Accidently on Purpose (Lyrai)

[menta]

Ki'lair tucked a few hides under his arm, as well as a green hide bound volume. He appreciated the free reign he had to borrow from the Weyrleader's records. Not all places he'd been were so lenient.

He was slightly self-conscious as he walked into the Weyrleader's quarters which led to the records. He had cekcked his hair before exiting his own weyr, and was wearing his favorite non-riding suit of soft dark brown trousers and a ark blue shirt. Even he found his actions silly, he was a man in his thirties was he not, such adolescent behavior did not become himself.

Unlike the first time he'd come up here, he did not hesitate to make noise as he entered the records. In fact he made a little more noise than he usually would have anyways. He did really want to grab the attention of the Weyrleader...but there was someone else he would mind accidentally bumping into...

[LyricalBlue]

When Ki'lair entered the records room, the scene he came upon was so tense the air nearly crackled with energy. The two Weyrleaders stood together, but it seemed a gulf as wide as the ocean was between them. N'mos towered over Lyrai, in his usual mussed state. His hair was going every which way and ink stains on his rumpled shirt. Lyrai had clearly just come from flight with the leathers she wore, though her jacket had already been abandoned on a nearby chair. With her hair bound up tightly on her head, the slim woman could have easily passed for a adolescent boy; if it wasn't for the air that seemingly all Weyrwomen possessed. She had fixed N'mos with a glare that could wither a needlethorn bush.

Once again N'mos was insisting that Golds could not ride in fall. They were too big he said, too much of a target to maneuver properly. They belonged in the Weyr, being mothers; Goldriders didn't have the sense to fight thread. Unfortunately for N'mos, the three Weyrwomen of Ponaa were dead set against such ideas. But as Lyrai had come back from practicing with the Queen's wing, the Weyrleader saw fit to reprimand her for going against his orders yet again. They had been exchanging heated words and glares, so when Ki'lair came in all went deadly silent.

Finally, the Weyrleader huffed indignantly and strode out of the room, muttering something about going to get something to eat. Lyrai watched him go, stiff backed and bristling like a feline cornered. Sharding hidebound ideas, Golds could fight as well as any dragon, flame or no. Besides who else had the strength to catch another dragon if it was threadscored. She ground her teeth then snapped her head around to glare at Ki'lair.
"Your Weyrleader is of the mind that Golds cannot fight thread. I suppose bronzerider that you might share this opinion." Her tone was icy and venomous, if there was one thing that could tip the Weyrwoman's temper it was that. N'mos might have the final say in the matter, but shards and shells Lyrai was going to fight it every step of the way.

[menta]

Ki'lair sighed inwardly. Everyone knew about Lyrai and N'mos's differences...and no one, himself included, wanted to be anywhere near them. On one hand, N'mos was not only his Weyrleader,but also the wingleader of the wing he thirded, and it would a breach of the highest level of respect for him to publicly voice his distaste for some of the other Bronzer's opinion, but on the other hand...

He decided this would be best handled as diplomatically as possible, and he might get out before too much damage was done. Ki'lair cast an eye at the slim Weyrwoman, and then at the Weyrleader. She was holding her on, but the physical difference was comical. He made a step forward and placed his hides on the table. He wasn't going to make any sudden moves to put them away just yet. "Weyrleader, Weyrwoman," He greeted them politely, dryly. "I really don't believe i should get in the middle of this. I'm sure you have your reasons Weyrwoman, as does he, but I'm sure the Weyrleader is just trying to make you and the Weyr are safe."

He spoke softly, as he usually did, but he had the type of voice that would always be heard nonetheless. He hoped he had stalled the "discussion" for now and slipped the green volume into its appropriate place and filed away the hides. He had some wing business things to discuss with N'mos, but he doubted this was the time. He mentally braced himself against the Weyrleaders. He would doubt that those who got in the middle of one of their arguments got out unscathed.

[LyricalBlue]

"Safe?" The Weyrwoman's voice dropped an octave and nearly dripped with rancor.
"Safe indeed. All dragonmen shall fly when thread is in the sky. A gold can fight as well as any other dragon. Or have you spent so much time with hides that your mind is dusty too?" Lyrai positively seethed and out on her ledge, Zhariath was starting to stir in reaction to her rider's deadly mood.
Sharding bronzeriders, they were all the same! Not a lick of sense in any of them. To even suggest that her Queen couldn't do something another dragon to do. That she couldn't do her duty because they wanted to keep her safe!

She gestured sharply in the direction N'mos had taken down the side corridor that lead back to his weyr.
"Well like minds should keep to like." Her dark eyes nearly matched her tone with venom. She wanted no more of these hide bound bronzeriders. The Queens would fly, safe or no. They would not forsake their duty to the people of Pern just to remain 'safe'. The idea appalled her and left a bitter taste in her mouth. She was not some hold lady that would be happily coddled and submissive. Oh no, not her. N'mos would never know what hit him until it was far too late.

Zhariath awoke fully and growled under her breath. She glanced around, eyes whirling red to see what had offended her rider so.
That sharding man is at it again!He thinks you are not fit to fly thread!
I can fly as well as any other. The queen responded confusedly and shook her head lightly. Such things escaped her. She could fly well, and no other dragon was large enough to catch those who fell.
I know love! Well I know! Oh we'll show him!
Lyrai focused her gaze back on Ki'lair and nearly growled in echo of Zhariath.
"Now, if you'll excuse me bronzerider, I need to attend to my Queen."

