[PRP] Great, you're one of them! (Rizdax & Falienn)

[Hattaki]

As far as early summer days went at the Weyr this was a rather spectacular one, brilliantly sunny and bright in ways that seemed to be uplifting for some spirits much like Rizdax's own. While candidate chores were of course one thing, he was actually rather enjoying the day just being able to go in and out of the sunlight enough that his extra pale skin didn't burn any. For the most part he had his chores done and was looking over the area that others had passed through in cleaning, in straightening things in the stable that he was well aware many missed things in. Mucking out stalls had been his least favorite thing to do ever, but he'd done it as a small child as well when he was looking for a way to make a few marks quickly and it sort of reminded him of days long past. Sure they'd been violent and dangerous but he could remember the good parts of them inbetween all the bad. Just the smell of hay made him slow down and appreciate things as they were for the moment.

In this moment, in just this moment, he wasn't a candidate or a former crafter, he wasn't expected to run around even faster and harder to work for his knot back, wasn't needed anywhere for anything that involved work. For one blissful moment he could simply exist, just be with his eyes closed leaning on a pitchfork in the dim lighting of the stable. There were no runnerbeasts around, all out on trips or with caravans or just being worked, however any of that went he wasn't sure as Riz had never shown the least bit of interest in them other than to know they were nice beasts. None of them had ever bitten him or tried to maul him up like the watch wher he was used to cleaning up after up at Telgar for marks.

Opening his golden eyes in an almost narrow way he sighed and thought back to it, gritting his teeth. Had everything in his youth been about marks? Of course it had been, he knew that well enough, but it was almost as if he'd never taken the time to sit down and relax since his childhood and even he could use a moment to breathe or just stop doing things. Not that he had that option right now with the way things had been left by Gr'del. As if he weren't already on edge with feelings he was suppressing for the past couple of months he had to work even harder to cover for the somehow still slacking candidates that he worked beside.

Growling as he glared at the bucket that one should have taken out earlier he debated kicking it over in his frustration, a rare feeling in him, but thought better of it at the last moment, his boot inches from it. Really he'd just have to clean it back up since all of them had already left. It was only then that he heard it, a noise that he was beginning to get familiar with the longer he stayed at the Weyr and the longer he was around dragons. It was a call from a rising green, one that would have males from all over shooting up into the sky after her to chase. Problems and bucket forgotten, luckily not kicked, Rizdax leaned his pitchfork up against one of the walls and walked out into the sunshine to take a look and see which green could be rising up there. Not that he knew very many of them, or any at all rather save for two.

She was pretty though! A feeling washed over him as he saw her climb and twist up there, as more males followed after her. He had lived at High Reaches during a gold flight and this was nowhere near the intensity of that, but still he couldn't help but try and force the unwanted feelings deeper down inside against it since there was nothing to be done for them. Green flights still got to him unfortunately, having come from a hold where he had little contact with them, the feeling wasn't exactly terrible, but Riz crossed his arms over his chest against it all the same and squinted his eyes to keep watching as he leaned against the nearest wall near the entrance to the stables carefully. He was really thrilled for his friend to have impressed but...

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

If there was one thing Falienn had always enjoyed, it was enjoying himself. His Hold hadn't had dragons rising every other day, but there was still plenty of fun to be had. Since coming to High Reaches it had been one of the finer rewards, he'd found. A wider level of openness among the people of the Weyr, not to mention new people to...meet...Forget finding a dragon, the months of celibacy would be misery, he was sure. Or would have been sure. Things had slowed down somewhat since his encounter with Western (though if he'd thought enough about it he might have realized that it was himself hiding away from potential bedmates, not them rejecting him for what he took to be his own horrid scars), but lately...

Well, he had to move on, didn't he? Renose—R'ose—was gone from his life effectively. The debate on if he would stick around much longer himself was well underway. The wheels and cogs that had been locked in indecision had begun to turn again, and just moving, even if he wasn't sure of the direction, was giving him energy.

