Calibrations
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Xanadu Weyr - Dragons' Pool
Light filters in through a jagged crack in the wall, but while it's dark in here, it's certainly not cold. Water seeps through the walls, forming trickles and rivulets that run down to an enormous pool only to rise again as steam. There's enough room for a full-grown gold dragon - though she'd be curled nose over tail and likely displace half the water. Smaller dragons will find ample chance to bathe and play - which may splash just as much, all things considered. Glowbaskets hang from hooks drilled into the rock, casting their dim phosphorescence over stone shattered and blackened by smoke.


« Okay, Risa. This is it, this is the moment we've been waiting for, this is what we have been training for all our lives. All I need you to do is just let me know if I'm about to run into anything because THIS MIGHT BE THE PERFECT PARTY SPOT. PARRRTAAAAYYYY. Okay, okay, SEEING-EYE MINION. STEADY, HERE I GO! » That's Leirith for you: perpetually upbeat, spunky to a fault, charging full-steam ahead despite the fact that Risali is far from superhuman and definitely cannot see in the dark. "Leirith, wait! I can't — !" « LOOK. AT. ME. GOOOO! » It's punctuated by the scrambling of feet, and perfected by a splash and a boom that has Risali scrambling into the glowbasket-lit cave herself; grey eyes adjust to the change in lighting, and there Leirith is. The little queen's body is submerged, and her head may or may not have collided with something but, well — « I'M DEAD, I'M DEAD, OHMYME I'M DEAD! » "You are not dead." « I AM - I'm not? I'M NOT DEAD! Oooh, I found — » You get the point. Risali is trying to find some way to filter out the fact that Leirith literally tells her everything. It's a non-stop, thrumming fiasco of discovery, and commentary, and little baby dragon things that doesn't stop even when the gold is asleep; and then of course there is the very real issue that Leirith isn't simply broadcasting this to her lifemate, but to everybody who's unlucky enough to be within range for hearing (and it's an impressive range). RUN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION, K'VIR.

Unfortunately, K'vir won't know to run until it's TOO LATE! That's just how his whole life tends to pan out. Zekath had been nearby and close enough to pick up on Leirith's broadcasting. Enough that it brings the bronze's attention in, that vast yawning black void of space and emptiness. « What's going on there? » He inquires in that dual flanged voice of his. Hey, little lady~ Err. Future queen? Except Zekath is then fed the rest of that never-ending litany and if the bronze could, he'd be staring the ultimate blank stare right about now. Um. What? What is… Uh. What does he do? He has to be nice, she's a (BABY) gold and such is the hierarchy of things. He was also told to stay where he was by his rider. K'vir. K'VIR!! DON'T LEAVE HIM HANGING, bro! Don't go in, it might be DANGEROUS! "Risa?" Cue K'vir's voice at the entrance to that pool and, a half-beat later, the bronzerider himself. OH HALLO THERE! "Everything ok? Zekath's awful twitchy…" Understatement and he'd KNOW if he'd LISTEN. Stupid, stubborn young man!

