Emerald Isle - Sunset Beach
Soft pink sand lays along this stretch of seaside like a comfortable blanket. Its hue is a soft one and comforting to look upon, as is the smooth aquamarine of the ocean. Although the beach is beautiful at all times or day and night, it is the most profound at sunset when the sky is painted with the soft pastel colours of a setting sun. Dramatic reds, pinks and peachs stretch into one another, the seperate colours' boundaries left undefined, but as it gets darker you can notice a light purple continuely creeping into the others. Even the pink sand's shade changes, ranging from containing an almost fiery element to being a smooth pinkish purple.
The day has started out as one of those rare summer ones, where the weather is clear and still hot, but not unbearably so. Late afternoon has settled and for most, the day's training, work or chores are done or wrapping up, leaving some to escape early to enjoy the sun and clear skies before evening settles in. It was also chance that a certain weyrling ran into a certain dolphineer and soon some would notice the pale hued bronze of said weyrling taking off from the western bowl, along with a passenger. Once they're clear of the outer rim of the Weyr, Velokraeth levels out into an easygoing pace, gliding for the most part on various thermals and allowing both Th'ero and Jeyinshi to enjoy the view. Eventually, the young bronze veers a little towards the markets, before angling sharply down towards a uniquely colored sand beach. With a backwards sweep of his wings, Velokraeth makes a clean landing, rumbling in a satisfied tone as he turns his head a little to glance at the two strapped to his back. Well? "Show off." Th'ero mutters, twisting a little in the straps to check on the dolphineer behind him. "We're here. Did you want to dismount first?" he asks, smiling crookedly.
Jeyinshi grins, "Well, he's allowed to show off isn't he? Nice landing Velokraeth!" The dolphineer reaches down, giving the dragon's hide a bit of a scratch "Thanks again for the ride." At the weyrling's suggestion however, Jey looks a bit dubious. "Mhm, cause I'm adept at mounting, dismounting, strapping in, and unstrapping people from dragons." There's a tiny hint of teasing sarcasm in her voice before she looks out at the beach, a smile forming on her face. "Shards, didn't even know this place existed, it's beautiful."
Velokraeth gives another low rumble; jaw dropping down slightly in a draconic like smile which only has Th'ero groaning slightly. "Oh great. Now he's never going to stop." He says, sighing a little even as the young bronze snorts in response. Jeyinshi's sarcastic remark earns her a smirk. "Alright, I get the hint." The weyrling mutters, though sounding amused as he unbuckles himself and then deftly unbuckles the dolphineer. He partially dismounts before reaching up to offer one of his hands for Jeyinshi to take should she need the support. "You've Velokraeth to thank for that as well. He spotted it on one of our brief exercises."
"Hey, he has fair boasting rights. You're not the one that carried me all the way over here, are you? Your back would break if not for him." The dolphineer smiles easily, taking his hand and hopping down rather easily. In fact, she probably had no need for the helping hand at all. "Mmm, and thanks for that too, Velokraeth." Jey gives the bronze another pat before turning back to Th'ero, a smile on her face. "It's nice for you guys to finally be able to do manned flights huh? Get yourself out of the Weyr and somewhere less stuffy."
Th'ero can only give Jeyinshi a blank look as Velokraeth all but croons in delight. Ooh, he likes the way this one thinks! "Alright, fine. I'll give him that. But we could have walked, you know." He points out, though pulls a bit of a face at the thought. It's one thing to fly in, as it's undoubtedly a little quicker then by foot. Once Jeyinshi is safely dismounted, Th'ero undoes the straps holding the few small items brought along as well - the obligatory towels and, of course, a package of food and refreshments (of the non-alcoholic sort). Once those are set down safely, with the towel being handed to the dolphineer to hold, the weyrling turns to the task of freeing his bronze from the straps. "It's been… freeing, in a way. Can't go too far, but at least we can get out and escape a little. It seems like forever since I've been beyond the walls of the Weyr."
