+- World of Pern (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum)
+-- Forum: Southern Pern (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: Katila Outskirts (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=90)
+---- Forum: Eastern Hunting Ranges (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=91)
+---- Thread: Your Love... [Z'ia] (/showthread.php?tid=1917)
Your Love... [Z'ia] - Casa - 18.Sep.13
Casa had decided after her promise with Quenym that she wanted to find out what it was that men liked. Right now he was a boy, but she hadn't failed to notice he was growing up. They had promised to explore and learn and discover before reconnecting. It wasn't like they didn't spend all of their time together anyway, but Casa reasoned that if she was going to learn how to be more adult - maybe not more girly, because that was kind of dumb - then she had to learn by watching how others interacted and ask questions.
For her, that meant watching certain men to see what they did and what they liked. One such man had caught her attention when she had watched him around the weyr. At first, he had seemed the like others - all business, all seriousness - but as she had watched more closely, he seemed to yearn for his freedom. And he regularly did what he wanted. He was confident, he was at ease, and he was perfect. She wanted to get to know him.
However, she wasn't sure how to approach him about it. For the first time in her life, she felt somewhat shy. It just felt wrong to go up, introduce herself, and start asking him questions. No, that wouldn't do for this. That's what a baby would do. She wanted to try at being an adult. She should approach this like one of the adults would. Somehow, that translated into her following him around, trying to get his attention. It hadn't worked thus far, but she was confident that eventually things would work out.
Today's attempt had her following him out to the open fields. She'd overheard him mention that he might be doing wing practice today. To her, that meant he'd be out, being bold in the air and living life to the fullest. She'd quickly traded her chores with someone to be out in the fields doing work; she had rushed out there and gotten through them in record time, all the while keeping an eye on the sky. Now that she was done, she sat down in the fields, having a light lunch and glancing at the sky in what she was sure to be a nonchalant way every couple of minutes.
Re: Your Love... [Z'ia] - Z'ia - 19.Sep.13
Wing Practice had been called to an early finish when one of the female greenriders in their group had gone into labour. Generally speaking, Z'ia was aware that such things would certainly not warrant a closure of a wing practice, and certainly would be more inclined to have the wing work even harder in order to cover the unexpected loss - it might not be something as traumatic as someone going between, but it was unexpected none-the-less. Unfortunately, the pair were on the younger side of things and the draogn had freaked out. Aveleth had murmured something about the woman having lost babies throughout her pregnancies before, and Z'ia had supposed that accounted for why a flock of greenriders had suddenly turned into all knowing mid-wives and run around like headless wherries until T'rel had had enough and dismissed them all.
Not that Z'ia minded! A free afternoon was always welcome, and while wing practice was hardly a terrible way to spend his time, Aveleth was not as naturally inclined to the games that were played as some of the other dragons. It wasn't that the blue couldn't do the required manouvers, but rather that his timid nature and self consiousness increased his probability of messing something up, and embarressing himself. Being even more consious of how people and dragons alike were more inclined to watch him as a result, only increased the timid dragon's unease, and made him even more likely to screw up. This usually resulted in Z'ia becoming exasperated and short tempered - almost entierly aimed at his wingmates - and he'd been spoken to on more than one occassion for snapping at T'rel and C'vir both.
The pair had left the main wing quietly, with Z'ia stalking off in a huff after having another argument with one of his fellow blueriders, pointedly cold shouldering D'hys as he left the group, he was pleased when the older bluerider didn't follow after him. Aveleth, naturally worried he was hte cause of all the bad things in the universe, slunk along behind Z'ia after shooting a sad, apologetic look at D'hys and Zeianth. Neither spoke for quite a lenght of time, with Z'ia stalking through the fields and Aveleth quietly slinking along behind, sad eyes now locked on the ground at his rider's heels.
Aveleth broke into his thoughts gently, brushing away the negativity about such lovely girls as Rhaedalyn and Ameris and their very pretty little gold dragons, even if they would never be quite as lovely as Rilaleeyth...
