[RUMOR] Colors of Autumn

[Arcane]

Autumn has arrived to turn the weyrbowl a riot of colors. This is my favorite time of the turn.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Elivra sang happily to herself as she walked through the weyrbowl, taking in the crisp autumn air. This was the best season of the turn, and anyone who thought differently was clearly wrong. It was still warm enough to enjoy the outdoors without thick furs, but it was cool enough to wear her favorite long dresses without getting too sweaty.

"You know Gonk, this is the kind of weather that gets people into a spooky mood. I should set up a show soon, play some of my greatest hits. I could use the marks to get some of that nice Benden wine to keep me warm during the winter."

Gonk walked alongside Elvira, grumbling over the ache the oncoming cold brought to her amputated leg. Do you really think that is a good idea? We should be helping the weyr prepare for winter, not putting on Harper shows.

"Oh Gonk, you old busybody. People would love some good entertainment before the weather gets completely awful." She pointed to another person out in the weyrbowl enjoying the weather. "Hey you!" She called to them. "Wouldn't you see a fabulous Harper show starring yours truly?" Elivra bounced her hair and posed seductively, selling her wares.

[nineofswords]

"Who, me?" B'layk asked, pointing at himself as a greenrider - shards, she was in his wing, wasn't she, he recognized her...face. Yes. Definitely her face - called out a question to him. "Oh, uh, well I, that is to say, wasn't, well, you know, aware that you were in a show, but yes, I suppose I'd like to see more of you. I-I mean, well, uh, that, um..." He was blushing fiercely at his slip of the tongue, but was continuing on nonetheless. "Rather that uh, I should very much like to see a performance, and if you happened to be in one, well, that would be perfectly loverly too. It's a good thing to support wingmates, after all." Nailed it.

He blinked for a moment, then went, "Wait, you're in a show?" in surprise. He hadn't heard about this. "Are you a Harper?" He realized he didn't actually know much about this woman, which was clearly quite a shame. She seemed fascinating.

[FirebrandPhlox]

"Why yes, you!" Elivra said with a girlish smile and a flop of her hand. She continued to grin and bat her eyes playfully as the man stumbled over his words. She knew exactly why he was so flustered, and appreciated the attention.

Gonk snorted and gave Elvira the mental equivalent of rolling her eyes.

Oh hush, you, Elvira thought to her bonded. She returned her attention to the man before her and what a man. He was clearly the sort who had been quite attractive in his youth, but was now middle aged and a bit softer than he used to be. Still, he had a good looking face, and she could work with that. Though something about him seemed awfully familiar, though she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

"Oh honey, I am the best Harper on the continent," she said with a hearty laugh. It might not be entirely true, but she sure thought it was. "I'll tell you stories that will chill you to your bone and leave you wanting more." She leaned forward, holding her hand out and flaunting her assets. "I'm Elvira, though you can call me tonight," she purred with a wink.

[nineofswords]

"Oh, well, I can certainly see why you'd be the best on the continent," B'layk said, with an encouraging smile. "I'm sure it must be, you know, quite a thing seeing you perform." He knew he'd certainly enjoy it.

He was nodding along, very studiously trying to keep his eyes on her face, definitely her face, women didn't like it when you stared at other parts of them, no matter how prominently they were displayed, but he was making such an effort that he wasn't actually listening to what she was saying, so he ended up replying with "Oh, certainly. I'm sure I'd love it" when she started talking about her skill at telling scary stories especially. He didn't normally like spooky stories, but he was focusing too hard to catch that that was her specialty.

He gulped a little when she leaned forward to offer him her hand. "Uh....yes, you're B'layk...no, wait, I mean, that's me, I'm Radarth...no, sorry, uh..." He let out a self-conscious laugh.