Jeyinshi smiles, stepping closer for a few seconds and leaning in to whisper in the weyrling's ear. "Jealous?" And then the cheeky dolphineer all but skips away, throwing a teasing grin over her shoulder. "We could've walked. That wouldn't have been too bad either." Taking the towel, she stands, watching as the items are unpacked and the straps undone. "It has been ages since you've been outside the Weyr I think. Not since we all went on that camping trip? And we were still stuck on an island then." Jey shakes her head a bit at the memory before settling down onto the sand. "Just a little bit longer, right? And then you guys really will have complete freedom."
Th'ero gives Jeyinshi a wary look when she's suddenly approaching closer, only to blink when she whispers in his ear. "Am not!" he exclaims, which only has Velokraeth snorting sharply. That earns the bronze a thump to the shoulder, though it's all in play. "Stop it, you. Go have your swim and keep your comments to yourself." Dragging the straps to lay them in a neat pile safely out of the way, Velokraeth gives himself a brief shake before waddling away down the multi-hued shore into the waters, leaving Th'ero to turn back to Jeyinshi with a bit of a lopsided grin. "Ah, I remember that. How long were we on that island?" he asks, shaking his head a little at the memories. The weyrling then gathers up the food and follows the dolphineer to where she settles. "We'll be doing our Betweening clearance tests soon. So, yes, we're close." He admits, a wistful look on his expression. Th'ero side-glances to Jeyinshi as he sets the food and refreshments down within reach before finally sitting. Next step? Getting rid of his riding boots. "And what about you, Jey? It's been awhile since I last saw you. Been traveling much?"
"Mhmmm, whatever you say Th'ero." Jey looks up at the weyrling with a teasing grin before eyeing the food. "Glad you haven't forgotten the basics of 'Dating Jey'. And ugh….I don't even remember how long we were on the island. It got old after the first few days." The dolphineer shudders a bit at that before sliding her hands back and leaning on them as she sits. "So close, yet so far…" Jey looks a tiny bit disgruntled at that before she's shaking her head again. "I went back home. The Dolphincraft Hall held the first dolphin races a while back. Sungie and I almost won. But he was stupid, got distracted by a couple of sweet little girls, so my brother won. Kind of a shame really."
"Of course not!" Th'ero muses with a hint of sarcasm. "I made sure to pack double too." He teases while carefully untying one of the packages and letting it fall open just enough to reveal all he managed to snag from the kitchens on the whim he'd run into the dolphineer. For once, his quick plan actually worked. There's a shudder in response to Jeyinshi's, the weyrling no doubt of the same mind. "It was a good experience, but I agree. By the end, I was glad to be back in the Weyr. Even if I'm anxious to leave it again." There's a bit of a snort given and then he's back to giving Jeyinshi a curious look, one brow raised up to her last remark. Th'ero leaves it to slide though, frowning faintly in confusion before managing a smile. "Oh? Shards, I would have loved to be there. Never seen a dolphin race, though I've heard enough about the runners." There's a bit of a dry chuckle. "Shame? Second place isn't that bad, is it?"
Jeyinshi grins, "Quick thinking will get you far." Idly, she reaches for a fruit, biting into it and chewing on it with a happy look on her face. Once she's done the polite thing and finished chewing and swallowing, the dolphineer begins speaking again. "It all just comes down to freedom I guess. Being able to go where you want, do what you want. It's suffocating when you can't." The confused look earns a soft chuckle, "Second place isn't bad, But we were just about to cross the finishing line when he jumped the track. My brother and I sort of have a sibling rivalry going on with our dolphins. We always used to race unofficially. Sungie and I always lost, so I wanted to show him up just once. The hyper child didn't have any such intentions apparently…" Jey makes a tiny face at that. "But next time we hold them, hopefully you could come. My brother, Sian, he was pretty darn amazing. Rode his dolphin like a surfboard. He was going to lean forward and try to cross the finish line first….though he ended up not needing to."
