Playing Hookie (Tag: Ghost, few days after Missing

[Lark]

Since the day the Headwoman had gone missing, Emilia had kept to herself more than ever. Take now for instance, the girl was currently snuggled up under her blankets and shivering, her head the only thing showing of her body as it popped out for the tenth time that candlemark uncertain if it was safe or not. Nyneveth....Nyneveth, please answer me....please The grey was being uncharacteristically quiet, and no doubt they would get in trouble for not just one but both deciding to not cooperate and go to wing practice for the third time that sevenday.

Never leave this place Mine...it isn't safe. Scary bad things will get you with horribly long teeth and hands that are claws....we'll all die eventually, but we will sooner than most, we are doomed.

Well, there was Nyneveth. Emilia silently cursed ever wondering where the dragoness was in the first place, her hands shaking as she crept under the covers again. Not even Skye and Leaf who were currently very upset and chittering in circles above her could coax the girl out. Any time the tried she simply shooed the away, or finally just let out a terrified cry and threw a pillow in their direction. "L...leave me alone! P..please!"

Trilling to his sibling, Skye nudged the wood toward the door. They would get LeaderPerson and FlameThing! Yes, yes, that was the best idea!

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

((I'm not sure if you want to post what the firelizrds do or no. If you don't, PM me and I'll update this to just have T'kar and Ancalanath arrive))

T’kar was seriously debating calling the prior sevenday the “sevenday of strangeness”, or perhaps even, since it had been eight days since that whole incident with the Headwoman — T’kar rapidly turned his thoughts from that, there were things better left unremembered when one was wrapping up wing practice — “the sevenday of headaches”.

No one, not even Ancalanath, had wanted to practice for the first couple days after that whole incident, so T’kar had called the practice off for the three days thereafter. By the end of the third day, he’d come to the conclusion that another day without routine practice would benefit no one, so the practices had resumed. They’d been horribly unorganized, and easily distracted, but they had started practicing again.

As the wing gathered together, T’kar ran his gaze around the group and had to stifle a sigh. He’d been hoping Emilia would turn up partway through practice, but her face was conspicuously absent.

Ancalanath? he asked.

No, she did not just slip out early, Anclanath replied.

He dismissed the wing to go do whatever struck their fancy as a post-practice exercise. Before he could even slide off of Ancalanath’s back, his Crimson flitt, Star, straightened on his shoulder and trilled a greeting.

T’kar looked around, his gaze finally landing on two flitts, a Wood and a Cloud, that had appeared just to his side. His eyes widened briefly, then narrowed, the two seemed familiar for some reason.

They look to Emilia, Anclanath supplied.

“This had better be good,” T’kar muttered, looking the two flitts over. No messages or message tubes were readily apparent. Am I just supposed to follow them? he asked no one in particular.

My guess is yes.

Of course, wisest of dragons, T’kar replied, sarcasm lacing the words. “Lead on, then,” he told the flitts, making a shooing gesture at them.

[Lark]

<<LeaderPerson, FlameThing spotted! Mission 1 accomplished! >>

<Must return to SillyGirl, Ours need help! Right, right!>

Skye chirped quietly to his sibling, the blue and white hide skirting over one of her wings as he did a somersault over her body. Leaf likewise chittered back, eyes whirling sadly and worried over Theirs condition. Moving to land on LeaderPerson's shoulder, she nipped at the Crimson playfully, deciding Flit-talk was much easier than Human-Image-speak. 

<SillyGirl need LeaderPerson to help. DoomSayer biiiiig meanie, FlameThing need to come and shut up!>

Trilling, the little female relayed the message to the firelizard that belonged to the man, showing an image or two just to make her point when Skye urged her to be as clear as possible. The cloud had landed on a perch nearby, preening his wings while he waited for his sibling to discuss the matter on hand.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Star trilled, acknowledging Leaf’s message, then turned to His and showed him what was needed… sort of.

