Trying Too Hard
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Xanadu Weyr - Deep Forest

The wooded areas closer to Xanadu Weyr represent a compromise between man and mother nature, but to the north and west, no such arrangements have been made. The deep woods between the Weyr and the mountains are less traveled, the wider paths fit for man and beast less present. The noises of mankind are barely audible here, brief ghosts on the wind, and the quiet thrum of forest life presses in on all sides. The snapping of a twig, a bird's cry, the low cadence of insects; all of these things seem louder. Closer. The deeper one moves into the trees, the more it becomes obvious that one passes through nature only at her allowance.

The cover of trees is more severe in this area of the wood and only occasional shafts of sunlight lance down through the canopy, the sky visible in brief patches. A rough path has been blazed back towards the Weyr. It does not appear to be a heavily frequented path, but the few who have chosen to pass through this area appear to use it more than other avenues available. Only the very foolish or the very experienced would ever wander far from the path.


For chores this afternoon pairs of riders and Candidates have been sent into the deep forest to clear some trails that were flooded or just plain muddy after the winter storms and during the spring thaw. Mur'dah was assigned to Briari (or the other way around), and the brownrider whistles a jaunty little tune as he leads the way through the forest trails towards their assigned section.

Striding through the forest is Briari, who is wearing a bright grin upon her face. Dressed in a well worn gray colored shirt and a pair of brown pants and boots, she is ready for the dirt and mud. As they head deeper through, she softly picks up his hum with one of her own, matching his pace and putting a bit of a playful edge to the notes.

Mur'dah tilts his head when she joins him, a grin pulling at his lips until he rounds a bend and stops - both in whistling and in movement - to survey the track before them. Stones, mud and even branches have nearly washed this section of trail away, and Mur'dah sets the shovels aside and flashes Briari a grin. "Forgot you were a Harper."

"Well, I'm not as famous as my Aunt, but I am hoping that one day I will have made my mark on music. I can sing you a song if you want." Briari says as she stretches her arms upwards and over her head to crack the joints in her spine. Reaching out to snag a shovel, she weilds it confidently in her hands as she waits for instruction.

Mur'dah takes his own shovel and begins to move carefully forward, slipping a bit in the mud as he begins with clearing debris from the path itself, including the smaller stones that are easy enough to move aside. "Sure, if you'd like to," the brownrider says with another smile and a brief look for the Harper turned Candidate.

As she moves the mud and debris to the sides of the path with her shovel, it seems that Briari is one accustomed to hard work. She digs the shovel in deep into the muck, kicking it off to the side with a thrust of muscle. "Birds flying high, you know how I feel. Sun in the sky, you know how I feel. Breeze drifting on by, you know how I feel. It's a new dawn - it's a new day - it's a new life.. for me. And I'm feeling good, yeah." She sings out in a clear voice that is born to hit beautiful notes.

Mur'dah hums along under his breath, unable to resist joining in some way, once he's figured out the melody. Kind of. His voice is not made for beautiful notes. It's low and a bit rough, but he throws himself into the song with the same energy and zeal as he approaches most things in his life.

"Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, don't you know? Butterflies all having fun, you know what I mean? Sleep in peace when the day is done, that's what I mean and this old world is a new world and a bold world — for me.. Stars when ou shine, you know how I feel - Scent of the pine, you know how I feel - Oh, freedom is mine! And I know how I feel — it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life.. and I'm feeling good." Briari's voice lifts upwards as she starts to lose herself into the song, rocking her body side to side in a lazy sway as she works.

Mur'dah continues to hum, shovel in the muck and flicking it to the side with strong, controlled movements. He's no stranger to hard work either, pausing only long enough to drape his jacket over a branch before he's back to it.

After a few more lines sung, it seems that Briari's song has come to an end, almost wistfully. Half lidding her eyes, she glances over to him with a faint grin on her face as she lobs another shovelful of sticky dark mud. "I may put on a show for Xanadu with my bandmates if I impress. Do a big sha-bang like celebration for all of us."