POOR, UNSUSPECTING ZEKATH. He pours himself into the literal party that is Leirith's mind, where her SUBWOOFERS HAVE SUBWOOFERS (thanks, Sori!) and the upbeat thrum of sound that carries with her voice leaves the impressions of carnivals, and masks, and secrets hidden beneath all that noise; it's a flood of life into the inky void of space, the stars blooming with color as they expand and contract, expand and contract with each thought. « RISA, LOOK IT'S A… » A moment's reprieve, and then guess what Leirith is doing? STEALING ZEKATH'S EYES. It's double disorienting for Risali, who's reaching out a hand to steady herself on K'vir's forearm when that little queen causes INCEPTION: SHE IS A MIND, WITHIN A MIND, WITHIN A MIND, WITHIN A MIND AND IT IS GLORIOUS. « BRONZE DRAGON! I don't need to tell you why they're called bronze dragons, do I, Risa? » A beat. « It's because they're bronze. And dragons. Ooooh, look at all that it is that you see up here and - THOSE THINGS ARE SO SMALL. WHAT ARE THEY? » Leirith wants to see, and so what does she do? CHARGE! Risali's got enough time to shriek a frantic, "K'VIR - LEIRITH - NO! MY EYES, MY EYES, MY -" OOF. Yeah, the little queen is barreling right into the bronzerider and her lifemate, THANKFULLY missing supple flesh with claws (though that doesn't mean they've avoided injury), and finally letting Zekath's EYES BE when she invades K'vir instead. « What is this? It's so squishy, and soft and — Oh, you can breathe in a minute, I just need to… » and there. Leirith. Goes. Back into Risali's mind, using her lifemate's vision to remove herself from them both. But it just doesn't stop, does it? « Ooooh. Risa, this one is HANDSOME! He can come to the party; we will invite him and the Zeeeeeekkkkkkkaaaaaa outside. We should invite the girl too, the one that looks like her face got eaten by a wherry - IT'S TRUE - and then you will look even more beautiful. Then he'll really want you. And we can bring this… what is this… this booze? Rum? We will bring rum so that if the first plan fails then, then we can just give him this until he thinks you're pretty — oh, but you already… » "LEIRITH!" « Unceunceunceunce. » Is the gold bobbing like she's dancing? Yeah, yeah she is. « This looks fun and dirty. Are you wrestling? Why is his mouth — » "LEIRITH, SHUT. UP." Nope. RIP, everybody. "K'vir, please tell me that Zekath was like this too and she is going to grow out of it."

Zekath just sort of freezes on spot and goes along for that RIDE that is Leirith's mind. Even with all his SHOCK AND AWE, there's a teeny tiny shard of something else. A little secret ENJOYMENT! Then the gold is using HIS eyes and it's a disorientating thrill and horror both for the bronze AND his rider! « Hey! » He's trying to (politely) shut her out now! « Hasn't anyone told you it's rude to do that? » He doesn't quite snap at her, but there's just a touch of annoyance to his voice. Enough that his next comment is sheepish and that black, star-riddled expanse of his mind is withdrawing. « I mean… uh… I have to go… » Excuse, think of an excuse! « Calibrations. » He heard that word once and LIKED it! It sounds important. Like something he should be doing. Zekath OUT! K'vir is just as stunned and just as he's getting over the headache inducing use of his eyes, then they're being knocked off their feet by the very gold herself. Now K'vir's hurting ALL OVER, as he instinctively tried to shield both himself AND Risali from the fall and from any wayward talons. "Zekath was never so vocal," he blurts out, through a bit of a groan, without thinking. "She's newly hatched, Risa! They all settle." Good save! IF ONLY IT WERE TRUE! Then, more importantly: "Are you okay? Is she okay?"
Leirith> Zaria has connected.

But before Zekath goes, Leirith is back, all amusement at a snappy dragon that seems to be afraid of snapping at her. POWER. MINIONS. SHE IS OVERWHELMED WITH THE IMPLICATIONS. « Pssst! Ad-ass-bay, over ere-bay! » And that's probably laughter, except it sounds more like a really, really up-beat villain's cackle as she taunts with, « Not so tough after all! Ha ha ha! Retreat before your - what do you call me, Risa? - QUEEN, MINION WITH THE EXTRA-HIGH EYES. » But she doesn't stop the SCAREDY CAT from going to do his… calibrations (which does sound terribly fun, hence why she's suddenly BOMBARDING RISALI WITH QUESTIONS that Risa's trying hard to ignore). "I'm so sorry, she can't see and - I'm okay, she's okay. Are you okay?" Risali's pushing herself up to sit, trying her hardest to push out the onslaught of overbearing mind voice so that she can focus on K'vir and look over his person and pinch her brows as eyes shift to Leirith long enough to allow the queen sight so she doesn't maul them again when she rounds and settles her maw RIGHT ON K'VIR'S THIGH. HELLO, SIR. PROMOTED: HEADREST. Risali? She looks disbelieving, grey eyes narrowing on K'vir as she breathes out, "This is your fault. Stupid bronzerider."