So this time, when a green went trumpeting into the sky, demanding attention, he paused to watch. She sparkled prettily...even if the sight of her color had begun to be less and less appealing to him. Stealing his friends and his voice. Well, it wasn't like he could avoid them. The little dragons were everywhere. At least this one made him feel...nice. His first brush with flight lust had been rocking, but he'd learned to control the urges. Especially from just a green. But...why? Why not enjoy it? The urge hadn't come to him in a while now, and to feel his heart start pounding a bit...Did he really want to smother that again? He sucked a deep breath, the whole world seeming brighter, more alive, for just that moment. And in that vivid flight-scape, a man. Leaning against a wall, watching the same spiraling green. He didn't think he knew the man...

But he was already walking over, a predator's toothy grin in place as he set off to rectify that.

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for just a moment, Rizdax let the sun shine against his hair and his face and ignored the rest of everything as he let the feeling of the flight run through him, let the noises of the dragons dancing above the skies and roaring and making noises of joy. Soon to be noises of another sort, ones that had in the past sent him running away in the hopes of finding someplace that he could hide. Here in the stables he was likely safe though, feelings weren't exactly his cup of tea in general since he'd never had any before coming here. In fact the only real feelings that Riz had ever felt had been love for family and exhaustion, maybe some occasional happiness in the quiet moments. Given that this was a quiet moment he closed his eyes and sighed, letting the feelings that others were able to fight with relative ease course through him.

Though he hated to admit it, even to himself, the feelings were overwhelming if you let them take you over and he could see why a goldflight was that much stronger given the heavier dose of it that often happened. He was lost enough in thought, in the feelings of it all, that when he heard the crunch of feet getting closer they were almost on top of him before he could react. In fact all he managed to do was open two bright gold eyes to stare upward at the taller man before him, he had to look almost out of it with the way his cheeks were a bit flushed against his pale skin and his breath was coming a bit shorter than it had just mere moments before. Here he was vulnerable as he tried to pull himself back from the twist of flightlust that he'd allowed to take him in those brief moments and extricating himself was proving less than easy as he'd never given into it before to know how to stop the pull of those particular feelings.

"I... S-sorry, I didn't hear you coming... up." Rizdax offered, swallowing against everything flashing through him and he was somewhat uncertain what the grin on his face might mean in this context. Surely no other person that wasn't involved in the greenflight itself would be foolish enough to let themselves go for a moment in it, which of course made him an idiot. Clearing his throat he tried once more at something, squashing the niggling at the back of his mind that was making his heart hammer faster in this man's presence. "What brings you to the stables? We just got done cleaning it a bit ago, or almost, I have to take a few things out."

Just because he was unsettled was no reason to be rude at all and this man... had he seen him somewhere before? Did he know him somehow? He didn't have a knot, so that meant either he was a cavern's worker, which he didn't look like, or a Candidate like himself that he'd somehow not met yet. A wash of some feeling made the blood rush to his face quickly and he tilted his head down even if he didn't break eye contact thanks to the curious concern he still had over that broad smile.

ShinosBee

Someone always fights flights. lol Sorry it's short!

 

[ShinosBee]

Rizdax made quite the pretty picture to Falienn as he skulked closer. He could see the way the other man's chest rose and fell with deep, gulping breaths. Could see how his eyes tracked the gold in flight. The rise of a faint flush across the neck and cheeks. Oh yes, he knew when he was looking at someone feeling the effects of a flight. no rider's knots...but that didn't matter. Plenty of new ex-holders and candidates got caught up in it. And where was the harm in that? No one got hurt, after all. Well. Sometimes they did, but that was usually something that went hand in hand with the enjoyment.

And just look at him scrambling when he realized he'd been caught out! It was so...cute! Falienn wasted no time in sidling up close, not quite intruding into the other man's space, but lingering right on the edge of the personal bubble. "Hey, don't worry about it," He rasped, and thank Faranth that for once his voice just sounded like a purr, gritty with desire, not scar tissue. "You can finish all that later, right? Since it’s just the last bit. You were watching the green, right?” The boy was as red as a redfruit! Obviously he’d been letting himself get caught up in it. “I was too,” He quipped, as if it was the most casual thing to say in the world, despite the knowing look in his eyes.