Sighing to himself when he was still hidden behind his dragon, Z'ia planted a cheerful smile on his lips and made sure to put the bounce back into his step as he came back into sight, grinning in a friendly manner at the youngster. He had no fucking idea who she was, and wouldn't have given a hoot either, if it weren't for his dragon lowering himself to be laying down before the girl, with his nose extended towards her and a hopeful look quite clearly painted on his face. Z'ia's expression altered dramatically to one of clear dramatics. "... Are there cinnamon buns around?" He asked lightly, tone laughing. Aveleth had a terrible soft spot for cinnamon buns, though he was usually quite fussy about whom he would accept them from; the girl would probably not be able to actively get Aveleth to take a bun from her, but he would be happy to eat it if Z'ia gave it to him. Aveleth's hopeful look never wavered from Casa.
Re: Your Love... [Z'ia] - Casa - 19.Sep.13
After a while, she had seen the wing rise up in the air, and the practice had begun. She had noticed how they moved so carefully, each dragon knowing what its role was and where to be. They seemed to be a fairly well-rehearsed group, all moving just so as they went through exercise after exercise. As she watched, it was fairly easy to pick the man she'd been hoping to see out of the group. His dragon was a beautiful shade of blue, and the way he moved in the air seemed to be full of grace and ease. She couldn't help but sigh as she watched them, eyes alertly following their every move.
However, it seemed that before too long, the wing was back on the ground. Frowning, she carefully scooted over to see what was going on. The dragons seemed to be getting themselves all worked up about something; most of the riders were grouped around one of their own, someone who'd come from a green. As she watched, they fussed over the rider for a while, the general air of the group feeling very panicked and excited. Eventually, the man and his blue dragon wandered apart.
Her chest tightening slightly in excitement, she turned away from the pair, her eyes returning to look at the sky again. She was so worried about seeming to desperate or over exuberant, like people her age tended to be. So instead, she leaned back, pulling out one of the buns from this morning. It was no longer warm and melting like it had been when baked this morning, but the heat of the day and being wrapped up in her pack still made it satisfying. She slowly tore a chunk of the bun free, being extra careful not to get anything on her clothing.
It didn't take long before they came by, and Casa was pleased to see they were close. She wouldn't have to approach them, as it appeared his gorgeous blue dragon had taken interest in her. She watched avidly as he crept closer, seeming to be very cautious but curious about something. Smiling gently, she sat up slowly, not wanting to scare him away. For behind him, the person she'd been waiting appeared, a cheerful smile on his face. She felt dizzy for a moment, but offered him a bright smile in return to his. As he started to talk, the blue dragon crept a little closer, his eyes trained on her just so.
"C-cinnamon buns?" She cleared her throat, blinking for a moment. "Oh! Yes, it's what I packed for lunch." She blinked again, trying to sound more confident, more at ease. "If he's interested, he's welcome to it." She held out the roll in her hand, the majority of it still intact. Holding perfectly still, she waited for him to either take it or for him to turn away. Offering a casual smile to the man himself, she nodded to the bag. "There are more if you are interested as well...I'm Casa." Her heart thudded for a second, but she continued to smile at him, trying not to feel like a complete idiot.
Re: Your Love... [Z'ia] - Z'ia - 30.Sep.13
The slight stutter rolled off Z'ia like water off a well oiled dragon's hide, so used to it was he, for Aveleth often had difficulty articulating, particularly in times of distress, and while it wasn't quite the same type of stuttering, it was on the same playing filed. Perhaps even, Aveleth's was worse, because it was never easy to understand a distressed and frantic dragon who couldn't get his own mind to articulate what was going on. A child who was simply having a little trouble coughing out the right word in one piece was no trouble at all to understand, and it passed by Z'ia without any notice.
A soft laugh escaped Z'ia, and he shook his head. "Cinnamon buns aren't the best of lunches," he smiled, eyebrows arching up as he held his hands out dramatically. "You'll shrink like me, instead of growing tall!" Considering the bluerider's tiny five-foot three height, and his eternally buoyant mood, it wouldn't be hard to take him at face value; after all, surely he did indeed live on a diet of sugary goodness, and clearly that was why he was so damned tiny he barely came up to the chest of most of his fellow dragonriders!