Radarth, sensing his bonded's difficulties, even through his light doze stretched a little on his weyrledge and projected to the group He's B'layk of Blue Radarth, which is the dragon who I am, ma'am. As he came more fully awake, he realized that the pair B'layk was talking to were squadmates. Hey...wait a minute, I know you two. We're in the same wing. Hello, again. Did you need something from B'layk? He sat up, preparing to fly down to offer whatever assistance they needed, all professionalism.

[FirebrandPhlox]

Elvira could tell B'layk was struggling to keep his eyes on her face instead of her chest, and was loving every moment of it. She liked being looked at, and clearly he liked to look. It felt nice to completely befuddle a man with so little effort. She giggled playfully as he stumbled over his introduction.

Radarth spoke to them, and that was how Elvira knew him! She'd seen the pair around Aurora wing, though she couldn't recall having any significant conversations with B'layk. That was easy enough to change though, now that they were out enjoying the autumn air and not running drills or fighting thread, though she didn't need a dragon trying to but in on matters of romance. She struggled enough with Gonk on that front.

"Butt out, blue. What I need from your rider isn't exactly something you can help with." Elivra called to the blue. She turned her attention back to B'layk. "I know he's your bonded, but let's ditch the dragons and go have some fun. How's that sound, handsome?"

[nineofswords]

Oh...I'm sorry, ma'am, Radarth said, half apology half question. He really wasn't entirely sure what it was she was getting at. Innuendo tended to go over his head. B'layk, meanwhile, was in absolutely no position to explain it to the blue, smiling and stammering and blushing slightly.

"He means well," B'layk assured her, after he'd managed to get his tongue a little more under control. "And, that, well, I mean, gosh, that sure does sound swell, I just, you know, wouldn't want to presume," he said. "You're, you know, a very beautiful woman, and I wouldn't want to, er, pressure you, or something." He stood a little straighter as she called him handsome. "Oh, well, you know," he said, preening just slightly. "I do what I can." He knew he wasn't a young buck anymore, but he also knew he wasn't that bad to look at still!

[FirebrandPhlox]

"At least yours is polite about it," Elvira said with a laugh. "Mine was a rude little thing from the day she hatched and not much as changed." Algonquinth just snorted in response. She knew exactly what her rider was up to, and knew to stay out of it until she was unceremoniously needed as a ferry service.

"Oh please, presume more," she said, leaning closer to B'layk. "And thank you," she said at the compliment. She gave him a flirty laugh as he perked up at being called handsome. Men were so easy to please. Not that it was a lie, he was a good looking fellow and at her age, Elivra couldn't be too picky when it came to looks. "So tell me more about yourself, stud. We might as well enjoy the day a little bit longer before we get to the really fun stuff."

[nineofswords]

"Radarth's a good kid," B'layk said, pride in his voice. It was the first time he hadn't stumbled over his own tongue since running into Elvira, and someone might think Radarth was his child rather than his threadfighting partner. "But I'm, well, you know, sure your green is...lovely in, you know, her own way..." He wasn't entirely sure how to talk to someone who was criticizing their dragon, let alone with the dragon in question right there to hear it, but he was making an effort.

At Elvira's invitation to presume more, B'layk was rendered virtually incoherent, becoming all smiles and blushes and stumbling filler phrases. He bowed when she thanked him, not trusting himself to actually answer it.

"Oh, me?" he asked, perking up once again as she invited him to talk about himself. "Weeell, you know, pretty standard story, really," he said, rocking back and forth on his feet, looping his thumbs into his belt. "Came from a hold, impressed. I've got a couple of kids running around somewhere. They're sharp as tacks, so definitely don't take after me." He gave a self-depricating chuckle. "Oh what else...uh, I like to fish! And I've been known to enjoy the odd glass of wine." Far more than 'the odd glass', but not enough to interfer with his work, so there wasn't much need to go into exactly how much wine he could get through in a sitting. "What about you? What's your story? That is, if you feel like sharing, of course, no need to say more than you're comfortable with."