Mur'dah returns her grin. "Lovely song," he remarks, bending to nudge one of the stones into its proper place lining the trail. "Oh? You think you'll have time if you impress?" he teases. "Maybe for graduation…"

"I always got time for a song or ten. I spend most of my free time writing songs and music as it is. But sure, graduation would work well. I'll bring down the roof." Briari says as she grabs one end of a log, bends at the knees, then lifts upwards and to the side as she pushes it out of the path with a loud grunt. "So, how are things going on your side of the pond?"

Mur'dah chuckles. "Did you write that one?" he asks curiously. "On my side of the pond?" There's a laugh for the turn of phrase. "Everything is fine. Duties, traveling…the life of a rider isn't really all that glamourous."

Giving him a smooth grin, Briari chuckles. "I keep hearing that. So, why did you bother being searched if the life isn't so fabulous? I've met more riders over the last couple of weeks that don't say much in the way of positive things about their new life. So, I'm starting to wonder if I'm getting in over my head if I do impress."

Mur'dah shakes his head quickly. "I didn't say it wasn't fabulous. It's just…routine. Just like anything you do for a while. It's worth it. Totally worth it. Can't imagine…well. Don't think I would've gotten through these past few turns if it weren't for Kalsuoth." There's a little shrug and a tilted grin.

"Really? You don't think you could have made it through a difficult situation without a dragon in your head?" Briari asks with a lift of her brow.

Mur'dah considers that for a moment and then shrugs. "Wouldn't have killed myself, so I guess I would'a /made/ it, sure, but it was easier to handle with him there as support. As others started to pull away, he was always there. It's a nice thing, if you're willing to share yourself that way."

"Well, killing yourself is never the answer regardless, and dragon aside, you should have sought out help from .. you know.. normal people as well. It's what we're here for. You can't replace people with dragons. It does not seem healthy to me." Briari says as she continues on with her work.

Mur'dah leans against his shovel for a moment, just watching her work before he slowly speaks again. "I suppose I misspoke or something. All I was trying to say is having a dragon is an amazing thing." There's a shrug and he bends back to his work, setting the shovel aside to begin hauling a large branch off the path with a grunt.

"I hope it is, because if I impress to a boring doofy dragon I'll be a bit ticked off." Briari grins slightly. "But, you don't think it's weird having something else in your head at all times and not have any privacy?"

Mur'dah gets the branch off the trail and straightens before he answers. "If you impress, the dragon you impress will be the perfect dragon for you," he says with quiet confidence. "I guess it's weird, but I still have privacy. So does he. Right now he's sleeping, so he's got his dreams and I've got all my thoughts to myself."

"Still think it'd be weird having something in my head all day and night. I don't know. I guess I will have to wait and see. I do hope I find the perfect best friend." The way Briari says that is kind of sad as she chews the inside of her cheek. "I seem to do a great job pushing most of mine away, or saying the wrong things and they get upset. It'd be nice to have someone have my back for a change."

Mur'dah tilts his head a little bit. "If you have reservations, there's still time to walk away," he says carefully. "It has to be something you know you want. Because once you impress it's not like you can un-impress or send the dragon back." He tilts his head. "Oh? Why is that, do you think?"

"I couldn't walk away if I tried. My mother would drag me back by the ear and tie me to the sands." Briari laughs softly. "I think every candidate has these typical fears and worries. It is a huge life changing event for us after all. I'm sure once I look into his or her eyes, all my reservations will melt away and I will be as happy as one can be." At the question, her shoulders lift upwards. "I have a strong personality. Pretty faced tom boy who likes to climb mountains and get into bar fights. I'm not good at being a girl. I just say the wrong thing a lot of the time. I'm more like my dad than anything."

Mur'dah chuckles, his smile a little sad. "Ah. Well, then I hope it truly is what /you/ want, not what your mother wants. But yes, those thoughts aren't unusual. Like you said, it's huge. But…I think it's worth it." He picks up his shovel again to resume working, and laughs. "Who said you had to be good at being a girl? Just be yourself? Mend the friendships you want to work on, but if you don't, maybe it's best they ended and you can go find new friends."