T’kar stared at the flitts, his gaze starting and ending on Star’s Crimson head. The image the flitt, and he was sure it was Star, had just showed him was of Nyneveth loking big and mean, and of Emilia hiding under something and refusing to come out.

It appears that Emilia needs our help, he observed to Ancalanath. Apparently Nyneveth won’t let her out of bed.

Ancalanath’s response was to snort, indicating his sentiment that the reluctance to move was mutual, then leap skyward and twist around, angling for Nyneveth’s weyr. Sure enough, there was Nyneveth.

Ancalanath came in on the ledge, easily settling himself, though since the ledge was on the smaller side and Nyneveth was there already, there was only barely enough room to land. Nyneveth, stop this! he commanded, snaking his neck around so that he was head to head with the smaller dragon. He paid no attention as T’kar slid off his back on his far side and strode into the adjacent room.

T’kar paused upon entering the room. There, hiding under the blankets, was Emilia. Or at least, a shivering person was hiding under the blankets, whose hair was the right shade of blond to be Emilia.

T’kar leaned against the side of the entrance. “Emilia, are you sick?” he asked. The answer was probably a no, but he wanted to find out why she’d missed three days of practice, not even attending as a watcher, and for that he had to get her to start talking.

[Lark]

Oh look, the AnnoyingEmber is here.

Nyneveth glared at the flame, hissing slightly as she backed away and back into her cave, her tail snaking its way around her legs so she could get room between the male and herself. This was her cave, her rider, and most of all, her prophecy of doom. It. Did. Not. Include. Him....unless it was Ancalanath dying first out of them all. Then, and only then, would the Flame be included in her sayings of the end of their Weyr and lives. Snorting, the grey-green turned scared, whirling eyes to Hers' weyr where the dragon's rider had slipped into followed by Cloud and Leaf.

Betrayed! Betrayed by the things I thought loved us, oh how terrible it is EmiliaMine.

The grey keened pitifully, flopping on her bed and glaring at the flame again. Pulling her gums from her fangs, the dragoness snaked out her tongue and hissed at the multi-hued male in front of her. What are you here for Ancalanath?!? You see no truth in my visions as Mine does. I refuse to let her out when she could be harmed. Doom is the only thing that lays in wait for us all. Changing her features to that of a scared dragonet, the grey curled in around herself and keened softly, shivering as she tucked her wings into her sides to seem smaller. I see so much blood...so much devastation for us all......you won't even be able to save us from the doom that Faranth has put in store.

Emilia ignored the flits as they tried landing on her body again, the sound of footsteps however could not be ignored. Peeking up from the blanket, she made a little peep and ducked under again, blushing as T'kar asked if she was sick. Sick...sick...yes, sick! That would be a perfect excuse! Pretending to cough, the girl finally poked her head up from the blankets again and nodded her head. "Y...ye...yes. V..very...very sick." She blushed and looked at him expectantly before coughing into the blanket again, her blue eyes lifting to look at the Wingleader's reaction.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Ancalanath was not amused. Nor was he made very nervous by the smaller dragon’s hissing display of teeth. Mildly annoyed, yes, moderately concerned, yes, nervous, no.

Anclanath bellowed. You’re right, he started, his tone indicative of impending sarcasm. Because if you don’t stop this, I am going to the instrument of your doom.

T’kar had to admit, Emilia was a much better actor than he’d been when he was her age. A better actor than he was at the current moment, too. He also had to admit that if it hadn’t been for that initial quick peep and hiding motion, he might have even believed her about the “very sick” idea. She might well be sick, for though he saw no sign that a Healer had been present, he would hardly have been surprised if Emilia had refused to call one. In fact, the idea of calling a Healer probably would scare her into wellness, all things considered. However, there was no way that she was sick enough to have missed three practices and alarm her flitts because she wasn’t rising from her bed, not with that quick dive for cover that she’d made when she noticed him.