He had a brief moment of panic when she said they should enjoy the day a bit. Was she hinting that she wanted to go on a walk? Was she expecting him to offer her his arm? A hold bred girl would, but he didn't know if she was one, and sometimes women born at the Weyr laughed when he tried to show them manners, so he wasn't entirely sure how to proceed here. Women were so confusing sometimes, but definitely worth the headache.

[FirebrandPhlox]

"Oh, she's the best partner I could ask for." Elvira said with a smile. She had long figured out that the mildly antagonistic relationship she had with her dragon seemed strange to outsiders. "She's just a big green grump. She's a real sweetie under that rough exterior. Gonk just hides it, like an old guard dog."

You can stop talking about me now, Algonquinth privately told Elvira, a slight hint of embarrassment in her tone.

Elivra took the note, sending back her own private message. Love ya, you big lug. She then turned her full attention to B'layk as he talked about himself, since she was the one who asked in the first place. He wasn't much of a storyteller, as he seemed wholly uncomfortable talking about himself. Luckily he didn't need to be skilled with words to be a fun way to spend an afternoon.

"What, little old me?" She asked playfully, batting her eyelashes. "Well, if I wasn't comfortable telling a story, I certainly would've picked the wrong craft to pursue," she said with a hearty laugh. "But in all honeslty, I'm happy to spill the beans. I was born and raised here, been at Fort my whole life. I was training to be a harper, but they needed more recruits flying dragons in the war. Tragically my career of ballad singing and tale weaving was cut short when I impressed Gonk. I still do what I can, putting on the odd show here and there when we're not stuck fighting thread, but they weren't kidding when they said it would be hard to pursue a craft seriously as a rider. Luckily Gonk makes sure we pull our weight so I don't get in trouble for slacking with the higher ups.

"Oh, and I definitely enjoy more than just the odd glass of wine." She finished with a wink. She hoped that was enough of a lifeline for B'layk. He wasn't the most skilled flirt she'd had the pleasure to spend time with, but he was charming in his own discombobulated way. She held her arm bent and out from her body, inviting him to take her arm like the holdborn girls did. Perhaps she just had to get down to his level a little bit, as fun as it was to stun him every which way.

[nineofswords]

B'layk looked relieved when Elvira spoke fondly of her green. "Oh, good, you're one of those types of pairs," he said. "You know, the kind who like to poke fun at each other. I never can tell. I've met a few people who genuinely didn't like their dragons and...well, I can't imagine that, personally. I'm pretty useless without Radarth, I don't mind telling you," he said, chuckling slightly.

He smacked his head lightly when she alluded to her craft. "That's right. You're a Harper, aren't you?" He nodded. "Yup, similar story here. Fort born and bred. Well, Fort territory, anyway. Wanted to be a Healer, but was recruited to be a candidate before I got anywhere with it. I still dabble, though. You ever feel ill, I can tell you right away what's ailing you. Yup. Yup yup yup," he said with a self-satisfied sigh. "I'm just about the best diagnotician Aurora wing has ever seen, not to brag," he bragged.

He relaxed a little when Elvira said she liked more than the odd glass. "I...maybe have been known to finish a bottle off myself," he admitted, a little sheepishly. He let out a little sigh of relief when she held out her arm to him. He took it gratefully and began walking across the bowl leisurely with her. "Where to, my dear?" he asked. He might be the man here, but he had no illusions about who was leading this particular dance.

[FirebrandPhlox]

"Well aren't I lucky!" She said with a laugh. "You've got brains to go along with the rugged good looks. Next time I catch a bug, I'll come see you." She lowered her voice to a seductive purr. "I bet you'll make me feel all better."

He was certainly charming, if not a little bumbling. He certainly wasn't full of himself, and seemed like a good guy to spend some time with.