Th'ero only responds with a slight snort as he reaches in to the packaged food and pulls out some rolled cuts of meat. He quickly polishes off one, then another while Jeyinshi talks, though his gaze stays focused on the dolphineer despite his snacking. "Hmm. It's true, it is rather restrictive to be Weyrbound." The weyrling admits, frown deepening as lapses into thought, mouth drawling into a thin line. But he quickly shakes himself out of it, blinking a little as the dolphineer goes on to describe the race and the near win. "Wouldn't that have been cheating?" Th'ero asks, sounding a little doubtful on Sian's tactic. "Leaning to put himself across first?" Obviously, he's no idea on the inner workings of racing. He goes give Jeyinshi a reassuring grin though as he settles more comfortably on the sands. "Ahh, shame that Sungie had to get distracted at a pivotal point. Maybe next time he'll be just that much more mature? You two will probably snag first for sure!"
Jeyinshi stares at the weyrling for a few seconds as the silence lapses, tilting her head. "Something happen? I wouldn't pin you as someone to be this disgruntled about not being able to leave unless something happened." The dolphineer brings the fruit down, laughing a bit and shaking her head. "Mm, I don't think it's cheating, since the dolphineers and dolphins are equal partners. The dolphins do most of the physical work, while we attempt to run strategies. It's a bit more engaging than a runner race since we do have the freedom to do all this. As long as we're always in contact with our partner we're fine….but I really do hope Sungie'll grow up a bit….though it'd be a sad day when he does."
"It's nothing." Th'ero says a little too hurriedly, flicking his fingers in a dismissive gesture, though he fidgets a little under Jeyinshi's staring. There's a smirk that curves up from one corner of his mouth and then suddenly the weyrling is looking past the dolphineer to where Velokraeth is sun bathing in the shallows. The young bronze is fixing his rider with a look that Th'ero seems to know all too well. But he's being rebellious and soon his gaze slides back to Jeyinshi and he changes conversations back to her races, rather then spit out the truth. "It sounds like quite the experience, all the same. Never knew a race could be so complex." He then turns a little to unscrew the cap from one of the thermoses he brought, pouring some citrus-like fruit juice into a cup before gesturing with the thermos. Would she like some? "Why would you be sad?" Th'ero asks, sounding genuinely interested.
"Yeah, right. If there's nothing wrong then I can't swim. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I've known you long enough to know when something's up, so don't put on a show." Jey waves off further talk of the race, instead choosing to concentrate a bit more on Sungie. "I'd imagine it's the same kind of feeling one would have if their kid grew up? Like a mom getting all sentimental once they realize that their child is a teenager. I obviously don't have experience with it, but I think that's how it'd feel."
There's an answering warble from Velokraeth that comes off just a little on the cocky side in tone in response to Jeyinshi's comment. While the bronze is shot a very narrowed glance, Jeyinshi is given a more softened, but reluctant look. As his offer for a share of the drink isn't acknowledge, the weyrling recaps the thermos and takes the cup into both hands. And it's into this cup he stares as he begins to drop some more hints, though still seems hesitant to spit the entire truth out. "I got a letter, sent to me, not long ago. From Torince Hold." He shares, before weakening again and latching on to different topics. "Sounds like that's the issue then. Though it'll be good once he does mature. Won't you two be able to move onto different tasks? Harder ones?"
Jeyinshi watches the weyrling just as intently as he's looking into the cup. "From your family then…." The dolphineer trails off after prodding the conversation lightly, waiting to see if he'll speak any further. "Yea, we can do harder things, become full Search and Rescue dolphineers rather than me staying with the pods, training." She leaves it at though, waving it off and leaning forward. Food and drinks all set aside at this point.