Oh! Oh, HELL NO~ Leirith won't get away with a comment like that! Zekath may have withdrawn, but he's not deaf! « You're not my queen. » BURN. And it's the blunt truth: Meirath is top bitc- QUEEN. Top Queen. Senior! And he's a bronze who follows the order of things. He has to respect Leirith to a degree, but he doesn't have to OBEY her… Yet. « Now, » Gentler, in that strange and yet so alluring voice of his. « I really need to, uh… focus. » Please, leave him alone? No hard feelings? Okay, good. "She can't see?" Wait, WHAT? K'vir darts a look to the young hatchling gold, then to Risali. Was she meaning literally? This is where he'd try to keep contact too: touch or hold her hand, kiss her, HUG her! But he can't. Stupid rules. So he'll subtly lean against her, as if in support for a little longer than necessary before reluctantly inching back. "I'm fine! Really. Just… surprised!" Yeah, that's it! He won't protest Risali looking over him but when Leirith rests her head on his thigh? He freezes up. Um. Hey? "How is this my fault!?" Okay, he's going to protest that! With a scoffed breath, even! "Risa… You Impressed! You're a rider, now!" A GOLDRIDER! Hear that pride (it's smugness too)? Hear that happiness for her?

Leirith is gonna need some ICE FOR THAT BURN. « I bet you were up ALL NIGHT trying to come up with that one, » comes the little gold's 'witty' quip, pushing back against the infinite expanse of space in Zekath's mind with the throbbing, colorful bass of her own. NEVER, YOU BRONZE. THERE IS NO RETREAT. SHE IS UNDAUNTED. « What are these calee-calibrations? » As for Risa? Well, she's returning the muted contact before accusations come POURING OUT. AND YEAH, SHE HEARD IT. "You asked me to stand, and -" And there it is, the soft smile that chases away the anger, the sideways glance at her lifemate as one hand comes down on a ridge, just above a bandage-protected eye, and another sideways glance for K'vir. "So it's your fault." But now it sounds more like a thank you, followed by a soft sigh. "No, she can't see. She sees through me. Apparently she can see through others too - I didn't know. But that's why -" A pause, and the little queen is rising back up, Risali's attention moving to her so that she can ensure the movement doesn't end in another unintended tackling. THE LITTLE IMPATIENT SHIT JUST DOESN'T WAIT FOR RISA THESE DAYS. "She's tired - and hungry. Again." Because if you missed it, there is literally a string of commands about FOOD AND SLEEP AND IMPATIENCE that has Risali gaining her feet. She reaches out for the bronzerider, as if to catch his face and kiss him like she normally would - but she hesitates, drawing her hands back to herself and curling them into fists. "Meet me when she's asleep? If you're not busy?" And she's backing out of the caverns, meaning Leirith just GOES FORWARD, AND HITS A WALL, and Risa winces, turning to lead her lifemate regardless of the bronzerider's answer.

« No, I just thought of it now. » Zekath doesn't UNDERSTAND most humour! Leirith is certainly proving to be the enigma of all enigma's! He'll try not to flinch either as she 'chases' him down and continues to assault him with throbbing, colourful bass. « They're important. » That's all she needs to know! Poor, poor bronze is now being backed into a "corner". K'vir is clever enough to catch on to the hidden tone in Risali's voice. So it shouldn't be a shock when all he does his half-smile and murmur: "You're welcome." He won't touch Leirith though, waiting for the gold to move so that he can scramble to his feet and keep a respectful distance (and VERY wary eye) from her. "You'll both have that skill mastered then," A little glimmer of positive given the gold's state. "Well before the rest of your class." It's a tiny little compliment? Given K'vir's still trying to recover from what felt like having his brain scrambled and rewired in a span of SECONDS. "I can meet you… Just outside the grounds? Send Potato." It's all he can think of, as a signal, when Risali is making a hasty exit with her lifemate in tow. He will, of course, keep his word and be waiting for her, when the time comes.


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