T’kar felt his eyebrow raising and did nothing to stop it. “You should call a Healer,” he said, “After all, having missed three practices…” he let his voice trail off, than continued: “In fact, three practices is above the minimum for it to go to a LifeWing Rider, perhaps I should call them and have one come take a look.” His tone was musing, seeming to be more directed at himself than any other, though it was loud enough for Emilia to hear clearly. He rather hoped she’d retract the “sick” excuse, but he was probably going to have to fall back to plan B.

[Lark]

Oh look, Mr. Sparklypants is being rude. No doubt you'll be the doom of the Weyr, you have no manners whatsoever.

Nyneveth snorted, her eyes whirling an agitated form of yellow as she gazed at the larger male. Why wouldn't he and His just leave already shardit?!? The grey-green gave a wary glance toward the weyr where Hers was, a worried warble rising from her throat. Emilia peeped out of her covers again at the sound, her eyes going from T'kar's still present form to that of her dragoness. A..are you okay? The creature keened pitifully, flopping back onto the bed and shaking her head. Nothing is okay as long as they are here, they're here to whisper pretty things and hurt us in the end, can't you see?

Emilia's gaze locked back onto T'kar's form, fear and loathing in the depths. If that were true, if what Nyneveth was saying was true....Skye and Leaf cheeped in, their bodies forming a barrier between Theirs and all else. Sending image after image of memories, the two delved deep into the girl's mind to pick out all the instances that the grey-green had been incorrect...which was many. Sighing, Emilia looked back at T'kar, and then beyond him to where Nyneveth and Ancalanath sat. "Please...p..please don't call the healer....I....you should just leave." Rubbing her arms, the girl let the covers fall somewhat, curling up tighter with her knees drawing near to her chest. "You're just here because you have to be.......I won't be any use during practice anyway, what does it matter. I might as well be sick."

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

T’kar stepped back, surprised. Nervousness he might have expected, but fear and loathing? What was going on here? Anclanath, what did you say to Nyneveth? he demanded, suddenly suspicious.

Nothing that she didn’t need to hear.

T’kar sighed, careful not to approach any closer to Emilia. The flitts were not yet making threatening motions, but further frightening Emilia would accomplish nothing. Especially when taking into account that Ancalanath had, by his tone, almost certainly been making threats.

Just don’t threaten anything that can’t be followed through on, T’kar reminded the dragon. He was confident Ancalanath would pick up on the unspoken addition not to make threats that shouldn’t be followed through on.

Emilia sighed then, recalling T’kar to the present. Her eyes were no longer flashing such deep fear and loathing at him, T’kar noticed, listening to Emilia’s words. He was relieved that she dropped the “I’m sick” story, but still… she’d been to practices before. Granted, she’d normally stayed on the ground, but she had attended. Her consistent absences lately had him concerned.

Cautiously, T’kar approached. “You certainly won’t be able to do much at practice if you keep skipping it,” he observed, choosing to ignore the first half of that statement. She’s in your Wing, he told himself. That is the end of it.

“But you’ve attended most of them before just recently,” he commented. “Are you sure there’s not something wrong?” His voice had softened, true concern showing in his gaze.

[Lark]

Are you always so mean? Why are you and Yours even here.......you're not taking her away from me. She's Mine! Mine!

Nyneveth shook her head, hissing weakly at the larger male again, worry evident in her tone of voice as she cast more and more wary glances toward Hers. They would steal her, they would take her from Nyneveth and then she would never get her Emilia back! The grey-green straightened, getting to her feet and stumbling over to the small area between the flame and the entrance to Hers' weyr. Trying futilely to slip her head into the entrance, the grey got only part of her head and neck through before getting to the point where she had to stop.

It was enough to get Emilia's attention however, the girl getting up calmly and moving past the Wingleader to grab onto Nyneveth's little head, holding it in the careful embrace of her arms. It's okay, I will never leave you. Nothing can be done to make me leave you. The blonde raised her blue eyes back to the other rider, shaking her head as the words dawned on her. She had been to the past few practices, but then the....well, the thing had happened and there weren't practices, and then Nyneveth had said such terrible things and shown her such terrifying images.

