Can't we just have one day ... [Galaxy][!Aspirations!]

[Windra]

... where something doesn't go wrong?

Today was bagging firestone. All day long. Bag bag bag. Naira was growing tired and her arms were starting to get sore, right up until they were being told they needed to start tossing chunks of it to each other after lunch break.

Plucking a partner was easy enough. E'nel was a good person, after all. Sort of. (There was a lot of mixed baggage there, with Tychon and that disaster in the mess hall during their candidacy). But still, Naira considered him a friend at the least. While Naath bathed in the sun with the other dragons, her weyrling was being put to work playing hot potato with firestone.

"At 'em, Ez!" she hollered, forgetting the honorific for the umpteenth time and yeeting the block of stone at the bronzerider. Probably a little too high because - "Ah CRAP lookout!" - it was making a beeline to his face.

[GalaxyMir]

Ah firestone bagging.

Why oh why , did the most tiresome weyrling task have to fall on the hot season? E’nel was staring to sweat, immediately cringing at idea of getting his shirt dirty. One look downwards showed him the once white shirt stained with firestone dust. Gak!! Oh well, not much could be done now. He sighed tiredly, hitting the chunky bag with his foot. How much longer do i have to endure this task?!

Until the weyrlingmaster orders. You must follow instructions if you want to become a respected rider, E’nel Xalemeth advised him. Much like his siblings, the bronze had taken rest in the sun, observing the weyrlings toss back and forth the firestone.

E’nel considered Naira a good friend of his, well. Maybe his only good friend but he was far too deep into his delusion to admit that. At least it made a dull task fun. As fun as it can get. E’nel turned around , deadpan set in his face hearing himself being called by his old name. “For the last time. It’s E’n-!” he groaned , not quite noticing the stone that had been hurled at his face and struck him straight in the nose with a…

BONK!

E’nel started to see stars. Twinkling around his head. Oh dear….

[nineofswords]

Tychon was doing the absolute bare minimum he could get away with for this task. Because why by the green grass of the southern continent would he ever agree to fly thread when he could do literally anything else? Risk life and limb when it didn't even matter how much thread fell on this place? No thanks. Eza was watching some butterflies drinking nectar from flowers and clearly thought that was far more important than watching humans toss bags of firestone around. Tychon had to agree with her. Still, it gave him an excuse to take off his shirt and show off how easy it was for him to do. Just because he couldn't let anyone touch didn't mean he couldn't give the boys a show.

On hearing someone should 'look out', he looked over just in time to see E'nel get hit in the face. He didn't bother to hide a malicious laugh. "You know you're supposed to catch that with your hands, right?" he called to his former roommate. "And Naira, I thought you two were friends! That's not very nice to throw bags of firestone at your friend's head!"

[Windra]

"Oh Faranth - "

Naath's eyes watched her rider sprint the distance between her and E'nel. Careless though Naira might be, she at least had compassion enough to check on others. Sheepishly, though, considering this one was brought down by her own two hands. Oooooh. The greenrider carefully hovered over his face, not wanting to pull him up in case something really got forsked up.

"Yeah, might wanna ... pay attention," she said softly, quietly agreeing with Tychon to a point. "Still. My bad. Crap crap, can you see okay? I'm so sorry!"

At Tychon's second taunt, Naira's head turned painstakingly slow in his direction with narrowed eyes. She pointed to her own with two fingers, then at him.

"Hush now, or you're next."

[GalaxyMir]

E’nel groaned uselessly, he started to collect his thoughts and realised he’d fallen on the grass. First blinking hard, then squinting, everything seemed… double. “Hey… didn’t know you had a twin. I’ll make sure not to hit her when I get payback for this…” he commented, smiling at Naira and Other-Naira. He laughed and then winced his nose throbbing in pain. Bringing a hand to his face, E’nel touched his nose , only a little gash on the bridge , blood on the surface.

Are you well rider mine? Xalemeth chimed in , having lifted his head in alarm, then went down back to his resting position seeing the green rider attending to his There’s your reward for your bad work, a wound.


Hairs started to stand on ends as Tychon’s laughter rang in E’nel’s ears , a scowl replaced his disorientated one. He tried to stand up, and those little stars came back. Maybe the grass was a better idea for now… “Forsk you Tychon! You’re about to be catching these hands in a second!” he barked, Xalemeth disappointment ever so present in the back of his mind.

“ I shouldn’t have said that in hindsight” he uttered to Naira , feeling quite dazed.

[nineofswords]

Tychon gave Naira a mischevious smile and gave her a little fluttering wave at her warning. "Careful, Naira, this isn't like a food fight. You start throwing firestone at someone who isn't your partner, someone could get hurt, and the weyrlingmasters will have to get involved. I would hate for you to get into trouble over little old me."