“Since it was just cleaned, no one should he coming this way for a while...right? Why not enjoy her flight together?” He boldly took the other man’a hand, fingers gently but cleverly lacing together, just enough to tease, but light enough that Rizdax could pull away if he wanted. Falienn, of course, certainly hoped he wouldn’t.

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

On top of the flightlust that was racing through him still the rasp to the man's voice, the desire that he could hear there, made his face flush once more as his heart began to race faster and his eyes widened just a bit. He wasn't the only one that had been watching the green fly in front of her suitors, watched them chase her as the strangest feeling of desire coursed through his body. There had been many flights over High Reaches since he'd woken up in the healers ward but never once had he let them get to him so fully, been so close to another that had been enjoying it as well. It sent shivers down his spine that had nothing to do with the usual unease or fear they often appeared with.

The comment of cleaning up, finishing his chores fully, later rather than now almost forced him to respond that it was bad to leave chores undone. Hadn't he just been grouchy about a damn bucket? But something in the man's voice stilled his words and left him simply gazing up at him for a moment before Rizdax could kick his brain into responding, which took an extra minute than he was expecting it to. "She's just so beautiful, they all are. It's hard not to watch them when they cry out for attention." In this moment so was the man before him and just so very close that his breath started coming faster as Riz's own attention was pulled finally and fully towards him with the lacing of their fingers.

Usually others never got this close to him, but Falienn's intent became clear to Rizdax as his words dispelled any of the more innocent thoughts that had been trying to form in his mind, trying to will themselves into being. Wouldn't it be nice, to just once give in and feel something outside of his duties and concerns? To think of something other than work, or think of nothing at all as he gave into the desire the dragon was building within him? All his life he'd done what he had to, what was expected of him, so that others could have their desires and joys and never worried about his own.

Slowly, expression softening until even his eyes warmed a bit, Riz closed his fingers into the taller man's grip and pressed their palms together firmly. Though he swallowed slightly against a stab of uncertainty, the redhead wasn't about to change his mind or look back as the roar of flying dragons sounded above them.

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

He could all but see Rizdax's resistance melting, the inner war with himself settling, the urge to give in finally beating out some wariness towards the situation at hand. If he'd rejected Falienn, it would have been fine. He would find a companion elsewhere, or simply enjoy the flight alone. But he hadn't, and now Falienn really felt like the feline that'd gobbled up the wherry. His grip on the other man's hand pulsed, squeezing just a moment, as the green screeched overhead. "I'll admit that she's lovely...but your face watching her was the finer sight." It was true, too. The red-headed fellow had been a sight, engrossed and entranced. And now all for Falienn. "As intent as that green is, just begging to be caught..."

As the green wheeled and turned and evade her suitors overhead, Falienn found his 'chase' a bit easier. And a nearby stall of the stables, vacant and full of fresh hay, would do just fine, thank you. He tugged the other man in that direction, slowly coaxing, giving Riz the chance at every turn to pull away or pull back.

But he didn't. And he wouldn't. And some time later, when the green had settled back on her own ledge, and Falienn sat up to stretch luxuriously from among the piles of straw, he'd hope that Rizdax wouldn't regret it either. "Oh yes...far finer a sight than any green overhead, I should say." He really was starting to appreciate the particular...bounty...of the Weyr. One more point towards staying, given that a green rose nearly every day. Whyever would he want to miss out on this?

(Hope you don't mind my leaping forward a bit, since, y'know. Off-screen do getting done!)