"You don't understand what it's like....being linked to her....my poor, sweet, terrible Nyneveth. You enjoy my pain darling." She spoke evenly, sadly even as she nuzzled the dragon's head, the grey-green keening softly to Hers. I show you those things only because I care. The dragoness let her words soothe over the silence left from Emilia's words, her voice opening to include the other rider as well. It's dangerous out there......she's not safe. I only want her safe from what I see. Crooning, the grey-green creature snaked out her tongue and licked Emilia's arm, warbling when Skye and Leaf landed on Theirs' back and shoulders, forming a combined group hug of sorts.

Suddenly realizing how silly it all probably seemed, the blonde started giggling, her sides shaking with the laughter, a hand raising to wipe at her eyes that had started to tear up from the effort it caused. "I...I'm sorry T'kar. You don't deserve to deal with me...us....no one does...." That is why we were sent away. They didn't want us anymore. Emilia gasped at her dragonesses words, her head shaking vigorously. "No, no! We left Nyneveth....we couldn't stay there anymore, they said horrible things behind our back...terrible things."

Is that not the same MyHeart?

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

If it were anatomically possible for Ancalanath do have do so, he would have raised an eyebrow at Nyneveth’s sudden claim that he and T’kar were going to take Emilia away. Nyneveth, it is not possible to take a rider from her dragon, he told her, though he edged back a little so that she could run towards her rider. Even were it possible, neither T’kar nor I would do such a thing.

There was something fairly absurd looking about the group hug of two flitts and a dragon’s nose that had converged on Emilia. It was an absurdity that T’kar was glad for, because it enabled him to return to his senses.

“That’s understandable,” he said, addressing Nyneveth’s stated desire to keep her rider safe. “The whole thing certainly rattled everyone. I know it’s not on my list of favorite memories.”

“Why would you say no one deserves to have to deal with you?” T’kar asked, forcing himself not to think of all the times that he’d referred to the Greyrider pair as his “personal headache”. “You’re a good Searchrider,” he pointed out. “You’d be good at the maneuverability drills, too, if you put a little bit more time into them.” Turning again, so that he was looking right into the closest one of Nyneveth’s eyes, he added: “The Headwoman was murdered in her room, in the Living Quarters of the Lower Caverns. Further, she was killed with a knife. Even if the killers were to turn up at the wing practice and try to murder everyone attending, they’d be hard pressed to bring down a flying dragon with a knife.”

Not to mention, they’d be stupid to try.

Hey, no fair, that was my line, T’kar teased.

[Lark]

Other things could happen to Mine at practice. Not all bad endings are caused by someone with a sharp object. Surely you would know that. I protect her from all kinds of hurt. The world is a terrible place.

Nyneveth spoke to the Wingleader evenly, as much so as her rider had spoken to her previously. The words had a knowing lilt to them though, and for a moment the dragoness considered showing him what she meant, but no that wouldn't do. She only showed Hers and the little ones those images and feelings. They were too bad to show to anyone else. Nuzzling her rider gently, the grey-green backed out of the entrance to her rider's weyr and looked over her shoulder at the Flame that stood nearby.

I suppose you find my warnings of doom and destruction as silly and useless as I view your posturing in front of our Queen.

"Nyneveth!" Emilia's shocked voice rang out in the silence that followed the dragoness' blunt statement, the creature simply shrugging her shoulders and shaking her wings out before spreading them taunt and gliding from her ledge down to the feeding pens below. The dragoness never took long making a kill, and she didn't change her normal behavior now either as she curled around her meal and tucked in.

"I'm sorry....I'll start going to practice again...I promise. She's just increasingly difficult. You'd think she'd be good a drill, but she's too concerned with either my safety or spouting off some idea of doom to execute anything. It was terrible getting through weyrlinghood, it's why we usually stay grounded. She's more of a danger to herself and everyone around her than someone to help. As for that 'searching' people say we're so good at, she doesn't mean to do that either. I've just learned to interpret what she means."

