Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering? [Open]

Ce'lie purposefully strode into the dining hall, scanning its inhabitants with a discerning eye. She had been laid up in the healer hall with a bit of a cold for the past week and a half, and the timing couldn't have been worse. Not only did she miss her own chance to throw a party in honor of herself (aka a birthday party), she had also missed the celebrations for the double Hatching a sevenday ago!

Anyone nearby watching the fun-loving green rider would notice that she stomped her right foot in frustration, just like a little girl, before catching herself and looking abashed. She loved parties and hated having to miss them. Even when they resulted in her having a little too much to drink and having to deal with the inevitable hangover the following day, Ce'lie just couldn't get enough of them. She was a regular social butterfly.

There were a number of reasons for her love of parties, but probably the number one reason she loved a good gathering was the gossip. And the longer everyone drank, the better the gossip would get. She grumbled as she made her way past several tables and grabbed a tray, filling it quickly with a few meat rolls. She didn't really like celebrating her birthday after it had passed. Lately it had become a double-edged sword; while it was a great excuse to get her fellow Katilans good'n'rowdy, it was also a reminder that she wasn't getting any younger.

Twilirth, who was busy doing her typical aerial acrobatics above the Dining Hall, intruded into her rider's thoughts. [twilirth] Morith says V'riy's birthing day is near, [/twilirth] the dragon informed her rider. [twilirth] Morith also says that V'riy isn't planning on celebrating it. Are we letting him get away with that? [/twilirth] the green asked pointedly as she banked right and extended her wings to their full length, performing an effortless and very lazy double-somersault. Ce'lie was long used to the impressive displays that Twilirth sometimes put on, but anyone watching was sure to take note of the dragon's superior flying skills.

Twilirth, heart of my heart, you are just brilliant! Ce'lie said, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. A surprise party. That would be just the thing, she thought, smiling to herself, her mood significantly improved. Now the only question was... who was getting on the invite list? She scanned the room again, wondering if anyone there was worthy of an invite to a party in honor of her favorite bronzerider.

Hmmmm... she thought to Twilirth as she scanned the faces around her. [twilirth] Hmmmm.... [/twilirth] her bonded echoed back at her as she scanned the skies around her in response. Perking up at the sight of a familiar face, Ce'lie grabbed her tray and headed over to the rider. "Hey there," she said jovially, unceremoniously plopping her tray on the table and taking a seat without so much as a by your leave. Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "Are you busy on the thirteenth?"

Please feel free to jump in, whoever's first (or second, I can always change the above to "faces" and "riders") just take a quick look at their profiles to make sure you have a somewhat compatible personality to one or both of them.

Dinner was always enjoyable here at Katila as far as O'wain was concerned. He was easily pleased when it came to food however so as long as the kitchen didn't run out he was happy. While chewing on some bread he let his eyes roam over everybody present. He picked out the men and women he knew on an intimate level trying to decide which he would select to have the honor of going home with him tonight.

Before he could decide, a woman showed up and boldly greeted him as she took a seat before him. O'wain looked up and grinned.

"Why, good evening Ce'lie and I am quite certain I am not busy at all on the thirteenth," O'wain flashed his charming smile. "What do you have in mind my dear?"

It had been awhile since he seen Ce'lie around and he had heard rumors she was ill. Looking over her now O'wain would never have thought she was sick. "Good to see you are back on your feet. Did you get the flowers I sent?"

O'wain enjoys a good party and is very much a flirt/womanizer I can see these two having parties and a good time together a few times in the past. He's younger than she is but older than V'riy and a brown rider. It is very likely Nishkath has at least chased Twilirth a few time since they arrived in Katilia. Will let you decide if Nishkath ever did catch her :) 

The vivacious greenrider grinned at O'wain as he revealed that he was indeed free on the day in question. She was confident that she would easily be able to enlist his help in the surprise party. She leaned across the table, lowering her voice to barely a whisper.

"I'm planning to throw something together for V'riy. It's his birthday and he's trying to brush it off, as usual. The man loves going to every single social event at the Weyr, and has no problem being the center of attention... but bring up his own birthing day and he looks ready to vomit. But I won't let him get away with it this year," Ce'lie said, snickering softly. "That poor boy doesn't know what he's in for. I'm determined to throw a party for him, and for him to enjoy it."

"And thank you. You sent me flowers? I knew they set up flowers next to my bed for me, but I was sleeping so much I never thought to ask if someone had sent them. Did you really go through such trouble over little old me?" Her eyes sparkled and she gave him an exuberant smile. There was no question that she was back to her old self.

Let's say he's chased her but never caught her before.. gotta love a challenge lol

"V'riy's a year older on the 13th, how wonderful. I always enjoy a party especially when a young man like V'riy will definitely attract plenty of attention." O'wain remembered the bronzerider and definitely felt he should celebrate his own birthing day.