"C'mon, E'nel, you know I'm a lover and not a fighter," Tychon said in response to the bronzerider's retort. He gave an exaggerated stretch, though, showing off the muscles he'd built up over turns of working on a ship. "How do you expect me to take you in a fight, huh? That's hardly fair." He cocked his head with a smirk. "Or is that why you're still sitting down? You're trying to make it more of a fair fight for me?"

[Windra]

Naira casually scooped up the firestone lump that dealt its blow to E'nel. Briefly looking between Tychon and the rock with deep consideration etched on her face, she ultimately thought better of it and set it down. Not before impulsively giving it a sniff and jerking her head back in disgust. "Yep. Phosphorous. Shoulda known better than do that."

There was blood on the bronzerider's nose but the cut was superficial at best. Still, she grit her teeth. He did take a knock to the noggin. Maybe it was a better idea to get the healer?

I can summon them. Although it would be a waste of resources, given the little damage it seems to have done.

"Yeah well ... " At least there was no shortage of clothing. Somewhere there was a rag and she gave it to E'nel to put pressure on the cut. "You uh ... tell me if you start getting dizzy okay? You just saw two of me so I reckon that's not a great sign -shards I just gave someone a concussion didn't I ... " She sat next to him, anxiously watching his condition. "'Sides," she added loudly, "Tychon'll take pleasure gettin' into a wrestling match with you. You'd be letting him win."

[GalaxyMir]

E'nel slightly cringed at the face Naira made, any curiousity he had for the smell of the stone had quite quickly dissapeared. "You'd be doing us both favours if you pelted that at ... that wherry-faced scum" E'nel sulked, accepting the rag from the greenrider and applying it to his injury. He closed his eyes for a moment, the sun not doing him any favours. "Don't worry too much, just feeling lightheaded for the moment."

"Oh for the egg's sake..." E'nel rolled his eyes at Tychon, evidently getting more riled up by the second at the other greenrider's remarks. There was nothing that E'nel didn't hate from the other man, well except maybe his green... but like dragon , like rider. "How much trouble do you think we'd get in if we exactly landed the firestone on this lover not a fighter?" he whispered to Naira, the last part said with mockery and contempt.

You shall not dare such a thing Xalemeth warned,

"Come on Tychon, take a long hop between! Any day of the turn I'd give you a good beating, think your bed-mates would like that huh?" he jeered , a smirk directed at the other man.

[nineofswords]

Tychon kept his eyes on Naira as she picked up the firestone, an insufferable smile on his face. He wouldn't even dodge if she wanted to hit him!

Tychon, came Ezanath's gentle voice. Such an injury would not be like being harmed at sea while trying to traverse the waters which are always trying to buck you off their back. It would be as a fish taunting a flock of gulls, believing itself safe simply because it is beneath the waves.

Are you trying to say I shouldn't taunt them? he asked, bristling a little. This was what he was like! She'd known that, she'd picked him, if she didn't like it, she should've picked someone else!

But Eza sent a wave of calm his way, turning to him, her eyes swirling with mischief. Not at all. I'm saying that if you feel you must taunt them, do so as the single crow taunts the hawk before luring it back to his flock who proceed to mob the hawk en masse.

Tychon grinned widely. "Have I told you that you're perfect?" he asked her aloud.

Not today yet, she told him teasingly, turning her attentions back to her flowers and bugs.

He turned back to the exercise, but turned back when Naira raised her voice deliberately. He shrugged. "Hey, a win's a win," he called. "A guy can insist he let me win until he's blue in the face, but to prove it he'd have to fight me again, at which point he might as well have just beat me in the first place. Waste of time, otherwise."

Tychon gave an exaggerated sigh at E'nel's taunt. "I am currently living a celibate life, sadly, as are the rest of you, but if I wasn't..." He gave a laviscious grin. "You'd be surprised how many men like playing nursemaid." Treating someone else's injuries could be quite an intimate exercise, after all. Tychon started recalling some of his own experiences with that, caught himself, and instead started recreating star charts in his head to try and shove that out of his mind. Celibate. He was being celibate. Faranth, he couldn't wait until Ezanath started rising and he could get back to business as usual...

[Windra]

Unable to restrain herself, Naira uttered a rather loud amused snort. Celibacy! To be completely honest, she'd forgotten all about that vow - not that doing the deed or the lack thereof got under her skin all that much.

"Ahh yeah, no sex. Your nether region must be turning blue, like Venrath," she teased Tychon, and secretly hoped the whiteblue's rider wasn't coming into earshot. "We'll be full blown riders soon enough, then maybe you two can go at it and be done with this gripin' at each other."

