Pacing

[maiwolf]

Brennanth, as soon as B’oone had jumped off, found Astoth. He was happy that she was happy. He twined his neck with hers, and made the dragon equivalent of a purr. Brennanth hummed, You would have, lovely queen. And she would have listened to you. I could not disobey her, though. Do you forgive me?

[/b]

B’oone looked at Ilayria and then T’rel. He smiled at T’rel, and wondered why his calm reserve hadn’t given away yet. “Yes, T’rel, that is all. Please, and thank you for telling Ilayria.” He really did mean that, even if he was frustrated with the man for not being. “Tell Vijaith he did a good job in Southern today, and go get some rest, you deserve it.”

With T’rel out of the way, B’oone sank down onto a seat. “It wasn’t as bad as I had planned, really. I was thinking a lot of people watching out to see if we would come. There was no competition except for a blue, who was not listening to anything anyone said. Brennanth warned him off, and so did his rider. He just wouldn’t listen, and Quentith had to ram him. Quentith didn’t mean to kill him, but he was heading on a collision course with Brennanth. I’m sure my Bronze could have taken him, but Quentith hadn’t thought. But to hear the poor man’s screams when his dragon died. It was agonizing.” He shuddered, and took a deep breath before continuing. “The queen hatched after that, and told us to leave. I tried to tell Brennanth to stay, to talk sense into the queen, but he left without another thought. Queens really do have a lot of power, even if they’re queens from another Weyr.” He shook his head, and massaged his temples with one hand. “First day on the job, and I get called away to an impossible task. At least none of us got hurt.” And he smiled, “Not even Brennanth, clumsy dragon.” But the last sentence was not true, Brennanth was very graceful, or else he would not have caught Astoth.
[/blockquote]

[stolenhart]

Ilayria turned to B'oone as he sank down. She walked around the chair and knlet on the floor at his feet and began to remove his boots while she listened to what had happened in the South. She gave him a soft smile as spoke about the blue dying, the gold ordering them off, it must have happened very quickly. "Who were we to know the eggs would Hatch? Ours aren't even shaking yet so they must have timed it back to have them Hatch so early", she explained softly, setting his boots to the side. "I wouldn't worry too much, everyone knew you would return with the egg or just return. We'll get her in other ways", she assured him, standing back up.

"T'rel is going to find me a person to deal with the R'lyn", she explained softly, "And Ille has a few old friends who will let us know when she rises. We can send our fastest bronzes south to catch her. Our biggest asset", she told him, moving around behind him. She batted his hands away and began to rub his temples, she had done the same for her father Turns ago when he'd been stressed. "Is that we have two maure queens who will have three clutches before she has one", she added. "Our numbers will increase while their dragonet grows".

You could not help it so there is nothing to forgive. I WILL go next time and teach her a lesson, Astoth announced, stepping away from the bronze to climb onto her stone couch. She will not embarass my Weyr again.

[saidaltam]

Satisfied that he was suitably discharged, T'rel bowed politely and hastened out. He had a lot to do if he was going to find someone who met Ilayria's requirements, and besides, he really, really, REALLY didn't want to be in there right now, so when he emerged on the Hatching sands, he swung quickly onto Vijaith's back and hitched a quick ride from the dragon out into the Weyrbowl. He intended to skip a few stones, get some thinking done, and then, he had a job to do.

[maiwolf]

B’oone wasn’t really expecting her to do anything to him. In fact, he was more than ready to have Ilayria glare at him for leaving behind the gold. He knew he had done wrong; he should have timed it or something. But, contrary to what he had believed she would do, Ilayria removed his boots for him, and set them aside. He wasn’t used to a woman’s company, and wondered if that was how many women were, or if it was just Ilayria. Either way, he immediately felt soothed.

He watched her from the slits of his eyes as she moved around to his back and started to rub his temples. He sighed, and closed his eyes fully. “Brennanth is fast, and cunning. But I could not possibly be Weyrleader of both Weyrs. No doubt that would be harder then than it is now. Maybe T’rel and his Vijaith. Vijaith is a very fast Bronze.” Then he thought better of it, “It’s not that T’rel was just in here. I don’t envy him, or anything. It’s just, he’s my Wingsecond, and I should know how he is. He would be a good candidate for the flight.”