"I expect he avoids his own birthing day celebrations because he doesn't like getting older. We will just have to put our heads together and come up with the best way to convince him you are only as old as you think you are. He's younger than I am and look at me, the life of the party, chased by many fine ladies and even a few men."

O'wain leaned forward and flashed a mischievous smile. "Unless we just forget to mention it's a party to celebrate his birthday. We can always say it's a party to celebrate something else entirely."

"I had thought I included a bit of parchment wishing you well soon but perhaps it was misplaced. The important thing you noticed the flowers and liked them. I picked them myself." O'wain admitted.

Only because I suggested it would be a nice thing to do, Nishkath commented idly. She is a nice woman, will she be coming to the hut tonight? I wish I was cleaner before we have guests.

O'wain caughed slightly as Nishkath made his inquiry. O'wain had been chasing Ce'lie on and off for some time now but so far, she had been elusive. Perhaps Nishkath's inquiry could benefit him.

"How is Twilirth? She must have been worried during yoru sickness. In fact Nishkath is wondering if you will be coming over to my hut, he wants to make sure he has plenty of space in his wallow for Twilirth to be comfortable should we plan late into the night on how best to surprise V'riy." O'wain winked. "I am sure we can get quite a bit accomplished if we spend the night together discussing it."

Ce'lie clapped her hands together at O'wain's suggestion to dupe V'riy into thinking the party was for someone else. "Oh, that's just perfect," the greenrider gushed. "That way, I can ask him who to invite! But.." and here a frown crossed Ce'lie's features, "whose party is it going to be, then? He's quite perceptive," she explained to O'wain, "I'm sure you know that. Technically, I guess it could be my party, but I was pretty vocal about not wanting to do a belated kind of thing. It's not as much fun."

She leaned back a bit in her chair, delicately selecting one of the meat rolls on her tray, and nibbled daintily at its edge as she considered. Who had a birthday around this time of year that she could persuade to join their little plot and keep the secret? No one came immediately to mind.

Ce'lie felt color flooding her cheeks at O'wain's admission that he had picked the flowers himself. She hadn't had much male attention and did so enjoy flirting. She batted her eyelashes at him and giggled. He was a bit young for her tastes and she didn't sleep around, but when Twilirth was ready to fly, all bets were off.

"Twilirth was worried, but not overly so," Ce'lie smiled fondly as she spoke of her dear green. "She knew it wasn't much more than a cold. She did pester the healer tending me quite a few times, though, for updates on my progress. She hates being grounded and even though I told her to fly as much as she wanted, and that I would be fine, she fussed around me anyway."

"I don't know that I could stay up that late tonight," Ce'lie pondered, taking small bites out of the meat roll. " I've fully recovered but I don't think I want to push myself too hard just yet. I should save that for the party." The older greenrider grinned and winked at O'wain. "But we can get in some planning this evening and tomorrow. So just whose party is it, anyway?"

"We can say it's just a celebration of hmm over 14 turns of surviving in the south?" O'wain suggests. It was no where near his own birthing, nearly 9 months too early. But would V'riy know that? O'wain didn't know the bronze rider that well mostly just in passing. "Or claim it's mine. I doubt V'riy has a clue when I was birthed."

Seeing her blush when he mentioned he picked the flowers pleased O'wain. He was very much a player and enjoyed the chase but he always did try and ensure the women enjoyed him chasing them as well. A challenge was always welcome too and so far Ceilidhe had failed to fall for his charms...yet.

Perhaps next time Twilirth rose to mate Nishkath would catch her. That would certainly guaranteed he had the older dragonrider in bed. O'wain found she carried her age quite well and had a very natural beauty he expected she would carry to her grave. Not many women aged as pretty.

Twilirth is a very agile flyer, very tricky to catch. I have tried several times. informed him. The brown was watching the green moving about the hall flaunting her skills.

I would think by now you would be able to anticipate her movements. O'wain pointed out, doing his best to focus on what Ceilidhe was saying.

I watch her now, she loves flying.

"I am glad to hear Twilirth wasn't too worried and Nishkath tells me she's flying quite skillfully above us now. She's truly quite spectacular when flying. A prime example of all the best attributes of a green dragon. Fast, agile, skillful and beautiful."

"Very understandable you don't want to over extend yourself so soon after your recovery," O'wain smiled. "A wise choice to take it easy till the party begins."

"We can say the party is to celebrate my birthing day,  you heard about it and since you find me such a handsome rogue, decided to throw a party to celebrate the wondrous day of my birth. All are welcome, especially those young of mind, body and spirit who enjoy a good time, good drink and good company." O'wain suggests in such a way it didn't seem like he was bragging or even aware that may be exactly how others may see it.

Ce'lie leaned back in her chair and clasped her hands together on the table. She thought it quite interesting and a little bit funny that this young man seemed so interested in her. Granted there was really no issue with age and couplings, especially during flights, but Ce'lie was a bit old fashioned - she did usually attempt to couple with a rider around her own age, preferably older.