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

As Falienn squeezed his hand and spoke a brighter blush spread across Rizdax's face, for he'd never once actually had any compliments, not ones that he could receive within his own earshot and it left his heart fluttering hard in a mix of confusion and something that he couldn't put his finger on. It didn't take any coaxing to have him follow the taller man when he tugged at their grip and he followed rather compliantly for this being someone he'd just met. Still, there was that tugging feeling at the back of his mind as he followed him further in, not at all upset with the way he was giving him all the chance in the world to decline as his emotions were roiling just below his skin. This was the first time he'd ever done anything like this after all, but now that his mind had settled on it he wasn't turning back.

That one decision lead to others that later had him basically sprawled out beside the man he'd enjoyed the green's flight with, chuckling slightly at Falienn's words and at the straw that was sticking to his back. "Well, you aren't exactly wrong." Lazily Riz reached up and brushed the straw off the other man's back before shifting to a seated position with much cracking that had him lift an eyebrow and glance over at his own back. "Hm..." Words were caught on his tongue, unsure of himself as he'd never done anything quite like of this before the redhead found himself in the position to not know how he should react. Honestly he had enjoyed himself, for the taller man knew exactly what he was doing despite his own inexperience and that had helped quite a bit, or at least he'd certainly learned some things that would be of use...

But how was one supposed to be afterwards?

All he could do was settle back into his own comfortable nature and he lifted an eyebrow a bit with a wry grin. "I'm going to go ahead and take that as a compliment despite lack of experience before this." Slowly he stretched his spine and his arms above his head until all the popping he could feel down his spine was gone. Riz would have shaken his head a bit at himself if someone wasn't watching for he really needed to see about not overworking his already scrawny body, maybe then he wouldn't have to feel his skin stretch tight over his ribs unlike many of his fellow candidates. Just too scrawny, even now he didn't consider himself much because he really wasn't when looked at. All he could hope was that Falienn wouldn't regret it overmuch that he landed someone so... whatever he was.

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

One of Falienn's truly redeeming qualities was that he had no qualms about his partners in this particular sort of sport. Sure, he had his thoughts about who was aesthetically nice to look at and who wasn't, but it didn't factor much into what felt good. And this little excursion had felt just fine! He reciprocated the kind gesture of brushing straw away, reaching out to pluck the stems from where they stuck and clung. honestly, for this being a full Weyr, it was astounding how...green...many of the partners he'd encountered had been. Holdbred folks, like himself, perhaps? Well, he had no complaints. He did have compliments though! "Of course it was! You were her as much as I was, so unless I'm off my game, then I think you and I felt just as nicely. You did fine, don't worry about it!" He swatted the other man's thigh, a casual but playful jab.

Without shame or hesitation he stood, dusting straw off his legs, and then scooped up his trousers with a toe. With monkey-like agility (not that he'd ever seen a monkey, nor knew what one was) he lifted it up to pass to his hands, then slid them on. "Here, yours are...there." Another bundle of fabric was tossed lightly towards Rizdax before Falienn moved on to rummaging for his shirt. "We're both probably going to end up itchy for the trouble...If you've got time later, I'd recommend a bath." The forthright and casual tone made it clear that this was not Falienn's first barn-stall romp...but he wasn't just running off and leaving Rizdax to feel tossed and then dropped. Dressing was one thing, but he wasn't a wher's tailfork, like some similar-looking members of his family might be considered.

"Now when that next gold flies, you won't have to worry about being inexperienced, right? Though I wouldn't mind another go then, if you're of a mind." He winked at the still-seated other fellow, a rare (since the mauling at least) toothy grin curling his lips. "I've heard it's ten, twenty times more...intense...than a green's flight. Can you imagine?"

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

Was her? Maybe that was how it felt for a rider to be with a dragon, especially the rider of a green, but Rizdax had never once until this day felt as if he were ever part of anything else, certainly never 'was' any dragon. Maybe to a dragon rider or one who had grown in a Weyr it would have made more sense to him, but all that he could remember of it was suddenly feeling as if something was sweeping him away and taking over his normal impulses. In the moment that had felt just fine, better than fine really, given that it was the first time he'd ever experienced something like that and he had nothing to compare it to, it had felt indescribable to what he had imagined anything could really. So it was that he actually blushed the color of his hair when given the compliment and tried to take a deep enough breath to reciprocate it.