Blinking wide blue eyes, Emilia shook her head and grabbed Leaf out of the air, petting the little wood flit as Skye landed on her shoulder. "They keep me sane." She commented off-handedly as if that answered any questions he may or may not have about the two smallest members of their strange family.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Like every person born, T’kar had certain ideas about what a leader did or did not do under given sets of circumstances. Granted, one of those easily imagined circumstances had never been ‘when wingrider’s dragons start predicting doom and refusing to go to practice as a result’, but the situation he found himself in fit rather nicely into ‘unexpected or ridiculous actions and revelations’, for which he did have some guidelines. It had always seemed to him, likely in no small part due to observations of Z’der in action, that when faced with the unexpectedly ridiculous that a leader should break down laughing, but rather point out where the statement seemed flawed and/or ask for additional information. However, Nyneveth also appeared to be calming, and it was also his firm belief that a leader should not interfere in a situation that is winding down, so he remained silent, caught neatly between two different directives of leadership. It wasn’t a situation he had often found himself in, and he immediately resolved to pick a directive and stick with it.

No sooner had he made the resolve though, than Emilia shouted at Nyneveth, who’d just said something to Ancalanath, something that was obviously almost amusing to the RR Flame, regardless of how shocking it seemed to Emilia, and Nyneveth sprang from the ledge, which of course prevented T’kar from asking what she was worried about.

Night-monsters, doom-beasts, with an extra side of doom, Ancalanath interjected with no small trace of exaspirated amusement, rather like an elder who had heard the terrified bleating of a youngster in response to ordinary things so frequently that the occurrence is hardly even annoying anymore, though he was careful to make sure that only T’kar would hear him.

Oh, and Nyneveth, Ancalanath added to the now feeding Grey-Green. He didn’t particularly care if she was eating at that moment or not, he knew she’d hear him. if I were as overdone in posing in front of the Queen as you are in predicting doom and destruction, then the Queen would likely order me away. The trick to doing anything successfully is to do it in moderation. Right now even if you truly detected doom almost no one would listen, you’re like the little shepherd boy who cried wherry. There was nothing of anger in Ancalanath’s words, but he could not keep his inner amusement from dancing through them. He found Nyneveth’s actions amusing, rather like a lion might find a kitten’s challenges amusing. He didn’t really know why he was offering her advice, the chances of her following it were abysmally slim, but he was offering it nonetheless.

T’kar would have dearly loved to sigh. At least the primary goal of the day was obtained; Emilia had just said that she would start coming to practice again. However, that probably, given the relationship between Emilia and Nyneveth as he’d witnessed it so far, wouldn’t prevent Nyneveth from refusing again as soon as the next day dawned.

“They have my compliments, then,” T’kar replied. “If you could ask Nyneveth to relay any concerns, I can have the practice field and schedule checked to insure that nothing untoward happens,” he commented. Nodding acknowledgement, he backed up a couple steps before turning and walking over to Ancalanath.

[Lark]

Nyneveth had nothing to say to the Flame after that, her body language doing the talking instead as she curled inward and dropped her wings by her sides. No, he would not believe her and neither would anyone else. That is why it all would've for naught even if she did show them what she saw. How could anyone understand the terror of her visions when they could not view them themselves? She refused once more to give into the tiny desire to share with the King though, selfish and dejected both at the same time.

Finally the grey-green dragoness managed a small keen, her eyes going white and grey with the subtlest hint of buttery yellow. It is pointless either way. Whether I say it few or often, no one would ever understand. She brought up one wing half-heartedly stretching the membrane out to shift it into a more comfortable position. She was stiff from the lack of flight, and underneath it all she desperately wanted to soar again with Hers even if it were for the last time.