B’oone opened his eyes with a jolt. He turned in his chair, catching Ilayria’s hands in his own. “Illie, I’ve got it! You know those weapons that the South has created? Well, they couldn’t have just made them from scratch; the South is not like that. They must have found those weapon designs from Records! If we can find those Records, then we will be able to create our own and become superior to the South.” He was smiling from ear to ear, and, for good measure, he pressed Ilayria’s hands to his mouth and kissed them.

Brennanth’s whirling eyes slowed and gained their normal blue-green hue. I did not want you to be mad with me, Astoth. And yes, she will not embarrass the Weyr again.

[/b] He watched as Astoth climbed onto the couch, and then softly crept up onto the couch with her. He lay down in front of her so that she could lay her head on him.
[/blockquote]

[stolenhart]

She narrowed her eyes then leaned forward putting her chin on his shoulder so he could hear her, "I do not share my men. You are either Weyrleader here or you will try to be Weyrleder there. If you try...", she left it hanging as she moved back. He was Northern's Weyrleader not Northern and Southern's Weyrleader and if he wanted to stay Northern's he better get over that idea real quick. "Perhaps, or there is H'zu or T'ayn. Or we will no doubt have more bronzes to send by then", she added before her hands were caught and kissed. "Perhaps. The oldest Records need to be looked over anyway and rewritten, I can send a few candidates to help you with that", she offered pulling her hands back.

She went to her closet and began to hang away the few clothes she had to hang up. A gown, various shirts, pants and belts, along with some leather straps she was saving for something. The rest of her wardrobe had already been stowed away in the few chests in the room. He personal tapestries were lumped in a pile along with the few rugs and floor coverings she owned. She would have to get some more for the large Weyr, maybe once the chair cushions came back. It was a good thing a drudge came to clean this room for her or Ilayria would be lost for days.

Then something hit her, quite literally between the eyes. "You called me Illie", she accused him, narrowing her eyes. "My brother told you that was my nickname?", she asked, tilting her chin in a suspicious look. Only her father and brother had called her that, her mother had always been proper about her name. If B'oone was calling her a nickname it must mean he cared some small bit about her, surely he did to do that. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

Astoth gave a soft snort and put her head over her mate's back and yawned, closing her eyes. Go to sleep. I just ate and I am tired, she sent Brennanth though it was very caring she meant it, promptly going to sleep.

[maiwolf]

B’oone held up his hands defensively, “I would never let Brennanth chase that Southern Queen. Besides, I doubt he would want to—he’s pretty happy just being Astoth’s mate. Not that I, myself, would ever want to drop more things onto myself. Plus, I would rather just stay with you.” He nodded to her comment about the candidates, “Yes, a couple candidates who have good writing. I may even put a good word or two with the CandidateMaster if they please me, and if they Impress.”

B’oone watched her as she went to go hang up her clothes. He watched the assortment of clothes pass before his eyes. His mind began to imagine her wearing most of those clothes. She looked, to him, simply stunning. He almost missed when she asked about the nickname he gave her. She looked mad almost, just over a nickname. B’oone faltered, and stood up. “I haven’t spoken to your brother since Brennanth caught Astoth. I wouldn’t have known he was going to catch her unless I Timed it, and I never Time thing. Do you not like that nickname?” He sounded hurt. Throughout the whole explanation, he had been walking closer to her. He grabbed her hands tenderly, his brows furrowing. “If you don’t want me to call you that, then I won’t. I thought it… endearing.”

Brennanth let out a long sigh. He felt Astoth lay her head on him, heard her words, and felt tiredness creep over him. He rumbled a quick draconic ‘good night,’ even though it wasn’t nighttime, and lay his head down. Within moments he’d followed his mate into the realm of dreams.