Th'ero looks like he'd much prefer to continue the conversation along Jeyinshi's future among the Dolphincraft, but when it's clear that neither she nor a certain eavesdropping pale bronze will let him, the weyrling sighs. To linger even longer, he takes a long sip of his drink before finally giving Jeyinshi the answers she's seeking out. "Not my family, not directly. It was a formal letter. Legal." Th'ero murmurs, glancing up to the dolphineer for a moment, face drawn in a rather neutral expression. Far too neutral for the next line he drops: "My father is dead. Apparent accident." And by the sound of the tone of his voice, Th'ero doesn't seem to believe the "accident" part of it. Or is it hidden relief? Either way, the weyrling is not outwardly torn up or even seeming sad by the news. Just oddly detached, though Jeyinshi would probably know why.
"I see…." Jeyinshi trails off, her voice measured as she watches his reaction. For a few seconds she reamins sitting, just looking at the weyrling for a while. And then she gets up, brushing off her clothes before moving to Th'ero's side and sitting beside him, their sides touching lest he move away. She doesn't make a move to hug him or anything, simply sitting there and leaning against him for a while. "Are you going to go back and visit once you've graduated?"
Th'ero doesn't move away, as there is no awkwardness felt with Jeyinshi simply sitting beside him. Had she maybe offered to hug, he'd shy away, but that's partially his nature. He leans back, figuring it couldn't hurt to do so nor pushes the boundaries of the rules too far. "No." The weyrling replies, rather bluntly, before he forces himself to relax again and gives an apologetic look to the dolphineer next to him. "No, I won't. You know why I can't, Jey. I'm supposed to receive an inheritance, which surprises me a little. Not lands, obviously. Those are my brother's." At the mention of his brother, even without his name, Th'ero's frown deepens.
"I know why…" The dolphineer sighs, also leaning in to him a bit. "I guess that is a bit surprising, but I think it means he didn't hate you. Even if he was a stubborn…stubborn thing, he still thought of you. That's what I think at least." Jey closes her eyes then, continuing to sit there quietly for some time. "Have you heard anything about your sister?"
Eyeing Jeyinshi for a moment, Th'ero can't help but smile wanly when he helpfully supplies the dolphineer with the missing term. "Stubborn bastard, more like it." The weyrling then gives a sudden sharp, bitter laugh. "Thought of me though? Hardly likely and I bet it was my mother's doing, more then his. I don't hear things in Turns and then this?" And he then spreads his hands out in a helpless gesture, mug still held firmly in one. When Jeyinshi asks after his sister, Th'ero lapses into a spat of silence, mostly from him finishing his drink and setting the empty cup aside. "Last I heard from her was her short letter after she received the stuffed dragon I got during Candidacy. Then I Impressed and haven't had time to reply and then this letter comes, but no word from her." He makes a bit of a disgruntled noise in his throat and scrubs warily at the side of his face. "That worries me more over Ilentho's death."
"Stubborn bastard it is….Well, if it wasn't him, it was someone. Whoever it was. Whether it's obligation or what not, someone was thinking about you." Brows furrow when he talks of his sister, and the dolphineer taps her foot idly. "Maybe you should try and send someone to check up on her? If you're not going to go yourself."
"I've already thought of that. I have a letter ready to send to a friend of mine back in Torince Hold. I figure it was him who sent me the notice." Th'ero points out, still leaning slightly against the dolphineer, though his gaze has drifted out over to the waters. Velokraeth is still basking in the sand and waters, the young bronze seeming calm. "I'm going to see if they - my mother or sister - can't meet me half way. I… refuse to step foot back home at the actual cothold, even with Ilentho gone. My brother is still alive and he's the spitting copy of my father. He'll give me nothing but trouble." The weyrling's tone takes on a darker edge. It would seem that he spares no love either for his brother. Th'ero then grimaces a little, shaking his head. "In reality, I hope to bring my sister here. Or at least see that she's permanently set in Torince Hold. Her letter, though short was… off." Suddenly, Th'ero gives Jeyinshi a light bump to the shoulder and the weyrling smiles wanly. "Listen to me, rambling on and on about this. We should be enjoying this outing, instead of me just dredging up all my family issues."
