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+---- Thread: [G] [C] 734.26.12 | The Downfalls of Deviancy (/showthread.php?tid=2560)
734.26.12 | The Downfalls of Deviancy - A'liran - 02.May.14
Ali didn't care much for the standards of society. He prided himself in being a deviant, but he knew that ultimately, he was just asking for it. In a way, it meant that he enjoyed being left behind in the south while the leaders he hated forged a new place for them in the north. It was a sad state of affairs, for he'd spent turns despising Tsuen and D'ren for their cruel decisions. Ali hated being chained to the jungle. Now, he was angry that the new leaders, who were just as bad as the old, were taking off and leaving some of their own behind.
Or maybe he was just angry because he couldn't go. He kept telling himself that he was glad to stay behind, because it meant he didn't have to put with with nearly so many assholes. In truth, it was lonely and he hated that he'd missed something historical and long coming. He would have paid good money or given a lot of blowjobs to be among those who first returned north, but no. His wing was staying behind. What a shitty streak of luck!
True, it was temporary. Ali knew he was no longed 'trapped', at least not as he had been. He would be home soon enough. His problem was more a symbolic one than a pragmatic one, however. Ali wanted to be part of the action, just for once! Just like always, he was tossed aside. He was, after all, a deviant. He was the bottom of the list for everything, unless of course that list involved prejudice. It turned out that being a deviant was usually more trouble than it was worth.
"Fuck em," he crowed out loud as he sank lower into the water. Lump was lounging close by, while Bastard perched vigilantly on the pool's lip. Ali's clothes were piled close by, and Astoreth was dozing a few steps further. Ali grumbled a little and sloshed some water at Lump, who was an asshole and probably deserved it for something. Lump squawked a protest and paddled away. Ali grinned a little and rolled his eyes. "Fuck me, sitting here along taking to fire lizards." It was self-induced misery, of course. Astoreth knew that Ali was just working himself up like always, so she didn't bother to comment. She understood that clawing need. Neither one of them had ever been able to stay out of trouble.
Re: The Downfalls of Deviancy [Syra] - Syra - 02.May.14
The Kitchens were much too crowded and busy that day for Syra and much of the work had been done already anyway. Syra sighed, looking at her reflection and turning sideways to see what she knew wouldn't be there. Woman's business. she grumbled, and dropped her gaze from the mirror. Nothing. Good. It was too early to see anything anyway, she knew. And there would not be anything to see, she vowed. Her leather bag was propped open on her bed, sweet soapsand lightly scented with lavender, a towel, some drawing materials nestled inside and a snack from the Dining Hall making up her gear for the trip to the hot springs. She took a little jar of numbweed salve from the desk and tossed it on top, never knowing when it might come in handy for herself or anyone she may encounter. Gazing around her room, Syra tried to think on whether she would pack anything else, but her mind was more focused on other issues. With another resigned sigh, she took a peek at her outfit and decided it included much too many articles of clothing. She removed her shirt, and reached for a lighter, more flowy shirt that wouldn't interfere with her movement, or make her overheat.
Syra also removed her long boots, replacing them with a pair of moccasins that were hidden below her loose fitting pants. Standing, she flipped the top of the bag closed and slid the strap over her shoulder before heading out the door. The hallway was empty for once, and her exit wasn't noted by anyone significant. Brushing a long braid over her shoulder, Syra carefully maneuvered her way out of the housing and toward the edge of the Weyr where she knew the natural springs bubbling away happily. Just imagining the hot water soaking away her soreness put a fire under the woman's feet and her fast pace left no question that she didn't want to be stopped.
Not too long later, and with no one trying to stop her, she reached the Hot Springs, only to find that there seemed to be someone already occupying her favorite pool. Clearing her throat Syra raised her voice enough to be heard so she wouldn't startle the man in the pool. "You could talk to the flits, or I could join you and you can talk to me instead?" she grinned with a teasing little tone, noting the pile of clothing not far from the pool. "Or would you prefer to be left alone?" Coming around in front of the mystery man, Syra discovered that it was none other than the Greenrider A'liran. She had had a few conversations with the man at the Dining Hall, but no particularly extended interaction.
Instead of waiting too terribly long for an answer, Syra sat at the edge of the spring and kicked off her moccasins, dipping her feet into the pool. She could easily leave if he told her to, but at least for now her aching feet would get a break.