[stolenhart]

Her hands were caught once more and she looked up at him, noticing his brow furrowing in thought and worry. Endearing? Why was he concerned about endearing? He wouldn't stick around long enough to be endearing much less get endeared her. The first green that rose he'd chase, the first woman who winked at him he'd tumble in the furs, he couldn't help it, he was a man. Of course he'd probably try to hide it, just like B'von, and he might even decide, once she was gone, that he couldn't live without her. By then it would be too late though. So why was he trying to be endearing? Was he that much of a sadist? Too bad she was too selfish to call him on his bluff.

"It's just, only my father and Ph'in call me Illie. My father is dead and well", she took a deep breathe, "Ph'in might as well be dead for all the emotion he shows. I wasn't expecting a nickname from you so soon, it just startled me is all", she answered him, gently pulling her hands away from him.She gave him a reassuring smle, hoping he didn't see through her facade. "These little things", she began, "They'll take some time for me to get used to. I've never been Senior Weyrwoman before and I've never had a Weyrmate. I've slept with three men in my entire life and two of them were arrogant wherry-heads. So if I get jumped or suspicious, please, just bear with me", she pleaded with him, picking up one of her folded rugs and spreading it on the stone floor. Hopefully he would give her the time she needed to get over her trust issues and maybe she'd come to have more feelings than simple fondness for him.

[maiwolf]

B'oone dropped her hands when she gently pulled away, and nodded. He was being too pushy. He was being too overbearing. Should he leave for a while so she could ... do what? And where would he go? What would she think if he left? She'd probably think he went to see some other woman. Truth was, he had no other women--none besides Manna, and Manna was five Turns old. He wondered when he could spring the fact that his brother's daughter was now under his jurisdiction, that she was his family.

Then he lauhed, "If it makes you any better, I've never been Weyrleader, and I never really grew attached to the men who rode the Greens Brennanth caught. Brennanth has never caught any female-riding Greens, though." He picked up another rug, and watched where she put the first one. "Can I help?" He asked, and smiled. "I can organise a Weyr, if nothing else." That caused him to laugh, since he could do other things. "Where do you want it?"

[stolenhart]

She stood up and glanced over to the rug in his hand. It was a hand woven rug that Ilayria had actually made herself many turns ago. It was simply blue and green lines and wasn't a master piece by no means. "Put that one on the right side of the bed", the large bed was tucked up against the wall with two tables beside it. Bare of it's mattress it was still a large bed, evidence of the almost orgies that went on here during open flights. If Ilayria had her way only two people would be sleeping in that bed and no one else. "There is a nice fur rug", she started looking through the rolled up rugs, "That I want to put in the bathing room", she explained, finding the spotted rug. "I need your help", it had been made from three feline skins and she'd acquired it from a Southern Boll trader. Thus the rug was taller than Ilayria and outweighed her by quite a bit.

"He's never caught a green with a female rider", she gave b'oone a studious look. Northern's female riders rode one-third of the greens and one-tenth of the blues. Not a large number by any means but still that was quite a lot of females. She would have thought that B'oone would have kept Brennanth from the male rider flights. He still did not answer her unspoken question about having a Weyrmate but she let it hang. If anyone came up to her and accused her of stealing him, well she'd throw the man back. "Do you have any kids?", she asked curiously. Most of the male riders had at least one kid she knew, and some even shared kids for a few turns until paternity was finally revealed. B'oone was thirteen years older than her. Heck he might have a child near her own age.

[maiwolf]

B’oone smiled and carried the rug to the right side of the bed. He spread it out, and wondered who had made it. The texture was good, the weaving was a little off, but he wouldn’t judge. His hands had always been too large and clumsy with small needles, so he had never said anything wrong about clothes or rugs unless the colors didn’t match or the clothes were too small. But he couldn’t do some rudimentary patchwork—all Riders needed to learn that. After making sure the rug was nearly perfect—B’oone never was good with exact perfection, unless it involved his jokes.