Before the inevitable flare-up would be thrown her way, she threw a very quick and very sincere glance at E'nel.

"I am teasing." Her gaze was very set in stone, although her own words had her wonder ... was E'nel interested? In Tychon? Wasn't there some thing about boys bullying people they like or some crap?

That is a very averse method of proclaiming affection. Naath knew very little on the mannerisms of humans. Naira felt that way a lot.

"Yeah well, humans - " That was said aloud and halted before the outward explanation could go further.

[GalaxyMir]

E'nel winced ever so slightly, checking his nose had stopped bleeding. Having it be so, he turned his attentions back again to the banter between the himself and the greenriders. "Look Tychon, if you want to fight, I'd very gladly wrestle you if it means you shuting up for once..." he made a vague gesture between the two of them, trying his best to seem serious, staring the other man down.

"I pity those men, having to spend more time than necessary around you. Are they really that desperate?" he teased even more, laughing at the greenrider. "Ah is that why you came to Semaca? To tend to men's threadfall wounds then sleep with said men? My, my Tychon how sad!"

"What are you on about?" he hissed at Naira, frowning at the thought of... that. The thought of sharing a bed with another had not yet occured to E'nel, Faranth, he hadn't even have had his first kiss! He rolled his eyes at her, a small chuckle escaping his ips "Let it be known that I will never ever allow that scoundrel near my bedside!"

[nineofswords]

Tychon rolled his eyes. "They don't turn blue," he corrected. "That's a myth spread by desperate men who can't talk people into bed with them unless they can cite a medical necessity for it." He put a hand to his chest. "I do not need to stoop to something so pathetic."

Tychon raised an eyebrow at E'nel. "You're giving me sort of mixed messages there, my dear," he said iwth a teasing smile. "Do you want to fight me, or wrestle? But there's really only one way to get me to shut up, and it's neither of those things." He shot E'nel a wink. He didn't feel any attraction to the man, but that kind of thing wasn't enough to deter him from flirting. And if E'nel ever wanted a romp, he probably wouldn't say no, but when he bedded people he disliked, he generally preferred not to be the first man they'd slept with. Teaching someone how to please you when you knew they hated your guts was not a pleasant experience.

"Oh don't get me wrong," Tychon corrected. "I'm not nursemaid material. I'll send a man flowers and a get well soon card, but I'm not going to be here cleaning his wounds or changing his bandages. But I certainly won't refuse a man wanting to do it for me." He shrugged, with an easy smile. "They come to me, E'nel. I can't help it if I'm irresistable for anybody with any kind of taste. And if they're coming to me out of desperation without even turning to you?" He clucked his tongue. "Well. That certainly says something, now, doesn't it?"

Tyche, Ezanath said privately. If you hate someone, why would you allow yourself to be intimate and vulnerable with them? It seems...ill advised. She couldn't think of any examples of it in nature, but she'd stopped just short of calling it 'unnatural'. And while Tychon had done what he could to shield off his more raunchy thoughts, she'd managed to pick up bits and pieces. After all, there were plenty of examples of it in nature.

'If it helps, think of it as a display of dominance,' he suggested. 'We're showing off our physical capabilities so we don't HAVE to fight.'

Ah, Eza said. This she understood. Males engaged in threat and dominance displays all the time, and the end result was that they could walk away without anyone getting hurt. That seemed a very sensible way of resolving interpersonal tensions to her. More humans should be as smart as hers and deal with things that way, she decided.

[Windra]

Meanwhile, Naira ... Well, she suddenly couldn't help the mental visual granted to her distracted brain, and unconsciously formed her hands into fists and pushed them into each other. Now, kiss!

"Careful now," she warned Tychon, "you don't wanna get all that into Ezanath's head. Cause her to go into early heat or something." There was something cheeky about her tone, and knowing in her gaze. The way he talked to his Bonded was adorable and she was really starting to doubt he was as bad as E'nel proclaimed. He knew the risks. He wouldn't do anything stupid if his dragon's wellbeing was at stake.

Deeming the bronzerider fit for duty - or at least not on the verge of death - Naira stood and dusted off her knees. Her motion came in tandem with Radar's return from the jungle and he settled happily on the makeshift perch fastened to Naath's back.

"I think he's been helpin' build a nest out there," she commented absently. "Been finding bits of twigs stuck to his feathers and he goes off on his own an awful lot ... " Naira grabbed the sack of firestone, lifting it up and down and gentle working the muscles in her arms while doing so. It wasn't a terrible necessity - she hadn't gone soft since leaving the mines and her figure wasn't lacking in ruggedness - but it wouldn't hurt to keep in her prime. "Almost sounds like you've got your, uh, loins set on a healer there, Tychon. Someone catch your eye?"