"I couldn't walk away if I tried. My mother would drag me back by the ear and tie me to the sands." Briari laughs softly. "I think every candidate has these typical fears and worries. It is a huge life changing event for us after all. I'm sure once I look into his or her eyes, all my reservations will melt away and I will be as happy as one can be." At the question, her shoulders lift upwards. "I have a strong personality. Pretty faced tom boy who likes to climb mountains and get into bar fights. I'm not good at being a girl. I just say the wrong thing a lot of the time. I'm more like my dad than anything."

Mur'dah chuckles, his smile a little sad. "Ah. Well, then I hope it truly is what /you/ want, not what your mother wants. But yes, those thoughts aren't unusual. Like you said, it's huge. But…I think it's worth it." He picks up his shovel again to resume working, and laughs. "Who said you had to be good at being a girl? Just be yourself? Mend the friendships you want to work on, but if you don't, maybe it's best they ended and you can go find new friends."

"I'd like to be good at being a girl. Though right now I think I'm walking the line of diva and tomboy. It's frustrating. I just grew up with guys most of my life, but in a rough and rowdy kinda way. I've tried my hand at flirting and I just end up either overdoing it or looking stupid." Briari laughs softly as she continues on shoveling mud to the side and clearing away the paths under her. "Right now my best friends are Kyra and Chrystyne who are both in candidacy with me. Though, sadly Kyra has to drop out because she broke her leg. I'm heart broken for her."

Mur'dah looks a little confused. "What do you mean be good at being a girl? I mean…you /are/ a girl. How can you be bad at your own gender?" Then he laughs. "Flirting is difficult, and over rated. The right person won't care if you flirt, or if you're bad at it." Then his expression softens. "Yes, Kiena told me about that…poor kid. I feel bad for her."

"Believe me, I can be terrible at being a girl. If you met my father, you'd get it. He's a big, burly guy. Blacksmith. Big time drinker. Curses like a sailor. Taught me how to fight, how to handle a hammer and a knife. He took me mountain climbing. Mom on the other hand was frustrated with me. She'd put me in dresses and I get them torn. She'd put me in finishing school and I'd get kicked out." Grinning wryly, Briari lifts her shoulders. "The last turn or so I've really tried to embrace my more girly side." Kicking a rock to the side with a well placed boot, she nods. "She'll be alright though. She's made of tough stuff."

Mur'dah shakes his head a little bit. "But…who are /you/. Forget about what your parents did or how they tried to push you to be. Where is Briari? If you want to be more girly, as you put it…well. Then it takes practice. Flirting takes practice just like mountain climbing takes practice." He grins crookedly at her and returns to work.

"I'm definitely better at mountain climbing than I am flirting. I don't know who I am, I guess. I'm a beach bum loud mouth who sucks at being a girl." Briari gives him another amused look. "Flirting would be easier if more guys like you walked around shirtless." She winks.

Mur'dah smiles. "Well now's the time to figure out who you are. But beach bum loud mouth sounds like a good place to start?" then he laughs, but there's a slight blush to his cheeks. "Well…yeah, that doesn't happen all that often." Even though his tunic /is/ getting sweaty.

"Uh huh." Briari smirks once more at him. "And I know you were lying about that whole comparison thing." Catching his wink, her eyes twinkle a bit. "Too bad you're a taken guy." Once she clears another section of the path, she wipes her face off with the back of her hand, smearing a streak of mud across her brow.

Mur'dah chuckles, leaning on his shovel again. "Yeah, we didn't go compare." There's a one shouldered shrug, and then he laughs. "Happily taken. But you know there's lots of good guys out there." He lifts a hand towards his forehead. "Got some mud, there…"

"No, there is really not a lot of good guys out there." Briari comments rather honestly as her shoulders lift upwards. "If there is, they are definitely not here and they've gone into hiding. "Guys are either jerks, and they insult and bully you, or they just say stuff to try and get into your pants and then get angry when you don't let 'em."