B’oone glanced up at Illayria when she told him what rug she wanted in the bathing room. It was large, too large for her to carry. He stood up and laughed, “That rug could swallow you up in a second!” He pulled the rug out of the stack, gingerly rolled it up, and hoisted it over his shoulder. It was heavy, heavier than Illayria, probably, but B’oone had handled heavier. He walked to the bathing room, huffing, and set it down before unrolling it. It was a beautiful rug.

He came back to the main part of the Weyr and saw Illayria’s skeptical look. He heard her statement and snorted, “As Brennanth why he never chased female-ridden greens. I have no idea, but I can tell you that waking up next to another man is not fun.” He smiled and shrugged, “Not that Brennanth catches most of the females he chases.”

B’oone was about to pick up another rug to ask Illayria where to put it when she asked him if he had kids. B’oone faltered, and then gave a smile almost just as tender as the one he gave his dragon—and Illayria. He was silent for a small amount of time before he said, “Technically she’s not my child. Before you go and accuse me of making a woman take care of my child, she’s not mine. She’s actually my brother’s one and only child. Both he and his Weyrmate—the girl’s mother—died in border skirmishes. Her name’s Manna, named so for my deceased younger sister.” He picked up a rug, another hand-woven one. This one sort of matched the one on the right side of the bed so he, without asking Illayria, put the rug on the left side of the bed. When he stood back up, h grinned, “She’s so young and sprightly; only five Turns!”

[stolenhart]

"Oh thank you", she hadn't meant for him to carry the rug by himself but he seemed to do it without a problem so she let it go. "I don't know, if I were you I'd find waking up to a man very nice", she winked at him. Since the flight she'd found a side of her she'd rarely displayed, apparently she could joke and tease with the best of them which is what B'oone was, a world-class jokester. Serious once more she added, "Maybe Brennanth doesn't like the female riders. Some of the dragons don't. Jasderth isn't fond of the female riders but that is mostly because those riders don't associate with Ph'in much", she mused crossing her arms over her chest as he picked up another rug.

She grabbed a tapestry herself and walked to a wall where the glint of a nail could just be seen. She hung the small tapestry up, it was a scene of the Weyr from above and was at least a century old. She listened as he talked about his niece frowning a bit, at least Manna wasn't his, that was something anyway. "Do you get spend alot of time with her?", from waking up that morning after the flight yesterday to his going raiding to now, he hadn't spent a lot of time with her. Ilayria was not about to fight with a five turn old over a man. She just didn't have the integrity not to cheat.

[maiwolf]

B’oone studied the old tapestry Illayria had just hung up. Suddenly he remembered it, and a sly smile crept up onto his face. He walked over to it and drew a finger softly over its surface. He was conscious that Illayria had asked him another question, but this had sparked a memory. When they were younger the duo—Brennanth and B’oone—had been a whole lot more reckless. They had spied this tapestry and had decided to try to see if they could imagine the top of the Weyr like that and go between.

‘Black, blacker, blackest.’ B’oone had thought, but still the black was there. When the youngsters had arrived, they had arrived centuries before, when the tapestry had been made. The two had Timed it. Back in the present, B’oone looked at Illayria. “I Timed it there. Brennanth and I, when we were younger. The war… I don’t even think it was in full-swing yet. The Weyr was laid back. We were reckless, and when we came back, we got reprimanded, of course. We didn’t care, we had been frightened that we weren’t in our own time. But I have to say, it was exhilarating.”

Then he turned back to Illayria and smiled his lopsided smile. “As for Manna, I haven’t seen her since early morning two days ago. I see her almost every day, but I haven’t had time since yesterday. I bet she’s wondering where her ‘Daddy’ went. She never really knew M’oone, so I’m her father. I bet she’d love Astoth, since she loves large dragons.”

[stolenhart]

She turned to look at him, giving him a chastising look even though he'd Timed it Turns ago. "Why would you want to time it? We don't need any help", she scoffed. The stories of Lessa and her back in time abounded still but they didn't need riders to fill up the Weyrs they just needed to conquer Southern and merge the two Weys. "And if you were just doing it for thrills", she glared at him, amazed that she was even slightly upset that he had risked himself so needlessly. "I might have to do something", she threatened uselessly shaking her head as she set a large pile of bedding furs and blankets on a large padded bench.