Jey's hand moves, coming to rest lightly atop his own, despite the likelihood that he'll pull away. "I think that's a good idea. And I'm sure they'll agree to it. There's plenty of room at the Weyr too of course. I think….maybe it's just a matter of getting to meet them by themselves now." The dolphineer falls silent for a few moments again before a small smile crosses her face and she gives him a light shoulder bump back. "Haven't I told you before? If I didn't hear your rambling I'd be upset. And despite your family issues, I'm still enjoying the evening. It's not everyday a handsome rider takes me to some beautiful beach." There's the tiniest of winks with the comment.
Th'ero does tense for a moment, rather jumpy from the sudden touch. But he doesn't pull away, though he does glance down at her hand for a moment, before finally relaxing. "Kaliena will agree to it. I'm not sure of my mother. Ilenki will be against it and will no doubt try to stop me and I can only go so far. I can't cross certain lines. The whole Holder autonomy or what-have-you and riders not meddling into affairs." There's a frustrated flick of his free hand and then he chuckles dryly. "I'm probably already pushing it by trying to reach her and convince her to leave." Jeyinshi's final remark and the wink manages to lure a bit of a grin from him, some amusement returning to Th'ero's tone. "I try." He muses, though soon sobers. "But I am glad that the evening isn't entirely ruined."
Jeyinshi nods, "I understand, less because my Hold was free, too free perhaps, about order and such, but I know how riders are supposed to steer clear. But you've got to take a chance right? Even if it's pushing the lines, it's your family." Once he's finally grinned, the dolphineer smiles a little but leans in to him a little more as it fades. "It isn't ruined at all. I'm not shallow like some girls, I like that you'll talk to me about these things. We don't get to see each other much, but when you can tell me these things, I don't think it's so bad or we're that far apart or….whatever. Shards I sound like a lovesick puppy right now!"
"As much as I love my sister and mother, I am a part of this Weyr and I can't jeopardize our political standing or break serious laws that have been in effect since the First Settlers." Th'ero scrubs thoughtfully at his chin again, frowning in thought as he glances away into the distance distractedly. When Jeyinshi leans into him again, it drags him back to reality and the smile does return, broadening when the dolphineer makes the remark on being a lovesick puppy. Now it's his turn to wink slightly. "I don't mind." He teases lightly. "But you're right, we don't see much of each other. It's just… I'm not used to this. This… being truthful and sharing my actual past."
"Well I don't think you're going to go and break any laws by asking them to come stay with you. If you kidnap them on the other hand….that'll certainly cause problems. But meeting them isn't going to put the Weyr in jeopardy." Jey grins at the wink, breathing the tiniest sigh of relief. "I know what you mean. I still haven't told anyone here what happened up at the Hall…the accident…of course, I have less strings attached. You should've seen me before I cam to Western, might've thought I was a mannequin."
"No, you're right. If my letter reaches Kaliena and she agrees, then there is no issue. But…" Th'ero hesitates for a moment, mouth drawing down into a thin line again as he sorts through his thoughts. "… if Ilenki, my brother, catches wind of it and denies her or interferes, it'll become more of a Hold matter. He /is/ a holder now, after all, even if it's just a small fishing cothold. Brother or no, our ranks work against us and if he doesn't want Kaliena leaving well…" And again, the weyrling spreads his hands out in another helpless gesture that ends in a shrug. "That'll be the end of that." Th'ero then side-glances back to Jeyinshi, gaze meeting hers when she sighs in relief. "What you went through is very traumatizing though." He points out gently, smiling softly. "I'd be worried if you said you were just fine or if you'd just openly tell all about it."
Jeyinshi gives his hand a small rub. "Don't worry about that for now. If the time comes, you can deal with it then. Right now you just need to get in contact with her. There's no use obsessing, you'll just feel worse." The dolphineer looks out at the waters, her eyes idly scanning the area. "My family would probably send me to a mind healer if I had been perfectly alright after the accident. They were pretty close to it….not that I'm crazy or anything."
