly twists and dives to catch up to is, a fountain of flames drowing the shining grey ooze in heat. As she tosses a last chunk of stone to her lifemate, Theida signals to the weyrlings that her sacks are empty.
** Brielth hears Kesath's bugle, his head twisting to the left as he soars out of a steep turn after his resupply to Shasta. The threads shimmer toward him, L'mir sending his lifemate the command to drop, and fast. They both wing downward, but the same group of streamers that hit F'loran sear L'mir's right arm. The bronzeling growls, yells obscenities, then he and Brielth blink *between*.
** From her seat astride Muinyth, Shasta tugs at the strings fastening her new sack, ripping it open. Within moments, her dragon is grinding massive quantities of the stone between his teeth, and climbing rapidly to rejoin his place among the members of Firedance. A gout of flame preceeds him, alighting a tangle of Thread from below, though Shasta's too busy wiping ash and grime from her eyegear to see.
** Yishenth heads toward Ysabeth and Imara readies another bag. When the two dragons are close enough, Imara tosses the firestone to Theida, watching it fly through the air to make sure it goes where it's supposed to.
** From atop Kesath, F'loran tosses that bag, then leads Kesath back to the left again. Anger shows in both of their eyes, as the pair dives toward that offending clump - the one that /dared/ to injure F'loran. As they sail toward it, Kesath spews forth an angry burst of flame..
** Ysabeth steadies herself to aid Theida's bag catching, which takes two hand. Quickly attatching it the straps and reaching in, Ysabeth soon has a maw full of stone agily missing a clump here and there until the green can flame properly.
** With an uncanny abprutness, the silvery rain ends. Without a sound, without warning, the Thread is simply no longer *there*, no longer falling from the sky above. The dragon-thickened sky seems to pause, rustling wingbeats filling the aural space as each and every dragonpair looks to see if the threat is truly gone.
** Brielth has probably never heard such cursing from his lifemate as he's hearing this night. Rider and dragon seem to be one being, as they spiral downward in a tight twist toward the Silver that dared to mar L'mir and F'loran. Whoosh! Out spews bright red flame, equaling the bronze's coloring as the Thread disintegrates.
** Atop Tiarnath, Telinda sends a signal out to Sunblaze wing, sending them to check all the thread is dispatched as quickly as possible now that the last strands are falling.
** Imara tosses one of her last sacks to to brownrider, turning to watch the bag's trajectory. When she turns back around, she finds herself flying into a large cloud of burning hot ash. She yelps and Yishenth immediately winks *between*.
** Yishenth disappears into Between.
** Yishenth emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!
** Jeuneth slows along with the pace of the 'fall, slower strokes to catch the last tendrils that escape the wings. The flamethrower goes idle after a few moments but the two never even once break form until Telinda's signal, at which point it's a thorough survey of the sky.
** From atop Kesath, That one bit of thread destroyed by both he and his Brother, F'loran tells Kesath to take them home, wincing just a touch at the burning pain in his back...
** Kesath disappears into Between.
** Muinyth and another brown dive for the same clump, the second veering away to allow the smaller Muinyth to take it. A gout of flame envellops the tangles, leaving nothing but ash to float on the wind, and he rises upwards again, ready to flame, ready to... expell the last of his flame, useless, as there's no thread left to fight. For today.
** Atop Tiarnath, Telinda nods as she's finishing with her sky sector, head tilting as she gets back reports from the remainder of her wing via Tiarnath. Then she toggles off the flamethrower, stowing the wand in her straps, resorting to her formation position.
** Ysabeth flies in great sweeping motions, checking for any last hints of the silvery menace, darting and dipping to make sure very thing she sees it completely charred.
** Luiseth hovers momentarily as the rest of the thread is out of range, then rumbles wearily, ready to be home and bathed and resting. Kinoa gives her wing a quick visual and mental check, and wipes the worst of the ash off of the sleeves of her leathers, sighing. "I knew it," she mumbles, out of earshot of nearly everyone but Luiseth. "More new leathers."
** Mounted on Luiseth's back, Kinoa gives Starflame the signal to return to the Weyr.
** Luiseth disappears into Between.
** Brielth soars upward, wings lifting them back to their wing. L'mir glances left then right, scanning the airways for any last traces of Thread. Satisfied, the pair move back into formation, yet remain attentive.