"Men seriously", she said to the air as drudges appeared with her bed mattress. "Speaking of timing", she murmured as the drudges wrestled the large mattress into place on the wooden bedframe. "Thank you. When will the pillows and cushions be done?", she asked, "Tomorrow Weyrwoman", one replied. Ilayria dismissed them as she picked up her bedding and set it on the newly restuffed mattress.

"Go see her", Ilayria told him, "I can do the rest of this by myself and if I can't I know where the other riders are. Go, shoo", she waved her hands at him, "Maybe you can bring her to the lake later when I bathe Astoth", she added, looking at him, hands on her hips, wisps of hair sticking up at all angles from her hard work.

[maiwolf]

B’oone shrugged, “We didn’t mean to Time it, honestly. We were just wondering weather or not we could go between to that exact place in the sky.” He was not necessarily defending himself, no. He knew it was so long ago that nothing now could help it, unless they Timed it again, and B’oone didn’t feel like doing so. He held his hands up defensively, though he knew she wouldn’t do anything, “Oh, no, there were no thrills, though at the time it was thrilling to discover something we believed no one else knew.” He grinned slyly.

He watched as a few burly drudges walked in carrying the heavy mattress. He raised his eyebrows appreciatively. Though raised to tell the drudges what to do, he wasn’t one to yell at them or make them do unnecessary work. He was the one who’d do a drudge’s work himself, if it wasn’t too bad. He did, though, appreciate them for what they could stomach—cleaning the lavatories was not a job he’d do without complaint.

B’oone’s train of thought was interrupted by Illayria. Illayria was telling him to go, go and see Manna. He blinked skeptically at her for a second—‘so the woman can have a kind bone in her body!’ he thought sarcastically, knowing that Illayria did, indeed, have many of those ‘bones’—and then he nodded. “I’m sure you don’t mind Brennanth sleeping with Astoth there, and I’m also sure that if you, or I, tried to move him, Astoth would get angry. I’ll leave him be, and respect your wishes.” He smiled, “The lake would be fine, but I don’t think now would be a good time. Manna’s got a cold, and I don’t want her to get worn out when she’s recovering. Later, maybe?” B’oone was, at heart, a good person, and a better father. Sometimes he wondered why he didn’t have his own kids, and then he realized that he had never loved a woman—until Illayria. And this love—at least for him—was not just dragonlust, even if he was nearly 12 Turns her senior. He nodded at her as he took his leave.

He was headed for his other love besides Brennanth, of course: little Manna.

[stolenhart]

"He's fine", she assured him turning her back to him so that she missed his smile. "Later will work", she added. When he left she let out a sigh of some emotion she had never felt before, jealousy. Are you alright?, Astoth asked sleepily, rousing with the strength of the emotion from her rider. I don't know love. It was not a problem that the dragon could help her with. Astoth didn't feel anything remotely like jealousy unless it concerned her rider. Come out here and cuddle with me, the dragon ordered her rider. Unable to refuse such a demand Ilayria did just that. She curled up at Astoth's front feet.

"You had to be caught by a dragon whose rider has a kid", she sighed loudly, relaxing against the gold's warmth. It was not entirely my fault, the dragon admitted, touching Ilayria with the tip of her nose. "I know but I've known him one day and already he's leaving me for another woman". You are scared?. "Worried actually". The dragon remained quiet, waiting to hear why. "She'll always come first, he'll always leave me for her". Aww I see. You have feelings for him?. The gold would never call her selfish though Ilayria knew she had a wide streak of selfishness in her, she couldn't help it. "Some yes, but they will never grow if I must compete with a child. I think I would be too selfish on his time, demanding more of him than he can give". You have me though mine, always. "I know love but it's not the same. I want a man's arms". The dragon was silent, thoughtful, what could she say? Her own male was curled up next to her. Ilayria would not come between a man and his child, she had hated the women who did that to her father, and in not doing that nothing would ever grow. Unfortunately it seemed as if this was going to be a hard task. She was already halfway in love with the Weyrleader.