Re: The Downfalls of Deviancy [Syra] - A'liran - 04.May.14
"I don't give a fuck," Ali replied to the mystery voice. He had a brief moment of surprise, but he got over it quickly and didn't even bother to turn around the look to see who it was. The voice was familiar but not immediately recognized, and it didn't strike him as threatening. Had it been a man, it might have worried him a little bit. Unknown men were a little more dangerous and could certainly be a thrill, but even without that element of danger, a conversation with an almost-stranger would have been nice. He was bored and lonely, and the last thing he needed was an excuse to get into trouble. Then he'd never get to Telgar.
He looked over idly and lifted a brow. "Oh. Hey there, kitchen girl. What are you doing out here?" he asked, though he figured the answer was obvious. It was a conversation starter, at least. He smiled lazily and sank further in the water, not bothering to watch her as she approached. He'd seen her around plenty of times, but her name was escaping him!
The dragon purred audibly from her resting spot close by.
"Sorry, sweetheart," Ali said as he stretched out in the water a bit. Lump paddled awkwardly back to him and started to jostle with Bastard for shoulder space. Ali quickly sloshed some water to fend them both away. Their little feet were sharp! "But Ast says your name is 'kitchen girl' now." The dragon snorted in humor and rolled onto her back, like a lazy feline. Ali smiled at her, then looked to Syra again. "...Don't think I ever caught your old name, though. What was it again?"
Re: The Downfalls of Deviancy [Syra] - Syra - 04.May.14
The woman grinned, glad that he hadn't sent her away. Thankfully it didn't seem to be much of an imposition for her to join him. It amused her that he couldn't seem to remember her name, but then to the riders the kitchen staff were all just faceless drudges. Not that she had made a point of really standing out while she had been skulking around the edges learning about blue dragons where she could glean information. Noticing the green dragon for the first time, Syra smiled at her. "Hello to you too, gorgeous." she said, with genuine affection for the female. She rather liked the rider's dragon. With one last appreciative once over of the dragon, she turned her attention back to the naked man in the hot spring.
"Not too much... busy day in the kitchens today, and there are way too many fucking people in there." Syra had begun taking her shirt off when she was responding, and half of the message was garbled and muffled as she pulled the shirt over her head. "And if my name is 'kitchen girl' to her, I'm just gonna keep calling her 'Gorgeous.'" Dropping the shirt near the man's pile of clothes, the woman stood and quickly doffed her pants as well. Stark naked, she was a bit chilling and quickly slipped into the pool across from the greenrider. "Ahh.." she sighed in pleasure as the hot water swallowed her body, "She really is a gorgeous dragon. I'm Syra. The one who makes the amazing bubbly pies. You seemed to know my name that day." the woman teased. She stretched out a bit as well, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the soothing water, her legs brushing his under the water before she moved them away to keep out of 'his' space.
"I'm surprised Mimic isn't nearby. She's been scolding all the firelizards that came into the kitchen and dining hall today. It may be around time for her first flight. I think she fancies herself a gold, the way she treats the others." The little green had a personality on her,and was usually not far from the woman unless there was too many people around. As if she knew Syra was talking about her, Mimic flicked into view above them, circled lazily and tucked her wings into a dive before landing with a splash into the pool between the two humans. She seemed to swim like a snake, swirling side to side and slipping through the water. When the woman sank her shoulders beneath the water, the green took her usual perch across her shoulders behind her neck and peered at the man Syra was talking to. When she spotted the bronzes she chattered loudly until the woman shrugged her shoulder to make her stop. "That is not how you make friends, Mimic." she scolded. The green seemed to grumble and pout as she hid herself within Syra's long hair coquettishly.
"What are you up to today? Any adventures you could use a partner in crime for?"
Re: The Downfalls of Deviancy [Syra] - A'liran - 11.May.14
Ali remained relaxed, slumped low in the water while his fire lizards bickered around him and Astoreth dozed close by. It didn't take long for her to slip away, though he thought he sensed some fleeting amusement at the girl's compliment. "I guess that's music to Ast's ears," the greenrider said casually, waving one hand at the dragon. "Like a lullaby...good enough to sleep to." Shards if that stupid dragon didn't think she was a princess. Shards if Ali didn't love her for it, too.
"So, you're not just kitchen girl...you're bubbly pie girl," Ali said with a bit of mischief. "Right, Syra. I remember now. Sorry; I'm shitty with names," he said. He rarely bothered, since he met so many people in passing. It was almost impossible not to be at least somewhat familiar with everyone, though. It seemed like all these turns would be enough time for him to learn names, but Ali was easily distracted by his own self-created strife. He made a lot of drama, and drama changed his priorities. Names were hard, but faces? He could remember those.