** Jeuneth takes longer about veering back toward her position, the smaller figure of Joslyn plainly visible as she surveys. Her gear is stowed and she dusts off as much of her jacket as she can while falling in, one hand lifted in an all-clear gesture to Telinda.
** Atop Tiarnath, Telinda watches, getting the Weyrleader's gesture for the wing's to between, and sends Sunblaze there with a signal from her arm.
** Tiarnath disappears into Between.
** Jeuneth disappears into Between.
Between
Between is a cold, empty void of awful nothingness. You can hear nothing, see nothing, smell nothing, touch nothing, and it is only the knowledge that light lies on the other side, and that your dragon is with you, that keeps you from screaming. Silently, you chant the ancient talisman, as you hover in this place between places...
Black...
Blacker...
Blackest!
You suddenly emerge...
Sky above Southern Hold and Weyr
** Jeuneth emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!
** Jeuneth arrives some ways off but takes little time about winging her way in. She knows the way well, and finds the edge of the landing field in a tidy downsweep, a great deal of wind-blown dirt caught by her arrival.
You wing over to the weyr.
You fly toward the sky further north.
You fly toward the broad Landing Field below.
** Brielth soars over from the sky above.
Deftly, you lower yourself to Jeuneth's bent foreleg, pausing a moment as your lifemate crouches to allow you easier access to the ground.
In the northern sky, Muinyth emerges from Between with a blast of cold air!
L'mir swings his leg over Brielth's neck then slides down the bronze's side, pausing to give him an affectionate pat.
Imara pulls off her helmet and goggles, tossing them on the ground. Every part of her face that wasn't covered is now black with tinges of red.
Imara dismounts Yishenth, using the green's foreleg as a step.
Joslyn is most definitely looking for someone in particular, disounted in a heartbeat and shrugging her flamethrower off beside Jeuneth. She gives her dragon a good once-over, satisfied in the end by a brief, silent counsel with the gold. Then she goes back to looking some more.
Telinda smiles as she passes Imara, handing her a towel, "You'll need a bath, and maybe some numbweed on that burn" she comments, "See the healers and get some aloe as well. It'll soon die down if you treat it quickly." She continues on, checking dragons and riders.
Karani strides over from the Western Courtyard.
L'mir's jaw is set. Tight. He lands on the ground, growling under his breath, then glances briefly up at the sky. He'd probably shake his fist at it if he wasn't bound for Brielth's rear end. "Gotta score here." he calls out toward Joslyn who's not far away. He lifts his arm to wave her over then grimaces from the pain of his own scoring there.
Residents and staff emerge from the weyrhall, carrying water, food, and where necessary, wine for the returning riders.
Theida tugs off her helmet and tosses it on the ground by Ysabeth's feet. With classic helmet head, her dark hair plastered down with sweat, she begins a focused examination of Ysabeth's snowy hide. A wing tip is a little singed and Theida quickly requests some salve, gingerly applying it to the lightly stinging tip.
Muinyth soars over from the sky above.
Imara nods at Telinda, taking the towel and carefully touching it to her face. After giving Yishenth a look to make sure she's okay, she heads toward a healer.
Karani baounds into the field, carrying a wineskin that is much too large for her.
Joslyn's here, somewhere. She comes to a stop at the holler, on her tiptoes to look in the direction from which it came. "That you, L'mir? You all right?" She starts off that way at a quick jog, only jostling a few people on the way.
Kinoa, confident that Luiseth is intact if exhausted, tucks her gear into a strapbag and has a quick chat with Auralia. After a moment, the two split up and begin making their way through the ranks of Starflame, speaking to riders and urging the injured towards help.
L'mir bends down, his hand gently touching his bronze's side as he peers at the place on Brielth's hindquarters where the Thread got him. "Easy now." he speaks low to his dragon, comforting him. "Over here, Josy." he replies loud enough that she'll hear him.
"Is it bad?" Joslyn asks as she comes up to the weyrling, shedding her gloves and shoving them into the pockets of the coat she ditches on the ground a moment or two thereafter. "Where's it hurt? Where's Telinda?"
Telinda is of course busy, which is exactly what you need when you're looking for her. But, well, that's life. She heads over to where F'loran's being treated, checking on him for a moment.
Jeuneth> Brielth senses that Jeuneth, without even a vestige of doubt, << You're fine. >>
Under a healer's direction, Imara sits down on the ground, holding still as numbweed is applied to her face. Yishenth does not even consider staying put. She follows Imara and crouches down next to her, bringing her head as close as she dares to her lifemate's, crooning worriedly.
