Just About Time to Say Goodbye [Kaya/Holt, Ghost/K'tar]

[Shoki]

76.01.27
Morning

D’ziel sat in the dining hall, sipping at his K’lah every once in a while. Everything was arranged, and he was leaving today. He had figured leaving for Ice Stone would be best done at midday, he wanted to get there when he was sure it was light. There was a sense of anticipation, going to a new place, doing new things, but he wasn’t quite done at Rainbow Mists yet. He was packed, he had spoken with D’gan as his wingleader and arranged all of that, his papers were in order, but there was something still. He had to talk with his friends a bit before he left. He had gotten his conversation with Elora done early, though he mostly tried to think about the fact that it was done, not the particulars. Of course K’tar and Holt knew, but today he had arranged to meet up before he left. It was still early, so he remained in the hall, just thinking and enjoying his drink.

The only thing he could really think about at the moment was whether or not he would actually like Halk. It was kinda a silly thing to be worrying about, especially since there were a number of other things to think about. The cold, the short days, the new people. But no, he was worried about not liking the local drink. He must be nervous if he was being so silly.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

K’tar jogged into the dining hall, then slowed down and ambled over to the kitchen in pursuit of meatrolls and red fruit, as well as some meat scraps for the omnipresent canine at his heels. Fortunately, especially given how he had spent the prior day, the head cook wasn’t looking in his direction, so he snagged some cold bubbly pie as well. It had been a late night for him, but he was still a little early for meeting D’ziel.

Turning around, he scanned the room for a place to sit. It wasn’t particularly crowded, but… K’tar leaned forward slightly, then smiled. D’ziel was here already. With a quick wave, he walked over to join his friend.

“’Morning D’ziel,” he said, flopping down into a nearby chair. Altahyr tried to input his canine nose in the middle of the meatrolls, but K’tar fended him off with the ease of long practice. “You eat already?” K’tar asked, while setting the bowl of scraps on the floor for the canine.

[Kaya]

Today was a last. It hung over Holt like a misty day at Dragon Ridge. Permeating. Unrelenting in its subtleness. D'ziel's last day. He had resolved to go visit on occasion. He had also realized several days ago that it wouldn't be the same.

Still, he tried to put a good face on it. The last thing D'ziel needed after all that had happened was a dose of Dragon Ridge dreary.

So with a sad but understanding smile Holt spotted his friends and took his time walking over. He uttered a normal greeting and took a seat. It was only then he felt Sonder float into the room and take up residence on the corner of the room. The Brown was feeding off his melancholy, it was as if the firelizard savored sad stories. He was always present for them. He had his good traits too, but they weren't showing themselves so well today. Holt ignored him.

"So you're all set?"

[Shoki]

D’ziel looked up from his drink to spy K’tar, and he broke into a smile as the other man waved at him. The Purple rider was followed by his canine, who was quite interested in the foods for breakfast they had here. It was always a good time.

“Morning K’tar. I ate pretty early.” He leaned down to pet Altahyr, at least just a bit. He was a nice canine. “Been up to anything interesting recently?” Well, that was kinda a rhetorical question, at least with K’tar. He was always up to SOMETHING. Soon enough though, Holt came in, D’ziel noticing that he wasn’t quite up to normal spirits. D’ziel’s smile dwindled slightly, but he couldn’t quite be brought down just by that. He gave Holt a friendly greeting in return, before Holt piped up with his question. D’ziel smile turned a bit more reserved.

“Just about. Just the actual going is still on my agenda.” He looked up at both of his friends and felt a little bit more melancholy. It wasn’t like he was saying good bye forever or anything. Still, it did mean not seeing them for a while. Although, he wasn’t like them, he had got booted into a different wing than both of them. Still, it wasn’t lost on him exactly how far way he would actually be in so little time.