Clearly he was going to be absolutely no good at this sort of thing.

Running a hand over his face as if he could hide the blush Riz let a thick chuckle escape him as he watched the other stretch and pull on pants faster than he'd ever witnessed anyone complete the act. "Thanks for that, but I grew up sleeping on straw so at least this is something I'm used to." Stretching an arm he scratched behind an ear sheepishly as he wormed his way into his own pants and cast a glance about for his shirt. "Given I've never done anything like this I honestly couldn't say what it feels like to 'be' with a dragon, but if it helps you were fantastic." There was a bit of something like innocence there, tinged with everything he'd experienced all at once in life, but Riz tried to squash it just a bit so that darkness didn't bubble up in light of how he was glowing from the inside out after that greenflight.

"A gold rising is stronger than that? I can't even imagine what that would feel like, my heart was trying to beat out of my chest just with that one green and all the dragons chasing her. Last there was a gold flight here at High Reaches I was still stuck in a bed with the Healers and mostly drugged up beyond knowing what was happening. The next time... that'll be interesting to see, a gold rising through the sky with so many bronze and brown dragons chasing after her."

Just the thought of it, realizing how much stronger it would be than seeing a green rise up through the sky, it Rizdax rather happy that he couldn't ever impress to one of those golds. But would a bronze or a brown chasing after a gold make their riders feel the same sort of thing? Only Impressing to one would give him that exact answer, or talking to one rider that had managed to live through something like that. Still, he couldn't help the impish grin that spread over his face just thinking of a gold rising soon and eggs being on the sand, eggs that he might meet his match with once they hatched. "Queen flights mean something else pretty amazing too though, even if it's a different sort."

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

It'd been very good to feel something good for a change, and it left Falienn in a talkative mood, at least for this candidate, whom he'd probably have little to do with in the future, really, unless they did decide to rejoin at the next flight. "A gold's stronger, aye, and I've heard if your own dragon's involved at all it's different. You are them, or something like that." That was one side of ridership he considered interesting, worth the trouble of the bond and the standing. "Unless it's a white. They're not interested at all." Which was a rub, too. He'd wanted a white just to bother his father, but that was such an incompatible thing, and he'd certainly feel a bit miffed to be saddled with a dragon that kept out of that entire aspect of dragon life.

He preened a bit under the praise, but took it with a grain of salt. The trouble with virgins was that they had nothing to compare to. He was fairly certain he'd done a fine job, but still. Wouldn't do to let it go to his head. Outwardly though he threw a grin and another wink, because it never hurt to encourage someone to share their feelings about that sort of thing. Better to be comfortable saying what you felt. Or, if you were like Falienn, not caring enough to hold anything back.

The turn of talk to the result of a gold's flight dampened his mood somewhat—he still was uncertain as to his future in that regard. "Yeah, I guess." The sulk was clear in his tone. "Means a feast down the line, at least." He'd rather watch the hatching from the stands. If one was for him, let them come to him there, where he'd be out of reach of tooth and claw. "Usually means plenty of babies, both dragon and human, too." He cocked a brow in teasing. "So if you find yourself tumbling with someone of the fairer sort—not that you'll find many fairer than me—mind they hop between after, if you're wanting a dragon before you become a father, hmm?"

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

"All those bronzes and browns chasing after golds I can't even imagine what it would be like to be one of them, but maybe since there's a good outcome to gold flights that wouldn't be so bad to learn. For right now I'll just take the excitement for the end of the flights." Riz offered, not at all interested in sleeping with any girls that might make him a father, though there wasn't that risk with men, obviously. So that could be an interesting turn if Falienn and he bumped into one another again during a gold flight, whenever that would happen. Soon he really hoped so he would have a better chance of meeting a dragon.