Theida smoothes the salve over a number of other places where Ysabeth caught hot ashs. Thieda's face, covered with streaks of ash, is marred by a scrap down her cheeck from catching a bag of stone. Her lifemate well, Theida glances over the wings, checking to see who escaped wihtout injury and who wasn't so lucky.
L'mir's definitely not happy at the turn of events to Brielth. Him? That's a different story. "He tells me it's not bad, but then you know him. He'd be back up there if he could." L'mir points to the bronze's hindquarters. "See there?" He doesn't answer as to how bad it is, being his first experience with being hit with Thread.
Having no luck finding the Weyrwoman, Joslyn fidgets for a half-second or so and then catches hold of a passing resident. "Get something to clean it with." She took notes on this stuff! "Redwort. And numbweed, and a couple big bandages, and... hurry." She waves him off and turns to inspect the bronze. "Is it very deep? It doesn't look very deep." Speaking of first experience...
Dragon> Jeuneth senses that Brielth sends images of his bronze self skimming the skies, flaming Thread to smithereens. << I did good. >> There's a hint of a question there, but not exactly. << It does not hurt much. >>
L'mir leaves Josy to her work, confident that she'll care for Brielth, moving toward a large pail of water on the ground. Leaning down toward it, he dunks his forearm into the water, teeth clenched. One might catch some choice words from him right now if they were close by.
Jeuneth> Brielth senses that Jeuneth may very well be indulging you, but that's her prerogative. << You are a good Southern dragon. >> There is no question here. << It's fine. Joslyn thinks she'll fix it. >>
Shasta slides to the ground, giving Muinyth a parting caress and a tender smile.
Joslyn doesn't touch anything just yet, standing clear of Brielth by a few feet and squinting toward the afflicted area. "Hey, he's not gonna get upset if I touch something tender, huh?" she asks of L'mir, lifting her voice in his direction. Her stuff arrives, and she dunks her dirty hands real quick-like while the poor resident just balances it all.
Imara smiles up at Yishenth. "I'm /fine/, Yish. Like I said five times before, I'll be okay. I promise nothing's going to happen to me if you go rest. You know I love having you nearby, but you don't want to be in the healer's way, do you?" The green croons again, but takes a few steps back.
L'mir manages a smile through clenched teeth, his voice sounding like slight hissing sounds as he answers Josy. "Nah. He keeps telling me he wants ta go back up. Says he's fine. I know him too well, tho. He's not fine, but it's not bad." Plunking his arm back in the water again for good measure, he lifts it out, dripping sooty water, then walks back toward Josy and Brielth.
Theida gives her lifemate's snout a snug and moves over to Imara, "Well, how'd you fair?" she asks of the weyrling.
Shasta slides from Muinyth's neck, having just returned from cautious sweeps over Southern hold's lands, checking for any sign of infestation. The ash-covered, weary weyrsecond spends a long moment conferring with her brown, before moving on to seek out the other Firedance wingriders, inquiring after their dragons and selves.
Joslyn snaps her clean fingers while she thinks, wracking her brain for those lessons. "All right, then. Gimme those," and she takes the bandages, a careful process begun of sterilizing those with the redwort and carefully applying it to the scored hide. "Tell me if it hurts, huh?" she advises, working as quickly as possible.
Imara looks up at Theida and smiles. "I guess I did okay. The only thing I got was this nasty ash burn," she says, indicating her face which is now covered with numbweed. She lets out a deep breath. "It was terrifying at first, but after awhile Yishenth was so confident that it didn't seem so scary."
Theida nods, "I got this, I fumbled when catching a bag a blueling threw and well, it doens't hurt much," she gestures the a scrap along her cheek, somewhat red but hard to tell past all the grey stains that still coat her skin. "Ya wanna go soak? Ysa's dying to get cleaned up."
Ysabeth tilts her head at the Imara and gently sniffs her.
L'mir stands back and to the right of Josy, his hand caressing the bronze's side. Brielth's head swivels around, eyes still whirling from the excitement of the Thread hunt, as he watches the goldrider at work. "I can tell ya he's thankful fer yer help, Josy. He never knew what it'd feel like, and it's makin' him mad." Not to mention, L'mir's not happy at what the stuff did to his lifemate.
Imara nods and stands up. "Sure, that sounds wonderful."