"Well, I'd suggest taking this back to one of our weyrs, but I'm afraid that moving too fast would fry your brain. Perhaps we can take a walk around the lake and ejoy the autumn air a bit, while you tell me what you like about me. Then maybe later you can invite me up for a drink." She said with a lighthearted tone. If he couldn't take a bit of good-natured ribbing, this wouldn't work out. She hoped it did, but she just wouldn't be able to stand a man without a proper sense of humor.

[nineofswords]

"Oh, well," B'layk said, blushing a bit at the praise. "I'm no substitute for an actual healer, but it helps, oh yes it certainly helps, to narrow down what's wrong before you go and see them so they don't waste time trying to figure out what the issue is." In his humble opinion, he'd sped up the efficiency of the healer's at Fort Weyr by a significant margin by diagnosing what a problem was before his wingmates had had to go see them. It didn't seem to occur to him that they'd want to double check that diagnosis themselves and thus take up just as much time as if he hadn't said anything.

B'layk let out a little rueful chuckle. "I'm a bit old-fashioned," he admitted. Being trained - however briefly - in the healer's hall meant that he'd been taught that there was a right order to do things in. He saw nothing wrong with that mentality. "Plus, I don't have the energy I did as a boy. Sure, I could just jump into a beautiful woman's bed, but I don't think that would be very...er...satisfying for either of us. I have a bit more luck when I build up to it."

"Oh, I'll definitely invite you for a drink," he said, patting her hand and beginning to lead the way to the lake. "And as for what I like about you...well..." He was not going to look pointedly at her chest, no sir. No matter how much he might want to, he had more class than that. Not much, but some. "You have a beautiful voice. Even just speaking. And a...er...confidence that is hard to miss." He was still not looking at her chest, but the way his cheeks colored probably let on exactly where his eyes wanted to drift anyway. "You dress...um...well, you know how to....you know...how to flatter your figure..."

[FirebrandPhlox]

"Well we certainly can't be having an unsatisfying time later. I guess I can be patient," she said with a playful ho-hum cadence to her voice. B'layk seemed honest to a fault, which at her age, wasn't a bad thing to have in a companion. Better he be honest up front about needing plenty of lead time than the both of them get frustrated later.

"Well hopefully you won't kick me out after just one!" She said with a laugh as he began guiding them towards the lake. The lake's surface reflected the brilliant colors of the trees, glimmering orange and red instead of the typical murky green. Perhaps she could learn to slow down and enjoy the scenery a bit in her old age.

She was certainly enjoying the show B'layk was putting on. It was obvious what he wanted to say, since he was staring at everything but her chest. "Oh, tell me more! You have such a way with words. She leaned into him, giving him a very good vantage point should he choose to look. Just because she couldn't rush didn't mean she couldn't have a bit of fun with him.

[nineofswords]

"Oh, believe me, there's no one here more disappointed than me that we should be a bit patient," B'layk said with a slight chuckle. He was glad she was taking it in playful stride and wasn't annoyed over it. Being of a certain age herself was probably helping her to be a bit more understanding.

"I'd never kick out a lady," B'layk quickly assured her. "If you end up drinking all of my good vintages, I might think about it, but I'd never actually do it, you understand. I mean, it just isn't done!" Did that make sense? Probably. It made enough sense, anyway. She was leading them towards the lake now. "Gosh, that sure is a pretty view," he said. A smoother man might've added that the lake looked pretty too, but B'layk was not smooth, and he genuinely was watching the colors reflected off the lake. "I sure wouldn't mind grabbing my fishing pole and coming down here later or tomorrow." He turned to look at Elvira. "Do you fish? I'd be happy to teach you if you don't, you haven't lived until you've caught a big ol' fish!" He was a simple man, and he liked sharing the things that made him happy.

"I do?" B'layk asked, surprised and startled that this Harper thought he was in any way eloquent. "Uh...oh...um...gosh, well..." Faranth. She'd told him to flatter her more and every single thought had flown out of his head. She was gonna think he didn't like her. Quick, what did everyone always compliment..."Your eyes are, uh, lovely..." he managed to wring from his brain at last.