Aveleth's nostrils quivered as the sweet was held out towards him, eyes flashing with delight and quiet shyness, and he didn't take the offered item. Z'ia rolled his eyes dramatically and turned questioningly towards his dragon, though he didn't say a word vocally. ... You've gotten chattier, but still too wary to take food from strangers? Aveleth just adjusted his head slightly so he could keep one eye on the cinamon goodness in Casa's hands while giving Z'ia the most pathetic look in the history of blue dragons. Z'ia sighed dramatically.
"They are the child's lunch, Aveleth! You can't have it all!" Z'ia shook his head, winking at Casa. "Aveleth has a very big weakness for cinammon buns." After a moment of thought, Z'ia decided to take the girl up on the offer to collect one from her little bag, flashing her a thankful smile. "You can eat that; he won't take it." Extracting one of them, Z'ia refrained from pulling a face as he held it up and suddenly found himself being eyeballed very avidly by Aveleth. The dragon crept closer and Z'ia looked dramatically at the bun, then back at his dragon.
"Is this what you want?" And he wiggled it around a little, laughing brightly when Aveleth reached out and knocked Z'ia over before he could run around and lead him a wild chase, holding his rider donw with one large foot while he snuffled out where the cinammon bun had landed, and nearly inhaled it, rumbling in pleasure. He didn't bother to let Z'ia up too fast, the man struggled playfully as Aveleth cleaned this muzzle, before worming out so he could bounce to his feet and slap the dirt off himself. Aveleth just continued with watching Casa in amusement.
Re: Your Love... [Z'ia] - Casa - 08.Oct.13
Z'ia seemed to not notice the stutter, for which Casa was eternally grateful. Nothing would have made her feel more inadequate then a mirthful, snide comment made over her nervousness. Luckily, Z'ia was too busy teasing his dragon, his eyes wandering from the offered sweet to his shy blue beast in amusement. When he made a comment on the nature of her lunch, she almost blushed. Not a good lunch, hmm? Well, she'd have to make sure to step that up. She made a mental note to watch how the riders ate, and see if she could manage a more balanced meal, even if it did mean giving up all the junk she snagged from time to time.
When he ruefully mentioned his height, she shook her head, blinking up at him. "There isn't anything wrong with your height!" she murmured, offering another sweet smile. She rather liked that they were about the same height - it made it easy to look into his face evenly. The thought of growing taller somehow seemed ridiculous, and she fought back a giggle at the idea of towering over him. What a silly thought! It would make things more awkward if she was ever to get answers from him.
As he teased Aveleth about taking her lunch - and calling her a child - another thrill of disappointment travelled down her spine, setting her resolve even further. She was young, but that didn't mean she had to be a child! Her mother had been just a year older when she'd given birth. She was a young adult, and she had a mind to prove it to him. She took a moment to compose herself, offering a wry smile when Aveleth knocked his rider to the ground instead of giggling or bouncing to Z'ia's rescue as she was more inclined to do.
"You weren't kidding...he's awfully playful," she commented, turning her warm expression to Z'ia once more. Leaning over, she gently patted more of the dirt of the rider good-naturedly, a soft laugh escaping her as she shook her head. "Well, then. I'm glad to share my lunch with you, though as you commented, its not the best selection to be found." She wrinkled her nose, eyeing Z'ia curiously. She wasn't really sure where to go from here; she knew the dragon's name, and SHE knew Z'ia, but he hadn't introduced himself, and she didn't want to seem too...eager. "Perhaps we can find a more rounded meal, if you'd like, blue rider...?" Her heart thumped again, and she found herself waiting awkwardly for a response, hoping to not chase him off immediately.
Re: Your Love... [Z'ia] - Z'ia - 06.Nov.13
“He can be indeed!” Z’ia chirped, petting Aveleth on the nose reassuringly as the dragon settled down, curling his tail tightly around himself and settling his head upon his paws. He didn’t enjoy being the centre of attention, and was more than a little relieved when said attention shifted from his blue hide to brushing dirt of Z’ia. The little bluerider mildly surprised the child assisted with patting the dust off him, though he didn’t opt to comment on it. Instead, Z’ia swept his curly hair back off his face and rocked back and forward from heels to toes as he considered Casa with a grin.