The greenrider found herself blushing as she listened to O'wain compliment her Twilirth. "She is, isn't she?" Ce'lie's smile held the barest hint of embarrassment in it. She was used to hearing complimentary comments about Twilirth's mastery of the skies, but it still made her slightly uncomfortable. Even after all these turns. Ce'lie still found it something of a miracle that Twilirth, talented, gorgeous Twilirth, had chosen her among the others on the sands.

[twilirth] Don't be ridiculous, of course I chose you, you were the only one good enough for me, [/twilirth] her green responded confidently as she did three backward loops in the air. The dragon folded her wings on the descent to gain speed and extended her wings just at the right moment to maximize speed on the ascent. It was effortless - Ce'lie detected a bit of boredom on Twilirth's part, but she had told the dragon not to show off while in public. Twilirth's abilities were well known and there was no need to flaunt it about the Weyr. Her bonded didn't like the restriction, but understood the implications of flaunting her prowess and so did as she was bade.

What do you think of Nishkath?

[twilirth]Hmmmm…. [/twilirth] the dragon responded, taking her time to consider the brown as she passed him overhead. The brown was clean, which was always something Twilirth considered when looking at a brown. He was a very dark brown, in fact very close to black, along the top of his body. Lower down, the color of his hide actually darkened more, changing to black father down. He had some scarring on his hide, which was both a plus and a minus in Twilirth's mind - he wasn't afraid of fighting, but he might be too quick to get into a fight and perhaps not be quick enough to evade and defend himself properly.

As the brown momentarily stretched his wings, Twilirth noticed that his wing membranes were also black. [twilirth] Some scarring.. not quite sure what to make of that. However, he looks nice and healthy, quite a deep brown, actually. Fading to black as you look down from his back, and his wing membrane matches the black as well. Rather unique, [/twilirth] the dragon commented. [twilirth] Actually I'm surprised he's not drooling and cuddling with me already. He has that reputation, when his rider's got a new conquest in sight, and he does seem to have an interest in you, [/twilirth] the astute dragon told her rider in a bland tone that was tinged with humor.

Ce'lie, meanwhile, considered the man's physical appearance for the first time. She rarely paid attention to the physical when first meeting someone. He was quite attractive, really. He did have a reputation for being a ladies' man, but Ce'lie had no issue with that. His personality was… congenial enough, and he was certainly polite. As for the age difference… she really did want to minimize something like that, considering her relationship with I'shan...

Well, we both know that he likes parties and coupling, Ce'lie responded drily. But since I'm not looking for anything beyond what happens during your next flight, that might be just perfect.

O'wain was making a good impression on the experienced greenrider. Perhaps it would be different post-flight with him. She didn't want the awkwardness that she felt around I'shan. O'wain seemed to be more mature, both in present and past dealings.

Ce'lie wasn't worried about her dragon's choice. Even during flights, Twilirth always tried to honor her rider's wishes. If asked, Ce'lie wouldn't say that he was out of the running, but her bonded was exceptionally hard to catch, despite - or maybe due to - the frequency of her flights, coupled with her love of flying. Twilirth did tend to rise more often than most greens.

The frequent flights kept Ce'lie on her toes. She had been playing the field for well over five turns now, never having the same partner twice. She never knew just who might end up in her bed. Twilirth did seem to avoid dragons partnered with riders that she disliked, something that she was eternally grateful for. Ce'lie had been desperately trying to avoid sleeping with another dragonrider more than once, but it was becoming more difficult the longer she was at Katila. She was afraid of forming an attachment that was more than superficial with a rider.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry, I got a bit distracted," Ce'lie laughed softly, winking at O'wain. "Where were we? Oh, yes. Discussing who the celebration is supposedly for. I am grateful for your willingness to be the party figurehead, but…." the dragon rider paused. Ce'lie scanned the dining room again, seeing if there was anyone else she wanted to invite. She caught the eye of another rider and tried to motion them over to the table, but she wasn't sure if her gesture was seen. "I'd rather not say it was yours just in case V'riy gets suspicious and asks about your date of birth - it would be too easy for him to uncover the truth. Sometimes, he's really too smart for his own good. And he's terribly curious. Who else has a birthing day this month?" She ran her fingers through her hair, mussing it a bit, as she considered.

O'wain could see how pleased Ce'lie was with his compliments to her dragon. The blush was a nice touch and one he certainly enjoyed.

She was older than most of the girls he shared his bed with, or the boys bot O'wain didn't mind. The older women often had less hangups and there was less chance of fathering a child on them, not that he was against such action. A man of his virility and frequent love making most likely had a few children out there. O'wain wished he did know, he did adore children, especially after they were old enough to do more than sleep, eat and poop.

Very pretty, I wonder when she will rise to mate next O'wain tilted his head as he heard his brown's comment.

Will you give chase if she does? I certainly would enjoy a tumble with Twilirth's rider. Do you think you can catch her? You did say she's a very skillful flyer.

