Freedom in Slavery (Nebrona/Tariala)

[phlysolo]

She couldn't believe how long it had been. How long it had felt. She had stopped trying to keep track of how long it had been since Lyeth had flown...how long it had been since she'd Clutched...since...Violently, she forced herself to stop that train of thought and shook her head roughly to clear her thoughts. Damn Weyrlings. Running around, flaunting their dragonets, thinking themselves too mighty, too lucky, too apart from the lowly Candidates. Lenia resented them - all of them - for having what she did not.

It wasn't right! It wasn't right! The first female ever to ride something other than measly green and far too noble gold wasn't Lenia, but some stupid Holdbrat who wouldn't know a complete thought if it hit her in the face. It was disgusting that Lenia was reduced to nothing more than old news. K'ton had tried to keep up with her, for they'd made some kind of strange, unspoken truce of friendship, but with Ytelth, he rarely had time to speak.

At least...at least she had the monotony on her side. At least she didn't have to wake up guessing what the day had in store for her because she'd been at this "Candidicy" thing for so long that she knew exactly what to expect every day. In that, she felt some small comfort, a piece of serenity in the turmoil that had become her life.

Ugh, seriously, she felt so sharding emotional. With a scowl, she finally realized where she'd been wandering to. Ah, out in the Weyrbowl. It was a clear, cool day. Nice for flying, she supposed, inhaling deeply. It was a nice day, despite her dreariness. She supposed it was her heightened emotional state that brought Midna to her and the lizard chattered in such an annoyed fashion that Lenia had half her mind to dismiss her, but, to her surprise, the green settled down on her shoulder. She rubbed her face against Lenia's check in such an affectionate manner that Lenia was taken aback.

"Where did that come from, little Midna? You're not going soft on me, are you?" Lenia asked, frowning at the green as she crooned a loving note or two into the Candidate's ear.

[tariala]

Nebrona had wanted to talk to Lenia for some time now- to rant about S’koin and K’al, to make sure her friend had dealt with not Impressing alright, and, more selfishly, to get some support for herself in the face of long days of work, criticism from the Weyrlingmaster, expectations from the Weyrwoman, and willfulness from Allirth. So when she spotted Lenia in the Bowl, she was at first overjoyed. Allirth was sleeping off a meal, and she had the time to catch up with her friend

Lenia didn’t look to well, though. She looked stressed and unhappy, though Nebrona knew it’d be worth her life to say so. So she dashed the last few steps over to catch the other girl, coming to an abrupt halt beside her- and mentally groped for something to say. What to say to someone you missed, that wasn’t too touchy-feely for either of them. “I saw you at Lorisette’s trial.” She offered, before she could feel stupid for just standing there. “You spoke well.” Even if Nebrona hadn’t entirely agreed with what she’d said.

“She’s not usually that… affectionate, is she?” The weyrling asked, upon giving Midna’s behavior a second glance. She hadn’t really seen Lenia with her firelizard much, that she could recall.

[phlysolo]

Strangely, Lenia wasn't as distracted by Midna's affection as she thought she would have been when the flit went at it. If anything, it was partly amusing and partly annoying - she couldn't have the other Candidates believe she was going soft or anything. Smirking and gently trying to push the firelizard's head away from her face, Lenia turned around, nearly ramming into Nebrona as she approached.

Unlike herself, Nebrona looked happy and healthy. Well, she supposed that they -could- be similar in the fact that she didn't look quite as rested as she did when they were both still...eh, she didn't want to think about that much. As a knot tightened in her stomach, Midna chirped with concern, bashing her head against her lifemate's face. Lenia struggled, for a moment, to get the flit away from herself and was quite happy to hear that Nebrona began what would be a nice conversation, awkwardness aside.

"And I saw, rather than heard, my dear gold-dust, that you didn't speak at all," Lenia replied briskly, with droll amusement, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"But yes, I can hardly leave things without having the last word, can I?" Though this was said mostly to herself and probably would have made any sense to Nebrona in the slightest, it was just loud enough to be audible.