Shifting her still stormy gaze to her lifemate, Nyneveth blew warm air from her lungs and shuffled past the Flame, spreading her wings and gliding down toward the waters of the lake. Join me Emilia My Heart. I promise no doom will come to us today. I think even the stars and shadowbeasts have changed their mind in the face of our Flame's words. And if they had not then it would spite the blasted creature then now wouldn't it? Settling into the shallows, Nyneveth lowered her entire body into a laying position in the Luke warm water and let out a satisfied croon.

"At least her episode has seemed to end now. It's the bad thing about being bonded to a grey...your fears are theirs and their fears only make to worsen yours until its an endless chain." Emilia pushed a wild strand of hair from her face where her lips had caught it mid-sentence, her eyes darting to the half empty cave and then to T'kar's retreating form. For a moment she wondered again why he had come really, and then she shook that thought away. She was being ridiculous, however something he had said did nag after mind. Before he was able to leave entirely, she ran forward and shouted.

"T'kar! I...I wanted to thank you again. You didn't have to come, you could have sent anyone...so thank you." She fiddled with a curl of hair while biting her lip, wanting to catch the nerve to say what had actually crossed her mind. Finally sighing and deciding to throw caution to the wind, well only slightly at least, she moved to touch his shoulder and get his attention once more.

"And....you said she and I would be...could be, good at drill if we practiced....can...can you help us? It may give her confidence enough to cease some of rants and it could help me...and.." and I trust you and as much as she would hate to admit it, she trusts your dragon too. Except she didn't say that part, but it hung in the air between them evident in her pleading eyes and honest voice.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Ancalanath stepped smoothly to the side as Nyneveth headed outside for the lake. It seemed that at least something that he’d said had gotten through, although he did give a displeased snort when he saw how stiff her stretch was. Foolish weyrling, he commented to T’kar.

T’kar’s lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything. The stretch had looked stiff, but at least the Grey-Green was out in the water and doing something. That was all to the good. He’d nearly reached Ancalanath when he heard footsteps behind him and heard his name called out. He spun partly around, glancing over his shoulder at the rapidly approaching Emilia. This was, surprising. He wouldn’t have tagged Emilia for the sort to come running after the person who’d just shot down all her excuses about missing practice.

He stayed there, his face perfectly neutral save for a slight widening of his eyes in surprise, as she stammered a thank you, then went on to ask, practically plead, for his help with the drills. For a moment he remained perfectly still, his own amber eyes searching her pleading sapphire ones, before he decided.

“Very well. Tomorrow, just come watch the drill, and I’ll help you with the patterns after it ends. But for today, you should go join Nyneveth at the lake, encourage her to stay outside for awhile.” Turning, he tensed to spring for the straps on Ancalanath’s shoulder, then offered one of the ends to Emilia. “Want a ride down there?” he asked.

[Lark]

Her breath finally came out in a rush, her mind unknowingly having held it until he had spoke. So, he was agreeing then? Did that mean that he was doing it out of duty though, or did he genuinely wish to help her? Emilia shook herself mentally, her eyes darting to the offered strap that he held out to her now. A ride? He was offering her a ride?

For a moment she just stared stupidly at it, her eyes flicking up to his face then the offering a few times before it finally clicked into place. "Uh...y....yeah. Okay." Hesitantly and slowly at first, she took the strap from him and climbed onto Ancalanath's shoulders and neck, her gaze taking in the beautiful mix of his hide, the strength in his muscles. "Thank you..." It was a tiny, breathy, whisper that she spoke while ducking her head slightly, her eyes shifting upward to catch sight of her two firelizards dancing in the air around them.

They had done well this time, and they knew just how much had happened here. "I'll be there tomorrow....I promise." And there was one thing about Emilia's promises. She kept them...always. Reaching out to send a soothing tendril of mental energy toward Nyneveth, the grey-greenrider froze for a moment as she tried to think of where to place the two sharding things called hands. Would she need to put them on T'kar's waist to keep settle? Or would she just put them near or on the strap? Or....hmmr, this was entirely a new problem. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Emilia suddenly blew a bit of her blond hair that had gotten in her way from her eyes. At least things can only go up from here.....I hope.


For now....