Of course I will chase, I chase greens many times and caught a fair few. Those blues can be sneaky though, but so can I. I watch how she moves and she so enjoys her tight tumbling but I can see where I can slip in and intercept and once my paws are upon her my wings will still hers and we will be locked. The dark brown rose up on his hind legs, eyes whirling bright blue as he spread out his wings and gave a bugle loud and deep enough to rival a bronze's.

O'wain chuckled, hearing his dragons' bugle faintly through the walls of the dining hall. It was then he noticed the conversation had stopped for some time. Looking at the woman before him, O'wain recognized the tell tail signs of of a dragonrider busy communing with their dragon, or lost in thought. It gave O'wain time to study the woman. He let his eyes roam over her, focusing more on her face than her other physical assets, not that he didn't appreciate a good set of tits but that wasn't all he admired. Hair was a definite, O'wain enjoyed running his hands through hair, long silky and soft, or short and coarse, as long as it was clean, O'wain wouldn't be mean.

"Quite alright my dear, quite alright," O'wain flashed a wide friendly smile at her. "I enjoyed quietly contemplating what a wonderful person you are while you were lost in thought."

"As for where we left off, I think it was working on the exact time for our next date...oh wait, it was how to trick V'riy to show up for his own surprise party." He better get his mind focused on arranging the party before he was too distracted and ended up seeing how adventurous Ce'lie could be by pulling her onto the tabletop and showing her paradise right here and now. Now that was an image that brought a rather silly grin to his face.

"Right, seems your distraction is catching," O'wain pulled himself back to reality. "I am sure we can find somebody with a birthing day this month who we can use as the excuse to party," O'wain glanced around trying to see which of the many riders and weyr folk currently filling the dinning hall would fit the bill. he was about to make a suggestion when she ran her hand through her hair and that just completely blew the suggestion from his mind. "What I wouldn't give to do that to your hair..."

Don't forget to breath, O'wain,

Shut up Nishkath, it's not that distracting O'wain heard Nishkath's mental laughter and sighed.

N'del moved slowly through the dining hall. It was early enough so the place was not overly crowded. When possible he preferred to eat either before or after the main rush. After often meant he was unlikely to get first pick of whatever was being served. Emeryth had been kind enough to remind him that it was nearing dinner time so he was early rather than late tonight. He filled his plate with a piece of roasted fish, mashed tubers, and a meat roll.

The sight of a familiar Greenrider caught his attention and he slipped into an empty seat. Ce'lie had been laid up in the infirmary for a while and he was glad to see her up and about once more. The news of someone falling ill always left a worried knot in his middle. What if it turned out to be something more than a simple cold and turned into another plague. He shook away such thoughts. Celia looked well and he doubted any healer would have allowed her out of the infirmary otherwise.

The woman appeared engaged by a Brownrider, O'wain if memory served. N'del didn't like to intrude, he hoped to have a chance congratulate her on her recover later on. He started in on his meal, tough they had fish fairly often the kitchen did a good job of varying how it was prepared. A movement drew his attention and Ce'lie motioned him over. N'del hesitated for just a moment before rising.

N'del walked toward the pair, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Ce'lie it is good to see you back among us once more." He said, a small but warm smile on his face. He also gave O'wain a friendly nod. "O'wain, I hope you will take care not to let her wear herself out." He tone was casual, but even he knew of the Brownrider's reputation.

Wow, this one lays it on pretty thick, Ce'lie commented to Twilirth with an impish grin. She took a few more bites of the meatroll. The greenrider purposely ran her tongue over her lips as she finished it, watching his reaction. She gave a playful roll of her eyes to show him that she was just joking around, not wanting him to lose control with his eagerness. If something were to happen, it would be as result of one of her bonded's flights.

Twilirth was just as amused by O'wain and wondered what Nishkath would do, or if his repertoire only included cuddling. She swooped over the brown. The agile green left only a few feet of clearance between her body and and his head before ascending quickly in the clear sky.

Ce'lie was just about to respond to O'wain when she saw N'del heading over in their direction. Thank Faranth he had seen her wave him over. While she liked the brown rider well enough, she didn't want things moving to quickly or getting to intense just yet.

"N'del! Have a seat, greenrider," she said with all of the excitement she could manage, her friendly smile lighting up her face. "I could really use your help. You know V'riy's something of an adopted son to me," she continued, her voice dropping to a soft whisper. "We're planning a surprise party for him. I hope you'll come." Ce'lie widened her eyes and raised her eyebrows, giving the illusion of a small infant. She then lowered her head and looked up at him, making her eyes appear larger and causing her to appear more childlike. Her face was still youthful enough that she was able to pull it off.

Ce'lie trusted N'del and considered him a friend after having spent more time with him the last few turns. The fellow greenrider had a calmness and gentleness around him that put her at east. Sometimes she felt like he could use a woman to look after him, but since she was avoiding relationships she kept a comfortable distance between them. As it was now, he looked like he could use a shave, and she somewhat itched to do it for him.