"So, you're stuck down here, too? I'm guessing you're hoping to stand for a clutch or something, then. I'd be up in Telgar if I had a say in it right now," he murmured. The water was so relaxing, he felt like he could just melt.
Lump crooned and hopped in the water, paddling awkwardly over to Mimic to greet her. The little bronze was easily enticed by females with attitude, but Bastard was far less impressed. He hissed grumpily at Mimic, as if protecting Lump from some sort of perceived treachery. Ali snorted and splashed a bit of water. "Oh, stop it...Come off it, you little pests..." he said halfheartedly. He was too relaxed to get worked up, and he loved the little terrors.
Re: The Downfalls of Deviancy [Syra] - Syra - 17.May.14
Syra dozed in the water while she listened to the greenrider talk, smiling in amusement when he guessed her reason for remaining in Katila. She wasn't offended that he didn't remember her name, she hadn't really made an effort to stand out from a crowd and most riders saw the kitchen staff as a single entity anyway. She also didn't feel the need to be overly chatty with the man, they were both there to relax after all. When the water moved around her and the little sounds of paddling greeted her ears, Syra pried open an eye and look down. One of Ali's bronzes had swam over and was eyeing Mimic with interest. The little green, had copied her rider and pried an eye open to look him over before hissing and ducking back behind the woman's hair. The same sound came from the other bronze in response to Mimic and Syra couldn't tell if they were about to have a tiny brawl on their hands. Annoyed by the loud sound directly in her hair, Syra fished the firelizard out of her locks and shoved her toward the other end of the pool. "Go be proddy somewhere else, that's enough being a bitch for one night." she grumbled, while settling back into the water with her hair pulled over her shoulder.
"Sometimes those bastards are more trouble than they are worth," she said affectionately. "But yeah, names are hard. I'm down here hoping to stand. Visited Telgar a couple times; it's pretty nice."Mimic had crawled out of the pool and was slowly making her way around back to Syra, but the woman didn't notice as she allowed herself to relax once more. She almost wished she had brought food from the kitchens, and lamented the fact that they had no good wine around to enjoy. If only Mimic were clever enough to know which wineskin was Syra's, she would have the little green fetch it. Mimic, however, was more apt to steal S'kef's wineskin than choose her bonded's. The woman made a mental note to try and teach her that particular trick in her spare time. Perhaps marking the skin in some way would help, she mused. It occurred to her that perhaps the bronzes were more easily trained for retrieval, "I was just thinking that I wished we had some wine. The hot springs are amazingly relaxing."
She fell back to silence with that, noting that it seemed to be a comfortable, companionable one instead of awkward. She had already spoken more than she usually did, preferring not to be one of those chatty women who couldn't appreciate silence and felt the need to fill it with chatter. Mimic had made her way away from the more inquisitive bronze and was eyeing him warily from across the pool. She had sat back on her haunches and was tucking her damp wings against her back when Syra, feeling like being mean, splashed her with hot spring water. She laughed aloud as Mimic squawked her fury and disappeared between. The woman wasn't worried, she would forget in minutes and show back up. For now, the silence was welcome and she allowed her muscles to unclench and her soreness to wash away. "Have you eaten tonight?" she asked, directing her attention back to the dragonrider. "One of the bronzerider's requested a roast tonight, so there is some left over if you wanted any."
Re: The Downfalls of Deviancy [Syra] - A'liran - 24.May.14
"Proddy, is she? No wonder Lump is after her. Swat him if he gets on your nerves." He spoke callously, but it was a rather transparent act. Her loved his obnoxious little bronze friends. He watched as Lump forlornly waddled after Mimic, leaving Bastard watching with what had to be disapproval. "Yeah, I know it...Your little buddy is an idiot, isn't he, Bastard?" Ali cooed at the little bronze as he scratched his neck.
The greenrider presently returned his attention to Syra. "I already ate, but thanks for the heads up. What, are those fuckers getting to make special meal orders now?" For all he knew, it might have been common practice. They seemed to have everything else handed to them. It aggravated him, but it was part of life. He was too relaxed and pleasantly drowsy to get worked up right now, but the snarky frustration was still audible in his voice.
It would have been easy to just slip deeper into the warm water and fall asleep. He had plenty of good company, too...Ast was sleep, but her presence was comforting just the same, and the girl seemed reasonable. She wasn't talking his ear off or being ridiculous, and he honestly found female company comforting when his own taste in men was so...risky.