“Probably!” Z’ia agreed, voice chipper, though he scrunched up his nose good naturedly. “but the kitchen workers are real grumps around this hour!” Z’ia had been whacked enough times for sneaking into the kitchen during major cooking hours to know that doing so wasn’t worth the effort, unless you were truly desperate. Then again, leading a weyrbrat on a merry dance of mischief sounded like a highly entertaining idea, and if the girl weren’t interested in tagging along, Z’ia was quite sure he could find other entertainment for the day, probably of the style that required less clothing! Or maybe he would just do that instead?
“Shall we go raid the kitchen?” Z’ia asked suddenly, spinning around and flourishing an extremely over the top bow to Casa as he extended one hand to help her to rise, if she were so inclined. A wickedly mischievous grin was on the bluerider’s face, eyes sparkling and bright.
Re: Your Love... [Z'ia] - Casa - 15.Nov.13
Casa grabbed his arm easily, swinging herself to her feet. This was something she'd done a thousand times with Quenym. She missed her friend for a fleeting moment, her mind distracted, before she realized she had Z'ia in front of her and offering her a charming, mischievous smile. She returned the look in kind, a soft laugh escaping her. He wanted to raid the kitchen, hmm? She could keep up with a troublemaker! Now they were in a territory she knew much better. She could work with this.
"I don't think we'll run into any problems," she said with another grin. "I can generally charm my way into the kitchen at any time of day, so I'm sure we'll be able to find something tasty and slip away without more than shaking of a spoon or a shaking of someone's head." She stretched, and glanced around, trying to guess how he was going to want to go.
Her current guess was dragon back, but she didn't want to assume he'd invite her onto Aveleth's neck either. The dragon seemed a bit...quiet, and Z'ia was affectionately protective of him like any good rider would be. Perhaps she would have to walk then. That would take longer, but it'd give her a chance to change on her way to the dining hall. Both options had their merits, though she secretly longed to be on dragonback once again, she adored dragons and it meant she'd be close to Z'ia, so she could learn to be more comfortable around such attractive and adult folk. She shifted to stand close by, waiting to see what he decided.
Re: Your Love... [Z'ia] - Z'ia - 19.Nov.13
It never even occurred to Z’ia that Casa might be hoping for and half expecting to be given a lift to the kitchens on his precious Aveleth. Z’ia, not entirely without cause, was extremely protective of his young blue, and could count exactly one person that had ever been given permission to ride the beast – and that permission had not come from him. On their way home from spending the day well out of the Weyr for the execution, Aveleth had just about demanded (which was saying something!) that they have the honour of transporting Rhaedalyn and her then very young hatchling Aradissicath back to the Weyr. Z’ia had not been pleased, but he did not have the heart to tell Aveleth no.
Rhaedalyn was certainly a special case, though, and Z’ia was still puzzling over Aveleth’s cryptic request for his rider to ‘save’ the girl. Unfortunately for Casa, Aveleth had made no such request for her, and he certainly hadn’t made demands that they ride him back to the Weyr proper. Quite the contrary, the blue dragon had stood up when the two human’s did, backed up and pushed himself into the air with a strong take off. Little dust eddies stirred from the power of his wing beats, before Aveleth was a length or two above them. He waited a few moments before angling for the Weyr and gliding with a seemingly effortless grace in that direction.
Z’ia flashed a bright grin on Casa. “C’mon, before we’re left for feline dinner!” Dark green eyes widened dramatically, laughter in his voice which came out as a full laugh at Aveleth’s indignant (and private) exclamation that he would never let Z’ia become food for felines. Giving Casa’s hand a tug, Z’ia then proceeded to set out at a paced jog in the direction of the Weyr, letting the girl set the pace, well aware that she hadn’t been training like a bitch with a Wing; her endurance and fitness were not something he expected to be particularly noteworthy at all.
“Sweets await!” Screw eating healthy, when there were kitchens to be raided!
We can thread them raiding the kitchen if you want, or we can thread something more date-relevant, and off-camera their co-working thievery.
Annnd, you’re welcome to toss up a reply, or lock it as is! Since they’re well on the way to the kitchens, I figure it’s a pretty good place to end it?