Ce'lie winked at him and softly chided, "Remember, N'del, it's Ceilidhe in public. We wouldn't want anyone getting their… underclothes in a bunch."

O'wain arched his eyebrows as he waited for Ceilidhe to respond and grinned as he watched her lick her lips in a rather provocative manner. O'wain had noticed the wink and understood she was teasing playfully. Before he could continue the game he was distracted as another Greenrider approached. Instead of being annoyed at the interruption, something O'wain most certainly wasn't, he smiled warmly.

N'del was an older rider certainly but as far as O'wain was concerned all ages were fair game if their greens rose to mate. Well he was more hesitant about letting Nishkath chase the Maiden flights of greens or golds for that matter, if their riders were still in their early to mid teens.

"Good day to you N'del and rest assured I have been quite careful not to let Ceilidhe wear herself out. So far all we have done is talk and eat with a little bit of flirtation and plotting in between." He winked at the older green rider. "I hope the day finds you in good order."

Sipping his drink O'wain quietly listened as Ceilidhe explained what they had been talking about. He licked his lips in appreciation at how skillfully she was trying to entice N'del to join them in working on a surprise party.

"I never understand why that was such a big deal, women on fighting dragons having their names hyphenated. It's the dragons who like the shorter names, makes for communication all the more easier for them. O'wain shrugged. "But that's what the Weyrleader wants so be it. Who are we to make a fuss over such a small thing anyway?"

Not wanting to dwell upon anything that could result in choosing sides, something he rather not do, O'wain quickly moved to change the topic back to something he always enjoyed, parties!

"We most definitely have to keep it a surprise, Ceilidhe and I were trying to figure out what excuse to use to lure V'riy to the party without tipping him off it's for him. I suggested saying it's somebody else's party, somebody who is also birthed on the same date. Or who is so new he couldn't possibly know or find out when that person really was born."

N'del chuckled, "Well that certainly doesn't sound too taxing O'wain." He agreed "Other than this damned heat, I don't have any complaints." With a wry twist to his mouth. He made a metal not to ask Emeryth if Nishkath had ever chased her. Though likely as not the Green would not recall unless it had been a recent flight.

N'del nodded his thanks as he slipped into an empty seat. He gave Ce'lie a curious look as her voice dropped to a whisper, chuckling and shaking his head and she gave him a wide, pleading gaze. He had always enjoyed the woman's cheerful company, especially when his own mood was not. "No need to beg, I'll be glad to come. I can't say I know V'riy very well, but he had always seemed an honorable young man. More so than some." He'd long ago come to accept his position within the Weyr and the fact that many a Bronzerider would look down upon someone who had impressed a Green or Blue, or at the very least ignore them.

He snorted, rubbed a hand against the stubble that darkened his face. "Ha, I'm too old to lash, not that it would stop anyone." He gave an annoyed shrug, looking toward O'wain. "Not worth the fuss I suppose." He'd known a few female riders over the turns and most were just as capable as any male and often far more level headed. It was the dragon's choice and he could never quite understand why some decided it was wrong. It was a mindset that seemed unlikely to change anytime soon.

N'del pushed his disgruntlement to the back of his mind, focusing instead on the original topic at hand. "Hmmm well my birthday is  a few months off yet, though it is not an event I normally highlight." He admitted with a half smile. "If you wish to use it as umm bait your more than welcome to." He did not think V'riy would know exactly when the date was. N'del usually kept such things too himself.

Ce'lie grinned at N'del as he mentioned his age giving him immunity from being lashed. "Well, I don't know if I would get away with it, but I'd rather just go with the flow in public. My friends know how I prefer to be called. Anyway, what's in a name?" She said the last bit more loudly in case anyone was listening, and shrugged nonchalantly. Personally she'd like to descale and gut anyone who wanted to make a fuss over it, but she was too non-confrontational to ever make an issue of something so small.

The spry greenrider leaned back again in her seat as she considered N'del's suggestion. "I appreciate the offer but I really want to try to make it for someone's birthday that's legimate. You should see how V'riy gets when he's curious about something. He's relentless. He'll find out somehow. Hmmmmm." She scanned the room as more dragon folk and weyrfolk entered, looking to fill empty stomachs. She thought she caught someone's eye, but she couldn't be sure.

She turned back to the men sitting next to her. "Neither of you two have kids, do you? Or friends that are due to celebrate? Surely between the three of us, we must know someone!"

"Yes, the heat and humidity can be a drag...clothing should be optional just for that reason alone." O'wain grinned. He certainly had no qualms about walking about naked, he attended many flights wearing very little to no clothing at all. The early morning risers, in more ways than one, made getting dressed rather pointless. "Perhaps we should pass a partition around seeing how many would agree to such a policy, clothing optional, especially on rest days and during the worse of the heat."