Dragon> Jeuneth senses that Brielth images a strong hide, clean and healthy. << She will help me to be this? >>
Joslyn steps back several times to survey her work. It's obvious she's new at this, but she is trying. The thing gets cleaned after a bit and she collects numbweed, a little careless with her instruments but it's working so far. "Here comes the good stuff," she tells the bronze, considering the salve and then her bare hands. Hrm.
Jeuneth> I bespoke Brielth with << She seems to think so. >> Certainly, << That means she will. >>
Theida grins, waving for Imara to follow her to the beach.
Theida walks toward the Lakeside Meadow.
Ysabeth lumbers toward the Lakeside Meadow.
Imara walks toward the Lakeside Meadow.
Yishenth ambles toward the Lakeside Meadow.
"I need oil. I gotta have something that'll work," Joslyn says, fishing through her pockets - which seem to be filled with most everything but oil, lots of string, buttons, marbles, et cetera littering the ground as they're sifted through. "Oil?" she asks of anyone near enough to hear it.
Karani hears this. "I'll get it" she sings out.
Karani pelts off and returns with some oil, which she gives to Joslyn. She beams, happy to help.
L'mir sighs deeply, shaking his head. "Nothin' here," he answers, then raises his good arm to his face, smearing the soot there. Goggles removed, his eyes stand out against black cheeks and chin. "Glad yer around, Josy. Brielth says so too."
Joslyn laughs a little, a nervous edge to the sound as she takes the oil from Karani with a quick, grateful smile. "I haven't really done anything yet," she warns, making a mess of her hands, the ground, and part of her boots as she literally coats her hands in the oil. "Guess that'll work," before she turns to the bronze hide.
L'mir uhs softly, glancing down at the ground. "Ya sure ya don't need some help, maybe?" he asks, a gentle tone to his voice. "Ya guess that'll work?"
Karani scoots around to see what the nice lady is doing and sees the bronze's injury. "Oh!" She bites her lip. "Hurt draggy?"
REAL reassuring, Joslyn says, "Oh, it'll be fine. You don't get all worked up." She wastes no further time in applying the numbweed thickly over the score, careful with tender skin. It's a rather tedious process.
L'mir again leans down to watch the goldrider as she applies the numbweed. "Lookin' much better now, I think." He's probably saying that more for Josy than anyone else. "Yer doin' a good job." When Brielth looks away, L'mir nods toward him then says to Josy, "Brielth says it doesn't sting anymore."
Karani tugs on the arm of a passing woman. "Will the draggy be ok?" she asks, voice quavering. She looks about to cry. "I'm sure he'll be fine, dear," the woman replies before rushing off.
"The dragon will be fine," Joslyn echoes for Karani's benefit, splashing just a bit more oil on her hands before she finishing the task. "Won't he, L'mir?" Joslyn asks as she steps back, looking at the numbweed-covered wound, satisfied. "As long as he stays still for a day or two, no flying for at least that long. And let somebody look at it before he does do something, huh?"
Telinda smiles as she finishes with her inspections, and wanders over to Joslyn, eyebrow raising, "A problem?" she asks.
Karani sniffles and nods. "Does he hurt?" she asks.
Joslyn gestures to Brielth at Telinda's approach, explaining, "Nothin' serious. I couldn't find you and L'mir was all worked up about it." She looks a little like she expects to get busted for this one - practicing without a license or something - but hovers about bravely.
Telinda flickers a look to the injury, and nods, "Looks like you dealt with it adequately though. Any problems?"
With a deep breath expelled quietly, Joslyn says, "Nothing that I can think of. It ain - isn't real bad, and he keeps telling L'mir it doesn't even hurt. I said no flying for a few days." Gold star?
Karani walks toward the Western Courtyard.
Telinda smiles, "If that, but yes, that's good. Well done, Josy, I'm glad to see you were at least listening."
Kayjay strides over from the Western Courtyard.
Joslyn basically just beams, tossing a smile at Brielth too for being her first patience. "Thanks! If it's okay, I'm gonna go make sure F'loran and Kesath are in one piece?" She stands on tiptoe again, trying to spot them in the mix.
Telinda nods, "Go ahead, I think they're over there" and she points, "with the healers."
"With the healers?" Joslyn repeats, and blinks at Telinda. Then she runs off real quick, nearly tripping over the jacket she dropped back there on the way. "Stupid sharding coat," as she takes it up and proceeds at top speed.
You walk over to the Lakeside Meadow.
*** END LOG ***