"So, you gonna be a queenrider one day?" he asked lazily. It wasn't a well thought out question. He recognized her and was almost certain she wasn't a northerner or hold born, and a gold Impression to such a girl would be rare indeed. Was it even possible? Shards if he knew. He didn't pay much attention to things like that, but he knew that it was one hell of a gossiping point when it came up. Nothing like a good old-fashioned game of 'who will Impress gold?' to hurt feelings and lose money! He had no way of knowing Syra's true motivations, of course.
Re: The Downfalls of Deviancy [Syra] - Syra - 25.May.14
Syra cringed inwardly. The question was inevitable, she only wished she had been more prepared to answer it. She was an honest woman, and lying was not her style. The most she was able to do was lie by omission but his question had been direct. The woman was silent as she tried to think of a way to be truthful and still avoid answering. It occurred to her that if she stood for gold on the outside, it maybe be a chance for the blue dragons to get a look at her... and maybe, on happen-chance, to Impress her. Rationalizing that saying yes now wasn't a lie, since she now had a plan of actio, Syra peered at A'liran with a green eye. "I will stand for gold, and if I am lucky, I will Impress what I hope for." she said, pleased with her clever wording that was both honest, and conciliatory.
Trying to turn the conversation away from the touchy subject, and preventing herself from having to answer cleverly more than once, the woman looked in the direction of the green dragon slumbering nearby. "What was it like when you Impressed Astoreth?" Syra knew it was different for each rider, and curiosity often got the best of her when she was alone with one. She could only imagine the immeasurable happiness that an Impression induced, and the ever-present companionship that a dragon's mind offered. Some had told it was like being made whole and feeling like you had spent your life without your other half. Syra dreamed for that sensation. She wanted to be connected to another creature so intimately. The scowl on her face was directed inward at her thoughts, and when she realized it was reflected outward she plastered a smile in its place.
As she had been musing to herself, the woman was unaware that she had spoken aloud, enough to be heard by the greenrider, "I wish I had that kind of connection with someone." It was a low murmur, but audible. Mimic reappeared in the air above them, glimmering brightly in the dark backdrop of the sky. "Oh hell." Syra sighed, recognizing a Flight when she saw one. "I guess she wasn't just proddy." She shook herself slightly as goosebumps rose on her arms. If the bloody little talons on her three-toed feet were any indication, Mimic had returned after blooding. With a musical trill down toward the pool, the green firelizard sped around the hot spring once and abruptly shot herself into the sky. If the rider's bronzes didn't chase, Syra reasoned that there were probably wild firelizards who would be attracted. Mimic was already a bright spot in the sky, too far for the woman to keep watching and she settled herself back into the warm water.
"I hope I don't get this itch every time she flys." she muttered, scratching at her gooseflesh in the water. Returning her attention to Ali she grinned, "I bet it's much more fun when a dragon rises." Syra smiled, having flight mothed her share of them. The whole reason she was in the situation was at that moment. "... damn flightlust." she grunted.
Re: The Downfalls of Deviancy [Syra] - A'liran - 04.Jun.14
Ali noticed the hesitation and the very particular wording in her response. It sounded almost like she didn't want a Queen....fancy that. He silently wished her luck if that was the case, though. He didn't know her well enough to know her background and what her chances were, but Ali thought it was a damn shame that lady dragonriders seemed to fading into history. He'd almost given up the struggle, but he could sure give the girl a quiet nod and a well wish. If his hunch was right and she was hoping to attract a fighter, it was going to be a long, hard road for her.
Fuck the future. It looked worse and worse every day.
Now, he avoided a direct response to her strange little implications, but he had no problem being candid about Astoreth. "It was amazing," he said with a shrug and a catty grin. "I mean, every rider will tell you that. Everyone will say that it's the most amazing feeling you can imagine, and how it makes them feel whole...The whole perfect love thing," he said. He stretched a little and rolled his neck. It popped a bit. Felt good!
"...I'm telling you that no matter how tacky it sounds and how many times you hear it, well...it's absolutely true," he confessed. "...Ast has given me more trouble than you can imagine. Her flights are fun, but they're terrifying, and the assholes who win them usually leave me in pieces." He sneered a bit. Shards, he hated them! He hated them, but he loved leading them on. He loved feeling them close in. He loved trying to fight them off...and he loved failing! How could he even express this to her and make sense, though? He honestly wasn't sure.
He snorted in frustration and threw his hands up. He watched as the little green shot away and Lump awkwardly plodded after her. Bastard was unimpressed.
"...You call this flightlust?" he asked afterwards, laughing good-naturally. "If lizards make you itch, you're gonna burn once you get a dragon..." He couldn't even really sense the fire lizards' games beyond a slight little intuition. It was nothing. The conversation made him think of Ast's first flight, though. What a mess....