"I think we are all too old for lashings and I can think of worse punishments," Like no sex for a seven day but O'wain kept that to himself. The last thing O'wain wanted was somebody actually using that as a punishment, especially on him. "But let's not think of such things, we have a party to plan!"

O'wain turned to Ceilidhe and grinned, "Was that Sweetums or Honeypie?" O'wain inquired, referring to what Ce'lie liked to be called by hre friends.

Taking a meatroll from his plate, O'wain took a bite and chewed for a few minutes. "I probably do have children, none have come forward to proclaim they are my secret love child," O'wain had been with so many women, even a few Candidates who wanted to get rid of their pesky maidenheads, a duty he was always happy to perform. But to his knowledge his wild oats haven't taken root in anybody. "Want to announce being with child Cei and we can say it's ours?" O'wain winks.

Alerae was hungry, and it was dinnertime, so she went down to the Dining Hall, of course. She had a rather uneventful time lately, so thought she might find someone she hadn't spent time with lately and see if there was anything interesting going on. Honestly, she was feeling pretty down. Another hatching, in fact two, come and gone and she was still just plain old Alerae of the Creche. She sighed to herself, pulling a face at the thought of being a Creche worker until she was old and grey. Mind, she loved working there, but she really desired something more in her life.

She made her way to the Hall and served herself up a plate, before looking around at those sitting down already. Hmm... No, she didn't like that person. And that one was just an absolute bore. That greenrider didn't know how to appreciate things right, and that one, shards if he didn't understand the meaning of color scheme. A slow smiled crossed her face as she spotted Ceilidhe, sitting with another couple of people she didn't place right off the bat. She quirked an eyebrow as they all leaned in close like they were sharing a secret. Alerae suppressed her wider smile. It was just like Ceilidhe to be plotting something, and she wanted to know what it was, so she walked over to the group.

As she got closer she identified the Brownrider O'wain, though she still couldn't place the other. She knew O'wain from both scandel and truth. She had actually shared a bed with him a time or two, but nothing serious. It's hard to resist that dashing rider, she though to herself, a slight blush coloring her features. She came up to the table right as he was telling Ceilidhe about pretending to have a child. She had no idea WHY they wanted to pretend that, but unable to resist, she plopped her tray on an empty spot and proclaimed, " Oh Ceilidhe is much to old to have any more children, O'wain." she grins and winks at her "captor" to show the tease, " Better yet, why don't we make it you and me are having a child. I would find that MUCH more believable." she added, then laughed lightly. " Joking aside, why exactly do you want to pretend there are going to be children?" she asked all three, taking a seat.

As O'wain and Alerae discussed the possibility/IMpossibility of imaginary child by O'wain, Ce'lie turned several different shades of red. No matter how experienced she was in the bedroom and how much she loved to gossip, she still felt embarrassed when she was put in the spotlight of a discussion about sex or things sex-related. She could poke fun, badger, and tease with the best of them, but once the conversation turned in her direction she always turned as red as a tomato. Her friends usually got a kick out of it, too.

The greenrider cleared her throat and changed the subject. "HE's pretending there are going to be children," Ce'lie clarified while looking pointedly at O'wain. "But the reason for it was we're trying to find someone who has a birthday around the 13th." Her voice dropped down again to that conspiritoral whisper and her eyes danced with merriment. "I'm throwing V'riy a surprise party. Want to come?"

"I think most would prefer if I didn't take that particular option." N'del answered after clearing his throat. Though the younger riders could get away with such antics, his days for such things were long gone. "I imagine you would still get quite a few others to sign." He wasn't quite sure how he'd handle people running about the Weyr naked. It seemed unlikely to come to that though. The current leadership seemed unlikely to ever allow such a thing.

N'del nodded in agreement with the Brownrider. Some topics were better left undiscussed, especially when they had something much more pleasant to consider. "Well you know him much better than I do Ceilidhe." He fell silent trying to recall anyone with a birthday around the same time frame. Unfortunately he wasn't very good at keeping track of such things.

He opened his mouth at the woman's question about children, then quickly closed it. His daughters had not come South, but were hopefully living happy lives in the North. Sometimes he regretted not being a bigger part of their lives when he had a chance, but it was too late to do anything about that now. N'del shook his head as O'wain spoke about the probability of having unknown children. He chuckled at the man's suggested solution to their problem. Amusing, but still not a feasible solution.

His eyes widened as a youngwoman took an empty seat, proclaiming Ceilidhe too old for children and she suggested herself for O'wain's partner instead. N'del shifted in his seat, rubbing a hand over his chin. He got the distinct impression that the pair already had some sort of history together. Most young women weren't eager to fake a pregnancy with a rider whose bed they had not shared. He noticed Ceilidhe's bright red face and gave her a understanding smile.

"A pretend pregnancy won't do us any good any way since the ahh child wouldn't by ahh born in time any way. Even making up a ahhh child would hardly work since it seems like V'riy would discover rather quickly that there had never been a pregnancy or child in the first place." He finished in a bit of a rush, talking about such things was rather awkward. "I agree with Ceilidhe, finding someone with a similar birthday seems the best route if V'riy gets suspicious."