"You're right." Th'ero admits with a nod of his head, moving his hand but not to pull it away from Jeyinshi's touch. Instead, he links his fingers through hers, if the dolphineer permits it. The move seems to take the weyrling by surprise, as he's glancing down afterwards. Then his gaze moves back up and Th'ero actually chuckles this time. "I actually /did/ see a mind healer, though purely accidental. But I'm sure your family wanted to just out of worry for you." He then grins. "You're hardly crazy, Jey." There's a pause and then he adds: "Definitely odd, but not crazy." And then the weyrling braces for the comeback to his little teasing jab.
Jeyinshi looks down, slightly surprised herself at the movement, but doesn't pull away. Instead, a smile crosses her face and she gives his hand a small squeeze. "Really? Heh, that's interesting. But yeah, they were just worried. And I don't blame them. I was pretty much a zombie for a few months." A comeback he expects, and a comeback comes. With a grin, the dolphineer looks up, raising an eyebrow. "Odd am I? That makes you even odder for dating me. What were you /thinking/ when you agreed to this?"
The small squeeze is returned and then Th'ero slowly untwines his fingers from hers and pulls his hand away, though he still remains close to the dolphineer. "Hmm, it was. He was the first friend I made after… well, after Ilentho disowned me. Just happened he was a posted mind healer." There's a shrug given to that and then a bit of a sympathetic look given to the dolphineer. But that soon dissolves when Jeyinshi fires off her comeback and Th'ero can only grin broadly. "I've no idea what I was thinking." He replies, chuckling. "But I don't regret it. So I guess that makes me odd, among other things." As the two of them converse back and forth, Velokraeth has stirred himself from the waters, stretching and shaking off the excess from his hide before he slowly waddles his way back up the shore. He then settles down nearby, working a bit of a wallow into the sands before easing himself down with a long sigh.
Jeyinshi pulls her hand away as well, sliding it behind her and leaning back onto it. "Hmm, do you still keep in touch? Maybe we should get him to look at you a bit. Especially if you're not regretting it just yet." There's a teasing wink, before her gaze shifts over to the bronze, watching as he makes his way up to the shore. "You know….just looking at him makes me sleepy. Lucky dragon's got it quite comfortable there doesn't he?"
Th'ero snorts in amusement. "Who do you think I've been using as a go-between with the letters?" he remarks dryly, though his grin doesn't falter. The weyrling watched Velokraeth's progress as well and there's a smirk before he's leaning forwards, glancing back to the dolphineer. "Oh, he's comfortable. But that's also his subtle hint that it's time for us to get back." There's a glance given to the sky, which is now starting to hint at darkening as evening approaches. "As much as I'd love to just stay out here for once. But last think I need is to set the Weyrlingmasters into a panic when we don't return on time." Reluctantly, Th'ero shifts so that he's resting on his knees, working to slowly pack up all the food and refreshments, careful not to leave anything behind. "Plus, he needs to feed soon." After all, they may have got their meal, but there is definitely nothing around for Velokraeth to snack on.
Jeyinshi grins, stretching a bit before standing up and brushing her clothes off again. "Your Weyrlingmasters aren't the only ones that are going to be worried. At least you don't have to get an earful from Sungie when you get back." And then, in a rather amazing immitation of the dolphing. "OH GROSS! So long gone! With HIM!" The dolphineer rolls her eyes a bit before following after the weyrling, ready to head back to the Weyr as well.
Th'ero can't help but laugh at the imitation Jeyinshi gives, flashing her a quick grin. His good humor is back, it would seem. Once everything is gathered, the weyrling goes about the task of dragging the heavy straps and resetting them on Velokraeth, no doubt muttering a few choice words about the bronze being full of sand and having a lot of cleaning to do later on. Eventually, the packages are strapped in and now it's just a matter of getting mounted up. "Sungie will just have to learn to share." Th'ero teases the dolphineer one last time, before helping her up into the straps (if she needs it) and then following up behind her. Within a few short moments, he's got them both buckled in and with one last look across the uniquely colored beach, Th'ero gives the signal to Velokraeth and the bronze takes wing and with the same leisurely pace, they all head back into the Weyr.