[menta]

He waited till the Weyrleader was out of ear shot and looked at her again, with an expression of near annoyance. "Don't be an idiot," He said, his arrogant Bronzer coming out with that statement. "As if i could say anything like that anywhere around him. Unlike you, his leadership does no depend on my dragon." He spoke even more softly then before, as if he thought N'mos might still be there.

"And i never said that Women couldn't fly...you are strong and would be excellent out there. But N'mos is probably just trying to keep you safe...i'm sure he truly is." He was a little angry at her now, for snapping at him so, "If you and your dragon wanted to fly thread, than Yours shouldn't have let herself be caught by someone like that in her own flight. It's your own fault you got stuck with him." He said, and soon wished he hadn't. It was a good idea to say anything negative about a Weyrwoman's dragon. His usual politeness was gone...he was a little pissed off.

He strode over to the other side of the room and began to look through a section of books pertaining to thread patterns in the last fall, pretending the woman wasn't there. She was a temperamental one, wasn't she?

[LyricalBlue]

The level of tension in the room rose to impossibly high levels as Ki'lair spoke. The lean form of the Weyrwoman crackled with furious energy as the bronze rider kept digging himself deeper and deeper with each statement. She stayed quiet for a long time, fists and jaw clenched tightly to control her temper from lashing out any further. He finally stopped and turned away from her, the coward. Lyrai kept herself under tight control and when she finally spoke her voice was cold and low. A deadly tone that few ever heard.

"If you are of such an opinion bronzerider, I will find you another post besides Ponaa." She glared into his back, eyes hard as flint and nearly as sharp. How dare he insult her in her own place, and on top of N'mos's previous comments. Lyrai wanted to skin him and lay his hide out in the sun, the both of them. Insulting Zhariath had earned him a lifetime of enmity whether he realized it or not.
"You are dismissed."

It was true most bronzeriders were allowed access to the Records Room, but it was still a privilege to do so. For some records were to old and delicate to be trusted to random hands. With the dismissal, Lyrai had effectively revoked that privilege. Out on her ledge, Zhariath paced rapidly, reflecting her rider's mood. Red whirling eyes and fluttering wings warned all away.

[menta]

((hahahaha...everyone's beating on my poor charries today )

Dimglow. Yah, like i don't know that. He replied angrily, trying to think quickly but just kept cursing himself in his mind. He was a grown man! For Faranth's sake, he thought he had all his emotions in check. He cast a wary eye towards Zhareith's direction and did the only thing he could do. He knelt down low and bow his head. "My deepest and most sincere apologies milady," he began, but realized it would probably take more than an apology to right the wrong of his out-of-character remark.

"I speak like an insolent child, worse. I shamed myself, and my dragon, and the Weyr," he continued, wincing internally at this blow to his pride. "I ask your forgiveness but do not expect it. If a transfer is what must be done i shall accept it sadly. I also extend my apologies to Zharieth, for it was her who my words wronged. She is a great, golden Queen and that which is said is a complete lie which i regretted even before the words escaped my lips." He took a breath and lifted his head, waiting for either her final dismissal or her signal for him to stand. Well, at least he remembered courtesy after the damage was done. He just hoped he hadn't messed things up for himself permanently her at Ponaa.

[LyricalBlue]

Arms crossed stiffly, the Weyrwoman remained where she was, glaring up at the bronzerider. At least the man had some sense, unlike some others. Too bad he hadn't used that head of his a moment earlier. The more fool he, speaking without thinking first, how typically male. Well she was the wrong woman to pick any sort of fight with. He'd be better off talking to some meek Holder drudge who only sought to please. His apology was smugly satisfying, even if it had come after the initial slip. What he thought about her and her Queen was now blatantly obvious; but at least he wasn't all gas and ash.

As much as she despised the man, N'mos's Fierzath continually flew Zhariath. So even if the man was lacking, the bronze was clearly superior to the others, even Ki'lair's Alazrath. Lyrai did not mention the fact however, knowing quite well that the bronzerider was likely aware of the fact. Keeping her safe indeed! She felt like a Weyrling all over again, needing to prove that she and her Queen were as strong as any other pair, that they could fly just as well. Better even than most of the bronzes! Zhariath could easily match any of their acrobatics and then some more. What riders like Ki'lair might say really shouldn't bother her.

Reigning in her temper a fraction she nodded curtly to the man in front of her.
Nothing more needed to be said, it wouldn't do to foster resentment in the man. But ooo! The nerve of him to say such things! Safe, ha! Contrite he might be now, but she wondered which mood was more the real Ki'lair.
"Bye the egg, stand up bronzerider. We are not some silly holders with such a style. You'd do better teaching Alazrath to out fly Fierzath than to insult my Queen for such shortcomings."

Perhaps she shouldn't have pointed it out, but Lyrai was still fuming and hardly concerned with diplomacy at this point. But she had reigned herself in several notches, at least enough that she could speak without asking Zhariath to kindly take the man's head off. Not that the Queen would, but still... The idea at least was rather satisfying. She smiled acidly at Ki'lair, mollified some by his pretty little speech, but hardly won over.

"And who's to say that some other hide bound bronzerider wouldn't try and do the same. If the Queens didn't fly, you'd lose all those wing scored dragons that fall from the sky during fall. We are the only ones large enough to placate and catch them."
The statement was almost a challenge as she glared pointedly at him. Safe, indeed. If they stayed safe the Weyr would suffer many more losses in a fall.