O'wain let his eyes travel up and down what he could see of the older rider's body and smirked. "I think there's nothing wrong with your body, N'del. You can get naked before me any time and I won't ever have a thought within my head wishing you put your clothes back on."

"I shall see what others think about the idea," O'wain leaned back in his chair contemplating how best he can approach this. Before he could say much more on the topic they were joined by a woman he recognized.

O'wain's features spread into a wide grin as Alerae joined them at the table. He had some fond memories of sharing a bed with her and found her personality rather interesting and he sensed a vulnerability beneath her proper and caring way. Not that he sought to exploit it but he truly just liked pleasing people via sex. If it made his partner feel good he will gladly enjoy the physical closeness.

"Alerae my dear, so good to see you but for shame, claiming the beautiful Ceilidhe who couldn't possibly be any more than twenty five turns be incapable of producing more children." O'wain said with roguish delight. He so enjoyed flattering women of all ages. "If you rather volunteer to be the one baring my love child, perhaps we should slip away to my hut and get to work, practice makes perfect and being seen together certainly will help promote the lie."

When Ceilidhe spoke, O'wain turned and caught the bright color of her cheeks and blinked. "My my, how you blush so, it is most striking."

"The whole idea of the pretend pregnancy was to celebrate being pregnant and shower the expectant mother with gifts and whatnot for the baby. Perhaps it is more something the women do and not for men." O'wain paused, considering the best way to trick a young man to a birthing party. Then an idea came to him, not as fun but more likely to happen.

"Do you know any of V'riy's rider friends? Somebody he knows and trusts but who will keep a secret? The fellow could just claim taking V'riy out to do a bit of drinking and male bonding. Perhaps one of the other bronzeriders?" O'wain pondered. If V'riy had been a blue or greenrider O'wain would just send a weyrbrat to fetch the man at the right time and claim he wished to meet with him. Unless.. "I could always fake a message from S'kef requesting V'riy to come here for a discussion."

Ce'lie laughed delightedly as O'wain purposely underestimated her age. The man was exceptionally good at flattering women, she noted as he transitioned smoothing between flirting with Alerae while continuing to make passes at the older greenrider. He certainly was fun to be around with his easy-going, flirtatious ways. 

She smiled at N'del as he voiced his agreement with her suggestion to keep the focus of the party on someone with a birthday close to V'riy's. Ce'lie had always been a bit disappointed that the man hadn't Impressed a male dragon. Of course she kept that to herself.

She was slowly shaking her head side to side in reply to O'wain's question about V'riy's friends when suddenly her eyes widened in realization and she snapped her fingers.

"Of course! I can't believe I forgot about S'thor! His birthday is the twelfth, and he's one of V'riy's long standing drinking buddies. Although he has been better at behaving himself the past few turns, which is why I didn't think of him at first. The two of them still get together now and then. Oh, I can even enlist V'riy's help in planning the event!" The greenrider rubbed her hands together briskly in anticipation.

"Well, good, that's settled," she said with immense satisfaction. Leaning forward on the table with her hands clasped in front of her, she met each of her friends eyes with an impish smile. "So, now on to the invite list. Suggestions?"

Alerae laughed delicately as Ceilidhe turned red. Oh it was such fun to tease her. She eyed O'wain in mock seriousness as he proposed to practicing. "Alas, poor O'wain, with my two children, I don't see how I could ever find the time to try and make a third," she said, placing a hand on her forehead dramatically. " A surprise party for V'riy? Well that sounds simply marvelous. I would love to come." she said with a smile.

She took a moment to turn to the other man. " I do apologize, but I can't seem to remember your name. I am Alerae, and work in the Creche, though Cielidhe here said I was supposed to be a dragonrider." she looked over at the woman and pouted, " But I'm happy with how things have turned out." she added with a grin. She did mean it, as she had grown to love this place.

"Sadly, I don't know who V'riy spends time with, as I usually don't join the circles of Bronzeriders. I find more interesting people among the other colors. " Alerae said, as they moved beyond the idea of a fake child. "Faking it like O'wain says would probably work the best."

A frown crossed her brow as she tried to place S'thor. She was sure she heard the name, but couldn't put a face to him. She rolled her shoulder in what could almost be a shrug as it was further explained that S'thor had a birthing day near V'riy's. " I think that's a wonderful idea. and with V'riy, none the wiser," she laughed, leaned in close, nibbling on a roll. "I'd like to invite K'tir. I don't know how well they get along, but K'tir is my friend, and he really needs to get out more. Oh, and PLEASE don't invite Lansi. I just can't stand that woman." she closed her eyes momentarily and let out a breath. " Other than that, I really don't know who to invite."