Mur'dah looks rather surprised at that. "Sounds like you've just had some bad luck, then."

"Maybe, or maybe guys are just jerks. Which sucks.. there was a few guys I thought would be cool and I would get along with them. Then one told me to shut up the other day and that I was annoying and he didn't want to hear the sound of my voice." Rubbing her temple, Briari lets out a soft groan. "But, whatever. I don't care." She pauses. ".. Yes, I guess I do care."

Mur'dah was about to tell her that she obviously cares, when she corrects herself. He nods slightly with a sympathetic smile. "Well just keep trying. I'm telling you, not all guys are jerks."

"Yeah? Got any hot friends of yours that are good guys and not jerks?" Briari asks with a laugh.

Mur'dah chuckles. "There are some nice Comet riders, but you're a Candidate. You shouldn't be thinking about that stuff anyways."

"Oh, right, because I have to think about cleaning mud and planting seeds instead when I do chores." Briari says with a smirk on her face. "Xanadu also has one of the most relaxed candidacy rules in Pern by the way, if you ever bothered to read the manual." Chuckling, she states, "Candidates can have relationships or have sex, as long as it is not in the barracks, and it does not lead to pregnancy. But, I'm not looking for either a relationship or to get laid. I just want to meet a couple of nice guys who are also attractive who may be open to getting me dinner and going dancing once in awhile."

Mur'dah frowns a little bit. "I was an AWLM, so yeah, I've read the manual. I know they /can/, but doesn't necessarily mean they /should/." He shrugs.

"Well, then maybe you should change the rules to they /can't/, or else you're sending mixed messages to the candidates. I'm sure there's quite a few bed breakers in our group. It's not like we have anything else to do after chores and being alone in a new Weyr. A little bit of booze and smooth talking can get just about anyone in the mood." Briari says with a bright and sunny smile towards him as she gives the shovel handle a twirl about in her hands.

Mur'dah shakes his head. "Not my job to change the rules. I'm just a Comet rider." He pauses, and then laughs with a shrug, going back to work. "Well maybe you should try that then."

"I should try what? Getting laid?" Briari asks with a blink of her eyes a few times as she stops spinning her shovel.

Mur'dah shakes his head. "You said you sucked at flirting, but then you said booze and smooth talking worked."

"Yeah, for guys maybe, but not for me. When I start drinking, I start trash talking, and then I got you playing a game of darts with me, and then you're getting all upset when I beat you." Briari says as if the story may actually be true. "It's alright. I don't want to get into a situation like that during candidacy. Maybe after graduation, but I'm kinda over dumb boys for right now."

Mur'dah nods his head a bit, giving her a puzzled look. "Well…if you are then maybe you should stop talking about it." Just a suggestion, accompanied by a grin. "You still have mud on your face, too."

Briari lets out a soft snort. "You started it by walking around with your shirt off, looking all hot and hunky and talking 'bout your garden hose size." She flicks a bit of mud over towards him. "And I don't mind mud, it builds character."

Mur'dah laughs. "/I/ started it? We never even played darts, so don't blame this on me. That wasn't meant to get you all hot and bothered, I was just filthy."

"Oh, please. I'm not dumb. I know exactly where you were doing. You were flexing about on purpose. You know you're hot and you wanted to show off." Briari says with a grin on her face towards him, pointing a muddy finger at him accusingly.

Mur'dah's brows lift and he laughs. "Why would I want to show off?" But he's grinning. Toothily.

Grinning back at him, Briari says, "Because, you like the attention. It's so obvious, even now." She says as she gives a soft giggle with flushed cheeks. "Pfff.. dumb boys." She mutters again as she clears off a bit more of the path. "We almost done?"

Mur'dah chuckles. "The attention /is/ nice," he admits, rolling his shoulders as he resumes working. "Maybe? Looks like we've got most of the mud cleared away, so now it's just lining the stones again and hoping things dry out before the next rain washes them all away…"


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