But there was sulk there in Falienn's voice when the result of gold flight mayhem came up. Did he... did he not want to meet a dragon that would match him? Wasn't that the point of becoming a candidate? Everything else should take so much of a back seat in regards to things if he could just get a dragon, could just meet that second part to his soul that would help him to save others from the fate that had been his own. Riz wasn't sure that he wanted to touch on that really, since there had to be a reason that the other teen didn't feel excitement save for a feast. That was the last thing on his mind when it came to eggs on the sand.

Letting that marinate in his head for a moment, Riz was about to form something to say when Falienn actually brought up being a father and his features darkened just thinking about that. "No." He replied with a shade of hatred in his voice. "I'd be afraid to become a father and end up being like the waste of air the b*****d that called himself my father was. I raised my younger brother and sister because that pathetic fool drank himself into nothingness and then tried to sell them to Nabol when he did come up and try to be lucid. If anything I'll avoid any sort of physical contact and just focus on finding a dragon so I can prove him wrong." Darkness almost made Rizdax's voice seem darker than it normally was. Realizing the turn that had taken he ran his hands over his face and gave a laugh. "Sorry, sore spot. Really though, I'm looking forward to a gold flight that means eggs on the sands and a chance to meet a dragon or my friends to meet one at least. Less of a chance for thread to kill people like it did the first time."

Though he looked up and gave the other man a grin it was weary.

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

That as certainly more heat than he'd expected from the other man. Talk about a hive of daddy-issues, High Reaches! He nodded, a curt bob of understanding. Sure, K'ienn hadn't tried to sell him, but possibly just because he'd only learned about him a turn and more ago. Probably would leap at the idea now, if he found out it was one. Well, Falienn didn't plan to be sold off quite so soon!

"It's exciting, sure. The hatching, the touching too. But I dunno. Might rather just stay in the stands. If the dragon for you's there, it'll come any way. And then they can't get you, you know?" His hand rose, palm rubbing over the gnarled, pitted flesh along his throat where the green had bit and ripped. "It's a dangerous thing, standing. And riding. And thread." A frown. "Dangerous times in general. Why it's all the more important to enjoy fun when you find it, I suppose!" He shrugged off the weight of the moment, again flashing back to the sporting fun the green flight had brought on.

"Life's short, so enjoy it while you've got it. To between with our dads, I say we get revenge by living it up in spite of them." And maybe if he spent all his time partying or twining bodies with someone else, it'd keep him distracted from everything else. That'd be just fine.

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

Grateful didn't even begin to explain how Rizdax felt that Falienn didn't press a finger into the sore spot he'd just expressed, not wanting to get very much deeper into it after that little uncharacteristic outburst. He didn't really want to color what had been a good experience with something so dark that might bring up his past. The weary smile stayed on his face but at least some life came back into it after a moment just thinking about the chance to meet some eggs and babies again.

"Once they grow they save us though. It's because of them that most people don't have scars like this anymore." One hand ran over the gnarled scar that covered most of his upper back and shoulders, the one that from time to time could even restrict his movements if he wasn't careful. "I only stood the once, on that burning hot island a few months back. But at least I had the chance to meet some nice dragons there. With any luck the ones in this next hatching'll be just as docile."

Honestly Riz hadn't even considered that they might attack them, though he'd seen one get a little riled up at the last hatching, he'd blamed it mostly on the idiot that had Impressed to him being the one to rile him up. Horror stories had been told of violent and bloody hatchings, but if they were all lucky...

A grin crossed his face at the other man's words. "That actually sounds like a really good idea. Never crossed my mind before but I never had the opportunity either. I wouldn't mind that old idiot being appalled at my living." A thought crossed his mind for a moment, one that he wasn't sure if he should follow through with, or if Falienn would even want to since he'd really just met him officially outside of lessons and chores. But Rizdax held a hand out from where he was still sitting on the hay covered floor and his grin turned impish.

ShinosBee

Laaaaaate and old. >A>;;; But... Riz's thought process actually went a different way than I was expecting? lol