N'del shifted in his seat beneath the Brownrider's gaze. He was hardly use to such treatment anymore. "Thank you, though I don't think that will be happening outside of a flight anytime soon." His face was lightly flushed, voice a bit raspy as he spoke, focusing most of his attention on the table top. Alerae's appearance was a welcomed interruption. He was too old to be playing at being flirty and coy, not that he'd ever been much good at it in the first place.

"N'del, a pleasure to meet you Alerae." He answered, giving the young woman a friendly smile. He rarely went near the Creche so the fact she had seemed quite unfamiliar made more sense now. "I would not give up hope yet. Dragon have their own timing with such things." He said kindly. He'd witnessed plenty of impressions that left people scratching their heads. The only thing he knew for sure was that anything could happen during a hatching.

He remained silent as the others discussed the possibility of faking a pregnancy. It seemed a bit complicated with more details to keep track of and keep secret. One wrong word or slip up and V'riy would likely realize something was up. From Ceilidhe's desciption he sounded intelligent enough to pick up on any inconsistencies. Keeping things simple seemed the best route. The smaller the lie the less likely V'riy would find out the truth.

N'del nodded at O'wain's second suggestion. Someone he already knew and trusted would be less likely to arouse suspicion.  "He sounds perfect." He agreed at Ceilidhe's suggestion or S'thor. Someone he already knew and who had a birthday near the same time was likely as good as they were going to get.

He glanced toward Alerae at he plea not to invite Lansi. The woman could be a bit difficult, though he'd never had any trouble with her. "I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of suggestions on people to invite other than to see who in tends to interact with and invite them." He replied, apologetic about his lack of invitees.

O'wain smiled broadly as N'del shifted under his gaze. The older gentleman obviously wasn't one to take to flirting much. He certianly hoped he wouldn't be like that when he reached the greenrider's age. Turning his attention back to the main conversation he chuckled as Alerae gave a dramatic gesture about not having time to indulge in practicing with him.

"My dear Alerae, your mothering skills are most renowed, I am sure you could manage to see the children put to bed in a timely manner, leaving plenty of time for yourself," O'wain placed his elbow on the table and leaned on his hand, peering up into her eyes. Even after two children O'wain fuond Alerae as beautiful as ever.

"You're young yet Alerae, don't give up on standing. As it is we still need all the candidates we currently have to stand at each hatching." The last thing O'wain wanted to have happening again is stealing people from the North. That never did sit right with him, not that he would ever openly stand against it. He hated picking sides, in truth he hated thinking about anything beyond the moment and his duties. And planning parties.

"S'thor is perfect, he enjoys a good party," O'wain grinned. "Now for the rest of the guest list."

He took a drink of his klah to give himself time to think. O'wain didn't know V'riy all that well but the bronzerider must have friends among his peers. "How about his wingmen? We can also just ask S'thor who his friends are too, or make it a open party. Once everbody's gathered you can announce the party isn't juts for S'thor but V'riy as well."

Ceilidhe smiled kindly at Alerae as the woman commented about her failure to Impress a dragon yet and patted her hand.  "You will find your dragon, or rather, your dragon will find you, when the time is right and not before. Don't worry about it for a moment. The dragons are never wrong," the greenrider said knowingly as she winked at the younger woman.

The older woman turned to O'wain and N'del. "So, S'thor it is then," she agreed, nodding her head at both of them. "I'll find him and let him know our plan. I'm sure he'll play along, if only to get V'riy to celebrate his birthing day," the greenrider said confidently.

The energetic greenrider turned back to Alerae as they began discussing the guest list. "K'tir? I'm sure it would be fine to invite him. If he has trouble getting out, he'll be a perfect friend for V'riy. That man spends too much time on his own, "exploring" he says," the greenrider muttered, lifting her hands as she put the word in air quotation marks. She knew well the reason why the bronzerider who she considered a son kept away from Katila. The greenrider also knew if he had a few close friends he wouldn't find the place so unbearable.

"Hmm. Lansi? Lansi… oh. I see," Ceilidhe said slowly as she thought of the young female greenrider. She was one of the ones that V'riy would probably call "full of drama" and would not be missed by him, though she knew of no relationship between the two of them. "Alright, I won't invite her. But if she shows up through word of mouth, I'm not forcing her to leave," she gently warned Alerae. "At that point you can just avoid her. There should be enough people at the party that staying away from her wouldn't be a problem, were she to find out about it," the greenrider assured her friend.

"Anyone else?" Ceilidhe inquired, peering at each of them in turn.

The greenrider made a mental note of each of the names that the others mentioned so that she could ask them to attend the party. She was sure that the other riders would want to invite other riders as well. "Make sure to invite anyone that you think would be up for a good time," she said to them, smiling in anticipation of the fun ahead of them. "Just make sure not to invite any of S'kef's crew," she instructed them, her voice lowering to almost a whisper.

"We want this to be a relaxing experience, not one where we're all watching our tongues, and our backs."

Figured I would close this out and start up a new thread for the party.