"No, actually, Midna is not," Lenia continued, prodding the flit only crooned happily. "By Faranth, I hope she's not proddy.."

the Candidate shook the notion away from her head. Ugh, Midna bringing off spring into the world. "I'd hate to see what kind of mother this little green would spawn..."

She trailed off for a moment, sizing Nebrona up,"But what's the rush to see me, goldie? Miss me?"

[tariala]

“Always. I pine for you every moment of the day- when I’m not running after Allirth, running for S’koin, running for the Weyrwoman, and just plain trying not to kill Kathal. Can’t you tell?” Nebrona said blithely, doing a very poor job of batting her eyes at Lenia coyly. But under the teasing, she was happier that she realized she’d be to hear herself called ‘dear gold-dust’. Here was actual conversation with someone not a very young dragon, not her superior, and not looking to give her more work to do. Bliss. “Of course, bronzeboy may save me the trouble- do you know what he said to the Weyrlingmaster our first day?”

Nebrona deepened her voice in imitation of K’al- or a particularly slow drudge. “What’s the big deal, old man? Aren’t you supposed to be nice to me?” She shook her head. “Between him and Benden’s Weyrleader, I’m starting to wonder about bronzeriders. And if it’s too early to start influencing Allirth toward browns…”

[phlysolo]

Lenia snorted, removing a now squealing green firelizard from her shoulder and depositing her neatly onto Nebrona's. The firelizard chattered unhappily, scolding the Candidate before turning her attention to Nebrona. She hissed evilly and wrapped her tail snugly around the girl's neck as though daring her to get her off. Now there was a sight: Lenia had been sure that Midna would have had a hissy fit and flicked between but apparently not. Unable to help herself, she laughed, and not just at the antics of her lizard.

"Oh, I doubt even with all the time you must surely have on your hands after that long list of grievances that you find a moment to wistfully think of me," Just like that Lenia was starting to feel a bit of her old self coming back, although perhaps with all the emotional days she'd spent wallowing in self pity, perhaps she was a little softer than before. "I don't see how you can think of anything other than myself, with me being so irresistible and all."

"He actually said that? Wow, I don't think that I'm even that stupid," Lenia chortled, shaking her head. Kathal, or K'al now, had quite a reputation for stepping on toes and being an all around bigot. At the mention of Nebrona influencing Allrith to browns, Lenia couldn't help but smirk; if a female had bonded to a blue, then why couldn't one to a brown? She'd have her's, oh yes.

"Well, just as long you've got enough feeling for the rider in question, Allrith'll come along. K'ton's bronze, however, seems quite smitten with your little gold dust," Lenia said in all seriousness.

[tariala]

When Lenia dumped her firelizard on her, Nebrona’s hands went up in surprise to disengage the creature. But when all the green did was wrap her tail around her throat, she dropped her hands and let it go. If she really wanted Midna off later, she could always try waking up Allirth and having the queen order her off.

Nebrona listened to Lenia speak, happy for both her laughter and for what the other girl actually said. That last comment surprised her, though, and she frowned thoughtfully. “K’ton?” Ytelth and Allirth did tend to get along well, that was true. “I don’t know. I just can’t imagine him as a Weyrleader, or Weyrsecond.” She laughed slightly. “Of course, there are probably still people saying that about me. Well, we’ll see, I suppose. And there’s always open flights.” That thought gave her pause, as she thought about bronzes across Pern coming to vie for her queen. Or worse, not coming.

They would not dare to reject me. Allirth objected, rousing in her rider’s mind. I will remember those who do, and they will watch in envy as other males are honored in their place.

“But trust me, after Nebmaeth’s rider, you’re going to look like a Weyrlingmaster’s dream to S’koin.” Nebrona assured her friend, resuming their conversation. “Don’t be fooled by all the sneering and condescending looks.” She teased.