“So, you both have gotta visit me once I’m settled. Agreed?” D’ziel had tried hard to be serious during that sentence, but he ended up having a lighthearted smile anyway. He was better now, back to normal. Or maybe even a little more light than before. Even despite the feeling of sadness creeping up on him.

[Kaya]

Altahyr had come within Holt's reach so he gave the canine a self-reassuring set of pats. He looked up to listen to D'ziel. He left a hand on the canine. The warmth made him feel just a little bit better.

"Yes." Holt agreed without question. He had been to the northern Weyr a few times on business but not for leisure. "Still gunna miss you though." It was tough for him to admit. He knew it was how he felt, he knew the others knew, but saying it aloud made it more real somehow. Yet he felt it had to be said. So there it was. Maybe he could set up some sort of surprise for them on the lucky off day. His friends had done it for his Turnday once. He could return the favor. The thought made him feel a little better. They would still be friends. They had been weyrlings together. Through the toil and the traumatic - notably some very angry hooved beasts on more than one occasion. He nodded slightly to himself. They would remain friends.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

K'tar had contented himself with a nod and a really, really broad grin in response to D'ziel's question. Not that he'd done anything too extreme, at least not in the last couple days. Despite that he'd known it was coming for awhile, it was still almost shocking, realizing that D'ziel really was leabing. Today.

"Of course it's agreed!" K'tar exclaimed. "I'd like to see them try and stop us."

Altahyr glanced up at his human, perhaps wondering at the source of this venemance. He quickly returned to the serious buisness of soliciting attention, nosing at D'ziel's leg while pressing his body against Holt and K'tar.

[Shoki]

“Good.” D’ziel paused to pet the nosing Canine. “I will miss you guys too.” It seemed a short time ago that they had all met up at their first lesson and gone on a brief adventure. So many little things, but it wasn’t the end of it all, it was just going to be a little harder from now on. They were dragon riders, they could visit almost anywhere with ease. Although, he wasn’t inclined to visit RMW anytime soon. He’d think about that later. The nosing Canine caught his attention again and he pet him again with chuckle and a brief statement. “I’ll miss you too Altahyr.” He wondered how much the Canine knew about what was going on. Pounce, though she wasn’t present, was aware of something happening, but didn’t care over much, since she was getting her usual attention. At least that was how it seemed.

“Enough about that. What have you both got that I can be caught up on?” Sure, he was going to be leaving, far too soon in some opinions, but he really wanted to know what was going on. These were his friends after all.

[Kaya]

Good. Holt silently echoed. He was letting the smile come back to his features slowly, like the thawing frost in a Dragon Ridge dawn. "Honestly, I don't think I could have been much better lately, barring the smoke and ash. My parents are well, Mau and I are together, K'tar hasn't put my life in peril of injury or punishment in months -- it's perfect." He gave the Purple Rider a look before his closed lips pulled back in a broad, even smile. He gave Altahyr a good scratch. "What do you think? A month and you'll be settled enough to give us the grand tour?"

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Altahyr responded to D’ziel’s petting with a good, slobbery lick of the closest arm. D’ziel didn’t smell as happy as he had at other times, rather like Holt and K’tar. Like any canine, he simply accepted this, and convinced them to pet him. Petting him made humans feel better; it was established fact. Holt and K’tar started petting him then, prompting his tail to thump into the bench like a drumstick on a drum.

D’ziel asked about what they’d been up to, and Holt’s answer forced K’tar to laugh. He couldn’t help it. “Assuming, of course, that I don’t remedy the situation regarding me and Holt and trouble,” K’tar teased. “’Cuz if that happens, you might well be settled, but we might not be allowed to come say hi.”

[Shoki]

D’ziel didn’t think he needed a bath, Altahyr disagreed. The Moonlight rider was amused, but mostly listening to Holt. It sounded…wonderful. However, friendly reminders that at least one of his friends liked a little chaos came up quite quickly.

“Hey now, that’s not allowed. You guys have to be able to come and save me if I have frozen solid by that time.” D’ziel was half serious about that. Leave it to K’tar and Holt to figure out which half he meant. “Seriously though, I would love to be able to show you both around, assuming that you both can make it.” He honestly didn’t know how busy it would be once he got there. After all, how different was it going to be from RMW? Sure, weather was a big thing, but would wing practices be the same? What would be different? He had to admit, it was going to be exciting as well. Even if he was leaving his friends, his family…

Dan. His brother was graduating very soon. He would have to be there for it. There wasn’t a question about it. Even with their impressing at different times, he still felt that they had to stick together, in some way. They would always be brothers, but they had to stay friends too. He glossed over that hatching in his mind, just remembering his brother’s impression. No need to get worked up about everything else there.

“Just please say you aren’t planning anything right now, K’tar…”

[Kaya]

"Oh sky above save us from K'tar's machinations, for surely we are doomed," Holt drolled with a lazy smile. This, even for a goodbye, was enjoyable. They had settled in again. Old friends in no time at all. Training did that to people, simple as that.

"I imagine, however, if the weather is liable to freeze you solid you might come down this a'way to drill. If so, I expect you to swing by." He paused to think for a minute on the K'tar quandary again. "Besides, if we've been prohibited from going for poor behavior...in K'tarish fashion, what are a few more demerits?"

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

K’tar laughed. “Victory!” he mock-crowed. “You have discovered the true way. It is no matter, D’ziel, we shall be there when you have settled, permission or not.” He grinned. “After all, what’s the worst they could do to us?”

I thought you said not to jinx…

K’tar’s only response was to grin even wider. “Of course, it won’t even come up. I’ve not done anything in days, weeks. The odds that I will have done something that drastic are so low as to not even exist.”

All in all, his disclaimer might have been more reassuring if he hadn’t been grinning quite so much.

[Shoki]

D’ziel laughed, unable to stop himself. He had never been less reassured by any grouping of statements in his life. However, he still felt better about it all. Some things would never change. And perhaps that was reassuring in its own way.

“So now that we have established that you both are going to get into trouble the moment I leave, and that I will probably have to make sure Ice Stone is sturdy enough to handle all of us in one place again…” D’ziel grinned a little bit at that. “I’ll make sure I visit from time to time. Just don’t expect it to be super soon. I have to Pounce settled and that probably means I get to spend all my off hours chasing after her.” He had one of the most active felines he had met, barring of course her parents. Sure, around RMW he had trained her to not get into trouble, but getting her settled was probably going to be as difficult as the first time. Hocteth would love to rag on him for it.

Not that the Moonlight would admit to it.

[Kaya]

"Good. If nothing else, I expect a visit for my Turnday." Holt was able to smile, D'ziel's laugh had helped that, but he still felt the little weights in his shoulders. This was a goodbye day, even if it was 'just for now'. He stood from the chair and stretched one arm. "Now, if you have Pounce crated for this flight, I'd say get on with it. She'll spend even more time hiding and getting in trouble. Though, that might help you get to know the place better, looking for her," Holt grinned. He didn't want his friend to move, but he understood. And it was probably best, so that was what he wanted more. So given that, he was ready for the goodbye to be over, so that he could look forward to a hello.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

K’tar joined in D’ziel’s laughter. It was, of course, entirely likely that he would be getting in trouble to one extent or another fairly soon. However, he had little intention of risking his chance of visiting D’ziel by getting into too much trouble too soon.

“I’ll second Holt on the crating advice,” he said, breathing with the careful evenness of someone who is still recovering from laughter. He could well imagine D’ziel, chasing the feline throughout Ice Stone Weyr.

“And don’t get too involved in the politics up there. It’s a tunnelsnake nest if there ever was one, and, well, look out for the Lord Holder, he’s not a nice guy.”

K'tar was still grinning as he spoke, but then, K'tar would probably be grinning if Rukbat exploded.